Milone (elbow) latest Braves pitcher on IL

The Braves opened their final road trip of the year on Thursday down yet another pitcher, placing left-hander Tommy Milone on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

Milone, who has had three outings for the Braves since they acquired him from the Orioles on Aug. 30, was the starter in Wednesday’s 29-9 win over the Marlins, in which he allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. Milone has allowed at least seven runs in two of his three starts for Atlanta.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said he was alerted to Milone’s injury by head athletic trainer George Poulis shortly after the lefty exited the game.

“He said he had some stiffness in his elbow, so that was the first I'd heard of it,” Snitker said. “I hate it for him. He's been here a short time, but he just seems like a pro and easy guy to like and pull for. I hate it that there's something going on.”

The move comes two days after the team placed starter Max Fried on the injured list, and it adds to a season’s worth of frustration for a pitching staff that has had to navigate through much of its games without the bulk of its key starters.

The Braves entered their game with the Nationals on Thursday in first place in the National League East, but this division race is proving to be one of the tightest in baseball. Philadelphia was tied with Atlanta before first pitch on Thursday in the loss column, with the upstart Marlins not far behind.

The Braves have been able to stay afloat amid the pitching injuries mostly because of a red-hot offense that has carried the team in the past couple of weeks. Entering play Thursday, hitters were slashing .312/.406/.608 with 98 runs scored and 30 home runs over their prior 11 games.

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The starting pitchers, on the other hand, posted an 8.10 ERA over their past 13 games -- and, yet, the Braves were 7-6 during that stretch.

“The offense is really, really good,” Snitker said. “But it's that mound where things are going to happen, good or bad.”

To replace Milone on the roster, the Braves recalled right-handed pitcher Huascar Ynoa from their alternate training site in Lawrenceville, Ga. Ynoa pitched three innings in relief in the Braves' 7-6 win over the Nationals on Thursday, lowering his ERA to 6.75 with a one-run outing. The team also outrighted Charlie Culberson to the alternate training site.

Duvall redux
There was a lot to absorb from the Braves’ landslide win over the Marlins on Wednesday, and given the frenzied nature of the offensive production, it’s not the simplest task to whittle down which key moments stood out the most.

There is no argument, however, regarding the significance of Adam Duvall’s three homers. Nor will he be forgotten anytime soon as the first player in franchise history with multiple three-homer games; he also hit three on Sept. 2 at Boston.

Asked about Duvall during a pregame Zoom meeting with reporters, Friday’s starter, Josh Tomlin, lauded Duvall for being a terrific hitter -- “He’s really sneaky, a very good player that probably doesn’t get talked about nearly enough” -- and then added a note about Duvall’s affable, quiet demeanor off the field.

“He’s like the friendly neighbor that you didn't know you had, but that you're glad you finally met,” Tomlin said.

Hamels throwing
Left-hander Cole Hamels was scheduled to throw a live batting practice session at the Braves' alternate training site on Thursday, and if it goes well, he could be cleared to pitch as early as Tuesday or Wednesday in Baltimore.

“It's just like anything [else] when these guys are coming back from injury -- the side [sessions], the controlled scrimmages, all that kind of stuff,” Snitker said. “We'll see how he gets through it, how he shows up tomorrow and then proceed from there.”

Hamels has been dealing with left triceps tendinitis since early in Summer Camp.

Flowers exits after HBP
Catcher Tyler Flowers was removed from Thursday’s 7-6 win over the Nationals for precautionary reasons after he was hit on the left elbow by a pitch from Austin Voth in the fifth inning.

Flowers stayed in for another inning, but he came out in the sixth, when Snitker noticed Flowers wasn’t moving well when he reached to his left to catch a ball. He was replaced by Travis d'Arnaud.

“He wasn’t controlling the glove real good,” Snitker said. “I felt like we needed to get ahead of that and get some treatment. It's a lot better, I think, right now than I thought it would be at the time.”