Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Atlanta Braves news and notes from Thursday. The Atlanta Braves wrap up the homestand with a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend. The series will be a big test for the Braves, as the Guardians are one of the best teams in the league thus far. The Braves enter play with a 17-6 record and a 2.5 game advantage over the National League East. The Guardians enter the series with an 18-7 record and also have a 2.5 game lead over their division. Game one gets underway tonight at 7:20 ET with Chris Sale on the bump. He will make his fifth start of the season after a couple extra rest days. He faces left-hander Logan Allen, who is set to make his first career appearance against the Braves. The series continues on Saturday with Charlie Morton on the mound. Morton, who had a solid last start, is seeking his third win of the season. He faces right-hander Tanner Bibee, who will also face the Braves’ lineup for the first time. First pitch is set for 7:20 ET. The series finale is at 1:35 ET on Sunday afternoon. Bryce Elder, who made his first start this week, will get the ball for the Braves. The Guardians turn to right-hander Ben Lively, who has put up some pretty poor numbers against the Braves in the past. The Braves have been on a tear, going 9-1 in their last ten games. Hopefully, the good guys continue to stay hot and secure yet another series win. More Braves News: The Braves outrighted David Fletcher to Gwinnett in order to clear a roster spot for Ozzie Albies. Fletcher has appeared in five games for the Braves this season and gave the infield some security during Albies’ absence. Albies is eligible to be activated from the injured list today. Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver struck out seven on Wednesday down on the farm. More in the minor league recap. Sean Murphy began to catch bullpens and throw after suffering an oblique strain at the end of March. He has yet to swing a bat, but is still looking at a late April/early May return. MLB News: The Houston Astros will activate left-hander Framber Valdez from the injured list on Sunday prior to their game in Mexico City. Valdez missed some time with elbow soreness. The New York Yankees claimed Michael Tonkin off of waivers from the New York Mets. The Mets designated Tonkin for assignment earlier this week. The A’s placed second baseman Zack Gelof on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The move is retroactive to April 24. The Milwaukee Brewers placed left-hander Wade Miley on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. His first MRI was inconclusive, so he will undergo further testing. The Toronto Blue Jays placed right-hander Bowden Francis on the 15-day injured list with tendinitis in his right forearm. In a corresponding move, the club recalled Brendon Little. The Seattle Mariners placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Luckily, he is just dealing with a Grade 1 strain. The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Alec Marsh on the 15-day injured list with an elbow contusion. He took a line drive to the arm during Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Los Angeles Dodgers have shut down right-hander Brusdar Graterol after experiencing discomfort in his arm. He was placed on the 60-day injured list early in the season and was eligible to be activated on May 18.

Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images The Falcons shocked the NFL by drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Host Kevin Knight is here to break down the first round, including thoughts on the pick, the timeline for Penix to start, and the potential conflict this could create with Kirk Cousins. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast! The Atlanta Falcons shocked the NFL by drafting Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Host Kevin Knight is here to break down the first round, including thoughts on the pick, the timeline for Penix to start, and the potential conflict this could create with Kirk Cousins. You can also listen to all of our video shows in an audio-only podcast format, available on all your favorite podcast platforms or by using the player below. If you’re interested in supporting the show, check out our Patreon page to unlock access to exclusive perks including Patron Q&A sessions, Discord perks, live shout-outs and more! Be sure to check out the new community Discord server here! Come chat with your fellow Falcons fans about the show, the team, the NFL draft, and more. You can watch the show here on The Falcoholic, but we recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience—including full 1080p HD video and access to the live Q&A in the chat. You can also access the show using your smart TV or device using the YouTube app for the real big-screen experience! We hope you enjoy the show! If you have comments, we’d love to hear them. Send them to us on Twitter (@FalcoholicLive), leave them below, or e-mail the show at falcoholiclive@gmail.com. Thanks for watching!

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Atlanta spent a lot of money to land Cousins, and angering him in the short-term seems risky. The Atlanta Falcons paid up in a major way to land Kirk Cousins, the consensus best quarterback available in free agency. It was a move designed to help them win in the here and now, with Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson getting their veteran equivalent to Matthew Stafford or Matt Ryan for a roster they clearly felt was ready to contend. There were long-term questions at the position, sure, but that didn’t necessarily demand an instant fix. The Falcons instead decided to secure that long-term fix—and again, that’s their perception, not a rock-solid outcome—in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That may well prove to be the long-term solution the Falcons needed, setting up a seamless succession plan that leads to a glorious era of success in Atlanta. Or it may not, and we may look back at this as the moment the Falcons alienated the quarterback they just signed to an expensive deal, because there are some indications they’ve done just that. As we all sit in shock over the Atlanta pick, a source tells me Kirk Cousins just as “shocked” and “disappointed” Never said anything to him or his reps about a QB in 1st round despite suggesting they would. Still “it’s a business”— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) April 26, 2024 The Falcons called Kirk Cousins when they were on the clock to let him know. From what I learned, Cousins understood a QB would be considered but he did not believe his successor would be taken in the first round. I’m told he’s a bit stunned.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 26, 2024 There's inherent frustration and confusion from Cousins' camp, as they didn't use that pick to help the team in 2024. They instead drafted his eventual replacement before he's put on a Falcons helmet.— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 26, 2024 I think Cousins is the kind of professional who won’t make significant waves with this beyond this evening, and if we have any issues, it will come down the line when Penix is gearing up to start. But it’s still striking to me that the Falcons would sink such a significant investment into Cousins, sign him to a multi-year deal, and then not inform him or his camp that they were thinking about taking Penix at No. 8. That’s a level of secrecy that I’m not sure was completely wise, given the fact that it could sour Cousins on the organization he just joined. It’s also, as Thamel fairly points out, not a move that helps the Falcons win right now when Cousins presumably joined this franchise because they wanted to win right now. And that’s a fair thing for Cousins to worry about, given that he is in the twilight of his career. He joined the Falcons from a fairly comfortable spot in Minnesota because they offered him the best deal, yes, but also because he was confident they could win in the short-term with him at the helm. The moves on offense likely bolstered that belief, but it is difficult to see the Falcons getting dramatically better on defense at this point even with a successful second day of the draft and free agent additions. Perhaps this also won’t get messy, once Cousins is told in no uncertain terms that Penix is not an immediate threat to his job. But unless the Falcons nail the rest of the draft and add more help in free agency following the draft, there may be a lingering feeling in Cousins’ camp and the fanbase alike that they passed up a chance to add immediate help in favor of future help. If this team struggles at all in 2024, especially on the defensive side of the ball, that’s going to be a feeling that takes hold and curdles into something nastier than a vague sense that the Falcons might’ve made the wrong choice. While I do think Cousins will do his best to take this in stride, the Falcons had to know they were taking a risk here, and an expensive one. A scenario in which Cousins is not thrilled with this franchise, falters, and Penix is not the guy the Falcons believe him to be would inevitably lead to widespread changes for Atlanta, not to mention more years of misery for a fanbase tired of experiencing exactly that. The Falcons clearly believe they can walk the thin line here, with Cousins being the unquestioned starter of the moment and Penix being ready to step in and play well when his moment comes. But these are human beings grappling with big decisions that impact their job security, ultimately, and nobody should be surprised if the Falcons have to deal with more fallout from this decision than they originally anticipated.

Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images The Braves just opened up a roster spot for Ozzie Albies’ return Friday. The Atlanta Braves announced Thursday that they have outrighted infielder David Fletcher to Gwinnett. The move opens the door for Ozzie Albies to be activated from the injured list on Friday before the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. The #Braves today outrighted INF David Fletcher to Triple-A Gwinnett.— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 25, 2024 Fletcher will likely reject the assignment and go looking for a major league deal. It is possible that he could opt to return if he can’t find a deal to his liking. Fletcher appeared in five games with Atlanta while going 2-for-8 at the plate with a couple of RBIs. Albies ran the bases ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Marlins and took part in on-field drills during batting practice. The original hope was that he would be back in two weeks, but it appears he is going to be ready to go on the day that he is eligible to be activated. Brian Snitker said Wednesday that he thought Albies could have played that night had he been eligible. Albies was off to a good start at the plate at the time of his injury hitting .317/.386/.492 with two homers and a 146 wRC+ in 70 plate appearances. UPDATE - Fletcher will be staying in the organization and there was some confusion over the status of the money owed to him. The AJC’s Justin Toscano clears it up below. Clarity on David Fletcher: He’s staying in the org. He had an advance consent in his contract to be assigned to Triple A. Had he elected free agency, he would’ve forfeited the money. His five years of service allow him to reject assignments, but he signed advance consent.— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 25, 2024