News » LeBlanc’s fourth career appearance

ATLANTA — Julio Teheran has made five consecutive starts on Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves and has two All-Star Games on his resume http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-bobby-cox-jersey , but where the right-hander might fall in a postseason rotation remains in doubt.At least Teheran is a solid starting candidate now after appearing to be on the outside looking in during the first four months of what was shaping up as a very disappointing season.The victim of too many walks and home runs much of the season, the 27-year-old from Colombia is on the upswing as he faces the Washington Nationals on Saturday in the middle game of a weekend series at SunTrust Park.Article continues below ...Teheran (9-7, 3.95 ERA) has quality starts in five of his past six outings and has posted a 2.33 ERA with a 34-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio and just two homers allowed in that span.The Braves (83-64) kept their lead over the Philadelphia Phillies at 7 1/2 games while reducing their magic number to nine with a 10-5 victory over the Nationals on Friday night.The victory was the sixth straight for the Braves and left the Nationals (74-74) facing near elimination at 9 1/2 games back. Atlanta’s magic number against Washington is down to six.Two-time defending National League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer couldn’t hold down the Braves in the series opener and now the Nationals turn to right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (5-3, 3.57 ERA), who just came off the disabled list. Teheran hasn’t shown the velocity he once had, but his command and off-speed pitches have been much better of late. “My last four starts I’ve been feeling really good,” Teheran said. “I’ve been feeling that I have all of my pitches, and I think that’s been the difference.”Teheran was at his worst in a home start against the Nationals in early April, giving up three homers and five runs in 2 1/3 shaky innings that included six hits and three walks.Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper took him deep in that game, as did former Nationals pitcher A.J. Cole, although Teheran escaped with a no-decision. Homers made for a rough debut season at SunTrust Park for Teheran last season. This season, walks at home and away have been the bigger issue.Opponents are batting just .198 against Teheran, but he has surrendered 73 walks in 159 1/3 innings.“I know every time that I walk (a batter), they score a run,” he said. “I try to put that to the side and try to make pitches.”Despite his rough outing against the Nationals, Teheran is 4-2 with a 3.81 ERA and 11 homers allowed in 15 home starts compared to 5-5 with a 4.13 ERA and 13 homers in 13 road starts.Teheran took a loss at Washington in mid-April but worked six solid innings. He is 6-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 20 career starts against the Nationals.Harper has feasted on Teheran, batting .450 (18-for-40) with eight home runs.Hellickson, sidelined by a right wrist sprain, made his last appearance for Washington on Aug. 15 and has been limited to 18 starts this season because of two stints on the disabled list.Neither injury was caused making a pitch. He had to leave a start against the Braves on June 3 after two batters when he strained his right hamstring covering first base, then suffered the sprained wrist when he tumbled covering home plate.Hellickson is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in six career starts against the Braves. Texas left-hander Martin Perez will have two more chances to help the Rangers decide his future with the team, beginning Sunday when he starts against the Seattle Mariners in the final game of the season at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.Seattle will send left-hander Wade LeBlanc (8-4, 3.49 ERA) to the mound in search of the series win to counter Perez (2-6 http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-bob-uecker-jersey , 6.33 ERA).The Mariners rolled to a 13-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday behind home runs from Robinson Cano, Mike Zunino and Dee Gordon and six innings of one-hit pitching from Marco Gonzales.Article continues below ...Perez, who has made his past six appearances out of the bullpen, will also start next Saturday in Seattle. His most recent start was Aug. 25 against the San Francisco Giants.After that start, Texas told Perez that it was unlikely to pick up his option for next season. But with a manager change in Arlington and the Rangers’ acknowledged dearth of starting pitching, Perez will be given a puncher’s chance to change the team’s mind.“I can’t think about that,” Perez said. “Just go out there and do my job, let everybody know I am healthy. Throw strikes, pitch like a reliever, how I threw the last three or four outings. Attack, that’s the key.”Perez has a 2.45 ERA since moving to the bullpen at the end of August.“Just because I’ve had a bad year doesn’t mean I can’t be a starter,” Perez said. “It means they still believe in me. I think they know what I can do. I know what I can do.”Perez has been a starter for most of his career and is still determined to fill that role, whether the Rangers pick up his option or he moves on to another organization.Meanwhile, Seattle left-hander James Paxton worked through the rain on Friday afternoon to finish a 40-pitch bullpen session that helped him show he was ready to return to the rotation after suffering a case of pneumonia.Paxton is set to start Monday in Seattle against Oakland as the Mariners open their season-ending seven-game homestand.“He got through it,” Servais told MLB.com about Paxton’s bullpen session. “He did say he got a little fatigued toward the end of it, but he’s pushing through it. He wants to make that start when we get back home.”LeBlanc is set to make his 26th start of the season on Sunday against Texas. He had a no-decision in his last start, a 4-1 Mariners win at Houston on Monday in which he allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings.That run was the first he surrendered in 24 1/3 innings after going 19 innings between Aug. 25 and Sept. 12 without giving up a run, the longest scoreless innings streak among Mariners starters this season.Sunday’s start will be LeBlanc’s fourth career appearance and third start against Texas. He is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Rangers. Seattle is 16-9 in LeBlanc’s starts this year.Perez has made 13 starts this season. He has gone 2-6 with a 6.95 ERA in those starts but is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in last eight.Perez is 7-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 games, 17 of them starts, in his career versus Seattle, marking his highest win percentage against any AL West opponent.