Go Braves!

Hanson is 3-3 at AAA Gwinnett, with a 1.49 ERA, 90 strikeouts, all while holding opponents to an incredible .169 average. His last four starts have just been dazzling – he’s gone 2-0 with a 0.78 ERA, with 33 strikeouts in just over 25 innings.

Opposite Hanson is the Brewers’ Manny Parra, 3-7 with a 6.75 ERA. Hopefully we can provide some offense. Any offense. At all. Let’s give Hanson the run support he deserves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Chipper has been nursing a bruised left thumb for the entire season that he reaggravated during a home game against the Marlins last Tuesday.  Yunel Escobar, who has missed two games with a strained abdominal muscle, is a game-time decision today.  Hopefully one, or both, of the two can provide a much needed spark for the Braves’ offense today and avoid the sweep by the Pirates.

Javier Vazquez takes the mound for the Braves today with an 0-1 record and 4.50 ERA.  Vazquez has been dominant with the strikeout this season, but still has been giving up some runs.  Zach Duke will be on the hill for the Pirates with a 2-0 record this season and a non-existent 0.59 ERA.  Chipper however, has hit .500 on his career against the left-hander.

Stay with us for ongoing updates throughout the game.

Ian Snell is taking the hill for the Pirates. We’ll be updating throughout the game as the Braves try to get back into the win column.

Tonight, Jair Jurrjens looks to overcome some of the control issues that have haunted him up until this point in the season (while still retaining a solid 2.45 ERA) and bring down Paul Maholm for the Pirates.  The left-handed Maholm comes into tonight’s game with a 1-0 record and a 1.32 ERA.  The Braves have struggled at the plate against lefties throughout last season and into the first games of this one.

We’ll be updating throughout the game as the Braves try to get back into the win column.

The Braves will have to produce runs without Chipper Jones and Brian McCann in the lineup today.  Chipper is still nursing the bruised thumb that was reaggravated during Tuesday’s game.  Omar Infante will take the start at third.  David Ross will be filling in for Brian McCann.  Ross was activated off of the disabled list and took the place of Clint Sammons on the roster, who was sent back to AAA Gwinnett.

After two rough games, the Braves are looking to avoid the sweep and get out of town on a high note to kick off the road trip.  Stick with us for in-game updates.

Bottom 9th:
Nunez on to pitch for the Marlins.
- Ross singles.
- Brian McCann pops out. Double play. 2 out.
- Johnson grounds out. 3 out.
Final: 6-2 Marlins

Top 9th:
Jorge Campillo on to pitch for the Braves.
- Gload triples to center.
- Bonifacio strikes out. 1 out.
- Amezaga singles. Gload scores. 6-2 Marlins.
- Amezaga thrown out trying to steal second. 2 out.
- Ramirez flies out to second. 3 out.

Bottom 8th:
Nunez on to pitch for the Marlins.
- Kotchman lines out to first. 1 out.
- Francoeur strikes out swinging. 2 out.
- Schafer strikes out…..again. 3 out.

Top 8th:
- Cantu strikes out. 1 out.
- Uggla singles to left.
- Hermida strikes out looking. 2 out.
- Ross singles to center. Uggla to center.
- Paulino grounds into a force out. 3 out.

Bottom 7th:
Calero on to pitch for the Marlins.
- Infante pops out to right. 1 out.
- Prado flies out to left. 2 out.
Meyer on to pitch.
- Anderson flies out to center. 3 out.

Top 7th:
Jeff Bennett in to pitch.
- Bonifacio grounds out to third. 1 out.
- Amezaga grounds out to second. 2 out.
- Ramirez flies out to right. 3 out.
Good to see a 1-2-3 from the bullpen.

Bottom 6th:
- Ross flies out to right. 1 out.
- Norton flies out to right. 2 out.
- Johnson grounds out first. 3 out.

Top 6th:
- Uggla walks.
- Hermida triples to center. Uggla scores. 4-2 Marlins.
- Ross sac fly to center. Schafer’s throw off-line. 1 out. 5-2 Marlins.
- Paulino grounds out to third. 2 out.
- Sanchez grounds out to second. 3 out.
At 109 pitches and the pitcher spot up in the inning, I’d say Kawakami’s done.

Bottom 5th:
- Infante flies out to center. 1 out.
- Escobar grounds out to short. 2 out.
- Anderson doubles to right.
- Kotchman singles.
- Francoeur doubles to center. Anderson scores. 3-2 Marlins.
- Schafer strikes out. 3 out.
Jordan needs to get all the check swings under control.

Top 5th:
- Amezaga strikes out. 1 out.
- Ramirez strikes out. 2 out.
- Cantu strikes out. 3 out.
Great inning for Kawakami. 7 Ks on the day.

Bottom 4th:
- Ross grounds out to third. 1 out.
- Kawakami singles.
- Johnson grounds into a fielder’s choice. 2 out.
- Johnson thrown out trying to steal second. 3 out.

Top 4th:
- Ross singles past short.
- Paulino strikes out. 1 out.
- Sanchez grounds into a fielder’s choice. 2 out.
- Bonifacio strikes out. 3 out.
Good to avoid the leadoff single.

Bottom 3rd:
- Infante flies out to left. 1 out.
- Escobar flies out to right. 2 out.
- Anderson doubles to right.
- Kotchman walks.
- Francoeur singles past short. Anderson scores. Kotchman to second. 3-1 Marlins.
- Schafer strikes out. 3 out.
At least we’re on the board.

Top 3rd:
- Amezega grounds out to Kawakami. 1 out.
- Ramirez flies out to right. 2 out.
- Cantu walks.
- Uggla doubles to left. Cantu to third.
- Hermida strikes out swinging. 3 out.
Worked out of a jam there.

Bottom 2nd:
- Jeff Francoeur flies out to center. 1 out.
- Jordan Schafer grounds out to first. 2 out.
- David Ross walks.
- Kenshin Kawakami singles to left. Ross to second.
- Johnson pops out to second. 3 out.
Another couple of runners stranded. We need to start crossing the plate with those!

Top 2nd:
- Jorge Cantu singles past third.
- Dan Uggla grounds to short. KJ bobbles the catch for the double play. Both runners safe.
- Jeremy Hermida flies out to center. Runners stay put. 1 out.
- Cody Ross homers to right. 3-0 Marlins.
- Ronny Paulino walks.
- Anibal Sanchez bunts to first. Paulino to second. 2 out.
- Bonifacio grounds out to first. 3 out.
Those runs are all on KJ, the inning should have been over. Not to mention the many added pitches on Kawakami’s arm.

Bottom 1st:
- Kelly Johnson flies out to center. 1 out.
- Omar Infante lines out to center. 2 out.
- Yunel Escobar singles to left. Steals second.
- Garret Anderson walks.
- Casey Kotchman flies out to left. 3 out.
Stranded a few men, but at least a little spark of offense.

Top 1st: 
- Emilio Bonifacio strikes out swinging. 1 out.
- Alfredo Amezega flies out to right. 2 out.
- Hanley Ramirez grounds out to third 3 out.
Just the start that Kawakami needed.  Good 1-2-3 inning.

Even though Jonathan and I are going to be at the game tonight, feel free to use the chat room and comment thread to offer your opinions and insight on the game.

8th Inning: Jeff Bennett pitching. Garret Anderson error (dropped foul ball?) led to a baserunner. Went downhill from there. 4 hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning led to a 5-1 Marlins lead. O’Flaherty in to pitch – instant double play to stop the pain. 5-1 Fish. Schafer led off with a single but of course nobody could put anything together to advance him.

7th Inning: Moylan on to pitch. 3 up, 3 down. Great defense by Kelly Johnson. Francoeur singled but was chopped down in a beautiful double play by the Fish.

6th Inning: Vazquez retires the side to end his outing. 12 strikeouts for Vazquez – solid stuff. Prado doubles in his pinch-hit appearance. Escobar got on base, Chipper sacrificed them to second and third to set it up for McCann. McCann ripped one to first – it was bobbled but McCann was forced out.

5th Inning: Marlins up and down. Braves strand a runner. Norton was in the on-deck circle so we’ll probably see Vazquez for another inning max.

4th Inning: Nothing doing for the Marlins. Kelly Johnson homerun makes it 3-1. Next three batters retired. 3-1 Marlins.

3rd Inning: Marlins knock in two on an Uggla single. A Vazquez wild pitch brought in another run. 3-0 Marlins. Volstad retired the side in order. He’s got a ridiculous breaking ball, by the way.

2nd Inning: Marlins had two on with two out, but unable to do anything. McCann laid down a bunt and just about beat it out (looked like he was safe on the replay) – Bobby came out to argue briefly but stays in the game. Garret Anderson and Jeff Francoeur flew out to end the 2nd. Volstad’s looking good.

1st Inning: Vazquez struck out two and got Hanley Ramirez to fly out to right. Wind is blowing left to right tonight – may be a factor on fly balls hit to right field. Bottom of the first Braves went 1, 2, 3.

When Javier Vazquez takes the mound for the Braves against the Florida Marlins’ Chris Volstad tonight, the Braves hope to walk away with another series win and an early season lead in the NL East. The Marlins are like the Braves – off to a 5-1 start. They have been cruising behind their young pitching staff – the oldest of the bunch of 26 – and Volstad is only 22.

The Braves have been riding behind solid starting pitching and a great offensive start – even if the bullpen has been shaky in an outing or two. The Braves lead the league with a .300 team batting average and a .540 slugging percentage. They’ve spread the offense out among their lineup and are very solid through and through. Javier is looking for his first win of the season as his start was spoiled by a bullpen meltdown that can only be descirbed in two ways (pick one: apocalyptic OR last season-ish). Hopefully the Braves can continue their hot start and roll their way to a 7-2 or 8-1 start – we’ll have to crack the pitching of the fish in order to do so.

What do you see happening tonight? What about the rest of the series? Anyone making it out to the park?

Javier Vazquez and the Braves hope that the Phillies’ slumbering lumber (it rhymed, I had to do it) doesn’t awake for today’s game. Vazquez will be facing Joe Blanton, who is considerably younger than the aging Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers the Braves faced in the first two games. Vazquez is typically a fly ball pitcher – so it’ll be interesting to see how Citizens Bank Ballpark handles the Phillies’ bats and Vazquez’s style today.

Join us in this thread for some in-line game commentary and general chattiness. Feel free to jump in and offer your opinion or comment on the goings-on! Jonathan will be game-threading it and Colin will join as he is able while in and out of class this afternoon. Bring out the brooms!

Also slated to appear for the Braves are Jo-Jo Reyes, Manny Acosta, Stephen Marek and Eric O’Flaherty.  Blaine Boyer was slated to throw an inning today but was scratched after cutting his hand on an apple slicer yesterday.  He is expected to make his next appearance.

Aside from Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson, all of the projected Opening Day starters are making the short trip to the game today.  Those two will likely make their first appearance in the televised game tomorrow afternoon versus the Astros.

The game starts at 1:05 EST and we’ll be doing our best to run a game thread here for the game.  It’s the first one of the season so it’s time to start kicking the rust off and getting back into the swing of things.  What’s everyone looking for in this first game today?  I’ll be happy to see Jurrjens have a solid two innings and no other pitchers get injured in the process; a couple of nice plate appearances from Francoeur would be encouraging as well.

Chipper Jones is out.  Mark Teixeira can’t carry the offense by himself.  Blanco continues his inconsistency, and the rest of the outfield offers no help.  Jeff Francoeur was even mentioned in trade rumors today – by the Braves’ official website.

It’s not a good time for the Braves.  Kyle Kendrick (8-4, 4.87 ERA) starts for the Phillies tonight and will take on Jair Jurrjens (9-5, 3.22 ERA), who champions the mound for Atlanta.  Tonight, think about Jurrjens, and pray he works with the precision of a surgeon.  That’s as close as I come to “Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain”.

Remember, pray for Jurrjens, something about surgeons.  This is the last stand, folks.

PS – Tomorrow, Mike Hampton is scheduled to start.  We look forward to seeing Buddy Carlyle on the mound in the first.

Mixed news for this evenings game, a win will make it feel that much better at the end of the night with a chance to pick up one game on the Marlins and either the Phillies or Mets who are playing this evening in Flushing.

Game starts at 7:10 PM.  This is a must-win series, and VandenHurk doesn’t seem like a very intimidating pitcher with his sky-high ERA.

Jo-Jo Reyes is taking the mound today and hopefully can get a win.  Jo-Jo has been plagued by a lack of run support so far this season and as a result, only has 3 wins.  Hopefully the bats can get active today and help him out for once.