As trade deadline looms, Braves stand pat

By DAVID O'BRIEN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - With the Friday trade deadline looming and division leader Philadelphia having bolstered its pitching staff, the Braves seem prepared to stand pat and see if they can make a postseason push without spending more money or dealing away more prospects.

On Wednesday, the Phillies traded four minor leaguers to Cleveland for left-hander Cliff Lee, the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner, and NL wild-card leader San Francisco trade for Pittsburgh second baseman Freddy Sanchez, a former batting champion.

The Braves believe their recent resurgence - despite losses the past two nights at Florida - was an indication of what their team is capable of doing the rest of the season. But they haven't stopped looking, just in case a deal pops up in the next 24 hours or so.

"We continue to look at trade possibilities," general manager Frank Wren said, "but with the return of [Tim] Hudson and [Omar] Infante and the way our club is pitching and swinging the bat, we haven't found a move that would make an impact for us."

The Braves are counting on Hudson (elbow surgery) and utility man Infante (broken hand) returning from the disabled list in mid-August, with Hudson expected to move back into the starting rotation. Infante hit .349 in 86 at-bats before he got hurt, including .385 against lefties.

Despite a lefty-heavy lineup, the Braves are 15-10 against lefty starting pitchers. They have a 7-2 record against the Phillies, who now have four lefties in their starting rotation.

The Braves lead the NL with a .293 batting average in July and trail only the Phillies in runs scored for the month. Braves pitchers are tied with the Phillies for the third-best July ERA (3.30) in the league, and their 15-10 record is tied for third in the NL this month behind the Cubs (17-8) and Phillies (19-6).

If the Braves make a move before Friday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline, it might be to pick up another reliever. Their bullpen has been solid, but there's been a lot of mileage put on the top four contributors this season: Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Eric O'Flaherty and Peter Moylan.

The Braves' confidence climbed while winning eight of their first 11 games after the All-Star break. But since then they've lost the first two games of a three-game series against the Florida Marlins that concludes tonight in Miami.

Those losses dropped them to 8-1/2 games behind the Philadelphia and two behind Florida in the NL East standings, and to four games behind San Francisco in the wild-card standings. The Braves are tied with Houston for fifth in the wild-card race.