By Bill Shanks
Fox Sports South.com
September 20, 2010
The Braves have minor league pitcher Brandon Beachy in Philadelphia in case right-hander Jair Jurrjens cannot make his scheduled start tonight against the Phillies.
Jurrjens recently tweaked his knee. Sources told Fox Sports South.com this morning the expectation is that Jurrjens will be able to go tonight, but the Braves are simply being safe by having Beachy on hand in case he is needed.
Beachy was a non-drafted free agent that was really the breakout player this past season in the Atlanta farm system. He had been a reliever for the most part until the Braves placed him in the Mississippi rotation on June 18.
Overall this season Beachy had a 1.73 ERA in 35 games. He had 148 strikeouts in 119.1 innings between Mississippi and Gwinnett. The Braves named Beachy the pitcher of the year for Mississippi at the end of the season.
The Braves previously had Beachy on standby when it was unclear if Derek Lowe would make his scheduled start in Pittsburgh on September 8. Lowe made the start and has done well ever since, despite issues with his right elbow.
Jurrjens has struggled in his last two starts, with an ERA of 11.51. Overall this season, Jurrjens is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.64.
All three games of the series with the Phillies will be on SportSouth. Braves Live will get you started at 6:30 pm ET.
