Heyward Saves the Day in Win

The Braves didn't do anything through the first eight innings in Monday nights game against the New York Mets. But in the ninth inning all the action occurred as Atlanta won 2-1.
The Braves had six hits in the game against the Mets. None were bigger than Reed Johnson's pinch-hit single in the top of the ninth that put the Braves ahead for good. Chirs Johnson also drove in a run with an RBI ground out in the top of the ninth. Evan Gattis led the Braves with two hits, Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann and Andrelton Simmons all had a hit apiece in the game too.
Julio Teheran had a great start as he pitched six innings and gave up only a run on four hits. He also struck out six batters but he didn't factor into the decision thanks to no help from the offense. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect seventh inning and Jordan Walden pitched a perfect eighth inning to pick up the victory and move to 4-1 on the year. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth and struck out two in picking up his 28th save. He wouldn't have gotten that save though if Jason Heyward hadn't of made a spectacular catch to end the game, it arguably could be the best catch of the year by a Brave.
Atlanta is now 56-43 on the year and they will continue their series tomorrow evening with the Mets at 7:10 p.m. Kris Medlen (6-9) will try to pitch good enough to keep his spot in the starting rotation while Carlos Torres (0-1) will start for the Mets.
 
Jason Heyward holds up his glove as Reed Johnson celebrates in the background after Heyward made a spectacular catch to end the game against the Mets on Monday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

White Sox Top Braves Again

The Atlanta Braves again displayed a poor offensive performance as they lost 3-1 to the last-place Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon.
The Braves managed nine hits in the game but left eleven runners on base as they wasted a great start by Mike Minor. Evan Gattis led the Braves with two hits in the game, he also drove in the Braves' only run. Freddie Freeman also had two hits, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson, Brian McCann and Gerald Laird each added a hit. Reed Johnson also had a hit and it appeared he was going to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run home run before Chicago's Casper Wells scaled he wall to rob him of the potential game-tying homer.
Minor had such a great start go to waste by the Braves' offense. It was probably one of his best games of the season as he pitched a complete game going eight innings and giving up three runs, only two earned on five hits. He struck out eight batters as he threw only 101 pitches in the game. Unfortunately, he suffered the loss and his record falls to 9-5 on the year.
Atlanta is now 55-43 on the year. They will now travel to New York to take on the Mets for the next four games. Julio Teheran (7-5) will start the 7:10 p.m. game tomorrow against the Mets' Dillon Gee (7-7). Also, the Braves called up some relief help from the minors before the game on Sunday. Kameron Loe was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett, where he was 4-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 21 games for them this season. He also appeared in games with the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs earlier this season. Tyler Pastornicky was sent back to Gwinnett to create room for Loe on the roster.
 
Mike Minor pitched a complete game on Sunday but the offense let him down as the White Sox won 3-1.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

White Sox Pound Braves

The Chicago White Sox fell behind early to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, but then pounded them over two innings to win 10-6.
The Braves' offense did gather ten hits in the victory, they just got no help from their starting pitcher in this game. Justin Upton had two hits to lead the Braves, he also drove in a run in the third inning. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning for his tenth homer of the year. He also had a sacrifice fly earlier in the game to give him three RBI's on the day. Dan Uggla started the scoring for the Braves in the second inning with a two-run shot, it was his team-leading nineteenth home run of the season. Jose Constanza, Chris Johnson, Evan Gattis, Brian McCann, Andrelton Simmons and Joey Terdoslavich all added a hit apiece as every Brave had a hit in the game.
Paul Maholm started off well but then he just completely lost control of the game as he gave up seven runs in a little over an inning. He ended up pitching only three innings and gave up the runs on seven hits including a grand slam to Alex Rios. He also left the game with an apparent wrist injury and it will be determined later if he will make his next scheduled start or not. David Carpenter also struggled at first but he then settled down, he pitched three innings and gave up two runs on four hits while striking out two. Anthony Varvaro pitched the next inning and gave up a run on two hits and two walks. He also struck out two in the appearance, which continued a string of recent appearances where Varvaro has appeared to struggle. Luis Ayala then came on and pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Atlanta.
The Braves are now 55-42 and will finish their series with the White Sox tomorrow at 2:10 p.m. Mike Minor (9-4) will start the game for Atlanta against Jose Quintana (4-2) for the White Sox.
 
Dan Uggla rounds the bases after hitting a two-run shot to give the Braves the lead in their eventual 10-6 loss to the White Sox on Saturday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Win in Return from Break

The Atlanta Braves returned from the All-Star break on Friday night against the Chicago White Sox and won 6-4.
The Braves had nine hits in the game. Brian McCann's three-run homer was the biggest hit of the game though and it put Atlanta in front for good. It was McCann's thirteenth homer of the year. Chris Johnson ended up leading the Braves with three hits and he also had an RBI, Justin Upton added two hits and scored two runs in the game. Andrelton Simmons knocked in the other two runs with a two-run shot for the Braves' first runs of the game, it was his ninth homer of the year. Evan Gattis and Joey Terdoslavich also added a hit apiece in the game.
Tim Hudson pitched seven and a third innings to win his third game of July and improve his record to 7-7 on the year. He gave up four runs on eight hits and struck out four men in the game. Luis Avilan and Jordan Walden combined to get the final two outs of the eighth inning. Craig Kimbrel then came on in the ninth and struck out three batters to record his 27th save of the year.
The Braves are now 55-41 on the year and they will continue their series with the White Sox tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 p.m. Paul Maholm (9-8) will look for his team-leading tenth victory of the year as he takes on Jake Peavy (6-4) of the White Sox, who returns from an injury.
 
Brian McCann hits a three-run homer to put the Braves ahead for good in their 6-4 victory on Friday night over the White Sox.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Hawks Sign Brand

The Atlanta Hawks made a move to help out their front court by signing free agent Elton Brand away from the Dallas Mavericks.
Brand spent last season as his lone season with Dallas. He has also played for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers in his career. His best season came in 2005-2006 with the Clippers when he averaged 24.7 points and ten rebounds a game. Last year in 72 games with Dallas, Brand averaged career-lows with 7.2 points and six rebounds a game. His season totals were 518 points and 430 rebounds. The Hawks plan to use Brand as a backup to starting center Al Horford and starting power forward Paul Millsap.

Elton Brand fights for room in a game last year for the Dallas Mavericks. Brand was signed to a one-year deal by the Hawks on Monday to shore up the front court.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Lose to Reds

The Atlanta Braves dropped their final game heading into the All-Star break on Sunday 8-4 to the Cincinnati Reds.
Atlanta had nine hits in the loss but they never really seemed to get anything together at once. Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson and Gerald Laird all had two hits in the game. Simmons hit his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, Laird also added an RBI in the game. Dan Uggla homered for the second straight game, he now has eighteen on the year. Reed Johnson and Julio Teheran had the Braves' other two hits.
Teheran struggled this time around on the mound. He pitched five and a third innings and gave up five runs on seven hits, including homers to Shin-Soo Choo and Jay Bruce. He suffered the loss and is now 7-5 on the year. Luis Ayala got the final two outs of the sixth inning before David Carpenter came on and pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings and struck out three batters. Anthony Varvaro pitched the ninth inning and struggled too, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks.
The Braves are now 54-41 on the year. They will enjoy the next four days off before heading to Chicago to take on the White Sox for a three-game series starting on Friday at 8:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (6-7) will start that game for Atlanta, the White Sox have yet to determine who will start for them. Also, Freddie Freeman was declared inactive for the All-Star game this Tuesday after winning the NL Final Player vote last week. NL manager Bruce Bochy announced that Brian McCann will take his place on the roster. This will be McCann's seventh All-Star appearance in eight Major League seasons.

Dan Uggla is congratulated by Gerald Laird after hitting a home run for the second day in a row in the Braves' 8-4 loss to the Reds on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Minor Leads Braves Over Reds

Mike Minor used his arm and bat to help the Braves overcome their recent string of injuries and lead them over the Reds 5-2 on Saturday.
The Braves had eleven hits in the victory. Jose Constanza, who was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett after the Braves placed B.J. Upton on the DL, had three hits and an RBI in his first game with Atlanta this season. Reed Johnson and Joey Terdoslavich each had two hits and scored a run, as the make-shift outfield contributed heavily in the victory. Minor had his big two-run double that put the Braves ahead for good in the fifth inning. Brian McCann and Dan Uggla each had a solo homer in the game. It was McCann's twelfth of the season and Uggla's seventeenth home run. Chris Johnson also added a hit and scored a run in the game.
Minor struggled in the second inning but he then settled down and ended up pitching seven innings while giving up two runs on six hits. He also struck out seven Reds' batters in the game while improving his record to 9-4 on the season. Luis Avilan pitched a scoreless eighth inning, then Craig Kimbrel came on and struck out the side in the ninth for his 26th save of the year.
The Braves are now 54-40 on the year and will finish their series with the Reds tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 p.m. It will also be the final game before the All-Star break next week. Julio Teheran (7-4) will make the final start against Tony Cingrani (3-1) for the Reds.

Mike Minor hits a go-ahead double in the bottom of the fifth inning that proved to be the winning run for Atlanta in their 5-2 victory on Saturday over Cincinnati.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Lose Game, Uptons

The Braves not only lost 4-2 to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, but they also lost the rest of their starting outfielders.
The Braves managed only four hits in the game. Brian McCann's eleventh home run of the season provided the most excitement for the fans. Freddie Freeman added another hit and an RBI, while Justin Upton and Kris Medlen had the Braves' other two hits. B.J. Upton was hurt first while attempting a diving catch in the top of the first inning. He dove for the ball, missed it, and his knee got stuck in the ground which sent him tumbling awkwardly on the ground. It was determined later he hurt an abdominal muscle. Justin got hurt later trying to leg out an infield single but he pulled a leg muscle. After those injuries and the injury to Jason Heyward the day before, the Braves were left with an outfield that consisted of Reed Johnson, Joey Terdoslavich and Tyler Pastornicky.
Kris Medlen struggled for the second game in a row as he gave up three quick runs in the first inning. Overall, he pitched only four innings and gave up four runs on nine hits. He also struck out four batters as his record fell to 6-9 for the year. Alex Wood pitched the next three and two-thirds innings and didn't give up a hit while striking out three batters. Luis Ayala struck out one of the two batters he faced to end the eighth inning. Anthony Varvaro walked two batters in the ninth before retiring the side.
The Braves are now 53-40 on the year and they will take on the Reds again tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. Mike Minor (8-4) will try to get the Braves back on track against the Reds' Homer Bailey (5-7) who just threw a no-hitter on July 2nd against the San Francisco Giants.

Brian McCann hits a solo home run in the Braves' 4-2 loss to the Reds on Friday night, a game in which the Braves lost both Uptons to injuries.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Top Reds

The Atlanta Braves won the first game of a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night 6-5, but they lost a player who has just started to heat up.
The Braves had eleven hits in the victory. They had taken a 6-3 lead early but the Reds slowly chipped their way back into the game before the Braves finished it out. Freddie Freeman, who had just learned he won the NL Final Player vote for the upcoming All-Star game, celebrated in a big way by having three hits and driving in four runs. Justin Upton also added three hits and drove in a run and scored two more. Andrelton Simmons added two hits and scored two runs, while Reed Johnson had a hit and an RBI and Chris Johnson added a hit. Jason Heyward also had a hit in the game but he left with a leg injury later, it looks like he will be out until after the All-Star break.
Tim Hudson started the game and earned his second victory in a row now bringing his record up to 6-7 on the year. He pitched seven innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on eight hits and struck out five. Jordan Walden came in to pitch the eighth and he gave up an unearned run on a hit while striking out two batters. Craig Kimbrel also struck out two batters in the ninth inning to earn his 25th save of the season.
The Braves are now 53-39 on the year and they will continue their four-game series with the Reds tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. Kris Medlen (6-8) will get the ball for Atlanta against Bronson Arroyo (5-6) of the Reds.

Freddie Freeman, who was just named to the NL All-Star team earlier in the day, had four RBI's in the Braves' 6-5 victory over the Reds on Thursday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Marlins Crush Maholm, Braves

The Miami Marlins figured out Paul Maholm quick on Wednesday afternoon and ended up beating the Braves, 6-2.
Atlanta had six hits in the loss. Chris Johnson led the Braves with two hits and he drove in a run. Dan Uggla had an RBI double for the Braves other run. Tyler Pastornicky, Freddie Freeman and B.J. Upton had the other hits for the Braves. Atlanta has had problems all year of having an offense that does good one day and then horrible the next, as they did today.
Maholm had a horrible outing. He gave up for runs in the first inning and ended up throwing 103 pitches in only four and a third innings. He also gave up seven hits and allowed five walks while his record fell to 9-8 on the year. David Carpenter pitched an inning and two-thirds and was perfect. Luis Ayala then came in and gave up two runs on three hits. Anthony Varvaro pitched the final two-thirds of the inning and was part of the reason why Ayala was charged with runs against him.
The Braves are now 52-39 on the year. They will travel back home to take on the Cincinnati Reds starting tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. The two teams will play four games before the All-Star break. Tim Hudson (5-7) will start game one for the Braves against Mat Latos (8-2) of the Reds.

Paul Maholm was roughed up against the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon as the Braves lost 6-2.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Upton Powers Braves Past Fish

The Atlanta Braves came from behind a few times to beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Atlanta had eleven hits in the victory. Justin Upton led the team with three hits, including his sixteenth home run of the year in the seventh inning. He also had two RBI's in the game. His brother B.J. also had a good game with two hits and an RBI. Brian McCann added a hit and two RBI's for Atlanta, Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson and Julio Teheran all had a hit apiece in the game too.
Teheran didn't have his best start of the year but he did get the job done. He gave up runs in the early going, including a three-run homer to Rob Brantly of the Marlins, who hadn't hit a homer all year before the game. Teheran ended up going seven and a third innings and gave up four runs, only one earned, on seven hits. He also struck out three and earned the win, he is 7-4 on the year. Jordan Walden came in to finish out the eighth inning for Teheran and then Craig Kimbrel struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for his 24th save of the year.
The Braves are now 52-38 on the year and they will finish their three-game set with the Marlins tomorrow afternoon at 12:40 p.m. Paul Maholm (9-7) will try and help the Braves sweep the Marlins. Jacob Turner (2-1) will start for Miami in the game.

Freddie Freeman congratulates Justin Upton after Upton hit a solo homer in the seventh inning of the Braves' 6-4 win Tuesday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Braves Win in 14

It took fourteen innings but the Braves finally trounced the Miami Marlins on Monday night, 7-1.
The Braves had nine hits in the long game. Justin Upton had two hits and drove in three runs, including the game-winner. Chris Johnson also added two hits and he drove in a run in the victory. Gerald Laird added a hit and two RBI's, while Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Tyler Pastornicky each added a hit in the victory.
Mike Minor started the game and had a much better outing than he has been showing of late. He pitched six and and a third innings and gave up a run on six hits and struck out four. Jordan Walden came in and got out of a jam in the seventh. Luis Avilan pitched the next two innings for the Braves and did perfect. Anthony Varvaro and Craig Kimbrel each pitched a perfect inning after Avilan. David Carpenter came in and pitched two innings and struck out two. He also earned the victory and is now 2-0 on the year. Alex Wood pitched the bottom of the fourteenth to close out the Braves' victory.
Atlanta is now 51-38 on the year and they will play the Marlins again tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Julio Teheran (6-4) will have a rematch against the Marlins' Henderson Alvarez (0-0) from their last starts they made against each other last week in Atlanta.

Justin Upton follows through on his double that drove in the eventual winning runs in the fourteenth inning of the Braves' 7-1 victory over the Marlins Monday night.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Phillies Top Braves

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves on Sunday 7-3 to take the series and send the Braves to a 2-4 record against division opponents lower than them in the past six days.
Atlanta had ten hits in the game, but unlike last night, they weren't able to put together run scoring opportunities to challenge Philly. Brian McCann led the Braves with three hits and he scored a run. Chris Johnson added a solo homer in the seventh, it was his sixth homer of the season. Kris Medlen and Jason Heyward each had a hit and drove in the Braves' other two runs. Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Tyler Pastornicky each added a hit also for the Braves.
Kris Medlen was off all day and didn't look nothing like the pitcher that had dominated his last few starts. He pitched five and a third innings and gave up all seven runs, only six earned, on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five batters while falling to 6-8 on the season. Alex Wood came on in relief of Medlen and finished out the sixth inning. Luis Ayala, pitching for the first time since April, gave up a hit but otherwise was perfect in his return. David Carpenter pitched the ninth and struck out two batters in the inning.
The Braves are now 50-38 on the year. They will travel to Miami tomorrow to take on the Marlins for the second time in a week's span. They will hope to improve their recent streak of poor performances against the lower teams of the National Leagues' Eastern Division. Mike Minor (8-4) will start game one tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. against Kevin Slowey (3-6) who returns to the Marlins rotation after they traded away Ricky Nolasco.

Chris Johnson waits on a throw from the outfield, he hit a solo home run in the Braves' 7-3 loss to the Phillies on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com

Braves Crush Phillies

The Braves offense showed up on Saturday night and clobbered the Phillies 13-4.
Atlanta had nineteen hits in the game. Brian McCann led the team with four hits and he scored two runs. Andrelton Simmons led off the game with a home run, his seventh of the year. It was one of his three hits, he also had three RBI's. Jason Heyward also hit a home run, a three-run shot for his seventh of the season. He finished the game with two hits and three RBI's. Chris Johnson also added two hits and two RBI's and B.J. Upton also had two hits and scored two runs. Dan Uggla also hit a home run, a two-run shot that was his sixteenth of the year, he also drove in three runs. Reed Johnson, Justin Upton and Tim Hudson each had a hit and an RBI apiece, while Freddie Freeman and Gerald Laird each had a hit and scored a run in the win.
Hudson finally got some support from his offense and he got back into the win column. He pitched seven innings and gave up a run on five hits. He also struck out four batters and improved his record to 5-7 on the year. Alex Wood pitched the eighth inning and gave up a run on two hits. David Carpenter pitched the ninth inning and gave up two runs on a homer to the Phillies' Michael Young.
Atlanta is now 50-37 on the year and they will finish their three-game series with the Phillies tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Kris Medlen (6-7) will take on Jonathan Pettibone (4-3) of the Phillies in the rubber match.

Tim Hudson finally got back into the win column as he pitched seven strong innings and the Braves beat the Phillies 13-4 on Saturday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves can't Complete Comeback

The Atlanta Braves fell behind 5-0 to the Phillies and had a furious seventh inning rally that fell short as they lost to Philly 5-4.
The Braves had nine hits in the game. Dan Uggla had two hits, including a three-run homer that got the Braves on the board in the seventh inning. It was Uggla's fifteenth home run of the year. Justin Upton and Brian McCann, who had the day off but replaced Gerald Laird after he got thrown out of the game, had two hits also for Atlanta. Joey Terdoslavich had his first career hit and Chris Johnson and Reed Johnson also had a hit apiece. Andrelton Simmons drove in the Braves' other run with a sacrifice fly.
Paul Maholm ended up starting the game after Tim Hudson was scratched because of a sore neck. Maholm didn't fare too well though, he pitched six innings and gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits including homers by Ryan Howard and Humberto Quintero. Maholm also struck out four and he suffered the loss and is 9-7 on the year. Luis Avilan and Anthony Varvaro combined to one-hit the Phillies over the last two innings.
The Braves are now 49-37 on the year, they will continue their series with the Phillies tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. Hudson (4-7) will make the start against Kyle Kendrick (7-5) who is known to pitch his best when he faces the Braves. Also the Braves sent Cory Gearrin back to Triple-A Gwinnett to figure out his issues and activated reliever Luis Ayala off the disabled list to provide a veteran presence to an otherwise young relief corps.

Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough as the Braves lost to the Phillies, 5-4.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Hawks Bring Korver Back, Get Millsap

The Atlanta Hawks have reached a few agreements with players over the past few days to upgrade their lineup. They also re-signed an important player from last year's team.
First off, they re-signed Kyle Korver to a four-year contract. After being disappointed about joining the Hawks before last season, Korver apparently liked playing for them enough to return, especially for an extended period of time. He was vital on the team last season and was fourth on the team with 810 points scored. He averaged 10.9 points a game and will have a chance to continue his streak of 73 consecutive regular-season games with at least one three-pointer in a game with Atlanta.
Second, they signed two former Utah Jazz players, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. They both were signed to two-year deals. Millsap averaged 14.6 points and seven rebounds for the Jazz last season. His signing most likely signals the end of the Josh Smith ERA in Atlanta. Carroll averaged six points and 2.8 rebounds off the bench for the Jazz last season. He will come off the bench most likely for the Hawks, but he provides the intensity and sportsmanship that GM Danny Ferry looks for in his players.

The Hawks have made a few moves already this off season, by re-signing Kyle Korver and signing Paul Millsap (above) and DeMarre Carroll away from the Utah Jazz.
Photo Courtesy of espn.go.com

Hawks' Draft Recap

The Atlanta Hawks drafted more foreign players than anything in the draft and traded most of their original picks away for other players. But they ended up with a few players that could help them now, but mostly for the future.
One player they got in one of their trades was guard Jared Cunningham, who was drafted in the first round in last year's draft and spent this past season with the Dallas Mavericks. He appeared in only eight games and scored sixteen points, but the Hawks could use him as another young guy to come off the bench and pair with John Jenkins.
The three picks the Hawks ended up with are Mike Muscala, Lucas Nogueira and Dennis Schroeder. Muscala is a center out of Bucknell, he might have an impact this season coming off the bench to replace Horford. Nogueira is what the Hawks are hoping to be a long-term solution at center. He probably won't factor much into this season but the Hawks are hoping he can be the center the following season so Al Horford can finally move to the power forward position. Schroeder could potentially be the future at point guard. Playing in Germany he has showed he is good at the position, he just might need time to fully grasp American style, which means he might not make a full impact till next season.

Jared Cunningham throws down a dunk at Philips Arena in a preseason game last year, he now joins the Hawks and hopes to help off the bench next season.
Photo Courtesy of espn.go.com

Kimbrel Blows Game in Ninth

The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins remained in a close battle on Thursday night, before Craig Kimbrel came in and gave up the game in the ninth and the Marlins won 4-3 on the 4th of July.

The Braves got seven hits in the game. Brian McCann had two hits and an RBI to lead the Braves' offense, Andrelton Simmons also added two hits in the game. Freddie Freeman added a hit that drove in two runs as the Braves did all their scoring in the first inning and were shutout after that. Jason Heyward and Chris Johnson each had a hit in the loss as the Braves continue to play poorly against teams that they should be beating.

Julio Teheran struggled through five innings on Thursday night but didn't factor into the decision. He gave up three runs on six hits and struck out seven in the game. David Carpenter and Luis Avilan combined to pitch the next two innings perfectly. Jordan Walden bounced back from his last appearance an pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Kimbrel came in for the ninth and did his usual act of letting men get on base, but this time he couldn't get out of his self-made jam. He gave up a run on a hit and two walks, but struck out three men. He suffered the loss and is now 2-2 on the year.

The Braves are now 49-36 on the season. They will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. and to start a three-game weekend series. Tim Hudson (4-7) will start for the Braves against the Phillies' Cliff Lee (9-2). Also in Braves' news, they placed Jordan Schafer on the 15 day disabled list and recalled Joey Terdoslavich from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game. Terdoslavich, who struck out in his first Major League at-bat in the game, was batting .318 in Gwinnett with eighteen home runs and 58 RBI's.

Jason Heyward scores one of the Braves' three runs in their 4-3 loss to the Marlins on the night of the 4th of July.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Minor Implodes as Marlins Win

Mike Minor had it going on Wednesday night, but all of the sudden lost everything after walking the pitcher with two outs in the fifth and the Marlins conquered the Braves, 6-3.
The Braves' offense had ten hits but blew scoring chances again in the loss. Andrelton Simmons and Chris Johnson led the Braves with two hits and an RBI, Freddie Freeman also had two hits in the game. Brian McCann had one hit, but it was a solo homer, his tenth home run of the season. Dan Uggla, Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton also added a hit apiece in the loss.
Minor had his stuff going through the first four innings, but then after walking Ricky Nolasco in the fifth with two outs, he gave up a three-run homer to the Marlins Justin Ruggiano, and that was all they would need. Minor ended up pitching six innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He struck out nine batters in the game and suffered the loss, he is 8-4 on the year. David Carpenter pitched a perfect seventh inning before Cory Gearrin came in and gave up two runs on two hits in the eighth inning as his recent struggles continued. Anthony Varvaro came in and pitched a perfect ninth.
Atlanta is now 49-35 on the year and they will finish their series with the Marlins tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. and the 4th of July. Julio Teheran (6-4) will get the ball against the Marlins' Henderson Alvarez (0-0) who will be making his Major League debut.

Brian McCann is congratulated after hitting a home run, but it wasn't enough as the Braves lost 6-3 to the Marlins on Wednesday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Crush Marlins in Opener

The Braves' offense came to play on Tuesday night as they defeated the Miami Marlins, 11-3.
Atlanta had sixteen hits in the victory. Chris Johnson and Brian McCann each led the Braves with three hits and two RBI's, Justin Upton added three hits also and an RBI. Andrelton Simmons had two hits and also drove in two runs, Freddie Freeman added two hits and an RBI and Kris Medlen had a good night at the plate with two hits. Jordan Schafer came through with a pinch hit RBI single in his only at-bat and Dan Uggla drove in a run with an RBI ground out.
Medlen not only did well at the plate but at the mound also. He pitched six innings and gave up three runs on nine hits, including a homer to Logan Morrison. He earned the victory and brought his record closer to being even at 6-7 on the year. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect seventh inning and then Alex Wood came in to pitch the final two innings to help the Braves win.
Atlanta is now 49-34 on the year and they will continue their three-game series with the Marlins tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Mike Minor (8-4) will face Ricky Nolasco (4-8) for Miami.

Kris Medlen throws a pitch in the Braves' 11-3 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday night. Medlen has pitched much better of late and brought his record up to 6-7 on the year.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Homers Lift Braves to Sweep

The Atlanta Braves scored all their runs on Sunday afternoon thanks to home runs as they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-2 victory.
The Braves had ten hits in the victory. Freddie Freeman had two hits to lead the Braves, including a three-run homer to score the Braves' first runs. It was his ninth home run of the season. Brian McCann and Jason Heyward also had two hits, one of McCann's hits was a solo home run which was also his ninth of the year. Dan Uggla had the Braves' third home run, a two-run shot which completed the Braves' scoring. It was Uggla's fourteenth homer of the year. Chris Johnson, Reed Johnson and Andrelton Simmons each had a hit in the victory.
Paul Maholm started the game for Atlanta and ended up pitching six and two-thirds innings to pick up the victory and improve his record to 9-6 on the year. He gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out three in his performance. Anthony Varvaro pitched a third of an inning and then David Carpenter pitched the final two innings to seal the victory for Maholm and the Braves.
The Braves are now 48-34 on the year. They have an off day tomorrow before welcoming the Miami Marlins to town for a three-game set. Kris Medlen (5-7) will start game one on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. against the Marlins' Tom Koehler (1-5).

Dan Uggla celebrates with Brian McCann after Uggla hit his fourteenth homer of the season in the Braves' 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Use Big Inning to Win

The Braves had a lead but gave it up, then they used a seven run eighth inning to blow the game wide open and beat the Arizona Diamondback on Saturday, 11-5.
Atlanta had eleven hits for the second straight game, but this time they made the most of their opportunities and scored runs. Justin Upton led the Braves with three hits and he also scored two runs. Brian McCann had two hits and drove in two runs, Jason Heyward and Chris Johnson each added two hits and an RBI. Freddie Freeman had a two-run homer that originally got the Braves on the board, it was his eighth of the season. Dan Uggla also added a hit and drove in two runs to complete the scoring for the Braves.
Tim Hudson started the game and had his worst start of June. He pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up four runs on five hits, including a homer to the Diamondbacks' A.J. Pollock. Alex Wood, Anthony Varvaro and Luis Avilan combined to pitch the next inning and a third perfectly. Jordan Walden pitched the eighth inning and surrendered a home run to Miguel Montero that looked to doom the Braves. Luckily for Walden, and Atlanta, they came back to win, Walden picked up the victory and is 3-1 on the year. David Carpenter pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the victory.
The Braves are now 47-34 on the year and they will finish their series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Paul Maholm (8-6) will make the start for the Braves against Trevor Cahill (3-9) for the D-Backs.

Freddie Freeman watches as the ball sails over the fence for a two-run homer in the third inning of the Braves' 11-5 victory on Saturday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Braves Shutout D-Backs

The Atlanta Braves honored Chipper Jones on Friday night by retiring his number that he wore during his legendary career. Fans had more to cheer about after the celebration as the current Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-0.

The Braves' offense managed to get eleven hits but they wasted some scoring opportunities as they only had three runs. Andrelton Simmons hit a home run off former Brave Randall Delgado, it was his sixth homer of the season. Justin Upton and Reed Johnson drove in the other two runs on singles. Jason Heyward, Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton each had two hits in the victory, Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran each had a hit apiece.

Teheran also turned in a good start against his friend Delgado. He pitched six scoreless innings while giving up only four hits while improving his record to 6-4 on the year. He also struck out ten batters on the night number ten was retired for the Braves'. Luis Avilan and Jordan Walden combined to pitch the seventh and eighth innings and they didn't give up any hits. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth and picked up his 23rd save of the year.

Atlanta is now 46-34 on the season and they will continue their three-game series with the Braves tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 p.m. Tim Hudson (4-7) will try and win for the first time in over ten starts as he takes on Ian Kennedy (3-4) for the Diamondbacks as he returns from a suspension.

Andrelton Simmons is congratulated by teammate Jason Heyward after hitting a solo home run in the Braves' 3-0 win Friday night.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press