Braves News World

The hits just keep on coming! Unfortunately for Braves fans, I’m not referring to the Braves’ offensive production. It’s the health of essential Braves players that is taking the hit. Chipper Jones was placed on the 15-day disabled list today but the Braves have no idea when he might return. An MRI will be performed on his left foot tomorrow afternoon to determine the severity of the ligament injury he has. Surgery seems a likely option considering he could not walk out of the batter’s box yesterday. If surgery is required we won’t see him in action again until well into the second half of the season.

As expected, the Braves called up 3rd baseman-extra-ordinaire Andy Marte from Triple-A Richmond. Though Wilson Betemit has swung a hot bat of late, the Braves have historically delayed calling up Marte until he could start at third base everyday. It’s hard to imagine, with Chipper sidelined, they would call up Marte at this time to sit on the bench. Additionally, Betemit may have opportunities to start at shortstop due to Rafael Furcal’s nagging injury and struggles with the bat.

The Good: Where would would the Braves be without kid wonder Kyle Davies? He hurled 7 2/3 shutout innings, striking out 5, walking 4 and giving up 6 hits. John Foster bailed him out when he tired in the 8th inning and the Braves finally managed to push a run across in the 9th inning to win 1-0 on Saturday, their only win of their series. Bobby Cox is fawning over his exploits like he has for no other rookie pitcher in his lengthy tenure with the Braves. He’ll likely be a staple in the rotation even after Hampton and Thomson come back. … Tim Hudson continues rolling along with another solid outing (and nothing to show for it). He gave up 3 runs and scattered 6 hits over 7 innings. He walked 3 and struck out 4.

The Bad: The Braves are giving the Astros a run for their money for the league’s worst team batting average (.246 for the Braves, .244 for the Astros). The latest contributors to this embarrassing deteoriation: Chipper Jones was 0-for-8 in the series and is mired in a 1-for-27 slump that has seen his average crater to .282. Rafael Furcal went 0-for-7 in the series, Andruw Jones 1-for-10, Brian Jordan 1-for-8, Julio Franco 1-for-8, and Kelly Johnson 1-for-7. Remember, this is against PIRATES pitching! The pitching overall was superb but that won’t continue if the starters go out there believing they have to throw a shutout every time to win!

The Ugly: Chipper Jones fell to the ground in pain Sunday as he aggravated the left foot injury that caused him to miss seven straight starts in early May. Jones has apparently been trying to set the record for playing with the most different injuries. He has also had nagging left oblique and right heel injuries. He seems a sure bet to be headed to the disabled list this time around. With the offense struggling and Furcal’s health a question mark, the Braves cannot afford to be shorthanded any longer. The good news is we may finally get to see the much-hyped prospect Andy Marte start at third base! He is currently batting .270 at Richmond with 9 homers and 33 RBIs (more than any Brave on the major league club).