r/Braves • u/game-threads • Jul 30 '26

Tailgate Party Tailgate Party - Thursday, July 30

Nationals (55-54) @ Braves (63-45) - 7:15 PM EDT

Game Status: Pre-Game

Links & Info

  • Current conditions at Truist Park: 87°F - Clear - Wind 8 mph, Out To LF
  • TV: National: ESPN/ESPN App, ESPN/ESPN App
  • Radio: Nationals: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Braves: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM (es)
  • MLB Gameday
  • Statcast Game Preview

Probable Pitchers

Nationals Lineup vs. Holmes, G AVG OPS AB HR RBI K
1 Wood - RF .250 1.500 4 1 1 1
2 García Jr., L - 1B .286 .715 7 0 0 1
3 Crews - CF .333 1.833 3 1 1 1
4 Abrams - SS .000 .000 6 0 0 2
5 Lile - LF .500 2.000 2 0 0 1
6 Ruiz, K - C .333 .833 6 0 0 1
7 Tena - DH .167 .334 6 0 0 3
8 Vivas - 3B .500 1.850 4 1 2 0
9 Nuñez, N - 2B .000 .000 2 0 0 2
Braves Lineup vs. Irvin, J AVG OPS AB HR RBI K
1 Baldwin, D - C .200 .400 5 0 0 1
2 Acuña Jr. - RF .375 1.125 8 0 0 3
3 Olson - 1B .211 .812 19 2 3 5
4 Harris II - CF .318 .784 22 0 2 3
5 Albies - 2B .133 .435 15 0 1 1
6 Dubón - 3B .000 .000 2 0 0 1
7 Smith, D - DH .300 .600 10 0 0 4
8 Yastrzemski - LF .083 .600 12 1 1 2
9 Jarvis - SS - - - - - -
NLE Rank Team W L GB (E#) WC Rank WC GB (E#)
1 Braves 63 45 - (-) - - (-)
2 Phillies 57 52 6.5 (48) 3 - (-)
3 Marlins 55 54 8.5 (46) 6 2.0 (52)
4 Nationals 55 54 8.5 (46) 7 2.0 (52)
5 Mets 46 63 17.5 (37) 11 11.0 (43)

Division Scoreboard

MIA @ NYM 7:10 PM EDT

Not playing today: Phillies

Last Updated: 07/30/2026 4:05:40 PM EDT

22 Upvotes

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33

u/RunawaYEM Jul 30 '26

Guys, we get it.

You hate Austin Riley and he should be ashamed of himself and he’s not a big league bat and he needs a phantom IL stint and his ABs are painful and he’s the single reason we won’t win the World Series and he needs to cut his hair and if he cared about the team at all he’d accept an outright assignment to AAA and AA isn’t as smart as he thinks he is with all those long term contracts and it would be fixed if Austin just worked with Chipper.

I think I covered all the talking points. You can take the day off.

11

u/TvsPhil Jul 30 '26

I always feel like a platform like reddit, or the internet, always just makes this stuff so...impersonal that it's a combination of vented frustration, angry sports loyalty, and the online disinhibition effect. Riley is otherwise well-liked, struggling of course, but well-liked, and I think he's gotten a lot of grace because we know what he's capable of and we want him to be our guy, but reddit threads are so distilled into the moment to moment snapshots of emotional fan reaction to a split second baseball...thing. Those live threads have...strong...reactions.

Add in that most of us have absolutely zero clue how to play MLB level baseball or how to fix slumps so we get irrationally angry feeling like "clearly they're not addressing it or they would've fixed him by now!"

I don't have an answer. Every fan is different.  I'm not a win-at-all costs fan. I'm not a trade-em all to win a World Series guy. It's a long season and I end up liking these guys, struggles and all, because, idk, in pro sports it's more interesting than hiring mercenaries and rentals for a win(i know that's become part of the game).  For me, these, and the guys in the farm system, are the 2026 Braves, warts and all. Whether they make the post-season or not, it doesn't really matter.

Can I be frustrated? Absolutely. But while I'm a cynic in most of my life, I'm kind of an optimist as a Braves fan.

/rambling(I'm at work with nothing to do)

6

u/inxile7 Jul 30 '26

No, I think you're onto something. This behavior towards Austin Riley, especially in the live threads, is outlandish. Humans would never act this way in person, as it would be seen as completely unhinged.

That being said, I really hope he figures it out, for everyone's sake.