If Mauricio Cabrera and A.J. Minter have places in the Braves bullpen, it likely won’t be anytime soon.
The reliever duo has struggled in Triple-A Gwinnett. Tuesday was another failed test.
Taking the mound with a 2-1 eighth inning lead, Cabrera couldn’t find his control. He allowed a hit and walked three. He threw 28 pitches, 11 for strikes. Cabrera gave up the lead, but shortstop Ozzie Albies saved the game by gunning out the go-ahead runner at home.
Cabrera owns a 7.86 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. Opponents have 25 hits and 22 earned runs off him. He’s walked 22 batters.
Control has always been the question with Cabrera, whose upside as a reliever is evident with a fastball that can reach three-digits. The reality is, teams will work with someone who can throw that hard, even if his control is subpar.
Cabrera was placed on the disabled list March 30 with a strained elbow. He was activated off rehab assignment and optioned to Gwinnett on May 7.
Despite the 100-mph heater, Cabrera’s shown little reason to warrant a spot in the Atlanta bullpen. He hasn’t captured the promising form he showcased a season ago. He went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 41 relief appearances.
Gwinnett regained a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth. A.J. Minter came on to close it out, but got roughed up in the process.
Minter lasted 0.1 inning, giving up two hits and blowing the save. He only threw 12 pitches (nine strikes). He departed with runners on the corners and one down.
His ERA sits at 7.71 in 4 1/3 Triple-A innings. He gave up two runs in his last appearance July 16. To his credit, he pitched four scoreless innings in his previous five outings before that.
While Cabrera’s issue is walks, Minter’s flaws come through contact. Opponents were hitting .294 against him entering Tuesday.
But similar to Cabrera, Minter couldn’t find his spots. A player some consider an eventual closer in the big leagues, his inconsistencies are holding back that vision.
The reality is both players are 23-years-old. With the big league club not in a rush to win (and neither player ready to help in that capacity), the two will have time to correct what’s plagued them in Triple-A.
