Archive for the ‘atlanta braves’ Category

Cliff Lee has reportedly opted to rejoin the Phillies. (Matt Slocum, AP)

Free-agent left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee has reportedly spurned the offerings of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers and opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies – the team that traded him away to land Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2000, Lee is 102-61 with a 3.85 ERA in nine major league seasons. He has excelled in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA for Philadelphia and Texas in the past two years, including 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA against the Yankees.

According to the Associated Press, Lee has accepted the Phillies’ preliminary offer of a $100 million, five-year contract.

Lee passed up an extra $50 million from the New York Yankees to join a rotation that includes Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.

How does that stack up against Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens?

The deal clearly makes Philadelphia the favorites to win the N.L. East …

Continue reading What will Braves do now that Phillies have Lee? »

Braves’ third baseman Chipper Jones could only watch on Wednesday. (AP)

It was widely reported earlier in the season that Braves’ veteran Chipper Jones was contemplating retirement.

The 38-year-old third baseman suffered what could be a season-ending knee injury in Tuesday’s win over the Astros on a spectacular grab behind the bag and leaping throw.

Jones told the AJC’s David O’Brien that Tuesday’s injury was not like the ACL tear he suffered as a rookie in 1994.

Jones is batting .265 with 84 hits, 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 317 at-bats. He is hitting .400 with four homers in nine games in August. He is signed through the 2012 season.

An MRI on Thursday confirmed the six-time All-Star suffered a torn ACL on the play.

With a long-term rehab ahead, what do you think he will do? Play through the pain? Sit out the rest of season? Retire?

Continue reading What should Chipper do? »

The Braves are hovering around the .500 mark as they reach the quarter point of the season. So what do you think?

 Loading …

It’s been an up-and-down first quarter of the season for the Braves. Highlights included Jason Heyward’s mammoth home run in his first at-bat in the big leagues and the continued emergence of Martin Prado as a star. Lowlights included a struggling offense that led to a nine-game slide in late April and Kenshin Kawakami’s 0-6 start to the season.
Even with all that, the Braves are still very much in the mix in the N.L. East.

The offense got off to an extremely slow start to the season.

 Loading …

As they reached the quarter point of the season, the Braves were batting .247 as a team and were ninth in the National League in runs scored. The offense started …

Continue reading Braves at the quarter point: Your take »

Pitchers and catchers will be reporting before we know it and with March comes the start of Spring Training. Baseball’s back, basically, and with so many teams making big offseason moves it’s like it never really left us.

MAKE THE CALL: Which MLB teams – NL or AL – among the Braves’ 2010 opponents retooled themselves best for the upcoming season and who’s already looking like a cellar dweller? Also, are you headed to Spring Training? Which teams are you most eager to see and why?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves Spring Preview: Which MLB opponents look toughest in 2010? »

Braves starter Tim Hudson says he’s willing to give the team a ‘hometown discount’ and that “I’ve said all along that Atlanta was the place I want to be” but the veteran righty also says “I just hope when we start talking, my idea of a hometown discount and their idea of a hometown discount isn’t 5 or 8 million [dollars] apart.”

YOU TELL US: If Hudson and the Braves can agree on a ‘hometown discount’ that’s suitable to both parties, would you be happy with the 34-year-old, who boasts a career 148-78 record, staying here? Or, while the hometown discount offer is nice, is it time for the Braves to move on and get younger?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Tim Hudson’s 2010 ‘hometown discount’ offer — worth it or not in the long run for team’s good? »

In her “Braves could play two one-game playoffs” piece, the AJC’s Carroll Rogers sets out the scenario under which Atlanta might host two deciding post-regular season games:

“If the Braves finish in a three-way tie with the Phillies and Rockies, they would play Monday to decide the division winner and if they lose, another game Tuesday to decide the wild-card winner.

That would happen if the Braves go 5-0, the Phillies go 0-5 and the Rockies go 2-3.

Here are the teams’ schedules, including results for all three clubs from Tuesday, Sept. 29. The schedules end Oct. 4.

Braves – at home vs. Marlins (9/29-30) LOSS vs. Marlins on 9/29 … at home vs. Nationals (10/1-4)

Phillies – at home vs. Astros (9/29-10/1) WIN vs. Astros on 9/29 … at home vs. Marlins (10/2-4)

Rockies – at home vs. Brewers (9/29-10/1) WIN vs. Brewers on 9/29 … away at Dodgers (10/2-4)

YOU TELL US: Which scenario listed above is most likely to happen, given the three teams’ schedules? Will the Braves play one, two …

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Does this team still have a shot at NL Wild Card vs. Rockies? »

Mr. Met: We loved to hate him.

Ten years ago, when the Mets came to town, Braves fans got ready to rumble. The rivalry was on: Bobby C. vs. Bobby V. Chipper vs. Piazza. Mr. Met vs. the Tomahawk Chop. Us vs. Them.

The 1999 NLCS, pitting Atlanta against New York, was our own unique taste of what MLB’s storied archrivals have known for over a century: Baseball, like love, is war. And we ALL think WE should win.

YOU TELL US: Does Atlanta still care about Braves-Mets? Or have both once-mighty teams fallen so far that this rivalry is beyond revival?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Remembering the 1999 NLCS, when the Braves-Mets rivalry really mattered »

From the Braves Vent …

“Millwood, Wainwright, Marquis 16 games over .500 this year. Kawakami, Vazquez, Lowe 3 games over .500 this year. Love the way we trade the bad pitchers.” and “The Cardinals have 16 game winner Adam Wainwright and the Braves have memories of overpaid J.D. Drew.”

YOU TELL US: While hindsight is always 20/20, how do YOU think the Braves’ history of trades and offseason dealings — especially regarding pitchers at both the major and minor league levels — has come to impact the club? Are the Braves less interested in cultivating young arms than in going after offense? Which would YOU rather have?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: What if… the Braves HADN’T given up on pitchers like Wainwright, Marquis and Millwood? »

Two nights at the Ted, two losses to the last-place NL West Padres.

YOU TELL US: Have the Braves just blown their Wild Card chances? How can these playoff hopes be saved?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Another loss to the Padres… should we wave bye-bye to our Wild Card chances? »

The facts aren’t pretty: NL East-leader Philadelphia came to town and took two of three from the Braves. Philly slugger Ryan Howard dominated the series. Atlanta lost a chance to gain serious division ground.

YOU TELL US: What went so wrong this past weekend against the Phillies? Do the Braves still have a shot at the Wild Card? And what’s Atlanta got to do going forward to make the postseason?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Was weekend Philly series such a huge flop or do we still have a Wild Card shot? »