The Braves will be back at it tonight in the desert to face off against the Diamondbacks after playing one of their most complete games of the year in a 2-1 victory last night. Julio Teheran was solid, the Braves moved Ronald Acuna Jr. back to the leadoff spot and got an eighth inning go-ahead homer out of him, and most importantly the bullpen held up.
Tonight they will look for something similar to get them back to .500 behind the struggling Kevin Gausman who was so good for Atlanta last season after coming over via trade with Baltimore. Gausman has an ERA of 5.00 this season, but a FIP of 4.04 suggesting that he’s had some bad luck in the early going.
Gausman is striking out batters at a higher rate than ever before, averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings over his first seven starts. Gausman’s biggest issue is not something he’s dealt with on a normal basis, but is something plaguing the Braves staff right now. Walks. Gausman is allowing nearly four per nine innings, up quite a bit from his career average of 2.75 per nine.
While Gausman deals with his issues, the man he will face on the mound tonight has issues of his own. Starting for the Diamondbacks will be 30-year-old rookie Merrill Kelly. Kelly, a longtime member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, was drubbed by his former team in his last action as he allowed seven runs over four innings.
Kelly is carrying an ERA of 4.85 over seven starts but (unlike Gausman) has outperformed his peripherals to this point as he also owns a FIP of 5.25. Kelly has four pitches that he uses with regularity. His cut fastball sits in the low 90’s, he has a changeup in the high 80’s, a curveball in the low 80’s and a sinker in the low 90’s as well.
Kelly has never faced the Braves, but Gausman has faced the Diamondbacks once already this season which was his best start of 2019 to date. He struck out a career high 10 batters, but allowed two runs which got him a no-decision in a game the Braves lost late.
Tonight he’ll be looking to secure a series win. Stay tuned.
Game Info
Atlanta Braves at Arizona Diamondbacks
Saturday, May 11, 2025
8:10 pm EDT
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
TV: Fox Sports South, MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, Rock 100.5, Braves Radio Network
XM Radio: SXM Streaming 841
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