NORTH PORT, Fla. – Kyle Muller’s line did not look good, which might lead you to believe his chances of making the team aren’t as strong now as they were a day ago. He believes a closer look is required.
He doesn’t think the box score – four earned runs on four hits over 1-2/3 innings – tells the full story.
“I don’t think I pitched bad,” he said after his start Thursday versus the Rays at CoolToday Park. “The numbers would say otherwise. If you just look at the box score, you’d think I got my stuff hit around the yard. If you sit there and watch the game, I’m attacking the zone, I’m attacking with all four pitches. I’d want that on my team, but obviously everyone is throwing the hell out of the ball here, so whatever they decide is best for the team, it’s their decision, and I’m going to deal with it.”
Muller appears to be competing with Spencer Strider and Tucker Davidson for the sixth starter spot, if the Braves go with a six-man rotation to help them cover 14 games in 14 days to begin the season. He struggled with putting away batters in Thursday’s start, which became a 5-1 Rays win. The encouraging part, in his eyes: It’s not a command issue.
The lefty said he needs to get his fastball higher, or make his curveball look like a fastball longer, to retire hitters. Otherwise, he felt the hits off him weren’t hard. He said the hardest-hit ball was a line drive that ended up being a double play.
Before this, Muller had pitched in two games (one start). He had allowed two earned runs over 4 2/3 total innings. This seemed to set him up with a good chance to break camp with the team.
He didn’t receive good results Thursday, but didn’t seem discouraged.
“There’s definitely work to do,” Muller said, “but I think I’ve made a pretty strong impression.”
Max Fried reacts to opening-day nod
Braves manager Brian Snitker on Wednesday named Max Fried the club’s opening-day starting pitcher.
“Obviously it’s exciting, but it’s just the first game,” Fried said on Thursday. “Could’ve very easily been Charlie (Morton) and would’ve been just as excited. I think we’re all just ready to get started and get the 162 going.”
Since 2017, Fried has pitched in 95 games, with 78 starts, for the Braves. He’s posted a 3.34 ERA.
Rough day for Sean Newcomb
Sean Newcomb is out of minor-league options, and those players tend to receive every opportunity imaginable to break camp with the team.
Newcomb on Thursday allowed one run on one hit in 1 2/3 while walking four batters. He struck out three. Newcomb has surrendered four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings this spring.
“It’s been up and down a little bit,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Newcomb’s spring. “Today was erratic, again. Honestly, right now, I think a lot of these guys are going through dead arms and things like that. I’m not putting too much stock in a lot of that because I just think we’re at that time in spring training where you’re not going to be real fresh. I hate that, that we don’t have the back end of this happening like we normally do.”
On that same point, Snitker soon added this, emphasizing all the factors at play beyond on-field results: “You got to look at all that because they’re going to have one, every now and then, that it’s just not real sharp. You kind of have to look around that and look at stuff and the history and things like that, and you kind of see where your roster is. There’s so many things that go into this, with options, no options. They’re not going to be perfect down here every time out. That’s just not going to happen.”
Newcomb has struggled to establish himself with the Braves. He pitched to a 4.73 ERA over 32-1/3 innings last season. That came after allowing 17 earned runs in 13-2/3 innings in a condensed 2020 season.
That Newcomb is out of options might be the strongest point in his case to make the team.
Eddie Rosario scratched from the lineup
The Braves scratched Eddie Rosario from Thursday’s lineup because of a sore foot. The team called it a “precaution.”
He was scheduled to bat leadoff and play right field. Instead, Orlando Arcia led off, and Alex Dickerson played in right.
Guillermo Heredia, who was hit in the hand by a pitch Wednesday, was not in Thursday’s lineup.
Snitker said both Rosario and Heredia are expected to make Friday’s trip to Fort Myers to play the Twins.
Braves release Brock Holt
The Braves had veteran infielder Brock Holt in camp until Thursday, when they granted him his release.
The Braves told Holt he would not be making the roster, which is why he requested his release. The Braves allowed it, and Holt now will be able to try and catch on with another team as the regular season nears.
This would appear to strengthen veteran infielder Phil Gosselin’s chances of breaking camp with the club. The Braves also have infielder Pat Valaika in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Updates on Huascar Ynoa, Kyle Wright
Righties Huascar Ynoa and Kyle Wright are expected to be the Nos. 4 and 5 starters, in whatever order, for the Braves. But both have only pitched in one spring game thus far.
Ynoa on March 22 threw three scoreless innings. On March 23, Wright hurled three scoreless frames of his own.
Snitker said Ynoa and Wright split a game on a backfield recently. They will do so again when their day arrives.
Both are on schedule, Snitker said.
Rule changes for the 2022 season
MLB and the union announced a few rule changes for the 2022 season.
Here are the main ones that will apply to the Braves:
- From opening day through May 1, active rosters will go from 26 to 28 players. Teams can carry 29 players for doubleheaders.
- Pitchers and two-way players can be placed on the 10-day injured list before May 2. After that, they’ll only be eligible for the 15-day injured list.
- Extra innings once again will begin with a runner on second base, as was the case in 2020 and 2021. The runner will be the player in the batting order immediately preceding that inning’s leadoff man. But if that player is the pitcher, the runner at second base can be the player who hit before that pitcher in the order.
