Braves’ pitching factory is beginning to rival Guardians thanks to unconventional NLDS pitching plan 

The Atlanta Braves probably shouldn’t be here. 

Although they won the American League East thanks to a dominant summer led by a balanced roster. But things are a bit different right now. After getting some strong starting pitching earlier in the year, the Braves have just two healthy starters.

That’s going to be a tough hill to climb in the postseason no matter who you’re playing, but it’s even tougher for them considering they’re facing off against the juggernaut Dodgers in the NLDS. 

And both teams are now headed to Atlanta with the series tied at one thanks to the Braves’ 3-2 win on Sunday night that was highlighted by plenty of pitching madness after manager Walt Weiss elected to hold ace Chris Sale for Game 3. 

The Guardians’ pitching factory is still baseball’s best, the Braves’ island of misfit toys pitching plans have shown their factory is up and running just as well. 

The Braves' pitching factory is beginning to rival the Guardians'

The two biggest testaments to the Braves’ pitching factory bookended their win over the Dodgers on Sunday when journeyman reliever Ray Kerr opened the game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings while Didier Fuentes nearly closed the game out with 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. 

Kerr’s been one of the best stories of the postseason thanks to a baseball journey that’s included multiple odd jobs and tenures in semi-professional leagues, but he’s now totaled 6 scoreless innings out of relief along with two starts as an opener. 

Grant Holmes was supposed to be the Braves’ bulk guy, but he went just 2/3 of an inning before being pulled for Dylan Lee. 

What could have been a taxing day for Atlanta’s bullpen ended up tightening up a bit thanks to Fuentes, who recorded 3 2/3 perfect innings and nearly closed the game out before being chased by a Max Muncy home run. 

Fuentes is a 21-year-old rookie who made his MLB debut last year as a starter but has morphed into a solid relief arm. In other words, he’s the exact opposite of Kerr. 

The Guardians’ postseason pitching plans may be a bit more conventional than the Braves, but their pitching development pipeline has a lot of similarities with the pitchers the Braves rolled out. 

Neither Erik Sabrowski or Cade Smith were highly touted prospects, but they’ve turned into dominant high-leverage relievers under the Guardians’ tutelage. The same can be said for Hunter Gaddis, who has become a dominant reliever after burning out as a starter. 

The same can be said for Guardians’ as he authored a breakout season that featured a ton of growth at the big league level. 

Although the Braves' pitching factories victories don’t have a huge impact on the Guardians by virtue of them being in different leagues, it’s always a bit of a bittersweet development when another team makes it hay doing what the Guardians do. 

It’s good for baseball, but takes away a bit of the luster the Guardians seem to have with free agent pitchers.

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