JUPITER, Fla. – With some 150 miles of Florida Turnpike separating them, pitchers Chien-Ming Wang and Eric Stults had good performances simultaneously Saturday in the race for the Braves’ final starting-rotation spot.
Stults allowed five hits and two runs in five innings of a 5-2 split-squad win against the Nationals in Lake Buena Vista, while Wang had his best outing of the spring in a 1-0 loss to the Cardinals down the turnpike in Jupiter.
Wang was charged with three hits and two walks with one strikeout in 4 2/3 innings, and recorded 12 outs in the first 12 batters including double-play grounders in the first and fourth innings, each immediately following a single.
“He’s got that sinker going and he’s changing speeds on his breaking stuff,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was with the split-squad in Jupiter for Wang’s game. “He did a nice job. Five innings of shutout baseball. We made some nice plays behind him – (second baseman Jace) Peterson made some nice plays – but Wang has been impressive, he really has.”
Wang, who’ll turn 35 on March 31, is a former 19-game winner and 2006 Cy Young Award runner-up with the Yankees. His career stalled for years because of shoulder issues and he last pitched in the majors in 2013, when he had a 7.67 ERA in six starts for the Blue Jays.
He seemed at best a long-shot candidate for the Braves starting rotation back in November when they signed him to a minor league contract with a spring-training invitation. But Wang has pitched well in three of his four spring games, allowing no runs and a total of eight hits in 9 2/3 innings against the Mets, Nationals and Cardinals.
“I feel good; I’m keeping the ball down,” Wang said. “Today John Buck, the catcher, told me the sinker’s moving late. It’s better when it’s moving late.”
In his one bad outing a week ago against the Astros, Wang was charged with four hits, three runs and two walks while recording just one out.
Gonzalez said Friday that non-roster invitee Wandy Rodriguez secured one of the two available rotation spots, barring anything unexpected. That would leave the fifth spot and at least four candidates: Wang, fellow non-roster invitee Stults, and prospects Mike Foltynewicz and Cody Martin, who might also be a candidate for long relief.
Stults and Rodriguez, who pitched five hitless innings against the Marlins on Friday, can opt out of their contracts before opening day if not on the major league roster, while Wang’s contract doesn’t permit him to opt out until July.
“I don’t even know (the contracts),” Gonzalez said. “I’m watching guys who are competing and stepping up. Remember when we talked about guys playing well so we have to make some tough decisions? They really are doing it. We got a great performance yesterday with Wandy facing (Miami’s) No. 1 lineup, and Wang’s facing (St. Louis’) No. 1 lineup and has a good outing.”
Wang was asked about the possibility of being sent to Triple-A Gwinnett to start the season.
“For me, I’d rather be in the majors,” he said. “That’s up to the manager. If I go to Triple-A, I’ll still keep working.”
