Braves trade Johnson, cash for 3 relievers

November 30, 2009

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves announced a trade that sent Atlanta starting second baseman Kelly Johnson and a reported 2.2 million dollars to St. Louis in exchange for highly regarded AAA closer Chris Perez, middle reliever Josh Kinney, and AAA middle reliever Ryan Franklin.

The Braves have wanted to get a little more financial room for the free agent market. It is reported by some in the Braves organization that Johnson (right) was never considered to be available until he won his arbitration case and got nearly 2 million more than what the Braves offered.

Johnson, 27, had his best season at the plate in 2009, hitting .305/.385 with 14 HR and 93 RBI. Many consider him in the top 5 of all second basemen in GABA. His defense has, however, remained on the low side of average.

Perez (top left), age 25, is rated by Baseball America as the #1 closer prospect in GABA. He did struggle some at AAA last season (ERA 4.97, 5-4 record), but he did register 35 saves for Memphis. He has a good shot at making the Braves active roster in the spring.

Kinney (middle left) had a solid year (81 games, 10-5 record, 1 save, 4.33 ERA) as a set-up man out of the Cardinals pen. The 30 year old is expected to help anchor a pen that proved to be leaky, especially late in the game.

Franklin (bottom left), 36 years of age, is something of a long shot in making the Braves active roster. After struggling with his control for the major league club, he was shipped to Memphis where the control issue continued, along with a balooning ERA (8.49). Speculation is that he was added to the deal only to make it more financially do-able for the Cards.

Fans were not particaularly pleased with losing Johnson, who was growing in his popularity with the Barves nation. "What is (Jobo) Foster (Braves GM) thinking? Yeah, I mean Johnson is like an All Star guy, " said Marty Vincent of Roswell, GA. "What are we going to do to replace him and his bat in the lineup?"

Even so, there seems to be a sentiment of let's wait and see where the team goes from here before censorous judgment is passed on Foster.

(After this article was written, it is reported that St. Louis is on the verge of sending Johnson to Florida.)

Schafer 2009 NL Rookie of the Year

November 16, 2009-

At the beginning of the season, the Atlanta Braves had a question mark about their rookie center fielder. Throughout the season Jordan Schafer made a statement with his batting and fielding. Now at season's end, the National League has placed an exclamation point on it!

Sunday Jordan Schafer was named National League Rookie of the Year for 2009.

It was a season to remember for the 23-year-old Braves rookie. He wrapped up his first year with a .300 batting average, 36 doubles, 7 triples and 14 home runs. Schafer also had 87 RBIs and scored 83 times.

"It's a great honor, for sure," said Schafer. "I've hit a lot of road bumps to get here. Now, I look forward to the next year to see if we can finish on top of our division."

Schafer's stats

http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/players/player_23987.html

One game short

October 5, 2009-


The National League wild card slot will be decided in a one game playoff between the Houston Astros and the Cincinnatti Reds. The Atlanta Braves with a 4-3 week missed by one game making it a three way tie.


Atlanta entered the final week 4 games behind the wild card leader, Houston. Cincinnatti played one game better than the Braves to edge past Atlanta into a chance at the playoffs.


"We were awfully close this year," said manager Bobby Cox. "It really hurts to get this close and miss it. You'll always think of this game or that moment...just a couple of differences and we're in."


"I believe we did something this year that we can build on," said Chipper Jones. "I'm looking forward already to next year."


It's pretty clear that GM Jobo Foster wants to strengthen the bullpen. Too many close leads were not held late in the game.


"Be nice to get a little help in the bullpen," said Cox, who has said he will retire after the 2010 season. Several players have already spoken how they want to get Bobby one more championship ring.

"Well...we'll just see how things develope over this off season."

Braves 6.5 out of first, 4 behind wild card

September 28, 2009-

Though the Atlanta Braves won two series last week they gained no ground on the division leading New York Mets and trail wild card leader Houston by 4 games. Usually a week with 2 of 3 won from both New York and Washington would be great, but time is running out and it looks like Atlanta is going to come up short.

The Mets magic number is 2 and the Astros magic number is 4. Atlanta has seven games left in this, the last week of the season. Only an unprecedented turn of events could put them in first. A major uphill climb faces them for a wild card berth.

"It's tough, but we won't quit as long as we still are in it mathematically," said Brian McCann. "We'll go the distance, giving our best every day."

"It's not impossible for us to get into the playoff," said Derek Lowe. "So, look for us to do our part; then we're gonna need some help from someone else."

Ironically, the Braves best shot is as a wild card, which will require them to get help from, of all teams, the Mets. Their final three games will be against the Astros.

"We'll worry about that when we get there," Bobby Cox reiterated. "We can't afford to look beyond our next game."

The Braves close out their regular season with seven home games, three against the Marlins and four against the nationals.

Braves drop another game behind Mets

September 21, 2009

Chipper Jones spoke aloud what was on the minds of everyone in the Braves locker room. "This is not the time to lose a series to anybody. It is not the time to break even for the week."

After the Braves lost the series (1-2) to the front running Mets and evened the week out by taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies, Jones told the media that just winning a series will probably not be enough as the Braves prepare to face the Mets again in New York.

"They've (the Mets) got a six and a half game lead. We've got to take a big bite out of that and we can't do that unless we sweep."

"The Mets are playing really good baseball right now," Jones observed. "We can't count on other teams to put them into a tailspin. We've got to take care of business in New York and do the same for every other game we have left."

"We'll take 'em one game at a time," said Manager Bobby Cox. "That's all we can do. Just focus on what we need to do today to win the game."

Mets, Braves face off in fight for the division title

September 14, 2009

The facts are clear and plain. The New York Mets hold a 5.5 game lead over the second place Atlanta Braves. The Mets have 18 games left to play, the Braves have 19. They will face each other six more times, including a three game set in Atlanta starting Tuesday the 15th.

To quote Mr. Rogers, "Can you say crucial?"

The Braves made it a little harder on themselves by splitting their games last week (3-3) while the Mets won 4 and dropped two to add another game to their lead. With three weeks left the Braves are going to have to average a 2 game swing in their favor each week in order to catch the boys of New York.

Obviously, the games they go head to head are the most vital to either team's chances of winning the division. But, as Bobby Cox, Braves manager, likes to say: at this time of the season they are all important.

The Braves hold a bit of an edge (8-4) in the season series so far against the Mets. But in the other games remaining, the Mets appear to hold a slight advantage over Atlanta's remaining schedule.

The Mets play 6 games against Washington and they lead their season series 7 games to 5 so far; 3 games are left against Florida and they're 8-4 against the Marlins. They close the season at home against Houston, who they haven't beaten yet this year, losing 3 to them back in July.

Meanwhile the Braves will go 3 games against Philadelphia, who the Braves trail in their series 7-8; 6 games against Washington, tho the Braves lead 8 games to 3; The Braves have 3 games left against the Marlins, who the Braves also trail 7-8. Overall: advantage Mets.

Ah, you may say, the Braves will have a greater home field advantage, playing 13 remaining games at home with 6 on the road while the Mets play 9 each at home and away. The problem with home field advantage is that the Braves have played only .500 ball (34-34) at home and are 41-28 (.594) on the road. The Mets are 43-26, a blistering .623 at home and 37-32 (.536) on the road. Again, advantage goes to the Mets.

So while most the numbers seem to favor New York, the games are still played on the field, not in the season history books. So, let's watch closely to see how the war in the East plays out.

Braves have 6-1 week, move closer to Mets

September 7, 2009


Good pitching beats good hitting..and vice versa...
(Casey Stengall)

The Braves, who lead the National League in batting average and run production , did not have a great offensive week. But, they did get some clutch hitting and great pitching to sweep the Marlins in Florida and win 2 0f 3 from the Reds at home. The Braves move to 4.5 games behind the first place Mets with twenty five left to play.

The Braves pitching staff had a 2.25 ERA from August 31-September 6 to give the Atlanta hitters a chance to win each game. In the Florida series the Braves picked up three of their four wins in extra innings. In the 10th inning of Monday's game Nate McLouth drove in Jordan Schafer (pictured above), who had doubled to lift the Braves to a 5-4 win. Tuesday Josh Phelps delivered a homerun in the top of the 10th to take another 5-4 win from the Marlins. After winning 8-2 on Wednesday, the Braves took the series finale 2-1, as Brandon Jones, with a 10th inning single, knocked in Chipper Jones.

At home against Cincinnatti, neither team hit a single home run in the series. The Reds won the first game 4-3. The Braves followed with 6-2 and 6-0 victories behind gritty outings by Tim Hudson (8.1 IP, 9 hts, 2 ER, 1K, and 0 BB) and Derek Lowe (7 IP, 5 hts, 0 ER, 6 K, 1BB).

Schafer was the only hitter to really have a stellar week at the plate as he slammed a double, a triple, a homer with six RBIs and a .444 BA.

Next the Braves go on the road to Houston and St Louis for a couple of three game sets before coming home on the 15th to face the Mets and the Phillies. The Braves trail the surging Astros in the wild card race by 5.5 games, a game more than they trail the division leading Mets. As Braves manager Bobby Cox said, "They are all important this time of year, but none more so than the games against the ones you're trailing. We're going to see some great baseball over the next few weeks. Houston is hot, the Mets are hungry to win, St. Louis and Philadelphia would love to be the spoilers. Same is true for the others we face as well."

"We've got to be ready to play every day, " added Cox. "We're where to want to be in September... we got a shot at the playoffs. I believe the guys are ready."

Who has lost the ball in the weeds?

August 24, 2009-


When we were kids and lost the ball in the high grass, it meant only one thing...game over.


There are six weeks left in this 2009 GABA season and a few franchises are in the ball-in-the-weeds situation. It's not that anybody is yet mathematically eliminated, although Pittsburgh at 35.5 behind with 38 to play is only a couple of steps from it.


But several teams are already in the virtual elimination spot with several others dangerously close. In other words, it ain't over 'til it's over; but, really...it's game over.


Bill James has developed a formula for calculating if a team is virtually eliminated. To find a team's virtual elimination number, you take the number of games behind and square it; then divide it by the games remaining times 4. The result is your virtual elimination number (VE).


James says that no team has ever come back to win their division if their virtual elimination number is 1.00 or over. So when a team reaches that point, you may not be mathematically out, but James says you are done, cooked, over.


So who in GABA has lost their ball in the weeds? As of August 24, here are the following VE numbers for the teams trailing the Rays, Indians, Angels, Mets, Brewers, and Padres. (The teams in bold print are those virtually eliminated from division championship.)

In the AL East: Yankees (0.11), Red Sox (0.58), Blue Jays (0.58), Orioles (1.90)

AL Central: Twins (0.04), Royals (0.31), Tigers (on the edge with 0.92), White Sox (2.44)

AL West: The Angels are so close to virtually clinching: A's (0.80), Rangers (0.80), Mariners (0.95)

NL East: Braves (0.28), Phillies (0.83), Marlins (1.79), Nationals (2.01)

NL Central: Astros (0.08), Reds (0.37), Cubs (0.59), Cardinals (1.27), Pirates (8.29)

NL West: Diamondbacks (0.03), Rockies (0.20), Dodgers (0.73), Giants (2.50)

James' formula just illustrates in another way just how tight some of these division races are. Also, we get another look at who is going to be playing the role of spoiler.

Anderson, Norton placed on waivers

August 17, 2009- Atlanta GA

The Atlanta Braves announced today that they were placing veterans Garrett Anderson and Greg Norton on irrevocable waivers to make room on their active roster for Gwinnett Braves OF Brandon Jones and 1B/OF Josh Phelps.

Both Anderson (0 HR, .211) and Norton (1 HR, .243) have been unhappy in their bench roles with the Braves and earlier this year asked to be traded.

"We had them on the trading block, but were not able to work out deals for them," said Braves GM Jobo Foster. "By waiving them at this time, it gives them an opprotunity to be picked up or sign with some other club where there may be an opening for them. Plus, we've been wanting to get Jones back up here after his earlier stint with us. And Phelps deserves a shot at some major league pinch hitting."

Jones hit 2HR and .281 in 28 games earlier in the season with Atlanta. Phelps was used mostly as a DH in AAA, slapping 20 HR, 89 RBI and a .265 avg in 104 games.

Norton (pictured lower right) had lost his 1B platoon with Casey Kotchman a few weeks back as Kotchman, a LH batter, was hitting lefthanders much better than the right handed hitting Norton.

But, probably the most disappointed player on the Braves roster had to be Anderson, who signed as a free agent with the Braves in the off season. He was expected to be the starting LF for Atlanta from opening day. But, his mediocre spring training, the acquisition of Nate McLouth from Pittsburgh, the steady performance of rookie Jordan Schafer, and the resurgence of Jeff Francoeur's bat left no room for Anderson in the Braves' starting lineup.

"This is not the way we wish it had worked out for Garrett and Greg here in Atlanta," said Foster. "They're both class acts and still good ball players."

Braves: No comment on Glavine, Marlins episode

8-10-09 Atlanta Journal and Constitution

When asked by AJC reporters about the Marlins recent signing and release six days later of former Brave Tom Glavine, Atlanta GM Jobo Foster said he would not comment on the situation.

"I don't make it a practice to comment on matters related to other ballclubs. I have too much respect for Sam East (Marlins GM), the entire Marlins organization and for Tom Glavine, as well, to be drawn into that discussion."

AJC reporter Muck Raker pointed out that because the Braves released Glavine rather abruptly earlier this year they become a part of this story. Foster said he disagreed with that thesis.

"I'll only repeat what we said at that time," Foster continued. "Our evaluation was that Tom would not be able to pitch competitively at the major league level. Tom obviously disagrees with that evaluation. Even so, his Hall of Fame contributions to the Atlanta Braves will long be appreciated and honored by this organization."

"We offered him choice of a couple of other positions within our organization, but he still wishes to pursue his playing career. When that career is over, we still want Tom to be a part of the Atlanta Braves. We wish the best for Tom in any future endeavors."

http://z6.invisionfree.com/GABA/index.php?showtopic=170

Incremental Improvement in Braves' Pen

August 3, 2009 -Atlanta, GA

One of the big question marks at the beginning of the year about this 2009 edition of the Atlanta Braves was the bullpen. Could they improve over the 2008 pen, which was racked with injuries and riddled with inconsistant outings which let a number of wins slip away in late innings?

The answer seems be "Not really...but..."

Not Really.....Injury to set-up man Mike Gonzalez landed him on the DL with the earliest possible return date in mid-September. Closer Rafael Soriano has between alternating between brilliant, so-so, and just awful to the point that Bobby Cox has little qualms about pulling him if he shows signs of an unsteady performance. The same is true about Blaine Boyer, who has been relegated to mostly mop-up duty. Buddy Carlyle (recently shipped to Washinton), Jeff Bennent, Boone Logan, and Jorge Campillo have all had turns in the Braves bullpen, but, because poor performances, were optioned down to Gwinnett (AAA) .

But...Performances of acquisitions Brian Moeller (3.81), Brian Bass (3.15), Danny Herrera (3.38), Justin Mallett (2.16) and set-up man Peter Moylan (3.42) have raised the bullpen's ERA ranking from dead-last in the NL to 9th (4.36).

Whether Soriano can stop his alternating pattern (ERA for April-7.54, May-0.00, June-5.93, July-1.59) and the incremental improvement in the rest of the pen will be enough the raise the Braves into the playoffs remains to be seen. Another factor to watch would be some improvement in how deep into the game the Braves' starters can go. Also, can the Braves' surprisingly strong offense keep up their league leading pace?

Well, hang on... it's time for the stretch run where it will all shake out.

Braves rush two trades before deadline

July 27, 2009- Atlanta, GA

A lot of big names and blockbuster trades dotted the GABA landscape as wheeling and dealing escalated in the week prior to the trading deadline.

Though they did not make some of those transactions with marquee names, the Atlanta Braves were none-the-less busy during the trading frenzy. General Manager Jobo Foster, leaning heavily on the reports from Braves' scouting, closed two deals that cost two familiar faces and brought in two excellent prospects to bolster the Braves' future.

Deal One: RP Buddy Carlyle (pictured below left), age 31, sent to the Washington Nationals for CF Stephen Englund (pictured above left), age 21.

Carlyle had struggled in Atlanta (4-1, 0 Saves, 5.40 ERA, 34 K in 36.1 IP) earlier this year and has been optioned to AAA affiliate Gwinnett, where he has seemed to get back on track (0-0, 2 Saves, 2.93 ERA, 19 K in 15.1 IP). Braves Scouting Director Roy Benson still considers Carlyle a quality arm coming out of the pen.

"Buddy is just a steady, come-to-work everyday, do his job without flash or frills kind of guy," Benson said. "He can still get it done. Especially so after his stint at AAA. He'd gotten in a bad habit of trying to overthrow and GABA hitters were slamming him. But he's corrected that in the International League; I think he'll do really good for Washington."

So why let him go?

"We had a chance to pick up what, I think, is a top outfield prospect that in a few years is going to be knocking the cover off the ball," Benson predicted. "I know he struggled at Hagerstown, hitting lees than a buck-seventy; but, Stephen Englund makes good, solid contact at bat. He's got great power potential, a true cleanup hitter in the making. He's also very patient at the plate; he'll work the count on a pitcher. His defense is about average, but he has a solid combination of speed and acceleration. I can see him one day taking his place in our starting lineup."

Englund has been assigned to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A) and will report there this afternoon.

Deal Tw0: 3B Martin Prado (pictured below right), age 25 sent to the Florida Marlins for 3B Eric Campbell (pictured right), age 23.

Earlier this year Florida GM Sam East tried to acquire Prado (who has a .307 batting average in 130 games in the bigs) and couldn't get him because the Braves saw him as an insurance policy should either Chipper Jones or Kelly Johnson go down with injuries. But, since they have stayed healthy, he has languished all season in AAA. Foster has said that Prado would not have been optioned to Gwinnett if the Braves did not feel it was necessary to carry 12 on their pitching staff.

Campbell was also with the Braves in spring training this year and was put on waivers & designated for assignment, taking him off the 40 man roster to make room for Nate McLouth who was acquired just before opening day. But, the Marlins spotted him on waivers and claimed him.

"My predecessor (Roy Clark, fired at the beginning of the season) was not very impressed with Eric," said Benson. "He considered him expendable; so based on his report the Braves waived him." (This reporter recalls seeing Bobby Cox livid over the loss of Campbell.)

Benson continued, but I've always been high on Eric. I believe he could be a dangerous, record breaking hitter as a successor to Chipper at third. Oh yeah, he's strong...if he can reach it, he can put it out of the park. He'll hit for average and he'll work a pitcher in every at bat. He's gonna be something special."

Campbell has been optioned to the Gwinnett Braves (AAA) and Benson believes he will be called up in September.

BNN news items

http://www.anpabaseball.com//gaba/news/html/leagues/league_100_news_2951.html

http://www.anpabaseball.com//gaba/news/html/leagues/league_100_news_2955.html

Hudson works hard to return in early August

July 20, 2009- Atlanta, GA

Tim Hudson has been on the shelf long enough and he's itching to return to the mound for Atlanta. Since his injury shortened season of 2008 and his subsequent surgery, Hudson has been following a rigorous therapy program to get back into the Braves starting rotation.

"I'm not very good at this being patient thing," Hudson told reporters who caught up with him as he finished his workout at a local gym. "Mentally, I'm ready to go right now. Physically, I may be close to 90% ready."

Hudson indicated he felt he could be ready to pitch in Atlanta by the first week in August. "If my doctors give me the O.K. next week, then it'll be up to Jobo (Foster, Braves GM) and Bobby (Cox, Braves manager) when I'm activated and where we go from there."

It would welcome news for Braves fans if Hudson could return anywhere close to his form to aid in the Braves' stretch drive.

Even so, as the trading deadline is just a little over a week away, Atlanta's front office is known to be looking around for more help either in the pen or the starting rotation. Rumors swirl they were close to a deal for Rich Harden before the Cubs dealt him to San Francisco. Sources say the talks stalled when the Braves would not add Jair Jurrjens to the deal. Foster, it is said, felt it would not have been a financially sound deal for Atlanta, while Cox objected to giving up Jurrjens because he sees even greater development ahead for his 23 year old hurler.

Whether or not they add another arm, you get the idea they are counting heavily on the return of Tim Hudson.

Braves, Mets split 4 games

Coming out of the All Star break the Braves lined up against the East Division leading New York Mets with a chance to take a bite out of the 4.5 game lead the Mets held on them. When the dust settled and the Mets left town, the 4.5 game gap was still there.

Atlanta and New York split the series with alternating wins. The Mets took the first game 10-9, winning in the ninth on an unearned run driven in by a Luis Castillo single off Peter Moylan. The Braves got in a hole (6-2) quickly as Derek Lowe didn't make it through the third inning. They came back to tie the score twice (7-7 and 9-9) before Kelly Johnson's misplay of Carlos Delgado's grounder opened the door in the ninth for the Mets win.

Game 2 of the set saw Chipper Jones slap two homeruns and Jordan Schafer (above) add another to support Jair Jurrjens' 6 hit, complete game, 5-1 victory over the Mets. Jurrjens (9-7) continues to give A+ outings for the Atlanta nine.

New York rode the coattails of Oliver Perez (10-5) to a 5-0 triumph in the third game. A close 1-0 game for 7 innings, the Mets broke it open scoring 4 runs in the last two frames, which wasted an excellent 7 inning, 4 hit, 0 ER performance by Javier Vazquez (5-7)

The Braves took the final game, 6-5, on a "walk off wild pitch" by Francisco Rodriquez, allowing Yunel Escobar to score from third. Nate McLouth, Jones and Schafer drove in the other 5 runs, all with clutch two out hits.

Coming up next, the Braves host the extremes: the Giants, who have nearly the worst record in the GABA and Brewers, who have the best record.

Braves-Mets box scores
http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1909.html
http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1920.html
http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1932.html
http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1956.html

Jurrjens red hot week before All Star break

One of the few bright spots among Braves' pitchers in the week of games leading up to the All Star break was the work done by Jair Jurrjens.

In two games on the road (against the Cubs and the Rockies), Jurrjens delivered two high quality starts for a starting staff that has struggled to be more than just average for most of the season.

His work for the week (15.1 IP, 9 Hts, 2 ER, 14 K, 3 BB, 1.17 ERA) brought his win total to 8 and lowered his season ERA to 4.10. Manager Bobby Cox could not be more pleased with his number 2 starter.

"You almost hate to take a break when a guy like Jair is on fire like he is," Cox remarked after the series in Colorado. "You know, his pitching, Chipper's 27 game hit streak, Kotchman also had a big week with those homeruns....makes you want to keep playing. But, we do need the rest and the time to regroup a little...to get ready for the second half run."

The Braves are counting on Jurrjens and the other starters to turn it up a notch for their hopes to overtake the Mets and reach the top of the NL East. The four game series with New York immediately after the break could set the tone for the remainder of the year.

"It's obviously not do or die, "Cox continued, "but, a good series by our starters and pen against those powerful Mets' bats will go a long way in firing up our team and our fans for the run."

Box Scores

http://www.anpabaseball.com//gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1825.html

http://www.anpabaseball.com//gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1900.html

Braves' Game of the Week (July 4, 2009)

Vazquez goes the distance in Braves 9-1 win over Nationals

Saturday, July 4, 2009- Washington D.C.

All the fireworks came out of the visitor's dugout, according to Braves' manager Bobby Cox, because Javier Vazquez took the mound ready to pitch.

"Javy was focused out there today," Cox said. "He was hitting his spots. Really, a great outing...the kind of thing he's capable of doing when he's at his best."

As a result, Vazquez gave the weary Atlanta bullpen an Independence Day holiday with his complete game 9-1 victory over the Nationals. Limiting the Nats to three hits, one run and registering five strikeouts, Vazquez (5-6) put on a highly impressive, 97 pitch performance.

"Yeah, he had great command of all his pitches, especially his curveball," added his battery-mate Brian McCann. "He kept them off balance all day."

Braves bats erupted for 9 runs on 11 hits and 3 walks after a few relatively quiet days. "We've just been missing some clutch hits for a few games," said Chipper Jones who hammered his 12th homer in the seventh off Ryan Wagner. "As a team we got more timely hitting today. That always makes a difference."

The Braves' clubhouse was in a celebratory mood. "Hey," called out Brian Bass, "Let's all go out and get an RC Cola and a weenie!" After getting the translation of "weenie," even Kenshin Kawakami was ready for a chili dog to cap off the Fourth.

Box Score http://www.anpabaseball.com/gaba/news/html/box_scores/game_box_1787.html

Lowe, McLouth lead Atlanta into playoff hunt

Monday, June 29, 2009

When Derek Lowe signed his 4 year $60 million deal with Atlanta last January, he was already looking ahead to October. Upon signing with the Braves he mused, "They've missed out the last few years; but, I really want to do my part to get the Braves back into the playoffs".

After his first 16 starts Lowe certainly is doing his part, sporting a 7-4 record with a solid 3.14 ERA. His start last Saturday, June 27, (7 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 BB) against his old team, the Red Sox, was characteristic of the gritty performances Braves manager Bobby Cox has come to expect of his ace.

"Derek really knows how to battle," Cox said. "He'll give up a few hits, a walk or two here and there; but, he saves a little something to get out of a jam. He's one intelligent pitcher, I'll tell you."

Even so, Cox has to be concerned about his relievers. After the disastrous ninth inning last Tuesday against the Yankees when they managed to blow a 3-1 lead into an 8-3 loss, they nearly let Lowe's win against the Red Sox get away by giving up a 3 run homer in the ninth to make it a very tight 5-4 victory. It was eerily reminiscent of the opening day 9 run collapse in the ninth against the Phillies.

"Yes, it was," Cox admitted. "We certainly are going to need better work coming out of the pen. Soriano's capable of much better and so are the rest of our guys."

Not only is Lowe holding up his part, Nate McLouth, who came over from Pittsburgh the day before the season started, is proving to be a great team player who has sparked the Atlanta offense. McLouth said upon arriving in Atlanta that he would prefer to hit more in the middle of the lineup, to be an RBI man. But he acknowledged, "I know that we've got Chipper (Jones) and (Brian) McCann sitting at 3 and 4 in our order. Bobby says he needs me to lead off; so I'll just do my best there to get us where we all want to be."

And he's certainly done that; in 73 games he's hitting .320 with 27 2Bs, 8 HRs, 46 RBIs, 64 Runs and a .515 SLG PCT... all this out of the top of the order! Combining with the number two hitters (Casey Kotchman, hitting a surprising .336 and Yunell Escobar, also surprising at .334) they have been setting the table well for what is currently the most productive offense in the league.

McLouth observed "I knew when I came here we had some good hitters, but I've come to appreciate them even more playing beside them every day. Now if our starting pitching can turn it up just a notch and our reworked bullpen can pitch to their capabilities, we may be a force to reckon with in October."