Kris Medlen's Rough Spring Should Be No Cause for Concern for Atlanta Fans

That stats look gaudy this spring for Atlanta Braves right-hander Kris Medlen.

He's pitched 23.2 innings, given up 19 earned runs, 32 hits and allowed opponents to hit .320.

For Atlanta fans, this could be a cause for concern for its No. 2 pitcher.

However, Medlen and the Braves aren't stressing, and neither should you.

The Cause for Concern

The last two games Medlen has pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, giving up 15 earned runs and 22 hits.

Most people would say the Braves are in trouble if Medlen's giving up that kind of offense to division foes.

However, Medlen eased the minds of many with his thoughts after the Philadelphia game (via Sporting News):

"

He did not sound all that bothered, though. It is, after all, spring training and he said he would have approached a regular-season start differently. For example, he said he would have thrown fewer curves in a real game but needs to get the pitch right.

"

It's not as if Medlen is making excuses, because he was just as disappointed in the outing. But, like the Braves, they aren't putting team much stock into spring games.

Sure, you can point to Jair Jurrjens rough spring in 2012 that carried over into the regular season.

But you can also point to the 2012 spring training ERAs of Gio Gonzalez (5.85) and Stephen Strasburg (4.18). They showed you can still have a dominant year despite a poor spring.

The History

If Medlen's history has shown us anything, it's that he can get the job done on a consistent basis.

After all, Medlen had a streak of 23 straight starts without picking up a loss.

He holds a career 2.81 ERA as a starter, a 1.05 WHIP and averages eight strikeouts per nine innings.

Simply put, the history (although small) is there for Medlen.

Until he gives us a reason to stop believing in the regular season, there's no need to stress about his poor spring.