It feels weird typing “Atlanta Braves vs. Baltimore Orioles Series Preview” as I just cannot recall the last time the Braves actually played them. However, whenever it was, I can guarantee that whenever it was, both teams weren’t as good as they are now.
The Baltimore Orioles franchise last won a World Series in 1983. In the next 40 years after, the Orioles:
- Highest season win % was .605 in 1997
- Carried a win % below .300 1 time
- Carried a win % between .300-399 5 times
- Carried a win % between .400-.499 17 times
- Carried a win % above .500 16 times
It feels like this team can be a staple in the last bullet point as the talent pool is young (8th youngest in MLB) and should be together for 5-6 years, at minimum. If they take the Braves route and offer young players extensions early, that 5-6 could turn into a decade.
Pitching Matchups for the Braves vs. Orioles Series
Game 1: Max Fried (0.45 ERA) vs. Dean Kremer (6.67 ERA)
Game 2: Spencer Strider (2.57 ERA) vs. Kyle Bradish (6.14 ERA)
Game 3: Bryce Elder (1.75 ERA) vs. Tyler Wells (3.34 ERA)
Braves come out as the paper champs in all 3 of these matchups. Adding to it that these are home games, one would think that anything less than 2 wins would feel like failure.
Transaction a Day AA
Some great news going into tonight’s game and some…interesting news as well.
The #Braves today returned RHP Raisel Iglesias from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list after optioning LHP Dylan Dodd to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game. The club today also recalled INF Braden Shewmake to Atlanta and placed INF Ehire Adrianza on the 10-day injured list, backdated to May 2, with right elbow inflammation. Additionally, C Travis d’Arnaud tonight begins a rehabilitation assignment with the Gwinnett Stripers.
Braves Twitter feed
How the Above Impacts the Bullpen
The Braves bullpen we’ve seen thus far this season will each move down 1 role to make room for Raisel Iglesias. However, the Braves optioned a starting pitcher, which leaves only 4 in the rotation: Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Bryce Elder. When the Braves need the 5th starter, the team will have a hard decision to make (or they’ll just find someone to IL). Of the 9 guys in the bullpen, only Nick Anderson and Dylan Lee have options. Anderson has a 3.29 ERA, but he’s been so much better than that as he’s sporting a 0.7 BB/9 and 11.9 K/9. He’s also inherited 3 runners and none have scored. Lee, simply put, is a serious LH workhorse, already appearing 15 games. Like Anderson, his peripherals are elite despite a 3.14 ERA: 2.5 BB/9, 10.7 K/9. He’s also inherited 5 runners and none have scored.
In my opinion, you just cannot send them down. This roster crunch also doesn’t factor in Lucas Luetge, who is also out of options, but currently injured. Here are the other relievers and their current stats:
- A.J. Minter: 15.2 IP, 7.47 ERA, 3BB 19K
- Michael Tonkin: 17 IP, 2.12 ERA, 14K, 3BB
- Kirby Yates: 10.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 9BB, 14K
- Joe Jimenez: 10 IP, 2.70 ERA, 2BB, 13K
- Jesse Chavez: 12 IP, 3.00 ERA, 3BB, 12K
- Collin McHugh: 10 IP, 2.70 ERA, 3BB, 4K
Of this group, A.J. has allowed 2 of 3 inherited runners to score, Tonkin has allow 5 of 11, Yates has allowed 1 of 2, Chavez has allowed 4 of 8, and McHugh has allowed 2 of 7. So, while those ERAs look pretty sparkly, this relief core has allowed 14 inherited runners to score, which is why it’s hard to believe those ERAs are representative of what we’ve seen.
Travis d’Arnaud will start a rehab that will likely be very short and I’m guessing he’ll return by Monday at the latest. Braden Shewmake getting his first taste in the bigs is kind of a big deal, especially considering the defensive shortcomings we’ve seen from Vaughn Grissom in the early goings. Shewmake has been providing quality, but not spectacular, defense for Gwinnett and doing his best Dansby impression at the plate, with a lot of power but very little patience.
Atlanta Braves vs. Baltimore Orioles Lineups
The Orioles…
And the Braves….
Whoa! Shewmake gets called up and immediately starts over Vaughn Grissom. Michael Harris II is listed as day to day, so Snitker is likely just giving him an extra day of rest. This should be a fun series.
Thanks for reading! If you missed Jeremy’s piece on MIchael Soroka, click the link to catch up.
Is Shewmake starting at SS on his callup day as telling as it seems to me?
I don’t think they called him up to sit on the bench.
I think the phantom injury bug will hit a reliever (maybe Yates) when we need a fifth starter. It’s possible that Elder may wind up on the shuttle with Dodd and Soroka (and maybe Shuster) to avoid any decisions with relievers.
I might be surprised if we ever see Adrianza on the roster again. I gotta believe that two of Shewmake, Arcia, and Grissom will be on the roster the rest of the year. I think Adrianza should be DFA’d and re-signed on a minor league deal.
Those reliever stats you quote make them all look so similar even to the inherited runners scoring, but I think the eye test has Yates and Chavez as low men on the totem pole. Yates’ 9 BBs is telling.
If you want to know when Atlanta last played Baltimore in May, the answer is: Never
The last game between the two teams was August 22,2021, a 3-1 Braves win which completed a 3 game sweep.
Overall between the two teams, the Braves lead 25-23
acuna made that guy not go home
oooof
Joe Jimenez is just awful. We got took on that deal. Snit will still use Minter or Anderson to pitch the ninth for some reason
It is amazing to me to see the Orioles with a good team. On that note, the Rays are on pace to win 133 games. The Athletics are on pace to win 31 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oakland keeps up that pace, give or take 10 games or so.
I’m used to the “good” Orioles with Machado, Jones, Tillman, Britton etc… That was a good team always on the cusp of being great. Just went to my first game at OPACY in several years. These Orioles are for real. The starting pitching is not great but they can hit like anything and they have a great bullpen.
That game came down to 2 Fried errors and an awful Jimenez performance. I do wonder if Jimenez will come around or not.
Jimenez needs to come around, but I still dont get why we got him, his overall track record is pretty lame.
Recapped: https://bravesjournal.com/2023/05/06/os-9-braves-4-but-what-does-it-really-mean/