Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor Note: Craig Kimbrel became the 44th MLB pitcher ever with four 30-save seasons. He’s currently the only pitcher to record 30+ saves in each of the last four seasons. Kimbrel has lowered his 2014 ERA to 1.86 as he shut the door for the Braves on Friday night.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.J. Upton CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .215 | .277 | .343 | .620 |
| Andrelton Simmons SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .265 | .308 | .362 | .669 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .293 | .383 | .491 | .873 |
| Justin Upton LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .278 | .347 | .496 | .843 |
| Jason Heyward RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .257 | .344 | .385 | .728 |
| Chris Johnson 3B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .280 | .303 | .380 | .683 |
| Tommy La Stella 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .291 | .369 | .354 | .723 |
| Christian Bethancourt C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .255 | .300 | .277 | .577 |
| Ervin Santana P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .125 | .146 | .125 | .271 |
| Tyler Pastornicky PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .194 | .293 | .250 | .543 |
| Shae Simmons P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Jordan Walden P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Craig Kimbrel P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Team Totals | 34 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 35 | .294 | .314 | .441 | .755 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ervin Santana, W (8-6) | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4.03 |
| Shae Simmons, H (8) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.35 |
| Jordan Walden, H (12) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.57 |
| Craig Kimbrel, S (30) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.86 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3.00 |
Heyward, Simmons push Braves over Philadelphia
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: Jason Heyward is heating up, going 2-4 on Friday night raising his batting average to .257 for the 2014 season. He included two RBIs and two runs scored as the Braves beat the Phillies 6-4 in the first of a three game series. Ervin Santana threw six complete innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs, four runs to pick up the victory. The bullpen pitched three solid innings and didn’t allow a hit!!!
"For all that Jason Heyward did well, his diving catch in the eighth inning felt the best.Heyward homered and drove in two runs, Andrelton Simmons had two RBIs, and the Atlanta Braves won their third straight game with a 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.“If they keep having (at-bats), maybe they put up another run or two,” Heyward said. “Defense is going to win the game at the end of the day, but it’s good to score runs, and it got us going a little bit.”"
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Uggla’s Release is Atlanta’s First Shot Fired
Tomahawk Take Editor Notes: By now, everyone has heard about the Atlanta Braves releasing veteran Dan Uggla. The Braves and Dan must move on from this situation and take care of business. The Braves started on Friday, picking up a victory. The Braves are now 1-0 after the release of Dan Uggla.
"As the division race heats up, there are other things to look forward to in Atlanta. The slugging catcher Evan Gattis is rehabbing in AAA and should be back with the Braves by sometime next week. This will help bolster Atlanta’s offense going forward. There are also trade rumors swirling in Braves’ country as Atlanta makes a push to pass the first place Washington Nationals in the National League East. With Luis Avilan struggling in recent weeks, Andrew Miller of the Boston Red Sox is looking more like a reality as the lefty would help add depth to the bullpen. Johnny Venters is also rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and the time table for his return is still in doubt. If, as expected. Boston does part ways with Miller, Jake Peavy or Jon Lester could be a part of that deal if the asking price is right. Lester is in the final year of his contract and negotiations have stalled. If there isn’t a trade, Lester could still re-sign with the Red Sox in the off-season.Atlanta could also look for second base depth. Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays has been rumored in many trade talks. The Braves could go after just Zobrist or could possibly tie David Price into a deal as well. Second-baseman Chase Utley and reliever John Papelbon have also been rumored to be moved by the Philadelphia Phillies. Both would be great fits but history shows that division rivals rarely trade amongst each other. The MLB trading deadline is about two weeks away and many rumors will continue to keep all of Atlanta on notice. One thing is for sure, Dan Uggla’s release is just the first shot fired."