Know Thine Enemy: Talking Chop
Early in the season Kevin struggled with a couple of things, and he's had to adjust how he approaches hitters. The last couple of games in particular he's looked much better, letting batters hit the ball and get themselves out instead of struggling to put them away on strikeouts. He's getting fewer of those strikeouts as a result, but he's also more efficient with hit pitches and working deeper in the games. In his last two starts, he managed seven innings in each; the first times he'd finished seven innings since April 20. His biggest challenge today will be to continue that trend, especially since Atlanta is such a patient group. If Slowey tries to nibble or get too cute too often, one of two things will happen: he'll walk a few, or he'll have exhausted his pitch count by the fifth inning. I think he'll step up to the challenge today and pitch well.
Medlen is a 24-year old right-hander in his second season with the Braves. Since reaching AA he's been a bit of a swingman for the Braves, crossing over between the bullpen and the rotation. This season his six starts have come in his last seven appearances, and in those starts he's allowed 14 runs in 34.2 innings (3.65 ERA), striking out 22 with just six walks and 40 hits.
He's primarily a three-pitch pitcher, but it's Medlen's changeup that's his money pitch. As a starter he loses some of his strikeout ability, but he's still a threat when pullling the string. He sets it up with a 90-91 mph fastball and a high-70s curve. If you see a lot of swinging strikes early, Medlen is on his game and could give Slowey a run for his money.
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