Cespedes ruins Newcomb’s debut
Local product shines as Atlanta falls to NY
ATLANTA — Yoenis Cespedes made a smashing return from a six-week stint on the disabled list, hitting a grand slam as the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-1, yesterday in the first game of a doubleheader — spoiling the major league debut of Massachusetts product Sean Newcomb.
The left-handed starter from Brockton lost despite allowing just one unearned run and four hits in 61⁄ innings. Newcomb, who starred at Middleboro High and the University of Hartford, struck out seven and walked two, throwing 70 of his 96 pitches for strikes, including 23 first-pitch strikes.
“I felt pretty good,” Newcomb said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I was just being aggressive, trying to a attack the zone the whole time.”
“It was satisfying to watch. He was outstanding,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker to mlb.com. “He was on the attack and threw a lot of strikes.
“He was really good,” Snitker added. “It’s kind of like that brief sample you saw from him in spring training. . . . So good for him.”
Newcomb was originally a first-round pick (15th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2014 draft, but was part of the package sent to the Braves for shortstop Andrelton Simmons after the 2015 season.
At Triple-A Gwinnett this season, he was 3-3 with a 2.97 ERA in 11 starts, giving up 45 hits and 23 runs (19 earned) in 542⁄ innings, with 74 strikeouts and 33 walks. Those numbers propelled Newcomb up the charts, as MLB Pipeline listed him as the eighthbest left-handed pitching prospect.
Newcomb was called up after veteran Bartolo Colon was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He said the past few days waiting for his start to come has been the worst part.
“Just kind of sitting there and thinking about what everything was going to be like and not knowing what to expect,” Newcomb said. “But definitely once I got here this morning, I kind of just relaxed and I was ready to go.”
Snitker met Newcomb in the morning and liked what he saw from the young man who turns 24 tomorrow. “Yeah, somebody asked me what he looked like, and I said he looked great,” said Snitker. “There wasn’t anything in his face other than ‘Let’s go get ’em.’ ”
The 6-foot-5 southpaw retired 11 out of the final 13 batters he faced and recorded the first two outs of his career by getting Juan Lagares and Michael Conforto to look at breaking balls that were called for third strikes.
“I’d say after the first atbat — I got him, obviously — I was like, ‘All right, I belong here,’ and just kept going forward,” said Newcomb, who pitched with about 40 friends and family members in attendance.
His big, bending curveball, clocked in the mid70s, combined well with his mid-90s fastball.
“He was very much in command with everything he was doing,” said Snitker. “That was a very impressive outing.
“Yeah it was very encouraging, the whole thing. It’s refreshing, and it’s nice to see.”
New York took a 1-0 lead in the second, helped by Newcomb’s throwing error on a potential double-play ball.
“They didn’t get at him really good,” said Snitker. “He had the one play he didn’t make, otherwise he wouldn’t have given up any runs, probably.”
Cespedes, back from a strained left hamstring, said before the game that he still didn’t think he could run at 100 percent. The slugger didn’t need to go fast after connecting against Luke Jackson in the ninth inning.
Robert Gsellman (5-3) won his third straight start. He gave up three hits, two walks and struck out four in 62⁄ scoreless innings.
Brandon Phillips’ fourth homer for Atlanta cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth off Fernando Salas. But Mets closer Addison Reed got five outs for his 10th save, ending the Braves’ threegame winning streak.
After the game, Snitker said the Braves will determine “in the next couple of days” whether they keep Newcomb give him another start in five days time.