The Braves got the win in their series opener versus the Cubs. Max Fried continued his strong work, tossing six innings of one-run ball, with that only run coming from a homer off the bat of Ian Happ. The bullpen also did their job, as they held Chicago scoreless down the stretch, featuring nearly flawless performances from Will Smith, Tyler Matzek, and Kenley Jansen. Just how the Braves drew it up before the start of the season; however, perhaps the best performance of the night came from a new face — Travis Demeritte.
The 27-year-old outfielder was called up before last weekend’s series against the Marlins and performed well in the appearances he did make, going 2-for-4 with a double. He also flashed his speed in the outfield, which he did again on Tuesday with this sliding grab.
But the play of Demeritte’s night came with the stick when he hit a laser the other way into the seats just in front of the Chop House to break a scoreless tie.
That would be all the Braves needed to win, and it should be all the Braves need to see from Demeritte to keep him around. Both offensively and defensively, he’s proven to be an upgrade, and he’s produced enough in AAA over his career to suggest this is somewhat sustainable.
At the very least, he should be one of the Braves’ starting outfielders until Acuña returns, but he’s also auditioning to be much more than that. With Rosario out for two to three months, there are starts in the outfield up for grabs, and right now, I’m not sure who on the Braves’ bench is more deserving than Demeritte.
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