Mike Foltynewicz is 144 innings into what he and Braves manager Brian Snitker consider his first complete season in the majors.
His second-best start of the season came against Friday’s opponent. In Foltynewicz’s most recent start, against Miami on Aug. 5, he struck out 11 and walked none over 6 1/3 innings. Foltynewicz has singled out that performance and his near no-hitter in Oakland as his finest.
“You’re not going to have your A-game most of the time,” he said. “Maybe five or six of the times out of the year. Other than that, you have to pitch without your best stuff, which I have in games here and there. That’s where you have to figure things out, kind of figure out that happy medium.”
Foltynewicz, scheduled to start Friday night, realized some of his tantalizing potential with a 14-start streak in which his ERA was 3.56 from May 12 to July 25. But all was forgotten after he allowed 20 runs over his next 11 2/3 innings (three starts).
He acknowledged most of it is mental, though he’s made a few mechanical adjustments. Foltynewicz will press at times, relying on power rather than trusting his off-speed pitches, which he says is a work in progress.
The past two starts have been an improvement. In what was an ugly, but successful performance, Foltynewicz went five innings while holding the Rockies to a run. He went 6 1/3 in Wrigley on Sept. 1, with the Cubs scoring twice.
“I just wanted to get back to where I was at the beginning of the year, just feed off that,” Foltynewicz said. “Now with the six-man (rotation), you get a few starts here or there, you got to make the best of them. I just feel like I’m right on course from the beginning of the season. Same confidence level.”
“He’s battling and kind of getting back into things,” Snitker said. “He’s more focused, more grounded. He’s righting the ship a little bit from where he was prior to that.”
The six-man rotation Foltynewicz mentioned will be used throughout September. Foltynewicz has thrown 20 2/3 more innings than he did in 2016, and he welcomes the extra rest.
“We’re not complaining,” he said. “You really get to work on things between starts. You got a six-man, couple days off here and there. If you really need to work on some things you can get that in. Just see how your body’s feeling. You might need to relax a bit. We’ve got that luxury now.”
Veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has played an important role in helping Foltynewicz maintain his body.
“I always encourage Folty, during the game, I always tell him to get something to eat,” Dickey said. “I say ‘hey man, go get some calories in you. I don’t want you wasting away. In start No. 25, you’re getting down into a low weight, and you can’t hold up. Let’s keep eating.’ And he always asks me if he’s had a sandwich. He loves to eat dry, dry sandwiches in the fifth inning, so I make sure he has a sandwich.”
In the midst of throwing a career-high in innings, Foltynewicz said he’s still learning how best to take care of himself.
“I feel pretty good right now,” Foltynewicz said. “My body, aches and pains here and there. It’s my first full season. Just knowing what to experience, expect year-in and year-out, how to take care of it, how to treat it. … It’s been fun. The body feels well. I’m not too worried about it.”
In two starts against Miami, Foltynewicz has allowed three runs with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 12 1/3 innings. He’ll try to continue that success Friday.
“These are grown men out here,” he said. “They’re going to put the bat on the ball. … When you’ve got grown men like (Giancarlo) Stanton, (Marcell) Ozuna, it’s going to go. It teaches you how to pitch. Keep the ball down, keep them off-balance. It’s a chess game out there and you’ve got to read swings out there, all that tough stuff.”
