Braves News

"Like Mutt Mantle taught his son, Larry taught his only son Chipper to switch-hit in the backyard in Pierson, Fla. Now, 15 years into his career, Jones is in Mantle territory as one of the best switch-hitters ever. He needs four home runs to reach 400 for his career. He'll be only the third switch-hitter to get there after Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504). "When I started switch hitting, no way in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be hitting 400 homers in the big leagues," Chipper Jones said. "I was thinking: steal 30 bases a year, slap the ball and hit .300 from both sides.""

"Rafael Soriano is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, the first big test of the closer's right elbow since an MRI and bone scan Wednesday revealed no structural damage. Soriano played catch Friday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Manager Bobby Cox didn't know if John Smoltz would be cleared to begin light throwing this weekend, or if the Braves will have him wait a while longer."

"Chuck James already has gone back and forth between Class AAA Richmond and the majors three times this season and put an awful lot of miles on one unfortunate pair of slacks. Seems the notoriously carefree left-hander got separated from his suitcase the last time he was sent down to the minors. He decided to make do with the pants he had until reunited with his luggage. "I don't plan good enough for going up and going down this much," James said Friday, after catching a morning flight from Louisville to Pittsburgh, where he will start Saturday against Pittsburgh..."

"Fresh off a six-game homestand sweep, the Braves hit the road and were dealt another wrenching defeat, losing 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a four-game series at PNC Park. Freddy Sanchez's two-out, ninth-inning single off Jeff Bennett (0-2) was the game-ender, leaving Glavine with another no-decision after seven strong innings."

"Put Freddy Sanchez at the top of the batting order, and good things will happen. Friday night, Sanchez delivered a pair of clutch, late-inning hits -- including the game-winning single with two outs in the ninth inning -- to help the Pirates upend the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, and pick up their fourth consecutive victory. "

"It took until the Pirates' 35th game for the bullpen to blow a save, but Freddy Sanchez bailed them out. Sanchez had a two-run single to bring a 2-1 lead in the seventh and, after Damaso Marte and Tyler Yates allowed Atlanta to tie, Sanchez came through again in the ninth with a two-out RBI single to bring a 3-2 victory against the Braves tonight before 21,050 at PNC Park."

"The Pirates were bouncing in unison and pounding Freddy Sanchez on the helmet, moments after his two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning sunk the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, last night at PNC Park. "A great moment," first baseman Adam LaRoche called it. No one on the home side would dispute that, certainly not since it brought a four-game winning streak."

"In the midst of facing five left-handed pitchers in a six-day span, the Braves went ahead and activated super utility player Omar Infante from the disabled list Thursday a few days earlier than they first planned. Infante started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a single in his debut as a Brave. He also started a nice double play to save Jo-Jo Reyes a run in the first inning."

"John Smoltz said the pain in his shoulder has mostly subsided in 10 days of rest, and after a couple of days more he'll be ready to pick up a ball again by Sunday in Pittsburgh. He'll start by playing catch and eventually work up to a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Smoltz is gearing up to return as a reliever, he said, some time before the end of the month. "Something starting with a '2'," Smoltz said. "One of those days.""

"It might have been the last place the Braves thought to look for their first one-run win of the season — the rubble of a game where the Turner Field mojo had given way to what looked like a plague on their house. Both Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle had to leave the game with injuries, and they were the reinforcements. But five Braves relievers allowed only one run in the last 4 1/3 innings and set up the Braves for their first ninth-inning heroics of the season. Matt Diaz hit a walk-off single to left field with the bases loaded to bring the Braves a 5-4 victory over the Padres."

"Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes had to leave Thursday's start against the Padres with what appeared to be a blister, and Buddy Carlyle, who relieved Reyes, had to leave after a collision. Reyes was making his second start since being called on to replace John Smoltz in the rotation. He made it 2 2/3 innings and 51 pitches before leaving the game behind 2-1."

"Adrian Gonzalez sees no reason to praise any of the pitchers who are shutting down the Padres these days. "It comes down to, it doesn't matter who the pitcher is out there," said Gonzalez, the best hitter on the team. "Could be a young guy or an inexperienced guy or a veteran guy. Doesn't matter. We're just not producing. "As a team, we're not doing it." Gonzalez was speaking after the team's 16th defeat in the past 20 games, a 5-2 setback at Turner Field Wednesday night."

"Utility player Omar Infante has been recalled from his injury-rehab assignment at Class AAA Richmond and is expected to be in uniform for the Braves for Thursday's series finale with the Padres. Backup catcher Brayan Pena has a mid-back strain and likely will be placed on the 15-day DL."

"The Braves finally got some good medical news Wednesday when an MRI and bone scan of closer Rafael Soriano's right elbow showed no tears or other structural damage. "That was a relief," general manager Frank Wren said after meeting with team doctors and Soriano just before Wednesday night's game against San Diego...Soriano has been out since April 7 with elbow tendinitis, and the Braves became concerned by his slow recovery and lingering soreness that caused him to cut short recent bullpen sessions that were tests of his readiness to return."

"When the streaking Braves finally produced their first late-innings win of the season, the decisive hit came from the only Atlanta player with a higher batting average than Chipper Jones. Newly acquired bench player Greg Norton hit a bases-loaded, pinch-hit single in the seventh inning Wednesday night, breaking a tie and propelling the Braves to a 5-2 win against the San Diego Padres at Turner Field."

"According to the Phillies, Wolf turned down more guaranteed money from them before accepting a one-year offer from the Padres last season. Wolf is giving the Padres what they wanted, but it doesn't appear the Padres are giving him what the first-place Phillies might have given him: Solid support. Three times, Wolf has allowed two runs or fewer in six innings, yet not picked up the victory. He is holding right-handers to a .221 batting average. Against the Braves he is 4-9 with a 5.02 ERA."

"It's inexcusable for a major league team to lose 100 games in a season. Just ask Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, who made that statement several times in 2003 before the Padres wound up with 98 defeats. Don't look now, but this Padres team is on pace to lose 103 games. Sure, only 20 percent of the season is done, but by losing 15 of their last 19 games -- including Tuesday night's 5-3 decision to the Braves at Turner Field -- the Padres (12-21) are stirring up memories of 2003, their final year in Mission Valley."

"One day after the Braves traded for well-traveled bench player Greg Norton, the veteran was one of the first clubhouse arrivals Tuesday. "I just met [manager Bobby Cox] and asked him if I should call him 'Sir,' " said Norton, 35. "He's pretty much a legend." Norton, a switch-hitting corner outfielder/first baseman, was activated in the roster spot vacated by infielder Martin Prado, who has a partially torn thumb ligament and is expected to miss six to eight weeks."

"Braves closer Rafael Soriano will have an MRI and other tests done on his right elbow Wednesday to determine what is causing his lingering soreness. The right-hander has been on the disabled list for a month and had to cut short a bullpen session Tuesday after the soreness flared up again in his pitching elbow."

"While so much around them has gone awry in the early part of the Braves' season, Chipper Jones and rookie pitcher Jair Jurrjens have been like beacons shining through it all. Jurrjens pitched six strong innings, and Jones hit a decisive two-run homer in a 5-3 series-opening win against San Diego on Tuesday night at Turner Field, as the Braves won their fourth in a row since a four-game losing skid."

"After each of his past three outings, Young has said he is pleased with the life on his fastball, which he attributed to increased arm strength. Young, who will be working on an extra day of rest tonight, said it takes him 2-3 months to fully build up his arm. He also has cut down on his walks since detecting a delivery flaw after an erratic performance at Dodger Stadium on April 12."

"The Mariners traded infielder Greg Norton to the Atlanta Braves today in exchange for a player to be named later, or cash considerations. Norton was designated for assignment April 30 when Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien were recalled to the major-league roster. Seattle had 10 days to trade, release or assign Norton outright to the minors."

"The Braves stayed busy on an off-day Monday, trading for bench player Greg Norton from Seattle. Norton, 35, a switch-hitting corner infielder/outfielder, went 7-for-16 with two doubles in six games for the Mariners before being designated for assignment April 30. He strikes out plenty, but tends to hit the ball a long way when he connects, a skill that has kept him in the majors for parts of 12 seasons... The Braves will send a player to be named or cash to Seattle later this year to complete the trade."

"It just so happens none of the "Big Three," as Braves fans know them, is pitching during the series between the Braves and Padres starting tonight at Turner Field. Both Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux pitched Sunday, and John Smoltz is on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. They didn't have tee times on the off-day Monday either, though Smoltz said he and Maddux probably would get together for a bite to eat. But having all three pitchers at Turner Field perhaps one last time is still enough to bring out some goose bumps..."

"The Reds will likely make one move today. David Weathers is eligible to come off the disabled list. He's ready, so he'll be activated. But, in the wake of Sunday's 14-7 beating by the Atlanta Braves, the Reds would seem to be a team ripe for a shake-up, a major shake-up. The Reds have lost five straight. They went 3-6 on the road trip. They are tied for worst the record in baseball at 12-20."

"Reliever Jorge Campillo's dropped-from-the-sky success with the Braves reached an emotional crescendo Saturday, when Javier Campillo saw his 29-year-old son pitch in a major league game for the first time — and wept. "He became very emotional," Jorge Campillo said through a translator. "Because for the first time in his life, he got to watch his son pitch in the big leagues, and for the Braves at Turner Field.""

"Braves utility infielder Martin Prado will be examined by a hand specialist Monday to determine the extend of ligament damage in his sprained left thumb. "Prado's not OK — he's got a pretty damaged thumb right now," manager Bobby Cox said after Sunday's game, when Prado was injured while sliding head-first on an infield single in the fifth inning."

"So let’s get picky for a moment, because when you’re talking about tight competition in a division for long stretches, you’re also talking about little things becoming big things. Actually, this is a big thing: Courtesy of injuries and whatever else, the Braves starting pitchers are pathetic regarding baseball’s most underrated statistic, which is innings pitched. The more innings thrown by your starters, the less thrown by your relievers. Not only that, the higher probability you’ll win more than you lose."

"Braves broadcaster Joe Simpson missed Sunday's game after undergoing an emergency appendectomy early Sunday at Piedmont Hospital. Broadcast partner Skip Caray said Simpson felt queasy in the late innings of the game they called Saturday night. He had surgery at about 5 a.m. Sunday."

"Chipper Jones homered and drove in five runs, and the first three in the Braves' lineup totaled 10 hits and 10 RBIs in a 14-7 win Sunday at Turner Field. The Braves pounded starter Bronson Arroyo and the Cincy bullpen to complete a three-game sweep."

"One of the most captivating baseball careers of the last 20 years took another twist last week. John Smoltz's decision to remove himself from the Atlanta rotation and return to the bullpen could have major repercussions in the National League East race. Plagued by right shoulder problems that have pushed him onto the disabled list, he announced last week that his days as a starting pitcher are over. He no longer thinks his 40-year-old pitching arm can handle the rigors of 200-inning seasons and 100-pitch outings. Smoltz should know."

"The Reds' bullpen - good all year - was very bad Saturday night. Mike Lincoln, Jeremy Affeldt and Jared Burton combined to give up six runs in the seventh inning in the Reds' 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. "That's a good game - a real good game - that went bad in one inning," Reds manager Dusty Baker said."

"The miracle Peter Moylan was hoping for took a serious — and perhaps final — blow Saturday. The side-arming Australian, who had one of the top rookie seasons in baseball last year, had to stop a bullpen session after only seven pitches. He'll have his elbow examined by team doctors Sunday morning but seemed ready to face the prospect that season-ending surgery is coming."

"With John Smoltz gearing up for a move to the bullpen, and Mike Hampton stuck on the shelf for at least another month, Jo-Jo Reyes had an opportunity to do a lot more than beat the Reds on Saturday night in his first major-league start of the season. He could make an impression on Bobby Cox, who's taking a hard look at how the rotation might evolve after the latest round of injuries. Cox liked what he saw Saturday in a 9-1 victory over Cincinnati — and gave Reyes a hearty pat on the back as he took the ball from him in the sixth inning."

"Just turned 36, Chipper Jones is passing a rare threshold in contemporary baseball. He has been a Brave for half his life, 18 years in one organization. Some nations don't last so long. Jones does not mark time that way. He dates himself to a Saturday afternoon in June 1987, when the Braves played Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Seven home runs, 20 hits, a couple of ejections. Braves Dale Murphy and Ken Griffey homered back-to-back in the third, after which the Reds' Bill Gullickson plunked the Braves' Andres Thomas, starting a brawl. Braves won, 8-6. A 15-year-old farm kid, up from Central Florida with his family, drank in every drop from the upper deck, his first major league game. It was the day Chipper Jones and the Braves met."

"In his last three starts entering Friday, Edinson Volquez had gotten nine runs, eight runs and 10 runs of support. "I needed a couple of them tonight," he said. He certainly did. Volquez pitched up to the lofty standards he set for himself this year, but his defense and offense let him down in a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves before a crowd of 32,057 at Turner Field Friday."

"All signs have been pointing to season-ending elbow surgery for Peter Moylan... except for how Moylan feels. After two weeks of resting his elbow, in which a bone spur is growing into a ligament, Moylan has felt good enough to begin throwing again. After three days of playing catch, he's set to throw in the bullpen Saturday to give the elbow a test. After feeling "pretty good" throwing from 120 feet Friday, Moylan was not ruling out a return this season."

"Mike Hampton won't be ready to return any time soon from an aggravated pectoral muscle, but an MRI ruled out the worst-case scenario: a tear and another season-ending surgery. And yes, a guy who hasn't pitched in 32 months, let the idea of not pitching this season — or ever again — creep into his mind after re-injuring himself Wednesday in a rehab outing for Class AAA Richmond."

"Tim Hudson is way too nice and too mellow of a guy for all the questions about his pitching form to get a rise out of him. But he pitched Friday night like it had been eating at him. From the first inning on, Hudson pitched with velocity, command and authority that had been missing for parts of his past three starts and dominated the Reds on Friday night for a 2-0 complete-game shutout."

"Implications of John Smoltz's impending move to the bullpen continue to shake out. Smoltz addressed some of those Friday, as he looks ahead to two weeks of rest and then probably a minor-league rehab assignment. "

"It's fitting that May begins with a semi-crucial series for the Reds. The three-game series that opens today with a 7:35 p.m. game with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field isn't going to vault the Reds into first place. It's not even in the division. But it represents a chance to have a winning road trip. The Reds are 3-3 so far. So if they win two of three or sweep in Atlanta, they come home after a successful trip."

"Even in an extended spring training game against rookies, Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez wore his typically fierce demeanor. Back on Field 3 at the Braves Disney complex Tuesday, Gonzalez revved into his motion by rocking back and forth over the rubber. He cocked his left forearm, elbow out, like he was about to fire something. Gonzalez doesn't so much as release a pitch as erupt. Less than a year removed from elbow reconstruction surgery, the one-time closer for Pittsburgh is gearing up to return to the Braves bullpen with as much fervor as ever."

"Kelly Johnson's sore lower back made the second baseman a late scratch for Wednesday's series finale at Washington. Ruben Gotay played second base and left fielder Gregor Blanco moved up to bat leadoff. Johnson has been dealing with back pain recently and a slump even longer."

"In the last hours of their dispiriting April, the Braves executed a new method of late-innings collapse in yet another one-run defeat. The 12th inning at Nationals Park was an unmitigated disaster for the Braves, relatively speaking. Mark Kotsay hit a two-out RBI single in the 12th for a one-run lead, but Washington scored two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 3-2 win, extending the Braves' losing streak to four games."

"A day after the Braves' John Smoltz told the Journal-Constitution he would consider moving back to the closer role to help the team and his balky shoulder, manager Bobby Cox acknowledged it's an option. "We always think about it," Cox said. Smoltz went on the DL Tuesday with inflammation of the right rotator cuff and a biceps tendon, and told the AJC he would consider every option -- including possibly moving back to closer -- to help him get through the season."

"Mike Hampton's protracted comeback trail took another turn Wednesday when the pitcher left a minor-league game with more discomfort in his left pectoral muscle. He left in the fourth inning of Class AAA Richmond's game at Durhman, N.C., after throwing 71 pitches in what had been an encouraging outing to that point."

"They had lost so many games earlier in the month in excruciating fashion, whether through a lack of clutch hitting or a poor pitching performance or some little fluke that turned disastrous. So when the Washington Nationals came to bat in the 12th inning yesterday evening, trailing the Atlanta Braves by a run, there was perhaps a sense throughout Nationals Park that it was time for fortunes to swing over in Washington's favor at long last. A few minutes later, the Nationals stormed back to win 3-2 behind two walks, an infield single, a fielding error and Felipe Lopez's bases-loaded single over a drawn-in outfield."

"What resulted, somehow, was perhaps all the breaks that worked against them over a miserable first three weeks of the season coming back in their favor. The final: Nationals 3, Atlanta Braves 2, with the tying run coming on a bases-loaded walk in the 12th, the winning run one pitch later on López's fly ball single to left."

"Nobody could have seen this coming through the rose-colored glasses of spring. The Braves finally had it right. Your trusty correspondent even referred to them as “pitcher-rich.” Six starters and only room for five."

"Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer spoke for the first time Tuesday about his 50-game suspension for the use of human growth hormone (HGH). There's a lot the center fielder has been advised not to say."