Braves trade for lefty reliever Downs

What was arguably the Braves’ biggest strength just got a little stronger.

They made a move to improve the majors’ top-rated bullpen by trading for left-hander Scott Downs from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor league reliever Cory Rasmus.

Downs, 37, has a 1.84 ERA in 43 appearances, with a .243 opponents’ average including .196 by left-handed hitters. He was expected to be at Turner Field in time for Monday night’s series opener against Colorado, but the Braves were waiting until he arrived before making a corresponding roster move.

“I played with him the last two years and he’s pitched lights-out over there,” said Braves setup man Jordan Walden, a former Angels teammate of Downs. “He knows the game and he’s hard on lefties. Very good sinker and good curve. Pounds the sinker in on lefties.”

Downs is owed a little less than $2 million of his $5 million salary and will be a free agent after the season. The Braves wanted to get a proven lefty to take some of the load off standout rookie Luis Avilan, their only lefty reliever since Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty had elbow surgeries early in the season.

“He’s going to take some burden off Avilan,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We put a lot of stressful innings on a young kid, so to bring in a veteran guy who can take some of the burden off him is a really good move.”

The Braves are still interested in adding a left-handed hitter for the bench and possibly more pitching, but might might wait until August, after Wednesday’s non-waiver trade deadline. Before giving up young talent in another potential trade, they might wait to see how the team performs after some players return from the disabled list.

“It’s been a busy day,” Wren said Monday afternooon. “We’ve had a lot of conversations and I don’t know if anything will come to fruition, but we’ve had a lot of conversations on different fronts. You continue to knock on doors and make calls until you feel like you’ve exhausted all the possibilities to improve your team.”

Bolstering the bullpen was a priority before Wednesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, and became more so after the Braves lost veteran starter and pitching-staff leader Tim Hudson to a season-ending broken ankle Wednesday.

With the trade price so high for the few front-line starters available on the trade market, the Braves opted to make their bullpen even more formidable.They added one of the top lefties available, complementing the Braves’ setup duo of Avilan and Walden.

“Three years ago when he was acquired as a free agent by Anaheim, he was one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, and he’s a guy you trust,” Wren said. “That’s a big word for us. You’re getting late in the game in the bullpen, you want somebody out there you trust. He personifies that.”

Downs had a 1.24 ERA before his last appearance Thursday at Oakland, where he gave up two runs and three hits, including his only homer allowed this season.

“Anything we can get to help the team make the playoffs and get us farther in the playoffs, that is going to be great for us,” Avilan said. “It’s really good having another lefty in the bullpen, especially him. Walden told me he’s a really good pitcher, really good against lefty hitters, so that’s going to be good for the team.”

Atlanta’s bullpen ERA is a majors-best 2.62, ahead of the Pirates (2.84) and Royals (2.95). Atlanta and Pittsburgh relievers are tied for lowest opponents’ average at .214.

Downs had a .183 opponents’ average during a stretch of 29 appearances through July 23. The Kentucky native’s 2.28 ERA since the beginning of the 2008 season ranks fourth among major league relievers (minimum 200 innings), and he is completing a three-year, $15 million contract he signed with the Angels.

Rasmus, 25, had a 1.72 ERA and 14 saves in 32 appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett, with 48 strikeouts and 22 walks in 36-2/3 innings. He struggled in three appearances in two callups with Atlanta this season, allowing eight hits, six earned runs, four homers and three walks in 6-2/3 innings.

The brother of Toronto center fielder Colby Rasmus, Cory Rasmus was a supplemental-round draft pick by the Braves in 2006, the 38th overall selection in that draft. He was 17-22 with a 3.61 ERA in 143 games (35 starts) in seven minor league seasons, all at the rookie or Class-A level until 2012, when he moved up to Double-A.