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Cubs vs. Braves: Chatwood vs. Wilson (Game 81)
CHC (43-37): RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-1, 3.69 ERA)
ATL (48-33): RHP Bryse Wilson (0-0, 8.31 ERA)
First pitch 1:20pmCDT
Although Tyler Chatwood's time with the Cubs has been disappointing so far, I find his story to be a point of some interest for 2019. He was relegated to the bullpen and likely candidate to be dumped in some fashion since before the season began. In the bullpen, he's put up a respectable ERA but somehow has still otherwise been valued at below replacement levels (-0.3 fWAR). In four outings of four innings or more (two starts), he's gone 18 innings and allowed four runs (three earned). His walk rate has improved over last year and is still terrible, at over five per nine innings. His high groundball rate has helped him work around walks some of that time. He's all but scrapped his off-speed stuff, throwing a fastball or a cutter 86.0% of the time. Will he find the zone frequently enough to mix in his slider or his curve? That could make the difference between a serviceable swing man and wasted roster space. Most recently, He pitched four innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on one walk and four hits, serving as the opening act for Adbert Alzolay's first career win. Current Atlanta hitters are 20-58 with a .926 OPS off of him. Freeman is dangerous as usual, and he's 8-16 off of Chatwood.A fourth round draft pick in 2016, Bryse Wilson progressed steadily through the system and debuted with Atlanta in 2018. He's made five appearances, two starts, and now has a total of 11.1 innings pitched under his belt. That small sample of MLB stats is not so inspiring, but he has been pitching well in AAA this year: 3.79 ERA, 9.08 K/9, 1.84 BB/9. He mixes a mid-90s fastball with a changeup and slider that can both flash plus. He was just recalled from AAA--his last AAA start was a 6-inning appearance with no runs, five hits, and two walks. No current Cubs have faced him.
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