seems so familiar

Kris Medlen turned in his first shutout for Atlanta on Thursday night, blanking San Diego in a 6-0 win. He is 3-0 and has allowed just three earned runs in 25 2/3 innings over four starts since moving from the bullpen to the rotation. This is remarkable. It’s also familiar. Mississippi Braves fans might recall the 2008 season, when Medlen moved from the bullpen to the rotation in early June. He was brilliant in that role, helping the M-Braves win the second half championship in the Southern League South and roll on to the league pennant. He went 6-5 as a starter, winning the second-half clincher. He had a 3.52 ERA, so with a little luck his record could’ve been much better. In the postseason, Medlen beat Birmingham with a dominating five-hit shutout in the division series clincher. M-Braves manager Phillip Wellman and pitching coach Derek Botelho said it was as good a performance as they’d seen all season. Medlen left the do-or-die Game 4 of the league championship series after seven innings with a lead, which the M-Braves blew before rallying to win 6-5 and square the series at 2-all. They won their only league title the next day. P.S. Cliff Lee took another hard-luck no decision on Thursday, giving the former Meridian Community College star a major league-leading 12. The Philadelphia left-hander hasn’t always been sharp this season, but his 2-7 record doesn’t seem to fit with his 3.83 ERA.