Medlen gunning for record win streak Sunday; Bourn update
Kris Medlen gets a chance to make a little history Sunday. If the Braves beat the Mets and win his 23rd consecutive start, he will break a three-way tie he now shares with Carl Hubbell and Whitey Ford.
Medlen matched the feat reached by both Hubbell (1936-37) and Ford (1950, 1953 with two years of military service in between) when the Braves rallied to win his 22nd consecutive start Tuesday night and clinch a postseason berth in a 3-2 win over Miami.
“It’s awesome,” Medlen said of the streak. “It’s crazy, but any time you can get anywhere near some kind of record, it’s awesome. It’s what you strive for, especially with the couple of names up there too that I’m with. It’s already surreal, but obviously I don’t plan on it ending (Sunday). Hopefully keep it going.”
One of the keys to Medlen’s success in the rotation has been the development of his curveball. He’d been primarily a fastball/change-up pitcher but is now comfortable commanding his third pitch for strikes.
“I’m not fastball-change-up anymore,” Medlen said. “I almost feel like I’m about even with the curveball and change-up. It’s a different offer, and it’s all good.”
Medlen said it’s a pitch he was determined to throw more often even before he had his elbow reconstruction surgery, and being a starter has helped.
“As a starter you get the repetitions in to be able to get more consistent with everything,” he said.
Lineup watch
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said there’s a “good chance” Michael Bourn could return to the Braves lineup Sunday against the Mets. But the Braves are not going to rush him back from the sprained thumb which has kept him out of action since Saturday in Philadelphia.
“The big thing is we don’t want to get a setback,” Gonzalez said. “We’re running out of games and we don’t want to get a setback right now.”…
Gonzalez has indicated he plans to carry three starters, seven relievers and 15 position players on the roster for a potential wild card playoff game Friday. He said Wednesday Kris Medlen and Tim Hudson would be the first two starters the Braves carry and either Paul Maholm or Mike Minor would be the third.
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32 comments Add your comment
MyThoughts
September 29th, 2012
8:20 pm
YES
Michael Bourn could return to Braves’ lineup on Sunday | HardballTalk
September 29th, 2012
8:54 pm
[...] O’Brien of the Altanta Journal-Constitution reports that Bourn has a “good chance” of returning to the starting lineup for Sunday [...]
timboy6
September 29th, 2012
10:24 pm
Let’s keep it going Meds
Good win tonight. Glad to see Minor pitching so well.
1
timboy6
September 29th, 2012
10:24 pm
Let’s keep it going Meds
Good win tonight. Glad to see Minor pitching so well.
1
creaky
September 29th, 2012
10:30 pm
Minor over Maholm, please
glorydays
September 29th, 2012
10:43 pm
OK, here’s the questions out of left field (or second base). Would you trade Uggla for Espinosa? I would especially given the cost differences.
glorydays
September 29th, 2012
10:43 pm
OK, here’s the questions out of left field (or second base). Would you trade Uggla for Espinosa? I would especially given the cost differences.
kreedham
September 29th, 2012
11:08 pm
Why would you carry 3 starters for a wild card game if you can submit a new roster for the DS?
Just Asking?
September 29th, 2012
11:13 pm
Why wouldn’t you pick Mike Minor? I mean he’s the obvious choice by far. Right?
Banjo man
September 30th, 2012
6:35 am
Osama bin laden is alive
longtimefan
September 30th, 2012
6:45 am
You carry three starters because Medlen could get sick before the game, could get hurt in the first inning or could be unusually ineffective early. If the game goes to extra innings you might put in a starter not knowing how long the game would last. You manage differently in a winner take all last game.
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
7:53 am
Minor is in his zone; Crafty, changes speeds, nailing corners, mixing it up, the hitters were off balance. Sounds like somebody else we know. For years to come, Meds, Minor, Beachy, & who ever else can catch hold of this philosophy, If Teheran, or Delgado catch on(or both) our rotation would be solid. The Maddog philosophy, don’t try to blow hitter’s away, pitch to the defense, ball movement is key, Minor, Meds, & even Huddy got good ball movement, Solid & Crafty.
alanfalcon
September 30th, 2012
8:07 am
Medlin has been superior, but Minor has been lost in the rush, look back at his record and see how many games he pitched well enough to win but had no run support, it’s great to have these two you pitchers and next year we will have three when Beachy returns.
Medley Mania
September 30th, 2012
8:10 am
Go get it, Kris. Hope you are pitching the clinching game of the World Series this year.
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
8:35 am
Hope so to Medley, I’ve got the Medlen craze man, can’t find a cure, cause’ he’s lights out when he tows the mound. Meddog, the 2nd coming of Maddog, Just hope the bats come – a – rope’n, score some runs, course he don’t need many, but they do ease the tension.
Keith
September 30th, 2012
8:36 am
Way I see it:
WC: Medlen
Division Series: Huddy #1, Minor #2, Medlen #3
NLCS: Same first 3 rotation unless you can move up Medlen one spot with Minor #3…and have Maholm as your #4 if you need him.
WS: Same thing
Keith
September 30th, 2012
8:37 am
It will be interesting to see how the “rookies” (playoff-wise) do in the postseason. It gets crazy there. Hope their maturity continues!
Go BRAVES!
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
8:42 am
@alanfalcon; right on point, I think he observes, very reserved, like B-Mac said in the other blog, he sees Minor becoming more of a student of the game, & it’s just me, but I feel personally Minor feeds off of Medlens approach. Heck, I hope they all feed off of Medlens approach, Attacking the hitters, trusting you’re stuff, keep’n em’ off balanced, I’ll say it again, bein’ crafty.
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
8:59 am
Yeah, same here @Keith, & remember, this is new to fredi, man just hope he keeps it together. The Cardinals lose’n last night, there not out of the woods yet, w/ the Dodgers on there tail, what 21/2 behind them, it’s kinda like wait & see who we face for next friday.
Davey Sprocket
September 30th, 2012
9:20 am
@Keithe Here’s teh way I see it:
WC game – Medlen. Lose late 3-2. Go fishing.
Division Series: Watch Nationals dispatch the Cardinals
WS: same thing, over the Rangers. (anybody but yankers, whom I hate)
Book it!
Virginia brave
September 30th, 2012
9:38 am
David Ross real hair no gimmicks
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
9:39 am
Man all fired up! Glad to be a part of it, just the expectations of it all, don’t know, but as a fan, it’s a blast.
Dan Uggla's Swing
September 30th, 2012
11:45 am
@davey – there was nothing logical in your statement, except the going fishing part. Braves – WS Champs 2012!
Pal Joey
September 30th, 2012
12:00 pm
It’s a crap shoot. With only one game for a WC playoff, anything can happen. Let’s hope our offense gets in gear and gets some hits off the Cardinal (or Dodger) pitcher. I worry as much, or more, about that than I do the pitching. The offense can be very strong one game and look like powder puff whiffers the next. While the opposition pitching has something to do with that, we have too often seen this offense go against a mediocre pitcher and make that pitcher look like a Cy Young winner. So it isn’t only pitching we should be concerned about. The boys with the bats need to bring their A game as well.
Atlanta Braves Links of the Day For September 30, 2012 | Atlanta Braves Dugout Online | Atlanta Braves Blog
September 30th, 2012
12:03 pm
[...] Medlen gunning for record win streak Sunday; Bourn update [...]
One Big Dummy
September 30th, 2012
12:46 pm
I keep hearing “major league record” and “live ball era” record for Medlen’s streak… Did somebody have more than 22 consecutive wins in the dead ball era?
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
Medlen’s da Rockstar, sic’em Meddog!
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
12:53 pm
Offense, bust loose on some lumber, zone in you’re pitches let’s rip some frozen ropes. Solid rips, stay away from lollipops.
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
12:55 pm
Oh yeah, those birds of the Atl play’n around this time also, stay hungry Atl, keep the streak alive, all Jacked up about the teams.
ChipperisGod
September 30th, 2012
6:29 pm
Minor has grown up before our very eyes people. Remember in May and June when we were clamoring for him to be sent down? How much he struggled? Now he looks like a completely different guy out there. Has made the adjustment and proven he’s a big league pitcher.
The next few years with Medlen, Beachy, Minor are going to be nuts. Hopefully Huddy has a couple of good years left in him as well, and Maholm can be our fifth guy as an extremely solid pick up thus far.
Medlen’s movement on his pitches weren’t as good early on, but he settled in, in the second and third and really brought it. Gotta have a lot of faith with THIS GUY pitching next Friday.
Go Braves!
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
7:04 pm
@ChipperisGod; No better put, I think Minor is gett’n as crafty as Hamels, & I remember a great dominant lefty back in the day though Glavine was great, but I kinda see the old lefty in’em, o’l Steve Carlton, I know it’s goin’ back aways, but he dominated.
74bravesjersey
September 30th, 2012
7:05 pm
O’l Meddog will sic’em.