Atlanta Braves have finally found their ace
As the Atlanta Braves continue preparing for the future, a leader has emerged on their pitching staff: 25-year-old Mike Foltynewicz.
On Saturday night, Atlanta Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz took the mound in search of yet another outstanding performance, and he did just that. On the night, Foltynewicz’s final stat line read 6.1 innings pitched, allowing only one run on four hits as he set a new career high in strikeouts with 11.
Prior to his last outing against the Phillies on July 31, the Braves had won nine games straight when Foltynewicz was on the mound. Just think about that for a minute.
We all know how hard it is to win multiple games behind one pitcher, because the last time any of us saw anything resembling this was Kris Medlen‘s 23-game win streak back in 2012. In Foltynewicz’s last 11 starts, the Braves have won 10 of those, and during that span he has 60 strikeouts.
One of the major things that the Braves have missed is an ace in their starting rotation. Julio Teheran had that title for the past few seasons, but continues to falter and cannot seem to be consistent enough. The one thing Foltynewicz now possesses that Teheran used to have is when Folty is on the mound the Braves are beginning to believe they have a chance to win.
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If you need any proof, look no further than his outing against the Dodgers out in Los Angeles. The Braves prevailed 6-3 over the hottest team in baseball, and he capped off an outstanding performance limiting the Dodgers’ bats to only three runs on six hits. The guy is so hot that he defeated a potential playoff team in the Arizona Diamondbacks twice in 10 days.
In his last 11 starts, Foltynewicz has faced six potential playoff teams in the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks and the Dodgers, and he has beaten every single one of them. Tell me a Braves pitcher who you can think of in recent memory that can say they’ve done that.
On the season, Foltynewicz is now 10-6, and with two months left to play he has an incredible opportunity to carry momentum into the 2018 season. The Braves organization is planning for the future with this rotation having Sean Newcomb and Lucas Sims in it, but Folty has been in their shoes. The one thing Atlanta has to do for the remainder of the season is give this rotation all the experience it can handle, and allow the young arms to learn from guys like Folty and Teheran.
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We all know the Braves are almost done with the rebuild, and can only hope they’ll be back in playoff contention sooner rather than later, but one thing is for certain. The Atlanta Braves have finally found their ace, Mike Foltynewicz.