Three weeks and four starts have passed since the trade deadline. The Braves appear to have struck gold with Kevin Gausman.
Gausman had the pedigree. He was once a top-five pick. His stuff was there, though the results weren’t. Since his trade to the Braves, he’s found those coveted results.
His latest work of art came Tuesday, when Gausman piloted through a struggling Pirates lineup. He pitched eight innings, allowing five hits in a 6-1 win. He ran into a pair of worrisome situations, but neither plated a run.
He perfectly navigated two-on, none-out in the second with a ground ball and double play. After two hits and a walk, he fled the sixth untouched thanks to an easy grounder up the middle.
In his final two innings of work, Gausman staggered grins between pitches. He looked to be enjoying a return to contention.
“I was smiling more because the last two innings, I couldn’t hit a spot to save my life,” Gausman said. Perhaps a testament to the Pirates offense that’s scored more than two runs in a game once in the past week.
Gausman, 27, has at times looked like an ace. He’s earned a 2.00 ERA with 17 strikeouts against six walks through four starts (27 innings) since the Braves swiped him from the Orioles at the trade deadline. He checked their boxes: Controllable, young enough, evident upside.
It’d be unfair to call Gausman a reclamation project. He was fine in Baltimore, though it reached a frustrating period when a change of scenery could’ve been for the best.
That doesn’t all fall on Gausman. The Orioles were due for a reset, jettisoning several players from their formerly contending days, Gausman among them.
“This is a fun team to play for, especially right now,” Gausman said. “We’re playing well and it’s a fun place to come to work every day. A little different from where I’ve been this season. It was frustrating being over there (in Baltimore). The season that they’re having over there was tough. Coming to a contending team is great but also a team full of really quality people.”
Two starts ago, the LSU product stifled a powerful Brewers lineup with eight shutout innings. His other two appearances were solid with mixed “wow” moments: Three runs in five innings against the Mets, two runs in six innings against the Marlins.
“I saw him in Triple-A, been following him,” manager Brian Snitker said, while adding Gausman has surpassed expectations. “They’ve made some adjustments and changes with him, and he’s been really good. Really good. He’s been a great guy in the clubhouse, teammate. He’s exceeded all that because I didn’t know him. It’s always a really good thing when you get a guy who’s fit in like he has.”
Tuesday was a new peak, another step toward Gausman making the Braves look clever for acquiring him at a discounted rate. That’s without comparing him to Chris Archer, considered the prize of the deadline. The Braves held interest in Archer for years.
The former Rays pitcher went to these same Pirates for a steep package of three premier prospects. He was heavily courted for reasons similar to Gausman. He boasted “stuff” that exceeded results, with perceived upside with a controllable contract.
Archer, through four starts with his new club, has produced a 4.91 ERA in 18-1/3 innings without going past the sixth in any outing. It’s a small sample size, sure, but the Braves might’ve nabbed the better pitcher straight-up.
“(Gausman’s) ability to be on the attack, fill the strike zone with multiple pitches, be able to keep them off-balance but at the same time stays in the strike zone and keeps everyone engaged,” said shortstop Dansby Swanson, who homered twice in Tuesday’s win. “He’s been tremendous and we’re glad he’s here. He’s an even better guy too. So he fits in well.”
Gausman lengthens baseball’s best collection of controllable arms, yet he’s provided a trait they didn’t consistently have: A starter who can devour innings. It’s a plus, of course, that Gausman’s been distressing opposing batters while doing so.
