Julio Teheran’s health has improved, and the Braves expect the veteran pitcher to make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Blue Jays, manager Brian Snitker said Saturday.
Teheran felt sick after his Wednesday start in New York and was sent back to Atlanta to rest rather than accompany the team to Milwaukee for a four-game series that runs through Sunday. Snitker said he was scheduled to throw his regular between-starts bullpen session Sunday at the Braves’ Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate, since there are catchers there to handle it.
“He’s feeling good,” Snitker said.
Teheran gave up five runs, two homers and four walks in five innings of a 6-2 loss to the Yankees on a hot, humid afternoon, then sat at his locker nearly motionless for about 15 minutes after the game, with a towel over his head, looking exhausted. He told a team representative that he felt sick and declined to speak to reporters. The Braves opted to send him home on a commercial flight so that he could rest and prepare for his next start.
The two-time former All-Star is 6-6 with a 4.47 ERA, and in his past eight starts he’s 2-5 with a 5.56 ERA. He’s allowed nine homers and 25 walks in 43-2/3 innings over the latter stretch including three or more walks in all but one start.
He’s had an erratic season: In 17 starts, he’s allowed one or no earned runs six times and four or more earned runs seven times.
The Braves have days off Monday and Thursday around a two-game series against the Blue Jays. Teheran is set to start the series opener and the Braves haven’t determined who’ll start Wednesday in place of Max Fried, who went on the 10-day disabled list Friday for a finger blister.
Mike Foltynewicz, who gave up five runs in six innings and took the loss in Friday’s 5-4 game, is an option -- perhaps the leading option -- to start Wednesday, when he would be on regular (four days’) rest. Snitker also mentioned the possibility of having Luiz Gohara move from his current bullpen role to make that start, or to have several relievers combine to make it a “bullpen game.” He said the Braves could also consider bringing up another starter from the minors.
