What to Take Away From Robert Suárez's Return to Braves

The Atlanta Braves reliever got the first of two expected outings ahead of the postseason under his belt

Suárez pitched the first of two expected relief outings this week | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After three months of working his way back, Robert Suarez was back on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. The right-hander pitched an inning, allowing an earned run on one hit with no walks and a strikeout.

He needed just 13 pitches to get through the inning and induced a single whiff on eight swings from opposing hitters. Eight of his pitches were for strikes, giving him a strike rate of 61%.

There is some rust to shake off, but there are some other stats to look at as well when evaluating his night. His fastball averaged 98.6 mph and topped out at 99.7 mph. He's healthy. There's no doubt about that if that's what the radar gun is showing.

"I thought he threw the ball really well," Walt Weiss said after Wednesday's game. "And he touched 100, too. I mean, arm strength was great. I mean, command probably not pinpoint but still good. Some soft contact."

As for the soft contact, he induced a ground ball that came off the bat at 61.1 mph. The fly out that drove in a run had an exit velocity of 75.4 mph.

Knowing that it was his first major league inning in over three months, yes, he threw the ball well. The Braves knew he had to get some games under his belt before the postseason. If he only gets better from here, then they'll be in a great spot.

He didn't generate whiffs, but after the triple, he got three consecutive outs. He found a way. That's a major note. If he genuinely struggled in his return, a conversation may have to be had. But he pitched well enough that the team can be confident enough to have him on the postseason roster as intended.

It's definitely good that he'll have another appearance before the playoffs. He can refine a little further before the game has those implications. That appearance is expected for Saturday in Miami.

After that, we'll have a better idea of what the Braves will get out of him. Even then, what they'll see even beyond that will be different. As long as he takes more steps forward, that's all the team can ask for.

Enjoy our content? Make BravesOnSI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com