Braves pitcher Paul Maholm scratched from next start

For the better part of the 2013 season, the Atlanta Braves have been cruising atop the NL East standings thanks to an unexpected pitching surge. However, they’ve been hit with the injury bug in recent weeks, and another issue has popped up as of Wednesday.

According to various reports including one from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David O’Brien, starting pitcher Paul Maholm has been scratched from his scheduled Friday start as a result of trouble with his left (pitching) elbow. O’Brien is reporting that Maholm will head back to Atlanta for an MRI after experiencing some discomfort, and that is never a positive sign for a team with World Series aspirations.

Maholm has struggled a bit this season, posting a 4.35 ERA over 140.2 innings, but the team is in need of reliable starting pitching in the absence of Tim Hudson and Brandon Beachy. In Maholm’s absence on Friday, the Braves will be inserting David Hale into the rotation for his first career start, and the team’s other option going forward would be veteran Freddy Garcia, who isn’t exactly a picture of domination at this stage of his career.

It remains to be seen whether Maholm’s elbow issue is a long-term problem for him or the Braves, but in the meantime, the team will be sitting with their fingers crossed.