Saturday, April 05

SAN DIEGO -- Drake Baldwin’s first series as a Major Leaguer validated the Spring Training assessments made by Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and every other Braves player who said, “He’s ready.”

“He’s been outstanding these first three days, just the total game that he has played,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Baldwin, ranked by MLB Pipeline as baseball’s No. 62 prospect and the Braves’ No. 1 prospect, had the pleasure of having his mother and many other friends and family members from the Madison, Wis., area in attendance for his MLB debut on Opening Day. He had a couple tough-luck hitless days before notching his first hit in his first plate appearance Saturday in San Diego.

The opposite-field single against Randy Vásquez will forever stand as a treasured milestone moment for Baldwin. He slipped one past the goalie like he so often did during his successful high school hockey career.

“Just hitting it where they’re not is the biggest thing,” Baldwin said. “It’s hard to get the first one. Now you can take a breath and just get back into playing the game.”

Though they gained a successful outcome, Padres pitchers walked away from some of those early battles bruised. Baldwin registered three exit velocities of 100-plus mph while remaining hitless through the first two games. This frustrating stretch was highlighted during the ninth inning Friday, when his 109.6 mph comebacker hit Padres closer Robert Suarez’s leg and went directly to first baseman Luis Arraez, who stepped on first base for the out.

That was a far different outcome than the Braves had on Saturday, when Jake Cronenworth doubled off left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer’s foot and scored the game’s only run a few minutes later. The ball hit off Bummer’s foot and went into the third-base dugout.

Baldwin got another bit of tough luck on Opening Day, when his bid for his first career home run landed in the glove of a leaping Jackson Merrill, at the center-field wall. He also bruised Adrian Morejon’s leg with a two-out, 101.6 mph comebacker in the sixth inning Friday. Instead of bounding away from the reliever, the ball stayed on the mound, allowing for the easy out that prevented Marcell Ozuna from scoring the go-ahead run from third base. 

Moments like these lead to going 1-for-22 with runners in scoring position through the season’s first three games.

Baldwin showed his improved arm strength when he recorded a 1.94 pop time while negating Merrill’s attempt to steal second base Saturday in the second inning. To put this in perspective, Sean Murphy had a 1.95 average pop time to second base last year and a 1.90 in 2023, his first season with the Braves.

Murphy likely will begin a Minor League rehab assignment with High-A Rome on Friday. He could rejoin Atlanta’s roster at some point the following week. But that doesn’t mean Baldwin would be sent back to Triple-A. His first few days as a big leaguer have shown why the Braves have considered keeping him around even if he’s playing just two or three times a week.

Who holds the Braves record for most home runs at Dodger Stadium?

A. Hank Aaron

B. Dale Murphy

C. Chipper Jones

D. Bob Horner

Reynaldo López’s first pitch of the season was a 92.7 mph fastball that Fernando Tatis Jr. drilled over the fence. López’s velocity got back to normal over the remainder of his five-inning effort. He allowed just two more runs -- one that could have been prevented had Ozzie Albies made a stronger throw on a double play opportunity. But there was still concern after López induced just three whiffs. The 2024 All-Star induced at least seven whiffs in each of his starts last year, minus the Sept. 10 outing he exited after one inning because of shoulder discomfort.

“I felt like I had a good fastball, and I didn’t really feel like my offspeed was there,” López said through a translator. “No one in this league can survive on a fastball alone. With my offspeed not working, it probably had an effect on my fastball and how they were approaching their at-bats.”

Going to admit that I laughed when some fans asked if Nick Allen could become the Braves’ regular shortstop this year. Yeah, I know the numbers show that Orlando Arcia has been one of the game’s least productive players over the past season and a half. But Allen has a .537 career OPS.

Still, after watching Allen on a consistent basis, the idea is no longer laughable. He is a great defensive player, and he didn’t embarrass himself with the bat early on. He hit a couple balls hard when he started Friday.

Allen is not going to produce eye-popping offensive numbers. But his offensive approach allows him to provide value not detected by some stats. 

For now, the Braves are just saying Allen could give Arcia the regular rest he didn’t receive either of the past two seasons.

“I talked to Orlando and told him it would be good for him because we’re not going to have to play his legs off,” Snitker said. “I’ll try to keep (Allen) as active as I can and see where it takes us.”

The Braves will head home after their game Wednesday at Dodger Stadium to prepare for their home opener against the Marlins on Friday. Single-game tickets can be purchased at https://www.mlb.com/braves/tickets/single-game-tickets.

A. Aaron

Aaron hit 22 homers in the Dodgers’ current home, which opened in 1962. Murphy hit 21 over 447 at-bats, 58 more than Aaron. Jones ranks third with 13.

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