O's & Braves

The final interleague series for the Braves in 2006 will be against the Baltimore Orioles. The O's come into the series just a few games better than the Braves. Are they contenders for the AL East division? Probably not this year, but they can sure spoil one teams's chances. Atlanta returns to the Ted after a 6 game road trip where the team finished 3-3. Chuck James will take the mound tonight, can he continue his success from Tampa? Here are your probables:

Fri: James (1-0 1.40) vs. Daniel Cabrera (4-5 5.11)

Sat: Hudson (6-7 4.27) vs. Russ Ortiz (0-5 7.54)

Sun: Ramirez (3-2 3.48) vs. Bedard (8-6 4.72)

Ortiz whom was just signed last week to the O's will make his debut Saturday. Let's welcome him back to Atlanta with some double digit runs. The games in this series will be secondhand compared to the return of Leo Mazzone. If you think your tired of hearing Mazzone's name brought up during every Braves game then just wait until tonight.

Things are looking....

Positive. Winning the series against the D'Rays and last night's win now puts Atlanta tied with the Nationals for fourth. The Braves are finally playing better baseball. Horacio put out another fine performance backed up with some solid run support. BTW How did that feel beating up on Farnsworth...some payback after his unwillingness to work with Atlanta in the offseason.

Sosa's move to closer has been good so far. The more confidence this pen can get the better the team will play overall. Today, it's Smoltz vs. Wang in the rubber match. Tommorrow's a day off before returning home to face Baltimore.

Braves take 2/3 from D'Rays

For the first time in a very long time the Braves finally won a series. Something to build on? Yes. Does Chuck James need to remain in the rotation? Yes. Atlanta is back on the winning track heading into Yankee Stadium for three against NY. Some people might say, oh well here we go again, losing. Maybe not. The way things are going if Atlanta was to win atleast one of these games, it would be a success. In the words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby!"

Mike Remilinger was also put on waivers Saturday. My guess is that's he'll probably end up retiring.

Trading For: Jason Bay

It was only a matter of time before this Pirates slugger began turning heads. Bay is having a breakout year, but is he tradable? The Pirates would probably prefer to hang on to him for atleast a couple of more years. His contract is defintely affordable, look below for contract details. Believe it or not Bay has already been with 4 major league teams. He started out with the Expos, then traded to the Mets, four months later traded to the Padres, and finnally was apart of the Brian Giles deal back in '03. Jason Bay is probably off the market, but with the way the Pirates tend to "rebuild" every couple of years something may happen. As you can see below, Bay is signed through 2009 for a very affordable price. Just imagine a Braves outfield of Bay/Andruw/Francoeur. In the end, I guess that's just wishful thinking.


Contract:
signed 4-year deal worth 18.25M thru 2009 season on 11/17/05- + he receives a 1M signing bonus and salaries of 750K in 2006, 3.25M in 2007, 5.75M in 2008 and 7.5M in 2009- + his 2009 salary could rise by up to 750K (to 8.25M) due to incentives and escalators based on PA and being an All-Star, an MVP, a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger award winner in previous seasons- + he can earn 750K in performance and award bonuses over the life of the deal: 25K for All-Star selection, 100K for NL MVP, 75K for 2nd place MVP finish, 50K for 3rd place MVP finish, 50K for WS MVP and 25K for Gold Glove- + 2005 salary: 355K

*Thanks to www.mlb4u.com for the contract information.

Same old Song and Dance

Braves lose, but this time we blew the lead......again. Ramirez pitched a pretty good game, but as usual when we go to the bullpen things turn nasty; such was the case last night. The Braves will now hit the road towards lovely Tampa, FL. The D'Rays, which are two games better than the Braves are riding high on a 3 game winning streak. Tonight, the losing streak ends. Smoltz can outduel Casey Fossum, right? Here's your probables:

Fri: Smoltz (4-5 3.78) vs. Fossum (2-3 5.45)

Sat: Cormier (2-2 6.57) vs. Corcoran (0-0 2.70)

Sun: James (0-0 2.38) vs. Hendrickson (4-7 3.75)

Sosa headed to the 'Pen

Bobby confirmed it yesterday that Jorge Sosa is moving back to the bullpen where he started out as a Braves last year. It this good, or bad? It's not bad, because this allows another pitcher to enter the rotation. Will Sosa become closer? I'm sure he'll be out there in a closing situation if the time comes. I think Ken Ray will continue the ninth inning shenanigans for now, but we'll see.

The Rotation for '07??

With all the talk surronding the Braves losing streak, trade rumors, etc. I've decided to take it upon myself to look ahead to next year. How will the team look? Who will remain, who will go? I've read that Mike Hampton is on track for a successful return to baseball next year. Either love him or hate him, I think he will end up being a crucial part of the rotation.

Starting Rotation:

1. Tim Hudson
2. Mike Hampton
3. John Smoltz
4. Kyle Davies
5. Chuck James

John Smoltz must be picked up next season. His contract calls for an $8M mutual option. That's cheap compared to other starters. Obviously Hudson will remain our #1, Davies should return 100% healthy. Chuck James will eventually start some more games this year but, I could also see Horacio Ramirez somehow becoming our 5th starter, maybe 4th. Ramirez has pitched well when healthy, but that's the point he cannot stay off the DL. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Braves & Jays

Another loss, but we keep getting closer to a win. Last night, the Blue Jays just happened to match each run we put up the previous inning. Will we pull off a miracle tonight? Two ex A's will face each other, Lily & Hudson. I keep thinking Lily was in Oakland longer than a season and a half. Oh well.

It's Official: Braves enter the Cellar

I guess it was only a matter of time before this was to happen. A sparkle of hope last night turned into yet another bullpen blown game. Can't we just win a single game anymore!! On top of it all, we are outfanned by the so called Red Sox Nation. What the hell? This is just another sad feat for an already sad year in Braves baseball. The Braves have the day off today, before taking on the Blue Jays for 3.

Boston @ Atlanta Weekend Series

A much anticipated series on the schedule for this year, but it couldn't have come at any worse time for the Braves. After being sweeped by the last place Marlins the Braves will begin a stretch of games against the American League East opponets. Starting tonight against the Boston Red Sox. To me it seems that MLB has always tried to force this matchup into a rivalry. Sure, it's usually big when these two meet, but is it a rivalry? Like the Braves, the BoSox are entering the series losers of four straight. Lets see if they trend will stay true throughout the weekend. Here are your probables:

Fri: Hudson (6-4 3.79) vs Jon Lester (0-0 6.23)

Sat: Ramirez (2-2 5.06) vs. Beckett (7-3 5.26)

Sun: Smoltz (4-5 3.78) vs. Schilling (9-2 3.59)

Besides the rookie Lester on the mound tonight, we've seen Beckett numerous times before, but Schilling since leaving Arizona hasn't faced most of the members of the Braves before. It's not certain that Ramirez will pitch in Saturday's game, I think he got a mild concussion after Berkman's hit. Smoltz and Schilling should be a classic duel from times past.

Introducing Phil Stockman

He arrived last night, and could make his major league appearence tonight. Phil Stockman certainly has the capability to help out this pen. Take a peek at his minor league numbers:

Double-A Mississippi: 3G's,7 1/3 IP, 12K's 1H

Triple-A Richmond: 16G's, 39K's, 2 Saves


Stockman is fully ready for the big leagues, let's now hope his success in the minors pays off at the top.

Beware: Russ Ortiz DFA

In a rather shocking move, Arizona designated for assignment picher Russ Ortiz. Sure, Ortiz has been bad, and defintely hasn't worked out for Arizona since signing the "big deal." Ortiz still has 2 more years on his contract, $7.5M next year and $8.5M in '08. If he is claimed while on waivers then the team that claims him has to pay the contract but is he clears waivers then Arizona will have to pickup the contract.

Ortiz was one of our top pitchers before leaving after 2003. Only if he clears waivers would it he worth a shot? At worst he could replace Sosa in rotation. Does anyone else have any comments?

Rumor Mill: Giles to be traded?

Interesting post over at mlbtraderumors, suggesting that the Braves are shopping Marcus Giles. Hmmmm...Giles is still a year away from free agency, and it hasn't worked out as we've hoped for at leadoff. Marcus is making $3.75M this season and I'm already under the assumption that the Braves wouldn't sign him for a long term deal when his contract year came around. If Marcus is dealt, who would play 2B? He played 2B in the Houston series, Wilson Betemit. Betemit may finally get his opportuinity to become an everyday player. This isn't the first time Giles has been apart of trade rumors. You may recall that Oakland pursued him in the Hudson deal, but Atlanta held on. For now we just wait and see what happens.

Braves @ Marlins Series Preview

Atlanta heads to south Florida, on the contingency that tropical storm Alberto doesn't rainout this series. The Braves have won only two of their last ten while the Marlins have won six of their last ten games. Atlanta has won 6 of their 7 games played against Florida this year, most recently a 4 game series sweep. To keep the winnings going will surely give a boost to a struggling team. The probables for the series are:

Tues: Smoltz (4-4 3.73) vs. Johnson (4-4 2.11)

Wed: Thomson (2-6 4.84) vs. Willis (3-6 4.32)

Thurs: Sosa (1-8 5.58) vs. Nolasco (4-3 3.33)

Boston heads to Atlanta for Friday's marquee matchup between ex-Marlin Josh Beckett and Hudson. Nothing will come more satisfying than the Braves sweeping or atleast winning 2/3 against the Marlins. Florida keeps improving over there lackluster start at the beginning of the year and might avoid the cellar at the end of the year.

**New poll has been added, Check it Out.

Braves drop 3/4 to 'Stros

After putting together a couple of good outings, Horcio Ramirez fell short today as Houston topped Atlanta 14-4. Ramirez left after Berkman drilled a shot that hit Ramirez in the head, thankfully HoRam is not seriously hurt. What happens next? A series with Florida before the showdown against Boston next weekend. The last time we faced the Marlins, we swept them. Another sweep will become a huge step for the team compared to the last 12 or so games.

When will a deal be struck for some relief pitching or something? Right now the team has been so lackluster that it looks like we've given up. What to do, what to do?

Another Loss, Another Game

Dropping 8 out of 10 on the current homestand and then starting off with a loss on the road. These funks are occuring way too often. I hate to say it but currently our Braves are closer to being in last place than first place. Today we are 3rd in the NL East, 8 games behind the Mets. The Nationals are in fourth just one game behind us, and the Marlins are 5 games behind Washington.

What the hell happened to Arizona? We get swept, then the Phillies sweep them and the Mets took a victory last night. Regardless here are your probables for the rest of the series against the Astros.

Fri: Sosa (1-7 5.07) vs. Nieve (1-3 5.19)

Sat: Hudson (5-4 3.93) vs. Buchholz (3-5 6.25)

Sun: Ramirez (2-1 3.24) vs. W. Rodriguez (7-3 4.36)

Where did you go John Thomson? After starting out as the best Braves starter for the first month and a half of the season; Thomson's last 5 starts have been atrocious. In the last 5 games Thomson has pitched 22 innings giving up 27 ER's off of 40 hits (10BB/8K). In April, Thomson pitched 6 games, 27 innings, allowing 4 earned runs off of 20 hits (12BB/25K).

"My Prediction....Paaaiiinn.."

You might recognize that quote coming from Mr. T aka Chubber Lang in Rocky III. I think it's rather funny. The Braves stumbled along last night and blew the lead due to some costly errors. Has anyone else wondered what is up with LaRoche's facial hair? Did the razor get too dull? I predict tonight the Braves will turn it around with a win. Plenty of runs and great pitching all around.

Nats @ Braves

No reason to cover what has happened over the past 4 days in Atlanta. We move forward against divisional foe Washington. The Braves are 3-2 against the Nats thus far. *Note to Brave pitchers; pitch around Alfonso Soriano. Soriano has 5 HR's against Braves pitching this year. This includes one 3-HR game. Entering the series Atlanta is third in the East and the Nats are fourth. Three games seperate the two teams. On paper, this should be a good series. Here's your probables:

Mon: Hudson (5-3 3.99) vs. Hernandez (4-5 5.10)

Tues: Ramirez (1-1 3.18) vs. Shawn Hill (0-0 1.29)

Wed: Smoltz (4-3 3.72) vs. Ortiz (4-4 5.04)

Tonight's game could be the pitching matchup of the series. Hudson has been a roll of late, and Hernandez is the #1 guy in Washington. Early start, 7:05ET on Turner South.

Looking Ahead

Bad, bad loss. Ramirez looked good again until his blunder in the seventh, later Remmy comes in to take the punches. This is one we should have won, how many times have I said that this year. Atlanta needs to get going with this homestand. Look at the future schedule:

6/1-6/4: Arizona (Home)
6/5-6/7: Nationals (Home)
6/8-6/11: Astros (Road) **Pre-Clemens Arrival
6/13-6/15: Marlins (Road)
6/16-7/2: The Entire AL East: Boston/Toronto (Home), Tampa/NY (Road), Orioles (Home).
7/3-7/5: Cardinals (Home)
7/6-7/9: Reds (Home)

All-Star Break

We've run into some hot teams, being the Dodgers and D'backs. They are beatable and the Braves can do it, but losing the way the team did last night was inexcusable.

Dayton Moore named Royals GM

A bit of a surpise. Dayton Moore will take over as the new GM of the Kansas City Royals. Following in the footsteps of longtime friend and mentor John Schuerholz. Moore has been interviewed for other jobs, most notably the Red Sox fiasco but has kept coming back to Atlanta. Many thought, including myself he would be the successor to Schuerholz. Could the deranged ownership of the team have anything with his decision to leave? Maybe so, maybe not. Regardless, Moore has been ready for this step. Best of Luck.

Greg Maddux: A Return to Atlanta?

The Cubs are out of it, period. There at the point where a fire sale could be looming. Greg Maddux who won his first 5 games of the season would have been a great asset for the Cubs to trade, but all that happened in April. Maddux then went on a losing skid before picking up a win against the Reds earlier this week. In his losses, Maddux hasn't pitched all that bad, a couple of rough innings, but for the most part he's kept his composure.

Will he be traded by the July deadline? I think so. Will he return to the Braves? There is that chance, but in reality it's slimmer than I hope for. Maddux is in his final year of the 3 year deal signed back in 2004. He's currently making $9M. In order for a trade to happen the Cubs would more than likely have to pickup some of the salary, especially in a deal with the Braves.

Trade Candidates:

1) John Thomson -Thomson's $4.75M would counter the $9M from Maddux, leaving $4.25M. Say the Cubs pickup $2-$2.25M. That will leave Atlanta with roughly $2M to ride out the season with MadDog. Also, Thomson is a free agent at the end of the season.

2)Horacio Ramirez -If he can stay healthy, the Braves should deal him. I would prefer to have him around, but his injuries have become to much of a liability. HoRam makes about $3M? Not sure on the exact number.

3)Prospects/Bench Players -My only two candidates would really be Ramirez and Thomson but some combo of prospect/bench player could also work out if the circumstances fall into place.

For me a 1-2-3 punch of Hudson/Smoltz/Maddux in the playoffs would be a dose of nasty.