Sean Newcomb to start for Braves Wednesday against Toronto

Sean Newcomb talks about his start Wednesday against the Blue Jays

This is simple, really. There is no Mike Soroka, no Mike Foltynewicz, no Felix Hernandez and for now no Cole Hamels.

The Braves have to go with what they have, and the pitchers they have really have to do better for them to survive this purge on the starting rotation.

Sean Newcomb must do better. He's the one who wanted to be back in the rotation, and he must show he's worth keeping there. 

Newcomb gave up only one run on three hits in 3.1 innings in his first start against the Mets. Then last weekend, when the Mets were in Atlanta, Newcomb gave up six runs on six hits in 4.1 innings.

Right now, Newcomb is behind Max Fried in the rotation. He's the one who wanted to be a starting pitcher again. He convinced the Braves to give him another chance in the rotation.

And now, when they need him the most, Newcomb has his chance to shine as a starting pitcher.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos will look for help in the rotation, but he does not expect that help to be immediate.

“Even before last (Monday) night, even at the end of camp, we were still engaging teams in trade discussions," Anthopoulos said Tuesday in addressing the season-ending injury to Soroka. "I’m not necessarily optimistic that any comes to fruition anytime soon.”

So, Newcomb must do well. They need him. He gets his third chance Wednesday night when the 8-4 Braves host the 3-5 Blue Jays starting at 7:10 pm ET.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.