Game 2 Preview: Braves @ Pirates

dfu19033034 braves at phillies

The Braves won thrillingly last night over the Bucs. Austin Riley came through AGAIN in the 6th inning with a three-run homer to put Atlanta up 6-5. From there, the Pirates had no chance. Josh Donaldson added a three-run shot, extending the lead to four, and Freddie Freeman joined the party in the ninth with a moonshot to right center field. Atlanta’s offense continues to explode, putting up twelve more runs, resulting in their third straight win.

Kevin Gausman playing for his job

When the season started, because of uncertainty with the young arms and based off how well he ended 2018, Gausman was penciled in as the team’s #2 starter behind Mike Foltynewicz. Now those two are treading water trying to stay in the rotation.

Gaus has been miserable for the most part in 2019. It began to look like he was turning things around after three quality starts in a row, but all of that progress was lost following a dismal showing last time out against the Washington Nationals. Gausman gave up eight earned runs without recording a single out in the second inning.

It’s become apparent the Braves are exploring all of their pitching options – both in the bullpen and in the rotation. If Alex Anthopoulos makes a deal soon, it’s very possible Gausman finds himself in a new role or off the team altogether. He should be pitching like it is for his job every time out there.

Meet Joe Musgrove

Joe Musgrove has been a member of the Pirates starting staff for four years now. He originally came up as a 23-year-old, going 4-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 10 starts – not too shabby for a rookie. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh’s sake, the righty hasn’t been able to build off that. In each season, Musgrove has had an ERA above four and has yet to finish with a winning record. This year, he is 3-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 11 starts (12 appearances). His repertoire features a plethora of pitches (fastball, cutter, sinker, slider, curveball, changeup), but the results haven’t followed. Perhaps Musgrove could benefit from focusing on quality rather than quantity. Having six pitches is not always a good thing.

First pitch takes place at 7:05 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Catch the action on FoxSportsSouth or 680 the Fan (radio).

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