Mother’s Day Game Postponed

Due to the continuing rain in Pittsburgh, the Braves/Pirates game today has been postponed and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.  Hopefully the rain will be out of the area by then and the Braves can use the day off to regroup and get things going in the right direction tomorrow.

Maybe Pink Bats Will Help?

The Braves are 1-4 against the Pirates so far this season after dropping the first two of the series this weekend.  On top of that, the 4-13 road record isn’t helping our standings in the division either.  Today, Mother’s Day, and in honor of the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, teams throughout Major League Baseball will be swinging pink bats and maybe that’s just what the Braves need at this point in time to snap this road funk.  There’s no real other apparent way to fix the current struggles.

Jair Jurrjens (3-2) takes the mound toda for the Braves trying to improve his 1-2 road record.  On the other side of the mound for the Pirates will be Zach Duke, who has great stuff,  but has struggled thus far this season.  The key for the Braves today is to not continually lose base runners to double plays.  We need to get on the board and continue to get the offense going throughout the game.

It looks like we may have a bit of a rain delay today to start off the game and possibly thoughout the rest of the day, so we’ll see if we get it in or not.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, hopefully the Braves can get us a win.

Chuck James Back Against Pittsburgh

A night after having their 6-game win streak snapped by the Pirates, the Braves are looking to Chuck James to get them back in the win column in the second game of this road trip.  James is all too familiar with the trips back and forth between Richmond and Atlanta, having started the season in Atlanta and amassing a 2-1 record before heading back to Richmond to continue to strengthen his injured shoulder.  He makes the start in place of the incapable-to-ever-be-healthy, Mike Hampton, so he has a real opportunity to shine tonight and help maintain a job in the bigs for awhile.  I personally would like to see Chuck find some consistency and stay in Atlanta for awhile.

The spot for James on the roster was made by placing Buddy Carlyle on the 15-day disabled list after the collision that knocked him out of the game in Atlanta on Thursday.  Buddy has a strained neck and bruised temple and hopefully we’ll see him back in action after a little bit of rest.  Road games have been the weak point of the Braves so far this season.  With a road record of 4-12, the Braves have the fewest road wins in the majors so far this season.  You can’t make it to the postseason if you can’t win on the road.

Taking the mound for the Pirates will be Tom Gorzelanny (2-3, 6.91).  Gorzelanny has a tendency to give up runs, but the real key is whether or not the Braves can get the bats going early in the game.  We’ve had problems with McLouth and Nady patrolling the Pirates outfield and stealing hits away from us.  Hopefully we can get that changed tonight and put another win up on the board.

Time To Win On The Road

The Braves closed a dominant homestand to start off the month of May, winning all 6 games to extend their best-in-league home record to 14-4.  However, the road games are where the Braves have struggled thus far this season, only amassing 4 wins in 15 tries.  The Braves put their 6-game winning streak on the line against the Pirates to open up a 4-game series in Pittsburgh.

Tom Glavine will be on the mound for the Braves tonight, looking for his first win of the season.  Glavine was 1-out short of getting a win against the Reds last week, but just couldn’t make it out of the inning.  Tonight, I look to see Glavine keep the Braves in the game while the offense tries to provide the needed run support.  Let’s get above .500 for the road trip, guys!

Another Injury-Filled Day

It seems that I spend more time these days writing about injuries than I do about anything else.  Every day it’s disabled lists, injuries, surgeries, lack of pitching….get the picture?  So while the Braves finished up a strong homestand today, why would it be any different?  So let’s get to it and highlight the injuries du jour:

Jo-Jo Reyes - Jo-Jo made the start in today’s game against the Padres.  Reyes didn’t have his best stuff today and left the game in the third inning with a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand.  This is one of those nagging little injuries that you just want to take care of so that it doesn’t become a nagging problem.

Buddy Carlyle - Buddy replaced Jo-Jo Reyes after he left with his injury in the third inning today.  Carlyle however only made it through 6 batters before colliding with Kevin Kouzmanoff while trying to field a ball down the first base line.  He recorded the out but fell to the field in obvious pain.  Buddy was diagnosed with a muscle strain in the left side of his neck and is listed as day-to-day.

Peter Moylan - Moylan underwent Tommy John surgery today and will miss the next 12 months or so.  He will be missed in the Braves’ bullpen.

Brayan Pena - Brayan was placed on the 15-day disabled list today with a back strain.  Pena’s trip to the disabled list made room on the roster for utility man, Omar Infante, who was activated today after breaking his hand in Venezuelan winter leagues. Infante made the start in today’s game in place of Kelly Johnson at second base.

So those are the injuries for today.  Check back in tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll have more to keep you updated about.  In the meantime, let’s hope the Braves can figure out the secret to winning on the road as we head to Pittsburgh.

Moylan Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Not being seen much as a surprise, Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan underwent Tommy John surgery today when he went to see his doctor in Birmingham.  After the surgery, Moylan’s doctor, James Andrews, confirmed that a bone spur had lodged itself into the UCL in Moylan’s right elbow.  This had compromised the integrity of the ligament to the point that it would not have been rehabilitable.

The Braves are no strangers to Tommy John surgery.  The surgery, which involves replacing the UCL in the elbow with a tendon from the leg, requires at least a year of rehabilitation and recovery time until the individual can pitch again.  Moylan’s hoping that he can return to the Braves’ bullpen around this time next year and continue to help carry the bullpen as a setup man.  In seven appearances thus far this season, Moylan had posted a 1.59 ERA.

Reyes Hopes To Close Out Perfect Homestand

The Braves (17-15) will send Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0) to the mound looking for their second consecutive series sweep. Standing in their way will be the Padres (12-22) and former Brave Willfredo Ledezma (0-0). Both pitchers are short on starting experience this year, but they have both showed promising signs so far. Jo-Jo is coming off perhaps his best outing of his short Major League career last Saturday. Filling in for injured John Smoltz, Reyes limited the Reds to one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings before running into some control issues in the 6th. Ledezma is making his first start for the Padres this afternoon, but he has pitched well out of the bullpen in long relief this year, posting a 1.96 ERA.

Also seeing action for the first time this year will be utility infielder Omar Infante. Infante will be activated before the game today, possibly taking the place of backup first baseman Brayan Pena. Pena has been struggling with some back pain and may be placed on the DL in order to make room for Infante. Infante has batted 4-for-11 (.386) during his minor league rehab starts, prompting the Braves to feel he is ready to join the Major League squad.

The TJ Club

With Peter Moylan on the brink of season ending reconstructive surgery, we here at BravesBlast thought it would be a good idea to profile the surgery itself as well as some of the Braves that have had the surgery: the list isn’t short.
The surgery itself was developed in 1974 when the now infamous Tommy John developed a pain in his elbow as well as a noticeable drop in velocity. After tests, Dr. Frank Jobe diagnosed John with a torn UCL, ulnar collateral ligament. The UCL is the ligament in the elbow that connects the upper arm bone (humerus) to the ulna and radius of the forearm.

At the time, there was no reconstruction and recovery procedure for the injury and pitchers that suffered from a torn or “compromised” (like Moylan) ligament were doomed to sit out the rest of their days. Dr. Frank Jobe decided to try a new, unheard of procedure on John. He hypothesized that if he could use a tendon from another part of the body (most likely the arm or leg) and attach it to the elbow, it would grow into a ligament. Jobe tried the procedure but had to wait an entire year to witness the results of the surgery.

Jobe was delighted to see that the surgery was a success. John went on to a 10-10 record in his first season back, 1976. John went on to pitch 13 more seasons in the bigs and compiled a 288-231 record and had a 3.34 career ERA.

With John being the first to successfully complete a rehab from the UCL surgery, the reconstructive procedure took on his name and to this day is considered a pitcher’s best friend.

Now as far as its ties to the Braves go, several pitchers on our staff have had the surgery already:

John Smoltz – In 1999 Smoltzie started throwing with a side-arm and three quarters-arm delivery. I don’t know if this is what caused the UCL tear or if he pitched that way because of arm troubles, but it was fairly effective. Smoltz went 11-8 with a 3.19 ERA. Smoltz pretty much lost all or part of five years with the surgery as a starter. It’s probably that he would be a 300 game winner, or at least within reach of the milestone. But there’s another one he can get to at this point: 200 saves.

Mike Hampton – Wow…what more is there to say about Hampton. He was off to what looked like a career year for the Braves before having fore-arm soreness in May on 2005. He made one more start that year towards the end, before electing to have the procedure. He sat out all of 2006 rehabbing from the injury, but unfortunately tore another ligament in the same elbow.

Rafael Soriano – Soriano was supposed to be a great relief pitcher for the Mariners. He struck out 68 in 53 innings in 2004 with a 1.53 ERA, but had to have the surgery late in 2004. He pitched well in 2006, but had to sit out the last month with a severe concussion after getting hit with a line drive in the head. The Braves then traded for him and he has had mixed success in his time with the Braves. Luckily the MRI on Soriano’s elbow came back negative for anything serious.

Jorge Campillo – Campillo also pitched for the Mariners (what is with us and getting players from AL west teams, a few from the A’s and a couple from the Mariners and one big one from the Rangers). He debuted in 2005, but quickly required the surgery after just two appearances. He was released after rehabbing because the team was not pleased with his progress. He signed with the Braves this past offseason and has been a great addition to the roster.

Jeff Bennett – Bennett pitched one season with the Brewers going 1-5 in 60 appearances. Bennett required the surgery in 2006 after spending 2005-06 in the minors. Bennett signed with the Braves after the 2006 season and spent much of 2007 in the minors. During the September call-ups, Bennett proved he could pitch in the majors and won a spot as the long-reliever/spot starter in spring training.

Among other pitchers in the Braves organization, Anthony Lerew underwent the surgery after two starts last season and is currently rehabbing.

Kelly Johnson also underwent the surgery after a tear on a throw from the outfield during the 2005 season. Braves personnel decided to shift him to second base (he was originally drafted as a short stop) to avoid any further injuries to his arm. He sat out the entire 2006 season, but has returned the Braves lineup as an asset as the leadoff man.

With more and more pitchers electing to get this surgery on a regular basis, it poses the question, “what’s the best way to pitch?” Pitchers get hurt pitching overhand, side arm, whatever. Is there really a perfect way to pitch to avoid injuries? So far Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux may be the best examples of two pitchers that have avoided pitching-related injuries for as long as they have.

Hudson Looks To Keep Win Streak Alive

Coming off his complete game in his last outing, Tim Hudson looks to keep the strong defense going tonight against the Padres in the second game of the three-game series which ends tomorrow with an afternoon game.  With Smoltz out of the rotation, Hudson has assumed the definite role of ace of the staff and needs to put together a series of strong starts to back up that title.  The Braves’ 4-game winning streak is on the line tonight.

Tim has struggled at times this season, only getting into the 4th inning in some of his outings and showing a visible lack of speed and control that he normally possesses.  If he can pitch anything like he did in his last start however, the Braves should be good to go tonight.  Chipper Jones continues to have the hottest bat in the league and I’d love to see more HRs and RBI out of him throughout the rest of this series.  The Braves find themselves back above .500 now at 16-15 and are only 1.5 games out of the lead in the division.

Soriano Showing No Improvement

Braves closer Rafael Soriano’s bullpen session today was cut short with continuing soreness in his elbow.  Soriano began experiencing the soreness in his throwing elbow early in Grapefruit League play and missed roughly half of the preseason.  He only made 4 appearances this season before landing on the 15-day disabled list when the soreness continued to worsen.  The Braves hoped to have him back in the bullpen soon, but his condition seems to be showing no improvement as of now.

Soriano will undergo an MRI and a series of other tests tomorrow to try to determine the continuing cause of the elbow pain.  With Mike Gonzalez and John Smoltz hopefully soon being activated and heading to the bullpen, the Braves can probably survive on the arms they have available, but it would be nice to have Soriano in place to be a solid setup man should Smoltz become the closer.  Here’s hoping the results of tomorrow’s tests are favorable for Rafael.

Braves Open Series With Padres

Jair Jurrjens takes the mound tonight to continue to prove that he’s a great future player for the Braves as we open a three-game series against the Padres at Turner Field tonight.  Jurrjens has pitched into the sixth in all 6 of his starts thus far and hopefully that will help keep the bullpen rested.  Chris Young will be pitching for the Padres.

Prado To Disabled List

Martin Prado was placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier today with a sprained thumb suffered diving into first to obtain an infield single during yesterday’s game against the Reds.  Prado’s thumb is in a cast and the Braves are expecting him to be out a full 6 weeks as a result of this injury.

In other news, the Braves have moved Peter Moylan over to the 60-day disabled list.  Moylan will have season-ending Tommy John surgery later this week.  The surgery requires at least a year of recovery time and I’d like to see Moylan back as soon as possible.  Just more injuries to hamper the Braves.