CONGRATULATIONS: Braves make a blockbuster deal to land in a veteran reliever
Both organizations announced that the Braves acquired Jimmy Herget, a reliever, from the Angels in exchange for cash. After waiving David Fletcher the previous week, Atlanta had a spot available on the 40-man roster. Herget was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, thus no other action was required.
Since 2021, Herget has been a member of the Halos. That August, Los Angeles signed the twisting right-hander to a minor league contract, and two weeks later, they chose his contract. Herget maintained his spot on the 40-man roster by making 14 appearances over the course of the season with a 4.30 ERA. In 2022, the South Florida product had a career year. He pitched 69 innings, a career-high, with a 2.48 ERA and 23.7% strikeouts against a respectable 5.6% walk rate.
The next season, the Halos moved Herget between Triple-A Salt Lake and Anaheim due to an increase in home runs. In 29 MLB innings, he gave up 4.66 earned runs per nine, and in 32 and a third frames in the Pacific Coast League, he recorded a 4.68 average. Herget will start the season in Salt Lake after the Angels made changes to their bullpen over the previous summer.
With the Bees, the 30-year-old has appeared in ten games and thrown 11 1/3 innings. On ten hits, he has given up seven runs (five earned). Herget has only issued one walk thus far, but opponents have already blasted four home runs. When they added Zac Kristofak to the MLB roster over the weekend, the Angels designated him for assignment. (Kristofak was DFA yesterday after Willie Calhoun was chosen by the Angels.)
Herget is in his last option year, so the Braves won’t have to place him on waivers if they choose to keep him in Gwinnett for the remainder of the year. Between the Reds, Rangers, and Angels, he has 142 2/3 major league innings pitched with a 3.47 ERA.
Atlanta’s relief corps is formidable, but their roster flexibility is limited. Only Dylan Lee, one of the current MLB bullpen’s eight relievers, is eligible for an option. Herget is an optional addition to Ray Kerr and Daysbel Hernández, while Gwinnett’s non-roster bullpen pieces include Ken Giles and Jackson Stephens.
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Top offensive lineups to be seen when Braves play Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, who have both demonstrated they are serious contenders for the World Series crown through the first full month of the season, will get an opportunity to compare notes this weekend despite play that has fallen short of expectations for both clubs.
The finest two offenses in baseball will meet in a three-game series that begins on Friday when Atlanta travels to Los Angeles.
The Dodgers had a baseball-best OPS of.793 going into play on Thursday, followed by the Braves at.765. With 177 runs scored, the Dodgers led the game; the Braves came in fourth with 157. Despite this, both sides believe their offenses can improve.
The Braves’ 3.52 ERA was ninth in baseball, while the Dodgers’ 3.53 ERA was placed tenth. The pitching is also still a work in progress. Important rotation players are absent for both clubs, and the Dodgers are also struggling with bullpen ailments.
The Braves’ Charlie Morton (2-0, 3.60) will take the mound against the Dodgers’ Gavin Stone (2-1, 4.68) in the series opener between two right-handers.
Filling a vacancy in the rotation, Stone has been reliable in his first full season. His best appearance came on April 26 at Toronto, where he allowed one run on two hits over seven innings.
In May of last year, Stone started his first road game ever and allowed five runs on five hits and five walks in four innings.
The Dodgers are coming off a revitalizing nine-game road trip that saw them finish 7-2 despite early offensive setbacks. Wednesday marked Shohei Ohtani’s first day off following his three strikeouts in Tuesday’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated, “You look back 11 days ago and we weren’t playing good baseball.” “To go on the road, East Coast trip, to go north of the border and then come back here and play a division rival and end up 7-2, it was a nice feat, a lot of good baseball.”
Morton is 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA in his career versus the Dodgers in seven starts. Additionally, he has faced the Dodgers in three different postseason series as a pitcher. One of those series was the 2021 National League Championship Series, in which he was the losing pitcher in Game 3 before Los Angeles emerged victorious.
The Braves have only played three games since Saturday and are coming off a series loss in Seattle this week. On Wednesday, Austin Riley’s two-run triple helped Atlanta defeat the Mariners 5-2.
The Braves manager, Brian Snitker, stated, “It looked a little bit closer because we’ve been kind of struggling to hit on all cylinders.”
Riley has a.697 OPS through 29 games, which is low by his norms. However, in 17 games versus the Dodgers, he has a career OPS of.793 with a.303 hitting average.
Riley reportedly added, “I love going to Dodger Stadium,” as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a playoff atmosphere all the time. They’re a really good ballclub, so it’s going to be another battle. We’re all looking forward to it.”
The Braves and Dodgers last faced each other in Los Angeles late in the previous season during a four-game series that was likewise hailed as a titanic matchup. With three home runs, including a grand slam in the first game, Ronald Acuna Jr. solidified his status as the National League MVP as Atlanta defeated them 3-1.
With a combined total of four home runs, Matt Olson and Acuna are also off to sluggish beginnings for the Braves.
