Should We Be Worried With Atlanta Braves Julio Teheran On The Mound Vs The Washington Nationals?
By Jeff Schafer
The Atlanta Braves take on the Washington Nationals at 4:05pm ET at Nationals Park. This will be the fifth time these two teams have faced off against one another and the Nats haven taken three of four games so far.
Want a horrible stat? The Braves pitching staff has allowed 39 runs in four games to the Nationals.
After last night’s loss (9-2) the Braves are now 14-15 for the season and the Nationals are 15-15 and in second place in the division.
For game two of the series, the Braves send Julio Teheran to the mound and the Nationals give the ball to Doug Fister.
If you remember the last time Teheran was on the bump against Washington, the Braves somehow let a 10-2 lead slip away and they eventually lost 13-12. Teheran allowed seven runs (though only three were earned), 10 hits and two home runs. This was also the game Dan Uggla somehow went 3-5 with five RBIs.
The 24-year-old has faced the Washington Nationals nine times in his career and is currently 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA. In 55.2 innings pitched, he has given up 62 hits, 27 runs, six homers, 17 walks and has 50 strikeouts.
Below is a more in-depth look at his career stats versus the Nationals…
| I | Split | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | SB | SO/W | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | GDP | HBP | BAbip | tOPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | 244 | 215 | 62 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 2.94 | .288 | .346 | .437 | .783 | 4 | 4 | .344 | 129 |
Here is how each Nationals hitter faces up against Teheran…
Denard Span – 31 PA, .400/.419/.700
Yunel Escobar – 2 PA, .000/.500/.000
Jayson Werth – 25 PA, .143/.200/.143
Bryce Harper – 21 PA, .421/.476/.895
Ryan Zimmerman – 20 PA, .200/.200/.350
Ian Desmond – 27 PA, .269/.296/.308
Danny Espinosa – 16 PA, .200/.250/.200
Dan Uggla – 3 PA, .333/.333/.333
Obviously, a few hitters have shown success against Teheran, but the majority of them haven’t. Though, with how the Nats lineup have been swinging the bat lately, it’s tough to rule any of them out.
Also, try not to blink when looking at Harper’s stats versus Teheran. He has two homers, three doubles and eight hits off Teheran and is extremely hot at the plate right now.
I never want to rule out any Braves pitchers, but if you’re debating starting Teheran in your fantasy league, today may be a good day to bench him.
One other note, after 29 games Fredi Gonzalez has yet to repeat a lineup this season. Will today be 30 games?