MS Braves Radio Blog

Braves Get Rained Out in Mobile: PPD - DH

2007-07-31T19:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-30T23:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-29T01:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-23T23:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-19T23:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-17T23:56:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-11T23:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-05T23:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-07-04T23:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

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

Smokies Halt Braves Rally: L, 5-4

2007-06-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

James Henderson induced a game-ending bases-loaded ground out from Carl Loadenthal to take Game 1 of their Southern League series (5-4) in front of an announced crowd of 5,258 at Smokies Park. The Braves (5-8) dropped their third game in a row and fell to 47-35 on the season. The Smokies (7-6) halted a two-game losing skid as well as a 19 1/3 inning scoreless inning streak while improving to 43-38 on the season and two games behind Chattanooga.

The Braves got on the board first with a two-out two-run double by Mark Jurich. They added to their lead in the 2nd inning with a sacrifice fly by Carl Loadenthal to make the score 3-0 Braves. The Smokies responded with their first runs in over 19 innings as Chris Robinson got it started with a two-out walk which was followed by a two-run double by pitcher Kevin Hart. The Smokies completed the inning with two more two-out hits capped off by an RBI double by Issmael Salas.

In the 4th inning Kevin Hart got another two-out rally started with a two-out single (his second hit of the season which doubled his hit total for the year). Two batters later Issmael Salas delivered another two-out hit with a two-run single making it 5-2 in favor of the Smokies.

The Braves got a mammoth solo homerun (approx. 430 feet) from Mark Jurich in the 6th inning which cut the lead to one (5-4). In the 9th inning the Braves got two walks by Clint Sammons and pinch-hitter Brandon Jones along with a single by Greg Creek to load up the bases for Carl Loadenthal before he bounced out to James Henderson to end it.

James Parr (2-1, 3.92 ERA) suffered his first loss on the season as he lasted six innings while giving up 5 runs on 10 hits with 2walks and 3 strikeouts. Charlie Morton tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the Braves bullpen.

Mark Jurich was the Braves player of the game as he knocked in three of the Braves four runs with a solo homerun (5th of the season) and a two-run double. He upped his RBI total to 40 on the season.

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 second game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 3:00pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 4:00pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Brad Nelson (3-1, 5.40 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Mark Holliman (7-6, 2.74 ERA) who is coming off a 7-inning no-hitter while also looking for his eighth 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: 2:43

ATTENDANCE: 5,258

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 22-20 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 14-12 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 22-11 in errorless games.
* The Braves fall to 35-15 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 36-15 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $610 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (5-11, .455)
* Mike Rozema - 6 games (8-22, .364)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games (2-8, .250)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal - (0-4) - 1st inning leadoff single
* Greg Creek - (0-6) - 2nd inning leadoff single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-5)
* Matt Esquivel (0-11)
* Van Pope (0-4)
* Diory Hernandez (0-8)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Villa & Schreiber Batter Biscuits: W, 7-2

2007-06-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

In Kelvin Villa's first start at home since he helped the Braves clinch the Southern League South Division First Half Crown he tossed 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball while allowing just two runs to the #4 hitting team in the Southern League as the Braves evened their 6-game series at 2-2 in front of an announced crowd of 2,810 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (5-5) moved back to five-hundred while moving to 47-33 on the season. The Biscuits (7-3) fell to 42-38 on the season and back into 2nd place one game behind Jacksonville.

For the fifth straight game the Braves trailed early as Montgomery plated a run on a RBI double by Gabriel Martinez in the 2nd inning. The Braves responded with a three-run 4th inning as one run scored on a wild pitch and two more came in on a bases-loaded single by Ray Serrano.

Villa picked up his second win in 10 days as he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and a season-high 8 strikeouts. Zach Schreiber (3-2, 1.80 ERA, 5 Saves) came into the game with runners at first and second base and two outs and recorded a strikeout of Matt Spring to end the threat by the Biscuits. He then proceeded to retire the side in the 8th and 9th innings to notch his 5th save.

The Braves offense erupted against the overworked Biscuits bullpen as they reeled off three straight run producing plate appearances as Carl Loadenthal doubled in two runs, Brandon Jones sacrificed in a run and Matt Esquivel drove in the final run with his RBI single. For Esquivel it moved him into sole possession of the Southern League lead in that category (58).

Kelvin Villa (5-5, 5.29 ERA) was the Braves player of the game as he moved back to five-hundred on the season at 5-5 for the first time since May 21st. He also picked up a season high in strikeouts with 8 and only walked one batter. He retired 16 of the final 20 batters he faced.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fifth game of their Southern League 6-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 Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.64 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Mike Prochaska (3-7, 4.91 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 2:35

ATTENDANCE: 2,810 (144,920 Home Total - 3,716 Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 25-14 at home.
* The Braves improve to 22-10 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 35-14 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 37-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 12-20 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 16-10 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $593 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (4-8, .500)
* J.C. Holt - 3 games (4-13, .308)
* Mike Rozema - 3 games (4-11, .364)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (6-18, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games (9-31, .290)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

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

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Eight Braves Make All Star Game (July 9th)

2007-06-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

When the Southern League All-Star Game takes place July 9 at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., the hometown Braves will be well represented. Mississippi, winners of the SL South Division during the season's first half, placed a league-leading eight players on the South Division All-Star Team, which was announced Wednesday.

Second baseman Diory Hernandez, sixth in the league in hitting with a .319 average, joins the outfield trio of Matt Esquivel (16 homers and tied for league lead in RBIs with 57), Brandon Jones (.276 BA, 11 HRs, 53 RBIs) and Carl Loadenthal (.296 average and a league-leading 26 steals) on the roster.

In addition, four Braves pitchers were named to the squad: Jose Ascanio (2-0, 2.81 ERA, four saves), Joey Devine (2-4, 2.18 and a league-leading 16 saves), Matt Harrison (5-3, 3.13) and Jo-Jo Reyes (8-1, 3.56), who will not play due to his recent promotion to Triple-A Richmond.

Jacksonville, which finished a game behind the Braves during the season's first half, placed six on the All-Star roster. The Suns will send infielder Juan Gonzalez (.284, four HRs, 23 RBIs), outfielder Xavier Paul (.274, eight HRs, 37 RBIs), along with pitchers Eric Cyr (6-2, 2.94) and Jon Meloan (5-2, 2.17) to Pearl. Shortstop Chin-Lung Hu (Futures Game) and outfielder Jason Pridie (promotion) were named to the squad but won't play.

Mega-prospect Evan Longoria (.295, 17 HRs, 57 RBIs) heads a list of five Montgomery Biscuits named to the All-Star team, while former No. 1 overall draft pick Justin Upton (.314, eight HRs, 32 RBIs in the SL) from Mobile was among the five BayBears named. But both players were also selected to represent the U.S. Team at the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, so they will be unable to participate in the SL event, as well.

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez (6-3, 2.93), who leads the Southern League in strikeouts with 106 in 86 innings, heads a list of five Birmingham Barons going to Pearl: Gonzalez, second baseman Chris Getz (.316, two homers, 19 RBIs), outfielder Thomas Collaro (.287, 16 HRs, 55 RBIs), designated hitter Donny Lucy (.276, three homers, 13 RBIs), and right-handed pitcher and Staten Island native Jack Egbert (7-6, 3.00).

The South squad may be looking for a little payback come July 9. Last year, in front of nearly 7,500 fans at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, the North team crushed the South Division, 9-4.

Braves manager Phillip Wellman will oversee the South Division club. Wellman, who served as the Braves' hitting coach for the past three seasons, is in his first year at the helm of the club. Under him, the Braves finished the first half of the season with the best record in the Southern League at 42-28.

Wellman told MiLB.com that his job will be an easy one at the SL All-Star Game due to the nature of the exhibition. His greatest challenge, he said, will be to make sure everyone on the roster gets a chance to play and stays injury-free.

"That's why they call it an All-Star Game," Wellman said. "Let them be stars."

Taken from
Southern League.com

Biscuits Return The Favor, L: 9-5

2007-06-26T23:30:00.000-05:00

A five-run 4th inning by the Biscuits was too much for the Braves to overcome as they dropped Game Three by a final of 9-5 in front of an announced crowd of 4,304 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (4-5) fell back under the five-hundred mark while moving to 46-33 on the season. The Biscuits (7-2) improved to 42-37 on the season and back into a tie for first in the South Divisionw with Jacksonville.

The Braves mounted a valiant comeback with 3 runs off of Juan Salas (making his first Major League Rehab appearance after serving a 50-game suspension for a positive test on performance-enhancing substances) in the 8th but Nick DeBarr induced an inning-ending double play that bounced off his pitching hand to get the Biscuits out of any further damage.

Charlie Morton (4-4, 4.60 ERA) was saddled with the loss, his first as a starter, as he allowed 7 runs on 9 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings of work. Wade Davis (1-0, 2.31 ERA) picked up his first AA win as he baffled the Braves allowing just two runs on five hits in his 5 1/3 innings of work. He also struck out 7 and walked just 2.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves player of the game as he belted his 16th homerun of the season (2nd in that category) and drove in his league-leading 57th RBI. He also scored 2 more runs improving his total there to 54, just three behind Evan Longoria of Montgomery.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fourth game of their Southern League 6-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 (4-5, 5.52 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter LHP Jon Barratt (1-5, 4.88 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: 3:15

ATTENDANCE: 4,304 (142,110 Home Total - 3,740 Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 24-14 at home.
* The Braves fall to 21-10 in errorless games.
* The Braves fall to 24-14 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 34-14 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 3-30 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves fall to 11-20 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 15-10 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $584 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 2 games (3-9, .333)
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Mike Rozema - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games (8-28, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-9, .222)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* NONE

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Batter Biscuits: W, 13-6

2007-06-25T23:55:00.000-05:00

The Braves put together their biggest first inning of the season as they outscored the Biscuits 7-3 after one inning of play and coasted to a 13-6 win over Montgomery in front of an announced crowd of 5,620 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (4-4) climbed back to the five-hundred mark while moving to 46-32 on the season while the Biscuits (6-2) dropped to 41-37 on the season.

The Braves nearly hit for the homerun cycle in the first inning as they set a new standard for homers in an inning with three. Diory Hernandez got it going with a 2-run shot (his 5th of the season). Clint Sammons broke out of an 0-15 slump with a 3-run shot and Van Pope completed the Braves 3rd back-to-back homerun feat with a solo shot two pitches later. All that was missing was a grand-slam.

James Parr was the Braves player of the game as he allowed 3 runs on the first three batters he faced as he gave up a double, single and two-run homer to Cumberland, Asanovich and Brignac. Parr settled down to retire 18 of the final 20 batters he faced, while not allowing a single runner past second base in the process. He also picked up his second straight win and helped stop the Braves 4-game losing streak.

Every Braves batter got at least one hit while 5 Braves finished with multi-hit nights. The Braves were sat down in order just twice in the game (3rd inning, 5th inning --- 7-8-9 batters both times.)

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the third game of their Southern League 6-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 Charlie Morton (4-3, 3.46 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter RHP Wade Davis (0-0, 1.42 ERA) who is looking for his first AA 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: 5,620

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 24-13 at home.
* The Braves improve to 21-9 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 24-13 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 34-13 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 36-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 11-19 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 15-9 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $577 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-9, .222)
* Matt Esquivel - 3 games (4-12, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 6 games (7-24, .292)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt (0-10) - 6th Inning Single
* Josh Burrus (0-8) - 1st Inning RBI Double
* Brandon Jones (0-12) - 4th Inning RBI Double
* Clint Sammons (0-17) - 1st Inning 3-run Homerun
* Diory Hernandez (0-15) - 1st Inning 2-run Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* NONE

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Blanked by Biscuits: L, 7-0

2007-06-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

Matt Harrison and Chris Mason engaged in a classic pitching duel before 3,772 fans at Trustmark Park Sunday evening. Mason got the better of Harrison and the Braves as he allowed only three hits and no runs en route to his league-leading 10th win.

Montgomery broke through with a pair of runs in the fourth. Brooks Badeaux lined the Biscuits first hit of the day into center for a single and he moved to second on a 1-3 chopper by Reid Brignac. Evan Longoria’s single to left brought Badeaux to the plate with the game’s first run. Longoria moved to second on the throw home and scored on a single to right by Chris Nowak. After four, Montgomery led 2-0.

The Biscuits added another run in the sixth after Badeaux started things off with a single, again. With two outs in the inning, Longoria doubled to left scoring Badeaux from first and giving the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.

Mike Rozema got the M-Braves first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, only the third M-Brave to reach base at that point.

Montgomery put two more runs on the board in the eighth off of Braves’ reliever Tyler Bullock. The first five batters of the inning reached base and Fernando Perez, Badeaux, and Longoria came in to score and push the Biscuits lead to 6-0.

The Biscuits plated another run in the ninth when Shaun Cumberland singled in Josh Asanovich who had singled and advanced to second on a balk.

Matt Harrison was the Braves Players of the Game as he gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings of work and fell to 5-3 on the year.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the second game of their Southern League 6-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 (1-0, 3.00 ERA) to the hill in search of his 2nd AA win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter RHP Derek Feldkamp (2-5, 4.57 ERA) who is looking for his third 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: 2:14

ATTENDANCE: 3,772

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 23-13 at home.
* The Braves fall to 11-5 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 4-4 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves fall to 10-19 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 3-27 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $568 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Let One Get Away: L, 6-5 (10)

2007-06-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

West Tenn jumped out to a 3-0 lead only to see the M-Braves come back to tie the score in the seventh.

Three D-Jaxx hits and two M-Braves errors plated three runs in the third, but the Braves would respond.

In the top of the fourth, Mississippi got two runners home to cut the lead to one. Matt Esquivel doubled to start things off for the Braves and with two outs, Ray Serrano singled him home. Serrano wisely moved to second on the throw home and scored when Greg Creek singled to right-center. The two two-out singles cut the lead to 3-2.

Van Pope's third homer of the year tied the game in the seventh, but the D-Jaxx responded in the eighth with two more runs to go back on top, 5-3.

The M-Braves weren't done though. In the top of the ninth, Mark Jurich led off with a double and Serrano followed with a triple to cut the lead to 5-4. Pope then hit a sacrifice fly that plated Serrano and tied the game at five.

In the bottom of the tenth, West Tenn's Casey Craig doubled to left to put the winning run in scoring position. After a Brent Johnson walk, Prentice Redman singled to left plating Craig with the winning run.

The walk-off loss negated a strong night by several M-Brave batters. Pope went 3-3 with two doubles and his third homer of the year. Serrano went 3-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI, and two runs scored. Esquivel and Jurich each had a double as well.

On the mound, Francisley Bueno gave up three runs, two earned, on eight hits in six innings of work and did not factor into the decision. Jose Ascanio gave up two runs, one earned, in 1.1 innings. Charlie Morton threw a scoreless inning while Joey Devine got saddled with the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the 10th.

The Braves will start up a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the first game of their Southern League 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 (5-2, 3.06 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Biscuits will counter with league-win leader RHP Chris Mason (9-3, 2.86 ERA) who is looking for his tenth 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: 3:18

ATTENDANCE: 3,745

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Routed by D-Jaxx: L, 8-1

2007-06-22T00:15:00.000-05:00

Charleton Jimerson was a one-man wrecking crew as he belted two homers and finished 4-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs helping stop the Braves 5-game win streak in front of 1,407 fans at Pringles Park. The Braves (3-1) fell out of at least a tie for 1st for the first time since April 21st. The D-Jaxx (1-3) picked up their first win of the second half and just their 6th win in 19 tries agains the Braves this season.

Braves spot-starter Brad Nelson (3-1, 5.46 ERA) was unable to escape the fourth inning as he allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits and the first homerun to Jimerson in losing his first game of the season. Nelson made the start in place of the recently promoted Jo-Jo Reyes. In the 4th inning Tyler Bullock entered and retired eight of the nine batters he faced except Jimerson who took him deep for his 2nd homer of the game. Zach Schreiber came in and tossed a perfect 7th and 8th inning.

The Braves avoided their first shutout since May 5th to Montgomery with an RBI single by Brandon Jones in the 8th inning bringing in Carl Loadenthal who led off the inning with a double.

Zach Schreiber (3-2, 1.96 ERA)was the Braves Players of the Game as he tossed 2 perfect frames and ran his scoreless inning streak to 4 straight while allowing no hits in the process.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fifth game of their Southern League 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 (4-5, 5.48 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Travis Chick (2-0, 0.53 ERA) who is looking for his third straight victory while continuing his rehab stint with the D-Jaxx. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-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: 1,407

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 22-17 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 9-17 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 10-17 when their opponnet scores first.
* The Braves fall to 3-26 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $551 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* Mark Jurich - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (4-12, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (7-18, .389)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (7-19, .368)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-8)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-10)
* Diory Hernandez (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win Pitcher's Duel: W, 1-0

2007-06-20T17:15:00.000-05:00

Mark Jurich broke a scoreless tie in the 7th inning with an RBI single bringing in Matt Equivel to score the only run of the game in front of 2,672 fans at Pringles Park. The Braves (3-0) ran their current winning streak to 5 straight games while the D-Jaxx (0-3) dropped their third straight decision.

Braves starter James Parr tossed 6 scoreless innings while scattering 5 hits with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts to notch his first ever Double-A win. D-Jaxx starter Robert Rohrbaugh (7-5, 3.28 ERA) was a the hard-luck loser as he held the Braves scoreless through 6 2/3 innings before Jurich's RBI single. He retired 11 in a row before Esquivel blooped a single to right field to start the 7th inning rally.

The Braves escaped two big jams in the last two innings as Morton gave up a lead-off single in the 8th inning to Sebastian Boucher. He was sacrificed to second base by Brent Johnson. But then Prentice Redman bounced a ball to third and Van Pope ran down Boucher who was caught to far off the bag at second. Pope then turned and caught Redman between first and second to end the inning with a double play.

The other jam came in the 9th against Jose Ascanio as he allowed a lead-off walk to Marshall Hubbard. Tuiasosopo then laid down a sac bunt attempt that turned into a single as Van Pope watched it come to a stop on the foul line. Charlton Jimerson came up next and tried to sacrifice the two base runners over but the Braves got the lead runner at third on Jimerson's attempt as Creek got the ball to third in time. Luis Valbuena was then induced into a inning-ending double play to end the game.

James Parr (1-0, 3.00 ERA)was the Braves Players of the Game as he tossed 6 scoreless frames in his 5th start for the MS Braves. Parr retired the last 5 batters he faced and worked his way around a hit in each of the first five innings to secure his first AA win.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fourth game of their Southern League 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 Brad Nelson (3-0, 4.50 ERA) to the hill in a spot start after the promotion of Jo-Jo Reyes, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Joe Woerman (2-4, 3.63 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-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: 2:37

ATTENDANCE: 2,612

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 11-7 in day games.
* The Braves improve to 22-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 20-8 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 14-10 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 36-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 36-12 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 35-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $537 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (7-18, .389)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (7-19, .368)
* Mark Jurich - 3 games (4-12, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games (3-9, .333)

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

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope (0-5) - 3rd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-8)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Jo-Jo Reyes promoted to AAA Richmond
* Brad Nelson reassigned to AA Mississippi

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win Fourth Straight: W, 4-2 (11)

2007-06-20T01:01:00.000-05:00

The Braves and Diamond Jaxx went into extra innings for the third time this season as the Braves scored 4 unanswered runs to defeat the D-Jaxx 4-2 in 11 innings in front of 1,262 at Pringles Park. The Braves (2-0) ran their current winning streak to 4 straight games while the D-Jaxx (0-2) dropped their third straight decision.

Both starters were brilliant Tuesday night but neither factored into the decision. Braves starter Matt Harrison tossed 6 scoreless innings and gave up 4 hits, while D-Jaxx starter Andy Baldwin was a little better as he one-hit the Braves through 7 scoreless innings. Michael Nix gave up the lead in the 7th inning as West Tenn picked up a two-out walk from Minaker, a two-out single from Boucher and a two-out two-run double by Charlton Jimerson. Jimerson was thrown out trying to take 3rd base on the play to end the inning.

Mark Jurich got a rally started off of D-Jaxx reliever Chris Jakubauskas in the top of the 8th inning with a leadoff single. Loadenthal followed two batters later with an infield single which ended an 0-15 slump for him to put two runners on. Rozema then walked the bases loaded to bring up Brandon Jones who came through with a two-run single to tie the game.

Joe Winkelsas (1-2, 1.59 ERA) got out of a huge jam in the 9th inning as Van Pope came up with two huge plays at 3rd base to get the Braves out of a jam with two runners on and one out. He also tossed a perfect 10th inning. Zach Schreiber tossed the 11th for his 4th save of the season.

In the 11th inning, Greg Creek chopped a ball up the middle that bounced off Chris Minaker's glove and into center field which allowed Brandon Jones to score the go-ahead run from second base. Mark Jurich brought Creek in with an RBI double two batters later to provide the final margin off of reliever Michael Hrynio (0-1, 9.82 ERA).

Brandon Jones was the Braves Players of the Game as he finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. His 8th inning single brought in the game-tying run and the run he scored was the go-ahead run in the 11th as he led off the inning with a walk.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the third game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 10:55am (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 11:05am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (0-0, 3.86 ERA) to the hill in search of his first AA win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Robert Rohrbaugh (7-4, 3.52 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-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: 3:41

ATTENDANCE: 1,262

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 21-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 6-2 in extra innings.
* The Braves improve to 7-4 in two-run games.
* The Braves improve to 10-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 33-11 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $537 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (6-14, .429)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-15, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-7, 2.86)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-15) - 8th inning two-out single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-5)
* Josh Burrus (0-5)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-5)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Find A Way in Game One: W, 9-7

2007-06-19T01:15:00.000-05:00

The Braves scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to rally from their biggest deficit of the season as they started off the second half with a 9-7 win over the Diamond Jaxx in front of 1,301 at Pringles Park. With the win the Braves (1-0) were able to stay in at least a tie for first which they have remained in since April 21st. The D-Jaxx (0-1) dropped their second straight decision.

The Braves scored first for the 46th time this season in 71 games jumping out to an early 4-1 lead in the first four innings before Rene Rivera launched a game-tying 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 4th inning. The D-Jaxx took their first lead of the game with a sacrifice fly by Matt Tuiasosopo in the 5th and padded their lead with a two more runs in the 7th inning.

The Braves finally woke up from their first-half victory haze in the 8th inning as Greg Creek started off with a one-out double. Ray Serrano then doubled him in to bring the Braves to within two. Two batters later Van Pope drew a two-out walk and then Mike Rozema knocked Serrano in with an RBI single. After a two-out walk by J.C. Holt to load the bases, Josh Burrus blooped a two-run single over the head of Tuiasosopo to give the Braves the lead. The Braves tacked on an insurance run in the 9th with an RBI single by Serrano.

Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.75 ERA) didn't factor in the decision as he yielded the homer to Rivera and continued his up and down season in his six innings of work for the Braves. Tyler Bullock (1-0, 5.11 ERA) picked up the win in relief despite giving up two runs in his inning of work. Zach Schreiber and Joey Devine each worked perfect innings while Devine picked up his league-leading 16th save of the season.

Ray Serrano was the Braves Players of the Game as he picked up his second three hit game of the season with 2 doubles 2 RBIs and he also scored two runs. Serrano extended his hit streak to 10 games (17-36, .472).

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the second game of their Southern League 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 (5-2, 3.31 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Andy Baldwin (1-7, 5.38 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-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: 3:13

ATTENDANCE: 1,301

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 20-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 6-4 in two-run games.
* The Braves improve to 20-8 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 34-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 11-4 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 34-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 5-2 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 32-11 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* Every Brave registered at least one hit, while 4 Braves had multi-hit games.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $529 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (6-14, .429)
* Greg Creek -4 games (4-12, .333)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-15, .333)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-7, 2.86)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - (0-10) - 5th inning leadoff single.
* Mike Rozema - (0-13) - RBI triple in 4th inning.
* Mark Jurich - (0-15) - Leadoff triple in 2nd inning.

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-12)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win First Half Title: W, 5-2

2007-06-18T02:05:00.000-05:00

With a win over Mobile the Braves could celebrate their first ever secured playoff spot in MS Braves history. So the Braves turned it over to Kelvin Villa who has been inconsistent at best during the first half of this season, but on Sunday afternoon at Trustmark Park, he was sensational. He gave the Braves (42-28) seven strong innings and won his fourth game of the year. The offense provided more than enough firepower as they defeated the BayBears (37-33), 5-2 in front of a Father's Day crowd of 2,791 at Trustmark Park.

The Braves trailed early as Wilkin Castillo picked up a two-out RBI single in the top of the 4th inning. The Braves answered in the bottom of the same inning as Kelvin Villa got a two-out rally started with a single (his first hit of the season) to right field. J.C. Holt and Carl Loadenthal followed with walks which brought up Brandon Jones. He fouled off a pitch that was carried into the seats by the wind which gave him a second chance and he delivered with a bases-clearing triple to right field. Matt Esquivel brought him in on the next pitch with his league-leading 53rd RBI of the season. Clint Sammons added an RBI single in the 5th to close out the Braves scoring. Jose Ascaio tossed the final two frames to finish it off for the newly crowned first-half champs.

Kelvin Villa (4-5, 5.48 ERA) was the Braves Players of the Game as he stopped a personal 2-game losing streak and started the two-out rally in the third inning. Villa tossed 7 innings while scattering 5 hits and allowing just a single run on one walk and three strikeouts.

The Braves will start up a six-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the first game of their Southern League Series and the Second Half. 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 Francisely Bueno (3-5, 5.97 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Justin Thomas (2-3, 3.26 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-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: 2:23

ATTENDANCE: 2,791 (128,412 Total - 3,669 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 23-12 at home .
* The Braves improve to 6-8 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 4-1 in the last game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 9-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $518 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Finally Halt Losing Ways: W, 6-1

2007-06-16T23:44:00.000-05:00

The Braves turned to Jo-Jo Reyes and he answered with a streak-stopping performance as the Braves defeated Mobile 6-1 and halted their six-game losing streak in the process in front of a crowd of 5,205 at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (41-28) were able to hold onto their lead in the South Division at 1 game over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half finally dropped to 1 with 1 game remaining. So the Braves must win Sunday to clinch their first ever playoff spot in MS Braves History. The Braves are assured of at least a tie for the first half with their win tonight. By Southern League rule the first game in the second half between the two teams tied for the first half would decide the first half title. The BayBears (37-32) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 4 games with 1 to play.

For the first time in the last 6 games the Braves finally got on the board first and made it stand up thanks to Reyes. Matt Esquivel belted his league-leading 15th homerun of the season to straight-away center field. Ray Serrano added an RBI double to put the Braves up 4-0 in the 6th inning and Greg Creek finished off the scoring with a two-run double in the 8th inning to post the final margin of 6-1.

Jo-Jo Reyes was the Braves Players of the Game as he stopped the 6-game losing streak. Reyes (8-1, 3.56 ERA) picked up his 5th straight win (counting his Richmond start) as he tossed 7 innings while twirling 10 strikeouts and allowing just one run on seven hits.

The Braves will wrap up their five-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the final game of their Southern League Series and the First Half. 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 (3-5, 5.97 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the BayBears will counter with LHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-4, 3.51 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: 2:45

ATTENDANCE: 5,025 (125,621 Total - 3,694 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 22-12 at home .
* The Braves improve to 31-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves registered 14 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $513 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Skid Extends to Six: L, 4-1

2007-06-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

The Braves fell to the BayBears for the third straight game in front another fantastic crowd (4,907) at Trustmark Park as they continued their last 5-game series of the first half with a 4-1 defeat. With the loss the Braves (40-28) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 1 game over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 2 games remaining, so the Braves must win each of the last 2 to assure themselves of a playoff spot. (If the Braves win at least one they are assured at least a tie for the first half - by Southern League rule the first game in the second half between the two would decide the first half title). The BayBears (37-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 3 games with 2 to play.

Neither starter factored in the decision as a one hour lightning delay chased both James Parr and Esmerling Vazquez. The BayBears turned things over to Clint Goocher and A.J. Shappi and neither disappointed as they combined to allow just one run in their six innings of work. Matt Elliott allowed a couple of 9th inning hits but escaped trouble for his 4th save of the season.

Zach Schreiber (3-2, 2.20 ERA) was charged with the loss as he gave up two walks and the three-run homer that followed to Chris Rahl that gave the BayBears the lead.

Diory Hernandez was the Braves Players of the Game as he picked up a 3-for-4 performance with a double.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the fourth game of their Southern League 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 Jo-Jo Reyes (7-1, 3.80 ERA) to the hill in search of his league-leading 8th win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Matt Green (6-2, 3.79 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: 2:40 (1:00 delay)

ATTENDANCE: 4,907 (120,596 Total - 3,654 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-12 at home .
* The Braves fell to 3-25 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $499 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
*

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
*

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
*

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
*

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Slump Continues: L, 2-1

2007-06-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Braves fell to the BayBears for the second straight game in front another great crowd (4,533) at Trustmark Park as they continued their last 5-game series of the first half with a 2-1 defeat. With the loss the Braves (40-27) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 2 games over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 3 games remaining, but the Braves must win 2 of the last 3 to assure themselves of a playoff spot. (If the Suns lose two games they also clinch). The BayBears (36-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 4 games with 3 to play.

Matt Harrison (5-2, 3.31 ERA) was charged with a hard luck loss as his offense was non-existent for the second night in a row. Jose Ascanio tossed two scoreless frames to keep the BayBears lead at one.

Matt Harrison was the Braves Players of the Game as tossed 7 innings of two-run baseball while allowing 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 batters.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the third game of their Southern League 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). We will broadcasting live from the Southern Wireless Suite down the 3rd base line. The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (0-0, 4.00 ERA) to the hill in search of his 1st AA win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-4, 3.61 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: 2:25

ATTENDANCE: 4,533 (115,689 Total - 3,615 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-11 at home .
* The Braves fell to 13-10 in one-run games.
* The Braves fell to 3-24 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-15 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $489 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Brandon Jones -4 games (4-15, .267)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (12-27, .444)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (4-13, .308)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (5-9, .555)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-9)
* Josh Burrus (0-7)
* Mark Jurich (0-11)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Joe Winkelsas activated from the Disabled List.
* RHP Moises Hernandez returned to Myrtle Beach.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Stuck in a Rut: L, 5-3

2007-06-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

The Braves fell to the BayBears in front of the largest crowd this season at Trustmark Park (6,469) as they began their last 5-game series of the first half with a 5-3 loss. With the loss the Braves (40-26) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 3 games over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 4 games remaining. The BayBears (35-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 5 games with 4 to play.
Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.33 ERA) had a couple of hiccups in his outing as he lasted 6 innings but gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and the Braves offense never woke. Charlie Morton and Zach Schreiber both tossed scoreless frames in their relief effort.

Van Pope was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. He also walked twice in the 7th and 9th innings to try and start a rally that were both squashed by double plays hit into by Greg Creek.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the second game of their Southern League 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 (5-1, 3.53 ERA) to the hill in search of his 6th win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Chris Kinsey (3-4, 4.19 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 6,469

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-10 at home .
* The Braves fell to 5-4 in 2-run games.
* The Braves fell to 7-7 when scoring 3 runs.
* The Braves fell to 3-23 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-14 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fell to 10-4 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fell to 4-3 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $483 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (12-27, .444)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (3-11, .273)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (5-9, .555)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-9)
* Josh Burrus (0-7)
* Mark Jurich (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Lose First Series to Barons: L, 9-6

2007-06-11T14:26:00.000-05:00

Birmingham jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first after a Diory Hernandez error extended the Barons inning. Five singles, an error, and a walk plated Robert Valido, Victor Mercedes, Jeremy West, Chris Kelly, and Jeremy Frost.

The Braves got on the board in the second as Matt Esquivel hit his 14th homer of the year, a solo shot that gave him 50 RBIs for the season.

The Barons added three more runs in the second. Victor Mercedes and Thomas Collaro got back-to-back singles to start the rally before Cory Aldridge doubled to center. Aldridge’s double brought Mercedes and Collaro to the plate to push the lead to 7-1. A walk to West and a single by Kelly loaded the bases for Frost who hit a sac fly to center that brought Aldridge to the plate making the score 8-1.

The M-Braves cut into the lead again in the third when Brandon Jones blasted his 11th homer of the year, a two-run shot, over the left-center field wall. Jones’ 43rd and 44th RBIs made the score 8-3, Barons.

Mississippi cut the lead to 8-5 in the sixth after drawing three consecutive two-out walks to load the bases. Carl Loadenthal broke out of an 0-18 slump with a single up the middle that brought Josh Burrus and Van Pope in to score the M-Braves fourth and fifth runs.

Jeremy Frost hit his third homer of the year in the seventh to give the Barons a 9-5 lead.

The M-Braves got that run back in the eighth when Clint Sammons got a lead-off double and came in to score on a 4-3 groundout by Pope. Heading to the bottom of the eighth, Birmingham led 9-6.

Kelvin Villa only made it through two innings for the M-Braves. He gave up eight runs, three earned, on nine hits and fell to 3-5 on the year. Michael Nix surrendered only two hits through three shutout innings. Jose Ascanio gave up one run on two hits in two innings of work. Zach Schreiber threw a scoreless eighth.

Wes Whisler gave up three runs on six hits through five innings and improved to 4-6 on the season. Ryan Wing gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in on inning of work. Eduardo Sierra gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Fernando Hernandez threw a scoreless ninth to record his fourth save of the year.

The Braves have tomorrow off before hosting the Mobile BayBears in a five-game set at Trustmark Park. Game one is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:05. The Braves are scheduled to send lefty Francisley Bueno (2-2, 3.00) to the hill in search of his third win of ’07. The BayBears are scheduled to counter with southpaw Greg Smith (2-2, 4.03) who’s also going for win number three.

Tomahawk Chops:

*Matt Esquivel belted his league-lead tying 14th homer of the year and drove in his league-leading 50th RBI … Esquivel went 3-5 in the game.
* Brandon Jones blasted his 11th homer of the year and drove in his 43rd and 44th RBIs of the year … Jones went 1-4.
* Clint Sammons went 3-4 with a double in the game.
* Carl Loadenthal broke out of an 0-18 slide with a two-RBI single in the sixth.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Mercedez Cycles Barons to Win: L, 12-3

2007-06-10T18:45:00.000-05:00

Mississippi and Birmingham went back-and-forth until the fifth when the Barons put a five-spot on the board to push their lead to 7-3. Birmingham went on to win, 12-3.

Birmingham jumped on top in the third when Donny Lucy doubled and scored on a single by Victor Mercedes. Mercedes hit the walk-off two-run homer last night and put the Barons on top 1-0 today.

The M-Braves responded with two runs in the fourth when Mark Jurich belted his third homer of the year, a two-run shot out to right. It was the first homer that Jack Egbert had given up all year.

Birmingham came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at two. Cory Aldridge doubled and came in to score on a sac fly by Ricardo Nanita.

The Braves went back on top in the fifth when Carl Loadenthal walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Diory Hernandez.

The Barons came back in the bottom of the fifth. Birmingham got four hits and three walks and plated five runs in the fifth inning. After five, the Barons led the Braves 7-3.

Birmingham extended its lead to 10-3 in the sixth on a Victor Mercedes home run, three singles and a walk.

The Barons added two more runs in the seventh after Mercedes hit a triple to become the first Southern Leaguer to hit for the cycle since Reggie Jackson did it back on July 8th, 1967.

Moises Hernandez gave up seven runs on seven hits through 4.1 innings in his AA debut. He fell to 0-1 on the year. Charlie Morton gave up three runs on five hits through 1.2 innings pitched. Tyler Bullock gave up two runs on two hits in two innings of work.

Jack Egbert gave up three runs on six hits through five innings of work and improved to 6-4. Carlos Torres threw three scoreless innings and Tim Bittner threw a scoreless ninth.

The Braves and Barons play game five of this five-game series tomorrow at 11:05 am. Mississippi is scheduled to send lefty Kelvin Villa (3-4, 5.71) to the hill in search of his fourth win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send lefty Wes Whisler (3-6, 4.30) to the hill in search of his fourth win.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Barons Walk-Off with Game 3: W, 3-2

2007-06-09T23:23:00.000-05:00

James Parr and Gio Gonzalez were the story in this one. Both starters gave up one run through seven innings of work. Though they were outstanding, neither starter factored into the decision.

For the first time this series, Birmingham took the lead in the third inning. Jeremy Frost singled and scored on a sac fly by Robert Valido to give the Barons a 1-0 lead.

The M-Braves finally got on the board in the top of the eighth as J.C. Holt came through in the clutch. Mark Jurich started the inning by drawing a walk and he moved to second on a single by Clint Sammons. With two outs in the inning, Holt fought off a great pitch by Oneli Perez that found its way down the left field line for a double. Holt’s big hit brought Jurich to the plate tying the score at one.

Mississippi took the lead in the ninth after Matt Esquivel doubled to get things started. With two outs, Mark Jurich singled to right bringing Esquivel to the plate with the go-ahead run.

With Donny Lucy standing on second, Victor Mercedes blasted a two-run, walk-off homer that gave the Barons a 3-2 win.

James Parr gave up one run on four hits through seven innings and left the game with the score tied at one. Jose Ascanio threw one scoreless inning and Joey Devine came on in the ninth and gave up a two-run walk-off homer as he fell to 2-3 on the year.

Gio Gonzalez gave up one run on two hits in seven innings of work. Oneli Perez gave up one run in two innings of work, but still improved to 2-2 on the year.

The Braves and Barons play game four of this five-game series tomorrow at 2:05 pm. Mississippi is scheduled to send righty Moises Hernandez (0-0, 0.00) to the hill in search of his first AA win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send righty Jack Egbert (5-4, 3.05) to the hill in search of his sixth win.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Reyes & Nelson Promoted To Richmond

2007-06-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

Jo-Jo Reyes and Brad Nelson were promoted to AAA Richmond due to a dire need for pitching in the AAA ranks on Saturday.

Reyes was scheduled to start for the M-Braves tomorrow, but will obviously miss that start. Mississippi is 11-1 in Jo-Jo’s starts and he’s 7-1 on the year. Reyes is tied for second in the league with seven wins and ranks fifth in the league with 61 strikeouts. He’s allowed two runs or less in six of his 12 starts.

Moises Hernandez has been promoted to AA Mississippi from High-A Myrtle Beach and is scheduled to start for the M-Braves tomorrow.

taken from
MS Braves.com

Braves Crush Barons: W, 8-3

2007-06-08T23:45:00.000-05:00

Mississippi's domination of the Birmingham Barons continued Friday night as Mississippi defeated Birmingham 8-3.

The M-Braves jumped on top in the top of the first when J.C. Holt singled and Brandon Jones blasted his 10th homer of the year down the left field line. It marked the 44th time this season the M-Braves scored first and they’ve now scored 51 runs in the first inning.

Birmingham responded with a run in the bottom of the first. Robert Valido and Victor Mercedes got back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Thomas Collaro then drew a walk to load the bases. Former Greenville Brave Cory Aldridge hit a sac fly to center that scored Valido and cut the lead to 2-1. Holt then turned a grounder by Donny Lucy into a spectacular double play to get the M-Braves out of the inning.

Mississippi extended their lead in the second when Mark Jurich singled and Van Pope blasted a no-doubter over the left-center field wall. Pope’s second homer of the year gave the M-Braves a 4-1 lead.

Birmingham answered the M-Braves in the second when three singles from Ricardo Nanita, Jeremy Frost, and Michael Myers loaded the bases with no outs. Once again, Matt Harrison held the Barons to one run as he induced a foul out by Sean Smith and a fly out to center to Mercedes. He gave up a sac fly to Valido that brought Nanita to the plate with the Barons second run.

Mississippi added another run in the third when Diory Hernandez ripped a two-out double to left center. Clint Sammons single brought Hernandez to the plate with the M-Braves fifth run of the game.

Once again, Birmingham answered the Braves score with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Lucy and Nanita singled to set the stage for Frost. Frost singled to center bringing Lucy to the plate, making the score 5-3.

The M-Braves put the game out of reach with a three-spot in the sixth. Mike Rozema got the rally started when he reached second on a two-base error by Mercedes. Van Pope then doubled down the left field line scoring Rozema. Pope moved to third on a single by J.C. Holt and scored on another error by Mercedes. Holt moved to second on the error and came in to score on a single by Brandon Jones to give Mississippi an 8-3 lead.

Mike Rozema’s grand slam in the ninth gave the M-Braves a 12-3 lead.

Matt Harrison gave up three runs on 10 hits through six innings of work and improved to 5-1 on the year. Michael Nix came on and threw two shutout innings. Zach Schreiber threw a scoreless ninth to finish off the Barons.

Adam Russell gave up five runs on seven hits through four innings of work and left the game trailing 5-3 and fell to 5-5 on the season. Tim Bittner gave up three runs on five hits in three innings of work. Eduardo Sierra threw a scoreless inning while Fernando Hernandez gave up four runs on four hits in an inning of work.

With this win, Montgomery’s loss, and Jacksonville’s win, the M-Braves lead in the Southern League South is 6.0 games. The Braves magic number is three with eight games to play in the first half.

The Braves and Barons play game three of this five-game series tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. Mississippi is scheduled to send righty James Parr (0-0, 5.73) to the hill in search of his first AA win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send lefty Gio Gonzalez (4-3, 3.05) to the hill in search of his fifth win.

Braves Bites:
* The M-Braves are now 32-12 when they score first … they’ve scored first 44 times this year … Mississippi has scored 51 runs in the first inning this year.
* Brandon Jones blasted his 10th homer of the year … He went 3-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
* J.C. Holt went 3-5 with two runs scored … He’s now hit in 20 of 23 games in Mississippi this year.
* Mark Jurich extended his season-high hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the second … He went 1-4 with a run scored.
* Mike Rozema went 1-5 with a grand slam … It was the M-Braves first grand slam since Josh Burrus did it on 5/2.
* Mississippi now has 51 homers on the year … They had 65 in all of ’06.
* The M-Braves came into the game tied with Montgomery for the league-lead in double plays with 61 … They turned one in the game giving them 62 for the year.
* Five M-Braves had at least two hits and four Braves had three hits.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Beat Barons in Extras: W, 6-3 (10)

2007-06-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

The Braves knocked off the Birmingham Barons for the 3rd time in extra innings this season as they began their 5-game series with a 6-3 win Thursday night in front of 5,130 fans at Regions Park. With the win the Braves (39-22) still maintained their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Montgomery Biscuits. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is at 5 with 9 games remaining. The Barons (27-34) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 12.0 games.

Francisely Bueno (2-2, 3.00 ERA) had good outing as he lasted 7 innings for the first time this season allowing three runs while scattering 5 hits. Charlie Morton (4-3, 3.34 ERA) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to secure the win and Joey Devine struck out the side in the 9th to register his league-leading 15th save of the season.

The Braves offense had no problem getting on the board as they scored 4 in the first inning while seven of the Braves batters had at least two hits. The Braves raised their team batting three more points average to .271 on the season. The D-Jaxx also pounded the baseball picking up 9 unanswered runs after falling behind 4-1 in the first inning. Both teams finished with 16 hits.

J.C. Holt was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI. He raised his batting average to .402 on the season and picked up his 8th stolen base.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the second game of their Southern League 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 (4-1, 3.43 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Adam Russell (5-4, 4.04 ERA) who is looking for his sixth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-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: 2:59

ATTENDANCE: 5,130
(Home Total - 30 Games - 104,687 --- 3,490 Avg.)
(Road Total - 31 Games - 103,572 --- 3,341 Avg.)
(Season Total 208,259 - 61 Games --- 3,414 Avg.)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 18-13 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 8-5 in 3-run games.
* The Braves improve to 31-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves imrpove to 21-9 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 10-3 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 4-2 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 28-10 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 31-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $460 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Carl Loadenthal - 13 games (23-52, .442)
* Mark Jurich - 10 games (16-39, .444)
* Clint Sammons - 8 games (11-34, .324)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (10-24, .417)
* Brandon Jones -5 games (11-23, .478)
* Diory Hernandez - 5 games (9-20, .450)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (4-10, .400)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* JC Holt - 3 games (8-13, .615)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-7)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Drop Series Finale

2007-06-06T23:50:00.000-05:00

When Mississippi and West Tenn took the field Wednesday night, it wasanything but a pitcher's duel. The worst hitting team in the leaguebattered the best pitching team in the league 12-6 in front of 3,194 fans at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (38-22) still maintained their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is at 6 with 10 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (26-34) remain 7.0 games back in the North Division race as they halted a six-game losing streak.

Kelvin Villa (3-4, 5.71 ERA) had his worst and shortest outing of the year as he gave up eight runs on seven hits through 3.1 innings pitched. Villa struggled with control as he issued five walks and hit a batter. Tyler Bullock gave up two runs on six hits through 3.2 innings. Brad Nelson gave up two runs on three hits through two innings.

The Braves offense had no problem getting on the board as they scored 4 in the first inning while seven of the Braves batters had at least two hits. The Braves raised their team batting three more points average to .271 on the season. The D-Jaxx also pounded the baseball picking up 9 unanswered runs after falling behind 4-1 in the first inning. Both teams finished with 16 hits.

J.C. Holt was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI. He raised his batting average to .402 on the season and picked up his 8th stolen base.

The Braves will start up a 5-game series in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the first game of their Southern League 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 Francisely Bueno (2-2, 2.85 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Barons will counter with LHP Ryan Wing (2-1, 1.59 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 93.1-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: 3:12 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,192 (104,687-Total --- 3,490-Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 21-9 at home.
* The Braves fall to 8-10 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 27-10 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves are outscoring their opponents 49-17 in the first inning.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $452 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* JC Holt - 3 games (8-13, .615)
* Mark Jurich - 9 games (15-36, .417)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (10-24, .417)
* Clint Sammons - 7 games (9-29, .310)
* Brandon Jones -4 games (10-20, .500)
* Diory Hernandez - 4 games (8-17, .471)
* Carl Loadenthal - 12 games (22-47, .468)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
*Matt Esquivel (0-5) - 1st Inning 2-run double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Magic Number Reduced to Six

2007-06-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

The MS Braves Magic Number to clinch the First Half Southern Division Title was reduced to six this afternoon thanks to the Mobile BayBears victory over the Jacksonville Suns (7-5). The Suns have 10 games remaining against Chattanooga and Montgomery. Should Montgomery win tonight they will move into a tie for second place with Jacksonville and their final 2 series are against Mobile and Jacksonville. The Braves remaining 10 games, after tonight's series finale against the D-Jaxx, are 5 in Birmingham and 5 at home against Mobile.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Reduce Magic Number to 7: W, 6-2

2007-06-05T23:55:00.000-05:00

Jo-Jo Reyes won his third straight start Tuesday night improving the Braves to 11-1 when he takes the hill as the Braves took Game 4 of the series (6-2) from West Tennessee in front of 5,005 fans at Trustmark Park. Reyes (7-1, 3.80 ERA) also tossed his first game without allowing a run. With the win the Braves (38-21) maintain their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to clinch the first half down to 7 with 11 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-34) remain 7.0 games back in the North Division race as they dropped their sixth straight game.

The Braves scored first for the 42nd time this season as Brandon Jones brought home the first run with an infield single in the first inning. Diory Hernandez followed two batters later with a two-run single to make it 3-0. The Braves added another run in the 2nd inning as Carl Loadenthal chased home Greg Creek with an RBI single. The Braves tried to put the game out of reach with another RBI single by Diory Hernandez and a RBI ground rule double by Clint Sammons making the score 6-0.

The D-Jaxx finally responded in the 8th inning off of Jose Ascanio as Rene Rivera drove home Erick Monzon with an RBI double. Joey Devine entered the game and gave up an RBI single to Charlton Jimerson. He then struck out four of the five batters he faced to end the game and pick up his league-leading 14th save of the season.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. He picked up his team-leading 27th walk in the 5th inning and also registered his league-leading 20th stolen base of the season in the 5th inning.

The Braves will wrap up a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the final game of their Southern League 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 (3-3, 4.62 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Doug Fister (2-6, 4.68 ERA) who is looking for his third 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: 3:01 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,005 (101,495-Total --- 3,500-Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 21-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 30-12 when scoring first.
* Carl Loadenthal is now #9 in the League in hitting.
* The Braves improve to 30-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 27-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 30-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves are outscoring their opponents 45-16 in the first inning.
* The Braves registered 13 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $449 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* JC Holt - 2 games (5-8, 625)
* Mark Jurich - 8 games (13-31, .419)
* Ray Serrano - 6 games (9-20, .450)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (8-15, .533)
* Clint Sammons - 7 games (9-29, .310)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (6-12, .500)
* Carl Loadenthal - 11 games (20-43, .465)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema - 8 games (12-33, .364)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
*Matt Esquivel (0-5)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* J.C. Holt was reassigned from AAA Richmond.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves' Magic Number Down to 8: W, 7-6

2007-06-04T23:55:00.000-05:00

Brandon Jones finished off a 4-for-4 night at the plate with a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 9th as the Braves took Game 3 of the series in 7-6 fashion over West Tennessee in front of 3,043 fans at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (37-21) maintain their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to clinch the first half down to 8 with 12 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-33) fell to 7.0 games back in the North Division race.

The Braves got on the board first with an RBI double by Jones that chased home Mike Rozema who tripled to start the 4th inning. Diory Hernandez followed two batters later with an RBI single to make it 2-0. The D-Jaxx responded in the 6th inning as they manufactured a couple of runs. Charlton Jimerson singled and then stole second and third before scoring on a sac fly by Prentice Redman. They added another run on an RBI single by Jeff Frazier to tie the score at 2-2. The Braves responded in a big way in the bottom of the 6th as they ripped off 4 two-out hits as Jurich (RBI), Burrus (RBI) and Pope (2 RBIs) all drove in runs with doubles.

James Parr (0-0, 5.73 ERA), was good early as he allowed 2 runs on only 3 hits while walking three but striking out six. In fact he recorded 5 strikeouts through the first two innings. Brad Nelson was charged with the blown save as he gave up 4 runs in the 7th inning on three hits a walk and a hit batter. Charlie Morton (3-3, 3.55 ERA) picked up the win in relief as he tossed two scoreless innings, giving up a lone single to Luis Oliveros, while striking out three D-Jaxx batters.

Josh Burrus started off the bottom of the 9th by getting on base as he was hit by a pitch. Van Pope sacrificed him over to second base and then Carl Loadenthal was intentionally walked. Mike Rozema struck out which set up the heroics by Brandon Jones.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 4-for-4 at the plate (his first 4-hit game of the season) with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also picked up his team-leading 26th walk of the season in the 7th inning.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fourth game of their Southern League 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 Jo-Jo Reyes (6-1, 4.18 ERA) to the hill in search of his team-leading 7th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Joe Woerman (3-3, 3.02 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 3:13 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,043

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 20-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 13-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 29-12 when scoring first.
* Carl Loadenthal is now #9 in the League in hitting.
* The Braves improve to 10-4 in final at-bat decisions.
* The Braves improve to 5-2 when tied after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 26-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 29-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $427 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -7 games (12-28, .429)
* Ray Serrano - 6 games (9-20, .450)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (7-11, .636)
* Mike Rozema - 8 games (12-33, .364)
* Clint Sammons - 6 games (8-25, .320)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Carl Loadenthal - 10 games (17-40, .425)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel (0-6) - 6th inning single
* Van Pope (0-9) - 6th inning 2-run double
* Josh Burrus (0-16) - 6th inning RBI double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Atlanta Suspends Wellman for 3 Games

2007-06-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

Atlanta Braves Director of Player Development Kurt Kemp announced today that the organization has issued a three-game suspension to Double-A Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman for his actions Friday (June 1) in Chattanooga. The suspension begins with tonight's home game against West Tennessee.

Wellman, 44, is in his first season with Mississippi. He rejoined the organization in 2004 after working for the Braves from 1988 to 1991.

MLB Clip of Wellman's Outburst

Braves Win In Extras: W, 4-3 (10 Innings)

2007-06-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

Despite leaving 16 runners on base the MS Braves found a way to take the series opener against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx 4-3 in 10 innings and in front of 3,871 fans at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (35-21) moved their lead in the South Division back up to 5 games over the BayBears and Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to 10 to clinch the first half with 14 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-31) remain 5.0 games back in the North Division race.

The Braves had won just twice when trailing after 8 innings this season before ripping 4 singles (Loadenthal, Rozema, Jones-RBI, Esquivel-RBI) to start the bottom of the 9th which tied the game 3-3. The Braves left the bases loaded in the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 10th but still escaped with the win.

Francisely Bueno (2-2, 2.85 ERA), didn't factor in the decision but pitched out of a couple of tough situations. He got out of a bases-loaded no out situtation in the 4th with just one run allowed. He then induced a 6-4-3 double play to help get himself out of the 6th inning. Jose Ascanio was touched for two runs (one earned) in his 3 innings of work. Brad Nelson scattered two hits in the 10th inning to register his 3rd win in relief this season.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 2-for-5 at the plate with the game-tying and game-winning RBI single. His two RBIs move him to 46 for the season - 3 clear of his nearest competitor (Evan Longoria-43).

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the second game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 12:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 1:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.60 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Andy Baldwin (1-4, 5.15 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: 3:36 (:43 minute delay to start the game) --- ATTENDANCE: 3,871

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 18-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 12-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 14-7 when following a loss.
* The Braves improve to 9-3 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 3-19 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 24-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 8-9 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 4-2 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $422 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -5 games (9-21, .429)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (8-16, .500)
* Mike Rozema - 5 games (10-24, .417)
* Clint Sammons - 5 games (7-21, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games (13-32, .406)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (3-12, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel (0-9) - 9th inning RBI single
* Brandon Jones (0-6) - 5th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-5)
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Josh Burrus (0-11)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Fall in Wild Finale, L, 7-6

2007-06-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

In a game featuring Braves 4 ejections, including Manager Phillip Wellman, the Braves dropped the series finale to the Lookouts 7-6 in front of 4,240 fans at AT&T Field. With the loss the Braves (34-21) had their lead in the South Division trimmed to 4 games over the BayBears. They were unable to reduce their magic number as it stayed at 12 to clinch the first half with 15 games remaining. The Lookouts (24-31) remain 6.0 games back in the North Division race.

VIDEO OPTIONS:
Youtube Version - no commentary
ESPN Version with commentary

The chaos started in the 3rd inning as Wellman was ejected for the second time this season, but he didn't leave quietly. The former Lookouts Manager walked off the field to a standing ovation a few times. He first covered home plate completely with dirt. Then he removed third base and tossed it. He then crawled (like a soldier) from behind the pitcher's mound, grabbed the rosin bag and chucked it at home plate like a grenade. He then grabbed the already removed third base bag and removed the the second base bag and dropped them in right field on his way off the field.

Kelvin Villa (3-3, 4.75 ERA), was touched for three runs in the first 4 innings. In the 5th play was stopped as Brent Rice thought he found a foreign substance on the ball. After meeting with his crew he ejected Villa. Joey Devine and Mike Rozema were also tossed trying to vouch for their pitcher. The Braves still recovered from all of that to take a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning, only to watch Zach Schreiber struggle. Schreiber walked three batters and gave up a bases-loaded walk to tie the game and a two-run single by Drew Anderson to give the Lookouts the lead...all with two outs on the board.

The Braves rallied in the 9th again as an ailing Diory Hernandez dropped in a double to score Carl Loadenthal who walked to lead off the inning. Mark Jurich struck out to end the game with the tying run at second base as Carlos Guevara notched his 3rd save of the series and his 6th of the season.

Van Pope was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-4 at the plate. He also drove in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning on his hustling infield single.

The Braves will start up a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the first game of their Southern League 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 Francisely Bueno (2-2, 3.09 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Justin Thomas (1-2, 3.23 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: 3:01 (:37 minute delay to start the game) --- ATTENDANCE: 4,240

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 17-13 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 11-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 23-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 7-9 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $413 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -4 games (7-16, .438)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (8-16, .500)
* Mike Rozema - 5 games (8-19, .421)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games (11-27, .407)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (3-12, .250)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Hold On Against Lookouts: W, 9-6

2007-05-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Braves once again put a big lead on the scoreboard with a six-run 3rd inning against the Lookouts and this time the bullpen held on for a 9-6 win in front of 2,756 fans at AT&T Field. With the win the Braves (33-20) increased their lead in the South Division to 4 games over the Suns and 5 over the Biscuits. They also reduced their magic number down to 14 to clinch the first half with 17 games remaining. The Lookouts (23-30) had their 3-game win streak halted but remained 5.0 games back in the North Division race.

Jo-Jo Reyes (6-1, 4.18 ERA), had an on-and-off performance. He gave up a two-run homer in the first and seventh inning while striking out 10 in the 2nd through the 6th. Reyes picked up his team-leading sixth win of the season and won for the 5th time in his last 6 games while moving into a tie for 2nd in wins in the Southern League. Reyes also doubled and scored in the six-run 3rd inning. Jose Ascanio entered in the 7th and gave up a two-out RBI single to trim the lead to three before striking out three of the last 4 batters he faced. Joey Devine gave up a bloop single and hit a batter but still struck out the side to notch his League Leading 12th save of the season. The Braves struck out a season high 16 batters as each batter in the lineup struck out at least once.

The Braves chased James Avery (5-5, 5.31 ERA) from the game after he gave up all 9 runs on 10 hits while giving up 2 two-run homeruns to Brandon Jones (9th) and Mark Jurich (2nd). The Lookouts bullpen tossed 5 scoreless innings while striking out 8 Braves and stranding 6 baserunners.

Brent Lillibridge was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished 2-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs on his triple in the 3rd inning. He also singled and was hit by a pitch to lead the team in that category (5).

The Braves will continue their 5-game series 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 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 RHP Charlie Morton (5-1, 3.98 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Lookouts will counter with RHP Carlos Fisher (1-1, 1.17 ERA) who is looking for his second victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 101.3-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: 2:57 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,756

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 16-12 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 7-5 in three-run games.
* The Braves improve to 27-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 19-8 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 22-8 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves pitchers set a new season high in strikeouts (16).
* The Braves improve to 28-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves batters set a new season high in hits in a game (17).
* The Braves batters set a new season high in extra base hits in a game (8).
* The Braves registered 16 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $393 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -2 games (5-8, .625)
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (5-12, .417)
* Mike Rozema - 3 games (5-13, .385)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (3-10, .300)
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games (4-13, .308)
* Carl Loadenthal - 5 games (9-20, .450)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (2-7, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - 2 games (3-8, .375)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope (0-9) - 2nd innings single
* Matt Esquivel (0-10) - 1st inning single
* Brandon Jones (0-4) - 1st inning 2-run Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Bullpen Blows Game Two: L, 9-8

2007-05-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Chattanooga Lookouts posted a four-run 7th inning to steal Game Two from the Braves in front of 2,658 fans at AT&T Field. With the loss the Braves (32-20) had their lead reduced in the South Division to 3 games over the Suns and 4 over the Biscuits. The Lookouts (23-29) ran their current winning streak to 3 in a row after suffering a season-high five game losing streak.

James Parr (0-0, 9.00 ERA), tossed 5 innings in his AA debut while going 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs. The Braves spotted Parr a 6-0 lead after three innings. In the bottom of the 3rd he began to struggle as he gave up an RBI single and three-run homerun with two outs on the board. He wound up giving up five runs in his five innings of work but struck out six and avoided walking a batter. He left the game with an 8-5 lead.

Joe Winkelsas entered the game in the sixth and retired the side in order. In the top of the seventh he picked up a lead-off walk and stayed on the bases the whole inning as the Braves were unable to score. In the bottom of the seventh the fatigue seemed to have set in as he gave up a leadoff triple to Drew Anderson. Luis Bolivar brought him in on a ground out to Lillibridge. Then the inning fell apart for "Wink" as he gave up a walk, two doubles and a single as the Lookouts completed the comeback.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished 3-for-5 at the plate with 3 singles and two runs scored. He reached base safely in 5 of his 6 plate appearances.

Camilo Vazquez, (3-5, 4.69 ERA) failed to make it past the 4th inning as he gave up 7 of the 8 runs on nine hits and two walks. Carlos Guevara pitche the ninth as he picked up his 5th save of the season and his second in as many nights.

The Braves will continue their 5-game series in Chattanooga, Tennessee at AT&T Field as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the third game of their Southern League 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 Jo-Jo Reyes (5-1, 3.98 ERA) to the hill in search of his team-leading 6th win, while the Lookouts will counter with RHP James Avery (5-4, 4.23 ERA) who is looking for his sixth victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 101.3-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: 2:59 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,658

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 15-12 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 26-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 21-8 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 7-1 when scoring in 5 or more innings..
* The Braves fall to 2-18 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $377 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Mike Rozema - 2 games (4-8, .500)
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (5-12, .417)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games (2-9, .222)
* Carl Loadenthal - 4 games (7-16, .438)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (2-7, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema (0-13) - 1st inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-9)
* Brandon Jones (0-4)
* Matt Esquivel (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Paul Bush placed on the Disabled List.
* RHP James Parr promoted fron Myrtle Beach.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Lookouts Take Game One, L, 2-1

2007-05-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Four Lookout pitchers combined to baffle the Southern League Leading MS Braves and take Game 1 of their 5-game series in 2-1 fashion on Memorial Day and in front of 5,359 fans at AT&T Field. With the loss the Braves (32-19) had their lead reduced in the South Division to 4 games over the Suns. The Lookouts (22-29) still trail the Huntsville Stars by 6 games in the North Division.

Brad Nelson (2-0, 3.00 ERA), tossed 5 innings while giving up 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Nelson retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. Paul Bush made his MS Braves debut this season tossing the 6th with two strikeouts. The Braves staff still leads the league in home runs allowed (19), ERA (2.94) Saves (17), and they are tied in shutouts (5).

Mike Rozema was the Brave Player of the Game as he finished 3-for-3 at the plate while raising his season average up to .308 in 13 games. Mike also picked up 4 infield assists.

Richie Gardner, (0-1, 0.00 ERA) making his second AA start on the season, danced around three walks in the first two innings thanks in large part to Ryan Hanigan as he threw out two baserunners to lead off the ballgame. Calvin Medlock and Carlos Guevara combined to retire the final six batters of the game while Guevara picked up his 4th save of the season.

The Braves will continue their 5-game series 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 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 RHP James Parr (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the hill in his AA debut, while the Lookouts will counter with LHP Camilo Vasquez (3-5, 4.18 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 - 101.3-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: 2:23 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,359

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 15-11 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 4-7 when scoring 2 or fewer runs.
* The Braves fall to 6-8 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 2-17 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $370 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (5-12, .417)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (4-11, .364)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (2-7, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - 2 games (2-6, .333)
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-6, .333)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (8-21, .381)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games (308, .375)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema (0-5) - 3-3 (3 singles)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mark Jurich (0-13)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Fall Apart in Finale: L, 4-3

2007-05-28T00:45:00.000-05:00

The Braves had a string of 16 scoreless innings pitched against Montgomery snapped in a four-run eighth inning rally as the Biscuits salvaged the series finale in front of 2,697 fans at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (32-18) had their lead in the South Division stay at 5 games over the Suns and Biscuits (27-23) in the South Division.

Joe Winkelsas (0-1, 0.51 ERA), had his personal run of 16.2 scoreless innings halted as well as he took the loss while giving up all four runs (1 earned) in the eighth inning rally. The rally by Montgomery spoiled a great outing by Kelvin Villa (3-3, 4.62 ERA) as he tossed seven scoreless frames while scattering 6 hits on 3 strikeouts and he did not issue a single walk. The Braves staff still leads the league in home runs allowed (19), ERA (2.95) Saves (17), and they are tied in shutouts (5).

Kelvin Villa was the Brave Player of the Game as he finished with his best outing of the season lasting 7 innings while scattering 6 hits and 3 strikeouts. He never allowed a baserunner past first base, thanks to a double play in the 3rd and a caught stealing in the 4th inning.

Biscuits starter Mike Prochaska, (1-4, 4.63 ERA) worked around three walks and was able to strand 5 Braves on the bases and induce a 5-4-3 double play which ended a possible big inning for the Braves int he 2nd inning.

The Braves will start up a 5-game series in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Memorial Day at AT&T Field as they take on the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, in the first game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 5:00pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 5:15pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Brad Nelson (2-0, 3.32 ERA) to the hill in his first start this season, while the Lookouts will counter with RHP Richie Gardner (0-1, 0.00 ERA) who is making his second start. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive AT&T Field frequency - 101.3-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: 2:29 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,697

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 17-8 at home.
* The Braves fall to 8-5 in day games.
* The Braves fall to 26-11 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 28-12 when scoring 3 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 2-16 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $364 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Van Pope - 2 games (2-6, .333)
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-6, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 4 games (5-12, .417)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (8-21, .381)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games (308, .375)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-16, .313)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema (0-5) - 3-3 (3 singles)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Mark Jurich (0-12)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-5)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

MS Braves Shore Up Bullpen

2007-05-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi Braves announce that RHPs Paul Bush and Joe Winkelsas have both been activated from the disabled list and assigned to AA Mississippi. Both were in AAA Richmond before being placed on the disabled list. RHP Tyler Bullock has been reassigned to High-A Myrtle Beach.

Bush was originally assigned to start the year in Mississippi, but was sent to AAA Richmond before opening day. He was 1-0 with one save and an ERA of 1.74 through five games in Richmond. He allowed two runs through 10.1 innings of work.

Winkelsas was 1-0 with an ERA of 3.97 through five games in AAA Richmond. He allowed six runs, five earned, through 11.1 innings pitched. In his previous stint in Mississippi earlier this year, Winkelsas did not allow an earned run through 16.2 innings pitched. His 16.1 consecutive scoreless innings pitched streak still stands as the longest scoreless innings pitched streak for the M-Braves this year.

Bullock was 0-0 with an ERA of 6.00 after allowing three runs, two earned, through 3.0 innings pitched.

by
Nick Skinner

Braves Barely Blank Biscuits: W, 3-0

2007-05-26T22:45:00.000-05:00

Three Braves pitchers combined to shutout the Biscuits and clinch the series against Montgomery in 3-0 fashion and in front of 4,371 fans at Trustmark Park. Brent Lillibridge belted his 3rd homerun of the season to start the scoring in the first, while Joey Devine walked the bases loaded with two outs in the 9th before ending the game on his second strikeout as he picked up his Southern League leading 11th save. With the win the Braves (32-17) extend their lead in the South Division to 5 games over the Suns. The Biscuits (26-23) trail by 6 games, BayBears by 7 and Barons by 10.5. The Braves are now 17-7 at Trustmark Park this season and have now won 8 of the first 10 series.

Lefty Francisely Bueno (2-2, 3.09 ERA), tossed 6 scoreless innings while scattering 5 hits and registering 4 strikeouts. Jose Ascanio pitched 2 innings while giving up two hits and striking out three. Devine's three walks in the 9th were the only walks issued in the game as he also tossed a pair of strikeouts including the game-ending K to Jason Pridie. The Braves staff still leads the league in home runs allowed (19), ERA (2.99) Saves (17), and they are tied in shutouts (5).

Brent Lillibridge was the Brave Player of the Game as Brent finished 2-for-4 at the plate with with his 3rd homerun of the season and a 3rd inning single. Lillibridge turned an impressive double play to end the 1st and a sensational assist in the 8th to keep the Biscuits off the board. Loadenthal, Jones and Sammons all collected two-hit games.

Biscuits lefty Jon Barratt (0-3, 2.84 ERA) was charged with the loss as he scattered 9 Braves hits while inducing 2 ground ball double plays and a lineout double play. Derek Feldkamp tossed the final two innings against the Braves striking out three and giving up one hit.

The Braves will wrap up their 10-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the final game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 12:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 1:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (3-3, 5.36 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Mike Prochaska (1-4, 4.87 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: 2:28 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,371

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 17-7 at home.
* The Braves improve to 24-13 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 26-10 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 18-7 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 27-11 when scoring 3 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 27-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $359 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-6, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (3-8, .375)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (7-17, .412)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-16, .313)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - 4 games (7-13, .538)
* Diory Hernandez - 6 games (12-26, .462)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-7) - 5th inning single
* Brent Lillibridge (0-7) - 1st inning Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-3)
* Mike Rozema (0-5)
* Mark Jurich (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Walk Over Biscuits: W, 14-5

2007-05-25T23:57:00.000-05:00

A night after both bullpens were depelted in an extra inning affair the Braves got 7 innings from starter Jo-Jo Reyes while the Biscuits committed two costly errors and issued a season high 10 walks to help the Braves to a 14-5 win Friday night in front of 4,058 fans at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (31-17) maintain their lead in the South Division at 4 games over the Suns and now 5 games over the Biscuits (26-22). The Braves are now 16-7 at Trustmark Park this season.

Lefty Jo-Jo Reyes (5-1, 3.98 ERA), became the first Braves pitcher to 5 wins on the season as he lasted 7 innings and dodged 5 walks while fanning 6 Biscuits. A night after Michael Nix struggled he came back to toss 2 innings of relief scattering two bloop singles while surrendering a solo homerun to John Jaso in the 9th. The Braves staff still leads the league in home runs allowed (19) and ERA (3.05)

Jo-Jo Reyes, Ray Serrano and Diory Hernandez were the Braves Player of the Games as Reyes picked up the win, Serrano finished 1-for-1 at the plate with 3 walks and two runs scored while chipping in an RBI single, while Hernandez finished 4-for-5 (second 4-hit game of the season) at the plate with 1 RBIs and a stolen base. He also extended his hit streak to 6 games on the season. Josh Burrus had a great night at the plate collecting a 4 RBIs on an RBI single in the 6th, a bases-loaded walk in the 7th, and a two-run single in the 8th.

The Biscuits spoiled a great outing by James Houser, Jr. (3-0, 2.39 ERA) as he allowed just two infield singles to Hernandez while giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 walks. Jeremy Flanagan (3-2, 4.97 ERA) was charged with the Blown Save and the loss.

The Braves will continue their 10-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fourth game of their Southern League 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 Francisely Bueno (1-2, 3.72 ERA) to the hill in search of his 2nd win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP John B arratt (0-2, 3.26 ERA) who is looking for his first 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: 4,058

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 16-7 at home.
* The Braves improve to 23-13 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 14-5 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 25-10 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 4-0 on Friday night home games.
* The Braves improve to 21-7 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 26-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $350 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 4 games (7-13, .538)
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (3-8, .375)
* Matt Esquivel - 3 games (6-13, .462)
* Clint Sammons - 3 games (3-13, .231)
* Diory Hernandez - 6 games (12-26, .462)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibridge - 4 games (7-19, .368)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek (0-10) - 6th inning single
* Van Pope (0-12) - 7th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mark Jurich (0-10)
* Carl Loadenthal (0-5)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-7)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Joey Devine returned from Atlanta.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Fall in Extra Innings: L, 7-6 (12)

2007-05-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

Jason Pridie broke a 6-6 tie in the 12th inning with an infield single that scored Shaun Cumberland to give the Biscuits a 7-6 win over the Braves in front of 3,108 fans at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (30-17) had their lead in the South Division reduced to 4 games over the Suns and Biscuits (26-21). The Braves are now 15-7 at Trustmark Park this season and 11-4 in one-run games.

Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.44 ERA), had his second worst outing of the season as he gave up 6 runs (5 earned) on 3 walks and 4 strikeouts while failing to get out of the 5th inning. He also surrendered his 2nd homerun on the season to Matt Spring (Grand Slam - 4th inning) who was making his first ever AA start. The bullpen was sensational in the 5th through the 11th innings as Bullock, Morton and Schreiber combined to go 6 1/3 while allowing 2 hits and working around 6 walks. In Schreiber's first inning (9th) he faced a bases-loaded one-out situation and retired John Jaso on a pop out to Lillibridge and struck out Chris Nowak swinging. Michael Nix (1-2, 2.60 ERA) was charged with the loss in the 12th.

Diory Hernandez was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished 2-for-6 at the plate with 2 RBIs. He also extended his hit streak to 5 games on the season.

Biscuits closer Dale Thayer (3-0, 2.25 ERA) tossed the final three innings to pick up his 3rd win after the Biscuits bullpen blew the save (Henderson) in the 7th inning.

The Braves will continue their 10-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the third game of their Southern League 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 Jo-Jo Reyes (4-1, 3.80 ERA) to the hill in search of his team high 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP James Houser, Jr. (3-0, 2.48 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 3:54 (longest game of season) --- ATTENDANCE: 3,108

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 15-7 at home.
* The Braves fall to 22-13 in night games.
* The Braves fall to 11-4 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 24-10 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 6-9 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $341 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 3 games (5-9, .556)
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (4-9, .444)
* Clint Sammons - 3 games (3-13, .231)
* Brent Lillibridge - 4 games (7-19, .368)
* Diory Hernandez - 5 games (8-21, .381)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Brandon Jones (0-14) - 11th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-10)
* Greg Creek (0-9)
* Mark Jurich (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Halt 3-Game Slide: W, 4-3

2007-05-23T23:25:00.000-05:00

The Braves used the long ball Wednesday night as Matt Esquivel and Clint Sammons both belted homeruns to lift the Braves 4-3 over the Biscuits in front of 2,765 at Trustmark Park. With the series opening win the Braves (30-16) pushed their lead in the South Division back to 5 games over the Suns and Biscuits (25-21). They also ended a 3-game losing skid while stopping the Biscuits 3-game win streak in the process. The Braves are now 15-6 at Trustmark Park this season and 11-3 in one-run games.

Lance Cormier (1-1, 4.50 ERA), making his 2nd Rehab start, was sensational as he scattered four hits in five innings of work while striking out four on just 67 pitches. Brad Nelson retired 6 of the first 8 he faced before giving up three singles to start the 8th inning. Jose Ascanio entered with the bases loaded and got a lineout to left by Brooks Badeaux and a sacrifice fly by Reid Brignac to get two quick outs. Evan Longoria followed with a two-out two-run double to bring the Biscuits to within one. Ascanio settled down to retire the final four batters he faced for his 3rd save of the season.

Clint Sammons collected his first AA Homerun on the first pitch of the 5th inning as he bounced one off the foul pole down the left field line. Josh Burrus continued to see the ball well collecting a pair of singles and a pair of walks.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a three-run bomb into the Braves bullpen in the 3rd and a triple in the 6th. He now leads the Southern League with 12 HR and 41 RBIs.

Biscuits starter Chris Seddon (3-3, 4.65 ERA) made two mistakes that cost him with the two balls Esquivel and Sammons hit out of the park. He scattered three other hits while giving up four walks and striking out five. Only one walk he issued came in to score.

The Braves will continue their 10-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the second game of their Southern League 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 (4-1, 3.04 ERA) to the hill in search of his team high 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Mike Prochaska (1-4, 4.87 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 2:29 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,765

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 15-6 at home.
* The Braves improve to 17-7 with a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 22-12 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 3-1 following a off day.
* The Braves improve to 11-3 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 13-5 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 8-2 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 25-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 24-9 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $325 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 2 games (4-7, .571)
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games (6-14, .429)
* Diory Hernandez - 4 games (6-15, .400)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel (0-5) - 3rd inning 3-run Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-10)
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Mark Jurich (0-4)
* Brandon Jones (0-9)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Zach Schreiber returned from AAA Richmond

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Lose First Home Series: L, 4-3

2007-05-22T01:01:00.000-05:00

The Braves rally came up one run short as they lost their first Southern League Home Series in front of 2,667 at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (29-16) had their lead in the South Division trimmed to 4 games over the Suns and Biscuits. The Braves are now 14-6 at Trustmark Park this season.

Braves starter Kelvin Villa (3-3, 5.36 ERA) made two mistakes as Issmael Salas and Josh Kroeger belted a 3-run and solo homerun respectively to give the Smokies a 4-1 lead. The Braves fought their way back with a run in the 5th and in the 9th but Brandon Jones struck out looking with the tying run at 3rd base to end the game.

Diory Hernandez made his return to Trustmark Park with a 2-for-4 performance while the top two in the order (Loadenthal, and Lillibridge) combined to go 6-for-9 at the plate with a run scored, 2 RBIs and a walk. The other 7 Braves who made plate appearances combined to go 1-for-22 at the plate.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two stolen bases (Leads the League with 16 now).

The Braves will enjoy an off day on Tuesday and then continue their 10-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the first game of their Southern League 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 Lance Cormier (0-1, 12.00 ERA) to the hill in second ML Rehab Start, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Chris Seddon (3-2, 4.50 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 2:44 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,667

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 14-6 at home.
* The Braves fall to 10-3 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 5-4 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 6-7 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $319 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (5-11, .455)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games (5-10, .500)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-6) - 3rd inning single
* Clint Sammons - (0-13) - 9th inning double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-6)
* Mark Jurich (0-4)
* Matt Esquivel (0-8)
* Brandon Jones (0-7)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* INF J.C. Holt promoted to AAA Richmond
* RHP Zach Schreiber promoted to AAA Richmond
* INF Diory Hernandez promoted from A Myrtle Beach

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Give One Away to Smokies: L, 8-5

2007-05-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

The Braves squandered a 4-0 lead as the Smokies came from behind to defeat the Braves 8-5 and and even up their Southern League Series in front of 2,679 at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (29-15) had their lead in the South Division remain at 5 games over the Suns and Biscuits. The Braves are now 14-5 at Trustmark Park this season.

Braves starter Dan Smith (4-2, 1.94 ERA) was the victim of a poor bullpen performance for the second time this season. Charlie Morton was charged with the blown save and loss as he gave up a 3-run triple to Josh Kroeger and RBI singles to Casey McGehee and Jose Cortes in the five-run 7th inning.

The Braves did have some offense to report as Ray Serrano and Mike Rozema belted their first home runs of the season in the 2nd and 8th innings respectively. The biggest blow after the 5-run 7th was in the 8th as Brandon Jones and Matt Esquivel were retired on two pitches with runners at 1st and 2nd with one out. J.C. Holt was also productive at the plate as he finished 2-for-3 but reached base all 5 times with two singles a fielder's choice and two walks.

Dan Smith was the Braves Player of the Game as he lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up one run while limiting the Smokies to 4 hits on a season high 5 walks and 6 strikeouts.

The Braves will wrap up a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the rubber match series finale of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air briefly at 7:00pm (CT) due to the Rebel Yell Hotline. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (3-2, 5.26 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the Smokies will counter with RHP Sean Gallagher (5-2, 3.50 ERA) who is looking for his league-tying 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: 3:28 (longest 9 inning game of season) --- ATTENDANCE: 2,679

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 14-5 at home.
* The Braves fall to 8-4 in day games.
* The Braves fall to 23-9 when scoring first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $313 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (2-7, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brandon Jones - 5 games - (9-25, .360)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel - (0-6) - 1st inning RBI single
* Greg Creek - (0-7) - 3rd inning single
* Brent Lillibridge - (0-6) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-6)
* Clint Sammons (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Bamboozled by Smokies: L, 6-1

2007-05-19T22:25:00.000-05:00

Mark Holliman dominated the Braves on a night when Lance Cormier made a Major League Rehab appearance as the Smokies won 6-1 in Game 3 of their Southern League Series in front of 4,940 at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (29-14) had their lead in the South Division fall to just 5 games over the Suns. The Braves are now 14-4 at Trustmark Park this season.

Mark Holliman (6-1, 1.17 ERA) carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning before Francisely Bueno broke it up with a single up the middle. There was controversy as Bueno was nearly retired on a 1-2 pitch as the home plate umpire started his strike out motion but halted it at the halfway point. Holliman allowed a lead off walk to J.C. Holt and then proceeded to retire the next 16 batters before the Bueno single. The Braves avoided being shutout as they got an RBI double from Brandon Jones in the 9th scoring Lillibridge who had reached on an error.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Player of the Game as he picked up the only run producing hit in the 9th inning off of reliever Geoffrey Jones.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the Fourth Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 12:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 1:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Dan Smith (4-2, 1.97 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Smokies will counter with RHP Donny Veal (2-4, 5.84 ERA) who is looking for his third 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: 2:13 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,940

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 14-4 at home.
* The Braves fall to 21-11 in night games.
* The Braves fall to 6-6 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $313 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Brandon Jones - 5 games - (9-25, .360)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 9 games - (14-38, .368)
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (3-14, .214)
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games - (3-8, .375)
* Brent Lillibridge - 5 games - (8-22, .364)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope (0-10) - 8th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Matt Esquivel - (0-6)
* Clint Sammons (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Knock Smokies From First: W, 4-3

2007-05-18T23:52:00.000-05:00

For the second night in a row Brandon Jones drove in the winning run with
a single to right field as the Braves knocked off the Smokies 4-3 in Game
2 of their Southern League Series. With the win, the Braves (29-13)
knocked the Smokies (20-20) from 1st place in the North Division in front
of a Friday night crowd of 4,731 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (29-13)
held onto their lead in the South Division of 6 games over the Suns. The
Braves are now 14-3 at Trustmark Park this season.

The Braves started their scoring in the 1st inning as Tennessee was shaky
defensively. With two outs and runners at the corners, Mark Jurich flew
out harmlessly to center field. Instead of being called out, Jurich was
awarded first base due to catcher's interference loading the bases for
Carl Loadenthal. Loadenthal then singled to short bringing Lillibridge and
a hustling Esquivel in to score the Braves first two runs of the game. The
Braves have now outscored their opponents 32-11 in the 1st inning.

Just like in Game 1 the Braves starter - Jo-Jo Reyes (4-1, 3.80 ERA) was
not his usual self as he allowed 7 walks (season high) and only struck out
four. He did finish 2-for-2 at the plate with the first RBI for a Braves
pitcher this season, but he failed to make it out of the 4th inning. The
Braves bullpen was sensational (just like in Game 1) as Brad Nelson tossed
4 scoreless innings of relief to pick up his 2nd win while Jose Ascanio
tossed two innings for his second save of the season. The bullpen retired
14 of the final 18 batters of the game. The Braves finished with 11 hits
and stranded 14 base-runners while going 3-for-10 with runners in scoring
position while the Smokies finished 1-for-10 in the same category.

Brad Nelson was the Braves Player of the Game as he picked up his second
win of the season. He came in with a runner on in the 4th inning and gave
up a bunt single to Cates followed by a walk to Fox to load the bases. The
run scored (charged to Reyes) on a sacrifice fly by Casey McGehee. Nelson
allowed only two hits the rest of the way in his final 3 innings of work.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at
Trustmark Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of
the Chicago Cubs, in the Third Game of their Southern League Series. The
Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm
(CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled
to send RHP Lance Cormier (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the hill in a Major League
Rehab Start, while the Smokies will counter with League ERA Leader and
former Ole Miss Rebel RHP Mark Holliman (5-1, 1.37 ERA) who is looking for
his league best sixth victory.

GAME TIME: 3:07 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,731

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 14-3 at home.
* The Braves improve to 21-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 10-2 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 23-8 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 24-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 23-7 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 19-5 when scoring four or more runs.

Braves Top Smokies in 9th: W, 3-2

2007-05-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

In a game that featured two first place teams, the Mississippi Braves stayed hot at home with a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win in front of an announced Thursday night crowd of 4,010 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (28-13) held onto their lead in the South Division of 6 games over the Suns and Biscuits. The Smokies (20-19) had their two-game winning streak halted. The Braves are now 13-3 at Trustmark Park this season.

Brandon Jones drove in the winning run to deliver his second walk-off hit of the season (Had a walk-off Homerun against Carolina on April 11th). The Braves started their scoring in the 5th inning as J.C. Holt picked up his 2nd RBI of the season with a single to right field. The Smokies responded with 4 straight hits off of Matt Harrison in the 6th inning to score two and chase Harrison from the game. The Braves bullpen (Ascanio, Schreiber, Devine) retired 10 of the remaining 11 batters in the game. The Braves finished with 13 hits and stranded 11 base-runners while going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position while the Smokies finished 1-for-5 in the same category.

Braves starter Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.04 ERA) was not his usual self as he allowed 3 walks (ties a season high) and only struck out four but was the beneficiary of two double plays. He now leads the team in ground ball double plays induced (8). Zach Schreiber worked around a two-out double by Jake Fox (his 3rd of the game) and Joey Devine tossed a perfect 9th inning to pick up his second win of the season.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Player of the Game as he picked up his second walk-off hit of the season. He finished 3-for-4 at the plate with 3 singles and an RBI.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the Second Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (4-1, 3.45 ERA) to the hill in search of his league best fifth win, while the Smokies will counter with RHP Kevin Hart (2-4, 6.87 ERA) who is looking for his third 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: 2:51 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,010

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 13-3 at home.
* The Braves improve to 20-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 22-8 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 4-0 when tied after 6 innings.
* The Braves improve to 7-2 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 22-7 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 3-1 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 24-8 when scoring three or more runs.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $299 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 8 games - (12-33, .364)
* Josh Burrus - 2 games - (2-7, .286)
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (3-14, .214)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games - (4-9, .444)
* Brandon Jones - 3 games - (7-14, .500)
* Brent Lillibridge - 4 games - (7-17, .412)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 4 games - (7-17, .412) - (0-1, PH)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games - (9-21, .429) - (0-2, RF)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema (0-11) - 5th inning double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-8)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Tyler Bullock was promoted from High-A Myrtle Beach.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Barons Finally Solve Braves: L, 6-4

2007-05-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

It took the Birmingham Barons 10 games to finally pick up their first victory over the Southern League Leading Mississippi Braves as they came from a 3-0 deficit to halt a 9-game losing streak to the Braves. An announced crowd of 3.979 at Regions Park. The Braves (27-13) held onto thei lead in the South Division of 6 games over the Suns and Biscuits. The Barons (18-22) ended a four game skid to move to 9 games behind the Braves.

The Braves started their scoring in the 1st inning as Matt Esquivel belted his League Leading 11th Homerun and 36th RBI on a shot to straight away center field. He followed that with an RBI double to bring in Brandon Jones as he picked up his 2nd 4 RBI game of the season. Carl Loadenthal had his 20-game hitting streak come to an end with a 0-for-3 performance.

Braves starter Kelvin Villa (3-2, 5.26 ERA) was staked to a 3-0 lead but gave up 4 runs over the first two innings to let the Barons back in the ballgame. He settled down retiring 10 of the last 12 batters he faced. Charlie Morton relieved Villa and allowed a run on two hits in the 6th. A rain delay of about 30 minutes didn't slow him down as he struck out the first batter after the game resumed. Zach Schreiber tossed the 9th inning as he gave up a leadoff double to Donny Lucy who then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jason Bourgeois. The Braves ninth inning rally fell short as J.C. Holt walked to lead off the frame. Brandon Jones then singled him over to second base before Matt Esquivel flew out to the wall in dead center for the second out and Greg Creek flew out to the warning track in left to end the game.

The Braves finished 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position while the Barons finished 3-for-8 in the same category. The Braves continued to get chances but just couldn't capitalize on them.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he launched his 11th homerun of the season along with an RBI double to lift his total to 37 on the season (one shy of his total last year - 68 games). He drove in all 4 runs for the Braves.

The Braves will start up a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the First Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.02 ERA) to the hill in search of his league best fifth win, while the Smokies will counter with RHP Justin Berg (1-2, 6.43 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: 2:35 (:30 delay)--- ATTENDANCE: 5,665

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves ifall to 8-3 in day games.
* The Braves fall to 15-10 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 21-8 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 16-6 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 18-5 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $291 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 7 games - (10-29, .345)
* Greg Creek - 2 games - (2-10, .200)
* Mark Jurich - 4 games - (7-17, .412)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games - (9-21, .429)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games - (4-9, .444)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games - (4-10, .400)
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (5-14, .357)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal - 20 games - (29-78, .372)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Ray Serrano (0-15) - 2 inning double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-8)
* Mike Rozema (0-10)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Shutout Barons Again: W, 7-0

2007-05-15T22:15:00.000-05:00

The Braves picked up their second shutout of the Barons this season while winning their 9th straight game over Birmingham, 7-0, in front of an announced crowd of 3.979 at Regions Park. The Braves (27-12) pushed their lead in the South Division up to 6 games over the Jacksonville Suns (largest lead this season). The Barons (17-22) dropped to 10 games behind the Braves. The Braves won 7 of their last 8 since breaking out of a season-long four game losing skid.

Braves starter Dan Smith (4-2, 1.97 ERA) was brilliant as he became the 4th straight starter in this series to make to the 7th inning. He prevented the Barons from getting a runner into scoring position while scattering 5 hits with 3 strikeouts. Brad Nelson tossed the final two innings as he gave up two one-out singles to give the Barons their first chances with a runner in scoring position. He struck out Jeremy Frost looking to end the game.

The Braves started their scoring in the 5th inning as Mark Jurich doubled to start off the inning and later scored on a wild pitch. The big inning came an inning later when the Braves picked up three doubles (Jones, Jurich and Sammons) which helped drive in all four runs in the 6th. The Braves added a run in the 7th as Brent Lillibridge tripled and scored on a wild pitch by Corwin Malone. Greg Creek singled to start the 8th and Clint Sammons brought him in for his 3rd RBI of the night. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak in the 5th inning with an infield single. He has now hit safely in a franchise-high 20 straight games.

The Braves finished 6-for-22 with runners in scoring position while the Barons finished 0-for-2 in the same category.

Dan Smith was the Braves Player of the Game as tossed 7 scoreless innings while retiring seven in a row at one point and scattering 5 hits with 3 strikeouts. Smith lowered his ERA to 1.97 which still ranks him 2nd in the League behind Mark Holliman (1.37 ERA).

The Braves will wrap up a 5-game homestand in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the Final Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will not air in its entirety but will start at 11:00am (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 11:05am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (3-2, 4.96 ERA) to the hill in search of his fourth win, while the Barons will counter with LHP Wes Whisler (1-4, 3.83 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-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: 2:25 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,979

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 15-9 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 19-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 21-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 21-6 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 18-4 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 23-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $286 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 6 games - (9-26, .346)
* Mark Jurich - 4 games - (7-17, .412)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games - (7-16, .438)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games - (4-9, .444)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games - (4-9, .444)
* Carl Loadenthal - 20 games - (29-78, .372)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema (0-7)
* Ray Serrano (0-15)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win in Extras Again: W, 4-3 (11)

2007-05-14T23:11:00.001-05:00

Clint Sammons picked a perfect time to knock in his first run as a MS Brave as he belted an RBI single in the 11th to lift the Braves over the Barons 4-3, in front of an announced crowd of 2,478 at Regions Park. The Braves (26-12) pushed their lead in the South Division up to 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Barons (17-21) dropped to 9 games behind the Braves and into the cellar. The Braves have now won 8 straight against Birmingham to start the season. They have also won 6 of their last 7 after a season-long four game losing skid.

The Braves got it started in the 2nd inning as Matt Esquivel launched his Southern League leading 10th homerun of the season as well as driving in his League best 33rd RBI. In 68 games played last year Esquivel finished with just 38 RBIs. Also Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak in the 2nd inning with an RBI single. He has now hit safely in a franchise-high 19 straight games. (He overtakes Scott Thorman -18 games - May 16 - June 4, 2005).

Braves starter Francisely Bueno (1-2, 4.13 ERA) became the 3rd straight starter in this series to make to the 7th inning. He was lifted with two on for Jose Ascanio who got the final two outs to get the Braves out of the jam. The Braves actually took the lead on JC Holt's first RBI of the season in the top of the 7th which would have made Bueno a winner, but Joey Devine was charged with his second blown save of the season as he gave up the lead in the bottom of the 9th. He allowed a lead off walk to Robert Valido who then stole second. He moved to third on a single by Chris Getz and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Cory Aldridge in foul territory.

Clint Sammons was the Braves Player of the Game as finished 2-for-5 while also throwing out two base runners. Van Pope hit a triple in his second straight game and is now tied for the League Lead in that category.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the Fourth Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Dan Smith (3-2, 2.33 ERA - #2 in League) to the hill in search of his fourth win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Jack Egbert (3-2, 2.61 ERA - #4 in League) who is also looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-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: 3:23 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,478

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 14-9 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 18-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 8-2 in one run games.
* The Braves improve to 20-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 3-1 in extra inning games.
* The Braves improve to 16-5 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 17-4 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 22-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 12 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $274 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 5 games - (8-21, .381)
* Van Pope - 2 games - (3-10, .300)
* Mark Jurich - 3 games - (5-12, .417)
* Matt Esquivel - 3 games - (5-11, .455)
* Carl Loadenthal - 19 games - (28-76, .368)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (4-13, .308)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus (0-5) - 11th inning single.
* Brent Lillibridge (0-7) - 1st inning single.
* Clint Sammons (0-15) - 9th inning single.

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Mike Rozema (0-7)
* Ray Serrano (0-15)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Blister Barons: W, 14-3

2007-05-13T19:30:00.000-05:00

The MS Braves put together their biggest inning in franchise history with a nine run 5th inning as they secured their seventh straight win over the Barons in front of an announced crowd of 1,895 at Regions Park. The Braves (25-12) pushed their lead in the South Division up to 4 games over the Jacksonville Sun. The Barons (17-20) dropped to 8 games behind the Braves for the Division Lead. The Braves have now won 7 straight against Birmingham to start the season. They have also won 5 of their last 6 after a season-long four game losing skid.

The Braves set new franchise highs in runs scored in a game (14), and runs scored in an inning (9). They tied franchise highs in walk in a game (10), and largest margin of victory (11 runs). Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak in the 3rd inning with a single. He has now hit safely in 18 straight games and has tied Scott Thorman for the Franchise Record (18 games - May 16 - June 4, 2005).

Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes (4-1, 3.45 ERA) faced one over the minimum through four while limiting the Barons to just one hit. After the near 40 minute 5th inning, Reyes gave up three runs on four hits but retired the final five batters he faced while lasting seven frames. Charlie Morton worked the final two innings allowing just a couple of hits.

Mark Jurich was the Braves Player of the Game as finished 2-for-4 while matching a career high with 5 RBIs. The middle three of the order (Esquivel, Creek, Jurich) finished 7-for-12 with 4 runs scored, 4 walks, 3 doubles and 11 RBIs. Van Pope broke out of an 0-16 slump with a two-run single in the 5th inning followed by a triple in the 6th inning. J.C. Holt was also 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the Third Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will not air due to the Rebel Yell Hotline. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (1-2, 4.58 ERA) to the hill still in search of his second win, while the Barons will counter with LHP Gio Gonzalez (4-2, 3.44 ERA) who is looking for his league-best fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-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: 2:42 --- ATTENDANCE: 1,895

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 13-9 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 8-2 in day games.
* The Braves improve to 19-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 20-6 when not allowin1g a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 16-4 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 21-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $262 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 4 games - (7-15, .467)
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (4-13, .308)
* Mark Jurich - 3 games - (5-12, .417)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games - (4-6, .667)
* Carl Loadenthal - 18 games - (26-72, .361)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (5-12, .417)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - (0-16) - 5th inning 2-RBI single.

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-3)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)
* Ray Serrano (0-15)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-7)
* Clint Sammons (0-12)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Steal Opener From Barons: W, 2-1

2007-05-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

The Braves rallied for two runs in the top of the 9th with two outs to
defeat the Barons for the sixth straight time this season in front of an
announced crowd of 4,085 at Regions Park. The Braves (24-12) pushed their
lead in the South Division back to 3 1/2 games over the Jacksonville Suns
(Suspended Game). The Barons (17-19) dropped to 7 games behind the Braves
for the Division Lead.

Greg Creek got the rally started in the ninth with his 10th double of the
season on a 2-2 pitch off of Mississippi native, Dewon Day with two outs.
Mike Rozema followed with a walk before Carl Loadenthal extended his
hitting streak in his final at-bat for the second straight game. He has
now hit safely in 17 straight games and is one shy of Scott Thorman for
the Franchise Record (18 games - May 16 - June 4, 2005)

Braves starter Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.02 ERA) worked around 7 hits while
allowing a 3rd inning run. Zach Schreiber gave up two hits in the 8th but
kept the Barons off the scoreboard. Joey Devine tossed the 9th for his
League Leading 10th save of the season.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Player of the Game as he extended his
hitting streak to a team-high 17 games with a two-strike two-out RBI
single in the 9th inning. He finished 1-for-4 with the RBI. J.C. Holt
finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk a double and 2 stolen bases.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Hoover, Alabama at Regions
Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the
Chicago White Sox, in the Second Game of their Southern League Series. The
Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's start things off at 1:05pm. The
First Pitch will follow at 2:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send
LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (3-1, 3.38 ERA) to the hill still in search of his fourth
win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Adam Russell (3-2, 2.29 ERA)
who is also looking for his fourth victory.

GAME TIME: 2:41 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,085

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 12-9 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 17-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 7-2 in one-run games.
* The Braves imrpove to 6-2 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves imrpove to 3-1 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 19-6 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves imrpove to 6-5 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 2-11 when trailing after eight innings.

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 3 games - (5-10, .500)
* Mark Jurich - 2 games - (3-8, .375)
* Carl Loadenthal - 17 games - (25-67, .373)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (5-12, .417)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Matt Esquivel - (0-6) - 4th inning single.

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Van Pope (0-14)
* Josh Burrus (0-6)
* Ray Serrano (0-11)
* Clint Sammons (0-12)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* 2B Diory Hernandez was reassigned to Myrtle Beach.

by
Bryan Eubank

MS Braves Arrive In Hoover, AL

2007-05-12T04:15:00.000-05:00

The MS Braves arrived in Hoover, Alabama around 3:00am Saturday morning in preparation for their 5-game series with the Birmingham Barons - the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Braves are coming off their 6th series win of the season and are enjoying a 3-game lead in the South Division. If you are headed to Hoover and Regions Park make sure you bring your FM Radio to tune in to the Braves Broadcast at 93.1 FM.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win 6th Series of the Year: W, 3-1

2007-05-12T04:05:00.000-05:00

Mark Jurich blooped a 6th inning RBI single to score Matt Esquivel as the Braves put the finishing touches on their 6th series win in front of an announced crowd of 5,194 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (23-12) pushed their lead in the South Division back to 3 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Diamond Jaxx (16-19) dropped back into a tie for third place, two games behind the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.

Braves starter Kelvin Villa (3-2, 4.96 ERA) was sharp as he scattered 4 hits and allowed just a Sac Fly to Matt Tuiasosopo for the only West Tenn run. Villa induced a Double Play to get out of a lead off walk to start the game. The D-Jaxx also loaded up the bases in the 5th inning only to see Villa wriggle off the hook with a lineout and groundout to Brent Lillibridge. Jose Ascanio tossed two scoreless innings of relief allowing just a single that was erased on a Jeff Frazier Double Play. Then Joey Devine tossed a perfect 9th to pick up his Southern League Leading 9th save. The Braves team ERA fell to 2.94 - they remained in first place in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 3.16 ERA.

Joey Devine was the Braves Player of the Game as he retired all three batters in a perfect 9th along with two strikeouts to pick up his League Best 9th save. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 16 games with a two-out bloop single in the 8th inning. He finished 1-for-4. Brandon Jones finished 2-for-4 at the plate while Matt Esquivel drew a pair of walks and scored his League Leading 28th run. West Tennessee's Jeff Frazier also extended his hitting streak to a season-high and Southern League best 18 games.

The Braves will start up a 5-game homestand in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the First Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's start things off at 6:05pm. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.35 ERA) to the hill still in search of his League Best fifth win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Kris Honel (1-1, 4.82 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-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: 5,194

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 16-10 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 12-3 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves imrpove to 18-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 5-3 when scoring three runs.
* The Braves imrpove to 5-2 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 18-6 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves imrpove to 3-0 in the last game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 20-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $248 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 2 games - (3-7, .429)
* Mark Jurich - 2 games - (3-8, .375)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games - (4-6, .667)
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (5-12, .417)
* Carl Loadenthal - 16 games - (24-63, .381)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* * Brandon Jones (0-8) - 3rd Inning RBI Double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Van Pope (0-11)
* Josh Burrus (0-6)
* Ray Serrano (0-11)
* Matt Esquivel (0-6)
* Clint Sammons (0-8)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

D-Jaxx Win Ugly Game 4: L, 9-5

2007-05-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

The Braves and D-Jaxx looked a lot like the weather Thursday night at Trustmark Park...UGLY. The two teams combined to commit 8 errors as the Diamond Jaxx won the error-prone game 9-5 over the Braves in front of an announced crowd of 3,196 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (22-12) had their lead in the South Division reduced to 2 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Diamond Jaxx (16-18) moved into sole possession of second place, a game behind the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.

Braves starter Dan Smith (3-2, 2.33 ERA) had one of his worst outings as he allowed a season-high 6 walks while giving up 3 runs (only one earned). In fact of the 9 D-Jaxx runs only 3 were earned. Charlie Morton and Michael Nix gave up a combined 6 runs (2 earned) in their 2 1/3 innings of work. Brad Nelson worked the final 1 2/3 to keep the team ERA at 3.00 - they remained in first place in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 3.23 ERA.

Mark Jurich was the Braves Player of the Game as he belted his 1st Homerun of the year while driving in a season-high 4 RBIs while finishing 2-for-4 at the plate. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 15 games with a 4th inning leadoff single. He finished 2-for-4. J.C. Holt made his return to the Braves and went 2-for-4 as well. The big problem was the heart of the order as Brandon Jones, Matt Esquivel and Greg Creek finished the night 0-for-12 at the plate.

West Tennessee's Jeff Frazier extended his hitting streak to a season-high and Southern League best 17 games. The top two in their order finished 7-for-11 with 5 runs scored.

The Braves will wrap up a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamon Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the Final Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's start things off at 6:05pm. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (2-2, 5.74 ERA) to the hill still in search of his third win, while the Diamond Jaxx will counter with RHP Joe Woerman (0-0, 4.91 ERA) who is still looking for his elusive first 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: 3:08 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,196

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 15-10 in night games.
* The Braves fall to 5-5 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 11-3 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves fall to 15-4 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 15-5 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 19-3 when leading after seven innings.
* The Braves registered 4 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $239 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Carl Loadenthal - 15 games - (23-59, .390)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games - (4-6, .667)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games - (4-8, .500)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 4 games - (5-14, .357)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games - (3-6, .500)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games - (3-7, .429)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Mark Jurich (0-5) - 2nd Inning Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Josh Burrus (0-6)
* Matt Esquivel (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-8)
* Brandon Jones (0-5)
* Van Pope (0-8) - DNP
* Ray Serrano (0-7) - DNP
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* J.C. Holt activated from the Disabled List.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves End Losing Skid: W, 6-1

2007-05-09T00:29:00.000-05:00

The Southern League Leading MS Braves ended their season-high 4 game losing streak as they defeated the Diamond Jaxx 6-1 in front of an announced crowd of 3,048 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (21-11) maintained their lead in the South Division at 3 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Diamond Jaxx (15-17) remained a game behind the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.

Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes (3-1, 3.38 ERA) was able to pitch around 5 base hits and 7 base runners in the frist four innings allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly. After that run scored Jo-Jo Reyes retired the final eight batters he faced before being lifted in the 6th inning. Jose Ascanio entered and combined with Reyes to retire 18 of the final 19 D-Jaxx batters.

The Braves team ERA fell to 3.06 and they moved back into first place in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 3.09 ERA.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he belted his first triple of the year along with his Southern League Leading 9th Homer and 28th RBI of the season...He also scored 3 times to add to his League Lead now up to 27. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games with a 3rd inning sinble. He finished 2-for-5.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamon Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the Third Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's start things off at 6:05pm. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (0-2, 6.17 ERA) to the hill still in search of his elusive first win, while the Diamond Jaxx will counter with LHP Robert Rohrbaugh (3-2, 2.81 ERA) who is looking for his fourth 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: 2:37 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,048

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 14-9 in night games.
* The Braves improve to 10-2 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves improve to 16-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 14-4 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 15-3 when scoring four or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 18-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $235 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (4-10, .400)
* Mike Rozema - 3 games - (3-10, .300) - DNP
* Clint Sammons - 3 games - (4-12, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 13 games - (19-51, .373)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (4-11, .364)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Matt Esquivel (0-13) - 5th inning Triple

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Ray Serrano (0-7) - DNP
* Mark Jurich (0-5) - DNP
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)
* Diory Hernandez (0-9)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Anthony Lerew to Start for Atlanta Tonight

2007-05-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Entering the 2005 season, Anthony Lerew was the fifth rated prospect in the Braves organization and the second highest rated pitcher in the farm system. After going 8-9 at Myrtle Beach the previous year, Lerew prepared for AA and a possible jump to the big leagues in '05.

The 6'3" righty did little to shake that notion, going 6-2 with an ERA of 3.93 through 14 games in Mississippi including the only full complete game in Mississippi Braves history. He struck out 64 while walking 32 before his promotion to AAA Richmond on June 25.

To further his prospect status, Lerew tossed a shutout inning for the US team in the '05 Futures Game.
As it turned out, he did get that call up to Atlanta in '05. Lerew recieved a September call-up and made seven appearances for the big club down the stretch.

Unfortunately, 2006 wasn't as kind to Lerew. He started the year in AAA Richmond where he suffered a back strain that sidelined him for two weeks. After returning from the DL, Lerew was sent back to AA Mississippi to work with Pitching Coach Kent Willis, now the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Braves entire minor league system.

The move payed off as Lerew returned to form and was named the M-Braves Pitcher of the Month for July after going 4-1 with an ERA of 0.76 in six games. He then returned to Richmond in early August to finish out the year.

Now in 2007, Lerew has been dominate. His patience and hard work have payed off as he will start for Atlanta tonight. While in AAA Richmond this year, Lerew was 1-0 with an ERA of 1.37.

by
Nick Skinner

Braves Done in By D-Jaxx: L, 6-1

2007-05-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

The West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx continued their winning ways Monday night as they picked up a series opening 6-1 win over the Southern League Leading MS Braves in front of an announced crowd of 2,453 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (20-11) were dealt their fourth straight loss as the D-Jaxx (15-16) picked up their seventh win in their last nine games. The Braves lead in the South Division stayed at 3 games as the Jacksonville Suns lost to the Birmingham Barons.

Braves ace Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.35 ERA) was anything but, as he allowed 6 runs on 6 hits while walking two and striking out two. Three of the runs he allowed were scored with two outs. D-Jaxx starter and converted reliever, Juan Done (2-2, 2.45 ERA) allowed just an unearned run to lead off the first. After allowing a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the first Done retired 15 of the final 18 batters he faced. Both bullpens were solid as neither allowed a run and only yielded three hits.

The Braves team ERA rose 3.13 and they have fallen to second in the Southern League behind Birmingham - 3.08 ERA.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Player of the Game as he extended his hitting streak to a team-high 12 games with an 5th inning double. He also scored the only run for the Braves after reaching on an error to start the game.

The Braves will continue a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamon Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the Second Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's start things off at 6:05pm. The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (2-1, 3.69 ERA) to the hill still in search of his third win, while the Diamond-Jaxx will counter with RHP Andy Baldwin (0-2, 4.15 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: 2:31 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,453

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 13-9 in night games.
* The Braves fall to 9-2 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves fall to 15-7 when scoring first.
* The Braves fall to 5-6 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 5-2 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 2-8 when trailing after six innings.
* The Braves fall to 2-1 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $229 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games - (2-7, .286)
* Mike Rozema - 3 games - (3-10, .300)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games - (3-8, .375)
* Brent Lillibridge - 3 games - (4-11, .364)
* Carl Loadenthal - 12 games - (17-46, .370)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brandon Jones - 5 games - (7-21, .333)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Ray Serrano (0-7) - DNP
* Mark Jurich - (0-5)
* Matt Esquivel (0-12)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

WIN MS BRAVES TICKETS: Trivia Contest

2007-05-07T11:24:00.000-05:00

To win tickets to a future Braves game try your hand at answering the following question correctly. Those who answer correctly will be put into a drawing for 4 tickets to a game in the next Braves Homestand (5.17-5.27 vs Tennessee & Montgomery) at Trustmark Park. Congrats to James Blakely for winning the Question #3.

QUESTION: Who had the last five-hit game for the MS Braves?

Click here to send in your answer.

PREVIOUS QUESTION: What is the longest winning streak the MS Braves have put together in their brief three-year existence?

ANSWER: 7 games (Two Times) 05/28/05 – 06/04/05 and 05/29/06 – 06/04/06

by
Bryan Eubank

Three Braves Tossed in Finale Loss: L, 9-6

2007-05-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

Long balls were the theme in Montgomery on Sunday afternoon as the Braves and Biscuits each hit a pair of homeruns as the Biscuits topped the Braves in the series finale 9-6. The game was complete with fireworks on the field as Manager Phillip Wellman, Outfielder Matt Esquivel and Pitcher Zach Schreiber were all tossed in the 6th inning arguing balls and strikes. The Biscuits (15-15) became the first team to take a series from the Braves (20-10) this season and also send them to their third straight loss in front of an announced crowd of 3,993 at Riverwalk Stadium. The Braves lead in the South Division has been trimmed to 3 games by the Jacksonville Suns.

Braves starter Kelvin Villa (2-2, 2.41 ERA) struggled giving up 6 runs in the first three innings on a season-high 10 hits. The bullpen was strong until the 7th when Brad Nelson gave up a costly 3-run Homerun to John Jaso that just snuck out over the right field wall that pushed the lead to 6 for Montgomery. The Braves ERA skyrocketed to 3.03 but they still remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 3.09 ERA.

The middle relief was the story for the Biscuits as they held the Braves scoreless and limited them to just 1 hit from the 5th through the 8th innings while surrendering 4 walks in the process.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Player of the Game as he picked up his second multi-homerun game of the road trip while becoming the second Brave to drive in 5 runs in this series (Josh Burrus drove in 5 in Game 1). Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 11 games with an infield single in the top of the 9th.

The Braves will start up a 5-game homestand in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamon Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the First Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will not air due to the Rebel Yell Hotline. The broadcast will begin at approximately 7:00pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-0, 2.14 ERA) to the hill still in search of his league-leading fifth win, while the Diamond-Jaxx will counter with RHP Juan Done (1-2, 3.00 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: 2:47 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,993

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 7-2 in day games.
* The Braves fall to 11-9 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 13-4 with a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 5-5 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 4-2 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 1-2 in the last game of a road trip.
* The Braves fall to 5-4 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $219 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mike Rozema - 2 games - (2-6, .333) - DNP
* Brandon Jones - 5 games - (7-21, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 11 games - (16-42, .381)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games - (3-8, .375)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - 3 games - (4-10, .400)
* Ray Serrano - 2 games - (2-8, .250) - (0-4)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Van Pope (0-12) - 4th inning RBI single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Ray Serrano (0-7)
* Matt Esquivel (0-7)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Biscuits Blank Braves: L, 4-0

2007-05-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

Evan Longoria took a day off on Friday night and apparently it was exactly what the doctor ordered as he drove in 3 Saturday night to single-handedly defeat the Braves 4-0 in front of the 4th largest crowd at Riverwalk Stadium of 7,354. The Biscuits also honored their 1 millionth fan as the Biscuits (14-15) forced the Rubber Match Sunday afternoon in Montgomery. The Braves (20-9) still remain 5 games ahead of the Barons and Suns in the South Division Standings. It was just the second time the Braves have been shutout this season.

Braves starter Dan Smith (3-2, 2.41 ERA) tossed three perfect innings before giving up two runs on three hits in the 4th inning. He allowed another run in the 5th inning on an RBI Fielder's Choice hit into by Brooks Badeaux with the bases loaded.
The Braves ERA rose slightly to 2.81 but they still remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.91 ERA. The Braves will have one more chance to win their 6th straight series. They finally lost their second game in a row this season.

Clint Sammons was the Braves Player of the Game as he collected his first two AA hits, finishing 2-for-4 on the night. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 10 games.

The Braves will wrap up a ten-day road trip 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 1:05pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 2:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (2-1, 4.18 ERA) to the hill still in search of his third win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Jon Barratt(0-0, 0.00 ERA) who joins the Biscuits from extended Srping Training. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:07 --- ATTENDANCE: 7,354

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 11-8 on the road.
* Matt Esquivel had his 5-game RBI streak end.
* The Braves fall to 5-3 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves registered 4 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $213 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Josh Burrus - 3 games - (4-10, .400)
* Mike Rozema - 2 games - (2-6, .333) - DNP
* Ray Serrano - 2 games - (2-8, .250) - DNP
* Brandon Jones - 4 games - (5-17, .294)
* Carl Loadenthal - 10 games - (15-38, .395)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 6 games - (10-20, .500)
* Matt Esquivel - 7 games - (11-24, .458)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Clint Sammons (0-5) - 5th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Van Pope (0-11)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Strand Eleven in Loss: L, 7-4

2007-05-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi Braves left eleven men stranded on the base paths Friday night as the Biscuits used a four-run 2nd inning to halt their four game losing streak in front of 5,801 fans at Riverwalk Stadium. The Braves (20-8) dropped their first decision at Riverwalk Stadium but remain 5 games ahead of the Barons and Suns in the South Division Standings.

Braves lefty Francisely Bueno (0-2, 6.12 ERA) struggled through three innings giving up five runs while walking one and not striking out a single batter. Jose Ascanio was brilliant in his first three innings of relief as he retired the Biscuits in order on 22 pitches. In his fourth inning of work (7th) he doubled his pitch total and gave up two huge insurance runs for Montgomery after the Braves had just made it a one-run game. The Braves ERA rose slightly to 2.76 but they still remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.98 ERA.

The Biscuits (13-15) gave the Braves multiple chances to get back in the game before Greg Norton (making his first Major League Rehab appearance), ripped a two-run double off Ascanio to give the Biscuits a three-run advantage. Biscuits starter Chris Mason (4-0, 1.87 ERA) notched his fourth straight win as he struck out six and scattered six hits. It was the first game of the series that a Biscuits starter made it out of the 4th inning. Dale Thayer picked up a four-out save and moved into a tie for second in the league with his 5th save of the year.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game with an RBI double, two walks a run scored, and a Sac Fly to bump his Southern League Leading RBI total to 26. He also set a new season record of 6 straight games with an RBI. Matt is also still the current League Leader in Homeruns (8 HR), RBIs (26)and Runs Scored (24).

Clint Sammons made his AA debut and went 0-4 at the plate with 3 strikeouts as he was promoted to fill in for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Ray Serrano is the back-up catcher. Carl Loadenthal extended his hitting streak to a team-high 9 games, tying Jarrod Saltalamacchia (14-34, .412 - April 16-25). Greg Creek also belted his 1st homerun of the season which tied the game 1-1 in the 2nd inning.

The Braves will have two more chances to win their 7th straight series. They have never lost two in a row this season, as they are 7-0 when following a loss.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Dan Smith (4-1, 1.95 ERA) to the hill still in search of his League-best 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Mike Prochaska (0-3, 6.46 ERA) who is still looking for his first victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,801

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 11-7 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 13-3 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 14-2 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 5-2 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves fall to 14-2 when scoring 4 or more after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 1 more strikeout on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $209 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 6 games - (10-20, .500)
* Josh Burrus - 2 games - (2-7, .286) - DNP
* Mike Rozema - 2 games - (2-6, .333) - DNP
* Ray Serrano - 2 games - (2-8, .250) - DNP
* Brandon Jones - 3 games - (4-13, .308)
* Matt Esquivel - 7 games - (11-24, .458)
* Carl Loadenthal - 9 games - (13-35, .371)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games - (2-8, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Mark Jurich - (0-10) - 6th inning double
* Diory Hernandez - (0-7) - 2nd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-3)
* Van Pope (0-7)
* Clint Sammons (0-4)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Clint Sammons - promoted from Myrtle Beach
* Fernando Lunar - place on Disabled List (retroactive to 4.28)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Batter Biscuits Again: W, 7-4

2007-05-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

Matt Esquivel launched his League-Leading 7th Homerun as the Braves dealt the Biscuits their fourth straight loss in front of 7,010 screaming fans at Riverwalk Stadium. The 7-4 win was the Braves 3rd straight win and their 20th on the season. The Braves (20-7) picked up another half game over the Barons and Suns as they both are scheduled to play tonight.

Jo-Jo Reyes (2-1, 3.69 ERA) threw 3 hitless innings before the Biscuits picked up 4 hits in their three-run 4th inning. He gave up one more run in the 5th before retiring the final two batters he faced. Brad Nelson tossed two perfect innings of relief while Zach Schreiber retired 3 straight after a lead-off walk in the 8th. Joey Devine gave up a hit to the Biscuit in the 9th which was their first since the 5th inning. He retired the final two batters to notch his League-Leading 7th save of the season and 6th straight overall. The Braves ERA rose slightly to 2.63 and they remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.75 ERA.

The Biscuits (12-15) gave up runs in each of the first four innings and could never dig out of the hole. Biscuits starter Derek Feldkamp (0-4, 5.16 ERA) was denied his first win of the season as he allowed 6 runs on 6 hits through 4 innings. It was the second straight game the Braves chased the starter before the 5th inning. The Biscuits ran through 3 more relievers who allowed just the run in the 8th.

Ray Serrano was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game with a double and three runs scored from the 9th spot in the batting order. The Braves registered 7 more stolen bases which was 2 shy of their team record 9 set in Mobile on Tuesday.

Matt Esquivel extended his RBI streak to 5 straight games and he is the current League Leader in Homeruns (8 HR), RBIs (24)and Runs Scored (23). The Braves lead the league in ERA (2.63), Shutouts (3), HRs Allowed (10), Opponents Batting Average (.209), Runs Scored (134), Stolen Bases (46).

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (0-1, 4.15 ERA) to the hill still in search of his second win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Chris Mason (3-0, 1.26 ERA) who is looking to stay perfect with his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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 --- ATTENDANCE: 7,010

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 11-6 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 15-6 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 13-2 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 14-1 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 17-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $208 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 5 games - (9-17, .529)
* Josh Burrus - 2 games - (2-7, .286) - DNP
* Mike Rozema - 2 games - (2-6, .333)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games - (3-8, .375)
* Matt Esquivel - 6 games - (10-21, .476)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games - (11-30, .367)
* Brent Lillibridge - 2 games - (2-8, .250)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 8 games - (13-30, .433)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Slam Biscuits in Opener: W, 9-1

2007-05-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

Josh Burrus belted his 2nd career Grand Slam as a MS Brave to help punctuate a five-run 4th inning s the Braves routed the Biscuits 9-1 in their Southern League series opener in front of 2,675 fans at Riverwalk Stadium.

Matt Harrsion (4-0, 2.14 ERA) tossed 8 scoreless innings before being chased by back-to-back hits to start the 9th. He gave up one-run and scattered 7 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts to stay perfect on the year. The run he allowed in the 9th ended a 14 2/3 scoreless inning streak. The Braves (19-7) pushed their lead to 5 games in the South Division over the Suns and Barons and 7 games over the Biscuits and BayBears. The Braves ERA dropped to 2.57 and they remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.75 ERA.

The Biscuits (12-14) finally solved Matt Harrison in the 9th inning as Reid Brignac led off with a double and Evan Longoria followed with an RBI single to chase Harrison from the game. Charlie Morton induced a 6-4-3 double play on the first pitch before getting Gabriel Martinez to ground out to Hernandez to end the game on just 4 pitches. Biscuits starter Chris Seddon (2-2, 5.29 ERA) struggled to find the strike zone as he allowed 3 walks and gave up 6 runs in his four innings of work. The Biscuits ran through 4 relievers after that with Evan Meek the only Biscuit to prevent the Braves from picking up a hit.

Matt Harrison was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game with 8 innings pitched (Longest outing by a starter this season)and his 4th victory. Other stats - (7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 BK). Every Brave but Van Pope registered a base hit Wednesday night although Pope did pick up two walks. The 5 RBIs by Burrus is a season high for the Braves this year.

Matt Esquivel extended his RBI streak to 4 straight games and he is the current League Leader in Homeruns (T-1st-7 HR), RBIs (22)and Runs Scored (22). The Braves lead the league in ERA (2.57), Shutouts (3), HRs Allowed (10), Opponents Batting Average (.209), Runs Scored (127), Stolen Bases (39).

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 10:05am (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 10:35am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (1-1, 3.04 ERA) to the hill still in search of his second win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Derek Feldkamp (0-3, 4.21 ERA) who is still looking for his first victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:25 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,675

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 10-6 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 14-6 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 12-2 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 13-1 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 16-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 4 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $203 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 3 games - (7-12, .583)
* Josh Burrus - 2 games - (2-7, .286)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games - (9-17, .529)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games - (10-27, .370)
* Diory Hernandez - 8 games - (13-30, .433)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Brent Lillibridge (0-8) - Double in the 9th

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play

TRANSACTIONS:
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia was promoted to ATLANTA.
* Ray Serrano was activated from the Disabled List.

by
Bryan Eubank

Salty Promoted to Atlanta

2007-05-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

On his 22nd birthday, Jarrod Saltalamacchia got the call of his dreams, he was promoted to Atlanta to start in his first Major League ballgame. He was called to replace the injured backstops Brian McCann and Brayan Pena. Salty will bat 7th in the lineup. Pena was placed on the 15 DL. Ray Serrano will start tonight behind the plate for Saltalamacchia as the Braves battle the Biscuits.

Saltalamacchia becomes the 8th Mississippi Brave promoted directly to Atlanta and the 17th Mississippi Brave promoted to the big leagues overall. He also becomes the player with the longest last name in Major League History.

For more from the Atlanta Braves Website click here.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Survive 9th Inning Scare: W, 9-8

2007-05-01T15:45:00.001-05:00

The Mobile BayBears brought the winning run to the plate in the 9th inning in the midst of a 3-run frame so the Braves countered with Joey Devine. Devine gave up a two-run single to Carlos Gonzalez before striking out Jarred Ball to end the ballgame and pick up his League leading 6th save of the season. With the win the Braves clinched their fifth straight series in front of 5,321 fans at Hank Aaron Stadium that also witnessed the Braves longest 9 inning game of the season (3 hours 25 minutes).

Matt Esquivel belted his League-leading 7th Homerun of the season, becoming the first MS Brave to hit a homerun in three straight games. He also leads the team and the League with 21 RBIs. Greg Creek had a base hit in each of his first three at-bats while driving in a pair of runs. The Braves (18-7) pushed their lead back to 4 games in the South Division over the idle Barons.

The BayBears (12-13) fought hard in this game getting to withing two runs twice before making it a one-run game in the 9th. Braves starter Kelvin Villa (2-1, 4.18 ERA) was unable to make it out of the 5th inning as he surrendered 4 runs on 6 hits and a solo Homerun to Chris Rahl. The Braves ERA rose to 2.64 but they still remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.72 ERA. BayBears starter Osbeck Castillo (1-1, 6.61 ERA) was roughed up for 4 runs in four innings of work.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game 2-for-3 with a solo HR, 3 RBIs and 2 Runs. Diory Hernandez had his fifth straight 2-hit game and raised his batting average to a team-best .400. Greg Creek also had a 2-hit performance.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (3-0, 2.45 ERA) to the hill still in search of his fourth win, while the Biscuits will counter with LHP Chris Seddon (2-1, 4.50 ERA) who is seeking his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 3:25 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,321

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 9-6 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 13-6 when scoring first.
* The Braves registered a season high in walks (8).
* The Braves improve to 11-2 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 12-1 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 15-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $199 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games - (5-9, .556)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games - (7-13, .538)
* Carl Loadenthal - 6 games - (9-23, .391) - DNP
* Diory Hernandez - 7 games - (12-25, .480)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0-10) - (Double in 5th)
* Josh Burrus (0-14) - (Infield Single in 8th)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-6) - Pinch Hit in the 8th
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Give One Away to BayBears: L, 4-3

2007-04-30T22:15:00.000-05:00

The Mobile BayBears rode a pair of two-run homers to victory Monday night over the League Leading Mississippi Braves in front of 4,366 fans at Hank Aaron Stadium. Chris Rahl belted his 2nd Homerun of the season in the 5th to tie the game and Javier Brito launched his 2nd Homerun of the season, to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th. The Braves and Barons both lost so their lead stays at 3 1/2 games in the South Division.

The Braves (17-7) finished their best April in their 3-year history in Mississippi with 17 wins. It was also their second best month on record as they finished with 18 wins in the May of 2005.

It was billed as a pitcher's duel as both starters came in with sub 2.00 ERA's but neither factored in the decision as the BayBears (12-12) stole one away from the Braves. BayBears starter Matt Green (3-0, 1.61 ERA) gave up all 3 runs and both homers in his seven innings of work. He did avoid giving up a walk while striking out 9 Braves batters. Braves starter Dan Smith (3-1, 1.95 ERA) was a little erratic at times doubling his walk total for the season while striking out 5 and giving up the first two-run homerun to Rahl. The Braves ERA rose back to 2.45 but they still remain in first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.72 ERA.

Matt Esquivel claimed the RBI lead with his solo shot in the 2nd inning, only to see Brandon Jones tie him back up in the 6th inning with his line-drive homer off the right field wall. It was the second time Esquivel has homered in back-to-back games. The other Braves run came in the 5th as Greg Creek and Diory Hernandez belted back-to-back doubles to score Creek.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game 1-for-4 with a solo HR ending a 0-13 hitless streak and breaking a 2-2 tie in the 6th inning. Diory Hernandez had his fifth straight 2-hit game and raised his batting average to a team-best .400. Greg Creek also had a 2-hit performance.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Final Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 11:05am (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 11:35am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (2-1, 3.72 ERA) to the hill in search of his third win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Osbeck Castillo (1-0, 5.84 ERA) who is seeking his second victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:25 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,366

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 8-6 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 12-6 when scoring first.
* The Braves fell to 4-4 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 10-2 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 14-2 when leading after seven innings.
* The Braves had their 9th multi-homer game of the season. They are 2nd in the League with 23 HRs.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $190 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Matt Esquivel - 3 games - (5-10, .500)
* Carl Loadenthal - 6 games - (9-23, .391)
* Diory Hernandez - 6 games - (11-21, .524)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope - 3 games - (3-12, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Brandon Jones (0-13) - (Solo Homerun in 6th)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Brent Lillibridge (0-5)
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0-9)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play
* Josh Burrus (0-12) - Pinch Hit in the 9th

TRANSACTIONS:
* Jonathan Schuerholz was promoted to AAA Richmond.
* Mike Rozema was promoted from High A Myrtle Beach.
(These are due to the promotion of Willie Harris to Atlanta, after the Ryan Langerhans trade to Oakland)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Get Back in Win Column: W, 5-2

2007-04-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

The Braves wasted little time getting back in the win column as they took care of the BayBears 5-2 in front of a Sunday afternoon crowd of 2,902 at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Braves (17-6) avoided their first ever two-game losing streak by riding the bat of Matt Esquivel and the arm of new MS Brave Brad Nelson (1-0, 2.70 ERA). With the win the Braves pushed their lead back to to 3 1/2 games in the South Division over the Birmingham Barons.

Braves starter Francisely Bueno (0-1, 4.15 ERA) was chased out of the ballgame in the first inning as Mark Reynolds belted a ball off the lower back of Bueno. He wanted to stay in the game but the coaching staff took him out for precautionary purposes. Brad Nelson made his first AA appearance in fine fashion limiting the BayBears (11-12) to just one run on 3 hits while picking up his first win as well.

Matt Esquivel was the story offensively as he scored his first three times to the plate on a walk, single and his
5th Homerun of the season, which came with two outs in the 5th inning. He is now tied with Brandon Jones with 17 RBIs. The Braves got another long ball in the 7th inning as Brent Lillibridge belted his first homer of the season to lead off the frame and complete the scoring for the Braves.

Ryan Basner and Zach Schreiber kept the BayBears off the scoreboard and kept their ERA's unblemisehd. Joey Devine tossed a perfect 9th inning for his League Leading 5th save of the season. The Braves ERA fell back to 2.38 and they moved back into first in the Southern League ahead of Birmingham - 2.58 ERA.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game 2-for-3 with a solo HR and 3 runs scored. Diory Hernandez had his fourth straight 2-hit game and raised his batting average to a team-best .383. Lillibridge and Jurich also collected 2-hit performances.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will not air due to the Rebel Yell Hotline at 6pm (CT), while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Dan Smith (3-1, 1.64 ERA) to the hill in search of his fourth win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Matt Green (3-0, 0.86 ERA) who is seeking his fourth victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:43 --- ATTENDANCE: 2,902

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 8-5 on the road.
* The Braves fell to 10-1 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 5-1 when their opponenet scores first.
* The Braves improve to 14-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves had their 8th multi-homer game of the season. They are now 2nd in the League with 21 HRs.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $182 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Van Pope - 3 games - (3-12, .250)
* Carl Loadenthal - 5 games - (8-19, .421)
* Diory Hernandez - 5 games - (9-18, .500)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Brent Lillibirdge (0-7) - (2-5, HR, Run, RBI)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Matt Esquivel (0-11) - (2-3, Run, Walk)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Brandon Jones (0-11) - Did Not Play
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play
* Josh Burrus (0-11) - Pinch Hit in the 8th
* Jonathan Schuerholz (0-8) - Did Not Play

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

BayBears End Braves Streak: L, 6-3

2007-04-28T22:56:00.000-05:00

Cesar Nicolas nearly beat the Braves all by himself as he drove in four runs while collecting three hits helping end the Braves season-high 6-game win streak in front of an announced crowd of 5,136 at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Braves (16-6) had their lead over the Barons decrease to 2 1/2 games in the South Division as the Barons beat the Stars for the third straight time at Regions Park tonight.

The Braves scored first in their 17th game this season as Carl Loadenthal reached second base on an error by Ronnie Merrill, was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brent Liillibridge and then scored on an RBI groundout by Brandon Jones. The lead was short lived as Cesar Nicholas belted his 2nd Homerun of the season to tie the game in the 2nd frame. The BayBears (11-11) added to their lead with a 3-run 4th inning keyed by a Nicholas two-run single. Nicholas added his final RBI in the 6th by driving in Josh Ford to make it 5-1. The BayBears capped their scoring in the 7th with a sacrifice fly by Mark Reynolds. The Braves tried a 9th inning comeback as Van Pope drove in Saltalamacchia and Esquivel to cut the lead in half. But then Diory Hernandez and pinch-hitter Mark Jurich bounced out to short to end the game.

Jo-Jo Reyes (1-1, 3.04 ERA) suffered his first loss of the season as did the Braves when he pitches. Jose Ascanio tossed 1 2/3 innings giving up just a single run on one hit and two walks. Zach Schreiber tossed a perfect 8th inning in relief as well. The Braves ERA rose to 2.39 and now they are second in the Southern League behind Birmingham - 2.38 ERA.

Esmerling Vasquez (2-2, 3.21 ERA) was brilliant keeping the Braves offense off balance all night while striking out 5 and retiring 11 in a row at one point.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Player of the Game as he finished the game 2-for-3 and ended an 0-for-11 slump in the process. Diory Hernandez had his third straight 2-hit night and raised his batting average to a team-best .372.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 1:05pm, while the First Pitch will follow at 2:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (1-1, 3.38 ERA) to the hill in search of his second win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Jonthan Castellanos (2-2, 2.70 ERA) who is seeking his third victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:49 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,136

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 7-5 on the road.
* The Braves fell to 12-5 when scoring first.
* The Braves fell to 3-3 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fell to 1-5 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $177 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Carl Loadenthal - 4 games - (7-15, .467)
* Diory Hernandez - 4 games - (7-14, .500)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Matt Esquivel (0-11 - (2-3, Run, Walk)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Jonathan Schuerholz (0-8) - Did Not Play
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play
* Josh Burrus (0-10) - Pinch Hit in the 8th

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Run Streak to Six Straight, W, 8-2

2007-04-27T22:45:00.000-05:00

Brandon Jones' first ever two-homerun night lifted the Braves to an 8-2 victory over the Mobile BayBears in front of a Friday night crowd of 4,490 at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Braves (16-5) increased their win streak to six straight games and are now leading the Barons by 3.5 games in the South Division.

The Braves scored first in their 16th game this season as Greg Creek scored from first on a ball Van Pope drilled under the legs of third baseman, Mark Reynolds. Pope wound up at second on the error. Brandon Jones' first homer of the night came in the next frame as he drilled an 0-2 pitch over the right-center field fence. The Braves added to the lead with a bases-loaded Fielder's Choice RBI by Brent Lillibridge. Then Jones finished off Mobile (10-11) with his 3-run shot which screamed over the right field wall.

Matt Harrison (3-0, 2.45 ERA) took advantage of the offense from the Braves by limiting the BayBears to just 2 hits in his 6 innings of work. He also struck out 3 while giving up 2 walks. Charlie Morton gave up a walk and a double to start the 7th. The first run came into score on a wild pitch while the second run scored on a RBI groundout by Chris Rahl. Michael Nix tossed the final two innings of scoreless relief. He did allow two hits and a walk in the 9th, but induced a double play and caught Wilkin Castillo looking with the bases loaded to end the game. The Braves lowered their team ERA down to a Southern League Leading 2.26.

Chris Kinsey (0-3, 6.12 ERA) gave up the two homeruns to Jones but retired the final 5 batters he faced after that to end his night. Matt Wilkinson gave up the two-run single to Diory Hernandez in the 8th to give the Braves back their 6-run lead.

Brandon Jones was the Player of the Game as he finished the game 2-for-4 with 2 Runs scored and 4 RBIs. He is now tied with Matt Esquivel for the team lead in RBIs (16). Carl Loadenthal, Greg Creek and Diory Hernandez also had two-hit nights. Hernandez raised his batting average to a team-best .359. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's team high hit streak ended at 9 games with an 0-for-5 performance.

The Braves will continue a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm, while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0, 1.69 ERA) to the hill in search of his second win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Esmerling Vasquez (1-2, 4.09 ERA) who is seeking his second victory as well. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:50 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,490

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improved to 7-4 on the road.
* The Braves improved to 12-4 when scoring first.
* The Braves improved to 4-1 in the series opener.
* The Braves improved to 9-1 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improved to 2-1 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improved to 13-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $169 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games - (6-11, .545)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games - (5-10, .500)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 9 games - (14-34, .412) (Team High)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Jonathan Schuerholz (0-8)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - Did Not Play
* Matt Esquivel (0-8)
* Josh Burrus (0-9) - Did Not Bat

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Joe Winkelsas promoted to AAA Richmond
* RHP Brad Nelson promoted to AA Mississippi from A Myrtle Beach

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Sweep Barons Back to B'Ham:W,5-2

2007-04-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

The MS Braves pulled off their first-ever 5-game sweep in team history with a 5-2 victory over the Birmingham Barons in front of a Wednesday afternoon crowd of 4,208 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (15-5) increased their lead to four games in the South Division over the Barons (11-9) and Suns (11-9).

The Braves got on the board early as Jarrod Saltalamacchia ripped a two-run double off the first base bag scoring Loadenthal and Lillibridge. The Braves have now outscored their opponents 16-5 in the first inning this season. The Braves have also scored first in 15 of their first 20 games.

Kelvin Villa (2-1, 3.72 ERA) struggled early giving up a two-run homer to Donny Lucy that tied the game in the 2nd. The Braves answered, however, in the bottom of the 2nd as Loadenthal dropped a single down the left field line to score a pair and Mark Jurich hit a Sac Fly to right to bring home the third run of the inning. The Braves outscored the Barons 19-9 in the series. The Barons managed to send more than 4 batters to the plate in just 8 of the 45 innings.

The bullpen for the Braves was lights out once again as Jose Ascanio and Ryan Basner kept the Barons from getting a baserunner in the 6th, 7th and 8th. Joey Devine pitched around a lead-off single thanks to a dynamite double play started by Van Pope for his League-Leading fourth save of the season. The Braves lowered their team ERA down to a Southern League Leading 2.27.

Kris Honel (1-1, 4.61 ERA) lasted just 3 innings giving up all 5 runs on 5 hits while walking a batter and hitting a batter and striking out 5. The Barons bullpen was solid pitching 5 scoreless innings of relief to keep the Barons in the game.

Carl Loadenthal was the Player of the Game as he finished the game 3-for-4 with 2 Runs scored and 2 RBIs. Brent Lillibridge had a great game going 3-for-3 at the plate while scoring once and drawing a walk to reach base safely all 4 times he came to the plate. Diory Hernandez raised his batting average to .343 with a 2-for-3 performance. And finally Jarrod Saltalamacchia's first inning single improved his team high hit streak to 9 games.

The Braves will enjoy an off day on Thursday and start up a ten-day road trip with 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 Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will start things off at 6:05pm, while the First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (2-0, 3.20 ERA) to the hill in search of his third win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Chris Kinsey (0-2, 5.68 ERA) who is seeking his first victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Hank Aaron Stadium 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: 2:28 --- ATTENDANCE: 4,208

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improved to 9-1 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves improved to 3-1 in three-run games.
* The Braves improved to 11-4 when scoring first.
* The Braves improved to 3-1 in the series finale.
* The Braves improved to 3-2 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improved to 2-0 in the last game of a homestand.
* The Braves improved to 12-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves had their streak of at least one extra base in every game end.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $163 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 9 games - (14-34, .412) (Team High)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 7 games - (10-24, .417) - (0-4)
* Mark Jurich - 7 games - (10-24, .417) - (0-2)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Jonathan Schuerholz (0-7) - Did Not Play
* Fernando Lunar (0-11)
* Josh Burrus (0-9) - Did Not Bat

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Smith & Salty Push Streak to Four: W, 4-1

2007-04-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Dan Smith tossed 7 effective innings while Jarrod Saltalamacchia collected his second 2-Homer game of the season to propel the Braves to their fourth straight win over the Barons in front of a Tuesday night crowd of 3,287 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (14-5) increased their lead to three games in the South Division over the Barons (11-8) and they will go for the sweep Wednesday morning at 11:05am(CT).

Dan Smith (3-1, 1.64 ERA) was the story for the Braves as he limited the Barons to 4 hits in his seven innings of work. The only run he allowed was in the first inning and it was a bizarre one. Robert Valido popped up a shot just to Smith's left and Greg Creek dove for the ball but couldn't come up with it and he reached. He then stole second and scored two batters later on a two-out double by Cory Aldridge. The Braves have outscored the Barons 14-7 in the first four games of the series.

Michael Nix tossed a scoreless 8th while Zach Schreiber tossed the ninth for his third save of the season. The Braves lowered their team ERA back down to a Southern League Leading 2.28.

Wes Whisler (0-2, 2.45 ERA) was the hard luck loser as he yielded two runs (only one earned) in 5 innings of work. Fernando Hernandez and Mississippi native, Dewon Day both gave up a solo homerun to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, which were his 5th and League-Leading 6th of the season.

Van Pope tripled to lead off the 5th inning and was brought home on a Diory Hernandez one-out single. It was the 8th RBI in 10 games for Hernandez. The Braves finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position while the Barons were 1-for-6 in the same category.

The Braves will wrap up a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the Final Game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will not air due to Max'd Out wth Max Howell, while the First Pitch will follow at 11:05am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (1-1, 3.77 ERA) to the hill in search of his second win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Kris Honel (1-0, 1.69 ERA) who is seeking 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: 2:11 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,287

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improved to 2-2 in two-run games.
* The Braves improved to 8-1 at Trustmark Park.
* The Braves improved to 2-1 in three-run games.
* The Braves improved to 8-1 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improved to 11-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improved to 4-1 when when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves have at least one extra base hit in every game this season.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $157 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (3 games or more):
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 8 games - (13-31, .419) (Team High)
* Mark Jurich - 7 games - (10-24, .417) - DNP
* Greg Creek - 7 games - (10-24, .417)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED
* Matt Esquivel (0-16) - (2-4, 2B, Run, SB)

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS (More than 0-4)
* Jonathan Schuerholz (0-7)
* Fernando Lunar (0-7)
* Josh Burrus (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank