Medlen pitched seven strong innings Wednesday night against the Mets

Kris Medlen pitched seven strong innings and Chris Johnson blasted a 3-run homer, as the Braves evened up an odd 5-game series, with a 5-3 victory over the Mets.  The 5^th and final game of this series will turn out to be the rubber match, after the Braves victory on Wednesday night.

It was not until the 4^th inning, when the Braves got the scoring started.  B.J Upton was on 2^nd, and Dan Uggla on 1^st, when Chris Johnson belted his 4^th home run of the season off of Mets starter, Shaun Marcum.

The Braves would not hold the lead long, as the Mets answered with 3 runs of their own in the next half inning.  Marlon Byrd singled to start off the inning.  The next batter, Lucas Duda, was HBP by Braves starter, Kris Medlen.  John Buck, the Mets catcher, sent a grounder right back to Medlen at the mound in the next at bat.  Medlen made a bad throw trying to get Marlon Byrd at 3^rd base.  The error allowed for both Byrd and Duda to score.  Buck moved to 2^nd.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis singled to right to score Buck from 2^nd.  Buck’s run tied the ballgame up at 3-3.

The Braves grabbed the lead back in their portion of the 5^th.  Jordan Schafer was able to get a lead halfway down the 3^rd base line when the Mets put on a huge shift with Brian McCann at the dish.  Schafer’s huge lead allowed him to score when a ball got by Mets catcher, John Buck.

Freddie Freeman, who reached on a walk, was able to move to 2^nd on the passed ball by Buck.  Freeman was able to score on a double to deep center by B.J. Upton.  Upton’s double chased Mets starter Shaun Marcum from the game.  Marcum (4.2 IP, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K’s) is now 0-9 on the season, with a 5.78 ERA.

The Braves led 5-3 after 5 innings

The Mets bullpen did a great job shutting down the Braves offense after the 5^th inning.  It did not matter though, as the Braves bullpen would shut down the Mets as well.

Kris Medlen made his 4th straight quality start, as he went 7 innings, 1 ER, and 7 K’s.  Luis Avilan and Craig Kimbrel (S,20) both threw scoreless innings in relief of Medlen.

I believe every Braves fan is hoping that this is when B.J. Upton finally breaks out.  He was 2-3 at the plate on Wednesday.

The Braves improved their record to 43-30 and keep their lead in the NL East at 7 games.

Mike Minor looks to continue his strong 1^st half of 2013 as he takes the ball in the rubber match tomorrow night.

The post Braves Beat Mets 5-3, Even Series appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Chipper Jones will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on June 28

On June 28 Chipper Jones will be inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame at the Marriot Marquis and it will be witnessed live by more than 50 former Braves players.

Later in the evening, Jones’ uniform number 10 will be retired by the Braves, in a ceremony on the field that will begin at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to the Chipper Jones festivities, the fourth annual Braves alumni weekend will take place on June 28-30, the Braves have announced.  This will give fans the opportunity to meet and obtain autographs from all-time great Braves players on Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

“The Braves Alumni Weekend is a unique opportunity for fans to see the stars they grew up cheering for,” said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz. “We cherish the legacies of our former players and are excited to welcome them back each season, especially this year as we honor one of our greats, Chipper Jones.”

Former Braves players scheduled to attend are:  Jose Alvarez, Andy Ashby, Paul Assenmacher, Steve Avery, Steve Bedrosian, Mike Bell, Mike Bielecki, Sid Bream, Brad Clontz, Adrian Devine, Johnny Estrada, Marvin Freeman, Ron Gant, Jesse Garcia, Tom Glavine, Marquis Grissom, Chris Hammond, Terry Harper, Darren Holmes, Randy Johnson, Clarence Jones, Brian Jordan, Ryan Klesko, Charlie Leibrandt, Keith Lockhart, Javy Lopez, Leo Mazzone, Greg McMichael, Damian Moss, Dale Murphy, Jim Nash, Denny Neagle, CJ Nitkowski, Greg Olson, Marty Perez, Curtis Pride, Ron Reed, Pete Smith, Zane Smith, Craig Skok and Mark Wohlers.

Other activities scheduled are a Legends Softball game Saturday at 2:10 p.m and an alumni photo session Sunday at 11:30 a.m.  Scheduled to appear for the photo session are:

Jose Alvarez, Andy Ashby, Steve Avery, Steve Bedrosian, Mike Bell, Sid Bream, Tony Brizzolara, Brad Clontz, Adrian Devine, Johnny Estrada, Marvin Freeman, Marquis Grissom, Chris Hammond, Terry Harper, Randy Johnson, Clarence Jones, Javy Lopez, Greg McMichael, Damian Moss, Jim Nash, Denny Neagle, CJ Nitkowski, Greg Olson, Marty Perez, Curtis Pride, Craig Skok and Zane Smith.

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Monday’s rain delay lasted nearly four hours

The letter was sent to fans with tickets to the 2-1 Braves win that didn’t start until 10:53 p.m. and ended with a Freddie Freeman walk-off homer at 1:22 a.m.

The letter from the Braves said, “We strive to provide the best possible experience for all fans that visit Turner Field, and realize that last night’s weather-related delays led to a less than ideal Braves baseball experience.”

What was curious was that in the 7:45 to 9:15 window there was very little rain, yet the tarp was kept on the field and play suspended.  We’ve seen several games this season at Turner Field that were played during steady rainfall.

In defense of the Braves officials who were making the judgment calls on the weather, radar only shows you what precipitation is headed in from the west towards the city.  It doesn’t give an accurate prediction on whether or not rain will fall on a specific location like Turner Field or if it does how long or how much.

As a good will gesture, the Braves have come up with a very attractive offer for fans that had tickets to Monday night’s game.  For 18 selected game this season, fans can purchase Upper Box, Field View, Terrace View, Upper Club Pavilion or Outfield Club seats for only $5.

The post Atlanta Braves Issue Fans Apology appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Paul Maholm pitched well Tuesday night

The Mets completed a day/night double header sweep with a 6-1 victory over the Braves.  The Mets and Braves completed 3 baseball games all within 24 hours, something that does not happen often.

The Braves saw 2 pieces of the Mets future today as they saw Matt Harvey in game 1, and Zack Wheeler (1^st Start) in game 2.  Both pitchers did not disappoint.  Harvey has been stellar this season, but Zack Wheeler was an unknown, as he was making his first big league start.

I’m sure Wheeler did not disappoint any Mets fans with his performance on Tuesday night.  Wheeler finished his night with 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, and 7 K’s.

The game was a pitchers duel, as Paul Maholm opposed Wheeler.  It was not until the 7^th inning when the scoring got started.  Josh Satin, the Mets 2^nd baseman, singled to right and was followed by an Anthony Recker home run over the center field fence.

The Braves answered with a run of their own in their portion of the 7^th inning.  Jordan Schafer was on third, when Justin Upton flew out to center.  The fly ball did get Schafer in from 3^rd base and cut the Mets lead to 2-1.

Things began to unravel for the Braves after that.  The inning started when Marlon Byrd hit a ball that went off Braves pitcher, Anthony Varvano.  Byrd advanced to 2^nd base. Varvano tried to pick-off Byrd and over threw the ball. B.J. Upton misplayed the ball that allowed Byrd to score, padding the Mets lead to 3-1.

Juan Lagares and Omar Quintanilla both knocked in runs with singles in the 8^th.  Lagares singled in 1 run, while Quintanilla’s single scored 2 runs.  The Mets led the Braves 6-1 at that point and for the rest of the game.

Andrelton Simmons was the only Brave to record more that one hit during the game, going 2-3 with 2 walks.

Paul Maholm pitched well again, even though he suffered another loss.  Maholm pitched 7 innings, 2 ER, 0 BB, and 7 K’s. Maholm sports a 3.57 ERA, but after the game but saw his W-L record move to 7-6 for the season.

The Braves were helped out by the Phillies, as they beat the Nationals on Tuesday.  The Braves have a 7 game lead over both the Phillies and the Nationals heading into play on Wednesday.

The post Mets Wheeler Scintillating Against Punchless Braves appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Wood threw 73 pitches in only 3 innings

Matt Harvey pitched no-hit ball for six innings and fanned thirteen batters as the New York Mets held off a late Atlanta at Turner Field to nip the Braves, 4-3.

It was just 15 hours after Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer, that the Braves fell to the Mets in game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader.

The Braves sent Alex Wood to the mound for his first big league start.  Wood was stellar in a starting role for (AA) Mississippi, but has seen all of his Major league time in a bullpen role.  I think Alex Wood had a decent day, although he only pitched 3 innings.

A blister, combined with pitch count in the 70′s, led to Wood’s exit.  He only allowed 1 ER that really should have got him out of the inning.  Chris Johnson hesitated with a ball that allowed Marlon Byrd to reach 1^st safely.  The throw/hesitation allowed Daniel Murphy to score on the play.  Wood also walked 3 and struck out 5 in his first start.

Daniel Murphy’s run on the Chris Johnson hesitation,  got the scoring started in the 3^rd inning.  The Mets added another run to their lead in the 4^th inning, when former Marlin, John Buck, hit a solo shot to left field.  Buck’s shot gave the Mets at 2-0 lead over the Braves.

The scoring stayed that way until the top of the 8^th, when Jordany Valdespin drew a bases loaded walk, to increase the Mets lead to 3-0.  They would add another run in the 8^th inning from an Omar Quintanilla sac fly.  The Mets led the Braves 4-0 after their portion of the 8^th inning.

The Braves finally chased Matt Harvey (7IP, 3H, 3ER, and 13K’s) after he began to struggle to start off the 8^th inning.  That is when the Braves bats finally got started.  A single by Jordan Schafer scored both Gerald Laird and Dan Uggla.  The runs cut the Mets lead in half.

With Andrelton Simmons on 2^nd base, a Jason Heyward double cut the Mets lead to 1, 4-3.  That was all the Braves would get as Chris Johnson struck out with the bases loaded to end the Atlanta 8^th.

The Braves got the tying run on with 1 out in the 9^th, but could not capitalize, as Andrelton Simmons and B.J. Upton both made out to end the ballgame.  The Braves fell 4-3 Mets in game 1 of the split doubleheader.

The post Mets Nip Braves 4-3 appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Jason Heyward broke up Harvey’s no-hit bid with a scratch hit in the seventh

With the New York Mets’ fire-balling Matt Harvey facing the  Atlanta Braves Tuesday afternoon, you had to figure the sky was the limit regarding how many strikeouts that Harvey could register.  The Braves, who have been dubbed by some Braves fans as the “Merry K”‘s, lead the National League in strikeouts.

While Harvey didn’t set any records Tuesday, he did set a career high for strikeouts against the Braves, registering 13 strikeouts in only 7+ innings.

Not only did Harvey dominate the Braves with strikeouts, he pitched no-hit ball through six innings.  Jason Heyward broke up Harvey’s bid for a no-hitter with a fluke hit leading off the seventh.

This was not Harvey’s first flirtation with a no-hitter this season.  He pitched a perfect six innings last month against the Chicago white Sox, before settling for a nine inning one-hitter.

Harvey gave up only three hits for the game and left in the eight inning with a 4-0 lead.  He was charged with three earned runs which all scored after he left the game.  His fastball registered 100 mph when he blew away Jason Heyward in the first inning and was regularly in the 96-98 range.

What is of concern for the Braves is their inability to hit power pitchers like Harvey.  Free swinging works against mediocre pitching on Tuesday nights in May, but it doesn’t often work in the playoffs against top power pitchers.

The post Mets’ Matt Harvey Blows Away Merry K’s appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Pastornicky was hitting .309 at Gwinnett

Atlanta Braves rookie slugger Evan Gattis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain.  Gattis sustained the injury on a  check swing in the seventh inning Monday night against the Mets.

Tuesday morning Gattis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “It just grabbed me on my right side. I didn’t think I could hit again. Catching, I was loose, warming, and (had) adrenaline going.”

Gattis finished out the game but wouldn’t have hit in the ninth inning if Freeman hadn’t ended the game with a walk-off, 2-run homer.

Could warming up multiple times during the almost four hour rain delay Monday night have contributed to Gattis’ oblique strain?  Entirely possibly but not possible to prove.

Gattis won the NL Rookie of the Month in both April and May.  He is hitting .252 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI and has been a tremendous late inning clutch hitter for the Braves.

Utility infielder Tyler Pastornicky has been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Gattis on the 25-man roster.  At Gwinnett Pastornicky has a .309 average with 4 home runs and 25 RBI.  He has stolen 7 bases in 9 attempts and has a .351 OBP and .429 slugging percentage.

The post Gattis Disabled Hurt Monday Night Against Mets appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Evan Gattis won the NL Rookie of the Month Award in April and May

For only the second time in the past seven games, Braves rookie Evan Gattis will get a start.  Gattis will bat fifth and catch against the New York Mets and their starter, Dillon Gee, Monday night.

Gattis did not start a game in the just completed weekend series against the San Francisco Giants.  His last start was five days ago against the Padres in San Diego.

Despite winning the NL Rookie of the Month for both April and May, Gattis has only had 21 at bats in June.  When you prorate the numbers, that is well under the 76 at bats Gattis had in April and the 63 he had in May.

Even though he didn’t start against the Giants this past weekend, Gattis had perhaps the key at bat in the series.  With the Braves down 5-4 in the ninth inning Saturday night, Gattis strode to the plate with one out and nobody on.  Sergio Romo, the Giants closer, then proceeded to pitch Gattis very carefully which resulted in a five pitch walk.

Reed Johnson pinch ran for Gattis and scored the tying run.  Then Braves then went on to win the game 6-5 when Freddie Freeman singled in Andrelton Simmons with two out.  Had Gattis not gotten on base, things would have been bleak with two outs and nobody on base.  The Braves proceeded to carry that momentum gained Saturday night, into Sunday night’s game, as they took the series, 2-1, from the Giants with a 3-0 win.

Braves outfielder Justin Upton talked about the momentum gained by Saturday night’s come from behind victory.

“We picked ourselves up last night and battled back for a win and that gave us a little bit of momentum going into today and we swung the bats pretty well, put up some runs and Julio pitched well,”  Upton said.

The post Gattis Gets Start Against Mets appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Rome Braves (A) (36-30) (4 games back and eliminated from 1^st half contention)   4-3 this week

The Rome Braves had a good week.  Closer Shae Simmons, 2^nd Baseman Levi Hyams, and outfielder Josh Elander will be playing in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game this week.  Rumors are that Rome will be losing all 3 players to Lynchburg in the next few weeks, but that has not been confirmed.

This Week’s Top Performer

(OF) Josh Elander: 6-25, 2 HR, and 8 RBI’s

Season:.321 Avg, 11 HR, and 58 RBI’s

Lynchburg Hillcats (Adv. A) (34-30) (Eliminated from 1^st half)  4-3 this week

The Hillcats may be Minor League’s most tired team, as they have played a large amount of DH”s this season.  The Hillcats and Salem RedSox have already played 4 DH’s at this point in the season.  They played well this week, as Will Skinner has really broken out.  Most people thought that Skinner would be a lot better than he has showed this season in Lynchburg.  He took a big turn this week with a really great week at the plate.  As stated in the Rome Braves section, Lynchburg should be receiving some good talent from Rome pretty soon.  That should help the Hillcat’s be competitive as the 2^nd half gets started in the Carolina League.  As players move up to Lynchburg, I would assume some of the Hillcat’s players will move up to Mississippi (AA) but I am not sure.

This Week’s Top Performer

(OF) Will Skinner: 7-20, 5 HR, and 8 RBI’s

Season: .241 Avg, 11 HR, and 30 RBI’s

Mississippi Braves (AA) (36-30) (½ game back in Southern League)  4-2 this week

The M-Braves had a pressure filled week.  Every game this week has been important as they try to clinch a playoff spot. Mississippi and Mobile have been pretty much even this week and it will come down to the last few games of the 1^st half for someone to take a playoff spot.  M-Braves fans were a little upset when Brandon Beachy did not make another rehab start with their team.  Instead, he made those starts with the Gwinnett team.

The M-Braves have a top Atlanta pitching prospect in Cody Martin.  He was the Braves top performer this week, as he continued his strong work on the mound.  He was 3 strikeouts away from tying Tommy Hanson‘s (14) team record in his 2^nd start of the week.

This Week’s Top Performer

(P) Cody Martin: 11.1IP, 2 ER, and 16 K’s

Season:3-3, 2.82 ERA, 67 IP, and 71 K’s

Gwinnett Braves (AAA) (27-39) (14.5 games back)  2-3 this week

Gwinnett stayed true to form this week by struggling to score runs.  It seems like night after night the Braves get runners on, but cannot produce them into runs.  Its hard to see any positive in that as these are the players in the highest class of the Braves farm system.  Tyler Pastornicky has been a constant for the G-Braves and has been talked about a lot by the fans in Atlanta.  After Pastornicky’s hot start, many Braves fans are calling for him to replace Dan Uggla as the Braves 2^nd baseman.

Hopefully, the G-Braves will have a better 2^nd half of the season and contend in the Independent League.  Even if they don’t win much, any Braves fan would love to see these players get over their struggles of hitting with runners on base.

This Week’s Top Performer

(3B) Joe Leonard: 6-15, 0 HR, 0 RBI’s (Good average but nobody on in front of him)

Season: .241 Avg, 0 HR, and 13 RBI’s

(P) Brandon Beachy: 8IP, 3 ER, and 12 K’s

All Rehab Starts: 2-1, 3.27 ERA, 22 IP, 12 BB, and 22 K’s

The post Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekly Report (6/8-6/15) appeared first on Atlanta Bullpen.

Matt Harvey has been a top NL hurler this season

Turner Field will showcase three young guns on Tuesday as the Atlanta Braves’  Alex Wood, and the New York Mets’ Zach Wheeler and Matt Harvey, will be on display in the split doubleheader.

Wood will make his first major league start in the 1:10 game against Matt Harvey, while Atlanta native Zach Wheeler will make his major league debut against the Braves Paul Maholm in the nightcap at 7:10.

Harvey has been one of the top pitchers in the National League so far this season.  The former UNC hurler has a 5-1 record, with a sparkling 2.04 ERA.  He has struck out 102 hitters in 97 innings, while walking only 20.  The Braves missed Harvey in both series the teams played earlier in the season.

Wood was called up to Atlanta on May 30 and has made six appearances, all in relief.  He has a 3.52 ERA in 7 2/3 innings with 9 strikeouts and 4 walks.  Wood made 23 appearance in the minors, all starts.

The 6’4″ 185-pound Wheeler was born in Smyrna, GA and graduated from East Paulding, High School.  He was rated as the eighth best minor league prospect heading into the 2013 season by highly regarded Baseball America.  Wheeler started 13 games this season for Triple-A Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast League and logged a 4-2 record, with a 3.93 ERA.  He struck out 73, while walking 27, in 68 2/3 innings.

Wood and Wheeler are 23, Harvey is 24.

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