Brian Snitker throws Spencer Schwellenbach tonight, looking for another good start from the rook in Braves, Twins – Game 2.
Schwellenbach has been really good of late, and the offense was last night, too. Ten runs was a welcome sight for Max Fried, who earned a win in five innings of work. That offense, ignited by Whit Merrifield’s 5-for-5 performance, will face Simeon Wood-Richardson. Demz a lot of letters on the back of the starting pitchers’ jerseys tonight, y’all!
As a defensive substitution, you had ONE JOB, Kelenic.
And Chavez really isn’t very good anymore.
Lee gets 1 batter but we’re gonna try to get 2 innings from Chavez…help me understand
It takes Snit at least two months before he realizes one of his relievers is slumping.
Another bullpen-management masterclass.
Yeah Jesse is washed. I don’t get why Lee was yanked after 3 pitches but the 41 year old (did they mention that on tv?) was going to pitch two innings? Half surprised Snit didn’t go to Luke Jackson after Chavez just to continue the absurdity.
And now Snit goes to Iglesias in the 8th?
Always sleeping at the wheel.
Starting to think Kelenic isn’t very smart …
Omg, the Manfred man not scoring on a double is absurd.
At least he made it on Olson’s contact.
Holy buckets! Feels like we were lucky to win that one.
I agree with going to Iggy in the 8th. He’s been untouchable and you probably don’t want Jimenez throwing 30+ pitches. Twins got lucky that a bloop found some grass. But yeah, that 2nd inning of Chavez (while Lee threw all of 3 pitches) was the big no-no. All 3 batters he faced in that inning scored.
Crooked numbers in extra innings are muy bueno and may cover a multitude of sins.
Agreed. My issue was pulling Lee and not Chavez. Keep scoring in the 10th and it doesn’t matter
Hey, we shoulda scored more… but four should be more than enough.
EDIT: Barely. But hey… since the Disaster in Denver, we’re 11-4. Not bad.
That 1.500 August WHIP for Pierce Johnson coming into tonight is cause for concern.
But he’s better than the alternative here. Luke Jackson? Yikes
I will get a recap up of last night’s victory, but it will be midday before I can get to it. But in the meantime, let’s enjoy this team that despite everything has won 5 of 6 and 8 of 10.
Kelenic’s issues have been magnified with the absences of Acuna and MH2, plus with Duvall being basically a zero. If Acuna and Harris are having normal years, I think Kelenic kind of blends in to the background. He’s had some good moments, but overall, he has been a touch of a disappointment. I don’t think he’s earned a presumptive starting job in 2025 and I wouldn’t be totally surprised if the Braves cut bait this winter.
I still think it was a savvy move from AA as a means of moving on from Rosario and given the limited options within the organization or in free agency.
Laureano has made me wonder if he would be worth keeping around for 2025 or if this is one of those short-lived lightning-in-a-bottle situations that AA excels at.
Laureano has earned a spot next year, imo. I would be surprised if Kelenic is back, he’s been generally awful, and the only reason he’s even on the current roster is due to all the injuries and Duvall being cooked as well. The MLB roster is carrying a lot of dead weight – can’t wait for rosters to expand.
Stopped following the game when it was 4-0.
When I saw the final result: “What the?!”
I would be hesitant to dump Kelenic. He is a reasonable 4th outfielder, and he is still young enough to figure it out. He has shown flashes, but other than a strong couple of months in the first half, he has been quite disappointing overall. Laureano, you have to count your blessings and say the trend is real. He is very unlikely to be much above replacement at 30 if not well below. His trajectory is like Rosario’s.
100% agreed. Kelenic has a lot of flaws as a player, but I think he’s got a reasonably high floor. (I’m surprised Fangraphs is as down on his defense as they are, I thought he did a credible job in CF and obviously he’s quite solid in a corner.) He can be super streaky and frankly his control of the strike zone is pretty weak; if he can’t clean that up, he’ll never reach his offensive potential. But he’s talented, athletic, and cost-controlled, so I like the idea of giving him a fair bit more rope.
They will need Kelenic next season to spell Acuña and Soler frequently. And he’s the CF if anything happens to Harris. He’s the definition of a 4th OF.
I like him as the 4th outfielder and with Laureano that makes for a pretty deep outfield group with RAJ, Harris and Soler and really strengthens our bench. If Merrifield and/or Urshela returns as the “utility” infielder, we have a decent bench going there.
Recapped, finally