Lowe wins 20th on second try

Tuesday, September 15, 2010-

With a workman-like performance last night at Turner Field, Derek Lowe nailed down his twentieth victory, becoming the first pitcher to win 20 in GABA this season. Lowe used 113 pitches in 6.1 innings, giving up 7 hits, 4 walks, 2 runs and 7 strikeouts to beat Washington by a 5-2 score.

"Derek is the kind of pitcher who knows how to win even when his stuff isn't quite as sharp," said manager Bobby Cox. "He knows how to battle out of difficulty. He showed that again tonight."

"Wasn't the prettiest game I ever pitched," Lowe said afterwards, "but any win, especially a 20th, is nice looking to me."

After losing his first chance at 20 to the Rockies (6-1) in Colorado last Wednesday, Lowe had five days of rest before his next opportunity at the milestone win. Rookie Freddie Freeman staked Lowe to a 3-0 lead with his 17th homerun in the fourth inning after Washington rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg (11-12).

"The way Strasburg was pitching early, I didn't know if we were gonna get any runs," Lowe chuckled. "Freddie's blow sure took some pressure off. I sure didn't want to stretch this thing out 'til my next start."

Lowe now has 20 wins against 5 losses for the season with a 2.50 ERA over 205.1 innings pitched, leading the NL in each of those categories.

Braves welcome back Schafer

June 22, 2010

Since May 1 when Jordan Schafer went on the disabled list, Atlanta won only 10 games and lost 31, for a winning percentage of .244. In that span the Braves suffered through three long losing streaks of 12, 6, and 10 games. When Schafer was in the lineup the Braves have been 15-7, a winning percentage of .682, including winning 4 of 6 on this his first week back from the injury. Could one player make so much difference?

For one thing, they have sure missed him in the number 2 spot in the lineup. None of the guys who replaced him there (Hernandez-.189, Van Every-.136, Blanco-.088, or Escobar-.209) filled the role of setting the table or moving the lead-off hitter along.

Also, none of his replacements roamed the range in centerfield as effectively which meant that a few more base hits fell in that he possibly could have taken away.

On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that while Schafer was out, the Braves faced teams with better winning records than they have when he has played. Atlanta without Schafer faced teams with a .548 winning percentage and with him faced teams with a .471 winning percentage.

Baseball is a team game; and while wins and losses are certainly the result of team performance, the numbers don't lie as they clearly reveal that Schafer is a most important cog in the Braves' machine. And this in only his second year in the big leagues.

"It just killed me, not being able to play and seeing our team playing so poorly," Schafer admitted. "Honestly, even with me out of the lineup, we're a better team than what we showed."

One thing is for sure...Atlanta is a better team with him in the lineup.

Braves losing streak skids to 9

May 17, 2010


Derek Lowe and Jair Jurrjens finally looked human... plus the bullpen looks atrocious... plus the injuries continue to pile up... plus the hitting cooled off a good bit... it all adds up to a nine game losing skid for the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves were outscored 71 to 28 over the nine game span against St. Louis, Cincinnati, Arizona, and Los Angeles. The three straight sweeps over the last week cost the Braves 5 games in the standings, dropping them into third place with a 16-16 record.

It's easy to see there is lack of performance from the relief corps- they rank dead last in ERA (6.65) among the pens in the National League. Outside of Joe Nathan no one is having a good start to the season. General manager Jobo Foster has indicated he's considering bringing back Danny Herrera who is doing very good down in AAA Gwinnett (2.31 ERA, 0.94 WHIP). Some in the Braves front office are urging patience, saying that the arms in the pen are talented enough to come around. They going to need to do that and soon or some of those veterans (Linebrink and Moehler, in particular) may find themselves released, as their seems to be little market for them.

Also starting pitching is a concern as Tim Hudson (2-4, 8.46 ERA) and Tommy Hanson (1-1, 6.13 ERA) are not giving what the Braves need out of their fourth and fifth slots. If they cannot turn it around soon, Gwinnett hurlers Aaron Poreda (1-0, 1.88), Charlie Morton (3-0, 3.23) or Jorge Campillo (0-3, 2.95) are all clamoring for attention from the big club.

The injury bug bit yet another outfielder, namely Gorkys Hernandez who had replaced the injured Jordan Schafer in centerfield. Hernandez (0 HR, 2 RBI and .231 BA) strained a hamstring which will cost him at least a month on the disabled list. The Braves will be bringing up Jonathan Van Every (8 HR, 14 RBI, .314 BA, .443 OBP, .709 SLG in AA) to play center until Schafer can return.

42 year old Matt Stairs is just not producing as a left-handed pinch hitting. In 13 plate appearances he has one walk, no hits and nine strikeouts. Could the Braves be thinking of promoting 21 year old Cody Johnson (10 HR, 24 RBI, .269 BA, .349 OBP, .546 SLG) to fill that LH pinch hitter role?

Certainly Atlanta is a better ball club than the last week has shown. How they bounce back from this disastrous week may be an indicator of how good they could be. But will it be good enough to run with the horses in Florida and New York? The Marlins and the Mets continue to play above .600 winning percentage and sit first and second in th NL East.

Francoeur, Schafer disabled, Roster changes

May 3, 2010

The Braves front office announced roster changes today, as Jeff Francoeur and Jordan Schafer were placed on the disabled list. Francoeur (pictured left), who strained a hamstring against the Nationals last week, is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. Schafer tore ankle ligaments running the bases against the Marlins and will miss at least six weeks

The Braves called up Jose Martinez from AAA Gwinnett to platoon in right with Brandon Jones. Martinez, 21, was acquired over the winter along with reliever Scott Linebrink in the deal that sent Casey Kotchman and Kenshin Kawakami to the White Sox. At Gwinnett he was hitting .239 with 5 homeruns and 11 RBIs in 20 games.

To man centerfield and to hit second in the linuep Atlanta called up Gorkys Hernandez. Hernandez, 22, was hitting .286 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBIs in 23 games.

In another move the Braves sent MR Danny Hererra to Gwinnett to make room on their roster for relief pitcher Chris Perez. Herrera struggled all April (7.03 ERA) and Perez has been doing very well in AAA (2-0, one save, 0.98 ERA, and 21 K in 18 1/3 innings). Look for him to be used as a setup man.

Also the Braves farmed out catcher Clint Sammons and brought up 3B Eric Campbell. Sammons (1 for 8, .125 BA, 0 RBI) was a third catcher used primarily as a right handed pinch hitter. Campbell, 24, was tearing up AAA pitching to the tune of a .354 BA, 5 HR and 13 RBI in 19 games. He will fill the role of a right handed pinch hitter, occasionally spelling Chipper Jones at third base.

Braves split 2010 opening week

April 19, 2010


When a ball club goes on a road trip, you hope to be able to bring back home a winning record on the trip, or at least break even. Well, you can say, "At least they didn't start with a losing record."


The Braves took 2 of 3 in Philadelphia and dropped 2 of 3 to the Mets to start the season 3-3.



Game 1- Philadelphia edges Atlanta 4-3 in opener
Brett Myers (1-0) kept Atlanta batters off their game for 7 innings as he pitched the Phillies to a win in their home opener. Limiting the Braves to 1 run on 3 hits, Myers allowed only one hard hit ball ( Chipper Jones solo homer in the first inning on the first pitch he saw in 2010). Derek Lowe (pictured below left) had a quality start for Atlanta going 7 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 earned, on 5 hits. Danny Herrera (0-1) took the loss in relief.


Game 2- Francouer hits 2 HRs, Braves win 8-6

Right fielder Jeff Francouer (pictured above) saw two pitches he liked and deposited them out of the park to lead Atlanta to their first win of the season, a 8-6 triumph over Philadelphia. His three run shot in the fifth and a two run blast in the sixth allowed Javier Vazquez (pictured below right) to pick up his first win, even though he was not sharp on the mound.


Game 3- Braves win handily 9-3 over Phillies

Brian McCann stroked a homerun , a double, and a single to drive in four runs to lead the Atlanta attack. A six run sixth inning chased Phillie starter J. A. Happ from the mound to the showers and gave Jair Jurrjens ( 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K, 3 BB) all the support he needed to notch his first win of the year.


Game 4- Mets batter Braves 10-4

Mets' batters hammered starter Tim Hudson (0-1) and four Atlanta relievers for 10 runs on 15 hits and 3 walks. It was Hudson's first loss since returning to the mound last August following surgery. Mark DeRosa and Jeff Francouer both homered in the losing cause.


Game 5- Lowe lays Mets low 4-1

A strong outing by Derek Lowe (1-0, 7 IP, 7 H, 1 unearned run, 4 K, 1 BB) and timely hitting by Chipper Jones and Brian McCann lead Atlanta to their first win of the year over the Mets. Freddie Freeman hit his first big league homerun and Joe Nathan capped it off with his second save, striking out 3 in his inning of relief.


Game 6- Mets take series with 9-6 win

"Javier Vazquez (1-1) and the Braves' pen struggled again and Johan Santana (1-1) did not" sums up the game in the words of Braves manager Bobby Cox. "I am proud there is no quit in this team," he added, alluding to the 6 run ninth inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner. Freddie Freeman had his first career 5 hit game to provide another Braves highlight in the loss.


Up next for Atlanta is a nine game homestand starting tonight with a 3 game set with the Nationals. The Phillies and Mets will follow.

2010 Atlanta Braves Opening Day

April 11, 2010

The Atlanta Braves start the 2010 season with high hopes and with six games on the road as they open tomorrow afternoon with a 4:10 pm game in Philadelphia.

Derek Lowe (14-8, 3.25 ERA last year) will start on the mound for the Braves and will probably be facing the Phillies' veteran hurler Brett Myers (14-9, 4.22 ERA). Braves' fans are expecting Lowe's sinkerball to keep the Phillies sluggers beating the ball into the ground, while Phillie Phans are looking for Myers' curveball to keep the Braves' offense off balance.

Several new faces are will be seen on the Braves' roster this year, including GABA's premier closer Joe Nathan (3-3, 37 saves, 1.12 ERA). Nathan is the headliner in a largely re-vamped bullpen which sees Josh Kinney and Scot Linebrink join returnees Brian Moehler, Boone Logan, and Danny Hererra. None of the pen spent the full year in 2009 with Atlanta. Manager Bobby Cox, who carried 12 pitchers on last year's roster, has elected to begin this season with 11. This writer would not be surprised to see Chris Perez and perhaps others brought up from AAA before mid season.

Rookie Tommy Hanson gets the nod as the #5 starter in a rotation with Lowe, Javier Vazquez (8-15, 4.53), Jair Jurrjens (13-13, 4.56) and Tim Hudson (5-0, 3.42). Hanson has come with a lot of hype, including a couple of national articles projecting him as 2010 Rookie of the Year.

The expected opening lineup for Atlanta looks like this:

1. Nate McLouth, lf (18 HR, .318 BA) He hopes to build on a breakthrough season in '09

2. Jordan Schafer cf (14 HR, .300 BA) 2009 Rookie of the Year moves up in lineup

3. Chipper Jones 3b (27 HR, .330 BA) 37 year old stayed healthy last year & put up the numbers

4. Brain McCann c (17 HR, .308) Looking to crash a few more dingers

5. Jeff Francouer rf (12 HR, .283) Injury limited him to 109 games; still made strides in reviving his career

6. Mark DeRosa 2b (13 HR, .274) returns to Atlanta to fill second base role

7. Yunel Escobar ss (13 HR, .294) will hit higher in line-up against left handers

8. Freddie Freeman (29 HR, .283 in minors) The rookie first baseman struggled in the spring; but Cox says he was hitting with greater authority at the close of spring training.

Observers expect the Braves to continue to be among the leaders in runs scored and expect to see improvement in both their rotation and pen in keeping their opponents away from home plate. But, the Braves acknowledge that it will take a prime effort to overtake the Mets, who most prognosticators say will repeat as NL East Champs.

Cox said, "The Mets are the class of our division, no question about it. But, this is a club that could take the division. We're definitely going to give a real run for the money."

Braves 2010 Spring Training Report

March 12, 2010

Finishing second in the NL East in 2009 (eight games behind the Mets and one game out of the Wild Card slot) was not what the Atlanta Braves were aiming for.

"We always shoot for winning our division and then winning each post season series in order," said veteran Chipper Jones.

Last year was tantalizingly close after an absence from the playoffs, but Jones said close is not good enough. "We set our sites high and do not settle for second best."

So, will the Braves have what it takes to catch up to a powerful, and even improved, Mets team? Can they hold off challenges from the Marlins, Phillies, and Nationals?

With the start of spring training games the Braves face a number of pertinent questions that hold the key to their success in 2010.

1. Has the bullpen been significantly improved? You would tend to say with the addition of Joe Nathan that the answer is an automatic yes. But, manager Bobby Cox says outside of Nathan as closer, every other bullpen job is up for grabs. So, the spring will give us our first look at the off season additions to the pen (Chris Perez, Josh Kinney, Scott Linebrink, Ryan Franklin and John Bannister). With returners Peter Moylan, Brian Moehler, Boone Logan, Justin Mallet, and Danny Hererra, it gives the Braves ten good candidates for the other 5 or 6 slots in the pen. With that many GABA calibre relievers, expect some to be dealt away before opening day.

2. Will the winner of the 5th starter role be able to handle the job? With Kenshin Kawakami traded to the White Sox, the 5th spot in the rotation will be fought for throughout spring training. Tommy Hansen, Jeffrey Kamrath, Wade Miley, and possibly, Jorge Campillo and Charlie Morton will be given opportunity this spring to win the job.

3. Can 20 year old Freddie Freeman handle the job at first? Casey Kotchman fit his role as #2 hitter in the lineup very well and was a defensive wizard in the field. Freeman has shown excellent defensive skills, but he will be asked to provide some power in the 5 or 6 hole in the lineup. He's a work in progress, but the Braves organization thought enough of him to risk letting Kotchman go and giving Freeman an early chance.

4. With two lineup changes will the Braves offense be as productive as in 2009? The Braves quietly lead all of GABA in run scoring with only one power hitter over 20 home runs. In addition to the change at first, Mark DeRosa replaces Kelly Johnson (now with the Marlins) at second. DeRosa's offensive numbers are fairly close to that of Johnson, but can he continue to produce as he enters his mid 30's? Can the rest of the lineup continue the fine hitting they displayed during 2009?

5. Will the "Bobby Cox Farewell Tour" be a distraction or a motivation for the Braves? Cox, who announced his retirement would come at the end of the 2010 season, says his players are too focused to allow anything like that to get in the way of their pursuit of the pennant. Spring training will begin to give some clues in that regard.

Spring games start today in Orlando at 7:05 pm with Tommy Hansen scheduled to start for Atlanta against Florida. Play ball!