Atlanta returns home having split a four-game series in New York against the Mets, but for some of us fans, that may not be at the forefront of our concerns. Braves starter Tim Hudson suffered a fractured right ankle covering first base while trying to catch a throw from Freddie Freeman in his start on Wednesday. He is out for the rest of the season and the injury leaves questions about whether or not the Braves will pursue a starting pitcher. ESPN has penciled Brandon Beachy into Hudson's next scheduled rotation spot on Monday, but we don't know how well Beachy will fare in his return.
Not lost among us is Eric Young's reaction to Hudson's injury. I think he demonstrated tremendous class and showed genuine concern for Hudson's well-being. He was understandably guilt-stricken, as I'd certainly be, after stepping on Hudson's ankle. Tim's wife Kim showed gratitude to Young, the Braves training staff, and the Mets via Twitter. We all certainly wish Tim a speedy recovery so he can get back to pitching.
The injury was no doubt gruesome and painful to watch. If you're one of the few who haven't seen it but want to, here it is, but it's not for the squeamish. You've been warned.
On to a less depressing subject, the Braves belted six home runs in the series, two by Dan Uggla, accounting for 10 of Atlanta's 13 runs in the four games. They did, however, leave nine on base in the 4-1 loss on Tuesday after Andrelton Simmons homered two pitches into the game. Kris Medlen once again was the victim of poor run support.
Justin Upton broke a 17-at-bat hitless streak with an RBI single Wednesday, but that still is his only hit in his last 21 at-bats. I honestly didn't expect him to be struggling this much this far into the season; the production has been too little and too far in between to be tolerable in my opinion. Moving B.J. Upton down in the order appeared to work for him, so maybe it can work for Justin, but this is ridiculous.
Atlanta is searching for bullpen help, but it should not come in the form of Kameron Loe. Even in the short time he's been with the Braves, he's been unimpressive. If he has trouble issuing an intentional walk, then he really needs to go somewhere else.
It would also be real nice if the Braves could win consecutive games for once. I was actually surprised that it was July 8 - 9 that the Braves last won back-to-back games; it has seemed longer than that.
I'll end this recap with Supe...er, Jason Heyward saving Atlanta's come-from-behind 2-1 victory on Monday with a flying catch to end the game. Here it is.