Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: Jordan Schafer contributed out of the leadoff spot for the Braves on Friday by getting on base and stealing three bags. Jason Heyward continues to stay hot as he picked up two more hits. Alex Wood pitched well until the 6th inning but needed Shae Simmons help to get out of a jam. The back-and-forth game should have been won by the Braves but that’s not the way the chips fell during game one of a three game series.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Schafer CF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .176 | .253 | .235 | .489 |
| Andrelton Simmons SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .262 | .300 | .361 | .662 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .300 | .388 | .504 | .893 |
| Justin Upton LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .273 | .344 | .491 | .835 |
| Jason Heyward RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .250 | .338 | .371 | .709 |
| Chris Johnson 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .270 | .293 | .348 | .641 |
| Tommy La Stella 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .288 | .367 | .349 | .717 |
| Christian Bethancourt C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .275 | .310 | .300 | .610 |
| Alex Wood P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .056 | .150 | .056 | .206 |
| Shae Simmons P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ryan Doumit PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .204 | .235 | .323 | .557 |
| Anthony Varvaro P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ramiro Pena PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .204 | .271 | .327 | .598 |
| Jordan Walden P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Team Totals | 32 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 36 | .188 | .257 | .313 | .570 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood | 5.1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3.36 |
| Shae Simmons | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.96 |
| Anthony Varvaro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.43 |
| Jordan Walden, L (0-1) | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.73 |
| Team Totals | 8.2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 5.19 |
Ruggiano single in 9th lifts Cubs over Braves
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: Jake Arrieta pitched a great game Friday afternoon as he gave up three runs off four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters and only walked three. Arrieta seems to be the Chicago Cubs ace now that the huge trade went down with the Cubs and A’s. The Braves play the Cubs again on Saturday as Mike Minor takes the hill. This will only be his second career start against the Cubs. In his first start he went 7 1/3 innings and only allowed one run.
"Arrieta said he has taken more of a leadership position after Samardzija and Hammel were traded to Oakland last week.“I am pretty comfortable with the responsibilities that come along with a role like that. It’s something I embrace and look forward to continue to be in this role, to help guys establish themselves and combat the struggles that take place at this level,” he said.“Hopefully, help guys start to take off and produce at a high level for us,” he said."
Gattis rehabs in Rome, does light hitting with Rome team
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: Evan Gattis taking swings is great news to Braves fans! Though they were light swings, he’s participating in baseball activities. Still no timetable for his return but we’ll monitor his status as he works his way back to Atlanta.
"Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis began rehab on his injured back Friday when he took light batting practice with the Rome Braves at State Mutual Stadium.“It felt great,” Gattis said. “It feels good to swing a bat again. This is the first time I’ve been able to hit in a week and a half.”Gattis’s injury, a bulging disk in his back, was revealed by an MRI after he was forced to leave a game June 27 against the Philadelphia Phillies."
Jonathan Schuerholz: ‘I want to be the next Bobby Cox’
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: Jonathan Schuerholz, the Manager of the Atlanta Braves Single-A affiliate the Rome Braves, has a very recognizable last name. His father, John Schuerholz, is the Braves team president. Jonathan is quoted as saying “I don’t want to be the next John Schuerholz. I want to be the next Bobby Cox”.
"The son of the Braves’ team president, who despite having an inside track to an air-conditioned front office job and a comfortable box high above home plate, opted to don the uniform instead.Schuerholz was drafted by the only team he’s known since his family moved from Kansas City to Atlanta, when he was 10, in the eighth round of baseball’s amateur draft in 2002. After six seasons as a career .224-hitting infielder, Schuerholz had his fill of playing in the minors and went back to college to finish his business degree.He returned to the Braves organization, this time as as a roving minor league instructor. In 2011 he managed the Gulf Coast League Braves, and he was the Danville Braves manager in 2012-13. Those both play abbreviated seasons. He then stepped up to manage at Rome, it was Schuerholz’s first managerial experience with something approaching a full-tilt grind (140 games)."