Braves right-hander Julio Teheran’s effectiveness over 5 1/3 innings Wednesday was one argument for letting him pitch to Dodgers slugger Adrian Gonzalez at a pivotal point of the game. He’d already retired Gonzalez twice.
But there were arguments against it, too. Lefties beat up Teheran in his previous three starts and Gonzalez has a good track record against him. Also, Teheran’s pitch velocity was down after he had his start pushed back a day because of illness.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez considered all of those factors and opted not to take a chance with Tehran against Adrian Gonzalez. He pulled Teheran in favor of left-hander Eric O’Flaherty with one out and a runner on first, and Adrian Gonzalez smacked O’Flaherty’s second pitch over the center-field wall to tie the game 3-3.
“I felt like Julio had given us all he had,” Fredi Gonzalez said after the Braves lost 5-3 in in 10 innings.
Gonzalez’s home run cost Teheran a chance to earn a win and quality start. He limited the Dodgers to six hits and two runs while three strikeouts. Teheran had thrown 75 pitches when Gonzalez replaced him following Justin Turner’s single.
Teheran said his strength was “a little down” but that he tried to forget about his health and concentrate on giving maximum effort. He said he wanted to stay in the game after Turner’s single.
“I think that I was doing fine,” he said. “Obviously it is a decision I can’t control.”
In 14 career plate appearances against Teheran before Wednesday Gonzalez was 5-for-14 with (.357) with a double, a home run and five strikeouts. Gonzalez was 1-for-5 with a home run in six plate appearances vs. Teheran in 2015 and flied out in his two at-bats against him Wednesday.
Entering Wednesday left-handed batters had hit .308 against Teheran this season with a.731 slugging percentage. In Teheran’s last start, lefty slugger Bryce Harper belted a grand slam that put the Nationals ahead for good.
