Atlanta Braves may be ready to insert Darren O’Day to the playoff roster
It’s starting to build into a resume that’s long enough to trust: though he hasn’t pitched much at all for the Atlanta Braves, he might be a necessary piece next week.
Darren O’Day was acquired by the Atlanta Braves as part of the deal to pry Kevin Gausman away from the Orioles 14 months ago… a salary dump on their part.
He was a risk, given that he was expensive and injured and known to be done for the 2018 season at that point.
Few expected a forearm injury to keep him hidden from sight until September, but now that he’s emerged from that cocoon, O’Day is quietly building up game experience and a line that could very well earn him that last bullpen spot for the NLDS.
The numbers are telling:
- 7 outings, 4.1 innings
- one walk and one run allowed (both during that first outing back)
- 5 strikeouts… 4 of those coming in his 2 most recent trips to the mound.
- 3 total hits allowed
It’s those last 2 games that are most significant, which came in the short series against the Royals on Tuesday and Wednesday:
- His 1st back-to-back outings
- On Tuesday…
- double allowed to Jorge Soler
- foul out
- HBP
- strike out
- strike out
- On Wednesday…
- strike out (Soler)
- strike out
The Atlanta Braves’ plan had been to work O’Day up to this point of getting back-to-back outings, and thus far it appears that he’s tolerating the increasing work load.
No word if there’s been any concerns, but he should be expected to see action again this weekend in at least one of the remaining 2 games ahead of the 3 off-days before the NLDS starts.
Backdrop
Righty side-winder O’Day, a product of the University of Florida, has been around for quite a while. He’ll turn 37 years old on the same day that the World Series starts, so it’s pretty clear what he will want for a present on that date: a front row seat in the bullpen.
His road to this point has been long… starting by never being drafted after playing in Gainsville.
The Angels signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2006. After the 2008 season, the Mets made him a Rule 5 draft pick.
While he made the New York roster in 2009, they DFA’d him to make space for another player just a couple of weeks later. Before he could be offered back to the Angels, the Texas Rangers claimed him off the wire and immediately put him into a game… to the point that he didn’t actually have a personalized jersey yet (had to borrow one!).
He became an Oriole after the 2011 season via a waiver claim as his arbitration years started to kick in.
For the most part, he had been effective with the Ranges, but got even better as an Oriole. His career WHIP (Walks and Hits per inning pitched) is an excellent 1.028 and his ERA+ stands at an audacious 168.
Still, he’s lost a bit of that late-inning excellence with 3 seasons of ERA scores in the mid-3’s for Baltimore… despite maintaining high K-rates and low WHIP.
That’s why Atlanta rolled the dice to take him when they had a chance to get Gausman. Now, curiously enough, it’s only that risky O’Day who’s still with the team.
dark. Next. Do We Really Want to Deal with the Cards?
This has certainly been a longshot chance to see not only if O’Day would ever pitch in an Atlanta uniform at all, but now it seems he may be on the brink of a playoff roster spot.