Atlanta Braves: 3 Takeaways from the Braves 7-1 victory over Colorado
By Steven Teal
1. Braves bullpen woes seem to be improving
The first few games were incredibly disheartening to watch as the Braves bullpen absolutely could not get it together. They issued 20 walks in the first three games of the season and it looked like it was going to be another terrible season for the bullpen.
However, since that horrible opening weekend series, the bullpen has started to settle in for the most part. Now the walks are still a little concerning but they’ve been pitching to contact a bit more and have found some confidence. They have not been afraid of opposing hitters and they shouldn’t be with such an amazing defense behind them.
In Tuesday’s outing, the bullpen was lights out and only allowed one hit, two walks, no earned runs, and struck out 6 batters across the final 3 innings. Luke Jackson (yes, you heard that right) has been pitching lights out since that opening series with the Phillies. He’s now tossed 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball in his last 5 appearances.
Luke Jackson gave up a walk and single but struck out the 1st and last batters in a scoreless 7th. Don't look now, but Twitter's favorite whipping boy has pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with 8 K's and 1 walk in 5 appearances since the bad Opening Day outing at Philly.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 10, 2019
Chad Sobotka has had similar results as he is starting to find success on the mound. After some rough outings where he struggled to find control, Sobotka is pitching well. He tossed a perfect frame in the bottom of the 8th inning and struck out both Nolan Arenado and Raimel Tapia with a devastating slider.
Chad Sobotka strikes out a pair in a perfect 8th inning. To the ninth we go with the #Braves up 6-1 on The Fan and @BravesRadioNet.
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) April 10, 2019
Jesse Biddle was the final man out of the bullpen and was tasked with closing out the game. Biddle led off the inning with a walk to Ian Desmond but recovered well as he finished the inning with 2 groundouts and a strikeout.
If the Braves are able to get continued consistency from their bullpen, they very well may have a shot at competing for the division title. Let’s hope the bullpen can build off such an impressive outing.
Going for another sweep
The Braves and Rockies will play again tomorrow afternoon (weather permitting) at 3:10 pm EST. The Denver area is expecting a blizzard to hit on Wednesday afternoon.
Tomorrow’s probable starters are Kevin Gausman (1-0) and Jeff Hoffman (0-0). If they are able to get the game in, the Atlanta Braves will be trying for their second sweep of the young season before heading back to SunTrust Park to take on their division rival, the New York Mets.
Mike Foltynewicz has another successful rehab start. dark. Next
Then again, if the weather prevails… it’s still been a ‘mini-sweep’!