Sports Page Atlanta

Tom Glavine received some good news on Wednesday…if you can call a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow “good news.”  Glavine will not need Tommy John surgery, but will need to have surgery to repair his tendon, which usually requires approximately five months of rehab, instead of the minimum of 12 months of rehab required with Tommy John surgery.  Glavine had previously said that had he needed Tommy John surgery, that he would most likely retire.  The lesser surgery will give Glavine time to rehab and then decide if he wants to pitch for one more season with the Braves.

Tim Hudson and John Smoltz both made visits to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. on Wednesday, and the news wasn’t good for Hudson.  Just like two previous doctors, Dr. Andrews advised Hudson to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right ulnar collateral ligament.  However, unlike the previous two doctors, Dr. Andrews told Hudson, who is not in any day-to-day discomfort, to wait a week to see if it improves.

Hudson underwent an MRI on Monday, after leaving last Wednesday’s game with the Marlins early with elbow discomfort.  The MRI revealed a partial tear of the ligament, a revelation that surprised Hudson, who reportedly was in no pain at the time of the MRI.  Hudson is 11-7 this season, with at 3.17 ERA.  Should Hudson opt for surgery, the likely recovery time is 12 months, which would bring him back to the Braves roughly halfway into the final year of his contract with the Braves.

The Atlanta Braves have officially become sellers, trading 1B Mark Teixeira to the Anaheim Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and minor-league pitcher Stephen Marek.  Teixeira was hitting .283, with 20 HR and 78 RBI with the Braves this season.

Kotchman was enjoying a break-out season this year for the Angels, hitting .287 with 12 HR and 54 RBI, in just his second full season.  In his five major-league seasons, Kotchman is hitting .274 with 31 HR and 165 RBI.

Marek has spent his entire season with the Arkansas Travelers (AA), sporting a 2-6 record, 3.66 ERA and 57 SO in just 46.2 IP. 

The trade is the culmination of what is a dreadful season for the Braves. Key players John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Mike Hampton, Tim Hudson, Mark Kotsay, Matt Diaz, and Rafael Soriano have all missed, or will miss, significant time; Jeff Francoeur is enduring his worst season as a pro, and the Braves haven’t been able to win a one-run road game this season.  It’s the first time since 1990 that the Braves are officially
sellers.

It’s gone from bad to worse for the Braves.  On the verge of trading Mark Teixeira, comes word that ace SP Tim Hudson will see Dr. James Andrews this week, after an MRI today revealed damage to Hudson’s ulnar collateral ligament.  If the injury is serious, it could require Tommy John surgery.

Hudson, who was placed on the DL today along with Chipper Jones, is 11-7 this year, with a 3.17 ERA and 85K.

The loss of Hudson leaves Jair Jurrjens and Mike Hampton, yes, THAT Mike Hampton, as the only two pitchers remaining from the Braves opening day rotation.
 

No, neither is a trade involving Mark Teixeira or Will Ohman, but the Atlanta Braves did make two roster moves over the past two days. On Monday, they designated RP Vladimir Nunez for assignment, and activated RP Rafael
Soriano off of the DL. Tuesday, the Braves activated UTIL Omar Infante from
the DL, shipping SS Brent Lillibridge to AAA Richmond.

In a road trip, those are the first two, of what could be many impactful
roster moves. Still nothing regarding Teixeira or Ohman, but don’t be
surprised if one or both is gone by the end of the week.

Do not adjust your monitors, this is not a re-post, Mike Hampton is injured
again. Let me give you a second to recover from the shock…

…okay, now on to the story. Mike Hampton left his rehab start in AA
Mississippi Wednesday night in the second inning with a strained groin.
Hampton initially injured himself in the first inning, but tried to “tough
it out” to make it through the second. Let’s give him credit, at least he
made it through warm ups. Hamptons final line…2IP, 1ER, 1BB and 2K.

This is when we, as baseball fans, wish the NFL Players Association was
running the union. Oh how we all yearn for un-guaranteed contracts, for we
would never be dealing with Mike Hampton anymore. As it is, we are stuck
with him. But, he needs to be cut. It’s apparent that he isn’t going to
pitch for the Braves ever again. As it is now, he’s impeding the
development of a AA pitcher. We are going to have to pay him anyways. Let
him go, write the check and close this miserable chapter in Atlanta Braves
history.

Enough is enough.  It’s painfully obvious that Jeff Francoeur needs to be sent down to AAA Richmond.  He has four hits over his last 12 games.  And, worse, he is leaving runners on base at an alarming rate.

In 96 AB’s with runners in scoring position in 2008, which is a situation that Francoeur has thrived in over his first few seasons, he’s hitting .206.  It gets worse.  Much worse.  In close and late situations, which is defined as AB’s in the 7th inning or later, with the batting team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run at least on deck; Francoeur’s average is .204, in 49 AB’s, and 6 RBI.  Not exactly clutch.  Now, here’s really shocker, with a runner on third and less than two outs, which is a situation screaming for production, Francoeur is batting .179.  That, my friends, is unacceptable.

Francoeur needs to be sent down.  His brain is a melting pot of hitting coaches and wannabe hitting coaches, and he can’t decipher the two.  He will, most likely, stay with the Braves for now.  But, when Matt Diaz comes back, Francoeur needs to be sent down.  You can’t put Blanco, Kotsay or Diaz on the bench, and Francoeur can’t hit himself out of the slump on the bench.  He needs AB’s in a more relaxed environment.  Richmand, Va. is that environment.

Mark Teixeira went deep three times, and the Braves got 7 strong innings from starter Tim Hudson, to beat the Mariners on Sunday.  With the win, the Braves take the series from the Mariners, after dropping the first game Friday night.

Teixeira had solo shots in the 2nd and the 4th, and added a two-run shot in the 7th.  It was the second three-home run game of his career, his first coming in 2006 as a member of the Texas Rangers in his hometown of Baltimore.

Tim Hudson scattered four hits, walked four, and struck out two over his 7 innings to earn the win.

The Braves continue the home-stand tomorrow, as the Brewers come to town for a three-game set.  Jo-Jo Reyes takes the hill for the home team, looking to continue his solid work, facing Brewers ace Ben Sheets.

Well, that took a while!!!  For the first time all year, the Braves won a game after trailing in the 8th inning, with a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners Saturday night.  Coupled with a Phillies loss, that brings the Braves to within five games of the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies.

Trailing 4-1 entering the 8th, Ruben Gotay hit his first HR of the year, a solo shot, to cut the lead to 4-2.  Then, after a Gregor Blanco 1B and a two-base throwing error by SS Yuniesky Betancourt, Chipper Jones, pinch-hitting on essentially one leg, drove the first pitch from Arthur Rhodes up-the-middle, to cut the lead to 4-3.

Miguel Batista entered in the bottom of the 9th, subbing for injured closers J.J. Putz and Brandon Morrow, and probably shouldn’t be put in that position again.  Batista walked Kelly Johnson, then gave up the lead on a double from former Mariner Greg Norton.  He then intentionally walked Mark Teixeira and beaned Jeff Francoeur, before giving up the game-winning, broken bat single to Brian McCann, without recording a single out.  The celebration erupted around McCann near first base, as the Braves got the monkey off their backs.

For the second time this year, and the second time in his career, Tom Glavine is headed to the 15-day disabled list. Glavine was taken out after just three innings Tuesday night vs. the Cubs with a strained elbow. He flew to Atlanta after the game to have an MRI on his elbow.

This marks the second time this year that Glavine has visited the DL. In April, he was out for almost a month with a strained hamstring. No roster move has been made yet to take Glavine’s spot, but SP Charlie Morton could get a look, with Buddy Carlyle and Jeff Bennett also being considered for the starting rotation.