Braves right-hander John Gant cut short his first rehabilitation start for Triple-A Gwinnett when he became ill on the mound during the first inning.
Gant was scheduled to throw five innings or 75 pitches on Saturday against Durham but threw just 29 pitches before departing the game. He allowed a lead-off home run and walked three batters before calling time and going to the back of the mound to vomit.
Gant is on the disabled list because of a strained oblique muscle that forced him to leave a Braves start on June 27. At the time of his injury Gant had a 3.38 ERA in four starts after posting a 6.17 ERA in seven relief appearances. He made one rehab appearance for Rome on Tuesday and allowed one hit over three innings while throwing 41 pitches.
The Braves have used 14 starting pitchers this season, tied with the Reds for the most in the majors. They’ve had to readjust their rotation several times because of injuries, trades and ineffective starters getting demoted to the minors.
