Finally, the Padres know who they’ll face Tuesday.
Yet A.J. Smith-Shawver is a complete unknown to them.
With left-hander Chris Sale (back) left off the postseason roster, the Braves are giving the ball to the 21-year-old Smith-Shawver for Game 1 of the NL wild-card series.
The right-hander will be making his nine career big-league appearance, seventh start, just his second this year and first ever against the Padres. He struck out four over 4⅓ shutout innings in May at Wrigley Field, scattering three hits and two walks.
Smith-Shawver debuted last season and has a 3.64 ERA, 24 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP through 29⅔ innings so far in the majors. A solid hit rate (6.2 per nine innings) has been offset by walking 4.2 batters per nine innings so far in the majors.
Smith-Shawver appeared in one postseason game in relief last year against the Phillies, allowing three home runs in 2⅔ innings in relief.
In the majors, among Padres, only catcher Elias Diaz (1-for-3, HR, K) and left fielder Jurickson Profar have history with Smith-Shawver.
Ranked No. 2 in the Braves system by MLB.com, Smith-Shawver was 3-7 with a 4.86 ERA, 104 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP in 87 innings in the Triple-A International League. He allowed 20 homers in those games, or 2.12 per nine innings.
This story will be updated when lineups are out.
For now, here’s a look at the umpire assignments for the series:
Umpire assignments for #Braves–#Padres pic.twitter.com/d7O47uFdBx
— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) October 1, 2024
And how Michael King (13-9, 2.95 ERA) has fared against current Braves hitters:
