During a start in Atlanta back on May 4, Mike Foltynewicz let up six earned runs while laboring through a disastrous second inning against, of all teams, the San Francisco Giants. Since that frame, however, few, if any, hurlers around the league have been as dominant as the Braves’ flame-throwing righty.

 

On Friday, Foltynewicz punched out 11 Washington Nationals en route to the first complete-game shutout of his career and has now allowed a mere four runs (two earned) alongside a 10.3 K/9 across his last 35.0 innings. He required just 106 pitches (73 strikes) to retire 27 batters Friday evening and was still touching the high-90s on the radar gun as he struck out Bryce Harper to finish things off.

 

Could Foltynewicz be emerging into an “Ace” for the surprising Braves? It certainly seems like a possibility at the moment. Time will tell.

 

 

Saturday on the Hill

 

Staying in that same N.L. East series, Gio González will be on the bump to oppose the Braves on Saturday afternoon. The veteran southpaw logged 7.2 scoreless innings at Baltimore this past Monday and his 2.10 ERA currently ranks fifth-best in the majors. Gonzalez has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last six starts, but the Braves boast a strong .188 ISO and .828 OPS versus left-handed pitching on the season.

 

Trevor Cahill put the final touches on a great month with eight shutout frames against the Rays on Monday. The 30-year-old righty posted a 1.73 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 22-to-4 K/BB ratio across 26.0 innings (four starts) in May. Cahill appears to be in a friendly matchup at Kansas City for his first June start Saturday afternoon.

 

It has been an up-and-down couple of months for David Price so far this season, but lately, things have been far more up than down. Over his last four starts, the Boston lefty has turned in a 2.49 ERA and 9.6 K/9 while holding the opposition to a .191 batting average across 25.1 innings. Price has issued 10 free passes during that same time frame, so he will definitely need to improve his control a bit for Saturday’s meeting with the Astros.

 

 

Streaking

 

Freddie Freeman will ride the league’s longest current hitting streak into play Saturday. The All-Star first baseman picked up a pair of singles Friday night and has gone 22-for-56 alongside a .934 OPS while hitting safely in each of his last 14 games. Freeman has extensive experience with Gio González , as he is 14-for-45 with four homers versus the Washington hurler.

 

Edwin Encarnación regularly starts seasons off slowly only to heat up with the weather. That script is playing out once again for the Cleveland slugger. Encarnacion has hit safely in eight straight games, going 14-for-33 with four home runs and three doubles. The Indians will face off with Lance Lynn in Minnesota on Saturday.

 

 

You can follow Nate Miller on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad or hear him every Monday & Thursday hosting the Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Podcast along with Colby Conway.