Braves News
Shelby Miller throws complete game shutout in 9-0 Braves win
Shelby Miller was dazzling again Tuesday night throwing a complete game shutout in a 9-0 Braves win over the Phillies. Miller threw just 99 pitches while allowing three hits, striking out eight and walking just one batter. Kelly Johnson stayed hot as he launched his sixth home run of the season as Atlanta's hitters knocked around Philly starter Chad Billingsley early and often.
Kelly Johnson reaches 1,000 hits for his career
Kelly Johnson went 2-for-3 on Tuesday with a home run and four RBIs in a 9-0 win over the Phillies. His second hit gave him 1,000 for his career. Johnson has been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta during the early portion of the 2015 season. He is hitting .266 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 22 games so far this season.
Miller proving his worth with each great start
Atlanta's pitching has struggled somewhat during the early part of the season, but Shelby Miller has been rock solid. He improved to 4-1 on Tuesday and lowered his ERA on the season to 1.66. He talked about Tuesday's win with MLB.com's Mark Bowman following the game:
"You dream about going out there and trying to throw a complete game and stuff like that, especially against a team like Philly," Miller said. "They've got some guys in that lineup that have some power like [Ryan] Howard and they've got a lot of tough outs. At the end of the day, you've got to make pitches. Any offense is great and they're a MLB team for a reason."
Braves' Gonzalez open to pitcher-catcher pairings
Fredi Gonzalez has mixed and matched lineups throughout the first 27 games of the regular season for the Atlanta Braves. He told the AJC's Michael Cunningham on Tuesday that he is open to the idea of pairing catcher A.J. Pierzynski with pitcher Shelby Miller and Christian Bethancourt with Julio Teheran. Miller threw a shutout on Tuesday while Teheran regained his form in his last start.
"It seems to be working well," Gonzalez said. "I hate to go on record and say that's his personal catcher but something that if it continues to work well, then we will pursue it. I know there (also) have been some good starts when Julio and Bethancourt hook up. I am all for getting people in positions to be successful."
MLB News
David Wright's 15-day absence creeps closer to 30 days
Mets third baseman continues to battle a hamstring issue and he is still not at 100 percent according to GM Sandy Alderson.
"It's just hard to say," Alderson said, when asked about a possible return. "He could be a week away, could be 10 days away. Until he gets into a game situation and feels confident with the leg, we're not going to know."
Ranking the baseball milestones and records we want to fall
SB Nation's Grant Brisbee ranks the baseball records and milestones that we'd most like to see fall. Would you most like to see a .400 hitter or would you rather see Pete Rose's record for all-time hits fall?