Braves right-hander Julio Teheran had some rough starts but said he didn’t understand why anyone would speculate he’s hurt because he wouldn’t pitch if he felt pain.
Sure, Teheran needed to throw more fastballs, but he wasn’t about to panic and make any drastic changes after three subpar outings. After all, his overall approach had worked out well for him in his young career.
Now all of the questions about what’ s wrong with Teheran can cease for at least a few days. He was back to All-Star form against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday while pitching six shutout innings in a 5-0 Braves victory.
“This is more the Julio Teheran that we’ve seen in the past,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
Teheran was staked to an early 3-0 lead and never came close to giving it back.
The Reds managed just three singles against Teheran, one of them pitcher Johnny Cueto’s slow roller down the third-base line. Only Brandon Phillips made it past first base against Teheran.
Teheran left Phillips stranded at third base to end the second inning and then retired 12 of the next 15 batters he faced. Teheran struck out five consecutive batters spanning the fourth and fifth innings and the Reds popped up to infielders for all three outs in the sixth.
Teheran had six strikeouts and just two walks.
“I was feeling good,” Teheran said. “My fastball was coming out good from my hand. All of my pitches were good. I was really focused in this game.”
After Teheran’s last start, he met with Gonzalez and pitching coach Roger McDowell to figure out how to get him back on track. They decided that Teheran needed to throw more fastballs of all varieties because he’s got good control and movement on those pitches and can use them to set up his other pitches.
Teheran came out throwing fastballs from the start to make it clear he was back in command.
“I’m never going to sleep on Julio,” Braves outfielder Jonny Gomes said. “If our backs are against the wall, I feel we are going to go to him more often than not.”
While Teheran worked his way through Cincinnati’s lineup with relative ease, the Braves touched Cueto for five extra-base hits and five runs over six innings.
Cueto isn’t accustomed to getting hit like that. The NL Cy Young runner-up in 2014, Cueto had pitched at least seven innings in his previous five starts while posting a 1.95 ERA and 0.73 walks and hits per inning pitched.
“If you would have told me we’d score five runs against Johnny Cueto and he would only go six innings, I might have stopped and got some lotto tickets also,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He’s tough. Maybe we caught him on a good day but our guys battled.”
The five earned runs allowed by Cueto were the most since the Cubs got to him for six runs in 5 2/3 innings last Sept. 16. Cueto allowed more than four earned runs in just two of his 34 starts in 2014.
The Braves scored three runs against Cueto before he could record two outs. Andrelton Simmons and Freddie Freeman knocked consecutive doubles before Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer.
Gomes hit a home run against Cueto in the third inning and Cameron Maybin added an RBI single in the sixth.
“Cueto is no slouch out there,” Gomes said. “We jumped on him early. The approach was to not let him get to his secondary pitches and it worked out.”
It could have been worse for Cueto. The Braves left three runners stranded in the second inning after Christian Bethancourt led off with a double and Cameron Maybin walked.
Teheran moved them over with a sacrifice and Nick Markakis reached base on an odd fielder’s choice by second baseman Brandon Phillips.
Phillips fielded Markakis’ slow groundball cleanly but froze as Bethancourt broke for the plate. Bethancourt returned to the bag and Phillips still had plenty of time to get Markakis but hesitated before throwing late to first baseman Joey Votto.
The Braves couldn’t take further advantage of the miscue. Simmons popped out to Votto and Freddie Freeman’s drive to centerfield fell to Brennan Boesch at the warning track.
That missed opportunity ended up not mattering with Teheran back in control. The staff ace had been uncharacteristically ineffective in his past three starts.
He was 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in those outings as opponents hit .333. The Braves gave Teheran an early 9-1 lead against the Nationals in his last start and he ended up giving up 10 hits, seven runs (three earned) and two home runs.
This time Teheran kept the Reds down after Braves hitters roughed up Cueto.
“That’s big, the run support, and I know they have been doing that,” Teheran said. “My last game they did it and I didn’t fight like I was supposed to but today I feel like I needed to focus and fight.”
Relievers Cody Martin, Michael Kohn and Luis Avilan combined to limit the Reds to two singles and a walk over the final three innings as the Braves earned their second shutout of the season.
