DENVER — Braves beginning pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver left Tuesday’s 8-2 win vs. the Rockies at Coors Discipline within the sixth inning after being hit in the suitable arm by a 105.3 mph line drive off the bat of Ryan McMahon. Smith-Shawver recovered to area the ball and throw McMahon out at first however left the sport instantly afterward.
“It bought the meaty a part of my arm, so we’ll see what occurs tomorrow,” Smith-Shawver mentioned after the sport. “However for proper now, I am feeling fairly good.”
Smith-Shawver had a 7-1 lead when he left with one out and one on. The runner got here round to attain two batters later, leaving Smith-Shawver with two runs — each earned — over 5 1/3 innings on 59 pitches, 46 for strikes. He walked one and struck out 5, because it was sufficient for his first win of the season and the second of his profession.
“My splitter was not listening to what I wished it to do, but it surely was nonetheless getting swing-and-miss right this moment,” Smith-Shawver mentioned. “I used to be throwing some slider-splitters that I have never seen earlier than. But when it really works, it really works.”
The 22-year-old right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier Tuesday to make a spot begin in opposition to the Rockies. He was 0-2 with a 4.61 ERA (seven earned runs over 13 2/3 innings) in three begins earlier than being optioned to Triple-A on April 13, and with Tuesday’s win over the Rockies, he’s allowed three or fewer runs in all 4 of his begins in 2025.
“He threw numerous strikes, clearly, and strikes the ball round,” supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “He was a little bit bit laborious to hit, as a result of he was mixing his pitches and transferring it round fairly good.”
Snitker had little doubt that Smith-Shawver had earned one other spherical within the rotation, pending the standing of his arm’s response to therapy after absorbing the road drive.
“We’ll see how he feels,” Snitker mentioned. “He is good. He’ll get an additional day, and he’ll be scheduled to throw Monday now.”
Smith-Shawver had one earlier win since his big-league debut in 2023, a win over the Rockies in Atlanta on June 15, 2023. His 5 1/3 innings pitched had been probably the most since beginning in opposition to Colorado in 2023, and it’s the third time in his profession he’s pitched into the sixth inning.
“He is bought the pitches, his stuff’s good,” Snitker mentioned earlier than the sport. “It is nearly throwing strikes and commanding your fastball and hitting your spots, and that is what pitching is all about. He is a younger man with great things that is getting on-the-job coaching right here on the Main League degree.”
Smith-Shawver’s sturdy outing left the Braves in place to comb the Rockies in Wednesday’s collection finale, and doing so would put them at .500 for the primary time this season.
“We’re at all times coming in with sweep as a purpose,” mentioned Matt Olson, who collected a season-high three hits Tuesday, with three runs and a double to increase his on-base streak to 17 video games. “The .500 quantity, actually, it is sort of no matter. We wish to win as many video games as attainable. Hopefully fairly quickly, we’ll be on the optimistic facet of that and never look again.”
The Braves got here out of the gate 0-7 after a hapless journey by way of San Diego and L.A. to open the season, and Olson credited an off day earlier than the house opener and a 10-0 victory within the first sport earlier than their residence followers because the turning level, saying it felt like a brand new season beginning.
“Not the best way we wished to start out, [but we’re] in a position to sort of reset and compose ourselves and understand this is not the staff that we’re,” Olson mentioned. “We have been taking part in some good baseball these final couple weeks. Received some collection [against] some good groups.”
With Smith-Shawver’s win Tuesday, the Braves have gained their final 4 collection, taking two of three from the D-backs and Cardinals and beginning the stretch with a sweep of the Twins.
