Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves News 5/20
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editorial Notes: The Atlanta Braves took care of business on Monday afternoon defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3. The Braves used a five run bottom of the 8th inning to win the first of a four game series. The Braves accumulated 15 hits in the ball game and had terrific at bats. They looked like a major league hitting team instead of a Double-A team. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this and not so much of the last few weeks.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Heyward RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .228 | .650 |
| Justin Upton LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .282 | .932 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .317 | .941 |
| Evan Gattis C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .246 | .782 |
| Chris Johnson 3B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .261 | .624 |
| B.J. Upton CF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .205 | .611 |
| Andrelton Simmons SS | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .279 | .727 |
| Ramiro Pena 2B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .213 | .671 |
| Mike Minor P | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .400 |
| David Hale P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| David Carpenter P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ryan Doumit PH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .229 | .578 |
| Anthony Varvaro P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Team Totals | 36 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 8 | .417 | 1.167 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Minor, W (2-2) | 6.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3.80 |
| David Hale, H (1) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.57 |
| David Carpenter, H (8) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.79 |
| Anthony Varvaro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.57 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 3.00 |
Braves use late thunder to pull away from Brewers
Tomahawk Take Editorial Notes: Ahhh, Freddie Freeman’s swing…isn’t it a thing of beauty? He sure looks to be heating up. In the Braves two game win streak – we’ll take that now after the last month – the Braves first baseman has gone 5-8 with two home runs and four RBIs. Jason Heyward mixed his name in there as well going 3-4 with two runs and two stolen bases.
Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton hit home runs to help Mike Minor win his second successive start, and Atlanta beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3 Monday night.
“We started swinging the bats really, really well,” Gonzalez said. “Not only the home runs, but there were some two-out singles, there were some base on balls, there was a lot of baserunning. It was nice to see.”
Atlanta Braves Rumors: Dan Uggla Trade Unlikely After Seattle Mariners, Nick Franklin Deal Denied? Tommy La Stella, Tyler Pastornicky Options as Release Target
Tomahawk Take Editorial Notes: The sore thumb in most conversations…Uggla seems to have lost everything he ever had. His offense has taken a turn for the way worse and his defense is lacking that of a major league player. The Braves can’t seem to find the correct path for this situation. You don’t want to give a guy $22 million dollars to sit at home but you really can’t play this guy – AND no one wants to trade you anything for him or pick up his contract. This is a really sticky situation.
Apr 25, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla (26) attempts to make a catch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
According to Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports, the Braves are likely going to look from within to replace Uggla for the time being. At the moment, Tommy La Stella is the best Triple-A option. He is batting .296 and while he is not a real power threat, he is the best of the farm system. Tyler Pastornicky has shown some signs of promise at the position, but is not ready to be an everyday player for the Braves. Ramiro Pena is in the same boat.
A trade is unlikely, but the Braves could try and strike a deal with the Seattle Mariners for Nick Franklin. The Mariners need a pitcher and the Braves could package in a starter like Alex Wood or Mike Minor if need be. Right now, the Mariners are showing little interest in moving Franklin, but that could change with the right offer.
Cpl. Pashun Cannon Sings National Anthem for Atlanta Braves
Tomahawk Take Editorial Notes: Great to see this and congratulations for pulling this off. I’m always amazed at folks who sing that National Anthem well because I know I will never.