Garrett to return as Reds wrap up series vs. Braves (Jun 04, 2017)
CINCINNATI -- Rookie left-hander Amir Garrett is expected to return to the mound at Great American Ball Park on Sunday when the Cincinnati Reds play the finale of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
Garrett has been on the disabled list with hip inflammation since May 25.
"We had to get through (Friday), make sure he threw his bullpen (session) and had some recovery time," Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. "There were no issues with hip, no issues with his arm. Looking forward to having him back."
With Garrett back in the fold, right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla will move into a long-relief role and right-hander Asher Wojciechowski will be given a shot in the rotation.
"'Wojo' certainly has earned an opportunity to go out there and pitch and see where he's best suited, as a starter or a reliever," Price said. "Just trying to find the five best options."
Garrett will be only the fifth left-handed starter the Braves have faced this season, the fewest for any team in the major leagues. Atlanta owns a 2-2 mark in the previous four games.
"We haven't faced too many left-handers this year," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's just something different. We'll have some video on him."
Atlanta is 21-28 against right-handed starters. Entering Saturday's game, the Braves were batting .262 vs. righties, the eighth-best average in the majors.
Prior to the injury, Garrett went 3-3 with a 6.00 ERA in eight starts. He began his major league career with 12 consecutive scoreless innings, tying Billy Rhines in 1890 for the second-longest streak to begin a Reds career. Wayne Simpson in 1970 had 15 straight scoreless innings to begin his career.
Garrett has endured the ups and downs typical of a rookie hurler, with 22 of his 30 earned runs allowed coming in three starts -- including 13 in his past two outings. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his other five starts.
The Braves will counter with right-hander Julio Teheran, who is 4-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 11 starts with 33 earned runs allowed in 61 2/3 innings. Teheran is 2-2 with a 2.23 ERA in five career starts against Cincinnati. He last defeated the Reds on May 3, 2015, when he tossed six shutout innings with six strikeouts in a 5-0 win at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati (25-29) is hoping to get some good news injury-wise on Sunday after center fielder Billy Hamilton and right fielder Scott Schebler left Saturday's game with strained left shoulders. The injuries came as a result of the outfielders making outstanding defensive plays.
"We'll probably know better in the morning," Price said following Saturday's game. "Right now, it doesn't look like its serious enough to suggest the DL, but we'll learn a lot overnight."
Including Saturday's victory, Atlanta (23-30) has lost 11 of its past 18 games with the Reds, including seven of their last 11. The Braves are 21-33 at Great American Ball Park since the stadium opened in 2003, and have lost 25 of 37 games there since Aug. 21, 2007. The Braves have won one of the last eight series in Cincinnati, but have a chance to reverse that trend on Sunday.
