Braves Have Early Perfect Storm with Tyler Mahle Acquisition

Another strong start from Tyler Mahle is under his belt since he joined the Atlanta Braves rotation. He tossed another six innings, allowing just one earned run on a solo home run.

He struck out seven, three on the fastball and four with the splitter.

Since 2015, Mahle is the second Braves pitcher to post at least 12 innings pitched and one or fewer runs, joining Reynaldo López, who did so back in 2024.

“It’s been great, you know, coming and doing my job in the first two starts,” he said to the media Wednesday night.

Mahle has credited his teammates on and off the field for how they have helped him transition from San Francisco to Atlanta. Off the field, they’ve made him feel very comfortable. On the field, they’ve provided good defense and made nice plays.

The return of Sean Murphy from the injured list timed out perfectly for him to have a veteran catcher to work with.

“He’s been great,” Mahle said. “Came in and they gave me a plan, you know, just for myself - not really for the hitters - what they’d like to see me do more. It’s just about executing that point. He’s been throwing down the right calls, and I just got to execute.’

Looking at the results, executing the plan hasn’t been an issue so far. In 12 innings pitched over two starts, he has the lone earned run on seven hits and two walks while striking out 16. It’s been the story of one bad pitch that didn’t come back to bite the team.

“It’s been great,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “Two starts have been unbelievable. I felt like he’s attacked the zone, and, yeah, it’s been great. I’ve faced him numerous times, and I’m glad I’mnot having to right now.”

Coming into a new environment and just hitting the ground running is no easy task. Other notable deadline acquisitions did not have as smooth of debuts with their new teams. Meanwhile, he’s been as sharp as he’s ever been.

Even when looking at the sample size of how he looked after he returned from his injury - a 3.79 ERA in seven starts - it wasn’t enough to make a case early that he could be the guy to anchor the rotation ahead of a run. It’s just two starts, but the early impression has been what the team needed.

“Yeah, he’s pitching like a frontline starter,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said with a smile.

Mahle was thrust into pitching at Yankee Stadium after a rain delay in his debut, and he’s cruised ever since. It at least speaks somewhat about who he is as a pitcher.

“He looks very composed. He looks very much in control of his outings when he’s on the mound,” Weiss said. “Slow heartbeat, ability to execute pitches - I really like what I see.”

In August, the Braves rotation has a 2.03 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. This group continues to have a strong late-season push. There is a long way to go, but they remain determiend, and the Braves just have to hope that eagerness lingers.

Add us as a preferred source on Google