Just one day after Washington’s Max Scherzer missed a perfect game by an elbow, Julio Teheran approached perfection of his own Sunday evening against the Mets.
After walking Curtis Granderson to start the game, Teheran retired 12 consecutive batters before Wilmer Flores hit a single to lead off the fifth. Only one batter reached base in the rest of Teheran’s seven-inning outing — another Granderson walk in the sixth.
The performance marked the second time in Teheran’s career that he’s tossed at least seven innings while allowing just one hit, the first time coming against the Pirates on June 5, 2013.
The Braves’ up-and-down starter needed only 78 pitches to get 21 outs from 23 batters in Atlanta’s 1-0 win. He struck out five and and he could have gone longer if manager Fredi Gonzalez didn’t pinch hit for him in the bottom of the seventh after Ryan Lavarnway hit a two-out double.
(Right decision: Pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco singled in the game’s only run.)
Teheran continues to perplex with his Jekyll-and-Hyde-like performances at home and on the road. In seven games in Atlanta, Teheran is 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA, 40 strikeouts, 12 walks and a .173 opponent batting average.
In eight games away from Atlanta, he’s 1-3 with a 7.17 ERA, 29 strikeouts, 20 walks and a .366 opponent batting average. His last road outing in Boston was definitely a Jekyll, as he allowed 13 hits and six runs before getting pulled in the seventh.
“It’s different when you play at home and you’ve got the fans,” Teheran said. “Just trying to do the same thing and bring it on the road with us. I know it’s been difficult. … Just trying to take this game and bring it to the road and just trying to keep doing what I did today.”
Lefties have given Teheran heaps of trouble this year, hitting .326 and slugging .546 off him before Sunday’s game. The Red Sox threw five lefties at him last week in Fenway, and they got six hits and knocked in four runs.
The Mets only had two lefties in the lineup on Sunday — Granderson and Lucas Duda — who combined to go 0-for-4 off Teheran with Granderson’s two walks.
“Julio made some adjustments from the last start against those lefties,” Gonzalez said. “I know he had two of them, but they were two pretty good ones in Granderson and Duda that he had to deal with.”
Granderson entered Sunday’s game batting .260 off righties with eight homers and 19 RBIs. Duda was batting .246 off righties with six homers and 21 RBIs.
Teheran next pitches against the Pirates, a team favorably loaded with right-handed hitters.
But it’s on the road in Pittsburgh, where opponents have hit .320 off Teheran in his career.
“I’m sure you look at the stat pack and you look at day games and night games, and lefties and righties, and there’s always a reason to play somebody or a reason not to play somebody,” Gonzalez said. “So I don’t really pay too much attention to it.”
With the win Teheran improved his record to 5-3 with a 4.67 ERA.
