Hawks lose game 5

The Atlanta Hawks are in trouble. After winning the first 2 games of their playoff series against the Milwaukee sucks, Atlanta has lost the next 3. After 2 embarrassing efforts in Brew country, the Hawks couldn't hold onto a 9 point lead late in game 5 at Philips Arena. Now, the Bogut-less Bucks are 1 win away from knocking Atlanta out of the playoffs.

Making matters worse, is the fact that game 6 will be played in Milwaukee. Atlanta has continued to play scrub level basketball on the road, not just during the regular season, but also in this series.

Joe Johnson fouled out with an unlucky 13 points for Atlanta. If the Hawks are going to have any chance of keeping their playoff hopes alive, he must come up huge in game 6. Jamal Crawford needs to step up as well. Given the Hawks history on the road, I have very little faith this series will see 7 games. Hope I'm wrong about that.

Too Early 4 Frustration

Hey ya'll, the Atlanta Braves are mightily struggling. The bats are colder than the beers in my fridge. But, it's April. Don't get me wrong. Those are some ice cold cervezas and losing is always bad. But, we're talking about a sport that boasts a season of 162 games. For the most part, Atlanta is getting stellar performances by any pitcher not named Derek Lowe. And, "Wild Bill" Wagner has already gotten his once in awhile blown save out of the way.

Yes, my Braves are currently stuck inside a somber land called loss after loss after lossville. In the past week, they've fallen from a 3 way tie for first in the NL East, to last place in the division with an 8-9 record. That puts them 2 games back of WASHINGTON, who is tied with Florida for runner up to Philly. But, this is after 17 scrawny azz games. I've adopted the John Kincade (of 680 the fan) theory on the sport. What's that, you ask. When it comes to Major League Baseball, you really don't know squat, until the end of May.

Early on, I've been a little over zealous in my praise for Jason Heyward. That doesn't mean the kid won't be a star. What it does mean, is that I should temper my enthusiasm just a bit. I need to chill with a cold Corona and let things play out on the diamond a little longer, before I crown him the next Henry Aaron. It also means, my fellow Braves fans and I shouldn't freak out and become frustrated with this team after just 17 games. I don't like the Troy Glaus experiment at first base, but I'll give him another month, before I question his presence on the 25 man roster.

I've just got to keep telling myself, "It's a long season, Robster. And, all of the Braves' goals are still in front of them."

What are they saying on Braves radio? Nothing. Tonight's game is currently delayed by rain, which could result in another loss, but we're not lamenting that here. So, how 'bout some CCR? Click on the title of this post, ya'll. The video's a bit boring, but the song is classic rain delay music.

Update: Between the time it took me to write, proof read, and post this clever article, the game was called. Mets win a five inning affair, 1-0. Chipper Jones appears to be headed back to the DL. Florida Evans says, "Damn, Damn, DAMN!" Braves fall to 8-10 after getting swept by the Mets in New York. Oh well. Don't let that stop you from enjoying this post and rain delay music. Ha. Have a good night, ya'll.

Jason Heyward Rocks

Oh, you Jason Heyward. Just a rookie...He's hittin' home runs off people. My God, a rookie! Dawg fans, I'm sure you get the comparison. Yes, it's early for such praise, but the kid from Henry County is rockin' this town. Just 2 days ago, #22 delivered a game winning 2 run single. Tonight, he saved the Braves again. Trailing 3-2, with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, Heyward was money. With the game on the line, Jason Heyward blasted a Ryan Madsen pitch into Midtown. All of a sudden, the life-less Braves were tied with Philly.

"Wild Bill" Wagner pitched a flawless 10th, thus setting the stage for Nate McClouth. And, the Braves center fielder would be the only Bravo to bat in the inning. Jose Contreras sent a ball towards his bat that is still flying above the Atlanta skyline. And, just like that, the Atlanta Braves (with help from a Marlins loss) are tied for first place in the NL East. It's early, real damn early in the season. But, I've seen enough to know that Jason Heyward is the man.

Thank you, Mr. Heyward for setting the stage. Hey ya'll, this kid is clutch. And, as crazy as it sounds, he seriously could become the Herschel Walker of the Atlanta Braves. It's early, but I wouldn't bet against #22!

Free Baseball in Atlanta

Just wanted to post a quick update. In the bottom of the ninth, Troy Glaus hit a 2 run bomb, to get the Braves within 1 run of the phillies. Then, came the rookie, Jason Heyward. With 2 outs and his team down a run, the kid from Henry County crushed a game tying homerun into the outfield seats. The game is tied at 3, as the Braves come up to bat in the bottom of the 10th inning at Turner Field. So far, Jason Heyward has more than lived up to hype surrounding his skills. Just 2 days ago, he delivered a game winning 2 run RBI single. And, tonight, he electrified the crowd. I'm gonna stop talking about this, because I need to mention the fact that Nate McClouth just hit a walk off HR.

BRAVES WIN 4-3!!

Braves vs phillies

The philadelphia phillies are in town, to take on the Atlanta Braves. Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.38 ERA) will be on the mound for the hometown Bravos. His opponent will be a struggling Kyle Kendrick (no decisions, 17.47 ERA). Jimmy Rollins is still on the DL, as the phils begin a 9 game road trip. At 7-5, the Braves are one game behind first place philadelphia.

But, this ain't the only game in town. After winning game one, the Atlanta Hawks look to take command of their 1st round playoff series against the milwaukee bucks. Opening tip is just a few minutes away. In game 1, rookie buck, Brandon Jennings torched Atlanta for 34 points. But, the Hawks cruised to victory, anyway. Tonight, Atlanta must own the paint and make Jennings take some tough shots. A hard foul or two on the rook wouldn't be a bad idea, either. It's the playoffs and Atlanta needs to stay focused, play with intensity, and never let up.

Braves can't hit

Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies just pitched a no hitter against the Atlanta Braves. I don't care to comment any further. Just thought it deserved mentioning on the blog.

Go Braves.

Braves At Giants

After a lengthy rain delay, Bobby Cox has chosen to field a lineup featuring bench players in San Francisco. Playing 3B for the Braves tonight, is Eric "I'm a pinch hitter" Henske. Joining him in the infield is fellow scrub, Omar "not Menaya" Infante at 2B. In left field, Matt "platoon player" Diaz gets the start. Former yank, Melky Cabrera is in center field for the Braves. Atlanta leads 2-0, via a 2 run homer by All Star catcher Brian McCann in the first inning. Kenshin "Sammy" Kawakami is on the mound for the Braves. So far, he's off to a good start. Tim Lincecum is pitching for San Francisco. Atlanta is up to bat in the top of the 3rd. Martin Prado is on second, as Henske comes up to bat. Brian McCann is on deck.

#2 and the Atlanta Braves

So far, the #2 is playing games with the Atlanta Braves. After winning their first two games of the season, Atlanta has lost a couple games they could have won. In the third game of their opening series vs the Cubs, the Braves grounded into numerous double plays with men in scoring position. This series saw Chicago's Marlon Byrd hit 2 home runs off Braves pitchers. The Braves won game 2 by a score of 3-2, thanks to an 8th inning 2 run blast from Chipper Jones. But, the Cubs avoided the sweep by winning the finale, 2-0.

Meanwhile, Braves starter Tim Hudson was in line for a victory against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. After a stellar 7 inning performance from Hudson(he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, while striking out 2 Giants and walking none), Bobby Cox made a call to the bullpen. Saito was solid in the 8th. But, on the cusp of his second Braves save, closer billy wagner could not protect a two run lead. SF shortstop, Edgar Renteria hit a 2 run HR in the ninth inning, tying the game at 4 and Hudson ended up with a no decision.

Well, this loss wasn't all wagner's fault. With runners in scoring position, Yunel Escobar, Omar Infante, and Melky Cabrera all went 0-2 at the plate. The Braves committed 2 errors in the loss. The most devastating, was an errant throw from catcher Brian McCann to second base, in an attempt to throw out a stealing Juan Uribe in the 13th inning. Uribe went to third and scored the winning run on an infield single by Aaron Rowand. The winning pitcher in Friday's contest was Jeremy Affeldt, who improved to 2-0 in 2010.

For what it's worth, #22 Jason Heyward went 0-5 against the Giants. Atlanta's record is now 2-2.

Free Baseball in Frisco

San Francisco shortstop, Edgar Renteria just said, "Hey ya'll, remember me?" The former Atlanta Brave tied today's contest in the bottom of the ninth with a 2 run bomb off Braves closer billy wagner. Atlanta was looking for it's first win in front of McCovey's Cove since the 2008 season. But, Renteria had other plans. The game is going into the 11th inning. The former met, "Wild Bill" wagner, just wasted a brilliant outing by Tim Hudson. Hopefully, the Braves can push a few more runs across the scoreboard and emerge victorious in Frisco.

The Braves have 2 outs with Melky Cabrera on 2nd and Martin Prado on 1B. Yunel Escobar is at the plate for Atlanta. I'll update the comments section, when something happens.

Update: Braves failed to score in 12th. Giants are due up. Rookie right fielder, Jason Heyward is 0-5 on the day. But, we gotta keep in mind...he's a rookie. Sandoval just led off the inning with a double off Kris Medlin. PH Andres Torres up to bat for San Francisco. Sacrifice bunt puts the winning run at 3rd.

Braves At Giants

The Atlanta Braves are out west, to take on the Giants in San Francisco. Chipper Jones is out of the line up, as he is listed as "day to day" with a tweak to his right oblique. Tim Hudson will take the mound for Atlanta. He posted a 2-1 record with an ERA of 3.61 in limited action last season. He will be opposed by Johnathan Sanchez, who went 8-12 with a 4.24 ERA in 2009. Yunel Escobar will bat in the 3 hole, vacated by the injured Larry Wayne Jones, Jr. First pitch is just minutes away. Go Braves!

Cubs Shut out Bravos

Braves fans can put their brooms away for a little while longer. Atlanta was looking to sweep the Cubs, but got blanked by Chicago instead. A frustrating night at Turner Field saw the Braves get shut out at home. But, it ain't all bad. Atlanta won the series and that's a good start to the 2010 season. The Braves have an early game in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon, after a late flight tonight. (That's what you call incompetent scheduling by MLB).

On a good note, a couple of Chicago Cubs with Georgia ties had a tremendous impact on the outcome of tonight's game. Left fielder, Tyler Colvin from Augusta, got Chicago on the board with a solo HR in the 2nd inning. In the 5th, Sprayberry's Marlon Byrd hit his second HR in 3 games versus Atlanta this season. The Cubs avoided a sweep by defeating the Braves 2-0, but it's always good to see some local guys have success at the major league level.

I should mention that Chipper Jones left the game with what could be a strained oblique. If so, it ain't the first time he's suffered such an injury. The guys on Braves radio expect him to miss a couple of games, but we're talking about an aging veteran, who seems to regularly wind up on the DL. There's no doubting the fact that Jones is one of the all time greatest Braves, but Larry can't seem to stay healthy.

Am I wrong to speculate that his age (37 years) is catching up to Jones? Last night, his bat was the deciding factor in the Braves 3-2 victory. But, tonight he leaves the game with an injury. The latter part is beginning to sound like a broken record.

Braves Update

For my Braves fans living outside the state of Georgia, I'll be posting updates of the game in the comments section of this "article."

The game is in the second inning. Jason Heyward just delivered with an RBI double for the Braves. The rookie is up to 5 RBI on the young season.

Braves Vs Cubs

Sunday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves embarrassed the Cubs 16-5. After a day off, the two teams resume their 3 game series tonight at Turner Field. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:10 ET, as Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens (14-10, 2.60 ERA in '09) faces Ryan Dempster of the Cubs, who went 11-9 with a 3.65 ERA last year.

In the season opener, the Braves' bats were sizzling. But, Dempster will be tougher to rattle than Zambrano was on opening day. This one outta be good. I'll be watching to see how Jason Heyward follows up his sensational Braves debut.

One interesting side note to mention, is that 3 players from the state of Georgia went deep during Sunday's contest. Chicago's Marlon Byrd, who played for Sprayberry High School in Marietta, hit a 3 run bomb in the 1st. Not to be out done, Jason Heyward from Henry County stole the show with a 3 run blast of his own in the bottom half of the inning. Brian McCann (born in Athens) drilled a solo shot to deep right field in the bottom of the 2nd.

Braves blast Cubs

Ya'll wanna talk some baseball? In his first Major League at bat, Braves phenom Jason Heyward drilled a 3 run HR. The local guy from Henry County electrified the crowd of 53,000 fans at Turner Field, with his memorable blast against Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs. Heyward went 2-5 with 4 RBI in his Braves debut.

Shortstop Yunel Escobar also had a huge day for Atlanta, driving in 5 runs in the season opener. New comers, Eric Hinske (pinch hit RBI triple), 1B Troy Glaus (1-3, BB, 2 runs scored) and closer Billy Wagner were very impressive, as they donned a Braves uniform for the first time. 2B Martin Prado added 2 hits, as did All-Star catcher Brian McCann, who hit a solo HR deep into the right field stands in the second inning.

This was a great start for Atlanta, but we've got 161 more games to go. The only disappointing aspect of today's game was the sub par performance of Derek Lowe, who gave up 5 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. Marlon Byrd hit a three run shot with 2 outs in the first inning and Aramis Ramirez drove in a couple more Cubs with a 2 run homer against Lowe in the third. But, the Braves are undefeated, so I ain't complaining.