The Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins finished up a three game series on Wednesday afternoon. The bad news for Braves fans is that the Braves lost 5-3 and dropped two out of three games down in Miami. The Braves now have a 60-80 record on the season.

All three of the Braves runs came in the fourth inning when Kelly Johnson tripled to score Brent Lillibridge and Omar Infante. The Braves were not done in the inning however as Jeff Francoeur doubled to score Johnson and put the Braves up 3-1.

However, the Braves pitching staff couldn’t hold the lead as the Marlins scored two in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 3-3 and then added two more runs in the seventh inning to take the lead. Braves starting pitcher Jorge Campillo pitched the first five innings and gave up four hits and three runs. He ended up with a no decision however as Will Ohman took the loss after being charged with a run in the seventh inning.Vladimir Nunez also gave up a run in the seventh inning.

Most Braves fans probably wish that the season was over now and I don’t really blame them. When your team is used to making the playoffs and is 20 games under .500 it is hard to really root for them.

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The Mets completed the sweep of the Braves on Thursday night 5-4, it was the first time the Braves have been swept at Shea since 2003.  This game also marked the 27^th time that the Braves lost a road game in which they had a one run lead.  That stretch of 27 dates back to last season, and is now a major league record.   

The Braves jumped out to an early lead when Yunel Escobar took the first pitch he saw from Pedro Martinez over the fence in left field.  Atlanta, down 3-1 scored three in the sixth to make it 4-3, in the sixth Yunel Escobar hit a one out double, then with two out Martinez walked Chipper Jones.  Both Escobar and Jones scored on a Brian McCann double.  McCann would score on a base hit by Omar Infante.   

The Braves again did not get good defense or relief pitching.  The game changing error happened in the eighth inning which tied the score at four.  Jeff Bennett entered the game and retired the first batter he faced before giving up a one out double to Nick Evans; he then issued a two out walk to Carlos Beltran.  Bobby Cox elected to make a pitching change bring in Will Ohman to pitch to Carlos Delgado, Delgado delivered again-hitting a single between first and second that Martin Prado made a great play on only Will Ohman got caught watching the excitement and did not get to first in time to get the throw for the out which allowed Nick Evans to score from second.  The error was charged to Prado, but it really should have been on Ohman.   

In the ninth inning with Vladimir Nunez allowed a one out double to David Wright he then intentionally walked Carlos Beltran.  Carlos Delgado came up to bat again with runners in scoring position, he hit a line drive to left that Omar Infante misplayed which allowed Wright to score from second, ending the game with a 5-4 victory for the Mets.   

The Braves continue their road trip to St. Louis.  Game time is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.   

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Just a quick update about game one of a double header on Wednesday afternoon.  The Braves were hammered by the visiting Chicago Cubs by the score of 10-2.  The Braves had plenty of chances to score some runs in the game but they left 17 runners on base and could not get the big hits when they had runners on base.

Charlie Morton took the loss after only lasting 2 1/3 innings.  Morton gave up four hits and four runs while giving four walks.  Morton was getting hammered so the team had no choice and had to take him out early.  With the bullpen throwing so much I don’t expect good things out of the second game.  Vladimir Nunez was charged with four runs while Francisley Bueno gave up two more runs out of the bullpen.

Mark Kotsay and Omar Infante both had a rbi each for the Braves offense.  Hopefully the bats will come around and score more then two runs in the nightcap.  Stay tuned for our update this evening!

Braves Baseball

The Atlanta Braves once again lost to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.  This was the third straight loss for the Braves against the Cardinals in the four game series.  They will now have to win on Thursday to avoid the four game sweep at home.

Jair Jurrjens started the game and gave up seven hits and three runs through seven innings.   He didn’t throw the ball that badly at all to be honest.  However Jurrjens took the loss and is now 10-7 on the season.  Blaine Boyer gave up two hits and two runs while only recording two outs.  Julian Tavarez had a lot of trouble in the ninth inning as he allowed the Cardinals to score two more runs.

Jeff Francoeur had a rbi single in the second inning and then Omar Infante added a rbi single in the fifth inning.  That was all the scoring for the Braves however.

I will not be around to blog about the games the rest of the week as I have to head out of town for a few weeks.  Our normal blogger should be back at the beginning of the week so check back then!

The Chipper Jones-less Braves showed tonight that they are not going to make GM Frank Wren’s job any easier, as they played one of their gutsiest games of the season against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. With the trade deadline looming at the end of next week, and Braves Brass being pushed to decide whether to buy or sell, tonight’s game was a perfect example of why Wren’s decision may be harder than any other GM’s in MLB.

It is no secret this Braves team has a dearth of talent.  They have flashed signs of that talent at times this season, but, to date, have failed to put together a stretch of consistent play.  Now, after an inspired performance like tonight’s game, and with reinforcements to the starting rotation in Mike Hampton and Tom Glavine ready to make an impact the final two months, we all have to wonder if that stretch may be imminent.  At the very least, Wren will have to hold the dogs at bay for another day or two.

To the game.  Rookie Jair “Surgeon” Jurrjens pitched the game of his young career.  Surgeon struck out 6 in 8 innings, allowing only 4 Phillies base runners all night.  He was absolutely brilliant.  Everything he threw dipped and dived with ridiculous movement, and his fastball had as much life on it as it has at any point this season, as he was routinely touching the mid 90s.  In all honesty, he looked like Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez’s illegitimate love child.

Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick was good as well, allowing only a lone run on a 4th inning homer to Brian McCann. It appeared as though that might be the only run scored the entire game by either team, a true rarity in hitter friendly Citizen Bank, until the Braves erupted for 7 in the top of the 9th.  B Mac, who is quickly establishing himself as the Captain of this team, capped the Braves impressive, and much needed, win with a 4-run bomb off Phillies closer Brad Lidge in the final frame. His two homer night raised his batting average to .302 for the season, to go along with his 20 jacks and 62 ribbies.  He leads all catchers in MLB in the latter two categories, and he is on the short list of most underrated players in the game.

What else?

The Braves played possibly their most crisp defensive game of the season.  Omar Infante made two professional bare-handed plays at third. In the bottom of the 5th, Yunel Escobar executed a sublime double play, fielding a grounder up the middle, stepping on 2d base, while simultaneously releasing a dart to the first baseman to complete the twin killing.

The play of the night, however, was made by the star of the night, the Surgeon.  With 2 outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 8th, Jaysen Worth hit a frozen rope back up the middle.  Jair got a glove on it, knocking the ball towards third base.  He then sprinted off the mound, made a fielding slide, popped up and threw a 100 mph heater to first base, getting Worth by a step.

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?

Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves were the come back kids once again as they scored two runs in the ninth inning to tie the game at 4-4 against the Texas Rangers.  However it was the Rangers coming right back with their own game winning run in the  bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Braves 5-4.  The Braves lost two out of three games against the Rangers as they continue to struggle on the road.

Blaine Boyer ended up getting the ninth inning run charged to him to take the loss.  Jeff Bennett was the pitcher that gave up the game winning hit when Michael Young scored Ian Kinsler for the game winning run.  Bennett simply just didn’t get the job done like he was called to do.

Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton tossed the first five innings of the game and allowed five hits and three runs.  Morton did have some control issues as he walked four batters and that was kind of why he only lasted five innings.  Jeff Ridgway was the other Braves pitcher to give up a run which he gave up in the sixth inning on a three run home run.  Two of the three runs were charged to Morton however.

Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, and Omar Infante had the three rbi for the Braves.  The other run came in the third inning when Corky Miller grounded into a double play so he was not awarded an rbi.

The Braves will now start up a three game series with the Seattle Mariners on Friday.  Things should be really interesting because the Mariners just fired their manager today.

Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning when Omar Infante singled to right field to score Jeff Francoeur and then got another run in the ninth inning when Gregor Blanco tripled to score Infante.  The Braves weren’t done however as they scored one more time on a Kelly Johnson infield groundout.  Nice comeback win for the Braves as they won 5-2 when it was all said and done.

Now that is a great win for the Braves who were up 2-0 earlier in the game.  Chipper Jones hit his 16th home run of the single in the first inning to get the Braves scoring.  In the third inning, Johnson had a rbi triple for the Braves second run.

Braves starting pitcher Jose Reyes threw the first seven innings of the game and gave up five hits and two runs.  Reyes walked four batters and struckout two batters.  Reyes ended up getting the no decision in the game but it was a quality outing for him.

Jeff Bennett pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the score tied 2-2 and then Mike Gonzalez made his first apperance of the year in the ninth inning as he finished the Rangers off.  Bennet got the win and is now 1-4 while Gonzalez picked up his first save of the season.

Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves fell to the Texas Rangers 7-5 on Tuesday evening.  The Braves really struggled at the plate as they only had five hits in the game and left 11 runners on base.  This is a game that the Braves should be winning if you ask me.  Right now they just aren’t getting it done.

Tim Hudson only lasted 4 1/3 innings as he gave up six hits and six runs.  Hudson didn’t have his pitches working for him and you could tell right away in the game as Josh Hamilton took him deep for a solo home run in the first inning.

I will give the Braves bullpen some credit however as they did a pretty good job.  Jeff Ridgway pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up one run but then Blaine Boyer and Royce Ring were able to pitched the final two innings of the game without any problems.

Brian McCann had a three run home run in the eighth inning to lead the Braves with three rbi.  Mark Teixeira and Omar Infante both had one rbi in the game to contribute as well but it still was not enough to get by the Rangers.

Braves Blog

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