LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Though the Braves have not yet filled the two rotation vacancies they had at the start of Spring Training, they have at least neared the end of camp with the fortune of sticking with their plan to use Julio Teheran, Bud Norris and Matt Wisler as their first three starters when the regular season begins.
When Teheran takes the mound to face the Nationals on April 4 at Turner Field, he will experience the honor of making his third consecutive Opening Day start when he is still just 25 years old. His candidacy for this assignment really did not draw much suspense. Norris is coming off a disappointing season, and the promising Wisler has made just 19 career starts.
"It's an honor to be on the mound for the first game of the season, and I'm excited that this time it will be at home," Teheran said.
Teheran surrendered two runs over six innings in his first Opening Day start, in Milwaukee on March 31, 2014. The young right-hander once again capably dealt with the added hoopla when he limited the Marlins to one run over six innings during last year's regular-season opener at Marlins Park.
Norris will make his Braves debut during the finale of the two-game series against the Nationals on April 6. Wisler will take the mound for the April 8 series opener against the Cardinals at Turner Field.
Because the Braves have two off-days during that first week, they have the option of bringing Teheran back for his second start on either April 9 or 10. They will not need a fifth starter until April 12.
Jhoulys Chacin remains the favorite to begin the season as Atlanta's fourth starter, but the Braves have not yet decided whether they will open the season with the veteran non-roster invitee in the rotation.
The Braves auditioned both of their other two rotation candidates -- Mike Foltynewicz and Williams Perez -- during Monday night's 12-9 loss to the Astros.
Making just his third Grapefruit League appearance, Foltynewicz surrendered four home runs and six runs -- five earned -- over three innings. The results were not pretty, but they could be attributed to the fact that he is still trying to catch up for time he lost while spending this winter recovering from the blood clot that sidelined him in September.
Foltynewicz is scheduled to start Saturday's Grapefruit League season finale against the Tigers. He would not need to be ready to fill Atlanta's fifth spot until April 12.
Perez surrendered four straight two-out hits, including a George Springer homer and a Carlos Correa triple -- during the fourth inning and then completed three more scoreless innings. Although it was encouraging to see Perez quickly right the ship, his stretch of success occurred after Springer, Correa and Colby Rasmus had exited the game.