The Braves bats went cold on Wednesday night and they lost at home to the Blue Jays 3-0.
The Braves had four hits in the game. Freddie Freeman led Atlanta with two hits, including a triple. Andrelton Simmons also had a hit and Jordan Schafer had a pinch hit single in the eighth inning. The Braves also struck out eleven times in the game, Justin Upton whiffed the most with three strikeouts.
Kris Medlen started and pitched only two innings after getting hit with a batted ball in the leg. He gave up all three runs on four hits and suffered the loss, he is now 1-6 on the year. David Carpenter pitched the next three innings and gave up only a hit but did walk four batters. Anthony Varvaro pitched the next two innings and struck out two men. Jordan Walden returned from the disabled list and pitched an inning and struck out two batters. Cory Gearrin pitched around a hit and two walks in the ninth inning.
The Braves are now 31-21 on the year. They will conclude their four-game series with Toronto tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. The Braves most consistent starter Mike Minor (6-2) will make the start against the reigning National League Cy Young award winner, R.A. Dickey (4-6).
Kris Medlen throws a pitch against the Blue Jays. Medlen left his start after two innings with an injury after he was hurt when a batted ball hit him in the leg.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Brian McCann had a big day for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday afternoon and led the Braves to a 7-6 victory in ten innings.
The Braves tallied twelve hits in the victory. McCann had the biggest day of all hitting two solo home runs, including the game-winner in the tenth inning, he now had six on the year. Evan Gattis hit his twelfth homer on the year in the sixth inning and one of Jordan Schafer's two hits was his second home run of the season. Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons led the Braves with two hits in the game, Freeman also added an RBI on his single in the first inning. Juan Francisco was the only other Brave to record a hit in the game.
Paul Maholm didn't have his best stuff in the game, luckily he got a no decision. He pitched six innings and gave up five runs on ten hits, including a solo homer to Jose Bautista. Anthony Varvaro recorded only one out in the seventh while giving up two hits and a run so Fredi Gonzalez then turned to Luis Avilan who pitched an inning and two-thirds and didn't give up a hit. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect ninth inning and picked up the win, he is now 2-1 on the year. Craig Kimbrel struck out a batter in the tenth to pick up his sixteenth save of the season.
The Braves are now 31-20 on the year. They will continue their series with the Blue Jays tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. as the series shifts to Turner Field. Kris Medlen (1-5) will be looking to pick up a victory as he takes on Esmil Rogers (1-2) for Toronto.
Brian McCann rounds the bases in the background after hitting the first of his two home runs in Tuesday's 7-6 victory over Toronto.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Toronto Blue Jays welcomed the Braves to Canada in a rude way on Monday night by beating them 9-3.
The Braves' offense had eight hits in the game but only managed the three runs. Two of them came off the bat of Evan Gattis when he hit a homer in the eighth inning, it was his eleventh of the season. He also led the Braves with three hits in the game. Andrelton Simmons added the other run on his lone hit, a single that scored Chris Johnson in the fifth. Freddie Freeman had two hits for the Braves, Johnson and Dan Uggla also added a hit apiece.
Tim Hudson had yet another miserable start. He pitched six innings and gave up six runs on eight hits, including homers to Colby Rasmus and J.P. Arencibia. He suffered the loss and is now 4-4 on the year with a 5.37 ERA. Rasmus' brother Cory, pitched the final two innings for the Braves, he gave up three runs on three hits. All the runs scored on a three-run homer by the Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion.
The Braves are now 30-20 on the year. They will play their last game in Toronto tomorrow afternoon at 12:37 p.m. before the series shifts to Atlanta. Paul Maholm (6-4) will try to get the Braves back in the win column as Brandon Morrow (2-3) will pitch for Toronto.
Tim Hudson has struggled recently and his record has fallen to 4-4 after Monday night's 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves only needed five more outs to sweep the Mets, but their bullpen failed them on Sunday night and the Mets prevailed 4-2.
The Braves only managed five hits in the game. Dan Uggla provided all the scoring with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, it was his tenth of the year. Andrelton Simmons led the Braves with two hits, Justin Upton and Gerald Laird each had a hit apiece. The Mets' Shawn Marcum had a career-high with twelve strikeouts in seven innings pitched and the Braves struck out fourteen times as a team in the game. Freddie Freeman struck out in all four of his plate appearances, Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton struck out three times apiece.
Julio Teheran had a great outing, he pitched six and two-thirds innings and gave up five hits and only one run on a Lucas Duda homer. He also struck out five men, but got a no decision after the bullpen blew the game. Luis Avilan got the final out in the seventh with one pitch, but the Braves decided not to use him in the eighth and instead used Cory Gearrin. Gearrin had his first meltdown of the year and gave up three runs on four hits, he suffered the loss and is now 1-1 on the year.
The Braves are now 30-19 on the year. They will start a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tomorrow at 7:07 p.m. This will be a unique four-game series as two games will be played in Toronto and two in Atlanta. Tim Hudson (4-3) will start the first game against Mark Buehrle (1-3) for Toronto.
Dan Uggla hits his third home run in his past six games, but unfortunately the Braves got no other offensive help and they lost 4-2 to the Mets on Sunday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Mike Minor did it all for the Braves on Saturday evening, as he led them to a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.
The Braves had eleven hits in the victory. Minor was one of five Braves that had two hits. He had the first hit of the game and then he hit his first Major League home run in the fifth inning, it was a two-run shot that ended up being all the Braves would have needed. Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman and Chris Johnson all had two hits apiece for the Braves also. Freeman added two RBI's, Upton had one and Jason Heyward added a hit and an RBI.
Minor also had a fantastic day on the mound. He ended up pitching seven and a third innings and only gave up three hits and struck out ten batters. He also picked up the victory and is 6-2 on the year with a 2.47 ERA. David Carpenter finished off the game and gave up three hits and struck out two.
The Braves are now 30-18 on the year and they will finish their three-game series with the Mets on Sunday night at 8:05 p.m. being highlighted on ESPN's Sunday Baseball. Julio Teheran (3-1) will start the game for the Braves against the Mets' Shawn Marcum (0-5).
Mike Minor throws a pitch against the Mets, he picked up the victory and hit his first Major League home run in the 6-0 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets completed their game that was suspended on Friday night with the Braves winning 7-5. It was their seventh consecutive victory.
The offense had ten hits over the course of the two days. Dan Uggla had two big hits for the Braves. One was his ninth home run of the year which tied the game at three in the seventh inning. He also drove in the winning run in the tenth with an RBI single. Freddie Freeman also had two hits for the Braves, including a mammoth two-run homer in the first inning, which was his third of the year. Brian McCann led the Braves with three hits, Ramiro Pena added two. Evan Gattis had a pinch hit single that drove in two runs in the eighth to give the Braves a 5-3 lead, it just even furthered his status of becoming one of the game's best pinch hitters this season. B.J. Upton also got an RBI when he laid down a bunt that turned into a fielder's choice when Jordan Schafer scored on the play.
Kris Medlen made the start and pitched six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits, including a home run to the Mets' John Buck. Medlen also struck out nine but he didn't get a decision because the Braves were losing when he left the game. Luis Avilan and Cory Gearrin combined to pitch a scoreless seventh inning. Anthony Varvaro came on in the eighth inning and had a hard time gripping the ball with the heavy rain. He eventually gave up the lead and the game was then suspended. Varvaro pitched the ninth when the game continued and his final line for the game was two innings pitched, and he allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits and stuck out four. He did get the victory and he is now 2-0. Craig Kimbrel pitched the tenth and struggled at first before getting a foul out and a double-play to earn his fifteenth save of the year.
The Braves are now 28-18 on the year, they will play game two of the series 30 minutes after the conclusion of this suspended game. Mike Minor (5-2) will start for the Braves against Dillon Gee (2-5) of the Mets.
Dan Uggla hits his ninth home run of the year on Friday night, he drove in the winning run on Saturday afternoon as the Braves beat the Mets in a suspended game, 7-5.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Evan Gattis again provided the Braves with power on offense and they completed a three-game sweep on the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon winning 8-3.
The Braves had ten hits, including three home runs, in the victory. Gattis had the big blow with a grand slam in the fourth inning. It was his tenth home run of the year and he also has 27 RBI's now. Ramiro Pena had two hits on the day, including a solo homer in the third inning, he now has two on the year. B.J. Upton hit the Braves' third homer, a solo shot which was his fourth of the year. Chris Johnson and Jason Heyward each added two hits and an RBI for the Braves. Jordan Schafer and Dan Uggla had the Braves' other two hits in the game.
Paul Maholm was very effective for the Braves. He pitched seven and a third innings and gave up an unearned run on seven hits. He also struck out four batters and picked up the victory, he is now 6-4 on the year. Cory Rasmus made his Major League debut and pitched the final inning and two-thirds. He did well and struck out three batters but he did give up two homers to the Twins in the ninth inning.
The Braves are now 28-18. They will enjoy an off-day on Thursday before flying to New York to take on the Mets on Friday at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-5) will start the game for the Braves against Jeremy Hefner (0-5) of the Mets.
Evan Gattis again had a big day as he hit a grand slam in the fourth inning helping the Braves beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3 on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Evan Gattis came through again for the Braves in a clutch situation and Freddie Freeman drove in the winning run in the tenth inning as the Braves beat the Twins 5-4.
The Braves' hitters finished with ten hits in the victory. The biggest was Gattis' two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent the game to extras. It was his ninth home run of the year. Freeman, who had two hits and two RBI's in the game, drove in the winning run with a single the very next inning. Brian McCann drove in two runs and led the Braves with three hits, including a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was McCann's fourth homer of the year. Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton also had two hits for the Braves.
Tim Hudson had a decent outing for the Braves. He ended up pitching five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and had five strikeouts. He didn't factor into the decision though after the bullpen blew the lead in the eighth inning. Anthony Varvaro pitched two innings and struck out three batters. Luis Avilan only got one out and gave up two runs, Cory Gearrin got the final two outs of that inning. Craig Kimbrel pitched the tenth inning and ended up with the victory, it evened his record at 1-1 for the season.
The Braves are now 27-18 on the year. They will go for the sweep of the Twins tomorrow afternoon at 12:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (5-4) will look to continue the Braves' winning steak as Vance Worley (1-3) will try and stop it for Minnesota.
Evan Gattis came through in the late innings again, this time tying the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a solo home run while there was two outs.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Julio Teheran and the Braves dominated the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Turner Field and won 5-1.
The Braves' offense gathered nine hits in the victory. Dan Uggla's three-run homer in the first inning was the biggest blow to the Twins. It was Uggla's eighth home run of the year. Justin Upton and Juan Francisco led the Braves with two hits apiece. Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons both had a hit and an RBI in the win. Jason Heyward and Teheran also added a hit apiece in the game.
Teheran had easily his best outing of the year and possibly the best outing of any Atlanta starter so far this season. He ended up going eight and a third innings while giving up five hits, one of those being a solo homer to Josh Willingham in the ninth inning. He also struck out four and earned the victory, he is 3-1 on the year. Luis Avilan and Cory Gearrin combined to get the final two outs in the ninth, Gearrin earned his first save of the season.
The Braves are now 26-18 on the year and they will play game two tomorrow against the Twins at 7:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-3) will try and turn his season around as he faces Mike Pelfrey (3-4) of the Twins.
Dan Uggla connects for his eighth home run of the year in the Braves' 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves did it again and came from behind in the eighth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 to complete the three-game sweep.
The Braves' offense had seven hits in the win. Gerald Laird had a pinch hit single in the eighth that drove in the winning run. Ramiro Pena had a sacrifice fly in the eighth that was the tying run. Jordan Schafer had a hit and led the Braves with two RBI's, Chris Johnson also had an RBI single. Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons and Mike Minor had a hit for the Braves.
Minor had a great day but didn't get the offensive support early and didn't factor into the decision. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs on three hits and also struck out nine batters. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect seventh inning and Luis Avilan pitched a perfect eighth inning to pick up the victory. He is 2-0 on the year now. Craig Kimbrel struck out all three batters in the ninth to pick up his fourteenth save of the season.
The Braves are now 25-18 after completing the three-game sweep. Their next game will be tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. as the Minnesota Twins come to town for a three-game series. Julio Teheran (2-1) will start the first game against the Twins' Kevin Correia (4-2). The Braves also signed relievers Kameron Loe and Joe Beimel to minor league contracts to provide depth for their injury depleted bullpen.
Gerald Laird celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the eighth inning. Laird knocked in the winning run in the Braves' victory.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Today's Hawks' player recap will cover Lou Williams. This will be the final player recap for the Hawks this season.
Williams is a seven-year pro who didn't attend college, but played high school ball in South Gwinnett. He has spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers before signing with the Hawks as a free agent before last season. He was a key contributor for the Hawks and having one of his better years before he tore a ligament in his knee in January and was lost for the season.
Williams played in 39 games for the Hawks before his injury. He was averaging 14.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game when he got hurt. He finished with totals of 551 points scored, 139 assists dished out and he pulled down 80 rebounds. Williams' best game for the Hawks came in a losing effort against the Boston Celtics on January 5th. The Hawks lost the game 89-81, but Williams scored 28 points on nine of twelve shooting, he hit five 3-pointers in the loss that evening.
Williams is one of three Hawks under contract next season so he will be around. He will be counted on heavily next year once he is back from his injury. He will most likely come off the bench as he has done for the majority of his career but the Hawks could also start him every so often as they did this past season.
The Hawks are going to need Lou Williams to come back strong next season from injury and help lead what could be a young Hawks' team.
Photo Courtesy of www.sbnation.com
The Atlanta Braves got a pair of late home runs in the eighth inning to help them come from behind and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Saturday night.
The offense gathered seven hits in the win but none were bigger than the two in the eighth inning. Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer, his eighth of the year, when he pinch hit for Cory Gearrin in the eighth inning. Andrelton Simmons followed suite and hit his fifth home run of the year right after Gattis. Chris Johnson led the Braves with three hits but none of them ever factored into the score. B.J. Upton had a hit and scored a run on Gattis' homer, Kris Medlen also had a hit in the game. Chris Capuano had held the Braves' offense in check into the eighth inning before the bullpen blew the game for the Dodgers.
Medlen had a great start but unfortunately didn't factor into the decision. He pitched seven strong innings and gave up an unearned run on two hits. Gearrin ended up pitching a perfect eighth inning and got the victory, he is 1-0. Craig Kimbrel struck out two men in the ninth inning on his way to picking up his thirteenth save of the season.
The Braves are now 24-18 on the year and they will end their three-game series with the Dodgers tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. Mike Minor (5-2) will try and continue his great start to the season, he will face off against the Dodgers' Matt Magill (0-0). The Braves also announced that Eric O'Flaherty will most likely have to have Tommy John surgery. The loss of O'Flaherty would be the second major loss this week for the bullpen after Jonny Venters had the same surgery.
Evan Gattis smacks a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning that helped the Braves beat the Dodgers, 3-1.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The next Hawks' player recap will cover Anthony Tolliver.
Tolliver is a three-year pro guard out of Creighton. He has played with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Hawks in his short career. With the Hawks this past season he was mainly used off the bench but he wasn't a big part of the bench at times during the year. Sometimes he did really good, but other times he didn't factor much into games.
Tolliver appeared in 62 games for the Hawks. He averaged 4.1 points a game and 2.5 rebounds. He finished the year with totals of 253 points scored and he pulled down 155 rebounds. His best game of the year came in a Hawks' 107-96 victory on March 6th against the Philadelphia 76ers. In that game, Tolliver scored a season-high 21 points on seven of ten shooting, he hit five 3-pointers. He also pulled down a season-high eight rebounds in the win.
Tolliver is a free agent this off season. It is not a guarantee for him to return to Atlanta, but if the Hawks can't find some good bench players in the free agent market over the summer, he might return. He would be a good, cheap player to play the same sort of role he played this past season with the team.
Anthony Tolliver throws down a dunk against the Indiana Pacers, he was used mostly off the bench this year and contributed nicely in some games.
Photo Courtesy of tagsgf.com
A return home is apparently what the Braves needed as they pulled out an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night at Turner Field.
The offense gathered nine hits while scoring their eight runs. Jason Heyward returned from the disabled list to lead Atlanta with two hits, he also drove in a run in the seventh inning. Justin Upton had a huge night, he hit a grand slam in the sixth inning which proved the be the difference. The home run was his Major League leading fourteenth of the year and he now has 28 RBI's, which leads the team, as he drove in five runs in the victory. Freddie Freeman also had an RBI single for the Braves, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson, Jordan Schafer, Ramiro Pena and Paul Maholm all added a hit apiece.
Maholm didn't have his best stuff in the game, but he pitched well enough to keep the Braves in the game. He ended up going six innings and giving up four runs, only two earned, on eight hits. He also struck out three and is now 5-4 on the year. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect seventh inning for the Braves. Eric O'Flaherty pitched the eighth inning and gave up a solo homer to the Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke, who also homered off of Maholm earlier in the game. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning and gave up a hit to the first batter, but then struck out the next two and got Matt Kemp to ground out to end the game and pick up his twelfth save of the year.
The Braves are now 23-18 on the season and they will play the Dodgers again tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. at Turner Field. Kris Medlen (1-5) will try to get back into the winning column as he faces the Dodgers' Chris Capuano (1-2). Also in Braves' news, Jonny Venters had to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. He will miss the rest of the season and possibly all of the 2014 season too, if he can even play baseball again.
Justin Upton follows through on his sixth inning grand slam that gave the Braves the lead and eventually the victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Hawks' player recap will cover Jeff Teague.
Teague is a third-year guard out of Wake Forest. He has spent his entire career so far in Atlanta. He has slowly improved every year since being drafted, with this past season being his best yet. He has taken over the starting position at point guard and helped the Hawks become a much better running and passing team.
Teague played in 80 games this past season. He averaged a career-high 14.6 points a game, a career-high with 7.2 assists per game and 2.3 rebounds a game. He finished with totals of 1166 points scored, his first 1,000 point season in the NBA, and career-highs of 579 assists and 180 rebounds. He also had fifteen double-doubles during the year. His best game this past season came on January 16th when the Hawks beat the Brooklyn Nets, 109-95. Teague had a season-high 28 points in the win, he also dished out eleven assists.
Teague is a free agent this off season. He seems the most likely player to return out of all the Hawks' free agents. He is a vital piece to the offense being the point guard as he runs the teams while he is on the floor. Look for the Hawks to make a big push to make sure he returns.
Jeff Teague set career-highs in scoring, assists and rebounding this past year as he became a vital part to the Hawks' offense.
Photo Courtesy of www.dailybasket.it
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over DeShawn Stevenson.
Stevenson is a twelve-year veteran guard who didn't attend college. Throughout his career, Stevenson has played with the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets and the Hawks. He was a starter midway through his career but mostly has come off the bench and is really known for being a defensive wiz and good at shooting three-pointers.
This past season Stevenson played in 56 games for the Hawks. He averaged 5.1 points a game and 2.2 rebounds. He finished with totals of 284 points, 122 rebounds and 52 assists. He missed a lot of games due to the fact that coach Larry Drew held him out of the second game of back-to-back games. His best game as a Hawk this year came on February 22nd in a 122-108 win over the Sacramento Kings. Stevenson scored seventeen points in that game, which included hitting five of his six three-point shots.
Stevenson is a restricted free agent this off season. The Hawks could choose to bring him back as a veteran leader off the bench. He also still has great defensive skills and clutch shooting at times. His age could be a factor though if the Hawks decide to go in a different direction and let him sign elsewhere.
DeShawn Stevenson shows off his signature three-point gesture, he provided veteran leadership for the Hawks off the bench this past season.
Photo Courtesy of blogs.ajc.com
For the second start in a row, Tim Hudson gave the opposing team a big inning and the Braves' offense couldn't respond as they lost 5-3.
The Braves did have eleven hits in the loss. Freddie Freeman lead the team with three hits, he also drove in all three runs for Atlanta. Jordan Schafer and Ramiro Pena added two hits apiece, while Justin Upton, Brian McCann, Andrelton Simmons and Reed Johnson all had a hit apiece. The offense did strike out eleven times though, Juan Francisco struck out in all four of his plate appearances.
Hudson was once again pitching like clockwork and then faltered in the fifth inning. Freeman had just given the Braves a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning before Hudson gave up four runs in the bottom half of the frame, that proved to be the difference. He finished the day pitching five innings and giving up five runs on eight hits. He did strike out four batters and he also suffered the loss and is now 4-3 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched the sixth and seventh innings and gave up two hits, he also lowered his ERA to 0.96 on the season. Anthony Varvaro came in and pitched a perfect eighth inning.
The Braves are now 22-18 on the year. They have an off day on Thursday before welcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers to Turner Field on Friday night to begin a three-game series. Paul Maholm (4-4) will take the ball in the first game and Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-2) will pitch for the Dodgers. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
Freddie Freeman makes a play at first base, he had three hits and three RBI's in the Braves' loss on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The next Hawks' player recap will cover Josh Smith.
Smith is an eight-year pro forward that didn't go to college but played high school ball in Atlanta. Smith has been with the Hawks his whole career and has become one of the greatest players in franchise history. He provides dynamic play and has helped lead the Hawks in their run of six consecutive playoff appearances. The only thing that has plagued him in his time with Atlanta is the fact he complains very often and that he shoots too much from outside when he is better in the paint.
Smith played in 76 games this past season for Atlanta. He averaged 17.5 points a game, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists. In total, he scored 1,327 points, pulled down 639 rebounds and dished out 321 assists. He also finished with 29 double-doubles on the year. His best game came on December 26th when the Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons 126-119. In that game, Smith scored 31 points, pulled down ten rebounds, dished out six assists and had two blocked shots.
Smith is a free agent this off season. General Manager Danny Ferry has said he wants Smith to return to the Hawks, but Josh might not want to do that. He has stated before that he doesn't particularly enjoy playing in Atlanta and now that he is a free agent, he might finally leave. If the Hawks offer him big money though he could return, but is he worth all the complaining and terrible shots? By the way the fans react when he shoots those outside shots, it doesn't sound like they think he is.
Josh Smith has been with the Hawks for a long time, but he may have played his last game with them as he is now a free agent this off season.
Photo Courtesy of nba.si.com
One day after scoring ten runs, the Atlanta Braves couldn't buy a run on Tuesday night as Patrick Corbin and the Diamondbacks shut them down and won 2-0.
The Braves' offense managed only four hits in the game. Reed Johnson managed to get two of those hits, including a double. Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons had the other two hits for the Braves. The offense struck out ten times, including three times by Dan Uggla. Corbin has gotten off to the best start for a starting pitcher in Diamondbacks' history, he is now 6-0 and has a 1.52 ERA.
Julio Teheran lost in the battle of young pitchers but he still had a great outing. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. He unfortunately suffered the loss and is now 2-1 on the year. Luis Avilan and Anthony Varvaro pitched scoreless innings each to finish out the game.
The Braves are now 22-17 on the year and they will finish their three-game series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at 3:40 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-2) will look to get back on track against the Diamondbacks' Ian Kennedy (1-3).
Julio Teheran throws a pitch against the Diamondbacks, unfortunately for Teheran he didn't get any offensive support and took the loss in the 2-0 game.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
Today's Hawks' player recap will cover Mike Scott.
Scott was a rookie forward out of Virginia this past season. He didn't factor much into the Hawks' plans for the 2012-2013 year, but in the games he did play in, he showed he has potential to be a force for them in the future. He showed his ability to score and grab rebounds regularly.
In 40 games for the Hawks, Scott averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds a game. In total, he scored 183 points and grabbed 110 rebounds. Scott's best game of the year for the Hawks came in the season finale on April 17th, when Atlanta lost 98-92 to the New York Knicks. He scored 23 points and pulled down fourteen rebounds in the loss. Both of those were career-highs for the first-year forward.
Scott is a restricted free agent this off season. More than likely the Hawks will re-sign him because he will be cheap. Also, he will provide the team with depth at forward on the bench. Look for Scott to continue to develop and become an even better player next season in Atlanta.
Mike Scott will most likely return to the Hawks this off season and will have the chance to become an even bigger part of the team next season.
Photo Courtesy of www.foxsportssouth.com
The Atlanta Braves finally got back into the win column on Monday night, they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-1.
The Braves had thirteen hits in the victory. Justin Upton had a huge night against his former team, he had four hits, including his thirteenth home run of the year. He also drove in two runs and scored two runs. Chris Johnson also had a big night against what is also his former team, one of his three hits was his third home run of the year and he also drove in three runs. Brian McCann also hit his third homer of the season, he had two hits and drove in three runs. Freddie Freeman added two hits for the Braves, Dan Uggla and Reed Johnson each recorded a hit and an RBI.
Mike Minor had an impressive start, the first one by a Braves' starting pitcher in their last four games. He pitched six and two-thirds innings and gave up only a run on eight hits, it was a solo home run to the Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt. He also struck out four batters in the game and picked up the win, he is now 5-2 on the year. Anthony Varvaro got the final out of the seventh and David Carpenter and Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect inning each to help the Braves win.
The Braves are now 22-16 on the year and they will continue their series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow night at 9:40 p.m. Julio Teheran (2-0) will try and continue his streak of impressive starts against Arizona's Patrick Corbin (5-0), who has the best start to a season of any pitcher in Diamondbacks' history.
Justin Upton hits a home run against his former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, on Monday night in the Braves' 10-1 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over Johan Petro.
Petro is a seven-year pro center who didn't attend college. He has spent time with the Seattle Supersonics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and the Hawks during his career. He mainly was a reserve for the Hawks this past season, but he didn't start playing regularly until after Zaza Pachulia was lost to an injury for the season.
Petro averaged 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Hawks, he played in 31 games for them over the course of the year. He finished the year with totals of 108 points and 112 rebounds. Petro's best game for the Hawks came on April 6th when they lost 99-97 to the San Antonio Spurs. He finished the game with a double-double, scoring eleven points and pulling down fifteen rebounds.
Petro is a free agent this off season. He most likely won't return to the Hawks since he wasn't a big factor on the team this past season anyway. The only reason he would return would be to serve as a third big man on the team and provide depth, which is the same position he was in at the beginning of last year.
Johan Petro spent this past season with the Hawks and didn't play as much as he would have liked to, he probably won't return next year.
Photo Courtesy of www.ajc.com
The San Francisco Giants won their four-game series with the Braves after beating them 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The Braves' offense managed only four hits in the loss. Evan Gattis had an RBI double in his only at-bat in the ninth inning to drive home Dan Uggla with the Braves' only run. Jordan Schafer, Reed Johnson and Ramiro Pena were the other Braves that had a hit. Schafer also stole his team leading sixth base of the year.
Kris Medlen started the game for the Braves and gave up at least a run in four of the first five innings. He also gave up three home runs to the Giants' Brandon Belt, Marco Scutaro and Pablo Sandoval. Medlen finished the day pitching five and a third innings and gave up five runs, only three earned, on eight hits. He took the loss and is now 1-5 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched two-thirds of an inning and got Medlen out of the jam he got into in the sixth. Luis Avilan pitched the final two innings for the Braves.
Atlanta is now 21-16 on the year and they begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow night at 9:40 p.m. Mike Minor (4-2) will try to help the Braves get back to their winning ways as Wade Miley (3-1) will start for the D-backs.
Kris Medlen hasn't been the same Kris Medlen of 2012. He gave up three home runs and suffered the loss on Sunday afternoon, dropping his record to 1-5 on the year.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over Zaza Pachulia.
Pachulia is a nine-year center who didn't attend college. He has played with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and the Hawks in his career. His better seasons have come with Atlanta, in fact, when he first arrived he was a starter and playing a lot of minutes and scoring a lot of points. Over the past seven years though, Pachulia has been a main part of the Hawks' bench, coming in to provide toughness more than anything.
Pachulia appeared in 52 games this past season for the Hawks before suffering a Achilles injury and missing the rest of the year. Pachulia averaged 5.9 points a game and 6.5 rebounds this past year, both numbers were down from the previous season. He finished with totals of 306 points and 336 rebounds. His best game of the year came in a Hawks' victory on November 24th against the Los Angeles Clippers at Philips Arena. Pachulia scored nineteen points and pulled down twelve rebounds in the victory.
Pachulia is a free agent this off season. He most likely would love to return to the Hawks, but it will remain to be seen if Atlanta will re-sign him or not. He could definitely provide a veteran presence as a big man off the bench once again, but his health could prove to be a factor in the end.
Zaza Pachulia has been an emotional leader for the Hawks every since he almost got into this fight with Kevin Garnett of the Celtics in the 2008 NBA playoffs.
Photo Courtesy of stuffpoint.com
The San Francisco Giants continued their slaughtering of Braves' pitching on Saturday afternoon, beating them 10-1.
The Braves had seven hits in the loss. Evan Gattis led the team with two hits, Paul Maholm drove him in for the only run with a single in the fifth inning. Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman, B.J. Upton and Gerald Laird all had a hit apiece for Atlanta. The Braves also struck out twelve times, including Dan Uggla in all four of his plate appearances and Chris Johnson in all three of his at-bats.
Maholm started off bad by giving up a home run in the first inning to Pablo Sandoval. He ended up pitching four and a third innings and gave up six runs on eight hits. He suffered the loss and is now 4-4 on the year. Cory Gearrin and Luis Avilan both had scoreless appearances. Anthony Varvaro gave up three runs on three hits in the seventh inning and Jordan Walden gave up a run in the eighth inning. David Carpenter got the final out in the eighth for Atlanta.
The Braves are now 21-15 on the year and they will finish their series with the Giants on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-4) will make the start against the Giants' Tim Lincecum (2-2).
Paul Maholm was rocked for six runs in the Braves' 10-1 loss to the Giants on Saturday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Hawks' player recap will cover Shelvin Mack.
Mack is a one-year guard out of Butler. He has played for the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and the Hawks in his career. The Hawks signed him to a few ten-day contracts this past season before finally signing him for the rest of the year. He provided some surprising bench depth and was able to help the Hawks down the stretch.
Mack appeared in 20 games for the Hawks after they signed him. He averaged 5.2 points while with them. He ended up scoring 104 points, pulling down 24 rebounds and dishing out 44 assists in total for the Hawks. His numbers overall for the year were 143 points, 40 rebounds and 68 assists. His best game as a Hawk came on the last game of the year against the New York Knicks on April 17th. The Hawks lost that game, 98-92, but Mack scored fourteen points, pulled down four rebounds and had four assists.
Mack is a free agent this off season. The only way he will return to the Hawks is if he comes to training camp and makes the team with a good showing there and during the preseason. Otherwise look for Mack to head somewhere else where he might get more playing time.
Shelvin Mack was a pleasant surprise off the bench for the Hawks after they signed him to a ten-day contract in March.
Photo Courtesy of espn.go.com
The San Francisco Giants did something on Friday night that they haven't done in seven years, beat Tim Hudson. The Giants cruised past Hudson and the Braves, 8-2.
The Braves had three hits in the loss. Brian McCann had the biggest hit, a two-run homer in the fifth inning, it was his second of the year and in the past two days. Jordan Schafer and Justin Upton had the other two hits for the Braves, who just couldn't seem to get any rally going the whole game.
Hudson had a great night going as he was getting outs and moving right along in the game. All of the sudden, in the fourth inning, he lost it. He finished the game only pitching three and two-thirds innings while giving up six runs on eight hits. He struck out four batters and took the loss, he is now 4-2 on the year. David Carpenter appeared in his first game of the year and pitched two and a third innings, he gave up a two-run homer to the Giants' Angel Pagan. Cory Gearrin and Anthony Varvaro both pitched a perfect inning to finish off the Giants in the last two innings.
The Braves are now 21-14 on the year, they will continue their four-game stand with the Giants tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. Paul Maholm (4-3) will get the ball for the Braves and face Madison Bumgarner (3-1) of the Giants.
Brian McCann is congratulated by Dan Uggla after his two-run homer in the Braves' 8-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over Kyle Korver.
Korver is a nine-year pro forward out of Creighton. He has spent his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and the Hawks. After being a bench player for most of his career, Korver saw some starting time and was a key component to the Hawks in 2012-2013. He also hit a three-point basket in 73 consecutive games this past season, a streak that will continue into next year.
Korver averaged 10.9 points this past season, the most since the 2006-2007 year. He also averaged 4.0 rebounds, the most since 2004-2005 and he averaged 2.0 assists, the most since 2005-2006. He scored 810 points for the Hawks, pulled down 293 rebounds and dished out 146 assists, all those totals were also the most since the seasons listed in the averaged part. His best game of the year came on January 25th when the Hawks beat the Celtics, 123-111 at Philips Arena. In that game Korver scored 27 points, he hit eight shots from beyond the three-point mark. He also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
Korver is a free agent this off season and will most likely head elsewhere. He was disappointed when he got traded to the Hawks this past off season and he has already issued a statement on his twitter thanking Hawks' fans for their support this past season. Look for him to go to another team that has more potential for winning a championship than the Hawks do, or a possible return the Chicago, where he loved playing.
Kyle Korver had a miraculous season for the Hawks, particularly with his three-point shooting. He could be leaving during the off season via free agency though.
Photo Courtesy of www.ebay.com
Brian McCann had a big night, and Julio Teheran pitched well enough to lead the Braves to a 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.
The offense had eleven hits while scoring their six runs. McCann had a big night with three hits, including his first home run of the year, and he also drove in three runs. Juan Francisco added two hits for Atlanta. Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman and B.J. Upton each had a hit and an RBI in the game. Dan Uggla, Jordan Schafer and Justin Upton all added a hit apiece for the Braves.
Teheran struggled and gave up three runs in the first three innings, all driven in by the Giants' Buster Posey, including a two-run homer. He then settled down and ended up pitching seven innings while giving up the three runs on seven hits. He earned the victory and is now 2-0 on the year. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect eighth inning and struck out a batter. Craig Kimbrel came in for the ninth inning and picked up his eleventh save of the year. The save was also the 100th of his young career.
The Braves are now 21-13 on the year and they will continue their four-game series with the Giants tomorrow night at 10:15 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-1) will look to continue his recent run of success, he will face Matt Cain (1-2) of the Giants.
Brian McCann crosses the plate after hitting a two-run homer in the Braves' 6-3 victory on Thursday. McCann had three hits and three RBI's in the game.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The next Hawks' player recap will be over Dahntay Jones.
Jones is a nine-year veteran guard out of Duke. In his career he has been a main part of many teams' benches, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and the Hawks. He came to the Hawks at the trade deadline this past season for Anthony Morrow.
Jones played in 28 games for the Hawks after the trade deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game. He also finished with 88 points, 31 rebounds and 20 assists while with Atlanta. For the season combined with Dallas he had 262 points, 101 rebounds and 48 assists. His best game with the Hawks came on March 17th in a 105-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Jones hit six of his seven shots in the game and finished with thirteen points.
Jones is a free agent this off season. He might return to the Hawks to serve as a body off the bench. He is older though, so look for the Hawks to go another way and look for Jones to sign on somewhere else.
Dahntay Jones didn't spend much time in an Atlanta uniform and wasn't a big factor down the stretch for them either.
Photo Courtesy of elsitioderuife.wordpress.com
One day after having a horrible ending to their game, the Braves put a good ending on their three-game series with the Reds on Wednesday afternoon by winning 7-2.
The offense had eleven hits in the victory. Dan Uggla had the biggest day of all, he had two solo home runs and scored three times. The home runs were his sixth and seventh of the season. Juan Francisco hit the first grand slam of his career in the eighth inning, it was the fifth home run of the season for him. Andrelton Simmons led the Braves with four hits on the day, Jordan Schafer was next on the team with three. Freddie Freeman also added a hit and drove in a run in the win.
Mike Minor had an effective day on the mound for the Braves. He got out of a jam and then held the Reds to one run, a Zack Cozart homer, on four hits through seven innings. He also struck out seven Reds' batters and improved his record to 4-2. Anthony Varvaro pitched two innings of relief work. He gave up a home run to Jay Bruce and three hits total but he did strike out three batters.
The Braves are now 20-13 on the year. They will travel to San Francisco and start a four-game series with the Giants tomorrow night at 10:15 p.m. Julio Teheran (1-0) will start game one of the series for Atlanta while Ryan Vogelsong (1-2) will start for the Giants.
Dan Uggla launches one of his two home runs in the Braves' 7-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over Ivan Johnson.
Johnson is a two-year pro forward out of Cal State-San Bernardino. He has spent both seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. He battles anger issues, but he does play with passion. He also has glimpses of being a strong power forward that can't be controlled by other teams' defenses. He played a big part of the Hawks' bench this past year.
He averaged 6.6 points this past season for the Hawks and also averaged 3.9 rebounds a game. Overall for the year, he scored 452 points and pulled down 266 rebounds, both new highs in a season for his career. His best game of the year came against the Orlando Magic on March 30th when the Hawks' won, 97-88. Johnson had 21 points and pulled down ten rebounds for a double-double.
Johnson is a free agent this off season. The Hawks should have strong interest in re-signing him to once again come off the bench and provide a strong presence at power forward. If the Hawks don't sign him though, some other team will.
Ivan Johnson has been a big part of the Hawks' bench the past two seasons after they signed him out of nowhere before the 2011 season.
Photo Courtesy of basketballschedule.net
For the third time in his last four appearances, Craig Kimbrel blew a lead and let the other team win. The Cincinnati Reds hit two home runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to beat the Braves, 5-4. The Braves had led the whole game before Kimbrel entered in the ninth.
The offense was a little off on the night as they only collected five hits. Brian McCann had a two-run single for his first RBI's of the year. Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman also had a hit and drove in a run each. Andrelton Simmons and B.J. Upton both collected a hit for the Braves in the loss.
Kris Medlen turned in a fantastic start, one of his best of the year, and he even got the run support he hadn't seen yet this season. He finished the night pitching seven innings while giving up two runs on four hits, including a home run to Shin-Soo Choo of the Reds. He struck out six batters and didn't factor into the decision. The bullpen was off overall on the whole night, Eric O'Flaherty pitched the eighth inning and struggled. He gave up a run on three hits. Kimbrel struck out the first two batters he faced with ease and then surrendered an opposite field homer to Devin Mesoraco and then Choo hit his second home run of the game for the winning run. Kimbrel is now 0-1 on the year.
The Braves are now 19-13 on the year and they will play the final game of their series with the Reds tomorrow at 12:35 p.m. Mike Minor (3-2) will make the start for the Braves against Mike Leake (2-1) of the Reds.
Craig Kimbrel walks dejectedly from the mound after giving up the game-winning home run to Shin-Soo Choo of the Reds.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The next Hawks' player recap will cover John Jenkins.
Jenkins was a rookie guard out of Vanderbilt this past season. At the beginning of the season he didn't see much playing time, but that changed after awhile. When Lou Williams went down with a season ending injury, Jenkins' playing time increased and he became a scoring threat off the bench for coach Larry Drew.
He averaged 6.1 points per game during his rookie year. He finished the year with 374 points, 94 rebounds and 56 assists. His best game of the season came on April 6th when the Hawks lost 99-97 to the San Antonio Spurs. In a game where coach Drew played mostly reserves, Jenkins scored a career-high 23 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists. He scored at least 20 points in three of the Hawks' last five games.
Jenkins, like Al Horford and Williams, is under contract with the Hawks next season. He will most likely be expected to come off the bench and be a scoring threat just like he did this past season. The only difference is he should see more playing time.
John Jenkins became an important part of the Hawks' bench after Lou Williams went down with a season-ending injury.
Photo Courtesy of bleacherreport.com
Andrelton Simmons came up big against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night and the Braves won, 7-4.
The offense gathered eleven hits in the victory. Simmons had the biggest day of all though as he led the Braves with three hits, which tied his career-high for a game. He also homered twice and drove in a career-high four runs, the home runs give him four on the season now. Jordan Schafer went back-to-back with Simmons in the eighth inning with a pinch hit homer, it was his first of the year. Freddie Freeman had two hits and drove in a run in the first inning, Justin Upton and Dan Uggla both added two hits apiece. Evan Gattis had a hit and an RBI as he played left field since Brian McCann returned. McCann had a walk and went 0-4 at the plate in his first game of the year. The offense did strike out fifteen times, B.J. Upton led the team with four strike outs.
Paul Maholm made the start for the Braves and did well against a potent Cincinnati offense. He pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He struck out six batters and got the victory, he is now 4-3 on the year. Cory Gearrin and Luis Avilan both recorded two outs in their respective appearances. Jordan Walden came in the pitch the eighth inning but he struggled mightily, as he gave up two runs on three hits and didn't record an out. Eric O'Flaherty came in and finished the eighth inning and then Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning and picked up his tenth save of the year.
The Braves are now 19-12 on the year, they will play game two of their series with the Reds tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-4) will try to get back in the win column, he will face Homer Bailey (1-3) of the Reds.
Andrelton Simmons follows through on his two-run homer in the eighth inning, he had two home runs and four RBI's in the Braves 7-4 victory over the Reds on Monday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Today's Hawks' player recap will be over Al Horford.
Horford is a six-year pro forward out of Florida. He has spent his whole career with the Hawks. After missing most of the 2011-2012 season, Horford returned and produced his best season yet in the NBA in 2012-2013. He only missed eight games this year as he played in 74 of the Hawks' 82 games.
He set career-highs in points per game and rebounds per game this past season, he averaged 17.4 points and game and 10.2 rebounds a game. He also averaged 3.2 assists a game. He finished the year with a career-high 1289 points scored, pulled down 757 rebounds, dished out 240 assists and had 78 blocks. He also recorded 42 double-doubles over the course of the season. His best game of the season came on February 27th in Utah against the Jazz. He scored a career-high 34 points and pulled down fifteen rebounds and had five blocked shots in the Hawks' 102-91 victory.
Horford is one of three Hawks with a guaranteed contract for next season. He will definitely be a leader on the team but he might also take over as the face of the franchise if Josh Smith leaves in free agency, which is most likely to happen. Look for Horford to step up next year and have another great season as he leads the Hawks.
Al Horford has become one of the Hawks' biggest stars since he entered the NBA with them back in 2007, he had the best year of his career this past season.
Photo Courtesy of www.nba.com
Freddie Freeman and the Braves powered past the Mets on Sunday afternoon, 9-4.
The Braves' offense had twelve hits while scoring their nine runs. Freeman led the offense with three hits, including his second home run of the year, and drove in three runs. Reed Johnson had two hits and also drove in three runs, Evan Gattis had two hits and drove in a run and Andrelton Simmons had two hits. Justin Upton had a hit and an RBI, Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton both added a hit apiece for Atlanta.
Tim Hudson apparently wanted to add on to his 200 wins as he pitched seven and a third innings and gave up three runs on five hits. One of the hits was a home run to the Mets' David Wright, it was the third game in a row he has homered. Hudson also struck out seven Mets and is now 4-1 on the season. Luis Avilan recorded only one hit and gave up a run and then Cory Gearrin came in to face one hitter but hit him with a pitch. Eric O'Flaherty and Anthony Varvaro combined to get the final four outs and preserve the Braves' victory.
The Braves are now 18-12 on the year and will travel to Cincinnati to begin a three-game series with the Reds tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (3-3) will get the start for Atlanta against the Reds' Bronson Arroyo (2-3). Also, Brian McCann will be activated from the disabled list and make his season debut on Monday night, Tyler Pastornicky will be sent to Triple-A Gwinnett to make room for McCann.
Freddie Freeman scores on a wild pitch, Freeman hit a home run and drove in three runs in the Braves' 9-4 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of fr-ca.actualities.yahoo.com
Today will begin the Hawks' player recaps for the past season. They will last for the next fifteen days. First player to be reviewed will be Devin Harris.
Harris is a nine-year veteran out of Wisconsin. He has played for the Dallas Mavericks, the New Jersey Nets, the Utah Jazz and the Hawks. This past season, Harris had some of the lowest totals, in just about every category, in his career. He played in 58 games and missed 24 games due to various injuries.
He averaged 9.9 points a game, the lowest since his second year in the NBA. He averaged only 3.4 assists a game, again the lowest since his second season. He finished the year with totals of 577 points, 197 assists and 116 rebounds. One of his best games of the year came against his former team, the Jazz, on January 11th. In that game he hit seven of his eight shots, including four of five from downtown, and had 24 points while helping the Hawks win, 103-95.
Harris is a free agent and it isn't known yet whether he wants to return to Atlanta or not. If he does return, he would once again make a great combination with Jeff Teague at the guard position and help the Hawks run the floor. If he chooses to go somewhere else, he will either be starting or be a main component for another teams' bench.
Devin Harris had a big game against his former team the Utah Jazz on January 11th, scoring 24 points in helping the Hawks to a 103-95 victory.
Photo Courtesy of bigstory.ap.org
The Atlanta Hawks season is officially over after they lost to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, 81-73.
Indiana moves on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, they will play the New York Knicks in the best-of-seven series. They only lead by one point after the first quarter, but they completed dominated the Hawks in the second quarter and the game was pretty much over from there on out. George Hill and David West both led the team with 21 points in the victory. Roy Hibbert was next in scoring with seventeen points. Hibbert also tied with Lance Stephenson for the team-lead in rebounds with eleven.
The Hawks played well in the first quarter, but had a miserable second quarter as they only scored nine points. They were also outscored in the third quarter and didn't show any true signs of life until the fourth quarter but by then it was too late for them to comeback. They also shot a pathetic 33 percent from the field for the second game in a row.
Al Horford led the Hawks with fifteen points. Josh Smith and Devin Harris were next in scoring with fourteen points, they were followed by Kyle Korver with twelve off the bench and Jeff Teague added ten. DeShawn Stevenson, John Jenkins, Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott all didn't play in the game.
The Hawks finish their season with a disappointing round one exit for the second year in a row. After starting this year as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they fell off significantly in the second half of the season and it was apparent they wouldn't go far in the playoffs. The Hawks face an off season of questions with coach Larry Drew's contract up and with Horford, Jenkins and Lou Williams being the only players under contract for 2013-2014.
Al Horford (right) will return next season, but longtime Hawk Josh Smith (left) might have played his last game in a Hawks' uniform after their 81-73 loss on Friday night knocked them out of the playoffs.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves had two chances to win on Friday night, but thanks to the bullpen, those chances were blown. The New York Mets beat the Braves, 7-5 in ten innings.
The Braves had ten hits in the loss. Evan Gattis hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that appeared to be the winning run until the bullpen blew it in the ninth. It was Gattis' seventh home run of the season. Dan Uggla, B.J. Upton and Ramiro Pena all led the Braves with two hits. Andrelton Simmons had a hit and drove in two runs for Atlanta, Juan Francisco also had a hit and drove in a run. Freddie Freeman was the only other Brave to get a hit in the game.
Mike Minor pitched seven effective innings for the Braves. He gave up three runs on three hits, all the runs came on homers by the Mets' John Buck and Lucas Duda. He struck out four batters and was in line for the win but ended up with no decision. Eric O'Flaherty pitched the eighth inning and gave up a solo home run to Marlon Byrd, that was chance number one lost. After Gattis' homer, Craig Kimbrel came in to pitch the ninth inning and gave up a home run to David Wright, but somehow he was able to strike out the other three batters he faced. It is the second blown save for Kimbrel in his last three tries. Jordan Walden came in to pitch the tenth and he got two quick outs before surrendering two runs to the Mets, he is now 1-1 on the year. Luis Avilan came in to pitch but couldn't record an out and Cory Gearrin came in to finish the inning.
The Braves are now 17-12 on the year and will continue their three-game series with the Mets tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Julio Teheran (1-0) will make the start for Atlanta against Jonathon Niese (2-2) of the Mets.
Jordan Walden walks off the mound after being taken out of the game by Braves' manager Fredi Gonzalez, Walden blew the game in the tenth inning.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Dan Haren pitched eight effective innings and the Nationals beat the Braves on Thursday night, 3-1. The two teams split the four-game series.
The Braves' offense had only five hits in the loss. Dan Uggla provided the only scoring of the night with a solo home run off of Haren in the seventh inning. Other than that Haren had a good night, it is the best start he has had all season for Washington. Evan Gattis had two hits, Freddie Freeman and Reed Johnson both added a hit apiece for Atlanta. The offense is in a slump right now, scoring only one run in their past two games after scoring eight runs in Tuesday nights win.
Kris Medlen made the start for the Braves, he gave up three runs in the first two innings, but kept Washington in check after that. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Braves' bats were silenced. Medlen finished the night pitching seven innings and giving up the three runs on seven hits. He also struck out eight batters but he now has a record of 1-4 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect eighth inning and Jordan Walden struck out three batters in a scoreless ninth.
The Braves are now 17-11 on the season. They will start a three-game home stand with the New York Mets on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Mike Minor (3-2) will get the ball for the Braves against the Mets' Shawn Marcum (0-2). Also, Justin Upton was named National League Player of the Month for April and Gattis was named National League Rookie of the Month for April.
Kris Medlen pitched seven effective innings for the Braves on Thursday night, but it wasn't enough in their 3-1 loss. Medlen is now 1-4 on the season.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Indiana Pacers slaughtered the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, 106-83 to take a 3-2 advantage in the best of seven series.
The Pacers were outscored by Atlanta in the first quarter, but then outscored them in the second quarter to take an eight point lead into the half. Indiana then took control in the second half and outscored the Hawks by sixteen points over the final two quarters. David West led the Pacers with 24 points in the game. Paul George was next with 21 points, he also added ten rebounds. Roy Hibbert scored eighteen points, George Hill had fifteen points and dished out a team-high ten assists and D.J. Augustin had eleven points off the bench. Lance Stephenson pulled down a team-leading twelve rebounds during the game.
The Hawks held a one-point lead after one quarter, but that was about all the success they would see against Indiana on Wednesday. They shot the ball miserably the rest of the way, they hit only four of their fourteen shots in the third quarter for example. Overall for the game, the Hawks shot a meager 33 percent from the field.
Josh Smith and Al Horford both lead the Hawks with fourteen points. Devin Harris was next in scoring with thirteen points and Kyle Korver added ten points off the bench. Overall, it was a poor performance for Atlanta and they looked like a completely different team from the one that had dominated the past two games.
The Hawks and Pacers will meet for game six on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be in Atlanta and the Hawks hope the home-court advantage will help them win again. Also, the Pacers have lost thirteen straight games in at Philips Arena.
Josh Smith goes to the basket in game five of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Indiana Pacers beat the Hawks, 106-83.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Washington Nationals got great pitching from Jordan Zimmermann and beat the Braves for the first time this year, 2-0.
The Braves' offense only got two hits in the game. Justin Upton and Paul Maholm each recorded a hit in the loss. The offense also struck out nine times in the game, including two each by Dan Uggla, B.J. Upton and Juan Francisco.
Maholm made a terrific start for the Braves. He pitched eight innings and only gave up three hits, but one hit proved to be costly in the end. Washington's Ian Desmond hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning and that ended up being the difference in the game. Maholm is now 3-3 after starting the year 3-0. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect ninth inning for Atlanta.
The Braves are now 17-10 on the year and they will finish up their four-game series with the Nationals on Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-3) will make the start against the Nationals' Dan Haren (2-3).
Paul Maholm pitched eight effective innings for the Braves but it wasn't enough as the Nationals beat Atlanta for the first time this year.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
Tim Hudson did it all on Tuesday night and the Braves beat the Nationals 8-1 giving Hudson his 200th career victory.
The Braves gathered twelve hits in the win. Andrelton Simmons led off the game with a solo homer for Atlanta, it was his second of the year. Hudson also hit a home run, the third of his career. He got an assist from Washington's Bryce Harper as the ball bounced off of Harper's glove and over the fence. Simmons and Freddie Freeman led the Braves with three hits apiece, Freeman also drove in three runs for the Braves. Hudson, Evan Gattis and Chris Johnson all had two hits apiece. Gattis also drove in two runs and Johnson drove in one run. The Braves did strike out eleven times though.
Hudson pitched a great game, he went seven innings and a run on three hits. He also struck out six Nationals' hitters and picked up the win and is now 3-1 on the year. He also became just the 110th pitcher in Major League history to win 200 games in his career. Anthony Varvaro pitched the final two innings of the game and didn't give up a hit.
The Braves are now 17-9 on the year and will play game three of their series with the Nationals tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (3-2) will start for the Braves against the Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann (4-1).
Tim Hudson is all smiles after hitting a home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, he also picked up the 200th victory of his career in the Braves' 8-1 win.
Photo Courtesy of news.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Hawks held off a late Pacers rally and beat Indiana 102-91 on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at two games a piece.
The Pacers were outscored big by the Hawks in the second quarter. They came out strong after halftime though and outscored Atlanta 22-12 in the third quarter. Unfortunately for them it wasn't enough, plus they only shot 38 percent from the field as a team. Paul George led the Pacers with 21 points and he also had twelve rebounds to lead the team. David West was next on the team with fifteen points, followed by Roy Hibbert with fourteen, George Hill with twelve and Lance Stephenson with ten.
The Hawks led by one after the first quarter and then outscored the Pacers 35-19 in the second quarter to take a seventeen point lead into the half. After halftime the Pacers started to fight back but Atlanta held off that rally to win the game and even the series. The Hawks shot 44 percent from the field as a team.
Josh Smith had 29 points to lead the Hawks, that is a new career playoff-high for him. He also pulled down eleven rebounds to lead the team. Kyle Korver was next in scoring for the Hawks, he had nineteen points off the bench. He was followed by Al Horford with eighteen and Jeff Teague, who had thirteen points. John Jenkins, Mike Scott, Dahntay Jones and Shelvin Mack didn't play in the game for Atlanta.
The Hawks and Pacers will travel back to Indiana for game five. That game will be on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and both teams will be trying to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference series.
Josh Smith reacts after the Hawks won game four against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, Smith scored a career playoff-high 29 points in the win.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
