Anibal Sanchez pitched three scoreless innings in his season debut Monday for a Braves bullpen that’s been solid so far, but by Saturday he could join a starting rotation that’s left plenty to be desired.
The Braves have targeted Saturday at Colorado, their eighth game, as the date to roll out their fifth starter. They’ll use four starters until then and could get by with four until Monday without having any go on short rest, if necessary.
But barring a change in plans they’ll have Sanchez slip into the rotation Saturday for the second game of a three-game series at Colorado, which would provide the rest of the starters an extra day of rest.
Some could probably use it including Julio Teheran, who has a 10.13 ERA in two starts after giving up six hits, five runs, three walks and three homers in 2 1/3 innings Tuesday night in a wild 13-6 win against the Nationals.
Teheran gave up three runs in the first inning but the Braves answered with four runs in the inning and four more runs in the second, after Teheran gave up a game-tying homer to pitcher A.J. Cole in the top of the second.
Teheran is 2-10 with a 6.49 ERA in the past 18 of his 19 career starts at SunTrust Park, with 21 homers allowed in 95 2/3 innings in that span.
Veteran newcomer Sanchez, signed at the end of spring training, allowed one hit and three walks with two strikeouts in a three-inning relief stint Monday against the Nationals in his Braves debut. He still would be available to pitch in Friday’s series opener at Colorado in an emergency out of the bullpen, in which case the Braves could bring up someone else to start Saturday or go with Sean Newcomb on regular (four days’) rest.
“These next few days are going to determine (when Sanchez starts),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, obviously he’s going to need a couple of days (to rest after pitching Monday). So he would be in line on the fifth day to start (Saturday), if we wanted to go that route, if we didn’t need him (in the bullpen Friday).
“Getting there will determine when we put that extra guy in there.”
Snitker said the Saturday starter decision might not be finalized until after Friday’s game because of Sanchez being available to pitch in relief if absolutely necessary Friday.
Mike Foltynewicz starts Wednesday afternoon’s series finale before the team’s day off Thursday.
“Friday may determine what we do the next day,” Snitker said. “But we’ll have everybody in line. And we’ll see what happens the next two days. But like I say, (Sanchez) will (rest) for a couple of days after the three innings he did.”
While the Braves’ bullpen entered Tuesday with the fifth-lowest opponents’ average (.190) in the majors and the ninth-best ERA (2.55 ERA), the team’s starting rotation didn’t exactly distinguish itself in the first turn through a four-man rotation that will soon become a standard five-man unit with the addition of Sanchez, who’s expected to hold down the fifth spot until rookie lefty Luiz Gohara (sprained ankle) returns from the disabled list in late April.
The starters had a 5.75 ERA before Tuesday that ranked 23rd in the majors, with no Braves starter making it through the sixth inning despite all totaling 90 or more pitches in his first start. That Braves starters’ ERA jumped to 7.14 with Teheran’s outing Tuesday; no other team had a starters ERA above 6.91 before Tuesday.
By contrast, the Nationals were 4-0 entering Tuesday and had the majors’ second-best starters ERA (1.07) and highest average of innings per start (6 1/3) before their young starter A.J. Cole got bombed for 10 hits and 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings Tuesday by the braves.
Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer will start Wednesday’s series finale against the Braves.
Every Washington starter except Cole worked at least six innings in his first outing, and Tanner Roark pitched seven innings and allowed one run on four hits in Monday’s 8-1 win against the Braves and Newcomb, who lasted 4 1/3 innings and gave up five hits, six runs (five earned) and four walks with six strikeouts.
Braves starters entered Tuesday ranked 19th in opponents’ batting average (.263) and 22nd in opponents’ OBP (.360) and opponents’ OPS (.873). They were tied for the fifth-most walks (11) and tied for 13th in strikeouts (21). Only five of the 25 teams that played at least four games through Monday had fewer innings from starters than the Braves (20 1/3).
And again, all those numbers worsened with Teheran’s alarmingly bad outing Tuesday.
Foltynewicz had a team-high seven strikeouts with one walk in five innings, while every other Braves starter issued at least three walks in his first outing, and Teheran has more walks (six) than strikeouts (five) in his first two starts. Brandon McCarthy gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings and was the lone Braves starter who didn’t allow a home run in his season debut.
Before Tuesday’s game, Snitker was asked for his appraisal of the rotation after one turn apiece.
"I thought (Brandon) McCarthy was really good," Snitker said. "Julio was really good (in his first start). Folty. You know, up until yesterday (when) Newk just wasn't hitting on all cylinders. Kind of command got away from him, didn't have a real good feel for the breaking ball, as he had all spring. But up until (Monday) it's been pretty good, I think."
Newcomb has lasted fewer than six innings in his past eight starts, dating to August. He has a 4.73 ERA in that stretch, with 24 walks in 40 innings and an opponents’ .382 OBP and .884 OPS.
Foltynewicz allowed three runs (two earned) including a pair of bases-empty homers in five innings and got no decision in an 11-inning, 5-4 loss to the Phillies, stretching his winless streak to eight starts. He’s 0-7 with a 7.34 ERA in that span since early August and lasted five innings or fewer in five of those games.
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