Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves News 8/26
By Jeff Schafer
Braves avoid sweep by Cardinals
Aug 25, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Elliot Johnson (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by catcher Gerald Laird (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Atlanta defeated St. Louis 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
"Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was so impressed with Mike Minor that he referenced two of the best pitchers in the National League.Minor bounced back from the shortest outing of his career with seven strong innings, leading Atlanta to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.“I felt like I was pounding the zone, hitting more spots,” Minor said.Atlanta, which has the best record in the NL, salvaged the finale of the four-game set. Andrelton Simmons hit his 12th homer for the Braves, who closed out a 2-4 road trip."
Atlanta Braves postseason tickets go on sale August 30
"The Atlanta Braves will begin selling tickets to the National League Division Series beginning Friday, August 30 at 10 a.m.A pre-sale opportunity will be made available to fans who pre-register at www.braves.com/postseason by Sunday, August 25 for an early chance to purchase tickets beginning on Tuesday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m. through Thursday, August 29 at 11:59 p.m.Tickets can be purchased at www.braves.com/postseason, the Turner Field ticket windows, the Braves Clubhouse Store at CNN Center, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000."
Atlanta Braves: Keep calm and tomahawk on
"If the Atlanta Braves, as a club, was a junkie for the drug “injury” (street name DL, DTD or Dr. Freeze), today would be the day it hit rock bottom. Today would be the day that we, as caring and concerned fans, would organize an intervention. We’d say things like, “You’re too good to throw this season away,” and “I care about you too much to see you like this.” Time for some tough love.With the news that third baseman Chris Johnson has a case of turf toe and is considered day-to-day, it seems like it simply cannot get any worse than this.My list from my last article of who the Braves have had to play at least two weeks without wasn’t even complete, but there’s no reason to finish it here. I could draw names out of a hat and have a better than 50-50 shot of picking someone who’s been on the DL this season. Suddenly, the now 12-game lead the Braves have in the NL east doesn’t seem like enough. The Nats have strung five wins together and are chopping away at their deficit. The magic number still rests at 22, and the Braves still own the best record in baseball, but that isn’t as comforting as it used to be."
Elliott Johnson Delivers His Best Impersonation of Harry Caray