Making Most Of Being Home; Braves Sweep 'Stros

ATLANTA 4, HOUSTON 2

The Braves had the kind of game they envisioned having a lot this year: just enough offense to win and the starting pitching absolutely dominating the opposition. Tommy Hanson pitched brilliantly for eight innings, got some offense support, and Billy Wagner held off the Astros in the ninth to break Atlanta's nine-game losing streak.

A few notes about the losing streak:

• It was the longest road losing streak for the Braves since 1949, when the Boston team lost two straight four-game series against the Phillies and Dodgers.
• In nine games, the Braves scored just seventeen runs, one more than the amount they scored on Opening Day.
• Four quality starts, two by Tim Hudson, were blown by the Braves. Atlanta also lost four games where they took the lead first.

Hanson threw all that out the window in the 4-2 victory.

The Braves struck instantly when leadoff batter Nate McLouth homered to center on the first pitch from hurler Brett Myers. Martin Prado singled, Chipper Jones walks and Brian McCann hit into a double play, moving Prado to third. Troy Glaus then bounced a grounder to short which rolled up shortstop Tommy Manzella's arm and struck him in the throat. He stayed in the game, but was charged with an error on the play. He committed another error which allowed Jason Heyward to reach base. After Melky Cabrera walked, the Braves were held off the board when Omar Infante lined to second.

After an RBI single by J.R. Towles tied the game at two, Hanson retired 20 of the 21 batters he faced, giving up just a single to Carlos Lee to lead off the fourth inning. Heyward provided all the support Hanson would need when he smacked a two-run homer to right in the third inning. Jason would have had a second home run in the eighth inning off of lefty reliever Tim Byrdak, but Hunter Pence leaped up at the wall in right and snagged the ball just as it was about to disappear behind the yellow line.

Astros starter Brett Myers tossed seven innings, allowing just one other single and walk after Cabrera's two-out single in the third.

When the ninth inning rolled around, Hanson was pulled in favor of closer Billy Wagner, who had just two save opportunities up to that point. The situation mirrored an infamous game from September of last season:

The Braves were up 1-0 on the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Hanson had just pitched eight innings, walked no batters and struck out seven men. Cox lifted him for closer Rafael Soriano. Soriano struck out Michael Bourn, but Kazuo Matsui hit a single to right. Lance Berkman then hit a double on the next pitch. Carlos Lee then was intentionally walked to set up the double play. However, Miguel Tejada spoiled that with a single up the middle, scoring two runs and winning the game for the Astros.

This time, Billy Wagner got Jeff Keppinger to ground to Glaus at first base. He then walked Pedro Feliz on four pitches. Lee ended the game by hitting into a double play, preserving the win for the Braves.

ATLANTA 10, HOUSTON 1

After going down early, the Braves broke out their bats and Houston lost their gloves, leading to a 10-1 Atlanta win.

The Astros struck first off Braves starter Tim Hudson when Michael Bourn singled, stole second, moved to third on Keppinger's single and scored on Berkman's groundout.

It didn't take the Braves long to answer off of Wandy Rodriguez. Hudson led off the third inning with a single and moved to second on Martin Prado's single. The two moved up one base on Chipper's fly ball to center and both scored on Glaus's fly ball double that went over Pence's head in right field.

The Astros didn't mount a serious threat after the third inning while the Braves just kept on scoring. Houston didn't get a runner to second base until the ninth inning, when they were down nine runs. The Braves scored three in the fifth, one in the sixth, and four in the seventh.

Heyward led off the seventh with his seventh home run and Prado had a bases-loaded double. Omar Infante scored three runs and went 3-5. Prado also had three hits scored two runs.

Hudson pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and two walks. Peter Moylan finished the seventh inning with a strikeout and Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters finished the game with a scoreless innings each.

ATLANTA 7, HOUSTON 1

Once again, Derek Lowe got more run support. This time, however, he didn't have to work so hard to help the Braves complete their first three-game sweep of the Astros in seven years. Atlanta scored three runs in the fourth and fifth innings off of Astros starter Bud Norris to cement a 7-1 victory.

McCann walked to lead off the second inning and moved to third on Glaus's liner to left that was hit so hard, Troy had to settle for a single. Heyward then launched a ball to right field, but Pence corralled it at the warning track. That scored McCann and gave the Braves the lead.

In fourth, Hewyard doubled home McCann, moving Glaus to third base, and Cabrera singled home both runners. Infante also reached with a single and then Derek Lowe tried to bunt the runners over. Instead, he popped up the ball to the on-rushing first baseman Berkman. Lance then let the ball drop to start a 3-6-5 double play. It would have been possible for him to get a triple play because Lowe wasn't running out of the box, but the attempted sac bunt turned into two outs anyway.

Atlanta loaded the bases in the fifth with one out for Heyward. The rookie hit a bouncer to the left of the mound that Norris was able to cut off with a stumbling roll. He then tried to throw home, but the toss went to the backstop, allowing Chipper to score. However, the ball bounced right back to Towles and he was able to tag out McCann attempting to score. Cabrera then completed the scoring by hitting a ground ball between first and second that rolled all the way to the wall because Pence was positioned in right center. This gave Melky a two-run double and ended Norris's day.

Both the Braves and Astros bullpens pitched scoreless stints. Kris Medlen, Takashi Saito and Wagner pitched four scoreless innings (Medlen had two), while Chris Sampson got one strikeout, Jeff Fulchino pitched two shutout innings and Lyon had a scoreless eighth frame.

So Much For Small Sample Sizes

ATLANTA 16, CHICAGO 5

Highly-touted prospect Jason Heyward started his major league career with a bang. The right fielder hit his first major league home run which gave the Braves a 6-3 lead. That helped open the floodgates, as the Braves won by a score of 16-5.

After Yunel Escobar tied the game with a two-run single, moving Brian McCann to second base, Heyward endured two up-and-in fastballs from Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. Then, Zambrano tried to throw a fastball over the plate around Heyward's knees. With a short, powerful stroke, Heyward blasted the pitch into the Braves bullpen. That sent most of Turner Field and watching on television into euphoria.

The second inning proved to be Carlos Zambrano's last as he committed a throwing error to third base, allowing a straying Martin Prado to score. The last straw was a solo home run given up to McCann. Zambrano became the fourth pitcher since 1920 to last less than 1 2/3 innings on an Opening Day start, giving up at least 7 earned runs:

- Carlos Zambrano, 4/5/10 @ ATL - 1 1/3 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
- Jose Contreras, 4/2/07 vs. CLE - 1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
- Dave Stewart, 4/6/95 @ TOR - 1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO
- Brad Havens, 4/5/83 vs. DET - 1 1/3 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

Cubs reliever Jeff Samardzija didn't fare much better than Zambrano. The former Notre Dame wide receiver gave up six runs, five earned, after walking the bases loaded to start the frame.

Braves starter Derek Lowe fared better than Zambrano, but he wasn't exactly stellar. The sinkerballer gave up a first-inning, three-run home run to Marlon Byrd, which gave the Cubs an early 3-0 lead. Lowe lasted six innings, giving up five hits, including two-run home run to Aramis Ramirez in the third, which closed the gap to a score of 8-5.

A pivotal play occurred in the sixth inning with none out and Kosuke Fukudome on first. Byrd hit a hard line drive to left-center. Center fielder Nate McLouth dove at the last second and caught the ball. Unfortunately, when he hit he ball, it squirted free. He threw the ball back to the infield on his back.

In the meantime, Byrd was called out. Aramis Ramirez was confused by that and stood on second base while Yunel Escobar collected McLouth's throw. After Escobar tossed the ball to Troy Glaus, the first basemen stepped on the bag and the umpires ruled it a double play. Television replays clearly showed that McLouth lost control of the ball, but it was somehow shielded from the umpire's view. After Lou Pinella argued and the umpires conferred, the play was upheld and the Cubs runners were erased. Lowe struck out Alfonso Soriano to end the inning and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the inning ended his day.

The Braves bullpen threw three perfect innings. Relievers Peter Moylan, Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner struck out five batters combined. The three pitchers pitched because of Tuesday's off-day and to get in some work.

The Cubs' Sean Marshall and James Russell tossed 4 2/3 scorless innings in relief of Zambrano, while Justin Berg and John Grabow finished the game. Chicago's pitchers combined for eight walks; six of those runners came around to score.

My Commentary: The Braves showed how patience and some power can lead to very good things. I hope they keep that trend up.

McLouth's failed catch-turned-double play in the sixth inning shows that instant replay needs to be implemented for those plays. It could work with some ground rules on where to place the runners after such a play is overturned.

In my last blog post, I listed the Braves hitters' previous numbers against Carlos Zambrano. Escobar got a two-run single despite being 0-6 over two games (one in 2008, one in 2009). Jason Heyward homered in his first at-bat and Melky Cabrera went 0-1 with a walk and a run scored; both of them had no previous experience against him. Brian McCann had a single and a home run against Zambrano, boosting his career line against him to nine hits in 14 at-bats.

Things like that illustrate that batter vs. pitcher stats aren't particularly meaningful. They are fun stats, but they don't prove that McCann has Zambrano's number or that Zambrano owns Escobar. The sample sizes don't increase quickly enough to have significant statistical meaning.

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

Catchers: Braves Best In NL, Among The Best In the Biz

(Since MLB.com started on Around The Horn on Friday, I figure that it would be a good idea for me to delve into it as well.)

Brian McCann - (551 PA, .281/.349/.486, 35 2B, 21 HR, 94 RBI, 120 OPS+)
David Ross - (151 PA, .273/.380/.508, 9 2B, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 134 OPS+)
Clint Sammons - (12 PA, .182/.250/.182, 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 18 OPS+)

In just a few short years, the Braves have developed into one of the best offensive catching teams in all of baseball. Brian McCann, once one of the Baby Braves that helped Atlanta to their final NL East title to date, has developed into the premier offensive catcher in the National League. Last season, despite his vision problems, he led all National League catchers in OPS (.834), doubles (35), home runs (21), RBI (94), and total bases (237). McCann missed time in late April and early May to fix complications from his LASIK eye surgery. When returning to play, McCann had to wear eyeglasses the rest of the season.

His backup, David Ross, raked in his short playing time. While filling in for McCann while the starting catcher was having eye problems, Ross batted a robust .298/.411/.574 in 57 PAs. He provided a good fill-in bat for McCann the rest of the season, even hitting two solo home runs in a game where the Orioles blew out the Braves by an 11-2 score.

Ross has an excellent percentage when it comes to catching baserunners (48%, 19/40). However, the reason for that may be because he calls for a fastball when he suspects a runner is going to steal. This sometimes led to the batter having an easy pitch to hit. That may be the only thing that anyone can criticize Ross.

Clint Sammons simply provides a little depth at the catcher position. If he's starting for any extended period of time, the Braves are in a lot of trouble.

Opening Day Thrills For Braves, Lukewarm For Phillies

ATLANTA 4, PHILADELPHIA 1

After the Phillies and their fans celebrated their 2008 World Series championship, the Braves quickly reminded them that there is a lot of work to do if they're to celebrate like that again.

Derek Lowe was masterful in his first start for Atlanta and the Braves launched three home runs off of Phillie starter Brett Myers to pace the team early. The visitors held off a ninth-inning rally by the Phillies to earn a 4-1 victory.

Lowe, a sinker ball specialist, limited the Phillies to just two hits, a double and single, in eight innings. He induced 13 ground balls and the . His outing is rare for Braves' Opening Day starters. Since 1954, only five other Braves pitchers have allowed no runs on Opening Day for the Braves:

Lew Burdette, 1956

Warren Spahn, 1959

Rick Mahler, 1982, 1986, 1987

Tom Glavine, 1992

Greg Maddux, 1993, 1994

Lowe joins Maddux in that they didn't pitch complete-game shutouts in their stints.

Catcher Brian McCann got the Braves on the board in the first inning. After Chipper Jones singled to left-center with two out, McCann launched a Brett Myers change-up into the second deck in right to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

The second inning wasn't much better for Myers. Jeff Francoeur led off the inning with a lined shot into the left field stands. After Casey Kotchman struck out, Jordan Schafer made his major league debut. Schafer worked the count to 3-1, and then nailed a two-seamer to the left-center bleachers. He became the 99th major league player to hit a home run in his first at bat and the first Brave to do it since Jermaine Dye did it 13 years ago.

Myers limited any further damage, going six innings in his stint, and four Phillies relievers held the Braves off of the scoreboard.

Bobby Cox, the Braves manager, opted to go with closer Mike Gonzalez in the ninth inning. This move was most likely due to two things: Lowe is going to pitch the Braves' home opener on the 10th against the Nationals and he was at 97 pitches.

Gonzalez faced pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett and gave up a double to left that was just fair. After a fly ball by Jimmy Rollins moved Bruntlett over to third, Jayson Werth singled him home to give the Phillies their first run. A walk given to Chase Utley set up the chance for the Phillies to be able to tie the game with one swing of the bat. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez were two prime candidates to launch a tater. But Gonzalez got Howard looking on a full-count fastball right down the heart of the plate and he blew away Ibanez with a fastball for the final out.

The teams will have an early off-day before resuming the series on Tuesday.

W - Derek Lowe (1-0)
L - Brett Myers (0-1)
HR - Brian McCann (1)
Jeff Francoeur (1)
Jordan Schafer (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
SP Derek Lowe, Atlanta - W, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

SILVER
CF Jordan Schafer, Atlanta - 2-3, HR, R, BB, RBI

BRONZE
C Brian McCann - 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI

AP Photo by John Amis

EDIT: I updated the reference to Braves pitchers allowing no runs in their Opening Day starts of eight innings or more, adding Maddux, Spahn, and two of Rick Mahler's years. Also added photo credit and changed link to Baseball-Reference.com's boxscore and play-by-play.