Braves drop two to the Yankees

Yankees 11, Braves 7

In what may have been one of the longest nine inning games I have ever sat through, the Yankees out slugged the Braves, taking the rubber game with a 11-7 victory. I was really holding out hope that the Braves could comeback in the ninth. After all, the tying run was on deck when Diory Hernandez stepped to the plate. Of course, he was going up against one of the greatest closers of all time, Mariano Rivera. But no one’s perfect. In the end, Hernandez skied one to center to end the game.

Good thing I didn’t send out that text message on Wednesday…that could have been embarrassing.

News&Note: Note to Jeff Bennett, when going up against a door 99 times out of 100, the door will win. And apparently then send you to the DL...To add insult to injury, Kenshin Kawakami left Wednesday's game early after being struck in the neck with a line drive. The injury was not considered serious enough for x-rays...John Smoltz was encouraged by his first outting since undergoing surgery last year. Too bad he gave up five runs in the process.

(Photo: AP)

Braves blank Yankees; one down two more to go

Braves 4, Yankees 0

The Braves battered a hapless Yankees team who registered just four hits against rookie phenom Tommy Hanson. But when Hanson wasn’t striking out batters, he was walking them, getting himself into many a jam. In the end, Hanson maintained his composure and held the Yankees scoreless before exiting in the sixth. The Braves relievers continued the feat to close out a Braves victory, their fourth in the last six games.

Providing a shot in the arm, catcher Brian McCann knocked a double in the third that scored Yunel Escobar and then added a solo shot in the eighth that put the game at 4-0.

The win was the Braves first back to back shut-out in over four years.

I have yet to start the mass texting to all of my Yankees friends yet, but if the Braves keep things up, I will be all by my lonesome this weekend after alienating everyone I know with annoying taunts like, so remind me, who won this week? But before I get ahead of myself, I need the Bravos to pull through and I am talking to you Kenshin Kawakami specifically. So let’s go Braves!

News&Notes: Well documented, Bobby Cox leads the Forbes list of most tossesd managers. That’s fine, I’d take Bobby any day of the week over any of those other guys…Speaking of Bobby, Yahoo! Sports has a profile on him here.

(Photo: AP)

1996 World Series Redux

Last night I was at the gym watching the Mets game when I noticed someone on the elliptical two rows in front of me watching an old Yankees game. It was a Monday, the Yankees weren’t playing, nothing special, whatever, they show “Yankees Classics” all the time. But then I noticed what appeared to be a 24 year old Chipper Jones walking up to the plate, bat in hand, ready to take his turn and I immediately switched over. Being that the game was on the YES Network, I had an inkling of how things were going to turn out, but I still watched for a half an inning to relive those old days when Fred McGriff was manning first base, Javy Lopez was behind the plate and Andruw Jones was literally just a teenager.

It took me straight back to where I was 13 years ago when the Braves were battling the Yankees in the 1996 World Series.

Living in New Jersey at the time, I was a bit of an odd ball. By that point the state had decidedly shifted away from the Mets golden era of the mid to late 1980s and moved onto the Yankees train. Here I was, an eighth grader, cheering loudly for the Braves amongst Yankees Nation. The first games obviously started out well, a point I told just about anyone within earshot. But the next three were just a disaster for the reigning World Series champs setting up a game 6 show down. Yankees win series over. Braves win and we’re onto game 7.

It was a Saturday night and I was at the Ramada across the street from the entrance to the Garden State Plaza celebrating my friend Ally’s bat mitzvah. I spent a majority of the night running between the party and a hotel room her parents had gotten for the night. I would run in just to check the score and wind up staying until the half of the inning was over go back down stairs to show my face and then sneak back off to the room. The cycle continued until her parents finally arranged to have a TV brought in so all the kids could watch the final inning. My friend Niki told me years later that she always remembered me as the girl who kept saying, “Chipper can do it.” But he and the rest of the Braves could not pull off a win and the Yankees captured their first World Series title since 1978. Champagne corks popped open like it was the clubhouse in Yankee Stadium and we personally contributed to winning a title. The group of about forty-five 13 year olds was showered in the bubbly stuff. (Even at 13 I knew that was an inappropriate way to celebrate the victory with Middle Schoolers.) Luckily it was about the same time parents arrived to pick up their children. I remember watching everyone celebrating, thinking, “Man, I wish that was me. I wish I was celebrating the Braves win in front of them,” as my mom escorted me to the car. To say I was crushed would have been an understatement.

The following Monday, I begged my mom to let me stay home, but she wouldn’t and I had to face all of my friends and peers who were ready to jump on me. The memories still haunt me to this day.

But with the Braves talking on the Yankees this week, I am hoping that Atlanta can wash a few them away, especially with Chien-Ming Wang going up against Tommy Hanson on Tuesday. (Please Chien-Ming Wang, continue to be horrible, now is not the time to turn your season around.) It’s not the World Series, but for now, I’d take a regular series victory. Plus there’s nothing I would love more, than to rub a little Braves winning into my friends faces at the next Yankee game. So let’s go Braves!

Braves Blank Cubs; Pick up first series win since May 24th

Braves 2, Cubs 0

The Braves had little trouble getting on base; it scoring that was a puzzler. Luckily, Javier Vazquez was able to wiggle out of trouble, keeping the Cubs scoreless in the Braves 2-0 victory. Nate McLouth continued his five game hot streak, singling in Diory Hernandez in the third and then scoring in the seventh off of a Chipper Jones sacrifice fly.

McLouth appears to be settling in very well with the Braves. After a bit of a shaky start, McLouth has been hitting .381 with eight RBIs in the last five games.

As for Vazquez, he has proven to be more than what the Braves asked for. Not only is he second in the Majors in strike outs with 117 (one behind the Tiger’s Justin Verlander) but minus a few starts, he has been very consistent, posting an ERA of just 3.18. I think when the Braves look back at their offseason acquisitions, they’ll count their trade with the White Sox for Vazquez as one of their best moves along with signing Derek Lowe. (Kawakami on the other, probably not.)

News&Notes: Yunel Escobar missed Monday’s game with a hip injury…Kelly Johnson left Monday’s game early with cramps…Trade Chipper Jones? I don’t know about that.

(Photo: AP)

Damn it Nick Green!

Red Sox 6, Braves 5

It took just one pitch to break up a five all tie in the ninth inning and give the Red Sox the victory on Sunday. Jeff Bennett came in to relieve Mike Gonzalez and offered up a pitch to Nick Green which he sliced down the right field line that curved around the Pesky pole and landed in the seats for a walk-off homerun.

Certainly a disappointing finish for the Braves who started the game with two runs scored off of a Brian McCann double to right field. Jair Jurrjens quickly gave up the lead, allowing three runs (two earned), including a David Ortiz two run homer in the bottom half of the first that put the Sox in front. But the Braves battled back in the seventh with two runs and then tied in the eighth when Garrett Anderson singled to right scoring Kelly Johnson. That tie stood until Nick Green dashed all hope of the Braves stealing the series in Boston with that one pitch in the ninth.

Atlanta hosts the Cubs for a make-up game on Monday before the Yankees come to town for a three game set.

News&Notes: Third baseman Chipper Jones, pitcher Eric O’Flaherty and manager Bobby Cox were all tossed in the a wild seventh inning...The Braves signed Chris Burke to a minor-league contract...Coke is replacing the 42-foot-tall Coke bottle at Turner Field with a ne high-tech version.

(Photo: AP)

Braves get off the slide

Atlanta 7, Reds 0

After a rocky start, Tommy Hanson was able to get himself out of jams in the first and second inning, while keeping the Reds scoreless in the Braves first win in five games. . Hanson added an RBI – his first major league RBI – to an impressive six inning shut out performance to pick up his second win in three starts.

Nate McLouth and Matt Diaz picked up the slack for the Braves offense. McLouth registered his best start as a Brave, driving in four runs including a two run homer in the fifth inning, while Diaz added a solo homerun in the third.

The Braves hope to carry their momentum into a tough series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway this weekend.

News&Notes: Casey Kotchman came off the DL. (Yeah it’s been a couple of days since I’ve updated If you couldn’t tell)…Braves minor leaguer Rafael Cruz has been suspended by MLB for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug…According to the Miami Herald the Marlins rejected a trade that would have sent Jeff Francoeur to the Fish for Cody Ross prior to the Braves acquiring nate McLouth...Chipper Jones is visibly frustrated in this interview with Foxsports.com…In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, mlb.com brings you this story about Jair Jurrjens an his dad Carl…Tom Glavine does not have any plans to pitch in 2009 after being released by the Braves in May…John Smoltz is scheduled to make his first start with the Red Sox on June 25th. The Braves are just happy that Smoltzie will not be facing his former team in the regular season.

(Photo: AP)

Musings from Camden Yards

Orioles 8, Braves 4

Saturday marked my third trip to Camden Yards and to say the other times I ventured out to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore were more subdued would have been an understatement. In 2007 I saw the Rockies annihilate the Orioles and a year later it was Orioles who trampled the Rangers, but I had never experienced a back-and-forth battle like I did on Saturday.

Camden Yards has been a baseball fan’s destination since it opened in 1992. At the time, the Ballpark was a novelty, bucking the trend of the oversized multipurpose Stadiums and Domes by creating a quaint intimate ballpark with a retro feel that got the fans closer to the action. And at a certain vantage point, the red brick and black iron works park looks to be carved out of an old factory (which houses the Baltimore Sports Museum) that only adds to its charm.

The game itself was not a sell-out any means, but those in attendance made their voices heard, cheering for the Braves in the fourth when they took the lead, and similarly in the seventh when the Orioles battled to take back the lead with a six run inning. I was impressed by the number of Braves fans that came out for the game. It appeared the crowd was a 60-40 split with the Orioles fans making up the majority, but still I didn’t feel like an outcast in my ¾ length Braves t-shirt.

It also appeared that many fans were taking advantage of one of the highlights of interleague play, exploring new Stadiums they wouldn’t ordinarily visit because their team doesn't play there. Many often sight being able to see different teams at your home ballpark as a huge plus for interleague, but they neglect the opposite side, even though baseball is noted for being a sport that lends itself to fan road trips.

The only real draw back of Camden Yards is the food selection. For the most part the food you’ll find in Baltimore is standard fair with little flair and in some cases little taste. Having learned from the past, I skipped the hot dog and went straight for the Italian sausage which I added spicy brown mustard to. (Of course, I always come with my own mustard packages, but that’s another story.) The Stadium also allows you to bring in your own food so it’s not a bad idea to pick up some food at the Inner Harbor shops located only a few blocks away and bring it in. The food aside, I would recommend any baseball fan take a trip to Baltimore to check it out.

As for the Braves, well their play was about as good as a hot dog at Camden Yards. I missed Tommy Hanson’s brilliant start by one day and luckily missed Derek Lowe’s poor start by a day as well, leaving just Kenshin Kawakami and me. After getting off to a rough start - he gave up a two run homer to Adam Jones in the first, and then proceeded to load the bases before getting out of the inning - Kawakami settled in, not allowing another run in his remaining four innings. Jeff Bennett followed with a scoreless sixth before the wheels fell off for the Braves bullpen in the seventh inning when they gave up the lead and six runs.

Poor pitching aside, Jeff Francoeur had a banner night, going 3-for-4 with a two run ground rule double and he also threw a strike to third which allowed Chipper Jones to tag Melvin Mora in the seventh. If Frency can keep up that kind of play, well then maybe the Braves shouldn’t trade him after all. The night also marked my first viewing of the newly acquired centerfielder Nate McLouth and the recently called up first baseman Barbaro Canizares. Plus I almost saw Bobby Cox and/or Francoeur get ejected after Frenchy started arguing with the homeplate umpire after being called out. So all and all a fun night.

After Saturday’s loss, I still remain winless in all Braves games I attend played outside of the month of April. That’s weird, right?

(Photos: PIMC)

Braves close out homestand with a loss

Pirates 3, Braves 1

Another day, another brilliant pitching performance wasted by the Braves. This time it was an eight innings, one run outing by Javier Vazquez that was blown by not just the bullpen but also by ineffective hitting. Vazquez owned Pirates batters, striking out 12 on his way to a no-decision. But Rafael Soriano allowed two two-out singles by Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young that scored two runs, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Pirates the win.

The Braves bats continued to be silent. In the five losses suffered during this homestand, Atlanta failed to score more than two runs - including two consecutive shut-outs by the Brewers - but never gave up more than four. Conversely, in the four games the Braves did win, they never failed to score less than four runs, yet gave up five runs or more in three of the victories. Bottom line, the Braves are going to need to get some offense going if they hope to continue to contend for the NL East.

News&Notes: Atlanta called up Barbaro Canizares for his major league debut on Thursday. Although he needed a third party to get the message…Reminder: I am heading down to Baltimore this weekend to catch the Braves taking on the O’s at Camden Yards. I will post pictures and musings next week.

Braves foiled by former teammates

Pirates 3, Braves 2

A week after he was traded to the Pirates, Charlie Morton took the mound to face his former teammates. The night did not go quite as planned for Morton - who was forced to leave after just one inning with a tight hamstring – but an efficient Jeff Karstens took over, stifling the Braves for four and two thirds innings in the Pirates eventual 3-2 victory.

Brian McCann was just inches away from notching a two run homer, but after review (the first instant replay at Turner Field) McCann’s ball was deemed a double since it hit the yellow part of the outfield padding. Had it stood, Garrett Anderson’s ninth inning solo shot would have tied the game, but it did not. Instead a single by former Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche scored Craig Monroe after SS Yunel Escobar failed to throw home creating a deficit Atlanta could not overcome.

News&Notes: Bobby Cox will be featured on “This Week in Baseball” airing Saturday at 3:30 PM/est on Fox…The Braves honored their manager prior to Tuesday’s game…Atlanta focused on speed for the second day of the draft after drafting pitcher Mike Minor with their first round pick on Tuesday.

(Photo: AP)

Braves outlast Pirates; Earn Cox 2,000th Win

Braves 7, Pirates 6

Nearly five hours after Chipper Jones drilled a two run homer, David Ross delivered a walk-off single that scored Jeff Francoeur and ended a marathon 15 inning game. The Braves jumped off to an early 5-1 lead thanks to homeruns by Jones, Brian McCann and Nate McLouth. But a shaky outing by Braves reliever Peter Moylan allowed the Pirates to tie the game in the seventh and eventually force extra innings.

As it turned out, it was that same bullpen that was able to keep the Braves in the game, as Rafael Soriano, Manny Acosta and Kris Melden all recorded multiple scoreless innings in the final seven frames. Then with the bases loaded in the 15th, Ross, who replaced Brian McCann in the 13th inning, hit a grounder to SS Jack Wilson who threw to the third-base side of home plate, forcing backstop Jason Jaramillo to take his foot off the plate and allowed Francoeur to score safely.

More importantly than taking advantage of an off night by the Phillies and Mets, Braves skipper Bobby Cox was able to notch his 2,000 career win as manager. Upon hearing the news of his achievement Cox said:

“All it means is that you’re getting old and you’ve been around too long.”

Typical Bobby!

News&Notes: The Braves have the #7 pick in the draft today. But just who will they pick is still a mystery...Brian McCann is second in All-Star voting, while Chipper in sitting in third behind the Mets' David Wrigth and the Nats' Ryan Zimmerman. Don't forget to vote here.

(Photo: AP)

A New Day Has Come

Braves 8, Brewers 7

Sunday marked the debut of the much heralded right hander Tommy Hanson, who has been making a lot of noise since his performance in the Arizona fall league last fall. While it did not go quite the way Hanson or the Braves were hoping, he did show a lot of promise. Hanson struck out five batters, including the side in the second inning before surrendering seven runs, six earned in six innings. Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun proved to have the most success against the Braves rookie, driving two out of the park.

While Hanson struggled on the mound, for once during their homestand, the Braves bats did not. Chipper Jones had four hits, including two homeruns and drove in five RBIs, while Nate McLouth drove in a run and scored the game winning run in the Braves three run eighth inning that secured a victory and helped Atlanta avoid being swept by the Brew Crew.

News&Notes: Casey Kotchman has been placed on the 15 day DL retroactive to June 1st…A day after leaving early with dizzy spells, Chipper Jones returned to the Braves line-up on Sunday...Nate McLouth will head back to Pittsburgh for the first time since being traded on Wednesday.

(Photo: AP)

A Penny for your thoughts

ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting that the Braves maybe interested in acquiring Red Sox starter Brad Penny adding fuel to those Francoeur rumors. At this point it is not known what the Red Sox would want in return for Penny and how the Braves would use him.

In my mind, this trade seems crazy. The Braves have an excellent starting rotation with Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez. Add Kenshin Kawakami and Tommy Hanson and it seems the Braves are set. If Lowe or Vazquez weren’t working out then yes, I would try to trade for another arm. But they are, making Atlanta’s glaring weakness their bullpen, not their starting rotation. I’d rather Atlanta go after some cheaper bullpen options than Penny and his $5 million salary.

In addition, the Red Sox don’t need an outfielder do they? They’ve got Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew already with Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay as a back-ups. What they really need is a short stop, and the Braves should not deal Yunel Escobar. I know they have some studs down in the minors, but Escobar is a budding star who the Braves should hold onto for now.

I am just hoping this stays a rumor.
(Photo: AP; source)

McLouth’s Debut Washed Out

The Braves’ newest acquisition Nate McLouth’s debut was postponed on Thursday thanks to Mother Nature. Even before he has swung a bat there is already tons of news regarding the centerfielder.

Reaction
McLouth told reporters he was shocked by the news of the trade. Unlike his former teammates Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, McLouth hadn’t heard any rumors involving his move to the Braves. And while he was very sad to leave the only organization he’s ever known, he is equally as excited to head over to a competitive Braves club.

His teammates, however, are not happy his departure. Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez had this to say "Wow! I think the biggest thing was the shock factor. It's obviously a tough pill to swallow. Our No. 3 hitter just got taken away, the guy who leads our team in home runs and RBIs, and we were 6½ games out. We could still have been right there. I think we still can. But we're all just kind of wondering right now ... wondering what it is."

Batting Order
McLouth will take over the third spot in the batting order from veteran Chipper Jones. Jones told reporters he “was open to whatever he [Bobby Cox] thought was best for the club.” Jones will move to the fourth spot in the lineup that had Kelly Johnson leading off, Yunel Escobar in second, McLouth, Jones and then Brian McCann in the fifth spot.

Roster Spot
To make room on the 25 man roster, the Braves optioned Brian Barton back to Triple-A Gwinnett. Barton was brought up after the Braves placed reliever Jorge Campillo back on the DL.

Random Facts
-Nate took over Tom Glavine’s locker in the Braves clubhouse.
-McLouth is fluent in Spanish after taking it in high school. Crap, I took six years of Spanish between middle school and high school and all I can remember is that liberia is the book store and biblioteca is the library.
(Photo: Elissa Eubanks/AJC)

Upon Further Review

Now that I am more than 24 hours out since I read the Braves announcement that they were going to release Tom Glavine, I think I am in a better place to expand on my feelings about the move.

Basis of the Decision
1. From what I have read, I believe there were many factors that lead to this decision. The first, of course, being financial. Glavine was scheduled to earn $1 million if he made it on the big league roster. Meaning he could throw one pitch, re-injure his shoulder and never pitch again and still earn $1 million. In addition, Glavine could earn up to $2.5 million more if he reached certain milestones.

2. The next reason would be his performance. The Braves have made it very clear that from what they had seen during Glavine’s various rehab starts that they thought his “stuff” wasn’t there anymore. Never mind the 11 scoreless innings he had pitched. That wouldn’t necessarily translate at the big league level.

3. And the final reason, the future. Tommy Hanson’s major league debut may have been pushed back to Sunday because of the rainout on Thursday, but the fact of the matter is, Hanson needed a spot in the rotation to pitch and Glavine was the easiest roster move they could make.

The Handling of the Decision
My main problem with the release of Glavine was the way in which it was handled. I know many people don’t believe Tommy deserved the respect of the Braves organization after he left in 2002 for more money. But just like this decision, there were many factors in play that lead to his departure. While I would not like to get into them now, all you have to do is read either John Schuerholz’s book “Built to Win” for the Braves view of the situation or John Feinstein’s “Between the Black” for Tom’s view. (There could be other books, but those are the two that I have read.)

Even with his departure, Glavine spent 18 years in the Braves organization (1984-2002), earning two Cy Young Awards, making five World Series appearances, winning one WS in 1995 of which he was named MVP of the Series as well as countless All-Star appearances. Not to mention his work within the Atlanta community. A 305 game winner and sure fire Hall of Famer did not deserve to be treated in this way. And that’s the bottom line.

The Future
I am very excited to see Tommy Hanson’s major league debut. I had been writing for a while that I wanted the Braves to bring him up this season so he could gain experience at the Major League level while the Braves worked on ascending to the top of the NL East standings. I feel the same way about Kris Melden. I would like to see him get more experience in the Majors as a starter (not coming out the pen) and in doing so, there needs to be spots open in the rotation. Personally, I would rather they kept Glavine and moved Kenshin Kawakami to the bullpen. Or frankly just move him to another team via a trade. (He’s expensive and very inconsistent.) That would have opened a spot for Hanson to slide into without having to get rid of Tommy. That would also have meant the additional salary which I believe was a major factor in their decision.

Overall
I obviously was not privy to what exactly went down when the Braves rallied the front office around to tell Tommy his services weren’t needed. I don’t know if they offered to have a huge retirement party at Turner Field or if they asked him if he was willing to go to the bullpen to fill in for the newly traded Charlie Morton. All I know is what has been made public, Tommy felt blindsided by the decision and the Braves were unhappy with his progress. I just wish the best for Tom in any of his future endeavors.
(Photo: AP)

Atlanta Has Got Themselves a New Centerfielder

It has been a wild day for the Braves. After releasing a future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, Atlanta has acquired Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star centerfielder Nate McLouth in exchange for right hander Charlie Morton, left hander Jeff Locke and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

McLouth is hitting .256 with nine homeruns this season.

Last year the Braves tried to acquire Jason Bay from the Bucs but were unsuccessful and Bay has proven what a tragedy that was. So hopefully McLouth can do for the Braves what Bay has done for the Red Sox. Well frankly, if McLouth plugs along at the rate he’s going, he’ll be an upgrade from Schafer for sure.
(Photo: Getty Images; source)

Braves Release Tom Glavine

In a surprising move, the Braves have released veteran lefty Tom Glavine after he pitched six scoreless innings in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Braves organization. Glavine would have received $1 million if he made the big league roster and could have earned an additional $2.5 million in incentives.

The details are very fuzzy regarding the motives behind the Braves final decision, so it’s hard to know how to react. Glavine was in integral part of the Braves rotation since he was called up in the middle of 1987. His departure after the 2002 season was quite a blow, but it was nice to see him return in 2008.

Glavine has been out since undergoing shoulder surgery last year, but it seemed he was destined to return to the team by the end of the week so it was incredibly shocking to read about his release on the ticker on ESPN while I was at the gym tonight. I’d hate to think that this was just a financial decision, although I can understand that. I just feel that this move along with the decision to not make a serious offer to John Smoltz shows the new regime in the Atlanta front office lacks any type of loyalty, and as a loyal fan it makes me sick.

For Glavine’s part he texted the Atlanta Journal Constitution “I am surprised and disappointed. I’m ready to pitch.” For his sake, I hope someone picks him up and he gets another chance to excel as a pitcher.
(Photo: Ben Gray/AJC; Source)

Blast From the Past

Admittedly, last night I missed all of the Braves heroics because I was over at Yankee Stadium. (I taped the game, but didn’t set my DVR long enough) The Yanks were taking on the Rangers and it seemed like I was practically at a Braves reunion with all of the former players that were on both rosters. Most notably for Texas was former prime prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia who was squatting behind the plate. Making things a little more interesting was the fact that Mark Teixeira was over at first base for the Yanks. (Salty along with four others were traded to Texas for Teixeira and Ron Mahay. Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus are also on the Rangers roster but did not play in yesterday’s game.)

In the end, the Yankees absolutely pummeled the Rangers, 12-3. Salty went 1-for-4, with a single and two strike outs. Teixeira, on the other hand, went 0-for-2 and was hit by a pitch twice by Vincente Padilla.

The only disappointment was that I didn’t get to see Andruw Jones. Even though I’d prefer not to see him in a Braves uniform again, I do enjoy watching him play.

(Photos: AP & PIMC)

Braves Rally to Stun the Cubs

Braves 6, Cubs 5 (12)

Until the seventh inning, it seemed the Braves would fall victim to a dominate Randy Wells, but then Chipper Jones broke up his no-hitter which allowed the rookie to leave the game (since he wasn’t trying for that no-hitter and all). Once he exited the Braves took advantage of a very shaky bullpen, scoring five runs, including Jeff Francoeur’s two out, two-run homer, in the final two frames to tie the game and force extra innings.

Chipper Jones once again used his veteran know-how to hit a single up the middle which scored Yunel Escobar and gave the Braves a 6-5 win.

Atlanta finally ended a 0-23 streak in games where they were trailing in the ninth inning.

News&Notes: Tom Glavine looks ready to join the rotation after his latest start with Class-A Rome…Casey Kotchman is out for a few days…Kris Melden kind of proved me right with his performance Sunday, thanks to a little help from Chipper Jones.
(Photo: AP)

Down on the Farm

After two months hovering around the Mendoza line, the Braves have decided to send rookie Jordan Schafer down to Triple-A Gwinnett. Schafer began his career with a bang, literally, hitting a homerun in his first at bat, but he quickly dropped off at the plate and with his 63 strike outs, the Braves think it is better for him to go back down and find his swing.

I think this is a good idea. He has been struggling for too long and at only 22 years old, you don’t want to destroy his confidence.

Atlanta has recalled Gregor Blanco to take his roster spot.
(Photo: Getty Images; source)