ATL All Day
Fansided

Julio Teheran: Strong August, Promising September?

By John Buhler

facebooktwitterreddit

Julio Teheran has had Jekyll and Hyde type of season for the Atlanta Braves, dominant at home (7-1, 2.55 ERA in 13 starts) and lackluster on the road (2-5, 6.32 ERA in 13 starts).

Perhaps Julio Teheran’s splits best encapsulates what it means to play for the 2015 Atlanta Braves, take care of business at home while falling apart at the seams on the road.  However in the Month of August, Julio Teheran has pitched well for the Braves in his 5 starts regardless of venue (3-0, 2.73 ERA).  In a season built on lowered expectations for our Atlanta Braves, can we rely on Julio Teheran to pitch well for us down the stretch?

-= Atlanta Braves DFA Aardsma, Recall Bethancourt, Marimon =-

I cannot recall what start it first happened in, but ever since Julio Teheran has begun pitching from the first base side of the rubber, he has returned to his All-Star self.  We all suspected some type of lingering, undisclosed injury or a slight mechanical issue that was plaguing Julio in the first part of the season.  But when I started to notice that his ball was getting too much of the plate consistently, I knew that it was something else.

Live Feed

MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension
MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension /

FanSided

  • The cause and effect of the Braves alluring additions of Kelenic and Fletcher House That Hank Built
  • The 6 best Atlanta Braves who were never recognized as All-StarsHouse That Hank Built
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto update: Yankees on, Dodgers question, Braves wild cardCall to the Pen
  • World Series Odds: Which Teams Have Value after Shohei Ohtani Signing?Betsided
  • Braves finalize coaching moves after Wash-led exodusFanSided

    • Sure, a slight variation of arm slot could help Teheran throw more non-hittable strikes, but I began to wonder if the third base side of the rubber was causing more harm than good.  As a former pitcher who anchored himself to the first base side of the rubber to have better control over the outside corner to right-handed hitters, I thought this might have been an effective remedy to Teheran’s pitching ailment.

    Well, what do you know?  Julio Teheran is working from the other side of the mound to greater avail than he was in April and May combined.  Teheran has lowered both his season’s ERA and WHIP in August, allowing 4 or fewer hits in his last three starts.  He’s even had two strong outings in his most recent road starts, a six-inning no decision in San Diego on 19th and a rare road victory for the Braves on the 2nd against Philadelphia, going 7 innings of two-run ball.

    Atlanta should benefit from playing mostly home games down the stretch in the final weeks of the regular season.  The bats seem to only work at Turner Field for some reason.  Julio will get one more start in August against the New York Yankees this weekend and likely another 4-5 in September.

    More from Atlanta Braves

    Teheran sits at 9-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 26 starts.  Julio could end up with a dozen wins for the Atlanta Braves this year with an ERA in the 3’s.  Not bad considering how bad he started out in 2015.  With newfound confidence on the mound, Julio Teheran looks poised to have a strong September pitching for the Atlanta Braves.  Atlanta may not win often down the stretch but do expect the Braves to contend in Julio’s starts for the rest of 2015.

    Next: Braves End Losing Streak, Defeat Rockies 5-3

    More from ATL All Day

    Home/Atlanta Braves