Time To Talk Tomahawk, Atlanta Braves Franchise

[SicK NasTy]

2007 Atlanta Braves Season Preview
Why The Braves Must Regain The NL East Crown

03/20/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Atlanta, Georgia] -- For the first time since 1990, the Braves were not the National League East champs. After fourteen straight division titles, the team slumped to a 79-83 finish last year. That was just one game ahead of the Florida Marlins, who were supposed to be terrible.

The pitching staff was the achilles heel in 2006. This season, the bullpen could be one of the team’s strengths after being a major question mark all of last season. Most of those who were responsible for the pen’s problems in 2006 have moved on or will play less prominent roles for the Braves this season. Bob Wickman was very good down the stretch as closer but Mike Gonzalez, who was recently acquired from Pittsburgh, may be a better bet to start the year as closer. Chad Paronto, Tyler Yates, and Oscar Villarreal were all effective last year and with the addition of Rafael Soriano in the off-season the Braves look to have a solid bullpen for 2007.

If the Braves hope to contend they need Tim Hudson to return to form because there are a lot of question marks behind him in the rotation. If Hudson returns to form, John Smoltz’s arm doesn’t fall off, and Chuck James shows that 2006 wasn’t a fluke, the top three will be fine. After shipping away Kyle Davies to Kansas City for reliever Octavio Dotel, the Braves will have to rely on the arms of journeyman Buddy Carlyle and Lance Cormier as their fourth and fifth starters.

The offense should be fine with Chipper Jones and Edgar Renteria, who rebounded with a good year in 2006, providing veteran leadership in the infield. At this point, it looks like Kelly Johnson takes over at second and with the addition of Mark Teixeira at first base, the Braves should have one of the fiercest lineups in the National League. Not to mention at catcher, Brian McCann has become one of the best young catchers in the game. At 22, he’s coming off a season in which he posted some impressive offensive numbers (.333/.388/.572) and he is solid defensively.

Andruw Jones will again patrol center and will be expected to post another solid season at the plate. His average slipped a bit last season but he did connect for 41 homers and should be able to duplicate those numbers again. Jeff Francoeur also has a ton of power but his inability to draw a walk could continue to limit his effectiveness. The weak spot in the outfield will again be left where Willie Harris will expect to split time with Matt Diaz. You can expect this situation for most of this season unless either of them shows that they are capable of playing full-time.

Unfortunately for the Braves, the Mets and Phillies should be solid again this year and that would make this Braves team a long shot to win the division title but if everything falls into place, the Braves could make a run at the playoffs.

Projected 2007 Finish: 85-77

Projected 2007 Opening Day Lineup: 2B Kelly Johnson, SS Edgar Renteria, 3B Chipper Jones, 1B Mark Teixeira, C Brian McCann, RF Jeff Francoeur, CF Andruw Jones, LF Matt Diaz, SP John Smoltz

Projected 2007 Starting Rotation: John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Chuck James (L), Buddy Carlyle, Lance Cormier.

[MasterVolume]

Very well written once again Sick. Nice to see a change with a baseball dynasty, I'll be keeping up with this one.

[SicK NasTy]

Hudson Shaky In Season Opener, Braves Fall
Castillo's 4 RBI Does Atlanta In

04/06/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Queens, New York] -- On a day in which Atlanta ace Tim Hudson never really seemed comfortable on the mound after the first inning, you could tell it wasn't going to be the Atlanta Braves day. No matter who seemed to put them back in the game with the timely hit, the pitching wasn't consistent, and faltered the lead midway through the game.

After breezing through the first with only a seeing eye single surrendered to Luis Castillo, the second inning would tell a different tale. The Mets began chipping away at Hudson, scoring their first of five Hudson runs.

When Paul LoDuca grounded to first with Moises Alou on third and only one out, the Mets had gained the season's first run. Then in the third, Moises Alou would single in David Wright, bringing the score to two to nothing.

If there was any glimpse that Atlanta would win this game, it came in the top of the fourth, when the offense finally awakened a second time through the order against a tough Pedro Martinez. After a Brian McCann strike out, back to back walks to Jeff Francoeur and Andruw Jones set the stage for Matt Diaz to do something dramatic, and give Atlanta the chance to regain the lead. On a one-one count, Diaz hammered an 89 MPH fastball from Martinez into the left field seats to give Tim Hudson the lead again.

"I was leaving a lot of pitches up, the splitter wasn't as efficient as I was hoping it would be, but all I can do is got out there five days from now and retire those guys. There's 162 games in this season, can't keep your mind focuses on one that you lost for the course of a season," said Hudson.

However, it wouldn't survive longly. Hudson would get into trouble once again in the fourth after giving up a leadoff walk to Shawn Green, which would shortly be followed by a single into right field by his counterpart, Pedro Martinez, to re-tie the game at three.

In the bottom of the sixth, Hudson would record the first batter of the inning out on a ground out to second baseman Kelly Johnson. Jose Valentin would pinch hit for Pedro Martinez, and poke a single into left, which would be followed by another single into left, this time by shortstop Jose Reyes. The following batter, Luis Castillo, would double into the left field corner, scoring two runs, and officially ending Hudson's day.

After Peter Moylan came in and escaped the inning without any further damage, the bottom of the seventh would see the Mets tag two more runs on off of reliever Ron Mahay.

Mark Teixeira did give the Braves a little bit of reason to believe they would come back in this one, as he followed a Chipper Jones walk with his first homerun of the season, bringing the Braves within two. Reliever Pedro Feliciano escaped any other trouble though, and Billy Wagner recorded a perfect ninth to record his first save of the season.

The Braves will return to Shea Stadium tomorrow night to take on the Mets where John Smoltz is expected to face off against Oliver Perez. The game is slated to start at 8:05 EST time.

[SicK NasTy]

Braves Fall To 0-2, Drop Second Straight
Smoltz Can't Make It Out Of Fourth

04/07/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Queens, New York] -- John Smoltz's second pitch of the game was hammered into the deep right field seats by Jose Reyes, giving New York the early lead that they would never faulter. It was a day where Smoltz wouldn't escape the fourth inning, being pulled early, and the Braves mild comeback wouldn't be enough to overcome this now 2-0 New York Mets ballclub.

The Mets would tag two more off Smoltz in the third, and five more in the fourth before Tyler Yates would get the Braves out of the jam. It was 8-0 Mets, bottom of the fourth, with Oliver Perez on the hill. Things were looking pretty in Shea.

This Braves ballclub wouldn't quit though, as Matt Diaz hit his second home run of the season in the top of the fifth for two runs. Then in the top of the sixth, first baseman Mark Teixeira hit his second home run of the season as well, to bring the Braves within four, 8-4.

After the Mets tagged a run off the Braves bullpen, Mark Teixeira came to the plate again, and once again hit his third two run home run of the season.

However, once again Billy Wagner would shut the Braves down 1-2-3 in the ninth and preserve the New York win, improving them to 2-0. Jose Reyes was 3-5 in the win with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI.

"It's frusturating, getting down that early and fighting back but not all the way back," said third baseman Chipper Jones. "We're expected to win, and with what we've shown so far, we're not going to win too many ball games."

The Braves have made four errors in two games thus far, all four of which have led to big New York innings.

"I thought our defense was going to be better then this," admitted manager Bobby Cox. "This, along with the starting pitching is something that has to improve, and quickly."

[SicK NasTy]

Johnson, Chipper Lead Braves To First Win This Season
Chuck James Picks Up First Braves W

04/08/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Queens, New York] -- When the Braves came out in the top of the first inning and provided two quick runs off New York starter John Maine via Mark Teixeira's fourth home run of the year, you knew this was the game. Eight and a half innings later, the Braves would pick up their first win of the season, and climb to 1-2 on the season, putting them a game back of the Mets and Phillies in the early NL East race.

"It feels great," said Atlanta starter Chuck James. "You know, I didn't have my best stuff out there today, but it was good enough to pick up a win for this ballclub, and that's what matters at this point."

James threw 114 pitches over six innings, registered two strikeouts, walked two, and gave up four runs, including three homeruns.

"If you don't allow them to get on base before they hit the home runs then it doesn't hurt as much, but yes, you always want to cut down on the amount of long balls you give up. Now I've gotta go two perfect games with no home runs just to have an average of one per game," joked James.

You could tell afterwards that the clubhouse was relaxed for the first time this season, and the dugout especially became relaxed when Atlanta added two more runs in the top of the fourth via an RBI triple from Chipper Jones followed by an RBI double and first hit of the year from catcher Brian McCann.

"That's a huge lump off my back," said McCann. "I've been waiting for that for three games now, plus we got a win, which is another huge lump off my back. It feels good."

"Don't expect us to stop here," said thirdbaseman Chipper Jones. "Rollins made the comment in the preseason that the NL East runs through Philly, well I can't even remember the last time they won the division. New York won it last year, and we won it the previous fourteen, so unless I'm missing a rather big year, the division still goes through New York and Atlanta."

After New York got two in the bottom of the fifth to bring the score to five to four, Atlanta seemingly put the game away for good in the seventh when Jones doubled in two more runs, giving the Braves a comfortable seven to four lead.

"Thats what clutch players do, and I like to think of myself as a clutch player for this club."

New York put up a scare for Braves fans in the ninth when they got two runs off first time used closer Bob Wickman, but he was able to record the third out before the third run of the inning scored from first, which would've tied the game up.

Center fielder Andruw Jones is still hitless on the season, now bringing him to 0-11. The Braves will make their home debut as righty Buddy Carlyle will make his first start of the season against youngster Jason Bergmann of the Nationals.

[SicK NasTy]

Braves Play Extras After Battling Back To Tie Game
Wound Up Winning After Slow Start By Offense

04/09/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Atlanta, Georgia] -- The Braves got their first taste of what extra inning baseball would be like this year, when they fought to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. After Nick Johnson led off the fourth with a solo shot over the left field wall, Washington had taken an early 1-0 lead. Just moments later, Ronnie Belliard would single in another run, making it 2-0.

That's all journeyman starter Buddy Carlyle would allow during his very impressive debut. Carlyle went six innings, stroke out four, walked two, allowed five hits, and allowed two runs, both earned.

However, Jason Bergmann was as impressive as Caryle, and a little bit better. Bergmann baffled the Braves for his six innings pitched, as he tossed a shutout up until when he departed. In came Saul Rivera, who couldn't get an out and wound up blowing the 2-0 late lead.

It started with an Andruw Jones walk, followed by a Matt Diaz single. Willie Harris would get the call to pinch hit for Ron Mahay and he delivered by poking a single into left field. In came Jon Rauch to relieve Rivera, and Kelly Johnson countered with another single, tying the game up at two. Rauch did retire Renteria, Chipper Jones, and Mark Teixeira all in order after that though.

Before you knew it we were in extra innings. To the thirteenth we played, when Chad Cordero entered the game. Cordero immediately allowed a single to Mark Teixeira, which was followed by a Brian McCann ground ball that was bobbled by shortstop Felipe Lopez, putting runners on first and second. After Jeff Francoeur struck out, Andruw Jones would walk once again, setting up Matt Diaz only needing a fly ball. He delivered as he hit it to right-center field, allowing Teixeira to tag up and get the win for the Braves.

"This was an exciting gsme, a game we needed to win. It puts us at .500 again, and you never want to lose when you go into extra innings," said manager Bobby Cox.

The Braves will continue their series at Turner Field against the Nationals tonight, when Lance Cormier is expected to make his season debut against Brnadon Claussen of the Nationals.

[SicK NasTy]

Cormier Solid Through Six, Braves Use Long Ball To Win
Atlanta Improves To 3-2 On The Season

04/10/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Atlanta, Georgia] -- Six innings pitched, six hits allowed, two walks surrendered, five strikeouts, and two runs given up. That was the final line for starting pitcher Lance Cormier when he was pulled in the top of the seventh inning after he couldn't record an out. Cormier was nothing less then solid.

The Braves got the scoring started early, as Mark Teixeira hit his fifth home run of the season in the early going, following a Chipper Jones single, giving the Braves the early 2-0 lead.

Only two innings later, the Braves would strike again. After a leadoff single by Edgar Renteria, Chipper Jones would come to the plate and drill the 0-1 slider over the left field wall, plating two more runs, and increasing the Braves lead to four.

In the meantime, Cormier was cruising. Once Cormier hit the minor bump in the road in the seventh, Bobby Cox knew immediately to take him out, and replaced him with Ron Mahay, who got Atlanta out of the only jam they would face all night.

"Cormier was solid," said Cox. "Anytime you get an outing like that from your fifth starter it's nice to see, especially with the injuries we've had to our pitching rotation, guys like Mike Hampton, it's nice to see Lance step up and do that."

Atlanta would provide extra insurance to closer Bob Wickman when they plated three more runs in the bottom of the eighth, giving Wickman a five run lead to work with.

The Braves will conclude their series with the Nationals tomorrow for a 1:05 start time, where Tim Hudson will look to bounce back from a rocky start when he takes on Shawn Hill. Braves Bits: Relievers Rafael Soriano and Ron Mahay have completed nine innings between them (five and four) and have a 0.00 ERA... Yunel Escobar is zero for his first nine Major League at bats... Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, and Andruw Jones own .136, .150, and .111 batting averages through five games so far.

[SicK NasTy]

Braves Win Fourth Straight, Score Twice In Seventh
Hudson Still Shaky In Second Outing

04/10/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Atlanta, Georgia] -- It still wasn't Tim Hudson's "best" outing he was hoping for, but it was good enough for the Braves to win their fourth straight, improving them to 4-2 on the season and tying them with the Mets for the division lead.

After Hudson gave up two first inning runs off of a Willy Mo Pena triple, he settled in, atleast somewhat. Hudson never looked comfortable out there, but he seemed to get himself out of his jams, and was good enough to let Bobby Cox keep him out there for six innings. His final line read six innings, six hits, six walks, three runs, all earned, and six strikeouts.

Andruw Jones doubled in a run in the bottom of the fourth, to put the Braves down 3-2. Hudson continued to escape and strand Washington baserunners.

"I'm still not where I want to be," admitted Hudson. "It was better, but still not my best."

The Braves officially took the lead for the first time all game in the bottom of the seventh, where Andruw Jones started the inning with a single. After Matt Diaz struck out, Willie Harris delivered another pinch hit single, putting runners on the corners with only one out. After Luis Ayala got Kelly Johnson to strike out, Edgar Renteria delivered with a single right back up the middle, and was followed by a Chipper Jones single, giving the Braves a two run lead.

In came Rafael Soriano who succesfully completed his sixth inning of the year, still not having given up a run.

"He's been lights out so far," said Cox. "Looks like John (Schuerholz) really made a great acquisition with this guy. He brings the heat and has just been superb."

While Cox has been impressed with his new right handed option out of the pen, he was equally impressed with the effort from Bob Wickman, who retired the Nationals 1-2-3 in the ninth for his second save of the season.

"The whole bullpen has been spectacular so far, it's definately been a strong point. Wicky gave up one the first time out, and I think (Tyler) Yates has given up a couple, but overall they've done an awesome job."

The Braves will prepare for their next series, when the 3-3 Philadelphia Phillies come into town.

"Eh, you know about the comments they made. We're not happy with them, we think a lot differently here in Atlanta," said Matt Diaz.

Game one's schedule starters are John Smoltz (0-1, 16.20) for Atlanta, while the Phillies will counter with Jamie Moyer (0-0, 9.64).

[Kevin71]

Nice stuff Sick. I'll start following this now that I finally saw it.

[SicK NasTy]

Braves Use Long Ball To Back Smoltz
Smoltz Shows First Game Was A Fluke

04/11/2007
Written By: Peter Gammons
ESPN Baseball Analyst

[Atlanta, Georgia] -- John Smoltz, who only lasted 3.1 innings in his game vs New York before getting yanked, provided the Braves with seven solid innings, giving up only one run. Smoltz was dominant, shutting the Philadelphia Phillies dangerous lineup down for the whole night.

"That was vintage Smoltzy out there," said manager Bobby Cox. "That's what he's going to give you nine times out of ten. That game in New York was just a fluke, Smoltzy's still one of the best in this league."

With the win, Smoltz improved to 1-1 on the season, and lowered his ERA down to 6.10. The Braves also improved to 5-2 on the season and took the lead in the early NL East race, as New York fell to the Florida Marlins.

"You've got to win these early games, they are huge. Got to do everything, and I mean everything you can to win them," said Cox.

The Braves scored six runs, all of but one provided by the long ball, to back Smoltz. Matt Diaz hit his third home run of the season in the bottom of the second, after a Mark Teixeira walk and an Andruw Jones double.

"I'm hitting the home runs, but the average still isn't where I want it to be," replied Diaz.

Then, in the third, Chipper Jones hit his second of the season, over the center field wall. The Braves were now up 4-0, and Smoltz was cruising.

After Shane Victorino's sacrifice fly in the sixth plated Jimmy Rollins, the Braves came out and erased that one run by adding one of their own. Teixeira picked up RBI number twelve of the season, when he singled in Chipper Jones.

To the bottom of the eighth we go, where Rafael Soriano had just completed his seventh perfect inning of work, and Brett Myers came in for the Phillies to try to keep the Braves lead at four. The very first pitch Myers threw was hit over the left-center field wall by Jeff Francoeur for his first home run of the season.

After Myers retired the rest of the lineup in order, Braves closer Bob Wickman came in, and created immediate trouble. Aaron Rowand singled right back up the middle to start the ninth, and was followed by a Pat Burrell walk. After Wickman got Greg Dobbs to pop out to left, he then allowed a single to Carlos Ruiz, who had just one other hit in his first twenty two at bats before that.

The bases were loaded, and Russell Branyan was called on to pinch hit for Myers. Wickman, stunningly, got Branyan to never even lift the bat off his shoulders, striking him out on three straight pitches. Then, potentially the biggest threat in the Phillies line up, Jimmy Rollins, walked to the plate.

"I knew I was in for a battle," said Wickman. "Jimmy's one of the best shortstops in the game, and he knows how to swing the bat."

Wickman got the best of him though, getting Rollins to pop an 0-1, eighty three MPH two seam fastball up to Jeff Francoeur in right to seal the game for Atlanta.

Catcher Brian McCann was held out of the game today to provide him with a days rest, and Brayan Pena went 0-4 filling in for him on the day.

Tomorrow the Braves will face Jon Lieber, who gave the Phillies eight innings of scoreless baseball in his fi