pitching in

In a game notable primarily for the eight home runs belted by Baltimore hitters, former Mississippi Braves star Jeff Francoeur made his MLB pitching debut on Tuesday. It was an adventure, to say the least. The erstwhile outfielder threw 48 pitches, 25 for strikes, in two innings of mop-up duty in Philadelphia’s 19-3 loss. He struck out a batter, hit a batter, walked three and gave up a home run. The fact that he was left in for two innings — the bullpen phone was off the hook? — seemed to rile up Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, who reportedly was concerned Francoeur would hurt his arm. Francoeur, who has a cannon, pitched in high school and also threw in eight games in Triple-A in 2014. … Meanwhile, another ex-M-Braves standout, Charlie Morton, who actually pitches full-time, tossed seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox to lead Pittsburgh to its sixth straight victory, five of them shutouts. Morton is 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in five starts for the surging Pirates. Morton was an unspectacular 4-6, 4.29 for the M-Braves in 2007, but he threw a memorable gem in the Southern League playoffs that likely boosted his career. He made the big leagues with Atlanta in 2008, then was traded to Pittsburgh the next year. … Then there’s Craig Kimbrel, the former M-Braves closer who now toils for San Diego. His outing against Oakland on Tuesday was almost as rocky as Francoeur’s. Kimbrel allowed a hit, two walks and the go-ahead run in a 6-5 loss. Though he has 16 saves, Kimbrel’s ERA this season is 3.81; his career mark is 1.63.