Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop and Box Score 9/10
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: In the first inning of Tuesday night’s game, the Nationals put four runs on the board against Ervin Santana. Base hit after base hit, Washington moved runners over and got them in. The Braves tried to fight back through the game and actually put four runs on the board but it wasn’t enough. The Braves now find themselves nine games behind Washington and a game and half behind Pittsburg.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emilio Bonifacio CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .270 | .309 | .354 | .662 |
| Philip Gosselin 2B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .300 | .329 | .386 | .714 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .293 | .389 | .475 | .864 |
| Justin Upton LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .282 | .358 | .512 | .870 |
| Jason Heyward RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .273 | .353 | .393 | .746 |
| Chris Johnson 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .264 | .293 | .361 | .655 |
| Christian Bethancourt C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .259 | .295 | .276 | .571 |
| Andrelton Simmons SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .238 | .283 | .329 | .611 |
| Ervin Santana P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .100 | .129 | .100 | .229 |
| Anthony Varvaro P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Tommy La Stella PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .257 | .332 | .322 | .655 |
| Luis Avilan P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Team Totals | 34 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 34 | .206 | .206 | .382 | .588 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ervin Santana, L (14-8) | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3.76 |
| Anthony Varvaro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.79 |
| Luis Avilan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.14 |
| Team Totals | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5.62 |
Nationals pulling away in NL East, top Braves 6-4
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: If you feel the season is slipping away from the Atlanta Braves quickly, you’re with the rest of us. The Nationals beat the Braves again on Tuesday 6-4 in one of those games you feel as though is a must win to stay in contention. The NL East crown is pretty much Washington’s but the Braves are still battling for the second NL Wildcard spot.
"Mathematicians will say the Washington Nationals can’t clinch the NL East until next week. Practicality says they essentially wrapped it up Tuesday night when they sent nine hitters to the plate against Ervin Santana in the first inning of another win over the Atlanta Braves.The Nationals beat their division nemesis for the second time in two nights, winning 6-4 to push their lead to nine games with 19 to play. Atlanta had been a thorn in Washington’s plans for about a year and a half, but the Nationals have put the kibosh on that trend by winning five of the last seven meetings.”It feels like we’re just that much closer,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said. ”Not to take anything for granted until this thing is sewn up, but these are big. This time of year, playing the team chasing you, to be able to win a couple.”"
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Atlanta Braves Rumors
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Interesting take here, the Braves have made the playoffs the last few years…haven’t won any series but made it to the playoffs….now this season on the verge of making the playoffs and everyone in the organization could be in trouble? Well yes, this is a business and if you’re not exceeding expectations, you could be accountable. If the Braves miss the playoffs, look for some changes this offseason.
"After Braves CEO Terry McGuirk told Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “everyone is accountable” in Atlanta, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if General Manager Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez could be in trouble. Gonzalez oversees an offense that often looks lost and is next-to-last in the National League in runs per game. Wren, meanwhile, gave contracts to second baseman Dan Uggla (who has since been released) and center fielder B.J. Upton that didn’t pan out.While anything is possible given their recent struggles, people in the industry would be surprised if the Braves made major changes, unless tension is building underneath the surface that people aren’t aware of. Wren is close with McGuirk, major league sources say, and Gonzalez was Wren’s hand-picked choice to replace Bobby Cox."
Braves’ Black suspended for amphetamines
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The 21-year-old, Justin Black, was the Braves fourth-round pick in the 2012 Draft out of Billings West High School. He debuted later that summer with the Gulf Coast League Braves. Justin hit .262 with two homers, 16 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 52 games for the Braves this season. He is the 50th player to be suspended in the 2014 season for violating the minor league drug policy.
"Braves Minor League outfielder Justin Black was suspended for 50 games Monday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Black, a center fielder with Rookie-level Danville, received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for an amphetamine in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension is effective immediately."