Pre Game: Schedule Outlook

Update: Rafael Soriano threw a successful bullpen session for the Braves today and said he felt great. We will have to wait and see how he feels tomorrow to know when he will be activated. Most likely he will get activated on Tuesday or Wednesday. John Smoltz is set to go on at least one more reahab assignment for class Low-A Rome on Thursday. The reason why Smoltz stayed in Atlanta instead of boarding the plane with his teammates was because he is dealing with flu-like symptoms. Mike Gonzalez was cleared by the doctors today to go on a rehab assignment. He will fly to class-AA Mississippi today and can make a appearance as soon as tomorrow. On the downside, Mark Kotsay back isn’t feeling any better and is going to miss today’s game versus the Brewers.

The Atlanta Braves tonight are going to start off a six game road trip that will send the streaky Braves to Cincinnati and Milwaukee. This is going to be a more important road trip than many bravos fans assume. We’re going against two underachieving teams and we need to jump on them early and often. Thus far we swept the Reds in our first meeting, but we haven’t yet played the young Brewers. We are going to have to take this series one pitch at a time.

The Brewers have some energetic and upcoming talented young players that the Braves shouldn’t take lightly at all (Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and J.J. Hardy). These are some streaky hitters and they can explode really fast. The key to beating this team is to work the count and get into the worst part of the Brewers, in which is their bullpen. The Brewers really don’t have a true closer that they can count on so the Braves should keep on fighting even if they’re down.

The Reds are a bit of a different team since we last seen them in Atlanta. They have called up the best prospect in all of baseball in Jay Bruce. They also designated Shea Hillenbrand for assignment to give way for promising Canadian first baseman in Joey Votto. The Reds still have a better rotation than most teams with Edinson Volquez, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Johhny Cueto. The Braves can only hope that we will skip Harang or Volquez (or both) in our next trip to Cincinnati.

If you look at the next weeks schedule, you will see a make or break home stand for the Braves. The Florida Marlins will come into Atlanta to play four games, and then the Philadelphia Phillies come to the ATL to play three games. So it’s going to be crucial for the Braves this road trip to go 5-1 or 4-2, and of course a sweep isn’t out of the equation. If the Braves can somehow finish the next four series and have a 10-3 or 9-4 record, there is a very good chance the Braves will be in first place in the National League East. It’s going to be key for the Braves to continue their winning ways and take care of their trash on the road. Plus, the potential return of the big three (Mike Gonzalez, John Smoltz, and Rafael Soriano)in the next 2 weeks should be a much needed boost to our team psyche.

Pitching Matchup:RHP, Dave Bush (1-5, 6.56 ERA)
Bush is an inconsistent starter, but we shouldn’t think of him as a easy pitcher to beat. He pitched very well against the Braves last season, so are players have to remember that. Bush allowed one run in seven innings against the Braves last season in his only career start against Atlanta. It’s going to be key for the Atlanta hitters to continue to work the count and get into the sorry (to be optimistic) Brewers bullpen. There pen has blown over five games this season, so any lead for the Brew Crew isn’t safe. It’s also going to be important to give Hudson some runs to play with. We’re going to have to score early and often. This Brewer my no means is a walk in the park.RHP, Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.97 ERA)
Tim Hudson is coming off of a very well pitched game versus the hated New York Mets. Hudson pitched eight quality innings while only giving up two earned runs that came via back to back jacks from Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. The key for Hudson like every other start is to keep his pitches down in the zone. He also has to be more consistent with his very good changeup. The changeup is the pitch that keeps the hitters off balance and it’s a very good strikeout pitch for Hudson. Mark Teixeira had a breakout game on Memorial Day versus Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks. He has to keep his same approach and continue his success throughout this road trip. When Teixeira has a good game, the Braves more often than not will win the game.

Key Hitters
Mark Teixeira
Prince Fielder