MIAMI — It wasn’t even 4 o’clock Tuesday afternoon and both Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky were already rolling bats around in their hands in the Braves clubhouse, hours before the Braves were to face Jose Fernandez for the second time in a week.
That’s because this time, both Pena and Pastornicky were going to take part. They were two of the four bench players Fredi Gonzalez started to give the Braves lineup a new look after they struck out 14 times in eight innings of a 1-0 loss to Fernandez last Tuesday in Atlanta.
Pena got the start at third base over Chris Johnson, Jordan Schafer was in center field over B.J. Upton, Ryan Doumit was in left field over Justin Upton, and Pastornicky was in at second over Dan Uggla.
Those four right-handers combined to go 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts that night. Both Pena and Doumit are switch-hitters and Schafer bats left-handed.
“Put all our left-handed hitters in there, put some of the guys who put the ball in play and make a little contact, see what we can come up with,” Gonzalez said. “Think the Commissioner is going to get on me? In the NBA, sometimes they’ll call them up, ‘Hey what kind of lineup are you running out there today?’”
Gonzalez was kidding with the quote, but serious about his decision. It was something he’d been mulling over since the loss to Fernandez last week. He started telling the bench players to be ready as early as Sunday night, on their way to Miami, and ran it past Chris Johnson as well.
Johnson got one of the Braves three hits – all singles – off Fernandez last Tuesday. When asked if he was good with the lineup decision, Johnson said: “I’m always cool with the lineup. I don’t ever question the manager’s motives.”
“I also think we have good players on the bench too,” Johnson continued. “I think it’s more a lefty thing. Facing a really good pitcher, if not the best pitcher in the big leagues, so you’ve got to make adjustments, and I think that’s why you have guys on the bench for stuff like this.”
Gonzalez said his only regret was that it was coming after an off day, when his regulars weren’t looking for or needing the rest. But he ultimately decided it was more important to put three more left-handers in the lineup.
Fernandez has only lost once this year and it came in a start against the Phillies, when he allowed six earned runs in four innings against a lineup that featured six left-handers: Tony Gwynn Jr., Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Domonic Brown and Cody Asche.
For Pastornicky, Tuesday was only his second start of the year and first since facing Gio Gonzalez on April 13.
“I’m excited,” Pastornicky said. “It’s always fun to go up against the best. Just try to go up there and throw up some good at-bats at him, play hard, enjoy it.”
