Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez’s life would be easier if Manny Banuelos had stunk up his debut Thursday night. That way, when Williams Perez returns from the 15-day disabled list, it’d be obvious to slide him back into the rotation send Banuelos back to Triple-A.
But he didn’t stink. He outpitched the first-half Cy Young favorite Max Scherzer, striking out seven while allowing one hit over 5 2/3 shutout innings in the Braves’ 2-1 win.
“I thought he did terrific. I’ve seen him improve from spring training to now,” Gonzalez said before Friday’s game against the Phillies. “I think Marty Reed, our Triple-A pitching coach, and Rich Dubee, our minor league pitching coordinator, have done a great job of adding a couple more pieces to his repertoire. He’s throwing a little cutter now that sometimes acts as a slider. His change-up’s always been good.”
Banuelos has two starts left before the All-Star break, and if he even approaches the numbers from his debut, Gonzalez will have one rotation spot for two solid arms when Perez is healthy. And Gonzalez said Thursday he expects Perez to be back right away after coming off the 15-day DL.
Perez is undefeated (4-0) and his 2.88 ERA is third-lowest among National League rookies. His numbers come from a larger sample size than Banuelos, logically making him the front-runner for the spot.
Gonzalez could then push Banuelos to the bullpen, which he said he thought of doing in spring training. He could also send Banuelos to Triple-A for more innings and bring someone like Ryan Kelly back up to the bullpen.
“We’ll see where we’re at at that point,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll see where Manny is. He’s a Tommy John guy who’s never (pitched) out of the bullpen. Williams has done a little bit of it. But it usually all takes care of itself.”
Perez worked some out of the bullpen in the lower levels of the Braves’ farm system. He has a 10.80 ERA with a .385 opponent batting average in three games as a reliever with Atlanta this year
Banuelos might fit the bullpen, though. A reduced pitching load wouldn’t hurt, as he missed the 2013 season after Tommy John surgery. (He averaged fewer than six innings per start this season with Gwinnett.) His 78-80-mph change-up proved lethal against the Nationals, and any bullpen could use a lefty with an above-average out pitch.
The change-up will only get more effective as Banuelos picks up velocity on his fastball, which hovered around 90-91 mph Thursday.
“I think we’re going to see the velocity keep getting better and better as he trusts himself,” Gonzalez said. “You get that with a lot of young pitchers after Tommy John. (As he gets) stronger I think that velocity is going to increase because before the surgery he was throwing pretty good, (like) 95 (mph). So I think you’ll see that the more we run him out there.”
