From The Diamond Grant McAuley

The Atlanta Braves are showing signs of breaking out at the plate after a long and frustrating road. Are they heating up in time to impact the National League East race?

Grant McAuley dives into the week that was for the Braves, including the hot hitting of new leadoff man Jarred Kelenic. Is he finally breaking through at the plate as a big leaguer? Can Austin Riley and others keep up their recent trends and get the Atlanta lineup where it needs to be going forward?

On the mound, rookie Spencer Schwellenbach has impressed the Braves and is earning the opportunity to pitch some meaningful innings for the club. Veteran Chris Sale has been one of the best stories of the first half and one of the best pitchers in the game. Has he pitched his way into the NL Cy Young conversation? Special guest Heidi Watney of Apple TV+ joins the show to discuss that and the Braves’ big weekend in the Bronx.

You’ll also hear from reliever A.J. Minter, who was up in Rome to get some work in on Saturday. He chats about his rehab outing and what the next steps will be. Meanwhile, Ian Anderson is facing hitters in Florida again. Will the young righty be ready for his own rehab assignment soon? All of that and much more in the Braves discussion this week.

Across Major League Baseball, the loss of Willie Mays was felt from coast to coast. His life and legacy were celebrated at Rickwood Field this week. His godson, Barry Bonds, was on hand to pay tribute and make some waves on the Fox broadcast. With Mays’ passing, it brings up the question: Who is the greatest living baseball player?

Jayson Stark of The Athletic checks in to discuss Mays’ legacy, his incredible statistics, why his impact goes far beyond the numbers and shares some stories of Mays accomplishments as well.

From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.

The Atlanta Braves broke out in a big way at the plate over the weekend, slugging nine home runs and piling up 22 run in a series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. But is that proof this group is finally getting back to normal as they once knew it?


Grant McAuley discussed a big weekend for the Atlanta lineup and some welcome signs at the plate from several sluggers, including Austin Riley. Though the bats did some serious work, another injury is threatening to destabilize the top of the order. Center fielder Michael Harris II will miss extended time after suffering a Grade-2 hamstring strain. Can Jarred Kelenic fill that void? And with Atlanta's rotation lined up to deploy six starters for a while, can the young prospects step up and cover important innings?


Special guests on the show include Tampa Bay radio broadcaster Neil Solondz, who discussed the state of the Rays -- another team searching for the offensive fire power it had a year ago. Matt Snyder of CBS Sports joins the show to discuss some of the recent gambling fallout and much more.


All of that and a trip around the big leagues that includes Snoop Dogg calling a baseball game on this episode of the show!


From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.

The Atlanta Braves' offensive woes in May have grown from a frustration to concern as the club experienced more uneven play in the month of June.


Grant McAuley breaks down the recent trends for the club and the rest of MLB, which is also producing decidedly different results in 2024. While the bats have been searching for answers, Max Fried, Chris Sale and the Braves rotation continue to give the club a chance to win with solid pitching. How long can the pitching staff keep up its current level of production? When will the Atlanta lineup find its footing? Those are the questions the Braves are hoping to answer sooner than later.


Meanwhile, MLB's gambling issues could be growing after a recent suspension and some abhorrent behavior some players continue to be subjected to. Can the league walk the fine line of keeping gambling out of the game while simultaneously courting the ad revenue the industry could provide the sport?

Special guest Anthony Castrovince joins the show to discuss the addition of Negro Leagues statistics into the MLB record book. You'll hear about how this process played out and how the record keeping has evolved over the history of the sport.


From the vault on this episode: Hear former Braves great Dale Murphy tell the story behind two of the most iconic baseball posters from the 1980s. Murph tells the story of "Power Alley" and "Stickball" from inception, to photo shoot, to finished product and reflects on the legacy of Nike's promotional efforts in baseball some four decades ago.


From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.

The Atlanta Braves fought their way through a challenging May, so will June once again be the month this club puts it all together? That's been the case each of the last two seasons.

Grant McAuley discusses all the Braves news of the past week and looks ahead to the three-city road trip which begins on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. Chris Sale, Max Fried and the rest of the starting rotation have done more than their fair share this season, even with the fifth spot still unsettled. Can they continue to post up while the offense gets back on track? Could young arms like Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and others step into that final spot?

With Ronald Acuña Jr. out for the remainder of 2024, who will step into the leadoff role and how will Brian Snitker balance the rest of his lineup as they try to shake off a collective cold spell? You'll also hear from Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, who appeared on 92-9 The Game on Friday to chat with Carl Dukes and Mike Bell. Where does the Atlanta executive stand on the challenges his club is facing and the need for reinforcements? That and more on this week's show.

As the Braves find themselves chasing the Phillies, we take a look at the NL East race with Casey Stern, host of "Unfiltered" on the Bleav Network. We'll also try to make sense of the mess the New York Mets found themselves in with a strange turn of events surrounding former reliever Jorge Lopez.

Also on the show, longtime catcher and current Foul Territory host Erik Kratz joins the show to dish on the Phillies, the Braves overcoming the loss of Acuña, unpack the "retirement" of Angel Hernandez, and chat about the process of writing his autobiography, "The Tao of the Backup Catcher," which is available wherever books are sold.

From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.

The Atlanta Braves suffered another major injury blow, this one eerily reminiscent of a place they've been before. For the second time in three years, star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a torn ACL and is done for the season.

Grant McAuley discusses the challenges this latest injury present for both Acuña and the club and shares the reaction of several of his Braves teammates. Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, Michael Harris II and Adam Duvall all weigh in on the unfortunate news while manager Brian Snitker talks about where his club goes from here without their dynamic leadoff hitter.

You'll also hear from Braves color analyst C.J. Nitkowski of Bally Sports, who provides some insights on where the Braves stand at the Memorial Day checkpoint -- in an interview recorded prior to the Acuña injury. Plus, Geoff Ponts of Baseball America helps size up the Atlanta minor league system and some of the top arms who could make an impact in the big leagues or a big trade later this summer.

From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.

The month of May has once again been a bit unkind to the Atlanta Braves, who seem like they are winning games in spite of their offense at the moment. Of course, the pitching staff has been pitching in more than its fair share to make it happen.

Grant McAuley discussed the latest Braves news from the week that was, including some encouraging signs for Matt Olson at the plate, but a discouraging injury update for Austin Riley that seems to have the third baseman in limbo as far as a return. You'll hear Riley's comments from Saturday as he described the ailment that has him stuck on the bench for the time being.

Meanwhile, Travis d'Arnaud also had a brush with injury but appears to have emerged unscathed while Sean Murphy's return to could be getting closer with an upcoming rehab assignment. Ronald Acuña Jr. is among those still searching for consistency and results, so did a day off help speed that process up?

You'll also hear from Atlanta reliever Jesse Chavez, who shares some insight on the inner workings of the bullpen. And we'll discuss the latest Players Only telecast on Bally Sports South with Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur, who reflect on their friendship and the chance to reunite on the 20th anniversary of their rookie season.

Special guest Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports joins the show to discuss the state of the Toronto Blue Jays, a club that once seemed destined to become a powerhouse, but is now staring at the possibility that their homegrown stars are not only under-performing but could also bolt in free agency.

David Adler of MLB.com checks in to share the inner workings of Statcast's new bat-tracking metrics, from concept to the first iteration which debuted this past week. This latest evolution allows us to take a deeper look at how the swing works and who has the most explosive swing in MLB.

From The Diamond airs live on 92-9 The Game in Atlanta on Sundays from 5-7 pm ET. You can also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of the show and more great Braves coverage is available at FromTheDiamond.com.