Well, it’s not great. The injuries are starting to catch up with this team. After winning game one, of the four game set, with a walk-off in the 9th, the Braves were outscored 19-7 in the last three games. Fortunately, thanks to a hot start, they still sit at 7-4.
Spencer Strider wasn’t bad in game one. He also wasn’t his usual electric self, going five innings and striking out nine, but also walking three and allowing three runs. That performance would usually be good enough for a win, but it took the heroics of Eddie Rosario and Orlando Arcia to win the game in the 9th.
Jared Schuster went in game two and didn’t fare much better than his first outing, lasting only four innings, walking four, and giving up four runs. It’s early, but it would appear that Schuster is not ready for the big leagues just yet. His stuff is there, but control is lacking, and he looks like a kid that is overwhelmed.
In the third game, Charlie Morton was Charlie Morton. Five innings, three runs, on six hits, and six punchouts. Again, good enough for a win most nights, but not against the Padres.
Game four was a complete disaster with rookie Dylan Dodd only lasting 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs on ten hits and four walks. He also has a look of a kid that just isn’t ready yet.
The bullpen had some ups and downs. Most of the big names performed as expected, but Lucas Luetge, Kirby Yates, and Danny Young all struggled to fan the flames in multiple appearances.
On the bright side, Ronald Acuna continues to prove he is healthy. The leadoff man is getting on base at a .415 clip and has already stolen five bases. A great sign for sure.
Michael Harris only had one at bat in game one before being placed on the IL with a sore lower back. He was off to a rough start anyway, so hopefully the down time helps him regroup and get healthy.
Catcher, Travis D’Arnaud is also out with a concussion after a collision in Game two. Fortunately Sean Murphy, who was ice cold seems to be heating up now.
All in all, it’s still not time to hit the panic button. None of the injuries seem to be long term, the lineup is deep and performing well, and once Max Fried, Raisel Iglesias, D’Arnaud, and Harris are back, the team looks much better.
The comebacks start today when Kyle Wright makes his first start of the season.
It would be nice if Marcel Ozuna could buy a hit, he is still hitting under .100, and Ozzie Albies has been un-Ozzie-like, hitting only .227 through 11 games. Offsetting Albies and Ozuna, the rest of the lineup is hitting over .300, so we can relax and wait for these two to come around.
The Braves welcome the Reds to Truist this week, and that should be the cure-all these bats need.
