The Atlanta Braves ended a four-game losing streak on Monday night with a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals. They are 4-0 against the Nats so far this year.
The Braves got seven hits in the victory, it is also the first game they have won this year without hitting a home run. Dan Uggla led the Braves with two hits. Justin Upton, Gerald Laird and Andrelton Simmons all drove in a run for the Braves, Simmons' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning proved to be the winning run. Upton, Laird, Jordan Schafer, Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran all had a hit apiece for the Braves. Schafer also stole two bases and now has stolen five bases on the year.
Teheran started the game for the Braves and had a decent outing. He pitched five and a third innings and gave up two runs on ten hits. He also struck out five batters but he didn't factor into the decision. Jordan Walden came on in relief of Teheran and pitched an inning and two-thirds and struck out three batters. He also picked up the win and is 1-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty struck out two batters in his inning of relief, Craig Kimbrel also pitched a perfect inning in the ninth and picked up his ninth save of the year.
The Braves are now 16-9 on the year and they will continue their four-game series with the Nationals tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (2-1) will go for win number 200 for the third time, Gio Gonzalez (2-1) will start for Washington. Also, the Braves placed reliever Luis Ayala on the disabled list and recalled reliever David Carpenter from Triple-A Gwinnett for the second time this season.
Gerald Laird scores the eventual winning run on Andrelton Simmons' sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. The Braves are 4-0 against the Nationals this year.
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The Detroit Tigers swept the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series over the weekend by winning Sunday night, 8-3. Detroit outscored Atlanta 25-7 in the series.
The Braves got six hits while scoring their three runs. They scored all their runs in the fourth inning and never really threatened to score again. Chris Johnson led Atlanta with two hits and also drove in a run. Evan Gattis had a hit and drove in a run, Dan Uggla drove in the final run on a ground out. Tyler Pastornicky, Justin Upton and Andrelton Simmons also had a hit apiece for the Braves, who ended up striking out eleven times in the game and 39 times in the three-game series.
Mike Minor, who had been Atlanta's most consistent starter, made the start for the Braves. He gave up a three-run homer to Austin Jackson in the third inning, and then gave up more runs before being taken out in the seventh. He pitched six and two-thirds innings and gave up six runs on six hits, including two home runs. The other one was to former Brave Omar Infante who hadn't hit a home run all season before homering twice in the past two games against Atlanta. Minor struck out six batters while taking the loss, he is 3-2 on the year. Cory Gearrin gave up his first runs of the year on a home run by Miguel Cabrera, he didn't record an out in the game. Luis Avilan pitched the final inning and a third and didn't allow any runs.
The Braves are now 15-9 on the year. They lead the Washington Nationals by two and a half games in the National League East Division and they will start a four-game series with them tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. in Atlanta. Julio Teheran (1-0) will make the start for the Braves against Stephen Strasburg (1-4) of the Nationals.
Chris Johnson had two hits and an RBI in the Braves' 8-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday night, Detroit swept Atlanta in the three-game series.
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Pacers' forward David West shoved the Hawks' Al Horford to the ground on a fast break in the first half of Saturday night's game and Jeff Teague came from behind and shoved West. That skirmish provided new life for the Hawks and showed Indiana that they weren't going to back down as they pounded the Pacers in game three, 90-69.
The Pacers fell behind early on in the first quarter and never recovered. They only scored 30 points by halftime, that tied a franchise-low for points in a half during a playoff game for Indiana. They didn't fare much better in the second half, and when they finally outscored the Hawks in the fourth quarter, it didn't matter. West led Indiana with eighteen points, he was followed by Paul George, who had sixteen, and Gerald Green, who had ten.
Atlanta jumped out to a 27-14 lead by the end of the first quarter. The skirmish between the two teams occurred in the second quarter, so the Hawks just pounded the Pacers even more and took a 54-30 lead into the half. With the win, the Hawks now trail the Pacers 2-1 in the series.
Horford came up big for the Hawks, he led the team with 26 points and sixteen rebounds in the blow out. Josh Smith was next in scoring with fourteen points and Teague followed him with thirteen points. Eight Hawks' players had at least six points or more in the win. DeShawn Stevenson didn't play in the game as he was held out.
Game four between the two teams will be on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Atlanta will hope to use the home-court advantage to even up the series at two games apiece.
Al Horford throws down a dunk in front of the Pacers' David West in game three between the two teams. Horford finished the night with 26 points and sixteen rebounds.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The NFL Draft occurred on Thursday and lasted until Saturday evening. The Falcons ended up making eight selections, here is a look at who they are and how they might help the team this season or in the future.
1st pick- Desmond Trufant. Trufant is a corner back out of Washington. After losing corner backs Dunta Robinson, Brent Grimes and Christopher Owens to free agency, the Falcons need help at the position. They traded up to draft Trufant, so look for him to immediately step in and help the team next season.
2nd pick- Robert Alford. Alford is another corner back and he came out of Southeastern Louisiana. Not much is known about him, but he does appear to have ball-hawking skills after recording ten interceptions in three years in college. The Falcons apparently liked him enough to choose him in the second round. He will most likely see playing time this year since, as said before, the Falcons need help at this position.
3rd pick- Malliciah Goodman. Goodman is a defensive end out of Clemson. He is a good selection for the Falcons after they cut John Abraham earlier this off season. He should see some playing time this coming year, but he might take a year to fully develop before he becomes a real force on the end of the Falcons' defensive line.
4th pick- Levine Toilolo. Toilolo is a tight end out of Stanford. The Falcons most likely drafted him so they could have Tony Gonzalez mentor him this upcoming year. With Gonzalez and Michael Palmer set at tight end, don't expect Toilolo to factor much into 2013 but look for him to play a lot in 2014 and beyond.
5th pick- Stansly Maponga. Maponga is another defensive end, he came out of TCU. He will most likely see playing time this year, but not as much as Goodman. Look for Maponga to develop over the next year or so and then become a strong force on the Falcons' D-line.
6th pick- Kemal Ishmael. Ishmael is a defensive back out of UCF. He is a smaller defensive back as he stands a 5-11, but the Falcons hope he can be a hidden gem and one day perform like another small defensive back they just lost, Grimes.
7th pick- Zeke Motta. Motta is a safety out or Notre Dame. He was a leader on their defense and he will be one of the main backups to William Moore and Thomas DeCoud on the Falcons' defense. Look for him to see most of his playing time on special teams unless one of the starters goes down.
8th pick- Sean Renfree. Renfree is a quarterback out of Duke. With the Falcons drafting him, it appears that they will be set on having Dominique Davis as the main back up to Matt Ryan and Renfree will enter camp as the third-string QB.
Desmond Trufant stands with coach Mike Smith after being selected by the Falcons in the first round of the NFL Draft. Trufant will help fill a need at corner back for Atlanta.
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After starting the season on a tear, the Braves appear to be human after all as they lost their third straight game on Saturday afternoon, 7-4. They have lost seven of their last ten games.
The offense gathered seven hits in the loss. Freddie Freeman had two of those hits, he also drove in a run for the Braves. Justin Upton hit his Major League-leading twelfth home run of the year in the eighth inning, it is the first time the Braves have lost when they hit a home run. They had been 15-0 in games they homered in. Andrelton Simmons, B.J. Upton, Juan Francisco and Jordan Schafer all added a hit for the Braves, Dan Uggla also got an RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
After dominating the Majors in the second half of last season, Kris Medlen has struggled to begin this year and Saturday was another bad outing. Medlen pitched five and a third innings but gave up five runs on ten hits, including homers to Detroit's Jhonny Peralta and former Brave Omar Infante. Medlen suffered the loss and is now 1-3 on the year, he didn't lose a game last year as a starting pitcher. Jordan Waldin pitched a perfect inning and two-thirds and struck out two batters after he replaced Medlen in the sixth inning. Luis Avilan came in to pitch in the eighth inning and could only get one out while giving up two runs on two hits. Cory Gearrin had to come in and get the final two outs for the Braves.
Atlanta is now 15-8 on the year. They will wrap up their three-game series with the Tigers on Sunday night at 8:05 p.m. on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Mike Minor (3-1) will get the ball for the Braves against the Tigers' Doug Fister (3-0).
Freddie Freeman hits an RBI single, he had two hits for the Braves in their 7-4 loss to Detroit on Saturday.
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The Detroit Tigers pounded the Braves on Friday night, 10-0. The Braves have now lost six of their last nine games.
The Braves' offense had five hits in the loss. The biggest story though for the night was how bad the offense was as they struck out eighteen times, including seventeen times to Tigers' starter Anibal Sanchez. Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman both struck out four times, Juan Francisco struck out three times and Reed Johnson struck out twice. Andrelton Simmons and Chris Johnson both led the Braves with two hits, Evan Gattis added a hit for Atlanta.
The pitching wasn't any better for the Braves. Paul Maholm struggled, he gave up eight runs on ten hits in three and two-thirds innings. He also struck out three batters, all this comes after he started the year by not giving up a run in 25-plus innings. He suffered the loss and is now 3-2 on the season. Anthony Varvaro pitched the next three and a third innings and gave up two runs on four hits, the runs came when Detroit's Matt Tuiasosopo hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Cory Gearrin pitched the eighth inning and struck out two batters.
The Braves are now 15-7 on the year, including 0-7 when they don't hit a home run. They will continue their three-game series with the Tigers tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-2) will take the mound for the Braves against Detroit's Rick Porcello (0-2).
Cory Gearrin was one of the few Braves to have a good night in the Braves 10-0 loss. He pitched an inning and struck out two batters.
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The Indiana Pacers ran all over the Hawks again on Wednesday night and defeated them 113-98 to take a 2-0 series lead in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Pacers outscored the Hawks in all four quarters. They have completely dominated both ends of the court in the first two games of the series. The Pacers shot 47 percent from the field as a team during the game. Paul George once again had a big game, he led Indiana with 27 points. George Hill was next in scoring for the Pacers with 22 points, he was followed by Roy Hibbert who had fifteen, Gerald Green came off the bench and also scored fifteen points.
The Hawks have looked pathetic in the first two games of the series. They are out-hustled and out-played. Part of the reason could be the fact coach Larry Drew rested his players so much during the seasons' final weeks, they are out of rhythm now. The Hawks shot 49 percent from the field, they have had a better percentage from the field in both games, but it doesn't reflect in the final outcome.
Devin Harris led the Hawks in scoring with seventeen points. Josh Smith and Jeff Teague both added sixteen points and Al Horford scored thirteen and led the Hawks with ten rebounds. Every player on the Hawks scored besides rookie John Jenkins.
The Hawks will return home on Saturday for game three against the Pacers at 7 p.m. Hopefully home-court advantage will help the Hawks win and come back in the series.
Devin Harris is fouled while attempting a shot, he led the Hawks with seventeen points in their 113-98 loss to Indiana in game two of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves were in the perfect position to get Tim Hudson his 200th career victory. Instead a few miscues and a blown save ended up giving the Rockies a victory in the bottom of the twelfth inning, 6-5.
The Braves' offense had ten hits in the loss, they didn't hit a home run, which makes them 0-6 now when they don't hit one. Juan Francisco had two hits for the Braves and drove in a run, Justin Upton and Dan Uggla also had two hits for the Braves. Freddie Freeman, Jordan Schafer and Hudson each added a hit and drove in a run for Atlanta, Evan Gattis also had a hit for the Braves. Ramiro Pena failed to get down a bunt which would have scored Schafer in the top of the ninth inning, that ended up haunting the Braves in the end.
Hudson struggled in a few innings, but overall had a decent day and pitched well enough to put himself in position to win. He gave up three runs on six hits while pitching six innings and struck out three. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect seventh and Eric O'Flaherty pitched out of a jam in the eighth to get to Craig Kimbrel in the ninth. Kimbrel struggled and ended up giving up two runs on three hits and blowing Hudson's shot at win number 200 for the day. With two outs a ball was hit towards Justin Upton in left field, it appeared he could have caught it but he missed it and two runs scored to tie the game. Cory Gearrin and Jordan Walden each pitched a scoreless inning then before Luis Ayala came in and lost the game in the twelfth inning. Ayala is now 0-1 on the year.
The Braves are now 15-6 on the year and will have an off day on Thursday before going to Detroit to start a three-game series with the Tigers. Paul Maholm (3-1) will get the ball in the first game against Anibal Sanchez (2-1) of the Tigers.
Tim Hudson pitched well enough to get his 200th career victory but the bullpen blew if for him and the Braves lost 6-5.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves took game two of a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday by beating the Rockies 10-2.
The Braves' offense pounded out fourteen hits while scoring their ten runs. They hit three more home runs and combined to hit six home runs and score fourteen runs in the doubleheader. Juan Francisco hit a two-run homer in the game to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead, it was his fourth of the year. In the fifth inning, B.J. and Justin hit back-to-back homers, it was the first time brothers had gone back to back in a game in over 70 years. It was B.J.'s third home run of the season and Justin's eleventh. Francisco, Justin, Gerald Laird, Andrelton Simmons, Jordan Schafer and Ramiro Pena all had two hits to lead the Braves, Julio Teheran also added a hit for the Braves. Francisco drove in three runs to lead the team, both Upton brothers drove in two along with Laird and Schafer drove in a run.
Teheran pitched his best game of the year, and of his Major League career so far. It was also his first quality start in the Majors. He ended up pitching seven innings and gave up a run on eight hits while striking out three batters. He picked up the victory and is now 1-0 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect eighth inning, Jordan Walden pitched the ninth inning and gave up a run on three hits but did finish out the game.
The Braves are now 15-5 on the year and will play the final game of their three-game series with the Rockies tomorrow at 3:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (2-1) will try again for win number 200 of his career while Tyler Chatwood will make his first start of the year for Colorado.
Justin Upton watches his home run sail over the fence, he and brother B.J. hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning of the Braves 10-2 win over the Rockies on Tuesday night.
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The Atlanta Braves took game one of a doubleheader with the Rockies on Tuesday afternoon after Monday night's game was snowed out. The game was played in below freezing temperatures.
The Braves' offense gathered nine hits in what is the coldest game in Rockies history at Coors Field. The Braves scored all their runs on homers again, starting with Justin Upton who hit a solo shot in the first, it was his tenth of the year. Dan Uggla hit a two-run shot in the second inning, it was his fourth of the season. Evan Gattis hit a solo home run in the fourth inning that proved to be the game-winner, it was his sixth of the year. Reed Johnson led the Braves with four hits on the day, he was playing for the injured Jason Heyward. Chris Johnson and Freddie Freeman each added a hit for the Braves. It was Freeman's first game back, he came off the disabled list on Monday.
Mike Minor started the game for the Braves and did well. He ran into trouble and allowed the Rockies to tie the game at 3, but then was fantastic after that. He pitched six innings and gave up three runs on five hits while striking out five batters. He picked up the victory and is now 3-1 on the year. Luis Avilan and Eric O'Flaherty each pitched a scoreless inning, Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning and struck out two batters and picked up his eighth save of the season.
The Braves are now 14-5 on the year, game two of the doubleheader will be at 8:40 p.m. Julio Teheran (0-0) will make the start for Atlanta against Jon Garland (2-0) for the Rockies. Also, Heyward was placed on the disabled list after under going an appendectomy. Tyler Pastornicky was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place.
Mike Minor pitches in game one of the Braves doubleheader with the Rockies on Tuesday afternoon. The Braves won 4-3 and Minor got his third victory of the year.
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For the third straight day the Atlanta Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, this time the final score was 4-2.
The Braves offense had eight hits, but could only push across the two runs and both of those came on bloop singles. Gerald Laird and Andrelton Simmons provided both of those bloop singles and both finished the day with two hits apiece. Reed Johnson, Chris Johnson, Evan Gattis and B.J. Upton each added a hit for Atlanta. The Braves offense has become stagnant after dominating the first two and a half weeks of the season.
Kris Medlen started the game and did well at first but then struggled over the last couple of innings. He pitched six innings all together and struck out six batters, but he did give up three runs on seven hits. He suffered the loss and is now 1-2 on the year. Luis Ayala started to pitch the seventh inning but he didn't record an out and he gave up a run. Luis Avilan returned to the mound after suffering his hamstring injury a few days ago and threw a scoreless inning. Cory Gearrin pitched again and completed a scoreless ninth inning.
The Braves are now 13-5 on the year. Their next game will be tomorrow at 8:40 p.m. when they start a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have won eight of their last nine games and are also 13-5 and share the best record in the Major Leagues with Atlanta. Mike Minor (2-1) will start for the Braves and Jeff Francis (1-1) will start for the Rockies.
Kris Medlen throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon. The Braves lost for the third straight game, all to Pittsburgh.
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The Atlanta Hawks playoffs got off to a bad start on Sunday afternoon as they suffered a 107-90 loss.
The Indiana Pacers take a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series. They can thank Paul George for helping them achieve that as he recorded a triple-double. He led the team with 23 points, twelve assists and eleven rebounds. George Hill was next on the team with eighteen points, Roy Hibbert had sixteen, David West and Lance Stephenson both had thirteen and Gerald Green came off the bench to score eleven. The Pacers used a big first and third quarter to help themselves out to a big lead that eventually gave them the Game 1 victory.
The Hawks never outscored the Pacers in any quarter throughout the game even though they shot 50 percent from the field as a team and the Pacers only shot 44 percent from the field. The Hawks haven't won a game yet in Indiana this season. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points. Josh Smith added fifteen points, Al Horford had fourteen and Ivan Johnson scored ten off the bench.
The Hawks are now down 1-0 in the series and their next game will be on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be in Indiana so the Hawks will have to try and win for the first time at the Pacers' arena.
Jeff Teague goes for a lay-up against the Pacers in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Hawks lost 107-90.
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For the first time this season the Atlanta Braves have lost two games in a row. It also marked the first time they have lost when they scored in a game.
The Braves' offense gathered only four hits while scoring their run and that run scored on a bases loaded walk. The Braves couldn't push across anymore runs in that rally though and mustered their best opportunity at scoring. Chris Johnson led Atlanta with two hits as he had a double and a single. Both the Upton brothers also had a hit apiece.
Paul Maholm made his fourth start of the year and did good except for two pitches. He gave up a run scoring double to Andrew McCutchen and a two-run homer to Gaby Sanchez. That also ended his scoreless innings streak at 25 innings. Maholm pitched six innings and struck out five, while giving up three runs on four hits. He suffered the loss and is now 3-1 on the season. Cory Gearrin pitched in the seventh inning and Jordan Walden pitched in the eighth, they both struck out a batter and didn't allow any runs.
The Braves are now 13-4 on the year and will play the final game of their four-game series with the Pirates tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-1) will get the ball for the Braves against Jonathon Sanchez (0-2) of the Pirates.
Paul Maholm pitched six good innings but made two bad pitches and the Braves' offense struggled for the second game in a row as the Pirates won, 3-1.
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Wandy Rodriguez was too much for the Braves to handle on Friday night as he and the Pirates shut out the Braves, 6-0.
The Braves' offense only had two hits in the whole game. Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons both had singles in the game and that was it, no runner advanced past first in the game for Atlanta. The Braves are 13-0 when they hit a home run in a game this season, but they are 0-3 when they don't. As a matter of fact, in all three losses this season for the Braves, they haven't scored a run in each contest.
Tim Hudson was going for his 200th victory in his career, but he didn't have his best stuff this game and will have to try again in his next start. He pitched only four innings and gave up six runs on nine hits, including a home run to Pedro Alvarez. It was the second night in a row that Alvarez has hit a home run against Atlanta after not having a home run in the Pirates' first fourteen games. The bullpen was superb for Atlanta though. Anthony Varvaro struck out the side in the fifth inning, Luis Ayala had two strike outs and Cory Gearrin and Jordan Walden both had perfect appearances.
The Braves are now 13-3 on the year and will play game three of their four-game series with the Pirates on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Paul Maholm (3-0) will try to extend his scoreless innings streak against his former team. James McDonald (1-2) will start for Pittsburgh. Also, the Braves placed utility man Blake DeWitt on the disabled list and recalled reliever David Carpenter from Triple-A Gwinnett to help in the bullpen while Luis Avilan recovers from his hamstring injury.
Tim Hudson was going for his 200th Major League win, but he gave up six runs in the Braves' 6-0 loss to the Pirates on Friday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night 6-4 and scored all of their runs via home run.
The Braves' offense collected ten hits while scoring their six runs. The biggest home run of the game was Evan Gattis' two-run shot in the eighth inning which gave the Braves their 6-4 lead. It was Gattis' fifth home run of the year. Chris Johnson had a great day at the plate, he had three hits, including a two-run home run in the third, it was his second of the year. B.J. Upton led off the game with a solo home run, his second of the year and Justin Upton hit a solo shot in the fifth inning, it was his ninth home run of the season. It was also the second game this season that the Upton brothers have homered in the same game. B.J. finished with two hits on the day; Dan Uggla, Juan Francisco and Julio Teheran all added a hit for the Braves.
Julio Teheran struggled again in his third start of the year. Every time the Braves would give him a lead, he made sure to let the Pirates right back into the game by either tying it or taking a lead themselves. That trend occurred three times throughout the five innings that Teheran pitched. He struck out four, but gave up four runs on seven hits including home runs to the Pirates' Russell Martin and Pedro Alvarez. Anthony Varvaro struck out two over two solid innings. He picked up the victory and is now 1-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth inning for his seventh save of the season.
The Braves are now 13-2 on the year and will play game two of their four-game set with the Pirates tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Tim Hudson (2-0) will start for the Braves against lefty Wandy Rodriguez (1-0) of the Pirates.
Evan Gattis follows through on his two-run home run in the eighth inning that gave the Braves a 6-4 lead that would stand and help them beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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The Atlanta Hawks played their last game of the regular season against the New York Knicks and lost 98-92.
The Knicks hit 42 percent of their shots even though Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and J.R. Smith didn't play. Chris Copeland led the Knicks with 33 points. James White was next with 20 points, Iman Shumpert had eighteen points and Earl Barron had eleven points. Barron also led the Knicks with eighteen rebounds and recorded a double-double, Quentin Richardson also had ten rebounds off the bench. The Knicks finish the season with a 54-28 record and will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Hawks chose to sit their top players rather than play for better seeding. Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague all sat out for the Hawks. The Hawks were outscored big time in the first quarter 25-16, but otherwise the team of all reserves made it a close game. The Hawks shot 41 percent from the field as a team.
Mike Scott led the Hawks with 23 points, he also pulled down a team-high fourteen rebounds for the double-double. John Jenkins was next in scoring with 20 points, Shelvin Mack had fourteen, Ivan Johnson had twelve and Dahntay Jones had eleven. Johan Petro also came off the bench and pulled down eleven rebounds.
The Hawks finish the season on a two-game losing streak and with an overall record of 44-38. They will face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, game one will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Pacers finished the season with a 49-32 record.
Mike Scott drives in past the Knicks' Chris Copeland, Scott led the Hawks with 23 points and fourteen rebounds in their 98-92 loss on Wednesday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 game and the Kansas City Royals won and ended the Braves ten-game winning streak.
The Braves' offense collected six hits in the game. Juan Francisco led the team with two hits. Chris Johnson and Jason Heyward both hit doubles, Justin Upton and Ramiro Pena also had hits for Atlanta. The offense struck out eleven times in the game, Upton and Dan Uggla both had the most with two.
The offense also wasted a stellar pitching effort by Mike Minor. He pitched six innings and gave up one run on five hits. The one run he gave up came off the bat of former Brave star Jeff Francoeur, it was an RBI single. He also struck out five batters and suffered the loss, he is now 2-1 on the year. Luis Ayala pitched the seventh and eighth innings, he was perfect and struck out two batters. Cory Gearrin pitched the ninth inning and gave up two hits and struck out a batter.
The Braves are now 12-2 on the year. They will travel to Pittsburgh and start a four-game series with the Pirates tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Julio Teheran (0-0) will start for Atlanta against former Braves prospect Jeff Locke (1-1).
Mike Minor pitched six innings and only gave up one run, but he didn't receive any run support as the Braves lost 1-0.
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On a night when the Hawks needed a win, coach Larry Drew decided to rest his main players and the Toronto Raptors cruised right by them, 113-96.
The Raptors came out firing and hit 51 percent of their shots from the field. They also outscored the Hawks in every quarter except the fourth. Their biggest quarter was in the second when they outscored Atlanta 38-24. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 30 points, Rudy Gay was next with 22, Jonas Valanciunas had thirteen and Amir Johnson and John Lucas both added eleven points. Kyle Lowry dished out eleven assists to lead Toronto. The Raptors have now won four straight games and are 33-48 on the year.
The Hawks really could have used a win to try and clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead they lost and fell into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for the fifth spot. The Hawks have also lost fourteen of their last 25 games, that's not the streak a team wants to be on heading into the playoffs. Atlanta shot only 39 percent from the field and they were dominated on both ends of the court.
Kyle Korver led the Hawks with thirteen points even though he only played seventeen minutes. Ivan Johnson and Mike Scott were both next with twelve points and Shelvin Mack added eleven points. Scott and Johnson both recorded double-doubles, Scott led the Hawks with twelve rebounds, Johnson had ten. Al Horford and DeShawn Stevenson both missed the game due to injuries and resting for the post season.
The Hawks are now 44-37 on the year. Their last game of the year will be tomorrow night against the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. The Knicks are currently 53-28 on the year and have clinched the Eastern Conference's second seed for the playoffs.
Kyle Korver shoots over Rudy Gay of the Raptors, Korver led the Hawks with thirteen points in their loss to Toronto on Tuesday night.
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The Braves brought out the big bats on Tuesday night and hit five home runs in their 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
The Braves had nine hits while scoring their six runs. Juan Francisco had the big night, he hit two solo home runs, it was the first multi-homer game of his career. He now has three home runs on the season. Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Dan Uggla all homered in the eighth inning. For Heyward it was his second of the year, Upton it was his eighth of the year and Uggla it was his third of the year. Chris Johnson added an RBI single in the eighth to give the Braves their six runs, he finished the night with two hits. Andrelton Simmons and Blake DeWitt also had a hit apiece for the Braves.
Kris Medlen had a good game but he didn't factor into the decision at the end. He pitched seven innings, struck out five batters and gave up six hits and two runs, but only one of the runs was earned which was a solo home run to the Royals' Chris Getz. Eric O'Flaherty pitched the eighth inning and was perfect, he also got the victory and is now 3-0 on the year. Luis Avilan started to pitch the ninth but then suffered an injury and had to leave the game, his status is unknown at this time. He gave up a run and retired only one batter. Craig Kimbrel came into the game and got the final two outs but did not get the save.
The Braves are now 12-1 on the year and will finish up their two-game series with the Royals tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. Mike Minor (2-0) will take the mound for the Braves and will face-off against the Royals' Wade Davis (1-0).
Juan Francisco hits one of his two home runs against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, the Braves won 6-3.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves came to Washington D.C. and made a statement by sweeping the Washington Nationals. They completed the sweep on Sunday by beating the Nats 9-0.
The Braves used twelve hits to score their nine runs. Chris Johnson led the offense with four hits, he also drove in two runs on a double in the first inning and scored a run himself. B.J. Upton had one of his best days yet as a Brave as he had three hits, including two doubles, and he scored two runs. Andrelton Simmons hit a three-run homer in the third inning, it was his first of the year. Justin Upton also hit a homer in the third, a solo shot, it was his seventh of the season. Evan Gattis also had a good day, he drove in two runs with a double and a sacrifice fly, Jason Heyward also added a double that drove in a run.
Paul Maholm was terrific for Atlanta on the mound. He pitched seven and two-thirds innings and gave up four hits while striking out seven Nationals' hitters. He also picked up the win and is now 3-0 to begin the year. Luis Avilan relieved Maholm in the eighth inning and got out of a jam by inducing an inning-ending ground out. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out the game.
The Braves are now 11-1 on the season. After having an off day on Monday, they will begin a two-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday at Turner Field. Kris Medlen (1-1) will make the start for the Braves and take on Jeremy Guthrie (2-0) of the Royals. First pitch is scheduled at 7:10 p.m. Also on a side note, to make room for Luis Ayala on the roster on Friday, the Braves placed Cristhian Martinez on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain.
Andrelton Simmons hits a three-run home run in the third inning, the Braves beat the Nationals 9-0 on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep of Washington.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves capitalized on an error by Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Tim Hudson pitched a strong game to lead the Braves to a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Braves' offense used eight hits to score their three runs. The biggest hit was Evan Gattis' two-run home run in the top of the third inning, it was his fourth of the year. His home run came right after Zimmerman's error, which would have gotten Washington out of the inning. Ramiro Pena and Hudson led the Braves with two hits apiece. Dan Uggla, B.J. Upton and Chris Johnson each added a hit for the Braves and Jason Heyward drove in a run on a ground out.
The pitching was superb for the Braves. Hudson out-dueled Stephen Strasburg and pitched seven strong innings while striking out three. His only mistake came when he gave up a solo homer to the Nationals' Danny Espinosa, it was one of the four hits he allowed. He also picked up the victory and is now 2-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the season.
The Braves are now 10-1 on the year and will wrap up their three-game series against the Nationals tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. Paul Maholm (2-0) will start for the Braves against Gio Gonzalez (1-0) of the Nationals.
Tim Hudson pitched seven effective innings and picked up his second victory of the year as the Braves beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Saturday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
After being down 4-0 through six innings, the Braves scored six runs over the next four innings to claim a 6-4 victory over the Washington Nationals in ten innings.
The Braves' offense had nine hits while scoring their six runs. None of the hits were bigger though than Ramiro Pena's two-run homer in the top of the tenth to give the Braves the lead and the victory. It was just Pena's third career home run and his first of this season, he finished the game with two hits, two RBI's and two runs scored. Justin Upton and Chris Johnson both led the Braves with three hits, they also each drove in a run. Jason Heyward added a hit for the Braves and B.J. Upton got an RBI when he drew a bases loaded walk in the eighth inning.
Julio Teheran started the game and struggled over the first two innings. He gave up four runs in those innings, including a home run to the Nationals' Bryce Harper which was his fifth of the year. Teheran settled down though and finished the game pitching six innings and giving up the four runs on six hits while striking out six. Luis Ayala made his Braves debut in the seventh inning and was perfect, Jordan Walden also pitched a scoreless inning in the eighth. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect ninth inning, he ended up getting the victory and is 2-0 on the year. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect tenth inning for his fifth save in five chances.
The Braves are now 9-1 on the year and will play game two of their three-game series with the Nationals tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Tim Hudson (1-0) will get the ball for the Braves and Stephen Strasburg (1-1) will start for Washington.
Ramiro Pena watches his game-winning two-run homer sail over the fence in the tenth inning, it was just his third career home run.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Hawks were down by fourteen at halftime but rallied in the second half to come from behind and beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-104.
The Bucks outscored the Hawks by six points in the first quarter and by eight points in the second quarter to build their fourteen point halftime lead. They were on fire from downtown, as they hit eleven of their eighteen 3-pointers in the first half. Overall in the game they hit seventeen of their 33 3-pointers. Monta Ellis led the Bucks with 27 points, he had to play big since Milwaukee was without starters Brandon Jennings and Larry Sanders. Ellis also added a game-high seventeen assists. Ersan Ilyasova was next in scoring with 25 points, J.J. Redick had ten points and so did Ish Smith from off the bench. The Bucks have now lost three games in a row and are 37-42 on the year.
The Hawks were faltering in the beginning and they couldn't keep up with the hot shooting by Milwaukee. In the second half though, they looked like a whole new team. They outscored the Bucks 35-28 in the third quarter and then 34-22 in the fourth quarter to pull ahead for good and earn the victory. Atlanta also shot 50 percent from the field as a team in the win.
Josh Smith and Jeff Teague tied for the team lead in points with 24, Teague also added ten assists to lead the Hawks. Devin Harris was next in scoring with nineteen points and Al Horford was the only other Hawk to score in double figures, he had eighteen points. Horford also pulled down a game-high seventeen rebounds. Johan Petro, Mike Scott and Anthony Tolliver didn't play in the game.
The Hawks are now 44-36 and have won two games in a row. Their next game will be their next to last game of the regular season. It will also be their home finale as they host the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Raptors have won two games in a row and are 31-48 on the year.
Jeff Teague shoots over Milwaukee's Monta Ellis during the Hawks 109-104 victory. Teague tied for the team lead in points with 24 and had a team-high ten assists.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Juan Francisco and Evan Gattis powered the Braves' offense on Wednesday night and they helped the Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins by winning the last game 8-0.
The Braves' offense had thirteen hits while scoring eight runs. Jordan Schafer, who was playing for the slumping B.J. Upton, had four hits to lead the Braves. That included a double and he also scored two runs. Juan Francisco had three hits, including a two-run homer in the fifth inning that hit off the second deck, it was his first of the year. Evan Gattis had two hits, which included his big three-run homer that gave the Braves a 3-0 lead. It was the second night in a row that Gattis has hit a home run and it was his third overall on the year. Chris Johnson had two hits for the Braves and drove in a run. Andrelton Simmons had a hit and drove in two runs and Dan Uggla had a hit and scored two runs.
Mike Minor had an effective start for the Braves. He pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up five hits and struck out four. He was finally taken out of the game because of a high pitch count in the sixth. He was able to get the victory though and is 2-0 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched an inning and a third and struck out two batters, Anthony Varvaro pitched the last two innings and only gave up two hits.
The Braves are now 8-1 and will enjoy a day off on Thursday before going to Washington D.C. and beginning a three-game series with the Nationals on Friday. The Nationals are 6-2 and will send Ross Detwiler (0-0) to the mound to face the Braves' Julio Teheran (0-0).
Juan Francisco follows through on a two-run homer that hit off the facade of the second deck, Francisco had three hits in the Braves' 8-0 victory over Miami.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
This game was much different than the last match up between the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers crushed the Hawks last week, but the Hawks used a little payback on Wednesday night and beat Philly, 124-101.
The Sixers were outscored in every quarter even though they were leading to begin the game. They shot 42 percent from the field as a team and scored over 100 points, but the Hawks were just too hot for them to handle. Thaddeus Young led Philly with 28 points. Nick Young was next in scoring with nineteen points, followed by Dorell Wright with fifteen and Jrue Holiday with twelve. The Sixers, who were recently eliminated from playoff contention, have lost three in a row and are 31-47 on the year.
The Hawks were missing almost every shot they took at the beginning of the game, but then turned around and produced one of their best games of the year. Their best quarter was the third, when they outscored the 76ers 34-22 on their way to the 23-point victory. They also shot 53 percent from the field, eleven percent better than the Sixers.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 28 points, he also added twelve rebounds to lead the team. John Jenkins was next in scoring as he had 21 points off the bench, Mike Scott also came off the bench and added seventeen points, Al Horford was next with sixteen and Jeff Teague had thirteen and dished out eleven assists to lead the Hawks. Johan Petro missed the game due to personal reasons.
The Hawks snapped their three-game losing streak and are now 43-36 on the year. They only have three more games for the regular season and the next one will be on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are 37-41 on the year but have clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Josh Smith takes a shot over Thaddeus Young of the 76ers, Smith led the Hawks with 28 points in their 124-101 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves made a minor trade on Wednesday morning to shore up their bullpen depth. They sent minor league pitcher Chris Jones to the Baltimore Orioles for right-handed reliever Luis Ayala.
Ayala, 35, has been around for awhile and mainly has been known for his time in the big leagues with the Washington Nationals, New York Yankees and the Orioles. Two years ago, Ayala had a 2.09 ERA in 52 games for the Yankees and last year he was 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA and a save in 66 games for the Orioles. Ayala helps soften the blow the Braves have had with Jonny Venters being out for the first two months of the year. He brings experience and a veteran arm to help the bullpen in tough situations. Ayala's addition means that Cristhian Martinez or Anthony Varvaro could lose their spot in Atlanta's bullpen.
Kris Medlen started the night shaky again, but settled down late and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night, 3-2.
The Braves' offense had eight hits but only managed the three runs they scored. Two of those runs came in the first inning when Evan Gattis sent a ball sailing over the fence for his second home run of the year. He also added a double later in the game and is batting .368 to start the year. Justin Upton had an RBI double in the eighth inning that drove in Andrelton Simmons, that run proved to be the deciding run after the Marlins scored in the bottom half of the eighth inning. Simmons led the Braves with three hits and he also scored two runs. Dan Uggla and Reed Johnson also had a hit apiece for the Braves.
Medlen was coming off a shaky first outing of the season last week against the Philadelphia Phillies. He looked to be the same shaky pitcher in the first few innings but then settled down in the last three innings he pitched. He ended up going seven innings and gave up one run on three hits. He also picked up the victory and is 1-1 on the year now. Eric O'Flaherty appeared in yet another game and pitched the eighth inning, he gave up a run on a single to the Marlins' Placido Polanco. Craig Kimbrel came in for the ninth inning and closed it out for his fourth save of the year.
The Braves are now 7-1 on the season and will wrap up their three-game series with the Marlins tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Mike Minor (1-0) will take the mound for the Braves and will face off against the Marlins' Alex Sanabia (1-0).
Evan Gattis hits a double in the sixth inning of the Braves' 3-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday night. Gattis hit a two-run homer in the first inning, his second of the year.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves started their road trip in a good way on Monday night. They got great pitching and shutout the Marlins 2-0.
The Braves' offense had ten hits but only managed the two runs. Justin Upton had a perfect night. He collected four hits including a double and his sixth home run of the year. Dan Uggla knocked in the other run for the Braves on a ground out. Chris Johnson had three hits for the Braves, Juan Francisco had two and Evan Gattis added a hit.
Paul Maholm had a great night, he pitched seven innings and gave up one hit while striking out seven Marlins' batters. He picked up the win and is now 2-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect eighth inning for Atlanta and Craig Kimbrel got out of a minor jam in the ninth and earned his third save of the season.
The Braves are now 6-1 on the year and will play game two of their three-game series with the Marlins tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (0-1) will make the start for the Braves against Marlins' lefty Wade LeBlanc (0-1).
Paul Maholm pitched seven innings and gave up only one hit while picking up his second victory of the year in the Braves' 2-0 win over the Marlins.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Turner Field. Tim Hudson and Dan Uggla led the team in the 5-1 victory.
The Braves' offense had six hits while scoring their five runs. Ramiro Pena led the Braves with two hits, including a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth that put the Braves ahead for good. Hudson also got a hit in the sixth, a single that drove in the Braves' fourth run of the game. Then Uggla put the finishing touches on the game with a solo homer in the eighth inning, it was his second of the year. B.J. Upton and Juan Francisco each added a hit for the Braves. Justin Upton, who had five homers in the Braves' first five games, struck out in all four of his plate appearances in the game.
After giving up a run in the first inning, Hudson was terrific for the rest of the game. He pitched six and two-thirds innings and gave up the run on three hits and struck out seven Cubs' batters. Luis Avilan and Jordan Walden each had scoreless outings. Walden was especially good in the ninth inning, he came in throwing strikes and ended up striking out the side.
The Braves are now 5-1 on the year and will begin a three-game series with the Miami Marlins tomorrow night in Miami at 7:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (1-0) will start for the Braves and Kevin Slowey (0-1) will start for Miami. Also in other news, the Braves placed Freddie Freeman on the disabled list due to a strained oblique and recalled Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his spot on the roster.
Tim Hudson pitched well and even drove in a run at the plate as the Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday with a 5-1 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Hawks fielded a team of reserves on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs. They almost won too, but didn't have quite enough time as the Spurs pulled off the victory, 99-97.
The Spurs were playing without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who both sat out due to injuries. San Antonio struggled most of the night shooting, but their big quarter was in the second when they outscored the Hawks 30-20. They also shot 45 percent from the field as a team. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 31 points and also pulled down a team-high fourteen rebounds. Kawhi Leonard was next with 23 points and DeJuan Blair came off the bench and scored eleven points. The Spurs are now 57-20 on the year.
The Hawks kept close to the Spurs even though they had reserves playing. After being down by eleven at the half, the Hawks outscored the Spurs 29-22 in the third quarter to pull within reach and even outscored them 28-26 in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to complete the full comeback. They also shot 42 percent in the game, not their best shooting compared to recent games.
John Jenkins scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Hawks. Mike Scott also scored a career-high with 22 points, Ivan Johnson added fourteen points, Shelvin Mack had twelve and Johan Petro scored eleven and led the Hawks with fifteen rebounds. Josh Smith, Al Horford, Kyle Korver and Devin Harris all missed the game, Coach Drew decided to keep them out so they wouldn't play two nights in a row.
The Hawks are now 42-36 on the year and have lost three straight games. They won't play again until Wednesday when they travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers for the second time in three games. The Sixers are 31-45 on the season.
John Jenkins shoots against the Spurs, he scored a career-high 23 points in the Hawks' 99-97 loss to San Antonio.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Upton brothers helped the Braves win on Saturday evening. B.J. homered to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and Justin homered two batters later as the Braves beat the Cubs, 6-5.
The Braves' offense accumulated twelve hits while scoring their six runs. Justin Upton had a big night, not only did he hit the game-winning home run, he had a home run in the bottom of the first inning too, which gives him five home runs now on the year. He also had a double and scored three runs. B.J. Upton finally got his first hit with Atlanta with a seventh inning single before hitting his game-tying homer in the ninth. Freddie Freeman had an RBI single in the eighth inning and Ramiro Pena, playing for Andrelton Simmons who was out with a thumb injury, had a two-run single in the same inning to help the Braves in their comeback win over Chicago. Gerald Laird had two hits, while Dan Uggla, Juan Francisco and Julio Teheran each had a hit in the game.
Teheran struggled in his first start off the year. He pitched five innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, including homers to the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo and Luis Valbuena. Cristhian Martinez pitched two perfect innings and Anthony Varvaro and Cory Gearrin combined to pitch a perfect eighth inning. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect ninth inning, he also got the win and is 1-0 on the year.
The Braves are now 4-1 on the year and will play the final game of their three-game series with the Cubs tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Tim Hudson (0-0) will make the start for the Braves against the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija (1-0).
B.J. Upton hits a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, his brother Justin hit the game-winning homer two batters later as the Braves beat the Cubs, 6-5.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Philadelphia 76ers started off quick on Friday night against the Hawks and held onto that lead the whole game to beat them 101-90.
The Sixers scored 40 points in the first quarter and the Hawks only scored 26 and that lead stuck throughout the whole game. The Sixers also outscored the Hawks 25-20 in the third quarter and they shot 46 percent from the field as a team throughout the whole game. Evan Turner led the Sixers with 24 points and added eleven rebounds for the double-double. Spencer Hawes was next for Philadelphia in scoring with nineteen points, he also added twelve rebounds. Former Hawk Damien Wilkins added sixteen points for the Sixers and Thaddeus Young had fourteen points and led Philly with thirteen rebounds. The Sixers are 31-44 on the year and are barely alive for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race but it doesn't look good for them.
The Hawks looked pathetic from start to finish, especially on defense. The let the 76ers jump out to a big lead and never seemed to fight back to get into the game. They outscored the Sixers 25-18 in the fourth quarter but by then it was way too late. Like the Sixers, they also shot 46 percent from the field as a team.
Josh Smith led the way for the Hawks with nineteen points. Al Horford was next with eighteen points and led the Hawks with ten rebounds. Ivan Johnson scored seventeen points off the bench, Jeff Teague had twelve and Kyle Korver added eleven points. Devin Harris and John Jenkins both missed the game for the Hawks with injuries.
Atlanta is now 42-35 on the year and they have lost two games in a row. Their next game will be on the road against the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night at 8 p.m. The Spurs are currently 56-20 on the year.
Josh Smith tries to drive around Former Hawk Damien Wilkins on Friday night. Smith led the Hawks with nineteen points in their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Mike Minor pitched fantastic and the Atlanta Braves took game one from the Chicago Cubs on Friday night, 4-1.
The Braves' offense had six hits while scoring their four runs in the game. Evan Gattis was the only player on both teams with more than one hit as he had three singles in the game. Justin Upton hit a home run in the first inning, his third of the season, and added a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Juan Francisco also had a big hit, a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freddie Freeman also had a hit for the Braves.
Minor was fantastic in his seven and a third innings pitched. He gave up one run, on a solo homer to the Cubs' Scott Hairston, and five hits but he did strike out seven Cubs' batters. He got the win and is 1-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning to replace Minor and Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his second save of the young season.
The Braves are now 3-1 on the year and will continue their three-game series against the Cubs tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Julio Teheran will make his first start of the year against the Cubs' Carlos Villanueva.
Mike Minor pitched seven and a third innings to pick up the win and help the Braves win 4-1 over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Braves' bats had exploded for sixteen runs in the first two games against the Phillies. On Thursday night it was a different story though and the Phillies beat the Braves, 2-0.
The Braves offense only managed two hits in the loss. Dan Uggla had a single in the second inning and Justin Upton singled in the fourth inning as the Phillies' Cliff Lee pitched eight masterful innings and didn't allow the Braves to get a runner to second base or further all night. The Braves' bats also struck out ten more times, B.J. Upton struck out two more times and hasn't gotten a hit yet as a Brave.
Kris Medlen made the start for the Braves and struggled with command at the beginning of the game. He ended up pitching five innings and giving up two runs, both in the second inning, on six hits and he struck out three batters. He suffered the loss and is 0-1 on the year. Cory Gearrin and Jordan Walden both pitched a perfect inning each. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect eighth and ninth inning for the second night in a row.
The Braves are now 2-1 on the year and will begin a three-game home series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Mike Minor will make his first start of the season against Scott Feldman of the Cubs.
Kris Medlen pitched five innings on Thursday night but suffered the loss, it is the first time the Braves have lost in the last 24 starts that Medlen has made in the regular season.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Thursday that they have released starting offensive lineman Tyson Clabo. The move will help the Falcons save $4.5 million in salary.
Clabo played 101 games for the Falcons and has started each of those games, including starting every game for the past five years. He had been with Atlanta since 2005. He will probably find a new team very soon with plenty of teams needing offensive lineman, but he might have to wait until the NFL Draft is over later this month.
The Atlanta Braves continued their offensive explosion on Wednesday night against Roy Halladay and the Phillies. They hit three more home runs and beat the Phils 9-2.
The Braves offense had nine hits while scoring their nine runs, but on a bad note they did strike out sixteen times, B.J. Upton struck out in all four of his at-bats. Freddie Freeman had another good day, he had two hits and drove in three runs. Justin Upton hit a two-run homer off of Halladay in the first inning, it was his second of the year. Jason Heyward had two hits, one of those was a two-run homer in the eighth, his first of the year. Evan Gattis' first Major League hit was a solo shot in the fourth off of Halladay, his first of the year. Andrelton Simmons had two hits and scored two runs and Juan Francisco also had a hit and drove in a run.
Paul Maholm had a good outing, he pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up no runs on six hits and had six strikeouts. He picked up the win and is 1-0 on the year. Anthony Varvaro pitched the final two innings and was perfect, Cory Gearrin and Luis Avilan also pitched in the game and did well. Cristhian Martinez lasted only a third of an inning and gave up three hits, including a two-run double by Chase Utley, who is the only player doing anything offensively so far in the series for the Phillies.
The Braves are now 2-0 on the year and will wrap up their three-game series with the Phillies on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen will take the mound for Atlanta against the Phillies' Cliff Lee.
Evan Gattis stands and watches the ball sail over the fence for his first Major League home run and hit. The Braves beat the Phillies on Wednesday night, 9-2.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Carmelo Anthony has picked the right time to catch fire. He led the Knicks in scoring as they beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-82 on Wednesday night.
In the Knicks' last game, they played the Miami Heat and Carmelo had 50 points in that victory. The Hawks were hanging tough with the Knicks, until New York totally dominated the fourth quarter and sealed the deal. Against the Hawks, Carmelo scored 40 more points and the Knicks are suddenly the NBA's hottest team having won ten in a row. He hit seventeen of his 27 shots in the game. J.R. Smith came off the bench to score nineteen points, while Raymond Felton added fourteen points.
The Hawks had a rough first quarter and ended up being down by seven points at halftime. They came back strong in the third quarter and outscored the Knicks 28-21 to tie the game headed into the fourth. The Hawks were staying with them through the first few minutes of the fourth, but then the Knicks pulled away and outscored Atlanta 27-14 in the quarter. The Hawks shot 48 percent from the field as a team in the loss.
Atlanta wasted a strong effort by Kyle Korver, who hit six of ten three-pointers and scored 25 points in the loss. Jeff Teague added fifteen points and Josh Smith had ten. The Hawks still didn't have John Jenkins as he is recovering from his concussion. Also, Devin Harris missed the game after he had rehab treatment on his foot earlier in the day.
The Hawks are now 42-34 on the year. Their next game will be on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are 30-44 on the season.
Kyle Korver hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points in the Hawks' 95-82 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Falcons signed linebacker Brian Banks on Wednesday. Banks was exonerated of rape charges a little less than a year ago.
Banks had been a sixteen year-old junior in high school and had a verbal commitment with USC when a classmate accused him of rape. He spent five years in prison and five years on probation before the former classmate came forward a decade later and said it wasn't him.
He had received try-outs with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers. He also played two games last year in the United Football League (UFL) before it folded. Now at 27, Banks will get a shot to live his dream and make it onto an NFL roster with the Falcons as a linebacker.
The Atlanta Braves began their season on the right track on Monday night as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 in the opener of their three-game series. The Braves showed their offensive potential for the upcoming season by hitting three home runs in the game.
The Braves' offense had eleven hits as they scored their seven runs. Freddie Freeman had the big night, he had three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning off of Phillies' ace Cole Hamels. Freeman also had three RBI's to lead the Braves. Chris Johnson and Gerald Laird had two hits apiece for Atlanta, Laird also had an RBI. Dan Uggla and Justin Upton both hit solo home runs, they were also off of Hamels. Andrelton Simmons also had a hit for the Braves.
The pitching was decent for the Braves. Tim Hudson started the game and breezed through the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. Phillies' second baseman Chase Utley hit a homer off of Hudson, Utley finished a double shy of the cycle and had three RBI's. Hudson was taken out in the fifth and finished the night pitching four and a third innings while giving up three runs on six hits, he also struck out three batters. Luis Avilan came into the game in the fifth for Hudson and got out of a jam. He pitched a perfect inning and two thirds and picked up the victory, he is 1-0. Eric O'Flaherty and Jordan Walden both pitched an inning and gave up a run. Craig Kimbrel came in and pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the year.
The Braves are 1-0 and will continue their three-game series with the Phillies on Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. Paul Maholm will start for the Braves and will face Roy Halladay of the Phillies.
Freddie Freeman rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of the Braves' 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day. Freeman led the Braves with three hits and added three RBI's.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, 102-94. Atlanta led from start to finish in the victory.
Cleveland shot 50 percent from the field but they were missing Kyrie Irving and C.J. Miles on a night when they could have used the two players. Marreese Speights led the Cavs with 23 points off the bench. Shaun Livingston started in place of Irving and was next in scoring with fourteen points, followed by Tyler Zeller with twelve, Alonzo Gee with eleven and Wayne Ellington with ten. Cleveland is in the midst of a huge slump as they have lost nine games in a row and now sit with a record of 22-51 on the year.
It was nice for the Hawks to beat Cleveland and at least tie the season series at two games a piece between the two teams. The Hawks outscored Cleveland 25-19 in the first quarter and also outscored them in the second and third quarters even though they shot 45 percent from the field, which was less than the Cavs.
Devin Harris had a great night and led the Hawks with 25 points. Jeff Teague was next with nineteen points while Josh Smith recovered after a horrible first-half to score eighteen points and lead the Hawks with fourteen rebounds. Al Horford returned after missing two games with a stomach illness and had sixteen points for Atlanta before fouling out in the fourth quarter. John Jenkins missed the game with his concussion, while Johan Petro, Dahntay Jones and Mike Scott didn't play.
The Hawks have won two games in a row and are now 42-33 on the year and moving closer to securing home-court advantage for the playoffs. Their next game will be on Wednesday against the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. The Knicks are 46-26 on the year and have won eight straight games.
Devin Harris goes in for a lay-up against Cleveland on Monday night, Harris scored 25 points in the Hawks' 102-94 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 97-88 on Saturday night. It was the tenth straight time the Hawks have beaten Orlando.
Orlando had a roster of misfits on the court as they were playing without Glen Davis, Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington. After outscoring the Hawks 27-23 in the first quarter, it was all downhill the rest of the way as the Magic only shot 39 percent from the field. Beno Udrih led the Magic with 20 points. Maurice Harkless and Nikola Vucevic each added seventeen points, Vucevic also had fifteen rebounds to lead Orlando. Tobias Harris added eleven points and ten rebounds too. The Magic have now lost two straight and at 19-55 on the season.
The Hawks used their 27th different starting lineup for the season with all the varies injuries they have suffered and endured. After being outscored in the first quarter, the Hawks outscored the Magic 44-33 over the next two quarters to pull away. They shot only 43 percent from the field as a team though.
Ivan Johnson had a season-high 21 points and led the Hawks with ten rebounds in the victory. Josh Smith also added 21 points and Devin Harris returned from his foot injury to score seventeen points. Al Horford missed his second game in a row with his stomach illness, John Jenkins was out with a concussion and DeShawn Stevenson didn't play due to bad knees. Also, it was announced that Zaza Pachulia would have season-ending surgery for his Achilles injury.
The Hawks are now 41-33 on the year. Their next game will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. The Cavs are 22-50 on the season and have lost eight straight games, but they have beaten the Hawks two out of the three times they have met this year.
Ivan Johnson scored a season-high 21 points in the Atlanta Hawks 97-88 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves played the Future Stars of Atlanta on Saturday afternoon and beat them 10-0.
The Braves' offense had twelve hits as they scored their ten runs. Dan Uggla hit a three-run home run and went two for three at the plate, which is an encouraging sign for him. Chris Johnson added a solo home run. Evan Gattis also hit a home run, one of the longest ever seen at the Double-A Mississippi Braves' home. It went completely out of the park and landed in a parking lot beyond left field. The Braves got other hits and runs from players like Jason Heyward, Andrelton Simmons and Freddie Freeman. The Braves offense had a great spring as they led National League teams in hits with 344 and in homers with 49.
Mike Minor got the start and picked up the victory. He gave up singles to the first two batters of the game but was perfect after that as he pitched four scoreless innings. Craig Kimbrel, Eric O'Flaherty, Jordan Walden, Luis Avilan and Anthony Varvaro all pitched a scoreless inning each in relief.
The Braves next game will be Opening Day on Monday when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies at 7 p.m. Tim Hudson will make the start against the Phillies' Cole Hamels.
Mike Minor pitched four scoreless innings in the Braves' 10-0 win over the Braves' Futures.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
