The Braves will give the ball to Darius Vines on Monday evening as the club travels to play the Houston Astros. Brian Snitker made the announcement following the Braves’ thrilling 9-7 win over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon.
Darius Vines will start tomorrow in Houston.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 14, 2024
Vines, 26 in a few weeks, was called up this past week as bullpen depth following a disappointing spot start from Allan Winans against the Mets. It was initially believed that Bryce Elder would make the start on Monday, but the Braves opted for Vines instead.
Vines made two starts with Triple-A Gwinnett to open the year before his promotion, including his most recent start where he induced 23 swings and misses. He started two games and appeared in five for the Braves last season, tossing 20 1⁄3 innings 3.98 ERA ball. His underlying metrics were not overly encouraging (4.76 FIP, 5.58 xFIP and a two-to-one strikeout to walk ratio), but when he is right, Vines gets a lot of contact on the ground. He will face a steep challenge on Monday against Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and a deep Houston lineup.
Houston announced Spencer Arrigheti, a fellow rookie who got hit hard in his debut last week, will start on Monday opposite Vines. First pitch at 8:10 p.m. ET.
