The Braves finished the week yesterday with a 5-2 record, showcasing their new winning formula — score a couple of runs and hope the pitching staff can be nearly flawless. The most runs they scored in a game was four, which happened just one time, a testament to how well the arms performed.
With the rotation getting back to full strength, there are very few holes in the Braves pitching staff, but the one eye sore has been Luke Jackson in relief, who was recently acquired via trade from the San Francisco Giants.
With the Giants, Jackson was having a tough go of it, boasting a 5.40 ERA over 36 appearances. Since the move back to Atlanta, he’s been even worse, recording a gaudy 8.00 ERA over nine appearances, which includes yesterday, a game in which he surrendered three runs (two earned) and recorded just one out.
The defense didn’t do Luke Jackson any favors, but this is not a guy who should be coming into pitch tie games in the seventh inning. Frankly, there’s little reason why he should even be on the roster at this point.
Money is about the only thing working in Jackson’s favor. The Braves took on the rest of his contract in the deal, which pays him a little over $2 million over the final two months. He also has a $7 million club option for next year with a $2 million buyout, but there is almost no scenario where that should be picked up.
It’s evident the Braves were hoping Jackson might have some better luck returning to a place where he had the best seasons of his career. Giving him a few chances to figure it out is understandable, but the experiment hasn’t worked, and the time for trying out new things passed a while ago. The Braves are fighting for their playoff lives, and they have a number of better options waiting for their opportunity in Gwinnett, most notably, Daysbel Hernandez.
The 27-year-old right-hander has appeared in 10 games for the Braves this season, posting a 0.84 ERA with an 11.5 K/9. In Gwinnett, he owns a 2.87 ERA with an 11.0 K/9 over 30 appearances. The time to bring him up in place of Luke Jackson was a week ago; hopefully, the Braves don’t wait any longer to make the right decision.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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