SB Nation Atlanta - Braves vs. Rockies: Atlanta Sweeps Colorado With 7-2 Win

2012 MLB Standings: Braves Trail Nationals By Half Game

2012-05-07T13:16:09Z

Its still very early in the 2012 Major League Baseball season but it is never too early to take a quick peek at the standings. Fresh off of a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Atlanta Braves are in second place and a half game behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East.

The Braves have won six of 10 and are two and a half games in front of third place New York. Miami is on the move after winning six straight games while the Philadelphia Phillies have sunk to last place in the division.

NL East Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Washington	18	10	.642	0	Lost 1
Atlanta	18	11	.620	0.5	Won 3
New York	15	13	.535	3	Won 2
Miami	14	14	.500	4	Won 6
Philadelphia	14	15	.482	4.5	Won 1

(updated 5.7.2012 at 9:08 AM EDT)

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop. Rockies fans should check out Purple Row. And for all things baseball related, Baseball Nation is the place for you.

Braves vs. Rockies Series Recap: Freddie Freeman, Chipper Jones Lead Atlanta To Sweep

2012-05-07T12:01:08Z

The Braves entered their three-game series with the Rockies on a bit of a skid, but the team got hot at the plate and received good enough performances out of their starting pitchers to keep them in the game to pick up a win. It was Atlanta's first sweep in Colorado since 2003 and their second this season.

Here are recaps for the three games played at Coors Field this past weekend.

Tim Hudson struggled early in game one, but a furious rally led by Freddie Freeman tied the game up in the middle innings. With the score still tied in the 11th inning, Eric Hinske belted a two-run homer into the right field bullpen to give the Braves a 9-7 lead. Craig Kimbrel surrendered one run in the bottom half of the frame, but slammed the door shut just in time to preserve a big 9-8 victory.

Mike Minor was roughed up early once again on Saturday evening, but five RBIs from Chipper Jones and key back-to-back homers from Matt Diaz and Jason Heyward propelled Atlanta to a 13-9 victory against Jamie Moyer and the Colorado bullpen. Livan Hernandez, who has appeared in 455 games, recorded the first save of his career.

In the series finale it was Brandon Beachy's time to shine. The young righty worked 6.1 excellent innings and held the Rockies scoreless for most of the game before surrendering two runs late. Freeman hit a three-run homer early to give the Braves a lead and they continued to add on throughout the afternoon on their way to winning by a score of 7-2.

The Braves will now head to Chicago to take on the Cubs for three games. The series will begin Monday night at 8:05 ET from beautiful Wrigley Field.

For more on the club, check out Talking Chop.

Braves Complete Sweep Against Rockies As Brandon Beachy Spins A Gem

2012-05-06T22:03:06Z

After trailing early on both Friday and Saturday, the Braves were the team to strike early and often on Sunday on their way to a 7-2 victory. The win completes a series sweep for Atlanta and also starts their nine-game road trip with a perfect 3-0 record. Against the National League West, the Braves are 8-2, with all 10 games coming on the road.

Brandon Beachy made the start and was excellent, working 6.1 innings and allowing just two runs to score in hitter-friendly Coors Field. He surrendered just four hits and three walks, striking out five in the process. Cristhian Martinez worked 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. Juan Nicasio started for Colorado and was not sharp, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks in 5+ innings of work.

Freddie Freeman continued to pound the Rockies and belted a three-run homer in the third inning to give Atlanta an early 3-0 lead. With the bases loaded and just one out, Tyler Pastornicky drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the fourth.

The Braves padded their lead once again in the sixth. Dan Uggla singled to drive in Freeman, and Juan Francisco, who was filling in for a resting Chipper Jones, drove in Uggla with an RBI-single up the middle to make the score 6-0.

The Rockies struck back for two runs in the seventh, chasing Beachy from the game, but Uggla added yet another run with a solo homer in the top of the eighth.

The Braves are playing some good baseball right now, folks. The led the entire league in runs scored by 11 at the beginning of Sunday, and adding seven more today can only help their cause moving forward. The team will not head to Chicago to take on the Cubs for three games.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Chipper Jones Calls Phillies Out For Stealing Signs Following Jamie Moyer's Allegations

2012-05-06T18:18:02Z

The Braves and Phillies do not like each other. Atlanta dominated the division for 14-straight years, which was sure to frustrate those in Philadelphia, and now the Phillies have won five-straight titles in the National League East. For as much as these two clubs meet during the year, you can bet there's a good chance for some bad blood to be shared.

Take Wednesday's thriller in extra innings. The Braves were vividly celebrating on the field while rallying for the lead. Carlos Ruiz responded with a bat flip at home plate after crushing a home run, giving the Phillies the lead once again. And then it was Chipper Jones who had the final laugh in extra innings, admiring his game-winning homer while walking all the way down the first base line.

Rivalries are meant to get ugly at times. You're supposed to call out the other team.

Now should pitchers start firing fastballs away at the heads of opposing hitters? Absolutely not. That's stupid and is how people get their lives and careers changed. But what Chipper said on Sunday following a big defeat of Jamie Moyer and the Rockies was classic.

Here's the situation: Moyer used to pitch for the Phillies, and now the 49-year-old lefty pitches for Colorado. Despite being staked to an early 6-0 lead on Saturday night, the Braves rallied and began pounding him before eventually re-claiming the lead and going on to win for the second straight night.

According to a series of tweets from David O'Brien of the AJC, Moyer accused the Braves of stealing signs, which some frown upon in baseball. Others call it a competitive advantage. And when Jones caught wind of this, here is what he said:

#Braves Chipper said Moyer "paranoid" about player stealing signs because he (Moyer) comes from a team, #Phillies, that always does it.
— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) May 6, 2012

Jones also said he would be willing to meet Moyer in the hallway to discuss the matter, but nothing came of it. Moyer had no comment on Jones' response.

The Phillies have been caught stealing signs before. A few years back, a bullpen coach would take binoculars and likely look in on either the catcher or manager, whichever one was giving signs. Checking out the third base coach for signs was also a likely possibility. The Phillies denied the claims, although their story was pretty weak.

Since then nothing has come from the cheating allegations. And once again, stealing signs is not illegal; just frowned upon by most in the game today.

And a little bit more:

More #Braves Chipper on Moyer"I mean, dude, we don’t need signs, especially for him. I mean, my goodness, every pitch is 78. Come on."
— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) May 6, 2012

Were the Braves stealing signs on Saturday night against Moyer and the Rockies? Maybe, but it doesn't seem likely, especially given what Chipper said above. Even Troy Tulowitzki, arguably a top-five player in the game, said he didn't get any sense that Atlanta was trying to steal signs.

Chipper didn't hold back any punches this weekend and has never had an issue expressing what he believed to be the truth. It should be interesting the next time the Braves and Phillies meet, to say the least.

Follow @scottcoleman55

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Braves Vs. Rockies Lineups: Chipper Jones Takes A Rest After Offensive Outburst On Saturday

2012-05-06T16:58:10Z

The lineups have been posted for the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies for Sunday afternoon's series finale. The Braves will look to sweep the Rockies, but will do it without Chipper Jones in the lineup. Jones will be replaced by Juan Francisco as is customary for the greybeard that is Chipper.

Here are Sunday's lineups as first pitch is slated for 3:10pm Eastern.

Atlanta Braves Lineup

1. Michael Bourn (L) CF
2. Martin Prado (R) LF
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Dan Uggla (R) 2B
5. Jason Heyward (L) RF
6. Juan Francisco (L) 3B
7. David Ross (R) C
8. Tyler Pastornicky (R) SS
9. Brandon Beachy (R) P

Colorado Rockies Lineup

1. Marco Scutaro (R) 2B
2. Jonathan Herrera (S) 3B
3. Carlos Gonzalez (L) LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki (R) SS
5. Jason Giambi (L) 1B
6. Michael Cuddyer (R) RF
7. Ramon Hernandez (R) C
8. Dexter Fowler (S) CF
9. Juan Nicasio (R) P

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop. Rockies fans should check out Purple Row. And for all things baseball related, Baseball Nation is the place for you.

Braves Vs. Rockies Game 3 Time, TV, Radio Info And More

2012-05-06T13:56:59Z

The Atlanta Braves have made a habit of late of falling behind early and then rallying late. No doubt Fredi Gonzalez and the Braves would like to do things more conventional today with Brandon Beachy on the hill as Atlanta goes for a series sweep of the Rockies.

Atlanta came from behind in both of the first two games of the series. The Braves took Game 1 9-8 after some early struggles from Tim Hudson. Mike Minor got banged around in Game 2 but Atlanta charged back scoring 10 runs from the sixth inning on in a 13-9 win.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 6, 3:10 p.m. ET

Location: Coors Field, Denver, Colorado

Pitching Matchup: Brandon Beachy (2-1, 1.38 ERA) vs. Juan Nicasio (2-0, 4.40 ERA)

TV: Fox Sports South

Radio: 680 The Fan

Online Streaming: MLB.tv

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop. Rockies fans should check out Purple Row. And for all things baseball related, Baseball Nation is the place for you.

Braves Vs. Rockies Final Score: Chipper Jones' 5 RBIs Spark Atlanta's 13-9 Comeback

2012-05-06T11:57:40Z

The Atlanta Braves' offense led by the bat of Chipper Jones once again saved them as they grabbed a 13-9 come from behind victory over the Colorado Rockies. Atlanta outscored the Rockies 10-1 from the sixth inning on overcoming Mike Minor's second straight start in which he struggled.

Colorado got off to a fast start against Minor scoring four times in the first off of a grand slam from Michael Cuddyer. Carlos Gonzalez doubled home two more in the second to increase the lead to 6-0.

Trailing 8-3 in the sixth, Atlanta's offense finally got in gear as Matt Diaz and Jason Heyward hit back-to-back homers to cut the deficit to 8-5. Later in the inning Chipper Jones brought in two more with a single and Freddie Freeman tied things up with a groundout.

Atlanta tacked on four more in the seventh and a single run in the ninth to escape with a wild 13-9 win.

Chipper Jones led the way for the Braves with three hits and a career-high tying five RBIs. Matt Diaz also had three and Michael Bourn two for Atlanta. Carlos Gonzalez went 4 for 4 for the Rockies.

Mike Minor struggled and saw his ERA balloon to 5.97 after allowing 10 hits and eight runs in just five innings of work. Cristhian Martinez picks up the win for the Braves with a scoreless inning of relief. Livan Hernandez retired the final five outs of the game to earn his first save. Esmil Rogers takes the loss for Colorado.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop. Rockies fans should check out Purple Row. And for all things baseball related, Baseball Nation is the place for you.

Braves vs. Rockies Lineups: Martin Prado Sits Once Again With Flu-Like Symptoms

2012-05-05T20:36:55Z

The Atlanta Braves are coming off a big 9-8 victory in extra innings on Friday night, cashing in on a key two-run homer from Eric Hinske in the 11th inning. They'll face the Rockies once again on Saturday evening at Coors field and will send Mike Minor to the mound. Despite a rough previous start, Minor has been excellent for Atlanta in 2012. The Rockies will counter with 49-year-old Jamie Moyer and his slow, slower and slowest fastball arsenal.

Martin Prado is sitting once again due to an illness. Here is the rest of the Atlanta lineup for tonight:

Michael Bourn CF
Chipper Jones 3B
Freddie Freeman 1B
Brian McCann C
Dan Uggla 2B
Matt Diaz LF
Jason Heyward RF
Tyler Pastornicky SS
Mike Minor P

First pitch from Colorado is set for 6:10 p.m., which is 8:10 ET.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop. Rockies fans should visit Purple Row for their coverage. And for all-things baseball, head on over to Baseball Nation.