One day after Jason Heyward was lost for 4-6 weeks with a fractured jaw, the Braves released another potentially tough bit of news as Brandon Beachy will see Dr. James Andrews to have his surgically repaired elbow examined.
Beachy has seen a dip in velocity since coming back from Tommy John surgery, with his fastball going from 91.2 mph in his first game back July 29 -- which is just under Beachy's average of 91.5 -- to 89.8, 89.1 and 89.8 in his last three starts. He was down as low as the mid-80 mph range in the last of his six innings Tuesday against the Mets.
It was Andrews who performed the procedure on Beachy's elbow 14 months ago.
“We just didn’t like the way that last inning went in New York," manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters before Thursday's game. "So he flew down to see Dr. Duralde to get an MRI. And then on Monday he’s going to see Dr. Andrews. Who knows better than the guy who did the surgery? I can give you more information after that."
The Braves are skipping Beachy's next scheduled start on Sunday, with Mike Minor taking the ball instead.
Despite the dip in mph, Beachy (2-1) has been strong in his last four outings with a 2.73 ERA, .198 batting average against and an 18:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
There is speculation Beachy may have inflammation in the elbow, which he dealt with in June, causing the Braves to shut him down for a couple of weeks before he could continue his rehab. But losing him for any amount of time could be a tough blow to a rotation that is already without Tim Hudson.
