The Braves are scheduled to start seven different pitchers in a seven-game stretch that began Friday.
The unusual scenario was the result of uncertainty over the health of veteran left-hander Paul Maholm, who missed his scheduled start Friday because of a sore elbow. David Hale started in place of Maholm for the series opener against the Padres in the major league debut for the right-hander from Marietta.
A dye-contrast MRI of Maholm’s left elbow showed no ligament damage and he’s been penciled in to make his next start on Friday (Sept. 20) at Chicago in a series opener against the Cubs, the team that traded him to Atlanta in July 2012. The Braves had to give Maholm several days to let the dye dissipate and his arm get back to normal before he could resume throwing.
Kris Medlen starts Saturday and Julio Teheran on Sunday in the series finale against San Diego. Mike Minor will start Monday’s series opener at Washington, followed by veteran Freddy Garcia on Tuesday and rookie Alex Wood in Wednesday’s series finale against the Nationals. The Braves are off Thursday.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said after next week the Braves could return to a regular five-man rotation. In the meantime, an extra two days of rest for Medlen, who will start on consecutive Saturdays barring a change of plans, also could be beneficial since Medlen already has pitched a career-high 174-1/3 innings.
That’s 21 above Medlen’s previous high set last season, when he had 138 innings in the majors and 13-1/3 innings at Triple-A when he was sent down to get stretched out for a late-summer move from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Despite the increased workload, Medlen said he feels fresh entering the final weeks of the season.
“I’m going to say I’m surprised by the way I feel now – I feel great – because I prepared myself for this,” he said. “Kind of crazy how good I feel right now.”
Scott Downs update: After being fitted for a splint on his broken right ring finger, lefty reliever Scott Downs was to see the Braves hand specialist for a follow-up exam Friday afternoon and said he expected to be cleared to pitch.
The finger was fractured Saturday when Downs was hit by a line drive back to the mound off the bat of Philadelphia’s Chase Utley.
“Talking to Downsy yesterday, he was really optimistic about tonight,” Gonzalez said before Friday’s game. “So we’ll see.”
Uggla, B.J. on bench again: For the fourth time in five games, sub-.200-hitting veterans Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton were out of the lineup Friday, replaced again by Jordan Schafer in center field and Elliot Johnson at second base.
When a local broadcaster asked Gonzalez before Friday’s game if making out the lineup had required an extra cup of coffee lately, the manager said: “Not really. Put the best player you think you can win today’s game with. That’s what we’ve been doing here the last three or four games.”
