AJ Smith-Shawver threw exactly 75 pitches and walked off the mound after just four and one-third innings. That’s a brutal number for a starter you need to go deep, yet it’s the hard truth from Wednesday’s loss. The 23-year-old right-hander flashed electric stuff early, touching 97.6 mph with his four-seam fastball while mixing in a sharp splitter. He looked like a pitcher who had fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, which he endured 14 months ago. But the Twins exploited his stamina issues in the fifth, turning a tight game into a 6-4 loss that completed a three-game sweep. Per MLB.com Braves, the frustration boiled over as a three-run comeback slipped away in the eighth inning.
The Sinker Splitter Mix
Smith-Shawver entered the game with a clear plan to pair his rising fastball with a heavy sinker and a devastating splitter. He said the location on the sinker was good and that the splitter looked just like it in those early frames. “I thought that location on the sinker today was [good], and whenever I throw my splitter like I did today in those early innings, it’s hard to kind of combo those,” Smith-Shawver said. Those two pitches blend well together, making them impossible for hitters to separate. He noted that the combination protects his four-seam fastball by keeping hitters off balance. This mix allowed him to escape a bases-loaded jam in the third inning by getting Josh Bell to hit into a 3-6-1 double play.
Manager Walt Weiss saw the promise in those first few frames before the wheels fell off. “I thought he came out looking good, looking sharp,” Weiss said. The manager praised the young arm for showing the talent that made him a top prospect before the injury. However, the fifth inning proved too much for his current build-up. Command issues surfaced when he allowed back-to-back singles followed by consecutive walks. Those free passes forced in a run and ended his afternoon. The team needed more length from the rotation, but Smith-Shawver hit a wall that he simply could not climb over.
Wheels fell off in the fifth.
Stamina Concerns Loom Large
The real story here isn’t the loss itself, but the specific reason Smith-Shawver could not stay in the game longer. He admitted that getting deeper into games is something he has been working on since returning from the minors. “I think that’s just been something I’ve been working on,” Smith-Shawver noted. He explained that he is still getting used to how his body feels in those later innings after such a long layoff. The manager echoed this sentiment, noting that the stuff just was not as crisp after the fourth inning. “Fifth inning, I think the stuff wasn’t quite as crisp,” Weiss said. Yet observe, the gifted arm he possesses was displayed, and I believe he will aid our progress.
Atlanta is currently navigating the final six weeks of the regular season with a six-man rotation. This move was designed to help the staff, but it relies on pitchers who can go five or six innings. Smith-Shawver’s outing suggests the team might need to manage his workload carefully. He is 14 months removed from surgery, and the body often needs more time than the calendar to fully adjust. The Braves recalled him from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill a spot, but he had to build back up to more length. Now fully healthy, he took the ball as Wednesday’s starter, yet the fifth inning proved his limit for now.
The Cost of a Short Start
The loss to the Twins was painful, but the performance of Smith-Shawver offers a glimmer of hope for the future. The Braves offense scored three runs in the sixth to tie the game, showing they can still compete even after a short start. Dylan Dodd surrendered a two-run double to Kody Clemens, making it 4-1 before the Braves tied it. The team really had a chance to win, but the pitching staff could not hold the lead. For Smith-Shawver, the frustration centered on the final outcome. “When you lose a game like that, just tough,” Smith-Shawver said. “You just think about mistakes you made and just things that you can do better.”
He echoed his manager’s sentiment regarding his stamina late in the outing. “Just getting deeper in games, coming back, just getting used to the feels and just how my body is in those innings,” he said. The team knows he is a very talented kid who will help them move forward. These Tommy John guys take time to get fully back on track. The Braves will need him to go deeper in the stretch drive if they want to avoid another sweep. He will take the ball again when they give it to him, and he will try to make adjustments. The road ahead is long, but the stuff is there. Next start is Friday in Milwaukee.
