CINCINNATI – Braves closer Jason Grilli stiff back, which kept him out of two close weekend losses at Washington, was much improved Monday, and manager Fredi Gonzalez said he would likely be available for the rain-delayed series opener Monday night against the Reds.
“He came out today and played a little catch, did some running around,” Gonzalez said before batting practice Monday afternoon. “We’ll see between now and game time, but I think it’s all good. I think he’ll be available tonight.”
But that outlook apparently changed soon after Gonzalez said that to reporters. He met with team trainers and Grilli, and Gonzalez decided to give Grilli another day for precautionary reasons. When the Braves and Reds went to the late innings tied, Grilli sat at the front of the bullpen behind the outfield wall, watching the game in his uniform pants and a team sweashirt.
“We talked — Jason and I and our trainers — shortly after you (reporters) left (the pregame media session with the manager). It was my decision, I said you know what, let’s give it one more day. He told us he could probably go. So let’s give him one more day so the probably becomes more, ‘I can.’
“Everything was good with him, just wanted to give him one more day.”
Grilli has converted nine of 10 save opportunities, but last pitched Wednesday. The Braves were off Thursday and were beaten, 9-2, in Friday’s series opener against the Nationals. Grilli, 38, had back spasms that worsened after the team arrived in Washington.
“I think it happened around Saturday morning, or maybe Friday night when he went to bed,” Gonzalez said. “But I remember Bubba (Braves head trainer Jeff Porter) came to me on Saturday and said he wasn’t available.”
Gonzalez said Grilli let him know soon after the pitcher arrived at the ballpark Monday in Cincinnati that he felt a lot better after two days of treatment and rest.
“That’s what he told me, ‘Fredi, it’s a 38-year-old guy, sometimes it can be cranky,’” Gonzalez said. “And I believe him. There’s a lot of innings, a lot of pitches on that body. And it’s stressful pitching, at that. I told him, I said just let me know. But he came in and before he even went out and ran around he said, ‘I feel great.’ The medicine has kicked in a little bit. So it’s good.”
The Braves rallied from a 6-1 deficit Friday by scoring five runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but rookie Cody Martin gave up a two-run walkoff homer to Bryce Harper in the ninth for an 8-6 loss. Martin had entered with two out in the eighth and returned to pitch the ninth, while top setup man Jim Johnnson was being held back for a possible save situation.
On Sunday, the Braves again rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and took a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning, but Martin gave up two runs in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss.
“We could have used Johnson (Saturday if Grilli hadn’t been out), and again on Sunday,” Gonzalez said. “But you know what, going forward you’re going to have those days. You’re going to have days where Johnson is not going to be available because he’s thrown two days in a row, or Grilli is not going to be available because he’s thrown two days in a row. So we need to figure out who’s going to be that guy who can jump in there and take that seven or eighth inning.
“I mean, Cody Martin has done a hell of a job, but he didn’t sign up for that. He barely made the team out of spring training and he was going to be the long guy, and because of circumstances all of a sudden he’s pitching in the eighth.”
