On Opening Night of the Minor League Baseball season, Mike Foltynewicz gained more ground in his journey back to the Atlanta Braves rotation.
On Thursday night, baseball returned to all full-season minor league teams, as big league clubs can once again get a good look at their prized prospects down on the farm. Thursday night also featured a very important rehab start for Atlanta Braves rotation leader, Mike Foltynewicz, as he made his first start since feeling elbow discomfort in Spring Training about a month ago.
The 27-year-old would face the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, the Norfolk Tides, in what was his first time on a Minor League bump since 2016.
And boy was he sharp.
The 27-year-old made it through 5 innings from 56 pitches (34 strikes) and struck out two, while not allowing a single hit. Foltynewicz walked two as well.
Here’s Folty’s reaction in regards to his successful outing:
"“The strikeouts weren’t really there, but it was all about just getting comfortable out there tonight. I just felt really comfortable. I got ground ball outs, a couple walks here and there, but it was kind of getting the rhythm down, getting my mechanics down. Arm-wise, everything else felt good.”"
Foltynewicz definitely got into a rhythm, as he was able to fly through the Tides hitters with relative ease. Thursday night also was a good opportunity for Foltynewicz to get the ‘feel’ for in-game situations. Something he wasn’t able to work on in his extremely short Spring:
"“It was a little weird night with the ball and strike ratio. There are a few times in the past where it’s [gotten] to that point, but it’s all about how you stop the bleeding. It’s getting out of those innings, taking a breath out there and … I was in good control with the pace of the game.”"
All in all, the start by Folty last night was a great indication that the hard-throwing righty should have no problem bouncing back from this elbow ailment, and that his 2019 season should be another good one for the Braves.
Foltynewicz is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he pitched 183 innings, struck out 202 batters and did an excellent job of preventing runs, shown by his 2.85 ERA for the season. He also won 13 games for the Braves last season, in what was a ‘turn of the corner’ year.
Regarding a time-frame for Foltynewicz’s return to the Braves rotation, the general consensus before Thursday night was that if all went well in his first rehab start, he would get one more at AAA before returning to Atlanta.
Mike Foltynewicz so far in rehab start in Gwinnett- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K on 56 pitches. He is expected to make two rehab starts (including tonight) and will then be re-evaluated. #Braves
— Kelsey Wingert-Linch (@KelsWingert) April 5, 2019
If this still holds true, it would be a welcoming development since starter Kevin Gausman is slated to return on Friday to take the mound against the Marlins.
So I’d say Thursday was a good day for the Atlanta Braves organization.
- The big league team finished off a sweep of the big-spending Chicago Cubs;
- the Minor League teams won 3 out of 4 of their season openers;
- both Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman look to once again fortify the Braves starting rotation.
That 0-3 start was so last week…