Dodgers @ Braves August 13, 2014: So Long Colt, Chone and Stephen

Is this really only the third game of this series? I feel like the Dodgers have been in Atlanta for weeks now, but it’s only half over. That they’ll play two games in less than 24 hours — don’t forget that tomorrow is an early game — probably doesn’t help.

Dodgers
Braves
4:10 p.m. PT
Atlanta, Ga.
2B
Gordon
RF
Heyward
CF
Puig
2B
Gosselin
1B
Gonzalez
1B
Freeman
RF
Kemp
LF
J.Upton
LF
Crawford
C
Gattis
3B
Uribe
3B
Johnson
C
Ellis
SS
Simmons
SS
Rojas
CF
B.Upton
P
Ryu (L)
P
Santana (R)

Maybe it’s that I wrote about the Braves for FanGraphs today, pointing out that after a surprising 17-7 start, they’re just 43-52 since. The offense has been dreadful. Despite being in or near first place all season long, maybe, just maybe, this team isn’t all that good. At least they’ll have Andrelton Simmons back in at shortstop today, I suppose.

Anyway, enough about the Braves. There’s been a few minor — very minor — bits of news today to collect:

  • Colt Hynes, who was DFA’d to get Kevin Correia onto the 40-man roster, has been claimed by Toronto. Duke von Schamann, the 23-year-old righty traded to Cleveland for Hynes in April, is still not any kind of big prospect, but has been in Double-A Akron’s rotation all season. It was kind of a weird trade at the time, and it still is now.
  • Chone Figgins, who went unclaimed after his own DFA, decided not to head to Triple-A and has now been released. No big loss there — he’s less valuable than Justin Turner and can’t play shortstop like Miguel Rojas — and you wonder if this is finally the end of the line for him.
  • Stephen Fife, who made one start for the Dodgers in May but has been dealing with arm trouble off and on for most of the last year, underwent Tommy John surgery today. He’s obviously out for the rest of the year and will miss most or all of 2015 as well, which is unfortunate for him.

The criminally underrated Hyun-jin Ryu takes the hill against the surprisingly effective Ervin Santana tonight.

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About Mike Petriello

Mike writes about lots of baseball in lots of places, and right now that place is MLB.com.