The Braves rotation seems to be falling into place, and it looks like Ian Anderson is going to be given the nod on the Opening Day roster, but the club is setting him up for disappointment because it looks like he’ll draw the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine for his first start.
The club will travel to San Diego for the season’s opening series. As things currently stand, Chris Sale is getting the ball on Opening Day, and he’ll be followed by Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo Lopez in some order. Then, it’ll be Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson for the Braves in Los Angeles.
Here is what Anderson and the rest of the Braves staff will see. MLB.com’s lineup projection for the Los Angeles Dodgers:
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, SS
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Teoscar Hernández, RF
5. Max Muncy, 3B
6. Will Smith, C
7. Michael Conforto, LF
8. Tommy Edman, 2B
9. Andy Pages, CF
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Three MVPs setting the table followed by four very capable hitters isn’t the kind of lineup you want to see when you’re making your return to the majors. Ian Anderson hasn’t toed the rubber for the Braves since 2022, and he will have to face one of the best lineups in baseball.
Now, on the surface, Ian Anderson looks pretty good this Spring Training. He owns a 2.65 ERA over 17.0 innings. Good enough, right? Well, his 0.44 SO/BB is going to catch up with him. He’s given out 18 free passes in 17 innings while only striking out eight batters.
Anderson has worked out of a few jams to limit the damage, and he’s never been a high strikeout guy, but the Braves postseason hero from 2021 was averaging 3.7 BB/9 a couple of years ago. That has ballooned to 9.5 this spring.
That might get the job done in Spring Training against Triple-A lineups, but against the World Series-favorite Dodgers, that’s going to result in a quick hook for Ian Anderson.
I hope I’m wrong, but the writing is on the wall for one of Braves Country’s favorite players.
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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