Braves' News Tidbits

[General]

Tim Hudson lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs -- five earned -- and 11 hits Saturday in a loss to the Orioles.
Hudson has been battling command issues for weeks and the Orioles hit everything he threw at them tonight. It seems likely that he's hurting. If the Braves are forced to put him on the DL, Kevin Barry might return to the majors as a starting pitcher

Chris Reitsma left Saturday's game in the eighth inning with apparent right hand numbness.
It seems he's still plagued by the ulnar neuritis that had him on the disabled list until Thursday. If he goes right back on the DL, the Braves might recall Kevin Barry

Double-A Mississippi's Brandon Jones went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and a walk on Friday.
Jones had a mediocre .257/.329/.420 line for Single-A Myrtle Beach before his promotion, but that was partly because he was playing in one of the best pitcher's parks in the minors. He's 11-for-35 with six extra-base hits for his new team.

Jeff Francoeur was among 10 players to "sell" on Sports Illustrated's buy/sell list this week.
Wow, how things have changed. 10 months ago, SI put Francoeur on their cover and labeled him the "natural". "He's on pace for 33 homers and 115 RBIs, but it's one of the worst 30-100 seasons in modern history," the article said. "His .271 OBP is killing Atlanta." He's got 65 strikeouts in 327 at-bats with just seven walks this season.

[General]

Horacio Ramirez lasted eight innings and allowed three runs Sunday in a win over the Orioles.
Ramirez gave up a single and a two-run homer to Melvin Mora to start the game, but he didn't allow another run until the eighth, retiring 10 in a row at one stretch. Ramirez has pitched at least 6 2/3 innings in every start that he hasn't had to leave with an injury. He's 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA

Wilson Betemit went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI as the Braves' third baseman and No. 3 hitter on Sunday.
If Chipper Jones needs to go on the disabled list because of his injured foot, Betemit would have considerable value, even in mixed leagues. However, judging by Chipper's pinch-hit homer today, Betemit's stint at third base might last just a few days Chipper

Jones, who didn't start Sunday because of a sore foot, hit a three-run homer as a pinch-hitter against the Orioles.
That's encouraging. It was Jones' first ever pinch-hit homer. He's still set to have his sore foot examined on Monday

[General]

John Smoltz won for the first time in eight starts after allowing three runs in six innings Monday against the Cardinals.
Smoltz was removed after just 86 pitches, but that was only because of a 55-minute rain delay in the third inning. Fortunately, Chad Paronto, Kenny Ray and Jorge Sosa each pitched scoreless innings to protect Atlanta's lead. The bullpen blew six leads in Smoltz's first 17 starts.

Ryan Langerhans homered for the second straight game Monday against the Cardinals.
His homer tonight came on the first pitch of Josh Kinney's major league career. Langerhans hadn't homered in five weeks before going deep Sunday. In fact, he went without an RBI in 40 at-bats during June. Now that he's recovered from a strained left hip, he seems ready to contribute. Don't expect big numbers at all, but he should have some positive value in NL-only leagues.

Adam LaRoche didn't start Monday against the Cardinals because of back spasms.
Scott Thorman filled in at first base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI. LaRoche is day-to-day

Chipper Jones is still awaiting the results of an MRI on his sore right foot, but he said he felt better on Monday.
While manager Bobby Cox started Wilson Betemit at third base once again, Jones should be available off the bench. "I can tell you it feels better today than it did yesterday, which is a good sign," Jones said. "Last year, quite frankly, it didn't get any better. At no point did it feel better, and then I got into the boot." Chipper should have a better idea of what's causing the pain by Tuesda

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was placed on Double-A Mississippi's disabled list with a hand injury.
It's been a very rough year for Saltalamacchia, who is batting just .197/.297/.311 in 239 at-bats for Mississippi. No word yet on how much time he'll miss

John Thomson (blister) has declared himself healthy enough to start Tuesday's game.
"He says that he's ready to go," manager Bobby Cox said. "Hopefully he is. But we'll have to see." Thomson has been out since June 14 due to the blister on his middle finger

[General]

Carlos Almanzar will undergo a second ligament replacement surgery in his elbow and will miss the remainder of the season.
Almanzar reinjured his elbow while rehabbing with Triple-A Richmond. He underwent a similar procedure last May when he played for Texas. This second surgery could be career threatening.

An MRI administered Monday on Chris Reitsma's injured arm was inconclusive.
The Braves will likely let the swelling go down for another week and then have another MRI. He is still likely to need season ending surgery

Chipper Jones will see a foot specialist on Tuesday after an MRI showed a partial tear of the plantar plate and the second toe in his right foot.
Team spokesman Brad Hainje said the injury is similar to but not as severe as the one Jones had in his left foot last season when he missed 37 games. Jones, who said he was feeling better today, also has an inflamed MCL in his right knee. There's no word yet on whether he'll be placed on the DL. He remains listed as day-to-day for now.

Sucks for Almanzar, I was always a fan of his.

[General]

Chipper Jones started Wednesday after a specialist found inflammation and no tear in his ailing right foot.
Jones will play through the soreness, though he might miss games from time to time. If it's bad enough, the Braves could even shut him down in September, seeing as how they're probably not going to be in contention. "I've done everything, I've just got some bad feet," Jones said. "I'm going to have to deal with it."

Chris Reitsma, who went back on the DL Sunday with ulnar neuritis in his right arm, is planning to undergo season-ending arm surgery.
Reitsma will see Dr. James Andrews to determine whether he needs Tommy John surgery or an ulnar nerve transposition procedure. "He's going to have surgery, for sure, season-ending surgery," trainer Jeff Porter said. "But at this point we don't know exactly what he's going to have yet. There's still some question marks."

Chipper Jones is back at third base for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Jones is going to be playing in pain, perhaps for the rest of the season. He was diagnosed with a partial tear of the plantar plate and the second toe in his right foot earlier this week. His return tonight puts Wilson Betemit back on the bench

John Thomson was pounded for five runs in 3 2/3 innings by the Cardinals Tuesday in his return from the disabled list.
Thomson, who missed three weeks, fell to 0-4 in his last five starts. He should have some value in NL-only leagues the rest of the way, but he's not worth using at the moment.

Playing with a sore knee, Marcus Giles homered for a second straight game on Tuesday.
That will cut down on the running. Giles was hurt Monday when Chris Duncan slid into him trying to break up a double play

Braves optioned RHP Lance Cormier to Triple-A Richmond.
Cormier has a 6.12 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP in two starts and 19 relief appearances for the Braves. Triple-A is clearly the best place for him.

Jo-Jo Reyes worked seven scoreless innings Monday in his second start since a promotion to Single-A Myrtle Beach.
Reyes, a 21-year-old left-hander, was 8-1 with a 2.99 ERA, 62 H and 85/24 K/BB in 75 1/3 innings for low Single-A Rome before his promotion. Now that he's completely over the arm problems that limited him the previous two years, he's one of the Braves' best pitching prospects.

[redsfan28]

Chris Reitsma, who went back on the DL Sunday with ulnar neuritis in his right arm, is planning to undergo season-ending arm surgery.
Reitsma will see Dr. James Andrews to determine whether he needs Tommy John surgery or an ulnar nerve transposition procedure. "He's going to have surgery, for sure, season-ending surgery," trainer Jeff Porter said. "But at this point we don't know exactly what he's going to have yet. There's still some question marks."

There's some good news for y'all right there.

[General]

Chuck James moved to 3-0 by allowing four runs over six innings Wednesday against the Cardinals.
Thanks to plenty of run support against Jeff Suppan, James became the first Braves rookie in 23 years to win his first three starts. The left-hander gave up homers to Scott Rolen and Hector Luna tonight, but that's going to happen. Since he's a flyball pitcher, he'll probably do worse in ERA than WHIP going forward.

Edgar Renteria went 3-for-6 with a triple, two RBI and three runs scored against the Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Renteria's OPS went from 951 in April to 818 in May and 750 during June, but he's off to a nice start this month. He's 10-for-21 with a homer and six runs scored in five games.

[General]

Chipper Jones reached base four times and scored the winning run on Jeff Francoeur's 10th-inning single as the Braves edged the Reds 8-7 on Thursday night.
Jones had a one-out double to get the 10th-inning started. He has five hits, four RBI and four runs scored in two games since returning from a foot injury the Braves were afraid would send him to the DL.

Tim Hudson yielded four runs in eight-plus innings Thursday in a no-decision against the Reds.
A real step forward, even if it didn't result in a win following the misguided decision to let him pitch into the ninth. Hudson allowed two runs through eight. He was lifted after back-to-back singles to start the ninth, and the bullpen went on to cough up a five-run lead. Hudson enters the All-Star break 6-8 with a 4.44 ERA.

Jorge Sosa blew a save after giving up a two-run single and a three-run homer in the ninth against the Reds on Thursday night.
Tim Hudson pitched into the ninth with a five-run lead, but he was removed after back-to-back singles to start the inning. Macay McBride entered and gave up a single to Scott Hatteberg to lead the bases. That brought in the closer. Sosa struck out Edwin Encarnacion, but David Ross came back with a two-run single and pinch-hitter Javier Valentin followed that with a game-tying homer. Sosa went on to finish the ninth, but he didn't come back out for the 10th. The job may still be his for now, but this was quite a blow to his chances of settling in for a lengthy run as the Braves' closer.

[General]

Bobby Cox plans on starting Tim Hudson on the Friday after the All-Star break against the Padres.
John Smoltz and Horacio Ramirez will follow Hudson in the Braves' rotation.

Horacio Ramirez said Saturday the tightness in his right hamstring he felt Friday night won't cause him to miss a start.
The Braves could push him back after the break if he needs a little more time

John Smoltz fanned 10 while allowing one run in eight innings Saturday in a win over the Reds.
Smoltz fanned the side in the first to move past David Cone for 20th place on the strikeout list. He went on to throw 120 pitches in his sixth victory of the season, helping his cause with a couple of hits and an RBI along the way.

Kenny Ray picked up his first save since June 10 by throwing a scoreless ninth with a three-run lead against the Reds on Saturday.
Manager Bobby Cox said that he hasn't lost faith in Jorge Sosa, but Sosa still wasn't used tonight after blowing a five-run lead in Friday's game against the Reds. It looks like the Braves are back to a closer-by-committee, giving Ray some fantasy value

Horacio Ramirez said he was dealing with some tightness in his right hamstring during his ugly outing against the Reds on Friday.
"He said it didn't bother him to throw but I think it bothered his location," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. It was a left hamstring injury that put Ramirez on the DL earlier this season. He's probably going to make his next start.

Horacio Ramirez was roughed up for seven runs while recording just three outs against the Reds tonight.
Ramirez wasn't having a difficult time finding the striking zone, but he certainly had problems missing bats. The Reds scored once on a walk, single, and passed ball in the first, then collected four singles and two doubles to score six times off Ramirez in the second. Oscar Villareal then entered with nobody out and allowed an inherited runner and a pair of his own runs to score. The outing raised Ramirez's ERA from 3.47 to 4.65.

[General]

John Thomson was forced from Sunday's game by right shoulder stiffness.
Thomson will have eight days off before his next scheduled start. If he can't go, the Braves could recall Lance Cormier to replace him

Adam LaRoche is sitting out Sunday's game against the Reds with an upper respiratory infection.
Scott Thorman is filling in. LaRoche, who has already missed a game this month with back spasms, is again day-to-day

[General]

Oscar Villarreal picked up his eighth relief win of the season on Sunday despite yielding three runs in 2 1/3 innings of work.
John Thomson left in the third with a shoulder injury, so Villarreal came in to finish the third and then pitch a scoreless fourth and fifth. The right-hander was brought out to start the sixth inning too, but a pair of singles and a three-run homer by Adam Dunn chased him from the game. Villarreal leads the Braves in wins by two.


Scott Thorman went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored as the Braves defeated the Reds 8-3 on Sunday.
Jeff Francoeur and Andruw Jones also homered in the contest with Edgar Renteria, Chipper Jones, and Ryan Langerhans adding three hits apiece. Thorman is 10-for-42 with two homers and five RBI in 15 games since being recalled. With Chipper Jones healthy again, Thorman probably won't play enough to have value in NL-only leagues.

[General]

Eric Campbell went 2-for-5 with a grand slam Monday for low Single-A Rome.
Campbell, a 2004 second-round pick, is batting .294/.333/.506 with 10 steals in 12 attempts. Assuming that Wilson Betemit eventually finds a home at another position or another team, Campbell could be the eventual replacement for Chipper Jones at third base for the Braves. He's a few years away, but he has plenty of potential.

[Dry1313]

Rome, NY?

[General]

No, Rome, GA.

[General]

Phil Stockman (hamstring) pitched a scoreless inning for Class A Rome and is scheduled to make two more appearances at the level.
At Triple-A Richmond earlier this season, Stockman had a 0.91 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. He'll likely be working in mid relief for the Braves by late July