Braves' News Tidbits

[General]

Chris Reitsma left Monday's game in the ninth inning with an apparent left hamstring injury.
Reitsma didn't seem particularly interested in departing, so consider him day-to-day. Should this be something more serious, then Oscar Villarreal would likely head into Opening Day as the favorite for saves in the Atlanta pen.

[General]

Brian Jordan hit his first homer of the spring in the Braves' 5-4 win over the Yankees on Monday night.
Jordan is hitting .344/.432/.469 in 32 at-bats. The problem is that Matt Diaz and James Jurries have been even better. Diaz is going to have a roster spot, likely leaving one place for either Jordan or Jurries. The winner should start over Adam LaRoche versus lefties.

Jorge Sosa surrendered four runs and seven hits through four innings in his start against the Yankees tonight.
It was his first start since he returned from the WBC. More than results, Sosa is focused on building stamina aftee he was used as a reliever by the Dominican Republic. It looks like he'll be the Braves' fifth starter in order to give him as much extra time as possible.

Chris Reitsma considers himself day-to-day with a left hamstring strain.
"It's just a little strain," Reitsma said. "I felt it tense up. I wanted to stay in, but I'm glad I didn't keep going."

[General]

Braves optioned catcher Brayan Pena and shortstop Tony Pena Jr. to Triple-A Richmond.
With both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Eddie Perez expected to be assigned to Double-A, Pena will have catching duties for Richmond mostly to himself. He's probably going to develop into a pretty good backup at some point, though it may not happen with Atlanta.

[love_that_reefer]

Pena Jr. looked very sharp this spring.

[ATLien]

Yeah, I think Eddie Perez is going to go into coaching now for one of the Braves farm teams.

[General]

John Thomson was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday with elbow tenderness.
There goes his trade value. If Thomson won't be available to start the season, Kyle Davies will get his rotation spot.

Brian McCann hit his first homer and doubled Tuesday against the Astros.
McCann entered at .220/.256/.293 in 41 at-bats this spring, so he needed this. It's going to be between him and Ryan Langerhans for the seventh and eighth spots in the Atlanta lineup, and the one chosen to hit eighth is going to have less fantasy value.

Marcus Giles doubled twice and walked in three plate appearances against the Astros on Tuesday.
Giles raised his average from .048 to a robust .130. He should be just fine for the start of the regular season.

Kyle Davies defeated the Astros by allowing three runs in five innings on Tuesday.
He gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out five in what actually has to be considered his least impressive outing of the spring. The Braves have been looking for a way to get Davies into the rotation, and they may have found one when John Thomson came down with a sore elbow. If Davies is a starter, he could have quite a bit of value in NL-only leagues

John Thomson, scratched from his outing today, had X-rays taken that revealed soft inflammation on the back side of his elbow. He plans to start a minor league game Sunday.
The Braves will probably want to know before Sunday whether he's going to be able to begin the season on the roster. Thomson thinks he'll avoid a DL trip, but the team might not feel the same way.

The Braves think Chris Reitsma might be feeling soreness as the result of the breaking of scar tissue in his left hamstring.
Reitsma hopes be ready for Opening Day. "I was pleased with what I saw," trainer Jeff Porter said. "We're not out of the woods yet, but it certainly looked, acted and felt better than it did last night. I say that with guarded optimism.

[General]

James Jurries twisted his right knee rounding first base after a single Wednesday but walked off under his own power.
He's expected to be available on Thursday.

Brian McCann had to be helped off the field Wednesday after taking a foul ball to the groin.
He's going to need some ice, but he should be ready to play on Thursday.

Oscar Villarreal pitched a hitless inning of relief against the Mets today and hasn't allowed a run in three innings since returning from the WBC.
Should Chris Reitsma be unavailable on Opening Day because of his hamstring injury, it's likely that either Villarreal or Joey Devine would get the chance to close for the Braves

[General]

Tim Hudson allowed one run in four innings and struck out eight Mets in a victory today.
The eight strikeouts were more than he had in all but two of his 29 starts in 2005. Hudson, the Braves' Opening Day starter, finishes the spring 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA.

[ATLien]

8 K's, nice.

[General]

Chris Reitsma (hamstring) plans to throw a side session on Thursday and then pitch in Saturday's exhibition game against the White Sox.
It's looking like he'll be ready for Opening Day. "It's relief," Reitsma said. "I've got full range of motion and most of my strength, so I'm really excited.

John Thomson (elbow) may begin the season on the disabled list.
So much for the Braves trading him. If Thomson is out Kyle Davies will replace him in the rotation. The Braves are still hoping Thomson can throw in a minor league game Sunday.

[General]

Chuck James pitched two scoreless innings of relief Friday night against the White Sox.
If John Thomson goes on the DL, then it would seem to be a sure thing that both James and Mike Remlinger get kept. James has a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 innings this spring.

Macay McBride (wrist) will reportedly begin the season on the disabled list.
The Braves were holding out hope that he'd be ready for Opening Day, so McBride's DL stay may be a short one

[General]

Braves placed outfielder Kelly Johnson on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24, with an elbow injury.
Johnson will be optioned to Triple-A Richmond once he's healthy. He's not in the Braves' immediate plans, though he still figures to have some valye in NL-only leagues this season.

Braves placed LHP John Foster on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24, with an inflamed left ulnar nerve.
Foster might be ready to begin a rehab assignment in mid-April, but surgery is still a possibility for his elbow issues.

Braves placed LHP Macay McBride on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24, with a muscle tear in his left wrist.
McBride could resume pitching in the minors not long after Triple-A Richmond's season begins. If all goes well, he could claim a spot on the Braves a week or two later

[General]

Braves sent RHP Brad Baker outright to Triple-A Richmond.
After a lousy two weeks, Baker was demoted on March 15. This takes him off the 40-man roster

Braves optioned RHP Joey Devine and first baseman James Jurries to Triple-A Richmond.
If Leo Mazzone were still around, we're guessing John Thomson would be in the rotation and Devine would be in the pen, and the Braves would be better for it. It's certainly not worth carrying two left-handed relievers if this is the cost. Chuck James has an 8/6 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings. Mike Remlinger, who isn't even any good at retiring lefties, is at 6/6 in 10 1/3 innings. Devine struck out 18 and walked four in 11 innings, and he also had a better ERA than either southpaw. He's the Braves' most talented reliever, and he might also be their best. Yeah, you take your chances when you doubt Bobby Cox, but we think he's dead wrong here. NL-only leaguers need to hold on to Devine and hope that he's up for good two or three weeks into the season.

Brian Jordan, hitting .359/.444/.538 this spring, has won a bench job over James Jurries.
We thought the Braves could have done better than either had they shopped around. Jordan will fill the Julio Franco role and act as Adam LaRoche's platoonmate. He shouldn't get much outfield time, so it's unlikely that he'll be worth owning in NL-only leagues.

Go away Jordan.


John Thomson will begin the season on the Braves' active roster, but he'll be in the bullpen initially, with Jorge Sosa and Kyle Davies serving as the last two starters.
We'd take Thomson over Sosa, Davies and, especially, Horacio Ramirez, assuming that the recent elbow injury won't be a factor at all. If the Braves really thought they had five better starters, they should have traded Thomson when they had the chance. Maybe the Rangers would still gamble on him. The elbow is quite a source of concern, though.

[ATLien]

Yuck @ keeping Jordan, and optioning Devine.

[General]

Yuck at Jordan period. There can only be one reason why Cox is keeping him, and its gotta be leadership and clubhouse character. Why not make him an assistant of some sort then? Every time Brian Jordan sees the field, God kills a kitten.