— Shae Simmons faced 492 batters in his professional career since the Braves drafted him in the 22nd round of the 2012 FirstYear Player Draft before Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins became the first Major Leaguer to take him deep.
It was the first home run Simmons has allowed since his final year at Southwest Missouri State, when he gave up a long ball to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Devin Caldwell on May 18, 2012.
“It’s been long enough, I guess,” Simmons joked.
Rollins hit a low drive that plated the only two runs Philadelphia needed on Saturday night as Simmons suffered his first Major League loss. The ball was caught by a fan in the front row, only about a foot or two above Jason Heyward’s outstretched glove.
“Rollins is a good hitter, and I left the ball just over the plate enough for him to do something with it,” Simmons said.
The blast put into perspective not only how effective Simmons has proven at keeping the ball in the park, but how well the rookie has pitched since Atlanta purchased his contract from Double- A Mississippi on May 31.
Saturday night marked only the fourth time Simmons has allowed a run to come across in 20 2/3 innings. Entering Sunday, he owned a 2.18 ERA, and his eight holds ranked fourth among Braves relievers despite owning the second-lowest inning total on the active roster.
“Home runs happen; they’re going to continue to happen,” reliever Anthony Varvaro said. “I know he’s pitched very well since he’s been here, and I definitely know he hasn’t given up many hits, including home runs.”
Santana raises awareness for chikungunya virus
— Ervin Santana usually uses his Twitter account to post inspirational quotes, celebrate when the Braves win and use his signature catchphrase #SmellBaseball. But the pitcher adopted a more serious tone recently regarding the chikungunya virus.
Santana informed his more than 85,000 followers of the mosquito-borne virus that has taken hold of his native Dominican Republic. His parents, his sister, his grandmother and several other family members have been just a few of the 251,880 infected.
That number, reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accounts for nearly 2.5 percent of the Dominican Republic’s population of 10.3 million people.
“It’s a very dangerous disease,” Santana said. “It’s going on in the Dominican, and I hear it’s now here in Florida. It’s really bad. My family has it.”
The virus, common to Asia, Africa and Europe, recently spread to the Caribbean and has appeared in Florida this week. Although the virus is not deadly, it possesses numerous extreme symptoms that include high fevers measuring up to 104 degrees, swelling and pain in the joints, muscle pain, headaches, nausea, fatigue and rashes.
“You have a lot of pain in your joints, you don’t have energy,” said Santana, grabbing a ballpoint pen from his locker. “Just trying to lift a pen, it’s too heavy for you.”
Santana said the condition of his affected family members is improving, but that the virus stays in your system for a year following infection. Although a CNN report indicates the chikungunya virus won’t have nearly as dramatic effect in the U.S. as it has in the Dominican Republic, Santana still wants to create awareness.
“It’s tough, but we’ve just got to try and find a way to keep it away from everybody,” Santana said. “So we just have to talk to doctors to find out what is the best medicine for that.”
Venters rehabs, throws in back-to-back days
— Left-hander Jonny Venters threw for the first time on Friday since he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in early June. He also threw on Saturday, a workout consisting of 2025 throws from 60 feet.
There remains no timetable for a return, as the southpaw is taking it day by day.
“It feels good,” Venters said of his surgically repaired left elbow. “I’ve been throwing for a couple of days. Today’s my second day, so it’s light. So far, so good.”
Multiple bouts of elbow soreness have slowed Venters, who is attempting to return from his second Tommy John surgery. He is hopeful his recent PRP injection helps alleviate the soreness he felt so soon after his last break from throwing.
“It’s just part of the deal, part of the process,” Venters said. “I had to get through that rough patch. Hopefully it’ll build back up pretty quick, so we’ll see.”
Venters went more than five weeks without throwing in order to let the PRP injection take effect
“The program will gradually increase in distance and effort,” Venters said. “Build the arm speed back up, and then you get on the mound. So I have no idea about a time frame or anything like that. I’ve just got to build it back up.”