The Atlanta Braves travel to Houston to face one of the best teams in the American League. With Spencer Strider out for the season with surgery to repair his UCL, the Braves will once again turn to their minor league system to fill the void.
After Marcell Ozuna provided Braves fans with an exciting finish in their 9-7 win over Miami, the Braves announced who will start on Monday evening.
Darius Vines is the next in line to get a shot on the mound. Vines was called up after Allan Winans was optioned to Triple-A after a rough outing against the New York Mets. This will be the third start of Vines' young career as he started a couple of times for the Braves in 2023.
As expected, Snitker said after today’s game that Darius Vines will start for #Braves in Monday’s series opener at Houston.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 14, 2024
Bryce Elder was thought to be the next in line for Atlanta but the team seems to believe Vines is the right choice at the moment. That decision could change after Monday's start but we will find out when the time comes.
Through 20.1 innings pitched in 2023, Vines had a 3.98 ERA allowing nine runs on 15 hits. He walked seven batters while striking out 14. He's made two starts so far with Triple-A Gwinnett and has a 3.75 ERA through 12 innings with five earned runs, seven hits, three walks, and 11 strikeouts.
He isn't known for having a lot of swing-and-miss but is typically able to induce ground ball outs when he is at his best on the mound. The Astros are an extremely talented lineup so he will have his work cut out for him. Hopefully, he can give the Braves five solid innings before turning things over to the bullpen.
Houston is also sending out a rookie pitcher to face the red-hot Braves offense on Monday night. Spencer Arrighetti made his MLB debut last week against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals have been surprisingly good to start 2024 and they roughed up Arrighetti for seven runs through three innings. Arrighetti walked three and struck out three before being pulled.
He won't find an easier path with the Atlanta Braves offense coming to town. Game one of the series starts at 8:10 p.m. EST from Minute Maid Park. This should be a competitive series between two World Series hopefuls.