Tommy Hanson is 4-0, but it hasn’t been very pretty. Hanson gave up 3 homers in his debut, but the Braves rallied and won the game. His next three starts featured base runners all over the place, but Hanson was able to limit the damage. His last start was more like one Braves fans hope to see moving forward (6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 ER). In fact Hanson has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts and has run his scoreless streak to 20.1 IP. During this streak he became the first rookie pitcher to beat the Yankees and Red Sox in consecutive starts. More importantly the Braves won all five games Hanson has started.

One bright note in Hanson’s start is the fact that he’s truly yet to show his best stuff. So far he only has 18 strikeouts in 29 innings after compiling 90 strikeouts in 66.1 innings at AAA Gwinnett and has averaged 1.2 strikeouts per inning during his four-year minor league career. Another stat that should improve is his walk total. Since his call-up, Hanson has allowed 17 walks in 29 innings when he averaged only 2.3 BB/9 innings this season at AAA.

Will Hanson’s scoreless streak continue? His next two starts will be against the Nationals on July 4th and at Colorado on the 9th. As the Braves offense continues to struggle, Hanson must continue to shut down the opposition to have any chance of winning.