Saturday's sweep of the double header did come with a bit of a damper, as it was learned that the Braves had put Peter Moylan on the 15 day disabled list retroactive to Thursday. Moylan has been a key part of the bullpen for the better part of 3 seasons, and will continue to be one when he is healthy, as he was penciled in to be the primary right handed set up man this season. His ground ball tendencies (ground ball rate over 62% each of the last 4 years) are a huge boost to the bullpen, as he has specialized in recent years at getting a ground ball with runners on base late in a game to get out of a jam. He can also strike guys out as well, with K rates over 7 each of the last 2 years. However, the Braves won't have that luxury when they start their west coast swing, and will have to rely more on Scott Linebrink to get those outs from the right side for the next 2 weeks. He doesn't inspire as much confidence as Moylan, unfortunately.
The Braves recalled Jairo Asencio from Triple A to take the open bullpen spot, who was someone I had not heard of. However, that was because he pitched under the name Luis Valdez until 2009, and he actually pitched for the Braves in 2009, albeit briefly. Asencio's 2 years in the minor leagues have featured K rates over 9.5, which should translate to decent K rates in the majors, although not nearly as good as what his minor league numbers were.
However, this opportunity gives me the chance to ask a question, and that is, "Why can't Stephen Marek get a chance?" Last year at AAA, Marek posted a K/BB ratio of almost 3 to 1, with a K rate over 10 in 50.1 innings. He has started off the season with a 6 to 0 K/BB ratio this year in 4.1 innings this year. He features a good fastball and a hammer curve, meaning he should strikeout guys at the next level given that he has 2 pitches that could be considered plus. In addition, his command has really improved since 2009, meaning he could be ready for a big league trial.
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