The Atlanta Braves began the week by playing the Philadelphia Phillies on the road for three games. The series went well as the Braves took two out of three, and continued a steady pace as we head towards the end of the season. The weekend series pitted Atlanta against the New York Mets. The Braves were going for the sweep heading into Sunday night's match up, but a ninth inning rally fell shirt, and once again took two of three from our division opponent. Its hard to ask for the team to play better at the moment, but with Washington Nationals' strong pace, each head-to-head match up will become increasingly important.
This upcoming week includes two series against some NL West teams. The Braves are at home everyday this week and start with a four game set against the San Diego Padres. The latter part of the week is a three game series series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The latter will be a tough opponent as they too are in the thick of a pennant race.
Notes/Transactions: Pitcher Tommy Hanson is likely to make his return from the DL this Friday against the Dodgers...Manager Fredi Gonzalez said the team will use a six-man rotation through Aug. 29 (The Braves play 20 consecutive games up until then)...Outfielder Matt Diaz is out for the season after undergoing surgery on this thumb...Shortstop Paul Janish has been everything Frank Wren has asked for and maybe even more
Stat of the Week: We might not resign him, but can we at least appreciate Michael Bourn while hes still wearing a Braves uniform? Offensively, he leads the league in three-hit games and stolen bases. He is on pace to finish with 198 hits, 111 runs, 72 rbi, and 43 stolen bases. Add that to the fact that he's one the best in the field, and you've got yourself an all-star caliber center fielder. In fact he leads the team with a 4.6 WAR. I'm not saying Atlanta should resign him, but he's been a damn good player in a Braves uniform thus far.
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