Mudcats’ pitchers moving up Braves’ minor league ladder

Players come to Zebulon to move one step closer to the big leagues, and two Carolina Mudcats did just that this week.

The first was Matt Marksberry, a 24-year old, left-handed relief pitcher who posted a Carolina League-best 0.175 batting average against in 22 appearances this season. Marksberry made the rare jump from high Class A to Triple A and the Gwinnett Braves on Monday.

In his first appearance with his new team Tuesday, Marksberry tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings and struck out two.

“That was probably the first time I had ever seen someone I know get called up from high A to Triple A,” said Steve Janas, who was promoted to Double A on Thursday.

Janas, a 6-foot-6 right-handed starter, went 4-0 in his first five starts with the Mudcats, allowing just two runs and striking out 19 in 25 innings during the stretch. He was hurt in the Mudcats’ May 12 bus accident, and like several of his fellow starting pitchers, Janas went on the disabled list for almost two months.

He returned last Saturday against Myrtle Beach. Janas pitched five scoreless innings to lower his season ERA and WHIP to 0.49 and 0.59, respectively, and found out Wednesday that he would be promoted to the Double A Mississippi Braves.

“Being more consistent and having a little more confidence out on the mound,” Janas said when asked about his success this year. “I added the cutter last year and that's made a big difference. I don't throw it too hard, so I've got to keep it low and hopefully keep the ball on the ground.

“It's really tough to leave these guys. We've been battling, we went through a dang bus crash. It's unfortunate, but I'll see them again.”

The Mudcats' pitching success continued Wednesday when left-handed starter Blair Walters allowed just one run in seven innings and struck out five, propelling Carolina to a 4-1 victory against Winston-Salem.

“I hope to see (Janas) up there (in Double A) myself soon,” Walters said. “You don't really talk about it, but when you go out there and see what he did, you say 'I want to match that.' It's just quiet motivation.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Mudcats’ pitchers moving up Braves’ minor league ladder."