Schwellenbach has a chance to help the Braves secure the series win here tonight.
After an unusual game that saw both a deluge of rain and a deluge of runs scored, the Atlanta Braves are now heading into the middle game of this three-game series with the Minnesota Twins in position to pick up yet another series victory.
Considering who the Braves have starting for them tonight, you already have to feel like you like their chances when it comes to clinching the series victory tonight. Spencer Schwellenbach is getting the ball to start tonight’s game and ever since he got called up near the end of May, he’s taken to the big leagues like a fish to water. While Schwellenbach hasn’t had a completely dominant performance since he shut out the Mets over seven innings while striking out 11 batters, he’s been getting the job done in very effective fashion and (I know I sound like a broken record saying this) he’s been keeping the Braves in every game that he’s pitched in.
Schwellenbach will be heading into this game after he pitched into the seventh inning last week against the Phillies while giving up just two runs and striking out nine. He only walked one batter as well and that’s honestly been part of the key to Schwellenbach’s success so far this season. His walk rate is at a paltry 4.5 percent, which is the seventh-best mark among starting pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings so far this season. That’s very impressive for a rookie and hopefully he’ll be able to keep that up against a Twins team that doesn’t take walks all that much.
If you think “Schwellenbach” is a long name to have on the back of a jersey, then try “Woods Richardson.” Simeon Woods Richardson will be making the start for Minnesota and he’s also been very reliable for his club so far this season. He’s thrown 17 innings over his past three starts and given up five runs total while striking out 15 batters and only walking four batters. He’s got some really good stuff when it comes to his four-pitch arsenal and when he puts it together, he can be very tough to deal with when he’s on his game.
With that being said, he’s been having issues missing bats on a consistent basis and while his Hard-Hit percentage is decent enough, he’s been getting barreled up a bit and that could be an issue for him when facing up with the Braves. For all of the struggles that Atlanta has had this season when it comes to scoring runs and getting big hits when they need them the most, one thing that has been consistent is that they do barrel up the ball on a regular basis. Only the Yankees have a higher rate of barrels per plate appearance (7.3) than the Braves do (6.6).
Hopefully Atlanta will be able to bring the mojo that they had last night into tonight’s game. It was honestly pleasantly shocking to see Atlanta blow up like they did on Bailey Ober. They knocked Ober around to the tune of nine runs, seven hits and two runs in just two innings in a scene that was reminiscent of how they used to blow the doors off of opposing pitchers early on in games back in 2023. While it would be a bit much to expect them to repeat the performance, hopefully this is a spark that will keep this offense going for a while as they move into some very big games coming up in the future.
Last night was a strange game where both pitching staffs took a bit of a shellacking. With that being said, it wouldn’t be shocking at all if order was restored and we got another pitcher’s duel tonight. With that being said, a pitcher’s duel suits the Braves just fine at this point. No matter what, a win is the most important thing here and here’s hoping that Atlanta can pick it up and seal the series victory tonight.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 27, 7:40 P.M. ET
Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
TV: Bally Sports South
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan