Braves lefty Sean Newcomb pitched his second consecutive, and third overall, scoreless relief outing in Friday's 2-1 win over Arizona.
After struggling with his command as the starter, the Braves optioned Newcomb to Triple-A Gwinnett. He had a pair of no-walk outings before getting promoted, and has looked like a different pitcher since returning.
“I’m loving the way he’s going at it,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m loving the stuff, the consistency. He’s in the strike zone. It plays. It’s a marked difference from when he left.”
David Peralta singled off Newcomb in the 8th, but the inning was otherwise clean. The southpaw has looked confident, attacking opposing hitters in his three relief appearances.
Expect Newcomb to continue in this role for the time being. Snitker didn’t want to use him for multiple innings Friday because it was his first time going back-to-back nights, but multi-inning days, and even closing, is on the table.
“He’s definitely stretched out where he could do that for us,” Snitker said. “He could close games. If the need rose, I’ve got no problem pitching him in the ninth inning.”
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