[ad_1]
Despite all that is wild and all that is weird, and the incredible grind it was, the 2021 regular season is over. If you live under a rock and the first thing you did as you surfaced was click this item, the Braves have won the NL East and have the NL Central winners Milwaukee Brewers on deck for a streak. of 5 games in the first round of the playoffs.
Considering the regular season has just ended, we already have quite a few answers on how the Braves will approach the NLDS. Most of us know the spin they’re going to use, with Charlie Morton in Game 1, followed by Max Fried and Ian Anderson. We know the lineup they’re going to use, almost certainly the same one we’ve seen the last two weeks of the season, with Jorge Soler at bat first and Ozzie Albies at bat third. Even the bench they’re going to use, which is usually a talking point right before the playoffs, is pretty much set with maybe just one spot up for grabs.
But there are two questions to which we do not have answers yet: the bullpen and Game 4.
The enclosure
While the starting pitcher and player position are for the most part defined, the biggest questions surrounding building the playoff roster lie almost entirely in the bullpen.
While Will Smith, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and possibly AJ Minter are locks for the NLDS, the other spots are still questions. Richard Rodriguez was thought to be a lock a few weeks ago, but the regression of virtually all of his numbers along with his insanely low strikeout totals is making people wonder if he could possibly be dropped from the roster.
Chris Martin is another guy you would have thought a few months ago would easily make the squad, but injuries and ineffectiveness have clouded those waters. His 5.03 second-half ERA along with reduced strikeouts and a hesitant pitcher’s elbow prompted the Braves to try out young RH relievers as late as the final series of the season.
The poor performances of Rodriguez and Martin in particular have potentially opened the door for young Spencer Strider, the 22-year-old 100 mph pitcher, who has clearly opened his eyes to four different levels this season. His extra strengths, along with 153 strikeouts in 94 minor league innings this season, have many wondering if his late call to the major league was just a taste or a try for a possible role in the league. playoffs?
Is Jacob Webb, who has had a 20-game streak of big games followed by a handful of bad guys, part of the squad? Does Jesse Chavez, who has been a godsend for the Braves this season, but does it with a lot of smoke and mirrors? And Sean Newcomb, or Edgar Santana, or Touki Toussaint? Where does Drew Smyly fit in or fit in at all? And how many pen arms do they carry? With four fixed pitchers, you can carry nine lifters. Or even ten. Where do they land?
We have a lot of answers on this point but the bullpen is a major question. It is the major question. And Alex Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker’s answer could go a long way in deciding what happens in this series.
Who starts game 4?
We know Charlie Morton is starting game 1. We know Max Fried is starting game 2 and Ian Anderson is starting game 3. We also know that if there is a game 5, Charlie Morton is probably starting that too. But what happens in game 4?
Technically, Morton could start Game 4 with three days off and Fried could start Game 5 with full rest, and that might be the way to go. But Morton is 37. Several times this season Brian Snitker has mentioned that Morton is 37 when he tried not to push him too hard. So I have doubts that they are taking this route.
But if they don’t, what do they do? Huascar Ynoa makes sense, although he’s been struggling lately. Do they dare with Drew Smyly? (Please, my God, no) Maybe a full set of pens, which the Braves have used a few times over the past month or so. In this scenario, they could use Ynoa, Smyly, and Jesse Chavez and try to bring the game closer to the back-end guys. The other advantage in a pen game for Game 4 is that they could use all of the guys, including Ynoa, out of the pen in Games 1-3. And with Ynoa in particular, given their need for decent HR relievers, this might be the more appealing option.
It should also be said that a.) A 4 game is not guaranteed to be played and b.) Where the series is when / if played could dictate these decisions. If they’re down 2-1 and it’s an elimination game for the Braves, they might be more open to throwing Morton in Game 4 and Fried in Game 5. Get down with their big guys. horses. If they lead 2-1, they might be more okay with a full bullpen game knowing that Morton will be fully resting in Game 5.
But the Braves only had three reliable starters on the home stretch and ideally you need four for the NLDS. Without a four, that means someone has to rest on a short rest, or you’re throwing a game of enclosures. The Braves will have to decide.
And these two big questions, the bullpen and what to do with the game 4, are linked. They both relate to roster decisions that need to be made before the first game. Obviously who you put on the list informs both what your pen looks like and what your 4 play options are. September, but if they don’t get spots on the list, that obviously changes the equation. Or do you give them places specifically to keep this option? But that potentially takes places away from other guys who could help more in other games. These are critical decisions and they are all interconnected.
What to do with that last place on the bench will certainly be the subject of some discussion, but the Braves’ biggest decisions ahead of the playoffs are how to fill their pen and what they’ll do if they make it to Game 4. There’s no shortage of options which helps, but the Braves are going to have to make some tough calls by Friday. We will find out what they are together.
[ad_2]
Source link