McCann Trying To Avoid Surgery

Since being placed on the 15-day disabled list in the series against Cincinnati, Brian McCann has returned to Atlanta to be re-evaluated by another eye specialist, Dr. Alan Kozarsky.  Once again, Mac tried a number of different contact lenses to try to correct the blurred vision in his left eye.  McCann and Kozarsky settled on contacts in both eyes to help resolve the issue.

While realizing that he still may have to undergo Lasik surgery once again to repair his vision in his left eye (he originally had the surgery in 2007), McCann will first give make two rehab starts in Class A Myrtle Beach.  With McCann on the disabled list and ineligible for reactivation for the next 10 days, this is the best option to test the new contact combination.  After his two-game stint, starting tonight, a decision will likely be made as to whether or not the surgery should be performed.

Personally, I think the Braves are just prolonging the inevitable with this decision.  Nothing has seemed to work for McCann so far and I just feel like every day that he doesn’t have the surgery is another day that he won’t be playing back in Atlanta.  Granted, the recovery time for Lasik isn’t that long, I think he should go ahead and get it done.  Thoughts?  Am I just completely offbase in thinking that?

Looking To End On A High Note

Halfway through the road trip, it looked like there was no hope of having a decent road trip for the Braves.  The first five games yielded a 1-4 record, including two shutouts at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Since then however, they have compiled a three-game win streak and are looking for the sweep today in Cincinnati to complete a winning road trip.  After  yesterday’s 10-2 win, the Braves have a 9-8 record on the season.

Today, Kenshin Kawakami (1-2, 4.76 ERA) faces off against Micah Owings (0-2, 5.59 ERA) to close out the series.  Brandon Jones will make his first start in left field since being called up to replace the injured Garret Anderson.  It’s still not clear how much time Bobby Cox will have Jones spend in the field, but it’s good to see him get the opportunity to gain some playing time. 

Stay with us for in-game updates as the Braves look to take the sweep and come back to Atlanta with a winning road trip.

Braves Look To Start A Streak

The Braves are looking to turn around a nine-game road trip that started off with them losing four out of five games.  After back-to-back shutouts by the Pittsburgh Pirates and losing the series to the Washington Nationals, the Braves have managed to win two consecutive games.  The record on the road trip is now up to 3-4 and could be brought back up to .500 with a win today.  If the Braves can sweep the Cincinnati Reds, it will give them a winning road trip that has, for the most part, provided few high points.

Garret Anderson and Brian McCann have made trips to the 15-day disabled list.  The offense is struggling to put men on base (but somehow drawing enough bases loaded walks to keep them in games), but overall, the team is fighting to get back to Atlanta on Monday with something to show for it all.  Today, Derek Lowe brings his 1-1 record and 3.27 ERA into Cincinnati to face off against Bronson Arroyo, who is the first Reds pitcher to have a 3-0 start since 1997.

Two wins under our belt and hopeful for a third today.  The Braves are in need of a win streak.  Stay with us for updates throughout the game.

McCann Headed to the DL

Clint Sammons has already made the trip to Cincinnati to take Brian McCann’s spot on the active roster.  McCann has been bothered by blurred vision in his left eye since Opening Day and has exhausted all options at this point.  He will be visiting an eye specialist in Atlanta in the next couple of days, presumably once the team returns from the road trip, and will likely undergo laser surgery again on the eye to correct his vision.

Bobby Cox is hesitant to put McCann on the disabled list until he makes it back to Atlanta to be evaluated, but at the same time, it’s hard for the team to play without a backup catcher.  While hoping for some overnight improvement, Cox has acknowledged that he doesn’t expect things to magically change.  McCann has already tried ointments, drops and single contact lenses in his left eye; none of which have really solved the issue.

McCann’s 1-for-20 from the plate in his last games played and he seems to have accepted that having surgery on the eye again in the best route for him to take.  Missing a couple of weeks now to get the problem corrected in full seems like a much better option than fighting with it throughout the season and never really getting it fully resolved.

So what’s the right thing to do?  Go ahead and send McCann to the DL and let him have the surgery so he’ll be good to go for the rest of the season?  Or do we keep trying little things here and there to try to get him through?

UPDATE: It’s official now.  McCann is headed for the 15-day disabled list.

Anderson to DL, Braves In Cincy

After a couple of days of nursing his reaggravated left quad, Garret Anderson is headed to the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 20th.  Brandon Jones has been called up from AAA Gwinnett to take his spot on the roster.  It’s unknown when Anderson will be ready to return as he has been nagged with this injury off and on since early March.  I’m sure we’ll have more updates over the next few days.

Today is Chipper Jones’ 37th birthday.  In his career on his birthday, Chipper has a .500 average (18 for 37) with 4 HR, 8 RBI and 10 R.  Let’s hope he can keep that up tonight.  Brian McCann was also a late scratch for the game with further eye issues.  David Ross will take his spot in the lineup.  Here’s to trying to get a win streak started tonight as the Braves kick off the last series of the road trip in Cincinnati.

Stay with us for in-game updates, looks like great weather in Cincinnati for baseball.  Javier Vazquez brings his solid season performance, averaging 12.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, to face off against Edison Volquez.  Volquez is 2-1 on the season, but showing a 6.46 ERA.  Hopefully the Braves offense can show up for the game tonight and help Javy out.

Bobby Cox Will Never Be Fired

Let’s clear this up – I was having a conversation on Twitter about the Braves and their lack of performance when someone mentioned that – just maybe – if the Braves couldn’t perform with a well-tooled team that maybe it’s time to talk about Bobby Cox.

Say what?!

There aren’t many untouchables in the world of baseball – but Bobby Cox damn well better be one of them. He not just led the Braves to 14 straight division titles, he was GM before he was the Braves’ manager and made many of the moves to build the team he’d later lead to pennant titles. The man is a legend. He’s the originator of the Bobby Cox Waddle – on his way to more ejections than any other manager in the history of the game. He’s solely responsible for the atmosphere in the Braves’ clubhouse that is legendary amongst major leaguers. He’s Bobby Cox.

Bring it on. Tell me how we only won one World Series in 14 years of consecutive division championships. Tell me how we routinely underperform in the postseason. Talk to me about whatever you want. I don’t give a flying crap. Bobby Cox will never ever ever be fired.

Bobby Cox is the reason I love the game of baseball. I grew up watching Bobby and the Braves. He’s the only face left that’s been with the Braves I know through the thick and the thin – and it should stay that way as long as he wants to be here in Atlanta, smoking a stogie and watching over the team he has crafted over the last two decades.

He’s a living legend. He’s said he’ll retire when he’s ready. That may only be another year or two.  Take your kids to the ballpark. Get seats near the dugout. Point Bobby out to them. Listen to him cheer on his players from the dugout, waiting to go out and get tossed instead of an integral player. Land his autograph. He’s a living legend. There haven’t been that many people in baseball like Bobby. He will leave when he’s ready to go spend time with his family on his farm outside the city.

Once he retires, then we’ll talk about his replacement. Not before then.

Jurrjens Looks For Redemption

Jair Jurrjens finally found his stride against the Pirates Friday night.  After struggling with control for his first two starts of the season, Jurrjens threw a great outing, going 6 2/3 innings and only giving up one run.  Unfortunately for Jair, the Braves failed to put a run on the board and he was stuck with the loss.  Jurrjens comes into tonight’s game with a 2-1 record and a 2.04 ERA.  He will face off against a struggling John Lannan, who has posted an 0-2 record with a 6.46 ERA so far this season.

The Braves are looking for a much needed win tonight after dropping two straight to the Washington Nationals and 7 of their last 8 games.  Stay with us for in game updates.

This Isn’t A Contending Team

Let’s be objective. The Braves, performing as they are now, are not a contending team.

A contending team’s offense can’t go from red-hot to ice-cold.

A contending team’s bullpen can’t blow leads more frequently than they use the restroom. Not to mention 8 run leads.

Sure, we’ve got a decent starting rotation. Sure, Kawakami, Lowe, Jurrjens and Vazquez have performed fairly well so far, but for heavens sake, we started Jo-Jo Reyes against Pittsburgh and expected to win the game?! Sure, our offense started off hot, but they’ve cooled to an exactly middle of the road .265 batting average.

There have been a few side stories that have contributed. Chipper missed some time on his hand (Chipper is always going to sit a little bit). McCann had some weird vision thing come up that has hopefully resolved itself. Tom Glavine busted his shoulder again (who are we kidding: we wanted him to be a reliable pitcher again?)

But a bullpen that blows a 7 run lead? An offense that can’t beat Pittsburgh given a good start? And a team that puts Jo-Jo Reyes on the mound? Seriously? It feels like this season is an extension of last season – where the baseball gods are laughing at us and poking us with sticks. We have to establish some good play before everyone gets in a funk and assumes we’re always going to blow leads – because that will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There are opportunities for us to get into the race. We have to stop blowing leads. The first step to that was getting rid of Blaine Boyer, which we have completed. Now the rest of the bullpen needs to live up to their potential. The offense needs to be more consistent – we win games when Chipper is in the lineup – and having BMac back will help. And people, write your senators and congressmen – it’s time to petition against Jo-Jo Reyes. If we get a law passed that he can’t pitch for the Braves, Frank Wren and Bobby Cox will have no choice but to send him packing. Sure – don’t bring Hanson up yet – let him season for a little bit – but enough with this Jo-Jo the No Show Blo-Blo bit. Let Escobar or Francoeur pitch if we have to.

We can still get into this year. We can become a contender. There are (most of) the pieces of the puzzle we need to contend this year, but the Braves have seriously got to step it up and start playing to expectations. I was emotionally battered enough last year and I don’t know if I can handle the pattern we appear to be getting ourselves into already this season. Buck up fans – let’s stick behind them and cheer for them louder than ever, because they need it. We can contend for the NL East, but a few little things have to change.

Mac Is Back For Game Vs. Nats

After missing two games with blurred vision in his left eye, Brian McCann has been tentatively written into the linup for tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals.  Mac has been suffering from the blurred vision issues over the past two weeks and had tried a series of options including a contact lens and an antibiotic ointment.  These caused an increase in the blurred vision and the absence from the past two games.

After a visit to an eye doctor this morning in Washington, McCann has been prescribed a new contact lens that has corrected the issues for the most part.  Before taking batting practice today, he said he felt great and would be ready to go.  Bobby Cox, always cautious, has a lineup ready without McCann as well and said a lot would depend on how he looked while taking batting practice today.

Kenshin Kawakami takes the mound for the Braves today, facing off against Shairon Martis, who has been credited for one of the Nationals’ two wins on the season.  After dropping the first game of the series last night, the Braves need to get back into the win column tonight.

Braves at Nationals, Game 1

Derek Lowe takes on the Nationals tonight as their #1 prospect Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound in his major league debut. The Braves have lost six in a row in Washington and need a series win after losing five of their last six this season. The Nationals have done some roster shuffling recently after a dismal 1-10 start to the season – so Braves fans, remember it could always be worse.

Brian McCann is out of the lineup tonight as he’s still experiencing some eye dryness. He may need lasik surgery before he can return – hopefully that’s not the case. Either way, good thing Dave Ross got healthy just in time for this. Fortunately Chipper should play tonight – the Braves are a much better team when opposing pitchers have to think about pitching around him.

The Braves need to step it up and take at least 2 out of 3 from the Nationals. They’re an easy team to take it from – and we need to be back on track soon so we don’t fall behind early in the season. Hopefully our bullpen is less sucky without Blaine Boyer.

Bye Bye Boyer

As we first discussed a couple of days ago, it was looking more and more like it was time for Blaine Boyer to hit the road.  Before Saturday’s game against the Pirates, Blaine was replaced on the roster by Jo-Jo Reyes to make the start in the place of an injured Tom Glavine.  Boyer, out of options with the club, was placed on waivers by the Braves, giving other teams 10 days to claim him before the Braves could assign him to one of the minor league squads.

I don’t think Boyer had impressed anyone with his performance over the past two seasons with the Braves and it seems like the patience to see some signs of productivity out of his potentially powerful arm had worn thin.  Last year, we gave Boyer a free pass.  The bullpen was depleted by injuries and starters just weren’t able to get deep in the games at all.  By the All-Star Break, Boyer had compiled 51 appearances and was believed to be battling the arm fatigue developed from that throughout the rest of the season.  By the time the season had ended, he had appeared in 76 games and compiled a 5.88 ERA with a 2-6 record.

This season, Boyer should have been ready with a a fresh arm and be ready to go, but more of the same for the Braves..  In his last outing, he faced 5 batters and gave up 4 runs.  On the season, Blaine has been on the mound in 3 games, recorded 4 outs and given up 6 earned runs.  Not to mention that he has walked three batters and hit another; that’s a 40.50 ERA and an 0-1 record as a Brave in 2009.

Earlier today, it was announced that the Braves would be sending Boyer to the Cards in exchange for AAA outfielder Brian Barton.  Barton was picked up by the Cardinals in 2007 and hit .268 in his rookie season.  I’m not sure what the plans are for him in Atlanta, but I’m glad to see Boyer hit the road.  Hopefully he can find his stride with another team and it’ll be for the best.  So are you happy to see Boyer packing his bags?

Bullpen Woes

“Wow….just, wow.” That’s really all we can say about the terrific effort our bullpen has put forth since the start of the season. Game one was a little shaky from Gonzo, but he ended up getting it done. Game Two saw O’Flaherty and Soriano shut down the Phils in 2 1/3 innings. And then game three comes around…Wow, was that the worst pitched game by the Braves ever? The last time I remember this happening was when we gave up eight runs in one inning to the Mets to squander a six run lead about eight or nine years ago. But in that game, it was hits, not walks, that drove in the runs.

Wednesday, Javier Vazquez was cruising through his first regular season start as a Brave. The team was up 10-3 and looking to just finish the game and get out of there. And then the bullpen struck.

O’Flaherty got Victorino to ground out to third, which seems simple enough. But then Utley dinked a single, Howard was hit by a pitch and the scoring started two batters later.

With Moylan in, Werth walked, Ibanez singled (1), Feliz singled (2), Stairs walked (3), Boyer came in, Coste walked (4), Rollins walked (5) Campillo came in, Victorino singled (6), Utley walked (7) and Howard grounded in a run (8) to give the Phillies a lead. The Phillies got an insurance run when Ibanez got to third on a walk and a double and was sacrificed in. The run proved to be important since Diaz homered in the top of the 9th.

The bullpen didn’t seem to cause many problems against the Nats…but then again does anything? Gonzalez blew a save in the first game, but Kelly Johnson helped the team out with his walk off hit in the 10th.

Finally, we come full circle to last night. With the Braves having worked extremely hard to make up a three run deficit, which should not have been a three run deficit had the umpire consistently called balls and strikes (I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that sentiment since the strike zone seemed to be lower in some innings, like the top halves).

Moylan comes in and struggles and ends up walking in a run. Giving up the lead was a huge deal, but one run can be overcome with some timely hitting.

Unfortunately, six runs on three outs is a lot harder. Boyer comes in the ninth and walks and hits the first two batters. Two of the next three guys get hits and two runs are scored, one on a Diaz error. Thanks guys. Campillo strikes out the next guy but then gives up two more singles and two more runs, one courtesy of a Brian McCann error.

By the way, here’s a breakdown of our guys and their ERAs. Keep in mind that this is only a few days into the season:

Soriano – 0.00 ERA in 5 IP

Bennett – 2.25 ERA in 4 IP, given up 10 hits and two walks.

Campillo – 3.86 ERA in 2.1 Innings, with 4 hits and three walks.

Carlyle – 4.15 ERA in 4.1 innings with 5 hits

Gonzo – 4.50 ERA in 4.0 innings with five hits and one save in two opportunities

O’Flaherty – 8.10 ERA in 3.1 innings pitched, given up just four hits but few strikeouts (1).

Moylan – 20.25 ERA in 2.2 innings pitched, 4 hits and 4 walks.

Boyer – 40.50 ERA in 1.1 innings pitched, 3 hits and 3 walks in those innings.

Now we know Moylan is a stud and just needs some time to get the action back on his ball. He’s already had two great outings this year and two bad ones, Bobby just needs to be a little bit more cautious this time with a guy like that. Boyer on the other hand, despite a great spring, has been struggling during the season since summer last year. What do you do with a guy that has his kind of talent but just cant get it done? Hopefully this is just a collective bad spell for the team and the Braves will come around as it warms up in Atlanta.