The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins spent the night locked in a battle of arms, trading scoreless innings for most of this Grapefruit League showdown.
And at the heart of it all? Ian Anderson is giving Braves fans the full Ian Anderson experience—flashes of brilliance, a few too many free passes, and just enough resilience to keep his line clean.
Ian Anderson Flashes His Strengths—and His Struggles
Anderson was dealing right out of the gate, striking out the side in the first inning in a way that made you remember exactly why this guy has been so tantalizing over the years.
But because this is Ian Anderson, he managed to sneak two walks into that same inning. That’s kind of his thing—dominant stuff, but sometimes a little wild. Still, the Marlins couldn’t capitalize, and Anderson kept rolling into the second.
The second inning? More of the same. This time, he plunked Otto Lopez and gave up a single to Liam Hicks with one out, but he buckled down, escaped with a strikeout and a grounder, and kept Miami off the board.
Then came the third inning—three quick groundouts, and suddenly, Anderson had logged three scoreless frames. Not exactly efficient, but definitely effective.
Then came the fourth, and well, you could kind of feel it coming. He got a quick pop-out to start, but then the walks crept in again. Two straight free passes were enough for Brian Snitker to make the call.
Anderson’s night was done, and Enyel De Los Santos came in and immediately cleaned things up with a double play, ensuring Anderson’s ERA remained untouched.
A solid outing, but those control issues? Yeah, they’re still lingering. That’s nine walks for Anderson this spring, with four of them coming in this game alone. But four strikeouts and no earned runs? Also nice to see. The door is still open for him, and he’s doing just enough to keep it that way.
Braves’ Bats Go Silent
Now, let’s talk about the bats—or the lack of them. This game was not for you if you were looking for offensive fireworks. The Braves had an opportunity early when Ryan Weathers simply couldn’t find the strike zone, walking the game’s first three batters.
This had all the makings of a big inning, but then nothing. Weathers got Marcell Ozuna to pop out, then took a seat while Nigel Belgrave came in to clean up his mess.
After that, Atlanta’s lineup went completely silent. Weathers returned for the second and promptly retired the next six batters he faced. Adam Mazur took over after him and stretched that streak to eight before Ozzie Albies finally ended it by drawing a walk in the fourth. And here’s the crazy part—those walks? That was it for the Braves regulars offensively.
Jurickson Profar, Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies each managed to work a free pass, but that’s all they got. Meanwhile, Ozuna, Michael Harris II, Orlando Arcia, and Jarred Kelenic? Completely shut down—zero times on base.
Eli White Finally Breaks Through
It wasn’t until the seventh inning that the Braves finally recorded their first hit, and it was a memorable one. Eli White, who was probably just trying to break the slump with a solid knock, ended up launching an opposite-field homer.
He actually slid into third, thinking it was still in play, before realizing the ball had left the park. It was not the most conventional home run trot, but it counted! More importantly, it snapped the scoreless tie and gave the Braves the lead. White continues to have a solid Spring Training with the Braves.
Braves Pitching Carries the Night
From there, the pitching remained the story. Raisel Iglesias worked a quick inning, allowing a walk but striking out a batter. Buck Farmer chipped in with 1.1 innings and two punchouts of his own.
In the end, White’s homer was the only real offensive highlight for Atlanta, but hey, the pitching staff did its job, and most importantly—nobody got hurt.
So, another day, another draw in Grapefruit League action. But if you’re watching Ian Anderson closely, you see more of what makes him both exciting and frustrating.
The stuff is still there. The command? Still a work in progress. But as long as he’s putting up zeros, he’s going to keep making his case.
