Didier Fuentes added a diving sinker on Sunday and used it while working important innings for the Braves. The pitch topped out at 99 MPH as he protected a two-run lead after entering in relief.
Didier Fuentes on Sunday
Fuentes relieved Tyler Mahle in the fifth inning with runners on first and second and nobody out. He forced the first batter he faced into a double play, then got another grounder to end the inning.
He returned to work around a couple of singles in the seventh inning and preserved the lead again. At 21 years old, he is already handling the highest-leverage innings on a first-place team.
Braves bullpen usage
Since moving to the bullpen, Fuentes has posted a sub-2.00 ERA and a 2.25 FIP over his last 45 appearances. He already had a fastball, slider, and splitter before the diving sinker appeared, giving him three pitches plus a new run-oriented option that can change how hitters have to attack him.
The Braves need that kind of length because their rotation outside of Chris Sale often cannot consistently work deep into games, with pitchers who may last only four or five innings before the wheels start wobbling. Fuentes can bridge the gap between the starter and the other high-leverage arms, and Robert Suarez remains sidelined with an elbow injury.
Whether Didier Fuentes
That combination puts him in a narrow group of pitchers who can cover the sixth and seventh and still miss bats when the game is tight. Whether Didier Fuentes keeps using the diving sinker in future outings is the next thing that will show whether Sunday was a one-game wrinkle or a real addition to his mix.
