Braves Get Rained Out in Mobile: PPD - DH

Game Four between the Braves and BayBears was rained out Tuesday night at Hank Aaron Stadium. It took 108 games before the Braves suffered their first rain-out of the season. The two teams will play a scheduled doubleheader which will feature two 7 inning games that will start at 5:05pm.

Scheduled starters will be LHP Kelvin Villa (6-8, 5.37) for the Braves and RHP Max Scherzer (2-3, 4.95 ERA) for the BayBears in Game One. Game Two will feature LHP Francisely Bueno (3-4, 3.91 ERA) for the Braves and RHP Brooks Brown (2-1 3.58 ERA) for Mobile.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Finally End Losing Skid: W, 7-5

The Braves finally had the ball bounce their way on Monday night as they halted a franchise-high eight game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the BayBears, in front of 2,253 fans at Hank Aaron Stadium. The win ended the Braves (12-25) eight game skid as they improved to 55-53 overall. The BayBears (18-20) had their four game win streak halted, while dropping to 54-54 overall on the season. The BayBears are still 9 games back of First Place Jacksonville in the South Division with 32 games remaining.

Rich Scalamandre (1-1, 3.38 ERA) danced around trouble in his two innings of work as he got out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th inning to give the Braves bats a chance. Wes Wilkerson tossed a perfect 9th to pick up his first save of the season. Braves starter, Ryan Baerlocher (0-0, 7.50 ERA) gave up 5 runs in his six innings of work including a solo homerun to Wilkin Castillo inthe 5th inning. With that homerun the Braves have now allowed a long ball in every game of the road trip.

The BayBears scored first for the third straight game as they manufactured a run in the 3rd inning with a suicide squeeze by Wilkin Castillo that allowed Rusty Ryal to score. The Braves responded in the 4th inning as Diory Hernandez led off the inning with a double and he was brought in by a Mark Jurich RBI single.

The BayBears came right back in the bottom of the 4th inning with three straight singles to load the bases by Brito, Gonzalez and Nicolas. Two batters later, Rusty Ryal cleared the bases with a double to left center field. The Braves got one run back in the top of the 5th inning with a sacrifice fly by J.C. Holt that scored Van Pope who led off the inning with a walk. Wilkin Castillo belted his 5th homerun of the season in the 5th inning to give the BayBears back their three-run lead.

The Braves resumed the come-back trail in the 8th inning as Clint Sammons laced a double downt he left field line and Mike Rozema followed with an infield single up the first base line to chase starter Esmerling Vasquez. The BayBears sent in A.J. Shappi and he gave up an RBI double to J.C. Holt and an RBI groundout to Diory Hernandez allowing the Braves to get back to within one run.

The Braves completed the rally in the 9th inning with three straight one-out walks to Sammons, Loadenthal and Holt to load up the bases. Diory Hernandez hit a ground ball to third base and Cesar Nicolas threw to the plate to force out Sammons but Wilkin Castillo couldn't hang on to the ball and the Braves tied up the game. That set the table for Matt Young's heroics as he hit a ball through the infield to score Loadenthal and Holt as the Braves took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Braves player of the game was J.C. Holt as he finished 1-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs and he also scored a run in the 3-run 9th inning. Holt is the #2 batter in the Southern League and is enjoying a 5-game hitting streak (7-21, .333 avg).

The Braves finished 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the game (8-for-30 in the series) while the BayBears finished 3-for-7 (7-for-22 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 6 men on base (19 in the series). The BayBears left 6 stranded on base (16 in the series).

The Braves will continue a five game set in Mobile, Alabama at Hank Aaron Stadium as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the fourth game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Kelvin Villa (6-8, 5.37) to the hill in his first AA start this season. The BayBears will counter with RHP Max Scherzer (2-3, 4.95 ERA) who is looking for his eighth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 96.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:50

ATTENDANCE: 2,253

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 26-32 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 9-8 in two-run games.
* The Braves imrpove to 41-23 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves imrpove to 4-49 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 14-34 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 10-5 when scoring in four different innings.

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Matt Young - 2 games (3-9, .333)
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (7-21, .333)
* Clint Sammons - 8 games (11-28, .393)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - 3 games (5-13, .385)
* Van Pope - 5 games (6-10, .600)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez (0-9) - 4th inning double
* Mark Jurich (0-5) - 4th inning RBI single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-3)
* Carl Loadenthal (0-3)
* Josh Burrus (0-4)
* Ray Serrano (0-14)
* Isaiah Ka'aihue (0-17)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Lose Third Straight One-Run Game: L, 3-2

For the second night in a row the Braves had the tying run in scoring position in the 9th inning only to fall to the BayBears, 3-2, in front of 2,852 fans at Hank Aaron Stadium. The loss ran the Braves (12-25) season high losing streak to eight games as they fell to 54-53 overall. The BayBears (17-20) picked up their fourth straight win, while improving to 54-53 overall on the season. The BayBears are still 9 games back of First Place Jacksonville in the South Division with 33 games remaining.

The long ball did in James Parr (3-4, 4.64 ERA) Sunday night as he gave up a leadoff homerun to Chris Rahl in the 3rd inning. It was Rahl's seventh homerun of the season and his fifth against the Braves this season. Justin Upton added his second homer of the series in the fourth inning which proved to be the difference in the game. It was Upton's 13th of the season.

The Braves managed another comeback in the seventh inning as Josh Burrus led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Van Pope followed with a walk. Matt Young then drove in Burrus with a double and Clint Sammons followed with an RBI single to score Van Pope.

The BayBears then went to the bullpen and Mark Rosen got Mobile out of the jam by inducing two ground balls to pinch-hitter Mark Jurich and J.C. Holt, who grounded into an inning ending double play. Daniel Stange tossed the final 1 and 2/3 innings to pick up his first save of the season as he stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth.

The Braves finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game (4-for-17 in the series) while the BayBears finished 0-for-3 (4-for-15 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 7 men on base (13 in the series). The BayBears left 4 stranded on base (10 in the series).

The Braves players of the game were Clint Sammons and Matt Young as they both finished 2-for-4 at the plate with 1 RBIs. Sammons had a pair of singles while Young had a double and a single.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Mobile, Alabama at Hank Aaron Stadium as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the third game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP Ryan Baerlocher (0-0, 0.00) to the hill in his first AA start this season. The BayBears will counter with RHP Esmerling Vasquez (7-4, 2.94 ERA) who is looking for his eighth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 96.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:30

ATTENDANCE: 2,852

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 25-32 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 17-21 in one-run games.
* The Braves fell to 14-31 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 13-34 when their opponent scores first.

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 3 games (5-13, .385)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (6-18, .333)
* Van Pope - 5 games (6-10, .600)
* Clint Sammons - 7 games (9-25, .360)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games (3-10, .300)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Young (0-5) - 5th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mark Jurich (0-4)
* Diory Hernandez (0-8)
* Isaiah Ka'aihue (0-12)
* Ray Serrano (0-13)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Skid Reaches Seven in a Row: L, 6-5

The Braves watched a three-run lead evaporate in the 6th inning and dropped the series opener to the BayBears, 6-5, in walk-off fashion in front of 4,231 fans at Hank Aaron Stadium. It marked a season high seven game losing streak for the Braves (12-24) who have lost 24 of their last 33 games, fallen to 54-52 overall, and they remain in last place in the South Division. The BayBears (16-20) picked up their fifth win in their last six games, while improving to 53-53 overall on the season. The BayBears moved to within 9 games of First Place in the South Division behind the Jacksonville Suns.

The BayBears manufactured a run in the first inning as Justin Upton drew a two-out walk, was balked to second base and came home on an RBI single by Javier Brito. The Braves responded in the fourth inning as Mark Jurich was hit by a pitch and Van Pope doubled him over to third base. Mike Rozema singled up the middle to drive in both as the ball came to a screeching halt in the damp outfield grass. The Braves did hit into three double plays in the 3rd (Young), 4th (Serrano) and 5th innings (Holt).

Josh Burrus added to the Braves lead in the 6th inning as he doubled to drive in Matt Young. Young later came in to score as Mike Rozema beat out a potential fourth double play on the night but managed to reach on the RBI fielder's choice for first 3 RBI game of the season.

The BayBears took a lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as Brad Nelson gave up a lead-off walk to Justin Upton who stole second and came in to score two batters later on Carlos Gonzalez' RBI single. The Braves managed to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning as J.C. Holt came through with his first hit in the game, a two-out RBI single to centerfield to score Mike Rozema.

In the bottom of the ninth inning Michael Nix gave up a two-out walk to Emilio Bonifacio to keep the inning alive for Mobile. Nix and Ray Serrano guessed on the first pitch that Bonifacio was going to steal and called a pitch-out, but Serrano couldn't hang on to the ball and Bonifacio moved into scoring position on the passed ball. Wilkin Castillo then ripped a base hit to left center that allowed Bonifacio to race home to win the game in walk-off fashion over the Braves.

Moises Hernandez did not factor in the decision as he allowed 4 runs in his season-high seven innings of work. He did pick up two singles and a sacrifice bunt at the plate as he tried to help his own cause. Despite both of his hits being lead off singles the Braves were never able to get him past second base and in both of those innings the Braves hit into double plays.

The Braves finished 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the game (2-for-9 in the series) while the BayBears finished 4-for-12 (4-for-12 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 6 men on base (6 in the series). The BayBears left 6 stranded on base (6 in the series).

The Braves player of the game was Mike Rozema as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs and a stolen base. It was his third 3-hit game and first 3-RBI game of the season. He did struggle in the field as he was charged with an error in the 6th inning which allowed the tying run to score.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Mobile, Alabama at Hank Aaron Stadium as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the second game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP James Parr (3-3, 4.65) to the hill in search of his second win. The BayBears will counter with RHP Matt Green (10-5, 3.70 ERA) who is looking for his eleventh victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 96.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:54

ATTENDANCE: 4,231

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 25-31 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 17-20 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 13-9 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fell to 14-30 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 13-33 when their opponent scores first.

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 2 games (3-9, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games (3-10, .300)
* J.C. Holt - 3 games (5-14, .357)
* Van Pope - 4 games (5-8, .625)
* Clint Sammons - 6 games (7-21, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema (0-4) - 2nd inning single
* Van Pope (0-9) - 9th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mark Jurich (0-3)
* Matt Young (0-4)
* Diory Hernandez (0-5)
* Isaiah Ka'aihue (0-8)
* Ray Serrano (0-13)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Swept in Wild Series Finale: L, 11-10

The Braves and Lookouts combined for 21 runs and 31 hits in their wild series finale which the Lookouts came back to win, 11-10, in front of a sellout crowd of 6,304 fans at AT&T Field. It was the sixth straight loss for the Braves (12-23) who suffered their first 5-game series sweep and have fallen to 54-50 overall and remain in last place in the South Division. The Lookouts (20-15) belted their seventh homerun of the series as they picked up their seventh win in their last nine games, while improving to 48-56 overall on the season. The Lookouts have 46 hits through three games this series, with 21 going for extra bases. The Lookouts also moved into a tie for First Place in the North Division with the Huntsville Stars.

The Lookouts once again scored first as Luis Bolivar came to the plate on the first error for the Braves in the series and the first by Matt Young since joining the Braves. The deciding blow came one pitch later as Marland Williams launched a mammoth three-run homerun over the AT&T Field scoreboard in left field to put the game out of reach. It was his ninth homerun of the year and he added an RBI single one inning later to complete the scoring for the Lookouts. The other two runs came on a two-run double by Luis Bolivar in the three-run 5th inning which chased starter Kelvin Villa (6-8, 5.37 ERA).

Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.23 ERA) was sensational for the second time this season against Mississippi as he twirled six scoreless frames while limiting the Braves to two hits. In his two starts against the Braves he has gone 12 scoreless innings while allowing 5 hits 2 walks and 15 strikeouts.

The Braves did manage to end their 20 inning streak without an extra-base hit as Diory Hernandez doubled to start the 9th inning. The Braves got one runner to 3rd base all night and in only one inning managed to get two runners on base (5th inning).

The Braves finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the game (7-for-36 in the series) while the Lookouts finished 4-for-8 (14-for-43 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 6 men on base (28 in the series). The Lookouts left 7 stranded on base (33 in the series).

The Braves will start up a five game set in Mobile, Alabama at Hank Aaron Stadium as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the first game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP Moises Hernandez (1-1, 7.09) to the hill in search of his second win. The BayBears will counter with RHP Chris Kinsey (4-5, 4.02 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 96.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:40

ATTENDANCE: 6,304 (AT&T Field Sellout)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 25-30 on the road.
* The Braves fell to 14-29 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 13-32 when their opponent scores first.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves KO'd by Cueto: L, 7-0

Johnny Cueto baffled the MS Braves for the second time this season as the Braves lost their fourth straight game to the Lookouts at AT&T Field, 7-0, in front of a crowd of 3,346 fans. It was the fifth straight loss for the Braves (12-22) who have now lost 7 of their last 8 and fallen to 54-49 overall and last place in the South Division. The Lookouts (19-15) belted their seventh homerun of the series as they picked up their seventh win in their last nine games, while improving to 48-56 overall on the season. The Lookouts have 46 hits through three games this series, with 21 going for extra bases.

The Lookouts once again scored first as Luis Bolivar came to the plate on the first error for the Braves in the series and the first by Matt Young since joining the Braves. The deciding blow came one pitch later as Marland Williams launched a mammoth three-run homerun over the AT&T Field scoreboard in left field to put the game out of reach. It was his ninth homerun of the year and he added an RBI single one inning later to complete the scoring for the Lookouts. The other two runs came on a two-run double by Luis Bolivar in the three-run 5th inning which chased starter Kelvin Villa (6-8, 5.37 ERA).

Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.23 ERA) was sensational for the second time this season against Mississippi as he twirled six scoreless frames while limiting the Braves to two hits. In his two starts against the Braves he has gone 12 scoreless innings while allowing 5 hits 2 walks and 15 strikeouts.

The Braves did manage to end their 20 inning streak without an extra-base hit as Diory Hernandez doubled to start the 9th inning. The Braves got one runner to 3rd base all night and in only one inning managed to get two runners on base (5th inning).

The Braves finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the game (7-for-36 in the series) while the Lookouts finished 4-for-8 (14-for-43 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 6 men on base (28 in the series). The Lookouts left 7 stranded on base (33 in the series).

The Braves will wrap up a five game set in Chattanooga, Tennessee at AT&T Field as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the final game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:15pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:15pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Francisely Bueno (3-4, 3.56) to the hill in search of his fourth win. The Lookouts will counter with LHP Camilo Vazquez (4-8, 4.63 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 107.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:30

ATTENDANCE: 3,346

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 25-29 on the road.
* The Braves fell to 14-28 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 13-31 when their opponent scores first.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Recent Struggles Continue: L, 4-2

Isaiah Ka'aihue made his AA debut but was held hitless as the MS Braves lost their third straight game to the Lookouts at AT&T Field, 4-2, in front of a crowd of 2,546 fans. It was the fourth straight loss for the Braves (12-21) who have now lost 6 of their last 7 and fallen to 54-48 overall. The Lookouts belted their sixth homerun of the series for the Lookouts (18-15) as they picked up their sixth win in their last eight games, while improving to 47-56 overall on the season. The Lookouts have 36 hits through three games this series, with 18 going for extra bases.

The Lookouts broke a scoreless tie with a two-out two-run homerun by Mike Griffin in the fourth inning. It was his first homerun of the year on just his fourth hit of the season. The Lookouts added to their lead with a two-out RBI triple by Marland Williams and an RBI single by J.C. Boscan in the 6th inning.

The Braves finally responded in the 7th inning as Mark Jurich, Ray Serrano, and Matt Young loaded up the bases with three straight singles. Van Pope followed with a bases-loaded walk to break the shutout. Josh Burrus drove in the Braves second run with a sacrifice fly. The promising inning came to a crashing halt as J.C. Holt and Carl Loadenthal struck out to end the inning with runners at second and third base.

Matt Harrison (5-7, 3.39 ERA) continued his recent woes as he lost for the fifth time in his last six starts. Michael Nix tossed the final two innings for the Braves and continued his scoreless inning streak to 16 and 1/3.

Matt Young was the Braves player of the game as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate raising his average to .438 in just 4 games.

The Braves finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the game (7-for-31 in the series) while the Lookouts finished 3-for-8 (10-for-35 in the series) in that same category. The Braves left 8 men on base (22 in the series). The Lookouts left 8 stranded on base (26 in the series).

The Braves will continue a five game set in Chattanooga, Tennessee at AT&T Field as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the fourth game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:15pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:15pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Kelvin Villa (6-7, 4.98) to the hill in search of his seventh win. The Lookouts will counter with RHP Johnny Cueto (3-1, 2.67 ERA) who is looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 107.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:55

ATTENDANCE: 2,546

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 25-28 on the road.
* The Braves fell to 14-27 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 13-30 when their opponent scores first.

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich - 4 games (5-17, .294)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-14, .357)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 9 games (18-37, .455) - tied a season high

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Young (0-5) - 2nd inning single
* Van Pope (0-9) - 9th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Ray Serrano (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* INF Isaiah Ka'aihue promoted from High-A Myrtle Beach.

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Give Away Game One to Lookouts: L, 6-5

The Braves were unable to hold three separate two-run leads Monday night as the Lookouts rallied to take Game One, 6-5, in front of a crowd of 2,847 fans at AT&T Field. The Braves (12-19) have now dropped two in a row and fallen to 54-47 overall. The Lookouts (16-15) moved to within 3 games of the lead in the North Division, as Huntsville had their 12-game win streak halted, while improving to 45-56 overall on the season.

The Braves grabbed an early 2-0 lead on Matt Esquivel's league-tying 19th Homerun in the first inning. It marked the 61st time out of 101 games that the Braves had scored first in a game. The Braves had the lead trimmed to one in the 2nd inning on an RBI double by Caonabo Cosme. The Braves recaptured their two-run lead in the 4th inning with an RBI double by Mark Jurich, only to see it trimmed again in the 5th inning by Drew Anderson and his 7th Homerun of the season. The Braves once again extended their lead back to two in the 6th inning with an RBI single by Matt Esquivel.

The bullpens took over and the Lookouts outshined the Braves as they held the Braves to just one run over the last three innings while the Braves pen gave up 4 runs in the last two frames to allow the Lookouts to grab Game One.

Moises Hernandez exited with the lead but the two-run two-out single by Caonabo Cosme off of Charlie Morton prevented him from picking up his 2nd win. Rich Scalamandre (0-1, 7.71 ERA) was tagged with a blown save and the loss as he allowed a solo Homerun to Adam Rosales and a two-out RBI single to former MSU Bulldog Craig Tatum which gave Chattanooga the lead.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves player of the game as he broke out of a difficult 1-16 series with Jacksonville by finishing 2-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs. He belted a two-run Homerun in the first inning and an RBI single in the 6th inning. He is now tied with Charlton Jimerson and Evan Longoria with a league-leading 19 Homeruns. He is also now 2nd in the league in RBIs with 70.

The Braves finished 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the game while the Lookouts finished 3-for-17 in that same category. The Braves left 4 men on base. The Lookouts left 13 stranded on base.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Chattanooga, Tennessee at AT&T Field as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the second game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:15pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:15pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP James Parr (3-2, 4.09 ERA) to the hill in search of his fourth win. The Lookouts will counter with RHP Carlos Fisher (3-5, 3.64 ERA) who is also looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 107.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:49

ATTENDANCE: 2,847

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 25-26 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 17-18 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 42-19 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 40-19 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $744 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (2-8, .250)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Matt Young - 3 games (4-7, .571)
* J.C. Holt - 8 games (15-33, .455)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (2-8, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-5)
* Ray Serrano (0-7)
* Van Pope (0-8)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Ascanio Returning to Mississippi

The Atlanta Braves activated LHP Wil Ledezma from the restricted list and optioned RHP Jose Ascanio back to Double-A Mississippi yesterday. Ascanio appeared in 3 games for the Atlanta Braves and finished 0-1, 1.80 ERA in his three appearances. The Braves now have a true closer back in the bullpen.

Taken from
Atlanta Braves.com

Brandon Jones Headed to Richmond

MS Braves left fielder Brandon Jones, the Southern League’s RBI leader, has been promoted to Triple-A Richmond. The move was announced tonight after the Braves 2-1 loss to Jacksonville at Trustmark Park. Jones, did not appear in the game, was hitting .293 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. He ended his stint here with a season high 16 game hit streak in which he hit (24-64, .375) with 21 RBIs. Phillip Wellman said he expects an outfielder will be promoted from Class A Myrtle Beach on Friday, but he did not know who it would be.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Bats Fall Silent in Game Three: L, 2-1

Despite J.C. Holt's efforts Thursday night the Braves were still unable to get the big hit when they needed it as they dropped Game Three, 2-1, to the Jacksonville Suns in front of a crowd of 3,820 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (11-17) have now lost two in a row and dropped to 53-45 overall. The Suns (20-8) kept pace with the Montgomery Biscuits and remained in a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Montgomery while improving to 61-37 overall on the season.


J.C. Holt finished the night a homerun shy of the cycle but only manaaged to score once. He led off the bottom of the first inning with a double buy Loadenthal struck out, Jurich flied out and Esquivel struck out as well to end the frame. Holt started a two-out rally in the 3rd with a single which Loadenthal followed with a single only to see Jurich fly out to center to end the inning. Then finally in the 6th Holt picked up his 2nd triple of the series and came into score two pitches later on a single by Carl Loadenthal. The Braves managed to get the tying run to third base in the 8th inning and second base in the 9th inning but failed to score it both times.


Matt Harrison (5-6, 3.25 ERA) pitched good enough for a win but allowed a two-out walk to Juan Gonzalez which was followed by an RBI double by James Tomlin and an RBI single by Cory Dunlap that gave the Suns a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. Brad Nelson and Charlie Morton both tossed scoreless innings of relief in the 7th, 8th and 9th.

Justin Orenduff (6-3, 3.54 ERA) was able to work avoid J.C. Holt from hurting him except with his 6th inning triple. He along with the bullpen kept the bottom six of the order hitless until the 9th inning single by Mike Rozema.

J.C. Holt was once again the Braves player of the game as he finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a single, double and triple and also scored the Braves only run. He extended his hit streak to 5 games (10-23, .435) and pushed his season average up to a team-leading .320.

The Braves finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position (9-for-39 in the series) in the game while the Suns finished 1-for-8 in that same category (7-for-27 in the series). The Braves left 9 men on base and have now left 25 on base in the series. The Suns left 8 stranded and have left 23 on base in the series.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Jacksonville Suns, the AA Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the fourth game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Kelvin Villa (6-7, 5.29 ERA) to the hill in search of his seventh win. The Suns will counter with LHP Mike McGrew (6-6, 5.67 ERA) who is also looking for his seventh victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:42

ATTENDANCE: 3,820 (180,535 - 3,761 Home Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 28-20 at home.
* The Braves fall to 16-17 n one-run games.

* The Braves fall to 6-19 when scoring 2 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 6-12 when scoring in just one inning.

* The Braves fall to 13-27 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $710 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (10-23, .435)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 14 games (23-54, .426)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-8, .250)
* Van Pope - 5 games (6-20, .300)

* Greg Creek - 5 games (5-15, .333)


HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich (0-8) - 8th inning single

* Mike Rozema (0-10) - 9th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-4)

* Diory Hernandez (0-7)

* Matt Esquivel (0-10) - with 7 strikeouts

TRANSACTIONS:
* LF Brandon Jones promoted to AAA Richmond.

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Eclipsed by Suns in Game Two: L, 7-4

The Jacksonville Suns used an early 6-0 lead after three innings to secure a Game Two win over the MS Braves by a 7-4 final in front of a an announced crowd of 3,299 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (11-16) had their two game win streak snapped and fell to 53-44 overall. The Suns (19-8) moved back into a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Montgomery while improving to 60-37 overall on the season.

Tanyon Sturtze (0-1, 9.00 ERA) got the start in his first Major League Rehab appearance. with the Braves. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and exited the game trailing 1-0. The scheduled starter, James Parr struggled in his first two innings of work as he gave up 5 runs on a two-run Homerun to Xavier Paul and a two-run double to A.J. Ellis. He also allowed another run to score on a wild pitch. He did manage to retire 6 of the final 7 batters he faced but exited on pitch count after the 5th. Phil Stockman pitched an inning of scoreless relief while Michael Nix tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Wes Wilkerson tossed the 9th and allowed a run on a two-out RBI single by James Tomlin.

James McDonald (2-0, 0.82 ERA) was able to work around trouble in the first as he got a strike-'em-out --- throw-'em-out double play to end the inning after the Braves got the first two batters on to start the frame. He retired 7 in a row at one point and 12 of the final 14 batters he faced while striking out 7 Braves. Greg Miller struggled because of an errors by his 2B David Nicholson and 3B Alberton Concepcion which allowed three runs to score. Jon Meloan picked up a five-out save (19th-league-leading )despite giving up the solo homerun to Clint Sammons in the 9th inning.

Michael Nix was the Braves player of the game as he was the only Braves pitcher (other than Stockman's scoreless inning of work) to keep the Suns off the scoreboard in his two innings of work. He also extended his scoreless inning streak to 12 2/3

The Braves finished 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position (8-for-29 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 3-for-9 in that same category (6-for-19 in the series). The Braves left 5 men on base and have now left 16 on base in the series. The Suns left 10 stranded and have left 15 on base in the series.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Jacksonville Suns, the AA Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the second game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Matt Harrison (5-5, 3.27 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win and first since June 8th. The Suns will counter with RHP Justin Orenduff (5-3, 2.72 ERA) who is also looking for his sixth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:05

ATTENDANCE: 3,299 (176,715 - 3,760 Home Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 28-19 at home.
* The Braves fall to 29-17 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 14-25 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 40-17 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 13-26 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $710 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-8, .250)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (7-18, .389)
* Van Pope - 5 games (6-20, .300)
* Greg Creek - 5 games (5-15, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 13 games (20-50, .400)
* Brandon Jones - 16 games (24-64, .375) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (6-10, .600)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema (0-7)
* Matt Esquivel (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Outshine Suns in Series Opener: W, 7-5

For the first time as a Mississippi Brave, Brandon Jones hit a homerun in consecutive ballgames which helped the Braves knock off the Jacksonville Suns in the series opener front of a an announced crowd of 3,419 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (11-15) won their second game in a row for just the third time this half and improved to 53-43 overall. The Suns (18-8) fell out of a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Montgomery while falling to 59-37 overall on the season. The Braves finished 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position (5-for-16 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 3-for-10 in that same category (3-for-10 in the series).

Moises Hernandez (1-1, 8.14 ERA) made it through six innings for the first time in his fourth Double-A start. He retired 10 in a row at one point but struggled and failed to make it out of the seventh inning. Francisely Bueno came in and on 4 pitches induced an inning-ending double play as the Braves held on to a one-run lead. Charlie Morton tossed 1 and 1/3 innings of relief while Sung Ki Jung picked up his first AA save of the season in just his second appearance.

Joey Norrito (6-1, 2.58 ERA) was dealt his first loss of the season as the Braves knocked him around and halted his 4-game win streak. All three relievers that followed (Alexander, Akin and Gonzalez) allowed a run in their outings.

Brandon Jones was the Braves player of the game as he launched his 15th homerun of the season while knocking in his league-leading 74th RBI of the season. It marked the first time that Brandon Jones has hit a homerun in consecutive games as a MS Brave. Jones now has 20 RBIs in the last 11 games.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Jacksonville Suns, the AA Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the second game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP Tanyon Sturtz in his first Major League Rehab stint and he will be followed by RHP James Parr (3-2, 3.53 ERA) to the hill in search of his fourth win while the Suns will counter with RHP James McDonald (1-0, 1.50 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:00

ATTENDANCE: 3,419 (173,416 - 3,770 Home Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 28-18 at home.
* The Braves improve to 4-3 following an off day.
* The Braves improve to 41-18 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 29-16 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 13-7 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 40-16 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 6-4 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $699 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (6-10, .600)
* J.C. Holt - 3 games (6-14, .429)
* Van Pope - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Greg Creek - 5 games (5-15, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 12 games (19-48, .396)
* Brandon Jones - 15 games (24-61, .393) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - (0-12) - 5th inning double
* Matt Esquivel - (0-10) - 3rd inning homerun
* Diory Hernandez - (0-11) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema (0-5)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Tanyon Sturtz activated from the Disabled List and added to Major League Rehab.

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Salvage Series Finale with Rout: W, 12-2

Matt Esquivel and Brandon Jones hit the fourth pair of back-to-back homeruns in the 3rd inning as the Braves pounded the Biscuits in the series finale 12-2 in front of a an announced crowd of 2,817 fans at Rivewalk Stadium. The Braves (10-15) gained ground on Jacksonville and improved to 52-43 overall. The Biscuits (18-7) fell back into a tie for 1st place in the South Division while falling to 53-42 overall on the season. The Braves finished 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position (11-for-40 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 2-for-8 in that same category (12-for-38 in the series).

Brad Nelson (4-1, 4.32 ERA) was sensational as he allowed just two runs in his six innings of work. He scattered six hits while striking out a season high 8 batters on the night. Wes Wilkerson tossed the next two scoreless frames while Sung Ki Jung finished off the Biscuits in the ninth inning while scattering three hits and inducing a double play.

Jon Barratt (2-7, 5.26 ERA) was knocked out after three innings of work and six runs given up to the Braves along with two homers. Derek Feldkamp didn't fare much better as he lasted 3 and 1/3 innings while giving up six runs on two homers as well. Brett Wayne was the only Biscuit pitcher to keep the Braves off the scoreboard as he allowed just one hit over his 2 and 2/3 innings.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves player of the game as he picked up his first multi-homerun game of the season and while knocking in 3 RBIs of the season. It was the Braves fifth multi-homer game of the season (Jones-2, Saltalamacchia-2). It was also the fourth time this season that the Braves hit back-to-back homers. They have accomplished the feat in each month of the season.

The Braves will enjoy an off day on Monday before getting back to action Tuesday night as the Braves start up a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Jacksonville Suns, the AA Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the first game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Moises Hernandez (0-1, 9.82 ERA) to the hill in search of his first AA win while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Joey Norrito (6-0, 2.38 ERA) who is looking for his seventh victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:39

ATTENDANCE: 2,817

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 25-25 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 40-18 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 28-16 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 39-16 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $696 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 5 games (5-15, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 11 games (18-44, .409)
* Brandon Jones - 14 games (23-58, .397) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - (0-12) - 5th inning double
* Matt Esquivel - (0-10) - 3rd inning homerun
* Diory Hernandez - (0-11) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* NONE

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Watch Biscuits Rise Into First Place: L, 5-2

Manager Phillip Wellman gambled by putting his two catchers into the lineup Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The gamble paid off early as Ray Serrano belted a two-run homerun over the left-field wall to bring the Braves back to within one in the second inning. That's as close as the Braves would get as the Biscuits took Game Four by a 5-2 final in front of a an announced crowd of 6,395 fans at Rivewalk Stadium. The Braves (9-15) had another chance to gain some ground on Jacksonville but dropped to 51-43 overall. The Biscuits (18-6) grabbed sole possession of 1st place in the South Division while improving to 53-41 overall on the season. The Braves finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position (7-for-30 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 2-for-4 in that same category (10-for-30 in the series).

Kelvin Villa (6-7, 5.29 ERA) struggled through the first three innings as he gave up a three-run homerun to Gabriel Martinez in the 1st inning and an RBI single to Martinez in the 3rd inning. Martinez finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Phil Stockman made his first appearance as a MS Brave this season with a perfect 6th inning of work while Michael Nix tossed two scoreless frames inducing a double play in the 8th inning to erase a leadoff single by Martinez.

Mike Prochaska (5-7, 4.29 ERA) gave up a two-run homerun by Ray Serrano in the 2nd inning and worked around two other doubles by the Braves in the 3rd and 5th inning. The Biscuits bullpen was spectacular as the retired every batter they faced. The Biscuits three pitchers combined to retire the final 13 Braves batters.

Ray Serranowas the Braves player of the game as he picked up his third homerun of the season and his 13th and 14th RBIs of the season.

Sunday night the Braves will wrap up a five game set in Montgomery, Alabama at Riverwalk Stadium as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the final game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 4:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP Brad Nelson (3-1, 4.50 ERA) to the hill in search of his fourth win while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Jon Barratt (2-6, 4.79 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Riverwalk Stadium frequency - 104.9-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:27

ATTENDANCE: 6,395

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 24-25 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 13-23 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 6-18 when scoring 2 or fewer runs.
* The Braves fall to 13-25 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $685 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 4 games (4-10, .400)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 10 games (15-38, .395)
* Brandon Jones - 13 games (20-52, .385) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - (0-11) - 3rd inning single
* Clint Sammons - (0-6) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Matt Esquivel - (0-9)
* Josh Burrus - (0-10)
* Diory Hernandez - (0-11)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Sung Ki Jung was promoted from High-A Myrtle Beach
* RHP Zach Schreiber was promoted to AAA Richmond

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Five-Run 8th Inning Does in Braves: L, 8-2

The Biscuits used a five-run 8th inning to seal a Game Three win (8-2) over the MS Braves in front of a Friday night crowd of 5,421 fans at Rivewalk Stadium. The Braves (10-14) had a chance to gain some ground on Jacksonville but dropped to 51-42 overall. The Biscuits (17-6) moved back into a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Jacksonville and improved to 52-41 overall on the season. The Braves finished 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position (6-for-24 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 4-for-10 in that same category (8-for-26 in the series).

Matt Harrison (5-5, 3.27 ERA) had an up and down night on the hill as he gave up three runs on seven hits in his seven innings of work. He gave up a solo homerun to Reid Brignac and a pair of RBI singlese to Evan Longoria and Brooks Badeaux. Things fell apart for the Braves in the 8th inning as Wes Wilkerson entered and allowed his first runs as a MS Brave. When the dust settled he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits (2 two-run Homers [Gabriel Martinez & Patrick Breen], Double, 2 singles) which put the game out of reach for the Braves in the 9th.

Chris Mason (11-4, 2.45 ERA) was on point for the majority of his start despite being limited to 85 pitches. He gave up just one run in his six innings of work and induced three double play balls to end the 1st, 5th and 6th innings. He also collected his league-leading 11th victory. Richard De Los Santos worked the 7th and 8th allowing an unearned run on two hits. Dale Thayer tossed a perfect 9th to finish off the game.

Brandon Jones was the Braves player of the game as he picked up his league-leading 68th RBI on a 2-for-4 night at the plate with a single and a double that nearly went out of the park.

Saturday night the Braves will continue a five game set in Montgomery, Alabama at Riverwalk Stadium as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fourth game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Kelvin Villa (6-6, 5.09 ERA) to the hill in search of his seventh win while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Mike Prochaska (4-7, 4.35 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Riverwalk Stadium frequency - 104.9-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:15

ATTENDANCE: 4,387

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 24-24 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 13-22 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 6-17 when scoring 2 or fewer runs.
* The Braves fall to 13-24 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $679 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 4 games (4-10, .400)
* Ray Serrano - 6 games (10-26, .385)
* Carl Loadenthal - 9 games (14-34, .412)
* Brandon Jones - 12 games (19-48, .396) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 8 games (12-32, .375)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - (0-7) - 7th inning single
* Clint Sammons - (0-5) - 2nd inning 2-run single
* Mark Jurich (0-6) - 6th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Matt Esquivel - (0-7)
* J.C. Holt - (0-10)
* Josh Burrus - (0-10)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Jose Ascanio was promoted to Atlanta

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Jose Ascanio Heads to Atlanta

Braves general manager John Schuerholz had no problem with Wil Ledezma heading back to his native Venezuela during the All-Star break. But he would have liked for the left-handed reliever to have kept his passport and visa out of the washing machine.

While the details aren't certain, it's believed that Ledezma's visa and passport were damaged when he left them in an article of clothing that was placed in the washer. Consequently, they were destroyed to the point that he wasn't able to travel back to Atlanta for Friday night's series opener against the Pirates.

Ledezma, who was acquired from the Tigers on June 20, has already received a new passport. But because it might be until the middle of next week before he gets the visa that will allow him re-entry into the United States, the Braves have placed him on the restricted list and filled his spot on the 25-man roster by recalling right-handed reliever Jose Ascanio from Double-A Mississippi.

"It's unfortunate," Schuerholz said. "But it's being dealt with and adjusted."

While Ledezma is unavailable, Braves manager Bobby Cox won't have the luxury of having a left-handed reliever in his bullpen. But in 33 appearances for Mississippi, Ascanio has limited left-handed batters to a .212 batting average.

Ascanio is a hard-throwing 22-year-old hurler who has battled back problems in the past. But while posting a 2.44 ERA in his 33 appearances this year, he's proven to be both healthy and reliable. In his past 10 outings, he's worked 17 innings, registered 13 strikeouts, issued four walks and allowed just two earned runs.

Taken from Atlanta Braves.com

Braves Stop Biscuits in Their Tracks: W, 1-0

A combination of James Parr and Mike Rozema combined to stop the Biscuits 5-game win streak in front of an announced crowd of 4,387 fans at Rivewalk Stadium. Parr tossed 7 scoreless frames while Rozema provided the offense with a solo homerun in the 2nd inning as the Braves (10-13) took Game 3 of the series 1-0 over the Biscuits improving to 51-41 overall. The Biscuits (16-6) fell out of a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Jacksonville and dropped to 51-41 overall on the season. The Braves finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position (5-for-19 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 0-for-8 in that same category (4-for-16 in the series).

James Parr (3-2, 3.53 ERA) dodged every bullet the Biscuits fired at him. He pitched around a base hit in each of the first 4 innings including inducing a double play off the bat of Evan Longoria in the 4th inning. He also got around a Longoria double to lead off the 7th. Charlie Morton gave up a leadoff double to start the 8th inning by Patrick Breen but took down the side in order after that to prevent him from scoring. Jose Ascanio tossed a perfect 9th inning for his 5th save of the season.

James Houser, Jr. (4-2, 3.33 ERA) was the unfortunate loser in this one as he gave up his 8th homerun of the season which wound up being the difference. He retired 12 in a row after the homer and 17 of the final 20 he faced.

Mike Rozema and James Parr were the Braves players of the game as Parr picked up his third win of the season. Rozema belted his first homerun since June 8th. It was his 5th longball and his 18th RBI of the season.

Friday night the Braves will continue a five game set in Montgomery, Alabama at Riverwalk Stadium as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the third game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send LHP Matt Harrison (5-4, 3.23 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Chris Mason (10-4, 2.51 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Riverwalk Stadium frequency - 104.9-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:36

ATTENDANCE: 4,387

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 24-23 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 16-16 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 39-18 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 27-15 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $673 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 3 games (3-6, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (9-23, .391)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games (12-31, .387)
* Diory Hernandez - 8 games (12-32, .375) - ties season high
* Brandon Jones - 11 games (17-44, .386) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Van Pope - 3 games (3-10, .300)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema - (0-4) - 2nd inning homerun
* Clint Sammons - (0-5) - 2nd inning 2-run single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus - (0-10)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Phil Stockman was activated off the Disabled List.

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Blow Two Leads to Biscuits: L, 8-7

The Braves squandered a pair of three-run leads in the series opener as Reid Brignac belted a walk-off homerun off of Zach Schreiber to take Game One, 8-7 in front of an announced crowd of 3,215 fans at Rivewalk Stadium. It was Brignac's first hit of the night and it came on the first pitch from Schreiber with two outs.

The Braves (8-13) continued their misery at Riverwalk Stadium as they fell to 50-41 overall on the season and 8-24 in Montgomery. The Biscuits (16-5) remained in a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Jacksonville and improved to 51-40 overall and 43-22 against the Braves. The Braves finished just 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the game while the Biscuits finished 4-for-8 in that same category.

Mississippi jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first two innings as Matt Esquivel picked up an RBI single with two outs in the first inning and Clint Sammons added a two run single in the second inning. It all disappeared in the bottom of the 4th inning as Moises Hernandez (0-1, 9.82 ERA) gave up a pair of two-out singles to Gabriel Martinez and Shaun Cumberland. Cumberland's single dropped in front of Esquivel and he allowed it to get behind him and roll all the way to the wall allowing Cumberland to score on the play and tie the game at 3-3. Hernandez did not factor in the decision.

Brandon Jones came through in the top of the 6th inning with a two-out three-run double off the center field wall to give the Braves back a three-run lead. The Biscuits responded again in the bottom of the 6th, as Hernandez was unable to get the second out of the inning allowing a two-run double to Gaby Martinez, a wild pitch that allowed Martinez to score and an RBI single to Erold Andrus which gave the Biscuits a 7-6 lead after six innings.

The Braves did show signs of life in the 9th as Brandon Jones tripled off the center field wall against Dale Thayer. Two batters later he came in to score on a two-out double by Mark Jurich. The first two batters that Zach Schreiber (3-5, 2.21 ERA) faced were retired by strikeouts before Brignac took the first pitch he saw and deposited it over the right field wall to end the game.

Brandon Jones was the Braves player of the game as he finished 2-for-5 with a 3-run double and a triple that helped tie the game in the 9th. His 3 RBIs tonight increases his Southern League leading total to 67.

Thursday night the Braves will continue a five game set in Montgomery, Alabama at Riverwalk Stadium as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the second game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves will send RHP James Parr (2-2, 4.09 ERA) to the hill in search of his third straight win while the Biscuits will counter with LHP James Houser, Jr. (4-1, 3.48 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Riverwalk Stadium frequency - 104.9-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:45

ATTENDANCE: 3,215

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 23-23 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 15-16 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 38-18 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 12-7 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 13-21 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 5-4 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves fall to 38-16 when scoring four or more runs.
* Eight of the Nine Braves in the lineup registered at least one hit. Three collected multi-hit nights.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $670 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Van Pope - 3 games (3-10, .300)
* Greg Creek - 3 games (3-6, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (9-23, .391)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games (11-28, .393)
* Diory Hernandez - 8 games (12-32, .375) - ties season high
* Brandon Jones - 10 games (16-42, .381) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - (0-6) - 2nd inning single
* Clint Sammons - (0-5) - 2nd inning 2-run single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema - (0-4)
* Josh Burrus - (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Head to Break with a Win: W, 6-1

The Braves came out with their pant legs hiked up for the first time this season as they tried to stop a mild two-game losing streak to Chattanooga. Apparently it was just what the doctor ordered as the Braves scored in each of their first 3 innings en route to a 6-1 win over the Lookouts in front of an announced crowd of 3,030 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (8-12) squared their 4-game set with Chattanooga and improved to 50-39 overall on the season. It took the Braves until the first week of August in '05 and '06 to get to 50 wins. The Lookouts (12-8) held onto their 2 game lead over Tennessee for 1st place in the North Division and dropped to 41-49 overall. The Braves finished just 2-for-5 (5-for-27 in the series) with runners in scoring position in the game while the Lookouts finished 0-for-2 (8-for-29 in the series) in that same category.

Kelvin Villa (6-6, 5.09 ERA) was the Braves player of the game and he had some of his best stuff of the season allowing just 5 hits over six innings. He didn't allow a runner past first base until the 6th inning when he gave up his only run of the game. He struck out 7 of the first 14 batters he faced. Wes Wilkerson tossed two scoreless innings of relief and Brad Nelson worked a scoreless 9th to close out the game.

The top 5 of the order (the All Star South Division Starting 5) combined to go 9-for-18 at the plate with 5 runs scored and 4 RBIs along with two doubles and a homerun (Jones-13). Brandon Jones had 2 RBIs tonight and increased his Southern League leading total to 64. Matt Esquivel is right behind him with 62.

Some of the Braves will enjoy a 3 day vacation for the All Star Break and then on Wednesday the Braves will start up a five game set in Montgomery, Alabama at Riverwalk Stadium as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the first game of their Southern League 5-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The starters for these two games are not yet known. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Riverwalk Stadium frequency - 104.9-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:30

ATTENDANCE: 3,030 (169,097 Home Total - 3,757 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 27-18 at home.
* The Braves improve to 38-17 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 23-13 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 26-15 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 8-10 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 39-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 5-2 in the last game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 38-15 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $662 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-3, .667)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (9-23, .391)
* Carl Loadenthal - 6 games (10-24, .417)
* Diory Hernandez - 7 games (11-28, .393)
* Brandon Jones - 9 games (14-37, .378) - ties season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (5-18, .278)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - (0-6) - 5th inning double
* Matt Esquivel - (0-7) - 3rd inning double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema - (0-4)
* Clint Sammons - (0-5)
* Mark Jurich - (0-6)
* Josh Burrus - (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Rally Falls Just Short: L, 3-1

Mark Jurich came up about 10 feet short of a game-tying two-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning as the Braves lost to the Lookouts 3-1 in front of an announced crowd of 3,753 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (7-12) dropped their second straight game and fell to 49-39 overall on the season. The Lookouts (12-7) increased their lead to 2 games over Tennessee for 1st place in the North Division and improved to 41-48 overall. The Braves finished just 0-for-5 (3-for-22 in the series) with runners in scoring position in the game while the Lookouts finished 3-for-7 (8-for-27 in the series) in that same category.

Johnny Cueto (2-0, 0.47 ERA) was masterful tonight for the Lookouts as he allowed just 3 hits for the second straight game while striking out 8 Braves. His 3 game totals are: 19 innings - 11 hits - 4 walks - 27 strikeouts. Relievers Brock Till and Tyler Pelland combined to one-hit the Braves over 2 innings while Josh Roenicke gave up the only run to the Braves on 2 hits but kept the tying run from scoring as Jurich flew out to end the ballgame.


James Parr (2-2., 4.09 ERA) suffered his second straight loss as he gave up three runs on five hits while walking three and striking out six. All of the runs that the Braves allowed were scored with two outs on the board.

Jose Ascanio was the Braves player of the game as he retired all 9 batters he faced while collecting a strikeout and lowering his ERA to 2.48. The Braves bullpen was untouchable as Ascanio and Michael Nix tossed 4 innings and retired 12 of the 13 batters they faced.

The Braves will wrap up a 4-game series in Pearl, Mississipip at Turstmark Park as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the final game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (5-6, 5.34 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win. Chattanooga is set to counter with RHP Carlos Fisher (2-4, 3.77 ERA) who’s looking for his second victory of the year. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:34

ATTENDANCE: 3,753 (167,067 Home Total - 3,797 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 26-18 at home.
* The Braves fall to 13-23 when their opponents score first.
* The Braves fall to 3-35 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $652 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-3, .667)
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (8-19, .421)

* Carl Loadenthal - 5 games (7-19, .368)
* Diory Hernandez - 6 games (10-26, .385)
* Brandon Jones - 8 games (12-33, .364)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (5-18, .278)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - (0-5) - 2nd inning single
* Van Pope - (0-5) - 5th inning single


ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus - (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Let One Slip Away: L, 4-3

Tyrell Godwin delivered the first-ever pinch hit homerun against the Braves to give the Lookouts a 4-3 come-from-behind win in front of an announced crowd of 2,761 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (7-11) had their modest two-game win streak halted and dropped to 49-38 overall on the season. The Lookouts (11-7) maintained their hold on 1st place in the North Division and improved to 40-48 overall. The Braves finished just 1-for-10 (3-for-17 in the series) with runners in scoring position in the game while the Lookouts they finished 0-for-4 (5-for-20 in the series) in that same category.

It was the Braves who led early in this one as they got a pair of two-out RBI doubles by Matt Esquivel and Diory Hernandez in the bottom of the first inning and then an RBI groundout by J.C. Holt in the next frame to secure a 3-0 lead after two innings.

The Lookouts responded with a pair of RBI groundouts in the 4th inning by Janish and Tatum to shrink the Braves lead down to just one. Both runs were unearned against Harrison as Hernandez bobbled a potential double play ball to trigger the Lookouts runs.

The Braves had either a lead-off hit or walk in the 2nd through the 8th innings but managed only the 2nd inning run. Former MSU Bulldog Craig Tatum drew a lead-off walk in the 7th which brought up pinch-hitter Tyrell Godwin to deliver the fatal blow off of Zach Schreiber. It was just the second homerun of the season allowed by Schreiber (3-4., 2.05 ERA).

Matt Harrison (5-4, 3.23 ERA) was unable to pick up his 6th win and hasn't won since June 8th at Birmingham.

Diory Hernandez was the Braves player of the game as finished with 3-for-4 with 1 RBI. He picked up his 15th double of the year along with his 25th multi-hit game of the season.

The Braves will continue a 4-game series in Pearl, Mississipip at Turstmark Park as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the third game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (2-1, 3.92) to the hill in search of his third win. Chattanooga is set to counter with RHP Johnny Cueto (1-0, 0.69) who’s looking for his second victory of the year. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:56 (:13 delay to start the game)

ATTENDANCE: 2,761 (163,314 Home Total - 3,798 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 26-17 at home.
* The Braves fall to 37-17 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 7-9 when scoring 3 runs.
* The Braves fall to 13-20 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 35-8 when leading after 6 innings.
* The Braves registered 4 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $644 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (5-18, .278)
* Carl Loadenthal - 4 games (6-15, .400)
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (6-15, .400)
* Diory Hernandez - 5 games (9-22, .409)
* Brandon Jones - 7 games (11-29, .379)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - 4 games (7-16, .438)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Clint Sammons - (0-13) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope - (0-5)
* Mark Jurich - (0-5)
* Josh Burrus - (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Joey Devine recalled to ATL

by
Bryan Eubank

Joey and Jo-Jo Heading to Atlanta

Joey Devine was recalled today back to the ATL. This marks the third time this season that Devine has been recalled from Mississippi, and like his two previous visits to the Majors, this might be a short one. He'll likely be optioned back to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Reyes on Saturday. Devine's two previous stints on the Atlanta roster this year totaled five days, during which he made just one appearance.

Jo-Jo Reyes will be brought up on Saturday to take John Smoltz's turn in the rotation for Saturday afternoon's game against the Padres at PETCO Park. It will mark the MLB Debut for Reyes who finished 10-1 with a 3.08 ERA in 17 combined starts with Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Richmond this year.

Currently, Reyes is targeted to stay in the Majors until Smoltz returns after the All-Star break. The 40-year-old hurler returned to Atlanta on Thursday to have Braves physicians evaluate his right shoulder. He isn't scheduled to meet with them until Friday.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win in Extras: W, 6-5 (10)

The Braves and Lookouts battled back-and-forth for nine innings before Brandon Jones gave the packed house something to cheer about as he rapped a walk-off single down the right field line to score Carl Loadenthal and give the Braves a series opening win over Chattanooga in front of an announced crowd of 6,014 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (7-10) evened their season series with the Lookouts at 3-3 and improved to 49-37 overall on the season. The Lookouts (10-7) remained in 1st place in the North Division but fell to 39-48 overall. The Braves finished just 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the game while the Lookouts squandered many chances as they finished 5-for-16 in that same category.

Chattanooga jumped out to an early lead as Adam Rosales, hit a lead-off home run to start the game. That was followed by a two-out walk (four batters later) to Paul Janish, an RBI single to former MSU Bulldog Craig Tatum, and a two-run single to Luis Bolivar. When the dust settled the Lookouts were up 4-0.

The Braves responded in the bottom of the first as J.C. Holt led off with a broken-bat single which was followed by a Carl Loadenthal walk. Brandon Jones then smashed his 12th homer of the year to center field to cut the Lookouts lead to 4-3. The Braves tied the game with a sacrifice fly by Brandon Jones to bring in Loadenthal who tripled to start the inning.

The Braves bullpen surrendered their first run of the series in the 7th inning as Craig Tatum brought in Jay Bruce with a sac fly. The Braves again responded in the bottom of the 7th with a leadoff double by Van Pope, a sac bunt by pinch-hitter Josh Burrus and an RBI groundout by J.C. Holt to tie the game at 5-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, Ray Serrano hit a ground-rule double that was originally called a home run. The homer would’ve ended the game, instead Serrano was sent back to second by third base umpire Joseph Smith. Manager Phillip Wellman came out to dispute the call and was ejected from the game by Smith.

Carl Loadenthal walked to get things started for the Braves in the tenth. He stole second to get into scoring position then came in to score the game-winning run on Jones’ walk-off single.

In his second career AA start, Moises Hernandez gave up four runs in the top of the first inning. He recovered to hold the Lookouts to two hits and no runs over his final four innings. In all, Hernandez gave up four runs on six hits in five innings of work. Charlie Morton gave up one run on three hits in his two innings of work. Wes Wilkerson then threw two scoreless innings for the Braves and Michael Nix came on and threw one shutout inning to notch his fourth win of the year.

Brandon Jones was the Braves player of the game as finished with 2-for-4 with 5 RBIs (second 5-RBI night of the year). He now has a league-leading 62 RBIs.

The Braves will continue a 4-game series in Pearl, Mississipip at Turstmark Park as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the second game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (5-4, 3.44) to the hill in search of his sixth win. Chattanooga is set to counter with RHP James Avery (7-8, 4.79) who’s looking to return to .500 with his eighth win of ’07. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:16

ATTENDANCE: 6,114 (160,553 Home Total - 3,823 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 26-16 at home.
* The Braves improve to 9-4 when tied after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 13-6 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 37-15 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 6-4 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 13-22 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 12 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $640 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 3 games (4-13, .308)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (5-10, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (6-15, .400)
* Van Pope - 4 games (7-16, .438)
* Diory Hernandez - 4 games (6-18, .333)
* Brandon Jones - 6 games (10-26, .385)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 4 games (6-14, .429)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mark Jurich - (0-4)
* Josh Burrus - (0-6)
* Clint Sammons - (0-13)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Avoid Series Sweep: W, 10-5

The Braves sent thirteen men to the plate in the 4th inning as they erupted for 8 runs as the Braves halted a 5-game losing skid in front of the fifth biggest crowd in Smokies Park history (6,864). The Braves (6-10) ended their six-game slump against the Smokies and improved to 48-37 on the season. The Smokies (9-7) had their three game win streak halted as they fell to 45-39 overall. The Braves finished 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the game and 10-for-45 in the series. The Smokies finished 0-for-8 in that same category tonight and 8-for-37 in the series.

The Braves scored first for the third straight game as J.C. Holt returned from injury and singled to start the game. Brandon Jones doubled him over to third and Matt Esquivel brought him in with a sacrifice fly to notch his team-leading 59th RBI of the season. The Smokies responded in the bottom of the 1st inning as Jake Fox launched his 15th homerun of the season.

The Smokies added to their lead with a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning by Chris Robinson. Then Jake Fox belted a two-run shot in the 3rd inning to tie Esquivel in homeruns with his 16th of the season, and give the Smokies a 4-1 lead.

Then came the 4th inning as Paul Schappert was knocked around by Esquivel, Hernandez, Jurich and Pope who all singled to start the inning. With the bases loaded, Clint Sammons and Francisely Bueno both popped out to Gary Cates, Jr. at second base. J.C. Holt then reached on an infield RBI single, which was followed by a Loadenthal 2-run single and a Jones 2-run single. The final two runs scored on a error by Carlos Rojas and a double steal by Esquivel and Hernandez.

Francisely Bueno (3-4, 3.59 ERA) was the beneficiary of the 8-run outburst as he tossed 6 innings while scattering 10 hits and allowing five runs (4 earned). Jose Ascanio and Joey Devine tossed three scoreless innings of relief.

Brandon Jones was the Braves player of the game as finished with 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs and a pair of doubles. He has now hit safely in his last 5 games for the Braves.

The Braves will start up a 4-game series in Pearl, Mississipip at Turstmark Park as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the first game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Moises Hernandez (0-1, 14.54 ERA) in search of his first win. The Lookouts will counter with LHP Camilo Vasquez (4-7, 4.55 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:39

ATTENDANCE: 6,864 (5th Largest crowd in Smokies Park History)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 23-22 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 37-16 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 7-10 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 2-6 in the last game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 38-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 36-15 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $628 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games (4-7, .571)
* Van Pope - 3 games (6-12, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (6-15, .400)
* Mark Jurich - 4 games (6-14, .429)
* Brandon Jones - 5 games (8-22, .364)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel - (0-5) - 4th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus - (0-6)
* Clint Sammons - (0-13)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Fall in Extra Innings: L, 2-1

The Smokies and Braves were locked into a pitcher's duel that was decided in extra innings as Jake Fox knocked in Issmael Salas to win Game 2 of their Southern League series, 2-1, in front of an announced crowd of 3,907 at Smokies Park. The Braves (5-9) dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 47-37 on the season. The Smokies (8-6) won their fifth straight game against the Braves and their third straight one-run decision over Mississippi.

The Braves scored first for the second straight game as Mark Jurich lined a two-out RBI double down the right field line to score Matt Esquivel all the way from first base in the top of the fourth inning. The Smokies responded with a two-out rally of their own as Issmael Salas knocked in Casey McGehee with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.

Mark Holliman and Brad Nelson both tossed 7 innings while allowing just one run each and neither factored in the decision. Jerry Blevins (2-2, 0.74 ERA) was dominant in relief as he retired all but one batter in his three innings of work while striking out three Braves.
Zach Schreiber (3-3, 1.71 ERA) was equally efficient until the 10th inning when he allowed a lead-off single to Issmael Salas. Salas then reached third base on a throwing error by Schreiber and then scored on the Fox walk-off single.

Brad Nelson was the Braves player of the game as he tossed 7 innings while allowing just one run on 4 hits with two walks and five strikeouts on just 82 pitches. Nelson lowered his ERA by 70 points to 4.71.

The Braves will continue a 4-game series in Sevierville Tennessee at Smokies Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the third game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:15pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 6:15pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (5-5, 5.29 ERA) to the hill in search of his 6th win, while the Smokies will counter with LHP Donny Veal (4-5, 5.64 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Smokies Park frequency - 104.1-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:35

ATTENDANCE: 3,907


BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 22-21 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 14-13 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 36-16 when scoring first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $616 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (3-6, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (6-15, .400)
* Brandon Jones - 3 games (4-13, .308)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema - 6 games (8-22, .364)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - (0-5) - 5th inning single
* Matt Esquivel - (0-11) - 2nd inning single
* Diory Hernandez - (0-8) - 1st inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus - (0-5)
* Clint Sammons - (0-5)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank