Atlanta Braves postseason rotation: Touki Toussaint deserves a start
By Fred Owens
Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman’s arrival at the deadline gave the rotation a shot in the arm – pun intended. His 2.61 ERA in eight starts would slide him in just above Mike at fourth among NL qualifiers if he had enough innings. His WHIP is slightly better than that of his stablemate as well and he’s gone at least six innings in six of his eight starts.
The Braves convinced Gausman to rely on his fastball more and get ahead in the count by showing him what happened when he didn’t.
"“That’s one of the biggest things they said when I got here, ‘We’re big believers in getting ahead.’ They showed me the numbers when you don’t. It kind of makes you want to throw up. I kind of took that into [account] tonight and just tried to pound the zone.”"
They also moved him to the right side of the rubber and simplified his motion.
He’s definitely been moving towards first base. and the last time he was closer to third base for a year — 2016 — was his best. but it can’t be that simple? pic.twitter.com/BEfsVheSz9
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) August 9, 2018
The numbers show it’s worked well. Gausman’s the only pitcher I can see as a logical option for game one, but I expect him to start game two.