All about the Braves and baseball events.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Braves Pound The Stars Out Of Astros

BRAVES 10, ASTROS 5

W - Derek Lowe (3-0)
L - Wandy Rodriguez (1-4)
HR - Chris Johnson (6)

THE GOOD: Troy Glaus went 3-3 with two doubles and drove in three runs. Jason Heyward returned to action by getting a single and a walk and scoring two runs. Martin Prado had two hits and scored two runs. Brian McCann drove in three runs and Eric Hinske had a bases-clearing double.

Craig Kimbrel and Peter Moylan had scoreless innings, extending their scoreless springs. Josh Venters and Jesse Chavez had scoreless innings as well.

THE BAD: Derek Lowe had a somewhat sloppy outing, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Eric O'Flaherty had has first poor outing of the spring, allowing two runs on four hits. Matt Diaz was the only Brave with three at-bats to not get a hit.

UP NEXT: The Braves play the Tigers in their Florida finale. Jair Jurrjens is scheduled to pitch.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Braves Take Two from Phllies, Yankees

BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 4

W - Craig Kimbrel (2-0)
L - Ryan Madson (1-1)
S - Vladimir Nunez (1)
HR - Brooks Conrad (2)
Eric Hinske (2)

BRAVES 9, YANKEES 6

W - Takashi Saito (2-0)
L - Zack Segovia (1-1)
S - Billy Wagner (2)
HR - NYY - Nick Swisher (1)
Jorge Posada (1)
ATL - Clint Sammons (1)

THE GOOD: Brooks Conrad hit a game-tying home run against the Phillies and scored two runs in the two games. Eric Hinske hit the game-winner against the Philles. Omar Infante had two doubles.

Kenshin Kawakami allowed five hits and no walks in his inning of work. The lone run came on a solo shot by Nick Swisher. Troy Glaus had two doubles against the Yankees. Matt Diaz had three hits over the two games. Braves relievers pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings total.

THE BAD: Yunel Escobar pulled in an 0-3 day against the Yankees. Scott Proctor continued to struggle in the spring, allowing two runs against the Yankees. Darkhorse bullpen candidate Jonny Venters hurt his chances by allowing three runs in 2/3 inning against the Phillies.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Nationals Pound Braves Relievers

NATIONALS 9, BRAVES 3

W - Scott Olsen (1-2)
L - Scott Proctor (0-1)
HR - Ryan Zimmerman (6)

THE GOOD: Erik Cordier pitched four innings of two-hit ball. Chipper Jones drove in two runs with a single. Nate McLouth had a single, scored two runs and stole a base. Martin Prado, Matt Diaz and Brent Clevlen had two hits each.

THE BAD: Most of the pitching. Scott Proctor and Jesse Chavez both allowed three runs in their innings of work. Mariano Gomez allowed three runs in two innings. Clint Sammons and Joe Thurston went 0-4 and Eric Hinske went 0-3.

UP NEXT: The Braves play the Phillies in Clearwater. Kris Medlen will start for the Braves

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Heyward To Start Season In Right; Braves Celebrate By Beating Tigers and Nationals

Okay, maybe they didn't celebrate by beating the Nationals this afternoon, but it was still a great performance by the pitching.

BRAVES 5, TIGERS 3

W - Derek Lowe (2-0)
L - Justin Verlander (1-3)
S - Billy Wagner (1)

BRAVES 4, NATIONALS 0

W - Jair Jurrjens (2-0)
L - Jason Marquis (1-2)

THE GOOD: McCann had four hits in the two games and scored two runs. Nate McLouth had two hits against the Tigers, driving in two runs. Omar Infante had three hits, including a double, run and RBI. Matt Diaz had two hits against the Tigers. Derek Lowe pitched six good innings, allowing just one unearned run. Jair Jurrjens followed that with five innings of one-hit ball in the next game. Takashi Saito didn't allow a run in back-to-back days.

THE BAD: Melky Cabrera went 0-8 in the leadoff spot, but drove in a run. Chipper Jones went 0-5 with a walk. Jason Heyward went 0-4 against the Nationals (gasp!). Billy Wagner allowed a run against the Tigers for the only score rung up on the Braves pen in the two games.

UP NEXT: The Braves travel to Lake Vera, Florida to play the Nationals again. Tommy Hanson will start for Atlanta and Scott Proctor is scheduled to pitch.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

More Scores and Links

BRAVES 8, PHILLIES 0

W - Tim Hudson (3-1)
L - J.A. Happ (0-1)
HR - Brian McCann 2 (4)
Martin PRado (2)

PIRATES 7, BRAVES 6, 10 INN.

W - Steven Jackson (1-0)
L - Manny Acosta (0-2)
HR - ATL - Nate McLouth (1)
Eric Hinske (1)
PIT - Steve Pearce (3)

Tim Hudson and Kenshin Kawakami had six shutout innings each in their respective games. The Braves bullpen was stalwart for the first game, but Jesse Chavez doomed the Braves' lead against the Pirates, giving up five runs.

Brian McCann drove in four runs with his two home runs and added a single against the Phillies. Starting against the Pirates, Eric Hinske homered and drew two walks. Martin Prado had two hits, including a homer, against the Phillies. Jason Heyward had three hits in the two games.

The Braves play the Tigers next with Derek Lowe going to the mound. The setup-closer duo of Saito and Wagner are scheduled to pitch, as well as veteran hopeful Scott Proctor.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Just Scores and Links

BRAVES 4, TIGERS 4

HR - Jeff Larish (1)
Johnny Damon (2)

BLUE JAYS 7, BRAVES 6 (10 INN.)

W - Merkin Valdez (1-0)
L - John Huber (0-1)
HR - Aaron Hill (2)

The Braves-Cardinals spring training game on Sunday was rained out

Friday, March 19, 2010

Braves PItch and Bat Well Against Cards

BRAVES 5, CARDINALS 3

W - Tim Hudson (2-1)
L - Rich Hill (1-1)
S - Jeff Lyman (1)
HR - ATL - Chipper Jones (1)
STL - Rick Stavinoha (1)

THE GOOD: Chipper Jones hit his first home run of the spring. Melky Cabrera had two hits in the leadoff spot. Omar Infante also had two hits. Tim Hudson pitched five innings, allowing just four hits and one run. He walked none and struck out four.

THE BAD: Nate McLouth is still in his long 0-fer slump. Jo-Jo Reyes and Kris Medlen each allowed a run in their stints.

UP NEXT: The Braves go back to Orlando to play the Tigers. Kenshin Kawakami will attempt to go five innings in that game. Scott Proctor will make his debut and projected bullpen rocks Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, and Peter Moylan are also scheduled to pitch.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Braves Leave Marlins Out In The Rain

BRAVES 4, MARLINS 2

W - Tommy Hanson (1-0)
L - Andrew Miller (1-1)
S - Michael Dunn (1)

On a rainy day in Jupiter, the Braves used some good pitching and three Florida errors to help push their way past the Fish by a score of 4-2.

THE GOOD: Tommy Hanson allowed one run on six hits in five innings of work. He walked no one and striking out four batters. Yunel Escobar had two hits.

THE BAD: The Braves only managed five singles and two walks on offense. Nate McLouth continued to struggle with his batting (and possibly his vision), going 0-3 again.

UP NEXT: The Braves play the Cardinals on Thursday. Tim Hudson and Jo-Jo Reyes are scheduled to pitch.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Lotsa, Lotsa Games

BRAVES (SS) 8, BLUE JAYS 5

W - James Parr (1-0)
L - Jason Frasor (0-1)
S - Stephen Marek (1)
HR - ATL - Joe Thurston (1)
TOR - Randy Ruiz (2)

ASTROS 8, BRAVES (SS) 5

W - Brett Myers (2-0)
L - Kenshin Kawakami (1-1)
S - Wilton Lopez (1)
HR - ATL - Brian McCann 2 (2)
HOU - Hunter Pence (3)
Carlos Lee (1)

BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 2

W - Derek Lowe (1-0)
L - Garret Mock (0-2)
S - Mariano Gomez (1)
HR - Martin Prado (1)
Joe Thurston (2)

BRAVES 6, MARLINS 3

W - Jair Jurrjens (1-0)
L - Josh Johnson (0-1)
S - Craig Kimbrel (1)

THE GOOD: Jason Heyward went 4-8 with two doubles, four runs, three walks and a run batted in. Brian McCann homered twice against the Astros and drove in three runs. Omar Infante went 5-10 with a double. Freddie Freeman had a three-hit, two-RBI game against the Blue Jays. Martin Prado homered and drove in five runs. Joe Thurston hit two home runs.

Derek Lowe pitched four hitless innings against the Nationals, striking out six batters. The Braves relievers pitched a total of twenty scoreless innings over the four games.

THE BAD: Nate McLouth continued his severe spring slump, going 0-6 in two games to lower his batting average to .040. Kenshin Kawakami got pounded by the Astros, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. Jair Jurrjens was roughed up in his first inning of work, allowing three runs on five hits; He kept the Marlins off the board in the other two innings.

UP NEXT: The Braves travel to Jupiter to have a rematch with the Marlins.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Hudson Pecked By Blue Jays, Braves Shut Out

BLUE JAYS 3, BRAVES 0

W - Ricky Romero (1-1)
L - Tim Hudson (1-1)
S - Reidier Gonzalez (1)

In Friday's rained out game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jair Jurrjens debuted with two innings of shutout ball. The game was called after three innings.

In today's game, Tim Hudson endured a two-run third inning and the Blue Jays rode those three runs to a 3-0 victory. The Braves were held to just five singles.

THE GOOD: The Braves bullpen held the Blue Jays scoreless after Hudson left. Billy Wagner, Peter Moylan, Eric O'Flaherty, Jesse Chavez and Michael Dunn each had an inning of work. Melky Cabrera went 2-2 with a walk.

THE BAD: Hudson was tagged for three runs, two earned in four innings. Hudson committed two errors with a pickoff and throw. Yunel Escobar went 0-3 and Nate McLouth pulled another 0-3 day, striking out twice. His spring average is now .053.

UP NEXT: The Braves play their only split squad games in the spring on Sunday. One squad plays the Jays again while the other faces the Astros.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Next Big Thing In The A-Town

JASON HEYWARD
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 240 lbs.
2010 Age: 20

I said the sky is the limit for Brian McCann in the first profile post. The universe is the limit for Jason Heyward.

Okay, I may have exaggerated that a little bit. Still, Jason Heyward is the most talked-about outfield prospect the Braves have had in a while. Unlike Jeff Francoeur, who struggled with plate discipline, or Mike Kelly, the Braves' #2 pick in the 1991 draft who couldn't hit for average in the pros, Heyward appears to be the complete package.

Taken with the 14th pick of the 2007 Draft, Heyward went straight out of Henry County High Schoool in McDonough, Georgia to the pros. As a 17-year old, Heyward batted .302/.354/.488 in 17 games with the GCL Braves and Danville.. The outfielder spent most of the 2008 season with the Low Class A Rome Braves. His .316/.381/.473 season with 27 doubles and 11 homers earned him an early promotion to the High Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

The 2009 season proved to be where Heyward slugged his way onto the organization's fast track. Despite dealing with nagging injuries, Jason batted around in 49 games in Myrtle Beach; he put up a .296/.369/.519 line in 49 games. He did even better in Class AA Mississippi, hitting .352/.446/.611 in 47 games. The Braves organization promoted him to Gwinnett to help the International League club with their playoff push. With a successful seven-game stint, Heyward finished the year with a .323/.408/.555 line with 25 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs (422 PAs).

Last season, all Braves right fielders put up a line of:

.276/.335/.408, 28 2B, 4 3B, 15 HR, 80 RBI, 43/120 BB/K

The three main contributors to those stats were:

Jeff Francoeur: 322 PA, .248/.280/.351, 12 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 12/46 BB/K
Matt Diaz: 269 PA, .322/.398/.507, 11 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 19/60 BB/K
Ryan Church: 77 PA, .231/.351/.308, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 12/12 BB/K

Heyward is extremely capable of putting up a Rookie of the Year-type season for the Braves.

STAT PROJECTIONS:

Bill James - 601 PA, .303/.371/.465, 27 2B, 5 3B, 17 HR, 86 R, 78 RBI, 59 BB, 64 K

CHONE - 340 PA, .258/.324/.416, 16 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 39 R, 36 RBI, 28 BB, 59 K

PECOTA - 471 PA, .277/.350/.473, 25 2B, 4 3B, 16 HR, 67 R, 54 RBI, 45 BB, 79 K

Rotowire - 142 AB, .275/.356/.451, 5 HR, 23 R, 21 RBI, 18 BB, 23 K

Yahoo! - 446 AB, .278/.339/.439, 15 HR, 67 R, 65 RBI, 42 BB, 80 K

SAM'S PICK - PECOTA - I think that Heyward would get more than 471 PA this season. It's the slash stats that I agree with the most. Although I love what Bill James came up with, I don't think Heyward is going to do that well his first year in the league. Heyward's actual production, if he remains healthy, would be somewhere between PECOTA and Bill James.

EDIT: Updated timestamp

Braves Defeat Mets Despite Two Shaky Innings

BRAVES 7, METS 6, 10 INN.

W - Craig Kimbrel (1-0)
L - Eric Niesen (0-1)
HR - Chris Carter (3)

After some early offense and trading goose eggs, the Braves prevailed 7-6 in ten innings over the Mets.

THE GOOD: Melky Cabrera and Chipper Jones drove in two runs each while Martin Prado went 2-2 and scored two runs. Pinch-hitter Jesus Sucre provided the game-winning single in the tenth inning. He hit a home run, but he was credited with a single because he only touched first base.

Kris Medlen pitched three shutout innings after the departure of Derek Lowe. Five Braves relievers each pitched an inning of scoreless ball, including closer prospect Craig Kimbrel, who got the win.

THE BAD: Derek Lowe lasted just an inning because of a toe blister and gave up three runs on five hits, including a two-run homer to Chris Carter. Takashi Saito allowed three runs on three hits, two of them for extra bases, in just his second relief inning in the spring.

Nate McLouth walked and scored a run, but he again went 0-3. His spring average is now down to .063. Jason Heyward sat out the game to rest his back, which he tweaked running into the wall in yesterday's game.

UP NEXT: Heyward is expected to play against the Yankees in Tampa, Florida. Jair Jurrjens is expected to make his spring debut tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

One Bad Inning Dooms Braves In Spring Loss To Phils

PHILLIES 7, BRAVES 4

W - Danys Baez (1-0)
L - Jose Ortegano (0-1)
S - Drew Carpenter (1)
HR - Jayson Werth (1)

The Phillies jumped all over Class AA Mississippi reliever Jose Ortegano in the sixth inning, erasing a 4-2 deficit. Philadelphia won by a final score of 7-4.

THE GOOD: Troy Glaus continued his tear, going 3-3 with three singles and a run scored. Eric Hinske had a pinch-hit double that gave the Braves a 3-2 lead. Jason Heyward continued his on-base streak with a single and a walk. Brian McCann had a double and a walk.

Kenshin Kawakami did reasonably well; his only mistake was a two-run homer to Jayson Werth. Five Braves relievers had scoreless innings.

THE BAD: Jose Ortegano gave up the rest of the Phillies runs in the sixth inning on six hits and a walk. Nate McLouth drove in a run, but he also went 0-3, dropping his spring average down to .077. Yunel Escobar and Melky Cabrera also pulled in 0-3 days, though Escobar got an RBI and Cabrera scored a run.

UP NEXT: The Braves play the Mets on Wednesday. Derek Lowe will make his next start of the spring.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Braves Maul Tigers For Big Win

BRAVES 12, TIGERS 4

W - Tim Hudson (1-0)
L - Max Scherzer (0-1)
HR - Jason Heyward (1)
Mitch Jones (1)

Jason Heyward displayed an early spring flourish with his first home run, a towering shot to right field off Detroit starter Max Scherzer, which helped propel the Braves to an easy 12-4 victory over the Tigers.

THE GOOD: Along with his home run, Heyward also turned in a walk. Eric Hinske went 3-4 and scored two runs. David Ross went 2-2 and drove in four runs. Troy Glaus went 2-2 and scored two runs. Brooks Conrad drove in two with a double and Mitch Jones added a solo shot.

Tim Hudson allowed three hits and one run in three innings, while striking out three batters. Jo-Jo Reyes pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three batters. Stephen Marek and Erik Cordier pitched scoreless innings.

THE BAD: Omar Infante went 0-4 in the leadoff spot and Melky Cabrera only got a walk in an 0-3 day.

UP NEXT: Atlanta faces the Phillies back in Orlando. Chipper Jones is expected to return today.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Rematch Goes Braves' Way

BRAVES 9, ASTROS 4

W - Mariano Gomez (1-0)
L - Gary Majewski (0-1)

Despite Hanson being the first Braves starter to allow any runs this spring, the Braves teed off on Astros pitching, winning 9-4. Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones got the day off.

THE GOOD: The Braves had sixteen hits total. Brian McCann went 3-3 with a double, scored two runs and drove in three. Troy Glaus had a 3-3 day with a double. He scored two runs and drove in another. Brooks Conrad continued his big spring with a 2-4, one RBI day. Matt Young and Yunel Escobar drove in two runs apiece. The Braves staff only walked one batter.

THE BAD: Tommy Hanson allowed three runs (one earned), in his 2 1/3 innings of work. He allowed two doubles to Lance Berkman. Brent Clevlen had an 0-3 day at the plate.

UP NEXT: The Braves go to Lakeland to face the Tigers.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

BRAVES PLAYER PROFLIES: He's Caught On

BRIAN McCANN
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs.
2010 Age: 26

The sky's the limit.

In just a few short seasons, Brian McCann has become the top catcher in the National League. He isn't quite in the discussion for best catcher in the majors yet. That distinction belongs to the Twins' Joe Mauer. McCann does belong in the discussion for second best, where his main competition is Boston's Victor Martinez.

The 2009 season nearly became a disaster for the young backstop. After dealing with blurriness in his left eye thanks to complications from his 2007 LASIK surgery, McCann went on the disabled list on April 25th. Trying contact lenses and visiting eye doctors didn't work, as his batting average dipped to .195 leading up to his DL stint.

After playing two games with Class A+ Myrtle Beach and one with Class AAA Gwinnett, McCann returned to action sporting the new lenses. At first, he wore a hockey-style mask with the new glasses, but eventually he switched to wearing a different pair of glasses when going back to his regular catcher's mask.

The glasses helped McCann return his production to his established levels, as he rebounded to finish the season with a .281/.349/.486 line. McCann led the Braves with 21 home runs and 94 RBIs and finished second on the team in slugging percentage. After the season, McCann underwent the LASIK procedure again to correct the problems in his left eye.

McCann was the Braves' cleanup hitter for 114 games last season. However, with Troy Glaus in the lineup, it's likely that McCann will be hitting fifth. Braves manager Bobby Cox, who is entering his final season of managing, prefers to break up consecutive lefty and righty batters.

ALREADY IN GOOD COMPANY: In baseball history, among catchers during their first five years of their career (450 games minimum), McCann is first in doubles (158), third in RBI (389), third in slugging percentage (.497), fourth in home runs (91), sixth in OPS (.853), and seventh in sacrifice flies (22).

THEY REALLY DO MAKE HIM LOOK SMARTER: Before having procedures to fix complications of his LASIK surgery, McCann had slumped to a .195/.333/.415 line in 51 plate appearances. After getting the surgery fixed, McCann returned to action, though he had to wear eyeglasses the rest of the season. He returned to his normal levels of hitting, with a .289/.350/.492 line in 500 plate appearances.

BIGGER (ALL-)STAR: McCann joined Joe Torre (1963-67) and Del Crandall (1953-56) as the third catcher in Braves history to be named to four straight NL All-Star teams. However, McCann has never been named as a starter. Torre was named the NL's starter four times and Crandall five times.

HE CAN RUN TOO!: McCann is tied for the Atlanta club lead with 12 stolen bases by a catcher, on equal footing with Bruce Benedict. In franchise history, McCann is in 13th place, 43 swiped bases behind Boston Braves catcher Hank Gowdy.

PROJECTED STATISTICS

In this section, several projections of each Braves player's statistics will be displayed. The sources include:

- Famed baseball statistician Bill James' projections
- Sean Smith's CHONE Projection system
- Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projection system
- Rotowire.com
- The Sporting News
- Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball

After each projection is listed, I'll pick which one I believe McCann will meet (or exceed) in the 2010 season.

Bill James - 576 PA, .291/.362/.511, 41 2B, 1 3B, 24 HR, 69 R, 100 RBI, 54 BB, 78 K

CHONE - 550 PA, .291/.358/.502, 37 2B, 1 3B, 22 HR, 62 R, 93 RBI, 47 BB, 74 K

PECOTA - 575 PA, .287/.363/.497, 31 2B, 1 3B, 25 HR, 66 R, 103 RBI, 56 BB, 77 K

Rotowire - 498 AB, .285/.350/.530, 27 HR, 69 R, 99 RBI, 50 BB, 75 K

TSN - 492 AB, .289/.357/.504, 22 HR, 63 R, 91 RBI, 51 BB, 69 K

Yahoo! - 516 AB, .291/.357/.504, 24 HR, 71 R, 88 RBI, 51 BB, 82 K

SAM'S PICK - CHONE. I don't see McCann slugging much more than .502, though he may do it given his talent. Sixty total extra base hits and below fifty walks make sense; McCann usually focuses on hitting and doesn't have to draw a walk. His career isoOBP (OBP minus AVG) is a respectable .063, which CHONE nearly mirrors in the 2010 projection (.067).

Icon SMI photo by Mitch Stringer

EDIT: Updated date and time, added Baseball-Reference.com link

Braves Shut Out In Spring

ASTROS 3, BRAVES 0

W - Alberto Arias (1-0)
L - Manny Acosta (0-1)
S - Wesley Wright (1)

The Astros spun the first shutout against the Braves, winning 3-0. Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus got the day off for Atlanta.

THE GOOD: Several Braves pitchers didn't allow a run in their stints. Kris Medlen had two scoreless frames to start the game and Eric O'Flaherty, closer prospect Craig Kimbrel and Kyle Cofield each had a scoreless inning. Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward both had a double to their credit. David Ross and Yunel Escobar walked twice.

THE BAD: The Braves went 0-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 runners overall. Eric Hinske and Omar Infante had 0-3 days, while Mitch Jones went 0-4. Chris Resop allowed two runs in his inning of work and Manny Acosta took the loss allowing one unearned run in two innings.

UP NEXT: Atlanta has a rematch with Houston back at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Friday, March 05, 2010

Braves Prevail In Spring Slugfest

BRAVES 11, NATIONALS 8

W - Takashi Saito (1-0)
L - Craig Stammen (0-1)
S - Todd Redmond (1)
HR - WAS - Ian Desmond (GS, 1)
ATL - Brooks Conrad (1)

After another perfect starters outing, the Braves' bullpen got pounded. However, the offense held up its end of the bargain in an 11-8 victory.

THE GOOD: Shortstop Yunel Escobar had three doubles, scored two runs and drove two in. Leadoff hitter Martin Prado had two hits and drove in two runs. Melky Cabrera also had two hits and an RBI. Freddie Freeman drove in two runs and would have had more with a home run, but he passed Joe Thurston while rounding first base. Thus, he was only credited with a single.

Jason Heyward also had a single and stole a base. Derek Lowe (2 IP), Michael Dunn (1 1/3 IP) and Todd Redmond (2 IP, SV) all had scoreless stints.

THE BAD: Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito were lit up for three hits and two runs apiece in their first appearances. Jesse Chavez, the next pitcher, allowed a grand slam to Ian Desmond. Chipper Jones went 0-2.

UP NEXT: Atlanta travels to Kissimmee to play the Astros on Saturday.

Braves Train To Beat The Bucs

BRAVES 4, PIRATES 2

W - Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0)
L - Brian Burres (0-1)
S - Erik Cordier (1)
HR - Andy LaRoche (1)

Kenshin Kawakami continued the streak of Braves starters allowing no runs as Atlanta edged Pittsburgh 4-2.

THE GOOD: Kawakami and James Parr pitched two scoreless innings apiece. Brooks Conrad was the offensive star; he hit two doubles, drove two runners in, walked and stole a base. Brian McCann doubled and walked twice. Designated hitter Eric Hinske went 0-2, but he walked once and scored two runs.

THE BAD: Matt Diaz went 0-3 with two strikeouts and Jason Heyward had his first 0-fer of the spring.

UP NEXT: The Braves are playing the Washington Nationals right now.

EDIT: Moved the icons to the right of the post.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Braves Win First Spring Game (Whoopee)

BRAVES 9, METS 5

W - Josh Venters (1-0)
L - Josh Stinson (0-1)
HR - Brandon Hicks (1)

Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus had their first action of the spring as the Braves pulled out a late win by a score of 9-5.

THE GOOD: Jason Heyward had another strong day, going 1-2 with a double, RBI, walk and a run scored. Brandon Hicks hit the Braves' first homer of the spring and Brent Clevlen, a minor free agent signing, had a two-hit game. Tim Hudson tossed two scoreless innings while Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty tossed scoreless frames. 2009 draft pick Mike Minor tossed a perfect inning as well.

THE BAD: Mariano Gomez allowed three hits and one run and Stephen Marek, the prospect obtained with Casey Kotchman in the second Mark Teixeira trade, coughed up three runs on four hits and two walks. Glaus went hitless in his spring debut.

UP NEXT: The Braves host the Pirates at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

EDIT: Moved the icons to the right of the post.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Spring Opener Not Good For All Involved; Mets Drop Braves

METS 4, BRAVES 2

W - Bobby Livingston (1-0)
L - Jesse Chavez (0-1)
S - Ryota Igarashi (1)
HR - Russ Adams (1)

Both teams opened up their Grapefruit League season on a soggy day. The Mets and Braves held off a few of their regular starters for the game. The Mets ended up prevailing 4-2.

THE GOOD: Phenom Jason Heyward had a strong opening game with a single and two walks. He also stole third base. Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen had two scoreless innings apiece. Each hurler allowed one hit; Hanson struck out three batters and Medlen punched out one.

THE BAD: Jesse Chavez coughed up three runs to open up his spring and Nate McLouth and Yunel Escobar had 0-3 days at the plate.

NEXT UP:The Braves play the Mets again on Wednesday.

EDIT: Moved icons to the right of the post.