SARASOTA, Fla. – Eric Stults has started just one Grapefruit League game, getting his other innings this spring in five "piggyback" long-relief appearances and a minor league game. But it didn't matter. The Braves saw what the veteran left-hander could do, and liked the consistency with which he did it regardless of conditions.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced Friday that Stults, a non-roster invitee to spring training, won the fourth spot in the starting rotation and will start the April 10 home opener against the Mets. Newly acquired Trevor Cahill, who came from the Diamondbacks in a Thursday night trade, will be the No. 5 starter.
Stults, 35, beat out a field that had been narrowed recently to veteran lefty Wandy Rodriguez, who was released Friday, and prospect Mike Foltynewicz, who remains a candidate along with Cody Martin for a long-relief role.
Stults has a 1.89 ERA and .250 opponents’ average in five games (one start) entering Saturday’s Grapefruit League finale against the Orioles, when he’ll start after originally being scheduled to pitch in relief of Foltynewicz.
After logging nearly 380 innings in 55 starts for the Padres during the past two seasons, Stults signed a minor-league contract with the Braves on Jan. 29. A big part of the appeal was working again with pitching coach Roger McDowell, his pitching coach with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate a decade agao.
Stults will get a $2 million salary for making the Braves’ opening-day roster.
“He’s been a guy, you look at his track record, the last couple of years he’s pitched close to 200 innings,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “You look at his starts and you look at his quality starts, he gets you deep into games. You need those guys on the staff, who get you some innings.”
After posting a 3.93 ERA in a career-high 203 2/3 innings in 2013, Stults slipped to 8-17 with a 4.30 ERA in 176 innings last season. But he finished the season strong, going 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA and eight quality starts in his last 11 outings.
Stults allowed one hit and one walk in five scoreless relief innings of his most recent appearance Monday against the Tigers. He and Foltynewicz will swap roles in Saturday’s game, with Foltynewicz getting a look in the long-relief role he could fill if he’s not sent down to start the season in the Triple-A Gwinnett rotation.
