Braves 1st round pick Mike Minor pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts last night in his Braves debut in Rome. Minor, known for his control, threw 16 of his 24 pitches for strikes and threw first pitch strikes to all six hitters he faced.
Minor is scheduled to make three more starts for Rome, then head for instructional league in Orlando in September. After that, he’s will throw in the Arizona Fall League.
The MBraves won 6-2 last night, but didn't get any help from Jason Heyward. He went 0-4 last night with a walk and a K. JHey is now only hitting .171 in his last 10 games.
Season stats: (AA) .348/.436/.630, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 1 SB, 21 BB, 16 K, 1.066 OPS
The Braves and second baseman Martin Prado received good news Wednesday when Prado was diagnosed with “exertional headaches” after being examined by Atlanta neurologist Richard Bernstein.
Prado will be treated with anti-inflammatory medication and is listed as day-to-day, pending the elimination of the symptoms. The Braves think he will avoid a stint on the disabled list.
Dave O'Brien - AJC
Great news here for Prado and the Braves. Hopefully he can get back in the lineup soon. I never thought I would say I have missed Martin Prado's bat in the lineup.
Hopefully last night was a sign of JH breaking out of his mini slump. Heyward was only 1-5, but hit his 7th homer of the season in the M Braves 6-5 victory last night.
Season stats: (AA) .358/.443/.649, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 1 SB, 20 BB, 15 K, 1.092 OPS
Jason didn't have a good night last night. He went 0-4 with a K in the MBraves 4-1 loss. His mini slump continues.
Season stats: (AA) .364/.451/.643, 12 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB, 20 BB, 15 K, 1.094 OPS
Jason Heyward has finally cooled off a bit. In his last four games he is 2-14 with no XBH. He has walked three times and only struck out twice though while adding two steals, one of which was a steal of home. None of this is very shocking since we knew he had to come back to earth at some point.
Season stats: (AA) .376/.463/.664, 12 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB, 20 BB, 14 K, 1.127 OPS
Cory has had two starts in a row now without giving up a hit. He tossed 5 more hitless innings on Sunday to extend his hitless innings streak to 14. He did however walk 4 and gave up 2 EARNED runs. Good to see Cory rounding back into form after all his injury problems.
We all knew this time would come, when someone would come a long and take over the leadership role on the Braves. For so long, Chipper was/is still the leader but there is someone else stepping up and taking on that leadership role, that someone is 24 yr old, Brian McCann.
It became apparent right after the All Star Game, when he returned from the game and the Braves began the 2nd half, he called a players only meeting and got up and spoke to the team. Since that time, this team has gone on a roll.
Chipper has always been a silent leader, doing his talking with the bat but has stood up and talked to the team when it has been warranted. Brian is taking a different approach, he isn't afraid to step up and call those meetings and talk to the team, just not show it on the field. Here is a perfect example of being a team leader, Adam LaRoche and Brian showed up at Gwinnett to support Huddy. These two could have been doing other things but being leaders probably means supporting another team member who is doing rehab just to let them know they are still a part of the team and they aren't forgotten.
I think Matty Diaz said it in a comment to Dave O'Brien of ajc.com of Brian McCann. Diaz said, “I don’t think anyone would deny, McCann’s the leader of this team,” Diaz said. “Even though he’s a young guy, he’s our leader. At the position he’s in, catcher, it calls for it. He commands our pitching staff, even though most of them are older than him. And all of us as hitters respect what he’s able to do, day in and day out.”
He added: “To have a young leader like that in place, and go about his business the way he goes about his business, really helps the chemistry of our team.”
That speaks volumes that he has already commanded the respect of the hitters and the veteran pitchers.
When it is all said and done, we will have someone on this ball club who will be the vocal leader in the club house and out on the field for this young ball club. This team is going to be exciting over the next few years because one of the Baby Braves has decided to take over the leadership from Chipper when Chipper retires.
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/08/14/braves-vs-phillies-its-big/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog
We all knew that the 7 game road trip to the West Coast was going to be very important for the Braves. Even if we came back home 4-3, that would have been a some what successful road trip considering we were playing the Padres and the ML Leading Dodgers. Who knew after Sunday's game that the Braves would return home with a 5-2 road record especially taking the last 3 from the Dodgers?
After losing a heart breaker on that Friday night, this team could have just packed it in. With no Chipper, Nate or Mac in the Saturday lineup, this team went out and played like it was the last game and it matter. They came back from 3 runs and won it on a GW HR by Kelly. Then came Sunday, again no Chipper or Nate, this team, who seems to have found that no matter who is in this lineup, they believe in themselves and each other, laid it on the Dodgers in the final inning to get Javy Vazquez the win.
We are now back in the friendly confines of Turner Field, still playing with the fire they caught out West. There is belief that they can make the playoffs and if they continue to play with this fire, they will make it.
They have this one last game against the Nats before a 3 game series before the Phillies, which could be very key to us. Phillies are struggling right now, we have to go at them and make them realize we are a team to be reckon with.
Former Braves first round pick(2006) Cory Rasmus threw a 7 inning no-hitter last night for Danville. Cory only walked one and struck out nine in the D-Braves 13-0 victory.
Quite a story since Cory(brother of Cards rook Colby) was only making his third start in the last 3 years. He missed the entire 2007 season and only tossed 5.2 innings last year because of shoulder surgery.
