Scott Kazmir’s statistics are trending the wrong way as spring training approaches the back stretch, but the veteran left-hander nevertheless said he’s closer to being ready to pitch effectively.
The Braves hope so, since the 34-year-old former All-Star is presumably the leading candidate for an opening in the starting rotation created when rookie Luiz Gohara sprained an ankle last week.
Gohara isn’t expected back before May.
Kazmir pitched 3 2/3 innings Tuesday against the Blue Jays and allowed four hits, four runs and two walks and had one strikeout. He also hit two batters in a 13-6 Braves loss.
His day began well while warming in the bullpen, but didn’t go so smoothly once the game began.
“It was the best I’ve felt this spring,” Kazmir said of his warm-up. “It didn’t really translate throughout the entire game, but I had little spurts where I really felt like I was in control. I tried to get after some pitches and just kind of pulled three or four that ended up being some bad pitches that got some runners on base. That ended up hurting me in the end.”
He has a 4.66 ERA in four spring starts. After pitching three scoreless innings over his first two starts, he’s given up eight hits, six runs and three walks with three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings over his past two.
“Struggled with his command,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, adding that it was understandable Kazmir would still be trying to regain sharpness after missing the entire 2017 season with the Dodgers for a series of injuries, including a balky left hip.
“If he feels good (that’s the important thing),” Snitker said. “The guy didn’t pitch last year, and I think he’s still knocking rust off, trying to get back in the swing of things. But he went through the innings that we wanted him to and if he feels good, I think that’s a positive.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases twice against him with the same sequence – single, walk, hit-by-pitch – with one out in the first inning and again to start the fourth inning. He limited the damage to one run on a sacrifice fly in the first, but in the fourth, the Jays got to him for three runs on a sacrifice fly, a Jonathan Davis RBI single and the back half of a double-steal (Ozzie Albies made a throwing error to the catcher on the play).
After giving up four hits and two runs in three innings of a start last week against the Astros and throwing fastballs mostly in the 88-90 mph range, Kazmir said he felt like there was more in the tank and needed to find a way to “unlock it.” The velocity was about the same Tuesday, maybe a few more pitches at 90 mph.
“I feel like I’m close,” Kazmir said. “I feel like my arm’s getting quicker, maybe try to do a little too much sometimes during the game, but it was very encouraging in the bullpen and a couple of innings today where I really felt like I was in control of my body and started to just speed up things a little bit more.”
The Braves have four spots set in the rotation, with opening-day starter Julio Teheran followed by Mike Foltynewicz, veteran newcomer Brandon McCarthy and second-year lefty Sean Newcomb. Kazmir presumably is competing with former prospects Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair and Lucas Sims and lefty prospect Max Fried for the final spot, but Fried has pitched only 4 2/3 innings in three spring appearances, and none of the others seems to have done enough to edge in front of Kazmir, given that the veteran lefty can’t be sent to the minors without his approval because of his service-time status.
The Braves owe Kazmir $16 million and would have to pay more than $15 million of that even if he was released and went to another team.
“He hasn’t pitched for a year, now you’re coming out and getting regular work and all that,” Snitker said. “This was good for him today, he got through it, minimized the damage in the one inning. I’m sure the command is not where he wants it to be, but again that’s going to come with repetition. So we run him out there again and hopefully he takes another step forward.”
