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Friday, June 27, 2008
Update on the Braves’ many injuries
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happy Friday, everyone. Sorry I haven’t been around much lately; life has been more hectic than usual. I’ll be back on a more regular basis next week.
Meanwhile, I’m sure the guys enjoyed their first day off in about 2 1/2 weeks yesterday, and with all the injuries, this team definitely needed a breather. The lineup they sent out there Wednesday could have been Richmond’s.
Here’s a look at where some of the walking wounded stand and when we might get a few of them back:
Chipper Jones: Has missed five games with a strained right quad. He’s hoping to DH against Toronto and might be ready to get back out on the field next week.
Mark Kotsay: Has been out since May 26 with a lower back strain. He’s 2-for-7 in his first two rehab games in Mississippi and may come off the DL as early as Tuesday.
Martin Prado: Has been out since May 5 with a sprained left thumb. He began a rehab assignment in Mississippi yesterday, going 0-for-4. (At least he stayed in the game long enough to get four at-bats.)
Matt Diaz: Has been out since May 27, when he injured his left knee sliding into a concrete wall in Milwaukee. He’s another two or three weeks away.
Yunel Escobar: Missed four of the past five games with a hip flexor and then a shoulder injury. He’s hoping to be back this weekend.
Omar Infante: Has been nursing a pulled hamstring and is hoping to avoid the DL.
Mike Hampton: The star-crossed lefty made his second scoreless appearance for the Braves’ rookie-level Gulf Coast League team Wednesday, pitching 2 2/3 innings and giving up three hits and no walks, striking out two. He threw three shutout innings on June 21.
Here’s hoping all those timetables stay on track and the team gets more recognizable in the next week or so. But you have to hand it to the young starters who have been given the chance to shine because of the injuries and have made the most of the opportunity. Jorge Campillo, Jair Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes and Charlie Morton have more than held their own during some rough stretches, and with any run support would be racking up the W’s.
Speaking of starters, here are the pitching matchups for this weekend in Toronto:
Friday: Dustin McGowan vs. Jair Jurrjens. In his last start, McGowan got bailed out by his offense after giving up four runs in five innings, while all three of Jurrjens’ runs in the six innings of his previous start were unearned and he came away with a loss.
Saturday: John Parrish vs. Tim Hudson. Parrish was called up from AAA (where he was 10-1 wth a 2.74 ERA) to fill in for Shaun Marcum (injured elbow). In his last start, Huddy finally got his first interleague win with Atlanta, throwing seven shutout innings against the Mariners.
Sunday: A.J. Burnett vs. Jo-Jo Reyes. Burnett allowed only one run in eight innings against the Reds in his last start and has given up two earned runs or fewer in six starts this year. Meanwhile, Jo-Jo is hoping to bounce back from the shortest outing of his career, when he lasted only 2 1/3 innings against the Brewers.
Upcoming TV Schedule
Friday: at Blue Jays, 7:07, SportSouth
Saturday: at Blue Jays, 1:07, SportSouth
Sunday: at Blue Jays, 1:07, SportSouth
Monday: Off-day
Tuesday: vs. Phillies, 7:00, Peachtree TV
Wednesday: vs. Phillies, 7:00, FSN South
Thursday: vs. Phillies, 7:00, Peachtree TV
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