Braves' News Tidbits

[General]

Chris Reitsma, limited by a left hamstring strain earlier in the week, worked a scoreless ninth Saturday.
Reitsma will be in the closer's role on Opening Day, and it looks like he has less to worry about as far as job security than he did a few weeks ago. Joey Devine, the Braves' most talented reliever, is in the minors, and Oscar Villarreal, apparently the top setup man, gave up four runs today.

Jorge Sosa gave up five runs -- four earned -- and nine hits Saturday in a loss to the White Sox.
Sosa struck out six and walked none, so it wasn't all bad. Still, he's allowed at least a run per inning in each of his four appearances since coming back from the WBC. He's in line to start the fourth game of the season against the Giants. Given that it's a day game after a night game for San Francisco, Sosa could luck out and avoid facing Barry Bonds.

Braves placed LHP Mike Hampton on the 15-day disabled list following Tommy John surgery.
If money wasn't an issue, maybe Hampton would be aiming to make it back for September. Since he needs to miss the whole season for the Braves to collect insruance on his contract, there's no chance of him returning this season.

Braves purchased the contracts of LHP Mike Remlinger and 1B-OF Brian Jordan.
Remlinger had a 5.56 ERA this spring, though six of the seven earned runs he gave up came in his first three appearances. Maybe he'll be an adequate middle man. That's the best that can be hoped for.

Pitching off a mound for the first time since March 6, Macay McBride felt no discomfort in his left forearm while throwing a side session on Saturday.
McBride, on the DL with a muscle tear in his left wrist, could be back for the second or third week of the season.

[Bear]

Do not count on BONDS sitting out the Home Opener! And, the Giants fans will go wild!

[General]

Bonds don't scare me much.

[General]

Blanie Boyer says that his shoulder feels fine even though he was hit hard by the Dodgers on Monday.
Boyer only pitched 2 1/3 innings during spring training and he was a little rusty during Monday's outing. "I’ll be back soon," said Boyer. "It’s stuff that can be fixed.

John Smoltz allowed five runs and nine hits through five innings Tuesday night in a loss to the Dodgers.
This makes two years in a row that Smoltz has followed up outstanding springs with ugly regular-season debuts. He gave up four runs tonight before he had even gotten a second out in the first inning. Fantasy owners should assume he'll bounce back a lot like he did last year. It's highly unlikely that he'll pitch 229 2/3 innings again, but he should be one of the NL's better pitchers when healthy.

After striking out in his first three at-bats, Adam LaRoche hit his second homer in two games Tuesday against Jae Seo.
It was a two-run shot. LaRoche has five RBI, all coming on the homers. Still, he'll probably be on the bench for Wednesday's game, as left-hander Odalis Perez is starting for the Dodgers.

Macay McBride (strained lower forearm) threw a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium on Monday without pain.
"He had a big smile on his face," pitching coach Roger McDowell said after the session. "He threw without pain or discomfort. I'd say it was between 90-100 percent [effort]. There wasn't any holding back." McBride will make a few minor league appearances before being activated.

[General]

Horacio Ramirez left Wednesday's game in the fourth inning with an apparent left hamstring injury.
Ramirez, who had given up five runs in three innings, was hurt on a bunt single in the fourth. He was able to walk off the field, but he might require a DL stint, which would likely put John Thomson back in the rotation and get Joey Devine into the pen. Jorge Sosa pinch-ran for him

Chipper Jones didn't start on Wednesday night because of a strained abdominal muscle.
Jones is listed as day-to-day. Wilson Betemit is filling in at third base

The Braves are calling Horacio Ramirez day-to-day with a strained left hamstring.
The Braves have Tuesday off, rather than Monday, so they will need a fifth starter next week. John Thomson figures to be the choice if Ramirez can't go.

Chipper Jones could play Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's game with a strained abdominal muscle.
The Braves did just fine without him on Thursday, as Wilson Betemit went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer.

Chris Reitsma retired all five batters he faced to earn a save Wednesday night against the Dodgers.
Reitsma also picked up a save Monday in his first appearance, but he allowed two runs while getting four outs in that game. Tonight's performance was quite a bit more encouraging. Reitsma only threw 13 pitches, so he should be ready to go again on Thursday

Edgar Renteria went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk in the Braves' 9-8 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.
It still hardly made up for his first error of the season. With two on and one out in the seventh, Renteria botched a potential inning-ending double play. Three runs ended up scoring, tying the game at eight. He did contribute in taking back the lead in the eighth by pushing Marcus Giles up to second with a walk before Ryan Langerhans hit a ground-rule double. He's 5-for-14 with four RBI so far.

John Thomson will likely join the Atlanta rotation in place of the injured Horacio Ramirez, manager Bobby Cox said.
If he pitches well, then he should stay in the rotation after Ramirez gets back. Maybe the Braves only see this as an opportunity for him to build up his trade value, but he's going to be an asset if he sticks with the team. Pick him up if he was dropped in your NL-only league

Braves manager Bobby Cox said Horacio Ramirez would likely go on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
John Thomson is expected to replace him in the rotation and start on Monday. Cox didn't indicate who would be called up, but we're guessing that it will be Joey Devine. If it's not, then take it as a sign that the Braves are just looking for a short-term stopgap until Macay McBride returns next week

Todd Pratt started Wednesday's game with Horacio Ramirez on the mound.
Pratt is likely to be the personal catcher for Ramirez this season. Brian McCann will catch the other four starters.

Braves recalled RHP Joey Devine from Triple-A Richmond.
Devine might not be flawless in his early appearances, but he did enough to earn a spot in spring training and he could be the Braves' best reliever by the All-Star break. Pick him up if he was dropped in your NL-only league

Braves optioned RHP Blaine Boyer to Triple-A Richmond.
Held back because of a sore shoulder, Boyer pitched just 2 1/3 innings in major league games at the end of the spring, which clearly wasn't enough to get him ready for the season. He'll get regular work at Richmond for a couple of weeks, and there's a good chance he'll be back in the majors by the end of the month.

Braves placed LHP Horacio Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
John Thomson is expected to take Ramirez's place in the rotation for at least the next two weeks. Ramirez should still have a spot when he gets back, but he doesn't have much value in NL-only leagues.

Chipper Jones is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
Jones didn't play Wednesday due to a mild abdominal strain.

Braves purchased the contract of RHP Ken Ray from Triple-A Richmond.
The only other time Ray was in the majors was 1999, when he had an 8.74 ERA in 11 1/3 innings for the Royals. He's 31 now, and he's coming off a spring in which he allowed one run and posted a 7/1 K/BB ratio in six innings. He probably won't stick as a middle reliever, though it'd be nice to see him last a little while.

Why? Ken Ray is terrible.

[love_that_reefer]

Ray did a good job today in the Braves loss. Sosa looked like shit.

[General]

Jeff Francoeur went 0-for-4 on Thursday and is off to a 1-for-16 start.
Francoeur hit .345 with three homers in 29 at-bats this spring, so his slow start isn't worthy of much concern.

Brian McCann hit his second homer in his last two starts Thursday against the Giants.
McCann should be a threat to finish with 15-20 homers in his first full season, though since he's batting seventh and eighth, he has only so much fantasy upside

[Bear]

McCann looks very good at the plate. If all goes well at least 15 to 20 HR's!

[General]

Jorge Sosa was pounded for six runs in 2 1/3 innings by the Giants on Thursday and took a loss despite hitting his first homer as a major leaguer.
Sosa hit the second of back-to-back homers with Brian McCann in the top of the third. All six runs he gave up came in the bottom of the third, and those were the only runs the Giants scored all day. It's possible he'll continue to struggle after his abbreviated spring, so NL-only leaguers may want to sit him against the Phillies next wee

[ATLien]

WTF happened to Sosa. He was unbelievable last season at times, and today. Gets rocked around. 70 pitches in 2 innings, and only 30 were in the strike zone. Unbelievable.

[General]

Sosa's had one bad outing. I'd say we give him a longer leash before we label him HoRam.

[DirtyKash]

He absolutely smoked that homerun though, it looked very impressive. I didn't know he had that kind of power.

[General]

In his first appearance since being recalled, Joey Devine was charged with three runs in one-third of an inning Friday against the Giants.
Maybe it was nerves, because Devine had no command tonight. He walked the first batter he faced and later threw a wild pitch. When he did locate the strike zone, he found way too much of it, giving up a double to Pedro Feliz and a homer to Moises Alou, both on fastballs. He should do better next time

Devine did look pretty awful last night.

Kyle Davies was denied a decision after allowing three runs in five innings against the Giants on Friday night.
Davies left with a one-run lead, but Joey Devine quickly surrendered that. The victory ended up going to Mike Remlinger. All three runs Davies allowed came in the first inning. He gave up just one hit over his last four innings of work.

Ryan Langerhans went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI in Atlanta's 14-6 win in San Francisco on Friday night.
The Giants were up 6-5 until the Braves scored eight runs in the seventh. The amazing thing was that they did it with just two hits. Tyler Walker and Jack Taschner combined to walk five batters and hit another during a disastrous frame that also featured a Lance Niekro error. Langerhans had one of the two hits in the inning, singling in two runs, and added a two-run homer in the eighth. Although he's started only three of the Braves' four games, he's driven in seven runs.

[General]

Joey Devine walked four and gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning of relief Saturday against the Giants.
Things started out innocently enough, as he retired two of the first three batters he faced. After that, he gave up three straight singles, the last of the infield variety, and then he walked three straight batters, the last two with the bases loaded. The Braves certainly won't let this go on much longer. Devine is far better than this, but he's demonstrated no command in two appearances since returning to the majors.

Tim Hudson was roughed up for a second straight outing Saturday against the Dodgers, giving up eight runs -- six earned -- in four innings.
Hudson pitched pretty well during spring training, but his location has been off in two starts during the first week of the regular season. For just the second time in his career, Hudson failed to strike out anyone in his start today. He gave up eight hits, including a two-run homer to Moises Alou, and walked three. Despite his troubles, he has to be kept active in fantasy leagues for now

[General]

Chipper Jones left Sunday's game in the seventh inning with an apparent right knee injury.
Jones was charging a ball when the ground gave way and he fell awkwardly on his right leg. He was in quite a bit of a pain and he had to be helped off the field, so if Wilson Betemit is available in your NL-only league, grab him now.