Atlanta Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki is showing up huge
Braves catcher Suzuki is proving he deserves a spot
Atlanta Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki did not miss a beat after spending time on the bereavement list. In his first game back since the passing of his grandmother, Suzuki hit two home runs and drove in three en route to an 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Suzuki, who was signed as a backup for Tyler Flowers, has emerged as a dynamic duo at catcher for the Braves. Not only do the Braves have the most RBI from the catcher position in the National League (62), but Suzuki has eclipsed ten home runs in a season for the first time in six years.
Make that 10 HRs for Suzuki and nine within his past 96 at-bats. He now has now tallied two of his four career multi-HR games this month
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 26, 2017
Suzuki is now batting .262 with 10 homers, six doubles, 30 RBI’s and 20 runs scored. He’s played in 46 games for the Braves in 2017 with 167 at-bats.
Could his stock value be any higher right now? Could the Braves actually trade him to a playoff hopeful team for some value? It’s possible…but let’s keep Suzuki!
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In addition to Suzuki, the Braves received hitting help from Johan Camargo and Matt Kemp. Camargo added an 8th inning home run right after Suzuki hit his second, while Kemp added a home run and triple in the game.
Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz continues to garner effective outings, allowing two runs while striking out nine over six innings. Foltynewicz remained extremely effective until the 5th inning giving up a solo home run to opposing pitcher Taijuan Walker. He remained confident in the 6th inning, striking out three and escaping trouble.
“(Foltynewicz)’s growing up,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “He’s figured some of this out. That’s not to say he’s not going to have a bad outing every now and then. He’s just trusting his stuff. The upside on this kid is really, really good.”
The Braves and Diamondbacks will finish the series out on Wednesday as Aaron Blair has been called up to face Patrick Corbin. Blair enters the rotation after the Braves traded Jaime Garcia to the Minnesota Twins.
Blair, who was traded in 2015 from the D-Backs, will make his season debut after struggling mightily last year for the Braves. It seems his stay could be short-lived if he doesn’t produce.
Blair will start in place of Garcia on Wednesday. But as the Braves move forward, Lucas Sims might fill that rotation spot.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 24, 2017
Corbin has been extremely effective over his last eight starts, allowing three runs or less in each of those. The Braves will look to end that streak and make it two wins in a row and another series win vs. the D-Backs. First pitch is at 3:40 PM ET.
Next: Is Kevin Matthews a gem?