Anderson roughed up in last spring start
Shenendehowa graduate gives up three home runs in one inning vs. Red Sox
Shenendehowa graduate Ian Anderson ended spring training with a rough outing for the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon.
The pitcher gave up three home runs in the third inning and was lifted with two out against the Boston Red Sox in Venice, Fla. He’s scheduled to make his first regular-season start on Sunday at the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I feel good,” Anderson said. “My stuff ’s good. I’m happy with that part. But, yeah, it’s been weird. I haven’t been able to kind of get out of that last inning. It’s a couple times down here, so I don’t know if it’s a focus thing, or what. I have confidence in my stuff still and I feel I’m at a good spot so I’m definitely going to take that into opening weekend when it really counts. It’s definitely frustrating, but I’ll try to take the positives out of it.”
Anderson allowed solo homers to Kike Hernandez and J.D. Martinez, both former Tri-city Valleycats, on changeups and then gave up a two-run homer to Marwin Gonzalez on a 3-0 fastball that gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead.
“Just didn’t execute,” he said. “That’s part of it, but I’ve got to find a way to get through those innings.”
Anderson, who was supposed to go three innings, was lifted with two outs in the third in favor of Thomas Burrows.
Anderson allowed only one homer in 51 innings, including playoffs, during an impressive first season last year that ended with him starting Game 7 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers. He allowed five homers in spring training this year.
“I think that was one of the things I did a good job of last year that allowed me to have some success, was limiting the hard-hit balls and the home runs, especially,” Anderson said. “It’s something I’m going to try to get back to. Obviously, with the small sample size last year, it’s probably not going to be quite as good, but I think that’s a big part of my success is being able to limit (that) and limit those big innings, and I think that’s another thing I did good last year, was getting out of those big innings with one or two runs instead of three or four. When the games start to count, hopefully, I can bear down and I know I have it in
me.”
Before the game, Braves manager Brian Snitker said a successful second season for Anderson will involve making adjustments to batters.
“The league’s going to adjust to him,” Snitker said. “He’s not going to surprise anybody anymore. They’re going to have video and that’s part of this whole process is adjusting with the league. Handling expectations and all those things that come with being a second-year guy. Knowing the makeup player he is, the stuff and everything, he’s up to the task.”