{"id":73999,"date":"2025-08-06T09:39:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73999"},"modified":"2025-08-06T09:39:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:39:54","slug":"breaking-speedway-classic-had-at-least-one-positive-twist-for-the-braves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73999","title":{"rendered":"Breaking!! Speedway Classic had at least one positive twist for the Braves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Atlanta found a reason for optimism during the festivities at The Last Great Colosseum amid a lost season.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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MLB Speedway Classic: Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds | Jamie Squire\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Calling the 2025\u00a0Atlanta Braves\u00a0a complete disappointment isn’t a groundbreaking assessment. They haven’t been able to dig themselves out of an early-year hole and are effectively playing for pride at this juncture of the\u00a0MLB\u00a0calendar.<\/p>\n

The team is killing time until late September, but at least the re-emergence of top prospect Hurston Waldrep gives fans a reason to stay engaged.<\/p>\n

Waldrep tossed a gem in Atlanta’s 4-2 series finale victory over the\u00a0Cincinnati Reds\u00a0in baseball’s first-ever Speedway Classic.<\/p>\n

The right-hander turned a\u00a0bleak bullpen game\u00a0into a promising evening and\u00a0looked quite comfortable\u00a0in his season debut. Braves Country may be too blinded by defeat, but they may have found a silver lining and a\u00a0long-term rotation piece.<\/p>\n

Hurston Waldrep joining Braves’ rotation is a bright spot in dark 2025 season<\/h2>\n

Of course, we shouldn’t put too much stock into one outing, especially compared to Waldrep’s brief big-league stint in 2024.<\/p>\n

But he was thrown into the fire under difficult circumstances and deserves immense credit for persevering. The 23-year-old was originally scheduled to take the mound in Triple-A, but ace Spencer Strider getting scratched gave him a chance to shine.<\/p>\n

Not only did Waldrep step up on short notice, but he also entered the game with one out and runners on first and second base. He pitched Atlanta out of a first-inning jam and didn’t allow any further damage than the one run lefty reliever Austin Cox allowed. From there, it was relatively smooth sailing for him and the Braves.<\/p>\n

The Atlanta faithful got a glimpse of why Waldrep was the second-ranked in the club’s 2024 farm system and is fourth this year.<\/p>\n

His well-chronicled command issues were still apparent, but he also showed the elite stuff that made him a first-round pick in 2023. With their postseason hopes shattered, a polarizing yet talented player gives supporters something to root for and someone to debate about.<\/p>\n

Losing has been the theme of this season for the Braves; they can’t catch a break. Stars like Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., Austin Riley, Chris Sale and Strider are going down with injury. Atlanta is dropping contests and tumbling down the standings.<\/p>\n

Nothing has gone right, but perhaps Waldrep can be a beacon of light.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Atlanta found a reason for optimism during the festivities at The Last Great Colosseum amid a lost season. MLB Speedway Classic: Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds |… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":74002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBreaking!! Speedway Classic had at least one positive twist for the Braves - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73999\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breaking!! 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