The Atlanta Braves’ offense went cold in their last series after a good start to the season.
Opening a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday without two of their best hitters won’t help.
After a tough series, Atlanta looks to get back on track when it hands the ball to Jair Jurrjens (2-0, 2.45 ERA).
Jurrjens hasn’t made it through the sixth inning in his first two starts, but he’s been effective enough. He allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings of an 8-5 win over Washington on Sunday.
The right-hander was 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two starts against the Pirates last season.
Pittsburgh has opened all three series it’s played with a win. The Pirates look to continue that trend Friday behind Paul Maholm (1-0, 1.32), who is looking to build off two effective starts. He pitched seven innings against Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing one run and three hits in a 10-2 victory.
The left-hander is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against the Braves. This is his first time facing them since 2007.
Manager Bobby Cox can still feel the bone bruise he sustained when he was a player, and that was more than 40 years ago. In that light, third baseman Chipper Jones sitting out another day with the bone bruise of his left thumb isn’t so bad.
Jones isn’t thinking about the disabled list, but he isn’t quite day-to-day, either. He just knows that he keeps getting jammed, and he figures sitting out is the only way to make sure his hand can get over the bruise.
A thumb guard does no good; in fact, he thinks wearing it for Tuesday’s game made the thumb worse, digging into the muscle and turning the thumb black and blue.
“I’ll sit out until I get better,” Jones said. “I have to get back to where I can get jammed and not have it affect me throughout the game.”
It’s not as though Jones has never jammed his thumbs. Usually it happens early in spring training, when he can take a few days off and get rid of it. But this injury happened at the end of spring training, and because it did, it has lingered.
No X-rays have been taken because all the thumb-wiggling tests indicate there is no structural damage. But Jones can’t grip a bat, so playing is out for the immediate future.
Marlins 6, Braves 2: Kelly Johnson lost a potential double-play ball in the sun, so while Kenshin Kawakami went 2-for-2 at the plate, gave up only five hits and struck out seven in six innings, he still lost. One of those hits was a three-run homer, and the Braves could not convert their hits into runs. The loss gave the Marlins their first three-game series sweep at Atlanta.
Notes, Quotes
• C Brian McCann got the day off as manager Bobby Cox gave backup C David Ross some time behind the plate. McCann says he is learning that he needs to take these planned days off to maintain his strength for an entire season.
• RHP Jorge Campillo, nursing what he calls a dead arm and the Braves are officially calling right shoulder tendinitis, was put on the disabled list— another casualty of the World Baseball Classic, according to manager Bobby Cox. RHP James Parr was called up from Class AAA Gwinnett.
• LHP Tom Glavine said Dr. James Andrews is surprised that it is Glavine’s left shoulder that is giving him problems in his rehab rather than the torn left flexor tendon Andrews repaired last Aug. 21. Glavine had pitched with debris in his shoulder for years and probably would not have had the area cleaned out had he not required the tendon surgery.
By The Numbers: 9.45—The bullpen’s ERA in its first 13 1/3 innings. That was before the relievers tossed a combined 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball April 11-12, lowering the unit’s ERA to 6.75.
Quote To Note: “It was a total success.”—C Brian McCann on the major league debut of RHP Kenshin Kawakami, who got the win against the Nationals on April 11.
Roster Report
Everyone in the bullpen is supposedly healthy, but if that’s true, the Braves are in trouble. The relievers had a collective 9.45 ERA in their first 13 1/3 innings, but the three main relievers performed as they were expected to perform on April 11 in a 5-3 win over the Nationals. RHP Peter Moylan struck out the side in the seventh inning. RHP Rafael Soriano labored but got through the eighth, and LHP Mike Gonzalez struck out two in the ninth to get the save.
Player News:
• C David Ross (right groin strain) was activated from the 15-day disabled list and started, catching RHP Kenshin Kawakami. Ross walked and singled and threw out a baserunner at second.
• C Clint Sammons, who didn’t appear in any of the Braves’ first eight games, was optioned to Class AAA Gwinnett.
• 3B Chipper Jones sat out another game with a bone bruise on his left thumb. The swelling has lessened considerably, but he still can’t grip a bat.
• SS Yunel Escobar left the game after five innings with a strained abdominal muscle sustained when he was jumping up and down in the on-deck circle to loosen up before his fifth-inning at-bat. He is day-to-day but will be evaluated again Friday.
Medical Watch:
RHP Jorge Campillo (right shoulder tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list April 17. He said he was merely suffering from a dead arm.
C David Ross (strained right groin) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 1. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Rome on April 14, and he was activated April 16.
3B Chipper Jones (bone bruise on left thumb) sat out April 15-16. He might miss another day or two.
LHP Tom Glavine (shoulder and elbow surgeries) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 1. He had to cut short an April 12 rehab start with Class AA Mississippi with shoulder discomfort, and he was shut down from throwing for two weeks.
RHP Charlie Morton (left oblique strain) went on the 15-day disabled list March 30. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Gwinnett on April 12.
Tim Hudson (Tommy John surgery on right elbow in August 2008) went on the 60-day disabled list March 4. He is targeting an August return date, barring setbacks.