Braves left-hander Will Smith wasn’t at his best last season. He joined the team late after being delayed by COVID-19 and never quite found his footing.
Smith was impressive in spring training and continued his work in Thursday’s 3-2 opening-day loss to the Phillies. Smith, using a heavy dose of sliders, struck out each of the three Phillies he faced, including Bryce Harper. The importance of Smith’s resurgence can’t be understated. The Braves are trying to replace three veterans from last year’s bullpen, and getting more production from Smith, an All-Star in 2019, would go a long way.
Despite the loss, the rest of the bullpen was also strong. Tyler Matzek, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter each pitched a scoreless inning. Nate Jones was the losing pitcher, but the game-winning run was unearned because it was the runner placed at second base to begin the 10th inning, as part of MLB’s extra-inning rules.
“Those guys gave us a chance to win,” manager Brian Snitker said. “They were all awesome.”
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