Craig Kimbrel & Jonny Venters facts

I came across an interesting article on ESPN by Jayson Stark. I thought it was worth posting on the blog, so here it is.

Strike One -- Brave New Bullpen World Dept.

Rivera and Nelson … Percival and K-Rod … Dibble and Myers … Lidge and Wagner.

We present those names as evidence that we've seen our share of dominating bullpen tag teams through the years. But you know what we've never seen?

Domination like this:

Venters

Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters.

Three Strikes is here to make the case that we've never run across ANY bullpen tag team as unhittable and as untouchable as the Braves' two game-shrinkers have been so far in 2011.

Just eyeball their stat lines for a second and try to comprehend that this is happening in the major leagues, not on your PlayStation. It's amazing:

Pitcher	ERA	IP	H	K	H/9 IP	K/9 IP
Kimbrel	1.72	62.2	38	101	5.5	14.5
Venters	1.11	72.2	38	79	4.7	9.8

Insane as those numbers may look from afar, they only get more insane as you look closer. Here's what we mean:

• Want to guess how many bullpen teammates in the 42-year history of the modern save rule have had ERAs that low, with hit rates and strikeout rates that good, in the same season? That would be NONE -- not among relievers who worked at least 60 innings in a season, anyway. Unreal.

• But even if we zap hits and strikeouts right out of this equation and just look at ERAs, we can only find one set of teammates in modern bullpen history who have ERAs this low in the same year. That would be Dennis Eckersley (0.61) and Gene Nelson (1.57) of the 1990 A's. Just for the record, there were two other duos -- Eric Gagne (1.20) and Paul Quantrill (1.75) of the 2003 Dodgers and Joaquin Benoit (1.34) and Rafael Soriano (1.73) of the 2010 Rays -- that barely missed this cut. But that's it -- in the last four decades.

• If you've really paid attention, though, you know Kimbrel and Venters aren't the only occupants of that Braves bullpen with miniscule ERAs. There's a THIRD guy in that 'pen -- Mr. Eric O'Flaherty, ladies and gentlemen -- with a 1.27 ERA. That's "only" in 56 2/3 innings. But nevertheless, even if we lower the innings threshold to that level, there still has never been any modern bullpen that featured THREE relievers with ERAs that microscopic (and at least 55 innings pitched apiece). Ever.

• Hang on, though. There's more. Kimbrel last gave up a run on June 11. That was 30 2/3 consecutive shutout innings ago. Venters last allowed a run on June 29. That was 21 2/3 innings worth of donuts ago. So how often do you see two members of the same bullpen fire up that many consecutive zeroes? Just about never. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other bullpen teammates since 1969 to run off streaks like this at the same time were Joe Nathan (29 innings) and J.C. Romero (23) of the 2004 Twins. So there have never been any others in the National League -- at any stretch of any season -- since bullpen usage even remotely resembled the current bullpen usage. Whoa.

So is it safe to say nobody would want to find themselves trailing this team in the late innings when this October rolls around? Uh, just a little safer than throwing money into the stock market. Don't you think?

Braves Aquire Michael Bourn

Finally, a decent lead off hitter and excellent defensive center fielder. No more worries about Nate Mclouth or Jordan Schafer. Wren did a good job, keeping our top four minor league pitchers.

Article

ATLANTA -- When Braves general manager Frank Wren began evaluating the trade market, he said he was attempting to enhance his lineup with a right-handed-hitting outfielder. Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence both fit this category.

But as this month progressed and Dan Uggla began serving as a right-handed power threat again, Wren and his staff determined their primary need was to find a center fielder who could serve as a legitimate leadoff hitter.

Having passed on the opportunities to pay a heavy price for Beltran or Pence, Wren waited patiently and gladly announced Sunday morning that he had acquired Michael Bourn from the Astros in exchange for Jordan Schafer and three Minor League pitchers -- left-hander Brett Oberholtzer and right-handers Paul Clemens and Juan Abreu.

"He was the one thing we were lacking," Wren said. "We haven't really had a prototypical leadoff hitter in five or six years. Getting Michael really adds to our club. ... It might not be the offensive punch, but it's run creation, which is important."

A Houston native, Bourn was sad to learn he would no longer be playing in his hometown. But the trade does provide him the opportunity to be part of a pennant race with a team that is confident it will earn a second straight trip to the postseason.

"It's definitely tough leaving Houston, my hometown. But I understand the trade," Bourn said. "I have the chance to be in a pennant race, so I'm happy about that. I want to say thanks to the Houston fans for their support. It was special to me to play in my hometown. And I want to thank the Astros' organization for the opportunity they gave me. I wish them all the best."

Bourn was unable to get to Atlanta before Sunday's series finale against the Marlins. But he is expected to be with the Braves on Monday, when they begin a three-game series in Washington.

While the Giants feel good about adding Beltran and the Phillies were happy to add Pence, Wren said that he felt Bourn was the better fit for his team. To acquire him, the GM did not have to part ways with any of the four elite pitching prospects -- Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino and Mike Minor -- it would have taken to land Beltran or Pence.

"We could have had Beltran if we had given the player they wanted," Wren said. "We're not going to do that for a rental player, for a guy for two months with no Draft compensation coming back. The same thing with Pence. We're not going to give up a couple of those young kids that were premiums for our future in that kind of deal."

When the Phillies acquired Pence, multiple Braves players became anxious and started wondering if Wren would make a significant move. As Saturday night neared its end, he was closing in on completion of this deal.

"When you've got a good team like we have and you have a chance to win, I get caught up in it as far as you want to add that piece that you feel like puts you over the edge," Braves catcher David Ross said. "When you're looking around this locker room and the confidence we have in this team, you start thinking about the World Series."

Bourn is in the midst of the finest season of his career, having hit .303 with a .363 on-base percentage and a Major League-best 39 stolen bases in 105 games entering Sunday. The 28-year-old center fielder recorded a career-high 61 stolen bases last year, two fewer than the entire Braves team.

While Schafer spent the past two months showing he is capable of handling the leadoff role, Bourn is the first proven leadoff hitter the Braves have possessed since Rafael Furcal exited after the 2005 season.

"If he's on base, he's definitely a threat," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "Last time I saw, he was leading the league in steals. We haven't had that kind of threat at the top of our lineup in a long time -- consistently anyway. We'll see how it all turns out."

Bourn has shown steady improvement since breaking in with the Phillies in 2006, and over the course of this season, has seemingly taken his game to another level. He has batted .339 with a .388 on-base percentage in his past 53 games.

The Braves have seen their leadoff hitters bat .254 with a .306 on-base percentage this year. Their center fielders have batted .241 with a .322 on-base percentage.

Once Schafer and fellow center fielder Nate McLouth went on the disabled list, the Braves had even more reason to get a center fielder. They started to get the sense Bourn might be available about a week ago.

"From a strategy standpoint, we didn't want to be really transparent as to what we were looking for," Wren said. "But as we looked at our club, we felt the most glaring need was center field. Even before the injuries, that was an area where we felt we could improve our club."

Bourn has one remaining arbitration-eligible season, and could make in the neighborhood of $7 million next year. Earlier this year, it was revealed Scott Boras is now serving as his agent.

Once considered the top prospect in the Braves' system, Schafer has seen his career stall as he has dealt with a left wrist injury and a banned-substance suspension over the past three seasons. The Braves were forced to call Schafer up from Triple-A Gwinnett in late May, and he had spent most of the past two months as their starting center fielder.

"I don't know if the injuries had [any effect]," Schafer said. "Obviously, I was probably the first one to set things back quite a bit [with the suspension]. It's a business and it happens. I'm not the first player to get traded and I'm not going to be the last."

Jones truly became a fan of Schafer's talents this year and was saddened to learn the 24-year-old outfielder will no longer be playing in the Braves' system. Instead, once his left middle finger heals, Schafer should stand as the Astros' center fielder of the future.

"It's the same old story for him," Jones said. "It seemed like he had it going in the right direction. Another injury kind of knocked him off the track. But he certainly showed a lot of improvement and some promise this year. I was proud of him. He set out in Spring Training to make a difference. And you can honestly say he did that."

Clemens has established himself as a strong prospect while going 6-5 with a 3.73 ERA in 20 starts for Double-A Mississippi this year. MLB.com ranked him as the organization's eighth-best prospect.

Oberholtzer gained attention during Spring Training and has posted a 3.74 ERA in 21 starts for Mississippi. Abreu is a strong-armed right-handed reliever who has recorded 68 strikeouts in 48 innings at Triple-A this year.

While Wren verified that there are not truly any "untouchable prospects" in his organization, he was thrilled to keep his top prospects and improve his Major League club with a player who could prove to be a difference maker with his speed.

"We're not an eighth- or 10th-place team trying to get into the Wild Card," Wren said. "We have one of the best records in baseball. We know we have a good team. We know we can pitch with anyone. So I think it was imperative to do whatever we could to increase our chances."

Braves Draft

Braves pick Sean Gilmartin with their first pick of the 2011 draft. He was the 28th overall selection.

Talking chop as a good piece on him.

This is a safe pick by the Braves, but a pitcher who could move quickly with his refined approach, much like Mike Minor. Many of the high school pitchers the Braves were eying had already been selected by the time Atlanta selected. Below is what the experts had to say about Gilmartin:

Baseball America, ranked him 48th overall in the draft:

Gilmartin isn't flashy, but his total package should take him off the board in the first 50 picks as one of the draft's safest selections. A two-way talent out of a California high school, he attended a camp at Florida State and wound up being one of the Seminoles' rare cross-country recruits. He has pitched on Fridays for three seasons and helped lead Florida State to the College World Series last season, though he struggled putting hitters away in the second half of the season and last summer with USA Baseball's college national team. Gilmartin has improved significantly in the last year and become a scouts' darling with his combination of good size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds), clean arm action and solid athleticism. He has pushed his fastball into the average velocity range at 88-91 mph, his changeup remains a plus pitch and his slider has improved to average. Gilmartin knows how to use his stuff, particularly his changeup, how to set up hitters and how to keep them off-balance. His 10-1, 1.35 season includes four double-digit strikeout efforts. Scouts compare Gilmartin favorably to Vanderbilt southpaw Mike Minor, who went seventh overall to the Braves in 2009 and reached the majors a season later.

Keith Law of ESPN, who ranked Gilmartin 71st:

Gilmartin's a college performer with adequate stuff but who may need to find another gear to be more than a fourth or fifth starter in the big leagues.

He'll pitch with a fringe-average fastball, mostly 88-89 but touching a 91, and has a big, slow curveball that might work against lefties but wouldn't be a weapon against better right-handed batters. His best pitch is his changeup, 76-78 mph with good arm speed and some late fading action, although he uses it a lot and I'd like to see him pitch more off his fastball. He's a good athlete who can even swing the bat a little bit. He stays over the rubber well and pronates his arm very early after showing the ball to the center fielder.

This is what I thought Mike Minor was in college -- a command lefty with a good changeup but an average fastball and no plus breaking ball. Minor added some muscle after signing and upped his velocity, at least temporarily, and I suppose Gilmartin could do the same.

A safe pick by the Braves, clearly, and a player who should sign for slot and sign quickly. As far as a strategy of getting the best available player on the board, Gilmartin was likely not the best guy out there. If this was a money thing, then there were other more projectable players who would have been easy to sign. The Braves must have a feeling about Gilmartin, that they can get him in their system and mold him into a higher ceiling talent, (again) much like they did with Minor. It continues a string of safe drafts for the Braves, with Lipka and Minor both safe and easily signable players.

In addition to the Mike Minor comps for Gilmartin, there have also been a lot of Tom Glavine comps. Tony DeMacio, the Braves scouting director who runs the Atlanta draft room, was the scout who originally signed Glavine way back in 1984. So he could be trying to rekindle some of that magic.

The larger strategy here could be that by drafting a guy like Gilmartin, who should move quickly to the Majors in the next couple of years, the Braves signal that they may be willing to trade some of their current stock of pitching talent. One thing is for certain, they're building quite a stable of young arms -- several staffs worth.

The Braves will not pick again until late in the second round, which begins Tuesday at noon.

Injuries!

A few series have passed since the last time I made an article. I don't think I wish to revisit those series since the Braves have played horribly. The Braves get the Pittsburgh Pirates for two games starting tonight with Jair Jurrjens on the mound.

- Jason Heyward was placed on the 15 day DL. His shoulder is still bothering him. Personally he should of been placed on the DL to start with when he finally said something about it. I can't stand it when a player hides an injury. It's better to be on the DL and heal up instead of being an automatic out every time the player bats. Supposedly the shoulder acted up in Spring. He started off the season looking good, including seven home runs. However he eventually slumped and as a result, it hurt the team considerably in the time (a month?) that he was hampered by the injury. He might not even be ready to go when the time is up.

- Nate Mclouth was also placed on the DL. He has a strained oblique. Jordan Schafer was called up to take over the roster spot.

In fact the Braves have a lot more injury concerns than these two.

Braves Sweep Astros

The Braves won both games in the short two games series vs. the Houston Astros.

Game One (Monday)

Astros 2, Braves 3

- Tommy Hanson has been awesome. He pitched seven innings, allowing three hits, two runs (one earned) walking one and struck out ten. His mistake was allowing a home run to Matt Downs.

- Eric O'Flaherty pitched a scoreless 8th while striking out two.

- Craig Kimbrel got his 11th save. He struck out three batters and allowed one hit.

- Eric Hinske is on fire. He was 3-4 with a run and an RBI.

- Joe Mather had a key hit, driving in two runs. He was 2-4 to finish the game.

Game Two (Tuesday)

Astros 1, Braves 3

This game wasn't looking so good right up until the bottom of the 9th. With a 1-0 lead by the Astros, Brian McCann made a pinch hit appearance (Ross Started) and hit a solo shot to tie the game at 1-1. This brought the game into extra innings. McCann replaced Ross as the catcher, so when he came up to bat in the bottom of the 11th, he hit a two run homer therefore winning the game in walk off fashion.

- Derek Lowe did very well this game. He pitched seven innings, giving up five hits, one earned run, and striking out four batters.

- The Braves bullpen completed four innings of work and were successful. George Sherrill pitched exactly zero innings, allowing the only two batters he faced to get on base. One of them was opposing pitcher Wandy Rodriguez!

- Both Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward returned to the lineup. Chipper was 1-5 and Heyward was 1-3 with a pair of walks.

Good series for the Braves obviously. The games weren't pretty but they got two wins like they should of.

*The Braves will head to Arizona for another west coast trip. Julio Teheran will make his second big league start as he fills in for injured Brandon Beachy.

Braves Win Phillies Series- Chipper Jones Hurt

Good for the Braves to take another series over the Philadelphia Phillies with a win on Sunday afternoon. The final score was 3-2 Atlanta. They beat Roy Halladay without a Chipper Jones or Jason Heyward. The Braves are 5-4 vs the Phillies this year.

- Tim Hudson pitched 7 innings giving up four hits, two runs, walking five, and striking out three. He got a break today considering his five walks.

- Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel did their usual finishing touches in the 8th and 9th innings. Venters ended up with the win and Kimbrel his tenth save.

- Dan Uggla finally contributed in away and hit his 7th home run in the 8th inning off Halladay. This put the Braves in the lead at 3-2. Uggla was 2-3 with 3 runs and a walk.

- Freeman is responsible for the other two RBI. He was 1-3 with a sac fly.

* Tommy Hanson will be on the mound tomorrow as the Houston Astros visit for a two game series. Hanson has had good success vs. the Astros in his career. Let's hope he can continue that success.

Now the bad news: Chipper Jones has a small meniscus tear in his right knee.

"ATLANTA -- Concerned about the growing discomfort in his right knee, Chipper Jones underwent an MRI exam Sunday afternoon and learned that he has a small meniscus tear.

Braves physician Dr. Marvin Royster provided Jones an injection early Sunday evening with the hope it will provide him some relief while he rests the next couple of days. If it does provide some lasting relief, the 39-year-old third baseman might be able to avoid having the knee repaired via an arthroscopic surgical procedure.

"We'll know in a couple days," Jones said. "If the shot helps then I'll play as long as I can. If the shot doesn't help, then they'll go in and clean it up."

When Jones tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in August, it seemed his left knee might prove to be the problem this year. But while his left knee has cooperated for more than three months, the right knee has proven to be a problem over the past three weeks.

After Jones attempted to run sprints about 10 minutes before the scheduled first pitch of Sunday's game against the Phillies, he removed himself from the lineup. The Braves' medical staff then set up the MRI exam.

"It's been coming on for three weeks," Jones said. "I have good days and bad days. We've treated it. I've taken anti-inflammatories and some pain killers to be able to play. But today, nothing helped."

Jones said he asked if it would be better for him to simply undergo the arthroscopic surgery now and likely miss just a couple of weeks. But Royster gave him some hope that they will be able to simply medicate the ailment.

"Doc Royster seemed to think he could put some stuff up in there that will help it while I'm out for a few days," Jones said.

Jones hit .321 (17-for-52) with four doubles, two homers and a .903 OPS in his first 16 games of the season. He has batted .247 (22-for-89) with nine doubles, two homers and a .788 OPS in the 23 games that have followed."

Let's hope that this heals up and doesn't bother him enough to miss significant time. Braves have already suffered a share of injuries to a couple players this month specifically, Peter Moylan, Brandon Beachy, Jason Heyward and now Chipper Jones.

Braves Win 5-3

After a frustrating loss to the Phillies last night, the Braves recovered today and beat the Phillies 5-3. Last night was one of those "They should of won" games where the Braves had several opportunities to put the game away quickly but didn't. This included two situations with bases loaded and one out. Brian McCann grounded into a double play the first time. Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman struck out for outs two and three the second time. There was a very questionable strike three call that went for a ball as well.

- Jair Jurrjens did his job yet again. He pitched 7.1 innings allowing three hits, two earned runs, walking one and striking out six. He now has five wins, zero loses and a 1.66 ERA to start the season.

- Venters and Kimbrel closed the game out for the final 1.2 innings. Kimbrel got save number nine.

- Martin Prado is definitely player of the week. He was 2-4 with a home run and three RBI today. "Prado has raised his average from .252 to .295 while hitting .386 (22-for-57) this month. In the 22 games the Braves have won this year, Prado has hit .376 (35-for-93) with five homers and 21 RBIs. In their 19 losses, he has hit .205 with one homer and six RBIs." So obviously he is a very important part of the ball club.

- Freddie Freeman collected a couple of hits.

* Tim Hudson will be on the mound tomorrow as the Braves face last years NL Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay. We are going to need an outstanding performance from Hudson in order to have a chance at this one. Just ticks me off that the Braves should of had game one in the bag. They could of finished with another series win regardless of tomorrow's outcome.

The Braves schedule does get easier as they play the Houston Astros followed by the Arizona Diamond Backs after the Phillies series, however, both series are only two games a piece. Winning all four shouldn't be a hard task.

Braves Updates

Going to do a list style here. Sorry for the lack of articles lately.

• Braves barely avoid being swept by the Washington Nationals.

• Braves lose game one of Phillies series. Several runners in a couple of bases loaded opportunities were left stranded in this very frustrating game.
  

• Brandon Beachy heads to the DL with a strained oblique. Replacement is yet to be determined (Minor?).

• Jason Heyward's shoulder is feeling better. Not ready to return full time yet.
  

Braves Lose Two In A Row to Nationals

Boy, do things turn sour quickly in Atlanta.

Errors and blown saves.

Braves Off Day- Phillie Series Catch Up

The Braves have a much needed off day today (Monday) as they head back home to get ready to play the Washington Nationals. The Braves won the series in Philadelphia winning two out of three games. Finally, the Braves look a little more legit, and the best part is that Dan Uggla hasn't even started hitting yet. They get another test as they play the Phillies again starting Friday. This time in Atlanta.

In game two the Phillies returned the favor and shut out the Braves 3-0. Julio Teheran did alright for his first start in the majors. Can't really expect a 20 year old player to throw 9 innings of shut out ball vs. the Phillies in Philadelphia. Either way, it was a good experience for him. I think it's obvious that he is not ready just yet. I hate to say this, but I'm glad he was able to get a start in while the Braves didn't waste one of our regular starters in a game where the offense put up 0 runs.

Game three was good. The Braves beat another good pitcher in Cole Hamels. The final score was 5-2 Braves. Jair Jurrjens keeps on rolling. He threw 6.1 innings and gave up only one run. He is 4-0 to start the season and has a 1.50 ERA. Freddie Freeman might be back on the rise. He was 3-4 with an RBI and two runs. He hit a home run off of Hamels.

* The Braves will play Washington tomorrow with Tim Hudson on the mound. Another complete game shut out for Hudson?

Braves Shut Out Phillies - Julio Teheran Debut Saturday

A wonderful game this was, shutting out the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Braves got the best of Cliff Lee again, even though Lee had a whopping 16 strikeouts in seven innings.

- Derek Lowe did pretty well. If we needed him to pitch a good game this was a game to do it in. He still seems to have trouble going to at least seven innings, but I'll gladly take the six scoreless innings, two hits, one walk and four strikeout performance from him.

- The best of the bullpen came out to finish the game. I would have to give Eric O'Flaherty MVP of the game. He came in after Derek Lowe was pulled with a runner on second and third with no outs. What does he do? He strikes out the next three batters!

- Jonny Venters is great. Pitched a scoreless 8th with two strike outs.

- Craig Kimbrel came in the game to finish the 9th. I was surprised considering the five run lead. Perhaps Fredi Gonzalez wanted to preserve the shut out. Kimbrel seems to pitch better one he makes regular appearances I think.

- The Braves put together a nice string of hits to score three runs off Lee. Alex Gonzalez started with a double that was nearly a home run. Gonzalez scored on a Chipper Jones line drive that was nearly caught by SS Jimmy Rollins but tipped over his glove. Brian McCann hit a double that scored Chipper from first (Chipper can still run). Uggla hit a double that scored McCann. It was rather nice to see.

- Jason Heyward had the day off, but came in to pinch hit. He got a base hit and then later scored a run.

- Freddie Freeman was 0-4. I'm getting concerned about him now that he is only batting .217 so far this year. Its three points better than Uggla's average though!

* The Braves played a double header on Wednesday and the Braves want the starters to get the regular five days rest. So to make that happen, Braves top pitching prospect Julio Teheran will be making his major league debut tomorrow (Saturday). This is quite a situation for a 20 year old pitcher who has never pitched in a big league game. Starting in front of a rough sell out crowd in Philadelphia vs. the Phillies isn't going to be easy.

Here is a nice review of Teheran by a baseball scout on baseball prospectus.

"In five starts this year for Triple-A Gwinnett, Teheran has a 1.80 ERA while allowing 25 hits over 30 innings, walking eight and striking out 25. After struggling with his command in an ugly second start, he has been a strike-throwing machine, walking two over 20 1/3 innings in his last three outings while averaging a highly efficient 13.3 pitches per frame."

A scout currently in his fourth decade of evaluating players was gushing over Teheran today. “I've never put a higher grade on a 20-year-old pitcher in my career.” Going deeper into Teheran's arsenal explains why. “He was 92-96 for me while averaging 95, and the pitch is hitter-untrackable, as he hides his arm behind his back and it explodes on hitters. That combination of arm velocity and deceptive velocity is a rare and beautiful thing.”

“There's power, there's touch and feel, and there's mound presence well beyond his 20 years,” the scout concluded. “He's going to be a number-one starter on a championship-level team.”

Braves Complete Four Game Sweep of Brewers

A little pay back for the rough series earlier in the season I suppose. This is how the Braves are supposed to be playing.

Braves 2, Brewers 1

- You couldn't ask for a better number five starter. Brandon Beachy went six innings, giving up four hits, one run (which wasn't earned) walking one and striking out nine batters.

- The best part of the bullpen pitched tonight to finish the game.

• O'Flaherty - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Venters - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Kimbrel - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (Save, 7)
  

- Total is three innings pitched two hits, and six strike outs.

- The Braves had a tough pitcher tonight, so I wasn't expecting many runs to score.

- Martin Prado had the tie breaking home run. He was 2-4 with an RBI and a Run.

- Chipper Jones was 2-4

- Eric Hinske starting in place of Freddie Freeman, was 2-4 with a home run.

- The Braves did get a break as they committed two errors this game. One error led to a run to score in the 5th. Good thing that's all that happened.

* The coming series will be a good test to see what the Braves are made of. They travel to hostile territory in Philadelphia. The Phillies are off to a great start (21-9). They have a top starter in four spots of their rotation and a 5th starter (Blanton on DL) who has done very well.

*The Phillies have had a fairly easy schedule so far and have played three less games than the Braves.

*I'll take one win but the Braves need to take two here, especially in Philadelphia. The Braves will play the Phillies again a week later in Atlanta. Who makes these schedules?

• Friday - Lowe vs. Lee

• Saturday- Jurrjens vs. Oswalt

• Sunday- TBD vs. Hamels (I would assume Hanson)

Braves Win Double Header

Another a day late. I've taken interest in other things rather than posting lately. The Braves game was rained out on Tuesday, so they had to make the game up forcing a double header for Wednesday. Since the Braves won both games in the double header Wednesday, I have to write about it. The Braves have been very successful in double headers this year so far. They won two vs. the Mets earlier in the season.

Game One

Braves 8, Brewers 3

- Tommy Hanson keeps on going. He went six innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs, walking two and striking out seven.

- Eric O'Flaherty pitched a scoreless inning allowing one hit and striking out one.

- Good thing the Braves had a pretty good sized lead. Scott Linebrink came in and gave up a run in usual fashion. Of course, the big lead is the only reason Linebrink was allowed to come into the game.

- Cory Gearrin finished the game with a scoreless inning allowing one hit and striking out one.

- Martin Prado is looking good lately. He was 3-5 with three RBI and two runs.

- Rookie Freddie Freeman was 2-4.

- Nate McLouth has been doing excellent since being moved to 8th spot of the lineup. He was 3-3 with a walk and two runs.

Game Two

Braves 8, Brewers 0

- If the first game wasn't good enough for you. Perhaps this one was.

- Tim Hudson was awesome. He pitched a complete game shut out. He only allowed one hit, walked one and struck out six batters.

- Braves put runs on the board with out Chipper and McCann.

- Dan Uggla seems to be hitting a little more these last few games. He was 3-4 with a walk, run and an RBI.

- The certainly shouldn't be any concerns when Ross is starting in place of McCann. Ross was 2-5 with a run.

- Nice to see Eric Hinske start hitting. This is exactly why we resigned the guy. Good hitter off the bench. He was 1-3 with a run and two RBI.

- How about Nate McLouth? Is this Pittsburgh Nate we been waiting for? I hope so...with the common number being two, he was 2-2 with two walks, two RBI, and two runs. One of the hits was a home run.

* As I was writing this article, the Braves finished the game tonight (Thursday) completing a four game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers!

Brewers 2, Braves 6

A day late yes, but its got to get posted. It was a win after all.

- Jurrjens was great again, pitching 7.2 innings, giving up two runs, seven hits, walking no one, and striking out four.

- Kimbrel finally had an easy 9th as he pitched the inning with two strike outs and a walk.

- The offense seems to be picking up a little. Let's hope it continues.

- Dan Uggla was two for three with a walk.

- Alex Gonzalez was the hero of the game. He went two for three with three RBIs for the night.

- David Ross filling in nicely for McCann. He was 2-4 with a solo home run.

* The second game is currently in a rain delay. Tommy Hanson is scheduled to start.

Braves Pull Off A Win VS. Cardinals

Who would of thought that it was Brooks Conrad that got the game winning hit today? In the bottom of the ninth, he got a hit that scored Alex Gonzalez, winning the game 6-5. Finally, some kind of clutch performance.

- Derek Lowe started the game off allowing three quick earned runs. I'm glad I wasn't one to witness this. He's been pitching rather poorly lately. He went five innings giving up six hits, four earned runs, walking two and striking out five.

- The bullpen did alright. They allowed only one run in four innings. Linebrink and Sherrill pitched without giving up any runs. Cory Gearrin gave up a run in the 8th. Perhaps he isn't as good as I thought.

- Like usual, not a whole lot happened offensively.

- Alex Gonzalez was 1-4 with two runs. A very important home run and two RBI as well.

- Brooks Conrad had the game winning hit as a pinch hitter. About time he contributed positively.

* Nice to start the new month with a win. Time to put this bad week and month behind them and start winning some games.

The Braves begin another four game series vs. the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow. Jair Jurrjens will be on the mound. The Braves will have to try and score runs off of Yovani Gallardo, who shut them out earlier in the year. However, Gallardo has been pitching poorly lately. If I had to make any bets, Gallardo will rebound, throwing another masterpiece while Jurrjens gets shelled.

Rodger McDowell Fined and Suspended

Well, personally I'm glad he wasn't fired.

AJC

McDowell keeps job, suspended for two weeks

1:23 pm May 1, 2011, by David O'Brien

Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell was suspended for two weeks without pay for inappropriate conduct toward fans before an April 23 game at San Francisco, allegedly including anti-gay slurs and sexually suggestive comments.

McDowell was also fined an undisclosed amount and will be required to participate in sensitivity training. The penalties were announced Sunday by Major League Baseball.

“Conduct by people associated with MLB that shows insensitivity to others simply cannot and will not be tolerated,” Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.

There had been speculation McDowell, 50, might lose his job over the incident, and the Braves didn’t say before Sunday whether that was being considered. He was placed on administrative leave Friday. The suspension is retroactive to Friday.

“I want to reiterate that we are deeply concerned when we heard about the accusations regarding Roger,” Braves president John Schuerholz said in a statement, “and we took our investigation very seriously to investigate all the facts. We agree with the discipline that the commissioner has handed down.

“We were clearly disappointed in Roger’s remarks and actions and the Atlanta Braves organization does not tolerate that kind of behavior.”

Giants fan Justin Quinn, 33, issued a complaint against McDowell after an incident during batting practice before the Braves-Giants game at AT&T Park.

Quinn, 33, hired celebrity attorney Glorida Allred, who had a press conference at her Los Angeles office on Wednesday. Quinn accused McDowell of saying, “Are you a homo couple or a threesome?” to fans who were sitting in the left-field seats, and of simulating a sex act with a baseball bat.

Quinn, seated nearby with his 9-year-old twin daughters, said he asked McDowell to clean up his language in front of children.

Allred said McDowell responded by saying “Kids don’t [expletive] belong at the baseball park.” (Another fan sent a letter to MLB two days after the incident that corroborated much of what Quinn said, although this fan claimed McDowell said that kids belonged in the upper deck, not down near the field.)

Quinn also claimed that McDowell walked toward him in a threatening manner, holding a bat, and asked him, “How much are your teeth worth?”

McDowell has not been available to the media since the story broke on Wednesday. He said in a statement issued Sunday, “I understand the decision made today by the Commissioner. I am embarrassed by my actions and I plan to give a personal apology to Mr. Quinn and his family. I would also like to offer a public and heartfelt apology to the fans of San Francisco, to the Atlanta Braves organization, my family and to Major League Baseball.”

Braves minor league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace will continue as interim pitching coach until McDowell returns.

“It’s tough when you lose a very important part of your coaching staff, but Dave Wallace is very competent,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We’ll get through it. We’ll get through it as a team and an organization, and it may … build us together.”

McDowell is the first Brave suspended for inflammatory remarks since John Rocker after Rocker’s 1999 bigoted comments in a Sports Illustrated article. Rocker was fined $20,000 by Major League Baseball and suspended for a month, but sanctions were reduced to a $500 fine and a two-week suspension by an arbitrator.

Schuerholz was general manager of the Braves at the time of the Rocker incident.

“The Atlanta Braves organization prides itself on being one that values integrity, diversity, professionalism and respect,” Schuerholz said Sunday. “We are looking forward to putting this incident behind us and have the focus on the team be back on the playing field.”

Quinn and his family will be invited to attend a future game in San Francisco as guests of MLB.

“I understand that Mr. McDowell is very contrite about his conduct, and hopefully this incident will be used to increase public awareness of the importance of sensitivity to others,” Selig said. “I commend Justin Quinn and his family for bringing this issue to our attention so that it will not happen again in the future.”

I've been reading various opinions on the situation. Apparently there is a video of Allred (Quinn's attourney) basically reenacting the whole situation. Let's mention that Allred isn't some nobody either. Here is what I believe to be her website -Gloria Allred

This guy Quinn was so offended by what McDowell allegedly did and said in front of his kids that he had her pretty much recite the entire incident and even demonstrate the "vulgar sexual act with the baseball bat" with his kids sitting right there.

Tho$e kid$ really $uffered from the inncident...

In McDowell's defense

Among those to rush to McDowell’s defense in the fall-out Thursday was Jerry Pritikin, 74, a long-time Cubs fan, who used to interact with McDowell from the bleachers at Wrigley Field in the 1980s when McDowell was a pitcher for the Mets. Pritikin also happens to be gay.

“Being openly gay, I understand why some people would be disturbed, as I was,” Pritikin said. “But he made an apology and I accept that.”

Pritikin said he got to know McDowell personally during exchanges back and forth from the bleachers. The two used to throw Frisbee.

“He’s been such a good guy,” Pritikin said. “He always had fun with people in the bleachers, no matter what ballpark he was in, but because Chicago had such a great bleacher crowd, they really looked forward to him coming whenever he came to town. He was truly a great entertainer.”

Pritikin voiced his support of McDowell in an e-mail to Selig Thursday. He’d written Selig in recent years after anti-gay comments by former Cub Julian Tavarez and former Brave John Rocker, but those e-mails were much more critical, he said.

“I could understand someone who would not have known of Roger’s career or his antics at the ballpark might consider, ‘Well this is another hot-headed person,’” Pritikin said. “The other two guys were definitely prejudiced in what they were saying. I don’t believe Roger is that kind of guy.”

Braves Blow Another Game to Cardinals

Yes, in similar fashion as last game, a scrub hits a triple in the 9th to put the Cardinals on top. Braves lose 3-2. That's a new phrase. "Braves blow!"

The bullpen was supposed to be a strength this year. Especially in the 8th and 9th innings. Come on, two days in a row?

Tomorrow is the first of May. If they don't turn it around any time in May forget the season. There is no catching up to a Phillies team that is 18-8 to start the season.

Dan Uggla better start mashing the ball this month. A sub .200 avg is BS.

Braves Blow Game to Cardinals

Sigh. Typical choke by the Braves. Why do I root for teams that always let me down?

Go into the ninth with a 3-2 lead. Kimbrel blows the save. The Braves later lose the game in extra innings 5-3. Meanwhile, Phillies and Marlins continue to win and pull away from the rest of the division.

-Fredi Gonzalez doesn't know how to handle his bullpen.

-Umpire behind the plate was terrible.

- Two hitters on the Cardinals batting .200 had 2 RBI each. Wow...

The next two games are a must win.

Derek Lowe Arrested and Charged With DUI

To follow suit with the whole McDowell fiasco, Derek Lowe decides to play idiot as well.

AJC

"Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe, who allegedly raced another driver down Peachtree Road in Buckhead Thursday night before being stopped and charged with driving under the influence, has apologized in a statement released by the Braves."

"I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, fans and the Braves organization for the attention arising from this matter, however I am hopeful that this incident will not be a distraction to the Braves organization while we are focused on returning to the playoffs," the 37-year old pitcher said. "This is a legal matter and I anticipate this case can promptly be resolved within the court system."

Lowe, who was driving a 2011 Porsche Panamera, was also charged with reckless driving and making an improper lane change.

Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said Lowe was pulled over around 10 p.m. Thursday on Peachtree Road at Rumson Road after troopers spotted the racing cars. Wright had no information on the second driver, who he said was charged with reckless driving.

The trooper "detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" and gave Lowe a field sobriety test, Wright said. The Michigan native refused to take a breathalyzer test, he said.

Lowe, who signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Braves prior to the 2009 season, was taken to Atlanta city jail. In a statement, the Braves said, "Obviously we are concerned and disappointed about the events involving Derek Lowe overnight."

McDowell Placed on Administrative Leave

Talking Chop

"The Atlanta Braves have placed pitching coach Roger McDowell on administrative leave pending the completion of the investigation surrounding the events from this past Saturday in San Francisco.

In the interim, Minor League pitching coordinator, Dave Wallace will serve as the team’s acting pitching coach.

The Braves pitchers should be in good hands. Dave Wallace has served as a major league pitching coach with the Dodgers (1995-97), New York Mets (1999-2000), Boston Red Sox (2003-06) and Houston Astros (2007). He joined the Seattle Mariners in October 2007 and spent two seasons (2008-09) as Special Assistant to the General Manager/Minor League Pitching Coordinator. He has served as the Braves Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the past year, having been hired in November 2009.

This is a good move by the Braves. It removes the possible distraction of McDowell from the clubhouse, and brings in an experienced Major League pitching coach. Frank Wren and Fredi Gonzalez will address the media shortly after 4pm. So there will be more info once we hear what they have to say."

I don't know what to say about all of this.

Pitching Coach Roger McDowell In Trouble?

Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell was accused of making inappropriate remarks to San Francisco Giants fans during one of their games. If anything I think it's all overblown by the accuser. Usually things are that way when someone wants massive attention. Why would this person wait AFTER the game and not let security or staff know immediately?

Although McDowell is supposed to be a "professional" and what he did (if was even that bad) was wrong, I can't blame him for finally letting loose and getting back at rude, disrespectful fans. Nobody is perfect, and unfortunately society has a way of making a big deal out of...nothing.

I have a few pieces from Talking Chop.

"Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell is potentially in some hot water after allegedly making some sexist remarks during a game against the Giants in San Francisco. The story is rife with tabloid sensationalism thanks to the complain against McDowell being filed by attorney Gloria Allred, and the story being first reported on TMZ. Read the TMZ piece here, and more from NBC Sports here.

I heard the Braves announcers mention that the Giants fans were all over Brooks Conrad during that series, so the only speculation I would give here is that the Braves players and coaches may have had enough heckling. Remember that the bullpens at AT&T Park are on the field.

Seems like more a case of hurt feelings and publicity seeking than anything else. Though it could be an embarrassing situation for McDowell and the Braves. I'm not sure what to think of it, but I want to hear what McDowell has to say before I rush to any judgment."

Here's a more recent article.

"Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell has responded to allegations he inappropriately responded to heckling fans before a Giants game last weekend.

"I am deeply sorry that I responded to the heckling fans in San Francisco on Saturday. I apologize to everyone for my actions," McDowell said in a press release after Wednesday afternoon's Giants-Padres game.

The Braves also issued a statement: "We were made aware of an incident in San Francisco this past Saturday. We are concerned by these allegations and the behavior described by a witness today. This in no way represents the Braves organization and the conduct we expect of our employees. We will withhold further comments until we finish gathering information."

Prepared statements by McDowell and the club. I guess that's how we should expect them to respond. Though at some point McDowell is going to have to face reporters, and answer their questions. These statements are the equivalent of a long tweet (in fact they were first reported that way).

The Commish is on the case as well, releasing a statement as long as McDowell's and the Braves' combined:

"I was informed today that Roger McDowell, a coach of the Atlanta Braves, is being accused of engaging in highly inappropriate conduct toward fans at a game in San Francisco. Although I do not yet have all the facts regarding this incident, the allegations are very troubling to me. The Atlanta Braves have assured my office that they will immediately investigate the allegations, and report the results of the investigation to me. After I have all the facts, I will make a determination of how to proceed."

Unfortunate black eye for the team."

San Diego Series Recap (Chipper Passes Mantle)

The Braves won the next two games therefor winning the series in San Diego. They have a much needed Thursday off as they travel back home to Atlanta. The Braves were 6-4 on the road trip which is not bad. They are going in the right direction now, getting back to a .500 record (13-13). The St. Louis Cardinals will be visiting on Friday for the next series. The schedule really doesn't get any easier though. After the Cardinals, they play the Milwaukee Brewers for four games, and then they travel to Philadelphia.

Tuesday

Braves 8, Padres 2

- Jair Jurrjens has been terrific since returning. We need him to perform at this level and remain healthy. He pitched a complete game. Pitching all nine innings, giving up nine hits, two runs, walking two and striking out four.

- Chipper Jones was 2-5 with a home run. He had two runs and two RBI.

- Alex Gonzalez was 2-3 with a walk. He had two RBI and a run as well.

- The Braves great back up catcher David Ross was 2-4 with a home run and four RBI. He crossed the plate two times.

Wednesday

Braves 7, Padres 0

- Tommy Hanson was dominant today. This is the kind of Hanson that was absent to start the season. He pitched seven scoreless innings, gave up four hits, walked one and struck out ten batters.

- Have we found another relief gem in Cory Gearrin? He's a side armer who has a lot of movement on his pitches. Impressed with him so far.

- Kimbrel pitched the ninth to finish the game.

- It was nice to see some runs scored for a couple games in a row. The top of order guys got on base, and the middle of the order guys drove them in. For once something went right.

- Prado was 2-5 with two runs.

- Heyward was 2-5 with a run and an RBI.

- Chipper Jones has passed Mickey Mantle in RBI for switch hitters. He is second all time in RBI for switch hitters. That's a nice accomplishment. He was 1-3 with three RBI.

- McCann was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI.

- Nate McLouth was 2-4 with two runs.

- This lineup still isn't hitting right. Dan Uggla hasn't started hitting yet, and we know Prado and Heyward aren't going to bat sub .260 all season.

* Tim Hudson will make the start on Friday. Opposing him will be a pretty good pitcher named Chris Carpenter. Not sure about this game.

Braves Lose to Padres? Chipper Jones Milestone

This game was horrible. The Braves wasted 13 innings of effort (or lack of effort) to the lowly Padres! The Padres who just got swept in a four game series vs. the Phillies. I was awake up until 2 am watching this joke performance by the Braves.

-Well deserving loss for the Braves too. They had multiple chances to score, yet multiple STUPID plays as well. Literally, base running skills as if watching a child start out in T-Ball.

-Fredi Gonzalez with more dumb moves. He takes out O'Flaherty who only needed one more out, who already faced consecutive right handed batters, and puts in the the most unreliable pitcher in the pen named Scott Linebrink. Linebrink throws two straight balls, then throws a straight fastball down the middle. This gave up a huge shot by a scrub and the tying run scored. Is this "veteran presence" in the bullpen supposed to decrease team morale or something?

-The worst part is giving up five runs to the worst hitting team in baseball.

-The second worst is guys like Prado going 0-6, and McCann going 0-5 .

-When is Dan Uggla going to start hitting the ball? It's ridiculous to be hitting .183.

* The only good news out of the night. Chipper Jones hit the 500th double of his career.

-Brandon Hicks came in as a pinch runner after Chipper's double. What does he do? Makes a stupid running mistake going to third on a ball hit back to the pitcher. So, he was tagged out at third. He didn't have to go anywhere since there was no runner on first base. Then the next batter hit a single which would should have scored the tie breaking run.

Braves Sweep Reigning World Series Champions

Finally, a good streak put together by the Braves on the road. I'll give a series recap when I get time, but time to go to San Diego to win another series vs. the Padres.

The Phillies have won five straight and just finished giving the Padres four loses. Nice for MLB to give them a cake walk schedule to start the season.

Braves Lose Three in Dodger Series

I watched the walk off home run from Matt Kemp not one hour ago and I'm not exactly a happy person right now. The biggest problem here is that first base was empty, and they decide to pitch to Matt Kemp, who is probably having the best season to date in all of baseball! Ever heard of intentionally walking a guy to face a lesser batter?

I'm going to take a different approach in this article. I'm actually thinking of taking a little break from game recaps until (if) they start putting something together. It's frustration and even a little anger that I don't really need to deal with. Best to avoid it all together.

Wednesday

Braves 1, Dodgers 6

So I was right about not getting too excited about some eight runs in the 9th inning the night before. The Braves decided to go to sleep again against a fairly mediocre pitcher named Jon Garland. The guy pitched a complete game. Derek Lowe, who was pitching off three days rest (who knows why) got knocked around. The bullpen has been pitching an awful lot lately. Any team that has a struggling pitcher is eagerly waiting in line to face the Braves, because this team is making every pitcher look like a Cy Young winner. The same can be said for any struggling hitters. "Hey, I can't wait till I face that Braves starting pitching." they say to their teammates before the series. The boxscore is linked in "Wednesday" so take a look.

Thursday

Braves 3, Dodgers 5

The Braves actually managed to score three runs off of Clayton Kershaw, who is a nasty and good pitcher. I expected to come home from work seeing the usual 0 in the box next to ATL. Manger Fredi Gonzalez decided to sit a couple of players for rest/off day. They were good choices after all. Jason Heyward is in a pretty good slump at the moment. He's not even hitting .200. Brian McCann was the other, and usually when there is a day game following a night game, he gets a day off. Kershaw is a lefty pitcher and both Heyward and McCann are lefty batters.

They were in extra innings when I got home, and then I realized that the Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to tie it. Well, blown save for Craig Kimbrel. He's going to allow a run once in a while, but this was definitely the wrong time to do it. I read on a message board that he was getting squeezed pretty good by the ump. Who knows, probably just excuses.

The only positive in Thursday game was Freddie Freeman. He was 2-3 with two walks and a home run. Funny how this works. There only seems to be one player in the lineup doing really well while the rest is doing o-fers.

* The schedule isn't getting any easier. The Braves will be playing World Series Champion San Francisco Giants for the next series. Tommy Hanson will be on the mound tomorrow. Madison Bumgarner will be the opposing pitcher. Bumgarner is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA to start the season. So, if I had to take a guess. He will turn it around rather easily tomorrow throwing at least seven scoreless innings.

I realized I feel slightly better about the Braves after writing this.

Braves 10, Dodgers 1

Well, if you didn't watch the game then you would of thought "Wow, the Braves finally hit well!" I guess you can say that they put a nice string of hits together...in the 9th inning. This isn't the first time the Braves busted out with a large number of runs this season. They went back to the usual low scores after that. I'm not going to say the bats are coming around just yet. However, Jon Garland is pitching for the Dodgers tonight and it could be easier to put some runs on the board again.

- Brandon Beachy finally looked sharp. He pitched six innings of shut out ball allowing only two hits. He struck out seven batters.

- Linebrink pitched in the 7th with a 2-0 lead. Of course he goes on give up three hits and an earned run. He lasted for one out until Venters came in.

- Venters got the Braves out of the mess that Linebrink got them into. He piched 1.2 innings walking one and striking out two. What would we do without this guy?

- Cristhian Martinez finished game by pitching the last inning. Kimbrel was set to come in to close but the Braves put 8 runs on the board in the top of the 9th.

- It was looking like another hopeless game as the Braves continued to not get any hits with runners in scoring position. The Braves had six walks before the 9th inning came around too.

- Martin Prado collected a couple of hits and walks. He scored two runs, one of them he knocked in himself with a solo home run. It was the first score of the game.

- Heyward was 0-5. Except for the pitcher, he was the only batter in the lineup without a hit.

- McCann was 2-3 with two walks. He had an RBI and a run scored as well.

- Uggla contributed with a three run homer in the 9th.

- Looks like Freeman is warming up. I like him in the 6th spot of the lineup. He was 2-4 with a walk and two runs. He smacked a home run for the 2nd score of the game in the 7th.

- McLouth was 2-4 with a walk. Maybe he will like batting last. Not as much pressure?

- A little history was made. Eric Hinske came in to pinch hit. He hit a two run home run to make the score 4-1. The Braves continued to hit and he came up for another at bat in the same inning, collecting his second hit. This is a pretty rare occasion. Talking Chop has a little information on it.

* Derek Lowe is pitching tonight. Good luck to Derek.

Dodgers 4, Braves 2

Since the Braves are on the west coast and play games that start at 10:00 pm, I will be unable to do game reviews the night of the game. I will try to review the games the next day.

The Braves lost the first game of the series vs. the LA Dodgers Monday night. The Braves were yet again able to help a struggling pitcher or mediocre pitcher pitch a gem. Ted Lilly, who is not a bad pitcher but who had early season struggles breezed through seven innings of scoreless ball.

- Tim Hudson had a terrible start for the second game in a row. He had problems with commanding his pitches. He pitched six innings, giving up six hits, four runs, walked two and stuck out four.

- Jairo Ascencio, who is replacing Peter Moylan (disabled list), pitched two scoreless innings giving up fours hits and striking out two.

- It wasn't until the 9th inning until the Braves could manage to put any runs on the board. I guess two runs is better than getting shut out. Freeman produced an RBI groundout, and McLouth contributed with the second RBI with a double.

Braves Win Both Double Header Games

After a Friday night washout, the Braves played a double header Saturday winning both games vs. the NY Mets.

First Game

Mets 2, Braves 4

- Derek Lowe pitched another solid game. Six innings, five hits, two earned runs, two walks and two strike outs. Good enough for the win.

- The bullpen pitched three scoreless innings. Craig Kimbrel got the save, his fourth of the season.

- The Braves offense hit four home runs total. Unfortunately they were all solo shots. Chipper Jones had one, Freddie freeman had his first of the year and Alex Gonzalez had himself two.

- Freeman has himself a nine game hitting streak.

Second Game

Mets 0, Braves 4

- Jair Jurrjens got his first start of the season after getting of the DL with an oblique strain. This had to be a very big confidence booster for him as he pitched seven scoreless innings and got the win. This is exactly what the team needs. He allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two in those seven innings.

- George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink looked awesome for a change. Both pitched the eighth and ninth innings without giving up any runs. Sherrill allowed no base runners and struck out two. Linebrink also kept the bases empty and struck out the side.

- Prado was 2-4 with two runs.

- Chipper was 2-3 with a walk, run, and one RBI.

- Eric Hinske had a good game filling in for Freeman. He was 3-4 with an RBI.

Braves Can't Get the Sweep

The Braves failed to sweep a struggling Mets team Sunday afternoon losing 3-2. Tommy Hanson struggled again allowing a pair of runs to score in the first inning. He always seems to have trouble to start games. The Braves also can not score any runs when Hanson starts as well.

- Hanson only lasted five innings giving up five hits, three earned runs, and walking two. He did have an impressive nine strikeouts though.

- The bullpen did well and didn't allow any runs in four innings.

- The pitching staff had 14 strikeouts combined.

- The Braves had a couple of opportunities to score some runs but failed to do so. I didn't get a chance to watch the game but there was once instance where the bases were loaded with Hanson was up to bat. He attempted a squeeze bunt with two strikes. He missed the bunt for strike three, and the runner at third was tagged out at home plate. Why not just let the pitcher strike out and take chances with Martin Prado at the plate with two outs?

- Jason Heyward batted 2nd in the lineup today, a spot many have been calling for. However, Nate Mclouth did not play in the game. Heyward was 2-4 and smacked his fourth home run of the season.

- Freddie Freeman has a 10 game hitting streak. He was 1-2 with an RBI.

* The Braves will be taking a long 10 game road trip to the west coast for a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. This will be tough for the Braves. Tim Hudson will get the start tomorrow night. Lets hope they can come back with at least five wins out the trip.

Peter Moylan to the DL

Moylan goes to the 15 day disabled list with a lower back strain. Not really good news, but I think the Braves can manage. Meanwhile, Jairo Asencio who had a good spring, will replace Moylan's bullpen spot.

~Article~

Braves, Marlins Catchup

The Braves lost the series vs the Florida Marlins on Thursday, losing the last game 6-5. Here the Braves finally put a decent amount of runs on the scoreboard only to have Brandon Beachy stink it up. Somehow Beachy managed to get himself eight strikeouts. The Braves could/should of won this time. Later in the game, bases were loaded, Brooks Conrad is up to bat as a pinch hitter. Line drive hit towards right center field. Chris Coughlan does an Andruw Jones like play in center field and robbed Brooks Conrad of a potential two or three RBIs. It would have been enough to win the game.

- Beachy had trouble with his command. 5.1 innings, seven hits, five earned runs, four walks, and eight strikeouts.

- Bullpen did well. Combined 3.2 innings, six hits, one run, no walks, and seven strike outs.

- Braves pitchers struck out 15 batters total.

-Big game for Brian McCann. He had a three run homer in the first inning. Finished the day 2-4 with one home run, three RBI, and obviously one run.

- Dan Uggla hit his third home run of the season.

Braves Nearly No Hit - Chipper Milestone

Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson was rolling through the lineup with a no hitter up until the 8th inning when rookie Freddie Freeman got himself a nice opposite field hit. Johnson had already thrown over 100 pitches and was taken out of the game right after. It's bad getting shut out let alone getting no hit. Good job Freeman to break it up.

I knew it was going to be a tough game, but lately it seems that every decent starter (expect Cliff Lee) has been talking a walk in the park with the lineup. I didn't expect Tim Hudson to give up five runs either. Better for him to get the bad start out of the way when the Braves can't hit anyways. Derek Lowe has been a victim of throwing gems yet getting handed with the loss because the Braves failed to give him any run support.

Atlanta didn't get shut out after all. Chipper Jones hit a home run in the 9th. He now has 1,500 career RBI. Chipper has another milestone to reach as well. He needs three more doubles for 500 in his career. Chipper is second switch hitter in baseball history with 2,500 career hits and 1,500 career RBI.

* Brandon Beachy will be on the mound for Atlanta tomorrow. Nolasco will be the opposing pitcher. I don't know about our chances. Depends on how Beachy does. Nolasco can be streaky at times, dominating a team or getting lit up. Let's hope for the latter.

Jair Jurrjens Set To Return

Jair Jurrjens will be ready for his first start of the season on Saturday, April 16 vs. the NY Mets.

Good, hopefully he can remain healthy and help the Braves win.

Braves Win

The Braves had a nice win over the Florida Marlins tonight, beating them 5-0. The defense has been doing very well and made a lot of nice plays tonight.

- Tommy Hanson finally got himself together. He pitched seven shut out innings giving up four hits, walking two and striking out five.

- The bullpen filled in and kept the shut out. O'Flaherty, Moylan, and Linebrink all pitched 2 innings giving up one hit, walking two and striking out two.

- The offense got things going, although I'm not going to get too excited yet because it was against an average pitcher.

- Prado was 2-4 with two runs.

- Chipper was 1-2 with two RBI and a walk. He needs one more RBI for 1,500.

- Brian McCann hit his first home run of the season. It was a monster shot.

- Uggla got his first hit in Atlanta as a Brave.

- Jason Heyward blasted a homer straight over the centerfield wall. He was also intentionally walked.

- Every Braves starter had a least one hit.

* Tomorrow will be a tough game. One of the top pitchers in the league will be on the mound for Florida while Tim Hudson will be pitching for the Braves. The Braves have faced a lot of quality pitchers so far this season.

Weekend Wrap

Yeah, I fell behind again in my updates. Both Saturday and Sunday's games were loses anyways and I don't really take pride in talking about them, especially when it was against a division rival.

It's best to remember that season still very early yet, and that things are likely to get better shortly.

Saturday

Phillies 10, Braves 2

What an ugly game. Every pitcher the Braves threw out on the mound gave up at least two runs. The good news is that the guys that pitched out of the bullpen are the worst in the bullpen. The most expensive yet the worst pitchers named George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink certainly earned their money this time.

- Brandon Beachy kept the Braves in it right up until the 7th inning. He pitched six innings giving up seven hits, four earned runs (one earned from RP) two walks, and struck out two.

- The bullpen was horrible. Of course it was the worst pitchers of the bullpen that did so.

- George Sherrill is going to have to get it together very quickly. He gave up a hit, walked one and had two earn runs and yet didn't record an out. That's zero innings pitched!

- Scott Linebrink gave up a nice fat grand slam to Carlos Ruiz on a 0-2 pitch count. Way to go!

- Cristhian Martinez pitched two innings giving up four hits and allowing two runs to score.

- The bats were pretty bland. Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt didn't really dominate on the mound either. Alex Gonzalez had the best day going 2-4 with a run.

Sunday

Phillies 3, Braves 2

Another awesome game by the Braves. They had a couple opportunities to score yet did a usual pop up or ground ball right at someone when a hit was needed the most.

- Derek Lowe has pitched games allowing zero runs, one run, and two runs yet sits with a record of 1-2. Lowe pitched another good game going seven innings, giving up seven hits, two earned runs, and striking out two.

- Jonny Venters pitched a scoreless inning.

- Kimbrel gave up his first hit (fluke) of the season to Jimmy Rollins who later scored. The run wasn't earned because of a Jason Heyward error.

- Nothing worthy of noting offensively other than that Dan Uggla was hitless all series.

One thing I did enjoy was watching Brian McCann walk back to the dugout after his at bat and stopping to yell explicit words at Phillies Carlos Ruiz. Apparently Ruiz was crying at the umpire about balls and strikes and McCann decided to shut him up. Perhaps because Ruiz was catching balls in the opposite batters box that were called strike three on Friday night?

Take a look at McCann's baseball reference page and look at the sponsor advertisement (in yellow box).

McCann > Ruiz is what it says. Someone (not me) paid money to put it there.

The Braves got today off which was much needed. Such a coincidence that the Phillies get the day off as well before facing another NL East opponent. They have one less game played than the Braves too.

* The Florida Marlins will be visiting Atlanta tomorrow. Tommy Hanson will look to finally get things going. The Braves need to get the series win.

Chipper Jones' Milestone

Chipper Jones got his 2,500th career hit in tonight's game as they beat the Phillies 6-3. Chipper is second all time in hits as a Brave. Hank Aaron holds the number one spot. The crowd gave a nice standing ovation as Chipper stood on 1st base and tipped his cap. Bobby Cox, who threw the ceremonial first pitch, was also present in the crowd. It was weird to see Bobby in the stands and not in the dugout.

- Tim Hudson had a little difficulty in the first inning, but he settled down and pitched 7.2 innings giving up eight hits, three runs (only two were earned), and striking out two. He issued no walks but did hit a batter.

- I was surprised to see Jonny Venters in to pitch. He only threw four pitches but he did pitch two innings last night.

- Craig Kimbrel got his 3rd save of the season.

- Offense finally got something going. It was nice to see them knocking hits off of a good pitcher like Cliff Lee, especially when he was getting strike three calls that were in the opposite batters box.

- Martin Prado was 3-5 with a run and one RBI.

- Nate McLouth is doing well. He was 2-5 with a run and an RBI.

- Chipper Jones was 2-4 with three RBI. 2,500 hits for his career.

- Dan Uggla was hitless going 0-4.

* Brandon Beachy will be on the mound for Atlanta tomorrow. The Braves will face yet another tough pitcher named Roy Oswalt.

* Chipper Jones is three RBI away from another milestone. He will be reaching 1,500 career RBI.

Braves Lose Series vs. Brewers

Well, that was a Debbie Downer. After taking the first game of the series, the Braves went on to lose the next three. The games were relatively close and I feel that the Braves should of won at least two. The team's pitching and hitting just haven't been in sync lately.

Tommy Hanson wasn't much better this time around. I hope he can find a way out of his funk or it's going to be a long season for him. People have high expectations of Tommy this year. It's certainly way too early to be worried yet though.

- Tommy Hanson pitched 5.1 innings allowing seven hits and three earn runs. He walked one and stuck out two.

- The bullpen did well as usual. Peter Moylan did allow a run to score however. The bullpen has been pitching a lot lately.

- Not a whole lot offensively yet again. Prado had a nice 2 RBI hit early in the game and that was it.

- Chipper Jones did have the day off. I hope he's ready for the Phillies this weekend.

- Brian McCann continues to hit well. He was 2-4 today.

- Dan Uggla was 2-3 with a walk.

- Jason Heyward and Alex Gonzalez failed to take advantage of the runners they had available. They were both hitless and left 8 runners on base combined.

- Alex Gonzalez shouldn't be hitting anywhere lower than 8th in the order. He is by far the worst hitter on the team at any given time. Not to mention he terrible at getting on base. His career on base percentage is lower than .300 which is laughable.

The Braves will finally be back at home tomorrow and the Philadelphia Phillies will be the visiting team. The Phillies are 5-1 to start the season. The have had a few breaks such as bullpen implosions from their opposing teams, not to mention their cake walk schedule so far.

* Assuming Tim Hudson is his usual self, it will most likely be another low scoring game as the Braves can't quite get anything going offensively yet. The Phillies "big acquisition" Cliff Lee, will be on the mound for the Phillies.

The Phillies supposedly have one of the best rotations ever assembled going into this season. Many wanted to call it the best of all time (mainly Phillies fans, because they weren't fans before they started winning) before they even threw a single pitch. Yeah, I've been to Philadelphia before they started winning, you could hear a pin drop during the game. Give me a break, the Braves have had a decade of greatness from their rotation. This Philly staff will never touch the likes of the 1998 Braves rotation, where all FIVE members of the staff had 16 wins or more. Here's another rotation (in 1997) with just FOUR guys since the Phillies and their fans think Joe Blanton will somehow disappear from the stat book.

Keep in mind that the Phillies have nearly double the payroll as the Braves do. Anything short of a World Series title is a major FAIL.

I'm not worried about the Braves yet. They are notorious for being slow starters. I saw someone post some good stuff on a message board. Here it is.

• The 1991 Braves started the year 39-40 and concluded with 94 wins and the first of fourteen consecutive division championships (and the first of five NL pennants in the decade).

• The 1992 Braves began the season 20-27 and finished with a major league-leading 98 wins (and a National League pennant).

• The 1993 Braves started the year 12-14 and 30-27 and finished with a major league-best 104 wins.

• The 1995 Braves began the season 11-10 before winning the most games in the NL and their division by 21 contests. Ultimately, they won the World Series.

• The 2000 Braves began the season 5-6 and then won 15 consecutive games, finishing with 95 wins and another NL East title (despite John Smoltz missing the entire year, plus season-ending injuries to Quilvio Veras, Rudy Seanez, and Eddie Perez).

• The 2001 Braves started the year 17-21 yet won their division and reached the National League Championship Series.

• The 2002 Braves began the season 19-21 and then went 60-20 (.750) in their next 80 games, finishing with a National League-best 101 wins.

• The 2003 Braves began the year 4-8 and finished with a National League-leading 101 wins.

• The 2004 Braves began the season 32-38 and then went 48-16 (.750) in their next 64 games, finishing with 96 wins (second in the NL) and winning their division by 10 games.

• The 2005 Braves started the year 7-8 and 33-32, but won 90 games and their division.

Finally, not included but I'll add myself.

• The 2010 Braves started the season 9-14 including a nine game losing streak, only to win 91 games and go to the playoffs as the wild card winner.

Braves Lose

Go figure, the Braves get screwed over by the umpire. Oh well, I guess I can't blame it on the ump all the time. Mike Minor just flat out sucked. Braves now sit at a 3-3 record while the Phillies are already running away with the division. Thank you Mets!

- I get why Minor was sent to the minors. He has to establish some kind of control. Walking four batters and giving up seven hits in 4.1 innings is unacceptable.

- The Braves should of scored more than four runs. Yet again they allowed for a nobody pitcher named Marco Estrada to handle them.

- Chipper Jones was 2-4 with a run and an RBI. He will possibly get the day off tomorrow.

- Brian McCann was 3-4 with a run.

- Jason Heyward was 1-3 with a walk and a three run homer.

* Will the real Tommy Hanson please show up tomorrow? We are going to need him to do well because the Braves will face a good and unfamiliar pitcher named Shaun Marcum tomorrow. How about tying the series before heading home.

Bad Luck

A few innings ago, Brian McCann tagged Prince Fielder out at home, yet Fielder was called safe. Saw the replay several times and it was obvious he was out.

Game score is 4-5 Brewers. Should be a tie game.

Is there some sort of conspiracy against the Braves? They get screwed over so much it's ridiculous.

Braves 0, Brewers 1

It was a boring game and rather frustrating to watch. I'd rather watch the Braves get beat 10-0 than watch them get beat 1-0. A big wasted effort from Derek Lowe as he pitched another good game, only giving up one run. Opposing pitcher Yovani Gallardo pitched a complete game shut out but he wasn't exactly dominating. He only had two strikeouts, both from Eric Hinske. Gallardo happened to get a bloop hit and score the only run of the game. I wasn't in the mood to do a game followup after that.

- Derek Lowe pitched six innings giving up five hits, one run, walking three and striking out seven. He did throw a lot of pitches going into full counts often. Hopefully he can change that part of his game.

- Offense got shutout. Nothing worth a mention.

*Mike Minor is pitching as I type this up. Not sure about this game. We will see shortly.

Braves 2, Brewers 1

Whew, this game wasn't looking so good until the 8th inning. The Braves just couldn't seem to get a string of hits together; a lot of pop ups and ground outs right at someone. The Braves patient approach allowed the opposing pitcher Chris Narveson to throw several pitches and he was out after the 6th inning. If you can't hit him, at least take your pitches and try to hit the bullpen later.

The Brewers threw Takashi Saito on the mound in the 8th, and my initial thought was "This game is over." A former relief pitcher of the Braves, Saito did very well for them just last year. He's a pretty good pitcher and has been since entering the Majors. Saito did well for the Braves again, this time giving up two home runs to Martin Prado and Dan Uggla. My thought was true somewhat, the game was over for the Brewers. Okay, not really, because anything can happen even with the largest of leads.

That's one thing I love about baseball. The game isn't over until the game is really over. There isn't a game clock where the opposing team can just kneel (Hey, I like football!). In baseball, you have to earn the win up until the last out.

- Brandon Beachy was a little shaky at first. But after the fourth inning he was mowing down the hitters one after another. He could of went seven innings but he only did six. He gave up four hits, one run, one walk and struck out seven.

- Craig Kimbrel got his 2nd save of the season. He struck out the side in a dominant fashion. Heck, he struck out Yuniesky Betancourt twice in that inning. With two strikes, Betancourt swung at breaking pitch in the dirt. The ball was called strike three but then Betancourt argued that he made contact with the ball making it foul. Upon viewing the replay, McCann actually caught the ball before it touched ground making it a foul tip, therefor he should of been out anyways. After a couple more replays, it was concluded that Betancourt's bat never even touched the ball to begin with. The next pitch...strike out.

- Martin Prado was 2-4 and contributed with a game tying home run.

- Dan Uggla was 1-4 with a home run that put the Braves in a 2-1 lead.

Finding ways to win. It's all that matters.

* Derek Lowe will be on the mound for his second start of the season. Opposing pitcher Yovani Gallardo will be pitching for the Brewers. Gallardo is a tough pitcher so I'd expect a good match up.

Two Game Update

Well I have a little bit of catching up to do. I was a little busy Saturday with work and a family gathering. Saturday wasn't a pleasant game for Tommy Hanson and for us fans. Today (Sunday) turned out to be a fantastic day.

Saturday

Atlanta 3, Washington 6

The day started off with a rain delay. Perhaps the poor weather contributed to Hanson's poor start. Either way, we need consistency from him, I like knowing that the Braves have a good chance of winning in games he is scheduled to start. I don't like having to guess which Hanson we might get.

- Another rain delay during the fourth inning might have been the best thing for Tommy. He gave up five hits and four runs (three being earned), walked one, and struck out one batter. He also had a poor pick off attempt that was ruled an error. Hanson gave up a three run home run to former Brave Rick Ankiel. Much better days are ahead.

- The bullpen did alright for 4.1 innings of work. Martinez, Linebrink, Sherrill, Moylan, and O'Flaherty combined gave up five hits, two runs, walked three and struck out three.

- The offense didn't come through in clutch situations. They had ten hits but could only score three runs. They left 15 runners on base throughout the game. Despite all of these runners, the two home runs the Braves had were solo shots.

- Dan Uggla hit his first home run as an Atlanta Brave.

- Alex Gonzalez is having a nice start to the season. He was 3-3 with a walk and a home run.

- Rookie Freddie Freeman was 2-4.

Sunday

Atlanta 11, Washington 2

Now that is more like it. Tim Hudson pitched well and the hitting was spot on.

- Tim Hudson pitched seven innings, giving up three hits, one run, walking one and striking out five. He only threw 85 pitches. I like the idea that he didn't pitch another inning or completed the game. With the huge lead and being only three games into the season, there was no reason to work him more.

- Jonny Ventures gave up a run in his one inning of relief. That must be a pain considering he went through all of spring training without allowing any runs.

- Martin Prado finally collected a few hits. He was 3-5 with a run scored and one RBI.

- Brian McCann is on fire. He was 3-5 with a run and four RBI.

- Jason Heyward was 2-4 with a walk, one run and one RBI.

Overall it was a good series. They came to a cold, chilly, and rainy Washington D.C. and left with the series win.

The Braves will visit Milwaukee tomorrow to play the Brewers. Brandon Beachy will start the series.