BRAVES NEWS
Teheran pitches absolute gem as Braves sweep Mets
Well, if you had any doubts about Julio Teheran being "back" after a rocky 2015 season, he put all of those doubts to rest after his performance on Sunday afternoon. Teheran threw a complete game, one-hit shutout against the Mets on Sunday, and he retired the last 21 batters he faced. It was an amazing performance from Teheran, and it capped off what was easily the best week that the Braves have had all season.
Mallex Smith’s left thumb is fractured
Sunday’s win didn’t come without a price, though. Mallex Smith was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning and although he stayed in the game to run the bases, he eventually exited the game and X-rays showed that he’d broken his thumb. We’ll probably know how long he’ll be out some time later today, but it’s definitely a bummer to see the rookie outfielder suffer a setback like this.
Coppy is liking what he’s seeing as of late
One person who should obviously be pleased with the encouraging signs from this past week of play is the GM himself, John Coppolella. It’s hard not to be pleased with this particular team actually going on a five-game win streak, and Coppy has had nothing but good things to say about the team during this run of nice baseball this past week.
"Seeing what Ender did last night was just amazing," [Coppolella] added. "But also, the way we battled back. You’re talking about the homers by Francoeur and Flowers. You’re talking about just the team effort, seeing the reaction by our team. When Ender scored the run, he was welcomed into that dugout. Seeing that shows that, despite of our record, these guys are playing hard every day, they aren’t giving up."
"These guys are playing great," Coppolella said. "It would have been real easy for them to give in on Wednesday when we got behind, but they fought back in that game, got a nice win Thursday, and then coming here (to New York) you’re facing the reigning NL champs, and you come in and beat two of their best starters with, for us, two rookie starting pitchers."
Max Fried is on the comeback trail in Rome
You all remember Max Fried, right? Back when the Braves sent Justin Upton to San Diego, Fried was actually the prized prospect of that haul. However, Fried had to sit out the 2015 season in order to recover from Tommy John surgery, and he kind of fell by the wayside during the team's massive revamp of the minor league system. Now he’s back in action and he’s currently putting in work for the Rome Braves, and the obvious hope is that he'll live up to the lofty expectations he brought with him from the Padres' farm system.
"I still have a ways to go as far as my pitches and developing my craft," a humble Fried explained. "I feel like my curveball still needs some work, I feel like it’s behind a little bit. My changeup has made strides recently. My last couple of starts I have been able to rely on that in big situations and counts. The last couple outings I feel like my fastball command has gotten a lot better. Being able to take all facets of my game and put it into one performance is what I’ve been striving for. I believe that sooner rather than later it’s all going to come together and I’ll feel more comfortable on the mound."
Just 22-years old, Fried has the patience and intellect far beyond his years. He understands that this is a process and that he will get back to Pre-Tommy John Max as long as he let’s things take care of themselves.
MLB NEWS
Giants have won eight straight following sweep of Rays
The only reason why the Braves aren’t the hottest team in the National League right now is due to the fact that the Giants have actually won eight straight games. They went into the eighth inning tied at 1 with the Rays before scoring four runs in order to pull away from Tampa. This is actually the second straight time this season that the Giants have gone on an eight-game winning streak, and they’re looking like a pretty good team right now. Then again, this is an even year, so should we really be surprised?
Marlins Man goes to game in Cleveland in Marlins gear; Receives chilly welcome
LeBron James finally ended Cleveland’s long and arduous title drought by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Championship on Sunday night. However, on Friday night, the infamous Marlins Man — who was in Cleveland to catch Game 6 of the NBA Finals — decided to stay in town and catch a baseball game as well. As you can imagine, a high-profile Marlins fan is probably not going to receive a warm welcome in Cleveland. 1997 was surely still fresh in their minds.