ATLANTA — Jared Shuster probably always will remember Sunday, when he collected his first major-league win.
Shuster and the Braves defeated the Mariners 3-2 at Truist Park to win the series. The Braves (29-17) have won consecutive series since they were swept by Toronto on May 12-14.
1. “We celebrated his first win,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said of Shuster’s milestone moment.
D’Arnaud paused.
That’s about all he could say.
“It’s not PG,” he said.
It’s customary for teams to celebrate a pitcher’s first big-league victory – in whatever way they choose. Shuster is quiet and didn’t say much, but seemed to appreciate whatever his teammates did for him.
“A bunch of congratulations,” Shuster said of the celebration. “It was a great moment and a great team win.”
In the fourth start of his career, Shuster spun six innings and allowed one run. He allowed one hit – a second-inning solo homer. He struck out seven and walked only one. And that walk came in his final inning.
Shuster, who threw 85 pitches, retired 12 of 13 batters after the homer. He struck out six Mariners in that span.
This was the best he’s looked to this point.
“It’s very special to see someone mature like that,” d’Arnaud said. “He came into spring probably not thinking he had any shot of breaking with the team, and he did. For him to grow, even from that, is pretty special. Just each start, he’s gotten better and better.”
2. For Shuster, the game is beginning to slow a bit compared with when he made his debut earlier this season.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” he said. “I think just being out there and being able to experience what it’s like out there, it just gets more comfortable. Once you’re out there, it’s just pitching, just making pitches.”
When d’Arnaud went to Triple-A Gwinnett for a rehab assignment, he caught one of Shuster’s starts. Then on Sunday, Shuster threw to d’Arnaud as the left-hander helped the Braves take two of three.
“Just execution,” d’Arnaud said of the difference in Shuster between earlier this season and now. “He seemed a lot more calm. Regardless of if he made a pitch or made a mistake, he tried to stay even-keel the whole time, and I think that helped him out a lot. He did a great job of attacking guys and making quick adjustments if he didn’t execute a pitch that he wanted to.”
In the sixth inning, Shuster walked a batter who then stole second base and third base. After allowing that man to reach, Shuster recorded three consecutive outs to escape unscathed.
Asked if Shuster looks calmer nowadays, Braves manager Brian Snitker said: “I mean, he’s kind of one of those guys that doesn’t show a whole lot of emotion. But I think, probably, experience takes care of a lot of that.”
3. In particular, Shuster’s slider worked well. The pitch averaged 85 mph and touched 86 mph.
He threw 29 pitches, and the Mariners swung at 19 of them. They whiffed on eight of those 19 swings.
“I think just the (velocity) on it and the pitch execution on it,” Shuster said of what made it so good. “I think just being able to work it to both sides of the plate and being able to throw it in any count, I think that was big. Just getting it beneath a righty’s barrel and just throwing it for strikes, too.”
4. In the bottom of the sixth inning, d’Arnaud put a 419-foot solo home run into the seats in left-center field. It gave the Braves a two-run lead, and that extra run eventually made the difference.
It also represented a nice moment for d’Arnaud, who spent around a month working hard to come back from a concussion.
“It’s really satisfying,” he said. “A month ago, my career could’ve went a totally different way. For me to be able to keep playing, I’m thankful and grateful, and really happy to contribute to wins still.”
