BRAVES NEWS
Braves lose strange game to Padres; Split series
The Braves lost on Thursday, but it didn't come without some weird things happening. Julio Teheran hit Matt Kemp with a pitch in the first inning, and that sparked a benches-clearing discussion where the only violence came from an umpire executing a takedown on Matt Kemp. Later, the Braves had a 4-1 lead after a solid showing from Teheran, and naturally, that lead disappeared as soon as the bullpen came on the scene. Well, it wouldn't be fair to blame this all on the bullpen, as Christian Bethancourt contributed with a passed ball and a catcher's interference that ended up tying the game. This came in an inning where the Braves used four relief pitchers. The Braves eventually lost the game in 11, and it's another frustrating loss where the Braves were unable to keep a late lead. Check out the series recap.
Freeman is getting "lost in the shuffle" of other good first basemen
It's pretty safe to say that baseball's current crop of first basemen are pretty doggone good. You've got your Vottos, your Goldschmidts, your Gonzalezs, your Cabreras, and many other first basemen who are playing some solid baseball. So where does that leave Freddie Freeman in this wonderful world of first basemen?
He reached the 20-homer plateau in his first three full seasons in the big leagues, but last year, he had a career-high 607 at-bats and hit only 18 bombs.
Fortunately, the Braves first baseman should rejoin the 20-home run club in 2015. Actually, Freeman is on pace to set a new career-high in the category if he has 600 at-bats again this year.
Judging from the fact Freeman hasn’t missed a game since September of 2013, barring injury, he should have no problem recording 600 at-bats this season.
And similar to Rizzo, Freeman will likely continue to get better. Because he made his major league debut at 20 in 2010, it is easy to forget that Freeman is only 25 years old.
Dana Eveland hoping to catch some "Braves magic"
Dana Eveland made his Braves debut in a bases-loaded, nobody-out scenario, and things didn't go well. A runner scored on a passed ball, and then Eveland walked the next batter he faced to re-load the bases. That's not a good start, but it's only one game. That didn't deter Eveland from hoping that a change in scenery could help rejuvenate his major league career.
"I’m hoping I can get some of that magic rubbed in from the locker room, I guess," Eveland said with a smile.
The team hopes he’s talking about the magic of Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux, among others — not the dark magic cursing this year’s bullpen.
Braves draft UGA football prospect
There's been a lot of talk about the Braves drafting five-star UGA football recruit Terry Godwin, and that talk got hotter after Godwin had an impressive showing at a pre-draft camp that the Braves held. Lo and behold, the Braves did indeed use their 33rd round pick on who is probably going to be UGA's Wide Receiver of the future. With that being said, the Braves probably aren't going to offer him enough money to entice him to lose the shoulder pads and pick up a bat, so I wouldn't expect to see Godwin putting on the "A" hat unless it's for fashion purposes.
MLB Daily Dish says Braves could be "buyers" at trade deadline
Our friends over at MLB Daily Dish decided to rank ever MLB team, with the top 16 teams being "buyers" and the lower 14 teams being "sellers." Our Atlanta Braves just barely made it into the buyers section at #13, and surprise, surprise: They're probably going to be in the market for bullpen help.
Check out the minor league report
MLB NEWS
Albert Pujols passes Mickey Mantle on All-Time Home Run list
Earlier this week, Albert Pujols tied Mickey Mantle on the All-Time Home Run list, and it didn't take Pujols long to pass the Yankee legend on the list. Pujols hit a two-run homer against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the homer was #537. The next man for Pujols the list is Mike Schmidt.
Wade Miley has "bizarre" night as Red Sox lose to O's
You know you've had yourself a bad night on the mound when you nearly double your home run tally in one game, and that's what happened to Red Sox pitcher Wade Miley against the Orioles on Thursday. Miley threw only four innings, but gave up three homers in the process. The dingers came from Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, and Manny Machado, and they were crucial in helping Baltimore pick up a 6-5 win over Boston.
