Braves Lose in Extras to Royals

The Braves came from behind and had a chance to take the lead in the top of the tenth. Instead they squandered that chance and watched the Royals win 4-3 in the bottom half of that inning.
Atlanta had eight hits in the game. All their scoring came in the seventh inning. Reed Johnson, who replaced Jordan Schafer after he left the game when he fouled a ball off his foot, drove in the Braves' first run. Then Justin Upton tied the game with a two-run single but that was all the Braves could muster in a game of blown opportunities. Chris Johnson led Atlanta with two hits, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Gerald Laird each added a hit too.
Mike Minor got hit hard to begin with as he gave up three runs in the first three innings. He ended up getting a no decision as he pitched six innings giving up the six runs on nine hits, including a solo shot by the Royals' Alex Gordon. Luis Avilan and Jordan Walden, the Braves top two relievers right now, combined to pitch the next three innings and gave up only one hit. Alex Wood came in to pitch the tenth and he recorded only one out before giving up the winning run on two hits. He suffered the loss and is now 0-2 on the year.
The Braves are now 45-34 on the year. They will have another off day on Thursday in a rare week with two off days before returning home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. Julio Teheran (5-4) will start the first game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Former Brave Randall Delgado (0-1) will start for the D-Backs in his first game against his old team. Also, Braves' legend Chipper Jones will have his number retired by the Braves before the sold out game on Friday.

Justin Upton drives in two runs to tie the game in the seventh but Atlanta eventually fell 4-3 to the Royals in ten innings.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Heyward Leads Braves to Victory

Jason Heyward practically did it all for the Braves on Tuesday night as Atlanta won their first game ever played in Kansas City by beating the Royals, 4-3.
The Braves had ten hits in the contest. Heyward had two really big hits, first he had a two-run double that gave the Braves a 3-1 lead at the time. The Royals then tied the game at three and the next time Heyward came up he hit a solo home run for the eventual winning run. It was his sixth homer of the season. Jordan Schafer also had two hits and knocked in the Braves' first run of the game. Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman, B.J. Upton, Dan Uggla, Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons all had a hit apiece in the win.
Kris Medlen started the game for Atlanta and ended up pitching a good game. He went seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, including a game-tying homer to Eric Hosmer until Heyward bailed him out. Medlen also struck out five batters and improved his record to 5-7 on the year. Jordan Walden pitched a perfect eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel came in and almost blew the game in the ninth but he settled down and retired the side to earn his 22nd save of the season.
The Braves are now 45-33 on the year and they will finish their two-game series with the Royals tomorrow night at 8:10 p.m. Mike Minor (8-3) will start the game for Atlanta against Luis Mendoza (2-4) of the Royals.

Jason Heyward hits a two-run double, he also added a solo home run in his next at-bat to drive in three runs in the Braves' 4-3 victory over the Royals.
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Braves use Homers to Win

The Atlanta Braves broke out of their offensive slump in a big way Sunday afternoon by hitting three homers in the first four innings to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4.
Atlanta had fourteen hits in the game and snapped their scoring drought at 24 innings. Brian McCann did the honors of snapping that drought with a grand slam in the first inning. It was the tenth grand slam of his career and his eighth home run of the season. Chris Johnson hit his fifth home run of the year in the second inning and Jordan Schafer had the other home run, a solo shot in the fourth for his third of the year. Schafer had a big day, as he led the Braves with four hits, adding a double and two singles with his homer. McCann had three hits total and Johnson had two hits. Dan Uggla drove in the Braves other run with a single, one of his two hits on the day. Andrelton Simmons also had two hits and scored a run and Jason Heyward added a hit in the victory.
Paul Maholm made the start and did well before struggling in the fifth inning. He ended up pitching five innings and gave up four runs on eight hits. He struck out three and did pitch well enough to earn the win, he is 8-6 on the year now. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect inning, Anthony Varvaro, Cory Gearrin and Jordan Walden combined to pitch the seventh inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam. Walden continued and pitched a perfect eighth and then Craig Kimbrel came on in the ninth and struck out two batters and earned his 21st save of the season.
Atlanta is now 44-33 on the year. They will have an off-day on Monday before traveling to Kansas City to take on the Royals for two games. Kris Medlen (4-7) will start the first game the Braves ever play in Kansas City while Ervin Santana (5-5) will take the mound for the Royals.

Brian McCann watches the ball go over the fence for the tenth grand slam of his career in the first inning of the Braves' 7-4 victory over the Brewers on Sunday afternoon.
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Brewers Shutout Braves Again

For the second day in a row, the Atlanta Braves were shutout by the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0.
The Braves' offense only had four hits, they haven't scored a run in 24 innings. Andrelton Simmons and B.J. Upton both had two hits as they were the only Braves to get on base besides Dan Uggla and Jordan Schafer, who both drew walks.
Tim Hudson once again had a start wasted by the offense, he has really fallen on hard luck as of late. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits, including an RBI single to former Brave Juan Francisco, who was just traded to Milwaukee two weeks ago. Hudson did strike out four batters, but is now 4-7 on the season. David Carpenter pitched a perfect seventh inning and Alex Wood struck out three batters in the eighth to complete his perfect inning of work also.
The Braves are now 43-33 on the year and they will finish their three-game series with the Brewers tomorrow afternoon at 2:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (7-6) will take the mound for Atlanta against Alfredo Figaro (1-1) of the Brewers.

Tim Hudson throws a pitch on Saturday afternoon against the Brewers. Hudson pitched six effective innings, but got no run support in the Braves' 2-0 loss.
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Brewers Shutout Braves

The Milwaukee Brewers started their series with the Braves in a good way by shutting them out 2-0 on Friday night.
The offense managed only two hits off of Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta, who has struggled mightily throughout the season but looked like a Cy Young candidate against the Braves. B.J. Upton and Chris Johnson managed the get those two hits. The Braves also walked six times but they could never rally anything together to score any runs.
Julio Teheran pitched a great game, but once again he became the latest Braves' starter to receive no support from the offense. He pitched six and a third innings and gave up two runs on eight hits, which included a homer from the Brewers' Jean Segura. Teheran also struck out five batters as his record fell to 5-4 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched two-thirds of an inning by striking out both batters. Alex Wood pitched the final inning for the Braves, returning from the hand problem that forced him out of his first Major League start earlier this week against the New York Mets.
The Braves are now 43-32 on the year and they will continue their series with the Brewers tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-6) will try to pick up a win for the first time in seven starts, he will face the Brewers' Donovan Hand (0-0). Also, the Braves placed Ramiro Pena on the disabled list and called up shortstop Paul Janish from Triple-A Gwinnett.

B.J. Upton is tagged out at home when he tried to score on a bunt by Julio Teheran. It was the only scoring chance the Braves put together all night.
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Mets Beat Braves Again

The New York Mets held on to defeat the Braves 4-3 on Thursday night and they took three out of the five games in the series.
The Braves had a barrage of thirteen hits in the game but they couldn't produce any runs after the third inning. Tyler Pastornicky, who started in place of Dan Uggla, had three hits in the game, Gerald Laird also had three hits and an RBI in the loss. Justin Upton added two hits and an RBI, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman each added two hits also. Chris Johnson had an RBI single but had a horrible game in the field as he committed three errors on defense.
Mike Minor was on the mound for Atlanta and the Braves staked him to a two-run lead but he gave that up by giving up three home runs to the Mets, including two to David Wright. Minor ended up pitching six innings and gave up four runs on nine hits. He struck out six batters as he suffered the loss and his record fell to 8-3 on the year. Jordan Walden pitched two scoreless innings in relief and struck out three batters, Luis Avilan also pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
The Braves are now 43-31 on the year. They will travel to Milwaukee to play the Brewers for three games beginning tomorrow night at 8:10 p.m. Julio Teheran (5-3) will take the mound in game one of the series and will face Wily Peralta (4-8) for the Brewers.

Mike Minor stands on the mound as the Mets' Andrew Brown rounds the bases after one of the three home runs the Mets hit off of Minor in the game.
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Braves Top Mets

The Atlanta Braves bounced back from two losses yesterday to defeat the New York Mets on Wednesday night, 5-3.
The Braves had seven hits in the win. Chris Johnson gave a big blow to the Mets when he hits a three-run homer in the fourth inning to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. It was his fourth homer of the year and one of two hits he had on the day. B.J. Upton also added two hits for the Braves and an RBI. Jordan Schafer had a hit and scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch that only went a few feet away from home plate. Andrelton Simmons and Dan Uggla also added hits for the Braves.
Kris Medlen made a mental error in the fifth inning which helped the Mets tie the game. He threw the ball to third instead of going for the double play at second and first, the ball sailed into the outfield and the Mets scored two runs on that play and the third on the next play. Other than that he pitched a really good game going seven innings and giving up three runs, only one earned, on six hits. He struck out seven batters and earned the victory and is now 4-7 on the season. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth to earn his 20th save of the year.
The Braves are now 43-30 on the season and they will finish their five-game series with the Mets tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. Mike Minor (8-2) will make the start for the Braves against the Mets' Jonathon Niese (3-6).

Chris Johnson is congratulated by teammates after his three-run homer in the fourth inning of the Braves' 5-3 victory on Wednesday night.
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Mets Sweep Doubleheader

Zack Wheeler and the Mets were too much for the Braves to handle on Tuesday night, as the Mets swept the doubleheader by winning the nightcap, 6-1.

The Braves' offense collected seven hits in a game where it looked like they were hardly trying. Effects from playing three games in 24 hours could have had a toll on them, but it didn't on New York. Andrelton Simmons had two hits in the loss. Justin Upton drove in the Braves' only run with a sacrifice fly, while B.J. Upton, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla and Jordan Scahfer all had a hit apiece for Atlanta. Schafer scored the Braves' lone run on the sacrifice fly.

Paul Maholm fell on tough luck just like Tim Hudson had the day before, as he too had a great outing wasted by lack of run support. Maholm pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on nine hits, including a home run to the Mets' Anthony Recker. Maholm also struck out seven batters, but he suffered the loss and his record is now 7-6 on the year. Anthony Varvaro pitched the eighth inning and got rocked, he gave up four runs on four hits as it shot his ERA up by over a run. Cory Gearrin pitched the ninth and gave up two walks and a hit but struck out two and got out of the inning with no damage done.

The Braves are now 42-30 on the year and they will take on the New York Mets again tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (3-7) will try and right the ship for the Braves against Shawn Marcum (0-8) who will try and right his own ship for the Mets.

It was a game of miscues and lack of offense for the Braves as they lost to the Mets, 6-1, while losing both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday. In this picture, the Upton brothers collide while B.J. makes the catch to end the inning.

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Braves Lose to Mets

The Atlanta Braves lost their first game of a doubleheader against the Mets on Tuesday afternoon 4-3.
The offense had only six hits in the game and didn't put anything positive together until the eighth inning when they scored all three of their runs. Jason Heyward had two hits and drove in a run for the Braves, Dan Uggla also added two hits and scored a run. Jordan Schafer had a big two-run single in the eighth that got the Braves on the board, Andrelton Simmons also added a hit and scored a run on Heyward's double. The Braves did strike out sixteen times as a team though, the Mets' Matt Harvey had thirteen alone. The Braves also stranded thirteen men on base in the loss.
Alex Wood made his first Major League start and was doing well before busting a blister which caused his hand to bleed and forced him to leave the game, he might be headed for the DL. He completed three innings and gave up a run on two hits and struck out five batters, unfortunately he suffered the loss and is 0-1 on the season. Cory Rasmus, who was called up specifically for the doubleheader, pitched the next three innings and gave up a run on three hits, one of them a John Buck homer. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect seventh inning in his first appearance in awhile. David Carpenter pitched the eighth inning and gave up two runs on a hit and two walks, those runs proved to be a big factor in the Mets' victory. Jordan Walden came on to pitch a perfect ninth inning.
The Braves are now 42-29 on the year. They will play game two of the doubleheader at 7:10 p.m. Paul Maholm (7-5) will start the game for the Braves against Zack Wheeler (0-0) who is a native of Georgia and will be making his Major League debut for the Mets.

Alex Wood made his first Major League start for the Braves in game one of their doubleheader on Tuesday, unfortunately he left the game early with an injury.
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Braves Win on Late Homer

The Atlanta Braves' bats had remained silent all night. Then Mets' starter Dillon Gee threw the last pitch of the game which resulted in a two-run homer to give the Braves a 2-1 victory.
The Braves had five hits in the game, but none were bigger than that walk-off home run that came off the bat of Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the ninth. It was Freeman's seventh homer of the year and it also gave him 48 RBI's, which leads the team. It was also just one of Freeman's three hits on the evening. Justin Upton had a hit and scored on the homer and Jason Heyward also added a hit for the Braves.
Tim Hudson had another good outing wasted by the offense's lack of run support. He completed seven innings and gave up one run on six hits. He also struck out six in his performance that came after a three hour rain delay before the start of the game. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect eighth inning and David Carpenter pitched a perfect ninth inning and earned the victory, he is 1-0 on the year.
The Braves are now 42-28 on the year. They have a doubleheader against the Mets tomorrow and game one will start at 1:05 p.m. Alex Wood (0-0) will make his first Major League start against Mets' ace Matt Harvey (5-1). Also, some bad news for the Braves, Evan Gattis was placed on the disabled list with a strained oblique after the game, Tyler Pastornicky was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place on the roster.

Freddie Freeman watches his game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth that gave the Braves a 2-1 win over the Mets in a game that was delayed over three hours by rain.
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Braves Shutout Giants

The Atlanta Braves shutout the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night, 3-0, to win the three-game series.
Atlanta had seven hits in the victory. Freddie Freeman had a great night as he had three hits, including an RBI single in the first inning. Chris Johnson also added two hits, B.J. Upton knocked in a run with an RBI double in the third inning and Jordan Schafer laid down a suicide squeeze to drive in the third run in the sixth inning. Ramiro Pena also had a hit and scored on Schafer's squeeze.
Julio Teheran pitched great in the six innings he completed. He kept the Giants scoreless as he gave up seven hits and struck out eight as he improved his record to 5-3 on the year. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect seventh inning and Jordan Walden pitched a perfect eighth inning and they both struck out a batter. Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth inning as he picked up his nineteenth save of the season.
The Braves are now 41-28 on the year. They will begin a five-game series with the New York Mets tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. One of the five games will be a make-up game from a rain out earlier in the season. Tim Hudson (4-6) will start the first game of the series against Dillon Gee (5-6) for the Mets.

Julio Teheran pitched six shutout innings Sunday night as he picked up his fifth victory of the year in the Braves' 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
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Braves Beat Giants in Ninth

The Atlanta Braves came from behind in the ninth inning to beat the San Francisco Giants on Saturday evening and they snapped a four-game losing streak in the process.
The Braves knocked out eleven hits in the game. B.J. Upton had a big day with two home runs, one a solo shot and the other a two-run shot, he now has eight homers on the year. Chris Johnson also added two hits and an RBI, Jason Heyward and Brian McCann had two hits apiece too. Freddie Freeman's one hit was the biggest of the game as it was the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. Justin Upton added a hit and he got an RBI as he drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game before Freeman's heroics. Jordan Schafer also had a hit in his pinch hit at-bat.
Mike Minor had a decent outing but it wasn't good enough for a victory. He pitched six innings and gave up five runs, only four earned, on seven hits, he also struck out seven batters in the game. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect seventh inning and Luis Avilan struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning. Craig Kimbrel gave up two hits and a walk in the ninth inning, but he got out of the jam and earned the victory, he is 2-1 on the year now.
Atlanta is now 40-28 on the season and they will finish up their three-game series with the Giants tomorrow night at 8:05 p.m. as they are featured on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Julio Teheran (5-3) will make the start against Tim Lincecum (4-6) of the Giants.

B.J. Upton rounds the bases after one of his two home runs in the Braves' 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
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Braves Shutout by Giants

The Atlanta Braves returned home to Turner Field in a rough way on Friday night, getting shutout by the San Francisco Giants, 6-0.
The Braves' offense had only three hits in the contest. Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons and Chris Johnson each had a hit. They also struck out twelve times as a team, including two times each by Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Brian McCann and Dan Uggla.
Kris Medlen started the game and appeared to struggle as he did at the beginning of the year. He pitched six innings but gave up four runs on nine hits, including a homer by former Brave Gregor Blanco. He also struck out four batters in the game as his record fell to 3-7 on the year. Alex Wood pitched the seventh inning and struggled as he gave up two runs on a hit and three walks but he did strike out two men. Anthony Varvaro and David Carpenter pitched a perfect inning each in the eighth and ninth respectively.
Atlanta is now 39-28 on the year and they will continue their three-game set with the Giants tomorrow at 5:05 p.m. Mike Minor (8-2) will try and help the Braves snap their four-game losing streak as he takes on Chad Gaudin (2-1) for the Giants.

David Carpenter had another perfect inning in Friday's loss to the Giants, he has become a stable bullpen piece for the Braves of late.
Photo Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Braves Swept by Padres

The San Diego Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Braves on Wednesday afternoon by beating them 5-3 and bringing an end to the Braves' miserable West Coast road trip.
The Braves' offense had ten hits in the game but couldn't manage to get many runs across. Justin Upton had two hits and two RBI's, one of his hits was his fifteenth home run of the season. Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward both added two hits for the Braves. Jordan Schafer had a hit and an RBI, Dan Uggla, Andrelton Simmons and Paul Maholm all had a hit apiece in the loss. The Braves also struck out thirteen times as a team in the game.
Maholm struggled most of the day as he only pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, including a homer to Chris Denorfia for San Diego. He also struck out four batters but took the loss and is now 7-5 on the year. David Carpenter pitched an inning and a third and struck out two batters. Alex Wood pitched a perfect eighth inning and lowered his ERA to 1.35 to begin his career.
The Braves are now 39-27 on the year. They have an off day on Thursday before returning home and facing the San Francisco Giants for three games over the weekend beginning Friday. Kris Medlen (3-6) will look to continue his recent run of success and he will take on Madison Bumgarner (5-4) of the Giants.

Justin Upton hits a solo home run in the eighth inning of the Braves' 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Fall Short Again

The Atlanta Braves fell short again for the second night in a row against the San Diego Padres, losing 3-2.
Atlanta had six hits in the loss. Brian McCann led the team with two hits. Freddie Freeman had an RBI single in the first inning and then drove in another run in the sixth but since he hit into a double play he didn't get an RBI. Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton each added a hit for the Braves.
Tim Hudson had a great outing once again but got stiffed by the Braves' lack of offense. He went seven and a third innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He also struck out seven but suffered the loss and is 4-6 on the year. Luis Avilan and Anthony Varvaro combined to get the final two outs for the Braves.
Atlanta is now 39-26 on the year and they will finish their series with the Padres tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Paul Maholm (7-4) will get the start for the Braves against Edinson Volquez (4-5) of the Padres.

Tim Hudson had another good outing but didn't get any help from his friends as the Braves lost 3-2.
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Braves Rally, Fall Short

The Atlanta Braves put together a fantastic rally over the last two innings on Monday night, but they fell short losing 7-6 to San Diego.
The Braves had nine hits in the loss. Jason Heyward had a big night, he hit two solo home runs in the last two innings, he now has five homers on the season. Evan Gattis once again rose to the occasion and hit a three-run pinch hit homer in the ninth inning, his fourteenth of the year. After all of that though, Atlanta fell just short. Justin and B.J. Upton each added two hits, Dan Uggla and Chris Johnson each had a hit and Julio Teheran drove in a run.
Teheran looked like a different pitcher compared to his last outing. He went six innings and gave up five runs on six hits, including homers to the Padres' Logan Forsythe and Will Venable. He also suffered the loss and is now 4-3 on the year. Cory Gearrin pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on two hits. After being one of the Braves' most dominant bullpen members to begin the year, Gearrin has gone through a series of rough outings.
The Braves are now 39-25 on the year and they will take on the Padres again tomorrow night at 10:05 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-5) will try to even his record as he takes on Andrew Cashner (4-3) for the Padres.

Jason Heyward is congratulated by his teammates after hitting his second home run of the evening in the Braves' 7-6 loss to the Padres.
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Braves Pound Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1 on Sunday afternoon to split the four game series between the two teams.
The Braves had only seven hits in the game, but seemed to score on every chance they got. Dan Uggla had a big game with two hits, both of them homers, and four RBI's. He now has thirteen home runs on the year. Freddie Freeman had two hits, including a big three-run double in the fourth inning that broke the game wide open. Jason Heyward also added two hits, Andrelton Simmons had one and Evan Gattis got an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
Mike Minor struggled in the first inning but afterwards he settled down and only gave up a run on six hits. He also struck out six batters and improved his record to 8-2. Alex Wood pitched two innings and gave up a hit and struck out three. David Carpenter pitched a perfect ninth to finish up the game.
The Braves are now 39-24 on the year. They will travel to San Diego to take on the Padres starting tomorrow night at 10:05 p.m. Julio Teheran (4-2) will try to continue his recent streak of dominance against the Padres best pitcher and former Brave Jason Marquis (7-2).

Dan Uggla hit two home runs on Sunday, and has three home runs in the past two games, as he helped the Braves beat the Dodgers, 8-1.
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Homers Help Braves Win

Two home runs helped the Braves down the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night, 2-1.
The Braves' offense, which has been struggling lately, had nine hits but only managed two runs. All the offense came in the fifth inning as Dan Uggla and Kris Medlen each hit a home run. Uggla's homer was his eleventh of the year and Medlen's was his first of the season and also the first of his career. Andrelton Simmons ended up leading the Braves with three hits. Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson and B.J. Upton each added a hit for the Braves in the victory.
Not only did Medlen help himself by hitting what was eventually the game-winning home run, he also pitched six and two-thirds innings of shut out ball. He gave up only five hits and struck out six batters while picking up the victory and improving his record to 3-6 on the year. Anthony Varvaro and Jordan Walden each pitched a third of an inning, while Luis Avilan pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up an unearned run. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning and struck out two batters while recording his eighteenth save of the year.
The Braves are now 38-24 on the season and they will finish their four-game series with the Dodgers tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. Mike Minor (7-2) will make the start for Atlanta against Matt Magill (0-1) of the Dodgers.

Kris Medlen follows through for the game-winning home run, which was also the first of his career, in the Braves' 2-1 victory on Saturday night.
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Dodgers Down Braves in Extras

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in the tenth inning on Friday night in a game the Braves should have won.
The Braves' offense ended up having eight hits in the game, but could only push across one run. That run came in the fourth inning when Dan Uggla singled to left to score Freddie Freeman. Freeman had a fantastic night as he led the Braves with three hits. Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward and Justin and B.J. Upton each had a hit for the Braves in the loss.
Atlanta once again had great pitching but they couldn't cash in on Paul Maholm's performance. Maholm went seven and a third innings and gave up only a run on four hits and struck out three, the run was another Yasiel Puig homer. Jordan Walden came in and replaced Maholm by getting the final two outs of the inning. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect ninth for Atlanta and struck out a batter. Anthony Varvaro was only able to record one out before giving up the winning run to the Dodgers, who had two hits off him. What killed Varvaro is he threw two wild pitches in the inning which allowed L.A. to win. Varvaro is now 3-1 on the season.
The Braves are now 37-24 on the year and they will play the Dodgers again tomorrow night at 10:05 p.m. Kris Medlen (2-6) will start for Atlanta against Stephen Fife (1-0) of the Dodgers.

Paul Maholm pitched a great game, but the Braves' offense let another one of their starting pitchers down by not providing run support as the Braves lost 2-1 on Friday night.
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Dodgers Shut Out Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night, 5-0.
The offense had seven hits in the game but never could seem to rally and get anything together to score. Jason Heyward had two hits again for the fourth straight game to lead the Braves. Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla, Ramiro Pena and Jordan Schafer each had a hit in the loss. The Braves also struck out ten times as a team in the game, Justin Upton had the most with three.
Tim Hudson pitched a great game for Atlanta but didn't get any offensive support to back him up. He went seven innings for the Braves and gave up a run on four hits. He also struck out five batters and suffered the loss, he falls to 4-5 on the year. Cory Gearrin came in to pitch the eighth but he gave up four runs on three hits, the biggest being Yasiel Puig's grand slam. Puig is batting .438 and has three homers and nine RBI's since getting called up by the Dodgers earlier this week. Alex Wood came in to replace Gearrin and got the final two outs of the inning.
The Braves are now 37-23 on the year. They will continue their four-game series with the Dodgers tomorrow night at 10:05 p.m. Paul Maholm (7-4) will start for Atlanta against Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2) of the Dodgers.

Tim Hudson pitched seven innings and gave up only a run but didn't get any offensive support as the Braves lost 5-0 on Thursday night.
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Teheran Pitches Braves to Sweep

Julio Teheran had what was easily the best start of his Major League career on Wednesday afternoon and he led the Braves to a 5-0 victory and a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Braves had seven hits in the victory. Andrelton Simmons and Jason Heyward each recorded two hits for Atlanta. Evan Gattis and Gerald Laird went back to back with homers in the sixth inning. It was Gattis' thirteenth home run of the season and it was Laird's first of the year. Chris Johnson added a hit and an RBI, Dan Uggla also recorded an RBI in a force out.

Teheran had a great game and came within four outs of a no-hitter. He ended up pitching eight innings while giving up no runs and only one hit. He also struck out eleven batters in the game as he improved his record to 4-2 on the season. David Carpenter pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out two batters in the process.

The Braves are now 37-22 on the year and they will begin a seven-game road trip to the West Coast tomorrow night at 10:05 p.m. against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tim Hudson (4-4) will make the start for the Braves against Zack Greinke (2-1) for the Dodgers.

Gerald Laird, who is the main catcher for Julio Teheran, rounds the bases after his first home run of the year. Teheran almost pitched a no-hitter in the Braves' win on Wednesday.

Photo Courtesy of uk.news.yahoo.com

Simmons Lifts Braves in Extras

Andrelton Simmons led the Braves to a victory in extra innings on Tuesday night. His game-winning double in the tenth capped a comeback which saw the Braves come out on top, 5-4.
The Braves had ten hits in the victory. Simmons led them with three, which included his game-winning hit and he also scored a run. Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward also showed signs of encouragement as they had two hits apiece. B.J. Upton had a big two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at four apiece, it was his sixth home run of the season. Freddie Freeman also had a big two-run double in the third that helped cut the Pirates deficit to only a run at the time. Justin Upton also had a hit in the win.
Mike Minor did decent, but had one of his worst performances of the year by giving up four runs on four hits, including home runs to Gaby Sanchez and Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates. He also struck out six batters but he didn't factor into the decision. Luis Avilan, Jordan Walden and Craig Kimbrel each pitched a perfect inning in relief and each struck out a batter in their inning of work. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect tenth inning and picked up the victory, he is now 3-0 on the year.
The Braves are now 36-22 on the year and they will conclude their three-game series with the Pirates tomorrow afternoon at 12:35 p.m. Julio Teheran (3-2) will start for the Braves against lefty Wandy Rodriguez (6-3) of the Pirates.

Andrelton Simmons hit the game-winning double in the bottom of the tenth as the Braves beat the Pirates, 5-4.
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Braves Crush Pirates

The Atlanta Braves crushed the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, 7-2. Atlanta used three homers to propel them to victory.
The offense had ten hits in the win. Brian McCann, Jason Heyward and Chris Johnson all had two hits for Atlanta. McCann hit his seventh homer of the year in the fourth inning, he also drove in two runs. McCann's second hit of the game was the 1,000th hit of his Major League career, of which all has been spent with Atlanta. Heyward hit is third homer of the year in the fifth inning, he also had two RBI's. Johnson added an RBI also for the Braves. Freddie Freeman hit his sixth home run of the year in the fifth, it was a two-run shot. Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton and Kris Medlen each added a hit for the Braves.
Medlen had a great pitching performance for the Braves. He went seven innings and gave up an unearned run on seven hits. He also struck out six batters and improved his record to 2-6 on the year. Rookie Alex Wood pitched the final two innings of the game for the Braves. He gave up a run on two hits but struck out three batters.
The Braves improved their record to 35-22 on the year with the victory. They will play the Pirates again tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Mike Minor (7-2) will start for the Braves against Jeff Locke (5-1) of the Pirates.

Brian McCann hits a ball over Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates, the hit was McCann's 1,000 hit of his career which came in the Braves 7-2 victory on Monday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Braves Beat Nats Again

Paul Maholm helped lead the Braves to a 6-3 victory on Sunday afternoon which also helped Atlanta take two out of three from the Nationals over the weekend.
The Braves had nine hits in the victory. Justin Upton had three of the Braves hits and scored a run. Freddie Freeman had two hits, including a two-run double in the sixth inning. B.J. Upton hit a solo homer in the second, it was his fifth of the year. Ramiro Pena also hit a homer, a two-run shot in the first, which was his third of the year. Brian McCann added a hit and an RBI, Andrelton Simmons also had a hit for the Braves.
Maholm did well as he pitched six innings and gave up three runs, only two earned, on five hits, including a homer to Ian Desmond. He also struck out four batters and improved his record to 7-4 on the year. Anthony Varvaro and Luis Avilan each pitched a perfect inning in relief. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his seventeenth save of the season.
The Braves are now 34-22 on the year. They will begin a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (1-6) will take the ball in the first game against A.J. Burnett (3-5) of the Pirates.

Freddie Freeman watches his two-run double in the sixth inning. The Braves won 6-3 on Sunday afternoon against the Nationals.
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B.J., Braves Win in Ten

B.J. Upton returned to the Atlanta lineup on Saturday night and ended up delivering in the tenth inning as the Braves won 2-1.
Atlanta's offense had five hits in the victory. B.J. led the Braves with two hits, including the game-winning RBI single in extras. Andrelton Simmons had a hit and the other RBI for Atlanta. Chris Johnson and Reed Johnson each had a hit apiece for the Braves. Jordan Schafer entered the game as a pinch runner and stole his seventh base of the year before scoring the winning run. The Braves did strike out ten times again though, Jason Heyward struck out three times in the game.
Tim Hudson turned things around in this game after a few rough outings. He pitched seven and a third innings while giving up an unearned run on three hits. He also struck out four batters but didn't factor into the decision. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning, Craig Kimbrel pitched out of a jam in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings. Jordan Walden pitched a perfect tenth inning and ended up getting the victory, he is now 2-1 on the year.
The Braves are now 33-22 on the year and they will finish their series with the Nationals tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. Paul Maholm (6-4) will start for the Braves against Nate Karns (0-0) of the Nationals.

B.J. Upton drives in the winning run in the tenth inning for the Braves. He returned to the lineup and had two hits and the game-winning RBI.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Lose Opener to Nats

The Braves lost a battle with the Nationals on Friday night, 3-2.
The offense had four hits in the loss. Freddie Freeman provided all of the offense with a solo home run in the second which was his fifth of the year. He also had an RBI single in the seventh inning. Ramiro Pena had the other two hits for the Braves and he scored on Freeman's single. The Braves did strike out ten times in the game.
Julio Teheran did fairly well in the game. He pitched six and two-thirds innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. He did strike out nine but suffered the loss and is now 3-2 on the year. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect inning in relief. Luis Avilan got the one batter out that he faced on two pitches. Cory Gearrin pitched a perfect ninth inning to help the bullpen keep Washington in check for the whole game.
The Braves are now 32-22 on the year, they will continue their series with the Nationals tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-4) will start for the Braves against Gio Gonzalez (3-3) for Washington.

Julio Teheran pitched six plus innings of good baseball but didn't get enough offensive support as the Braves lost 3-2.
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Braves Clobber Blue Jays

The Atlanta Braves clobbered the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night, 11-3.
The Braves had sixteen hits in the victory. Evan Gattis and Ramiro Pena led the Braves with three hits apiece, Pena also led the Braves with four RBI's in the win. Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann and Jordan Schafer also had two hits apiece for Atlanta. Freeman hit his fourth home run in the game, Schafer also drove in two runs. Reed Johnson hit a two-run pinch hit homer in the eighth inning for his first of the year. Andrelton Simmons had a hit and an RBI and Justin Upton and Chris Johnson also had a hit apiece.
Mike Minor had another good outing as he pitched seven innings and gave up three runs, only two earned, on six hits. He also struck out five batters and improved his record to 7-2 on the season. Jordan Walden pitched a perfect eighth inning and Alex Wood made his major league debut and pitched a perfect ninth to finish out the game.
The Braves are now 32-21 on the year. They will begin a three-game series with the Washington Nationals tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. Julio Teheran (3-1) will start game one against Stephen Strasburg (3-5) of the Nationals. Also, to bring Wood up from the minors, the Braves designated Juan Francisco for assignment. They have ten days to try and trade him for something in return, otherwise Francisco would most likely refuse an assignment to the minors and would elect free agency.

Mike Minor throws a pitch against the Blue Jays on Thursday night, he picked up his seventh win of the year in the 11-3 victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press