Braves Rally To Down Indians

When all looked lost today and the Braves were down 4-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, the second string stepped up.  Most of the starters took an at-bat or two and got to hit the showers early, but that didn’t mean the Braves were done.

Thanks to five Braves hits and two Indians errors, the Braves rallied from the 4-0 deficit to win the game 5-4 as the game was called on account of rain.  The rally included RBIs from Corky Miller, Gregor Blanco, Brent Lillibridge, and our new favorite utility player, Ruben Gotay.  Earlier in the day, Chipper almost knocked in pinch-runner Lillibridge, but he got thrown out at the plate by right fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

Hampton started for the Braves, and he looked good.  The Indians strung three hits together in the second to score a run, but otherwise we should be once again encouraged by Hampton, who seems ready to start the season and answer any doubters who think he can’t handle the Majors anymore.  He’ll pitch well for us until he breaks his arm turning on a light switch.

Jake Westbrook is downright nasty as a pitcher - the Indians have to be thankful for him and C.C. in the division race with the Tigers.  I think the AL Central will be a very fun division to watch all year.

Next up?  Oh yeah, actual regular season games.  One, actually, against the Washington Nationals in DC, opening their new stadium.  President Bush will throw out the first pitch and it sounds like the guys are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the first game in the new park.  Here’s hoping we torch the Nats.

Braves Drop Exhibition To Tribe

It was great to go back to Turner Field and watch baseball.  Though the crowd was light, the evening was perfect - the sunset and great weather combined with seeing the Braves made it a great evening.  Unfortunately, the Braves dropped the game 7-1 to the Indians behind a bad fourth inning outing by Blaine Boyer.

Jair Jurrjens got the start, giving up two runs in over three innings of work.  However, one of those runs should be charged to Boyer, who did not look good at all in the fourth after he came in.  Some other quick observations:

• Yunel made some great plays defensively, including a nice leaping catch.  I’m excited to see him play a full season.
• Kotsay made a diving grab in the outfield that scared me a little bit - he seemed to catch his arm a little bit but he came up fine.
• I was impressed by Kotsay on the basepaths.  He stayed alert and stole second when the catcher simply dropped the ball.  Caught everyone off guard.  It resulted in Atlanta’s only run of the day.
• We had a “Andruw would have gotten that” moment tonight - but it was later in the game and I think Gregor Blanco was in center, not Kotsay.  So we won’t pop that counter yet.  At least not until the regular season.
• Chipper still won’t run out infield ground balls.
• Fernando Nunez looked good today.  Never heard of him before today, but he looked good.
• Acosta looks good - he’ll be an important part of our bullpen this season.
• The Kelly Johnson / Yunel Escobar double play duo this season will be fun to watch.  They’re getting in the groove and should be really smooth here soon.

Next up, Hampton starts against the Indians at 1:10 tomorrow.  The Braves will have their 25-man roster done tomorrow at some point too.  They have to have it set before Sunday’s game against the Nationals.

Mets Down Braves In Final Grapefruit Game

The Braves are on their way to Atlanta.

After dropping their final Grapefruit league game 9-4 to the division rival Mets Thursday afternoon, the Braves pack their bags and head north. They’ll play exhibition games Friday and Saturday at Turner Field before heading to Washington DC to help open the Nationals’ new stadium.

Cox let his relievers pitch the entire game, giving Peter Moylan the start. Moylan gave up three earned runs in his inning of work. Chris Resop and Royce Ring helped make their case for the big league roster by striking out two each in their scoreless innings. Charlie Morton (whom yes, we sent down to the minors once already) pitched three innings and allowed three earned runs. He walked four.

Mark Teixeira continued his good hitting as of late, knocking in two runs on one hit and a sacrifice fly.  Matt Diaz added a two-hit game, and Chipper and Kelly Johnson doubled.  In a continuation of the recent battle for the backup infield slot, both Brent Lillibridge and Martin Prado knocked in a run.

Next up, Jair Jurrjens starts for the Braves Friday against the Cleveland Indians.  Sunday, Tim Hudson gets the start against the Washington Nationals, and Monday we’ll see our good friend Tom Glavine start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Braves Blast Nationals 10-2

Mark Teixeira blasted a 2 run home run to lead the Braves’ offense to a 10-2 win over the Nationals today.  Jeff Bennett got the start and pitched four scoreless innings, another encouragement of a bit of depth this year in the rotation.

The rest of the Braves’ infield got a piece of the action as well - Escobar and Timmons knocked in a run each, McCann got his RBI, Lillibridge knocked in two, and Prado added three.  Lillibridge and Prado are making the last bit of spring interesting as they battle for the backup infield slot.  If I had to guess, I’d say Prado has the upper hand because Lillibridge would benefit from playing full-time in Richmond.  Either he or Yunel is going to become trade bait before too long.

Will Ohman got the win, despite giving up the Nationals’ only two runs in his inning of work, in which he gave up three hits.  Soriano, Moylan, Acosta, and Ridgway all added a scoreless inning of their own on the mound, though they each walked one and struck out nobody.

Good to see the Braves’ offense moving heading into the season.  I’m glad Tex had a big day - he’s had a slow start and I for one want him to have the biggest contract year anyone’s ever had.  And then I want to re-sign him.

Ridgway Flounders, Braves Fall

The Braves will likely want to forget this one.  Despite a strong start by Buddy Carlyle (1 run in four innings work), the Braves fell 8-0 to the Indians.  Not only did the offense never get off the ground, but Jeff Ridgway (the left-hander acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for Willy Aybar) gave up six runs (four earned) in just one inning.

Ridgway didn’t just give up six runs - he walked two, balked home a run, had a throwing error to first base, and four hits.  If I had to guess, I don’t think Ridgway will start the season in Atlanta, unless we trade away one of our other lefties.  This outing was not something the Braves wanted to see just before the season started.

Carlyle is looking for that long relief spot and put on a good show - pitching four strong innings, giving up only one run, walking two, and striking out three.  We’ll see whether or not Bennett or Carlyle gets this job heading into spring.

As for the Braves at the plate?  We didn’t get started until Chipper hit a double in the 7th inning.  Jake Westbrook of the Indians is one mean pitcher.  Other than that, there’s nothing to report.

Apparently there are trade rumors out there regarding one or more of our out-of-options players.  We’ll keep you updated on the goings on as we hear more about it.

Hampton, Braves Beat Astros

The second, and unfortunately the last, stop on our spring training tour was Sunday’s Braves vs. Astros matchup at Champion Stadium in Disney’s Wide World of Sports.  Firstly, the facility there is very impressive - a great place to watch baseball.  I felt like I was watching a college game, except all the big league players were there.

Despite Jonathan’s mantra of “watch this next pitch carefully, it might be Hampton’s last,” Mike did us proud, giving up two runs in six innings.  In the sixth, it looked like he thought he was pitching batting practice, as he gave up back-to-back solo home runs.  Before that though, he looked good, striking out four and giving up six hits.  If he stays healthy, and I’m beginning to build confidence that he can for a period of time, he’ll be a valuable addition to our rotation this spring.

The Braves struck early, with Tex knocking in two in the first before scoring on Gregor Blanco’s triple.  Blanco continues to impress, as he went 3-3 yesterday after starting and finished the game playing in right field.  Brian McCann didn’t start, but he came into the game late and absolutely destroyed a ball into the Braves’ bullpen.

Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Manny Acosta all looked good in their outings as well.  I expect we’ll see Ring and Acosta in the ‘pen to start the year, but not 100% sold on Resop yet.  It’s possible he sticks around, however.

Loved the game, loved the facility, and loved the trip.  We’ll wrap it up in our upcoming trip recap.  All of us are highly dissatisfied to be back in Atlanta at work and in classes.  It’s far too cold here.

Until next year, Florida.

Jurrjens Beat Up By Nats

So we made it into town last night (and I use the term “night” very loosely as we settled into our hotel room around 5 in the morning) to enjoy a couple days of spring training before the team heads back to Atlanta to kick off the regular season.  The next time we schedule a weekend road trip, maybe I’ll actually take into consideration the holidays that might be going on that weekend.

The Braves faced off against the Nationals at Space Coast Stadium this afternoon and we got to see our first in-person glimpse of the preseason Braves with Jair Jurrjens taking the mound.  Jurrjens started the game without much doing for either team, but faltered as he pitched into the start of the 6th inning.  He finished out his day issuing 10 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings of work.  At this point, he still appears to be the front-runner for the 5th rotation spot, but here’s hoping that he can get his stuff together for a little more consistency as we head into the regular season.

In other pitching for the Braves, Soriano pitched an inning, issuing one hit and striking out two.  Peter Moylan also pitched a hitless inning.  The Braves attempted to mount a rally in the top of the 9th.  Trailing by 3 with two runners on and two outs, Joe Borchard flied out to center to end the comeback attempt for the Braves, falling in a 4-1 loss.

But in the end, the day was not a complete loss.  Rue got her monthly picture with Frank Wren to continue building the collection.

Drese Sinks Braves vs. Tribe

For most of the day Friday, the Braves pitching staff looked solid.  Using a strong start by Jeff Bennett (in substitution for John Smoltz) and two hitless innings from Blaine Boyer to finish the game, the Braves allowed only 4 hits and 0 runs in 8 innings of work.  Unfortunately for the Braves, all 9 innings count.

That other inning of work for th Braves went to Ryan Drese who struggled to find control for his entire outing.  Facing 11 batters in his one inning, Drese issued 6 walks, 1 hit and 6 earned runs, creating the 6-4 loss for the Braves.  At one point, Drese issued 5 consecutive walks, certainly cementing his place in the minor leagues to start the season.

In a game of few highlights for the Braves, Jeff Francoeur looks to have bounced back from being beaned in the face early in the week, going 2-3 and scoring a run.  As we enter the last week of the preseason, it’s good to see everyone getting into regular season form.

Spring Training Weekend!

Florida, get ready, because here we come.  Four of the BravesBlast crew are heading down to Florida this afternoon after we get off work.  Are you in or going to Florida this weekend?  Let’s meet up for some baseball talk and beach weather.

We’ll be heading to the Nationals vs. Braves game tomorrow at Space Coast Stadium in Viera and then driving to Orlando Sunday morning for some baseball there.  During our off hours, we plan on soaking up some of the sunlight and enjoying the beautiful weather (we’re a bit tired of storm-strewn Atlanta).

We want to meet up with you!  Email mailbag@bravesblast.com (it’s linked to a BlackBerry) and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible - let us know who you are, where you are, and if you’re going to either game.  Be on the lookout (that means “check back often over the weekend”) for some great content, including our roster predictions, some great pictures from the Spring Training scene, game coverage, and more.

Email us - mailbag@bravesblast.com - let’s meet up.  Don’t forget to enter to win Braves tickets by subscribing to the BravesBlast Insider (on your right).  It’s the easiest way to get free Braves tickets!

Braves Drop Tigers In 9th

Tyler Yates took the mound for the Braves in the 9th and, though giving up no hits, walked three and allowed 1 run in the inning.  The Braves entered the bottom of the 9th trailing by 2.  Through the help of 2 hits and some errant fielding on the part of the Tigers, Josh Anderson plated two with a walk-off single, giving the Braves the 3-2 victory.

Tim Hudson looked strong and ready to go for the season, as well as his expected position to start the opener against the Nationals.  He’s given up only 2 earned runs in his 15 Grapefruit League innings thus far. Royce Ring fought off his bad outings of the preseason to pitch a hitless inning, striking out one.  Jeff Francoeur, making his first appearance since being beaned in the face, went 0-3 with a strikeout and grounding into a double play.

John Smoltz will face off against C.C. Sabathia tomorrow as the Braves meet the Indians at 1:05pm.  We’ll also be setting out for Florida tomorrow evening to cover a few games through the weekend.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the BravesBlast Insider newsletter for a chance to win tickets to a game in the opening series’ against the Pirates or Mets.  Contest ends March 25th.

Braves Rally, Can’t Beat ‘Stros

Jo-Jo Reyes started for the Braves today hoping to overcome some recent struggles.  Unfortunately for Reyes and the Braves, he pitched four innings and gave up five runs, six hits, and walked four.  The Braves scored five runs in the 8th, thanks to two errors by the Astros, but gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth to seal the loss.

Rafael Soriano, a more key part of the pitching staff than Reyes, gave up two runs in the sixth inning on a two run homer.  We’ll hope he can pull his stuff together as the preseason wraps up here soon - we need him to be lights out in the bullpen to have a strong relief staff.

Offensively, Gregor Blanco went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Yunel Escobar went 1-3 with a run scored as his preseason batting average is now at .462.  Anderson, Diaz, and Schafer also added an RBI.  Schafer came in as a pinch runner, scored two runs, and went 1-1.  Diaz was 1-1 as well, continuing his strong preseason.  A five run eighth tied the Braves for the lead, but Buddy Carlyle got the loss after hitting a batter and facing five batters in the bottom of the eighth.

Whether or not Reyes remains with the team through the second round of cuts (planned for Friday) is yet to be seen.  I’d guess he gets cut as he’s going to start the season at AAA Richmond.

Next up, Tim Hudson gets the start tomorrow night against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers at 7:05pm.

Hampton Pitches Four, Doesn’t Break In Half

The good news is that Hampton could go through four innings without hurting anything. Not only did he pitch that long, he looked good. His pitches had movement and he reported feeling good after his outing. Bobby Cox was even more impressed. After a reporter mentioned that Hampton looked “solid,” Cox responded with the following quote:

“More than that, he had no-hit stuff today. His ball is really sinking. I don’t know if I’ve seen him that good since he’s been with us. Lot of strikes, ton of ground balls. I’m pleased, put it that way. More than pleased.”

If Cox is that pleased, we can at least take some hope in Hampton’s stuff. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be pretty good this season. We can pretty much coin the new saying - “Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, pray for old man Hampton.” Or something of the sort.

Next up for the Braves, Jo-Jo Reyes will try to not stink it up like he has recently. He’ll do it against the Astros on Wednesday. The Braves get tomorrow off.