MIAMI -- Julio Teheran will likely never be considered a legitimate ace or one of baseball's elite pitchers. But over the final six weeks of this inconsistent and oft-frustrating season, the Braves right-hander once again proved he has a resilient spirit that should continue to benefit him throughout the remainder of his Major League career.
Teheran's bid to end on a good note evolved much like his season. Making his final start of the year during Thursday night's 7-1 loss to the Marlins at Marlins Park, the Braves' hurler endured a rough patch and then produced a strong finish that enabled him to at least move toward the offseason in optimistic fashion.
"I'm happy with the way I finished," Teheran said. "It was a really tough year. All I can do is work and try to do my best. I was able to do it for a couple starts. My last one was a little rough, but there's nothing I can do. It's part of the game, and you just have to get your mind right."
As Teheran allowed the Marlins five earned runs and eight hits over six innings, he surrendered the first of Giancarlo Stanton's monstrous home runs and endured a four-run third inning, during which he threw 37 pitches before recording an out. But the 26-year-old veteran showed some resolve as he retired seven of the eight batters faced after Stanton homered with two outs in the fourth.

This last outing was essentially a microcosm of Teheran's season. He struggled mightily through many of his earliest starts at SunTrust Park, and he found himself with a 5.25 ERA through his first 23 starts. His season turned on Aug. 14 at Coors Field, when he regained a feel for his slider and blanked a potent Rockies offense over seven innings. Despite Thursday's struggles, Teheran still produced a 2.79 ERA over his final seven starts.
"He had good runs and bad runs, but he was a true pro through the whole thing," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "The year wasn't what he wanted, but there was a lot of good things that happened for him and some not so good. But through it all, you could never tell. He just kept preparing and kept doing what he was supposed to do."
Now, Teheran can only hope his strong finish proves as beneficial as the one he produced in 2015, when he entered September with a 4.62 ERA and then proceeded to allow two runs or fewer in each of his final six starts. His success propelled him toward his second All-Star selection last year.
"I'm happy with the way I finished," Teheran said. "It wasn't the way I wanted, but I battled the whole season. I'm happy I finished healthy and I finished really strong."