WASHINGTON – The Braves will adjust their starting rotation when they come back from the All-Star break, going with R.A. Dickey in Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks at SunTrust Park, followed by Mike Foltynewicz, left-hander Jaime Garcia to complete the three-game series.
Julio Teheran, who pitched seven innings of four-hit ball in Saturday’s 13-0 win against the Nationals, is scheduled to make his first start of the second half in the July 17 series opener against the Cubs at SunTrust Park, followed by rookie lefty Sean Newcomb to complete the first turn in the rotation.
In the last five games before the break the Braves started Garcia followed by Foltynewicz, Dickey, Teheran and Newcomb in Sunday’s series finale at Nationals Park. Braves manager Brian Snitker said he wanted to split up the lefties Newcomb and Garcia after the break. If he’d kept the rotation in its current order the two lefties would’ve followed each other as they did the last time through the rotation.
The new order will have the knuckleballer Dickey followed by hard-throwing Foltynewicz, lefty Garcia, conventional-type right-hander Teheran and hard-throwing lefty Newcomb. Also, it’s not so important to have Dickey throw a normal between-starts side session as it would be other pitchers. It can be difficult to do that regular routine while away from the team and its catchers or bullpen coach during the break.
“Breaking the lefties up, and R.A. coming out of the break — it’s not going to affect him that much,” Snitker said. “He’ll throw a little bit, kind of allow everybody else to get back in. I mean, there’s no right or wrong. (Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez) and I just sat down and talked.”
