What ever happened to being happy after a win?
Apparently Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez didn't get that memo, because he held nothing back Sunday when it came to talking about starting pitcher Julio Teheran aftter the team's ninth-inning rally to beat the Giants 7-5.
"I know his line looks pretty good, but I just didn’t feel comfortable the whole game, to tell you the truth," Gonzalez said, via ajc.com. "I think he’s OK health-wise. I think it’s just a matter of the game plan, or the way he’s executing his pitches.
"It’s not the same Julio from a year ago, where you’d give him the lead and the game's over."
That Teheran — the one from last year, as Gonzalez says — went 14-13 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in his breakout season. But so far this year, he's 4-2 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.
Teheran technically earned a quality start on Sunday, giving up just three earned runs in six innings. But the 24-year-old walked four batters and surrendered a pair of home runs in the process.
"After I gave up the two home runs, I started to be more aggressive," Teheran said. "I feel good. Sometimes I just like to save my velocity until the end (of the game)."
Whether Teheran is going through a technical problem or just a little bit of inconsistency remains to be seen. But it hardly ever turns out well when a manager publicly calls out his player.