LAKELAND, Fla. — Aaron Harang, a veteran pitcher the Braves signed off the figurative scrap heap one week before opening day, now is scheduled to start the April 8 home opener against the Mets. It's been that kind of spring for the injury-plagued Braves.
They plan to start Julio Teheran, Alex Wood and Harang in that order against Milwaukee in the opening series that begins Monday at Milwaukee, with either David Hale or Gus Schlosser – the fourth spot in the rotation hasn’t been decided between those two rookies — starting the April 4 series opener at Washington.
“The candidates are here,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of the No. 4 spot. “We’ve got to let that play out, do what best suits our club…. I think one or the other will end up in the bullpen.”
Because of two off days in the eight days of the season, the Braves can and will go with four starters on regular rest until they add recently signed former All-Star Ervin Santana to the rotation in the second week.
Santana, who signed March 12, made his second spring start Tuesday in a 12-3 win against the Tigers and gave up four hits and two runs in three innings, with no walks and one strikeouts.
“Everything was good,” he said. “I tried to keep the ball down for the most part, elevate when I wanted to. I gave up a couple of hits, a couple of runs scored, but it’s OK. The thing is, I just feel good.”
He’s scheduled to make three more starts in minor league games, then join the rotation April 12.
Gonzalez said: “I thought he did great. What did he give up, six hits? I think all of them but one or two were on the ground. I think he did a nice job.”
The Braves signed Harang to a one-year contract Monday, hours after he was released by the Indians and after the Braves released veteran starting pitcher Freddy Garcia.
Harang had a 2.00 ERA in four major league spring-training games (two starts), and also pitched in two minor league games, going six innings Friday. He was 5-12 with a 5.40 ERA in 26 starts last season for Seattle and the Mets, after going 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 179-2/3 innings for the Dodgers in 2012.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander has a 110-116 record and 4.28 ERA in 325 games (319 starts) over 12 seasons with six teams, including parts of 11 seasons in the National League.
Harang will make his Braves debut Thursday with a start against the Tigers. Wood, originally scheduled to start that game, will instead pitch in a minor league game.
