In 2011, Braves righthander Jair Jurrjens posted a 2.96 ERA and 1.224 WHIP and made the National League All-Star team despite missing about a third of the season with two trips to the disabled list.
Braves Demote Jair Jurrjens To Triple-A
The native of Curacao has been a mainstay in the Atlanta rotation for several seasons, but now he’ll try to work his way back to solid performance with a stint at Triple-A Gwinnett.
This season, he's off to a horrific start -- a 9.37 ERA in four starts, and five home runs allowed (leading the league) in just 16⅓ innings. That's an average of barely over four innings per start, including just three innings with nine hits allowed in Monday's Atlanta loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
That suggests either injury or simple ineffectiveness, and the Braves have apparently chosen “ineffectiveness”, as after Monday’s game they sent him to the minor leagues. Mark Bowman:
After watching Jurrjens labor through three-plus innings during Monday night’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers, the Braves made the decision to option him to Triple-A Gwinnett with the hope that he will regain the successful form that suddenly disappeared after he entered last year’s All-Star break with the National League’s best ERA.
“We optioned Jair tonight to give him a chance to work through his difficulties at the Triple-A level and hopefully come back ready to help us contend,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “He is not having any health or injury issues, just needs to get back on track pitching wise.“A corresponding roster move has yet to be announced; Scott Coleman at SB Nation Atlanta has some thoughts on what the team might do:
Tim Hudson is set to make his final rehab start on Tuesday night, likely meaning he will take Jurrjens' turn in the rotation come Saturday or Sunday against the Pirates. Many felt that 22-year-old Randall Delgado would be the one sent to the Minors once Hudson returned, but that appears to no longer be the case.
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