Braves pitcher Julio Teheran didn’t look right. In fact, he didn’t look like the pitcher that had 12 strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers or the pitcher that has a sub-3.00 ERA.
Instead, he looked like a pitcher who was hurt and that was the case on Sunday afternoon.
Teheran battled through a blister on his right foot and was noticeably uncomfortable. He only went 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs. He also gave up a home run to Miami’s Derek Dietrich that broke the game open.
“I was trying to protect my feet because whenever it was dragging, I was feeling it,” Teheran said. “I was trying to find a way to pitch and not hurt my blister. Sometimes when you get into stuff like that you start to mechanically get a little shaken and that was what I was feeling.”
Teheran showed his emotions in the fourth inning. He hobbled through an at-bat against Miami’s Marcel Ozuna. He couldn’t land on his right foot and jumped around several times. He also couldn’t find the plate. He missed wildly on a few pitches and didn’t have his command.
Eventually, he drew a visit from the Braves’ training staff. They allowed him to continue the inning, but not before he recorded the loss.
One day later, the blister still remains. However, Teheran says that treatment and rest has helped the situation.
“I just got to get it right and healthy and get the blister out,” Teheran said. “I think I’m going to be fine and doing what I did before.”
What he did before was impressive. In his previous six starts, before Sunday, Teheran had a 0.89 ERA and held opponents to a .174 batting average. He was arguably the Braves’ best pitcher and a potential candidate for the All-Star game.
Braves manager Brian Snitker felt the injury bothered him, but he believes that it was something that can be managed.
“He battled his way through it,” Snitker said. “That blister was giving him a little problem with his foot, then he kind of regrouped, I thought.”
The Braves will continue to monitor the injury. Teheran has been told to treat it around the clock. The reason is to speed up the healing process. One of the things this includes is covering the area to prevent further damage.
“Hopefully we get it right before my next start,” Teheran said. “I don’t want to get it before my next start and then keep doing what I was doing yesterday.”
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