Archive for the ‘Focal’ Category

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The guy in front of him in the lineup has hit .362 with 11 stolen bases in his past 34 games, and the guy behind him has hit .313 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in his past 29 games.

Prado continued his hot hitting with a home run, double, walk and three runs scored in Friday's 5-3 win against the Rays. (AP photo)

Yes, batting second between Michael Bourn and Freddie Freeman has some benefits, as Martin Prado sees it. Most importantly for the team, he makes a point to say. But for him individually, it ain’t bad either. Prado hit .345 with 16 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and a .952 OPS in his past 30 games before Saturday, including a homer, double, walk and three runs in Friday’s 5-3, series-opening win at Tampa Bay.

“For me, having a guy who can steal 70 bags in front of me, pitchers are going to be more aware when he’s on base and they’re going to forget about me,” Prado said. “I don’t think I’m going to see more fastballs – it …

Continue reading Streaking Prado makes Bourn-distracted pitchers pay »

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Any day is a pretty good day when there’s reason to discuss Greg Maddux, and so today is a good day, 5:30 a.m. alarm be damned.

We can thank Brandon Beachy for bringing the great “Mad Dog” into the discussion. For with the five-hit shutout that Beachy threw Thursday against the Marlins, he moved into some select early season company that includes Maddux.

Beachy hugs catcher Brian McCann after throwing a five-hit shutout against Miami on Thursday.

Beachy, with a 1.33 ERA in eight starts, is just the third Atlanta Brave to post a sub-1.50 ERA in his first eight starts in a season. The others were Maddux (1.13 in ’94) and the guy with the splendid, cinematic-sounding name, Buzz Capra (1.06 in ’74). Actually, the name sounds more like the character of a columnist writing on baseball in a black-and-white movie.

But anyway … yes, every couple of decades or so for the Bravos, along comes a Buzz, a Mad Dog or a Beachy blazing out of the gate.

Or, as …

Continue reading Beachy running with big dogs, including Mad Dog »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

Lot of questions flying about what the Braves should or will do about Mike Minor, who is now 2-3 with a 7.09 ERA in eight starts this season. He

Minor has given up 6-plus runs in four straight starts

gave up six runs in 4 2/3 innings in an 8-4 loss to the Marlins last night, to fall to 0-2 with an 11.95 ERA in his past four starts.

Minor has allowed 27 earned runs in his past 20 2/3 innings. This is after showing such promise in a three-game stretch while going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA.

All I can tell you about what happens next is the impression I got from manager Fredi Gonzalez last night, and that’s the Braves plan to be patient with Minor and keep running him out there, at least for now.

Here was his response when asked about the trouble Minor ran into after being nearly perfect his first time through the order.

“It’s kind of a little complex,” Gonzalez said of Minor’s big-inning problems. “He is …

Continue reading Braves practicing patience with Minor »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

Miami Marlins: still trying to get used to the alliteration, but I actually like it better. Those of us who grew up in the home city of the Carolina Panthers, who also happen to be Duke graduates, think teams should be named for their home city. So I’m down with it. As for the new uniforms and logo? Those will have to grow on me.

But Ozzie Guillen and crew are in town for the blink of an eye, and a second straight two-game series to wrap

Braves to face former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle

up this homestand. Believe it or not, as well as things are going this year for the Braves, they have a little work to do in the NL East. Yes, they just moved back ahead of the Nationals by one-half game last night into first place in the division, but overall the Braves are 3-6 in NL East play this season:

0-3 in season-opener in New York, April 5-8

2-1 at home against the Mets, April 16-18

1-2 at home against the …

Continue reading Madeover Miami Marlins in town for two-game series »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

Well, the good news for the Braves, I suppose, is today isn’t Monday. As DOB documented well last night, after the Braves’ 3-1 loss to the Reds, the team is now 0-6 on Mondays. Talk about random. And he reported some other good news for the Braves this morning, that Freddie Freeman’s right eye problem is not considered serious.

GM Frank Wren told DOB that Freeman’s blurred vision in his right eye last night had been as a result of a “very fine corneal abrasion,” and that Freeman could be available as soon as tonight or tomorrow.

“He could be available tonight or take another day, but it won’t be much longer than that,” Wren said.

Cueto leads the majors with a 1.12 ERA

With Red ace Johnny Cueto going, the Braves could use as much firepower as possible. Cueto is off to a tremendous start, going 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA, which leads the majors.

He’s allowed only three earned runs in 36 1/3 …

Continue reading Analyzing Cueto vs. Hudson, and McCann vs. the shift »

The good news is that no player has been more durable this season than Michael Bourn, no NL leadoff hitter has had more of an overall impact on his team, and arguably no center fielder has played better defense.

Bourn (left) and Heyward both had huge roles in the Braves' sweep at St. Louis over the weekend.

The potentially not-so-good news is that Bourn is eligible for free agency at the end of the season and no contract negotiations have taken place between the Braves and his high-power agent, Scott Boras, who advises most of his clients to test the open market, especially when they’re in the last year of their contracts and so close to free agency.

“We thought that was a good place for him, a good environment,” Boras said to a general question about Bourn playing so well in his first full season with the Braves, and whether there had been any contract discussions. “The team in Atlanta was a really good fit. Glad it’s working out for everybody.”

But what about …

Continue reading Bourn blazes to career-best start in free-agent year »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

St. Louis – Well, first off Happy Mother’s Day to everybody. Hope it’s a special day for all those moms who give so much of themselves to make life meaningful and fulfilling and a heck of a lot easier for the rest of us.

I know I was born to the sweetest Mom on the planet, and I hope she is having a great day back in Charlotte, N.C.

Freeman in pink spikes last Mother's Day in Philly

The Braves will be breaking out the pink bats, and yes a couple of pairs of pink spikes today for the occasion. Freddie Freeman is planning to wear them today, since he used them for a three-hit day last Mother’s Day in Philadelphia, including a home run off Cole Hamels, to help the Braves to a 5-2 win.

It’s always a meaningful day for Freeman, who lost his mother Rosemary to melanoma when he was 10 years old.

Fredi Gonzalez is planning to wear his pink spikes too. He said Chipper Jones came up to him last year when he …

Continue reading Braves going for sweep of Cardinals on Mother’s Day »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien this weekend.)

St. Louis – Say what you want about the rivalry with the Phillies, the glamour of an interleague matchup with the Yankees or Red Sox, but the way things have played out in recent years, this weekend series against the Cardinals should feel important in its own right.

This is the team that snatched a wildcard from the (albeit loose) grip of the Braves last September and used it to make a run to their 11th World Series title. And tonight they’ll be honoring No. 10, as in the jersey number of Tony La Russa. The start of tonight’s game between the Braves and Cardinals is pushed back to 8:25 p.m. eastern because the Cardinals are retiring their former manager No. 10 in an on-field ceremony.

LaRussa (with Dave Duncan and some hardware) will be honored Friday night

La Russa ended his career as the third all-time winningest manager in major league history (2,728) behind only Connie Mack (3,731) and John …

Continue reading Braves draw tough weekend assignment: the St. Louis Cardinals »

CHICAGO – The Cubs will honor Chipper Jones just before this afternoon’s series final, the last he’ll play at Wrigley Field barring an entirely unexpected change of heart concerning retirement or an even more unexpected – make that miraculous – turn of events that would land the Cubbies in the playoffs.

Anyway, we’ll keep this brief so we can get it posted before game time. It’s a 1:20 p.m. (Central Time) game today, getaway day, but wanted to get up a new blog so you’ll have a fresh slate to fill between now and Friday’s series opener at St. Louis.

First off, though, wanted to share with you what Chipper said when I asked him if he’d seen the seemingly effortless swings that Josh Hamilton put on those balls last night when the Rangers slugger hit four homers and a double in five at-bats. Chipper looked up from a crossword puzzle he was working on and said, “He’s a bad man.”

(Yes, Chipper does crossword puzzles on a regular basis in the clubhouse, and …

Continue reading Chipper’s in lineup for his last game at Wrigley »

CHICAGO – Evan Gattis was a great story in Braves spring training because of the highly unusual winding road he took to professional baseball, having been out of the game nearly four years while he worked odd jobs across the western states and chased new-age gurus in a search for happiness and the meaning of life.

Evan Gattis already has 13 homers and 38 RBIs in the minor leagues this season, and the Braves bumped him up to Double-A and moved him to left field to possibly help pave a quicker road to the majors.

Two months later, Gattis is another potentially great story, this time because of what he’s doing against minor league pitching and the increasing chance that we might see him in a major league uniform in the not-too-distant future.

He’s pummeling pitchers on a nightly basis, batting .368 with nine doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBIs in 28 games, for a .452 OBP and .821 slugging percentage in 106 at-bats and 126 plate appearances.

To repeat, he has 13 homers and a 1.273 …

Continue reading Chipper on slugger Gattis: “He’s an animal” »