Before Saturday's game Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez talked about the comments made by demoted pitcher Jair Jurrjens and had a pretty simple message for the right hander. Jurrjens was upset by the move the Braves made to send Kris Medlen to the minors to start working on stamina in preparation for a starters role.
Gonzalez indicated that the move with Medlen had nothing to do with Jurrjens and that the two were separate issues.
"He's a big part of this organization," Gonzalez said of Jurrjens. "We're just waiting for him to pitch two or three good ballgames, bottom line. I don't think the Medlen thing has anything to do with him, really."
After that he had a simple message for Jurrjens that basically says if he wants to get back to the Braves rotation then he needs to pitch better and show some consistency at the Triple A level.
"We're just waiting for him to run a good string and feel like he can help us," Gonzalez said. "When he can, we'll move him up. It's got nothing to do with ‘We don't want him' or don't care about him, or Medlen."
Jurrjens' stint with Gwinnett has been a roller coaster ride so far with a few good starts mixed in with a lot of bad. Two starts ago he through his best of the season throwing eight shutout innings while allowing three hits against Rochester. He followed that up by lasting just 4 2/3 while allowing 12 hits and 10 runs (six earned) on Friday.
Less we forget Jurrjens salary for this season is $5.5 million which he is paid regardless of whether he is in Atlanta or Gwinnett. The Braves have no incentive to bury him in the minors.
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