Smyly stymies Reds, thrills his 'biggest fan'

ATLANTA -- When Drew Smyly briefly left Braves camp near the end of Spring Training, he didn’t know if he’d ever again have the opportunity presented to him on Tuesday night, when he thankfully pitched with his father in attendance.

“He went in for like a pretty routine surgery at the end of Spring Training and ended up spending three months in the hospital,” Smyly said. “We weren’t sure he was going to make it some of those days.”

Having overcome colon cancer, cirrhosis and other ailments that necessitated a lengthy hospital stay, Todd Smyly was at Truist Park to see his son pitch in the series opener against the Reds. Drew didn’t disappoint as he constructed six strong innings with seven strikeouts while helping the Braves stay hot with a 3-2 win.

“He’s my biggest fan, so it’s exciting,” Smyly said. “Baseball season has helped him throughout these last few months, just giving him something to do and watch. He loves the game and loves the Braves. We grew up Braves fans.”

With his parents seated in one of the Infiniti Suites located behind the plate, Smyly surrendered Aristides Aquino’s two-run homer in the second and then held Cincinnati’s potent lineup hitless over the remainder of his outing.

Adam Duvall provided early support with a two-run homer in the fourth and Stephen Vogt drew a decisive bases-loaded walk off Amir Garrett in the sixth.

Smyly’s effort was then preserved by a more reliable bullpen. Tyler Matzek worked an 11th consecutive scoreless appearance by stranding two in the eighth and Freddie Freeman got Will Smith out of trouble with a game-ending 3-6-3 double play.

With their sixth win in their past seven games, the Braves strengthened their bid for a fourth consecutive National League East title, sitting just one game back of first place after the Phillies' 5-0 loss to the Dodgers. Their resurgence has been similar to the one Smyly experienced after stumbling through the season’s first couple months.

“[Smyly] has been really good for us,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “It feels like we’ve won a lot of games that he has pitched.”

As Smyly posted a 5.98 ERA through his first nine starts, the Braves lost seven of the games he started. But the team has gone 10-1 as the veteran left-hander has posted a 3.09 ERA over his past 11 starts.

This latest outing was Smyly’s best since he limited this same tough Reds lineup to one run over six innings on June 25 in Cincinnati. He had completed just four innings in each of his three previous outings and there was reason to wonder if he might be regressing at the wrong time.

But motivated by the chance to add to the significance of his dad being present, Smyly showed he has the potential to be a key asset down the stretch. He spent his childhood savoring those days when he and his father would watch the Braves in Arkansas.

On this night, he was realizing a childhood dream and savoring the chance to again see his dad pulling for the Braves.

“He’s pretty thrilled right now,” Smyly said.