I might’ve said it to anyone who’ll listen a 1,000 times over the course of these past few weeks, but Adam Duvall has been lost all season against RHP. In 87 PAs against RHP, Duvall is carrying an .084 BA and a .235 OPS. Today, I finally get what I want. Max Fried, aka Varsity around these parts, takes the stage in Atlanta, game time 6:20 CT/7:20 ET. Here’s last night’s game thread in case you like misery.
Transaction a Day AA
The Braves today recalled OF Forrest Wall to Atlanta after optioning OF J.P. Martínez to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game. Additionally, the club recalled RHP Daysbel Hernández to Atlanta and placed RHP Hurston Waldrep on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Lots to unpack here. J.P. Martinez’s plate appearance yesterday where he looked like a boy among men likely cost him a pretty decent paycheck. Forrest Wall gets the call and, thank the light, he’s starting in left field against RHP Casey Mize. Hurston Waldrep heads to the IL with elbow inflammation. I hope this is just a minor injury and he’ll be back on the mound sooner than later, but hopefully in Gwinnett. Even after a rough start, Waldrep was able to reflect on his outing and the kid seems wise well past his birth date:
“It’s just being able to control the moment. That’s all, not getting too far ahead of myself, learning as we go…I don’t see it as a setback at all. I don’t think I could look at this and say it’s a failure. I’m not gonna hang my head over it.”
The Rumors are a Swirling
Rumors are out that the Braves could be going back to the Angels well for a Starting Pitcher. Tyler Anderson is the rumored target, but, if I’m being honest with myself, he doesn’t seem to fit AA’s mold.
Braves Lineup and Max Fried
We need the Varsity Max Fried tonight!
Hmm… I’m not thrilled with Waldrep saying, “I don’t think I could look at this and say it’s a failure.”
He got four swinging strikes all game. That’s actually fewer than his debut, which I attended and became deeply concerned that he wasn’t getting any swing-and-miss.
Here’s a chart showing all Braves pitchers this year, ranked by swinging strike rate. Waldrep is 22nd out of 26: the only guys he’s ahead of are Jesse Chavez, who’s unique; Tyler Matzek, who’s broken; and Luis Guillorme and Luke Williams, who are position players.
With Waldrep’s stuff, he has got to get swings and misses. To me, that’s the difference between control and command. It’s not just that he’s walking guys: it’s that he’s not able to induce hitters to swing through his best stuff in pitcher’s counts.
The very first batter of the game is a perfect example. Yandy Diaz hit a double off of Waldrep’s supposedly unhittable splitter, which he threw below the zone on an 0-2 count. Certainly, part of this is just a tip-your-cap moment: Diaz is a good hitter and this was a good piece of hitting.
But Waldrep threw his best pitch outside the strike zone on an 0-2 count and the hitter timed him perfectly and laced it to left field for a double. Until Waldrep can actually get swings and misses on his strikeout pitch, he won’t succeed in the Show.
So, if yesterday wasn’t a failure, I’m not sure what to call it.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Wall replaced Laureano in the lineup, not Duvall.
Remember “The Pictures” in the glossary? Duvall has some.
Can Nacho Alvarez handle shortstop defensively?
Already 0-6 with RISP tonight.
For a pitcher with great control Max loses his arm slot an awful lot
Who is on the Braves Radio call tonight?
Think I saw that Tom Hart was doing radio tonight.
Forrest Wall is having a hard time laying off offspeed pitches in the dirt
He doesn’t seem to be the answer.
Edit- or maybe he is?
And after an outlier weekend, back to trash again. Down 1-0; with this lineup, that’s ballgame.
It certainly coukd seem to be the case
Back to no offense against bad teams. Very hard to watch.
The dead ball strikes again.
Way to go, rook…
Yeah, the fact that Duvall’s ball didn’t even go to the wall is awfully suspect.
Oh my God – Forrest actually got a runner in from third base with two outs!!
Why is Snitker bringing in Daysbel in a tie game in the 8th inning when Jimenez is available?
Edit: I guess Iggy must not be available tonight. Pitched in 2 of the 3 games against TB and warmed up in all 3.
Ozzie, my man…
Ozzie!
whoa, Shelby Miller sighting.
EDIT: Ozymandias!
A win, a win, a most palpable win!
Some well timed lightning offense tonight; shades of the team from the last couple years, but with a pretty different cast! Hope Kelenic can keep this up!
We are not gonna win many games with two runs. Kelenic had three pitches like Ozzie hit out and never took the bat off his shoulder.
Great to see Austin Riley scorching hot again…
recapped.