Three Cuts: Is this the solution to Julio Teheran’s middle-inning problems?

Through the first three innings, Julio Teheran sports a 2.40 ERA, which is top 50 in MLB and equal to that of the Astros’ Justin Verlander. But in the fourth and fifth innings, the Braves right-hander has the ninth-highest ERA (11.17) and in the fifth, it’s the highest in baseball at 17.36, six runs more than the Giants’ Derek Holland.

Teheran has made it out of the fifth inning just oncer this season, allowing one run over six frames against the Mets, the team he always dominates. But the fifth has provided two of his biggest problem innings of the season when he allowed six runs in Colorado on April 8 and in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, as he allowed an RBI double to the Indians’ Greg Allen (a .036 hitter going into that matchup) in yielding two runs with two outs in an eventual 8-4 loss.

While he’s allowed just two more runs (six) the second time trough the batting order than the first (four), his FIP the second time through jumps to 6.20 from 4.93 and the xFIP goes from 4.81 to 5.25.

The Rays were trend-setters by leaning on the opener, but would this be the best use of Teheran? It would allow Brian Snitker to potentially limit the innings of young, developing arms they want in the rotation long-term, by piggybacking them with Teheran. It would let the Braves utilize the quality depth of their arms, capitalize on what the numbers say is the veteran Teheran’s most effective innings and limit him to what has been his biggest problem.

Imagine a scenario where Teheran goes three innings, Touki Toussaint/Bryse Wilson/etc. takes it to the ninth and then Snitker turns things over to true bullpen arms.

It’s a strategy that could play a role in taking pressure off that bullpen, which despite a sterling final two games vs. the Indians, that’s 27th in fWAR (minus-0.6).

Ken Blaze Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports