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Home > ajcsportstalk > Archives > 2008 > July
July 2008
Did the Braves get enough for Tex?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves traded Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek.
Known as an exceptional defensive first baseman, Kotchman is batting .287 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs. The right-handed Marek is with the Angels’ AA affiliate in Arkansas.
Did the Braves get enough for Teixeira, who is batting .283 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs?
Other opinions
• LA Times: Angels pay small price for Tex
• Mark Bradley: Deal had to be done
Permalink | Comments (238) | Categories: Braves
What did you think of Hampton’s return?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After nearly three years, Mike Hampton threw in a major league game. He left in the fifth with the bases loaded and a six-run lead that quickly vanished.
The 35-year-old left-hander lasted four innings, allowing eight hits and six earned runs, while striking out one and issuing two walks.
How did Hampton look after his injury-plagued hiatus? Were you more surprised about how he pitched, or by how Atlanta couldn’t hold the lead?
What does Hampton’s return mean for the Braves’ chances? Would you rather have him in the rotation or rookie Charlie Morton (2-3, 6.00 ERA), who was optioned to Richmond to make room for Hampton on the team roster?
With the loss, will the Braves pull the trigger on a Mark Teixeira trade?
Permalink | Comments (165) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
Are the Braves done?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Washington Nationals outscored the Braves 23-8 to win the last two games of their three-game series at Turner Field this weekend.
The series loss and 15-6 rout Sunday were a crushing disappointment for the fourth-place Braves, who hoped for a strong start after the All-Star break.
Can the Braves still rally now to threaten division leaders Philadelphia and New York?
Do they have all the pieces to mount such a comeback, and what will it take to get those necessary players to make recovery on the season?
Permalink | Comments (328) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
Jurrgens, Braves fall to Nationals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Braves general manager Frank Wren said .500 ball wouldn’t do it, wouldn’t keep this team in contention and the Braves’ impending free agents off the trade market.
Well, .500 ball is what the Braves have done so far.
Two games into the second half, they’ve split games with the Washington Nationals, the team with the worst record in the majors. Two thwarted bases-loaded opportunities left the Braves’ offense dormant Saturday night in an 8-2 loss.
“It just wasn’t our night,” first baseman Mark Teixeira said. “If we’d lost by one run, we could blame it on balls we hit at people, but we kind of got our butts kicked. We just need to try to win the series tomorrow.”
The Braves have to win today to take the series and any semblance of fight into a road trip against Florida and Philadelphia, two teams ahead of them in the NL East.
“The series are must-win,” Teixeira said. “We can’t expect to go out and win every single game. That’s just not possible. We have to try to win every series. If we play .500 ball, we’re not going to make it.”
The Nationals lead the season series with the Braves 6-4, thanks in large part to former Brave Willie Harris. He went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a stolen base to give him a .500 average (10-for-20) against the Braves this season. He has hit .204 (28-for-137) against everybody else.
“No explanation for it,” Harris told reporters afterward. “I’m just seeing the ball well. It’s no different from playing anybody else.”
The Braves, meanwhile, looked like a team trying a little too hard.
Brian McCann was thrown out trying to take an extra base after he stole second. Jeff Francoeur struck out on a pitch in the dirt and made two errant throws home. Gregor Blanco got picked off.
And Jair Jurrjens looked like a pitcher who had too long of an All-Star break layoff.
Pitching for the first time in 11 days, Jurrjens allowed five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.
“You could say [I was rusty], but that’s just excuses,” Jurrjens said. “I didn’t make pitches when I needed to, and I got hurt.”
Jurrjens gave up increasingly damaging hits to Harris (single), Paul Lo Duca (double) and Cristian Guzman (triple) in a three-run third inning.
“It’s not like he was getting laced all over the place, but they were having good at-bats, making solid contact, and it just kind of snowballed,” Teixeira said.
The 3-0 lead looked vast after the Braves hit two balls hard with the bases loaded but got outs — one by Greg Norton in the fourth and one by McCann in the fifth.
“We could have easily scored eight runs tonight,” said McCann, who slammed his helmet in disgust. “Both those hits should have been hits. They were in the gaps; they’re playing against the wall.”
The Braves scored their first run after nearly running themselves out of the fifth inning. With runners at first and second, Chipper Jones singled to right field. Third base coach Brian Snitker held Jurrjens up at third, but Blanco never looked up and kept running for third. Jurrjens had to head home and scored on a wide throw from Austin Kearns.
The Braves would not score again until Norton’s solo home run in the ninth.
“We can’t hit the ball any better than we did with men on,” manager Bobby Cox said. “If they’re at people and they run them down, that’s the game of baseball. We had great at-bats and scalded them.
“It’s the turning point of the game. We probably win. If they both fall in, I know we win.”
Permalink | | Categories: Braves
Hitting the road with the Bulldogs?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Bulldogs’ journey to a possible BCS Championship will include stops in Tempe, Ariz., Jacksonville and Baton Rouge, La.
With Tennessee, Vandy and Georgia Tech visiting Athens next season, is that enough to keep you here, or will you be traveling with the Bulldogs?
Who do you feel will give Georgia its biggest challenge? Are you confident the Bulldogs will make it to the BCS title game?
Give us your thoughts on the Bulldogs’ chances in 2008.
Permalink | Comments (89) | Post your comment | Categories: College sports, UGA
How will the Jackets do this season?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech will face a list of familiar foes this upcoming football season.
New coach Paul Johnson begins the season with an Aug. 28 visit from Jacksonville State and takes his option offense on the road to face ACC champion Virginia Tech two weeks later and closes out the year in Athens against the Georgia Bulldogs.
What do you believe will be the biggest challenge for the new coach? Which side of the ball will shine — offense or defense?
Do you expect a better record than 7-6? What games will give the new offense most trouble?
Give us your thoughts on the Jackets’ chances in 2008.
Permalink | Comments (165) | Post your comment | Categories: College sports, Georgia Tech
How will Braves fare vs. Padres?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After losing two of three against the Dodgers, the Braves will open their final series before the All-Star break tonight against the Padres in San Diego. (See series preview).
Jo-Jo Reyes gets the start for the Braves tonight followed by Charlie Morton on Saturday and Jorge Campillo on Sunday. Morton’s opponent will be a familiar face for Braves fans - longtime ex-Brave and future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.
Pitching hasn’t been the primary issue for the Braves - lack of offensive production has. The Braves exploded for nine runs in their win over the Dodgers, but were held hitless for most of their two losses.
So, what do you think will happen this weekend in San Diego? Can the Braves build some momentum heading into the All-Star break?
Let us know what you think. Also, check out the most recent blog by David O’Brien and complete Braves coverage.
Permalink | Comments (91) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
Francoeur already heading home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves have recalled Jeff Francoeur from the minor leagues after only 72 hours.
What’s your reaction?
To continue this conversation, click here and join David O’Brien’s daily blog.
Permalink | Comments (112) | Categories: Braves
Francoeur update: 4 hits Sunday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Francoeur of the Braves had four hits in his first four at-bats Sunday night, raising his average to .538, as the Class AA Mississippi Braves played the Chattanooga Lookouts. He struck out looking in his final at-bat.
Francoeur went 2-for-4 in his first game Friday after being demoted from Atlanta, then went 1-for-4 Saturday.
The right fielder had a .234 average with Atlanta before being sent down and told he would rejoin the big-league club within three weeks.
What do you think of Francoeur’s minor-league stint so far? How long do you think he should stay in AA?
Permalink | Comments (94) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
Francoeur update: 1-for-4 Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Francoeur of the Braves was 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a strikeout Saturday night as the Class AA Mississippi Braves lost to the Chattanooga Lookouts 12-4.
Francoeur went 2-for-4 in his first game Friday after being demoted from Atlanta. He is hitting .375 after two games.
He had a .234 average this season in the majors and told he would rejoin the big-league club within three weeks.
What do you think of Francoeur’s minor-league stint so far? How long do you think he should stay in AA?
Permalink | Comments (55) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
Peachtree Road Race: The ‘08 shirt, the finish line
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that the 39th Peachtree Road Race is in the books, what do you think of the two biggest issues that concerned most runners — the T-shirt and the new finish line at Juniper Street and Ponce de Leon?
For a look at the T-shirt, click here.
Was it the one you preferred or not? Is it something you might want to wear around the house, if not town? Or will it end up stuffed in a drawer?
As for the new finish line and T-shirt pick up spot, what are your thoughts? Was it well organized, or not? How was it getting from the former spot to the latter?
And how would you stack up this Peachtree Road Race experience against others you’ve had before?
Permalink | Comments (147) | Post your comment | Categories: Peachtree Road Race
Braves’ struggles continue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves were swept by the Phillies in a three-game home series.
Three pitchers expected to be in the starting rotation are on the DL, there’s even talk of demoting struggling fan favorite Jeff Francoeur to the minors, and more talk about trading first baseman Mark Teixeira.
Have the Braves reached a low point this season and is there any way to pull them out of the tailspin?
How many games do you think they will eventually lose in this 162-game season?
How frustrated are you?
Permalink | Comments (47) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
The mystique of the Peachtree Road Race T-shirt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 39th Peachtree Road Race is almost here, and already participants and race fans alike are speculating on what this year’s shirt will look like. It’s as much a ritual as the 10K event itself, since the design isn’t revealed until runners pick up their shirts after the race.
Yet a lot of participants admit they won’t do anything more with the shirt after receiving it. They stick in a drawer and say they wouldn’t go out in public wearing it.
And still others say that the Peachtree Road Race shirt is a symbol above all else, a souvenir of their participation, or a testament to a personal goal or other desire to get out with 55,000 others and get involved in one of Atlanta’s signature July 4 events.
What does the Peachtree Road Race shirt mean to you? And how much do you care what the shirt looks like this year?
We’ve been asking you for several weeks now which of the five 2008 shirt finalists you like, and while this is an unofficial poll (and won’t influence the final decision, which already has been made), it has generated plenty of attention. Vote here, and see how well the shirt designs are doing with others.
And you’ve been voting for your favorite Peachtree Road Race shirts from past years.
Update: Readers selected the 2002 Peachtree shirt as their all-time favorite. You can view it here. What do you think of the readers’ choice? Sound off here with fellow runners.
And enjoy the Peachtree Road Race!
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Peachtree Road Race
Should Chipper Jones play if he’s not 100 percent?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just two days after saying his injured quadricep was not healing as fast as anticipated, third baseman Chipper Jones returned to the lineup Tuesday, as the Braves opened a three-game series against the division-leading Phillies. But should he have been?
Is this series important enough for Jones to risk an early return? Or would you rather seem him sit out until he’s completely healthy, even if it means a stint on the disabled list?
After Tuesday’s win, Philadelphia now leads the Braves by five games in the NL East. Clearly, the Braves aren’t out of the race, but if Chipper were to go down for an extended period of time, they’d be in big trouble.
So is it worth the risk?
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves
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