PHOENIX — A little over a year from the day he looked so frazzled in a fill-in start against Milwaukee, Mike Minor pitched like a savvy veteran Thursday night while working eight strong innings against Arizona in the hitter-friendly confines of Chase Field.
While striking out nine, walking none and allowing only five hits and two runs (one earned) in eight innings of a 10-2 win, it appeared as if the left-hander from Vanderbilt may have officially arrived, with all of 26 major league starts under his belt.
“He’s got the capability of doing that every night,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “He’s got great command, great stuff, can go both sides of the plate — he’s special. He’s a guy that keeps getting better and better.”
Coupled with his 7 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in Saturday’s win against Milwaukee, the series-opening performance against Arizona made Minor 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA and .143 opponents’ average in his past two starts, with one walk and 13 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.
“I felt great the whole game,” Minor said after throwing 112 pitches in a career-high eight innings, which he was particularly pleased about because it lessened the burden on the bullpen, just as his previous performance had done.
“It’s just really great for the team. It’s not really about me, it’s about the offense right now, the defense. They’re making good plays behind me. Without that, games could be a lot different.”
Perhaps, but Minor’s work is getting noticed by teammates who have seen him make steady and significant strides over the past 12 months.
“You always know he’s going to go out there and just pump strikes,” said Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had a career-high five RBIs Thursday on a pair of two-run homers and a double. “It keeps you on your toes. How many strikeouts did he have, nine? That’s fun. It makes us be relaxed, and we were able to take the pressure off of him and let him go out there just firing strikes. So it was a good game all around.”
Since losing the No. 5 starter battle with Brandon Beachy during 2011 spring training, Minor has developed in every conceivable way, but particularly on the mental side.
“He was awesome [Thursday],” said Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who watched Minor closely while sitting out the game with a tight knee. “The numbers actually could have been better. But he’s starting to realize that he belongs here, right in the middle of this rotation. I think since the first day of spring training he’s established himself as the most consistent [starter] thus far.”
Minor gave up seven hits, five runs and four walks in 4 1/3 innings against Milwaukee on April 6, 2011, while filling in on short notice for an injured Jair Jurrjens.
Sent back to Triple-A after that start, Minor returned to the majors in late May. He is 7-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 17 starts since returning, including 7-2 with a 3.40 ERA in his past 13.
“He’s headed in the right direction,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He’s growing up in front of our eyes, maturing, using that change-up behind in the count, 3-2 count. He threw some pretty good breaking pitches [Thursday].”
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