Mike Minor is leading the Braves’ rotation in wins (eight) and ERA (2.44), and he takes the mound Saturday against the Giants as the de facto ace of the Braves staff. But if the young pitcher showed signs since last year that he’s learned how to cope with failure, he’s also doing a good job of handling success as well.
Because if you ask Minor about his 8-2 record, and the fact that he’s tied for third in wins in the National League, he credits the Braves’ offense.
“It’s one of those things where I’m getting a lot of run support this year,” Minor said. “That’s one thing you can’t do anything about. Talk to (Kris) Medlen. His numbers are really good (2.87 ERA entering Friday) yet he’s only got three wins on the season.”
Minor is leading the National League in run support, with an average of 6.80 runs per nine innings when he starts.
While Minor has benefitted from pitching with leads, he’s also learned how not to psych himself out when he has to pitch from behind.
“Last year if I gave up three runs or something, I was like ‘Well, this game is over; we lost,’” Minor said. “When really it’s like ‘no, three runs? We can do that in one inning.’ They can come down to the last out and still get three runs. That’s just part of growing up.”
Graham update
Four weeks into his prescribed rest and rehabilitation for a sore shoulder, Braves pitching prospect J.R. Graham is playing some catch but he’s not yet throwing off the mound again. Braves assistant general manager Bruce Manno said the Braves are playing it cautious with Graham and he will take it slow. Graham remains at the Braves complex in Orlando.
Graham left a May 13 start for Double-A Mississippi with shoulder soreness. An MRI revealed normal wear and tear and he was diagnosed with a strain.
Graham is rated the Braves No. 2 prospect by Baseball America behind Julio Teheran, who has been pitching in the majors all season.
