The Braves’ 4-4 tie against the Twins on Tuesday featured several important spring debuts.
Starter Mike Foltynewicz, on the mound for the first time since the National League Division Series Game 5 debacle, allowed one run in two innings. He retired the Twins 1-2-3 in the first, capped by striking out slugger Miguel Sano on a slider.
Foltynewicz surrendered a mammoth homer to Trevor Larnach to open the second. He struck out the next two and induced a shallow pop to finish his outing. He threw 32 pitches, 20 for strikes.
“It was very encouraging,” Foltynewicz said. “Just getting swings and misses, no matter what count it is, this early in spring. I know guys are geared up for the fastball and whatnot, but to have that change-up in my back pocket, put that in their mind, it seemed to be causing them a little trouble.”
The change-up lies at the forefront of Foltynewicz’s spring. He intends to make it a more commonly deployed weapon in his arsenal, and it proved effective in Tuesday’s brief showing. Foltynewicz came away extremely happy with his fastball/change-up combo.
“It was a 10 out of 10 today with my fastball,” Foltynewicz said. “My change-up, I didn’t really want to throw any sliders or curveballs, but I just mixed them in just cause. Early, (the Twins) seemed really aggressive, so I just told myself that the fastball and change-up will be really good today. Every change-up I threw was either a swing and miss or foul ball. So it was really, really good to see the fastball and change-up.
“I’ve been working on the change-up since I got traded over from Houston. It’s a very good pitch. You see all the elite guys throw it and have success with it. So I’m going to try to show that a little more this year.”
» Shea Langeliers broke a 2-2 tie when he rocketed a homer over the left-field wall in the seventh inning. After Rafael Ortega doubled to begin the inning, Langeliers belted a pitch from Cody Stashak into the seats. It was the Braves' first homer this spring.
“This is a great opportunity for him to get some exposure and be around these guys,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He handled the big leaguers fine, catching them. This whole thing is going to be a really good experience for him.”
Langeliers, 22, was a first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in June. He played 54 games with Single-A Rome last season, finishing strong with a .435/.447/.522 line over his final 11 games.
» The Braves' two biggest offseason additions made their debuts, too. Outfielder Marcell Ozuna went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. His final at-bat resulted in a pop out to first.
There hasn’t been any urgency to work Ozuna into the lineup during the early portion of spring. Signed to be the team’s big bopper, Ozuna hit 29 homers and posted an .800 OPS last season.
» Reliever Will Smith pitched an easy scoreless frame with a grounder, strikeout and flyout. Snitker said he thought Smith was in "midseason form," and he's comfortable with where the 30-year-old currently stands.
“I look at him and see an old, throwback reliever,” Snitker said. “He’s going to come at you and throw it over (the plate).”
» Kyle Wright looked confident in his first action. The right-hander, vying for a more permanent spot with the club, pitched two scoreless innings. He allowed only one hit and struck out two.
Wright is one of four pitchers competing to open the season in the rotation. However the immediate competition unfolds, the 24-year-old figures to factor into the Braves’ plans through the summer.
“I really liked what I saw out of Kyle,” Snitker said. “I thought that was pretty good. I saw a more poised and confident guy out there. That was a good start (to the spring) for him. … You have to give these guys time to learn who they are. They aren’t 100 percent sure of who they even are at this level. But I thought that was a really good beginning for Kyle.”
» The Braves are mostly set with their starters for the rest of the week. Sean Newcomb, another pitcher competing for a starting job, gets the nod Wednesday against the Orioles in Sarasota. Felix Hernandez will continue his roster bid Thursday against the Cardinals.
Mike Soroka likely will make his debut Friday or Saturday, though the team hasn’t made that decision just yet. Soroka was scheduled to start Sunday, but didn’t after feeling tightness in his right adductor.
