Atlanta Braves: Sean Newcomb to get a Saturday start, Kevin Gausman to IL

With Dallas Keuchel coming, the Atlanta Braves make their decision by adding Kevin Gausman on the IL while Sean Newcomb will be awarded for his patience and excellence.

After his strong long relief appearance on Monday, Sean Newcomb will get a ticket to start another game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Atlanta Braves‘ decision, as reported by Mark Bowman, comes the day after Newcomb threw 4.2 innings of relief during Monday’s 13-7 win.

Newcomb had entered Monday’s game to take over for Kevin Gausman, who went only 2.1 innings and allowed four runs. Speaking of Gausman, the Braves announced that they placed him on the 10-day injured list —for an inflammation in his right heel. *Insert ‘shoulder shrug’ gif*

There has been a lot of fan sentiment for seeing Newcomb (and Mike Foltynewicz, for that matter) in relief roles since that would be able to cut loose their fastballs in short-duration stints.

However, both have shown that they can continue throwing those heaters even with high pitch counts.  At this point, Foltynewicz is staying in the rotation – so long as he can stay healthy.

For Newcomb, that decision is still in the air, though he’s going to get this spot start while the team awaits the arrival of Dallas Keuchel.

The Braves also recalled A.J. Minter from Triple-A as the corresponding move, which adds a member into the bullpen to fill in Newcomb’s spot.

The Old Minter?

Minter may have rediscovered himself down in Triple-A after struggling with command in the majors at the beginning of the season.

He has recorded a 2.53 ERA with the Stripers while striking out 15 and walking just 2 in 10.2 innings.

With Atlanta, he was 0-4 with a 9.82 ERA before being demoted, a mark that included 10 walks (1 intentional) in just 11 innings.

Newcomb’s Return

It is almost certainly a temporary, ‘one-off’ start for Newcomb until Dallas Keuchel comes up but the Braves roster is built for movable pieces and spot-starts whenever.

Newcomb’s recall from Gwinnett came after a marked improvement – yet he didn’t assume a bullpen role until his recall to the majors.

Still, he’s clearly made the most of his new role in Atlanta, and this Saturday start will represent a chance to prove himself as a starter again.

Gausman’s Woes

For Gausman, he’s definitely not the same pitcher we saw last year, and this “injury” will either give him some considerable space to try and get things figured out or it means that his Atlanta tenure could be over.

After a 2.87 ERA with Atlanta in 2018, many thought he had adopted the Jake Arrieta story: a former struggling AL pitcher that became a different, successful pitcher in the NL. However for 2019, Gausman owns a 6.21 ERA with 2-5 record.

When Keuchel’s signing was announced, it was pretty safe to assume Gausman would be the one to get dropped from the rotation.

As for Keuchel, it was also reported that he will make his next start with the Mississippi Braves and after that Alex Anthopolous hopes he’ll be ready for Atlanta after.