For a pitcher with nasty stuff and good control, Braves left-hander Luis Avilan has more walks and fewer strikeouts than you might expect. But it sounds like that’s mostly by design.
“Sometime when I give up a walk against righty hitters, you’ll notice behind that guy is a lefty,” the rookie reliever said. “So I’m walking that guy to face the lefty. (Eric) O’Flaherty was the one who told me that. He said sometimes you aren’t too comfortable facing that (righty), so he’s (pitching around) that guy to face the guy behind him.”
Avilan has learned plenty from veteran Braves lefty O’Flaherty during the past year. Among the lessons: Don’t “give in” and throw a strike over the plate against a hitter if the guy on-deck is a better matchup. And don’t be afraid to pitch to contact and let the defense work behind you.
With O’Flaherty recovering from recent Tommy John elbow surgery and out for the season, his tutelage of Avilan has continued.
“O’Flaherty has been a big help for him ever since Luis got here,” said Braves bullpen coach Eddie Perez, who, like Avilan, is Venezuelan. “I told him just look at this guy, try to be just like him. All his workouts, everything he does is because O’Flaherty taught him.
“A week ago he was struggling a little and O’Flaherty called me, said, ‘Give me his number and I’ll talk to him.’ And he called him. Then we got back (to Atlanta) and he talked to him some more. He just looks up to O’Flaherty in everything he does. That helps. O’Flaherty is one of the best.”
Avilan, 23, has a 2.42 ERA in 27 appearances, allowing 15 hits (no homers) and 11 walks with 10 strikeouts in 22-1/3 innings, including a perfect eighth inning Sunday with two groundouts and a pop-up. With runners in scoring position, hitters are 3-for-22 (.136) against him.
In his past 14 appearances, he has a 1.50 ERA and .108 opponents’ average, with four hits and five walks in 12 innings.
With lefty Jonny Venters already on the disabled list and out for the season, after O’Flaherty went down and Jordan Walden also went on the disabled list, setup duties were split mostly between Avilan and Cory Gearrin. Walden is back, and the Braves’ bullpen got through that difficult stretch with some impressive work from the youngsters.
The bullpen is riding a streak of 20-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including three perfect innings Sunday.
“He’s learning quick, and he’s doing a great job,” O’Flaherty said of Avilan. “A lot of times you don’t put up those awesome strikeout numbers and all that kind of stuff, but a lot of times that 3-hole hitter winds up chasing a 2-0 strike down and away that he can’t do damage on, and pulls it to shortstop. So you’re not getting a strikeout, and you might walk him, but a lot of times you end up getting a weak ground ball on a chase pitch.”
Intellect and preparation played big parts in the ascendance of O’Flaherty, whose 1.31 ERA during the 2011-2012 seasons was the best in the majors among relievers with at least 50 appearances. Next was Braves closer Craig Kimbrel (1.61).
Of the top seven relievers on that list, O’Flaherty’s .225 opponents’ average was easily the highest (five were below .200), and his 7.76 strikeouts per nine innings were easily the fewest.
“I got pretty heavily criticized for not striking guys out, but I’m just trying to get through the inning any way possible,” O’Flaherty said. “I mean, I could strike out three guys and give up a run, and have better (strikeout totals). Or I could give up a single and get a double-play ball, and another single and a ground ball out. And have no cool stats, but I put up a zero and we win the game.”
“That gets frustrating sometimes as a reliever when you’re not getting credit for things like that. I’m pretty proud of all the zeroes I put up. And that’s what Luis is learning, too. You want to strike out that 3-hole hitter and show everybody how good you are, but you might lose the game trying.”
Avilan throws harder than O’Flaherty, and with more movement. O’Flaherty and Perez said Avilan’s sinker is comparable to the devastating pitch Venters featured when healthy.
“Luis has got better (stuff) than me,” O’Flaherty said. “He’s up there with Jonny. And he’s just going to keep learning and getting better.”
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