Braves lost two to the Mets, but that is not what is important

The Atlanta Braves lost two games Saturday. They had won three in a row. They were again sniffing .500. And then they lost two games in a span of about 10 hours.

Who cares.

Yes, who cares.

That’s a statement, not a question. Now look, I want the Braves to win every game like everyone else. But this is one of those situations when the comment is warranted.

Who cares they lost two games.

Remember, this is year three of the rebuilding process. It’s worth mentioning regularly. In fact, it might even be healthy for you to repeat it to yourself when you get frustrated. Sure, the Braves want to win. They want to be competitive. They want people to come to the new ballpark.

But they are, in fact, still rebuilding.

If they weren’t rebuilding, they would have brought in better pitchers than Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey. If they weren’t rebuilding, they would have likely made even more changes to the big-league roster to try and win a division.

They’re just slap dab in the middle of a process that makes you say on a day when they lose two games ... who cares.

You see, the scores of the two games didn’t matter Saturday. Other things mattered, things that are more important in the process than losing a couple of games to the Mets.

First, Sean Newcomb made his big-league debut Saturday in game one of the doubleheader. He was outstanding. Newcomb allowed just one unearned run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two, one being intentional and struck out seven.

His new manager, Brian Snitker, said, “That might have been his best outing as a pro. Maybe we had him in the wrong league.”

Snitker obviously was blown away that a young pitcher who is known for his control issues had only one unintentional walk. The composure on the mound was impressive, as well. Newcomb could not have had a better debut. To show the command, the control and put up seven strikeouts was just what the Braves needed to see.

It’s likely Newcomb will stick in Atlanta. Why would the Braves send him down? Colon’s time has come and gone. The future is now with Newcomb.

This is one of the many young pitchers who are critical to this rebuilding process. Just like when the Braves brought up another young lefty from the northeast 30 years ago, the graduation of the young pitchers like Newcomb is what this is all about.

Who knows if Newcomb can be like Tom Glavine, who made his debut on Aug. 17, 1987. We’re not going to put that pressure on Newcomb to be a Hall of Famer. But when Glavine came up, the Braves were turning the corner from having the David Palmers and Rick Mahlers of the world in the rotation and went with the kids.

Newcomb’s start was only part of the story. In Gwinnett, Lucas Sims had perhaps his best game as a professional. Sims outdueled top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito with eight shutout innings on three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

Why was this particular start important for Sims? Well, he started out great this season and then fell on hard times. Sims had a 2.16 ERA in his first seven games and then in his next four games had an ERA of 8.38. His last start, last Monday against Norfolk, was so bad (six earned runs allowed in five innings) it took him out of consideration to replace Colon in Atlanta’s rotation.

Saturday night Sims bounced back with a vengeance. He pitched eight shutout innings against Charlotte, giving up only three hits. Sims walked just two batters and struck out seven. It’s great for a prospect to bounce out of a tough four-game stretch with a performance like that.

It was almost as if Sims said, “Hey, don’t forget about me!”

Then there’s this young pitcher in Double-A named Mike Soroka. The Braves raised eyebrows when they sent Soroka and Kolby Allard to Mississippi as 19-year-olds to start this season. Both of them skipped High-A, which has never been done to our knowledge with a high school draft pick who was in Low-A the previous season.

On May 31, Soroka had a strange game. He allowed 11 hits in six innings, giving up three earned runs. Soroka walked just one batter but did not strike out anyone. What made this odd was in Soroka’s previous game, he had struck out 10 batters, a season high. He was likely working on something specifically in that game on the last day in May.

So, what has Soroka done in his two starts since? Well, after his seven-shutout innings on Saturday night in Pensacola, Soroka has now pitched 15 straight scoreless innings, allowing just seven hits, with no walks and 13 strikeouts.

To see a prospect likely work on something, and then turn around and have that kind of success is a great sign. It shows you the caliber of prospect Soroka has become for the Braves.

Soroka now has an ERA of 2.45. He has allowed only 53 hits in 69 2/3 innings, with 15 walks and 64 strikeouts.

And he’s 19 years old. Soroka is 19 years old.

I’m sure some hitters in the minor league system did well Saturday, but this rebuild process is all about the pitching. It certainly took center-stage on Saturday.

So. who cares the Braves lost two games to the Mets on Saturday. It just doesn’t matter when looking at the big picture, the process. Saturday was a great day for the Atlanta Braves.

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Braves lost two to the Mets, but that is not what is important."