Atlanta Braves: 3 Takeaways from Tuesday nights loss to the Reds
By Steven Teal
2. The walks keep on coming
For a while there, it seemed that the Atlanta Braves bullpen had started to figure things out. However, that wasn’t apparent in Tuesday’s loss to the Reds.
Kevin Gausman walked 2 batters in his 5 1/3 innings of work. The Braves bullpen would combine for 7 more walks. Not a recipe for success and also quickly becoming a tired story for Braves fans.
#Braves pitchers had nine walks and 11 strikeouts. Reds pitchers had one walk and 14 strikeouts.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 24, 2019
Jesse Biddle had yet another sub-par outing as he would walk 3 batters (2 unintentional, 1 intentional) without recording a single out. 1 of those walks occurred was with the bases loaded and this wasn’t the first time Biddle has struggled with walks with the bases loaded.
Biddle has walked 2 of the 3 batters he's faced with the bases loaded this year. Entering today, these were the other pitchers who'd issued at least two bases loaded walks: Kluber (3 in 8 PA), Brett Anderson and Tim Hill (2 of 5), Jose Leclerc (2 of 6), Andrew Vasquez (2 of 3)
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 24, 2019
On the surface, it doesn’t look like Biddle is struggling all that much since he carries a 2.38 ERA with 11 strike outs in 11 1/3 innings of relief. However, he’s allowed 11 hits and 9 walks in that span as well. His WHIP is sitting close to a 2 right now and that isn’t a number any pitcher wants to see.
I know what you’re thinking. Why on earth does Snit keep running Biddle out there at all? Well it seems the Atlanta Braves manager is just as confused as we are. He just isn’t figuring it out right now.
#Braves' Snitker on Biddle: “Trying to get him some confidence and get him going, and I don’t know what that (answer) is right now.”
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 24, 2019
Wes Parsons and Dan Winkler each walked a batter but also had an easier time finding the zone as Parsons struck out 1 batter and Winkler struck out 2.
Chad Sobotka continues to be a mystery for the Braves as well. In his inning of relief in the 8th, Sobotka allowed 1 hit, 2 walks, and struck out 2 batters.
#Braves' Snitker on Sobotka getting out of 2-walk, bases-loaded jam he got in: "You use so many pitches that you’re not available the next day. Again, we can’t walk the bases loaded. That’s not healthy. You may get out of it once, but it’s just not conducive to being successful.”
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 24, 2019
Snit is playing a little bit of a captain obvious here but he is exactly right. The Braves were lucky to avoid horrible situations with walks last season but that luck has all but run out in 2019. It will only continue to get worst if things aren’t addressed soon.