Quote Originally Posted by Braves.com
ATLANTA -- Braves manager Bobby Cox isn't sure how Mark Teixeira reacted so quickly to the line drive that he turned into a double play in Saturday night's win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. But he was certainly happy to get a glimpse of why the powerful switch-hitting first baseman has won two consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

With a runner at first and nobody out in the fourth inning, the Phillies' Greg Dobbs laced a liner that had its sights on the right-field corner before a lunging Teixeira dove back toward the first-base bag to snare it. From there, he stepped on first to easily complete the highlight-reel double play.

"I don't know how [Teixeira] saw that," Cox said. "I swear that ball was hit so hard. You don't see balls hit that hard that often. It's like how Tiger [Woods] hits a golf ball right in the sweet spot. I don't know how he reacted coming off the bag and having enough maneuverability to come back and catch the thing. That ball was crushed."

When asked if it ranked among the best plays he's ever made, Teixeira simply said, "I don't know, I leave that up to you guys [the media]."

So far, the Atlanta media has been able to notice that Teixeira moves with a cat-like quickness the Braves haven't seen at first base since the days of Andres Galarraga.

"When a ball's hit to you, you catch it," said Teixeira, who won his two Gold Gloves while playing with the Rangers the past two years.

When the Braves acquired Teixeira at the trade deadline, the acquisition of his reliable glove was just an added bonus. The primary desire was to gain his potent bat, which certainly hasn't been a disappointment. Through his first 10 games with Atlanta, he's hit .273 (12-for-44) with four homers and 12 RBIs.

"The bottom line is wins and losses for the team," Teixeira said. "I could really care less about my stats and my numbers. I'm here to help this team win and that's what we're doing right now.

"It's a great atmosphere. It's all business. Everybody knows what we're here to do, and that's to win ballgames and try to win a World [Series] championship."

Entering Sunday night's series finale against the Phillies, the Braves had won six of the 10 games they'd played since Teixeira's arrival. Unfortunately, just two of those games were contested with Edgar Renteria also in what has the makings to be one of the game's best lineups.

Although he's eligible for activation on Saturday, Renteria may have to wait until the final week of this month before his sprained right ankle allows him to resume playing.

Bonds coming to town: It will be interesting to see what kind of reception Barry Bonds gets when he and his Giants come to Atlanta on Tuesday to begin a three-game series across the street from where Hank Aaron became Major League Baseball's home run king 33 years ago.

Aaron's 33-year reign ended on Tuesday, when Bonds drilled his 756th career homer. The much-maligned outfielder has hit 39 of those blasts against the Braves.

Since the beginning of his historic 73-homer season in 2001, Bonds has homered 15 times in 34 games against the Braves. That equates to a homer per 6.53 at-bats.

In the 146 games he played against the Braves before 2001, Bonds homered 24 times. That equated to one homer per 21.04 at-bats.

Young Schuerholz retires: Braves general manager John Schuerholz's son, Jonathan, opted to end his professional baseball career on Friday and set his sights on completing his business degree at Auburn University.

Jonathan, who was selected in the eighth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, hit just .223 during his six-season Minor League career. But he was always known as a popular teammate who displayed the type of personality that may one day allow him to follow his father's successful footsteps.

The younger Schuerholz certainly left the game with a few lasting memories. In his final nine games with Triple-A Richmond, he hit .280 (7-for-25) with three homers -- the only three he hit in 152 at-bats this year.

Sturtze update: Reliever Tanyon Sturtze's attempted return from right shoulder surgery hasn't progressed as quickly as the Braves envisioned, and there's no guarantee that the right-hander will be a part of the Atlanta bullpen this year.

But Sturtze did return to the mound for the first time since July 21 on Saturday to make his Triple-A Richmond debut. In one inning, the 36-year-old veteran allowed a run and two hits. In the process, he threw 32 pitches, registered two strikeouts and issued a walk.

Coming up: The Braves will enjoy a day of rest of Monday, then return to action on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET to begin a three-game series against the Giants at Turner Field. They'll send John Smoltz (10-6, 3.03 ERA) to the mound. The Giants still haven't decided who will be starting the series opener.
I am a little surprised to see young JS retire. I'm sure he would of got a shot at the bigs in a few years but he hasn't been very impressive anyway.

I'm a little curious how the fans will react to Bonds today.