NEW YORK – After the umpires' questionable overturn of an out call at second base in the nine inning Monday, Braves rookie reliever Shae Simmons faced a situation with two Mets on base and none out in a tie game.
Once again, he didn’t flinch. As far as the Braves know, he never does.
Simmons got out of that jam like the phenom has plenty of others since his arrival from Double-A nearly six weeks ago. He entered Wednesday night’s game against the Mets with a 1.06 ERA and .186 opponents’ average in 19 appearances, including an .091 average (2-for-22) with runners in scoring position.
The tone was set in his major league debut, when he came in with two runners on and two out in the eighth inning to face Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and struck him out to protect a 6-5 lead on the road. This after the Marlins had pushed across two runs in the inning on three hits and a walk against David Carpenter.
“I think that’s just his makeup,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Simmons’ immediate success in pressure situations. “I think he’s comfortable — well, I don’t know if anybody’s comfortable (in that situation), but at least he doesn’t show it, and he doesn’t let that stuff rattle him. And you can’t teach that. That’s part of his thing.
“We’ve brought him into situations — like (Monday) with all that stuff going on. He’s kind of like, ‘Ok. Let me know when you want me to start throwing again.’ That’s a good trait to have.
Simmons sort of shrugged in explaining how he got out of the jam Monday.
“It was tough, but they made plays behind me and we got out of that,” he said.
What he was thinking about during the two minutes that umpires spent reviewing the play?
“Nothing,” he said. “Just worrying about the next batter who’s coming up and what I’m going to throw him to get him out or get him to hit a groundball somewhere.”
After umpires overturned the out call, Simmons coaxed a pop-up from the next batter, Lucas Duda, that fell in shallow left-center. But shortstop Andrelton Simmons alertly threw to third on the play for the first out of the inning.
Travis d’Araud hit a ground ball to third for the second out. And one walk later, Simmons induced an inning-ending groundout by Eric Young.
Eric Campbell’s leadoff single in the ninth Monday was just the 11th hit allowed by Simmons and the only hit in seven innings over his past six appearances before Wednesday. He had three walks and eight strikeouts in that span.
He’s 23 years old, about the size of Tim Hudson — i.e., quite small for a pitcher — and had no experience above Double-A before his callup. But the fresh-faced Simmons is a presence on the mound with his 95-98 mph fastball, hard slider and occasional split-finger pitch.
He has been aggressive and fearless, which quickly gained the respect of teammates.
Simmons allowed 11 hits, two earned runs and five walks with 16 strikeouts in 17 innings before Wednesday, and the right-hander’s .186 opponents’ average included a stunning .033 (1-for-30) by lefty batters, with three walks and eight strikeouts. With runners in scoring position and two outs, hitters were 0-for-10 with one walk and five strikeouts.
At a time when David Carpenter has struggled mightily, Jordan Walden missed time with a hamstring injury, and lefty Luis Avilan hasn’t been nearly as effective as in the past, Simmons’ performance has been crucial for the Braves.
It’s rare that such a young rookie can be thrust into pressurized situations right way and thrive. But spend some time talking to Simmons and finding out what makes it tick, and it becomes apparent that he’s perfectly suited for late-innings relief. (He had a 0.78 ERA and 14 saves in 20 games as Double-A Mississippi before he was called up.)
And unlike some other rookies, life in the big leagues hasn’t been a difficult transition for Simmons.
“Definitely a lot more fun than the minors,” he said Wednesday afternoon, with his feet kicked up in his locker stall at Citi Field as he texted. “I mean, just playing in front of a crowd is a lot more fun. Because there (in the minors) it’s a little hard to get motivated if you didn’t have any fans. It felt like you were just out there playing scrimmages against the other teams.
“It’s a lot easier to focus and lock in here than it was down there.”
Even if it’s a road crowd cheering loudly and hoping he and the Braves fail, Simmons isn’t bothered.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I mean, I kind of tune it out. I try not to think too much. I just think about what my job is out there, and that’s it.”
