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Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor is going through a rough patch right now, and manager Fredi Gonzalez has decided to skip Minor's next turn in the rotation to help him clear his mind. And, for the quote of the day, let's turn to Gonzalez to hear what Minor thought of the decision, via ajc.com:
“Minor was good with it. He understood completely,” Gonzalez said. “He goes, 'I suck.'”
There's definitely something to be said for honest self-reflection. Minor has been awful of late. In his past four outings, he's allowed 20 earned runs on 38 hits in 20 2/3 innings (8.71 ERA). The low point was allowing five runs on nine hits to the Padres in Petco Park Friday night, as the Padres have a shot at a historically bad offensive season and play in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the majors.
On the season, Minor is 4-7 with a 5.42 ERA (67 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 98 innings. He was 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA (118 ERA+) and 1.09 WHIP last season at age 25, so this is a pretty significant step backward.
Minor's next start will be Aug. 12 against the Dodgers, per ajc.com.
