Kevin Gausman took an unconventional afternoon nap before his first start with the Braves, an attempt to fight off unprecedented nerves.
He joined the team Thursday after being traded from Baltimore two days prior. His first start with the Braves came Saturday, and was his first at Citi Field.
Gausman went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out a pair in a 3-0 loss. His command was inconsistent, but he flashed the ‘stuff’ that’s made him such an appealing change-of-scenery candidate.
“I was probably more nervous today than I was for my debut,” Gausman said. “It was a weird day. But once I got the first out, it was the same game I’d been playing for a while.”
The right-hander’s velocity sat around 93-94, topping out at 97. As catcher Tyler Flowers described it, his heater appeared even faster than it was.
That’s largely what made him so appealing. Gausman is a former top-five draft selection. He had moments of brilliance with the Orioles scattered across a mediocre body of work. The talent exceeds the results, and at 27 years old and controllable for two more seasons, it was a reasonable flier to take.
He retired the Mets in order on 13 pitches to start the game. Despite the low strikeout total, it was evident there’s more beneath the surface.
“He’s got as good of stuff as anybody in the major leagues,” said reliever Brad Brach, another Oriole-turned-Brave in the past week. “Everybody talks about him taking the next step. So you’ve seen it grow the last few years in Baltimore, and hopefully he can take it over here being in the NL East. That’ll help. He’s a good pitcher and hopefully he can have success here.”
Gausman was tagged for a run in the second after hitting Todd Frazier and allowing a double to Jeff McNeil. Johan Camargo opted for the out at first when Amed Rosario grounded out, permitting Frazier to score from third.
But the sixth inning introduced problems. Gausman was hit with three straight singles, prompting manager Brian Snitker to call the bullpen. Gausman said he wasn’t feeling tired at that point (86 pitches) and credited the Mets for putting good swings on the ball.
“I liked it. I really liked it quite honestly,” Snitker said. “I think there’s a lot there. I think he’s going to be a really good piece for us going forward. I like a lot about what I saw.”
Gausman’s road luck didn’t change with his uniform. He’s winless in 10 road starts, joining the Angels’ Andrew Heaney as the only other qualifier. He did, however, end his homer streak. He’d allowed a long ball in seven straight starts before Saturday.
Zack Wheeler required Gausman to be perfect. The Mets’ righty was outstanding, pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out nine. The Braves scraped across enough runs (two) to beat Jacob deGrom the night before, but doing so again proved too tough a task.
The start could be considered Gausman’s standard – an average line decorated with tantalizing moments and a few head-scratching throws. The Braves will have to help him figure out whatever it is the Orioles couldn’t resolve.
If they can, they might have a gem. Gausman is similar to Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb, two players who’ve broken out in 2018, in that there’s more to unlock than what he’s shown. His first start with the Braves teased such.
“I thought he did a nice job,” Flowers said. “It’s a sneaky fastball. It’s a really good changeup, splitter, slider was a little bit better than I anticipated. I’m sure he’ll get a little more comfortable with that. If we can do a little better job getting ahead of guys, I think the sky’s the limit for this guy.”
The Braves are already implementing new analytics with Gausman, a chief reason in why the team valued him.
He needs to cut down on his homers allowed – he’s served up a staggering 21, among the highest in the majors. He needs to handle the first batter of the inning better – the first up were hitting .421 against him through 21 games. His opponents owned a .373 average against his first pitch.
Those are areas the Braves believe can be fixed. In turn, his box scores could be more illustrious than they were Saturday night.
