SB Nation Atlanta - Cardinals Vs. Braves: Atlanta Overcomes Hudson's Struggles In 10-7 Win

Braves vs. Cardinals Series Recap: Atlanta Takes Two Against Hot-Hitting Redbirds

2012-05-31T12:01:50Z

The Atlanta Braves entered their series this week with the Cardinals losers of seven straight games, and after stumbling yet again on Monday the club battled back to take the final two games. The Braves finished their regular season stint with a 5-1 record against St. Louis, an impressive feat against the league's highest scoring offense.

The Braves dropped game one of the series by a score of 8-2. Tommy Hanson was not sharp early in the game, and Lance Lynn had his way against a depleted lineup. Their losing streak was now at eight games, which was the worst streak in nearly a decade.

Atlanta ended that streak on Tuesday night behind strong pitching performances from Randall Delgado and the bullpen. Dan Uggla's three-run homer proved to be the difference as the Bravos went on to claim a 5-4 victory.

The series finale saw Tim Hudson get out to an early 5-0 lead thanks to home runs from Brian McCann and Freddie Freeman in the first inning. Hudson was unable to hold the lead and eventually exited in the sixth inning, but the offense clubbed around the St. Louis bullpen throughout most of the night on their way to a 10-7 win.

Atlanta now will have a much needed day off on Thursday before hitting the road once again. They will begin a three-game series with the Nationals on Friday evening.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Atlanta Braves Send Tyler Pastornicky To Triple-A, Andrelton Simmons Called Up

2012-05-31T02:38:50Z

The Atlanta Braves are sending struggling shortstop Tyler Pastornicky down to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to multiple reports following the club's 10-7 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday night. Top-prospect Andrelton Simmons will take his spot on the roster and is expected to join the team in time for Friday's series opener with the Nationals. He will wear No. 19.

Pastornicky was hitting well at the beginning of the year, but he has struggled mightily in recent weeks. He has hit just .239 in the last 30 days with an OPS of .537. Combine these issues with his poor play in the field and it seemed like a change was inevitable in Atlanta.

Simmons is already an elite defender -- a scout said his arm and glove were both '80' on the 20-80 scale -- and is hitting well with the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A affiliate of the organization. Simmons has hit .292 this season with an OPS of .794. He won the batting title with the Lynchburg Hillcats last season.

More to come soon, but this is big news for the Braves. It appears their shortstop of the future has arrived.

UPDATE, 10:40 p.m.

Andrelton Simmons' contract has been purchased by the Braves.

Roster Move: T. Pastornicky has been optioned to Gwinnett. The contract of A. Simmons has been purchased from Mississippi, will wear #19.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 31, 2012

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

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Braves Defeat Cardinals 10-7 As Freddie Freeman Returns To Lineup

2012-05-31T02:18:01Z

The Atlanta Braves have struggled to consistently push runs across the plate in recent weeks without Freddie Freeman, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann in the lineup. While Jones remains on the disabled list, Freeman and McCann showed just how big of an impact they can have as they both made the start for the first time in more than a week.

Despite moving out to an early 5-0 lead in their series finale with the Cardinals, the Braves rallied in the late innings to claim a 10-7 victory. They finished their regular season series with St. Louis at 5-1, with their lone defeat coming on Monday.

McCann hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse, and Freeman followed two spots later with a solo home run of his own to make the score 3-0. Freeman then doubled in his next at-bat to drive in a run, and Jose Constanza made the score 5-0 with a line drive single back up the middle to bring Freeman home.

The Cardinals rallied for five runs in the sixth inning, doing so with five singles and a walk. Tim Hudson exited the game after 5.2 innings as his struggles against St. Louis continued.

Atlanta pushed three more runs across in the bottom of the sixth to take back an 8-5 lead. St. Louis scored two in the top of the eighth, but the Braves rallied again for two runs of their own to go up 10-7. Craig Kimbrel struck out two of the four batters he faced (one reached on a Jack Wilson error) as he closed out the ballgame.

The club will finally get an off day on Thursday before beginning a three-game series with the Nationals on Friday.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Braves vs. Cardinals Lineups: Freddie Freeman Returns With Sports Glasses

2012-05-30T20:04:18Z

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has received his customized sports glasses in time for Wednesday night's game with the Cardinals, and after a bit of pleading with manager Fredi Gonzalez he has been inserted into the lineup. Freeman will bat fifth for the Braves.

Jose Constanza will make another start in left field and will bat seventh tonight after hitting ninth on Tuesday. Jack Wilson is also starting in place of Tyler Pastornicky as he usually does when Tim Hudson takes the mound.

Here is the rest of the Atlanta batting order:

Michael Bourn CF
Martin Prado 3B
Brian McCann C
Dan Uggla 2B
Freddie Freeman 1B
Jason Heyward RF
Jose Constanza LF
Jack Wilson SS
Tim Hudson P

And the Cardinals:

Rafael Furcal SS
Skip Schumaker RF
Matt Holliday LF
Yadier Molina C
Matt Adams 1B
Tyler Greene 2B
Daniel Descalso 3B
Shane Robinson CF
Kyle Lohse P

First pitch from Turner Field is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT as Atlanta looks to win their first series in nearly 10 days.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Freddie Freeman Injury: Prescription Sports Goggles Expected To Arrive On Wednesday

2012-05-30T13:19:21Z

Freddie Freeman's long wait for prescription sports goggles appears to be about over and he could return to the lineup as soon as Wednesday for the Braves. Freeman has battled vision problems since an early May series in Colorado. He has missed the last four games and is hitting just .150 in the 16 games since that Colorado series.

Freeman's problems stem from his eye not producing enough tears to keep it moist therefore making wearing contacts virtually impossible. He tried a set of glasses but didn't like the way his peripheral vision was effected. His only recourse has been to rest his eyes and treat them with eye drops for the last four days.

It took time for the goggles to arrive as they had to be specially made to fit Freeman's prescription and was compounded by a holiday weekend. Freddie Gonzalez stopped short of saying that Freeman would return to the lineup on Wednesday but it appears he would be on course for this weekend at the very least.

For more on Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves head over to Talking Chop. For more Major League Baseball news and notes check out Baseball Nation.

Braves Vs. Cardinals: Game 3 Preview, TV Info And More

2012-05-30T12:14:54Z

The monkey is off the back of the sliding Braves - they broke an eight-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over St. Louis on Tuesday night - and now Atlanta will try and begin to dig themselves out of last place in the NL East by taking the rubber match against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Veterans Tim Hudson and Kyle Lohse will square off, with current St. Louis hitters enjoying a .329 career average against Hudson.

Freddie Freeman will try out specialty goggles on Wednesday, after missing several games with dry eyes that made it impossible for the first baseman to wear contacts.

Date / Time: Wednesday, May 30, 7:10 p.m. ET

Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: SportsSouth

Radio: WNNX 100.5, WCNN 680

Probable Starters: Tim Hudson (3-2) vs. Kyle Lohse (5-1)

Read more on the Braves at Talking Chop. For more on the Cardinals, go to Viva El Birdos. Be sure to check out Baseball Nation for additional news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

Atlanta Braves End Losing Streak With 5-4 Victory Over Cardinals

2012-05-30T02:06:52Z

The losing streak is finally over! After going eight days without winning a game, the Atlanta Braves rode a big three-run homer from Dan Uggla on their way to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Michael Bourn continued his stellar play and led off the game with a solo homer to right field, a no-doubt shot off Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook. Dan Uggla delivered the big blow of the game in the third inning with a two-out, three-run jack to center field that gave the Braves a 4-0 lead.

Randall Delgado pitched well despite some control issues early and picked up his first win in the month of May, improving his record to 3-5 overall. The young righty lasted 5.1 innings and allowed three runs to score on six hits and three walks. Delgado struck out just one batter while throwing 98 pitches. He exited in the sixth in favor of Chad Durbin, who came up with two big strikeouts to end the scoring threat for St. Louis.

With the score 4-2 in the fifth it was Jose Constanza who ignited a rally with a single to lead off the inning. He came around to score on a passed ball to give Atlanta a three-run cushion.

Yadier Molina led off the sixth with a solo homer, and St. Louis added another run in the seventh off Jonny Venters with a two-out, RBI single from Molina. Venters struck out Matt Adams with two runners on to end the scoring threat.

Eric O'Flaherty worked a perfect eighth inning, and Craig Kimbrel recorded his 14th save of the year with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.

The two clubs will play the series finale on Wednesday night. Tim Hudson will square off with Kyle Lohse on the mound.

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop.

Braves Vs. Cardinals, Game 2: Lineups Announced

2012-05-29T20:12:57Z

The Braves will look to snap their eight-game losing streak without shaking up their lineup, starting Tuesday night's game with St. Louis with their "normal" lineup sans Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman. Brian McCann is back and paired with Dan Uggla in the 3-4 spot, while Eric Hinske fills in for Freeman at first and Martin Prado gets the nod at third. Pitcher Randall Delgado will get the rare eighth slot hitting, while Jose Constanza will bat ninth.

Braves:

1. Michael Bourn (L) CF

2. Martin Prado (R) 3B

3. Brian McCann (L) C

4. Dan Uggla (R) 2B

5. Eric Hinske (L) 1B

6. Jason Heyward (L) RF

7. Tyler Pastornicky (R) SS

8. Randall Delgado (R) P

9. Jose Constanza (L) LF

Cardinals:

1. Rafael Furcal (S) SS

2. Skip Schumaker (L) CF

3. Matt Holliday (R) LF

4. Carlos Beltran (S) RF

5. Yadier Molina (R) C

6. Matt Adams (L) 1B

7. Tyler Greene (R) 2B

8. Daniel Descalso (L) 3B

9. Jake Westbrook (R) P

Read more on the Braves at Talking Chop. For more on the Cardinals, go to Viva El Birdos. Be sure to check out Baseball Nation for additional news and analysis around Major League Baseball.