AJ Smith-Shawver strengthens case as Braves' Game 2 starter with sharp outing

AJ Smith-Shawver made a compelling case for himself as the Atlanta Braves' top Game 2 starter option Wednesday night, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, who reported that a 90-pitch outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers only reinforced what he had already been projecting.

What happened

Bowman, who noted he had been saying Smith-Shawver would be the Braves' best Game 2 starter option, reported feeling "even better" about that projection following the start. The right-hander reportedly made big pitches to two Dodgers hitters to extinguish separate threats in the second and fourth innings — the kind of situational execution that tends to matter more in October than raw velocity readings.

The evening was not without its complications. Bowman flagged that Smith-Shawver threw three consecutive sliders to one Dodgers hitter in the third inning, and the hitter connected on the third one for a home run. It is the sort of sequence that will generate conversation — a pitcher going back to the same pitch against the same hitter, with the hitter eventually solving it. Bowman noted it would be interesting to hear Smith-Shawver address that sequence directly.

What followed, though, is the part worth underlining: Smith-Shawver closed out his 90-pitch effort by striking out that same hitter with a splitter. The pitcher who gave up the home run got the last word against the same batter, with a different pitch, at the end of the night. That is not a footnote.

Why it matters

The Braves are 84-58 (.592), sitting first in the NL East with a division magic number of 17. A team in that position is not merely playing out a schedule — it is assembling the pieces it will need when the calendar turns. Rotation construction for a potential postseason run is a live conversation, and Bowman's framing places Smith-Shawver squarely at the center of it.

The Game 2 designation carries specific weight. In a short series, the second starter sets the tone after the ace, and the margin for error compresses considerably. Bowman's projection is not a club announcement — no rotation assignment has been reported — but his read on the situation, sharpened by what he saw Wednesday night, puts Smith-Shawver's name at the top of that particular conversation.

Bowman's broader observation is worth sitting with: tonight was a reminder, he wrote, that Smith-Shawver does not need to be overpowering to be effective. That is a meaningful distinction for a pitcher being evaluated for high-leverage October work. Overpowering is a nice trait; it is also weather-dependent, adrenaline-dependent, and not always available on demand. Knowing how to pitch — sequencing, location, the willingness to reach for a splitter after a slider got hit — is a more portable skill set.

The numbers

The Braves carry an 84-58 record into the final stretch of August, good for first place in the NL East. Their division magic number sits at 17, meaning the combination of Atlanta wins and second-place losses needed to clinch the division title is a number that fits comfortably on one hand — well, two hands, but the direction of travel is clear. The club enters Thursday having dropped their most recent game, carrying a one-game losing streak.

Where the club stands

Atlanta holds first place in the NL East at 84-58 (.592) with a magic number of 17. The schedule ahead is instructive. On Thursday, August 27, the Braves host the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park, with Chris Sale projected against Yoshinobu Yamamoto — a matchup that will draw its own considerable attention the morning after Smith-Shawver's outing against that same Dodgers club.

The homestand then shifts to the Colorado Rockies, with Grant Holmes projected to start Friday, August 28, against Tomoyuki Sugano, and Martín Pérez lined up for Saturday, August 29, against Zach Agnos. The Rockies series offers the Braves a chance to stabilize after a one-game losing streak, and the rotation picture over those three days will give observers a clearer sense of how Atlanta is sequencing its arms heading into September.

What we don't know yet

No rotation assignment has been reported. Bowman's projection is his own — clearly an informed one, and one he reports feeling more confident about after Wednesday — but it remains a projection, not a club announcement. The Braves have not publicly designated Smith-Shawver as their Game 2 starter for any series.

The slider sequence also leaves an open question. Bowman flagged that he would be interested to hear what Smith-Shawver says about going back to that pitch a third time. Whether the pitcher addresses it publicly, and what his explanation reveals about his approach, is worth tracking. A pitcher's self-awareness about a sequence that produced a home run is its own kind of data point.

What to watch

Is Smith-Shawver's next start already lined up?

That is the follow-up question Bowman's report invites. The Braves' upcoming schedule — Thursday's Sale start against the Dodgers, then the Rockies series — does not immediately clarify when Smith-Shawver pitches next or in what context. His next outing will either reinforce Wednesday's impression or complicate it, and given the proximity of September and the postseason conversation already forming around him, the rotation watch is now very much active.

Beyond the individual start, the broader question is how Atlanta's front office and coaching staff weigh what Bowman described: a pitcher who can make big pitches against top hitters, who can close out a 90-pitch effort with a strikeout against the same hitter who homered off him earlier, and who does not require overpowering stuff to get through a Dodgers lineup. That profile — effective without being dominant — is exactly what a Game 2 starter needs to be, and per Bowman, Smith-Shawver is making the argument for himself one start at a time.