Braves' News Tidbits

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News from the 22nd of May.

Eric Campbell returned to Single-A Myrtle Beach's lineup on Monday and went 1-for-4.
The third baseman missed nearly six weeks with a sprained ligament in his left thumb.

Braves recalled RHP Joey Devine from Double-A Mississippi.
Devine earned another chance by posting a 1.61 ERA and a 27/8 K/BB ratio in 22 1/3 innings in the Southern League. He'll work in middle relief.

Rather than try a reliever, the Braves are likely to call up either Trey Hodges or Buddy Carlisle when they need a fifth starter on Saturday.
Hodges last pitched in the majors with the Braves in 2003, posting a 4.66 ERA in 65 2/3 innings. Joey Devine could head right back to the minors to open up a roster spot.

Kyle Davies tossed eight innings of one-run ball to beat the Mets on Tuesday night.
The win in the first game of a three-game series puts the Braves 1 1/2 games back in the NL East. Davies has three quality starts in eight tries, two of them coming against the Mets. He's given himself some additional job security, but he's a shaky play in NL-only leagues right now.

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News from the 23rd of May.

Chuck James gave up seven hits and three runs -- two earned -- in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday as his record dropped to 4-4.
He struck out two and walked three, one of which was intentional, while giving up one home run. This season, James has lacked the consistency we'd like to see. He's a definite asset in NL-only leagues, but looks somewhat risky in mixed league play.

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News from the 24th of May.

The Braves have named RHP Buddy Carlyle their starter for Saturday's game against Philadelphia.
"He's pitched really well," manager Bobby Cox said. "He pitched great in the spring." Carlyle is 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Richmond this season, with 56 strikeouts and just nine walks in 48 2/3 innings. We don't expect he will get more than one turn in the rotation so he isn't worth owning in fantasy leagues.

Lance Cormier pitched five shutout innings giving up just four hits during his second rehab start for Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday.
Cormier will make an additional rehab start with Triple-A Richmond before being activated from the disabled list and joining the major league rotation.

Mike Gonzalez will undergo his third MRI in the past five weeks Thursday.
Gonzalez had an MRI on Friday and doctors want him to get another one just to check on a certain portion of his elbow. If he is clear after the third MRI he will resume throwing and should be activated from the disabled list on May 31.

Chipper Jones, still troubled by sore thumbs as a result of a May 11 collision, is out of the lineup for Thursday's game.
Jones, who missed four games last week, aggravated the injury on Tuesday and nearly asked out of Wednesday's lineup. "It's becoming pretty troublesome," Jones said. "Every time I hit the ground, I hurt it. Every time I take a check swing, I hurt it. I'm not going to go out there if I can't help the team." Martin Prado is starting at third base tonight.

Matt Diaz homered and doubled off Tom Glavine in Thursday's defeat of the Mets.
With Willie Harris cooling off, maybe it's time for the Braves to give Diaz a chance to play regularly. His average is up to .347, including a .343 mark in limited action (35 at-bats) against right-handers.

John Smoltz outdueled Tom Glavine by hurling seven scoreless innings to pick up his 200th career victory Thursday against the Mets.
Glavine, who allowed two runs in six innings, remained stuck at 295 wins. Smoltz became the 106th pitcher to reach 200 wins and the first with at least 200 wins and 150 saves (Dennis Eckersley had 197 wins and 390 saves). By taking two out of three games, the Braves pulled to within 1 1/2 games of the Mets in the NL East. At 28-19, they're tied with the Brewers for the second best record in the NL.

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News from the 25th of May.

Chipper Jones is expected to be out of the starting lineup until at least Sunday after receiving a cortisone injection in his sore right hand.
"It just keeps getting worse every time I dive or take an awkward swing," said Jones. X-rays show Jones has inflammation in the ligament and bone at the base of his thumb. Martin Prado will take over third while Jones is out.

Lance Cormier (strained triceps) will make his next scheduled rehab start on Monday at Triple-A Richmond.
Cormier is expected to pitch around six innings in the start and then should be activated from the disabled list to join the Braves rotation.

Mike Gonzalz will require Tommy John surgery on his elbow and miss the rest of the season.
This doesn't come as any big surprise. Gonzalez's elbow has been a problem on and off for years, and his inconsistent velocity from the start of the spring suggested there was some significant damage involved. Fortunately, the Braves have Rafael Soriano to keep working the eighth inning in front of Bob Wickman. Now they need Macay McBride to step up and take over as the No. 1 lefty in the pen.

Edgar Renteria was ejected from Friday's game in the fourth inning for arguing a called third strike.
Manager Bobby Cox was also tossed. Chris Woodward took over at shortstop.

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News from the 26th of May.

Braves optioned RHP Joey Devine to Double-A Mississippi.
Devine didn't get into a game in four days with the Braves.

Braves purchased the contract of RHP Buddy Carlyle from Triple-A Richmond.
Carlyle will get a spot start Saturday against the Phillies. He might take one more turn after that before losing his spot to Lance Cormier.

John Smoltz was ejected from Saturday's game for arguing a call on a foul ball.
Smoltz, who started Thursday, was yelling from the dugout after Willie Harris' grounder appeared to go over the first-base bag but was ruled foul. Manager Bobby Cox was also tossed for the second straight day.

Edgar Renteria drove in all four Atlanta runs Saturday with a homer, a double and a groundout.
Renteria is batting .332 and he's already half of the way to last year's total of 14 homers. His career high of 16 homers, established in 2000, might be within reach.

Manager Bobby Cox said he hoped to have Chipper Jones (thumbs) back at third base for Sunday's game versus the Phillies.
It wasn't a good sign that Jones didn't make an appearance off the bench in Saturday's two-run loss. We're guessing he won't play tomorrow.

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News from the 27thh of May.

Manager Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones (thumb) remain hopeful the third baseman will be able to return to the lineup Sunday after sitting out the past three games.
Jones received a cortisone shot in his ailing right thumb Thursday. He originally sustained the injured thumbs in a collision against Pittsburgh on May 11.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-for-5 and hit his first major league home run Sunday versus the Phillies.
Saltalamacchia is 10-for-31 with five RBI and four walks since joining the Braves. He's yet to see any action at all at first base, but that figures to change soon.

Kyle Davies was torched for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings by the Phillies on Sunday.
The Braves have little alternative but to stick with him for now, but they'd like to see some consistency soon from Davies. This follows an outing in which he limited the Mets to one run in eight innings. He still hasn't had back-to-back quality starts this season, and this is the fourth time in nine starts that he hasn't lasted five innings.

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News from the 28th of May.

Andruw Jones hit his 350th career homer Monday off the Brewers' Chris Capuano.
Jones also homered yesterday, so he seems to be pulling out of his funk. He'll likely remain in the cleanup spot following the return of Chipper Jones to the lineup.

Chuck James matched his career high with eight strikeouts while allowing one run over six innings Monday versus the Brewers.
James might have had another inning left in him, but the Braves loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh and removed James for a pinch-hitter. The move didn't work out, as pinch-hitter Martin Prado struck out and Chris Capuano escaped the jam. However, the Atlanta bullpen was able to maintain the 2-1 lead it had at the time. James is 5-4 with a 3.86 ERA. The Braves have scored a total of five runs in his losses.

Chipper Jones had to cut short a batting practice session on Monday and may end up on the DL because of his bruised hands.
Manager Bobby Cox indicated that Jones would sit out the entire series against the Brewers before a decision is made on the DL. Martin Prado will get more starts than either Chris Woodward or Pete Orr while Chipper is out.

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News from the 29th of May.

Lance Cormier (shoulder) pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his rehab start for Triple-A Richmond on Monday.
Cormier allowed four hits, walked two and struck out four in what should be his final rehab start. The Braves are set to make him their fifth starter.

Lance Cormier will come off the disabled list to start a game in next Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.
Buddy Carlyle will likely start the first game of the doubleheader and then get sent down to make room for Cormier, who has been out since the start of the season with a shoulder injury.

Chipper Jones had to cut short a batting practice session on Monday and may end up on the DL because of his bruised hands.
Manager Bobby Cox indicated that Jones would sit out the entire series against the Brewers before a decision is made on the DL. Martin Prado will get more starts than either Chris Woodward or Pete Orr while Chipper is out.

Lance Cormier (shoulder) pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his rehab start for Triple-A Richmond on Monday.
Cormier allowed four hits, walked two and struck out four in what should be his final rehab start. The Braves are set to make him their fifth starter.

Lance Cormier will come off the disabled list to start a game in next Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.
Buddy Carlyle will likely start the first game of the doubleheader and then get sent down to make room for Cormier, who has been out since the start of the season with a shoulder injury.

John Smoltz was removed from Tuesday's game in the fourth inning with an undisclosed injury.
There's been speculation that his dislocated pinkie was bothering him or that he was dealing with a sore shoulder. Smoltz gave up three runs before departing.

John Smoltz aggravated his pinkie finger and suffered a mild shoulder strain on a warmup pitch before leaving Tuesday's game in the fourth inning.
Smoltz apparently hurt the pinkie on a swing. The shoulder is the bigger concern, though the Braves said he left as a precaution. He was hurt warming up in the fourth, perhaps when he slipped on the mound, and faced just one batter in the inning before leaving. If Smoltz can't make his next start, the Braves will have to bring back Lance Cormier early and find another starter for next Tuesday's doubleheader.

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News from the 30th of May.

Willie Harris hit a two-run homer in the first inning Tuesday versus the Brewers.
He had three hits in all, and the home run was his first since 2005, an event that will surely have his name added to the list for the next dope testing session by baseball. Harris has already driven in nine runs in 25 games, which doesn't sound like much, but it is for him. Of greater importance to his owners is the fact he swiped his sixth base tonight.

While he wasn't positive, John Smoltz thinks he'll be able to make his next start Sunday after suffering a mild shoulder strain Tuesday.
Smoltz also aggravated his pinkie finger tonight. "Had they given me 10 minutes I would have been OK," Smoltz said. "But you don't get 10 minutes on the mound to work yourself back into shape. I really don't anticipate a problem." The Braves will know more after his next bullpen session.

The Braves plan on waiting until Friday to decide if Chipper Jones will need to be put on the disabled list due to bruised hands.
Jones, who has missed the last six games due to the soreness, wouldn't return until June 8 if he is placed on the DL. Martin Prado will see the bulk of the time at third base if Jones goes on the DL.

John Smoltz was able to play catch Wednesday and is optimistic about making his start Sunday versus the Cubs.
"I was pleasantly pleased," he said. Smoltz left his start Tuesday with a shoulder strain and soreness in his dislocated right pinkie.

Scott Thorman went 0-for-4 and struck out twice for the fourth straight game Wednesday against the Brewers.
If the Braves are going to carry Jarrod Saltalamacchia on their roster, it's about time they start giving him at-bats at first base. Thorman is batting .200 with a 24/1 K/BB ratio in 90 at-bats this month.

Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a walk in Wednesday's victory.
Johnson's homer accounted for the only run off Dave Bush. He's warmed up again lately after a poor first half of May, and he should be a productive leadoff man for the Braves the rest of the way.

Tim Hudson rebounded from back-to-back losses to beat the Brewers by allowing two runs in seven innings on Wednesday.
Hudson was outpitched by Dave Bush, but he got the win after the Braves posted a seven-run top of the eighth. Brian McCann had a three-run double to get the scoring started in that inning, making up for letting the go-ahead run score on a very catchable wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Hudson improved to 6-3 with a 2.77 ERA that ranks sixth in the NL.

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News from the 1st of June.

Mike Gonzalez underwent successful Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Thursday.
Gonzalez is expected to miss around 12 months.

The Braves are planning on placing Chipper Jones on the disabled list and calling up Yunel Escobar prior to Saturday's game.
Escobar will probably get a lot of starts over Martin Prado and Pete Orr at third base, perhaps giving him a little value in NL-only leagues. Jones will be eligible to return June 8.

Braves placed third baseman Chipper Jones on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 24, with bruised hands.
Chipper can return in just a week, and the Braves hope to have him back then. In the meantime, they'll give Yunel Escobar a look at third base, with Martin Prado and Pete Orr coming off the bench.

Moises Hernandez picked up his eighth win for Single-A Myrtle Beach by allowing two runs in eight innings on Thursday.
Aided by working in a great environment for pitchers, Felix's older brother has a 3.06 ERA in 11 starts. He's allowed 67 hits, walked 19 and struck out 40 in 67 2/3 innings. At this point, the 23-year-old still looks like a long shot to make it as a reliever.

Willie Harris went 3-for-6 on Friday, giving him 10 hits in 19 at-bats over his last five games.
Harris hit .156 in limited action for Boston last year, and his best performance as a major leaguer was the .262/.343/.323 line he posted for the White Sox in 2004. Until 2007 anyway. He's hitting a ridiculous .397/.466/.526 for the Braves in 78 at-bats. It can't last for much longer, but he'll keep playing against every right-hander until he slumps.

Kyle Davies limited the Cubs to one run in seven innings and went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a victory on Friday.
Davies showed Carlos Zambrano how it was done both on the mound and at the plate. He's now slugging .421, giving him a slight edge over Zambrano, the league's best-hitting pitcher from 2006. On the mound, Davies continued his recent pattern of alternating good and bad outings. He's too risky to play in NL-only leagues right now.

John Smoltz (shoulder, pinkie) didn't feel great after throwing Friday and is no longer as optimistic about starting Sunday.
"It was OK," Smoltz said. "But come tomorrow, and even closer to Sunday, if I don't have the sharpness then I'm not going to pitch. I'll probably need a couple extra days." Smoltz could instead swap assignments with Buddy Carlyle and pitch in the doubleheader Tuesday.

The begining of a new month so I am hoping I can get more active. Mike Gonzalez, what can I say? I was hoping those MRIs would come up negative and he would be back soon but instead he is headed to the DL with Tommy John surgery. I hope he comes back next year even better.

Chipper on the DL, not surprising and Escobar coming up. First time I saw him play on during Spring Training. I am going to be watching him closely to see what he can do at the big league level.

Willie Harris has surprised me the most with his outstanding season so far. I hated to see Ryan go but something had to be done and Harris filled the spot very nicely.

Kyle Davies needs to be constistent on the mound. Yesterday was a good start from him and I am looking for him to have another good start his next time out there.

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News from the 2nd of June.

Lance Cormier will have his start moved up from Tuesday to Sunday so that John Smoltz can have more rest for his sore shoulder.
Cormier has been on the disabled list all season after straining a triceps in spring training.

John Smoltz (shoulder, pinkie) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday and will start on Tuesday instead.
The Braves will go with Lance Cormier on Sunday giving Smoltz, whose shoulder was sore during a bullpen session on Friday, a couple extra days rest.

Kelly Johnson is getting Saturday off after dealing with an illness the last few days.
It hadn't showed up in his performance, as he has eight hits in his last 15 at-bats. He'll probably be back on Sunday. Martin Prado started in his place today.

Elvis Andrus went 4-for-9 with a three-run homer during Single-A Myrtle Beach's doubleheader Friday.
At .240/.325/.355, Andrus could finish with a sub-700 OPS for the second straight year. Still, as an 18-year-old in the Carolina League, he's holding his own against guys four and five years older. He has to be taken very seriously as a fantasy prospect.

In his major league debut, Yunel Escobar singled in his first major league at-bat and later delivered a go-ahead double in the eighth as the Braves beat the Cubs 5-3 on Saturday.
After Escobar doubled in Scott Thorman in the eighth, Andruw Jones provided some insurance with a solo homer in the top of the ninth. Escobar is likely to be the Braves' primary third baseman until Chipper Jones returns, giving him some short-term value in NL-only leagues.

Escobar looked good in his debut which many Braves have in the past. I believe he did strike out once but made up for it by driving in the go ahead run to give them the lead late in the game.

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News from the 3rd of June.

Lance Cormier (shoulder) is set to come off the 15-day disabled list and start Sunday's series finale against at Wrigley Field.
"I love this place," said Cormier. "I'm excited to pitch here. It's a good atmosphere." Tim Hudson will start Monday's home series opener vs. Florida, and John Smoltz and Buddy Carlyle are scheduled to pitch Tuesday's doubleheader.

Kelly Johnson, who was out of the lineup Saturday, was put on medication for a recent sinus and throat condition that worsened late in the week.
He took batting practice and said his sickness wasn't serious. He said he temporarily lost his hearing in one ear from wax buildup from an infection. He's 8-for-15 in his past three games though, and should return Sunday.

Kelly Johnson is back in the starting lineup for Sunday's game versus the Cubs.
Johnson missed Saturday's game with an illness.

Braves optioned infielder Martin Prado to Triple-A Richmond.
The Braves prefer Yunel Escobar right now and they weren't willing to cut Pete Orr. Prado hit .179 in 28 at-bats during his two weeks in the majors.

Braves activated RHP Lance Cormier from the 15-day disabled list.
Cormier is facing the Cubs in his season debut today.

Lance Cormier, who had yet to appear in the majors this season thanks to a shoulder injury, was roughed up for eight runs in four-plus innings against the Cubs today.
Cormier gave up six runs on three homers through the first four innings, then departed after giving up a triple and a double to start the fifth. The Braves will show a little patience with Cormier as he attempts to work his way back into form, but he can't be counted on in fantasy leagues.

John Smoltz had a successful bullpen session Sunday and expects to start one of Tuesday's doubleheader games against Florida.
Smoltz was originally slated to pitch today after leaving his last start with shoulder soreness.

Cormier's first game this season after a great Spring Training and it didn't go so well.

With the blow out game from the Cubs Cox put Salty in at 1B to get him some playing time and to see how he does I suppose. He made his first play but with a little difficulty. His second started out to be a great play. He dove to stop a ball to reach the outfield and started a double play. His throw to 2nd was way off the mark and when into left field. I'm sure he is capable but only time will tell.

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News from the 4th of June.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia played first base for the first time since high school in Atlanta's loss to the Cubs on Sunday.
"Everybody wants to play every day," hitting coach Terry Pendleton said, "and as young as he is, you want to see him play every day. But he's in a situation where we've got Mac [McCann] here." Manager Bobby Cox wouldn't say how often Salty will be used at first, but we have to imagine he will see time there at least once a week.

Braves prospect Brent Lillibridge had his first two hits for Triple-A Richmond on Sunday.
Lillibridge went 0-for-8 and fanned five times in his first two games. The shortstop hit .275/.355/.387 for Double-A Mississippi before joining Richmond as the replacement for Yunel Escobar in the lineup.

Yunel Escobar went 4-for-4 with a homer and a double Monday in the loss to the Marlins.
Escobar's first major leaguer homer bounced off the top of the fence in right before going over. He later hit a long double to the same area, going the other way both times. We've questioned his ability to hit for power in the majors, but he's looking good so far.

Tim Hudson was charged with six runs -- five earned -- over six innings Monday in a home loss to the Marlins.
Hudson allowed just one earned run until the four-run fifth, when he was bitten by some bad luck. With men on first and second with one out, Dan Uggla hit one through the left side of the infield that a charging Willie Harris -- hoping to cut down the runner going home -- misplayed for an error. The run would have scored anyway, but that led to the other runners advancing to second and third, which led to manager Bobby Cox choosing to intentionally walk Hanley Ramirez and go for the double play. A sac fly followed, but the run wasn't unearned because of the intentional walk. After that, there was a wild pitch on strike three that really should have been caught by Brian McCann, reloading the bases. A two-run single followed. All four runs were earned, but Hudson pitched better than the line makes it sound.

Escobar i'm sure has made a good impression on everyone.

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News from the 5th of June.

Chipper Jones had a CT scan performed on both his sore hands Monday morning.
The CT scan revealed no broken bones or fractures, but Jones is still in serious pain. "I came in today and said, 'Put me in a cast, both hands,' " said Jones. "I feel like they need to be immobilized because taking off my socks, pulling up my pants [hurts]." It appears unlikely Jones will be activated from the disabled list when he is eligible on Friday.

Brandon Jones went 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a walk Monday for Double-A Mississippi.
Jones hasn't hit for the same kind of power over the last few weeks, but he is batting .289/.370/.493 for Mississippi. He'd likely have to get really hot in order to have a chance of seeing time in left field for the Braves in the second half of the season. He may compete for a job next spring.

Chipper Jones was told it couldd take six weeks for his hands to completely heal from the bruises he suffered three weeks ago.
"I bled into the bone where it meets the ligament and they said that could take up to six weeks to heal," Jones said. "They were talking about putting me in hard casts for a week to 10 days to immobilize the wrists because you aggravate it in everything you do — playing with your kids, taking off your socks." That didn't happen, but Jones is in splints after getting three more cortisone shots. He's likely at least a week away from coming off the DL.

Buddy Carlyle allowed just one hit -- an Aaron Boone solo homer -- over seven innings in a defeat of the Marlins on Tuesday.
It was an ominous start, as Carlyle walked leadoff man Alfredo Amezaga on four pitches to begin the game. However, Amezaga ended up being caught stealing and Carlyle was hardly in trouble the rest of the way. The Braves were surely thinking about sending him down now that they have Lance Cormier back, but that could change after today's performance.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer, doubled and threw out two would-be basestealers as the Braves beat the Marlins 3-1 in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
The Marlins were successful on their third steal attempt of the game, but that was all on closer Bob Wickman. While the Braves do have the right idea in trying him at first base this season, we wouldn't be surprised at all if Salty is the club's long-term catcher and it's Brian McCann who ends up moving to first base. Perhaps he's not the better defender yet, but with his arm and his ability to block pitches, he does have the greater upside.

Braves optioned RHP Buddy Carlyle to Triple-A Richmond.
Despite his succcess in the first game of Tuesday's doublheader, Carlyle goes to make room for an extra reliever, just in case John Smoltz has problems tonight.

Braves recalled RHP Blaine Boyer from Triple-A Richmond.
Boyer's stay this time figures to be a short one, but he could be a fixture in the Atlanta bullpen by July or August. He'll be available in middle relief tonight.

Matt Diaz had a single and scored Atlanta's only run in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.
You can't count on Diaz for much in the way of runs or ribbies, but you sure won't argue with his .336 BA.

John Smoltz pitched six strong innings Tuesday after being scratched from his Sunday start because of shoulder and pinkie woes.
He took the loss, but with just three hits, two runs and no walks allowed, Smoltz deserved a better fate. He struck out four, giving him a tremendous ratio of 69 strikeouts against 19 walks for the season.

Buddy Carlyle got his first when since 1999 but it's only thanks to Salty that hit a 2-run home run to get them the lead which Salty and Woodard when back-to-back in the inning.

Smoltz should of had a better outcome but the bullpen proved ineffective. I'm going to be a little hard on the pitchers because of what plagued the bullpen and staters last season.

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News from the 6th of June.

Brian McCann received Wednesday off after injuring his left ankle during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
It's the same ankle that sent him to the DL for a time last year. "When he rolled over the ankle in his first at-bat, he kind of sprained it again," manager Bobby Cox said. "He could play [Thursday] easily." Still, another nagging injury is hardly a good thing. It's assumed the finger he bruised in April is part of the reason he hasn't been quite the same kind of hitter this year that he was in 2006.

Andruw Jones went hitless in a third straight game Wednesday versus the Marlins.
It looked like Jones' slump was over when he had three homers during a 10-game hitting streak, but he's 0-for-12 during the last two days. It's the third time since the beginning of May that he'd gone hitless in at least three straight games.

Chad Paronto gave up two runs in an inning Wednesday and now has a 7.64 ERA this season.
Rather than send down Blaine Boyer when they go back to 12 pitches, the Braves should release Paronto, who has allowed 25 hits and walked 10 in 17 2/3 innings. Not only is Boyer a better bet, but the club also has Joey Devine worthy of another opportunity.

Kyle Davies took the loss to the Marlins after surrendering five runs in five innings on Wednesday.
Davies struck out six, but he allowed a homer and three doubles, giving the Marlins two runs in the first and three in the third. The 23-year-old has alternated good and bad starts for a month now, and he's going to have to show more consistency if he's going to gain any job security.

Davies is a joke and shouldn't be with the big league club. Big leagues get the job done most of the time. Davies is not consistent and that is what the Braves do not need. They need to make a deal or call up someone else because Davies is not ready.