Braves' 2008 Regular Season News

[DravenX]

I started a new news thread to have a fresh thread for the 2008 season.

News from the 4th of April.

The Braves will place Mike Hampton on the 15-day disabled list with a strained pectoral and recall Jo-Jo Reyes prior to Friday's game.
Reyes' promotion should be short-lived, as the Braves are expected to activate Chuck James to start in Hampton's place next week. Jeff Bennett will return to the bullpen.

Braves recalled LHP Jo-Jo Reyes from Triple-A Richmond.
Reyes will be available out of the bullpen in Friday's game. He's likely to be sent down when Chuck James comes off the DL to join the rotation next week.

Braves placed LHP Mike Hampton on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 30, with a strained left pectoral muscle.
Hampton will be eligible to return in 10 days, but it seems unlikely that he'll be back then. Chuck James is going to replace him in Atlanta's rotation.

Reyes has not impressed me yet so I'm hoping he will turn things around.

[DravenX]

News from the 5th of April.

Tommy Hanson allowed no hits over five innings and struck out 13 of the 16 hitters he faced Friday for Single-A Myrtle Beach.
He was involved in a great dual with Royals prospect Blake Wood, who gave up just one hit in 5 1/3 innings and struck out nine batters himself. Hanson pitched well enough after moving up to Myrtle Beach last year that there was a good case for bumping him up to Double-A to begin this year. He'll probably be one of the first prospects promoted by the Braves.

John Smoltz (shoulder) will start Sunday after all, with Tom Glavine getting pushed back to Monday.
The Braves originally announced that they'd keep the same rotation after Friday's rainout, but they decided they wanted Smoltz pitching in warmer weather in Atlanta rather than in the cold in Colorado. Glavine will now go Monday at Coors Field.

Kelly Johnson, again out of the lineup because of a sore knee, contributed a pinch-hit grand slam off the bench Saturday against the Mets.
The slam was his second in 19 at-bats with the bases loaded. If he wasn't well enough to start today, it's hard to imagine him playing Sunday against left-hander Johan Santana. Perhaps he'll be ready to go on Monday.

Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in the Braves' 11-5 defeat of the Mets on Saturday.
The Braves also got a grand slam from Kelly Johnson and three hits from Chipper Jones to make a winner of Tim Hudson. Francoeur has hit in five straight to open the season. He has four RBI and four runs scored in the contests.

I sure hope Johnson can play today against Santana. I would rather have him than Prado.

[DravenX]

News from the 6th of April.

Tom Glavine will not face his former team, the Mets, this weekend.
Braves manager Bobby Cox decided to bump up John Smoltz, who is dealing with shoulder inflammation, for Sunday's start against the Mets in Atlanta. Cox doesn't want to expose Smoltz's arm to the sup-40 degree temperatures during the Braves' next series in Colorado. Glavine will start the first game of that series.

Braves optioned LHP Jo-Jo Reyes to Triple-A Richmond.
The Braves thought they'd need Reyes for relief depth on Friday, but a rainout took care of that. He returns to the minors to make room for John Smoltz.

Braves activated RHP John Smoltz from the 15-day disabled list.
Smoltz will face the Mets today in his return from a sore shoulder.

Kelly Johnson is back in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Even though he had a grand slam off the bench yesterday, it's a big surprise to see Johnson returning versus Johan Santana. He had been out of the lineup since Monday with a sore knee.

Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer off Mets reliever Aaron Heilman as the Braves picked up a 3-1 victory on Sunday.
At the time the homer only increased the Braves' lead, but it turned out to be the difference as the Mets added a run in the ninth. Teixeira also made a great stop on a Brian Schneider grounder in the ninth to protect the two-run lead. The grounder went over the bag and was already a foot foul by the time it reached Teixeira, but he made the diving stop anyway to prevent two runs from scoring and end the game.

John Smoltz threw five shutout innings against the Mets to pick up a win in his return from a sore shoulder today.
Smoltz struck out six, walked two, and gave up two hits while throwing 78 pitches. The shoulder tightness that kept him out of a Spring Training start wasn't much to worry about according to Smoltz and the Braves, and for now that appears to be the case. The shoulder acted up at times last season and there's still a distinct possibility it will limit him more this season, so don't write off the injury just yet.

John Smoltz said he felt a knot in the back of his shoulder while throwing five scoreless innings in his return from the DL on Sunday.
"It’s all right. I just didn’t want to take a chance," he said after his early exit. "This is my first test. I didn’t fail it." Smoltz is expected to make his next start.

Smoltz pitched great in 5 innings today. He did not give up a run and struck out 6. However, he walked 2 in the first inning. The home plate umpire called a strike and he wouldn't call it again the next time. I never count out Smoltz no matter what happens. He has always been a fighter.

Mark Teixeira did very well both offensive and defensive today. He gave the Braves much needed insurance runs with a two-run homer in the 8th and he saved two runs in the top of the 9th driving for a ground ball over the first base bag.

Looking forward to seeing Glavine pitched tomorrow in Colorado. I missed his first start. Should be a good 4 games. I believe Chipper hit into an unassisted triple play against the Rockies last year. Chipper was 0-3 with a walk today so he should be outstanding tomorrow.

[DravenX]

News from the 18th of April.

The Braves will place Tom Glavine (hamstring) on the DL for the first time in his career following Friday's game.
The Braves were hoping Glavine could go Saturday, but he wasn't going to be ready, and the team needed to place him on the DL to bring in another start. Jo-Jo Reyes figures to get the nod tomorrow.

Jeff Bennett threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings Friday in his start against the Dodgers.
With just a 2-0 lead, the Braves didn't let Bennett go for the win after he let two reach with two outs in the fifth. Will Ohman came in and struck out Andre Ethier to end the frame. The southpaw ended up being credited with the victory after also pitching a scoreless sixth. Whether Bennett makes any additional starts could depend on how Chuck James performs in place of Tom Glavine on Saturday.

Chipper Jones had a second straight two-homer game and drove in four of the Braves' six runs Friday in a victory over the Dodgers.
Simply an incredible start. Chipper is batting .455/.486/.773 in 65 at-bats. He's tied for the major league lead with six homers, and he tops in NL in average and RBI (18). If he continues to play at an MVP level throughout his age-36 season, there will no longer be any doubt at all about his Hall of Fame chances.

It's a shame Bennett was not able to get the win but I suppose Cox didn't want to take a chance and the way things have been going I don't blame him.

Chipper is once again hitting the ball very well. It will be fun to see him play throughout the season.

[DravenX]

News from the 19th of April.

Braves recalled LHP Chuck James from Triple-A Richmond.
The Braves had the option of going to Jo-Jo Reyes, but he was left in Triple-A to throw five scoreless innings tonight. James, who was awful in his one major league start on April 9, will face the Dodgers on Saturday.

Braves placed LHP Tom Glavine on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 14, with a strained hamstring.
Glavine was surprised by the news and still believed on Friday afternoon that he was going to be cleared to start Saturday. Instead, Chuck James will take his place versus the Dodgers. Glavine should be ready to go on April 29.

Mike Gonzalez has pitched effectively in simulated games at extended spring training and is ahead of schedule in his recovery from Tommy John Surgery.
Originally, after Gonzalez underwent the surgery, he wasn't expected back until the All-Star break. He showed progress at spring training which pushed his return to early June. Now the Braves are talking about him being ready by late May. He has another month of simulated games, then could start a rehab assignment.

Matt Diaz is on the bench in favor of Gregor Blanco for a second straight game on Saturday.
The Braves had used the same outfield in 15 straight games before giving Diaz the day off on Friday. There's been no indication that Diaz is hurt. Blanco reached base three times last night, which is probably why he's back in there today.

Manny Acosta earned his first career save after pitching a scoreless ninth Saturday against the Dodgers.
Acosta's season ERA stands at 4.50, but evey run he allowed came in his season debut. He's pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings during April. With Rafael Soriano apparently about to return, Acosta might not get any additional saves. However, he's not a bad choice in NL-only leagues anyway.

Chuck James tossed five innings of one-run ball to beat the Dodgers in his spot start Saturday.
An Andruw Jones homer was the only damage. James figures to get one more start next week before Tom Glavine comes off the DL, and if he also pitches well then, it's likely that he'll stay in the rotation until Mike Hampton returns, which could happen in early May or sometime in the year 3,000. He's not yet a safe play in NL-only leagues.

Now that James is pitching in Game 2 I sure hope he found whatever he lost while in Richmond because he is going to need it.

Sounds like Gonzo should be back before the break. That would be great news for the bullpen.