November 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Was just about to write a new blog when the news broke that Tony La Russa is going out on top, retiring after his Cardinals won the World Series. This came only about 30 minutes after I got a call in my Phoenix hotel room from someone asking me if I thought Terry Pendleton might be interested in becoming a manager. My guess is that TP, who started his career in the Cardinals organization and played seven seasons for St. Louis, will be mentioned as a candidate for the Cardinals managerial job, a year after being switched from hitting coach to first-base coach with the Braves."
October 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist David O'Brien
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Two days after the Braves were eliminated from the postseason, Braves general manager Frank Wren shared his thoughts about where the Braves go from here. In a candid interview Friday with selected members of the media, Wren said he didn't envision Derek Lowe with a spot in the starting rotation next season as of now. He said the Braves have no plans to trade Jason Heyward but he will have to fight for a job in right field. And he stood behind the job manager Fredi Gonzalez did despite the Braves' September collapse. Here are excerpts from that hour-long interview. Q. What about Derek Lowe? A. He had a very tough finish to the year, and going into next season there's, it's hard to"
September 28
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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If the sputtering Braves manage to back their way into the postseason, the question could be whether they keep skidding pitcher Derek Lowe a part of their starting rotation once they get there. Lowe got knocked around again Tuesday by the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Braves lost their fourth consecutive game and seventh in nine on a night when the last bit of their wild-card lead, a lead that once seemed insurmountable, was erased. The Braves were blasted 7-1 by the Phillies at Turner Field in the next-to-last game of the regular season, while St. Louis beat Houston 13-6 to pull even with the Braves in the National League wild-card standings."
September 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A year ago, the struggling Braves turned to Derek Lowe in September and marveled at how the veteran pitcher turned up his performance and helped lift them into the postseason. They've turned to him this September and rarely seen anything resembling the pitcher who carved a reputation for big performances when they mattered most. Not that he's getting much help either. Lowe wasn't bad Wednesday, but wasn't nearly good enough on a night when Florida's Javier Vazquez dominated Braves hitters in a 4-0 Marlins win that cut more from Atlanta's now scant wild-card lead."
September 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Cliff Lee had won just once in six career starts against the Braves, and Derek Lowe had pitched better against Lee's Phillies this season than Lee against the Braves. There was a market correction both ways Monday night. Lee dominated the Braves and Lowe was hit hard in a 9-0 series-opening loss against Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. Lee (16-7) pitched a five-hit shutout with no walks and six strikeouts, extending his winning streak to seven consecutive starts and lowering his ERA to 0.37 ERA in the past six. Lowe (9-13) gave up eight hits and seven runs (five earned) in five innings and the Braves lost for the sixth time in 10 games. They fell to 8-1/2 games behind the"
September 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
He waited until the figurative September of his career to hit his first home run Wednesday, but Derek Lowe hasn't waited quite until September to turn around his season. Home runs by 39-year-old Chipper Jones and 38-year-old Lowe staked the Braves to an early lead in a 3-1 win against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field, and closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts for his major league rookie-record 41st save. "That's a good night all the way around for the Braves," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose team ended a two-game skid and remained 7-1/2 behind National League East leader Philadelphia. The Braves' wild-card lead was nine games over St. Louis"
August 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nothing that Derek Lowe did in the weeks leading to September 2010 portended his dominant pitching that month. Not much of what the veteran Braves pitcher has done lately indicates he's poised for another rousing September. But he's at least made some recent progress. That's the best positive spin anyone could put on Lowe, who gave up three runs in the second inning of a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, which snapped the Braves' six-game winning streak. Home runs by Chipper Jones and Alex Gonzalez in the seventh and eighth innings made things interesting, but the Braves had just one other hit and lost for only the fifth time in their past 20 games. Jason"
August 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez indicated Wednesday that he plans to stick by the struggling veteran Derek Lowe, who lost for the fourth time in five starts Tuesday night, allowing eight runs in four innings to the Nationals. "Like any athlete that goes though some tough stretches – hitters go through it, pitchers go through it, bullpen guys go through it, and closers," Gonzalez said. "I think we're going through that a little bit like that. You ride it out.""
July 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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There are reasons that Detroit and possibly another team or two has at least some interest in trading for Derek Lowe for the stretch run. For one thing, the 38-year-old pitcher has been through many pennant races and postseasons, and proven himself under the most pressure-filled situations, as fans of the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox can attest. He has a 3.21 ERA in 21 postseason games (12 starts), and he has a 27-16 record and career-best 3.15 ERA in September, including an unbeaten last month in 2010 that was instrumental in the Braves getting back to the playoffs. (He was terrific in September, when other Braves pitchers were hurt or slumping.) Lowe, who has an 86-88 career"
July 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If any teams with trade interest in Braves pitcher Derek Lowe checked him out Monday night against Colorado, they surely were impressed for six innings. Freddie Freeman and Eric Hinske homered in the third inning and the Braves built a 7-1 lead through six, then held on for a 7-4 win to open a four-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field. It was the 13th win in 17 games for the Braves, who closed to within 2-1/2 games of first-place Philadelphia in the National League East. The Phillies lost 6-1 to the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Hot-hitting Freeman must look like an MVP candidate to the Rockies, and not just a potential Rookie of the Year. The 21-year-old first baseman had three hits"
July 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
Alex Gonzalez brought the handfuls of dirt. Peter Moylan brought the cups of water. Everybody else just pounded Freddie Freeman into a celebratory submission and Baptism following his first career game-winning hit Sunday. A win over the Washington Nationals normally wouldn't seem like a cause for such a celebration, but these haven't come easy. The Braves had to scramble and rally twice to beat a Nationals team that generally has been a punching bag since 2005 (459-607) but insists on punching back against Atlanta (the all-time series would've been tied at 59-59 with a different result Sunday). But if you're the Braves, this game was a good sign. They somehow turned an ugly sequence of"
July 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Derek Lowe was convinced the Braves were about to trade him two winters ago, and it didn't happen. The Braves traded Javier Vazquez instead. Now that his name has resurfaced in trade speculation, he's not as fazed. Lowe had a little fun with a Saturday report that his native Detroit Tigers had expressed interested in trading for him. "Detroit," said Lowe, the Dearborn, MI native, he announced to teammates when he arrived in the Braves clubhouse, drawing some mock applause. "Hey, I'm going to the American League." He makes light, but that's probably just because he's a 38-year-old veteran who's played for four different organizations, with the Mariners, Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves. "It's"
July 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Braves pitchers have had a season-long competition to determine who among them is the best hitter, and Tim Hudson's two-run homer in a 2-0 win against Toronto last month seemingly decided the issue early. But that was before Derek Lowe struck a blow Tuesday. A three-run blow. The veteran pitcher's bases-loaded double down the left-field line gave the Braves a four-run lead in the fourth inning, and they hung on for a 5-3 win against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. "Our pitchers work extremely hard [on hitting]," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves have won seven of eight games and 12 of their past 15. "As a group [Braves pitchers] are pretty good. We're pretty good getting"
June 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Braves came with a four-game winning streak and the second-best record in the National League, but Friday was a reminder of their biggest flaw. They don't hit much. If that seems an odd thing to point out after a game in which the Braves were blown out 11-2 by the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, well, it's not if one considers how close the game was much of the night. The Padres led 2-0 after five innings against the Braves' Derek Lowe (3-6), whose winless streak is at nine starts. He had not pitched poorly to that point, and retired 10 consecutive batters after giving up a run in the second inning and another run in the third. Meanwhile, Braves hitters were going down with alarming"
June 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After Derek Lowe took a no-hitter to the seventh inning and Eric O'Flaherty bailed him out of a bases-loaded jam, it was up to Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel to get the Braves through the last two innings. Kimbrel blew a two-run lead in the ninth and the Braves had to go to extra innings (again) before pulling out a 3-2 win against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday night. Freddie Freeman hit the go-ahead single in the 10th inning, and Braves reliever Scott Linebrink struck out Gaby Sanchez with two on and two out in the bottom of the inning for his first save since July 3, 2009. Freeman's winning RBI came after a one-out walk by Chipper Jones and a Brian McCann single."
May 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Four days after a foot blister spoiled his no-hit bid at Philadelphia, Braves pitcher Derek Lowe said the problem was taken care of and he'd be ready to make his next scheduled start Thursday against Washington. Lowe threw a normal between-starts session in the bullpen Tuesday and was upbeat about his return. "It's all bandaged up," he said, pointing to the area of his bottom right shoe where the blister developed from rubbing against the spikes he wore in Friday's game. Lowe hobbled through the fifth and sixth innings, but didn't give up a hit until the Phillies had back-to-back hits to start the seventh. That's when he left the game. Left-hander Eric O'Flaherty struck out the next three"
May 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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With five days between starts, Derek Lowe thinks the blister on the bottom of his foot won't stop him from making his next scheduled start Thursday against the Nationals. Monday's off day doesn't hurt. "The extra day will be good," Lowe said. "My body will heal at its own rate. I imagine now, knowing going into it, there's a lot more you can do to it as far as putting pads and what have you." Lowe rubbed a blister in the midst of no-hitting the Phillies Friday night, which he kept until the first batter of the seventh inning. The blister burst as he faced the second hitter of the fifth inning. He tried to battle through it but had to come out after giving up back-to-back hits in the"
May 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Just a week after Derek Lowe made headlines with a DUI arrest, he set out to make news of another kind, a historic kind. Lowe took a no-hitter against the Phillies into the seventh inning of 5-0 win Friday night, flirting with what would have been the second no-hitter of his career, before a blister on his right foot and Shane Victorino spoiled his plans. Victorino singled to left to lead off the seventh inning in a flurry of back-to-back hits, and Lowe was gone. He left two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the seventh and the Braves leading only 3-0. But the Braves' bullpen kept the shutout intact with no-hit work of its own. Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel"
May 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If the tumult of the past few days had any effect on his performance, Braves pitcher Derek Lowe wasn't about to say so. Or even entertain the question. He gave up three runs in the first inning Sunday against St. Louis, less than 72 hours after being arrested and charged with DUI and racing his Porsche down Peachtree Road in Buckhead. Lowe and Braves officials said they never considered not starting him Sunday. He allowed four hits to the first five batters he faced, including consecutive one-out doubles by Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman that drove in three runs. Lowe retired 11 of the next 12 batters and lasted five innings, surrendering six hits, four runs and two walks with five"
May 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
Professional athletes are creatures of habit. So it's not a reach to suggest Derek Lowe probably felt slightly off-kilter at the outset of his start Sunday. Why? Because lying on a prison cot for several hours three nights before a start is not part of his usual routine. "Something like that has a way of humbling you," Braves teammate Chipper Jones said Sunday. "Derek is one of the class clowns in here. He's one of the more outgoing, funny guys. He's one of the guys who keeps the clubhouse mood light. But you can see it affected his personality a little bit." It also may have affected his performance at the outset Sunday - not that we'll ever know because Lowe wouldn't let anybody peek"
April 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe, who allegedly raced another driver down Peachtree Road in Buckhead Thursday night before being stopped and charged with driving under the influence, has apologized in a statement released by the Braves. "I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, fans and the Braves organization for the attention arising from this matter, however I am hopeful that this incident will not be a distraction to the Braves organization while we are focused on returning to the playoffs," the 37-year old pitcher said. "This is a legal matter and I anticipate this case can promptly be resolved within the court system." Lowe, who was driving a 2011 Porsche Panamera, was"
April 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
No doubt, it's a dark day for the Braves. While sorting out the next step to take with pitching coach Roger McDowell and allegations that he made anti-gay remarks and gestures to some Giants fans, came this morning's news about Derek Lowe. The 37-year-old Opening Day starter, one of their team leaders and on a normal day the most positive guy, and great clubhouse influence, was arrested last night at 10 p.m. for DUI in Buckhead. To have two things of this nature come to light in a span of 36 hours is as big a one-two punch as I can remember in my 16 years (off and on) around the Braves. McDowell, at least so far, has not been nearly the firestorm kicked up by John Rocker in 1999 with his"
April 29
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Atlanta Braves pitcher Derek Lowe was arrested overnight for driving under the influence. The 37-year-old pitcher was taken to the Atlanta city jail. Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright told the AJC that Lowe was stopped around 10 p.m. on Peachtree Road at Rumson Road. The trooper "detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" and gave Lowe a field sobriety test, Wright said. Lowe refused to take a state-administered alcohol test, he said. Wright said Lowe was also charged with reckless driving and failure to maintain lane."
April 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves pitcher Derek Lowe will pitch Wednesday's game in Los Angeles on short rest. Lowe was originally scheduled to pitch Friday against the Mets but had his start pushed back a day because of Friday's rain-out, and he started Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets. Lowe's spot comes up against on Wednesday and Jair Jurrjens, Saturday's Game 2 starter, will pitch on regular rest Thursday. The Braves, who don't have another off day until April 28, chose to go with Lowe on three days' rest rather than call on Mike Minor from Triple-A Gwinnett or try to piece together an outing from their bullpen. That's fine by Lowe, who indicated an extra days' rest Saturday might have cost him"
April 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe has given up only three runs in his past two starts and lost both of them. That's because the Braves have been shut out in each of his past two starts - by Yovani Gallardo Tuesday in Milwaukee and Cole Hamels and two Phillies relievers on Sunday. Just when Lowe's doing some of his best work as a Brave, that old run support he got early in his tenure here seems to have vanished. Sunday's loss dropped him to 1-2 despite a 1.45 ERA. He has quality starts in each of his last two outings but he's not using that as consolation. "I don't believe in quality-start stats," Lowe said. "You either win or you lose and that's it. I don't take small victories out of this game. Back-to-back"
March 31
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe is going for his third straight win on Opening Day Thursday when the Braves start the season in Washington against the Nationals. But it hasn't always been quite that easy for the 37-year-old right-hander. Lowe actually lost three consecutive Opening Day starts as a Dodger with an 8.44 ERA. And last year he benefitted from a 16-run onslaught by the Braves over the Cubs on a day he gave up five runs in six innings. The eight shutout innings he pitched against the Phillies on Opening Day 2009 are actually the anomaly, Lowe said. He's 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA in six Opening Day starts overall."
March 27
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Derek Lowe planned for a nice tune-up start Saturday, but instead the Braves pitcher got knocked around by Mets hitters and undermined by his own defense. The Braves made five errors and Lowe was charged with seven hits and six runs (four earned) in an 8-2 road loss against the New York Mets. It was Lowe's final spring game before his opening-day start March 31 at Washington. "It's hard to gear up, but on the other hand you don't want to go out there and be a human batting-practice machine, either, like I was at times [Saturday]," Lowe said. "I'm happy we're done. It wasn't the sharpest game, no doubt about it. It really wasn't very good, that's what it boils down to. "But the second"
March 21
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Opening Day starter Derek Lowe gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Astros Sunday in his second-to-last start of spring training. He came away pleased with the work he did stretching out to 95 pitches, battling through fatigue. "I felt it the last inning and a half," said Lowe, who gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out five. "But you need that feeling, the fifth and the sixth where your legs are tired and you run the bases. You take that as a positive." He's allowed only one run in 14 innings in his first four starts of spring. Overall he has a 1.86 ERA (four runs in 19 2/3 innings). Lowe will make one more tune-up start on Saturday, going three or four innings against"
March 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
A year ago, Bobby Cox announced Derek Lowe as the Braves' opening-day starter five weeks before the game. New Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez waited until 15 days before opening day to make a similar announcement. On Wednesday, Gonzalez named Lowe his starter for the March 31 opener at Washington, making it three seasons in a row and six out of seven that Lowe will start on opening day. Tim Hudson starts the April 8 home opener vs. Philadelphia. "He was solid the last month and half of the season, and has been this spring," Gonzalez said of Lowe, who was 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five September starts to win National League pitcher of the month honors and help the Braves win the wild-card"
March 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe threw 30 strikes in 44 pitches over three scoreless innings of his second spring start, and his leadoff double in the third inning was one more hit than the Mets had against him Saturday. Braves pitchers didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning of a 6-4 win against the New York Mets. Reliever Anthony Varvaro gave up four hits and three runs while recording just two outs in the sixth, while the Mets mustered just two hits against the Braves' six other pitchers. "I probably threw seven (curveballs) and a couple of changeups," said Lowe, who didn't throw any breaking balls in his first start last week, and hadn't planned to throw more than a few Saturday before competitiveness"
March 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nobody had to see the two scoreless innings Derek Lowe threw Monday to know that he returns to the mound with the same confidence he had last September. It was what he didn't do in a 13-3 win over the Astros in his first outing of spring training that gave it away. Lowe didn't throw a single breaking ball to the Astros, the pitch he says made the biggest difference in his turnaround late last season, when he went 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in September. On the suggestion of his trainer, Lowe decided to table his breaking ball for the first two weeks of camp, to help his stamina in the long run as he approaches his 37th birthday in June. But now he knows the breaking pitch will still be there."
February 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Pitching plans announced by Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez pointed toward Derek Lowe as a likely opening-day starter, but Gonzalez cautioned not to make assumptions. Jair Jurrjens starts the Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and fifth-starter candidates Rodrigo Lopez, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy will pitch two innings apiece in Sunday's spring home opener against the Mets. Lowe is scheduled to start Monday and Tommy Hanson on Tuesday (both games against Houston), followed by Tim Hudson on Wednesday against Boston. Gonzalez said the Braves would use that same order for the first 15 days of Grapefruit League games. "This is not the rotation"
October 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
A Braves fan held up a sign in honor of Derek Lowe Monday night that read: "D Lowe is D Man." Oh and how he almost was. Facing elimination from the postseason and from Bobby Cox's 25-year tenure as Braves manager, the Braves turned to the geeked-up guy on their staff who's been auditioning for this job the last month of the season - go-to pitcher. Lowe continued his renaissance on the mound for the better part of 6 1/3 innings Monday against the Giants. He allowed only two hits - one a Cody Ross solo homer, the second a dribbler down the third base line from Buster Posey. But that swinging bunt and a walk to Aubrey Huff opened the door to a two-run seventh inning for the Giants and a 3-2"
October 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe is a high energy guy to begin with. So when he feels the postseason adrenaline kick in - he's ready for anything. A start in Game 4 for the Braves on three days' rest? Just part of the program for the veteran of 22 postseason games, including 11 starts with the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox. He's been lobbying manager Bobby Cox since before he made his Game 1 start in San Francisco to come back in Game 4. Monday night he gets his wish. "This time of year, adrenaline kicks in," Lowe said. "You can pitch. I'll make myself available for Game 5, if there's one." With closer Billy Wagner (oblique) out this series and the next if the Braves advance, Lowe is ready to relieve too. He has"
October 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves manager Bobby Cox indicated after Friday's game, that he's leaning toward pitching Derek Lowe in Game 4 on Monday against the Giants. Cox would go with Lowe on three days' rest over rookie Brandon Beachy, who has only three starts of major league experience. Lowe pitched 5 1/3 innings in a 1-0 loss Thursday to Tim Lincecum, who struck out 14 in a complete gave victory in Game 1. "He threw, if you subtract the intentional walk, I think only 88 pitches, and he's been politicking before the series started," Cox said of Lowe. "And he's good on three [days rest]. He didn't throw a lot of pitches, he didn't labor. Right now I would lean toward him, subject to change, but I don't know why"
October 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
The implausibility of the Braves making it back to the postseason despite a cartoon-like series of medical pitfalls and a lineup seemingly written in wet sand - Look out! Wave! - is dwarfed by only this development: Derek Lowe has gone from a $60 million mistake to this team's possible key. Mistake might be a slight overstatement. Lowe hasn't been awful. But when a pitcher is given free-agent dollars that scream, "Ace," and then goes 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA, there's going to be criticism. There also are going to be trade talks. Or as general manager Frank Wren said of this past winter in his best non-denial denial: "We were in the mode that we wanted to explore every possibility." The best"
October 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Derek Lowe was named National League pitcher of the month Monday, for a stretch that saw him go 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five starts. Lowe allowed only four earned runs in 30 2/3 innings, while striking out 29 and walking only three. This is the first time the 14-year veteran has won a pitcher of the month award. Lowe is the likely Braves starter for Game 1 of the Braves Division Series Thursday in San Francisco."
September 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
For the better part of the last two seasons, the Washington Nationals have given the Braves fits, in general, and Derek Lowe in particular. Lowe had lost four in a row and six of seven starts to the pesky Nationals since he joined the Braves rotation last year. But hanging onto a one-game deficit in the NL East behind the Phillies, with 17 games left in the season, Lowe went looking for an overhaul. He met with pitching coach Roger McDowell for 30 minutes before Monday's game and came out with a new strategy that he used for a career-high 12-strikeouts and eight shutout innings in a 4-0 win. The Braves remained one game behind the Phillies, who beat the Marlins 11-4. "I didn't want to"
September 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Derek Lowe says he'll be ready to make Wednesday's start at Pittsburgh. The Braves pitcher felt "great" when he tested his problematic right elbow Sunday, Lowe's first throws since having a cortisone shot Aug. 29 for inflammation related to a bone chip. He missed a start Friday against Florida, but said he would be ready to pitch Wednesday. The Braves were relieved, since they weren't sure whom they'd turn to if Lowe couldn't go. "At the end of the day it looks like we did the right thing taking some time off, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there," Lowe said after an anxious week. "I'm a high-energy guy. It's been hard to basically just come here and sit around and ice … but"
September 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves pitcher Derek Lowe, who hopes to return to the starting rotation Wednesday, was told to rest his sore elbow one more day before testing it Sunday. Lowe has a bone chip in his elbow and missed a start Friday, five days after getting the first cortisone shot of his career. An MRI Thursday showed no ligament damage, and Lowe said the injury won't worsen if he pitches with it. Kenshin Kawakami (1-10) gave up five runs in three innings in a fill-in start Friday. I f Lowe can't pitch Wednesday the Braves might consider bringing up minor leaguer Brandon Beachy for one start, or have reliever Cristhian Martinez make an emergency start. The Braves hope Lowe will be able to make the start."
September 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
An MRI on Derek Lowe's sore elbow showed no ligament or tendon damage, but a bone chip that's become lodged in the joint. The Braves veteran believes he can pitch through the discomfort. Lowe, who missed his regular rotation turn Friday against the Florida Marlins, said he plans to make his next scheduled start Wednesday against Pittsburgh. "Right now there's really nothing you can do [about the bone chip]," said Lowe, who doesn't know if he'll need surgery to remove the chip after the season. He said he's been assured it won't do further damage pitching with it. He had a cortisone shot - the first of his career - after his painful three-inning performance Sunday against Florida. He will"
September 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe will not make his scheduled start Friday in Florida because he's still being bothered by a sore elbow. He's hoping he will only have to skip one start and then can return to the rotation but for now inflammation in the back of his elbow will force him to skip a start for the first time in his 14-year career. "It's your turn to pitch, and I've never missed one, but you've got to be honest with yourself and you've got to be true to your team," Lowe said. "And what I did last Sunday (vs. the Marlins) was pointless. …if you're going to pitch like that, it's not worth it. It's better for everyone right now to take a break." The Braves will turn to Kenshin Kawakami, who was just"
September 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Derek Lowe acknowledged Tuesday he's been bothered by inflammation in his pitching elbow for the past six weeks. He got a cortisone shot on Sunday after struggling to get a grip on his pitches while giving up five runs in a season-low three innings against the Marlins. Lowe said with two days to let the cortisone take effect, he planned to play catch Tuesday and then throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. He did not think it would hinder him from making his next scheduled start on Friday in Florida. "I should be able to," he said. Lowe, who is 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA in his past nine starts, said he didn't tell the Braves about his elbow stiffness until three weeks ago."
August 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If Derek Lowe was pitching hurt Sunday, he wasn't going to say so or use it as an excuse after his poor performance against the Marlins. After lasting a season-low three innings and gave up six hits, five runs and three walks, Lowe said that he had a hard time gripping the ball properly, but wouldn't elaborate when asked about a possible reason. The veteran right-hander shook his hand to his side at least twice between pitches, as if trying to loosen it. Afterward, he seemed uncomfortable when a reporter asked whether he had soreness or tightness. "I don't know," said Lowe, who has always taken a lot of pride in being durable and making every start. "I'm not good at this [discussing health"
August 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If Derek Lowe was pitching hurt Sunday, he wasn't going to say so or use it as an excuse after his poor performance against the Marlins. After lasting a season-low three innings and gave up six hits, five runs and three walks, Lowe said only that he had a hard time gripping the ball properly. The veteran right-hander shook his hand to his side at least twice between pitches, as if trying to loosen it. Afterward, he seemed uncomfortable when a reporter asked whether he had soreness or tightness. "I don't know," said Lowe, who has always taken a lot of pride in being durable and making every start. "I'm not good at this [discussing health issues]. I don't know what to say." Asked again what"
August 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves starter Derek Lowe had to come out of Sunday's 6-3 win over the Giants due to cramps. With a game-time temperature of 90 degrees, Lowe pitched 5-1/3 innings before he had to be relieved. 'First time in the two years I've been here that I had to leave with cramps, which is disappointing," Lowe said. "… I'm not the first guy, nor the last guy, to play in this heat to get a cramp." Lowe said his right arm started to cramp in the fourth inning and with one out in the sixth he exited with a cramp in his right hamstring. Lowe, who earned his 11th victory, threw 66 pitches, 44 for strikes. The right-hander allowed just five hits and two earned runs."