Freeman, Acuña '100 percent,' ready for NLDS
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ATLANTA -- Hampered by injuries in recent weeks, Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuña Jr. participated in both of the Braves' workouts at SunTrust Park this week with an eye toward playing without limitations in the upcoming National League Division Series vs. St. Louis.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 3 | STL 7, ATL 6 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 4 | ATL 3, STL 0 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 6 | ATL 3, STL 1 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 7 | STL 5, ATL 4 (10) | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | STL 13, ATL 1 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Freeman reported no issues after testing the troublesome bone spur in his right elbow in a simulated game Tuesday, then declared himself “100 percent” before working out with the team again Wednesday. Acuña said the same regarding the left hip tightness that held him out of Atlanta’s final regular-season series. He was cleared after running the bases at full bore during Tuesday’s sim game.
“I didn’t feel my elbow at all, which is very encouraging,” Freeman said. “I'm going to have no problems ... at all when I swing. I faced the live [batting practice] yesterday. And that's usually when it was coming, when I faced velocity and hitting the ball. And I felt nothing yesterday. So, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow because I think I'm going to be 100 percent.”
Through team translator Franco Garcia, Acuña said his hip “feels good … feel back to 100 percent and ready to go into the next series.”
Consider it good news for a Braves team that sprinted toward the NL East crown behind Acuña’s stellar sophomore season, and has relied on Freeman for nearly a decade. They’ve also already had to weather injuries to regulars Ender Inciarte (right hamstring strain), Johan Camargo (right shin fracture) and Charlie Culberson (fractured right cheekbone).
Culberson will miss the rest of the year and Inciarte appears destined for that same fate. There is a slight chance Camargo could return for a potential NL Championship Series.
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It's possible that Freeman’s bone spur will require surgery in the offseason whether his symptoms return again or not, though he recently told MLB.com, “that is not an option we have talked about yet.” The discomfort returned after he took a four-game layoff in late September, then subsided with treatment prior to Tuesday’s workout. The lingering issue seemed to sap Freman’s power recently. He enters play homerless in his last 21 games, after hitting 38 in the 137 prior contests.
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Pitching plans
Braves manager Brian Snitker also confirmed the Braves' starting pitching plans for the series’ first three games. Mike Foltynewicz will follow Game 1 starter Dallas Keuchel for Game 2, lining up opposite Cardinals righty Jack Flaherty. Michael Soroka gets Game 3 at Busch Stadium against an undisclosed Cardinals starter.
• Cards-Braves Game 1: Lineups, rosters, FAQ
Snitker said the Braves tabbed Foltynewicz on the merits of his strong finish. The right-hander ended what was an uneven year by going 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA over his last seven starts.
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Snitker said Soroka’s drastic home/road splits were the determining factor in giving him the start in St. Louis. The 22-year-old’s ERA ballooned from 1.55 on the road to 4.14 when pitching at SunTrust Park.
“You look at the home and the road splits and it hits you right between the eyes,” Snitker said.
No Teheran
The Braves won’t announce their final NLDS roster until Thursday, but Snitker said Wednesday that it won’t include Opening Day starter Julio Teheran. There simply wasn’t room after Atlanta decided it was best suited with an 11-man pitching staff and six-man bench. They opted for Rafael Ortega’s left-handed bat over Austin Riley for the final spot.
Snitker called leaving Atlanta’s Opening Day starter off the roster “as tough a decision as I’ve ever been a part of in my baseball career.”
The staff’s longest tenured member, Teheran went 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA in 33 starts in 2019. But his season ended with a six-run, 2 1/3-innings loss at Kansas City, and the condensed nature of the Division Series left the Braves without need for a fifth starter. Josh Tomlin will serve as the bullpen’s lone long man, with Max Fried the likely fourth starter if one is needed.
That presumably leaves Darren O'Day, Shane Greene, Luke Jackson, Chris Martin, Mark Melancon and Sean Newcomb for Atlanta’s other six spots, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
“I actually texted [Teheran] earlier today and just to let him know that I care about everything he's done this year and everything he's done every year and what he means to not only this team but this organization,” Freeman said. “We wouldn't be in the playoffs without him … . It's tough. He's been with me since this all started back in the day in 2011. He's seen this thing through the hard times, too.”