ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 04: Dylan Dodd #46 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in his MLB debut in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 4, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Braves prospect Dylan Dodd made his first major league start on Tuesday against a loaded Cardinals lineup but delivered exactly what Atlanta needs.
Despite the Atlanta Braves entering Tuesday’s contest against the Cardinals, the second in a three-game series at Busch Stadium, with a 3-1 record, it’s not been sunshine and roses for one of the National League favorites. That’s been especially true with the pitching staff.
On Opening Day, Atlanta’s ace, Max Fried, left the game prematurely with a hamstring injury that will now land him on the IL with Bryce Elder getting called up to replace him. But beyond that, prospect Jared Shuster struggled in his first MLB start and Charlie Morton was shaky at best. Spencer Strider was the bright spot with a dominant start, striking out nine over six scoreless innings.
In St. Louis, though, the Braves fifth spot in the rotation to start the year was filled by another prospect in Dylan Dodd. After an impressive spring and with the injuries and inconsistent performances from the others in the rotation, they needed him to perform much better than Shuster — who was optioned after his start — did in his debut.
Dodd delivered just that.
Braves news: Dylan Dodd’s first start showed exactly what Atlanta badly needs
Against a Cardinals lineup featuring the reigning NL MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, in addition to a host of All-Star-caliber talent, Dodd looked like a seasoned vet. His final line was impressive enough in its own right, lasting 5.0 innings with six hits, one earned run and three strikeouts over 73 pitches. But it was more than that too.
Dodd looked completely in control, albeit with some help and conversations with catcher Sean Murphy. He got into a couple of jams and limited the damage in each of those instances. Even more impressive, his one earned run allowed almost wasn’t as Ronald Acuña Jr. was inches away from ending the inning with a diving catch. Instead, the ball bounced and the run scored.
Getting this type of performance from Dodd in his debut — particularly against a top-tier NL team — is massive for the Braves. With Fried on the IL and questions about Michael Soroka’s health in addition to Ian Anderson’s struggles, Atlanta needed to find stability in the rotation and a bad start for Dodd would’ve only raised more questions.
Instead, the youngster stepped up to the moment and delivered. And with that, the Braves now look even more dangerous than before, a scary thought for the rest of baseball.
