Atlanta Braves: Julio Teheran Set to Make 6th Straight Opening Day Start

After a rash of injuries slowed the spring training progress of starting pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman, the Atlanta Braves are turning to Julio Teheran to start Opening Day 2019 in Philadelphia.

With the announcement that Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman would likely not be ready for the start of the 2019 season, the Atlanta Braves announced that Julio Teheran will make his franchise record-tying 6th consecutive Opening Day start.

The other pitcher holding this exclusive honor? Hall of Famer and 13-time 20 game winner Warren Spahn.

Following his 2018 All-Star campaign, Foltynewicz was the likely candidate to open the season as the Braves’ number one starter.  After experiencing elbow soreness early in camp, the Braves have taken a cautious approach with his recovery.

Recent reports show that Folty has started throwing again by playing catch and participating in bullpen sessions. Assuming he requires a normal ramp-up program leading into the season, it is reasonable to speculate that he will not be ready for regular season action until mid-to-late April, at the earliest.

With Gausman on the shelf as well, and with the relative inexperience of fellow starter Sean Newcomb and the young prospects vying for the final spots in the rotation, Teheran was the clear choice for the opening day nod.

Although this decision was obvious to most, the news did not go announced without your typical fan backlash.  Fairly or not, Teheran has been met with criticism throughout his career in Atlanta.

Coming up as a top prospect and being forced into several weak rotations as the club “Ace” probably has much to do with the consternation of the fan base.  Coupled with the front office’s inability (by choice or not) to acquire a top-of-the-rotation starter this past offseason, the reaction to this news was predictable, yet extremely disappointing.

To the naysayers, it should be noted that Teheran has proven to be a reliable presence on the mound on opening day over the past 5 years. In honor of this, Let’s take a look at how he, and the Atlanta Braves, have fared for each of his opening day starts.

March 31, 2014: @ Milwaukee Brewers

With team ace Tim Hudson moving on to San Francisco following the 2013 season, Julio Teheran was promoted to opening day starter in just his second full season as a major league pitcher.  He certainly didn’t disappoint by going 6 innings in Milwaukee, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits and just 1 walk.

A shaky 4th inning was his undoing, and the Atlanta Braves were unable to overcome those 2 scores as Julio suffered what would prove to be the only opening day loss of his career.

April 6, 2015: @ Miami Marlins

In just his second outing as the Atlanta Braves opening day starter, Teheran looked like a true ace by giving up just 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts through 6 strong innings.  In an attempt to go 7 innings in the season debut, Teheran was met with 3 straight singles to load the bases with no outs but was saved when the bullpen orchestrated a double play and a pop out to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Braves went on to top the Marlins 2-1 for Teheran’s only opening day win…so far.

March 29, 2018:   Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Julio Teheran’s 2018 Opening Day start has been, to date, his only shaky opener.  He started off strong by giving up only 1 earned run through five innings.  Then, he ran into trouble in the 6th and was removed from the game with a final line of 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 K, and 3 BB.

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While this was clearly his worst opening day start, the game proved to have one of the most exciting finishes in recent openers for the Braves.  Trailing 5-2 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, the Atlanta Braves tied the game up at 5, and Nick Markakis sent the fans home happy with a walk-off, 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th.

The toughest opening day matchup still to come…

Overall, Julio Teheran has proven to be a steady hand amongst the typical jitters that accompany the pomp and circumstance of opening day.  Overall, he has a recorded an opening day ERA of 2.73 with a 1-1 record (and 3 no decisions).  He’s only given up more than 2 runs in just one opening day start, but the Atlanta Braves have only managed to go 2-3 in his openers.

The Braves feel confident with Teheran taking the ball in game 1 of 162 this year, and they should.  This one, however, will be a little different than its predecessors.

With Julio’s #1 nemesis playing right field for the Philadelphia Phillies, Teheran will face his first real test of the season straight out the gates. Should be an interesting one.