Atlanta Braves

ATLANTA -- Here is the lineup for Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. After six games at second base, Jordany Valdespin's experiment there is over. Lucas Duda now shifts to first base.MetsJuan Lagares, cfDaniel Murphy, 2bDavid Wright, 3bLucas Duda, 1bMarlon Byrd, rfJohn Buck, cKirk Nieuwenhuis, lfOmar Quintanilla, ssDillon Gee, rhp Read more Daniel Murphy news

Daniel Shirey-USA Today Sports Julio Teheran had yet another fine outing for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night. He pitched almost as well on Sunday as he did in his last home start. Okay, last time at home he came within four outs of a no-hitter so he wasn’t quite that good but he was still just as effective. The San Francisco Giants threatened a few times but couldn’t break through as the Braves offense and defense backed Teheran with great catches and timely hitting. Teheran’s great performance further cements his spot in the starting rotation and brings back a familiar question. When Brandon Beachey returns, who will leave the rotation? I have written an opinion on this a few times. The first time it seemed like Teheran might need to go, then slowly I wondered if Tim Hudson wouldn’t be the odd man out. Now Hudson has also gotten back on a good path. Kris Medlen is showing signs of the dominance that he led the Braves with during the second half of last season. Mike Minor has been the most consistent pitcher for them all season long. I honestly can’t think of one that should take a back seat to Beachey. Hey, here’s an idea. How about no one leaves the starting rotation when Beachey comes back? Beachey has already had some complications that pushed back his return for at least a few days. Why not nurse that elbow with bullpen work this season and eye a full return to the starting rotation during Spring Training next year? I don’t think it would be a good plan to break up the current starting five pitchers for the Braves with them performing so well. It goes back to that old piece of knowledge that we all have heard at one time or another. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. David Miller is a Senior Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

ATLANTA (AP) — Zack Wheeler is excited about his big league debut with the New York Mets, especially since he’ll be pitching not far from where he grew up. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Atlanta Braves News

My local area AM talk radio station has a new advert up of its site this morning:  Special Ticket Offer for ‘Alabama Day’ at Turner Field – for Saturday, June 29th.  “Save up to 50% on tickets!” Well, right off the bat, that declaration is apparently a lie… as I click through the ad, it seems that the best I can do is a 33% savings… for two Upper Box (nose bleed section) seats.  If I – being from way out of town – am going to go to any game, I’m gonna at least get seats that make it a bit more worth my effort and expense.  From the Upper Box sections, I have it on good understanding that there is a game going on below, but it’s difficult to verify this as I’m having to dodge the Delta Jets going by on their way to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. So I use this special promo code, and I can get two Terrace Reserved tickets for $70 – a savings of 27%! Um, not really. Section 222 does indeed have a precious few seats remaining for the DBacks afternoon game.  I like this side of the stadium for afternoon games since I will neither melt in the heat, nor be sunburned the next day.  Okay:  how much?  $35.00 per ticket… plus $5.25 for “fees”??  $40.25 each.  That’s $80.50 for two… quite a bit above the alleged $70. Well, how does that compared to other games?… like tomorrow night vs. the Mets?  Through the atlantabraves.com website, those identical seats cost $40.00 plus $6.25 in “fees”:  $46.25 Well, now wait a second… how about that ‘savings’ thing?  That’s only 13% – not the claimed 27% for the Terrace Reserved seats… and nowhere near the “up to 50%” teaser.  Okay, the team has instituted a flexible pricing policy, so all games are not alike.  A check of non-discounted tickets in Section 222 for that Saturday game shows me a price of $44 + $6.25 = $50.25 per ticket.  That now means that the discount $50.25 down to $40.25 is $10, or 19.9%.  Slightly better, on a percentage basis, but still not the claimed discount rate. It certainly doesn’t encourage me to buy tickets from these guys when I’m being lied to… at least twice… in the process. But all of this got me to thinking about the actual costs of going to a Braves game.  And I’m going to identify myself as a “typical middle-aged, middle-class fan who lives out of the Atlanta area.”  So let’s go through the exercise of ‘costing’ a weekend visit to Turner Field.  Let’s do the numbers. Travel:  240 miles each way. Figure 4 hours each way plus 4 hours on site.  12 hours minimum. Gas:  10 gallons each way… 20 total.  Price @$3.30/gal:  $66.00, subject to daily fluctuations. Game Tickets:  for 2 – @$40.25 discounted, @$50.25 regular price:  $80.50/$100.50 If the whole family goes – there are five of us in total:  $201.25 or $251.25 Parking:  $15.00.  This actually ends up looking to be the cheap part! Hotel:  If there’s an evening game involved, then this is almost required.  In the case of the June 29 DBacks game, it’s a 4:05 start, so this could be done without a hotel, albeit with a very long day.  I will price it for all combinations below.  For traffic considerations, I stay outside the racetrack (I-285), around Marietta.  Rates vary wildly… $42 to $140.  I also tend to be “practically frugal” – I’ll select something in the $80 range if the whole family is going… because I then need two rooms.  If it’s only my wife and myself, then I’ll “splurge” for $105 (confiscatory tourist taxes factored in for both). Food:  Because the travel is a bit odd, this is tougher to specify. > Bringing your own drinks:  you can bring precious little into the stadium with you… basically a large water bottle per person and that’s it.  So do that:  $2 each/$4 for two/$10

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty ImagesShelby Miller's 2.21 ERA is the lowest this season among all rookie qualifiers.(The St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs, Monday at 7 ET on ESPN and WatchESPN.)Ten rookies on the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff have combined to throw 221.2 innings this season, and are 17-8 with a 3.17 ERA. That’s one reason the Cardinals’ 3.29 team ERA is second this season only to the Atlanta Braves (3.23). The Cardinals' crop of rookie arms has been led by Shelby Miller, who ranks sixth in the National League with 91 strikeouts. Read more Shelby Miller news

The Mets enter Atlanta with a 25-39 record that has them sitting in fourth place in the National League East, 13.5 games back of the Braves. New York is coming off two straight series losses at home against the Cardinals and Cubs. As a team, the Mets are downright awful offensively. They rank last in the National League in batting average (.224), next to last in on-base average (.291), next to last in slugging percentage (.368), next to last in wOBA (.290), 13th in wRC+ (84). Individually, David Wright is of the course the main standout. The 2013 National League Home Run Derby captain is the only Mets player with a fWAR over two (3.1). He's sporting a triple slash of .297/.388/.492 with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases. Marlon Byrd, who was signed off the scrap heap in the off-season for $700k, has been New York's best outfielder in 2013 while hitting .253/.310/.506 with 11 homers and a whopping .253 ISO. Daniel Murphy, who has replaced Ike Davis at first base, enters with a line of .281/.321/.426 with five homers and three steals. Catcher John Buck has been worth a win, but is hitting just .223/.278/.408. Looking at New York's bullpen, things aren't much better. It ranks dead last in ERA (4.54), 13th in FIP (4.22), 12th in xFIP (4.13) and a combined fWAR of just 0.2. K/9 isn't the best metric, but the Mets' bullpen ranks dead last in terms of strikeouts per nine innings from the pen at just 6.67. Pitching matchups: Monday June 17th, 7:10 PM EDT. SportSouth Dillon Gee #35 / Pitcher / New York Mets Height: 6-1 Weight: 205 Bats: R Throws: R Born: Apr 28, 1986 Tim Hudson #15 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-1 Weight: 175 Bats: R Throws: R Born: Jul 14, 1975 Tuesday June 18th, 1:10 PM EDT. SportSouth (Game One of DH) Matt Harvey #33 / Pitcher / New York Mets Height: 6-4 Weight: 225 Bats: R Throws: R Born: Mar 27, 1989 Alex Wood #58 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-4 Weight: 215 Bats: L Throws: L Born: Jan 12, 1991 Tuesday June 18th, 7:10 PM EDT. SportSouth. (Game 2 of DH) Zack Wheeler #65 / New York Mets Height: 6-4 Weight: 185 Born: May 30, 1990 Paul Maholm #28 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Bats: L Throws: L Born: Jun 25, 1982 Wednesday June 19th, 7:10 PM EDT. SportSouth Shaun Marcum #38 / Pitcher / New York Mets Height: 6-0 Weight: 195 Bats: R Throws: R Born: Dec 14, 1981 Kris Medlen #54 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Bats: B Throws: R Born: Oct 07, 1985 Thursday June 20th, 7:10 PM EDT. SportSouth Jon Niese #49 / Pitcher / New York Mets Height: 6-4 Weight: 215 Bats: L Throws: L Born: Oct 27, 1986 Mike Minor #36 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-4 Weight: 205 Bats: R Throws: L Born: Dec 26, 1987

AP PhotoCollin McHugh and Kazuo Matsui had two of the best Mets debuts.With Zack Wheeler making his Mets debut on Tuesday, let's rank the best opening acts in Mets history. We'll go 11-deep for no particular reason other than that is the number that caught our eye. 1-- Kaz Matsui (April 6, 2004 vs. Braves)Matsui made a first impression so good that he could never live up to the subsequent hype -- three hits, two walks and a home run leading off the Opening Day win over the Atlanta Braves. Read more Collin McHugh news

The series didn't start off so well, but it ended about as well as could be hoped. Madison Bumgarner held the Braves in check during much of Friday's game, and the Braves ended up with their 9th shutout loss of the season. Kris Medlen had a rough start as, while his control was okay, his command within the zone served up too many hard hit balls. Saturday's game started off poorly. Some poor luck and poor defense put the Braves behind 5-2 at one point, but B.J. Upton saved the day with a couple home runs. A rare 9th-inning meltdown by Sergio Romo brought the Braves all the way back, and Freddie Freeman ended the game with an RBI single. Sunday's game went a bit smoother. Julio Teheran responded to his worst start of the season with one of his better ones. The Braves didn't muster much offense, but three runs is enough when the pitching staff doesn't give up any. We can basically thank Andres Torres for his poor defense out in left field for this game. Andrelton Simmons continues to have problems offensively as he went 1-for-13 with one walk in this series, and there are 7 better players for the spot that gets the most at-bats. Simmons even had a bit of tough time on defense, making two errors on Saturday. B.J. Upton was 3-for-10 with a walk in the series, and his splits over the past month suggest he's back to being the guy the Braves shelled out $75 million for during this past off-season. Freddie Freeman continues to hit, going 5-for-12 in the series.

Gwinnett Braves 3, Rochester Red Wings 6 Todd Cunningham: 2-5, 2B (10), K; (.279/.368/.373) Tyler Pastornicky: 1-4, R, HR (4), RBI, K; (.314/.356/.437) Joey Terdoslavich: 2-3, R, HR (14), RBI, BB; (.312/.346/.559) Brandon Boggs: 2-4, R; (.259/.350/.450) Stefan Gartrell: 1-4, 2B (3), RBI, 3 K; (.319/.372/.444) Sean Gilmartin: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 HR, 95 pitches-56 strikes; (71.0 IP, 5.83 ERA, 47:30 K/BB) Juan Cedeno: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 25p-15s; (27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 18:16 K/BB) Wirfin Obispo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 22p-15s; (34.0 IP, 3.71 ERA, 42:19 K/BB) Sean Gilmartin couldn't hold the Red Wings at bay Sunday, allowing six earned runs on nine hits, three home runs, and three walks in 4.1 innings of work. The 2011 first-round pick of the Braves has had an incredibly tough 10-game stretch, posting a 7.04 ERA with 73 hits in 55 innings pitched. These problems further exacerbate concerns about his future in the major leagues — can he miss enough bats and induce enough weak contact to live off of middling stuff and pinpoint control? Offensively, Todd Cunningham, Joey Terdoslavich, and Brandon Boggs all contributed two hits, including Cunningham's 10th double and Terdoslavich's 14th home run. Tyler Pastornicky also smacked a big fly, his fourth of the season. The second baseman/center fielder is sporting a .971 OPS in his last 10 games. Mississippi Braves 4, Tennessee Smokies 1 Christian Bethancourt: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K; (.244/.259/.333) Edward Salcedo: 2-3, R, 2B (15), RBI, BB; (.278/.340/.444) Jaime Pedroza: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB (5); (.281/.349/.345) Mycal Jones: 2-4, RBI; (.211/.301/.298) Barrett Kleinknecht: 1-2, R, K; (.250/.305/.397) Gus Schlosser: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 91p-57s; (77.2 IP, 2.43 ERA, 60:24 K/BB) Thomas Keeling: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2p-1s; (20.1 IP, 4.35 ERA, 23:14 K/BB) Ryne Harper: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 27p-15s; (23.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 21:7 K/BB) Mark Lamm: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 3p-3s; (37.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 40:17 K/BB) The M-Braves only collected six hits, including one extra-base hit, but were somehow able to muster four runs of offense on Sunday. Edward Salcedo and Mycal Jones had two hits apiece, with Salcedo ripping his 15th double of the season. After a rough start to the season, Jones is putting up a decent line in June and a great line in his past ten games, hopefully a sign of things to come for the toosly utility player who still has some upside, although it has greatly diminished over the past few seasons. Gus Schlosser pitched six strong innings, allowing only one run on six hits and two walks, striking out four. Schlosser — whose name means "locksmith" in German (h/t to Harris King, a criminally under-followed Braves fan, for this nugget) — induced more flyouts than groundouts in this particular start, which is quite the surprise for the sidearming righty. Ryne Harper pitched 2.1 innings of solid relief, allowing only one hit and one walk. Lynchburg Hillcats 6, Salem Red Sox 5 (Game 1) Matt Lipka: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, SB (17); (.284/.328/.418) Emerson Landoni: 2-5, K; (.293/.354/.379) Robby Hefflinger: 1-4, 2 K; (.294/.345/.580) Kyle Kubitza: 2-3, 3B (3), 2 RBI, BB; (.287/.402/.507) Matt Weaver: 1-3, R, BB; (.205/.266/.292) A.J. Holland: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K; (75.0 IP, 4.56 ERA, 47:38 K/BB) Wilson Rivera: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; (30.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 39:20 K/BB) Lynchburg Hillcats 1, Salem Red Sox 4 (Game 2) Matt Lipka: 1-3, 2B (18); (.284/.328/.418) Ross Heffley; 1-2; (.218/.272/.315) David Rohm: 1-3, CS (6); (.289/.342/.410) Robby Hefflinger: 0-3, K; (.294/.345/.580) Kyle Kubitza: 0-2, BB, K, E (12); (.287/.402/.507) Shawn McGill: 1-3, E (3), 2 PB (4); (.317/.410/.452) Will Skinner: 1-2, R, HR (12), RBI, BB; (.205/.240/.521) Blaine Sims: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 HR; (19.0 IP, 5.68 ERA, 21:18 K/BB) Ronan Pacheco: 1.

ABC Local 7 Freeman, Teheran lead Braves past SF Giants 3-0 Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports Freddie Freeman singled three times and drove in one run, Julio Teheran pitched six innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0 on Sunday night. Atlanta won its second straight to take the three-game series and increase its NL East lead to 6½ games. San Francisco, the defending World Series champion, has lost 14 of its last 20 on the road, but the Giants remained just one game behind Arizona in the NL West. Braves closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 19th save in 22 chances. Kimbrel struck out Andres Torres and Joaquin Arias before retiring Nick Noonan on a flyout. Freeman, who began the night hitless in 11 career appearances against Giants starter Tim Lincecum, singled in his first three at-bats and improved his average to .456 with runners in scoring position – third-best in the majors. Odds Shark Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets Preview MLB wagering interest swings to the Atlanta vs New York battle on Monday at Turner Field as the Braves try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors. The Braves will turn to Tim Hudson and his 4-6 record as they look for a win in this one, while the Mets send Dillon Gee (5-6) to the hill. Betting Line: Baseball odds makers, including 5Dimes, opened the Braves as -175 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 7 at shops such as 5Dimes. Power Rankings:  The Braves – Mets odds would favor the Braves if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Atlanta is rated No. 9 in the current National League Odds Shark poll, while New York is at No. 15 in the National League. Sports City Atlanta Braves Salaries Dan Uggla 32 Second baseman $13,146,942 B.J. Upton 27 Center fielder $13,050,000 Brian McCann 28 Catcher $12,000,000 Justin Upton 24 Left fielder $9,958,333 Tim Hudson 36 Starting pitcher $9,000,000 Paul Maholm 30 Starting pitcher $6,500,000 Eric O’Flaherty 27 Relief Pitcher $4,320,000 Jason Heyward 22 Right fielder $3,650,000 Kris Medlen 26 Starting pitcher $2,600,000 Towson Tigers Andrew Parker, Mike Volpe Sign With Atlanta Braves Senior catcher Andrew Parker and senior pitcher Mike Volpe of Towson University have signed free agent contracts with the Atlanta Braves and will be assigned to one of the Braves’ minor league affiliates. Parker and Volpe led the Tigers to their first Colonial Athletic Association championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013. A three-year starter at catcher for the Tigers, Parker was honored as the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He finished the season with a .989 fielding percentage and threw out 26 of 54 base runners trying to steal against him. Volpe enjoyed an outstanding senior season for the Tigers as he posted a 10-3 record with 2.59 E.R.A. In 16 games, he pitched 102.2 innings and allowed 41 earned runs. He issued 35 walks and had 76 strikeouts. At the CAA Tournament, he compiled a 2-0 record with a 3.94 E.R.A. and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. In the CAA championship game, he pitched the Tigers to a 5-2 win over William & Mary by throwing a complete game seven-hitter. He walked two and had four strikeouts earned a berth on the CAA All-Tournament team.  In the win over William & Mary, he pitched the first complete game of his career.