Three pitchers will make their Braves debuts with starts in the first week of the Grapefruit League schedule, including Wandy Rodriguez in Wednesday’s spring-training opener against the Mets and Shelby Miller and Mike Foltynewicz in Saturday split-squad games.
Fifth-starter candidates Rodriguez, Eric Stults and Foltynewicz will all get their first look in the first four days of the spring schedule, with Stults scheduled to “piggyback” with Julio Teheran and pitch the next two innings after Teheran pitches the first two Thursday against the Tigers at Lakeland.
Rodriguez and Chien-Ming Wang, a depth-type starter, are set to pitch two innings apiece in Wednesday’s Grapefruit opener against the Mets at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Teheran, the Braves’ projected regular season opening-day starter, makes his spring debut Thursday, followed by Alex Wood on Friday vs. the Nationals.
In Saturday’s split-squad games, Miller will face the Tigers and Foltynewicz, an elite pitching prospect, will oppose the Mets. Mike Minor is set for his spring debut with a Sunday start against the Astros.
With six weeks to go before opening day, plenty of things can happen to cause the Braves to alter pitching plans. But as things stand now, it appears that Teheran would start the April 6 opener at Miami and likely be followed by Wood April 7, Shelby Miller in the April 8 series finale against the Marlins, and Minor in the April 10 home opener against the Mets at Turner Field.
Because of an April 9 off day in the schedule, Braves starters could get regular rest without using the team’s to-be-determined fifth starter until April 14 vs. the Marlins in the eighth game of the season.
