The Atlanta Braves (28-18) cling to a 1/2 game NL East Divisional lead. The addition of Luiz Gohara to the starting rotation could be the next step forward.
TheAtlanta Braveshave already played Philly something like 10 or 11 times already this season. Our Braves lost last night, and get another crack at the Phillies tonight at their place. It should be good TV. The game is for a Divisional lead. Wednesday could also be interesting, though. Not just because it could be a rubber match or to avoid a sweep. Although, each is a possibility, and a big deal. Wednesday could get interesting because it was penciled in that Luiz Gohara would get his first start. That, too, is a big deal.
There has been a lot of ink spilled on the prospects and performances ofSean NewcombandMike Soroka. And, rightfully so. Newcomb (5-1) has a very respectable2.39 ERAin 9 games and 52 innings pitched. Dude has been key. Soroka (1-1), on the temporary mend from injury, floats a respectable3.68 ERAin three games and 14 innings pitched. While not as impressive as Newcomb, the 20-year-old Canadian righty has flashed promise and poise.
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That said, there is another name out there, certainly during Spring Training, that elicited, as much buzz, or more, than those two and it was Luiz Gohara. The rotund 21-year-old lefty from Brazil looked like he was definitely going to begin the year as the 5th starter. Truth be told, at times, he looked like he could be, or should be, the 3rd starter this Spring. Then, something happened that no dude would put on another dude: Groin and ankle problems.
Gohara started the year on the DL, and then, when rehabbing at Gwinnett, looked awful. Atlanta called him up to bolster a bludgeoned and heavily worked bullpen, and he’s pitched well in that role. Dude has three appearances, in7 innings of relief work, and has struck out 10 and given up two hits. He also holsters a 1.29 ERA. As our friends from the Midwest would say: “Not too shabby”.
With the lineup looking like it is only a position, or two, away from being elite, pitching is, once again, the focus. Newcomb looks stout and dependable (even with the walks). Soroka, once healthy, looks like he can be a quality contributor.
IfLuiz Goharacan transition back to the Starting Rotation, and pick up the form he showed this Spring, all of a sudden, the youth movement that pervades the rest of the club will begin to flower on the mound.
If that happens, our Atlanta Braves are legitimate contenders for the Eastern Division, and will be a major headache for everyone on their schedule. It almost looks like that now.
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