The Braves held optional workouts at Busch Stadium on Saturday, an off day before the NLDS resumes in St. Louis on Sunday.
Mike Soroka will start, going against former Braves farmhand Adam Wainwright. Notes from a calm-before-the-storm Saturday:
» Braves manager Brian Snitker managed Wainwright, 38, when he was a prospect in the Braves organization. Snitker and the Brunswick native were in Double-A Greenville together. A prized righty, Wainwright wound up traded to St. Louis in the J.D. Drew deal of 2003. His Double-A manager even remembered calling him when the trade was completed.
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Snitker is immensely proud of the person and player Wainwright went on to become. The veteran has spent his entire 14-year MLB career in St. Louis.
“Very proud. It's just -- I told him many times, even when I was a third-base coach -- because I remember seeing him in the weight room after games, and it's, like, God, I love watching you pitch. Just how he competes, who he is, knowing him for as long as I have, the respect I have for him, I consider him a good friend. And it's been really gratifying to watch his development, his career, what he's become. I can go on and on about that guy.”
» Soroka's first postseason start (and appearance) will come on the road, where he led MLB with a 1.55 ERA. The Braves are trusting in those numbers, which is among the reasons why their All-Star is going Game 3 rather than Game 1.
The 22-year-old is lauded for his maturity, sometimes even more so than his performance. When asked about his wise-beyond-his-years profile, Soroka credited two fellow Canadians, his mentors Chris Reitsma and Paul Quantrill (Paul’s son, Cal, is a rookie with the Padres).
“I would say I was very lucky to have gotten to hit that learning curve when I was 15, 16, 17 years old, to the point where they made things very obvious to me that weren't so obvious to regular 16-, 17-year-olds in high school,” he said. “Having the mentality that any pitch in any count, when you're 16 pitching against professional baseball hitters, you know, is really something that we're still trying to work towards. And that's not a new subject any more.
“It's things like that that really pushed me ahead, and I have them to thank for it and many more, just being able to go out there and have fun with it, and like I said, learn things earlier.”
» The Braves haven't decided on a Game 4 starter. Given Max Fried's transition to bullpen ace, the candidates are Dallas Keuchel (on short rest) or Julio Teheran, added to the roster when Chris Martin was sidelined with an oblique injury.
“That's discussions we're going to have here probably within the next hour as we go outside and the guys do bullpens and prepare, some different scenarios,” Snitker said Saturday afternoon, acknowledging the possibility of a bullpen game if necessary.
» Keuchel has routinely mentioned his extended free agency has added to his motivation. The former Cy Young winner sat out until June, eventually receiving an offer he and agent Scott Boras deemed acceptable from the Braves (one year, $13 million).
Third baseman Josh Donaldson also signed a one-year agreement, but when Snitker was asked if he saw parallels with Donaldson and Keuchel, he said he doesn’t believe contract status has played a factor in Donaldson’s season.
“You know what, after being around Josh, I can honestly say that I don't know that he'd be any different this year if he had a five-year deal or one-year deal,” Snitker said. “I say when he comes up that tunnel this guy is on fire, and he loves that competition.
“And I don't think -- I don't know that -- I think he's playing for that pure energy and passion for the game more than the fact that, obviously I'm sure I want to do -- but I think this guy's going to want to do well every time he takes that stage. And every time he goes out there when the umpire says play ball, he wants to compete and do the best that he can.”
It's an interesting note because whenever the Braves’ playoff run ends, eyes will shift to Donaldson’s free agency. Snitker unveiled an aspect of the franchise’s thinking there (however obvious it seemed): This isn’t a contract-year run; it’s the return of Donaldson’s MVP form.
