Braves Waldrep Battles Again, Knows More Tests Lie Ahead

Hurston Waldrep had what was statistically his worst showing so far this season for the Atlanta Braves, and that said a lot about how far he’s come as a pitcher. 

The rookie right-hander pitched five innings and limited the Seattle Mariners to two runs in the losing effort. He allowed a two-run home run to Julio Rodriguez in the top of the first inning and was able to keep them off the board after that. 

As good as he’s been, he hasn’t been able to fully escape the chess match that pitching can be at times. 

“There’s a lot of things you get away with at lower levels that we’re going to get away with here,” Waldrep said after the game. “Going to see a lot of different approaches, which I think that’s what we saw [Saturday].” 

As lethal as his splitter and the rest of his six-pitch arsenal can be, it’s not always going to have its maximum effectiveness, and he’s had to find ways to win the battles without looking his best. 

It helps when he’s been able to get a serious test against some tough lineups. He’s seen the Phillies, the Reds, the Mariners and the Guardians, all of which have some All-Star level talent in their lineups. 

First time around, things are good. However, Waldrep understands there is more to it than having a solid day against these hitters once. 

“It’s obviously good to do that at a younger age, to be able to develop that confidence and have success against those guys,” he said. “I think the real test comes when you face them a second time, to see how their approach changes and also how I approach it differently.”

He also knows to keep in mind that the longer he’s up here, the more film there is on him. Experienced lineups are still to come, and he’s going to have to be ready for those who have seen him, but he hasn’t necessarily seen them. 

“If I face the Cubs or Astros next week, like the mature lineups like that, or you really see how they take the information from my past games and put it into their approach.” 

Fortunately for Waldrep, he now has some experience that can be applied to the next challenging situation. Something that can serve as a counterbalance. 

When he gets out there and sees something that worked last time against a quality lineup doesn't work with the next, he’ll have the chance to stay poised and better make the adjustments on the fly. 

It could be argued that how you approach teams with what manager Brian Snitker calls your “B stuff” helps make your A stuff even better. Lessons learned when things don’t click aren’t mutually exclusive from what can be applied to your best days when everything clicks. 

If he has his best stuff for a Cubs or Astros lineup, he could be in for one of his better days. 

He possesses a mature outlook on what could be next. He isn’t focused on riding a wave. He’s clearly taking things game by game and not letting the picture get too big. The result is that he’s probably going to get the chance to keep learning for a long time. 

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