Tomahawk Chops: Daily Atlanta Braves News Clippings For Tuesday, September 27th

Your one-page daily morning overview of Atlanta Braves news:

Braves postgame quotes following Monday’s loss to Phillies | Atlanta Braves
Chipper Jones, on if Braves still have what it takes to make it: "Yes. no doubt. We can play tooth and nail with the best teams in the game. We’ve proven that. We proved it tonight with a guy who started the year in Double-A. He pitched great, we played good defense behind him. We swung the bats good in certain sections of the game, not so good in others. Again, when you’re running up against a Cy Young winner, he doesn’t make too many mistakes. I think we probably took advantage of the few that he did make."

Gonzalez returns to lineup; Sherrill activated | braves.com: News
Alex Gonzalez returned to the Braves' lineup on Monday for the first time in nearly a week, as the shortstop had spent the last several days dealing with a strain in his right calf. "He's going to go out there and try and move around a little bit," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I told him if he feels uncomfortable whatsoever, we'll make a lineup switch. Hopefully he gets through [batting practice] and some ground balls and feels good about himself."

Chipper, McCann persevere, start vs. Lee | braves.com: News
Chipper Jones has battled through right knee discomfort and he has struggled against left-handed pitchers, and Brian McCann has simply struggled while trying to convince doubters that he is healthy. But with the Braves having put themselves in what feels like must-win situations down the stretch, both Jones and McCann were ready to battle Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee on Monday night.

Chipper expects to be back in lineup despite ailing knee | Atlanta Braves
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones acknowledged he’s been playing with lingering soreness in his right knee, and he tweaked it again in the game on Monday, but Jones said he doesn’t plan to let it keep him out of the lineup against the Phillies. "It’s bugging me," Jones said. "But you’ve got to go to the post."

Hanson not an option for Wednesday or Division Series | Atlanta Braves
So the Braves will ditch any plans to pitch Hanson in the final regular season game on Wednesday if they have managed to clinch a wildcard spot by then. And at this point, Hanson is doubtful to pitch in a potential Division Series game for the Braves. Jair Jurrjens, on the other hand, still has a chance. He is scheduled to make a second start in the Instructional League in Florida on Thursday, going 70 pitches or four or five innings. If all goes well, the Braves might consider him for a potential Game 3 or 4 start on Tuesday or Wednesday, if they make the Division Series.

Pressure is on for Braves in final week | braves.com: News
"I hear people talking about us and choking off a nine-game lead," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We're running three rookies in our starting rotation out there. You show up and play. Some days it's good enough, and some days it's not. If we lose 70 games this year, does that mean we've choked off the other 55 or 60 [games lost earlier this season]? No, it's just what happens. You go through injuries."

Moylan meets with doctor, will have surgery | braves.com: News
Braves right-handed reliever Peter Moylan will undergo right shoulder surgery to clean some damage around his torn labrum and torn rotator cuff. Moylan made the decision after getting a second opinion from noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Monday. Moylan is expected to need at least four to six months of rehab following the surgical procedure, which has not yet been scheduled. But Braves general manager Frank Wren said an exact timetable for the reliever's return will not be known until doctors view the extent of the damage during the surgical procedure.