Sean Newcomb is out of the Braves rotation.
For now.
The left-hander was skipped from a scheduled start Saturday during this week’s final homestand of the season. Braves manager said the young pitcher will work out of the bullpen for now and the situation re-evaluated following an off day Monday before a regular-season ending six-game road trip.
“Just put the guys with the hotter hands, really,” Snitker said Friday before the Braves hosted the Phillies. “Stick him in the bullpen for the rest of the homestand and have the off day to regroup. I don’t think he needed a break. He just wasn’t pitching that great. I talked to him about that. We are going to go with the other guys pretty much. Just trying to pitch the guys who were going a little better.”
Newcomb has struggled of late. He is 2-4 in his past eight starts. In his past four starts, Newcomb has a 7.79 ERA.
The Braves moved Mike Foltynewicz and Anibal Sanchez up to start games against the Phillies on Saturday and Sunday.
“I don’t know that he won’t start again,” Snitker said. “We kind of want him to start at some point in time next week. We are just going to get through the weekend here, have the off day and see where we are at.”
Snitker acknowledged that there are many decisions to make regarding the rotation with the team on the verge of clinching the National League East and making its first playoff appearance since 2013.
Snitker was asked whether Touki Toussaint, the rookie who earned a victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday, would be considered one of the pitchers with a hot hand, “Yeah, he’s pitching real good,” he said. “We’d like to get him back out there again, too.”
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