It looks like the Atlanta Braves have found their No. 1 starter

The talk of Mike Foltynewicz going to the bullpen has been silenced. There is no longer worry that the right-handed pitcher will not be able to stick in the Atlanta rotation.

“Folty,” as he is called, has become Atlanta’s No. 1 starting pitcher in four short months. The potential everyone saw the past few years is being realized. Foltynewicz is putting it all together, and the Braves’ search for someone who can lead the rotation may be over.

“There’s a lot that’s really good to watch in him, how he’s matured and the confidence he has in himself, even pitch-to-pitch and how he’s regrouping and staying after it on the attack,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

On June 30, Foltynewicz almost no-hit Oakland. He gave up one hit in eight innings. That might have been his coming out appearance, showing everyone how good he can be on the mound. It was the middle of a seven-start stretch when he gave up just 14 earned runs (5-0, 2.95 ERA).

Then on July 31, Foltynewicz gave up five runs in four innings in Philadelphia. But instead of having two bad outings in a row, Foltynewicz bounced back with one of his best outings of the year Saturday night, with a season-high 11 strikeouts in a win over the Marlins.

That’s a huge sign of a young pitcher getting better.

“You don’t really want to keep going downhill after a bad start,” Foltynewicz said after getting his 10th win of the season. “I make it a goal of mine after every rough outing to come back out and be better than ever the next time. I take pride in that, coming out and being consistent. It’s very cool to see that, all your hard work pay off, and you come out and do well after a somewhat bad outing.”

We’ve all known that Foltynewicz has a great fastball. He maintains his mid-90s velocity late into games. But Foltynewicz also has found consistency with his breaking pitches — the slider and a hard curveball.

“It’s almost like he’s throwing them for strikes whenever he wants to,” Snitker said. “It’s almost like a go-to pitch for him, and that’s good. He then reaches back and gets a little more off his fastball. Just the command of those two pitches has been really good.”

“That was a struggle when I got drafted (by Houston as a 2010 first rounder),” Foltynewicz said. “They got rid of my slider for a couple of years and then brought it back. To get the feel of it at the major league level is a little tough, especially with these balls and the way they spin. It’s a lot of hard work to get to be able to throw them for strikes. It’s very cool to see all that hard work pay off.

“I’ve got pretty good confidence in all four of my pitches now.”

Earlier this season, there was concern about Foltynewicz’s behavior on the mound. He would get upset at himself or upset at an umpire, and he would show it by walking around, snapping the glove when the ball was thrown back to him. But recently, he has gotten past that, acting more like a more mature pitcher.

“He’s growing up,” team leader Freddie Freeman said. “Every start he’s letting the attitude go a little bit more. That’s what we need and he needs. Every time he does that he’s pitching better and better. He’s not letting one little pitch, one call that doesn’t go his way affect him the whole start. It’s been big for us and big for him.”

The Braves are trying to build a rotation for the future. It certainly will be easier having someone at the top like Foltynewicz. He’s Atlanta’s No. 1 starter, and while he may not be an ace pitcher yet, he’s getting there.

This story was originally published August 8, 2017 at 6:48 AM with the headline "It looks like the Atlanta Braves have found their No. 1 starter."