Ian Anderson Has Strong Night for Braves Triple-A Team

He's a bit away from heading back to Atlanta, but Anderson's recent start for Triple-A Gwinnett was a leap forward

Another step in the right direction for Anderson | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ian Anderson had the start the Atlanta Braves were hoping to see out of him on Sunday. He pitched five scorless, no-hit innings against the Durham Bulls, walking three while striking out four. He retired the final seven batters that he faced. Andreson threw 41 of his 62 pitches for strikes (66%).

It was a nice progression from his previous outing. He threw only six more pitches and went two more innings. Allowing three fewer baserunners was also a good improvement.

When discussing his last outing, a major sticking point was the effectiveness of his fastball. It still needs work, but Anderson had its moments with the pitch. He missed the zone quite a bit while also getting some one-pitch outs with them. Some of those outs came when hitters chased a pitch that would have been well off the plate.

Outside of the fastball, his breaking pitches (changeup, curveball and slider) all showed effectiveness, getting hitters to chanse and throwing them fro strikes.

Having a no-hit bid each time is unrealistic, but pitching at this level while stretching out further will get him to where he needs to have a shot at taking the mound against for the Braves. Outside of Spring Training, he hasn't done that in nearly three years.

Command was a major issue for him in Spring Training. He allowed 20 walks in 20 innings pitched in Grapefruit League action. The Braves ultimately decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Angels. He had troubles leaving pitches over the plate during his brief time as a reliever in Anaheim. He gave up 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings pitched.

After the Angels designated him for assignment, the Braves picked him back up with the intention of getting him back into starter shape. Two starts in and he's starting to shape up a bit more. A strong evaluation can be made once he gets another four or five starts in over the next month.