The Atlanta Braves' extra-inning loss to the Yankees on Friday was painful on multiple levels. It never feels good to lose in extras, especially after a two-hour rain delay. However, it is especially tough when the reason for that loss is that you failed to capitalize on early scoring chances against your former ace and your star closer blows a lead in the ninth. However, one very positive development that nearly got lost is just how well Tyler Mahle pitched in his Braves debut.
Most Braves fans were very underwhelmed when Mahle was the team's only rotation reinforcement made at the trade deadline. It isn't that Mahle was necessarily a bad move per se, but he was largely seen as a minor temporary upgrade that wouldn't move the needle much alone. Many were expecting Atlanta to go out and get a guy that was a prototypical No. 2 or No. 3 starter, and Mahle just was not that.
However, after a very strong showing in the loss to New York, it does feel as though Mahle's ceiling may be a good bit higher than many of us thought.
Tyler Mahle just gave hope that Braves' trade deadline gambit will work out
Sure, this was just one start, and one should always be wary of small sample sizes in the game of baseball. At the end of the day, Mahle DID post a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts for the Giants, which is precisely why many fans were upset and concerned that he was the only starter of consequence that the Braves brought in.
However, Mahle's six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts may not have been as flukey as it may seem. Mahle looked really good last year with the Rangers when he was on the field (2.18 ERA across 86.2 innings), and in the seven starts between Mahle getting activated from the injured list and the trade, the 31-year-old righty posted a much more reasonable 3.79 ERA and 3.62 FIP with the Giants. If Mahle can just be THAT kind of pitcher for Atlanta, that would be a massive win.
In short, Mahle doesn't have to be as dominant as he was against the Yankees for the Braves' decision to trade for him to be considered a success. However, that he has that sort of performance in him against one of the better teams in baseball suggests that all the outrage over the front office's failure to secure another starter at the deadline may turn out to be a bit much.
Add us as a preferred source on Google