November 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
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."
July 31
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Chipper Jones was out of the lineup again Saturday, still battling a strained right quadricep. Jones has been available to pinch-hit but likely won't return to the lineup by the weekend, as Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had hoped. "He is feeling a little better," Gonzalez said. "I would like to get him on the field and work him out a little bit before we decide [when he can return]. … The thing we worry about is when you get him on the field, he has to react one way or another. You can't really control that. We worry about that a little bit.""
June 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Braves recalled rookie outfielder Wikin Ramirez from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday and, as expected, optioned pitcher Randall Delgado back to Double-A Mississippi. Delgado impressed team officials in his major league debut Friday, an emergency start in place of Tommy Hanson. Delgado gave up four runs and seven hits in four-plus innings of a loss against Texas. The 21-year-old Panamanian allowed only one run until the fifth, when he gave up a two-run homer by Josh Hamilton and left the game with a runner on and none out. Delgado's pitch command and calm demeanor left an impression, especially given the circumstances. He didn't find out until an hour before his planned Double-A start"
June 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Center fielder Nate McLouth (strained oblique) could also be back from the disabled list within a week, in which case the Braves will have an outfield decision with Jordan Schafer. While filling in for McLouth, Schafer has provided strong center-field defense and a spark at the leadoff position with speed and a base-stealing threat the Braves lacked. Gonzalez indicated that McLouth or Schafer would move to left field, where the Braves will likely be without standout Martin Prado for at least the rest of June as he recovers from a staph infection. "I don't know which one [would move to left]," Gonzalez said. "I know Schafer's done it. In spring training he played all three. We made sure he"
June 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
The Braves got encouraging news Friday when right fielder Jason Heyward hit off a tee and did other "baseball activities" without discomfort in his right shoulder. He's been on the disabled list since since May 22 with inflammation of the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and has rehabbed and worked out more than a week at the team's training complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. But Friday was the first time he swung a bat in nearly three weeks. The Braves will wait to see how he feels Saturday before ramping up his rehab schedule. Within a few days he could possibly take batting practice and hit in extended-spring training games in Florida, but the Braves won't bring him back until"
May 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
A week after straining his left oblique in Anaheim, Nate McLouth has begun doing some light baseball activities, starting with some throwing and running in batting practice on Sunday afternoon. McLouth planned to begin taking some dry swings on Monday and working his way back with tee work, soft toss and eventually batting practice later in the week. McLouth figures he'll need a rehabilitation game or two in the minors, but if all progresses well, he is hopeful that he's closer to needing the 15 days scheduled on the disabled list than the month or so required by more oblique serious strains. He's eligible to return as early as Tuesday June 7 in Florida."
May 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
As much as the Braves hoped to avoid it, they put center fielder Nate McLouth on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained left oblique, meaning they'll open the Pirates series Tuesday night without two-thirds of their starting outfield. The Braves put Jason Heyward on the disabled list Sunday with lingering right shoulder soreness. With an off day Monday amid their three-city trip, the Braves held out slight hope that McLouth would have improvement overnight, but he didn't. They recalled center fielder Jordan Schafer from Triple-A Gwinnett, and he'll join the team in Pittsburgh. McLouth injured himself four pitches into Sunday's game against the Angels in Anaheim, checking his swing"
May 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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When Nate McLouth injured his left oblique on the fourth pitch of the game Sunday, it was as if baseball gods sent a message to the Braves: The tough times aren't over. After racking up 17 hits to win in 12 innings Saturday night, the Braves came back with a clunker in the series finale against the Angels, a 4-1 loss that dropped their record to 1-4 on a seven-game trip that continues Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The injury-riddled Braves, who've scored one or no runs in three of their past four games, have an off day Monday. Mercifully. "We were 12-4 [in May] before we started this road trip, playing pretty darn good," said catcher David Ross, who was stranded at third base in the third inning"
May 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Injuries are mounting for the Braves, who lost center fielder Nate McLouth to a strained left oblique on the fourth pitch of Sunday's 4-1 loss against the Los Angeles Angels. The leadoff man hurt the muscle in his side checking a swing in the opening at-bat at Angel Stadium, and Diory Hernandez finished the at-bat by grounding out. McLouth could be placed on the disabled list Monday or Tuesday if his side doesn't improve quickly. After he left the game, Hernandez moved to third base, Joe Mather switched from right field to center, Martin Prado from third base to left field, and Eric Hinske from left field to right field. There was plenty of other injury news with the Braves, who announced"
April 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
All it took to get Nate McLouth going was dropping him to the bottom of the Braves' batting order. Actually, the Braves center fielder thinks the timing of his little surge and being dropped from the No. 2 spot was coincidental. But he sure won't complain about hitting in the 8-hole. "It doesn't matter where I'm hitting, I just feel like I've had good at-bats," said McLouth, who hit .320 with three doubles and three RBIs in the past seven games before Monday night's series opener against San Diego, including a two-out, tie-breaking, two-run single in the 10th inning of Sunday's 9-6 win at San Francisco. McLouth hit .217 before he was dropped from the 2-hole on April 17, when manager Fredi"
April 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
With the offense struggling and No. 2 hitter Nate McLouth not doing much to help, manager Fredi Gonzalez kept Jason Heyward in the second spot in the lineup Monday for the second day in a row. Only this time, McLouth was still in the lineup - dropped to eighth. Gonzalez moved Heyward from No. 6 spot to No. 2 on Sunday when McLouth had a scheduled day off, and said at the time he wasn't sure if he'd keep Heyward there. He settled that Monday by penciling Heyward in at No. 2 - where he hit for most of his rookie season in 2010 - and dropping McLouth to eighth. Rookie Freddie Freeman, on a nine-game hitting streak, moved from eighth to sixth. "Just mix it up," Gonzalez said of the changes."
April 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
The first four games of a 162-game season doesn't represent a scientific sampling. But this is the way things are tilting for the Braves regarding the team's four biggest question marks heading into the year: 1. Chipper Jones (his health and swing): Thumbs up. He is hitting .353 (6 for 17) with two doubles and two RBI. His impressive spring was not an aberration. 2. Craig Kimbrel (replacing Billy Wagner as closer): Thumbs up. The 23-year-old has two saves in two appearances, striking out five of the six batters he has faced. 3. Defense (poor last year): Thumbs up. Only one error (on pitcher Tommy Hanson), two double plays and a majors-best .993 team fielding percentage in four games. Last"
March 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
So Nate McLouth got a cortisone shot in his sore right shoulder today, which goes to show what I've always said about how it's a reckless waste of time to bunt during spring training. OK, I never actually said that. Or wrote it. Or anything else'd it. Nor do I believe it. To the contrary, I think it's been smart for the Braves to emphasize bunting more this spring – both laying down bunts and defending against them. Because let's face it, they've been fairly lousy bunting team in recent years. They also had a fundamentally bad defensive team last year, at least in the second half of the season. And I'm not talking about just against bunts. But anyway … McLouth."
March 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
Given the recent episodes of exploding craniums in center field, the Braves may want to seek special dispensation from league officials to allow a therapist and maybe a couch in center this season. Nate McLouth is one candidate to start. He started last season hitting .168, was sent down to Gwinnett and now admits, with the advantage of hindsight and bed rest: "It was like a runaway train. The harder I worked, the more I worried about it. It was like paralysis by analysis." The other candidate is Jordan Schafer, a former solid gold prospect whose career bullet points include a suspension, a wrist injury, overconfidence, underconfidence and a double-demotion - from the majors to Triple-A"
March 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
For all the uncertainty surrounding center fielder Nate McLouth this spring, one thing was clear Monday. He got just the kind of game he needed to jumpstart his spring training. McLouth went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs, two walks, three runs and a stolen base to lead the Braves to a 13-3 win over the Astros. It set the tone for a big offensive day for the Braves, including two doubles from Eric Hinske, Dan Uggla's first hit as a Brave, and a six-run second inning fueled by two Brian McCann hits. In the Braves' first win of spring training, McLouth got his first hit of spring on a flare to left center off left-hander Wandy Rodriguez. "My first hit was a bloop hit, but at least it didn't"
September 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Plenty of people doubted whether Nate McLouth would make any impact again for the Braves after being sent to the minors in July. But not McLouth. The center fielder said he really believed he could come back strong and contribute to the Braves' postseason drive, which is precisely what he's doing. Man, is he ever. McLouth had an RBI double and a decisive home run in the Braves' 4-2 win against the New York Mets on Saturday. The Braves led the National League wild-card race by 1 1/2 games, pending the outcome of San Francisco's late game Saturday. "It's very satisfying, especially when every game means so much," said McLouth, who has hit .367 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 12 games since"
September 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
The Braves have seen their share of careers go careening off the tracks. Recently, there's been Jordan Schafer or Greg Norton, or even a Jeff Francoeur. A little deeper in the memory bank are images of a scuffling Reggie Sanders, or Raul Mondesi, or maybe the steady decline of Andruw Jones, foreshadowing his drop-off in Los Angeles. What's unusual about Nate McLouth is that a miserable 2010 season popped up in the midst of his prime, at age 28, and only two years removed from making the National League All-Star team with the Pirates. But what's even more unusual about McLouth is that he's showing signs of coming back. It didn't take a trade to another team, a fresh start somewhere else,"
September 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Two familiar names were back in the lineup Sunday as manager Bobby Cox gave first baseman Troy Glaus and center fielder Nate McLouth their first starts since returning from Triple-A. Each went 1-for-3 and contributed to the Braves' five-run sixth inning. McLouth had a would-be grand slam taken away by center fielder Cameron Maybin in the sixth, and had to settle for a two-run sacrifice fly on the play. Glaus had an RBI single in the inning. It was Glaus' first major league start since Aug. 17. He slumped for six weeks before going on the DL with chronic knee soreness. After a week of rest, he played mostly third base at Gwinnett, hoping a switch to the position he played most of his"
July 28
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
"
When I spoke to Braves general manager Frank Wren earlier today and asked about the struggling Nate McLouth, this is what he said: "The last ball he hit the other night was the hardest he's hit since he came back. So we're hoping that's a sign." Sign? Right. Turns out the only sign was off of Interstate 85 heading north, exit 115: Buford Drive. That's where McLouth will be parked indefinitely. The Braves optioned McLouth to the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. Ironic. He sort of takes the roster spot vacated in Gwinnett by Jordan Schafer, who was recently demoted yet another level down to Double-A Mississippi. There was a time when McLouth was viewed as the bridge to Schafer. Now both are bridges"
July 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves manager Bobby Cox sat a struggling Nate McLouth Sunday afternoon, even against right-hander Chris Volstad. McLouth has failed to produce in his return from the disabled list and done little to show the Braves he's the answer for center field down the stretch. They have been keeping a close eye on them as they determine who to go after at the July 31 trading deadline. McLouth went 1-for-13 in his first four games back from the disabled list (concussion). His sole hit was a broken-bat single on Wednesday against the Padres. He has no RBIs while gone 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the Florida series, including a groundout with the bases loaded and"
July 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Mark Bradley
"
It's difficult to hit any worse than .176, but Nate McLouth has done the deed. That skinny number is what he was batting when he went on the disabled list after a clash of noggins with Jason Heyward. Since returning last week, McLouth is 1-for-13, which represents a Twiggy-like .077. (And the hit, we should note, was a flare that dropped into right field McLouth's first game back. That gift should offset the live drive that became a double play Sunday.) We have seen Braves struggle over the years — Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Yunel Escobar, the legendary Greg Norton — but we have never seen an everyday Brave perform worse than this. Nate McLouth is hitting .168 on the season. He has"
July 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
With nine games to go before the July 31 trading deadline, the Braves finally have all their outfield pieces back in place to evaluate what, if anything, to do next. Center fielder Nate McLouth was activated from the disabled list Wednesday and returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a concussion in his June 9 collision with Jason Heyward. How he plays over the next week could determine if the Braves make a move for a player like Florida center fielder Cody Ross. While the Braves had two of their top scouts in Florida Tuesday night, the Braves were seeing big signs of life from the outfielders they already have. Matt Diaz hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs"
July 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth went 2-for-4 including a home run on the first pitch of the opening inning Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett. The center fielder, who's been on the DL recovering from a June 9 concussion, is 4-for-11 through three games on his rehab assignment. The Braves could face a decision soon after the All-Star break regarding when to activate McLouth from the DL, and who goes down when they do. Gregor Blanco seems the likely odd man out despite playing quite well since his role increased after McLouth's injury. Blanco has hit .327 (16-for-49) with a .400 on-base percentage since June 13. McLouth hit .176 with three homers and a .295 OBP in 57 games before he got hurt. He was 5-for-50 with"
July 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Center fielder Nate McLouth was cleared by Braves doctors Tuesday to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment Friday in Triple-A Gwinnett. McLouth has been out since June 9 when he suffered a concussion colliding with Jason Heyward in the outfield in Arizona. His headaches had subsided by last week but the last hurdle doctors wanted him to clear was being able to conquer the dizziness he was feeling when he took batting practice outdoors in the heat."
July 3
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth was able to take batting practice outside Friday without incident as he continues to try to get acclimated to the heat. McLouth is battling lingering dizziness as a result of the concussion he suffered on June 9 in Arizona in a collision with Jason Heyward. He had to come off the field Tuesday when he first tried to take batting practice outdoors. Of course, temperatures Friday afternoon were cooler, and it was a pleasant 79 degrees at first pitch. "I feel fine if I'm inside, just hanging out," said McLouth, who said he is no longer having headaches. "It's just when I get outside and get really heated up that I start feeling dizziness and light-headedness." McLouth said if he"
July 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves manager Bobby Cox said Wednesday that outfielder Nate McLouth is still suffering from concussion symptoms and a timetable for his return is unknown. Cox said McLouth was not feeling well after going through a workout outside, in the heat, Tuesday. McLouth was to work out indoors on Wednesday. "It's off and on," Cox said."
June 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Two weeks after his June 9 outfield collision with Jason Heyward, Braves center fielder Nate McLouth was still experiencing concussion symptoms this week. McLouth has been on the disabled list for two weeks and stayed behind in Atlanta while the team traveled to Chicago. He was administered a CT scan, the first such exam he had since he collided with Heyward when the two outfielders were pursuing a fly ball."
June 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Two days after his collision with right fielder Jason Heyward, center fielder Nate McLouth went on the 15-day disabled list Friday with concussion symptoms, and the Braves planned to recall center fielder Jordan Schafer from Triple-A Gwinnett. But the plan changed when utility man Omar Infante fouled a ball off his right foot in the fifth inning Friday night. The Braves announced after the game that shortstop Brandon Hicks would be recalled from Gwinnett instead of Schafer, and would arrive in Minneapolis Saturday. They don't think Infante's foot injury is serious, but even if if it only sidelines him for a day or two the Braves wanted to make sure they had a backup shortstop. The"
June 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If you missed the collision last night between the largest guy on the team (Jason Heyward) and the smallest (Nate McLouth), it was nasty. But as everyone involved pointed out, it could have been a whole lot worse. Since we don't have much time to write before this early game begins in 25 minutes, I'm going to keep it real brief and give you the essentials. The recap of the game and the eighth-inning collision that resulted in a two-run, inside-the-park homer for Gerarado Parra is all in the game story I wrote late last night, at this link. Heyward is back in the lineup today, sore but not injured apparently. For some reason he was real vague about any pain he had from the collision, to the"
June 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Other Braves outfielders have cringed while imagining what it would feel like to collide with Jason Heyward. Nate McLouth experienced it. The smallest Brave(McLouth) collided with the largest (McLouth) in the eighth inning Wednesday night, and the end result was a two-run, inside-the-park homer for the Diamondbacks and possible concussion for McLouth. The center fielder still had a severe headache late Thursday afternoon, and manager Bobby Cox said the Braves might have to put McLouth on the 15-day disabled list. "I'm going to talk to him after a while and see how he's doing," Cox said before the Braves headed to the Phoenix airport Wednesday afternoon for their flight to Minneapolis. "If"
June 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Braves center fielder Jordan Schafer mentioned in February the potential nightmare of running into right fielder Jason Heyward while pursuing a fly ball in the gap. Center fielder Nate McLouth lived the nightmare Wednesday night, colliding with Heyward as both sprinted to the gap chasing a fly ball by Arizona's Gerardo Parra in the eighth inning. McLouth flipped over the much larger Heyward and lay sprawled on the ground as Parra circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run that sent the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 win at Chase Field. McLouth left the game and was examined by a doctor. He had a severe headache and was being monitored after the game, but said he had not been tested"
June 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth was out of the Braves' starting lineup Tuesday - but don't look for the centerfielder to miss much time despite his struggles at the plate. Manager Bobby Cox put Omar Infante in left field and Melky Cabrera in center field against the Phillies. McLouth is hitting .179 (27-for-151) this season. "Nate's the one that hasn't had an off day in a long time," Cox said of resting McLouth. "We are not going to rest him very long at all. He's too good in center. He's kind of like Andruw [Jones] when Andruw wasn't hitting like he should. He'll save you runs." Wednesday will be one year since the Braves acquired McLouth from the Pirates for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke and Gorkys Hernandez."
May 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth's on base-plus-slugging percentage since coming to the Braves in a trade on June 3, 2009. That's 64 points below his career OPS in four-plus seasons with the Pirates, and 116 points below his .853 OPS in 2008 when he made the All-Star team. McLouth went 1-for-11 with one walk and three strikeouts in his three-game return to Pittsburgh over the weekend, a reminder of just how mediocre the center fielder has been since the Braves got him. As a Brave, he has hit .240 in 470 at-bats (126 games) w/ 28 doubles, 14 homers, 49 RBI, 68 walks, 107 strikeouts, 14 stolen bases (in 22 attempts), and a .343 OBP and .394 slugging percentage."
May 23
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Charlie Morton knows the Pirates got him last June by trading away one of their most popular players. The Atlanta Braves swapped Morton and two minor leaguers for outfielder Nate McLouth, whom Pirates management once hailed as a cornerstone of the franchise's future. The trade stunned many fans and even surprised some in the industry. Every time Morton pitches, the right-hander wants to prove the Pirates got the better end of the deal. "I feel I have a responsibility," he said. "I have a pretty good view of the situation. When I don't pitch well, there is that feeling of disappointment -- in fact, it's a little extra disappointing." So far, it's difficult to say whether Pittsburgh or"
May 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Quietly, perhaps, from the eighth spot in the Braves order, Nate McLouth has started to turn things around. The Braves center fielder who's struggled since early in spring training has showed good progress at the plate over the last seven games entering the Reds series. In that time, he's hit .292 (7-for-24) with a home run, five RBIs, four doubles and four walks. McLouth had four doubles total, and six RBIs, in his first 30 games of the season before he started to heat up against the Brewers in Milwaukee last week. McLouth hit a game-tying three-run home run in the seventh inning Friday night against Arizona, as the Braves rallied to win 6-5 in the ninth. McLouth followed that up by going"
April 21
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Mark Bradley
"
An amazing thing has happened. A 20-year-old has become the rising tide that is lifting all boats. The Braves beat the reigning National League champs 4-3 on Tuesday on a night when they had no runs and surely no hope after 26 outs. To recap: They were one out from being blanked on a night when the Phillies' starting pitcher was Kyle Kendrick, he of the 17.47 ERA. But Kendrick had done as bad pitchers too often have done to the Braves: He made them look timid. He worked eight scoreless innings and left the game to Ryan Madson, who's not really a closer but who's trying to bridge the gap until Brad Lidge gets healthy. Madson walked Chipper Jones with one out. Then he retired Brian McCann,"
April 21
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Back-to-back Braves home runs with two out in the ninth, and another homer in the 1oth to beat the Phillies. There may have been more improbable finishes in recent Braves history than Tuesday's, but none come immediately to mind. After Troy Glaus and Jason Heyward hit consecutive homers to wake a moribund offense and force extra innings, Nate McLouth hit a 10th-inning leadoff homer for a stunning 4-3 win against Philadelphia in a series opener at Turner Field. "These are the best kind of wins, no question about that," said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves got their fifth win in six games to move into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the National League East. "And they're the roughest"
April 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
So much for the sore hamstring. One day after the Braves were trying to decide whether to disable Nate McLouth, he went out and made three stellar running catches in center field - or two catches and one trap. Replays showed he dropped a diving attempt in the sixth inning but he disguised it well, and the Braves got a double play out of it. Running that hard on the hamstring answered a few questions in McLouth's mind. "It wasn't (perfect)," he said Wednesday afternoon. "But it was fine and obviously more than good enough to go." McLouth said he knows that because he didn't think about his hamstring when he took off after those fly balls. "That's how I knew it was a good test," he said."
April 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Center fielder Nate McLouth stayed off the disabled list and in the Braves' opening day lineup after passing tests Sunday to convince trainers – and manager Bobby Cox – that he and his hamstring were ready. "He feels he can go," Cox said of McLouth, who was slowed Friday and Saturday by a sore right hamstring. "Range of motion was good, everything was good. He did everything. He's fine." Cox added, "And if he's not, we'll go to Plan B tomorrow." McLouth slumped badly during spring training and has dropped from the leadoff spot to eighth in the order for opening day Monday against the Chicago Cubs and pitcher Carlos Zambrano."
April 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
The Braves will hold off one more day before they decide if center fielder Nate McLouth can go on Opening Day despite a strained right hamstring. McLouth took batting practice Saturday without any problems and did some light running around the bases, saying afterward it felt good. When asked if he'd be ready to go Monday against the Cubs, McLouth said yes. Manager Bobby Cox wasn't quite so convinced after watching McLouth in batting practice Saturday and will keep an eye on him during a workout Sunday before deciding if the Braves need to disable him. If so, the Braves could bring up Gregor Blanco as a backup to Melky Cabrera, who has slid over from left to center field. "After the workout"
April 3
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Center fielder Nate McLouth was scratched from the Braves lineup Friday night with a sore right hamstring. He doesn't remember doing anything specific in a game to hurt it, but woke up with it feeling stiff on Friday morning. When he couldn't get it loose later in the day, the Braves decided to rest him. McLouth thinks he'll be OK in a couple of days, but he doesn't have a whole lot of room for error with Opening Day on Monday against the Cubs. It is the opposite hamstring from the one that he injured last year that put him on the disabled list in late August and bothered him off and on for the remainder of the season."
March 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
If anybody needed a little gust of wind to lift his fly ball over the fence, not to mention his spirits, it was Nate McLouth. The Braves' leadoff hitter has been scuffling to the tune of 2-for-38 this spring. So when the Gulf breezes in Bradenton helped his opposite-field shot off Charlie Morton carry the left field fence in the first inning Thursday, so be it. "Obviously it was a little wind-aided, but I don't care," said McLouth, who went 1-for-4. "It felt good." McLouth had spent two of the previous four days getting extra at-bats in Braves' minor league games. When asked if his solo shot in the first inning Thursday was confirmation of what he's been working on, McLouth said, "No, just"
March 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth will take positive reinforcement where he can get it these days, and the .029-hitting center fielder got some Sunday in a minor league game. He went 3-for-6 with a walk in an intrasquad game on a backfield near Champion Stadium. "I'm glad I got a chance to do it," said McLouth, who hit every inning of the rain-shortened minor league game. "I just needed to step away. Hitting is a funny thing. It can wear on you, even in spring training when numbers don't matter - because they do. Not necessarily numbers, but feeling well and making good contact matters. "And when that's not happening, regardless of whether it's spring training or not, that's frustrating." Manager Bobby Cox"
March 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Nate McLouth doesn't want to use any excuses for his inconsistent season with the Braves last year. But he has plenty of them. First, there was the jolt of his career when he was traded from the only organization he's ever played for - the Pirates - just four months after signing a long-term extension with them. Then there was the hamstring injury which sent him to the disabled list for two weeks in August and hampered him much longer than that. And finally, after the season was over, driving home to Michigan, McLouth realized he was having problems with his vision, something he confirmed with a visit to the eye doctor shortly thereafter. "That's the last thing I wanted to be on a new team"
August 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Deciding they couldn't wait any longer on Nate McLouth's sore left hamstring, the Braves decided to place McLouth on the disabled list Monday and they purchased the contract of center fielder Reid Gorecki from Class AAA Gwinnett. Gorecki was expected to arrive in time for Monday's game against Arizona and will wear No. 30. McLouth was removed from Saturday's game as he continued to favor a hamstring injury that he aggravated a week ago in Los Angeles and forced him to miss the next three games. McLouth also missed five games in late June with problems to that same hamstring. McLouth returned to the Braves' lineup Friday against the Phillies but was hampered on the basepaths. With Martin"