NewsBraves keep dancing around .500 mark
Atlanta (30-32) at Cincinnati (31-31), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Pete Kerzel / Special to MLB.com
06/14/09 7:38 PM ET
BALTIMORE -- For the past three weeks, the Braves have been hovering around .500, going a game or two under the break-even point but never above it. That process extends Tuesday, when Atlanta continues its three-city, nine-game road trip with the first of three games against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park, where the Braves took two of three from the Reds in late April. To get back to .500, the Braves will need to win the first two games of the series. A sweep puts them over .500 for the first time since May 26. Since their record stood at a season-high three games above .500 on May 23 after a three-game Interleague sweep of the Blue Jays at Turner Field, the Braves have been at .500 six times, but they have never dropped more than two games under that plateau. Through it all, they have maintained their spot in third place in the National League East. The Braves, however, believe they'll string together some victories and get on the right side of .500 once their sluggish hitting catches up with their consistent starting pitching. "The starters have been great," manager Bobby Cox said. "Our hitting's been good, really good at times. But it's all over baseball now, a lot of good pitching, and it's going to shut you down. It's not so much the hitter, it's the pitching you run into. Years ago, you went out there and knew you were going to win because of the pitching you were facing. It's not that way anymore." Catcher Brian McCann wonders where Atlanta would be without the stellar work of its starting rotation. The Braves' staff has posted 34 quality starts in 62 games. "Our starting pitching is giving us a chance to win every day, and once we start swinging the bats on a consistent basis, we're going to win a lot of games," McCann said. "We've got five good [starting pitchers], and that's not something anybody here worries about." "You always got that chance when the pitching's so good," center fielder Nate McLouth said. "Every single night, there's always a chance that once the offense gets hot, you reel off a few games in a row." All that has to happen is a little offensive success, McCann said. Once that occurs, things can start to steamroll in a positive direction. "We've got a lot of talent in our lineup, and when everybody's clicking, I think we're going to score a lot of runs," McCann said. Pitching matchupATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens (5-4, 2.85 ERA)
Jurrjens took the loss Wednesday against the Pirates despite giving up two runs on just four hits in six innings. The young right-hander struggled in the early innings with his control, which led to him throwing 111 pitches in just six innings. Last year, Jurrjens was shelled in his only career start against the Reds. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings while allowing six runs on nine hits and walking six. Despite three starts in a row that Jurrjens hasn't been his sharpest, his ERA is still below 3.00. CIN: RHP Aaron Harang (5-6, 3.74 ERA)
Harang got back on track after a few rough starts with a very good effort against the Nationals on Wednesday. He threw 7 2/3 shutout innings, staying out of trouble the entire time. Harang had given up homers in his past eight appearances, but Washington didn't hit the ball hard, much less have a shot at a homer. Manager Dusty Baker said after the Reds pulled out a 4-2 victory in 12 innings that Harang had been "lights-out." Tidbits
The Braves have purchased the contract of lefty John Halama, who last pitched in the Major Leagues for the Orioles in 2006, from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League. Halama was 8-1 with a 2.04 ERA in nine starts. He was 56-48 from 1998-2006 with Houston, Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Boston, Washington and Baltimore. ... Catcher David Ross' two-homer game Sunday was the ninth multiple-homer game in his Major League career. ... Third baseman Martin Prado went 0-for-4 Sunday to halt his career-best 10-game hitting streak. Tickets
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On the Internet
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• Official game notes On television
• SPSO On radio
• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 , Viva 105.7 (Español) Up next
• Wednesday: Braves (Javier Vazquez, 4-5, 3.31) at Reds (Micah Owings, 3-7, 4.64), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Braves (Tommy Hanson, 1-0, 6.17) at Reds (Matt Maloney, 0-1, 4.50), 12:35 p.m. ET
• Friday: Braves (Kenshin Kawakami, 3-6, 4.54) at Red Sox (TBD), 7:10 p.m. ET
Pete Kerzel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
