Aug 10, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves proper fielder Jorge Soler (2) hits a solo dwelling run within the eighth inning towards the Colorado Rockies at Coors Subject. Obligatory Credit score: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports activities The Atlanta Braves ended their swoon Saturday night time and now will attempt to begin a profitable streak and assist solidify their postseason standing.
Atlanta’s 11-8 win over Colorado snapped a six-game skid and was the 14th win within the final 16 video games towards the Rockies. The Braves will ship Spencer Schwellenbach (4-5, 4.04 ERA) to the mound Sunday in Denver whereas Colorado will counter with Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.65) within the rubber recreation of the three-game sequence.
The Rockies received the opener 6-5 on Friday.
Schwellenbach, who has been pitching effectively over the previous 5 weeks, has logged not less than six innings in every of his previous 5 begins and thrice lasted seven innings. He has allowed 9 earned runs over 33 innings in that span.
Sunday would be the rookie right-hander’s first begin towards the Rockies. Braves supervisor Brian Snitker praised Schwellenbach after he threw seven robust innings in his most up-to-date begin, a no-decision within the Braves’ 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 2.
“How he retains and repeats his supply is actually refreshing. Makes use of all of his pitches. It isn’t like he is throwing for an iPad or no matter that factor is within the stadium that tracks the whole lot,” Snitker mentioned.
One other good outing will permit Atlanta to construct momentum because it grinds by a 10-game highway journey that heads to San Francisco on Monday. The Braves’ confidence hasn’t been shaken by a pair of six-game shedding streaks for the reason that All-Star break, regardless of the perennial Nationwide League East winner sitting in third place within the wild-card standings as a substitute of on the high of the division.
“I have been a part of some fairly particular groups,” Braves veteran reliever A.J. Minter mentioned. “You have to embrace the [bad] simply as a lot as you [embrace the good] when the whole lot goes good.”
Freeland might be tasked with giving his staff a sequence win towards a membership that has dominated the Rockies for the reason that finish of 2021 and has knocked him round up to now. The left-hander is 1-4 with a 6.26 ERA in eight profession begins towards Atlanta and misplaced each outings towards the Braves final season.
Freeland needed to depart his most up-to-date begin — a Braves’ 6-3 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday — after 4 2/3 innings with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand.
“Developed within the fourth. Did not know that it was creating. It by no means bought scorching on me, which often these items type of do,” Freeland mentioned of the blister. “After which bought within the dugout. Noticed that it had fashioned. Popped it. Removed it. Shaved down the nail slightly bit to eliminate the nook. And it ended up simply actually blowing up within the fifth there, getting actually massive.
“Sadly, it was on a pitch that I take advantage of loads, a curveball. And as we noticed it getting greater and type of shedding feeling in that space, type of needed to decide there.”
It spoiled what may have been one other high quality begin for Freeland. He has pitched effectively since coming off the 60-day injured listing in late June, going not less than six innings in six of seven begins earlier than the sport towards the Mets.
He has dropped his ERA from 13.21 to five.65 over his final eight outings and is exhibiting glimpses of how he pitched in 2018, when he completed fourth within the NL Cy Younger Award voting.
–Subject Stage Media