News
Strange reunion for Church, Francoeur
Atlanta (43-45) vs. New York (42-45), 7:00 p.m. ET
By Cheng Sio / MLB.com
07/12/09 9:01 PM ET
DENVER -- There's probably no one -- not even Disney -- that could've scripted what will happen Thursday when the Braves and Mets hook up for the opener of a four-game set at Turner Field Thursday after the All-Star break. Braves outfielder Ryan Church and Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur will take the field against their former teams. They were traded for one another on Friday. At the time of the trade, Church was batting .280 with two home runs and 22 RBIs while Francoeur was hitting .250 with five home runs and 35 RBIs. Both Church and catcher Brian McCann, Francoeur's best friend, said the series will probably be weird with former allies playing for the opposition. "It's going to be weird seeing him in another uniform and playing against him," McCann said. "But at the same time, [the Mets] are one of our rivals and you put all that stuff behind when you're playing the game." Church, however, has been through this before. The Mets acquired him from the Nationals on Nov. 30, 2007, but that was during baseball's offseason. Church admits the turnaround this time is rather quick. To combat the emotions he will be feeling, Church plans on having fun, which includes joking with a few Mets. "[Catcher Brian] Schneider might be talking some smack behind the plate when I come up," Church said with a slight grin. "Some of the pitchers, they were just telling me, 'Don't tell them certain stuff that I know about them, don't let them I know.' But I will." The Braves come out of the All-Star break two games under .500 at 43-45. They are in third-place in the National League East and trail the division-leading Phillies and the Wild Card-leading Giants by six games in the standings. Despite the deficit, manager Bobby Cox said they had played well enough to be better than where they are. "I told the players we should be in first place, but we're not." Cox said. "We have to claw back in the second half." Pitching matchupATL: (TBD)
NYM: LHP Oliver Perez (2-2, 8.78 ERA)
Hopeful of keeping Perez in some sort of routine, wanting to afford Johan Santana extra rest and mindful of how the schedule breaks after the first series, the Mets have Perez starting the first game after the break. Some of his best performances have come against the Braves, mostly because they were a predominantly left-handed-hitting team. That no longer is as much a factor in his favor. Perez has a 5-2 record and a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts against the Braves since the beginning of the 2006 season. He has a 2-1 record and 3.06 ERA in five career starts at Turner Field. Chipper Jones has a .423 average in 26 career at-bats against Perez. Tidbits
Chipper Jones drew his 1,297th walk of his career Sunday, tying him with Hall of Famer Hank Aaron for second on the Braves' all-time list. Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews is the franchise's all-time leader with 1,376. ... Church won't have to wait to get his first hit as a Brave against his former team, as he singled against the Rockies in the fifth inning. ... Jones is 11-for-26 lifetime with a home run and three RBIs against Perez. Yunel Escobar is 4-for-8 against Perez. Escobar is expected to play after missing his last three starts with a lower back strain. ... The Braves are 2-3 against the Mets this season. They were swept in a two-game series at home in May. ... Tim Hudson, who's recovering from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, will turn 34 on Tuesday and batting coach Terry Pendleton will turn 49 on Thursday. Tickets
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• Official game notes On television
• SPSO On radio
• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 Up next
• Friday: Braves (TBD) vs. Mets (TBD), 7:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Braves (TBD) vs. Mets (TBD), 4:00 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Braves (TBD) vs. Mets (TBD), 6:00 p.m. ET
Cheng Sio is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
