Happy Friday, folks.
Sun’s shining a little brighter after that sweep of the Mets, eh?
THE SERIES AHEAD
Everyone make good choices down in Miami now, ya hear.
📺 How to watch: First pitch of Braves-Marlins arrives tonight at 7:10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s games start at 4:10 p.m. and 1:40 p.m., respectively.
All on FanDuel Sports Network.
⚾ The probable starters: Tonight brings the Major League debut of 20-year-old Braves prospect Didier Fuentes, who will face-off with Miami’s Janson Junk (1-0, 2.78). More on Fuentes momentarily.
- Saturday: Grant Holmes (3-6, 3.97) vs. Eury Pérez (0-1, 6.43)
- Sunday: Bryce Elder (2-3, 4.45) vs. Sandy Alcantara (3-8, 6.88)
📝 The scouting report: The cellar-dwelling Marlins are 29-44 and just lost three of four against the Phillies. After a rough start to the season, former Cy Young winner Alcantara has found his form in recent outings.
Left fielder Kyle Stowers and DH Agustin Ramirez both have 10 homers on the season.
GO GET ‘EM, YOUNGSTER
Credit: Courtesy Gwinnett Stripers
Didier Fuentes turned 20 years old three days ago. He made his Triple-A debut six days ago.
Tonight he’ll pitch for the big league Braves — and, per MLB.com, become their youngest starter since 1970.
Let’s talk about it.
🤔 The thought process: The idea is to give Fuentes a spot start, give everyone else an extra day’s rest — and make sure the Spencers and Chris Sale all get a shot during next week’s rematch with the Mets.
And, let’s face it: Miami (average attendance: 11,427) is a pretty good place to get your feet wet.
📈 The background: Fuentes, who hails from Tolu, Colombia, was one of the Braves’ first international signings in 2022. He’s now considered the team’s 10th best prospect.
📝 The scouting report: Fuentes started this season in High-A ball and has marched through every level since, posting an 0-7 record with a 4.81 ERA. But a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio will get you noticed.
- From MiLB.com: “Not only does he throw his fastball for strikes at a 72 percent rate, he misses a lot of bats with it. It averaged 93.6 mph last year and topped out at 97 mph, playing up thanks to a low release and impressive VAA (vertical approach angle). His 84-85 mph slider is a solid breaking ball and his best secondary offering.”
- From Braves manager Brian Snitker: “It’s all really good stuff. The guy throws strikes. He’s got a good fastball that plays. I’ve never seen him live. I’ve watched it on my phone, that prospect game they played in spring training. Got some texts from the guys that we’re doing that game that were very complimentary.”
Joe, a dedicated Braves Report reader, watched Fuentes pitch in Gwinnett last week. He’s not sure the youngster’s ready for prime time just yet — but said he “could be very special.”
Regardless of results, should be a fun glimpse at the future.
HITTING HIS STRIDE
Lots of lovely things to revisit from the Mets series, including the bullpen’s scoreless performance and Matt Olson’s resurgence.
But let’s talk about Spencer Strider for a minute.
His fastball velocity crept up again, averaging around 96 mph — and, as the AJC’s Olivia Sayer reports, the slider was … well, sliding.
🔥 In fact, that one pitch produced 14 whiffs, including the final strike on seven of Strider’s eight Ks.
“They kind of play it together,” Strider said.” If guys aren’t swinging, then the slider’s, no matter how good it is, it’s not really gonna play. So I’ve got to, with whatever my fastball looks like, it’s gotta be in the zone, and it’s gotta put guys on their heels.”
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Colin Hubbard/AP
Is Matt Olson fast? Fast enough, apparently!
BROTHERLY LOVE
Nope, we’re not talking about Phillies today (I take no pleasure in reporting they’ve won seven of their last eight games).
We’re talking about the Acuña brothers.
The AJC’s Chad Bishop caught up with the Mets’ Luisangel Acuña, who said things like this about big bro Ronald’s incredible return:
- “He’s been putting in a lot more work, and I think what he’s doing is putting a lot more attention and detail in this body on a day-in and day-out basis. I always ask him for advice, we always talk baseball, but at this point, it seems like he finally understands everything that he’s able to do. On the field, but also how to preserve his body to stay on the field.”
Scary stuff for teams not named the Braves.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
About the Author
Before taking over the AJC's Sports Daily newsletter, Tyler Estep spent two years writing the A.M. ATL newsletter. A Gwinnett County native and University of Georgia graduate, he has been with the AJC since 2015 and previously worked as a reporter on the breaking news, hyperlocal and local government teams.
