LIVE: Can Medlen stake his claim in Braves’ rotation?
Kris Medlen makes his second of at least three starts today for Braves, but will he stay in rotation? (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Hello. It’s hot. (Old journalism training: Don’t bury the lead.)
The Braves close out what has been a successful home stand (7-2) against Houston, and what happens in today’s game against Houston could impact their starting rotation as much as it doesn’t the National League East standings.
Kris Medlen will make his second start after winning 7-1 over Miami last week. In his first start in two years — Tommy John surgery followed by relief work — Medlen allowed only one run and four hits and needed only 57 pitches to get through five innings. (A lengthy rain delay ended his night.)
He is scheduled to make at least one more start next Saturday at New York, but then the Braves will have a decision to make. The rotation currently looks like this: Tim Hudson, Ben Sheets, Paul Maholm, Mike Minor and Medlen. Tommy Hanson, who went on the disabled list July 31 with what’s believed to be a minor back injury, is eligible to be activated a few days after Medlen’s start against the Mets.
So what would the Braves do? Hudson, Sheets and Maholm will stay in the rotation. Presumably, so will Minor, who has strung together some nice starts after problems earlier in the season. That leaves three options: 1) Moving Medlen back to the bullpen, where he has been valuable; 2) Moving Hanson to the bullpen, which seems doubtful given that he has never pitched there in his career; 3) Going to a six-man rotation.
Medlen would be the easiest move, but if the guy looks strong against the Astros and Mets I don’t see how the Braves could do that to him. I may get into this more later in a post-game column, depending on how today’s game goes.
Today’s lineup is fairly standard, with the exception of catcher Brian McCann getting a day off: Michael Bourn (8), Martin Prado (7), Jason Heyward (9), Chipper Jones (5), Freddie Freeman (3), Dan Uggla (4), David Ross (2), Paul Janish (6) and Medlen (1).
That’s it for now. I’ll be here through the game to respond to your questions and vents. The cyber floor is yours. What are your thoughts on Medlen and the rotation?
By Jeff Schultz
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185 comments Add your comment
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
TampaGator who would you bump from the rotation then between Hudson, Hanson, Sheets, Maholm, and Minor? I know Hanson has been bad lately but we all know what his potential is.
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:12 pm
That’s it for Medlen. 79 pitches as many as he’s thrown in a while.
TampaGator
August 5th, 2012
3:12 pm
Game not available in TB….but what is up with this Norris guy for the Astros….and the Braves hitters. The guy is 5-8 and an almost 5 ERA….and he is shutting the Braves down. I guess opposing fans think the same thing when Minor is pitching now.
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:14 pm
Gosh the Braves only had 30,000 in attendance last night? On a Saturday? I remember when every Saturday night game was sold out. If they even build a new stadium, they need to put it in north Atlanta. They would see a huge difference in attendance.
archie
August 5th, 2012
3:14 pm
Go back and look at the record books and the 2009 bloggage archive (if it exists). Fans were clamoring for Prado to play, but to no avail. Cox was going down on the ship with Kelly Johnson come hell or high water. I hate for anyone to get hurt, but if Kelly hadn’t gone on the DL, Prado would have never been a starter. I can’t say for sure what Cox would have done a month or two later, but the records show what he did.
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
*ever
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
Let me be the first to say that Fredi is overworking this kid Gerrain!
TampaGator
August 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
Steve…..I would bump Hanson for Medlen (and you can’t see the potential in Medlen right now?)….and make Hanson a long reliever….for now. Medlen is so much better right now than Hanson….you would have to be blind not to see that. Medlen over Hanson if you want to be serious about possibly catching the Nationals and making the playoffs.
BravesFan79
August 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
I think a 6 man rotation would be good to give the starters extra rest. As little stress as possible is needed if we want to keep Hudson and Sheets fresh down the stretch.
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:16 pm
No sooner does my post go in do this guy drills it to the fence!
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:16 pm
Nice job, Cody Gearrin. One batter, one double.
corkymillerlovesbeer
August 5th, 2012
3:18 pm
Freddyg…doesn’t manage the bullpen well….
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:21 pm
I agree that Medlen is awesome but I just don’t think they would move Hanson to the bullpen. It sucks that he has done bad lately though. He had such a good start to his career.
If Houston takes 2 of 3 at Turner Field that will be pathetic.
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:22 pm
Good job by Venters. Gearrin, notsomuch.
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:22 pm
Wow that looked like Jonny V from last year! Is that because it was Houston? Nice job any way it goes!
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:22 pm
I bet if the Braves screw up and don’t make the playoffs Fredi is gone.
corkymillerlovesbeer
August 5th, 2012
3:24 pm
steve….would you like the new stadium in cumming
TampaGator
August 5th, 2012
3:24 pm
Glad Venters got the job done. I got really nervous when FG walked the bases loaded with Venters control issues. But it worked out….and why I am not a manager in the ML.
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:26 pm
steve if braves don’t make the playoffs, I believe something will be done. Im not sure what would be done. But another missed playoffs will equate to us not standing pat. Changes coming from somewhere if we miss out
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:26 pm
The more I think about it, I like the idea of a 6-man rotation for the short term. Probably the subject of post-game column.
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:27 pm
I think it comes to a point that we stop saying “not a chance” to saying he is not good enough to be in the starting 5! Simple! No more passes for bad performance! If we want to win then we need to make tough decisions and sometimes tough decisions are just that; hard to make but good for the team! When Heyward did not peform last year they sat him in favor for someone else who did perform! Same for JJ this year! Rules can be no different for Hanson or Uggla for that matter! Perform and play! Dont perform and become an expensive cheerleader until you throw strikes or choose to go to right field!
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:28 pm
Corky, I would say 90% of the people that go to Braves games live in Buckhead, north. Turner Field has nothing around it as far as entertainment, is in a bad area, and Marta doesn’t even go there except for the bus. I am willing to bet if the stadium was in Cumming, they would easily have 35,000 a night. I love the Braves and love going to games but live in Roswell which makes it a pain. I went Thursday night and it literally took me an hour and 15 minutes to get there. Just a lot easier to turn on the ole TV.
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Uggla continues to make my point! He has had over 90 days to break this slump but he tries to pull and homer on EVERY pitch! When do we say enough as a GM and as a Manager?
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Getting VERY sick of watching Uggla do nothing all the time. Wish I could get paid that much to be bad at my job.
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Uggla hearing a few boos after that popup.
corkymillerlovesbeer
August 5th, 2012
3:31 pm
steve, high definition has taken a lot of fans away from the park…concession prices (meaning beer) is absurd…supply and demand works well….if they dropped some of the prices I would be inclined to go the games more…atlanta’s traffic is absurd any way you put it….even the gwinnett braves are attendance is a lot lower than was expected….
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:31 pm
Uggla should JS. he refuses to work on mechanics in a game.
corkymillerlovesbeer
August 5th, 2012
3:32 pm
what does everyone think about frank wren as a gm…i think he is way over rated…
katherine
August 5th, 2012
3:34 pm
Man, uggla is having an ugly season
katherine
August 5th, 2012
3:35 pm
Steve I totally agree…I live in the Roswell area myself.
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:35 pm
if janish reaches, johnson should pinch hit. save mac for later
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:36 pm
90% a bit much there Corky…..fans are from Henry County, Fulton (North and South), DeKalb and all over! I do agree that we need more places to hang before and after the game and it is just not available where the Ted is right now! How about some SBL (small businees loans) to bring in some nice bars and restaurants along that long stretch from the Ted to downtown Atlanta? Dont want to get political but talk to that Mayor in Atlanta about that instead of that TSPLOST!
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
This is true Corky but how do you explain Boston, NYY, Philly, Chicago, Texas, St. Louis, LA, etc. Ticket prices and concessions cost more in those cities and they average 40,000+. Heck even Detroit who was killed with the recession averages 37,000 a night.
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
Nevermind….janish delivers
Jeff Schultz
August 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
Paul Janish with a clutch 2-run single.
Paul Janish with a clutch 2-run single.
(I felt like I needed to type that twice.)
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:38 pm
Shame that medlen wont get the win. though JV could use a win to boost his confidence
archie
August 5th, 2012
3:39 pm
Hinske’s birthday. Looks like he’s already had a cake.
Jeff
August 5th, 2012
3:40 pm
It’s a scary thing when Paul Janish is more clutch than Dan Uggla.
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:42 pm
I wonder what happened to Hinske? He used to be awesome. When he hit that home run against the Giants in the playoffs a few years ago was the loudest I have ever heard Turner Field, except when Heyward hit that home run in his first at bat.
katherine
August 5th, 2012
3:42 pm
The area around turner is not conducive to “hanging out”. Its a bad area….and the traffic getting to the game is awful…and its august in atlanta…soooo….I’d rather watch the game at home or a sports bar near my home most of the time.
TomahawkChoppin'
August 5th, 2012
3:43 pm
Someone put a bucket of fried chicken in Uggla’s locker. We need Cerrano to snap outta this.
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:44 pm
Remember all the hype that Schafer got? What a bust he ended up being.
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:45 pm
Let me be the first to say that irregardless if Chad gets outs this inning without any runs…..why does Fredi have to overuse these guys!? Is it just me?!
Steve
August 5th, 2012
3:45 pm
New Taco Mac off of Holcomb Bridge, great place to watch any sporting event. They have like 100 TV’s.
corkymillerlovesbeer
August 5th, 2012
3:47 pm
steve, majority of the southerners would rather save their money and support college football teams…all of the cities you mentioned have hardly a college football following…
katherine
August 5th, 2012
3:47 pm
Steve the one in east Roswell?
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:48 pm
That move for Bourn/Schaffer looks like one of the old school GM “I got you” jobs! Reminds me of John from the past!
Rick
August 5th, 2012
3:49 pm
And there goes Fredi proving my point! I bet its Martinez coming in now!
Wrecker
August 5th, 2012
3:51 pm
I love what Ross is doing today and you have to figure he will get more starts as the season winds down. I am sure that Fredi would like to start him more, but it has to be difficult to balance playing catchers (wearing them down offensively) and resting them, particularly when you have two as talented as Brian and David.
Wrecker
August 5th, 2012
3:52 pm
What I forgot to say was, if Ross started 80 games a year, he would be hitting .240.