Clippings Friday, June 5, 2015 Braves.com

Braves eye talent with potential for immediate impact

Atlanta likely to use abundance of early picks on , local players

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | June 4th, 2015

The 2015 Draft will take place from Monday through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 7 p.m., with the top 75 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of Day 2 begins with a live Draft show at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with exclusive coverage of Day 3 beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 200 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of over 1,700 Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and you can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft.

Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Braves, whose first selection is the 14th overall pick.

In about 50 words The Braves have five of this year's first 75 selections and six of the first 89. They will be targeting high-upside players and shying away from some of the "safe picks" they made under different leadership the past few seasons. The last time the Braves had the 14th overall selection, they took .

The scoop The Braves' Draft will be overseen by first-year scouting director Brian Bridges and Roy Clark, his mentor, who rejoined Atlanta's organization as a special assistant to the general manager in October. When Clark drew high regard as the Braves' scouting director from 2000-09, he consistently targeted local talent and pitching. Such will likely be the case this year.

Though Atlanta gained an impressive pitching crop with the trades it made during the offseason, it is expected to target high school pitchers during this year's early rounds. This seems to be a Draft in which some of the top arms are projected to be relievers at the Major League level. But the Braves will still attempt to grab some of the high-ceiling hurlers who have the potential to start.

First-round buzz While pitching will likely account for most of Atlanta's early picks, the Braves have their eyes on a couple local high school position players -- Tyler Stephenson (Kennesaw Mountain High School) and Cornelius Randolph (Griffin High School) -- who are both expected to go in the first round.

"We're looking for high-upside, championship-caliber players that can impact our system immediately," Bridges said.

Money matters Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $100,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.

Any team going up to 5 percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75 percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be with a 100 percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100 percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.

Over the past few years, the Braves have shied away from providing an over-slot bonus to their selections. While they will likely attempt to extend this trend, Clark has proven to be very aggressive throughout this career. Because the Braves have 13 selections through the first 10 rounds, they have a generous bonus pool of $10,684,100 -- the fourth largest in the Majors. The value assigned to Atlanta's first pick is $2,842,400. Shopping list Though the Braves will attempt to further strengthen their pitching crop, they have a need for and power-hitting . , last year's top selection, has the potential to fill that role, but he's the only true power-hitting outfield prospect in Atlanta's system.

Trend watch This year's Draft will more likely mirror those previously by Clark, who coveted Georgia's talent and extended the tradition Bobby Cox and Paul Snyder started back in the 1980s -- stockpiling pitchers.

RECENT DRAFT HISTORY

Rising fast has had to make some adjustments since being selected out of suburban Atlanta's Parkview High School in the first round of the 2012 Draft. The Braves were encouraged by what they saw, as Sims' fastball sat between 94-97 mph during the latter part of April and early May. But just when the righty was about to get promoted to Double-A Mississippi, he was sidelined after the bus crash involving Class A Advanced Carolina. Sims has not yet resumed pitching, but when he does, he has the potential to move through the system quickly.

Cinderella story Right-hander Steve Janas pushed himself into the top six rounds of the 2013 Draft after posting a 1.14 ERA and going 9-1 with Kennesaw State during his junior year (one year after recovering from Tommy John surgery). After he was selected by the Braves with the 193rd overall pick, Janas struggled in Rookie ball and Class A, posting a 5.79 ERA and a 4.52 ERA, respectively. This year has been a different story for the 6-foot-6 hurler, who has posted a 0.56 ERA in five starts with Carolina.

In The Show After trading away Heyward and during the offseason, the Braves' Major League club features fewer homegrown talents than previous seasons. (2007, second round) and Andrelton Simmons (2010, second round) have become faces of the franchise, while Alex Wood (2012, second round) is establishing himself as one of the game's top young starters.

The Braves' recent top picks 2014: Davidson, OF, Class A Rome 2013: Jason Hursh, RHP, Double-A Mississippi 2012: Sims, RHP, Class A Advanced Carolina 2011: , LHP, Mets 2010: Matt Lipka, CF, Double-A Mississippi

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves trying to improve majors’ worst bullpen

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PHOENIX — If Braves officials had known they’d trade the night before the season opener, and left-hander Josh Outman would have shoulder issues and be diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, and Arodys Vizcaino would get an 80-game suspension for performance- enhancing drugs, they would have added more bullpen depth last winter.

The Kimbrel trade, Vizcaino suspension and Outman injury all happened before , as did Shae Simmons’ Tommy John elbow surgery. Lefty Andrew McKirahan’s 80-game PED suspension came down two weeks into season.

Now, the Braves are scrambling to fix a bullpen that’s the worst in the major leagues, a bullpen that frittered away leads in three losses during a 4-6 trip, which ended Wednesday with a blown lead in a 9-8 loss at Arizona.

Braves relievers allowed 22 earned runs and six homers in 22 on the trip, leaving their majors-worst ERA at 4.81, with a majors-leading 90 runs allowed in the seventh or later for an ERA over 5.00.

“We went 4-6, and we had a chance to go 6-4, maybe even better than that,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “if (in) some of those innings that they scored, some of those middle innings, we get some shutdowns there.”

In the late innings of close games, Braves pitchers rank worst in the majors in opponents’ average (.283), opponents’ slugging percentage (.480), and home runs allowed (14). Relievers allowed 12 of those 14 homers.

The Braves are pleased with the work of Grilli and Luis Avilan, and for the most part Jim Johnson. But there have been plenty of rough nights from all others who’ve spent time in the bullpen. The Braves have shuttled rookies and others back and forth to Triple-A in an effort to get fresh arms and find a right mix. So far, Gonzalez has not found that mix. “It’s not the ideal spot to be in right now, and it kills me watching us give it up (in late innings) nightly,” said John Hart, Braves president of baseball operations. “We’re working the phones hard.”

Hart and assistant general manager John Coppolella are scouring the market for reinforcements. The Braves have no intention of trading top young talent to acquire bullpen help and won’t overpay to sign a Rafael Soriano. With so many teams still harboring hopes of a wild-card berth, things might not heat up on the trade front until to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and by then the Braves could have Vizcaino and McKirahan back from suspensions.

For now, more likely targets seem to be pitchers with opt-out clauses, such as left-hander Dana Eveland or Robert Coello, who this week became free agents. The Braves might have some interest in former Braves setup man David Carpenter, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Wednesday.

Also, they assigned Peter Moylan to Triple-A Gwinnett this week in hopes that the former Braves sidearmer shows he’s ready to help after 14 months of rehab since his second Tommy John elbow surgery. Moylan gave up one hit and two walks in his first inning for Gwinnett on Wednesday.

The Braves also might consider bringing up a reliever from the minors, such as Ryan Weber, Ryan Kelly or the other David Carpenter.

Gonzalez was candid in his bullpen assessment after blown leads in losses Tuesday and Wednesday. Braves starters had seven quality starts in 10 games on the trip, including five starts with one or no runs allowed in six or more innings. The offense awakened in the second half of the trip, racking up 37 runs in the past five games, including 15 runs in two wins against the Giants to come away with a split against the previously surging defending champions.

Meanwhile, the performance of the bullpen continued to decline. Grilli pitched only twice in 10 games on the trip.

Among the recent strugglers: Rookie Brandon Cunniff had an 18.90 ERA and .444 opponents’ average in four appearances on the trip, with a loss and a blown save. Rookie Cody Martin has a 15.75 ERA and .500 opponents’ average in his past five appearances, with two losses and two blown saves.

Martin was recalled this week to replace journeyman lefty Donnie Veal, who had a 14.54 ERA and .400 opponents’ average in five appearances during two big-league stints this season. He gave up two hits, two runs and a homer and got a blown save Sunday at San Francisco, then was designated for assignment.

Nick Masset had a 13.50 ERA and a loss in three appearances on the trip, allowing four hits, five runs, three homers and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.

Johnson, after posting a 0.66 ERA and .163 opponents’ average in a stretch of 14 appearances through May 28, had an 11.57 ERA and .364 opponents’ average in his past three appearances, with four walks and no in 2 1/3 innings.

Yes, Braves officials are concerned about starter Julio Teheran, a major disappointment in the first two months of the season. He was the only Braves starter not to have at least one exceptional outing on the trip. Yes, they would like more consistency from their offense, which totaled eight runs in the first five games of the trip.

But the bullpen is the front-and-center issue for Braves officials, who know the team could be in first place in the NL East, and several games above .500, if they had gotten merely league-average bullpen performance.

This is a franchise unaccustomed to languishing among bullpen cellar-dwellers: They’ve not finished in the bottom half of the majors in bullpen ERA since 2008 and were first or second in three consecutive seasons through 2013.

Hart and Coppolella thought last winter they would have the bullpen back on track. They signed former closers Grilli and Jim Johnson to serve as setup men for Kimbrel; signed Outman and traded for Vizcaino, who figured to join Simmons as a pair of promising back-end relievers who could handle middle-innings work unless and until needed later in games.

Then plans began to unravel.

Braves business update: Replacing a 50-year stadium veteran

By Tim Tucker - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A weekly update on the business of the Braves:

Lineup change: A 50-year veteran of two Braves stadiums will be replaced next season.

A scale model of SunTrust Park sits in the window of the Braves’ stadium preview center across the street from the ... Read More

The Braves’ recent naming of Delaware North Sportservice as their stadium food-service provider starting next season means an end after this season to Aramark’s long run in that role. Aramark has served as the Braves’ food-service provider since the team moved to Atlanta, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium from 1966-96 and at since 1997.

Delaware North will take over for the final season in Turner Field and then handle food and beverage operations at SunTrust Park when the Braves move to Cobb County in 2017.

Buffalo-based Delaware North Sportservice, like Philadelphia-based Aramark, has long been a big player in the sports concessions business. It has partnerships with more than 50 sports franchises, including 10 MLB clubs. Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs is the long-time owner of the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

The company operates local and national food outlets at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Sponsorship: MillerCoors and the Braves this week announced a deal that will extend and expand the beer company’s sponsorship of the team in SunTrust Park.

A major part of the deal will be a rebranding of the Braves Chop House restaurant and bar — a popular fixture at Turner Field — as the Coors Light Chop House, which the Braves said will expand in the new stadium to a three-level facility with two party decks and a field level that can be used as a large group space directly behind right field.

The Braves’ partnership with MillerCoors will extend into the mixed-use development adjacent to the stadium, the team said.

Braves’ upcoming opponent: About the Pirates

By Carroll Rogers Walton - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves’ opponent:

Keep an eye on: The Pirates’ starting pitching. The Pirates enter the series with a 3.17 starters’ ERA, which is third-best in the majors behind St. Louis and Oakland. Pittsburgh’s starting staff leads the majors with 25 wins, including all seven wins during a recent win streak and all three wins in a sweep over San Francisco earlier this week. The Braves miss A.J. Burnett, who is 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA, and (3-4, 3.24 ERA), who leads the Pirates with 81 strikeouts, but the Braves have to contend with one of the top young pitchers in the game in .

Who’s hot: Andrew McCutchen has hit .396 (38-for-96) with a .474 on-base percentage over his past 27 games, raising his season average from .185 to .293. He’s on a five-game which included a four-hit game Tuesday in San Francisco where he doubled and tripled.

Who’s not: Starling Marte is just 2-for-his-last-24 (.083) and was out of the starting lineup Wednesday in San Francisco.

Braves connection: The Braves will face a couple of familiar faces in this series in and , both of whom came up through the Braves system, and Morton reached the majors with Atlanta. Morton is 0-2 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against his former team, the last one coming in 2011 when he pitched seven innings, giving up only two runs, but took the loss. Locke makes his fifth start against the Braves after going 1-1 with a 6.20 ERA through his first four. Only once did he have a quality start, and that was Oct. 1, 2012 in ’ final regular season start. Locke gave up one on two hits in six innings.

In the news: The Pirates spent $16 million on infielder Jung Ho Kang to bring him over from the Korean Baseball Organization this past January. Unlike fellow Korean Shin-Soo Choo, Kang made the transition directly to the major leagues. He’s been more consistent than some might have thought, hitting .287 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. Manager Clint Hurdle is sharing Kang’s time at shortstop with Jordy Mercer so he can pace himself for a longer schedule (162 games rather than 128).

Series preview: Braves vs. Pirates

By Carroll Rogers Walton - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

NEXT: VS PITTSBURGH

Friday

Time: 7:35 p.m.

TV: FSSO

Probable starting pitchers: Braves RH Williams Perez (1-0, 2.66 ERA) vs. RH Charlie Morton (2-0, 1.93) Comment: Perez finally got his first major league win to show for his hot major league start – posting a 1.00 ERA in his first three starts for the Braves. He pitched seven shutout innings against the Giants to get the win and has allowed no more than one earned run in a start yet. Morton, the former Brave, is making just his third start since coming off the disabled list after offseason hip surgery. He’s won each of his first two starts in convincing fashion, going seven inning and allowing two runs each time. He walked only one and struck out five.

Saturday

Time: 7:15 p.m.

TV: FOX

Probable starting pitchers: Braves RH Julio Teheran (4-2, 4.87) vs. LH Jeff Locke (3-3, 5.34)

Comment: Teheran regrouped after giving up back-to-back homers in his last start in San Francisco, coming up with a quality start in a 7-5 win, but it’s clear he’s not pitching like himself. He walked four batters and struck out one in that game, after walking three and striking out just one the start before. Locke, a former Brave, could be fighting to stay in the Pirates rotation after going 1-2 with a 5.73 ERA in May, including allowing a season-high seven runs (six earned) in four innings in his last start against San Diego.

Sunday

Time: 1:35 p.m.

TV: FSSO

Probable starting pitchers: Braves LH Alex Wood (4-2, 3.19) vs. RH Gerrit Cole (8-2, 1.90)

Comment: Wood is pitching as well as he has all season and rides a three-game winning streak in which he’s allowed only one earned run each game while pitching seven or more innings. Cole is tied for the lead in wins with Bartolo Colon and is third in ERA behind (1.85) and the Braves’ Shelby Miller (1.89). Cole has faced the Braves twice, going 1-0 in two starts against them last year, giving up two runs in seven innings each time and striking out a total of 14 batters.

Friday’s game: Braves vs. Pirates

By Carroll Rogers Walton - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Where: Turner Field

When: 7:35 p.m.

TV/Radio: FSSO/680, 93.7, 106.7

Probable starting pitchers: Braves RH Williams Perez (1-0, 2.66 ERA) vs. RH Charlie Morton (2-0, 1.93)

What’s new: The Braves run into a hot Pirates team, which has won 11 of its past 13 games including a sweep in San Francisco, where the Braves were just doing well to split a four-game series. The Braves come home to Turner Field with a bullpen in disarray, one which is now last in the majors with a 4.81 ERA after blowing back-to-back multi-run leads in Arizona. The Braves hope Freddie Freeman brings his hot bat home, after the resurgent hit five home runs in six games on the trip, including two in the loss to Arizona Wednesday. That doubled his season total to 10. Andrelton Simmons went 0-for-9 in the last two games of the trip to put an end to his 10-game hitting streak. Juan Uribe will make his debut as a Brave at Turner Field, after hitting .304 (7-for-23) with a double and two home runs on the road following his trade from the Dodgers.

Atlanta Braves wives host free fitness festival for girls 8 to 12

By Helena Oliviero

The Atlanta Braves Wives will host the (free) “She Can Play – Fitness Festival,” which focuses on teaching young girls about living healthy, encourages them to become involved in sports, and demonstrates the importance of leading an active lifestyle. During the event, more than 250 girls will participate in fitness festival stations and attend a healthy living workshop. Stations will include Hip-Hop dance, Zumba, kickboxing, yoga and strength conditioning. The “She Can Play – Fitness Festival” will take place from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10 at the Atlanta Braves Baseball Academy at Villages of Carver YMCA.

It is free and is open to girls ages 8-12. Parents can register their child by sending her name, age and t-shirt size to [email protected] before Monday, June 8. For more information visitwww.Braves.com/shecanplay. MiLB.com

Perfection just eludes Braves' Brigham

Braves prospect retires first 24 batters before allowing double in ninth

By Robert Emrich / MiLB.com

One pitch was all that separated Jake Brigham from history on Thursday.

The Braves farmhand came within three outs of a perfect game as Double-A Mississippi defeated Jackson, 8-1.

Brigham retired the first 24 batters in order, needing only 82 pitches to dispatch the Generals through eight innings. The 27-year-old saw his hopes of achieving the first no-hitter in the Southern League this season dashed on the first pitch of the ninth inning, as Daniel Paolini lined Brigham's offering into left field for a double.

"He just swung at the first pitch, a , I probably tried to overthrow it a little bit to make it a little better than it was," he said. "Came out of the gate swinging and I left it up and he hit a double. At that point I thought, let's get the next three guys out. We're gonna win the game, we had a big lead, so I thought, let's get the next three guys and end the game."

Which is exactly what he did. After tossing a wild pitch to advance Paolini to third, Brigham (5-2) got a pair of groundouts, the first of which brought home a run, before striking out Ian Miller to end the game. He faced one over the minimum for the Braves while fanning a season-high 10 batters.

"It was fun," the Florida native said. "It was really exciting, I've never done that before. It was a new experience and I enjoyed it. I was locating my fastballs and breaking balls.

"I think I struck out most of them on my slider. Slider was working well. I struck out some guys later on with my fastball which I think they may have been cheating to a certain pitch because they had seen my slider. It opened up the door for a good hard fastball down and away or changing eye levels and going up with my fastball."

Brigham had not thrown a complete game since Aug. 10, 2010 for Hickory while with the organization. It took a while for him to even realize what he was doing on Thursday was pretty special.

"I started thinking in the fifth, I couldn't remember being in the stretch at all," Brigham said. "I looked up and saw that I hadn't been in the stretch at all. In the sixth inning, nobody sat down on the bench when I came in so I kind of figured it out there."

As one would expect in a bid for a perfect game, Brigham's control was on point. The hurler did not throw three balls to a batter until Jordan Cowan with one out in the ninth.

"That's just what we're drilled to do," he said. "First-pitch strike, get ahead of hitters. I just think it was my aggressive mentality. Before the game, [catcher] Stevie [Rodriguez] and I talked, and our game plan was to attack hitters and change speeds and we did that."

Brigham sought to become the first in team history to throw a perfect game, and the third to toss a no-hitter after Tommy Hanson on June 25, 2008 and a combined one by Julio Teheran and Tyrelle Harris on Aug. 2, 2010.

The Braves gave Brigham plenty to work with offensively. Eric Garcia homered and drove in three runs while Braves' No. 6 prospect Rio Ruiz hit an RBI double.

Misael Silverio fell to 2-5 after giving up five runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings for the Generals.

Triangle Business Journal

Highwoods Properties to invest $107 million in new office building project near new Braves stadium

Amanda Hoyle

Raleigh real estate investment trust Highwoods Properties will be breaking ground this summer on a new 12-story office building in northern Atlanta, a project that CEO Ed Fritsch says will value at around $107 million.

The proposed Riverwood 200 building will be built next to the Riverwood 100 office building already owned by Highwoods (NYSE: HIW). The properties are about one mile from the future new home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team at SunTrust Stadium slated to open in 2017. About 39 percent of the 299,000-square-foot Riverwood 200 building is pre-leased to two tenants new to Highwoods' portfolio. TheBennett Thrasher accounting firm will lease 62,500 square feet and the Holder Construction firm will lease 56,000 square feet in the new building, Fritsch says. Its target opening date will be in mid-year 2017.

The company's $107 million projected investment includes the cost to acquire 3.3 acres of land.

"We think this is an opportune time to commence development of Riverwood 200," Fritsch stated in a news release about the deal. "Our sister building, Riverwood 100, is 94 percent occupied, and we believe there is demand for new Class A space in this location. We also expect this submarket's attractiveness will be significantly enhanced with the Atlanta Braves' new stadium and complex also slated for completion in 2017."

Year-to-date, Highwoods has delivered $146 million of 87 percent pre-leased development, including the two MetLife office buildings in Cary and the GlenLake V office building in Raleigh.

The Brunswick News

Braves making improvements

By RYAN STEWART The Brunswick News

Although the Atlanta Braves are not quite playing .500 ball entering today’s home tilt with Pittsburgh, the 2015 season is an important stepping stone to where the club wants to be in years to come.

While the Braves can’t be ruled out of this year’s playoffs, it is fairly safe to say they won’t be hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy as world champions this fall.

The Braves (26-27) are likely targeting the 2017 season when they’ll move into brand new SunTrust Park in Cobb County to make a serious push. That team should boast a few of the team’s star prospects who already are very close to the major leagues.

“I can’t wait for Peraza and Wisler,” said former Frederica Academy baseball standout Carson Remler of two of the Braves’ prized minor leaguers.

Second baseman Jose Peraza, ex-San Diego pitchers Matt Wisler and Max Fried and homegrown ace Lucas Sims headline a plethora of young stars in the farm system who should make their way to “The Show” in the very near future.

Even some of the impact players on the big league team are young faces with their best years ahead of them. Shelby Miller, Jace Peterson and Mike Foltynewicz — all acquired in recent trades — are getting their major league experience now and figure prominently in the team’s long-term plans.

Brunswick High assistant baseball coach Jared Goff said the Braves seem primed to move into the new stadium with “fresh and familiar faces.”

“They’re going to go into Cobb County with a good set of nine and win ballgames,” said Goff, the Pirates’ hitting coach.

President of Baseball Operations John Hart has assembled an army of solid prospects in the Braves’ farm system, which has been desperately low on talent in recent years. The Braves added another chip last week, acquiring Chris Withrow from the Dodgers, a flame-throwing right-hander.

Remler said if the coming wave of baby Braves can assume the same approach as the veteran cast currently in the big leagues — Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons and Co. — games at SunTrust Park should be a treat.

“They’re more fun to watch, compared to last year,” said Remler, a rising junior at Ole Miss. “They actually have an approach to hitting.”

This fresh approach to hitting came with new hitting coach , a two-time All Star corner infielder who played a majority of his career for the Royals and Brewers, among others, from 1986 to 1997.

After finishing next-to-last in runs scored and in the bottom third of the National League in batting average and hits in 2014, this year’s Braves have moved into the top half of the league in all three categories.

A more telling sign of the new hitting philosophy may be the decrease in strikeouts. After the 2014 Braves seemingly swung out of their shoes at most any offering, Seitzer’s Braves average two less strikeouts per game. Those two outs are now made by balls being put in play, which move runners over or at least give the batter a chance to get on base via a hit or an error.

The Braves’ pitching staff has been somewhat of a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation this year. The starters have had varying degrees of success, but that can be expected given their age. Of the team’s top five starters, four are just 24 years old and the fifth, Foltynewicz, is the babe at 23. The bullpen, too, has been shaky, with a league-worst 4.81 ERA.

Goff said the problem may be more of a mental issue than a physical one. After starting off hot, the bullpen seems to have cooled off and gotten out of their successful mindset. “That sounds like an identity issue. Nobody seems to be stepping up,” said Goff of the Braves’ relievers.

Given time, that, too, should round into shape going forward.

The Sports Xchange

Braves' Freeman continues to to be red hot in the desert

By The Sports Xchange

PHOENIX — Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman likes hitting in Chase Field, and pardon the Diamondbacks if they are tired of him proving it every time he comes to town.

Freeman hit three homers and drove in seven runs in a three-game series against Arizona that concluded with a 9-8 loss Wednesday, the Braves’ second straight loss. You could not pin it on Freeman. His three-run homer in the second inning gave Atlanta a 6-0 lead and his solo homer in the fourth inning made it 7-3. He had a homer and two singles in the first game of the series, and has 10 homers this season.

“It is a nice dark background with the batter’s eye, and the ball carries here, so it always a good place to hit,” Freeman said. “I felt good all series. Hope I can carry that over after the next series.”

Freeman is hitting .406 with seven doubles, six homers and 20 RBIs in 15 games at Chase Field. He has a 13-game hitting streak against the Diamondbacks counting both venues, Turner Field and Chase Field.

The D-backs played an exaggerated shift against Freeman all three games, with the on the first base side of second base and the playing perhaps 90 feet into short right field. He found a way around that with his three homers, one to left field, and he also shot a single to left in the first game of the series.

“I don’t even look at it. I don’t think about. It’s hard enough to try to hit the ball than worrying about where the fielders are. Put it away, and try to make hard contact.

Freeman had three hits, three RBIs and two runs in an 8-1 victory in the first game of the series, the only Atlanta won. The Braves’ bullpen gave up a two-run lead in the sixth inning of a 7-6 loss Tuesday and gave up four runs in the final two innings of Arizona’s 9-8 victory Wednesday.

We know they’ll come around,” Freeman said of the relief corps. “We know they’ll get going. I like what I see (offensively) We keep putting up runs. The offense is swinging the bat really good right now so hopefully the off day doesn’t cool us down.”

Associated Press

Pirates-Braves Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON (STATS Writer)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hitting and pitching better, becoming one of baseball's hottest teams.

They'll try to win for the 12th time in 14 games Friday night when they visit the Atlanta Braves.

Pittsburgh (29-24) comes off a road sweep of San Francisco, capped by a 5-2 victory Wednesday to bounce back after dropping two of three.

"We don't let one game roll into the next. We've been going to work here for three days," manager Clint Hurdle said. "I just like the fact we've been able to turn our season in a much better direction than we were almost two weeks ago Friday."

The Pirates are slugging .449 over the last 13 games compared to .368 previously, and Andrew McCutchenis at the forefront of that improvement. He's batting .467 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in that span after hitting .194 in April with more strikeouts (15) than RBIs (13). He has hit .350 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last 11 games at Turner Field.

Pittsburgh has a 2.18 ERA during the 11-2 stretch, including a 1.64 mark by the bullpen.

Charlie Morton has won both of his starts behind a 1.93 ERA since coming back from hip surgery. He knocked off San Diego 5-2 on the road Saturday, allowing three hits in seven innings and retiring the final 11 batters he faced.

"I expected to do well. That's why I'm here," he told MLB's official website. "I really didn't have expectations per se. Just expectations that I'm going to go out there and make good pitches and let the chips fall where they may." Morton is 0-2 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against the Braves, whom he hasn't faced since 2011.

Atlanta (26-27) is trying to avoid a third straight loss after falling 9-8 in Arizona on Wednesday. The bullpen allowed seven runs over six innings in the back-to-back defeats, and its 4.81 ERA is the highest in baseball.

"Some areas of our bullpen got exposed a little bit," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We need to fix that. I need to figure out a combination to get the ball to (Jason) Grilli's hands somehow. It's tough losing games like that."

Freddie Freeman is 9 for 24 with five homers and 10 RBIs in his last six games, including three home runs against the Diamondbacks.

"I felt good all series," said Freeman, who has only homered twice in 87 career at-bats against Pittsburgh. "Hope I can carry that over after the next series."

Williams Perez (1-0, 2.66) has been a pleasant surprise since sliding into the rotation last month, limiting opponents to two runs over 18 innings in his first three big league starts. He earned his first win Saturday, yielding four hits and four walks over seven innings of an 8-0 victory in San Francisco.

"From the first pitch, I felt in command," Perez said through an interpreter.

Pittsburgh won four of seven meetings last year, with the Braves totaling five runs in their losses.