Teheran leaves early with lat tightness

One of the Atlanta Braves' most coveted trade chips made an early departure from Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies, as right-hander Julio Teheran left his start at Coors Field in the top of the fifth inning with right lat tightness injury, the team announced.

After allowing just three hits and a pair of walks over four innings, extending his scoreless streak to 14 frames, the 25-year-old abruptly left the game following a meeting with Jeff Porter after allowing an infield single to Mark Reynolds to lead off the fifth. Jeff O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution speculated that Teheran, who was replaced on the mound by Joel De La Cruz, may have tweaked something as he tried to make a play on the dribbler off Reynolds' bat.

Teheran, one of just 16 starters to log at least 200 innings in each of the last two seasons, now owns a 2.71 ERA through 20 starts in 2016, managing a 4.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio while averaging 1.11 homers per nine innings.

With the non-waiver trade deadline just 10 days away, teams continue to ask the rebuilding Braves about Teheran, but general manager John Coppolella said Thursday he keeps telling rival executives he won't trade the two-time All-Star.

"I have told about 12 different general managers we aren't moving (Teheran)," Coppolella said. "We have gotten some hits on some other starting pitchers and we've got to at least listen. But I think young pitching for us is what we're trying to build around."

Teheran, who signed with the Braves as an amateur free agent in 2007, remains under team control through 2019, with a $12-million team option for the 2020 campaign.