Braves 4, Rockies 3

The Braves did the little things necessary to win a low-scoring game, and it resulted in a 4-3 win. Now if only they played like this every night.

Rafael Soriano (AP - David Zalubowski)

Brian McCann doubled in the second, was moved to third on a Garret Anderson groundout, and scored on a grounder that Brooks Conrad beat out for the first run. After a Diory Hernandez single moved Conrad to second, Jair Jurrjens poked a single through the hole to score Conrad for the second run.

Jurrjens singled to start the fifth, moved to second on a single by Martin Prado, moved to third on a Chipper Jones walk, and scored on a sac fly by McCann for the third run. Nate McLouth tripled to start the seventh and scored on another sac fly by McCann for the fourth run, which proved to be crucial when Jurrjens hit a wall in the seventh. Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo homer, Seth Smith singled in a run, and Smith scored on a passed ball. The Braves were able to hold the tying run at third, and they eventually won by the same score.

Jair Jurrjens: W (7-7), 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Peter Moylan: H (14), 1 IP, 2 H, ER, K
Eric O' Flaherty: H (10), 0.2 IP, H, BB, K
Manny Acosta: H (2), 0.1 IP
Rafael Soriano: S (12), 1 IP, H, 3 K

I felt the need to mention every pitcher because of the importance of each one's effort tonight. Jurrjens needed to go deep in this game with Kris Medlen starting tomorrow, and he fought hard for six innings. It was a usual outing for him, giving up three walks and striking out three, but he kept the Rockies off the board for six innings until running out of gas in the seventh. Moylan didn't really bail Jurrjens out since he allowed his inherited run to score, but he bailed himself out by keeping the tying run at third. O' Flaherty was asked to go the entire eighth but gave up a hit and walk and left the game in Acosta's hands with runners at first and second. Acosta bailed him out with a groundout. Soriano allowed a blooping single to start the ninth but buckled down and struck out the side. He threw 13 pitches and 12 were strikes. That's a true closer.

Brian McCann: 2 RBI
Jair Jurrjens: 2-3, RBI

McCann saved the Braves on offense, driving in what proved to be the tying and winning runs on sac flies. Jurrjens was also a key for the Braves with an RBI and scoring a crucial run. Ryan Church went 0-4 in his Braves debut but hit the ball hard and just missed hitting a grand slam.

Notable Rockies:
Jason Marquis: L (11-6), 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Seth Smith: 2-4, RBI

Notable Stat:
Rafael Soriano: 13 pitches, 12 strikes. 4 first pitch strikes, 4 batters faced. 3 Ks. 1 save.

Next Game:
7/12: @ Rockies, 3:10 (Kris Medlen vs. Jason Hammel)

7/11: Braves @ Rockies Game Preview

July 11, 2009 - 8:10 (SportSouth)
@


Jair Jurrjens
(6-7, 2.91 ERA, 41 BB, 75 K, 1.26 WHIP)
Career vs. Rockies: 3-1, 2.93 ERA in 4 starts
vs.

Jason Marquis
(11-5, 3.61 ERA, 38 BB, 54 K, 1.30 WHIP)
Career vs. Braves: 2-3, 8.70 ERA in 6 starts

Braves vs. Marquis:
Nate McLouth: 28 PA, 5-23, HR, 3 RBI
Chipper Jones: 13 PA, 5-10, 3 HR, 3 RBI
Brian McCann: 12 PA, 3-10

Rockies vs. Jurrjens:
Brad Hawpe: 12 PA, 3-12, HR, 2 RBI
Garrett Atkins: 11 PA, 4-10, 2 RBI
Todd Helton: 11 PA, 4-9
Ian Stewart: 10 PA, 0-10
Troy Tulowitzki: 10 PA, 3-9, RBI

Season Series: 3-2 (Last Game: 7/10, W 4-1)

What to Look For:
Jason Marquis has a terrible history against the Braves, but he allowed just one run in eight innings against them earlier in the season. Also, Jair Jurrjens allowed one run in seven innings and struck out eight against the Rockies earlier this season. Which one will repeat is the focus of tonight's game. It will also be the debut of Ryan Church as a Brave. He will more than likely start in right.

MLB.com Gameday
STATS Preview
Close friends forced to go separate ways

Final Roundup (7/10)

The Phillies have won seven of their last eight after a close win over the Pirates on Friday, giving them a three-game lead over the Marlins and remaining ahead by five over the Braves. Myrtle Beach routed Frederick and Danville received a great pitching performance on the farm.

NL East Notables:
The Phillies beat the Pirates, 3-2. Joe Blanton allowed one run on four hits in 7.1 innings, striking out six. Jayson Werth had two RBIs and Shane Victorino continues to rake, going 3-4. Zach Duke made a valiant effort for the Pirates, allowing three runs in eight innings and striking out six.

Braves MiL Notables:
AA Mississippi (7-12) beat Birmingham, 8-7, in the second game of a doubleheader. Eric Campbell picked up three hits and four RBIs. Freddie Freeman went 2-4 with two RBIs, and Jason Heyward went 2-4 with an RBI.

A+ Myrtle Beach (8-7) cruised past Frederick, 11-4. Benji Johnson went 2-4 with three RBIs. Robert Marcial added two RBIs, and C.J. Lee recorded a homer. Jose Ortegano allowed four runs over two innings.

Rk Danville (11-7) shut out Bluefield, 3-0. Randy Gress went 2-3 with two RBIs, but the highlight of the game was Chris Masters, who pitched seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits while not walking any and striking out nine.

NL East Top Performer:

Joe Blanton
SP - Phillies
(W, 7.1 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 6 K) vs. Pirates

Braves MiL Top Performer:

Eric Campbell
3B - AA Mississippi
(3-4, 2B, 4 RBI) vs. Birmingham

Braves 4, Rockies 1

The good Derek Lowe showed up tonight, allowing just one run and leading the Braves to a 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Garret Anderson (AP - David Zalubowski)

Garret Anderson got the Braves on the board in the first with a two-run double, and it proved to be a key hit when the score remained the same through five. Todd Helton took advantage of Lowe's only mistake, hitting a solo homer in the sixth to make it a 2-1 score. After a rain delay knocked both starters out after six, Diory Hernandez provided two insurance runs in the eighth on a double to make it 4-1, where it remained.

Derek Lowe: W (8-7), 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 5 K
Manny Acosta: H (1), 1.1 IP, 3 H, K
Eric O' Flaherty: H (9), 0.2 IP, 2 K
Rafael Soriano: S (11), 1 IP, 2 K

Everything seemed to be against Lowe's favor tonight, with a bad history at Coors and in the middle of a rough stretch. However, he pitched like the Lowe of earlier this season, making just one mistake to Helton and not allowing any extra base hits. Also worth noting is one walk to five strikeouts, which is something that has plagued Lowe recently. Acosta performed well in a tough spot, asked to pitch the seventh and some of the eighth with the one-run lead. He got into trouble in the eighth but O' Flaherty bailed him out with two strikeouts. Soriano pitched another perfect inning for his 11th save.

Garret Anderson: 2-4, 2 RBI
Diory Hernandez: 2 RBI
Martin Prado: 2-4

Anderson and Hernandez were the offense for the Braves tonight. Oh, and Prado. Can't forget him. Matt Diaz went 0-3 in his start, striking out twice. Ubaldo Jimenez was sitting Braves hitters down at a rapid pace, striking out eight over six innings.

Notable Rockies:
Ubaldo Jimenez: L (6-9), 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 K

Notable Stat:
Eric O' Flaherty=Bailout Machine: K'd 3 of his last 4 hitters, all in tough spots.

Next Game:
7/11: @ Rockies, 8:10 (Jair Jurrjens vs. Jason Marquis)

7/10: Braves @ Rockies Game Preview

July 10, 2009 - 9:10 (SportSouth)
@


Derek Lowe
(7-7, 4.56 ERA, 36 BB, 56 K, 1.43 WHIP)
Career vs. Rockies: 7-7, 4.50 ERA in 17 starts
vs.

Ubaldo Jimenez
(6-8, 3.86 ERA, 45 BB, 93 K, 1.33 WHIP)
Career vs. Braves: 1-2, 5.66 ERA in 4 starts

Braves vs. Jimenez:
Yunel Escobar: 12 PA, 5-8
Chipper Jones: 12 PA, 3-11, 3 RBI
Brian McCann: 12 PA, 3-9
Nate McLouth: 10 PA, 2-10, HR
Matt Diaz: 6 PA, 2-4, HR

Rockies vs. Lowe:
Todd Helton: 46 PA, 13-39, HR, 4 RBI
Garrett Atkins: 39 PA, 10-38, 6 RBI
Brad Hawpe: 38 PA, 11-34, 3 HR, 9 RBI

Season Series: 2-2 (Last Game: 7/9, L 7-6)

What to Look For:
Which Ubaldo Jimenez shows up. He is an inconsistent starter who is prone to blow up, but he can also no-hit you pretty easily. He hasn't had much success against the Braves, however. The Rockies have seen Lowe quite often when he was with the Dodgers and have had success against him, especially the three listed above.

MLB.com Gameday
STATS Preview
Braves deal Francoeur to Mets for Church
Braves option Hanson until after break
Escobar exits with lower back strain
DOB Blog (7/10)
Braves trade Francoeur to Mets
The Francoeur trade: a sad but necessary ending

The Francoeur Era is Over

Thank the Lord. Hallelujah. I'm standing and cheering. Jeff Francoeur has been traded to the Mets for Ryan Church.

My first reaction: the Mets? Wow. The Mets. Probably the last place Francoeur wanted to go and try to work things out. I already know Mets fans don't want the guy, just imagine how it'll be when Jeff grounds into double play after double play. A negative atmosphere is not something he's used to. I wonder how he'll handle it.

My second reaction: the Braves absolutely robbed the Mets of Church. For the Braves to get anything at all for Francoeur is shocking in itself, but to get a capable lefty hitter who can be plugged into right field immediately is amazing to me. I mean, it's not even my place to evaluate Church and his flaws because of the fact that the Braves got him for Francoeur.

My third reaction: I really must wish the best for Francoeur. To be the hometown hero, center of attention, and tagged as the future star in Atlanta only to fall this far is demoralizing, I'm sure. I can't help but feel a little sorry for him despite my constant ripping of him for the past couple years. I will cheer for him and I hope he is able to climb out of the hole.

Braves fans that were attracted to his smile, personality, and story are very upset today. Braves fans that want to see the team win are standing and applauding Frank Wren today. It had to be done.

Final Roundup (7/9)

The Phillies and Marlins continued to keep pace with each other on Thursday, with both winning big games. Meanwhile, the Braves, Mets, and Nationals slid another game behind. Gwinnett picked up a big win and Myrtle Beach won in extras down on the farm.

NL East Notables:
The Phillies took the rubber game from the Reds by the score of 9-6. Jamie Moyer continued his backward slide by allowing six runs in five innings, raising his ERA to 5.99. But he was backed by a homer and two RBIs from Jayson Werth, two RBIs from Shane Victorino, and two hits and an RBI from a red hot Jimmy Rollins. Rollins is currently on a nine-game hitting streak and has seen his average go from .209 to .227 in that stretch.

The Marlins scored 10 runs in the eighth inning to beat the D-Backs, 14-7. Dan Uggla went 4-6 with an RBI. The Marlins got home runs from Jeremy Hermida, Brett Carroll, and Jorge Cantu. The score was actually 7-0 D-Backs through five, but the Marlins scored three in the sixth, one in the seventh, and 10 in the eighth to make the comeback. Blaine Boyer gave up five runs, two earned, in that eighth inning debacle for the D-Backs.

Other Notable Stat Lines:
ATL - Jeff Francoeur (3-4, 3 2B, 2 RBI)
WAS - Ryan Zimmerman (2-5, RBI)
NYM - Gary Sheffield (2-4, RBI)

Braves MiL Notables:
AAA Gwinnett (47-41) got seven solid innings from Bobby Brownlie in a 8-6 win over Durham. Brownlie allowed one run on five hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out five. Barbaro Canizares hit a homer and drove in three. Chris Burke added two hits and a homer.

A+ Myrtle Beach (7-7) beat Potomac in extras, 6-5. Erik Cordier pitched seven solid innings for the Pelicans, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out four. Donell Linares went 4-5 at the plate. Gerardo Rodriguez went 2-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Michael Fisher added two RBIs.

A- Rome (4-11) defeated Greenville, 6-2. Paul Clemens gave up just one unearned run on six hits in six innings, walking one and striking out eight. Yoel Campusano recorded three hits and an RBI. Adam Milligan added three hits.

Other Notable Stat Lines:
AAA - Kelly Johnson (2-2, 3B, RBI, 3 BB)
AA - Jason Heyward (1-3, RBI)
Rk - Brett Oberholtzer (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K)

NL East Top Performer:

Jeremy Hermida
RF - Marlins
(3-5, HR, 2 RBI) vs. D-Backs

Braves MiL Top Performer:

Paul Clemens
A- Rome
(6 IP, 6 H, R, BB, 8 K) vs. Greenville