Braves Suffer Costly Loss

The Braves started their B-squad against one of the toughest pitchers in the National League Saturday night. Opting to rest Marcus Giles and Edgar Renteria, Bobby Cox started Pete Orr and Wilson Betemit in their place, but neither proved capable of figuring out Brandon Webb. Of course, just about no one in the lineup could figure him out. The Braves managed only five base-runners against Webb as he cruised to a shutout of the once-hot Atlanta offense - only once allowing a runner beyond first base. Unsurprisingly, Webb had his sinker working, getting the Braves out 18 times on the ground verses once in the air.

But the mark in the loss column was not as impactful as the possible loss of catcher Brian McCann, in an awkward collision with Eric Byrnes in the fourth inning. McCann's cleat apparently got stuck in the ground as Byrnes was heading for the plate, and that caused Brian to suffer a severe left-ankle sprain. The collision, and McCann's reaction, initially looked like the injury might be worse.

With Johnny Estrada looking on in the other dugout, both teams felt this collision was a clean one and something that unfortunately happens during the course of the season. Byrnes, for his part, stayed on the ground after the collision and looked to be genuinely concerned. No one in the Braves clubhouse thought it was a dirty play.

It is unclear how long the National League's leading hitter will be out, but it will hopefully not be any longer than a week. With Pratt still ailing, the Braves may opt to recall Bryan Pena from AAA to serve as a backup until McCann is at full strength.

Atlanta 0, Arizona 13 at Chase Field
Atlanta Record (21-22)
Arizona Record (24-18)

Winning Pitcher - Brandon Webb (7-0)
Losing Pitcher - Travis Smith (0-1)