#pitching-command

#pitching-command

It has been over three years since Fernandez last pitched in a Major League game. He had a brief stint with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2024 but his time in Japan was mostly spent recovering from injury. Beyond that cup of coffee in NPB, Fernandez pitched at the Triple-A level with the Blue Jays and Nationals in 2023, and with the Royals' and Mets' top affiliates last season. Over 43 combined Triple-A innings in 2025, Fernandez posted a 4.40 ERA and a very impressive 29.5% strikeout rate, but also an inflated 14% walk rate.

2024 had a lot of struggle bug-esque moments for the Braves, but one of the big ones was their inability to do... much of anything against Nationals starter Jake Irvin. The Braves and Irvin faced off four times, and while the Braves came away with two victories, the part where they hit against Irvin wasn't very fun. He dominated them in May (Braves won 2-0 late), had an okay start that the Braves lost in June, had a legitimately bad outing in August, and then beat up on the Braves again in September.

That's not the case in this instance, however, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters ( including Fabian Ardaya) on Friday that Sasaki dealt with "a calf situation" during his rehab that extended the time he could be allowed to spend in Triple-A. He'll make at least one more start in the minors, per Roberts, at which point it's possible he'll move back into pitching in MLB games.

I had a lot of nerves in the first inning, but it was also a little frustration with the weak contact, the singles, and then not being able to find the zone early on," Bradley said. "I think the later I got into the game, I just felt more comfortable and I was able to find the zone.