Braves win fifth game in last six thanks to better pitching

1. Among the impressive aspects of Schwellenbach’s performance in the big leagues so far, this one stands out the most: He seems so in control. The game doesn’t speed up on him. He always seems composed and imperturbable.

“It’s pretty rare, in most cases,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I remember Spencer (Strider) being like that. It’s a good trait to have, I’ll tell you that. I mean, he has such a good idea of ​​what he wants to do and he executes his throws and repeats his throws, all the little things – can field his stance, holds runners really well, all that kind of stuff that the winning pitchers. »

He held the Tigers to one run on three hits in six frames. He struck out seven batters – more than in his previous starts here.

So, where does this balance and composure come from?

“I expect a lot from myself and to play well I feel like I have to be calm – because I’ve had a lot of failures in my life in baseball and other sports,” Schwellenbach said. “I always come back to that: when I had Tommy John. I didn’t launch for 20 months. I spent a lot of time just sitting there and being okay with not playing, but also feeling this urge to start playing again. And now that I’m playing, I take each day as it is and don’t get too ahead of myself, that helps me with every pitch, one pitch at a time.

Schwellenbach grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, less than two hours from Detroit. He didn’t grow up as a Tigers fan, but he certainly grew up with them. And on Tuesday, he closed them.

2. The Atlanta bullpen pitched three scoreless frames to slam the door on the Tigers. The Braves went from Pierce Johnson (seventh inning) to Joe Jiménez (eighth) to Raisel Iglesias (ninth). They did it a night after Jiménez, with Johnson and Iglesias down, made his first save as a member of the Braves.

This bullpen depth has allowed the Braves to be versatile in how they deploy everyone. On Monday, Atlanta won without a few top relievers. Tuesday, the club made its best balls for the end of the round.

“I think I said it in spring training: We have guys for every day here,” Jiménez said. “It doesn’t matter what the situation is. Everyone in the bullpen can do any job. That’s what’s nice here is you don’t have this pressure to be available every day and everyone wants to help.

Jiménez, of course, played for Detroit. The Braves acquired him before last season. He faced his former team in Detroit last year and pitched two scoreless innings against them this week.

Dealing with it isn’t quite normal yet.

“It’s still a bit weird,” he said. “Obviously you spend a lot of time with these guys, and they’ve become family, basically. It’s still a bit weird.

3. The Braves scored twice in the first inning – once on Ozzie Albies’ triple, then again on Marcell Ozuna’s single. They didn’t manage another run, but Schwellenbach and the bullpen allowed the lead to take over.

Since losing a series to Baltimore on June 12, the Braves have lost just once. Snitker maintained that if his club weathered the storm, there would be something good on the other end of the line.

Is this streak the result of the team continuing to be the same even when it has struggled?

“Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely,” Jiménez said. “I think that was the key for us, and it’s still the key: just be the same and come out here and try to work and do your routine like you do when you’re doing good or bad. I think he was right. He told me, “Keep pushing” and I think it’s all happening right now.

4. In the second inning, Albies brought together one of the at-bats that keeps you in love with the sport.

This lasted 13 throws. Albies fouled seven (!!!) shots in a row.

It flew out to center field, but it was a magnificent effort from Albies and Detroit starter Casey Mize – the type of appearance at the plate that becomes another example of Albies being locked at the plate in this moment.

“I mean, just put him in play or walk him, I guess,” Schwellenbach said of what would go through his mind if he fought Albies like that. “I couldn’t see Ozzie, but I heard the bat every time. A few of them were heading towards our dugout and I see the guys struggling and I’m like, ‘Where’s the ball?’ Where is the ball?’ I mean, his ability to just put the bat to the ball, and as a pitcher, it’s so stressful. Thirteen slots will increase your slots. It’s never fun.

Added Snitker: “I probably liked it a lot more than the kid throwing against him. It was quite a battle. And it’s also to (Mize’s) credit that he continued to pursue it as well. Both of them, it was old-fashioned hardball there.

5. When asked about receiver Travis d’Arnaud’s advice, Schwellenbach had a thoughtful and insightful response that shed some light on why d’Arnaud is so valuable.

“So the biggest thing with him is he’ll call a pitch and if you shake him or throw the pitch, in the dugout afterwards he’ll tell you why he did that,” Schwellenbach said. “And sometimes when you’re in the moment and you’re like, ‘No, I don’t want that pitch,’ and you throw something else, it’ll tell you why you threw the pitch. And being a 24-year-old pitcher and (making my) fourth start, having that available to you in the dugout, you don’t have that in the minor leagues, you don’t have that in college. So it’s really useful.

Stat to know

1 – Since interleague play began in 1997, Schwellenbach is the first Braves pitcher to make three starts against American League opponents in his first four career appearances. This is something that would not be possible without the balanced schedule that began last season.

Quotable

“It’s really easy to come in here and feel comfortable, you walk in and everyone shakes your hand with a smile on their face and I feel comfortable asking questions every time I I need it. The guys have definitely taken me under their wing and just let me talk to them without walking on eggshells. – Schwellenbach on the Braves’ welcoming environment

Following

A formidable pitching matchup is on deck: The Braves’ Reynaldo López, owner of a 1.69 ERA, will face Tigers southpaw Tarik Skubal and his 2.20 ERA on Wednesday. The game starts at 12:20 p.m.