Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has not divulged specifics of his pitching plans for the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Philadelphia, but he has laid out the framework.
If the bullpen got through Wednesday night’s game in Houston without getting over-taxed, Gonzalez indicated he was leaning toward starting a pitcher out of the Braves bullpen on Saturday – likely David Hale – and then bringing up a pitcher from Triple-A Gwinnett, who can go multiple innings in a piggy-back role.
Gus Schlosser is a possibility for that call-up, and can be added as an additional 26th man on the roster just for Saturday’s doubleheader by a major league rule that changed two years ago.
“If we’re OK (in the bullpen) we may have a guy here start that game and then we’ll bring up a pitcher, probably a long guy a guy that can give you multiple innings,” Gonzalez said.
Schlosser pitched seven solid innings in his last start Monday for Gwinnett, allowing one run, and his next turn falls on Saturday. He opened the season on Atlanta’s roster and brings the experience of his first nine major league outings – all out of the bullpen. Schlosser went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA over 11 innings in his major league stint.
Hale is in his first full season on the major league roster and brings the experience of six starts, including two at the end of last season. Hale opened this season in the Braves rotation before Ervin Santana and Gavin Floyd joined the roster. Hale went 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA over those four April starts, including a 2-1 win in his first start April 4 at Nationals Park.
Santana is scheduled to pitch the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park. The second game is a makeup for an April 15 rainout.
