JUPITER – The Braves had split-squad games Saturday against the Nationals at home and the Cardinals on the road. Starter Alex Wood and setup reliever Jim Johnson were scheduled to pitch, but in neither of those games.
Instead, Wood and Johnson pitched in a minor league game at Braves camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. It was the third time in the past several days that Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had members of his projected opening-day pitching staff get work in minor league games instead of Grapefruit League games.
The move had nothing to do with avoiding teams they’ll see during the regular season. It was about allowing Braves pitchers still competing for jobs to be evaluated facing major league lineups in Grapefruit League games. Since starters have built up to five innings, it wouldn’t leave many innings for evaluating multiple pitching candidates.
Gonzalez said planned opening-day starter Julio Teheran pitched five solid innings and 70-plus pitches in a minor league game Friday. Wood was scheduled to pitch five innings Saturday unless he reached a pitch limit before getting 15 outs, and Johnson was set to pitch one inning plus another out or two.
Gonzalez said the plan was to bring the veteran reliever into the game in the middle of an inning rather than start an inning fresh. Johnson pitched two innings in a minor league game last week, and the former closer – he led the majors with 101 saves during 2012-2013 with Baltimore – could have stints longer than one inning this season.
“That’s something we have spoken about, with (pitching coach) Roger (McDowell), and I think it’s a good thing,” Gonzalez said. “(Johnson) wants to do it. That gives you nice little flexibility. You can’t do it three days in a row. You might go an inning and a third, or an inning and two-thirds. But it gives you a little flexibility that he can do that.”
