The Braves placed veteran starting pitcher Julio Teheran on the 10-day disabled list with a right thumb contusion Tuesday, the day after he gave up three homers in four innings against the Padres and left an 11-4 loss after a four-pitch walk to start the fifth inning.
“They looked at it and just think it’s something that’s going to hamper his next start,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the decision to disabled Teheran, who jammed the thumb while batting in the fifth inning Monday. “The good thing with the 10 days (DL instead of the former 15-day DL) is he’s missing (only) one start, pretty much.
“We’ll see how he is. Hopefully he’ll miss a start and be back at ‘em.”
The Braves haven’t decided who’ll start Sunday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles in what would’ve been Teheran’s start, but there’s at least a pretty good chance they will use Sean Newcomb, Tuesday night’s starter against the Padres. The team has a day off Thursday and Newcomb would be on regular rest Sunday.
Because there are off days in the schedule both Thursday and Monday (on both sides of a three-game series against the Dodgers), the Braves could actually go with their current four starters on regular rest until June 16 before they’d need a fifth, at which point Teheran could come off the DL if he’s ready.
But Snitker said the Braves might instead bring Mike Soroka off the disabled list after he makes his second rehab start, which is scheduled Wednesday for Triple-A Gwinnett.
“After he starts tomorrow, he’ll be good to go by then, provided everything goes well,” Snitker said. “He wouldn’t have to make another (rehab start), I don’t think, because he’ll be extended tomorrow and be in line to go 85-90 pitches after tomorrow, which is all you’re probably looking for out of him anyway, first time out (after the DL stint).”
Soroka, who’s been rehabbing from a strained shoulder, could be inserted into the rotation as soon as June 12 in the first game of the next homestand if the Braves want to give other starters a little additional rest, as they’ve done plenty of times already this season and believe to be beneficial.
For now, the Braves only have their rotation lined up through the second game of a three-game series at L.A. this weekend. After Newcomb’s start Tuesday against the Padres, Mike Foltynewicz starts Wednesday’s series finale in San Diego, Brandon McCarthy start Friday’s series opener against his former Dodgers team, and Anibal Sanchez starts Saturday.
To take Teheran’s spot, the Braves purchased the contract of reliever Luke Jackson from Triple-A Gwinnett and flew him to San Diego on Tuesday morning. Jackson provided a fresh arm and multiple-innings reliever, if needed, with Luiz Gohara unavailable for a couple of days following a rough outing Monday.
It’s only the second career DL stint for Teheran, who’s in his sixth full season. He had a 15-day stint in 2016 for a strained lat muscle.
His velocity was down throughout Monday’s start and he injured his thumb when he got jammed by a pitch in the top of the fifth inning. Teheran said the reduced velocity had nothing to do with any injury and he came out only after the aching thumb prevented him from throwing with any control to start the fifth inning.
“It was just one of them nights when he didn’t have it, really,” Snitker said after Monday night’s game. “Velocity wasn’t great the last time out either, but he always finds a way. He was just missing locations (Monday). When he missed he missed bad, they hurt him.”
Teheran’s fastball velocity was in the 85-88 mph range Monday and only occasionally touched 89 -- it’s usually in the low-90 mph range on a good night -- and he gave up bases-empty homers to Eric Hosmer in the first inning, Cory Spangenberg in the second and Raffy Lopez in the fourth.
The Braves’ five-time opening-day starter and two-time former All-Star is 4-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 13 starts, and in his past five starts Teheran has a 6.11 ERA with eight homers allowed, 15 walks and 14 strikeouts in 28 innings.
X-rays taken at the stadium showed no structural damage, but Teheran said the thumb was still swollen and sore after Monday night’s game. The DL assignment will allow the thumb to heal and perhaps benefit him by giving him some rest, as his velocity’s been down several starts this season.
More than once Monday, Snitker and head trainer George Poulis talked with Teheran in the dugout between innings to make sure he felt OK in light of the reduction in velocity. Each time he said he felt fine and wanted to continue.
But after the thumb injury and four-pitch walk to Jose Pirela start the fifth, he didn’t object to leaving the game.
“I didn’t have feel in the fifth inning,” Teheran said after the game. “I know it wasn’t the best night for me, but I was kind of battling and competing like I used to do. Obviously it wasn’t my best; I wasn’t throwing hard. But I was competing, and then in that inning I couldn’t feel the ball -- the four balls (to Pirela) weren’t even close to the plate.”
Teheran was charged with five hits, four runs and three walks with two strikeouts in four innings and left with the game with the Braves trailing 3-2 and a runner on first base. The final run on his ledger came after Gohara entered and gave up six hits and six runs in just two-thirds of an inning in his first outing since returning from the bereavement list.
Teheran experienced a similar reduction in velocity in an injury-shortened April 27 start at Philadelphia, where he left after three innings with tightness in the trapezius muscle behind his pitching shoulder. His next start was pushed back a couple of days and was his his best of the season, with Teheran allowing just two hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings May 3 against the Mets in New York.
He followed that with six scoreless innings of four-hit ball with no walks and seven strikeouts May 9 at Tampa Bay. Teheran gave up four runs including two homers in his next start May 14 at Chicago, the first of five consecutive games in which he’s issued three walks apiece.
