In all of the excitement and hubbub about the anticipated debut of Julio Teheran, the Atlanta Braves suffered a couple of devastating pieces of news on Friday as well. First, Peter Moylan almost certainly looks like he is headed toward back surgery. They put him on the disabled list on April 16th with what they called a “lower back strain.” As time progressed, it became evident that it was more serious. After conferring with a doctor, he is seeking a second opinion before making a final decision. The timetable for this type of injury is close to 12 months.
The other piece of bad news coming out of Atlanta today was right-handed reliever, Stephen Marek is headed towards Tommy John surgery. He had been outstanding in the Braves’ AAA bullpen the past season +. He felt stiffness after pitching on Sunday. He now looks to travel the same road that Peter Moylan, Tim Hudson and Kris Medlen have traveled on.
The loss of Moylan and Marek are two blows to the Braves’ relief pitching depth. Moylan was a dependable pitcher in the Braves’ bullpen. His presence has been missed over the past two weeks. Marek was close to being in Atlanta. I argued a few days ago that he should be called up.
Losing both arms could mean that the Braves will need to add another piece to their bullpen. The full picture is that Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill and Cristhian Martinez have not proved reliable at this point. Cory Gearrin has shown potential. Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel cannot pitch every day. So, they need another reliable arm to go with their solid back-end relievers.
They are not in a hurry at this point. But, expect a move to be made soon.
Original Story:
http://www.tomahawktalk.com/2011/05/b...
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