The circumstances surrounding Braves rookie right-hander John Gant’s first major-league start were daunting. Things got tougher for Gant when the Cubs pounced and staked ace left-hander Jon Lester to a first-inning lead.
It turned out Gant was effective, if not efficient. He allowed four hits and three run (two earned) over 4 1/3 innings with four walks and five strikeouts during the 13-2 loss on Sunday at Turner Field.
The Cubs led 3-1 when Gant (0-1) left the game after having thrown 88 pitches with 53 strikes.
“He keeps the game manageable was the biggest thing,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “It was still manageable. We had enough innings to come back. He did a good job. He battled through a lot. He did a good job of keeping the game there against one of the best teams in baseball.”
Gant has made seven relief appearances this season and got the start when the Braves decided to push back Aaron Blair’s turn a day so Blair and Julio Teheran could get an extra day of rest. The Braves are down a starting pitcher after they placed Williams Perez (rotator cuff) on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday.
It was a difficult assignment for Gant, whose last appearance was June 5 at the Dodgers. His season-long outing came at Boston on April 27, when he gave up two runs over 4 2/3 innings of long relief.
“He did well,” Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur said. “That’s a tough lineup to navigate through. I think you saw when he got ahead of guys he was effective. When he got behind, he had a few walks. That’s his first start, man, going against the Cubs and Lester. That’s a tough call. I though he hung in there and did well.
The Braves acquired Gant last July from the Dodgers as part of the trade in which they sent away Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe. He’s been recalled four different times from Triple-A Gwinnett and has a 6.17 ERA in seven relief appearances.
