ATLANTA -- Hurston Waldrep may have pitched his way into the Braves’ starting rotation.
In his third career MLB start, the rookie right-hander stymied the Marlins as he allowed one run on four hits and one walk with a career-high six strikeouts over 6-plus innings as the Braves downed the Marlins, 7-1, in the first game of a split doubleheader on Saturday at Truist Park.
Waldrep has been up and down between Atlanta and Triple-A Gwinnett over the past week-plus. The club’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline was called up for a long relief appearance in the resumption of the Speedway Classic last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After being returned to Gwinnett following the Bristol appearance, Waldrep was recalled to Atlanta ahead of Saturday’s opener.
“I think that was the biggest thing was having a normal start and a normal routine and week, and kind of be able to prepare for it,” Waldrep said. “It was a good outing and I was happy with it.”
The Braves spotted him two runs in the second and one in the third. Waldrep’s lone blemish was when Javier Sanoja hit a leadoff double and was driven in by Xavier Edwards’ single in the top of the sixth.
Waldrep (2-0) earned his second Major League win and he became the ninth Georgia-born starting pitcher to earn a win for the Braves in his home state since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966. He’s the first since Lucas Sims in 2017.
Braves manager Brian Snitker indicated that Waldrep will be part of the starting lineup in the future.
“He wasn’t the 27th man [for the doubleheader], so I’d probably say so,” Snitker said.
With every starter in the Braves’ Opening Day rotation on the injured list, Waldrep could be an invaluable addition to an injury-plagued pitching staff.
“It’s my job [and] that’s what I have to do,” Waldrep said. “I’m here in whatever form or fashion that they need me. That’s been my goal from day one. If they say, ‘Hey go now,’ that’s what I have to do. It’s very unfortunate for those guys.
“I see it behind the scenes. They work very hard. A lot of those guys are very [deserving] of their positions. For me to be here and fill out that spot, that’s what I work for.”
Waldrep used the splitter to fan five of the six batters he struck out.
“The splitter was there,” Waldrep said. “It’s been reliable all year and that’s kind of what I’m known for is that I have it in my back pocket. I used it in several different counts -- early and late. I was using it to both hands and I’ve had a lot of success with it.”
When Braves catcher Sean Murphy was making a rehab start with Gwinnett on April 1, he caught Waldrep. Murphy subsequently came to Waldrep with the idea of developing a sinker, which Waldrep has thrown effectively.
“He kind of came to me with the idea of it and he was like, ‘We’ll give it a shot. We’ll try it to righties,’” Waldrep said. “As the year went on, we kind of used it to both hands. Both starts up here, it’s been to both sides. It’s produced a ton of ground balls and I’m really happy with how it’s played.”
Waldrep may have allowed two runs if not for left fielder Jurickson Profar. Profar robbed Marlins designated hitter Agustín Ramírez of a potential solo home run as he climbed the left-field wall and brought back what looked like a no-doubter on a day that umpire Jen Pawol made history. The ball looked as though it was headed into Miami’s bullpen before Profar stuck his glove out at the last second to make the catch.
Waldrep put his hands on his head in disbelief in reaction to the catch.
“That was unbelievable,” Waldrep said. “First off, [Ramírez] got to the pitch. Then, I was watching [Profar] and watching the ball like you do on something like that. I saw him jump on the wall. I saw him catch the ball as soon as he jumped. That was pretty cool.”
After allowing a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, Snitker pulled Waldrep, who received a standing ovation from the Truist Park crowd.
Waldrep said Pawol was behind the plate during his outings in Triple-A. She will call balls and strikes in Sunday’s series finale.
“It was really cool,” Waldrep said. “I was able to congratulate her. I can’t imagine how hard it is for her to have come up and everyone probably told her it was impossible. To be part of that -- they made a big deal out of it -- as it should be.”