It might not feel like home just yet, but Ervin Santana is set to make his first start for the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night at Turner Field against the Mets.
When asked what he thought about the relatively pitching-friendly dimensions at Turner Field, Santana looked around his new clubhouse, smiled, and said: “I’ve never pitched here, so I will tell you tomorrow.”
It’s been a whirlwind month for Santana, who signed late in spring training - March 12 – after failing to get the multi-year deal he was looking for this winter. But he was just what the Braves needed after both Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy tore their elbow ligaments in back-to-back spring outings.
Santana, the former Angels All-Star and Kansas City Royal, signed a one-year $14.1 million free agent contract with the Braves. He’s been working to catch up ever since but said he feels ready after a minor league outing Friday in Durham with Triple-A Gwinnett. He gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings in that outing, in part because some defensive plays weren’t made behind him.
“Feel good, I feel very strong,” Santana said. “Every pitch was like I wanted to, location was down and the offspeed was very good too.”
As for his mindset going into Wednesday night?
“I’ll just try tried to keep it simple like I always do,” Santana said. “Go up there, throw strikes and give my team a chance to win.”
Santana was looking forward to his chance to bat, now that he’s in the National League, something he did only sparingly in interleague play with the Angels and Royals.
“I like it,” said Santana, who is 4-for-25 with a double and two RBIs in his nine seasons in the American League. “It’s very fun. It’s not easy, but it’s fun.”
