Adam Duvall led the Nationwide League in RBIs with 113 in 2021 and was an All-Star in 2016. However the 35-year-old outfielder, who additionally gained a Gold Glove whereas serving to the Atlanta Braves win a World Sequence three years in the past, has struggled in 2024.
Make that, actually struggled.
Duvall is batting simply .167 this season and at last hit the 20-RBI mark in Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates when he led off the underside of the tenth with a walk-off RBI single.
Duvall additionally saved a run within the sixth by making a leaping, highlight-reel catch up towards the precise area wall on a pointy fly ball from Michael A. Taylor.
Atlanta will likely be hoping Duvall stays within the zone when it goes for a three-game sweep of visiting Pittsburgh on Sunday morning.
“It felt good lastly to come back via for the workforce,” Duvall instructed Bally Sports activities. “I have been grinding a little bit bit, so to have the ability to try this feels good.”
Rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (1-3, 5.40 ERA) will make his sixth profession big-league begin for the Braves on Sunday. He’ll go up towards Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter (3-6, 4.00), who’s out to snap a private four-start dropping streak.
Falter is 1-1 with a 6.41 ERA in 4 profession begins towards Atlanta. He has made 5 begins since his newest win, which got here at house towards the Braves on Might 24, when he allowed three runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings.
Falter is 0-4 with a 6.63 ERA in 4 June begins, and he most not too long ago gave up 5 runs (4 earned) and 5 hits in 4 innings whereas going through the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. All 5 runs Falter allowed got here within the fourth.
“Simply acquired a little bit drained,” Falter admitted after his efficiency towards Cincinnati. “Simply wasn’t executing a number of pitches. Numerous first-pitch balls in comparison with the primary three innings. So, they simply capitalized on it.”
Nonetheless, Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton had purpose to be inspired.
“I feel the primary time via (the lineup) he did a very good job executing the fastball on the high of the zone, internal half of the plate,” Shelton mentioned. “It seemed like within the fourth inning the ball simply leaked again in direction of the center, and due to that, we noticed the laborious contact.”
The 24-year-old Schwellenbach, a second-round pick of Nebraska in 2021, has had a barely higher June than Falter, going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 4 begins.
Schwellenbach is coming off Monday’s outing towards the St. Louis Cardinals, a loss by which he yielded 4 runs on eight hits in 5 innings. It got here six days after he picked up his first main league victory, serving to Atlanta down the Detroit Tigers on June 18.
MLB Pipeline has Schwellenbach ranked because the No. 3 prospect within the Braves’ group. Sunday marks his first profession look towards the Pirates.
Pittsburgh will likely be making an attempt to finish its struggles at Truist Park, which opened in 2017. Since then, the Pirates are 5-19 when paying Atlanta a go to.
–Area Stage Media