Dallas Keuchel made his debut in the Atlanta Braves organization on Monday. The minor league outing went better than anyone could have expected.
When the Atlanta Braves signed Dallas Keuchel through the remainder of the 2019 season, there were questions as to how quickly he would be able to make his way to the majors. He had been throwing simulated games under the eye of agent Scott Boras, but those simulated contests are not the same.
As it turns out, Keuchel may not have that much rust to knock off before joining the Braves rotation. His outing for the Rome Braves was utterly dominant, as he appeared to be close to midseason form already.
Keuchel came out after 7 innings for Single-A Rome, allowed just 1 hit, 1 walk with 9 strikeouts. Threw 55 strikes in 77 pitches.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 11, 2019
Yes, it is A ball, which a major league pitcher should be able to carve apart. Keuchel, however, had not pitched a professional game since October. It would not be overly surprising if he had some struggles, particularly in this first outing.
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Instead, Keuchel gave Braves fans hope that he could be the answer. On the heels of his 3.74 ERA and 1.314 WHiP over his 204.2 innings, few expected that he would be a top of the rotation starter again. However, outings like this will certainly make Braves fans dream of what could be over the second half of the season.
It may also be telling that Keuchel had his start on the same day as Kevin Gausman. Gausman had struggled in his previous two outings, allowing 15 runs on 20 hits and two walks over six innings. Monday was slightly better, as he allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk, striking out four over his 2.1 innings.
With the Braves in such a tight battle with the Phillies for the NL East, they cannot afford to let Gausman work his way through his issues. Keuchel being slotted into that same day officially puts Gausman on notice, as he may only have one more outing to show that he deserves to remain in the rotation. If Keuchel pitches this well next time out, Gausman’s time in the rotation may be over.
Dallas Keuchel had an impressive debut with the Atlanta Braves organization. The countdown to his return to the majors is on.