Rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach will make his third career start Wednesday as the Braves look to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Atlanta Braves will once again try to pick up the pieces Wednesday when they continue a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Braves were shutout for the second time on the road trip in Tuesday’s opener, 4-0. Atlanta has now lost four-straight games. They haven’t had a losing streak of more than four games since 2017.
Wednesday’s game will feature a matchup of rookie starters in Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach and Baltimore’s Cade Povich. Coincidentally, Schwellenbach and Povich were college teammates at the University of Nebraska. The Braves took Schwellenbach in the second round of the 2021 draft while the Orioles nabbed Povich in the third.
Wednesday’s game will be Schwellenbach’s third career start. He made his major league debut back on May 29 against Washington where he allowed three runs and struck out five in five innings. His only mistake was a three-run home run by Lane Thomas in the fifth. He was knocked around in his second start in Boston where he allowed seven hits and six runs in 4 2⁄3 innings.
Povich made his major league debut on June 6 in Toronto and allowed five hits and six runs in 5 1⁄3 innings. He walked four and struck out two. Povich had a 3.18 ERA, a 3.21 FIP and a 32.5% strikeout rate in 11 starts at Triple A before his promotion.
The Braves have been outscored 21-9 during their four-game losing streak. Michael Harris led off Tuesday’s game with a triple and was left stranded at third in what was just a precursor of what was to come. Atlanta was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base in the game.
The Braves haven’t just been bad at the plate, they have also been unlucky. Sean Murphy drove one to the wall in left in the second inning that would have been a home run in all 29 other parks. The next half inning, Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer to left center that just cleared the wall and according to Statcast, would have been a homer in 20 of 30 parks. Atlanta’s offense currently has a ton of problems and concerns, but catching a little luck every now and then would certainly help.
First pitch Wednesday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, June 12, 6:35 p.m. ET
Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
TV: Bally Sports South
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan