Tyrell Jenkins is excited about making his second major league start, and this time the Braves rookie will have more than 36 hours to prepare for it.
Considering how well he pitched on short notice in his first start July 6 at Philadelphia, it’ll be interesting to see how Jenkins fares against the Reds in their bandbox of a ballpark Tuesday in Cincinnati.
“I love it,” Jenkins said after the Braves made the announcement Saturday. “I get to go in knowing who I’m facing, knowing what I need to do against them. Obviously I’ve got to lean on my catchers, because I don’t know the hitters too much. But I’m excited to go into a start prepared, knowing when I’m pitching and knowing I’m going to be in there.”
Jenkins, who’ll turn 24 on Wednesday, was thrust into his first start July 6 after Julio Teheran developed an infection in his thigh and had to return to Atlanta to be treated.
After not making a start since May 29 in Triple-A, Jenkins impressed at Philadelphia, allowing one run and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and one strikeout. The lone run charged to him scored after he left the game, when reliever Ian Krol gave up an RBI double to the first batter he faced.
Jenkins was a starter – and a pretty big prospect — throughout six seasons in the minors with the Cardinals and Braves before being moved to a bullpen role at the beginning of June, when the Braves needed relievers and thought it would give him a chance to reach the majors quicker.
He was called up two weeks later, and subsequent injuries in the Braves rotation have changed the scenario and opened a bigger need for Jenkins in the rotation, for now. Braves interim manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Roger McDowell discussed the situation during the All-Star break.
“I was thinking, this is a young kid, let’s get him some innings,” Snitker said. “Whether he ends up as a starter or reliever, he needs to pitch. Get him some consistent work, and we’ll just take it, get him out there his next start and just try to build on that and go from there.
“He’s a young, talented kid that I’ve been very impressed with what he’s done here, so it’s just like, why don’t we give him a start?”
They certainly won’t get any objections from Jenkins, who prefers starting. He was 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in nine starts at Gwinnett, with 39 strikeouts, 19 walks and three homers allowed in 51 2/3 innings.
“I don’t want to sound selfish, but yeah,” he said of his desire to start. “When they said we’re going to put you in the bullpen, at first I wasn’t excited about it. But when they told me it could help get me here (to the majors), obviously that made me more excited about it. It got me here, and I think it helped me to get here and get my feet wet coming out of the bullpen.
“I feel very confident when I’m on the mound now, so I’m ready to go…. I feel as confident as ever, really. Whether the results show it or not Tuesday, I feel like I’m ready go and I’m ready to be there.”
Snitker said it remains to be seen whether Jenkins is a better fit as a starter or reliever, but the young right-hander is going to get an opportunity to make his case for starting again. He could get multiple starts, since Braves John Gant and Williams Perez are on the disabled list and not yet close to returning.
“He could go either way, just depending on the need,” Snitker said. “But the thing he needs, just like all these guys, he needs innings. He needs to face major league hitters and try to figure it out. And he’s been good. He’s been more consistent in the strike zone, I think, since he’s been up here. Going forward, what we’re trying to do, I think it’s the right move to try and get him out there pitching regularly.”
