Braves' News Tidbits

[love_that_reefer]

Villarreal is not a keeper despite his 3-0 record. You guys hsould know this already and we are just in the first weeks.

[General]

Villareal has good stuff and doesn't walk a ton of people. He had a good spring and a great WBC. What's so bad about him?

[love_that_reefer]

He's streaky, injury prone and I have watched him the past few seasons in Arizona. Just plain inconsistancy is basically what it comes down to and that's something the Braves sorely need.

[General]

Last RP not named Smoltz the Braves had who was "consistent" was Mark Wohlers.

[love_that_reefer]

John Rocker had a year

[General]

Actually, two years. Then he sucked in 2001, and fell off the map.

Hardly consistent. Point is, the Braves pen is traditionally a mess.

[General]

Will Startup made his first appearance for Double-A Mississippi on Tuesday and pitched two scoreless innings.
Startup, a left-handed reliever drafted in the fifth round in 2005, made just one appearance at Single-A Myrtle Beach before being moved up.

Best name ever. Will Startup? Yes!


Also, Tony Pena Jr. got called up.

[General]

Jorge Sosa took the loss against the Phillies tonight after being charged with four runs -- two earned -- in four innings of work.
Sosa had thrown 80 pitches through four innings, so with a man on second and two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Braves pinch-hit Pete Orr forhim. Orr hit an RBI triple, but was stranded at third by Marcus Giles and the Braves remained down 4-3. Sosa will face the Mets and Nationals next week, so he's still a consideration in NL-only leagues despite the early struggles.

Wilson Betemit doubled three times as the Braves' No. 8 hitter tonight.
Betemit is 8-for-17 with a homer and two walks, so he's worthy of batting higher in the order while Chipper Jones is out. That's unlikely to happen, but Betemit is still a fine play in NL-only leagues in the short-term.

[General]

Jeff Francoeur busted out of his slump with two homers and a single on Thursday night.
No more .081/.103/.081 line for Francoeur, who opened the season 3-for-37. Maybe he'll catch fire for a little while now, but for it to happen, he'll have to be a little selective at the plate

Kyle Davies gave up five runs before even retiring a batter tonight. He ended up allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Phillies.
The top of the first opened: homer, double, homer, single, homer. Davies bounced back to strike out five while surrending just one run in 4 2/3 innings, but there was no overcoming that start. If he doesn't begin pitching better, he might find himself in the minors after Horacio Ramirez returns. We still like him as an NL-only starter for now.

Triple-A Richmond's Blaine Boyer will have surgery on his right shoulder next week and is expected to miss three months.
When Boyer was still having some difficuties this spring, it figured that his problem was more than tendinitis. The Braves won't know what's really ailing him until the diagnositic surgery.

Macay McBride (forearm strain) allowed one hit during a 15 pitch inning for Double-A Mississippi on Thursday.
McBride is very close to returning to the Braves. He should be up by the start of next week.

Triple-A Richmond's Joey Devine left Thursday's game after facing two batters due to lower back stiffness.
Maybe an partial explanation for his recent troubles. Devine gave up a hit and a walk before leaving.

Wes Obermueller, who failed to make the Braves out of spring training and was optioned to Triple-A Richmond, has reportedly decided to pitch in Japan.
Obermueller has posted ERAs over 5.00 in each of his three partial seasons in the majors, so this might be the best thing for him.

[General]

Jeff Francoeur delivered his third homer in two days in the eighth inning off Scott Linebrink to help the Braves beat the Padres 5-4 on Friday night.
The blast made a winner of Oscar Villarreal for the fourth time already. Chris Reitsma finished up with a scoreless ninth for the save. Francoeur also singled twice, lifting his average from .081 to .200 the last two days.

Tim Hudson showed some improvement in his third start of the season, giving up four runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Padres.
He still wasn't very good. His command might have been a little better, but the Padres totaled nine hits against him. We're still pretty nervous about the right-hander. He only gets one start next week, that coming against the Mets, so mixed leaguers may have better options.

Edgar Renteria went 2-for-4 with a homer in tonight's victory over the Padres.
Renteria has been shaky on defense at times, but he's more than making up for it with his bat. He's hitting .367/.404/.571

[General]

Chipper Jones' sprained ankle is reportedly healed, but his sprained knee remains a problem.
"It's still a little sore, and there is some swelling," Jones said. "It will take a while." Jones said Friday that he expects to be ready to return when he's eligible to come off the disabled list April 25.

Macay McBride (forearm) is expected to make two more rehab appearances and then return from the disabled list Friday.
"He should need just two more," manager Bobby Cox said. "We want to see him go two innings.

Horacio Ramirez (hamstring) has yet to begin throwing off a mound.
Manager Bobby Cox said Friday that there isn't a timetable for Ramirez's return yet. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Friday

[General]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI for Double-A Mississippi on Friday.
Saltalamacchia, the game's top catching prospect, had been 2-for-24 to open the season.

[Providence A's]

I can't believe that no Braves starter has win yet

they do after Smoltz's win tonight...

[General]

Edgar Renteria left Saturday's game after six innings with an apparent injury to his left side.
Renteria seemed to strain something while swinging. With Chipper Jones also sidelined, it'd be a bad time for Renteria to require a DL stint. Tony Pena Jr. replaced him at short tonight, but if Renteria is going to miss some time, the Braves will probably use Wilson Betemit at shortstop and Pete Orr at third

Horacio Ramirez, on the DL with a strained left hamstring, threw off the mound Saturday for the first time since suffering the injury.
Ramirez said he threw about 40 pitches at about 60-percent effort "just to familiarize myself with the mound again." He said it felt good and will wait to see how he feels Sunday before progressing to a more aggressive bullpen session. He has been riding an exercise bicycle but hasn't tried to run

[General]

John Smoltz turned in his 16th career complete-game shutout in the Braves' 2-0 win over the Padres on Saturday.
He outdueled Jake Peavy and threw just 103 pitches in the first complete game by a National Leaguer this season. Braves starters entered the game with an 8.17 ERA.

The Braves are calling Edgar Renteria day-to-day with a rib-cage strain.
If he's truly day-to-day, the Braves have caught a break. It would have been costly to have both Renteria and Chipper Jones sidelined at the same time