Mike Minor is struggling right now, and after an extended period of woe, Fredi Gonzalez and the Atlanta Braves have decided to try a method of reinvigorating their still-young left-hander. Minor will be skipped during the next turn of the rotation for the Braves, and as a result, his next start will not come until August 12th against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The #Braves will skip Minor's next turn. Minor's next start will be Aug. 12 vs LA
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 2, 2014
The 26-year-old was, once again, hammered during a blowout loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday night, but that was simply the latest in what has been a rough campaign for Minor. In 17 starts and 98 innings (which is a problem in and of itself), Minor has posted a 5.42 ERA, and while the peripherals indicate that he has been quite unlucky (3.76 xFIP, .354 BABIP, 15.9% HR/FB rate), there is no doubt that Minor hasn’t been pitching well in recent days.
Because of off days, the Braves will not be forced to use a spot starter or anything of the sort, and that makes this an opportune time to give Minor a mental break. Much will be made about his next start, but with a pitcher that exhibits the pedigree of Mike Minor, patience is optimal in this spot, and hopefully, this break to snap him out of the recent funk.