Drake Baldwin collected a couple of hits and basically everyone had a good time
After topping the Pirates on the road yesterday, the Braves returned home and whacked them again, thanks to Matt Olson, AJ Smith-Shawver, and their minor leaguers beating up on the Pirates’ minor leaguers.
A number of regulars had good days. Jurickson Profar made his “games in which they keep score” debut for the Braves, ripped a double on the first pitch he saw, and later drew a walk. Matt Olson followed his double with a massive 0-2 blast into center field. Jarred Kelenic had a triple at one point, and Orlando Arcia drew a walk.
On the pitching end, AJ Smith-Shawver wasn’t exactly eviscerating opposing batters, but he still collected three strikeouts in two innings of work. Though a lot of his secondary stuff wasn’t hitting the catcher’s target, it was still really difficult for opposing hitters to handle, with a lot of in-zone fouls and some goofy-looking swings. Though he has options (while Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson don’t), don’t count him out just yet, even if it’s not that likely he’ll head north with the team.
The Pirates ended up taking a brief lead in this game, thanks to Dylan Lee giving up a homer to Jack Suwinski, and some BABIP-type stuff against Wander Suero that led to a three-run inning. But then things devolved into silly season against Pirates hurler Randy Labaut and Cam Sanders, who let Atlanta’s minor leaguers go wild. Said minor leaguers combined to plate seven runs, with Drake Baldwin having a hot smash to third ruled an error, and then another liner to left that was not actually near anyone and therefore gets to be called a double, as part of the rallies. Cade Bunnell somehow ended up driving in four of those runs, so yay for him. Poor Cam Sanders had to be lifted in favor of a guy the Pirates had already used to pitch earlier in the game (with the badass name of Fineas Del Bonta-Smith) just to allow the game to eventually, mercifully, end.
The rest of the pitching slate was more or less as expected for the Braves, with various hopefuls and hangers-on mostly breezing through the game. Chad Kuhl had two punchouts but walked a guy. Neither Aaron Bummer nor Suero walked or struck anyone out. Daysbel Hernandez and Amos Willingham each had two strikeouts and no walks; Blane Abeyta finished the slate with a punchout of his own, giving Atlanta hurlers an 11/1 K/BB ratio (with Lee’s homer allowed) on the afternoon.
Tomorrow, the Braves will head to West Palm Beach for a rare Spring Training night game against the Nationals.