MLB Network analysts Mitch Williams and Dan Plesac weigh in on the Braves’ decision to demote Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Gwinnett:
Williams: The velocity, and more important, the location has not been there. Jair's been putting himself in too many hitters' counts and paying for it. I can't speculate on if his knee is part of the problem, but I had knee problems my whole career and it didn't affect my velocity. Jair needs to concentrate on executing pitches and the velocity will come.
Plesac: This is a mystery to me. His stuff has just not been there since the first half of 2011. It appears his confidence has been shaken, and Atlanta has had to empty their bullpen every time he starts. Jurrjens and the Braves keep saying he's healthy, but for me, I think people would be OK if he says the knee is still bothering him a little bit. If that's the case, Jair could get back to strengthening his knee and regaining his confidence to perform at the All-Star level we saw last year.
