Atlanta Braves at Arizona Diamondbacks preview: Julio Teheran day
By Brad Rowland
It has been an uneven stretch of baseball (to say the least) from the Atlanta Braves, and that was evident this week as they were unceremoniously swept by the Seattle Mariners. Fortunately, Fredi Gonzalez and company will send their best pitcher (at least this season) to the mound in the form of Julio Teheran, and that brings immediate optimism to the table to get the momentum turned around.
The 23-year-old Teheran currently sports a top-5 ERA in all of baseball at 1.83, but despite the fact that his WHIP is a shiny 0.93, there are some peripheral concerns about Julio. Teheran’s FIP sits at just 3.67 after 12 starts and more than 83 innings, but that could easily be a mirage, especially given his solid strikeout-to-walk rate (3.3 to 1). Arizona’s offense certainly has not been the biggest problem for them this season, but if Teheran has his top-level arsenal, it could be a breezy evening in the opener.
On the mound for Arizona is veteran right-hander Brandon McCarthy, who has been roughed up to the tune of a 5.20 ERA in more than 72 innings this season. After a solid stretch, McCarthy has allowed 5 earned runs in back-to-back starts, and that has helped to continue the ugliness that is the run prevention unit for the Diamondbacks. Arizona has the distinction of being last in all of baseball in runs allowed (yikes), and hopefully, the Atlanta bats can continue that onslaught.
Here is a look at the particulars for Friday:
Date: June 6, 2014
Start Time: 9:40 pm ET
TV Channel: Fox Sports South
Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates
Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)
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