Braves Report

[Image: Yahoo! Sports]

Well, now that the Braves have given up, I wonder if I should give up writing these recaps? How many in a row have we lost now? Five, I think? Oh well, I guess I’ll just make the recaps shorter.

Once again, poor pitching from the pen and poor hitting did the team in. On the hitting front, we did have a few, 11, but nothing really in the clutch. Our new acquisition, Kotchman, impressed with an 0 for 5 performance, stranding four runners. On the plus side, Norton is swinging a hot bat posting two more hits. Infante had three, KJ two, and Frenchy two. With all that hitting, we only managed two runs?

Once again, the starter gave us a good start… once again the pen didn’t. Jurrjens (the only starter from the start of the season who HASN’T spent time on the DL) pitched a solid seven innings allowing only three runs. Boyer stunk. He only got one out, allowing two runs to cross on a home run. Ohman (AKA soon to be gone) was perfect, the only good outing on the night. Ring gave up a run, as did Tavarez.

Braves continue to stink, lose 2 - 7.

[Image: Yahoo! Sports]

It is official, the Braves’ season is over. The only burning question left is… “Who else is going to be traded?” So far, I have been pretty disappointed with Frank Wren, JS always seemed to have a way to get that extra player, to get extra value back. Since Wren has taken over, I’ve really felt like we have gotten the short end of most of the trades. Regardless, without Tex, we are done.

The Braves played as if the season ended yesterday, the pen allowing the game to be blown wide open. Campy gave us a great outing, but we have come to expect that from him. Seven fantastic innings, allowing seven hits and only two runs. When he was taken out, the game was tied, it didn’t stay tied long. Soriano comes in, a walk and a hit later we are losing. He makes it through the inning. Gonzo was next. Three walks, two hit and five runs, he was done. Boyer was brought in to put out the fire, he did, by letting more runners cross.

Our Texless offense didn’t show much either. We had nine hits on the day, four of them came from Blanco. Outside of Blanco it was pretty sparse, Norton did manage two hits.

Today’s game, 7:10 PM. Not nationally televised.

Being the son of a scout has its advantages, like knowing how to play fundamental baseball and being fundamentally sound. Kotchman’s glove is just as good as Teixeira’s. He has a short, but sharp swing. He should be a high average hitter. He possesses power to the gaps which should mature into a 25+ home run thread. He has good plate discipline. His K:BB ratio has taken a turn for the worse after the Angels pressed him to be more aggressive at the plate this year. The main negative on Kotchman is his durability. He has a knack for fluke injuries. His ceiling is that of Todd Helton only with less power. He is under the Braves control through the 2011 season. That will allow the Braves to develop Freddie Freeman. Tomorrow I will examine Stephen Marek, the other player the Braves received in the trade.

ESPN is reporting that Mark Teixeira has already been dealt to the Angles:

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark on Tuesday that Atlanta Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira is headed to the Los Angeles Angels for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steven Marek.

We’ll have more on this as it develops.

Update - 6:24 PM EST:

It’s a done deal, as reported on the Brave’s official website.

The July 31st, trading deadline is rapidly approaching. With the Braves continuing to fall further and further back of the NL East leading Mets, the Braves will be sellers for the first time in a while. But what parts do the Braves have that they can sell and what can they get for those parts?

1) Mark Teixeira - Last year the Braves traded away a king’s ransom to get Teixeira from the Rangers. Unfortunately, the move hasn’t paid off like the Braves had envisioned it would. With Scott Boras as his agent, Teixeira will likely seek a 7 years deal at 20 million dollars per year, it seems unlikely the Braves will be able to re-sign him this off-season. So will other teams offer more at the deadline knowing it is likely that they will not be able to resign him than the Braves would get as compensation if they lose him via free agency? It appears the Braves will be able to get that. The teams in the running are the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees. A deal appears to be imminent.

2) Will Ohman - Ohman is another player the Braves acquired in a trade in the last year. With contending teams always looking for dependable relievers, he is one of the premier left handed relievers on the trade market. Ohman is having his best season to date, currently possessing a 2.84 ERA with a WHIP of 1.128. Teams said to be interested in his services include the Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, and Yankees. Ohman is a free agent after the season and the Braves believe he will be a type B free agent which would net them a draft pick, so if there is not an offer the Braves like they will have no problem holding onto him and letting him walk.

3) Mark Kotsay - Yet another player acquired in a trade. Kotsay, like Teixeira and Ohman, will be a free agent after this season. But unlike Ohman and Teixeira, he will not likely bring the Braves any draft picks if he leaves. So it makes sense to deal him. Kotsay would be a nice addition for the stretch run for a team like the Rays.

It certainly will be interesting to see how the trade deadline unfolds this year for the Braves. Stay tuned to Braves-Report for its continuing coverage of the MLB Trade Deadline and the Atlanta Braves.