Atlanta Braves: 5 Reasons Why a 6-Man Rotation Is Good for the Team

For the next two weeks, the Atlanta Braves will be using a six-man rotation.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Braves manager Freddi Gonzalez said the team will move to a six-man rotation for the next two weeks. After two weeks, Gonzalez said he will pick the best five starters to go the rest of the season.

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Gonzalez said he is moving to the six-man rotation "for the concerns of taking care of some of the guys."

"We need to be able to go into September with all of the cylinders hitting and everybody healthy," Gonzalez said. "This is one way to keep those guys healthy."

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With that said, here are five reasons why a six-man rotation is good for the team.

No Clear-Cut Top 4th and 5th Starters

Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson and Ben Sheets will definitely be three of the starters selected.

But after that, it's wide open as to who Gonzalez will pick for the final spot. You basically have three solid starters competing for the other two spots: Paul Maholm, Kris Medlen and Mike Minor.

All three have pitched well, although one might argue that Minor struggled more this season.

Each will have an opportunity to prove themselves to Gonzalez as they will all have at least three starts over the next two weeks.

Rest for Hudson and Sheets

For older pitchers, rest is never a bad thing.

Hudson and Sheets both fall into that boat.

With Hudson at 37 and Sheets at 34, rest before the September run will be key.

For the Braves to have any success in the postseason, Hudson and Sheets are going to have to be hitting on all cylinders. The best way to help that happen is to give them an extra day in between their starts.

Plus, that's an extra day you don't have to worry about an injury to one of the two. If an injury were to happen, it would be just as devastating as losing Brandon Beachy.

They Know It's a Competition

Competition always brings out the best in people.

With Medlen, Maholm and Minor all knowing that the final two rotation spots are in the air, I foresee each giving just a little bit more.

Now, I'm not suggesting that they weren't giving it that extra heave-ho prior to the six-man rotation announcement. What I'm merely suggesting is the fact that a competition put a little bit more at stake for them.

None of them want to go to the bullpen to be the long reliever—especially Medlen, who fought for so long to get back into the rotation.

All Are Pitching at Least 5 Innings

The Braves are 14-5 in their last 19 games and it's largely due to the starting rotation doing their job.

In his last seven games, Minor has gone into the sixth inning or later six times. Maholm has gone 16 innings in his two starts with Atlanta and Medlen has gone at least five innings in three starts (giving up one earned run each time).

Sheets had a couple of rough first innings, while Hudson had some struggles in the middle of games.

But for the most part they're not getting knocked out of games early, which is also helping to preserve the bullpen for the postseason.

No True Ace

If you had an ace at the front of your rotation, a six-man rotation would be silly because it keeps that guy pitching every sixth day.

But when you have six starters who are so close to each other, a six-man rotation makes sense.

You won't see teams like the Phillies or Angels going with a six-man rotation because they have aces to lead their staff.

But the Braves don't have any true aces. They just have a bunch of really good pitchers, and when you have that, you can afford to give six guys a go.