LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – When the discussion turned to Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz’s spring-training progress in the area of damage control, manager Brian Snitker recalled a July game at Minnesota that was an example of how badly some innings used to spiral for the young right-hander.
“Especially in games like this one,” Snitker said after the Braves’ 11-3 rout of the Detroit Tigers in a Grapefruit League game Monday night at Champion Stadium. Foltynewicz was staked to a 6-0 lead after three innings Monday before the Tigers loaded the bases in the top of the fourth on three consecutive singles by Omar Infante, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.
Go back to July 28 at Minnesota, when Foltynewicz was staked to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and a 7-0 lead through 3 1/2, only to give most of it back while allowing 12 hits (matching a career high) and seven runs (six earned) in 5 1/3 innings as his start fell apart in a game the Braves hung on to win, 9-7.
That summer night in Minneapolis was an extreme example of a problem that plagued Foltynewicz in his first two seasons with the Braves, which were also his first two as a major league starter. Damage control was a weakness. Tight spots had a tendency to blow up on him and become big innings and early exits.
Now flash forward to Monday night, bases loaded with none out and the Braves ahead, 6-0 As he’s done multiple times this spring, Foltynewicz put out the fire instead of squirting gasoline upon it. He got Nicholas Castellanos on a line-out to left, Mikie Mahtook on a fly ball to right and Tyler Collins on a soft grounder. Only one run scored in the inning and the Braves tacked on three runs in their half of the fourth for a 7-1 lead.
“I told him, they had a couple of opportunities there where he limited damage and made pitches,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That was good. Got in trouble and limited damage. It’s something that (hurt him in past) especially in a game like this, where we had a lot runs. He’s done a good job learning how to navigate through that. It’s all part of the maturation process for a young pitcher. His stuff all spring has been good, his secondary stuff.”
In his sixth and final Grapefruit League start, Foltynewicz gave up nine hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. It was the first time all spring he gave up more than one run, his ERA climbing from 2.00 to 2.66. But given the huge early lead and his history in similar games, the avoidance of a big inning was another encouraging outing in a spring that has featured no bad ones from Foltynewicz.
He gave up 27 hits, seven runs and two homers in 23 2/3 innings this spring and recorded 18 strikeouts with just five walks.
“Even today, just going out there and pounding the strike zone with the fastball and with every pitch I had,” Foltynewicz said. “Everything was working today. Just pounding the zone. Curveball was OK, slider was good, change-up was good. They just kind of lost (a bit on those pitches) in the last inning there, the sixth inning. I probably got a little heavy out there. But overall, the whole spring training was solid, just going out there and attacking guys, and getting outs.”
The Tigers loaded the bases again with one out in the sixth and came away with a two-run single by Tyler Collins, after Foltynewicz struck out Mahtook for the second out before being replaced due to pitch count. He threw 69 strikes in 97 pitches, his spring-training high.
“I keep getting in those situations,” he said of jams like those in the fourth and sixth innings. “I don’t like it, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of just bearing down and getting out of those situations, especially with this lineup that they brought over here today. Those guys can bang it and they could have done a lot of damage there in that inning. That’s been the story of my spring, getting out of jams, and I got out of one again today.
“It’s been good, now carry it over to the season.”
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