DENVER – During their pregame warm-ups on most days of this road trip, Braves players have momentarily halted their work to take a moment and watch something incredible.
They fix their eyes on one of their teammates, then their heads shoot up as they follow the action. You can hear laughs and roars, oohs and ahhs.
Right-handed reliever Jesús Cruz has become must-see entertainment.
Equipped with his homemade slingshot, Cruz, standing on the field, has flung baseball after baseball into the early evening sky. Earlier this week, he slung a baseball that flew out – yes, out – of an open-roofed Chase Field. Before Thursday’s series opener at Coors Field, he whipped a baseball that hit the awning above the second deck in right field, which is connected to one set of stadium lights.
“I can throw so far,” Cruz said before Friday’s game against the Rockies.
You’re probably wondering: What is this slingshot and how did he craft it?
As a young boy in Mexico, Cruz observed his grandfather on a farm. His grandpa grew vegetables like corn, beans and chili peppers.
“When they put it in, a lot of birds go to take the seeds,” Cruz said. “So he made this slingshot to throw rocks and (drive away) the birds.”
Cruz’s grandpa taught him how to make a slingshot. He uses a piece of rope and ties a couple knots that act as loops. To throw something, he wraps one loop around his pinky finger while placing the soon-to-be projectile on the other side of the rope.
Then he swings it ‘round and ‘round before finally letting the object fly.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Collin McHugh said. “You see something new every once in a while at the park, and that was one of them.”
Added manager Brian Snitker: “I finally saw it (Thursday). I missed it in Arizona when he was throwing it through the roof. I didn’t know what they were talking about and he started swinging that thing around. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that is pretty cool.’”
When Cruz played in Mexico, he often found himself around orange trees. When the oranges were green, he would throw them with his slingshot. Then he moved to firing baseballs with it. He estimates he once flung something 700 feet.
The Braves recalled Cruz before their May 29 series finale versus the Marlins. As of Friday, he had allowed one earned run over two innings in two appearances. This came after he posted a 2.84 ERA over 12 2/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett.
“I feel more comfortable and I have confidence,” Cruz said. “I know I can do everything. It’s the same baseball. I just (can’t) miss some pitches because this level is the best one, so I make sure (to know) where I throw the ball.”
But before he even takes the mound, Cruz will probably already have impressed his teammates and coaches with his slingshot.
“Yeah, everybody is surprised how far I can throw the baseball,” Cruz said. “It’s fun to see, I think.”
Snitker on firing of Phillies’ manager
Recently, Snitker and Joe Girardi had what the Braves skipper called a “nice conversation.”
Their industry, however, is brutal. Girardi is no longer the Phillies’ manager as the club on Friday fired him.
“And I hate it, because he’s a great baseball guy,” Snitker said.
Snitker managed against Girardi in A-ball, when the former Yankees and Phillies manager was a minor-league catcher. Snitker has a lot of respect for Girardi.
But the job is tough and bosses expect results. Firings always occur.
“We all know that when we go into it,” Snitker said. “It’s just part of the job that you know can happen.”
Girardi’s bench coach in Philly, Rob Thomson, was named the interim manager. Years ago, the Braves named Snitker their interim manager after firing Fredi Gonzalez.
What does Snitker remember from being the interim skipper?
“Not a damn thing,” he said. “About as much as I remember about the playoffs last year.
“I just remember what a whirlwind it was. No sleep. The first two weeks, honestly, were kind of a blur.”
In 2016, the Braves won 20 of their final 30 games with Snitker at the helm. He earned the full-time job and the rest, as they say, is history.
A day off for Albies
Ozzie Albies was not in Friday’s lineup versus the Rockies.
Snitker said it is a scheduled day off. Albies had played in all 52 games to this point.
Snitker plugged in Orlando Arcia, who was in the lineup batting seventh and playing second base. The manager figured this would be a good game to give Albies a break and get Arcia out there, especially because Arcia had previous success versus Rockies starter Chad Kuhl.
Entering Friday, Arcia was 7-for-16 with a double, a home run and four RBIs against Kuhl. He had drawn two walks and had only struck out once in 18 plate appearances against Kuhl.
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