There was a reason the Atlanta Braves refused to deal a top-prospect at the trade deadline last week. Not only did they want to build for the future, but they also wanted insurance for their starting rotation should someone go down to injury in the final two months of the season.
Jair Jurrjens is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a right knee strain. An official announcement has not been made on the severity, but he will likely miss at least two weeks. This is the second time Jurrjens will hit the disabled list in 2011, though, fortunately, the injury has never been arm or shoulder related.
Mike Minor is the man to be brought up to Atlanta to take Jurrjens' place in the rotation. He is scheduled to start Sunday afternoon against the Mets. This is the second time this year Minor was re-called to Atlanta to replace an injured starter.
Minor has pitched very well this season at Triple-A Gwinnett. The left-handed starter went 4-5 in sixteen starts, pitching 100.2 innings in that span. He struck out 8.85 per/9 innings and only walked 2.41 in that span. Both his ERA (3.22) and FIP (3.65) were solid as well. He has pitched well in fifteen Major League starts, but cutting down on walks will be a necessity.