Morning Chop: Braves News 4/8
By Jeff Schafer
April 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman
Dan Uggla(26) celebrates a solo home run with third baseman
Juan Francisco(25) in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Braves trip Cubs despite Jeff Samardzija‘s 13 strikeouts
"For the first four innings, Tim Hudson wondered if Jeff Samardzija would be too tough to beat.Luckily for Hudson, the hard-throwing Samardzija began having control problems, and theAtlanta Braves took advantage of the situation.“You know you’re not going to get much against a pitcher like Samardzija,” Hudson said. “He was throwing some cheese in there.”Hudson pitched six-plus strong innings and added an RBI, and Ramiro Pena hit a two-run single to help the Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1 on Sunday.The three-game sweep ended a 5-1 homestand for Atlanta, which got a solo homer from Dan Uggla in the eighth off Hisanori Takahashi."
Braves quotes after Sunday’s 5-1 victory over Cubs
"FREDI GONZALEZOn B.J. Upton batting leadoff“Sometimes it takes a little different part of the lineup to give you a mental break. He’s done it before so he feels comfortable up there, obviously. I don’t know if that’s just coincidence because his at-bats were getting pretty good in the fifth hole. We will see tomorrow if Simmons is OK, which he should be. You guys tune in and see where he hits tomorrow.”DAN UGGLAOn the strikeouts“We don’t worry about the strikeouts. That’s everybody else around that looks at the batting average and the strikeouts. When it comes down to it, it’s about run production. You can strike out 20 times and as long as you get a good outing from the pitcher and a three-run bomb, you won the game”B.J. UPTONOn getting on track“It’s a long season. It was just a matter of time before it happened. Being the competitor that I am, I would have liked for it to happen a bit sooner. I’ve got things in a good spot now and the main thing is to try to keep them where they are at and be as consistent as possible.”"
Pitcher’s Stare Is Menacing, but Fastball Is Feared More
Mar 6, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Team USA pitcher
Craig Kimbrel(46) looks in for the sign during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
"It cannot be detected by a radar gun, and it would not make sense to a physicist. But to the sharpened eyes of a major league hitter, one pitcher’s 98-mile-per-hour fastball can behave much differently from another’s. And when that pitcher is Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves, it does not seem fair.“It’s weird,” said Justin Upton, the Braves’ new outfielder. “Some guys have a softer-looking 98 or 99. But his is explosive. It has extra life to it. It gets to the zone, and it almost looks like it speeds up. It’s got a little extra gear to it.”“His stuff is truly electric out there,” Wright said. “You don’t see too many guys throwing 98, and you definitely don’t see too many guys that make it look as easy as he does, with the life. And it’s not like he’s 7 feet tall out there.”Kimbrel is listed at 5 feet 11 inches but appears smaller, especially on the mound. When he looks for the catcher’s sign, he bends at the waist and leans forward, with the ball in his glove on his left knee and his right arm hanging by his side, as if cuddling an invisible St. Bernard. Then he unleashes unprecedented fury."
Cheap Atlanta Braves Tickets
"The 2013 baseball season is about to begin and baseball fans are extremely excited. The Atlanta Braves made the playoffs in 2012, and are looking to make a deep playoff push in 2013. The Braves are extremely talented and fans have a great opportunity to watch these players perform daily for cheap prices.Cheap Atlanta Braves tickets can be found on WhizTix.com. WhizTix is a free to use event ticket search engine, which aggregates results from different event ticket selling sites in one place.….Atlanta Braves tickets are available on WhizTix.com for every home, and away game. Fans from all over the world can go cheer and watch their Braves play Baseball in multiple different stadiums, not just Turner Field. The Braves have a total of 81 away games giving fans from across the country and globe 81 times to see their team play at other locations. Braves fans from Colorado can watch their team take on the Rockies April 22 through April 24 for $8 dollars. Another great deal is when the Braves travel to play the Pittsburgh Pirates April 18 through April 20; tickets can be found for $6 to $12 dollars."
Atlanta Braves Minor League Action
"Jordan Parraz and Robby Hefflinger each had 2 homer days, Gus Schlosser had a solid AA debut, Elmer Reyes kept on hitting, and Zach Jadofsky continued to dominate out of the bullpen.Gwinnett Braves 6, Charlotte Knights 2Jordan Parraz DH 2-3, 2 HR (1, 2), 2 RBI, BB, .364 AVGTodd Cunningham CF 2-4, 2 RBI, .154 AVGTim Corcoran 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 K, W (1), 0.00 ERACory Rasmus 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV (1), 3.00 ERA"
"Mississippi Braves 1, Mobile Bay Bears 2Christian Bethancourt C 2-4, 2B, .308 AVGGus Schlosser 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 1.80 ERA, 0-0, BB, RBI, .000 AVGPat Egan 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERAChasen Shreve 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.00 ERA"