Braves pitcher Withrow strong in return game

It wasn’t an official major league game but Chris Withrow’s successful Braves debut on Thursday represented a big step forward for the right-hander.

Withrow pitched a scoreless seventh inning against the Tigers on Thursday in a Grapefruit League exhibition game. It was the first time since 2014 that he’d faced hitters in a competitive game.

“It was good to get those real competitive juices again and get out there and against big-league hitters,” Withrow said. “That was a big test for me. I’m glad the results were good.”

Withrow, 26, sat out last season while recovering from back and elbow surgeries. He made 46 total relief appearances for the Dodgers in 2013 and 2014 and posted a 2.73 ERA over 66 innings with 71 strikeouts and 31 walks.

The Braves acquired Withrow as part of a six-player trade with the Dodgers in May and hope he can serve as a late innings reliever. Withrow said he didn’t have any issues with his back and elbow during instructional league last fall and came to spring camp feeling good.

“It was a long year last year of doing everything I possibly could to get back out there,” Withrow said. “There were a few setbacks over the course of that time, which are expected with a back and elbow. You have to look past those and look at them as part of the process and you look forward to this day where you get out there and test yourself and get in this atmosphere. I was real happy with that.”