Hudson to have Tommy John surgery

When Braves’ ace Tim Hudson was pulled from his July 23 start against the Marlins after just 68 scoreless pitches, all Braves fans must have been thinking the same collective thought.

How could we not, with the way this season has gone?

First Smoltz and Glavine go down, then Hampton’s struggles to rehab his numerous ailments, and then, right in succession, Hudson’s elbow decides to end his season.

It was announced Saturday that Hudson, although originally thinking he may not need to have the elbow operated on, has opted to have the always-dreaded Tommy John surgery. After meeting with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, and after feeling discomfort while throwing catch on Friday, Hudson let go of any ideas of rehab and decided to get his surgery done with as soon as possible. As is well known to baseball fans, Tommy John surgery usually keeps pitchers out for a year minimum, and sometimes, if rehab is slow, can take nearly a year and a half. This keeps Hudson out of the Braves’ rotation until at least next August, and could keep him in the dugout for the entire 2009 season.

This means the Braves rotation for next year, assuming Smoltz and Glav both retire, will be missing at least three (four if Hampton decides to retire, too) of it’s 5 members from the opening day roster. Hudson was pitching very well for Atlanta this season, posting a 3.17 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts), though holding just an 11-7 record.

The pitching burden, and the label of “ace”, now falls to Jair Jurrjens, a rookie who has surprised everyone with how good he has been (10-6, 3.06). Extra pressure also falls to Charlie Morton, Jorge Campillo, Jo-Jo Reyes, and the recently healthy Chuck James. The Braves’ playoff chances have effectively been totally crushed, so all the team can hope for now is getting some good throwing from the youngsters to pick up a few wins down the stretch.

Will Hudson’s injury affect the Braves’ efforts to add an elite starter in the offseason? I certainly think so. Obviously it depends on the fates of Smoltz and Glavine, but I don’t think Frank Wren will stand for going into Opening Day 2009 with our current rotation.

Ta-ta, Tex.

Texeira was #1 in Atlanta, and now he'll be #1 in LA, too.

Just as I foretold mere moments ago, Mark Teixeira has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

In return for Tex, the Braves will receive 25-year-old first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor league right-handed pitching prospect in Stephen Marek.

Tex’s surprising feelings.

Apparently, though he never really made it extremely clear (at least to my knowledge), Teixeira really loved the Braves and the city of Atlanta, and showed that in a lot of classy talk after he found out about the swap.

“It’s a little bittersweet. I really enjoyed my time here. I had a great year here. I love this team. I love this organization. I love this city. It’s tough to leave,” Texeira said. When asked about the possibility of signing with the Braves long-term, Texeira surprised me a bit with his answer…

“I was always open for it. This whole year I was open for it. But that’s business. It just didn’t work out,” he said. “I loved it here. I really did. I wanted to stay here for the rest of my career. But business is business. Sometimes you have to move on and I’m looking forward to moving on to LA.

“I told everybody that I loved playing here. I love this team. I love Bobby Cox. He’s an amazing man. He’s an amazing manager. When my career is over I’m going to be able to tell my kids and my grandkids that I played for Bobby Cox and I played with Chipper Jones and I played with John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. Those are things I’m going to be proud of.”

I love Teixeira’s enthusiasm about this team, but, to use Mark’s phrase, “It’s a little bittersweet.” If Tex’s claims that he was willing to extend with the Braves and end his career here are totally true, then why couldn’t he bring down his asking price a bit so that Atlanta could afford for it to happen? I can’t blame his agent, Scott Boras. I hate blaming Scott Boras. I always blame Scott Boras. But I have to blame Scott Boras, don’t I?

Boras is known for his greedy and stubborn negotiating tactics, which, in his defense, is clearly in the best interest of his “clients”. That said, though, why couldn’t Tex have pulled an A-Rod, fired his agent, negotiated his own long-term deal on his own terms (which I’m sure would’ve been lesser than the 10-year, $230 million contract that is rumored to be his off-season starting point)? It’s not totally out of the question for this to happen.

Chipper restructured his deal only a few short years ago to allow the team more payroll flexibility. A-Rod, as I already mentioned, opted out of his deal with the Yanks last off-season, then renegotiated a deal with his own demands. It almost makes me mad at Teixeira. To say, “I would’ve done this” or “I would’ve done that” just isn’t fair to us fans who wished and prayed for this extension to happen for a year now. If you loved it so much, get your ass in the negotiating room and get a deal done in spite of what your agent is whispering in your ear. Alright, enough being hostile. I’m glad Mark enjoyed his time in Atlanta, and we certainly enjoyed having him in a Braves uni and in that cleanup spot for 363 days now. You’ll be sorely missed, Tex.

You wanted a first baseman, you got a first baseman.

Let’s get it over with. Casey Kotchman is not a power hitter. Yeah, the Angels thought he would develop

Casey Kotchman arrives to fill the void of Tex's departure. (Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times)

power as he grew with age, but he’s 25 now, and so far it looks like it’s not going to happen. He most certainly isn’t going to EVER be a 30-plus guy, at least not in my opinion. In 1115 career major league at-bats, Kotchman has notched a mere 28 homers, for a paltry 39.82 AB/HR rate. He does already have a career-high 12 bombs this year, so maybe things are looking up in that department.

What Kotchman lacks in the power department, he makes up for with a good eye and strong hitting to all fields. He has a career .271 average, though he has put up a disappointing .335 OBP in his major league at-bats. In his six-year minor league career, though, Casey posted a .325/.407/.493, which is certainly promising for his future at the plate.

All told, Kotchman will never be the offensive force that Teixeira could have been in Atlanta long-term, but he’s a promising 25-year-old with already 2 full years of MLB service and he isn’t a free agent until after the 2011 season. It’s a sound investment for the Braves, and I think Frank Wren did a good job ensuring that he didn’t leave the team with a big hole in their lineup with Mark gone. For now Kotchman is serviceable, but he has the ability to become a perennial .300 hitter with 20-plus power, which would be a great fit for the Braves.

Another young pitcher

To be totally honest, I know nothing about Stephen Marek. But, you know who does, Talking Chop, so that’s where I’ll quote from:

So this Steven Marek guy is actually a reliever. The Angels converted him to a starter after he was a reliever in Junior College (are you surprise the Braves liked him), he has apparently reverted to relieving again this year.

He was a 2005 draft-and-follow who signed for $800K. He is a fastball, curve, change guy and even though he’s a right-hander, he seems to fair better against left-handers because of his change-up. Baseball America rated him as the 6th best prospect in the Angels system to begin 2008 and projects him as a mid-rotation starter. It seems that has changed in the eyes of the Angles who converted him back to a reliever.

John Sickels says that his velocity fell off quite a bit from Junior College to the pros, and he is no longer an overpowering pitcher. It will be interesting to see what the Braves do with him — wheather they convert him back to a starter or keep him as a reliever. On first blush it looks like we traded for Joey Devine circa 2007.

Basically, it sounds like Stephen Marek is a throw-in in this deal, but a decent throw-in, for what it’s worth. In my opinion, he’ll be another Charlie Morton, another Jeff Bennett, another reliever/starter who can come up and give some decent innings and still has a chance to turn into an everyday rotation guy in the big leagues. Good pick-up by the Braves, but I’m not running out to buy his jersey just yet.

Overall grade on the trade? For now, I’ll throw it a B. I considered a B-minus, but then I factored in Wren’s necessity to get a deal done, need to get a first baseman in return, and having to fight against the deadline clock. I wish we could’ve gotten a little bit better after Kotchman, either another prospect in addition to Marek or a little bit better hurler. As I said, B for now, with the potential to move up to an A-minus if Kotchman pans out. Tex is a top 20 offensive player, and we certainly didn’t get top-20 potential in return.

(Texeira quotes taken from ESPN.com)

All Aboard the Trade Train!

It’s all but a formality at this point. With Atlanta now officially 7.5 games out of first and fresh off a pounding at the hands of St. Louis on Monday, GM Frank Wren must be racking up the cell phone bill at this nearly midnight hour (unless he has free nights and weekends, of course).

Personally, I wouldn’t blame the Braves for packing it in, calling it a day, throwing in the towel, or whatever other generic expression you choose to use to replace “giving up on 2008″. As a loyal fan, I’d rather see them get what they can for the likes of Tex and Ohman than watch them struggle to get back to .500 by the end of the year and then lose these players for nothing in return.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports that Mark Teixeira “really want(s) to stick it out with the Braves and see if we can make a run at this thing.”

What do I say? Tell that to the Braves’ front office. Show that loyalty to Braves fans and the city of Atlanta. Sit down, negotiate a sure-to-be lucrative extension with Wren, and keep it going in Atlanta through next season at least. If that doesn’t happen, big man, you’re not sticking around here for much longer.

Personally, I love what Teixeira brings to the Atlanta lineup. Power, switch-hitting, protection for our best hitter, gold-glove defense, a great clubhouse attitude….in short, the guy’s like a 10-tool player in a non-traditional sense. He doesn’t have any glaring weakness in his game, and therefore is now the hottest commodity on the trade market.

Wherever Texeira’s next home may be (Angels, Red Sox, D-backs according to rumors), I have all the confidence in the world that Wren will get what Tex is worth in return, or at least as close as he can.

Consider this my official goodbye to Teixeira, who, like that girl you had your eye on but never had the courage to talk to before it was too late, we never really had the time to get to know.

At least we’ll always have this beautiful work of art….Thanks Tex.

Game Preview: Braves at Phillies, 7:05 PM

At the risk of sounding completely over-dramatic and over-the-top, I’m going to proclaim that this series is going to make or break the season for the Braves.

Now, this isn’t to say that the Braves chances of winning the East rest on a simple three-game series in late July, or that losing two of three to Philly will kill the Braves chances in the Wild Card race, it just means that the outcome of this series will most likely determine Atlanta’s mindset towards the rest of the season.

If they sweep, they’re right back in the race. Time to acquire a new bat (Nady? Bay?), possibly a new arm (man, this market is weak.), and take it right down the stretch in a four-team race.

If they get swept, it’s over. They’ll be too far out in the East to make a legitimate run, and most likely we Braves fans will get to give a tearful goodbye to the likes of Mark Teixeira and/or Will Ohman.

A 2-1 series either way, well, that’s where it gets dicey. It depends on many different factors. Which team won 2 games? What were the scores of the games? Did we dominate them the whole series but just took an unlucky loss? Did we blow a late-inning lead and lose another one-run game?

All that said, it’s time to kick off the series right in Game 1 tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Here’s your pitching matchup for game 1, tonight, at 7:05 PM:

	vs.
Jair Jurrjens		Kyle Kendrick
9-5	W-L	8-4
3.22	ERA	4.87
86	K	49
42	BB	33

Look for Atlanta to jump on Kendrick early in this one, even without the services of Chipper Jones, who is still out with the hamstring injury he suffered earlier this week in Florida. Chipper will undergo further evaluation today, and I’ll be sure to keep the latest news up to date here when I hear any information.

I have a feeling that Atlanta will feel the sense of urgency in this extremely important game 1, and take a comfortable victory in Philly tonight.

Midseason Grades

Offense

Mark Teixeira has been a big part of the Braves' offense so far.

Let’s face it, in the overall sense of the word, “hitting” is not the Braves major problem. You throw in words like “clutch” or “power” in front of that first term, and yeah, you might be on to something.

Looking at the stats alone, you’d think that I would have to be happy with the way Atlanta has hit the ball so far this year. Their .751 Team OPS is 6th in the league, and that includes their NL 3rd-best .340 Team OBP. They have had the NL’s leading hitter for the greater part of 95 games played so far, with Chipper Jones hitting over .400 for much of the first half. Their run production isn’t too shabby either, coming in with an 8th place NL showing in the first half.

A closer look at the numbers reveals the real problems, though. The reason for the discrepancies between 3rd (OBP) and 6th (OPS) is that darned slugging thing, which Atlanta just doesn’t seem to have. They are tied for just 10th in the NL in homers at the break, and that is only because Mark Teixiera was on a HR tear through the month of June and early July. You can tell just watching a Braves’ game that they don’t have an awful lot of HR threats after Chipper and Tex, especially with Francoeur tanking like he has thus far. McCann’s power has been surprisingly good and consistent, but it just hasn’t been enough.

Another area of concern is the Braves’ clutch hitting. I’ve previously mentioned - several times - their current third place standing in the NL with a .340 OBP. Well, you’d think with all those baserunners, they’d be at least in the top 5 in runs scored, but they come in at a measly 421 runs, good for 8th in the NL and just three runs away from being 11th. They need to start hitting with runners in scoring position or that one-run game losing is not going to go away.

Overall, you have to be happy with the way Chipper and Teixeira have mashed, and we certainly have pleasant surprises like an Escobar, but Francoeur’s demise and the injuries to Kotsay and Chipper hurt the offensive numbers too much.

Grade: B

Bench

This is based more on a feeling than on actual statistical analysis, but I feel like the Braves bench has been adequately productive and consistent so far on the season. Stats do help - like pointing out that Atlanta’s 30 pinch hits is currently 5th in the NL - for sure, but I know that I personally have had confidence in our bench, both young - Lillibridge, Jones, Blanco - and old - Infante, Miller - for a lot of the first half.

Grade: B+

Rotation

Injuries make this category almost too hard to judge for the first half of the year, but I’ll give it a whirl. The stats here pretty much speak for themselves. An NL best .245 BAA, an NL-2nd 3.69 ERA, and an NL-3rd 1.30 WHIP are definitely all signs that the rotation has performed to a standard that all us fans expected in the beginning of the year. The funny thing is that it’s been done by the likes of Jair Jurrjens, Jorge Campillo, Jeff Bennett, and Jo-Jo Reyes, and not by John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, or Mike Hampton like we all envisioned in Spring Training oh-so-long ago.

Jurrjens is in the running for NL Rookie of the Year. (AtlantaBraves.com)

Campillo has been the biggest surprise thus far, but Reyes and Bennett have certainly held their own after being thrown into the starting mix. Jurrjens was expected to be a productive member of the backend of the rotation in April, but no one could have imagined he’d be thrust into the de facto number 2 slot and finish the first half at 9-4 with a 3.00 ERA.

The walks need to come down (the Braves are currently just 9th lowest in the NL), and the strikeouts probably should and could come up (just 10th in the NL), but the Braves defense has played well enough to prevent runners even when the ball is put in play. The pitching, sadly, might need to be even better in the second half for the Braves to have a true shot at the NL East or even the Wild Card.

Grade: A- (extra points for all the injury adversity)

Bullpen

Ummm…yikes. They’ve performed…admirably. Let’s say that. They’ve had their share of injuries as well, and they definitely have had strong performances from Will Ohman, Blaine Boyer, and even a healthy Mike Gonzalez for 10 games. The real problem is their close game debacles. First thing you think of when looking at Atlanta’s terrible 5-22 one-run game record? Must be the bullpen blowing some save chances. They only have 14 saves, which, as you probably have surmised, is good for dead last in the league. With Gonzalez back, the end of the ballgames should feel a little more comforting and I should have a few less coronaries in the second half.

Grade: C+ for a good effort. And because the one-run games thing isn’t all their fault. And because they too have contributed to the stats presented in the previous category.

Live All-Star Blog - Yankee Stadium, 2008

Alright, guys. Between wedding season and golf season (for me, not for the pros), I’ve been slipping quite a bit on this here blog.

But, in a triumphant return, I’m coming to you live from my living room in front of my 42″ LCD television while watching the 79th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The ASG has been a favorite of mine for a long, long time, most of my child and semi-adult life to this point. I can still distinctly remember sitting in my living room with a baseball scorebook I had bought at our local sporting goods store and keeping “official” score for the game. Well, at least until my bedtime with two outs gone in the 6th inning with Roberto Alomar up and and the Philadelphia version of Curt Schilling on the mound.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Its now 7:32 PM EST, and I’ll be starting the blog around 8:00. Gives me some time to go eat some dinner…see you back here in a bit.

8:00 PM: Alright, it’s time to get this thing started. I should point out right now that I purposely avoided the “Red Carpet Spectacular” to get the lowest dose of Jeannie Zelasko that I would possibly have to tonight. Let it be known right now that I cannot stand Fox’s baseball coverage, and it all starts with her and Tim McCarver. Eric Karros isn’t all that great either. I mean, it’s almost impossible to not love the “velvet and peanut butter” voice of Joe Buck, but after that it all melts down for me.

8:02 PM: Soriano gets a bigger ovation than David Wright or Billy Wagner during NL bench introductions . Who would’ve thought…guess they’ve forgotten all about that 2001 playoff “run” by Alfonso.

8:07 PM: Of course, Mo gets the biggest of all from all the Yanks fans. The number of HOFers present at this game is just ridiculous. I’m not huge on baseball history. It seems that most people who are get it from their fathers, but mine was never really into baseball stories….well, except for Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell stories, that is. Having said that, though, this is quite an event for the sendoff of the Stadium.

8:10 PM: “Jay, can I take off? I got a tiny head.” Funniest commercial on television right now. Second? “Your son rip is on line toot.”

8:16 PM: Chipper will be doing this as one of these HOFers one day. He’d better be, at least. His intro gave me some chills. Could be his last All-Star game. Of course he had to get shown up by A-Rod.

8:22 PM: Fukudome had NO IDEA what was going on. Hamilton was a “hero in the derby” last night, but he didn’t win. It’s ludicrous. His performance last night was truly amazing, though.

8:26 PM: I’ve never known introductions to take a freakin’ half-hour, but it was totally worth it to see all those greats right on the field like that. I think I’m okay with it. Onto the real game that is about to go on, though, I really think the National League will break the streak this year. The infusion of youth into their All-Star players is truly awesome. My official predictions: National 7, American 6. MVP: Chipper Jones 2-2, 2-run HR. Did you really think I was going to ever even THINK about choosing someone else? My homerism is not hidden in this circumstance, nor does it need to be.

8:41 PM: Tim McCarver leads off with a lame “core” analogy. Not a great start to the night, my friends. It was a cool graphic though, I can’t believe the NL has the top 3 hitters in the majors hitting 3-4-5 tonight. Gives me even more confidence in my predictions.

8:45 PM: Oh my god, we are actually playing some baseball here today? I thought it was just a tribute to Yankee Stadium special or something. This is quite an added bonus. What’s the over under on the number of times Joe Buck says “Yankee Stadium” tonight? I think it’s already been about 156, so I’m putting the line at 1080.

8:48 PM: Lee strikes out Hanley Ramirez to start the game, and we’re off. Lee’s quite the story, I think I had him on my fantasy team like 4 years ago and hadn’t even thought of him again until this season’s resurgence. Good for him.

8:51 PM: Lee finishes off Utley looking and then gets Berkman to fly out, and the National League is off to an inauspicious start to the night. You tell me these guys don’t want to win? Look at Utley’s face again as he walked back to the dugout. Has anyone ever been thrown out of an All-Star Game for arguing balls and strikes?

8:53 PM: Can you believe that Fox is bringing back the “Sarah Connor Chronicles”? I think I tried to record it on my DVR and the box wouldn’t even let me because it was trying to save me some of my valuable time. I don’t know why I thought I would like it, I don’t even like the movies all that much.

8:54 PM: A Yank makes their first appearance at the plate as Jeter comes to bat. Of course he gets a hit…they’re just trying to kill me tonight I think.

8:56 PM: I CANNOT believe that Josh Hamilton has 95 RBI at the All-Star Break. I know the Rangers offense is good…but damn…that’s amazing. He just has a great story. Of course Jeter steals a base. This is unfair.

8:59 PM: Sheets escapes a Yankee sandwich - sounds….awful… - as he gets A-Rod to pop out behind home plate. I think Lou Piniella just had a coronary watching Soto slip on that On-Deck bat.

9:04 PM: CHIP-PER!! CHIP-PER!! 1-1 so far. Only hit for the NL so far. Holliday and Braun get out, though, and Lee gets through two scoreless with 3 K’s. Leading candidate for MVP so far? Cliff Lee. Has to be. Haha, it’s waaaaaay too early for this.

9:09 PM: “Fringe” has definitely peaked my interest. I love LOST..and both shows have the same creator. I love Transformers…and they have the same writers. I love Dawson’s Creek…and they both have that actor who played Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks. Sounds like I have to wa….wait a minute, I don’t like Dawson’s Creek! I swear…

9:22 PM: Sheets gets through a jam in the second to keep the game scoreless through two innings on both sides. New pitchers will come in now, and the running through the rosters begins. Get your scorebooks ready.

9:54 PM: In a pitcher’s ballgame, the NL strikes first with a Matt Holliday blast to the short porch in right field off the Angels’ Ervin Santana. Sorry for the lack of writing, but man, this game is just boring, plus I got distracted by my roommate ranting and raving about his computer troubles. Pitchers are really blazing and the game is moving wicked fast.

10:42 PM: Josh Groban looks pretty frickin’ ridiculous. Just sayin’. After the NL added another run against Justin Duscherer, the NL pitching has shut down the powerful AL lineup. Just 4 hits in 6 innings of at-bats for them. Good thing the NL got to the middle of the AL “bullpen” because here comes the KRod-Pap-Mo triumvirate.

10:45 PM: Well, my prediction for MVP certainly isn’t going to come true because Chipper is just 1-3, but I was still really happy to see him open the game with a hit. Looking like it’s gotta be Matt Holliday at this point with the lone homer of the game.

10:54 PM: One of my fantasy saviors of this season (a waiver wire specialty in the beginning of the year), the Reds’ youngster Edinson Volquez, gives up a two-run equalizer to JD Drew. Probably the only time EVER that fans in New York will cheer for a Red Sox homer. Anyway, as previously mentioned, the NL will probably have a tough time getting another run on the board, so they might have to hope for extra innings and possibly…gasp…a tie! No, really. They’ve got some pressure on them now.

11:04 PM: Papelbon is shaken by all the boooooooooos, and promptly gives up a run - with the aid of a Dioner Navarro error. 3-2 NL. So much for all that “the NL can’t score of the relievers” talk.

11:16 PM: Well, the rookie Longoria ties the game up at 3 with a hooked double down the line. Now the NL needs ANOTHER run.

11:29 PM: Strike ‘em out. Throw ‘em out. Is there a more exciting play in baseball? Yes. But not many more.

1:47 PM: Alright. I’ve had enough of this raucous ballgame. McCann finally sees action in the bottom of the fifteenth inning, but a throw from Corey Hart is just too far up the first base line for Brian to nab the runner at home. Chipper and McCann represented the NL well in a hotly - and longly for that matter - contested and very entertaining game. It’s too bad the NL didn’t win, because Atlanta - should they turn this thing around - has the worst road record in the league and will NOT have home-field advantage come World Series time. Great game. Goodnight.

Game Preview: 7/1 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Alright, folks.  This is an important series, there’s no doubt about it.  I know that we are still two weeks away from the all-star break, but this series could go a long way in deciding whether or not Atlanta will be buyers or sellers at the deadline later this month.

This series is also crucial in that Atlanta gets the three games at the Ted, where they have been much better than their counterparts this season.  If Atlanta can keep up their home-cooking ways, maybe finally break their one-run game losing streak (now at 23), and take at least two of three from Philly here, I think we will be in good position heading into the break.

With Chipper reportedly headed to the DL with his strained quad, it’s important that Atlanta gets their other bats going in these three games.

Here is your pitching matchup for Game 1 of the three game set.

	vs.
Kyle Kendrick		Charlie Morton
7-3	W-L	1-1
4.59	ERA	4.24
39	K	11
27	BB	6

Kendrick has been pretty good in a very poor Phillies rotation, posting a 7-3 record so far.  His ERA is fairly high and he certainly is touchable, so hopefully Atlanta can jump on him early and get to that awful Philly ‘pen quickly.  Morton will be making his 4th start this season for the Braves, and personally I like what I’ve seen from him so far.  I’m predicting a good start tonight, probably a QS at the least.

Best vs. Kendrick: Jeff Francoeur (4-11, 2 RBI)

Worst vs. Kendrick: Brian McCann (1-10, 1 K, 2 GIDP)

Prediction: Braves 5, Phillies 4

Atlanta pulls out to an early lead on a Jeff Francoeur two-run homer in the second off Kendrick.  Morton exits in the seventh with two on and the bullpen gives back two runs to let the Phillies back to within one.  Gonzalez closes the door on the Phils and break Atlanta’s one-run losing streak…finally.

Monday Minors

Alright, every Monday here at Tomahawk, a segment titled “Monday Minors” will magically appear, chronicling the week’s events in the Braves minor league system. Today, I’ll start with just a little bit of a preview considering I don’t have anything to really refer back to from last week, when this blog didn’t even exist (Hard to believe, I know.).

AAA Richmond Braves

All is not well in Richmond, VA these days. The AAA Braves have lost six of their last seven games, including a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Paw Sox. The pitching has been the real issue, as the Richmond staff has given up a total of 47 runs in the last seven games.

AA Mississippi Braves

Well, I hear a no-hitter is pretty darn good, so Mississippi has that going for them. Hot prospect Tommy Hanson tossed the first no-no in Mississippi history on the 25th against the Birmingham Barons. The pitching gem put the Braves into the next gear, sending them on a 4 of 6 winning binge and moving them into a tie for second place with Jacksonville.

Hanson’s no-no is clearly the bright spot of Atlanta’s organization this year, as he not only shut down the Barons but also sat them down frequently, striking out a career-high 14 batters in the effort. Look for his arrival in AAA sometime later this year in my estimation.

What is the opposite of comeback?

In preparation for this post, I spent literally several minutes trying to think of a word for the abstract idea that is the opposite of a “comeback”. The best I could come up with: a “goforward”.

Anyway, our beloved Braves completed the quintessential “goforward” today in Toronto, successfully giving their fans a glimmer of life for a half inning, then swiftly ripping their now-living hearts directly from their chest cavity. After plating 3 runs in the top of the eighth to get back in the game, Manny Acosta allowed 3 runs in the bottom half, culminating with a two-run double by Vernon “Don’t confuse me with Orson” Wells.

Huddy struggled again through 5-plus innings, falling apart while giving up 4 runs in the Toronto 6th and being yanked for Jeff Bennett.

Struggles, struggles for Atlanta. On the plus side, Teixeira hit another bomb, putting his total to match Chipper’s team-high with 16 homers. He’s playing so well, maybe it is better that Atlanta trades him, cut their losses, and see if they can pick up some hot prospects in the process. I haven’t decided which camp I’m in yet. I’ll stop fence-straddling once the debate really heats up around the All-Star break.

A Brave new world…sort of.

Well, I’m back.

“On June 27, 2008, at 11:13 AM, my life changed forever.”

I want to say this sentence in ten years…and have it mean something when I do.

Alright, right off the bat you should know that this is going to be an Atlanta Braves blog, but it’s also going to be so much more than that. It will make you laugh, it will make you sob uncontrollably, it will make you learn the definition of VORP, it will teach you how to calculate a park-adjusted ERA, and, lastly and hopefully, it will hoodwink you into coming back and reading again.