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.