Braves News World

What a gruesome sight that was on the Braves mound Friday night. Jay Powell, who had undergone Tommy John surgery to replace ligaments in his elbow in July 2004, fell to the ground in agony after his 2nd pitch of the night when he fractured the distal end of his humerus bone. With Powell pitching well, I had predicted less than a week ago that he might be groomed for the closer’s role if Chris Reitsma could not hold down the fort. With Reitsma unavailable after being used the prior 3 nights, Powell started the 9th inning in a save situation, a sign he was rapidly gaining Bobby Cox’s confidence. Alas, the Braves will have to look to Roman Colon to fill the hole in the bullpen, at least for the time being, and we can only hope Powell can come back at some point (he is expected to have season-ending surgery as early as Monday). Colon struggled in a relief role early in the year but has excelled of late as a starter. Jorge Sosa, on the other hand, pitched well in both starting and relief roles, but has tired in the 5th and 6th innings of his starts of late. Call me crazy but I think Sosa should go back to the pen and Colon should start again.

As expected, with Johnny Estrada returning from his 2-game suspension and the Braves needing a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game, Kyle Davies was recalled from Triple-A Richmond while catcher Brayan Pena is returning to Richmond. Roman Colon pitched better as a starter in the majors this year and probably would have been the Braves’ choice for the start had he not pitched for Richmond Wednesday, rendering him unavailable to start Saturday.

The Good: The Braves hadn’t swept a team in a month but they sure chose the right time to step it up. The Nationals, notorious for their many 1-run wins this season, got a taste of their own medicine this time around as they dropped 3 games by 1 run each to the Braves. We’ll look back at this series at the end of the season and say to ourselves “that was the turning point of the season for the Braves, where they seized control of the division and never looked back.” … If this was the series the Braves seized control of the division, could it also have been the one during which Jeff Francoeur seized control of the Braves’ right field starting job? He was 5-for-8 in the series with 4 runs scored and 4 RBIs. He electrified the hometown crowd with a pair of home runs to cap things Thursday. Bobby Cox has gone on the record stating Francoeur will start all 3 games against the Pirates. If Kelly Johnson continues to struggle we should see a Langerhans/Johnson left field platoon pretty soon. … This just in: John Smoltz is having a great year. The Braves’ workhorse continued on his amazing roll Tuesday night, allowing only 2 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings. He struck out 4 and walk 2. Still, with meager run support, he was in line for a loss when some late-inning heroics won the game for the Braves. … I think it’s safe to say Tim Hudson is back in form after his oblique muscle injury. His line for Wednesday: 7 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts. … Jorge Sosa, the Braves’ starter savior, continues to work his magic. He has given up 2 runs or less in 7 of his 9 starts, including his 2-run performance Thursday, this season. He scattered 7 hits in 5 innings while walking 2 and striking out 4. His record now stands at 6-1. Can you say Comeback Player of the Year? … Rafael Furcal’s shoulder continues to heal nicely. He went 6-for-11 with 2 runs scored in the series and has raised his average back up to .268 (you’ll remember he bottomed out at .220 as recently as June 21st). … It was 9 up and 9 down against Chris Reitsma in 3 1-inning appearances in the series. He picked up 1 win and 2 saves.

The Bad: Adam LaRoche tallied just 1 hit, albeit a home run, in 10 series at-bats. But man cannot live on dingers alone. He has shaved 15 points off his average in the past 2 weeks and is back down at .260. … It’s that time again in the blog where we rag on Dan Kolb. He stole a win Wednesday, allowing the 2 runners he inherited from John Foster score on 2 hits. Macay McBride bailed him out Thursday after he gave up 2 hits in 2/3 of an inning. If only John Schuerholz could find a team to take him off our hands before the trade deadline. We’re not that lucky.

The Ugly: Chipper Jones was spiked high on his leg by Jose Guillen in the 6th inning of Thursday afternoon’s game. As Chipper awaited a throw from catcher Brian McCann to complete a force out Guillen tore through his pants with his cleats. Chipper believes it was a malicious act borne out of frustration and both players have hinted at possible future retaliation.

Braves starting pitcher John Thomson started a minor league rehab assignment Monday, pitching two scoreless innings for the Braves’ rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League. He gave up 1 hit and notched 3 strikeouts. Thomson has missed the past 9 weeks due to a flexor tendon injury in the middle finger of his pitching hand. He next rehab start is scheduled to take place Friday night for the Class A Rome Braves. After that, he’ll make at least one start at Triple-A Richmond before re-joining Atlanta around mid-August (if everything goes as planned). With Mike Hampton still ailing, Thomson’s return couldn’t have come at a better time!

Braves catcher Johnny Estrada had his suspension for arguing with umpire Doug Eddings shortened from 3 games to 2 games and his $5,000 fine reduced to $3,500. Estrada started serving the suspension with Wednesday night’s game. The timing was fortuitous as it was already doubtful that he would play during the rest of the Nationals series due to a recurrence of the back strain he suffered as a result of his collision with Darin Erstad of the Los Angeles Angels. Brayan Pena has been called up to serve as backup to Brian McCann who will be the Braves’ primary catcher while Estrada is unavailable. Pena will likely be sent back to Richmond to make room for a replacement for injured starting pitcher Mike Hampton once Estrada has served his suspension.

Mike Hampton’s back on the disabled list (pardon the pun!). He will again grace the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 18th. Catcher Brayan Pena has been called up to temporarily take his place on the roster while Johnny Estrada serves his suspension. Hampton pitched only 2 disastrous innings upon returning from the disabled list on July 17th. He gave up 7 hits and 5 runs that day to the Mets but denied being hampered by any injury. He then suffered a back injury, after one of those grueling soaks in the whirlpool , which has kept him out of service ever since. It’s looking like Kyle Davies has the inside track on Saturday’s start for the Braves since Roman Colon pitched (well) for Richmond tonight. John Thomson should step into Hampton’s spot in the rotation next week when he is due to return from his own stint on the DL.

The Good: Andruw Jones is on the rampage again. 5-for-12 in the series with 3 home runs to regain a tie for the National League lead in that category. 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored to boot. … The starters continue to shine. It just seems that when they get some run support the bullpen lets them down and if the bullpen shuts the opponent down the Braves’ offense shuts down (the Braves are last in the majors with .248 with runners in scoring position). Tim Hudson and Horacio Ramirez pitched well enough to win. Each allowed 3 earned runs while scattering 8 hits and walking 3 but the Braves found a way to lose each game. … Jorge Sosa held the Diamondbacks scoreless for 5 innings yet got a no-decision once again. He gave up 3 hits, walked 4 and struck out 5 while lowering his ERA as a starting pitcher to 2.51 this season!

The Bad: Marcus Giles, who never met a 1st pitch he didn’t like, was 2-for-12 in the series. He has seen his average plummet 18 points to .286 in the past 2 weeks. … Just when you thought it was safe to use Dan Kolb in the 8th inning of a tight game he blows yet another lead. Kolb allowed a hit and a walk in 1/3 of an inning Saturday night. Andruw rescued him in the 9th inning but this is troubling as he seemed to finally be finding some consistency. He was also on the verge of dropping his ERA below 5.00 for the first time since April 8th!!! … Adam LaRoche was 0-for-8 in the set. … Johnny Estrada was 0-for-7 between Friday and Saturday.

The Ugly: The injury bug is creeping up on the Braves again. Estrada missed Sunday’s game and part of Saturday’s game with a flare-up of a lower back strain he sustained during the collision with Darin Erstad. He may be placed on the disabled list later this week. Chipper Jones is missing considerable time and could return to the DL at any time. Mike Hampton missed his Saturday start and it’s doubtful he’ll make his next start either. He also strained his back, but from getting out of a hot tub! Oh brother! At least John Thomson will begin his rehabilitation with the Gulf Coast League Braves club this week.

Macay McBride, the Braves’ #1 draft pick in 2001, has been called up from Triple-A Richmond. Whether McBride is in the majors to stay remains to be seen. McBride may just be a stopgap solution until the Braves deal for a replacement for the recently-traded Kevin Gryboski. On the other hand, the addition of McBride does give the Braves two left-handers (John Foster being the other) in the bullpen, a luxury the Braves have not enjoyed this season. McBride has a 4.17 ERA thus far this season but has allowed only 2 earned runs in his last 12 2/3 innings pitched. He will be the 14th rookie to play for the Braves this season!

The Braves have traded reliever Kevin Gryboski to the Texas Rangers for right-handed minor league pitcher Matt Lorenzo. Gryboski had been in the Braves bullpen since 2002, longer than any other reliever on the team. He has posted a disastrous 8.31 ERA this month and shown a penchant for allowing inherited runners to score all season. With veterans Jim Brower and Jay Powell emerging as dependable relievers for the Braves, Gryboski had become expendable. This move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for John Thomson who was recently placed on the 60-day disabled list but is expected to start a minor league rehab assignment next week. The trade is also thought by many to be a precursor to the Braves dealing for a reliever or possibly even calling up highly touted fireballer Joey Devine, the Braves’ 2005 1st round draft pick who is excelling in the minors.

Matt Lorenzo will be assigned to the the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Lorenzo, the the Rangers’ 5th round draft pick in 2003, has compiled an unimpressive 4-9 record and 5.47 ERA thus far this season between Double A Frisco and Class A Bakersfield.

The Good: John Smoltz continues to amaze. Smoltzie picked up his 7th straight win, throwing 8 innings of 6-hit ball, giving up 1 run, striking out 7, and walking none. … Jorge Sosa notched his 3rd win as a starter but keeps getting himself into (and out of) jams, allowing numerous baserunners on walks (4) and hits (6 in 6 innings). Despite allowing only 1 run, he needs to improve his command and stop nibbling so much or his luck will soon run out. … Adam LaRoche was 3-for-7 with a clutch, game-tying home run and 2 RBIs in the series. … Andruw Jones launched 2 more homers to remain on the heels of Derrek Lee for the National League home run lead.

The Bad: Chipper Jones is back but no one really knows for how long. Despite homering on the 2nd pitch he saw after returning from the DL Monday night, Chipper is still noticeably hampered by the partially torn ligament in his left foot that kept him out of action for a month. He went hitless in his next 9 at-bats in the series. He also appears to have lost a step both on the basepaths and when reacting to balls hit to him in the field. … Rafael Furcal, Marcus Giles, and Kelly Johnson were each 2-for-12 in the series. … Johnny Estrada was 1-for-8 in the set.

The Ugly: After battling back to tie Tuesday’s game in the 9th inning on a LaRoche homer, Dan Kolb allowed a runner on base with a single in the bottom of the 9th. The runner then came around to score when Estrada failed to adequately block home plate (no doubt due in part to flashbacks of his collision with Darin Erstad) on a bang-bang play at the plate. Kelly Johnson’s throw beat the runner yet the umpire ruled that he barely beat the tag, much to the displeasure of Estrada, Bobby Cox, and pitcher Jay Powell.

The Braves are another step closer to being back at full strength, after a spate of injuries in the May and June, now that Chipper Jones was activated from the disabled list before Monday night’s game against the Giants. Chipper went 3-for-6 with 2 walks, 2 RBIs and a strikeout in two rehabilitation games with the Class A Rome Braves minor league team. Roman Colon has been optioned to Triple-A Richmond. He has a 1-5 with a 5.28 ERA in 23 appearances with Atlanta this season, though he compiled an excellent 3.09 ERA in 4 starts filling in for injured starters Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton.

The Good: It’s great to see Tim Hudson back and healthy. He shut out the Mets for 6 innings on Saturday. He gave up 5 hits, walked none, and struck out 1. … Rafael Furcal continues to turn his season around, going 6-for-14 in the series to raise his batting average to .261. … John Smoltz and former Brave Tom Glavine battled mano-a-mano, finishing in a dead heat, 1 run apiece, after 7 innings. The one difference was the Braves scored a run for Smoltz off Roberto Hernandez in the 8th, giving him his 10th win of the season (and 6th straight win). He allowed 4 hits, walked only 1 and K’d 5, including the 2,500th strikeout of his career. … Jay Powell pitched a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday and appears ready to be an integral part of the Braves bullpen the second half of the season. It’s my belief he may actually be called upon to close games later this season if Chris Reitsma should lose the job due to injury or underperformance.

The Bad: Kelly Johnson is still slumping. He was 2-for-16 in the series and popped up a critical suicide squeeze that would have put the Braves ahead late in Thursday’s game. … Marcus Giles missed Thursday night’s game with flulike symptoms after taking a vacation in the Bahamas during the All-Star break with some teammates. He then went 1-for-12 in the final 3 games of the series. … Ryan Langerhans was 2-for-11 in the 4-game set.

The Ugly: If Mike Hampton is ready to help the Braves overtake the Nationals in the 2nd half, he didn’t show it Sunday. He was battered by the Mets for 5 runs on 7 hits in just 2 innings of work. There seems to be no indication that his prior injury bothered him and we’ll just have to hope he can return to his old self starting next Saturday.

The Braves demoted their top starting pitching prospect, Kyle Davies, to Triple-A Richmond so they could reactivate Mike Hampton from the disabled list Sunday. Davies was 4-3 with a 4.32 ERA in 11 starts for Atlanta. He held opponents scoreless in 3 of his first 4 starts but sported a 6.69 ERA in his final 8 starts. When 3/5 of the Braves’ starting rotation was disabled Davies, Roman Colon and Jorge Sosa filled in. With Hampton and Tim Hudson returning, only Sosa will remain in the rotation (in the 5th starter’s spot). He will start Monday against the Giants.

Andy Marte’s up-and-down year continues… Every week it seems he is either being called up to Atlanta or being sent down to Richmond. Additionally, when he is up in the majors his production is down and when he is back down at Triple-A his production goes back up!

This time the catalyst for his demotion is Tim Hudson’s return from the disabled list to pitch Saturday night. Bobby Cox decided to keep 13 pitchers on the roster in case the bullpen needs to work overtime should Hudson or Mike Hampton, who is also due to come off the DL this weekend, need to take an early exit due to a recurrence of their previous injuries.

Braves catcher Johnny Estrada has been suspended for three games and fined $5,000 by Major League Baseball for making contact with umpire Doug Eddings during an argument on June 30th. After Estrada started towards the dugout after catching a presumed 3rd strike (that was called a ball) Eddings began provoking Estrada, insulting him with profanities and vulgarities while he sat with his back towards the ump, preparing for subsequent pitches. Once Estrada had had enough abuse he turned around and engaged in an argument with the ump. The suspension would have started with Friday’s game but it will be delayed pending Estrada’s appeal.

The Braves’ bullpen has just been upgraded and this may only be the beginning. The Braves purchased the contract of veteran right-handed relief pitcher Jay Powell from the Double-A Mississippi Braves where he was on rehab after having Tommy John surgery last year. To make room for him, the Braves demoted right-handed reliever Adam Bernero who, after impressive performances in Spring Training and the month of April, was a disappointment. In the months of May and June Bernero had ERA’s of 5.63 and 11.57 respectively. Powell, on the other hand, compiled a 2-0 record and 0.64 ERA at AA Mississippi. He gave up only 6 hits and 1 run in 14 innings pitched. He walked 3 and had 8 strikeouts during his rehab stint.

More bullpen changes are coming as Mike Hampton and Tim Hudson return to the rotation this weekend. Roman Colon, Jorge Sosa, Kyle Davies and possibly even Horacio Ramirez are candidates to move to the bullpen. Demoting Kyle Davies to Triple-A is another option to clear space in the rotation. Blaine Boyer is also likely to be sent back to Richmond during the re-shuffling. Additionally, the Braves may choose to put Chris Reitsma on the disabled list to rest his bruised ribs and delay a more permanent decision on the makeup of the bullpen.

Chipper Jones will be in the lineup for the Rome Braves Wednesday night when they face the Kannapolis Intimidators. His rehabilitation stint will determine whether he has sufficiently recovered from two injuries, a deep bone bruise and a partially torn ligament in his left foot, which have kept him on the disabled list since June 6th. It’s not known how long the rehab assignment will last but Chipper is expected to pronounce himself fit to re-join Atlanta by the middle of next week, possibly as soon as one of this weekend’s games against the Mets.

The Good: The Braves will have Mike Hampton and Tim Hudson back next week. Chipper Jones will start a rehab assignment next week as well. Watch out Nats (or should I call them the “Gnats,” they just won’t go away), here we come! … Rafael Furcal was 8-for-15 in the series, including his first career 5-hit game Sunday. He says his shoulder is finally getting back to normal so hopefully we’ll get a big 2nd half out of him (to make up for his dreadful 1st half). … Jorge Sosa continues to come up big as a starter for the Braves. Friday night he scattered 9 hits, struck out 3 but allowed only 1 run allowing the Braves to pull out a win in the bottom of the 9th. … Jeff Francoeur continues to delight the hometown folks, going 3-for-9 and blasting his 2nd homer in the series.

The Bad: Kyle Davies’ days in the starting rotation appear to be numbered. He didn’t fare too well against the lowly Brewers, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings. He struck out only 2. … Adam Bernero’s career is going down the tubes faster than Tom Cruise’s. Chalk up another 3 runs in 3 innings pitched, ballooning his ERA to 6.51. Methinks I’ll get my wish and he’ll finally be demoted (or released) when Hudson and Hampton return next week. … The All-Star break came just in time for Andruw Jones who seems to be cooling off a bit, going 1-for-10 in the series. … Johnny Estrada was 1-for-8 in the series. … Andy Marte was called back up and continues to put up goose eggs. He was 0-for-9 in the series. Hopefully he’ll get it going after initially struggling, a la Kelly Johnson.

The Ugly: Chris Reitsma left Sunday night’s game after taking a line drive to the ribs. X-rays were negative but he said that he thought he heard a pop indicating a broken bone. It’s not known if he will miss any games after the All-Star break.

Outfielder Billy McCarthy has been been placed on the DL and will probably miss the rest of Richmond’s season. He has been hindered by an ankle injury all season and will not return to action for the Braves’ Triple-A team unless the injury improves significantly by next month. At the outset of spring training McCarthy was thought to be a contender for a platoon role in the Atlanta outfield. However, with Ryan Langerhans, veteran additions Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan, and utility man Pete Orr on the roster there was no room for McCarthy. McCarthy struggled at Richmond all year, batting .226 with 5 home runs, 23 RBIs and 26 runs scored.

Andruw Jones will be representing both the Braves and his native Curacao in this year’s Century 21 Home Run Derby. This year 8 different sluggers from 8 different countries will square off to determine this year’s champ. The contest will take place 8 pm ET Monday night at Detroit’s Comerica Park and will be televised on ESPN. Andruw is currently tied with Derrek Lee for the National League lead in home runs with 27.