An MRI taken Wednesday on Braves left-hander Paul Maholm revealed no structural damage in his pitching elbow. The Braves had sent the left-hander back to Atlanta to undergo a dye-contrast MRI after he had some lingering soreness in his elbow.
The Braves plan to skip his next start and then re-evaluate. The Braves plan to pitch recent September call-up David Hale in Maholm’s place on Friday against the Padres at Turner Field, starting the Marietta native in his major league debut.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Maholm would need a minimum of three or four days anyway after having his elbow injected with dye anyway.
Gonzalez said Maholm indicated he’d felt discomfort during his start Sept. 2 against the Mets, when he allowed three runs in five innings of a 13-5 win. Gonzalez said Maholm toughed it out against the Phillies on Sunday. Maholm was effective too, allowing only two runs in six innings in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Maholm did not figure to be among the top three Braves starters heading into the postseason, with Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Kris Medlen leading the way, but Maholm provides a rare veteran presence in a young rotation that also includes rookie Alex Wood.
