Teheran makes progress, then hits a wall

“Third start in a row when we can’t get (Teheran) through an inning when we needed him to,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said, dismissing questions suggesting that Teheran had tired. “That was the whole game, really. I mean, we go out there, we get one-two-three, we hand the ball off to (Jason) Grilli, we don’t blow up the bullpen, and we have a chance to win the series. A winning homestand. And that didn’t happen.”

A lot of things are not going to happen this season, at least not the kind of things that sell season tickets in a new stadium. But in a season when we’re being asked to look for the positives with an eye toward 2017 — and why isn’t everything half-price until then? — Teheran provided some measure of comfort Thursday.

He was the only certain commodity in the starting rotation. Alex Wood was coming off one full season as a starter and Shelby Miller was a young guy with potential, but he had a 3.74 ERA with St. Louis last season. But Teheran was coming off two outstanding seasons with a 2.89 ERA last year and 186 strikeouts in 221 innings.

This season: mediocrity. After getting beat up in his past three outings for 15 runs on 19 hits, seven walks and four homers in 18.2 innings, his ERA ballooned to 4.87. That ranked fifth among current Braves starters behind Miller (1.84), Williams Perez (2.78), Wood (3.36) and Mike Foltynewicz (4.72).

So by sheer numbers, Teheran had morphed from staff ace to the guy whose start you skip on off days.

But Teheran was solid for most of Thursday’s start. He had some bumps in the first when he hit Matt Kemp with two outs — leading both benches to empty — and then allowed a walk and an RBI single to Derek Norris. But he allowed only two base runners in the next six innings.

Then came the eighth.

“I had my strength. I was ready to go. Just trying to make my pitches like I did before, but they were swinging a little more,” Teheran said.

OK. Could that be because the pitches weren’t as good?

Single-single-walk. Exit.

Teheran denied he was fatigued. He said he appreciated the fact that Gonzalez let him go back out there, adding, “I wanted to get an out, but I wasn’t able to get that inning.”

Teheran has been mildly irritated a few times about being lifted for a reliever. But the truth is, Gonzalez has no reason to rush to lift any starter. Have you see this bullpen? I know he’s seen this bullpen. So by letting Teheran have three — three — batters in the eighth, the manager was giving him every opportunity.

You know how this goes. Dana Eveland, reliever No. 18 this season this season, threw a pitch that catcher Christian Bethancourt couldn’t handle (passed ball) to score one run (4-2). Then Eveland walked Justin Upton to reload the bases.

Drip … drip … drip …

Luis Avilan came in and walked Yonder Alonso to force home another run (4-3). David Aardsma replaced Avilan and struck out Derek Norris. Bethancourt — a defensive grease fire all by himself — then was called for catcher’s interference during Cory Spangenberg’s at-bat to bring home the tying run.

The eighth-inning roundup: five pitchers (most by the Braves since 1967), three runs, two hits, three walks, a passed ball and a catcher’s interference (error).

Teheran’s control hasn’t been as good this season. He has hit five batters in 13 starts — already one more than he had all of last season — and his walk-per-at-bat percentage is up to 9.0 percent (compared with 5.7 last season).

“I feel that I’ve been closer to where I want to be and where everybody wants me to be,” he said. “I think everything is coming back. I’ve been working. I’ve been trying to figure out what wasn’t working. I’m just trying not to think about (the bad starts) working on my location, trying to command a little more.”

Command is good. Phone calls to the bullpen, not so much.