Braves News World

The Good: Andruw Jones (oops, I mean the Braves) swept the Orioles right out of first place. It had been a month since the last Braves sweep but it sure seemed a lot longer than that! Andruw Jones homered in each of the games and drove in 5 runs in the series. His 24 home runs leads the majors and his average is now up to a respectable .278. Can you say “All-Star"? For that matter, throw in “Player of the Week” and even “Player of the Month” as well! … John Smoltz is cruising as well. He gave up only 1 run, struck out 7, allowed 5 hits and walked none in notching his 8th victory Sunday. It was his 50th career complete game. … Wilson Betemit continued to hit well, going 5-for-11 with 3 runs scored and an RBI against the Orioles. … Ryan Langerhans was 4-for-8 with 3 runs scored and an RBI in the series. … Brian McCann continues to shine offensively when given the chance to play. He was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored on Sunday (not to mention the 2nd straight complete game he caught from Smoltz).

The Bad: After being nearly automatic in the closer’s role this month, Chris Reitsma blew the Braves’ 3-run lead Saturday, giving up 5 hits and a walk in the 9th inning. Jorge Vasquez put out the fire and who else but Andruw bailed him out with a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the 9th. … Kelly Johnson was 2-for-12 but he did score a couple runs in the set. His 11-game hitting streak ended Sunday. Somehow I think he’ll be able to pick up the pieces and move on.

The Ugly: After posting a .200 average in 35 at-bats the Braves sent highly-touted third baseman Andy Marte back to Richmond. He was never really given the chance to play every day, as was expected, due to the solid play of Wilson Betemit. The Braves are now having to make due with only one reserve middle infielder (Pete Orr) until the All-Star break. Many believe Marte will return later this year if Chipper doesn’t recover from his injury and Furcal is traded (Furcal is a free agent this offseason and the Braves have no shortage of infield talent).