In his first start, Braves lefty Kyle Muller went against Mets ace Jacob deGrom, allowing one run in four innings and keeping the Braves within striking distance. In his second start, Muller was even better, showing the ability that makes him such a high-ceiling prospect.
Behind their budding lefty, the Braves defeated the Reds 4-0 Sunday in Cincinnati, salvaging a four-game series split. They’ll enter Monday’s off day five games behind the Mets in the National League East.
Muller, a tall, hard-throwing southpaw, has lived up to his billing through two starts. He attacked the strike zone consistently Sunday afternoon, striking out nine across five scoreless innings. He allowed only one hit and walked two in what became his first big-league win.
The 23-year-old relied heavily on his four-seamer and slider. Muller’s fastball averaged 94 mph. His slider generated six whiffs on 12 swings. Muller also had five whiffs on nine swings against his curveball.
The most impressive piece of Muller’s performance might’ve been the third frame. Due to miscommunication in the outfield, Scott Heineman’s popup became a single (the only hit Muller allowed). He advanced on a wild pitch.
Muller then walked opposing starter Tyler Mahle. He had Reds lead-off man Jonathan India on a 3-0 count, but India made contact on a check swing that produced the second out. With two in scoring position, Muller struck out former NL MVP Joey Votto on four pitches, capped with Votto whiffing on an 89-mph slider.
“That was a big inning for me, really more mentally than physically,” Muller said. “Striking out a guy like (Votto) in a high-pressure situation, it’s huge. I was super excited about that. But something I’ve been working on mentally is when an inning starts to get away from me, just taking my time, taking a deep breath and relaxing and focusing on executing pitches. I had a terrible at-bat to the pitcher. I didn’t throw anything competitive. That could rattle you, but instead I regrouped.”
Manager Brian Snitker, uniquely equipped to discuss player development after spending decades coaching in the minors, added: “(You can learn) tons (from an inning like that). Just to see how they handle it. To see if the game gets fast - it didn’t appear at any point in time that it did, which is an unbelievably good trait for guys. Those are huge moments for guys in games like that, to get through it successfully. Because now they’re creating things they can fall back on. ‘How did I get through that?’ or ‘What did I do? How did I feel?’ It was very impressive how he did that.”
Across his first two outings, Muller has allowed one run on two hits in nine innings. He’s struck out 12 and walked four. It’s safe to say he’ll be making his third start soon as the team’s latest young pitcher to earn an extended look in the majors, just as Huascar Ynoa and Tucker Davidson did before him.
“It’s been awesome,” Muller said. “I feel like that’s something anyone coming to the big leagues is looking for, to have success early. Just knowing that your stuff plays and you can get some of the best hitters in the world out are really encouraging. That’s a big confidence booster going forward.”
The Braves gave Muller two runs of support in the second inning. Outfielder Ronald Acuna doubled the first run home and first baseman Freddie Freeman singled off the first pitch to score Acuna. After Acuna and third baseman Austin Riley added solo homers, the Braves’ offense had four runs for the first time in 10 games.
Credit: Aaron Doster
Credit: Aaron Doster
Acuna homered off Mahle’s 3-1 slider in the fifth. It was Acuna’s 21st homer of the season and left the bat at 117.4, making it the hardest-hit home run of his career. He owns the four hardest-hit homers for the Braves since 2015, when Statcast began tracking such data.
The swing came after Acuna was knocked down and nearly hit by a pitch. He said he used it as extra fuel.
“It motivates me,” Acuna said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “It definitely motivates me. I’m already focused, but when that happens, I become even more focused. Extra focused. It turns into the mentality of, ‘There’s no way I’m not going to get a hit this at-bat.”
Keeping with the theme of the season, it was an up-and-down road trip for the Braves. They went 4-4, splitting four-game series against the Mets and Reds. They have one more road trip remaining before the All-Star break.
The Braves begin a six-game homestand Tuesday against the Mets and Marlins. It will be the team’s final homestand of the first half. The Braves are 20-20 at Truist Park this season.
