Braves' News Tidbits

[General]

Nope.

[General]

Horacio Ramirez lasted seven innings and allowed one run and seven hits Saturday to beat the Cubs in his return from the disabled list.
The biggest crowd at Wrigley Field since 1979 went home unhappy after the Cubs finished 0-for-11 with RISP. Ramirez looked healthy while scoring from first on a Marcus Giles doubles and turning in a couple of nice plays on defense. He's unlikely to have all that much value in NL-only leagues, but it'd be OK to use him in a home start against the Diamondbacks next week

[General]

Chris Reitsma was removed from a save opportunity after retiring two of the three hitters he faced on Saturday. Mike Remlinger came on and picked up his second save.
It's not like Bobby Cox was frustrated with Reitsma, who got two quick outs before giving up a single to Matt Murton. He just wanted to bring in the lefty to face Jacque Jones in a one-run game, even though Remlinger has almost always been more effective against right-handers. Sure enough, Remlinger gave up a single to Jones before retiring Ronny Cedeno to end it. Reitsma still might be Cox's top choice in the closer's role, but it is turning into a committee in Atlanta. Ken Ray is right behind Reitsma for save chances, with left-handers Macay McBride and Remlinger next in line.

Marcus Giles doubled in both Braves runs and walked in Saturday's victory over the Cubs.
Giles, who entered with a .158 average with RISP, now has 10 RBI this season. He's been doing a fine job of getting on base lately, but the leadoff spot remains less than ideal for him.

Braves placed catcher Brian McCann on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 24, with a sprained left ankle.
The Braves will hope McCann is able to return as soon as his 15 days are up. Todd Pratt and Brayan Pena will share catching duties, with the 39-year-old Pratt getting as much playing time as he can handle.

[General]

Bobby Cox still calls Chris Reitsma his closer, but he plans on going with a closer-by-commitee approach for now which means Ken Ray could be an option to get some saves.
Ray got a save in Friday's 6-5 victory over the Cubs. He has a 1.50 ERA in 24 games, and a 0.47 ERA in his past 18

[General]

Jose Ascanio pitched a scoreless inning of relief Saturday in his debut for Double-A Mississippi.
Ascanio was emerging as one of the Braves' top pitching prospects before a fracture in his back ended his 2005 season. He didn't pitch very well as a starter at Myrtle Beach, compiling a 4.94 ERA and a 23/20 K/BB ratio in 31 innings, but he has plenty of potential if the Braves want to use him as a reliever

[General]

Chuck James (hamstring) pitched four scoreless innings Sunday for Triple-A Richmond.
James has added an inning with each rehab appearance and has allowed three runs in 10 innings overall. He'll be a candidate to join the Braves' rotation next month, but with Horacio Ramirez back and Jorge Sosa pitching better, it looks like he might be optioned to the minors after his rehab is complete.

[General]

John Thomson was removed after giving up seven runs -- five earned -- in 1 1/3 innings Monday against the Dodgers.
Thomson's defense let him down in a big way for the second time in four starts. The Braves committed three errors behind him in a four-run first inning today. In all, there were five batters who reached base on infield singles and fielder's choices. Thomson doesn't get away blame free, but he might have had a solid outing with some help.

[General]

Kelly Johnson, who is still having difficulty with his right elbow while on a rehab assignment, will visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham on Wednesday.
Johnson has been hitting well, but if he can't throw, he can't help the Braves. Surgery could be a possibility.

John Smoltz, who tweaked his left hamstring on Sunday, said that he will make his scheduled start on Friday.
Even if he isn't at 100 percent, he has to be kept active in fantasy leagues.

Braves purchased the contract of RHP Tyler Yates from Triple-A Richmond.
Yates, who missed 2005 following rotator cuff surgery, has given up two runs in 8 1/3 innings since joining Richmond early this month. Subpar command will probably prevent him from helping the Braves right now, but he still has some potential as a short reliever

Braves optioned RHP Lance Cormier to Triple-A Richmond.
Cormier had a 6.10 ERA and a 9/17 K/BB ratio in 20 2/3 innings for the Braves. The 25-year-old has a ridiculously high walk rate for someone with such mediocre stuff. He may never be a successful reliever.


I think I'm the only person excited to see Yates up.

[DravenX]

I was wondering when someone was going to be demoted. If Yates can handle himself on the mound than I'm all for it. I'm excited just to get someone knew in their.

[Giants666]

Braves outfielder out for the season

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves outfielder Kelly Johnson underwent season-ending elbow surgery on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Johnson, who went down in spring training with a sore elbow, tried without success to rehab his injury in the minors. Finally, he was diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament -- an injury normally sustained by pitchers.

Dr. James Andrews performed season-ending Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in Birmingham, Ala.

Johnson played 87 games during his rookie season in 2005, hitting .241 with nine homers and 40 RBIss.

Even if Johnson had been able to come back, there probably wasn't a spot for him on Atlanta's roster. Matt Diaz was hitting .356 in a left-field platoon with Ryan Langerhans.

[General]

That's a *****. Sucks, really, because I had huge hopes for Johnson for this year.

Guess that's not coming to fruition.

[General]

Friday's game between the Diamondbacks and Braves was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
The Diamondbacks will start Enrique Gonzalez and Claudio Vargas in the doubleheader. The Braves will counter with John Smoltz and John Thomson

Brian McCann (ankle) threw on Friday for the first time since he went on the disabled list on May 24.
McCann will be eligible to come off the DL next Thursday, and the Braves are optimistic he'll be ready then.

Horacio Ramirez surrendered just a pair of unearned runs over seven innings Thursday against the Diamondbacks, but he still took a loss.
Juan Cruz outpitched him. Ramirez allowed three hits, walked five and struck out one. He's given up only one earned run in 14 innings since coming off the DL, and he'll be a fine play against the Nationals next week.

Kelly Johnson underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will miss the rest of the season.
Johnson struggled to return from offseason elbow surgery. Although he was hitting well in his rehab assignment at Triple-A Richmond, he couldn't throw without pain and elected for surgery now. It's hard to tell what the future holds for Johnson in Atlanta. The 24-year-old still could emerge as a regular, but the lost year hurts his chances. If he stays with the Braves, he'll probably compete for a bench job in spring training.

Andruw and Chipper Jones combined to go 5-for-7 with two homers, six runs scored, and five RBI against the Dodgers on Wednesday.
The homers were the 13th and 5th for Andruw and Chipper respectively. The win moves the Braves to second place in the NL East at 28-25.

[General]

2005 fifth-round pick Will Startup pitched a scoreless inning Friday in his second appearance for Triple-A Richmond.
Pitching at three levels, Startup has allowed two runs in 29 2/3 innings of relief this season. The Braves might try him as a lefty reliever later this season.

Yunel Escobar doubled three times and walked Friday for Double-A Mississippi.
Escobar has been splitting time between shortstop and third base while hitting .280/.380/.376 in 189 at-bats. Escobar won't be as good of a prospect if he can't stay at shortstop, but he could be a regular at second or third. The Braves hope they won't need him anytime soon.

[General]

Chris Reitsma gave up four runs in just one inning of work against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Arizona was already winning 5-3 when Reitsma entered to start the top of the ninth, but a three-run homer by Damion Easley and a solo blast by Tony Clark all but sealed the Braves' loss. Ken Ray had a difficult outing yesterday, but Reitsma's ERA is up to 7.20 and the closing duties are very much up in the air in Atlanta.

Chuck James (hamstring) allowed three runs in five innings for Triple-A Richmond on Saturday.
James has made five appearances on his rehab assignment, giving up six runs in 15 innings. The Braves don't have an opening in their rotation for him at the moment, so it's possible that they'll leave him at Triple-A after his rehab is over. The alternative would be to return him to their bullpen.

Matt Harrison improved to 7-3 at Single-A Myrtle Beach by allowing one run and four hits over eight innings on Saturday.
Working in a great ballpark for pitchers, Harrison, a 20-year-old lefty, has a 2.67 ERA in 11 starts. He's unlikely to be ready before the second half of 2007 or 2008, but he has No. 3-starter potential for the Braves.

Brian McCann (ankle) thinks he will be ready to be activated from the disabled list on Thursday.
"It's still a little sore, but getting better each day," said McCann. "I can jog on it a little bit. I'm not going to push it. I'm going to let it heal." McCann was able to hit off a tee on Saturday. He could hit batting practice pitching on Sunday

[General]

Tim Hudson surrendered five runs -- two earned -- in 5 2/3 innings versus the Nationals on Monday to fall to 5-4 on the season.
Hudson wasn't at his best by allowing eight hits, three walks, and a hit batsmen while needing 112 pitches to record 17 outs. However, he easily could have come away with a victory were it not for a pair of errors in the sixth inning. Adam LaRoche booted a grounder by Nick Johnson to start the inning, and Marcus Giles wildly threw home on a fielder's choice that allowed a pair of runs to score later in the inning. Hudson has a 3.94 ERA and gets the Astros next time out.

Jeff Francoeur went 2-for-3 with a single, a walk, and a two-run homer against the Nationals on Monday.
Francoeur has an impressive 11 homers and 41 RBI, but his .252 batting average and just four walks in 58 games means he's not helping the Braves all that much. The homer was his first since May 18. The potential is obviously there, but Francoeur will have to learn to be more selective at the plate if he wants to hit for a high average over the long-haul

John Smoltz will start Wednesday's game against the Washington on just three days' rest.
Smoltz is going to have to pitch on short rest due to the Braves' rainout on Friday and resulting doubleheader on Saturday. This is the second time this season Smoltz has started a game on three days' rest. His previous start on May 7 against the Mets he allowed three hits and one run in six innings