Braves' News Tidbits

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News from the 7th of July.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia left Friday's game in the seventh inning after taking a foul tip off his left shoulder.
He's likely day-to-day. Brian McCann, who was sitting out a second game with a sprained knee, entered in his place.

Brian McCann, who sat out Thursday's game with a sprained knee, returned to action against the Padres on Friday.
With Jarrod Saltalamacchia hurt, McCann came in to catch in the seventh and then struck out in his lone at-bat. McCann could start Saturday's game.

Andruw Jones belted a two-run homer off Padres starter Justin Germano on Friday.
Jones also added a pair of singles and drove in a third run, making this his most productive day of the season. Jones is on pace for a disappointing 29 homers, but the real reason he's been a bust is that he's hitting just .203. That Jones has struck out more than once per game means it's not a total fluke, and he's going to need to stop swinging for the fences to get it back to a respectable level.

Buddy Carlyle went eight strong innings against the Padres on Friday, giving up three runs en route to his third win of the season.
Carlyle struck out seven while walking just one. He also gave up eight hits, though only two of them went for extra bases. Carlyle has pitched well in each of his last three outings, but he's still not someone to trust even if he's lucky enough to face the Pirates after the All-Star break.

Braves purchased the contract of LHP Jo-Jo Reyes from Triple-A Richmond.
Reyes, filling in for John Smoltz, will make his major league debut Saturday against the Dodgers. He might stick around to make a second start after the break.

An MRI on Brian McCann's sore knee showed no structural damage and he is was able to enter Friday's game in seventh and catch.
McCann replaced Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who suffered a concussion when he was hit by a foul ball. McCann will likely start Saturday's game at catcher.

Jarrod Saltamacchia expects to play first base Saturday even though he left Friday's game after having a foul ball hit him in the side of the face.
"Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be alright," Salty said. "I want to play. I'm still a little woozy, but hopefully tonight, I'll get some good rest and be alright." Salty has been platooning at first base with Scott Thorman, with the Braves facing lefty David Wells on Saturday it is Satly's day to start.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is in Saturday's lineup after leaving Friday's game with a head injury.
The Braves have Salty at first base and Brian McCann catching, even though both are banged up. Salty was hit in the side of the face by a foul tip last night. McCann is bothered by a sprained knee.

Brian McCann went 1-for-4 in his return to the starting lineup Saturday.
McCann entered Friday's game as an injury replacement for Jarrod Saltalamacchia after missing Thursday's game with a sprained knee.

Jeff Francoeur hit his second homer in three days Saturday off David Wells.
Francoeur has 18 hits in his last nine games, so his slump has clearly come to an end. While he's well off last year's pace with just 10 homers in 88 games, he's now up to 58 RBI.

Jo-Jo Reyes was tagged for five runs in three-plus innings by the Padres in his major league debut Saturday.
Reyes is a California native and had left 45 tickets for friends and family at Petco, so he had to be feeling even more pressure than a starting pitcher normally would in his debut. He opened the outing by allowing one run through three innings, but things unraveled in the fourth and the Braves employed a quick hook. Just 31 of his 58 pitches were strikes. The Braves now have the option of sending Reyes back to Triple-A or giving him one more start after the break.

Reyes had to be nervous and I'm sure he was. Smoltz's debut didn't go so well either.

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News from the 8th of July.

The Braves announced Jo-Jo Reyes will get another start July 17 before John Smoltz returns from the disabled list.
Reyes was charged with five runs, five hits and three walks on Saturday, including home runs by Khalil Greene and Mike Cameron. "I like him," manager Bobby Cox said. "He's got four good pitches, great athlete, can do a lot of stuff. He just needs games. He's young."

Bob Wickman nearly blew Atlanta's four-run lead by allowing three runs on five hits in the ninth Saturday against the Padres.
With the tying run on second, Wickman struck out Marcus Giles to end it, though he was very fortunate on the called third strike. If Greg Maddux had the outside corner called as generously for him in the contest, it never would have been 5-1 in the first place. Wickman is currently sporting a 4.80 ERA. He's 16-for-20 in save opportunities, which isn't bad. But he's not a very good pitcher these days.

Kyle Davies held the Padres to one run in six innings and struck out six to win Sunday.
Davies was lit up in his first start back from a strained oblique, so tonight's performance was pretty encouraging. Still, he's a risky play in NL-only leagues. Unfortunately, he'll probably get the Reds next time out, as the Braves won't need him against the Pirates next weekend.

Brian McCann had a two-run homer and a two-run single in the Braves' 5-4 win over the Pirates on Sunday.
In a nice change, Andruw Jones got on base every time up right in front of McCann. If Andruw can get hot, McCann should see a similar surge in his fantasy value in the second half. With nine homers and 49 RBI, he's hardly been bad. However, his OPS is down 200 points from where he finished last year.

Hopefully Reyes can shake off the jitters from his debut and come back strong after the break.

Wickman once again almost blew another game with a 4-run lead. I sure do miss Gonzo now.

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News from the 10th of July.

Tanyon Sturtze (shoulder) pitched a scoreless inning Monday in his first appearance with low Single-A Rome.
Sturtze struggled in his two appearances with the Rookie GCL Braves. He has to be considered a long shot to make a positive contribution this season.

I wouldn't think Sturtze will be in Atlanta this season. I'm sure there are others in line before him.

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News from the 12th of July.

Jon Gilmore went 4-for-6 with a triple and four RBI for the Rookie GCL Braves on Wednesday.
The triple came off the rehabbing Tom Gordon. Gilmore, the 33rd overall pick in the 2007 draft out of an Iowa high school, is batting .368/.383/.439 in 57 at-bats.

Always nice to hear about a young kid doing good in his first year.

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News from the 13th of July.

Braves recalled RHP Jose Ascanio from Double-A Mississippi.
Ascanio has a chance to be a long-term setup man for the Braves, but he doesn't figure to last long in his major league debut. The 22-year-old had a 2.44 ERA in 33 relief appearances for Mississippi.

Braves placed LHP Wilfredo Ledezma on the restricted list.
Ledezma was unable to get out of Venezuela after the break because of visa problems. The Braves hope to have him back by the middle of next week.

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News from the 14th of July.

Andruw Jones left in the sixth inning Friday after straining his right quadriceps.
He said he expects to play Saturday, so this obviously is not a major concern. Should Jones have to sit a game, Willie Harris will likely get the start in center field. Before he departed, Jones cranked his 16th homer of the season, the front end of back-to-back blasts with Brian McCann that helped the Braves pull away midway through the game.

Tim Hudson hurled seven shutout innings Friday to improve to 9-5 on the season.
He gave up just five hits, striking out four and walking one to lower his ERA to 3.35 and help Atlanta earn its 10th win in 14 tries. The streaking Braves are within a game and a half of the NL East-leading Mets.

Brian McCann hit two home runs and drove in four runs Friday as Atlanta thrashed the Pirates 9-1.
McCann's three-run shot in the first made it 3-0 and his solo blast in the sixth upped the lead to 5-0. It was the second time in his career he's enjoyed a multi-jack game. McCann, with three hits in all, is up to .269 with 11 homers and he's enjoyed back-to-back four RBI-games. He's driven in a dozen runs in eight July contests.

John Smoltz (shoulder) has resumed playing catch and is expected to make his scheduled start on Wednesday.
"So far so good," Smoltz said." An MRI performed last week on Smoltz shoulder showed inflammation.

Andruw Jones is in Saturday's lineup against the Pirates.
Jones left Friday's game with a strained quad, but he said he expected to play tonight.

Chuck James blanked the Pirates for six innings, but wasn't involved in the decision Saturday.
That's because Tyler Yates and Rafael Soriano combined to give up four runs in the seventh. It should have been James' third straight win. His ERA is down to 3.73.

Andruw Jones had a two-run homer and walked Saturday in the Braves' 5-4 win over the Pirates.
Jeff Francoeur singled in Willie Harris in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. Jones is 8-for-16 with with three homers and eight doubles in his last five games. He's hasn't struck out in six games since fanning four times on July 4.

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News from the 15th of July.

Tanyon Sturtze (shoulder) has made three rehab appearances with Class A Rome and could be ready in a couple of weeks to join the Braves' bullpen.
He has spent 13 months recovering from shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff and labrum. "It's been a long time, and I'm starting to get itchy [to return]," said Sturtze, who was clocked at 88-89 mph last week.

Edgar Renteria went 4-for-5 with and RBI and a stolen base against the Pirates on Sunday.
Renteria singled in all four at-bats, but Chipper Jones nor Andruw Jones did anything to drive the shortstop in. Renteria has continued to hit for average and his current .327 mark is the second best of his career, but he also has just four extra-base hits (all doubles) during the last month. It's probably not something to be worried about.

Buddy Carlyle held the Pirates to one run in eight inning of work to pick up a win on Sunday.
Carlyle struck out four and yielded four hits without walking a batter. The lone run scored on a Freddy Sanchez homer in the first. Carlyle has given up just five runs over his last 26 innings, but he's still not a very good option against the Cardinals next time out.

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News from the 16th of July.

Kyle Davies was pulled after giving up two hits and three walks to the five batters he faced Monday against the Reds.
Fortunately for Davies' ERA, Oscar Villarreal came in and stranded the bases loaded. Davies, as a result, was charged with just two runs. He was coming off a nice outing in a win over the Padres, but this is twice already this month he's put a ton of pressure on the bullpen. The Braves could replace him if they find themselves another starter.

The Braves confirmed that John Smoltz would come off the DL to start Wednesday against the Reds.
"He's ready to go," manager Bobby Cox said. "He feels great." Jo-Jo Reyes, who will start Tuesday, is likely to be sent down to make room on the roster.

Jeff Francouer was tossed from Monday's game against the Reds for arguing balls and strikes.
If he could really tell the difference, he'd have more than 55 career walks in 1,272 at-bats. Francoeur was 1-for-3 before exiting.

Davies better be thankful that Oscar came in and closed the door on the Reds offense.

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News from the 17th of July.

Braves prospect Jeff Locke threw five scoreless innings to win for Rookie Danville on Monday.
Locke, a 2006 second-round pick, has a mediocre 4.63 ERA, but he's posted a 26/5 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 innings and he's getting nearly three outs on the ground for each one through the air. He's in the second tier of Braves pitching prospects behind Matt Harrison, Tommy Hanson and Jo-Jo Reyes.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, in the lineup for a fourth straight day, is getting a start over Scot Thorman against a right-hander on Tuesday.
The Braves had faced left-handers each of the previous three days, explaining Salty's presence. That he's getting a start at first against a right-hander is a very good sign. Thorman is 1-for-18 with one RBI and a 9/3 K/BB ratio this month.

Kyle Davies could be sent to Triple-A following his miserable outing Monday against the Reds.
"I haven't heard anything yet," Davies said. "I don't know. I'm going to prepare like I normally would and that's it. That's all I can do." Jo-Jo Reyes would probably stick in the rotation if Davies is demoted.

Not much too say really, but I'll say this, at least Reyes didn't get taken out in the 1st inning.

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News from the 18th of July.

The Braves hope that LHP Wilfredo Ledezma will be able to return from Venezuela, where he has been stuck after ruining his visa while doing laundry, by the end of the week.
"I think they got it all worked out, and he can leave Thursday or Friday," manager Bobby Cox said.

Braves optioned RHP Joey Devine to Triple-A Richmond.
At least he's going to Triple-A. The previous two times he was demoted, he went right back to Double-A Mississippi. Devine has given up one run in three innings.

Braves activated RHP John Smoltz from the 15-day disabled list.
Smoltz is facing the Reds today.

Kyle Davies is available out of the pen on Wednesday. It hasn't been decided whether he'll start on Saturday.
Jo-Jo Reyes is the other possibility. Rather than keep one of the two as a permanent member of the pen, the Braves could send the pitcher not chosen to start back to Triple-A.

The Braves have reportedly signed Julio Franco, who was designed for assignment by the Mets six days ago.
Chris Woodward should get the boot to make room on the roster. Franco figures to be used mostly as a pinch-hitter. He'd be a candidate to start at first against left-handers, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks like a far better choice.

Willie Harris went 1-for-7 and struck out three times Wednesday against the Reds.
While everyone recognizes that first base is a problem for Atlanta, let's not forget that they're getting by in left with Harris against righties and Matt Diaz against lefties. At 6-for-40 with no extra-base hits or RBI this month, Harris has finally faded just as it was always assumed that he would. If he doesn't turn it around soon, the Braves should go to Diaz as the everyday guy in left.

John Smoltz fanned 11 in seven scoreless innings against the Reds on Wednesday.
If only he could always go two weeks in between starts, Smoltz could be baseball's best pitcher. Getting his shoulder to respond so he can go back out there five days from now will be the tough part. Smoltz was denied a win today, so he remains 9-5 with a 2.88 ERA.

Braves signed first baseman Julio Franco to a one-year contract.
Franco will be on the active roster for Thursday's game, displacing either a pitcher (perhaps Jose Ascanio) or Chris Woodward. He shouldn't have any fantasy value while acting mostly as a pinch-hitter.

I was pleased to see Franco back with the Braves. Smoltz should of got the win but once again the offense couldn't give him the run support, which is the reason why Smoltz is not close to 300 wins.

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News from the 19th of July.

Braves optioned RHP Kyle Davies to Triple A-Richmond.
Jo-Jo Reyes is likely to take over as the Braves' fifth starter. Davies loses his spot after going 4-8 with a 5.76 ERA in 86 innings. He's just 23 and he has plenty of chances ahead of him, but the Braves might be running out of patience. It's possible they'll part with him at the deadline.

Braves optioned RHP Jose Ascanio to Double-A Mississippi.
Ascanio, who took the loss in extra innings Wednesday, allowed three runs -- one earned -- over five innings in his first stint in the majors.

Braves activated LHP Wil Ledezma from the restricted list.
Ledezma will go back into the pen for now, but he's a candidate to move into the rotation at some point. He'll be very interesting in NL-only leagues if that happens.

Anthony Lerew underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday and is out for the season.
Lerew had already missed two months with a sore elbow. That he waited this long to undergo surgery means he'll miss at least the first half of 2008. The Braves shouldn't count on him contributing before 2009.

Matt Diaz went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and three RBI against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Diaz is batting .358 this season and .367 against righties. He's only been starting versus lefties, but it might be about time for that to change with Willie Harris having cooled off.

Andruw Jones had a two-run homer, an RBI single and a walk in Thursday's win.
Jones has four homers and 11 RBI since the break and seven homers and 19 RBI in 15 games this month. He's about as hot as any hitter in the National League right now.

Tim Hudson improved to 10-5 by limiting the Cardinals to one run in seven innings on Thursday.
Hudson has pitched seven innings and allowed one or no runs in four of his last five starts. He's given up just two homers in his 18 starts versus National League teams this year. The other two he surrendered came in his two losses to Boston.

It about time Davies was sent down to Richmond. A little too late IMO.

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News from the 20th of July.

Chuck James held the Cardinals to one run in seven innings of work tonight but didn't factor into the decision of a 4-2 Braves' loss.
James departed with the game tied at 1-1, but reliever Rafael Soriano gave up two runs in the top of the eighth to give St. Louis the lead. James gave up six hits and two walks in the outing and has now yielded a total of just three runs over his last four starts. He'll square off against the Giants next week.

Another game in which the starter should of got the win if the offense gave him some run support. I hate to see good games from the starters gone to waste because the offense can't get enough runs.

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News from the 21st of July.

Brent Lillibridge went 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and five RBI Friday for Triple-A Richmond.
Lillibridge has disappointed with a .273/.339/.386 line in 363 at-bats between Double- and Triple-A this year. He's likely to be a major leaguer, but he might be more of a utilityman than an everyday middle infielder or center fielder. The Braves could call him up in September and use him off the bench.

Chipper Jones went 3-for-4 with a homer off Troy Percival and four RBI against the Cardinals on Saturday.
Chipper is leading the NL with a .346 average and remains second in the league in OPS behind Barry Bonds. If only he had been able to avoid injury, he could be an MVP favorite right now. Maybe if he can stay in the lineup the rest of the year and lead the Braves to the playoffs, he'll still have a shot at the hardware. Such an award would go a long way towards boosting his Hall of Fame chances.

Willie Harris went 6-for-6 with six RBI and four runs scored as the Braves walloped the Cardinals 14-6.
Harris is just the second Atlanta Brave to go 6-for-6, joining Felix Milan (1970). He entered the day with a .152 average and no RBI in 47 at-bats this month. In the grand scheme of things, the big game might have been a bad thing for the Braves, as it will cause Bobby Cox to keep sticking with him for at least a couple of more weeks. The Braves would probably be better off playing Matt Diaz against right-handers and should be seeking a left fielder in trade.

Chipper is just being Chipper. Everyone knows he is a very tough out. Willie Harris had a great game with his 6 hits.

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News from the 22nd of July.

Isaiah "Kala" Ka'aihue homered twice in the second game of Single-A Myrtle Beach's doubleheader Saturday.
The 22-year-old Ka'aihue is batting .299/.414/.591 with 22 homers in a pretty good environment for pitchers. He could be an option at first base for the Braves in a couple of years.

Tanyon Sturtze gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning Saturday for Double-A Mississippi.
Sturtze would like to join Atlanta's bullpen soon, but there's no good reason to believe he'd be anything but a major liability as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery. He's allowed nine runs in 7 1/3 innings in the minors.

I don't see a call for Sturtze this year as the problems with the pitchers continues.

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News from the 23rd of July.

Jo-Jo Reyes, now apparently a permanent member of Atlanta's rotation, held the Cardinals to one run over 5 1/3 innings Sunday in a no-decision.
Reyes took a shutout into the sixth, when he gave up a single, a double, an RBI groundout and a walk. Pete Moylan took over then and immediately induced a double-play ball, keeping Reyes' ERA intact. Reyes is a decent play with the Diamondbacks next on the schedule.

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, the Braves and White Sox have talked about swapping Edgar Renteria and Jon Garland.
It makes some sense, as the Braves have Yunel Escobar to plug in at shortstop. However, they'd likely want the White Sox to pick up some money to even up the salaries. Renteria is owed $9 million next year, while Garland is due $12 million. Even if the money could be worked out, a deal still seems like a long shot.

Brandon Jones homered and doubled Sunday in his second game for Triple-A Richmond.
Jones was promoted after batting .293/.368/.507 with 15 homers and 12 steals for Double-A Mississippi. The 23-year-old could be a September callup, and he'll be a candidate to take over as Atlanta's left fielder in the first half of 2008.

Scott Thorman is out of the starting lineup Monday for the ninth time in 10 games.
Thorman reached twice in both of his starts since the break, but the Braves are going with Julio Franco for the fourth time in five games tonight. If Thorman wasn't out of options, he'd almost certainly be in Triple-A right now. The Braves might yet try sending him through waivers if they get more offensive help.

Reyes pitched pretty decent for his 3rd career start. I would like to see him get his 1st career win in his 4th start.