Another Injury-Filled Day

Written by Jonathan on May 9, 2008 – 12:00 am

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.


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Reyes Hopes To Close Out Perfect Homestand

Written by Charles on May 8, 2008 – 12:27 pm

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.


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Posted in Game Threads | 39 Comments »

‘08 Roster Nearing Completion

Written by Colin on March 29, 2008 – 7:23 am

After last night’s loss to Cleveland, the Braves further thinned out their roster, getting ready for Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals.  Of course the most notable moves involved the ongoing battles for the limited number of backup spots on the roster.

Brent Lillibridge, impressive as he was in the first half of the spring, got sent back to AAA Richmond, where he’ll get more playing time.  I think this is crucial, since either he or Escobar will likely be trade bait before too long.  He needs to be playing all the time.  Martin Prado gets to stay in Atlanta – his first time starting the season in the majors.  Joining Prado (who played a few innings last night at first, by the way) is new acquisition Ruben Gotay, a switch-hitting contact hitter who can play second, third, and short.

In the outfield, Gregor Blanco beat out Josh Anderson for the backup job.  Anderson got out-hit by Blanco this spring (.260 to .341) and despite his speed, Bobby couldn’t find a roster spot for him.  I like Anderson though – if we have an issue mid-season with Diaz or Kotsay I’m sure we’ll see him (maybe even before Schafer, whom they might want to groom all season long).

Behind the plate, Corky Miller seems to have the backup job.  Brayan Pena is still on the roster too, but he’s out of options and conventional wisdom says he’s traded by the end of the day.  If Pena sticks around, he can pitch in at first as well.

So that leaves the five bench spots going to Blanco (OF), Gotay (IF), Prado (IF), Pena (C/1B) and Miller (C).  I’m not sure what we’ll see happen if Pena is traded – maybe Anderson comes back up?

The Bullpen is finally solid, with slots going to Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano, Manny Acosta, Will Ohman, Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Blaine Boyer.  I like this year’s ‘pen.  Lots of arms who have the capacity to be good pitchers throughout the season.

Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle are still fighting for the pitching slot left vacant by Smoltzie, who will start the season on the DL (it’ll be backdated and he’ll only miss one start).  I’d give the edge to Bennett in this one – he’s been impressive, but Carlyle hasn’t put together a bad spring himself.

More as we hear it – our ears are to the ground today as we wait for the final moves to be made.


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Trade Rumors Circle Optionless Players

Written by Colin on March 25, 2008 – 10:19 am

Frank Wren let loose this past weekend with a couple interesting tidbits regarding roster options heading into the season.  Firstly, there are trade talks surrounding many of the out of options players.  Secondly, the Braves have the payroll flexibility to add a player with a $3-4 million if necessary.  This puts us in a good position as Bobby and Frank finalize the 25-man roster.

Wren has said that teh Braves will take whatever player is the best fit for the team, and shop the other players around.  If the Braves don’t trade their out of options players, they’ll likely lose them on the waiver wire with no compensation.  What do other teams want with our leftovers?  Let’s break it down by player:

Brayan Pena

Corky Miller looks to be the favorite to win the backup catcher position, leaving Pena without a place.  He’s a switch hitter and can play first and third as well as outfield, which will make him in demand and valuable to other organizations.

Scott Thorman

Thorman has at times shown power potential that is interesting to some teams.  I’m really not sure what we’d be able to get for him – he’s not been very successful (putting it lightly) in his time in the big leagues, not to mention this spring.  He’s hitting .140 this spring.

The bullpen is congested – seven spots are available, but five of them appear to be spoken for.  Soriano, Moylan, Acosta, Bennett, and Ohman appear to be locks.  This leaves Blaine Boyer, Royce Ring, Chris Resop, and Tyler Yates competing for two spots.  Ridgway will likely get sent to AAA as he still has options left.  Boyer and Resop have been impressive and likely are the leaders for the last two spots (Resop has averaged a strikeout per inning, and Boyer has a 2.25 ERA in seven outings).  This leaves Yates and Ring.

Tyler Yates

Yates has been unimpressive so far this spring.  He’s walked 10 in 7 innings.  He’s also given up 7 hits.  But he’s a steady arm and will likely settle down once the season is moving.  For a team that needs depth in the bullpen, he could be an important addition.

Royce Ring

Royce Ring has immediate value to many bullpens because he’s a lefty, and left-handed specialists are in short supply.  This is the same reason the Braves may keep him – if they want another lefty to join Ohman, they may not want to wait for Mike Gonzalez to get healthy mid-season.  We’ll see what happens – he’d be useful to a lot of teams out there.

For one, I appreciate that the Braves are leaving enough room in their finances to be able to spend money going into the season.  I also appreciate that Wren isn’t just going to ship our guys through waivers and hope they make it to the minors.  We won’t know the magnitude of the goings on until the trigger is pulled on the trades, but as we hear it, we’ll report it.


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Posted in Roster Moves, Speculation | 8 Comments »

Javy For Backup Catcher?

Written by Colin on March 19, 2008 – 8:30 am

All you ladies out there have certainly been following the backup catcher battle with some interest this year.  Hard-hitting catcher and all-around good guy Javy Lopez is trying to make a comeback to win the backup role with an increased focus on his defense this offseason.  Standing in his way are Corky Miller and the young Clint Sammons, along with Brayan Pena.  But can Javy prove he’s still able to play at the big league level?  Has his focus on defense improved him to the point where he’s extra valuable for the Braves?

Here’s the deal – offensively, there’s nobody with more power.  Javy is only hitting .200 after a slow start, but he has two home runs and has gotten more playing time than any other catcher save McCann.  The other guys are hitting for better average, but they don’t have the power potential Javy has.  Mid-season when we need a pinch hitter, I’m sure Bobby would prefer to have someone with a bit of punch – and Javy is that guy.  He just has to calm down, not try so hard, and his average will come along too.

Defensively, Javy isn’t there yet.  Brayan Pena has caught three runners stealing, Clint Sammons has caught two, and Miller has caught one.  Javy hasn’t gunned any runners down.  But neither has McCann – proof that the Braves may be more focused on the game calling and batting aspect than protecting the base paths.  And Javy has game calling experience that none of the younger guys have.

As far as fan preference, there’s no contest.  In our recent fan poll, Javy pulled 75% of the vote, Sammons pulled 16%, Pena pulled 9%, and nobody voted for Corky Miller.

If I had to go with someone today, it’d be Javy.  The Braves need the powerful bat off the bench and he’s got it.  He’ll continue to work hard to improve offensively and defensively, and he’s the clear fan favorite.

If all goes well, we’ll be able to welcome Javy back to Atlanta soon.


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Posted in Speculation | 10 Comments »

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