Braves' News Tidbits

[General]

John Foster (elbow) threw lightly off the mound on Friday.
Foster will continue to undergo tests on his elbow in the next couple weeks and hopes to make a few minor league rehab appearances by the end of May.

Kelly Johnson (elbow) played for Single-A Rome on Saturday.
Johnson has been out the entire season due to soreness in his elbow. He went 1-4 in the game. He is still several months from returning to the Braves.

[General]

A lazy play from first baseman Adam LaRoche opened the door from a four-run inning as the Braves lost to the Nationals on Sunday.
With a man on and two outs in the fifth, Nick Johnson hit a routine grounder to first. LaRoche fielded it but nonchalantly jogged to first base, and Johnson was ruled safe on a very close play. A frustrated John Thomson proceeded to give up three straight hits, and the Nationals scored four runs to take a 5-1 lead. LaRoche wasn't pulled for the game, but he's definitely in for a talking to. He was booed loudly in his following two at-bats and finished the game 0-for-3. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him benched versus a right-hander on Monday and then sit again against Dontrelle Willis on Tursday.

Braves manager Bobby Cox said Adam LaRoche would be benched in favor of Brian Jordan in Monday's game against the Marlins.
Lefty Dontrelle Willis goes on Tuesday, so LaRoche will surely sit on back-to-back days after his lackadaisical play on Sunday.

John Foster (elbow) threw lightly off the mound on Friday.
Foster will continue to undergo tests on his elbow in the next couple weeks and hopes to make a few minor league rehab appearances by the end of May.

[DravenX]

How many games will he be benched total? I still can't believe he did that.

[DravenX]

What happened to Joey Devine anyway?
Devine's back began bothering him at the end of Spring Training and factored heavily in the struggles he endured during his two appearances with Atlanta in early April.

The club has recently sent Devine to extended Spring Training to regain his mechanics and get healthy. He'll likely return to Richmond some time in June.

[General]

He was supposed to work on his mechanics, but got injured.

[DravenX]

Very good. Now hopefully he can finally get back to it.

[General]

God knows we need him.

[General]

Kyle Davies is expected to go on the disabled list after hurting his right groin in his start against the Marlins on Monday night.
"Davies has got a real problem," manager Bobby Cox said. "We don't know if it's torn or pulled or what. He's going to be out for a while. We'll have to disable him for sure." Cox was disappointed after Davies admitted that he was feeling soreness prior to the game. "But he didn't tell anybody," the manager said, sounding a little perturbed. "He didn't tell the trainers, he didn't tell Roger (McDowell, the pitching coach) and he certainly didn't tell me." The Braves will likely call up a starter to pitch this weekend. Horacio Ramirez could step in for Davies next week, keeping Jorge Sosa in the rotation for a little longer.

Brian McCann went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and five RBI in the Braves' 11-8 win over the Marlins on Monday night.
The five RBI were a career high. McCann now has 19 RBI in 34 games, and he could keep up that kind of pace as long as he remains in the fifth spot in the order.

Oscar Villarreal was credited with his fifth victory despite giving up three runs in his innings of relief Monday against the Marlins.
Villarreal gave up a game-tying homer to Mike Jacobs in the seventh, resulting in a blown save. Three of his five victories have come after blown saves, not that he's pitched badly at all. He had allowed just three runs in 16 1/3 innings prior to tonigh

Andruw Jones finished 4-for-4 with four RBI and a walk Monday against the Marlins.
All four hits were singles. Jones has just one homer in the last 20 games, but since he's batting .295 and he has 38 RBI, no one is complaining.

Adam LaRoche had a double and a walk in three plate appearances after entering Monday's game as a pinch-hitter.
LaRoche was benched at the start of the game for his lazy play on Sunday, but manager Bobby Cox didn't bury him. Since the Braves will face Dontrelle Willis, LaRoche should be out of the lineup again on Tuesday. However, he figures to start at first base on Wednesday

Kyle Davies left Monday's game in the third inning with a strained right groin.
He was charged with five runs, four of them coming in the third, before he departed. If Davies is going to miss time with the injury, the Braves will probably reach down to Triple-A for a starter this weekend and then plug Horacio Ramirez into Davies' spot next week.

[General]

Braves placed RHP Kyle Davies on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 16, with a strained groin.
It's still being called a strain at the moment, but we haven't heard anything since the scheduled appointment with a groin specialist. If no tear is found, then Davies should be back at some point during June. Horacio Ramirez should return next week to take the open rotation spot. In the meantime, the Braves will need a spot starter this weekend.

Braves recalled RHP Anthony Lerew from Triple-A Richmond.
It was thought that Travis Smith was the best bet to get a spot start in place of Kyle Davies this weekend. If that's still the case, then Lerew would just be up as a reliever for a few days. Lerew is one of the Braves' best prospects, but since he was struggling in Triple-A, he shouldn't be picked up in NL-only leagues.

Lance Cormier (ribs) is expected to be activated during the Braves' road trip that begins on Friday.
Cormier will pitch on Wednesday for Single-A Rome then be activated from the disabled list on either Friday or Saturday.

Kyle Davies will travel to Philadelphia to have specialist Dr. Bill Myers examine his strained groin muscle.
An MRI done on Tuesday showed a strain, but the Braves fear it is much more serious. Davies is headed for the disabled list and could miss up to three months. Travis Smith will likely be called up from Triple-A Richmond to take Davies' next turn in the rotation and then Horacio Ramirez should be recovered from his hamstring pull to take the start after that.

Matt Diaz singled in Andruw Jones in the bottom of the 11th to give the Braves a 4-3 win over the Marlins on Tuesday night.
Diaz also homered and had another single in the game. He's batting .365 while playing pretty strictly against lefties. Since Ryan Langerhans hasn't done much in the last month, perhaps Diaz will begin seeing some action in left field versus right-handers

Tim Hudson surrendered two runs in six innings and struck out a season-high 10 in a no-decision against the Marlins on Tuesday.
His career high for strikeouts is 11, which he's done four times. Hudson is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA in four starts this month

[General]

Kyle Davies will need surgery after being diagnosed with a torn groin muscle. The Braves haven't established a timetable for his return.
The guess is that Davies will miss two to three months with the injury. Travis Smith is going to replace Davies in the rotation until Horacio Ramirez returns later this month. It looks like Davies won't make much of a contribution in NL-only leagues this season. The Braves may step up their efforts to trade for a pitching help.

The Braves are planning on calling up Travis Smith to start Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
The plan is for Smith to make one or two starts before Horacio Ramirez comes off the DL, but if he impresses, he could claim Jorge Sosa's rotation spot. It's more likely that the 33-year-old will struggle and return to the minors before the end of the month.

[General]

The Braves are currently planning on having Horacio Ramirez make two more rehab starts before rejoining the rotation on May 30.
Maybe that will change if Ramirez is lights out in his appearance on Thursday. Ramirez has been out since April 5 with a strained left hamstring.

[General]

John Smoltz was charged with three runs in 7 1/3 innings while throwing 130 pitches against the Marlins on Wednesday.
What happened to all the talk this spring about the Braves taking it easier on Smoltz this year? The 39-year-old should have been removed after throwing seven scoreless innings tonight. The eighth started with three straight singles -- the last of the infield variety -- a sacrifice fly and an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera. Mike Remlinger, who still isn't a lefty specialist no matter how many times Bobby Cox tries to force him into the role, came in to face Mike Jacobs and gave up a two-run single, putting the Marlins on top by one run. Smoltz is 3-2 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts.

Chipper Jones hit a three-run, walkoff homer off Randy Messenger in the bottom of the 11th to give the Braves a 6-4 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
Jones also had a sac fly in the third and drove in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth on a groundout. Oscar Villarreal was credited with his sixth win despite giving up a run in the top of the 11th. Atlanta won for the eighth time in 10 games and got back to .500 (20-20) for the first time since April 23

Adam LaRoche went 2-for-5 Wednesday in his return to the starting lineup.
LaRoche didn't start on Monday or Tuesday after a lackdaisical play during Sunday's game. He'll likely sit again tomorrow, but that's only because the Marlins will throw a lefty.

Chuck James (hamstring) threw a scoreless inning on Wednesday for Single-A Rome.
The Braves hope to build James' arm strength up so that they can use him as a starter. He will make several more minor league rehab appearances as they adjust him for this new role

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was ejected from Double-A Mississippi's game in the fourth inning Wednesday for arguing balls and strikes.
Saltalamacchia got hot during the last two weeks of April, but he's struggled over the rest of the season. He's currently hitting .216/.310/.345 in 139 at-bats

Braves optioned RHP Anthony Lerew to Triple-A Richmond.
Lerew didn't pitch during his day in the majors.

Braves activated RHP Lance Cormier from the 15-day disabled list.
Cormier had a 3.00 ERA despite a 7/9 K/BB ratio in 15 innings before suffering a strained oblique earlier this month. He'll work in the middle innings

[General]

John Smoltz was charged with three runs in 7 1/3 innings while throwing 130 pitches against the Marlins on Wednesday.
What happened to all the talk this spring about the Braves taking it easier on Smoltz this year? The 39-year-old should have been removed after throwing seven scoreless innings tonight. The eighth started with three straight singles -- the last of the infield variety -- a sacrifice fly and an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera. Mike Remlinger, who still isn't a lefty specialist no matter how many times Bobby Cox tries to force him into the role, came in to face Mike Jacobs and gave up a two-run single, putting the Marlins on top by one run. Smoltz is 3-2 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts.

Chipper Jones hit a three-run, walkoff homer off Randy Messenger in the bottom of the 11th to give the Braves a 6-4 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
Jones also had a sac fly in the third and drove in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth on a groundout. Oscar Villarreal was credited with his sixth win despite giving up a run in the top of the 11th. Atlanta won for the eighth time in 10 games and got back to .500 (20-20) for the first time since April 23

Adam LaRoche went 2-for-5 Wednesday in his return to the starting lineup.
LaRoche didn't start on Monday or Tuesday after a lackdaisical play during Sunday's game. He'll likely sit again tomorrow, but that's only because the Marlins will throw a lefty.

Chuck James (hamstring) threw a scoreless inning on Wednesday for Single-A Rome.
The Braves hope to build James' arm strength up so that they can use him as a starter. He will make several more minor league rehab appearances as they adjust him for this new role

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was ejected from Double-A Mississippi's game in the fourth inning Wednesday for arguing balls and strikes.
Saltalamacchia got hot during the last two weeks of April, but he's struggled over the rest of the season. He's currently hitting .216/.310/.345 in 139 at-bats

Braves optioned RHP Anthony Lerew to Triple-A Richmond.
Lerew didn't pitch during his day in the majors.

Braves activated RHP Lance Cormier from the 15-day disabled list.
Cormier had a 3.00 ERA despite a 7/9 K/BB ratio in 15 innings before suffering a strained oblique earlier this month. He'll work in the middle innings

[General]

Jorge Sosa picked up his first win of the season by holding the Marlins to one run in 6 2/3 innings of work today.
Sosa looked great, striking out eight and not walking a batter. The lone run scored on a Reggie Abercrombie solo homer in the first. The outing was Sosa's first quality start of the year, illustrating how the Marlins' offense can cure a lot of opposing pitcher's ills. He'll have another easy task against the Padres in Petco Park next week, so NL-only leaguers may want to leave him active.

Jeff Francoeur homered twice against the Marlins on Thursday to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.
He also doubled to score three times and drive in three. Francoeur is batting a solid .269 with 10 homers, but an atrocious 30/1 K/BB means he could be in for some struggles as pitchers start to pitch around him again. He'll have to show that he can make adjustments at the plate to experience any extended periods of success, but that should come in time for the 22 year-old.

[General]

Horacio Ramirez (hamstring) threw five shutout innings for Triple-A Richmond on Thursday.
Ramirez allowed just four hits in the effort. He will make one final rehab start for Richmond on Tuesday and then be activated on May 20 to start against the Dodgers