The Atlanta Braves scored three runs in the eighth inning but their rally still fell short as they lost to teh Philadelphia Phillies by the score of 8-3.  The Braves were down 5-0 after just three innings and then held the Phillies down while they attempted to come back.

The Braves got three runs in the eighth as two runs scored on a Greg Norton double and then they got another run on a Mark Teixeira rbi ground out.  It’s too bad that those were the only runs that the Braves were able to score because they should have scored more then that in the game.

Charlie Morton was roughed up in only two innings of action as he took the loss to drop his record to 1-2 on the season.  Morton gave up eight hits and five runs in just those two innings of action.  Home runs by Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino really hurt Morton.

The Braves bullpen was probably the highlight of the night for the Braves.  Well I should say up until the ninth inning they were.  Four pitches combined to throw seven innings finish up the game.  Buddy Carlyle tossed three innings, Manny Acosta two innings, Will Ohman pitched the eighth inning and Blaine Boyer started the ninth inning before being pulled for Royce Ring.  Boyer gave up three runs in the ninth inning before Ring came in and recorded the final out. 

Braves will try to get em on Wednesday I guess.  Who knows what Braves team will show up.

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The Atlanta Braves just can’t get the bats going against the Milwaukee Brewers as they lost for the second night in a row by the score of 4-1.  This time it was Brewers starter Dave Bush limiting the Braves to only one run before the Braves scored two runs in the ninth inning.  The Braves did have four errors in the game and that sure didn’t help either.

Charlie Morton pitched six innings and gave up seven hits and four runs.  Only two of those four runs were earned however due to all the errors that the Braves defense had in the game.  Morton is now 1-1 on the season after taking the loss.

Manny Acosta pitched the seventh and eighth innings and did a wonderful job as he did not allow a hit while walking one batter and striking out one batter.  Blaine Boyer came in and pitched the ninth inning and struck out one batter.

Omar Infante had the first rbi for the Braves at the plate as he grounded out in the seventh inning against Bush and Mark Teixeira scored.  In the ninth inning the Braves scored twice as Teixeira hit a two run home run to bring the score to 4-3.  However the Braves weren’t able to score another run to tie the game and they ended up losing by the 4-3 score.  The Braves did have their chance to score the fourth run as they had runners on the corner with two outs but Corky Miller lined out to shortstop for the final out.

Now the Braves will have to win on Wednesday to avoid the three game sweep.  The way they are hitting right now, I don’t know if they will be able to pull it off.  What do you think?

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Well, that sure is a different way to lose a baseball game.  The Atlanta Braves battled with the Chicago Cubs for 11 innings and ended up coming up short in the game as they lost 3-2.  Jeff Ridgway threw one pitch in the 11th inning with the bases loaded and hit Reed Johnson to score the winning run for the Cubs.

Manny Acosta actually took the loss for the Braves and is now 3-5.  It was actually a pretty good day for the Braves pitching staff before all that happened.  Well except for the blown save in the ninth inning when Jim Edmonds took Blain Boyer deep to tie the game.  Tim Hudson got the start on the mound and threw 6 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and only one run.

The Braves offense once again struggled to put up runs in the game even though they had 11 hits.  Jeff Francoeur had a two run home run in the second inning and that was all the Braves could get off the Cubs as they left 25 runners on base.

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John Smoltz made his first appearance since going on the disabled list. Unfortunately for Smoltz and the Braves, the Marlins were able to take advantage of some solid hitting in the top of the ninth. Matt Treanor doubled after an inconspicuous foul out by Chad Ross who led off the inning. It was then former Brave Wes Helms following with a single to put runners at the corners. Hanley Ramirez followed with a fly out to right-field. Pinch runner Alfredo Amezaga held at third, obviously concerned with the power and accuracy of Jeff Francoeur’s throw. That was fortunate as Jeff Francoeur let sail with a high and wild throw which allowed Wes Helms to move up 90 feet to second base. It would take a two out hit by Jeremy Hermida to get the runs home. That’s exactly what the Marlins got as Hermida slapped the pitch into left field. Two runs scored after Omar Infante’s short game of futbol. Infante has been playing good for the Braves in my opinion so I see this as just a bump in the road for our trusty utility player. Smoltz was able to get out of the inning after the next batter, getting Jorge Cantu to popup to first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Braves would not go quietly however. Mark Teixeira led off the bottom of the 10th with a ground out to second. Jeff Francoeur then drew a walk as did Brian McCann the very next at bat. Josh Anderson then comes to the plate and smokes a ball to Jorge Cantu at third as it turned out Anderson had hit in what could have been a game ending 5-4-3 double play. Thanks to Anderson’s speed however, the game was able to continue with two outs and runners at first and third. Gregor Blanco then cames to the plate. Blanco doubled and scored in the eighth but also struck out twice on the night. I think Blanco may be a candidate for the lead off spot. He can score runs but driving them in is a different matter. Thankfully, he didn’t have to get an RBI tonight as Jeff Francouer scored on a heads up play after Kevin Gregg let loose a wild pitch. Gregor Blanco than grounded out to the pitcher to put the game into extra innings.

At this point I would like to point out that Jojo Reyes pitched a very good game. He needed only a minimal number of pitches to get through the first couple of innings. In total he only threw 74 in six innings of work. Reyes look to becoming one of our top pitching prospects. If this guy is able to get some run support behind him, I think that he can gain the confidence necessary to be good member of starting rotation.
Manny Acosta also had a good outing even considering the fact that he gave up the tying run in the 7th inning. Chad Ross got the RBI after hitting a ball which Omar Infante made a great play on. Instead of being a run scoring single it was a fielders choice with an out at second and might have been a double play had Infante been able to get the ball out of his glove. Acosta then walked Jacque Jones putting runners at first and second. Acosta looked to be in trouble with Hanley Ramirez walking to the plate, but the Braves hurler was able to get Ramirez to strike out swinging.

Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but things got kind of scary. Soriano opened the inning by walking Jeremy Hermida. Jorge Cantu then followed with a fly out. Next Mike Jacobs came to the plate and was intentionally walked to get to Dan Uggla who then flied out to left. Next came Luis Gonzalez who Rafael was able to strike out swinging to end the inning.

To say that the game was an edge of the seater would be an understatement. This game went back and forth. There were lots of Marlins base runners late in the game and it was very disquieting. I know that Braves fans have got to be sick of playing in one run games, but it has to be done. I think that the Braves must play to win constantly as they did tonight. Bobby Cox made some adjustments to how he handled his pitchers and how he handled his hitters. He allowed the hurlers to throw the ball, even with the tough match ups. He gave the green light to his hitter in a key situation. These things won the game tonight. Not to mentions the awareness and hustle of Jeff Francoeur. A couple of mistakes were made in the field tonight, but all ended well as we ran the base paths well and we pitched well even if Smoltz had a tough night.

To continue with the recap of the game, the bottom of the 10th brought Kelly Johnson to the plate leading off. The score was still tied 5 to 5 thanks for a scoreless top of the 10th by Wil Ohman who faced the tough order of Jacobs, Uggla, and Gonzalez. Kelly Johnson was able to draw a walk, setting the stage for Yunel Escobar. Coming into the at-bat Escobar was trying to bunt the runner over to second. Two straight pitches for balls and then a wild pitch by Logan Kensing allowed Kelly Johnson to get to second base. Escobar then got the green light with the 3-0 count. He was ready. Kensing threw a fastball which Escobar was able to drive to left center field and out. The ball hit the top of the wall and right into the hand of a Braves fan for the victory. Braves win 6-4 on a Yunel Escobar 2-run walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Notes: Tim Hudson’s strained hamstring from yesterday’s loss to the Reds does not seem to be serious enough to force him to miss a start. Blaine Boyer who injured his knee in yesterday’s game said that he was available in tonight’s game but was not used.
Jair Jurrjens then pitch

A nice divisional win for the Atlanta Braves tonight as they beat the New York Mets by the score of 4-2.  Tim Hudson pitched eight strong innings as he picked up the win and the Braves started the weekend series on the right foot.

Hudson gave up seven hits and two runs in the game.  Two solo home runs in the second inning was all Hudson gave the Mets.  Hudson is now 7-3 on the season with the win.  Manny Acosta came in and got the first two outs in the ninth inning before Will Ohman came in to get the last out and record the save which was his first of the year.

The Braves were led at the plate by Kelly Johnson who went 3-4 with an rbi.  Chipper Jones, Omar Infante, Mark Teixeira, and Johnson all had one rbi in the game.  The Braves offense had 12 hits in the game compared to 8 for the Mets.

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The Atlanta Braves completed a double header sweep of the New York Mets on Tuesday with a 6-2 win in the second game.  That was coming off a 6-1 win in the first game of the double header.

This time it was Jorge Campillo who shut down the Mets as he tossed seven innings to pick up the win and improve to 1-0 on the season.  Campillo only gave up three hits while striking out seven batters.

Jeff Bennett pitched a scoress seventh inning before Blaine Boyer came in and gave up two runs while only recording two outs in the eighth inning.  That is when Manny Acosta came in to get the last four outs of the game and pick up his third save of the season.

At the plate for the Braves, Mark Kotsay had a two run home run in the eighth inning.  Other then those two runs, the four other Braves runs all came within the first three innings of the game.  Chipper Jones had a rbi double in the first inning to get the Braves on the board.  Mark Teixeira then had a rbi single third inning before Kelly Johnson had a two run double.

Good day for the Braves as the win both games and improve their record to 24-21.  Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets if the first game of their double header on Monday.  Tom Glavine said that he wasn’t feeling that good in the bullpen and was shacky in the first inning but then settled down to pitch the Braves past the Mets by the score of 6-1.

Glavine tossed six innings while giving up three hits and one run to improve his record to 2-1 on the season.  The one run that Glavine gave up came in the first inning with Luis Castillo took him deep for a solo home run.

Will Ohman, Blaine Boyer, and Manny Acosta pitched the final three innings in the game and all did a fairly good job.

The Braves were led at the plate by Brian McCann who had a two run home run and a rbi single to finish the game with three rbi.  Yunel Escobar, Mark Teixeira, and Kelly Johnson, all chipped in with one rbi as well.

It was a good win for the Braves as they are now 1.5 games back in the division.  The Braves, Mets, and Phillies are all 1.5 games back of the Marlins right now.  Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves couldn’t quite get it done and come up with the big hits that they needed to against the Washington Nationals as they lost 5-4 on Tuesday night.  The Braves had two runners on base when Jeff Francoeur flied out to end the game.

The Braves did score one run in the ninth inning when Brian McCann had a rbi double to deep center field.  Before that run, the Braves first three runs came in the first inning when Chipper Jones had a rbi single and Francoeur had a two run single.  It was just like the Braves went to sleep in the middle innings of the game.

Jo-Jo Reyes pitched 6 2/3 innings to take the loss for the Braves.  Reyes gave up eleven hits and five runs while striking out five batters.  Jorge Campillo and Manny Acosta pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to finish out the game.

The Braves are now 19-19 on the season.  Braves Blog

Matt Diaz picked a good time to get his only hit of the game as he singled in Yunel Escobar in the ninth inning as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Thursday afternoon.  The Braves scored four runs in the the final four innings to complete the comeback.

Manny Acosta improved to 1-1 on the season as he picked up the win.  Starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes only lasted 2 2/3 innings as he gave up five hits and two runs.  Reyes had to leave the game in the third inning with a blister on his left hand.

Buddy Carlyle left the game in the fifth inning but not before he gave up one run.  Jorge Campillo pitched 1 1/3 innings as he gave up run as well.  After that the Braves bullpen locked down and held the Padres scoreless.

Greg Norton led the Braves with two rbi in the game.  Mark Teixeira and Diaz both had one rbi in the game for the Bravs.

It was a great come back rally for the Braves who improved to 18-15 with the win.  Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves got RBI’s from four different players as they beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday night.  Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar, Mark Kotsay, and Greg Norton all had a RBI in the victory.

Tim Hudson picked up the win over the Padres as he tossed seven innings of six hit ball.  Hudson did allow two earned runs while walking and striking out three batters.  Hudson is now 5-2 on the season.

Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman, and Manny Acosta pitched the final two innings for the Braves.  Acosta  ended up picking up the save which was his third of the season.

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