The Braves hope Mike Foltynewicz takes another step this season. His second test will be an early barometer against perhaps the best pitcher in the game.
Foltynewicz goes against defending two-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer on Wednesday afternoon. He likely will need to be better than his satisfactory five-inning, two-run performance last time out in a 5-4 11-inning loss to the Phillies.
The challenge of the Nationals’ lineup – one of the better ones in the game – becomes that much harder knowing mistakes are magnified when your offense is facing Scherzer.
“What he’s done over the past five, six years, is unbelievable,” Foltynewicz said of Scherzer. “It’s Hall of Fame stuff. Just gets your juices going a little bit more than a normal game. But at the same time, you just have to tone it down a little bit, stay in your zone. Focus on all the things I’ve been focusing on this offseason, last offseason.”
In the eyes of some, Scherzer has supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the best starter in baseball. He’s posted a collective 2.74 ERA with 552 strikeouts over the past two seasons, both earning him baseball’s most prestigious award for pitchers.
Individual Braves players haven’t had much success against Scherzer. First baseman Freddie Freeman is 5-for-21, with two homers, five walks and four strikeouts. Outfielder Ender Inciarte is 7-for-30, with three walks and five strikeouts.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki, who won’t play Wednesday as he rests with a bruised hand, has hit .389 (7-for-18) with a homer off Scherzer. Shortstop Dansby Swanson has had modest success, hitting .250 (4-for-16).
“He’s a very, very tough pitcher,” Foltynewicz said. “We’ve had a handful of times we’ve got beat by him, and we’ve hit him around a couple times. That’s with everybody. We’ll see what kind of stuff he has that day. Sometimes it’s just good luck, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes we scrap out a few runs, and that’s good enough to beat them.”
Keeping composure long has been Foltynewicz’s focus. And it’s easy to for one mistake to become multiple bad results against a Nationals lineup that’s become even stronger with the return of outfielder Adam Eaton.
Eaton was 8-for-17 (.615) with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs in his first three games. He tore his ACL 23 games into the 2017 season after the Nationals had paid a bounty to acquire him from the White Sox.
“You have to be careful with that lineup in general,” Foltynewicz said. “And then the dudes coming off the bench you especially have to be careful with, too. So it’s a great lineup to have. You always have to pick and choose your spots with how to attack these guys.
“They’re very aggressive. You guys have seen over the years that one through eight can put the ball in the stands. They can pretty much do it all. It’s fun and challenging at the same time. That’s what you’re here for.”
Regardless of the opponent, Foltynewicz wants to prioritize the microcosms of pitching. He’s found himself looking ahead, worried about the bigger picture rather than the next pitch.
“Really slowing things down out there when I get into jams,” he said of his offseason focus. “When my mind is speeding up, as it easily can out there, especially against that lineup, then I might take a step off the mound. I’ve been really focused on one pitch at a time instead of, ‘What can I do with this guy? Who’s on deck? Or who’s in the hole?
“It’s one pitch at a time. You don’t have to strike everyone out. Just get out of there in one, two, three pitches.”
