Chris Sale (8-5, 2.14 ERA) is Atlanta's answer to almost any problem this rotation faces, and he gets Trevor McDonald on Friday at 7:15 PM PT at Oracle Park. McDonald had a jaw-dropping debut stretch earlier this season — Fernando Valenzuela comparisons got thrown around — but he's lost 5 of his last 6 starts and posted a 6.75 ERA during that run. His last outing against Miami lasted 3 innings, he threw barely half his pitches for strikes, and generated 2 whiffs all night. The arms matchup tilts hard toward Atlanta.
San Francisco won back-to-back games heading into this series, but those came against an Athletics club that entered on a 4-game skid of its own. Before that, the Giants dropped 3 straight to Miami. At 33-46, this is not a team that's going to remind anyone of the dynasty years at Oracle Park. The Braves are walking in wounded, but they're still one of the better teams in the National League.
Atlanta's first 4-game losing streak of the season is the thing everyone is talking about after San Diego made it look easy. The Padres held the Braves to 1 run in the opener, won on a walk-off hit in extra innings, then closed it out 5-2 to complete the sweep. Atlanta scored 8 total runs across those 3 games. The offense has gone flat, and the lineup isn't at full strength. Ronald Acuña Jr. remains on the IL with a hamstring issue — manager Walt Weiss said he's a "long way" from returning — and Sean Murphy is still out with a fractured finger. Strider and Schwellenbach aren't coming back anytime soon either. None of this is new, but it gets louder when the bats go cold.
- Day-To-DayRobert Suarez RP — Suarez gave up a hit and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings Tuesday to record his ninth hold of the season in a win over the Blue Jays.
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer DH — Farmer (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus on Tuesday.
- 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. RF — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday that Acuna (hamstring) is a "long way" from returning from the 10-day injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
- suspensionJurickson Profar LF — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver SP — Smith-Shawver (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Atlanta's spring training facility in Florida, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- 60-Day-ILDanny Young RP — Young (elbow) walked and hit a batter but struck out three in a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Columbus on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider SP — Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy C — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.
- Day-To-DayLuis Arraez 2B — Arraez (foot) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the Athletics, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILHeliot Ramos LF — Ramos (quadriceps) went 1-for-5 with a walk and a run scored in Triple-A Sacramento's 9-6 win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader met with Dr. Robert Anderson on June 5 and received a stem-cell injection to address plantar fasciitis in his left foot, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeaton Winn RP — Winn (elbow) began a throwing program Monday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley (shoulder) struck out two over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero RP — The Giants placed Peguero on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a left hamstring strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 60-Day-ILRowan Wick RP — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Birdsong RP — Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Giants have their own injury ward to manage: Heliot Ramos (quad) and Harrison Bader (plantar fasciitis) are both on the IL, and Luis Arraez has been in and out of the lineup with a foot issue. The bullpen depth chart reads like a surgeon's waiting room — Hayden Birdsong had UCL reconstruction, Randy Rodriguez, Rowan Wick, Jose Butto, and Joel Peguero are all on the 60-day IL. If this game gets to late innings with San Francisco trailing, their relief options are thin. Sale keeping this game tight into the seventh or eighth is a real possibility, and if Atlanta gets going early, the Giants won't have a lot of firepower to claw back.