A.J. Minter got what he’s wanted Wednesday night: taking the mound in a high-leverage situation and finishing a game.
Minter recorded his first save in a 5-4 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Minter entered the game to face Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett and Adam Duvall, the heart of the Reds’ order.
Votto flew out to left. Gennett struck out. Duvall hit a ball to the warning track, but Ender Inciarte tracked it down in center field to record the final out.
“First one’s always the hardest, especially with the way that ended,” Minter said. “Just got to give credit to Ender. That’s why he’s a Gold Glove winner. Give credit where credit’s due. This whole ballgame, those hitters, I’ll tell you what, they are a relentless one through nine all nine innings. They’ve just been coming in all week.”
Inciarte appeared to fake preparing for a wall jump, but tweeted after the game that it wasn’t on purpose.
“Fortunately enough, it fell in our favor,” Minter said. “I just told myself I’m going to come in and throw strikes. These hitters work too hard for this bullpen to give away free bases.”
Free bases have been the bullpen’s undoing. Even Minter, for all his strikeout prowess, has issued eight walks in 12-1/3 innings. He’s managed to avoid much of the damage thanks to hitters posting a .189 average against him.
“It’s a concern right now,” he said. “We have to do better, especially in that area, including myself. I’ve been coming in, trying to do too much rather than throw it over the plate and see what happens.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker liked what he saw from Minter. He expects to use the lefty more in those situations, depending on the circumstances.
Minter embraces that role. He wants to come in when pressure is highest. But he also credited Arodys Vizcaino for his success in the closing role and added anyone in the Braves bullpen is capable of finishing games.
“I’m hoping we see him in it a lot,” Snitker said. “That means we’re using a lot of guys and doing well in the ninth inning. So I have no problem at all with just going with the matchups and not wearing one guy out.”
