Results tagged ‘ Jason Heyward ’
Heyward does not expect to play Tuesday
Jason Heyward will not play a Minor League rehab game with Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday and the Braves 20-year-old right fielder doesn’t expect to play in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
After completing a pain-free batting practice session the Gwinnett club Saturday evening, Heyward said he didn’t experience any problems with his jammed left thumb. But he and the Braves decided he is not ready to play in a rehab game Sunday.
Because of this, Heyward doesn’t believe he will take advantage of the opportunity to serve as one of the National League’s starting outfielders Tuesday night. He has been sidelined since June 26 with the thumb ailment he suffered while sliding into third base on May 14.
“I haven’t played any games,” Heyward said told reporters when asked if he still planned to play Tuesday. “I would have liked to rehab in the game [Friday] and [Saturday]. But we figured this was the best timetable for it. It might have been rushing it a little bit.”
Heyward will travel to Anaheim on Sunday to begin enjoying the All-Star Game festivities. He will likely take batting practice with his National League teammates on Monday and then be unavailable for Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic.
“I’m just going to go and see what happens,” Heyward said. “We’ll play it by ear. What I’d like to do is be ready to play July 15, the first game of the second half for us. I’d also like to respect the National League team and give them the best chance to win the game. I don’t want to be selfish and play in the game, because this one does count.”
Heyward impressed during Saturday’s batting practice session, which consisted of 50 swings.
“I was able to take that high pitch up and away and stay on top of it and use my top hand to hit it,” Heyward said. “I couldn’t do that before, so that’s a sign it’s feeling better.”
Thanks to Guy Curtright, a regular MLB.com contributor, for supplying Heyward’s remarks after today’s BP session.
Infante gains surprise selection
When we awoke this morning, I think it’s safe to say most of us expected Jason Heyward, Martin Prado and Tim Hudson to be named to this year’s All-Star team. There was also little shock when the players provided Brian McCann his fifth consecutive All-Star selection.
But the biggest surprise and thrill of the day came when it was learned Omar Infante was granted his first All-Star selection. It’s obvious that the Braves aren’t the only ones who have recognized the value he brings with his dependable versatility as a utility player.
“I’m so happy for him,” Hudson said. “I was just thrilled when I learned that he made it. That’s just great.”
The fact that Infante has hit .353 against the Phillies this year likely aided his cause when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel began looking at options to strengthen his bench.
The .345 batting average Infante has compiled with runners in scoring position since the start of the 2008 season ranks fifth among all Major Leaguers who have compiled at least 200 plate appearances in this situation.
“We feel like we got a good player there, who is a contact hitter, who can handle the bat,” Manuel said during TBS’s Selection Show.
Making his third All-Star selection and first since 2004, Hudson said he is looking forward to taking his son Kade down on the field to be surrounded by the game’s other greats during the Home Run Derby on July 12.
Prado will start at second base in place of the injured Chase Utley. Heyward has said that his injured left thumb will likely keep him from playing.
The five All-Star selections are the most the Braves have totaled since sending seven players to the 2003 Midsummer Classic.
UPDATED: Billy Wagner is part of the Final Vote Ballot. You can help the veteran closer make his final All-Star appearance by casting your votes through Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.
Heyward still unsure about status for All-Star Game
As you know by now, Jason Heyward will be spending the rest of the season’s first half on the disabled list. MRI results revealed that he is dealing with a painful bone bruise that will only provide his left thumb more discomfort until he gets a chance to rest for an extended period.
”It’s a deep bone bruise,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said in reference to Heyward. “That’s all it is. The only way it’s going to get better is to get better.” <p>
Heyward is in good position to be elected to this year’s All-Star Game and if he is, he may at least fly to Anaheim to participate in the festivities. But at the same time, he is wondering if it would be better for him to spend those days playing in some Minor League games.
”Whatever (Major League Baseball) says they would like to have happen. If I can go and give thanks to the fans by showing up, then I would like to. If MLB says we respect what the Braves want for Jason and they want him to rehab and play some games before he comes back, then I’m hoping to do that also.”
It would be nice for Heyward to at least fly to California to experience the Home Run Derby/Media Day festivities on July 12 and then at least be introduced before the Midsummer Classic, which will be played the following day at Angel Stadium.
But you have to like the fact that the young outfielder is already looking toward the second half with the understanding that he could benefit from a brief Minor League rehab assignment before returning.
One solution and I’m simply thinking out loud is to have him enjoy those two days in California and then return on a red-eye flight to prepare to begin a two-game Minor League rehab stint on July 14. This would mean he wouldn’t be available for the July 15 game against the Brewers.
But that’s just one game that can be won without him. Heyward will never again have a chance to experience the thrill of experiencing his first All-Star Game as a 20-year-old rookie.
Or maybe Heyward’s thumb improves quickly enough that he is actually able to start rehabbing the weekend before the All-Star Game. This would allow him to reacquaint himself with the speed of the game and still participate in the All-Star festivities.
After Monday night’s win, the Braves also announced that Kenshin Kawakami will go to the bullpen when Jair Jurrjens returns to the rotation on Monday night.
Matt Diaz will take Heyward’s roster spot tomorrow night. When Jurrjens is activated, the Braves will likely send Cristhian Martinez back to Gwinnett. Martinez has been available to serve the long relief role that Kawakami could now fill.
Braves set to conclude a memorable May
Before looking at how the Braves have positioned themselves to move into first place within any of the next three days, I want to thank my father, uncle and each of you who have given us this opportunity to take time today to remember why we have been afforded the chance to enjoy the freedoms provided us here in the United States.
Based on the way the Braves have played over the course of the past three weeks, there was growing reason to believe there could come a point where they would start seriously challenging Philadelphia’s National League East supremacy. But two weeks ago, when they sat a season-high 6 1/2 games back, there certainly wasn’t much reason to think they could enter June as the division leaders.
With the Phillies having scored a total of seven runs while losing six of their past eight games, their manager Charlie Manuel brings a staggered bunch into Turner Field this week. Winners of 15 of their past 19 games, the Braves enter this afternoon’s series opener just a half-game back in the NL East race.
Over the course of the previous four seasons, the Braves never even held a share of first place after May 15. In fact during the 2006, 2008 and 2009 seasons, they never sat above second place this late in the season after April 12.
Now if Phil Niekro can get his arm loose and find some of his get his knuckleball to start dancing again this week, the Braves might really be able to prolong Philadelphia’s offensive woes this week.
The Phillies have been shutout five times over the course of their past eight games and the only time they scored during any of the six losses that encompassed this span was when they tallied three ninth-inning runs after knuckleballer Tim Wakefield blanked them for eight innings on May 23.
Forty-eight hours after being handcuffed by Wakefield’s knuckler, the defending National League champs were blanked by the one delivered by R.A. Dickey. This prompted Bobby Cox to playfully tell one of the members of his club’s media relations staff, “why don’t you throw Niekro in there as one of our probables for the Phillies series.”
“With that lineup, it’s just a matter of time before they bust loose,” Chipper Jones said. “Fortunately I like our pitching staff and I think our pitching staff can continue to hold them down.”
With Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe set to take the mound this week, the Braves seemingly match up much better than the Phillies, who will not be sending Roy Halladay or Jamie Moyer to the mound during this week’s series.
Like knuckleballers have been Philadelphia’s kryptonite, Moyer arguably had the same effect on the Braves when they endured their nine-game losing streak at the end of April. The 47-year-old left-hander has allowed at least four earned runs in six of his first 10 starts this year. But in two outings against Atlanta he has completed 15 innings without surrendering an earned run.
Halladay marked the beginning of that nine-game losing streak and the next night Moyer prolonged it by throwing six scoreless innings at Turner Field. Seven days later, the Braves had endured a nine-day stretch during which they had hit .223 and totaled 17 runs.
As miserable as that span seemed to be, the potent Phillies offense has actually been even worse recently. During their past eight games, they have batted just .186 and tallied seven runs.
Within these eight games, the Phillies have missed Jimmy Rollins’ presence at the top of their lineup and seen Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth combine to hit .130 (11-for-84) with two extra-base hits (a double and a triple).
In the 16 games played since Martin Prado began handling the leadoff role on virtually an everyday basis, the Braves have hit .289 and scored 5.6 runs per game. Whey exited Philadelphia on May 9, they had gone through the season’s first 31 games hitting .232 and scoring 3.9 runs per game.
It appears this is a much different Braves club than the one that lost four of its first six games to the Phillies this year. But if they are going to maximize the dividends created by the turnaround they have enjoyed this month, they need to make a statement this week at Turner Field.
Exiting this series in first place would simply be a by-product of the more important opportunity to gain further confidence by claiming a series victory against these Phillies, who are currently vulnerable and always dangerous.
NOTES: If the Braves are able to claim a victory with Hanson on the mound this afternoon, they will have gone 20-8 in May. In other words no matter what happens in this series opener, they will not lose more games during this 31-day stretch than they did during that forgettable nine-game stretch in April…Jason Heyward enters this series opener with an NL-best 1.017 OPS. He’s legitimized his candidacy for an All-Star bid and also given reason to be an early MVP favorite…Prado leads the NL with a .325 batting average. Back when they were playing in the Minors, Brian McCann predicted Prado would win a batting title. We’ll see if his words prove prophetic this year.
Rainy update from PNC
While we’re sitting through a rain delay here at PNC Park, here are some tidbits that were gathered this afternoon.
Braves manager Bobby Cox opted to rest Troy Glaus tonight and start Eric Hinske at first base tonight. While Glaus could certainly benefit from a break, I think Cox also saw this as an opportunity to give Melky Cabrera a chance to get rolling. With Hinske at first base, Cabrera will be be in left field.
The switch-hitting Cabrera is hitting just .200 this season but has posted a .237 mark against right-handed pitchers. Virtually everybody has hit Pirate starter Charlie Morton this year. But he has had his greatest troubles against left-handed hitters, who have compiled a .350 batting average against him.
Heyward’s improved approach: It does seem like Jason Heyward has been a little less selective since Cox suggested that he be more aggressive early in the count. But Heyward thinks the success he has experienced over the past three weeks is just a product of the natural development process.
During the first 20 games of his career, Heyward hit .224 (15-for-67) with four homers 25 strikeouts and a .358 on-base percentage. In the 18 games he played since Cox expressed his desire, the Braves 20-year-old right fielder hit .367 (22-for-60) with five homers, five strikeouts and a .458 on-base percentage. <p>
His ability to significantly improve his on-base percentage seems to be product of the fact that he struck out once every 2.68 at-bats during his first 20 games and just once every 12 at-bats during the 18 games he has played since Cox told media members that his young outfielder needed to start swinging the bat a little more often. <p>
“You can’t hit with two strikes against you every at-bat,” Cox said. “Especially with runners on, if you get a pitch to hit, you better hit it. He’s smart. He’s got a great idea at the plate every at-bat. He’s not going to swing at the first pitch, unless it’s a great pitch.” <p>
To his credit, Heyward didn’t then immediately evolve into a free-swinger. He still has put the first pitch of an at-bat in play just six times in his career. But it does feel like he is drawing hitter’s counts much more frequently than he did during the early weeks of the season.
Entering Saturday, he was hitting .192 (14-for-73) when ending an at-bat with a two-strike count. But when he had put a ball in play when ahead in the count, he had hit .356 (16-for-45).
Kimbrel needs more time: The decision to send Craig Kimbrel back to Triple-A Gwinnett further proved why the Braves felt the need to hire Dave Wallace as their new Minor League pitching instructor this offseason.
With Kent Willis handling this role over the course of the past few years, the Braves too often found themselves stocking their Major League pitching staff with young pitchers who still hadn’t learned the finer points of their craft.
There are still some concerns about Kimbrel’s control. But the six walks he issued in 3 1/3 innings for Atlanta were likely a product of nerves. The kid threw strikes while at Gwinnett earlier this year and he’ll likely show this same kind of control when he returns to Atlanta.
More alarming to the Braves Major League coaching staff was the fact that Kimbrel proved to be very slow to the plate while throwing all of his pitches from the stretch. In order to maximize the potential of his tremendous arm, the 21-year-old right-hander will spend the next few weeks and possibly months developing a delivery that will allow him to be less susceptible against opposing basestealers.
Kawakami Update: Kenshin Kawakami’s back discomfort has subsided over the past few days and he is expected to make his start against the Marlins on Tuesday.
Looks like we’ll get this game started at some point tonight. But as of 7:50 p.m. ET, the tarp was still on the field.
Braves attempt to get healthy in Philly
After suffering their ninth loss in their past 10 road games on Thursday night, the Braves players had a chance to gain at least an ounce of optimism. As their train rumbled from Washington to Philadelphia, they passed through Baltimore and had the chance to think, “well things could be worse.”
Sitting 13 ½ games behind the front-running Rays in the American League East race, the 8-21 Orioles have already given the Baltimore fans reason to anticipate the kickoff of the NFL season. Despite losing 11 of their past 15 games, the Braves still enter this weekend’s series in Philadelphia just five games behind the first-place Phillies.
Given that they spent most of the season’s first month without their spirited leadoff hitter (Jimmy Rollins), their closer (Brad Lidge), and two-fifths of their projected starting rotation (Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ), the Phillies are thrilled to be approaching the regular season’s sixth week in a familiar spot atop the NL East standings.
And as the hits keep coming (well, at least off the field), the Braves find themselves limping into this weekend’s series without their run-producing shortstop (Yunel Escobar), a projected co-ace( Jair Jurrjens) and the concern that they may need to wait a few more days before putting Jason Heyward (sore right groin) can do anything more than serve as a pinch hitter.
Heyward has lived up to the expectations of those who boldly predicted that he could prove to be an immediate difference maker. But as he enjoys a stellar rookie season , he is starting to understand what Michael Jordan felt before Scottie Pippin started running with the Bulls.
Through his first 27 Major League games, Heyward has compiled eight homers and 26 RBIs. Simply referring to these stats as team-high totals provides just a portion of the story.
While primarily hitting in the sixth or seventh spot of the lineup, Heyward has compiled more RBIs than the combined totals of Brian McCann (9), Chipper Jones (7) and Yunel Escobar (8). His eight homers match the combined totals of McCann, McLouth, Jones and Glaus, who have each gone deep twice, or two fewer times than Heyward has over the course of the past seven games.
Regardless of how the rest of the Braves fare over the course of this season, the story of Heyward’s rookie season seems destined to be memorable.
But if McCann, Jones and Troy Glaus continue to combine for 31 RBIs over the course of 28-game stretches, the story of Bobby Cox’s final season will be one that Stephen King could pen.
Still while there has been plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the Braves recently, the makeup of a 162-game season still provides them the opportunity to exit Philadelphia on Sunday with the belief that they still have a chance to prevent the Phillies from winning a fourth consecutive division title.
Given the benefit of not having to face Roy Halladay this weekend, the Braves could certainly at least take two of three and reduce their division deficit to four games.
But with Kris Medlen making a spot start on Saturday and Kenshin Kawakami going up against a recently-rejuvenated Cole Hamels on Sunday, it feels like the Braves have to win tonight, when they send Derek Lowe to the mound to face Jamie Moyer.
The 47-year-old Moyer has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his first five starts and carries a 5.70 ERA into this series opener. Further proving how anemic Cox’s offense has been, Moyer’s only strong effort of the year came on April 22, when he limited the Braves to two unearned runs and four hits in six innings.
Dating back to the beginning of the 2009 season, Moyer is 15-12 with a 5.06 ERA. In three appearances against the Braves during this span, he is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA.
But with Lowe on the mound tonight, isn’t the Braves offense due to erupt?
Uh, no.
Yes the Braves have scored seven or more runs in four of Lowe’s first six starts this year. But while he was allowing the Phillies on five runs – four earned – in five innings a couple of weeks ago, Moyer was helping limit the Braves to just three runs.
As I was leaving Nationals Park last night with the AJC’s Carroll Rogers, I was reminded of one of the best goodbyes I’ve ever heard in a press box.
After watching the Braves blow a five-run lead for the second straight day in Philadelphia on July 27, 2008, Rogers drew the attention of the Philadelphia Daily News’ Paul Hagen and said “I’m sure glad that I don’t have to cover 81 games in this ballpark.”
The quick-witted Hagen responded, “I’m sure glad I don’t have to cover your team’s bullpen for 162 games.”
As the Braves head into tonight’s series opener, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that most of you are hoping to spend the next five months following something different than what you’ve witnessed during this season’s first 28 games.
Kawakami draws another tough assignment
If Kenshin Kawakami was currently on a Minor League rehab assignment, the odds are that he would have been the one opposing Stephen Strasburg on Friday night, when the Nationals young phenom makes his Triple-A debut in Syracuse against the Gwinnett Braves.
Through his first four starts this season, Kawakami has already been opposed by Tim Lincecum, Ubaldo No-No Jimenez and Jaime Garcia, who has posted a 1.13 ERA in his first five starts for the Cardinals.
Thus it is only fitting that Kawakami will make his fifth start tonight against Livan Hernandez, who is the only National League pitcher with a better ERA than Garcia or Lincecum. The 0.87 mark that he carries into this start matches Jimenez for the league lead.
There was a time when the Braves had little reason to fear a matchup against Hernandez, unless of course Eric Gregg was calling balls in strikes for him in a National League Championship Series game.
During his first 24 career regular season starts against the Braves, Hernandez went 3-15 with a 5.63 ERA. In 15 starts that stretched from 2001-2005, he went 0-11 with a 5.95 ERA against this same organization that he dominated for the Marlins during the 1997 NLCS.
But the 35-year-old Hernandez managed to go 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in the three starts he made against the Braves last year.
As you’ve likely already heard, Hernandez and the rest of the Nationals pitching staff won’t have to deal with Yunel Escobar this week. The Braves placed Escobar on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and promoted Brandon Hicks from Gwinnett to fill his roster spot.
Considering that Escobar is 5-for-10 with a double and a triple in his career against his fellow Cuban, the Braves might have benefitted from his presence in the lineup tonight. But he certainly isn’t the only Atlanta player who has experienced success against Hernandez.
This might be a good night for Chipper Jones to cure the swing that has produced just one hit in his past 24 at-bats. The Braves veteran third baseman has hit .354 with 10 doubles and a homer in 65 career at-bats against Hernandez.
Martin Prado, who enters the evening with the NL’s fourth-best batting average (.354) has four hits, including a double, in seven career at-bats against Hernandez. On the flip side, the veteran right-hander may be able to prolong Nate McLouth’s struggles.
McLouth has one hit and five strikeouts in 13 career at-bats against Hernandez.
This much-improved Nationals club has also experienced some offensive struggles since facing Jimenez. In the 10 games that they’ve played dating back to that assignment against the Rockies righty, they have hit .218 and scored 2.9 runs per game.
Just received word that Jason Heyward was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month. I’ll post tonight’s lineups when I get to the park.
Mark Bowman
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