Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
When Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kris Medlen took a liner off the back of the left leg in the second inning of Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, many members of Braves Country were likely holding their collective breath.
Despite being diagnosed with an upper left calf contusion following the comebacker off the bat of Emilio Bonifacio, things thankfully seem to be well enough that the 27-year-old right-hander is expected to make his next scheduled start on Monday.
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“I’ve been hit by a lot of balls in my life, just playing short and whatever else, and that’s probably one of the harder ones that I’ve felt,” Medlen told the media after the game. “I think I knew right away, but I just wanted to at least get through the inning.”
While he was able to do so, the Braves were unable to score any runs for him, meaning that the three runs he allowed in the only two innings he pitched resulted in his record dropping to 1-6.
Don’t let that record fool you. Medlen hasn’t struggled as much as someone like Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, who has a higher ERA — 4.43 compared to 3.48 — and two more losses to go with the same number of wins. Hence, the Braves certainly didn’t want to lose him for an extended period of time.
“I know how tough it is for our bullpen to have to do something like they did today,” Medlen said. “They picked me up big time. I was the worst pitcher out there today.”
Maybe so. But at least he still appears to be a fairly healthy one.
Josh McKinney is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SuperJMac32, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
