Morning Chop: Braves 6/6
By Jeff Schafer
Teheran flirts with no-no as Braves cap sweep with shutout
June 5, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher
Julio Teheran(49) pitches in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
"Julio Teheran realized he was working on a no-hitter against Pittsburgh after the fifth inning.He tried to put the thought out of his head so he could keep doing what was working.Teheran held Pittsburgh without a hit for 7 2/3 innings before settling for a combined one-hit shutout, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pirates 5-0 on Wednesday.Only 22, he took another big step in his breakthrough season. Tehran (4-2) gave up one hit with two walks and set a career high with 11 strikeouts in eight innings in the Braves’ fifth straight win, including a sweep of the three-game series.“I feel like he’s comfortable,” said Braves right fielder Jason Heyward, who had two hits. “He’s not trying to pitch his way onto the team. He’s going out there competing as a part of the team.”"
B.J. Upton starting to show signs of finding swing
"Braves fans have been waiting all season to see the B.J. Upton who has been on display the last couple of games of the club’s current homestand.Upton’s game-tying homer in the sixth inning Tuesday night was his sixth of the season and his second in three games.While the numbers haven’t been there, Braves hitting coach Greg Walker believes it’s certainly not due to lack of trying. Walker feels Upton’s recent results are a case of the results catching up the outfielder’s effort and positive attitude.“This is my 11th year, and when you do this job for that long a time you’re around a lot of guys that scuffle. Most of them get frustrated, start making excuses. He’s not done any of that. He’s just come to work every day,” Walker said prior to Wednesday’s series finale with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “He’s frustrated, he’s mad — all the things that a human would be — but as far as my experience with him, he’s handled it about as well as anybody I’ve been around.”"
Man on Fire: Atlanta Braves OF Jordan Schafer
"Aside from that unsustainably high average on balls in play, Schafer is walking more. Like, a ton. On the year, he has a 15.5 percent walk rate, which would be second only to Joey Vottoif Schafer had enough plate appearances to qualify. Schafer has always walked fairly often, but this year’s rate is astronomical and indicates potential sustained success. He’ll need to maintain that walk rate when his BABIP inevitably drops.Schafer’s slugging percentage is a misleading product of small sample size. He has seven extra base hits on the year – two homers, two triples and three doubles. Don’t look for the power surge to continue. Schafer’s HR/FB rate spiked this year to 10.5 percent from his career average of 5.3 percent. He’s always ground out much more often than he’s flown out. He won’t be able to continue hitting fly balls out of the park at such an anomalous rate.The projection systems aren’t particularly high on Schafer for the rest of the year. Here at numberFire, we have him projected to hit .241/.317/.353 from here on out. ZiPS is even less optimistic, projecting him for .227/.306/.317. But these projection systems are built on previous performance. If Schafer really has made a change in his approach and continues to walk at a high rate, he could easily surpass these expectations."
Atlanta Braves – PlayerWatch
"RHP Jordan Walden” href=”http://www.wdbj7.com/topic/sports/baseball/jordan-walden-PESPT000010490.topic”>Jordan Walden worked his fourth consecutive scoreless inning in four appearances since coming off the disabled list. He struck out against the Pirates on Tuesday and has four strikeouts in as many innings. Walden, who was out with a sore shoulder, is 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 18 games.RHP Brandon Beachy” href=”http://www.wdbj7.com/topic/sports/baseball/brandon-beachy-PESPT000009897.topic”>Brandon Beachy, who had Tommy John surgery last June, is scheduled to make two more minor league rehab starts before rejoining the rotation on June 18 for a doubleheader against the New York Mets. He pitched five innings for Double-A Mississippi on Monday and allowed six hits, including a homer, and three runs against Chattanooga. He struck out four, walked one and threw 55 of his 80 pitches for strikes. His next start will be for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday against Columbus. Then he will pitch for Mississippi again at Tennessee on June 13."
G-Braves to Air on MLB Network on June 11
"On Tuesday, June 11, the 12:05 PM game between the Gwinnett Braves and Columbus Clippers at Coolray Field will air live on MLB Network. The game will be the fourth of five Triple-A games airing on the network, culminating with the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 17.Live broadcast of the game, also carried on CSS, will begin at 12:00 PM ET. The regular broadcast team for Gwinnett Braves Baseball on CSS, Mike Morgan and Dave Lezotte, will have the call."