We have a light schedule today, with most of the American League teams taking the day off. There really is not a ton of great match-ups on the docket today, even though Johan Santana takes to the mound. The best of the bunch appears to be Javy Vazquez, the most underrated pitcher in fantasy circles ever, taking the mound against the Norwegian, Rick VandenHurk.
Braves (51-50) @ Marlins (53-48), 7:10pm
ATL: Javier Vazquez (32, RHP, 8-7, 2.98)
FLA: Rick VandenHurk (24, RHP, 1-0, 2.45)
How much longer does the Martin Prado experiment at second base last? Go and look at Prado's career numbers, minors and majors, and hopefully you'll come to the conclusion, as I have, that this cannot last much longer.
Kelly Johnson welcomed himself back to the Braves lineup Sunday with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs on a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Not bad, for a guy hitting .216 with five home runs and 20 RBIs when he lost his everyday second base job a month ago. “Going through what’s been going on the last couple weeks, it’s nice to do that in your first start coming back,” Johnson said.Chipper Jones got the day off, so manager Bobby Cox moved Martin Prado to third base and gave Johnson his first start at second base since June 28. He is now 4-for-5, including a pinch-hit single, since returning from the disabled list on Thursday. “I feel back to normal; I feel good,” Johnson said. “It’s nice not to have too many days before you get back in there. Get to keep some momentum going.”
There are a couple of decent match-ups today, but this one stood out as clearly the best. Tommy Gun² vs. Gallardo. Hopefully this is a match-up that will still be a must watch, 10 years from now.
Braves (50-47) @ Brewers (48-48), 7:05pm
ATL: Tommy Hanson (22, RHP, 5-0, 3.00)
MIL: Yovani Gallardo (23, RHP, 8-7, 3.28)
Prado is safe, for now.
The Braves activated second baseman Kelly Johnson from the disabled list and optioned infielder Brooks Conrad back to Class AAA Gwinnett County this morning. Johnson hit .214 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games for the Braves before being DL'd and sent to Gwinnett in late May with a strained wrist. His rehabilitation stint was to expire Saturday, so the Braves had to do something by then ? activate him, option him to Gwinnett or trade him.With Martin Prado now thriving as the starting second basemen, Johnson will be used as a backup at second base and possibly play some outfield
We have a couple of great National League match-ups today.
Both the Giants and Braves are fighting for their bid at the National League's Wild Card, and today we'll get the Freak versus Jair Jurrjens. Call me crazy, but I think Jurrjens takes this one. Why? Well not because he is the better pitcher, but because Jurrjens has faced better competition recently, (Boston twice, Philly, Chicago, and @Coors) and the San Fransisco bats will be no match for his talents.
You have about a one in five chance of correctly predicting the winner in the National League Central. Carpenter and Oswalt look to change those odds today. Should be a fun matchup, no?
Giants (50-43) @ Braves (48-46), 7:00pm
SFG: Tim Lincecum (25, RHP, 10-2, 2.27)
ATL: Jair Jurrjens (23, RHP, 8-7, 2.77)
Cardinals (51-45) @ Astros (48-46), 8:05pm
STL: Chris Carpenter (34, RHP, 8-3, 2.26)
HOU: Roy Oswalt (31, RHP, 6-4, 3.65)
The Bottom Line: Stanton and Heyward are both elite prospects with All Star potential, but at this moment Heyward is probably the No. 1 prospect in baseball. He doesn’t seem to display a true weakness, while Stanton still must overcome his issues with contact. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Stanton has more upside, however.
Now, the one question I have is what if the Marlins put Stanton in center? Would Stanton in center be more valuable than Heyward in right? I think so, but it might be a moot point since Florida’s plan is to use Stanton in right. With that said, Heyward has to be considered the better prospect at this point because of his combination of upside and safety as a prospect. Both are tremendous talents, but Heyward is the surer bet to reach his potential.
I love it!
I'd love to see the Braves run down the Philies.
Since the All-Star Break, we’ve outscored opponents 35-12. That’s thirty-five to twelve. That just happened.And how about Tommy Hanson? 3 earned runs over 7 innings pitched, but he punched out 11 batters! He’s getting his legs under him and our fifth starter is quickly becoming as dangerous as another #2 starter. There’s no real weak spot in the rotation either – Kawakami may be viewed as the weakest link, but he’s received, on average, over 1 run less run support than the team average.
We’re looking good – time to take more from the Giants and make some headway in the Wild Card race. Oh, and by the way, we’re in possession of a winning record, our shortstop was named NL Player of the Week, and we’re in sole possession of second place in the NL East. Things are looking up.
I am kind of surprised that he 11 k's were a Braves rookie record. Oh and watch the video :)
Tommy Hanson’s performance Monday night (video) is just what Braves fans had been waiting for from the former top prospect in all of the minor leagues. Certainly, the 23-year-old had won four times in his first five starts in the major leagues and put up the kind of ERA that let him fit right into oneof the top-performing rotations in the National League. But if they were waiting for one that really set the 6-foot-6 Californian apart, they got it in Hanson’s 11-strikeout game. The 11 strikeouts were the most ever by an Atlanta Braves rookie and the eighth double-digit strikeout game by a rookie in franchise history.
“Hanson had his best all-around stuff,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He was around the plate all night, went ‘strike one’ many times and used his fastball to set up the breaking balls. He had them guessing just about all night long what he was going to throw. I thought it was dominating stuff tonight.”
Hanson, who hadn’t pitched since July 9, gave up two runs in the second on a Winn double after walking the pitcher but retired the next 14 batters in a row, including seven by strikeout. “My arm felt great today, with the days off, being able to rest a little bit,” Hanson said. “Early in the game, I was just battling, trying to find my release point. Once I figured that out and dialed that in a little bit, my arm felt great and everything felt really good today.”
Jonathan Sanchez versus Tommy Gun²:
I am going with Tommy Gun² upping his legacy, and Jonathan Sanchez reminding all of us why he was slotted for the bullpen in the first place.
Giants (50-41) @ Braves (46-46), 7:00pm
SFG: Jonathan Sanchez (26, LHP, 3-8, 4.69)
ATL: Tommy Hanson (22, RHP, 4-0, 2.85)
Smoltz versus Millwood ..those were they days eh?
RedSox (55-36) @ Rangers (49-41), 8:05pm
BOS: John Smoltz (42, RHP, 1-2, 5.40)
TEX: Kevin Millwood (34, RHP, 8-7, 3.46)
I found him on the wire in a holds league after his recent set back. Here's to hoping he can 'hold' it together for the next three months.
Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez was diagnosed with tendinitis in his surgically repaired pitching elbow on Saturday after returning to Atlanta to have it examined. Braves general manager Frank Wren said Gonzalez, who was examined by Dr. Xavier Duralde, should be ready to pitch when play resumes Thursday after the All-Star break.read more »
