Braves News World

The Good: At least one of the Braves’ 3 injured starting pitchers has been able to recover successfully. Tim Hudson threw his 1st complete game in a year Monday. He allowed 7 hits and only 1 walk while holding the Cubs to 2 runs. He struck out 5. … Despite the failed Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi experiments, it’s time to acknowledge John Schuerholz stole a couple gems once again this past offseason. Hudson has been solid and Jorge Sosa continues to turn heads around the league. He’s making a strong case for Comeback Player of the Year. He outduelled Mark Prior Wednesday to earn his 9th win. He gave up 1 run, 4 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings of work. With Hampton likely out for the rest of the season Sosa will be in the rotation the rest of the season and possibly start a playoff game or two. Who woulda thunk it!? … Andruw Jones was 3-for-11 with his league-leading 40th home run on the campaign. … Chipper Jones took both Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood deep Monday night. As the Braves set their sights on the playoffs, they sorely need a healthy Chipper to solidify an offense that has been inconsistent all year.

The Bad: John Thomson’s struggles since returning from the DL persist. He threw batting practice to the opposing team for the 3rd straight start since being activated. This time it was the Cubs that lit him up for 5 earned runs on 7 hits, and 3 walks in 3 2/3 innings. … Slumping Adam LaRoche continued his downward spiral, going 0-for-9 in the series. The Braves would be so much better off moving Chipper to 1st base and starting Andy Marte (or Wilson Betemit) at 3rd base. … Kelly Johnson was hitless in 6 at-bats.

The Ugly: The Braves suspected Joey Devine was the kind of prospect that could set records once he made it to the big leagues. However I doubt this is what they had in mind… When Jeromy Burnitz launched a grand slam off Devine in the 4th inning of Tuesday night’s game, the Braves pitcher became the first pitcher to ever give up grand slams in each of his first two major league appearances. I still believe this is nothing to worry about and he will be a factor the remainder of the season and possibly postseason. He does however need to start getting outs, and lots of them, or a crisis of confidence will surely follow.

What a shocker! For the 4th time this year, Mike Hampton has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore back stemming from a herniated disc he was diagnosed with earlier in the year. Since returning from his most recent stint on the DL August 14th he has been battered for 10 earned runs on 20 hits in only 8 1/3 innings over 2 starts for a 10.80 ERA. With the move being retroactive to Saturday the 20th he will be eligible to return from the DL on September 4th. With Hampton sidelined, Jorge Sosa will assume starting duties once again. Hampton’s roster spot will be filled by lefty reliever Macay McBride who has been recalled from Triple-A Richmond.

Going into Monday Brian McCann had started an amazing 14 consecutive games (that kind of thing may happen from time to time on other teams but I know it hardly ever happens on Bobby Cox’s Braves teams). With Brayan Pena’s suspect defensive skills, and inability to hit at the major league level thus far, McCann got the call these past 2 weeks. It took a toll on him, however, at the plate. His average dropped 29 points to .284 during that span. Johnny Estrada is now returning from the disabled list to spell McCann part of the time and Pena will be sent to Triple-A Richmond once again. Estrada’s back, injured from a collision with Darin Erstad, June 6th hasn’t improved much while he has been sidelined and is still limiting him at the plate (especially when batting from the left side) and in the field (blocking the plate for example). Unfortunately, I think this move was made due to McCann’s overwork and Pena’s inadequacy rather than Estrada’s readiness. The juggling act at catcher may very well continue up until the end of the regular season if Estrada continues to be hampered significantly by his back injuries.

The Good: Ho-hum. Another great series for Jeff Francoeur. He tallied 6 hits in 13 plate appearances (wait, make that 14 – he actually walked for the first time, intentionally mind you), adding 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. … Rafael Furcal and Marcus Giles were each 5-for-15 during the 3 games. … The Dr. Jekyll side of Horacio Ramirez made its appearance Saturday night as he held the Padres to 2 runs on 6 hits in 8 solid innings. It was, of course, a home game. … John Smoltz took care of business as usual and, as usual it seems, had nothing to show for it at the end of the night. 7 innings, 2 runs, both earned, 8 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts comprised his laudable line Sunday night. … Jim Brower is gone (for now). Yippee!

The Bad: Mike Hampton gives up 7 earned runs on 11 hits to a sub-.500 ball club in 3 1/3 innings. This is ridiculous. Send him down for more rehab or disable him. … The dog days of summer are taking their toll on Andruw Jones apparently. He was 1-for-9 in the series and begged off a start to rest. In seasons past you would have to drag him out of the lineup kicking and screaming. Of course, these are petty complaints when you take into account his home run total that still leads the majors and the exceptional defense he plays. … Speaking of tolls being taken, Brian McCann was 1-for-9 in the series. This is understandable as he started 14 straight games! To say Bobby Cox has little confidence in Brayan Pena is an understatement. … Chipper Jones cooled off a bit, going 2-for-11 in the set.

The Ugly: It was unfortunately a very memorable major league debut for Braves rookie pitcher Joey Devine. After being called up from Class AA Mississippi early Saturday morning (and getting 45 minutes of sleep) the much-heralded reliever gave up a decisive grand slam to Xavier Nady in the 13th inning. He had pitched reasonably well up to that point with 1 of the 2 walks he issued being intentional. There’s little doubt this kid will bounce back and likely be a key in rebuilding the shaky bullpen.

It’s going to take some Devine intervention to save the Braves bullpen this season, Joey Devine that is… I couldn’t resist. With only 2 months in the minors under his belt, the Braves promoted their 21-year old 2005 first round draft pick from Double-A Mississippi on Saturday. He compiled a 1-1 record with a 2.70 ERA in 18 games at the AA level. He struck out batters at an impressive clip – 28 in 20 innings. Devine is the first Braves player to make it to the big leagues the same year he was drafted since 3rd baseman Bob Horner in 1978. The all-time saves leader at North Carolina State university was greeted rudely by Xavier Nady who hit a grand slam off him in the 13th inning of Saturday’s game. But he showed flashes of brilliance during his debut and the Braves likely still fancy him as their closer before the end of the season. Reliever Jim Brower, who has been ineffective of late for the Braves, accepted a demotion to Triple-A Richmond and will be recalled on September 1st when rosters expand. He was 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 28 appearances with the Braves this season.

The Good: Chipper Jones had another great series at the plate, going 5-for-9, scoring 2 runs and driving in 3. … Andruw Jones is making a bee line to 50 home runs. He smacked his National League-leading 38th and 39th home runs during the series. The Braves franchise record for home runs in a season appears to be well within his grasp. … Though he was 2-for-12 in the series (causing his average to slip to .360, poor baby) Jeff Francoeur nailed his 10th home run of the season and threw out his 9th baserunner of the season. He is now 1 assist behind the league leaders in assists while playing in roughly 1/4 of the games they have. Now that’s incredible! … Brian McCann bounced back from a mini-slump with 6-for-10 series, including a home run and 3 RBIs. … It looks like it’s going to be the John Smoltz and Tim Hudson show the rest of the way. If the Braves hold on to their division lead and go anywhere in the playoffs it will be on the backs of their 2 workhorses. Each allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in their game (Smoltz went 7 innings, Hudson 8 ). Unfortunately Smoltz was cheated out of his 13th win. … Rafael Furcal was 5-for-12 in the series, including his 10th homer and a 4-for-4 performance Saturday. He may be pushing .300 by the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if the Braves let him leave as a free agent this offseason now that he might actually fetch something on the open market. Wilson Betemit is waiting in the wings and 2005 draftee Yunel Escobar is tearing it up in the minors.

The Bad: Just when you thought he couldn’t get any worse, John Thomson was absolutely atrocious Wednesday night. 7 earned runs on 8 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. We’re not going to win many games going forward if 3/5 of the rotation keeps stinking up the joint and the closer blows the other starters’ leads. … Marcus Giles was 2-for-13.

The Ugly: No one wants the closer’s role this year. Chris Reitsma is doing his best to lose the job. On Tuesday night he gave up 3 runs in the 9th inning in registering his 3rd straight blown save opportunity (all in the Braves’ last 8 games), his 7th such gaffe this season. Bobby Cox says he still has confidence in Reitsma but that doesn’t mean he might not give Kyle Farnsworth or Jorge Sosa a chance to seize the role of closer.

The Good: Chipper Jones is back! He made his presence felt during this series, going 8-for-12 to raise his average to .306 and adding 6 RBIs and 4 runs. … It’s not just Jeff Franceour’s bat that is turning heads around the league. He notched 3 assists in the series, including the 2 times he cut down Luis Gonzalez at the plate Sunday afternoon. Despite playing in only 28 major league games this season, Francoeur is only 2 assists behind the league leaders in that defensive category. … Ryan Langerhans was 2-for-5 in the series, including his 7th home run. It’s time he got a shot at the everyday job in left field with Kelly Johnson still struggling (2-for-9 this series, .232 this season). … Rafael Furcal rapped his career-high 10th triple of the season Saturday. He is 2nd in the league in the category.

The Bad: Jorge Sosa’s luck ran out Friday. He gave up 6 hits and 5 runs, including 3 homers, in 5 innings. His status as the 5th starter may be in jeopardy but I still think he is much a better alternative to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – a.k.a. Horacio Ramirez. … Brian McCann was 1-for-10 in the series.

The Ugly: This series was a disaster for Braves starting pitchers, including those who had moved to the bullpen. It started with Sosa giving up 5 earned runs in 5 innings on Friday. He was relieved by former starter Kyle Davies who gave up 3 in 3 innings. John Thomson surrendered 5 runs, 4 earned, in 6 innings Saturday. Mike Hampton allowed 3 in 5 innings Sunday before giving way to Horacio Ramirez who was atrocious in giving 5 earned runs, including 3 home runs, in 3 2/3 innings. The bats bailed them out for the most part this weekend but this is obviously a major cause of concern going forward.

Mike Hampton was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the Braves’ game against the Diamondbacks Sunday. Hampton had been on the DL since July 18th with a strained back. Hampton earned the win in his return, giving up 3 runs (all earned) in 5 innings on 9 hits and 1 walk in the series finale with the DB’s. However, he struck out none. He is now 5-2 with a 2.73 ERA on the year. Lefty reliever Macay McBride was sent back down to Richmond to accomodate Hampton’s return to the active roster. McBride pitched well during the short time he was with the major league club, holding the opponent scoreless during 8 of his 9 appearances (he gave up 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning against the Cardinals August 5th which accounted for his 6.00 ERA).

John Thomson was activated from the 60-day disabled list by the Braves before Saturday’s contest against the Diamondbacks. Thomson missed almost 3 months with a strained flexor tendon in his right middle finger. In an inauspicious return, Thomson gave up 5 runs, 4 of them earned, in 6 innings of a work and got a no-decision. He gave up 8 hits, struck out 5, and walked none. He now possesses a 3-2 record and 3.70 ERA in 9 starts this season. Pitcher Kyle Davies was optioned to Triple-A Richmond to clear a spot for Thomson.

The Good: Andruw Jones was 5-for-11 in the series with 3 runs batted in and 3 runs scored. His 2 series homers bring his total to 37 on the season (eclipsing his career high of 36 at this early juncture!) and the rest of baseball is eating his dust in the power department. … Marcus Giles went 5-for-13 during the series with 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. His career-high 15-game hitting streak has brought his average up to .308. … Jeff Francoeur also went 5-for-13 with a couple RBIs and saw his average plummet over 30 points to a mere .400. … Horacio Ramirez turned in another brilliant performance at home (where he is 7-1 with a 2.91 ERA). He surrrendered 1 run on 6 hits in 7 2/3 innings to nab his 10th win of the season. If only he could get batters out on the road (where he sports a 3-6 record and 5.87 ERA)! Maybe the Braves should implement a home/away platoon of Jorge Sosa and Horacio Ramirez in the 5th rotation spot. That would probably be a first!

The Bad: John Smoltz had a 2-hit shutout working until the 8th inning. After giving up a run in the 8th he gave up 2 more in the 9th and allowed the tying run on base (who came around to score after Chris Reitsma relieved Smoltz). Smoltz finished with a no-decision (though the Braves ultimately won in extra innings) and a disappointing line of 8 1/3 innings pitched, 8 hits, 4 runs (all earned), no walks, and 6 strikeouts. … Tim Hudson meanwhile allowed only 1 run in 6 strong innings. Unfortunately, he pitched 7 innings total. His final stats were 7 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 1 walk and a season-high 10 strikeouts. His record dropped to 8-7 on the season. … Wilson Betemit was 1-for-11 at the plate but continues to play solid defense, minimizing the likelihood the Braves will look to Andy Marte for help if Chipper Jones cannot return to the field soon. … Chipper Jones hasn’t started the past 8 games due to injury. He was hitless in a pinch-hit appearance. It is a good sign if he can at least swing the bat I guess.

The Ugly: It appears the Braves’ starters are tiring toward the end of the game more and more. Is Bobby Cox going to the bullpen too late because of the trust he has in his veterans or his lack of confidence in his relievers? The unavailability of Kyle Farnsworth during his suspension didn’t help matters either. Whatever the reason, it cost the Braves one game (and almost a second) in this series. One game likely won’t determine whether the Braves go to the postseason this year but if they’re going back to the World Series it will be on the backs of 3 of their 4 horsemen (Smoltz, Hudson, Hampton, Thomson). Now is the time to define everyone’s bullpen roles and refrain from overexerting our starters as a 14th straight division becomes more likely by the day.

Brian Jordan began his rehab at Class-A Rome Thursday, approximately one month after he was sidelined with inflammation in his left knee. Jordan has gone 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs in 2 rehab games thus far but, with the emergence of Jeff Francoeur as the Braves’ everyday right fielder, will likely have his rehabilitation extended to the maximum 20 days. That way the he can return when rosters are expanded in September and still have a chance to be added to the postseason roster. However, I wouldn’t bet on that happening as he was batting .244 with only 3 home runs and 23 RBIs before being placed on the DL.

Johnny Estrada is still suffering from the aftermath of his collision with Darin Erstad on June 6th. Lower back spasms landed him on the 15-day disabled list Thursday retroactive to August 6th. That makes him eligible to return to active duty on August 21st. Brayan Pena was called up from Triple-A Richmond, for the third time this year, to back up Brian McCann who will now assume starting duties. Methinks Braves fans should expect McCann to be the Braves’ starting catcher the rest of the season (and beyond) and that’s probably a good thing!

The Good: Jorge Sosa shut out the Cardinals for 7 innings on only 4 hits, striking out 5, and walking 2. How can the Braves take this guy out of the rotation when John Thomson and Mike Hampton return this weekend? It appears Horacio Ramirez will be the 5th starter when they come back, despite his inability to get batters out on the road. Sosa has been the Braves’ 2nd best starter for a good month now. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! … Marcus Giles was 4-for-12 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs during the 3 games. … Jeff Francoeur is still scorching, going 5-for-13 in the series with 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs and another home run, his 8th. He has a 9-game hitting streak going. Amazingly, he has still yet to draw a walk (in 79 at-bats). When he finally does draw his first walk his teammates should request the ball be taken out of play so he can have it as a keepsake. … Andruw Jones was 3-for-9 with 5 RBIs and his 34th and 35th home runs, solidifying his major league lead in that category. … Upon rediscovering his split-fingered fastball, Tim Hudson notched his 8th win this season and 100th in his career, going 7 innings and allowing only 1 run. He allowed 6 hits, struck out 4, and walked just 1. … Wilson Betemit was 5-for-11 in the set.

The Bad: We now know John Smoltz is human. His 8-game winning streak is over as he 5 earned runs, 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. He struck out 6. … Macay McBride was battered Friday night for 5 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks in 2/3 of an inning. … Rafael Furcal is cooling off a bit, going 2-for-12 in the series. … Brian McCann was 1-for-8 in the series. … Adam LaRoche was 1-for-10 in the series. .. Chipper Jones has missed 5 straight games due to a right rotator cuff strain.

The Ugly: Another exceptional start by Sosa was wasted when Chris Reitsma gave up a walk-off grand slam to David Eckstein (of all people!) on Sunday. It’s looking more and more like the Braves will face the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs. It also seems the Cardinals, as usual, have the Braves’ number this year. Hopefully once the Braves’ starting rotation is whole again, a solid pitching staff all-around will enable the Braves to compete with the likes of the Redbirds in October.

Kyle Farnsworth has decided to drop his appeal of the 6-game suspension he was handed for tackling Jeremy Affeldt during a brawl back on July 17th. He begun serving a 5-game suspension Tuesday night (MLB reduced the suspension by a game since he dropped the appeal). The fact that Farnsworth has been nursing a strained back since he shagged some baseballs during batting practice last week made the decision easier. While Farnsworth is sidelined Kyle Davies will fill in as a reliever. He was set to start in place of John Smoltz Wednesday to give the Braves’ workhorse an extra day of rest but Smoltzie opted to keep his same routine and will enjoy an extra day of rest next week due to the off-day Monday the 15th.

A new website, ILoveFrancoeur.com, has been created by Atlanta radio station 790 The Zone to celebrate the exploits of new Braves sensation Jeff Francoeur. Right now the station is conducting a contest to choose a new nickname (I must agree that “Frenchy” is just weak) for the rising star. He was referred to as “Supermanâ€? during his high school playing days but let’s not get carried away so soon…

To be considered for the contest, entries need to be submitted through that website. The nicknames submitted will be presented to Francoeur and he (and perhaps some teammates) will decide the winner. The entrant who submits the winning nickname winner will win prizes including tickets to an upcoming Braves game, an autographed official Francoeur jersey, t-shirts from the Rome, Mississippi and Richmond Braves, CD’s of George Strait (Francoeur’s favorite musician), and a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant in Lilburn, Georgia. Good luck everyone and keep knocking them dead Jeff!

Mike Hampton started a rehab assignment Thursday the 4th, allowing one run in 4 innings of work for Triple-A Richmond against Toledo. The lower back strain that sidelined him most recently did not bother him but he felt some discomfort in his arm and believes he may have to deal with it the rest of the season. He’ll make another minor league start for the Gulf Coast League affiliate of the Braves on Tuesday. If all goes well he may be starting for Atlanta next weekend. Meanwhile, John Thomson appears ready to join Hampton in the Atlanta rotation next weekend which would mark the first time since March 16th the Braves would have their original starting rotation intact. The return of Thomson and Hampton means Jorge Sosa, who has been impressive as a starter, will be bumped from the rotation. Sosa has given up 3 runs or less in each of his 11 starts and 2 runs or less in 9 of them (including his last 6 starts). I hate to see them fix something that isn’t broken but I suppose they don’t have much choice. At least he will strengthen a bullpen that has been erratic at times. If only the Braves would release Dan Kolb to make room for him in the bullpen they’d really be making progress…

The Good: The hits keep on coming for boy wonder Jeff Francoeur. He was 6-for-15, including his 7th home run, with 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored during the series. … Not to be outdone, Francoeur’s friend and fellow rookie Brian McCann went 5-for-9 with 2 RBIs and a cool 5 runs scored in only 2 games! … Marcus Giles is en fuego, going 7-for-15 with 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored in the series. He has a season-high 9-game hitting streak going. … Wilson Betemit went 4-for-10 and Rafael Furcal 4-for-11 which brings the Raffy-meter is up to .274. … Jorge Sosa turned in another of his patented 5-inning quality starts (they of course do not qualify as “quality starts” by baseball’s statistical standards). He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4.

The Bad: Horacio Ramirez was horrid. He was blasted for 8 earned runs on 6 hits in 5 innings of work. He walked 4 and notched just one strikeout. … Ryan Langerhans was hitless in 5 at-bats.

The Ugly: Just when you thought the old Chipper Jones was back – boom – he injures himself again. This time he dived to his left for a ground ball and jammed his shoulder into the ground, straining his rotator cuff. He had 3 hits, including a home run, and 4 RBIs by the 4th inning of the game. He indicated that it hurts to throw so much that he would have a hard time getting the ball to the pitcher’s mound, much less first base. He is listed as day-to-day and it’s looking like he’ll miss at least a few games. If the 1st base platoon of Adam LaRoche and Julio Franco wasn’t working so well I’d suggest they move Chipper to 1st immediately.

The Good: The Nationals are officially in free fall as their luck has run out and the Braves have extended their lead to 4 1/2 games. It was only a matter of time. They are the Expos after all! … Rafael Furcal was 6-for-17 in the series, including a home run from each side of the plate on Sunday, and is now batting a respectable .271. It’s no coincidence that the Braves have been surging in the standings while Raffy’s average (and on-base percentage) have surged 50+ points. … Marcus Giles is getting back on track. He went 9-for-16 (raising his average 10 points to .298) in the series with 4 runs scored. … Horacio Ramirez pitched 8 strong innings, striking out 3 and allowing 6 hits and only 1 walk. … Jeff Francoeur was 5-for-15 with a homer, 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs in the series. He was batting a cool .408 at the end of the set. Do I smell a Rookie of the Year in the making? I don’t think it’s too late. It would definitely be quite an achievement considering how late in the year he was called up but stranger things have happened!

The Bad: Andruw Jones had only 1 hit in 12 series at-bats and hasn’t homered since July 24th. … Tim Hudson continues to alternate between good starts and mediocre starts over his past 5 outings. This time his mediocre line was: 6 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR.

The Ugly: No doubt it was the sight of Jay Powell collapsing to the ground after fracturing his right humerus bone. He was in such pain he could hardly walk back to the dugout. He had season-ending surgery on his elbow Monday. He underwent Tommy John reconstructive arm surgery barely a year ago on July 8th, 2004. Hopefully he’ll be able to make a comeback at some point.

Chris Reitsma was named National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Month for the month of July. He had a 2-0 record and 1.17 ERA during the month. He had 8 saves in July and blew no save opportunities. Due to his recent strong performance in the closer’s role, he will continue to close games, even as fireballer Kyle Farnsworth who had been successfully closing games for the Tigers, joins the club.

The Braves made a key acquisition to bolster their bullpen, recently depleted due to the injury to Jay Powell, on Sunday shortly before the trade deadline. They traded Roman Colon, who had been on the outs with management of late after publicly criticizing them for sending him back to Richmond days after calling him up, and pitcher Zach Miner to the Tigers for right-handed fireballer Kyle Farnsworth. Colon had posted a 1-5 record with a 5.28 ERA (though he had a 3.09 ERA as a starter) for Atlanta this season. Zach Miner has had a sub-par season with Richmond this year, going 2-7 and posting a 4.23 ERA. He was Atlanta’s 4th round draft pick in 2000 but was losing favor in the organization.

If the 29-year-old Farnsworth, who throws up to 100 MPH, keeps pitching the way he has thus far this season (cutting him a little slack going forward since he was in a pitcher’s park in Detroit), this looks like a smart trade for the Braves. If he re-signs with the Braves this offseason it will be an absolute steal! There is a definite possibility the Braves could re-sign him considering Atlanta is his hometown and the club could pay him with the money they save by presumably non-tendering underachieving reliever Dan Kolb at the end of the season. Farnsworth has pitched 42 2/3 innings this year, notching 55 strikeouts with a 2.32 ERA thus far this year. Opponents have batted just .192 against him. Farnsworth has appealed and has not yet served a 6-game suspension he was assessed for tackling Royals pitcher Jeremy Affeldt during a brawl on Sunday July 17th.