The Braves are trying to win it today, not just for the series. They gotta do it #ForTheMoms.
I’d had a vague feeling that the Braves didn’t have a great track record on Mother’s Day, not based on any specific memories.
However, my recency bias was not completely unfounded: it turns out Atlanta have lost on Mother’s Day for the last three seasons. You have to go back to May 8, 2022 when Charlie Morton led the Braves to a 9-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers for their last win on this particular day.
They didn’t just lose, though. They specifically (and excruciatingly) lost in walkoff fashion for these three straight years.
Raisel Iglesias (2023, 2025) and AJ Minter (2024) came in to close tight games and were charged with losses instead. Road wins are tough, but the Braves lead the league in them this year, so let’s see if we can stop this unfortunate trend today behind starter Bryce Elder. Because if Bryce Elder pitches a complete game shutout, there can’t be a high-leverage bullpen arm to blow it, right? Right?
The regularly-rested Bryce and his sterling 2.02 ERA will take the mound in today’s finale hoping to add yet another quality start to his 2026 campaign. He had a strong performance his last time out versus Seattle, pitching six innings allowing two hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out nine. He got swings and misses on all five of his pitches and was very in control outside of the two-run homer allowed to J.P. Crawford in the third inning.
“Bryce is for real,” said Braves manager Walt Weiss after that game. We’re hoping so!
The 25-year old lefty Justin Wrobleski (5-0, 1.25 ERA) will make his sixth start for the Dodgers since moving from the bullpen on April 6. He’s made a fantastic case to stay in the rotation, especially with Snell’s less-than-ideal debut last night and Glasnow down with back spasms. That ERA is already eye-popping, but it’s even better when you discount his three-run, four inning relief outing to start the season – without that, he’s allowed two runs in 32 innings across five starts to amount to a 0.56 ERA. He’s bolstered the Dodgers rotation with a six pitch mix and quality run prevention, but there are some signs that regression looms. Take a look at some of these blue bars:
Defying the odds of his expected ERA at 4.23, he does it all with an incredibly low strikeout (10.5%) and whiff (12.5) rates, which puts him in the bottom 2% of MLB. The maximum number of strikeouts he’s gotten in a game this season is six; seven’s his career high. He’s spun several scoreless outings by preventing quality contact, albeit aided with a .222 BABIP. Notably, he’s yet to give up a home run. It’d be nice to see the Braves, after getting to Blake Snell but making Emmet Sheehan look like Cy Young, get back to their homer-hitting ways as a parting gift to LA.
If last night was for Bobby, today’s rubber game is for Braves Country moms.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 10, 4:10 p.m. ET
Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: BravesVision, Gray TV
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
