Braves Blast Brewers Behind B-Mac

One paragraph recap:

The Braves offense finally got off the bench and pounded out some runs. The biggest blast was dealt by Brian McCann, who connected for a grand slam in the third inning when the Braves opened up a six-run lead. They continued to add runs throughout the afternoon as Derek Lowe scuffled, and then Jesse Chavez needed to be bailed out by Billy Wagner. Omar Infante contributed another four-hit game filling in for Chipper Jones, and Matt Diaz continued his hot hitting with three hits and three RBI, including a solo home run in the fifth.

The Braves split the series with the Brewers, and now have an off-day on Monday before facing the NL West leading Padres.

For a full recap of the Braves 11-to-6 win, visit Talking Chop.

Offense Still Absent As Braves Once Again Fall To Brewers

One paragraph recap:

The Braves managed to out-hit the Brewers 10-to-7, but they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, only scoring runs on home runs by Matt Diaz and Eric Hinske. Tim Hudson battled with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez who had an inconsistent strike zone, and that led to Hudson giving up the most runs he’s given up in any start this season. Peter Moylan didn’t help by giving up a three-run double in relief, all runs were charged to Hudson. Jonny Venters and Bobby Cox were ejected after Venters hit Prince Fielder with a pitch. That may lead to some retaliation by the Brewers on Sunday.

For a full recap visit Talking Chop.

Braves Fall To Brewers

One paragraph recap:

Tommy Hanson didn’t have his A-game against the Brewers, but he didn’t stink either, he was somewhere in-between. The Braves bats never woke up against the Brewers, and Atlanta bullpen couldn’t keep the game close. Chipper Jones left the game with a mild left hamstring strain, and he is listed as day to day.

Full recap at Talking Chop.

Braves Beat Brewers To Open Second Half

One paragraph recap:

The Braves added Alex Gonzalez to their lineup and welcomed back Jason Heyward, but it was Martin Prado and Chipper Jones who hit solo home runs in the third inning that provided the offense. Jair Jurrjens gave up a solo home run of his own in the first, but didn’t allow the Brewers to cross the plate again. He pitched great for his second win of the year. Billy Wagner and the rest of the bullpen came on to shut the door in the late innings, and Jason Heyward actually picked up his first outfield assist of the year, helping to quell a rally in the second, and ran into a wall later in the game to make a spectacular (but scary) catch.

Chat About The Game With Other Braves Fans (Plus: Tonight's Lineup)

Here’s the Braves’ lineup for tonight’s game 1:

Prado – 2B
Heyward – RF
Chipper – 3B
McCann – C
Glaus – 1B
Hinske – LF
Gonzalez – SS
Blanco – CF
Jurrjens – P

Head on over to Talking Chop’s open thread to discuss the lineups, the game, your opinions about the recent trade, and your love for Jason Heyward.

Braves Put O'Flaherty On DL, Call Up Mike Dunn

Talking Chop has the scoop on the Braves’ other big transaction today (the first being that Jason Heyward was activated from the disabled list):

Eric O’Flaherty was placed on the 15-day DL with a viral infection that has been bothering him for days. It’s not confirmed, but I can only imagine it’ll be retro-active to July 9th.

In his place, the Braves called up fellow left-handed reliever Mike Dunn, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Javier Vazquez trade before the season. In 33 games at Triple-A Gwinnett, Dunn had a sparkling ERA of 1.05 and recorded 7 saves. He struck out 56 hitters and walked 22 in 42.2 innings.

Dunn will be available for tonight’s game against the Brewers.

Braves (With Heyward) Start Second Half Against Brewers

After a hugely successful first half of the season and an interesting All-Star break, the Braves get back into action tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are just 40-49 on the year so far, and while their hitting is very good, their pitching has struggled immensely. Their one star pitcher, Yovani Gallardo, is on the disabled list and will miss the series, so the Braves get lucky there.

Brewers outfielder Corey Hart, who has been among the home run leaders all year, has been the subject of many trade rumors, including supposed interest from the Braves. It will be interesting to see if his performance in this series has any effect on those rumors.

The most important news for Braves fans about this series is that phenom outfielder Jason Heyward has been activated off the disabled list and will be starting in right field tonight. The Braves sent shortstop Brandon Hicks back down to AAA Gwinnett to make room for Heyward.

Also of note will be the debut of new Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who was acquired from the Blue Jays yesterday in a five-player deal that saw the struggling Yunel Escobar shipped to Toronto.

Here are the pitching matchups for the series:

Thursday: Jair Jurrjens (1-3, 5.40 ERA) vs. Dave Bush  (4-6, 4.14 ERA)
Friday: Tommy Hanson (8-5, 4.13 ERA) vs. Randy Wolf (6-8, 4.56 ERA)
Saturday: Tim Hudson (9-4, 2.30 ERA) vs. Chris Narveson (7-6, 6.02 ERA)
Sunday: Derek Lowe (9-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (3-6, 4.65 ERA)

Check out Talking Chop's series preview for lots more.