Huascar Ynoa didn’t give the Braves much of a chance in Monday’s 11-2 loss to the Nationals at Truist Park.
Here are five observations on the Braves’ (2-3) latest loss:
1. Ynoa has proven he can be a proficient starting pitcher at this level. But this question remains after his rough 2022 debut: Can he return to doing so after all that has happened?
“Of course, I definitely feel like I can get back to form,” Ynoa said through interpreter Franco García. “A bad day doesn’t mean a bad season.”
Over three innings, Ynoa allowed five runs on seven hits. He walked two batters and struck out four. He has not been able to return to form since he broke his hand punching the dugout bench last season. It could not have helped that inflammation in his right shoulder limited him to one postseason start.
Before breaking his hand, Ynoa posted a 3.02 ERA over nine games (eight starts). That figure rose to 5.05 in nine regular-season starts following the injury.
2. Earlier Monday, the Nationals recalled lefty Josh Rogers from Triple-A to fill their rotation opening. He arrived in Atlanta set to face a dangerous lineup.
The Braves immediately jumped on Rogers. Ozzie Albies led off the bottom of the first inning with a double, and Marcell Ozuna eventually scored him with a two-out single.
After that?
Nothing.
Rogers, who owned a 5.55 career ERA, eventually retired 10 straight Braves before Eddie Rosario walked in the fifth inning. The Braves never collected another hit off Rogers, who allowed only the one run over 5 1/3 innings.
“Left-handers, it’s kind of like they’re a different breed,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He was throwing strikes; he was going at them. He was keeping the ball out of the fat part of the plate, pretty much.”
3. Ynoa escaped in the first and second innings but unraveled in the third.
This is how it started: walk, single, single. A run scored. Ynoa actually managed to get two outs, but Lane Thomas doubled two more home before Maikel Franco hit a 396-foot, two-run homer to left field.
4. The two pitchers who followed Ynoa had opposite outings.
Spencer Strider was charged with one run over 3 ⅓ innings in relief of Ynoa, but Tucker Davidson experienced a rough eighth inning.
In a five-run eighth, Franco cleared the bases with a double to give the Nationals a 10-run lead.
5. The Braves were planning to start Davidson on Tuesday, but they needed him in this game. And because Ian Anderson and Ynoa gave the Braves back-to-back short starts, the club didn’t have any options left to piece together the series’ second game.
So, who will pitch? Snitker said the Braves will probably bring up two players.
If the Braves don’t want to make a 40-man roster move, righty Touki Toussaint seems to be a likely candidate. He threw 4 2/3 innings of one-run baseball, with eight strikeouts, on April 6. Lefty Dylan Lee pitched a scoreless inning Sunday, so he could be an option.
All of this means opening-day starter Max Fried will still get an extra day of rest.
Stat to know
4. The Braves collected only four hits. Franco matched them with four of his own. The Braves didn’t tally a hit or a run in innings two through eight. Washington had 11 more hits than Atlanta.
Quotable
“We forget how far this kid has come the last couple of years, too. So he’s still trying to figure things out. He’s not a finished product yet. But we saw how good his stuff can play. He’s going to go through bumps in the road, whether it’s beginning, middle, end.” – Snitker on Ynoa
Up next
The Braves have not announced a starter for Tuesday night’s game, but the Nationals will start left-hander Patrick Corbin.
