Craig Kimbrel with again be the closer for the Braves
photo by Tim Evearitt
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With former All-Star closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson serving as setup men for Craig Kimbrel, the Braves are confident that the back end of their bullpen will be solid. But with the regular season less than three weeks away, they are still deciding how to fill the final four spots of their relief corps.
The Braves announced they had released Jose Veras on Thursday morning, less than 12 hours after the right-hander allowed a hit, issued a walk and hit a batter while recording just two outs against the Yankees.
Veras posted an 11.81 ERA and allowed opponents to produce a .531 on-base percentage in six appearances for the Braves this spring. The 34-year-old surrendered eight hits, issued seven walks and recorded just four strikeouts while facing 32 batters since the start of the Grapefruit League season.
After allowing five earned runs while recording just two outs against the Mets in his first outing this spring, Vera held opponents scoreless in three of his next four appearances. But he allowed at least one hit or a walk in each of his six outings.
Veras was released by the Cubs last season after he posted an 8.10 ERA and allowed opponents to produce a .419 on-base percentage. In 34 appearances after landing with the Astros, he posted a 3.03 ERA and allowed opponents to reach base at a .295 clip.
Josh Outman seems destined to gain the left-handed specialist role that he was targeted for when he signed a one-year, $925,000 deal in January. There has been an assumption James Russell will also gain a bullpen spot.
But Russell damaged his candidacy as he surrendered hits, including two homers and a double, to four of the seven left-handed batters he faced during Wednesday night's 12-5 loss to the Yankees. The veteran southpaw allowed left-handed hitters to bat .284 against him last year.
Unless Russell continues to struggle over the next couple of weeks, it appears Michael Kohn, Luis Avilan, Arodys Vizcaino and Juan Jaime are set to battle for the final two available bullpen spots.
Vizcaino made his mark in Atlanta's bullpen during the latter part of the 2011 season and then underwent Tommy John surgery before being traded to the Cubs the following summer. The right-hander has struggled to return to health over the past couple of seasons, and it appears he is still battling command issues. He issued three walks and allowed three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Yankees on Wednesday night.
Kohn surrendered a pair of hits and issued three walks while holding opponents scoreless through his first 4 1/3 Grapefruit League innings. But he walked two and allowed a run while working one inning on Wednesday. Over the next couple of weeks, the Braves will attempt to get a better feel for whether they can rely on him to provide consistent command -- the issue that forced him to spend most of last year with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate.
If the Braves are willing to carry three left-handers, then they will have to continue to take a long look at Avilan, who seems to have regained a feel for his curveball and changeup -- the two secondary pitches that deserted him during last year's disappointing season. The southpaw had completed 3 2/3 consecutive scoreless and hitless innings before allowing the Mets three hits and two runs (one earned) last Friday. He allowed one hit and retired the only other batter he faced on Wednesday.
Because he is out of Minor League options, Jaime will likely either make the Opening Day roster or be used as a trade piece before the conclusion of Spring Training. He hasn't exactly enhanced his value, issuing at least three walks in two of his first four appearances, none of which has lasted more than one inning.
Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz bounced back from Friday's rough outing Wednesday, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings while striking out four in his team's 12-5 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.
Foltynewicz is in the mix for one of the Braves' two open rotation spots but had struggled in his first two outings, allowing six runs in 2 1/3 innings, though only two runs were charged to the pitcher. He also issued four walks in those two outings but proved much better Wednesday.
Foltynewicz made his Major League debut last season with the Houston Astros, posting a 5.30 ERA and 14:7 K:BB ratio in 18 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He was part of the package the Braves received in the deal that shipped Evan Gattis to Houston this offseason.
--- Source: MLB.com