I'm Running Out Of Good Titles For Bisher's Stuff

You have to say this about the old man: he can still churn those articles out. It doesn't mean those articles are good, but he can churn them out. His latest foray into the blogdom of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website: Brace yourselves, but Braves should put Chipper on market.

Wow, a controversial subject. Not bad for a start. Let's see where Mr. Bisher goes with this:

OK, now it’s the Braves’ turn. After all those seasons of shoring up their roster with blockbuster trades in mid-season, at the expense of raiding the farm system, consider this: (Are you sitting down?) Tell the world they’re putting Chipper Jones on the open market. Anybody out there in need of a third baseman, or, on the American League side, a designated hitter?

Actually, I'm not sure what "blockbuster" deals he's talking about that came at the expense of "raiding the farm system" at the trading deadline. Let's take a look at the Braves' past deadline deals (deals made in July) that involved a significant amount of prospects (two or three):

• July 31, 1991: Traded Matt Turner (AAA Richmond) and a PTBNL (Earl Sanders, AA Greenville) to the Houston Astros for Jim Clancy
  
• July 18, 1993: Traded Melvin Nieves (AAA Richmond), Donnie Elliott (AAA Richmond) and Vince Moore (A+ Durham) to the Padres for Fred McGriff


• July 30, 1998: Traded David Cortes (AAA Richmond) and Mike Porzio (A+ Danville) to the Rockies for Greg Colbrunn


• July 31, 1999: Traded Micah Bowie (AAA Richmond), Ruben Quevedo (AAA Richmond) and Joey Nation (A+ Myrtle Beach) to the Cubs for Jose Hernandez and Terry Mulholland


• July 12, 2000: Traded Bruce Chen (AAA Richmond + MLB Atlanta) and Jimmy Osting (AA Greenville + AAA Richmond) to the Phillies for Andy Ashby


• July 31, 2000: Traded Trenidad Hubbard (MLB Braves), Fernando Lunar (MLB Braves + AAA Richmond) and Luis Rivera (AAA Richmond) to Baltimore for Gabe Molina and B. J. Surhoff


• July 31, 2005: Traded Roman Colon (MLB, AA and AAA) and Zach Miner (AA Mississippi) to the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth


• July 31, 2007: Traded Elvis Andrus (A+ Myrtle Beach), Matt Harrison (AA Mississippi), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (AA Mississippi and MLB Braves), Beau Jones (A+ Myrtle Beach) and Neftali Feliz (Rookie) to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay.

There are many other trades that the Braves did using their prospects. Some of them may even be considered "raiding the farm system", like obtaining Denny Neagle from the Pirates in August of 1997 for four prospects, including Jason Schmidt. Also, there's Bisher's much-maligned trade in the 2003-04 off-season, where the Braves sent Adam Wainwright and Jason Marquis, along with Ray King, to St. Louis for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero. However, according to the parameters that I've set, the list above contains the only trades since 1991 where the Braves traded away two or more prospects when dealing in July. Most of them aren't particularly franchise-shattering, so I guess my ultimate point is that Bisher's painting with a broad brush when it comes to deadline deals.

As for there being teams needing third basemen or designated hitters, I'm not quite sure about that. A more accurate question would be: what contending team would need a third baseman or a designated hitter AND be willing to give up two or three top prospects to take on Chipper's below-market, but very high contract?

I can hear all the gulps, and the screeches, and calls for my scalp.

People have called for your scalp for lesser offenses, like implying that the Braves' farm system is dry because there is no immediate help in Lawrenceville (AAA Gwinnett County Braves), and saying that the Braves need to show more patience with Jeff Francoeur because John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were shown that courtesy (or so he says).

First place, forget where you saw this. This is not my choice at all, but considering the direction the Braves have taken the past four years, the lock is running low on sentimentality.

Considering the fact that you wanted to show patience for Francoeur and seemed to support the idea of giving Smoltz and Glavine as much time as they needed to get back into form, I think you were being quite sentimental then. However, I don't blame you for changing your mind.

Sure, Chipper is the face of the Braves. And the voice. He speaks for the team when anyone is looking for an opinion, or reaction to a news event. All of us seek him out, and he responds in his even baritone voice. He never lets you down. So to offer him for trade, hang him out there like a piece of meat for swap. A dreadful thought.

So why spend all those words describing how great Chipper is to the franchise, then say the Braves need to trade him? Get to the point!

But think again.

I'm already thinking of stopping this blog post right now, but I have an obligation to keep going.

He deserves one more chance at a World Series, or postseason play, and he’s not going to get it here.

No, he's not, and he has been vocal about how he has been frustrated with the Braves' inconsistent offense. He's really echoing most of the Braves' fans. It's more of a "I want this team better" frustration, rather than a "I want to get out of here!" frustration.

Also, I don't deny that it would be good feelings-wise to see Chipper get a shot at a World Series with Contending Team X. However, that's not what matters to me as a Braves fan. What I want, if Chipper Jones is traded, is to get two, maybe even three, prospects that can help the Atlanta Braves immediately or as soon as 2010 without compromising or blocking any of our young prospects (Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, etc.).

He just signed a fresh contract, so that much is done, but the front office was rather slow getting around to that. This front office hasn’t been distinguishing itself, anyway.

A little slow in getting around to a contract extension? I'm sure there are a lot of things to do when it comes to that, and you know it. I could care less if the front office is "rather slow" when it comes to those things. The only thing that matters is getting it done, regardless of when it happens.

From that last sentence, I sense the start of one of one of Bisher's patented diatribes. Get your armor on and shields ready. You might need them.

It has been making trades for Gary Sheffield, Mike Hampton, J. D. Drew and Mark Teixeira and shredding the farm system in the process.

It's hard to believe that this one sentence has so many errors in it, but when looked it in context with the last paragraph's sentence, it does.

The Braves have a different front office than the one who made those trades. John Schuerholz made the decisions to import those players; Frank Wren had nothing to do with any of them. I consider him as a different "front office", even with Schuerholz as the president of the team.

Now, as for the players mentioned, two of them didn't cost the Braves much in terms of prospects, which is what Bisher has been complaining about in the first place. Gary Sheffield was obtained from the Dodgers for Brian Jordan, a young pitcher named Odalis Perez who was, I believe, out of prospectdom at the time, and a prospect named Andrew Brown. Sheffield gave the Braves two superb seasons before leaving to sign with the Yankees. In turn, the Braves traded away a league-average outfielder in Jordan, an inconsistent and oft-injured starter who turned in just two above-average seasons since the trade (Perez), and a pitcher who is now retired from baseball after playing two years with the Oakland A's (Brown). That's not a deal that fits Bisher's template.

Mike Hampton was obtained for a remarkably cheap price: reliever Tim Spooneybarger and minor league pitcher Ryan Baker (who never reached the majors) and the Marlins and Rockies pick up the tab for Hampton's astronomical salary for a few years. Hampton did his job for the Braves in the 2 1/2 years that he pitched for them. Now, everyone remembers him for the 2 1/2 years that he DIDN'T pitch for Atlanta, AND the Braves were on the hook for his salary. I think that's why his name is mentioned here.

The Teixeira deal was the most destructive of all, literally re-stocking the Texas Rangers’ roster. Check the standings of the American League West.

I beg to differ. The Rangers don't owe the majority of their resurgence in the AL West to Saltalamacchia, Harrison or Andrus. In fact, only Andrus is producing as expected (.265/.328/.381, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 87 OPS+). Harrison (currently on the DL, 10 games, 4-4, 5.43 ERA, 82 ERA+, 1.559 WHIP) and Saltalamacchia (.247/.297/.388, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 79 OPS+) have little to do with it. Quite frankly, Jarrod's just lucky that Taylor Teagarden stinks; otherwise, he'd be out of a job.

I'd have to say that Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, Hank Blalock and even Andruw Jones have more to do with the Rangers occupying first place in the AL West for now.

By bartering Chipper, what the Braves might be able to do is re-stock its own roster with fresh talent.

And we only base that on his name. Chipper still has an injury history and that makes me question what kind of value the Braves could get for him. The Braves won't get any quality major league players for him, that's for certain. They could get two, or even three quality prospects for him, as I mentioned before. The problem here is that the Braves would take a major PR hit if they traded the face of their franchise. Considering the way the FO has been perceived in treating John Smoltz and Tom Glavine by people who aren't even Braves fans, a Chipper Jones trade could be catastrophic.

True, Chipper is 37 years old, but so is Raul Ibanez, the fresh personality who has brought so much to the Phillies’ lineup.

I'm not sure I'd call his personality "fresh". For what it's worth, Ibanez is riding an extremely flukish year (an ungodly 20.6% HR/FB rate that's pretty much impossible to maintain). I'd like to see what he can bring when he has more "normal" stats. Congrats to Ibanez for being so productive right now, though.

And Chipper is a young 37, keeps himself young hunting and ranching on his acreage in Texas. He was the leading hitter in the National League last season, so the years haven’t been weighing heavily on him.

Yes, he has been able to keep up, but if I'm a team that wants to trade for Chipper, my first question would be about his durability. I know that he wants to stay healthy and be out there to play, but sometimes, he just can't be. For years, Chipper's goal has been to play in 150 games. He hasn't played in that many games in five seasons (153 games in 2003). The good thing is that Jones is on pace to play in at least 150 games (He has played in 58 of 67 games so far, so he can play in 153 games maximum).

I don’t know what his contract arrangement may be, whether it includes a non-trade agreement or not. I doubt that he would stand in the way, with the right deal, with the right team.

The right deal is what the Braves want, and what is the right team? What contender needs a DH or third baseman? At this point, it's all conjecture.

He only has to take a look around at what has happened to some of his old Braves pals. John Smoltz, for instance, tired of hemming and hawing and went his own way.

Smoltz went to the Red Sox, who gave him the chance to earn more money. I still contend that the Braves are better off not taking the chance on him.

And Tom Glavine’s rejection has been heavy on the minds of Braves fans lately.

But Tommy Hanson, with each start, has made the pain of Tom Glavine being "mistreated" go away. It's a wonderful feeling to see Hanson do what we think he's capable of doing. He almost makes me say, "Who's Tom Glavine again?"

A deal for Chipper might go a long way toward re-stocking the roster, but it would have to be more productive than a lot of swaps that have been made lately.

A deal for Chipper would only ease Bisher's mind about the "barren" minor league system. The fact remains that even if the Braves obtain quality prospects, the possibility remains that they won't be able to contend.

And what about those recent swaps?

Except for Jair Jurrjens, and to a degree, Omar Infante, those transactions have not been richly productive, including such as Royce Ring, Josh Anderson, Mark Kotsay, Will Ohman, Jeff Ridgway and Mike Gonzalez, and a lot of them are history. Not a pennant-building haul, you might say.

............

I've had to stare at this paragraph and discuss it with others, but I think I understand what Bisher's trying to say here. He says these are ill-advised trades because, for the most part, they didn't work out, or these players aren't with the team anymore.

What I find very peculiar is the nature of why some of these players are on the list. It's funny how Josh Anderson is mentioned in this list; in an earlier blog post of his, Bisher thought that Anderson was the top leadoff prospect of the Braves due to his penchant for hitting a .300 average . I mentioned in that post that because Anderson can't walk, his production will disappear if he can't hit .300. That's exactly what happened: as of the time I wrote this post, Anderson has a .254/.288/.325 line with just six walks in 133 PAs.

Mark Kotsay was, naturally, part of what some Braves fans called an ill-advised deal that sent Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond to Oakland for the center fielder with back issues. He provided solid production (.289/.340/.418, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 99 OPS+ in 345 PAs), but it certainly wasn't worth giving up Joey Devine for him, even if Devine has been shelved with an elbow injury this year.

While Royce Ring and Jeff Ridgway were part of the parade of LOOGYs until Eric O'Flaherty came along, I question adding Will Ohman and Mike Gonzalez to this list. Those two players have done their jobs with Atlanta. In fact, Will Ohman was one of the Braves' best left-handed relievers since Mike Remlinger. That distinction, though, wasn't hard to obtain; the Braves have had a parade of lefty relievers since Remlinger left.

Mike Gonzalez, though he had to have Tommy John surgery, has performed as expected as Atlanta's closer. Plus, Brent Lillibridge helped net Javier Vazquez, and the 32-year old pitcher could easily be shopped at the trading deadline.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals, Rangers, Rockies and Rays enjoy the fruits of some of the Braves’ misjudgments.

The Rangers may be enjoying the Braves' misjudgements the most, but the Cardinals may not particularly care for the fact that Wainwright is somewhat injury-prone right now (I'm not denying that he's not a good pitcher; he hasn't been able to stay very healthy).

As for the Rockies, I find something wrong with including them. Jason Marquis, as I type this, is leading the National League in wins (9) and has his highest ERA+ in years (123 in 97 IP) at this point in the season. The problem with including him is that the last time Marquis had an ERA this high was in 2001, when he was a 22-year old with Atlanta (128 ERA+ in 129 1/3 innings pitched; also with the benefit of 12 unearned runs). Thus, Bisher seems to imply that to reap the benefits of Marquis' current breakthough, the Braves would have had to hold on to him for eight seasons. There's no telling what would have happened in his career had he stayed here in Atlanta that long.

Plus, what's with mentioning the Rays?... oh, that's right. Willy Aybar, the super-sub that helped the Rays win the 2008 AL pennant. It's wonderful that Aybar was able to get his head on straight and that he was able to be on a pennant-winning ballclub. It's also clear that the Braves sold low on him. The thing is, I'm not at all worried about that trade. Omar Infante was putting up similar OPS numbers to Aybar before his hand was broken (.349/.389/.430 in 97 PAs, to .268/.375/.411 in 152 PAs). Yes, the only difference is batting average, but you can find a quality backup that plays multiple positions if you look hard enough.

Time to make a move while Chipper is still a major commodity.

Why's this sentence even here, given that this follows:

They can’t close the gap left by all those absentees, so skillfully scouted and carefully nurtured. Not that dealing Chipper Jones can come close to making up for them all, but he could wipe out some of the damage, and in the long run, have a good closing run for himself.

That is only if the mystery prospects pan out. The possibility remains that the Braves can trade for the best prospects in the world, and they may not amount to squat.

And again, Chipper having a good closing run for himself is ultimately only good for Chipper Jones. Yes, we will be happy for him if he wins a World Series with another team, but it will be a fleeting happiness; one minute later after we see Chipper celebrating with the new champions of baseball, we'll turn off the TV and stew over how the Braves need to improve themselves so that they will be the ones celebrating on a cold November night.

If the thought of this offends you, let me remind you that this is the team that traded Henry Aaron and Dale Murphy, and allowed Phil Niekro to take a hike, and Smoltz and Glavine to go adrift.

Hank Aaron was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers by his own request. Dale Murphy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for pennies on the dollar because he told the Braves he wanted to move on. Letting Phil Niekro walk was a true mistake; Pascual Perez fell apart and Craig McMurtry, Ken Dayley and Zane Smith never panned out. Refer to what I said above about Smoltz and Glavine.

There, I’ve said it. And I’m not sorry.

Well, I'm not sorry for what I've said either, Mr. Bisher, so we're even.

Furman Bisher Strikes Yet Again

Like screaming at a wall, I'm here once again to dissect one of the senior sports writer's articles. This time, the premise is...

*drumroll*

... that the Braves should show more patience with Jeff Francoeur!

*ba dum pish!*

Sorry, that wasn't supposed to be a joke. Before we delve into Mr. Bisher's article, I'd like to point out Jeff Francoeur's current statistics, after finishing a 1-5 day against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will be compared with the eight regulars in the Braves' starting lineup, who all lead the team in plate appearances at this point.

203 PA (1st of 8)
.250 AVG (6th of 8)
.271 OBP (8th of 8)
.344 SLG (6th of 8)

It's pretty bad when he's that low in production. Only Kelly Johnson (.247) and Jordan Schafer (.210) are worse in batting average. Schafer (.296) and Garret Anderson (.327) dwarf Francoeur in slugging. That also speaks to how bad the Braves outfield is in general.

Now here are Francoeur's regular stats:

49 G (T1st of 8)
192 AB (1st of 8)
24 R (T2nd of 8)
48 H (T1st of 8)
5 2B (8th of 8)
2 3B (T1st of 8)
3 HR (5th of 8)
23 RBI (3rd of 8)
66 TB (T3rd of 8)
5 BB (8th of 8)
30 SO (2nd of 8)

It seems as if he's one of the better regulars, but that is because Francoeur has played in every game this year. Thus, it's not unusual for him to be leading the team in hits or be one behind the lead in RBIs (Casey Kotchman and Yunel Escobar have 24 RBIs each). With that in mind, let's dive into the world that is Furman Bisher's articles:

These are disheartening days for the Braves. For Jeff Francoeur in particular. For those who came to Turner Field to cheer him, but now who jeer him. When Mark Bowman, of MLB.com, wrote that this might be a pertinent time to consider locating another employer for him, oh, did that set off a firestorm! A flurry of conjecture.

Trade Jeff Francoeur? Homegrown hero? Onetime Sports Illustrated cover boy? Where did it all go?

In the dustbin of Braves history, right beside Brad Komminsk and Andres Thomas.

Let me take you back to those Camelot days, when the Braves’ roster was plump with bright young prospects. There was a pod of them, all seeming to ripen at the same time. A sort of an informal Boy Scout troop of them, who went to each other’s weddings, and celebrated their togetherness like club members.

Yeah, funny how winning makes everything seem all hunky-dory and buddy-buddy and Knights of the Round Table-y.

I'm sure they were friends, but that only goes so far in them helping their team win ballgames. The Baby Braves days these same days were ones where the Braves were grasping at straws in order to remain in the playoff hunt. This was the final year they managed to grab some. Their young guys all produced at the same time and the Braves rode that to the NL East championship. The pennant was well-earned, and they didn't deserve to be kicked out the playoffs the way they were (Darn you, Chris Burke and the home run I never saw on TV when it was happening).

Cue the "But..." paragraph...

Remember their names, for some are long gone.

AGH! Not now!

Oh, well. Who were those guys?

Francoeur, Brian McCann, Macay McBride, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, and two Canadians, Pete Orr and Scott Thorman.

So we have:

• The Braves' current right fielder
• The Braves' All-Star catcher
• A former reliever that wasn't even that good in his rookie season.
• The Braves' current second baseman.
• A former outfielder who started out well in a platoon role in his rookie year, but later fizzled out so badly that he was traded twice in a span of a week.
• A hustling infielder who was playing over his head and it worked for a while; he still has a pro career.
• A slow-swinging first baseman who couldn't hit anything more than a belt-high fastball and that dashed his dreams of becoming another Adam LaRoche.

Two out of six isn't so bad. Yes, I said two. Moving on...

McBride, traded to the Tigers, is recovering from arm surgery at Toledo.

Unfortunate.

Orr and Langerhans are working on the Nationals’ farm team at Syracuse.

As they should be; they're both not that good.

Thorman has sort of disappeared from the screen.

Sort of?? The guy's done.

And we all know where McCann, Johnson and Francoeur, the subject of the moment, are,

Quite.

and of the three, McCann was the only unrated prospect in his early days on the farm. Remember?

Now, why do I feel like I'm being talked down to? Well, whatever the case, the idea that McCann was "unrated" at the time is nonsense. That very year, in 2005, the Baseball America Handbook has McCann rated as the third-best prospect in the Braves organization, ironically behind Francoeur and Andy Marte.

When the Braves offered both McCann and Francoeur long-range contracts last year, McCann took it and is signed through 2012.

And it is money well invested. McCann is well on his way to being a four-time All-Star in his first four full pro seasons and is pretty much the best catcher in the National League.

Francoeur played the odds, and banked on going to the arbitration
table calling his shots. His timing couldn’t have been worse. What followed is the season of remission.

It serves him right, and the Braves were fortunate that he was aiming for more money. Imagine what would have happened if he signed a contract similar to McCann's; Braves fans might have been calling for Jeff's head sooner because he would be getting multiple millions of dollars to suck.

He heard sounds coming from the stands at Turner Field he had never heard before. Boos and taunts, mild at first,

Poor baby.

but for a local favorite who had reaped nothing but adulation through high school at Parkview and two-and-a-half gaudy seasons with the
Braves?

Gaudy??? If you call two seasons where you have 507 and 477 outs, amounts only leadoff hitters should have, "gaudy", then be my guest.

Where had it all gone?

I told you: in the Braves dustbin of history. See? It's right under my desk. I think I need to make a little more room beside Chief Noc-a-homa right there...

Meanwhile, McCann was harvesting a national following for his bat, and for his backstopping. Most of it. You could steal a base on him, and he was no adagio at blocking low pitches. But he could hit, and so could Ernie Lombardi, whose career wasn’t based on backstopping.

McCann isn't exactly a modern Ernie Lombardi; he has improved in his defensive skills since his rookie year. I daresay he may be improved tenfold since then.

...

Wait a minute, I thought this article was supposed to be about Jeff Francoeur. Why aren't you talking about him?

But in the case of Francoeur, you ask where did it all go?

No, I ask "Where was it all in the first place?"

Home runs, RBIs, and yes, strikeouts, as well?

I don' think Francoeur's strikeouts have disappeared completely. If it wasn't for Jordan Scahfer, Francoeur would be the team leader.

Last season it seemed the rest of the league had caught up with Francoeur’s habits, and what developed was a bottom-line .239 batting average and a mere 11 home runs. He didn’t strike out as often, but that was because his patience ran low and he swung at anything early and often.

Francoeur's strikeout percentage has actually decreased steadily over his career. He's making more contact, it's just that his swing and approach are so bad that most of his contact results in weak outs.

While the Braves spent all manners of time waiting for two dear old relics to return to their days of pitching glory, patience ran low with Francoeur.

This doesn't make any sense. You can't compare two forty-year old pitchers coming back from injuries to a struggling young outfielder who is (assumingly) healthy and playing.

Besides, they weren't waiting for John Smoltz; they let him walk to the Red Sox because they'd give him more money to not pitch. Also, please don't get me started on how much of a mistake it is to let the "dear, old relic" that is Tom Glavine get a chance to end his career on a good note for his own ego.

Was it because he had taken off to Texas in hope that Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers’ hitting guru, might help him return to glory? It was furtively done, and true, he also recommended Andruw Jones try the same “cure.” It has worked out better for Andruw.

No, it is not because Francoeur went to Jaramillo for help. In fact, I would wager a lot of Braves fans applauded that move. The problem is that Francoeur is such a poor batter that he can't implement Rudy's teachings. As for Andruw, his career was literally down the crapper, so he did everything he could to get it back. It has paid off for him so far.

Francoeur now finds himself the subject of trade speculation. From hometown hero to hometown trade bait, perish the thought. I can’t see it. His market value has reached GM level.

There's another equally attractive option: designate him for assignment and release him. Let some other team take on the headache of trying to fix him. Let some other organization try to find the potential that once oozed out his ears.

Is there not enough patience to help him work his way through it? Whoever thought it could come to this for Jeff Francoeur.

The Braves suffered through one season of very sub-par production and it seems to be continuing two months into this season. Why continue to work with him when it's clear that he's getting nowhere fast?

(In closing, let me apologize for referring to John Smoltz and Tom Glavine as “relics.” But it takes one to know one.)

At least you know what you are, Mr. Bisher. :)

Furman Bisher Strikes Again

For those of you who don't know, Furman Bisher is the senior waxing poetic journalist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He's 90 years old. While I respect that Mr. Bisher has written much more than I have, and probably ever will, I can still call him out when he's wrong. This is just my way of doing it.

This is an article that Bisher posted on the AJC Blogs Saturday afternoon.

Once upon a time, as fairy tales usually begin, the Braves were a baseball team that was home-bred, carefully incubated in the farm system, and nurtured all the way up to the major league level. There they won championships and pennants and played in the World Series, one of which they won. And they left their names scrolled on the walls of the ball park where they played, and in team and league record books.

I see that we're playing the "generalization game" here. Fine, let's do that.

Many significant Braves players were drafted, brought up through the farm system and contributed to the club's run of 14 straight division titles, five pennants and one wonderful World Series title. We're good here.

Then something began to change after the season of 2005, and the once-flourishing franchise has been groping ever since.

Ah, the cut-off point. The last year the Braves won the NL East title.

Like I said before, many significant Braves players have been drafted, farmed and turned into contributing members of the Atlanta Braves. I think it would be a good idea to list a few:

Tom Glavine
Ron Gant
David Justice
Jeff Blauser
Mark Lemke
Tom Glavine
Steve Avery
Kent Mercker
Mike Stanton
Mark Wohlers
Greg McMichael
Chipper Jones
Javy Lopez
Ryan Klesko
Andruw Jones
Kevin Millwood
Rafael Furcal
Adam LaRoche
Brian McCann
Jeff Francoeur

and others.

Now, the Braves’ “farm” system reaches from Venezuela to Japan. Deals are made, faces change, and only this season have they reached deep into their jeans to play a hand in the free agent rat-race.

This list is a list of other Braves players who had significant contributions to the franchise's run, including two very important players, who are listed first:

John Smoltz
Greg Maddux
Lonnie Smith
Terry Pendleton
Otis Nixon
Sid Bream
Alejandro Pena
Rafael Belliard
Fred McGriff
Marquis Grissom
Denny Neagle
Kenny Lofton
Andres Galarraga
Kerry Ligtenberg
Brian Jordan
Vinny Castilla
Gary Sheffield
Johnny Estrada
J. D. Drew
Kyle Farnsworth

They were all traded for or signed as a free agent. One of the most powerful starting rotations in baseball history, the one of the 1997 Atlanta Braves, was built with the farm (Glavine, Millwood), trades (Smoltz, Neagle) and a free agent signing (Maddux).

A payroll that once was held around the $80-million level, by order of the McScrooge ownership, has now zoomed to about $97 million.

I think he combined "Scrooge" and "McDuck" to get "McScrooge", but how exactly is the Braves ownership a bunch of "McScrooges" if they up the payroll? I guess they could sacrifice some gold coins from their cash vault they regularly dive into for fun.

They even splurged $60 million on Derek Lowe, a 35-year-old they niftily lifted from the Dodgers.

They "niftily" lifted from the Dodgers? Yes, I'm sure it was pretty nifty, but Lowe was Plan B. Plan A was to splurge more on A. J. Burnett, who has been less reliable health-wise than Lowe.

They traded for Javier Vazquez, an $11-million-a-year pitcher

Yes, yes they did, and things have been working out swimmingly for both parties so far.

And then they really hit the high road. They invaded Japan.

How is making a vague World War II backup plan reference hitting the high road?

Kenshin Kawakami is a good-natured 33-year-old pitcher, and I say that without understanding a word he says. When you hire one Japanese player, you get two Japanese. You must have an interpreter, in this case Daichi Takasue, also most accommodating. Any interview is sort of an Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy act. You ask a question, Daiche asks Kenshin, Kenshin replies, Daiche repeats what he said. Kenshin hits well, as pitchers go, and I asked Daiche if he was a good hitter in Japan. Kenshin smiled shyly and in translation, “He wouldn’t want to say. It would look like he’s bragging.”

When I asked him his view on American umpires, he said (so Daiche said), “the plate seems to be narrower over here,” and illustrated with his hands. It does give us a variety we haven’t had in a Braves clubhouse before.

Now that's a very nice tidbit. Kudos for bringing us that, Mr. Bisher.

So far, the Braves have hovered around .500, but I fear they’ve just about found their level. It’s not the pitching; it’s the run-making.

That, I am not disputing.

The best prospect of a leadoff man was traded to Detroit, Josh Anderson, a .300 hitter with base-stealing speed and center field experience in the majors.

Now this, I am disputing. Anderson seems to know how to hit and he does know how to steal bases, but those are his only good points. He can't take a walk and he doesn't have much power at all, despite the fact he led all Braves outfielders in home runs in the second half in 2008 (three). If he goes into a slump, he's not getting on base at all. There's a reason that it only took Oscar Villareal to get him and that the Braves could only get Rudy Darrow for him: he's just not that good.

Jordan Schafer probably would have benefited from at least a half-season in triple-A. He’s not a leadoff type.

I don't really see how Schafer could get that much better in Gwinnett. Besides, a leadoff hitter's job is to get on base and set the table for the next hitters in the lineup. Schafer is leading all rookies in walks (17) and on-base percentage (.407), and that was from the seventh and eighth spots. If he keeps the same approach, he'll be an excellent leadoff hitter. Let's not forget he also has the ability to steal bases.

Josh Anderson is, and he's hitting well in Detroit.

He has a .311 batting average, but he also has three walks in 49 PAs. I repeat: a leadoff hitter's job is to get on base and set the table for the batters to follow. If Anderson isn't hitting, it isn't likely that he's going to get on base. Not to mention that he has been hitting seventh and eighth in the order in Detroit, like Schafer in Atlanta.

There’s a problem at second base right now, but I’m a believer in Kelly Johnson.

As am I. Johnson is a notoriously streaky batter and he's having one of those "bad streaks". Omar Infante is the best option right now and he's certainly handling the job.

They’re suffering the loss of Brian McCann, which nobody has figured into the equation.

I'm not quite sure how "no one" has figured that into an equation because David Ross was signed specifically to back up McCann for a few days at best and to start at worst. If no one figured that into the equation... then I don't know what Bisher is talking about. It could very easily be something I missed.

And Chipper Jones can be handled — just don’t pitch to him.

Got that right.

We saw an illustration while the Cardinals were in town of how a bad deal can draw blood over the years. The Braves didn’t simply trade Adam Wainwright to get J.D. Drew for a year, but they also threw in Jason Marquis, now a $9.8-million starter in Colorado.

They "threw in" Marquis because he wasn't doing particularly well in Atlanta (he had been demoted to the pen in 2003), and he he didn't do particularly well after he was traded. He was up-and-down in St. Louis, finishing as high as 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA (but with a rather high 1.416 WHIP) in 2004 and as low as a 14-16 record with a horrendous 6.02 ERA and 1.523 WHIP im 2007. He at least became an average pitcher with the Cubs (101 and 99 ERA+ those two years) and is starting out well in Colorado. The salary he's making now with the Rockies really doesn't have anything to do with it.

That deal will be haunting this team for years, as will the deal that sent five golden talents to Texas for a season of Mark Teixeira — who, as a Yankee, is currently hitting more than l00 points below Casey Kotchman.

The St. Louis-Atlanta deal will haunt the Braves for years only because of Adam Wainwright. And then, there's that trade again, with Ron Mahay conveniently forgotten. I guess left-handed relievers really are a faceless commodity.

Plus, we all know the reason that Teixeira is hitting 100 points below Kotchman is that he's a habitual slow starter.

Three are on the Rangers roster

Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, for those who don't know. Andrus has cooled off after a hot start and is hitting .254/.290/.390 in 64 PAs with Texas. Matt Harrison was hit hit hard in his first four games this year (1-2, with a 7.89 ERA and 2.077 WHIP). Saltalmacchia is about where he should be, batting .276/.300/.448 with two homers.

and a fourth, pitcher Neftali Feliz, may be the best of them all, Bobby Cox said.

He probably is.

Right now he’s tuning up on the Oklahoma City farm.

However, he's looking pretty mortal right now: 1-1, 4.30 ERA, 14 K, 2.114 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings. That's sure to change, of course, because Feliz is very talented. However, that's one ugly-looking tune-up.

Gone are the rich old farm days that gave us John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, Mercker, Stanton, Wohlers, Lemke, Blauser, Chipper … a bumper crop of farm products. Just pick up the phone and call Richmond. Now, it’s just a matter of calling a cab in Lawrenceville — if there’s any help there to be called for.

Mr. Bisher, with all due respect, you finish way off-base. Just because there's no immediate help in Lawrenceville (the Class AAA Gwinnett County Braves) other than Tommy Hanson doesn't mean the farm system isn't rich anymore. On the contrary, the Braves farm system is very rich in potential. It's just mainly in the low levels, like how the farm system was back in the mid-to-late 1980s.

The Braves regularly mine their farm system for talent and have reaped the benefits lately with Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur (sans 2006 and 2008). Baseball America recognized them as having five Top 100 Prospects:

Tommy Hanson (#4) - AAA Gwinnett
Jason Heyward (#5) - A+ Myrtle Beach
Jordan Schafer (#42) - Atlanta Braves
Gorkys Hernandez (#62) - AA Mississippi
Freddie Freeman (#87) - A+ Myrtle Beach

This isn't counting players like Kris Medlen, who is off to a 3-0, 1.52 ERA, 0.89 WHIP start wtih Gwinnett, and Jeff Locke and Cole Rohrbough at Myrtle Beach. If you look hard enough in farm systems, you can find potential jewels. The Braves have plenty of gold that can shine.

Redbirds Take Two of Three In Atlanta

ST. LOUIS 3, ATLANTA 2

W - Joel Piniero (4-0)
L - Jair Jurrjens (2-2)
S - Ryan Franklin (6)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Joel Piniero, St. Louis - 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, W; 0-1, BB, R

SILVER
CF Rick Ankiel, St. Louis - 2-4, GA 1B, 2 RBI

BRONZE
P Jair Jurrjnes, Atlanta - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, L

ATLANTA 2, ST. LOUIS 1

W - Peter Moylan (1-1)
L - Kyle McClellan (1-1)
S - Mike Gonzalez (3)

GOLD
P Jo-Jo Reyes, Atlanta - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

SILVER
LF Matt Diaz, Atlanta - 1-4, GA 1B, RBI

BRONZE
P Kyle Lohse, St. Louis - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO

ST. LOUIS 5, ATLANTA 3

GOLD
P Adam Wainwright, St. Louis - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO; 1-3, R, RBI

SILVER
1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis - 2-4, R, RBI

BRONZE
P Javier Vazquez, Atlanta - 8 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, L

Braves Take Two Of Three From Reds

I decided since I fell behind that I'm just going to give the scores, basics and Three Stars for this series.

ATLANTA 4, CINCINNATI 3

W - Javier Vazquez (2-1)
L - Edinson Volquez (2-2)
S - Mike Gonzalez (2)
HR - Jeff Francoeur (2)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Javier Vazquez, Atlanta - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

SILVER
RF Jeff Francoeur, Atlanta - 1-3, GA HR, R, 2 BB, RBI

BRONZE
P Mike Gonzalez, Atlanta - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, SV

ATLANTA 10, CINCINNATI 2

W - Derek Lowe (2-1)
L - Bronson Arroyo (3-1)
HR - ATL - Chipper Jones (2)
Yunel Escobar (2)
CIN - Alex Gonzalez (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
SS Yunel Escobar, Atlanta - 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI

SILVER
P Derek Lowe, Atlanta - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

BRONZE
3B Chipper Jones, Atlanta - 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI

CINCINNATI 8, ATLANTA 2

W - Micah Owings (1-2)
L - Kenshin Kawakami (1-3)
HR - ATL - David Ross (2)
CIN - Jay Bruce 2 (5)

THREE STARS

GOLD
RF Jay Bruce, Cincinnati - 3-3, 2 HR, 3 R, BB, 4 RBI

SILVER
P Micah Owings, Cincinnati - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO; 2-3, 2B, R

BRONZE
1B Joey Votto, Cincinnati - 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI

The link to the third game will be changed to the Baseball-Reference link once that box score and play-by-play is posted by the website.

Braves Come Out On Top In Pitcher's Duel

ATLANTA 1, WASHINGTON 0

With a final swing and a miss by Ronnie Belliard, Rafael Soriano capped a wild pitching duel as the Braves squeaked by the Nationals, winning 1-0.

Jair Jurrjens and John Lannan locked horns for a long pitching duel. They both walked two and struck out four. Jurrjens allowed six hits in his 7 2/3 inning stint and was removed after his two walks in the eighth. Mike Gonzalez struck out Adam Dunn to keep it a scoreless game.

In the top of the ninth, Matt Diaz singled off of Garrett Mock with one out. After Casey Kotchman grounded into a force out at second base, Jordan Schafer worked a walk. Manny Acta then decided to bring in lefty Mike Hinckley to face a pinch-hitter, righty Martin Prado. The Atlanta pinch-hitter worked a walk to load the bases and then Hinckley was left in to face Kelly Johnson. He seemed to labor and Johnson coaxed a five-pitch walk out of him as well, forcing in the run.

Rafael Soriano struck out Elijah Dukes and Ronnie Belliard in the final frame to end the game and give the Braves their second win in six games on the road trip. It's a shame that Jurrjens didn't get the win; he pitched wonderfully and very efficiently. It was a sight to see.

W - Mike Gonzalez (1-0)
L - Mike Hinckley (1-1)
S - Rafael Soriano (2)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta - 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

SILVER
P John Lannan, Washington - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

BRONZE
P Rafael Soriano, Atlanta - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2-2 SV

AP Photo by Alex Brandon

Nationals Pull Out Second One-Run Victory Over Reeling Braves

WASHINGTON 4, ATLANTA 3

Joel Hanrahan pitched out of a major jam in the ninth inning and the Washington Nationals won their second straight one-run decision against Atlanta by a 4-3 score.

The Braves scored three in the top of the first inning off of Washington starter Shairon Martis. Casey Kotchman drove in Chipper Jones with a two-out double and Jeff Francoeur hit a ball to shortstop that scored two runs. Brian McCann scored on the infield hit and Casey Kotchman scored on the throwing error by shortstop Alberto Gonzalez.

The Nationals scored a run with a Jesus Flores double off of Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami. They continued the scoring in the sixth inning after Martis held the Braves off the board since then.

Adam Dunn led off the inning with a solo homer. After Elijah Dukes reached on an error by Chipper Jones, Austin Kearns hit a liner to left that Matt Diaz lost in the stadium lights. Kearns got a triple out of that. Jeff Bennett relieved Kawakami and struck out Jesus Flores. Alberto Gonzalez attempted a bunt next, but McCann threw him out. Pinch-hitter Josh Willingham then lined the second pitch he saw into left, scoring Kearns.

The bullpens of both teams held each other scoreless. In the top of the ninth, Joel Hanrahan came on to close the game. He led off the inning by walking Diaz on four pitches. The next batter, Jordan Schafer, slapped a hit into right field that he stretched into a double and Diaz reached third. Pinch-hitter Greg Norton then bounced back to Hanrahan for the first out. Kelly Johnson then attempted to swing at a changeup and got out in front of it, popping it up behind second base. With two out, Yunel Escobar hit a hard grounder on the first pitch, but it bounced right to Anderson Hernandez for the game-ending groundout.

I saw that ninth inning. Two words: incredibly frustrating.

W - Shairon Martis (2-0)
L - Kenshin Kawakami (1-2)
S - Joel Hanrahan (2)
HR - Adam Dunn (4)

THREE STARS

GOLD
RF Austin Kearns, Washington - 1-2, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB, RBI

SILVER
PH Josh Willingham, Washington - 1-1, GA 1B, RBI

BRONZE
CF Jordan Schafer, Atlanta - 2-3, 2 2B, BB

AP Photo By Alex Brandon

Two Rain Delays Don't Spoil Debut For Zimmerman

WASHINGTON 3, ATLANTA 2

The Braves and Nationals played through two long rain delays, but Jordan Zimmerman was able to seize the moment and pitch six effective innings as the Nationals came from behind to win 3-2.

Zimmerman pitched six innings and allowed six hits and two runs. His only mistake was giving up a two-run shot to Matt Diaz in the fourth inning, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Nationals tied the game in the bottom of the frame off of Braves starter Derek Lowe with an RBI single by Elijah Dukes and a deep bases-loaded sac fly to left by Jesus Flores that was very nearly a grand slam.

Washington scored the go-ahead run in the sixth with three straight one-out singles, the last coming off the bat of Flores. Lowe managed to get out of the inning avoiding further damage.

Both bullpens pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way. Rafael Soriano had the most trouble, having to work with the bases loaded and one out, but he got the last two batters out with strikeouts. Eric O'Flaherty also had a scoreless inning. Kip Wells, Garret Mock and Joe Beimel held the Braves off and Joel Hanrahan picked up his first save of the year in the ninth, pitching around a walk.

W - Jordan Zimmerman (1-0)
L - Derek Lowe (1-1)
S - Joel Hanrahan (1)
HR - Matt Diaz (2)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Jordan Zimmerman, Washington - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO - Major League Debut

SILVER
LF Matt Diaz, Atlanta - 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI

BRONZE
C Jesus Flores, Washington - 2-2, BB, 2 RBI

Braves Bring Their Bats, Bash The Bucs

ATLANTA 11, PITTSBURGH 1

Javier Vazquez pitched a third straight quality start and his offense backed him up on the strength of two three-run homers as Atlanta snapped their five-game losing streak, defeating the Pirates 11-1.

Pirates starter Zach Duke wasn't particularly sharp from the start. Jeff Francoeur hit a two-out, two-run single off of him in the first, took second on the throw and Casey Kotchman chased him home with a single. Martin Prado piled on three more runs with his first home run of the year. The line drive cleared the wall in left and gave the Braves a 6-0 lead.

David Ross extended the lead to 11-0 by lining a shot off of Pirate reliever Craig Hansen to the same part of the park. His three-run shot scored Francoeur and Kotchman. Francoeur had doubled Chipper Jones home earlier to score the first run of the inning.

Vazquez took full advantage of the support. His six inning stint featured just one walk and eight punchouts. He has pitched his third straight quality start and is the only Braves starter to do that this season. Peter Moylan and Jeff Bennett threw scoreless innings and James Parr lost some control in the ninth, allowing two singles and walking a batter after getting two outs on two pitches. He plunked Ramon Vazquez, who subbed for Jack Wilson in the eighth inning, and that forced in a run. He got Nyjer Morgan to line out to left-center to end the game, though.

It's nice to have the Braves pound an opponent every now and then. It's even nicer that they snapped their skid. Hopefully, the trend continues against the Nationals.

W - Javier Vazquez (1-1)
L - Zach Duke (2-1)
HR - Martin Prado (1)
David Ross (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Javier Vazquez, Atlanta - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

SILVER
2B Martin Prado, Atlanta - 2-4, 2B, HR, R, BB, 3 RBI

BRONZE
C David Ross, Atlanta - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, BB, 3 RBI

HONORABLE MENTION
RF Jeff Francoeur, Atlanta - 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI

AP Photo by Gene J. Puskar

Craig Monroe Single-Handedly Dispatches Braves

PITTSBURGH 10, ATLANTA 0

Outfielder Craig Monroe, playing in his sixth game as a Pirate, smacked two home runs and drove in six as the Pirates jumped on Jo-Jo Reyes late and tacked on more for a 10-0 win.

The loss marked the first time since 1974 that the Braves were shut out by the Pirates in two consecutive games:

July 18, 1974: 4-0
July 19, 1974: 2-0

Atlanta starter Jo-Jo Reyes, called up to take the start for the injured Tom Glavine, allowed just one run on three hits through five innings. The sixth inning, however, was the decisive one. After allowing on a triple and a comebacker with one out, Reyes got Adam LaRoche to strike out. However, Craig Monroe launched a ball to center field for a three-run shot to increase the lead to 5-0. He added another three-run shot off of Buddy Carlyle in the seventh and the Pirates tacked on another run in the eighth.

The Braves had only one runner in scoring position the entire game: Casey Kotchman got to second with a two-out double in the fourth inning off of Ian Snell.

I didn't see most of this game myself, and I'm glad I didn't. The Braves are playing the finale right now and it's looking good: they're up 6-0 on a rainy day in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a three-run first and Martin Prado's three-run homer in the top of the fourth.

W - Ian Snell (1-2)
L - Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1)
HR - Craig Monroe 2 (2)

THREE STARS

GOLD
RF Craig Monroe, Pittsburgh - 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI

SILVER
C Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh - 3-4, 3 2B, 3 R, BB, RBI

BRONZE
P Ian Snell, Pittsburgh - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO

AP Photo by Gene J. Puskar

Pirates Frustrate Braves Bats, Hand Them Fourth Straight Loss

PITTSBURGH 3, ATLANTA 0

Starter Paul Maholm and the Pirates continued the trend of Atlanta's ineptitude against left-handed pitching, dealing Jair Jurrjens a hard-luck 3-0 loss. Wasted scoring chances plagued the Braves the entire game as they left six runners in scoring position, four against starting pitcher Paul Maholm and one against reliever John Grabow.

The only run of the game was scored in the second inning. After Brandon Moss had a leadoff triple (the second of the game, probably caused by Jordan Schafer's inexperience in attempting to catch each ball), he scored on a one-out groundout to Kelly Johnson up the middle, who made a nice play on the ball. The Braves had the bases loaded with no one out in the ninth, but Casey Kotchman popped up to the catcher for a rare infield fly rule call. Jordan Schafer then bounced out into a double play to end the inning.

Pittsburgh's 1-0 lead held up the entire game as the Braves continued to leave men on base (nine in total). Jair Jurrjens pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up just the one run and striking out seven batters. He left the game in the seventh inning after walking two straight Pirate batters. Peter Moylan finished the inning by getting pinch-hitter Delmon Young to pop up in foul ground.

Nate McLouth gave Pittsburgh some insurance with a two-run home run off of Braves closer Mike Gonzalez in the eighth. Matt Capps pitched the ninth for his third save.

It seemed all night that in scoring chances, the Braves hit balls right at Pirate fielders. Quite frankly, it was a particularly frustrating loss. Hopefully, the Braves bats decide to wake up tomorrow against Ian Snell.

W - Paul Maholm (2-0)
L - Jair Jurrjens (2-1)
S - Matt Capps (3)
HR - Nate McLouth (3)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, W

SILVER
P Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, L; 1-1, BB

BRONZE
CF Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh - 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI

AP Photo by John Heller

Marlins Complete Sweep In Convincing Fashion

FLORIDA 6, ATLANTA 2

Kenshin Kawakami's second start in a Braves uniform didn't go as well as his first. The Japanese pitcher allowed five runs in six innings, including a three-run shot by the previously-slumping Cody Ross in the Braves' 6-2 loss to the Marlins.

Ross's home run to left field gave the Marlins an early 3-0 lead. It may have been averted if Kelly Johnson hadn't dropped a throw from Yunel Escobar in an attempt to start a double play. Jeff Francoeur had two-out RBI singles in the third and the fifth innings, but the Braves stranded two runners on base in four of the first five innings.

The Marlins added two runs in the fifth with Jeremy Hermida's triple to right-center and Ross's sacrifice fly, his fourth RBI of the game. Florida added a final run off of Jorge Campillo with a triple by Ross Gload and a one-out RBI single by Alfredo Amezaga. The Braves bullpen in total allowed nine runs in ten innings of work in the series. For the Marlins, Anibal Sanchez pitched six innings for the win.

After the game, Campillo was placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder tendinitis. His replacement will be James Parr.

W - Anibal Sanchez (1-0)
L - Kenshin Kawakami (1-1)
HR - Cody Ross (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
RF Cody Ross, Florida - 3-3, HR, R, SF, 4 RBI

SILVER
2B Dan Uggla, Florida - 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB

BRONZE
P Anibal Sanchez, Florida - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

Photo By John Bazemore

Bullpen Woes Continue As Marlins Smack Around Braves

FLORIDA 10, ATLANTA 4

The Braves managed to get a not-so-sharp Derek Lowe off the hook, but the bullpen was unable to hold off the Marlins as the Fish scored six runs in four innings of Braves bullpen work in the 10-4 win.

The Marlins scored four runs off of Derek Lowe, courtesy of seven hits and five walks. They scored in the first inning with a Dan Uggla single. The Braves responded in the bottom of the inning with Omar Infante's sac fly after Kelly Johnson tripled to lead off the frame.

Florida then tacked on three in the top of the fifth with an RBI single by Cantu and a two-run double by Uggla. The Braves got the runs back with a Casey Kotchman double, Martin Prado's fielder's choice groundout to the pitcher and Omar Infante's bloop hit that dropped into the Bermuda Triangle in center. This took Lowe off the hook for the loss.

Buddy Carlyle held the Marlins off the board and Hayden Penn was able to do the same for the Fish against Atlanta. Peter Moylan came on in the seventh for his first back-to-back outing of the year. He allowed a single to Jorge Cantu then struck out Dan Uggla for the first out. Jeremy Hermida was intentionally walked to get to Cody Ross, but the slumping outfielder was plunked on the backside on the first pitch to load the bases. Moylan got Cameron Maybin to strike out swinging, but he walked Ross Gload, forcing in a run. Eric O'Flaherty came on and got Emilio Bonaficio swinging to limit the damage.

That didn't last long, though.

After Rafael Soriano had a perfect eighth, Blaine Boyer started the inning for the Braves. Five batters later, he had allowed two runs and only recorded one out. Jorge Campillo attempted to put out the fire, but he was tagged for two RBI singles after a strikeout. He was able to escape further damage, but the damage had already been done, so to speak.

W - Hayden Penn (1-0)
L - Peter Moylan (0-1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
2B Dan Uggla, Florida - 2-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI

SILVER
C John Baker, Florida - 2-6, 2 R, 2 RBI

BRONZE
1B Jorge Cantu, Florida - 2-5, 2 R, BB, RBI

Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Changed link to Baseball-Reference.com boxscore

Braves Hooked By Fish; Volstad Wins Pitching Duel

FLORIDA 5, ATLANTA 1

Marlins starter Chris Volstad, making his sixteenth career start, stymied the Braves for seven innings, and the Marlins produced runs off of Braves starter Javier Vazquez and reliever Jeff Bennett to earn a 5-1 win.

Volstad allowed just three hits, the biggest one being a home run by Kelly Johnson on a first-pitch fastball leading off the fourth inning. That was the first hit the Braves got in the game. Atlanta's only other scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the sixth inning. After pinch-hitter Martin Prado doubled to left-center and Kelly Johnson flied to left, Escobar drew a walk. Chipper Jones was barely thrown out at first base on a tapper to the right of the mound; that moved the runners up. Brian McCann then smoked a liner to first base that Ross Gload got his glove on and was able to keep from going to right field.

The Marlins scored three off of Javier Vazquez in the third inning and two runs off of reliever Jeff Bennett in the eighth. Third baseman Emiliano Bonaficio and catcher John Baker scored two runs. Both were driven by Dan Uggla on separate occasions. The second baseman drove in three runs on the day.

Javier Vazquez pitched his second straight quality start in a losing effort. His 12-strikeout effort was the sixth such game of his career and the 38th game where he struck out 10 batters or more.

Vazquez had a typical game tonight. He allowed hits all at the same time and he struck out a lot of batters. As long as he keeps doing that, he should be able to win ball games. Even Braves fans had to tip their caps to Volstad in this one. He made few mistakes and was able to pitch out of the few jams that he got in. Hopefully, the Braves will do better against Andrew Miller tonight.

W - Chris Volstad (2-0)
L - Javier Vazquez (0-1)
HR - Kelly Johnson (3)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Chris Volstad, Florida - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

SILVER
P Javier Vazquez, Atlanta - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 12 SO

BRONZE
2B Dan Uggla, Florida - 2-4, 3 RBI

Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Added tags. W-L-S-HR tally

Braves Don't Give Nationals A Bailout

ATLANTA 8, WASHINGTON 5

With solid bullpen work and timely two-out hitting, the Braves completed their first sweep of the Washington Nationals since June 25-27, 2007, banging out an 8-5 victory.

The Braves scored three in the bottom of the fourth, all with two outs. Brian McCann walked and stole second. Matt Diaz doubled him home, Jeff Francoeur chased Diaz home with a triple and Martin Prado drove in Francoeur with a single.

Elijah Dukes returned the favor with a two-out, two-run double in the fourth. A bad hop that ate up Martin Prado at first allowed Dukes to score to tie the game.

The Braves didn't stay behind for long. With Omar Infante on first with two out, he went to second on a passed ball and scored on Chipper Jones' single to give the Braves the lead again. Jones went to second on the throw. McCann drove him home with a single to up the lead to two.

Jeff Bennett relieved starter Jair Jurrjens in the sixth inning after Jurrjens' fifth walk of the day. That walk, given to Alex Gonzalez, came back to bite the Braves as he came around to score on a single by Lastings Milledge and a two-out single by Elijah Dukes.

Atlanta scored two more in the seventh on a Yunel Escobar double off the right field wall and a second RBI single by Jones. The Nationals eked out a run off of Buddy Carlyle and Eric O'Flaherty, but the righty Carlyle struck out Adam Dunn with two men on to preserve the lead.

Casey Kotchman added another insurance run with a pinch-hit RBI single after Francoeur's second triple (aided by right fielder Austin Kearns losing the ball in the sun). Rafael Soriano finished off the game in the ninth by getting two strikeouts. It gave the Braves a sweep of the Nationals for the first time in nearly two years.

I was glad to see the timely hitting by the offense and the bullpen hold together after the rain delay sort of messed up the plans. The fast start is very encouraging, and I hope the Braves are able to keep it up.

W - Jair Jurrjens (2-0)
L - Scott Olsen (0-2)
S - Rafael Soriano (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
3B Chipper Jones, Atlanta - 2-3, R, BB, 2 RBI

SILVER
2B Omar Infante, Atlanta - 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 R

BRONZE
RF Jeff Francoeur - 2-4, 2 3B, 2 R, RBI

AP Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Changed boxscore link to Baseball-Reference.com

Kawakami Shouritoushu!: Kenshin Wins In Major League Debut

ATLANTA 5, WASHINGTON 3

Kenshin Kawakami had a successful major league debut and the Atlanta Braves came from behind to beat the Washington Nationals 5-3.

The Braves' first Japanese player in the major leagues, Kawakami logged six innings, allowing three runs on an RBI single by Nick Johnson in the first and a two-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman in the third. He didn't allow any hits after the third inning and he struck out eight Washington batters. He also walked four batters.

Kelly Johnson led off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to center off Nationals starter John Lannan to cut the gap to 3-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Matt Diaz singled, then Casey Kotchman grounded into a fielder's choice to erase Diaz. Jordan Schafer doubled into the right field corner to move Kotchman to third. After Kawakami grounded out to short, Kelly Johnson rapped a single to center and stretched it into a double when Willie Harris didn't cover second base. Both Kotchman and Schafer scored on the play.

Yunel Escobar hit a hard grounder that Harris knocked down, but couldn't make any play, and then Chipper Jones knocked in Johnson with a single to give the Braves the lead.

Kawakami kept the lead through the sixth inning, retiring the last eight Washington batters he faced. Peter Moylan entered in the seventh inning and struck out the side, lowering his ERA from infinity to 45.00. Rafael Soriano allowed a leadoff double to Cristian Guzman, but he then struck out Ryan Zimmerman. Adam Dunn then walked, but Nick Johnson hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The Braves added an insurance run in the eighth with a two-out single by Yunel Escobar. Yunel also had two walks in the game. Jordan Schafer had two doubles and a single.

Mike Gonzalez came on in the ninth for the save. He got Austin Kearns to ground out to short and Jesus Flores to strike out swinging. Josh Willingham pinch-hit for Harris and he was rung up with a check swing to end the game.

W - Kenshin Kawakami (1-0)
L - John Lannan (0-2)
S - Mike Gonzalez (1)
HR - WAS - Ryan Zimmerman (1)
ATL - Kelly Johnson (2)

THREE STARS

GOLD
2B Kelly Johnson, Atlanta - 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

SILVER
P Kenshin Kawakami, Atlanta - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO

BRONZE
CF Jordan Schafer, Atlanta - 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R

AP Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Changed boxscore link to Baseball-Reference.com

Seesaw Battle With Nats Ends With Braves Up

ATLANTA 6, WASHINGTON 5 (10 INN.)

A game that saw a two-hour rain delay and three blown leads total by both teams ended with the Braves winning in ten by a score of 6-5.

Derek Lowe started for Atlanta and allowed one run through three innings, striking out six. Shairon Martis made his sixth career start for Washington, going three innings. He allowed a three-run shot to Yunel Escobar in the third inning to give the Braves a 3-1 lead.

A rain delay of two hours and two minutes stopped the game in the top of the fourth. Buddy Carlyle took Lowe's place after the delay and Wil Ledezma pitched for the Nationals.

The Braves added another run with Brian McCann's sacrifice fly in the fifth, bringing the score to 4-1. However, the Nationals rocked Buddy Carlyle, Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty for three runs to tie the game. Moylan gave up an RBI double to Ryan Zimmerman and O'Flaherty gave up a single to Adam Dunn that tied the game.

The Braves went back ahead on an RBI single by Jeff Francoeur in the 7th and Rafael Soriano had a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth. The Braves didn't score in the eighth, so Mike Gonzalez came in to attempt his first save of the year. Nick Johnson led off with a liner that Matt Diaz lost in the lights for a double. Elijah Dukes singled and that moved Johnson to third. Jesus Flores flied out to shallow right for the first out and Alex Gonzalez walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Wil Nieves struck out, then Lastings Milledge hit a liner that Gonzalez tried to spear, but it bounced off of his glove into foul territory, scoring a run. Braves announcer Jim Powell said in the radio broadcast that if Gonzalez had never touched the ball, the game would have more than likely been over because Escobar was in position to make a play. Cristian Guzman struck out, but the Nationals had successfully made Gonzalez blow his first save chance of the year.

The Braves didn't score in the bottom of the ninth, so the game went into extra innings. Jorge Campillo did a better job in his second outing, giving up only one walk to Adam Dunn. In the bottom of the tenth, Jordan Schafer led off with a single, then went to second on a groundout to third by Omar Infante. Infante had tried to bunt, but couldn't get one down so he had to swing with two strikes. Kelly Johnson then lofted a 1-2 pitch into right field and the speedy Schafer slid home well in front of the throw, giving Atlanta the victory.

W - Jorge Campillo (1-0)
L - Joe Beimel (0-1)
HR - Yunel Escobar (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
2B Kelly Johnson, Atlanta - 3-5, 2B, GW 1B, R, RBI

SILVER
SS Yunel Escobar, Atlanta - 3-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

BRONZE
LF Adam Dunn, Washington - 1-3, GT 1B, 3 BB, RBI

HONORABLE MENTION
C Brian McCann - 3-4, 3 2B, R, RBI

AP Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Added photo credit, W-L-S-HR tally, and changed boxscore link to Baseball-Reference.com's boxscore.

Braves Bullpen Implosion Hands Phillies Victory

PHILADELPHIA 12, ATLANTA 11

The game was very rosy at first. The Braves knocked around Phillie starter Joe Blanton and Javier Vazquez pitched a quality start. However, the Braves bullpen suffered a catastrophic meltdown as the Phillies stormed back to take a 12-11 victory.

Starting the seventh, Eric O'Flaherty got an out and gave up a single to Chase Utley and hit Ryan Howard with a pitch. The Braves didn't record a single out until Ryan Howard grounded to first, driving in the go-ahead run. The Braves walked four batters with the bases loaded and gave up three bases-loaded singles.

Peter Moylan, in his first major league appearance since his Tommy John surgery, walked in two and allowed two of the bases loaded singles. Blaine Boyer walked in two batters as well, and Jorge Campillo allowed another single and walked in the tying run on a pitch he wanted called a strike. He got Ryan Howard to ground out to first, but that drove in the Phillies' eighth run of the inning.

It wasn't over after that. Campillo walked Pedro Feliz and then Carlos Ruiz doubled to left. Eric Bruntlett hit a sacrifice fly to center field off of new reliever Jeff Bennett, scoring another run. Bennett was able to hold the damage down after that, but the meltdown was complete.

Matt Diaz hit a one-out solo shot off of of Phillies closer Brad Lidge to make it 12-11, but Lidge got Jordan Schafer to ground out to second and struck out Garret Anderson to end it.

In all, the five Braves relievers, in just two innings of work, gave up nine runs on six hits and six walks.

Four Braves players had two hits apiece. Brian McCann and Schafer both had two-run homers for the Braves.

Four Phillies players had two hits apiece as well. Raul Ibanez went 2-3, tied the game early with a two-run homer and also had a run-scoring single in the eight-run eighth.

The Braves have an off-day before their home opener against the Nationals, who were swept by the Marlins.

W - Clay Condrey (1-0)
L - Blaine Boyer (0-1)
S - Brad Lidge (1)
HR - ATL - Brian McCann (2)
Jordan Schafer (2)
Matt Diaz (1)
PHI - Raul Ibanez (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia - 2-4, 2B, R, BB, 2 RBI

SILVER
LF Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia - 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 RBI

BRONZE
LF Matt Diaz, Atlanta - 2-4, HR, 2 R, BB, 3 RBI

Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Changed box score link to Baseball-Reference.com, added photo

Braves Staff Holds Phillies Off The Board, Hit Two Homers In Win

ATLANTA 4, PHILADELPHIA 0

Jair Jurrjens pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and the Braves pen finished putting up the zeroes in the 4-0 victory.

Kelly Johnson hit the first pitch into the right field seats for the Braves' first score. After Yunel Escobar grounded out, Chipper Jones hit a long double that hit off the center field wall. He came around to score on a rare error by Chase Utley. Brian McCann's grounder went under Utley's glove and into right field. Jones came around to score on that.

The Braves added another run in the fourth. Jeff Francoeur led off with a single and Casey Kotchman's single moved him to third. After Jordan Schafer popped up to short and Jair Jurrjens struck out, Kelly Johnson hit a slow bouncer to short and beat Rollins's throw to the bag, scoring Francoeur.

Jones led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to cap the Braves' scoring off of Phillie starter Jamie Moyer. After the fifth inning, four Phillies relievers, including fifth starter Chan Ho Park, combined to retire twelve straight Braves batters.

The Braves bullpen was similarly effective. Jurrjens left the game after walking Pedro Feliz with two out in the inning. Jeff Bennett came on to face Carlos Ruiz, but gave up a single to left. Matt Stairs was called on to pinch-hit, so Bobby Cox went with new lefty Eric O'Flaherty. Stairs launched a full-count pitch to right-center, but the hard wind, blowing out to right field, held it in the park for Jordan Schafer.

O'Flaherty pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and Rafael Soriano pitched around a two-out walk to Feliz. Mike Gonzalez, who pitched in the opener, got Eric Bruntlett to line out to left field, where Garret Anderson made up for a misplay in the second inning (a liner by Raul Ibanez popped out of his glove and he couldn't corral it) by tracking down deep liners from Eric Bruntlett and Jimmy Rollins. Shane Victorino hit a fly ball to center that Schafer caught easily, completing the shutout.

W - Jair Jurrjens (1-0)
L - Jamie Moyer (0-1)
HR - Kelly Johnson (1)
Chipper Jones (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta - 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

SILVER
2B Kelly Johnson, Atlanta - 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI

BRONZE
3B Chipper Jones, Atlanta - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI

AP Photo By John Amis

EDIT: Added photo credit and changed boxscore to Baseball-Reference.com's boxscore and play-by-play.

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.