BASEBALL
BRAVES REPORT: Shortage of starters worsensThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/14/08
Washington —- The Braves will wait to make a decision whether to put Tom Glavine on the disabled list with his right hamstring strain, but this much was clear Sunday: As deep as their rotation looked breaking spring training, it's looking thinner now.
Mike Hampton is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday from a strained pectoral muscle, but he is just beginning to throw again. Chuck James is back in Class AAA Richmond to work on control issues after making one start. The Braves skipped a fifth starter this time through the rotation, and now they might have to come up with a fourth as well.
Both Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle would be options from Richmond if Glavine has to miss his turn Friday against Los Angeles.
As for the fifth spot, which comes up on Saturday, manager Bobby Cox indicated before Sunday's game that he had been considering long reliever Jeff Bennett. That might have changed Sunday after a nearly disastrous second inning for Bennett.
After allowing only one of Glavine's three runners to score in the first inning, Bennett lost the strike zone. With two outs in the second, he walked four consecutive batters, including Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns with the bases loaded.
A hit batsman to lead off the third inning led to another run as Bennett gave up three runs in four innings.
"He got wild. I don't know why," Cox said. "He just got really wild."
Jorge Campillo made a case to start with two perfect innings of relief in his first major league action as a Brave. He struck out three.
"Campillo looked really good, made some hitters look bad," Cox said.
Navy blue jerseys: Good luck or bad?
After wearing their new navy blue road jerseys for three games in a row, the Braves might pack them up for a while after Glavine injured his hamstring wearing one.
"That's the end of that," Glavine said.
He had been following the lead of Tim Hudson and John Smoltz, who won back-to-back starts in the jerseys the Braves first broke out in the season opener.
The starting pitcher gets to decide which road jerseys the Braves wear. Hudson chose to go back to the new navy jerseys after pitching well in the no-decision here March 30. Friday, he pitched eight shutout innings to beat the Nats 3-0.
"I love the blue jersey. I was hoping we'd win [Friday] because if not, we would be 0-2 with it," Hudson said. "Everybody else likes it a lot. We've just got to win while we're wearing it. If we keep losing, we're not wearing it. Bobby [Cox] might burn it."
Johnson's streak ends with 0-for-4
Kelly Johnson's streak of hitting in each of the first nine games he played this season ended Sunday on an 0-for-4, but he also drew his first walk of the season and stole his first base. ... Mark Kotsay will wear No. 42 for the Braves on Jackie Robinson Day Tuesday in Florida. ... Omar Infante plans to take batting practice for the first time in Florida. The utility infielder hasn't faced live pitching since he broke his right hand in winter ball in Venezuela. He recently started hitting off a tee. ...
Mississippi Brave Jordan Schafer will report to extended spring training in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., sometime this week, Braves general manager Frank Wren said. The Braves' No. 1 prospect, who was suspended for 50 games by the commissioner's office for using HGH, can work out there while staying at his home 20 minutes away.



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