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 Tommy John elbow surgery and out for the season, his tutelage of Avilan continues.
“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 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 impressive work from the youngsters.
“He’s learning quick, and he’s doing a great job,” O’Flaherty said of Avilan.
Intellect and preparation played big parts in the rise 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 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 the fewest.
“I got criticized for not striking guys out, but I’m just trying to get through the inning any way possible,” he said. “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 (I) have no cool stats, but I put up a zero and we win the game.”
Avilan throws harder than O’Flaherty, with more movement. “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.”
Gattis in LF, Heyward sits: Manager Fredi Gonzalez said a few days ago that finding ways to keep hot-hitting rookie Evan Gattis in the lineup was a priority, and Sunday that meant a seat on the bench for slumping Jason Heyward.
Gattis started in left field and Justin Upton shifted from left to right in place of Heyward. It was the fourth consecutive start and sixth in seven games for Gattis either as left fielder, catcher or designated hitter.
Before going 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday, Gattis was 11-for-27 (.407) with five homers and 12 RBIs in his past 11 games.
Heyward struck out in all three plate appearances Saturday to make him 1-for-25 with 10 strikeouts in his past eight games. He had a .167 average in 14 games since returning from the DL after an April 22 appendectomy.
Heyward is batting .142 overall with two homers, eight RBIs and a .283 OBP in 31 games. His average ranked last out 241 major leaguers with at least 125 plate appearances.
Since homering in three games Aug. 24-26 at San Francisco, he has batted .191 with five homers in his past 64 games, with three stolen bases, a .277 OBP and a .311 slugging percentage.
Etc. B.J. Upton was hitting .146 before his 10th-inning single gave the Braves a 2-1 walk-off win Saturday. That made him the third major leaguer in 50 years to have a walk-off hit with an average below .150 in at least 150 at-bats, after Philadelphia's Tom Underwood (1975) and Oakland's Chad Bradford (2002)…. The win Saturday was the Braves' first this season with five or fewer hits. They had been 0-13.
