BRAVES NEWS
Tanaka stifles offense as a pair of big innings doom Braves in 7-4 loss to Yankees
The Braves did not have a great showing on Monday, as roster hopeful Bryse Wilson was touched up for three runs in four innings, though he did have four strikeouts. The Yankees added four runs in the fifth inning against Braves non-roster invitee Jason Creasy. Offensively, the Braves were largely held quiet by Masahiro Tanaka aside from a towering homer from Nick Markakis, his first of the spring. The Braves would fall 7-4.
Julio Teheran named Braves Opening Day starter
With Mike Foltynewicz on the shelf, hopefully temporarily, the Braves will be forced to turn to Julio Teheran on Opening Day. This will mark the sixth consecutive Opening Day start for Teheran, which no doubt will be received with mixed emotions among the Braves faithful. The feat is impressive nonetheless, and speaks to both the fortitude of Teheran and the stagnant state of the Atlanta pitching corps for the better part of the past decade.
2019 Atlanta Braves player projections: starting pitchers
Our own Ivan the Great uses his own system of player projections, called IWAG, to project the outcomes for the Braves pitching rotation in 2019. Read more about the methodology and its merits inside as Ivan looks to find the most likely results for this season.
The time is now for the Braves’ pitching prospects
As Scott Coleman writes, the Braves are betting big on their young pitchers in 2019. With a rash of injuries in Spring Training and zero additions made to the staff this offseason, the hoard of pitching prospects have no choice but to produce, right now. As Scott notes, the club bet big on its ability to develop pitching throughout the rebuild, committing trade pieces, international signing bonuses, and draft picks to their vision. Now those investments need to pay off.
MLB NEWS
Sources: Gio, Yankees close to deal
Yankees add one of the few remaining major league arms left on the free agent market.
Kershaw won’t start opener; Buehler in mix
Maybe the best pitcher of this era, Kershaw continues to battle injury as he ages. The left-hander will not get the ball on Opening Day after shoulder inflammation delayed his training by three weeks.