Aaron Blair #19

2017

In his second season in the Braves organization, spent the majority of his time in Triple-A Gwinnett's starting rotation, making a team-high 25 starts for the G-Braves…Also made one start with Atlanta...Led the G-Braves with 127.1 innings and nine losses... Began the season with the G-Braves before the Braves recalled him to Atlanta on 4/20…Did not appear in a game before the club optioned him to Gwinnett on 4/22... Went to the minor league disabled list from 5/27-6/6 with a broken fingernail on his right hand...Recalled on 7/26 and made his only major league start of the season that day at ARI…Took the loss in the 10-3 defeat after allowing five runs, earned, and five walks over 3.0 innings …The Braves optioned him to Gwinnett following the game...Was Gwinnett's Opening Day starter, taking a 10-8 loss vs. Durham on 4/6... Allowed six runs, earned, over 3.0 innings...Compiled a 1-2 record and a 8.82 ERA (16 ER/16.1 IP) in four April starts...Compiled a 6-4 record and a 3.59 ERA over 17 starts from 5/1-8/11...Closed out his season by losing three of his final four starts while pitching to a 8.27 ERA (19 ER/20.2 IP) over the skid...Compiled a 6.84 ERA (19 ER/25.0 IP) in the first inning with Gwinnett…Allowed five of his 10 home runs in the first...Tossed two rain-shortened complete games for the G-Braves (6/23 vs. Norfolk and 7/3 at Charlotte)... Limited the Triple-A opposition to a .211 batting average (15-for-71) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

2016

Split the season between Triple-A Gwinnett and Atlanta, while also spending time on the major league 15-day DL.... Began the season with the G-Braves before Atlanta selected his contract on 4/24 in advance of him making his MLB debut that night at Turner Field against New York (NL)…Lost, 3-2, after going 5.1 innings and allowing six hits, three runs, earned, and two walks...Struck out one... Optioned to Gwinnett on 5/17…Recalled on 5/28 before returning to Gwinnett on 6/24…Recalled for the last time on 8/28…Went to the 15-day disabled list on 9/3, retroactive to 8/31, with a left knee strain…Reinstated on 9/18... Earned his fi rst MLB win on 9/19 at NYM…Held the Mets to four hits and two runs as Atlanta won, 7-3...Became the eighth Braves pitcher to earn the fi rst win of his career in 2016 (Jed Bradley, Mauricio Cabrera, Hunter Cervenka, John Gant, Tyrell Jenkins, Ryan Weber and Rob Whalen)...Began his major league career 0-6, to become just the fi fth Atlanta Braves pitcher to lose his fi rst six decisions…RHP Joel De La Cruz also started 0-7 in 2016…The others were Mike Thompson in 1975 (0-6), Dave Campbell in 1977-78 (0-7) and Frank LaCorte in 1975-76 (0-9)... Went 0-3 with a 7.59 ERA (18 ER/21.1 IP) in fi ve games in his fi rst stint with the Braves (4/24- 5/17)…Then went 0-2 with a 8.28 ERA (27 ER/29.1 IP) in six games from 5/28-6/24…Went 2-2 with a 6.52 ERA (14 ER/19.1 IP) over his fi nal four games... Allowed one home run over his fi rst six MLB starts…Surrendered 13 over his fi nal nine starts… For the year, compiled a 1.8 HR/9 rate.Allowed nine runs, earned after going 1.1 innings on 5/17 at PIT...Became just the third Braves pitcher since 1913 to allow as many runs in as few innings...Buzz Capra allowed nine runs, three earned, while getting two outs at STL in the second game of a doubleheader on 7/12/74, while Taylor Phillips allowed nine runs, all earned, in 1.0 inning on 7/15/57 at Brooklyn... Blair allowed seven first-inning runs, the most by a Braves pitcher in a single inning since 9/12/12, when Paul Maholm allowed eight in the fifth inning at MIL... Went 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts to open the season with the G-Braves before his contract was selected by Atlanta on 4/24…Finished 2-4 with a 5.81 ERA (34 ER/52.2 IP) over his final 10 games with the G-Braves... Made a pair of rehabilitation starts with Triple-A Gwinnett during his DL stint, combining to allow 11 hits and six runs over 13.1 innings (4.05 ERA)...Made his last MiLB start in Game 1 of the Governors' Cup Championship Series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (9/13) and earned the win after yielding four runs over 7.1 innings...Three of the runs he allowed came after he exited the game in the eighth inning... Tossed 7.0 no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts in his final start for Gwinnett before his big league debut, a 7-2 win over Durham on 4/19 at Coolray Field...Allowed one walk (in the sixth to Carlos Corporan) to end his perfect game bid...At time of his promotion, tied for the IL lead with three wins, while his 1.42 ERA ranked eighth among qualifying pitchers...Ranked fourth with 22 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP...Went to the MiLB DL on 8/3 with IT band tendonitis in his left knee...Returned on 8/18.