This was one heck of a game. Jurrjens had the game of his career. Blanco did some good work in the lead off spot. Tex finally is swinging a hot bat. All and all this equaled a easy win for the Braves and the hurting Braves need every one they can get till (at least until a few of) their players get healthy.

(Picture: Yahoo! Sports)

(Picture: Yahoo! Sports)

We’re almost halfway through the season, and we’re piddling around .500 with just 38 wins. We’ve had good stretches and bad stretches, but it’s sent us to no destination good or bad, just to .500 and sort of an afterthought in the race. The team has been inconsistent, at times looking like there’s real potential lying underneath, and looking like a AAA team at others. It’s time to give up on the Braves for the year, and I’m about to tell you why.

(Picture: Yahoo! Sports)

Well, this was depressing. We get up by two. Then down by two. Then we tie it only to lose in the bottom of the ninth inning.

These are the type of games where having Kostay and Diaz on the DL really hurt. We just never could generate any offense, which generally leads to a loss. I can’t even complain about the number of runners we left on base, since very few got on in the first place.

The game seemed to be lost before it started when Chipper Jones had to be scratched from the line-up after taking a ball off the eye during batting practice.

It’s not all your fault. Unlike the flabbergasted Bill Bavasi in Seattle, you actually built a pretty good team this offseason. Many pieces were in place, but you had to know that while strong, the team was built on a shaky, 40 year old foundation. Surely you have a backup plan in place, right? If so, I think now’s the time to enact said plan.

After an impressive 2007 that saw much improvement in plate discipline, it seemed that Jeff Francoeur was poised to take the logical next step forward in 2008.  As of June 9, he is batting .253/.303/.415.  Atlanta fans are clearly still waiting for that step forward.  So what happened?  There’s a fine line between a flawed player and an unlucky player, and we have to look a little deeper to see which area Francoeur falls into.

Well, does that make 3 games in a row the pen and the bats ruined a great outing by a starter? I don’t think you can ask much more from Huddy, Jojo and Campy than what they did the last three outings. Huddy gave up one run, Jojo two through seven and Campy only three. With only that information, how many game would you have thought the Braves won? Of course, in a lot less innings, the pen gave up just as many runs. This is something that needs to get fixed, or we don’t have a prayer.

Is the law of averages starting to kick in? We couldn’t stay as hot at home as we had been forever. Does that mean we are going to start doing better on the road? Let’s hope. This game didn’t really have a lot of positives, other than some good base stealing and Chipper finding his power stroke. Oh, Jojo did pitch a great game, he just threw one too many pitches.

Sorry for the delayed recap, but sometimes real life interferes. I know, its not fair, but that’s just the way it is.

As bad a night as last night was for the Braves, tonight was that good (ok, it wasn’t THAT good, but close). Last night we lost, for the season, one of the greatest Braves in history. Tonight, one of the greatest Braves in history made his stamp on the record books. Of course, I am referring to Chipper. Chipper hit his 400th career home run. An accomplishment only two other switch hitters have managed. With the way he is hitting, 500 isn’t out of the question. Congrats to Chipper.

Today is one of the most important days if not the most important day for the future of the Braves. Today begins the Rule IV amateur draft. Today the Braves get the chance to pick its stars of tomorrow. The future is now.

It was announced today that John Smoltz will have season ending surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday. The only question left is whether he will be able to come back in pitch in 2009. If he is unable to then John it has been one hell of a career. If he is able to come back then the Braves will have one of the most valuable players in baseball on the roster.

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What a sad day for Braves fans. First we get the news that Smoltz is having season (career?) ending surgery. Smoltz has been the heart and soul of this team for so long, I’m not sure what the team will look like without his day to day presence. If that wasn’t enough bad news, our “temporary” closer, who has been fantastic, couldn’t hold a 2 run lead in the ninth. Hopefully, we will bounce back tomorrow and make it three of four from the fish.

Another day, more late inning heroics give the Braves a win. I’d like to get back to the scoring seven runs in the first and just cruising for the last nine. I find those games less stressful. But, I got to say, if a double in the eighth is what it takes to win, I won’t object!

The Braves are back home and everything is as it should be. The Braves are winning, balls are leaving the yard and well, isn’t the Braves winning enough? It was a back and forth battle all night, lead changes, blown saves, a very exciting game! Of course the most exciting was Escobar’s walk off, two run home run. While the nick name “World’s Greatest Cuban” hasn’t caught on in the Braves clubhouse (yet), the title “big play” has, and it is well deserved.