Atlanta Braves Clippings

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Braves.com

Markakis, Pierzynski hit RBI 2Bs but Braves lose

By Mark Bowman, Jamal Collier and Bill Ladson / MLB.com | 2:24 AM ET

WASHINGTON -- Wilson Ramos collected four hits and Daniel Murphy continued his hot start to the season as the Nationals defeated the Braves, 6-4, Monday night at Nationals Park. This was the first game of a seven-game stretch against the rebuilding Braves and Phillies for the Nationals, a schedule that gives them the opportunity to get off to a fast start to the season.

"That's big, you can either get off to a good start or get off to a terrible start," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "You need to win those games, this is the epitome of games you win in April you don't have to win in August or September."

The Nationals overcame a rocky outing from Max Scherzer, whom the Braves were on from the start, beginning with a two-run double from A.J. Pierzynski in the first. Scherzer battled through six innings, surrendering four runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

"They put some good at-bats against me in the first couple innings," Scherzer said. "I just couldn't find a pitch to get out of the jam there with runners on base. Sometimes you got to tip your hat to your opponents, and that was the situation."

The Nationals answered the Braves' two-run first with three runs in the bottom of the inning, punctuated by a two-run homer by Murphy off Braves starter Bud Norris. Norris pitched well against the Nationals last week in Atlanta, when he gave up three runs in seven innings, but he did not have the same success Monday. He threw 37 pitches in the first inning and surrendered five runs on nine hits over five innings

"If you lose five or six in a row in July, nobody worries," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after his team fell to 0-6. "It's the beginning of a season, and I am worried, but I know we are playing good baseball, and we're close to playing good baseball. We're going to be better for it."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Big day for Ramos: An adjustment at the plate from working with hitting coach Rick Schu led to immediate results for Ramos, who was hitless in his last nine at-bats entering Monday before going 4-for-4 at the plate while driving in a pair of runs. It was the third four-hit game of his career and first since 2013. His presence was also felt behind the plate, when he threw out speedy Braves rookie Mallex Smith in the fourth inning. It's the second consecutive day Ramos has thrown out a speedy baserunner, after catching Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon stealing Sunday afternoon.

Double trouble: After Pierzynski gave the Braves an early lead with his two-run double in the first, Nick Markakis softened the blow of Washington's three-run first with the two-out, two-run double he delivered in the second inning. Markakis began the fifth inning with his fifth double within a span of nine at-bats. But he was left stranded at third as Scherzer retired Freddie Freeman, Adonis Garcia and Pierzynski without the ball leaving the infield. The Braves recorded just two hits over the final four innings.

Murphy settles in with new team: There was no adjustment period needed for Murphy, who is now 8-for-17 with two homers through his first five games in Washington after a pair of hits Monday. It is as if he picked up where he left off last October, when he helped carry the Mets to the World Series.

"One of the biggest things you have to look at is the amount of traffic that's on the basepaths," Murphy said. "Anytime you can put the pitcher into high leverage situations, they're more prone to make mistakes. I've been hitting with a lot of people on base."

Bloody debut: With center fielder Ender Inciarte sidelined until at least April 24 with a hamstring strain, the Braves promoted highly-regarded prospect Mallex Smith on Monday and immediately inserted him into the leadoff spot. Smith highlighted his MLB debut with his first career hit -- a second-inning single off Scherzer that enabled him to show off his speed when he scoring from first base on Markakis' first double. But Smith's memorable night ended when he suffered a laceration above his left eye when his forehead cracked his batting helmet as he slid headfirst toward second base on an unsuccessful stolen base attempt in the fourth inning.

"I'll have a good story from my debut down the road," said Smith, who said he'll be ready to play on Tuesday after receiving five stitches to close the laceration.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Nationals have won 11 straight games against the Braves at Nationals Park and 15 of 16 dating back to June 21, 2014.

Washington matched a team record (2005-present) with three stolen bases in the bottom of the first inning. With a fourth stolen base in the eighth inning, it marked the most steals the Nationals have had in a game since Sept. 1, 2014.

WHAT'S NEXT Braves: Jhoulys Chacin will make his season debut when Atlanta and Washington resume this four-game series on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Chacin earned a rotation spot during Spring Training, but to fit their roster needs the Braves had the veteran right-hander make his first start of the year with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Nationals: Gio Gonzalez will make his season debut as the Nationals host the Braves for the second of this four-game series at Nationals Park. It will be Gonzalez's first outing since a Spring Training game on March 27 after beginning the season in the bullpen because the Nationals wanted to slot him in between Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the rotation.

Braves haunted by dearth of shutdown innings

Club has struggled to prevent opponent from scoring after putting up multiple runs

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 3:01 AM ET

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Though they attempted to alter the mood by blaring music in the clubhouse following Monday night's 6-4 loss to the Nationals, the Braves can't hide the frustration that has mounted as they have gone winless through this season's first six games.

"We're trying our darndest," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I went in [the clubhouse] today and told the guys to keep their heads up."

It's true, the Braves held a lead in the seventh inning or later in four of their first five games. During Monday night's loss, they tallied a pair of first-inning runs against Max Scherzer and then extended their alarming trend of killing momentum during the next half-inning.

The Braves have tallied five multi-run innings through these first six games. But they have also surrendered multiple runs during the half-inning that has followed three of these five occurrences.

"You want shutdown [innings]," Gonzalez said. " You want to score a couple runs and then go back out there as the defensive team and shut the other team down. We're not there yet, but we're close."

After A.J. Pierzynski provided an early lead with his two-out, two-run double off Scherzer, Bud Norris allowed the Nationals to tally a three-run first inning that included 37 pitches and a Daniel Murphy two-run homer. Nick Markakis' two-run double in the second inning gave the Braves a 4-3 lead that vanished when Wilson Ramos moved toward the completion of four-hit night with RBI singles in the fifth and seventh innings.

"You're really trying to put up a zero every inning," Norris said. "Knowing that your offense gave you a couple and a little cushion should make it easier. But, it also makes it tougher. It's something you think about, but you've just got to go out there and make pitches."

Norris surrendered five runs and nine hits over five innings, and he was not nearly as sharp as he had been last week. He held the Nationals scoreless for six innings last Wednesday before enduring a three-run seventh inning that was marred by the shoddy defensive play that has also burdened the Braves through this season's early games.

But still, Norris was unable to take advantage of the fact that the Braves managed to tally four runs through the first two innings against Scherzer.

Atlanta's offense has remained rather silent during the late innings while the bullpen has taken its lumps. The Braves have batted .274 and tallied 17 of their 21 runs through the first four innings. They have batted .145 and totaled just four runs in the fifth inning or later.

"We score two off of Scherzer [in the first inning]," Gonzalez said. "If we go back out there and go one, two, three or put a couple frames together of one, two, three, and you know we're going to score a few more off [Scherzer], it sets a good tone for the rest of the game."

Mallex pulled with forehead laceration in debut

Speedy outfielder exits in fourth inning after cutting face on stolen base attempt

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 3:08 AM ET

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Mallex Smith spent years dreaming of the opportunity to play in the Majors, he probably envisioned a number of different ways to enjoy his debut, none of which likely included him making an early exit with blood streaming down his face.

Smith realized his lifelong dream as he started in center field and served as the Braves leadoff hitter in Monday night's 6-4 loss to the Nationals. He did manage to secure his first career hit -- a single off Max Scherzer -- before being forced to exit in the fourth inning with a laceration above his left eye he suffered when his forehead smacked his batting helmet as he made an unsuccessful attempt to steal second base.

"My helmet comes off and bounces up and cuts me," Smith said. "What are the odds?"

Smith had five stitches resting under a bandage placed above the corner of his left eye as he spoke to reporters, and he smiled and laughed about how his debut had ended in such an unexpected manner. He recorded 226 stolen bases during his Minor League career, but he had never previously experienced anything similar to what occurred as his parents sat in the stands and Braves fans anxiously followed his debut.

When Smith completed a head-first slide, his helmet bounced off the dirt and hit him above the bridge of his nose, causing his forehead to immediately start bleeding. Smith was briefly evaluated by head athletic trainer Jeff Porter before heading to the clubhouse, where he realized the significance of the laceration.

"It probably looked worse than it was," Smith said. "They numbed me, and I haven't felt too much pain. I've got some stitches, but I'm fine. I'll play with this seven days a week."

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Smith will be available to play Tuesday, but with the Nationals starting left-hander Gio Gonzalez, Drew Stubbs might get the start in center field. Stubbs is hitless in 11 at-bats against Gonzalez, so there's a chance Smith will get his wish to immediately return to action.

This was certainly an anticlimactic conclusion to what had been an exciting few days for Smith, who on Sunday learned that he had been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Ender Inciarte, who was placed on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain suffered on Friday night.

Smith led off Monday's game with a three-pitch strikeout against Scherzer. But the 23-year-old outfielder then showed off his speed as he recorded his first hit in the second inning, an infield single on a sharp grounder backhanded by second baseman Daniel Murphy. He had reached via a fielder's choice before suffering the injury in the fourth inning.

"You saw what we saw in Spring Training," Gonzalez said. " He's a guy who mis-hits a ball in the infield, and it's a base hit. I'm sure he didn't want to come out with five stitches in his forehead, but he'll be back in there as soon as we can get him back in there."

Smith ranks as the Braves' No. 11 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. But it is safe to say that his stock has steadily risen since he was acquired by Atlanta in the December 2014 trade that sent Justin Upton to the Padres.

With Inciarte sidelined until at least April 24, he could have a chance to display his speed and provide some clearer indication as to how close he truly is to being ready to stick at the Major League level.

"For me to be here right now is an honor, and I'm just trying to make the most of the opportunity," Smith said.

Cervenka resurrecting career with Braves

Lefty reliever on Major League roster after pitching in independent league in 2015

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | April 11th, 2016

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Approximately nine months after a humbling release from the Cubs' organization relegated him to pitching in an independent league, left-hander Hunter Cervenka is a Major Leaguer, now as one of the newest members of the Braves' evolving bullpen.

Before Monday's 6-4 loss to the Nationals, the Braves added Cervenka and right-handed reliever Joel De La Cruz to their bullpen. Cervenka, a 26-year-old Minor League journeymen, filled the vacancies created when Daniel Winkler was placed on the disabled list with a fractured right elbow and Jose Ramirez was designated for assignment.

"I'm just happy to get the call and be here, where I feel like I deserve to be," Cervenka said. "I worked hard to get here."

While De La Cruz could become a roster casualty to create a spot for Jhoulys Chacin, who is scheduled to start against the Nationals on Tuesday, Cervenka will have a chance to prove he can be the reliable second left-handed reliever the Braves have been seeking. Eric O'Flaherty had been the only left-handed member of Atlanta's bullpen through this season's first five games.

Cervenka learned of his promotion early Sunday evening while he was planning on watching the final round of The Masters. He initially received word from Double-A Mississippi manager Luis Salazar, but he needed clarification from his pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn.

"I couldn't understand a word Luis Salazar was saying," Cervenka said. "He said, 'Major Leagues,' and I was like what are you talking about? Then [pitching coach] Dennis Lewallyn called me in and told me what was going on. It's special. It's still not real yet. Getting to put the uniform on and go to a big league stadium is something else."

Cervenka certainly did not envision this occurring when, three weeks after being released by the Cubs in May 2015, he found himself extending his career by pitching for the Sugar Land (Tex.) Skeeters of the Atlantic League. The lefty made a strong enough impression over eight appearances for the Skeeters to gain a Minor League contract from the Braves, who needed to fill the voids created after they promoted many of their Minor League relievers to the Majors last year.

It is safe to say Cervenka has taken advantage of the opportunity. He did not allow an earned run in the 23 2/3 innings he pitched for Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett since joining the Braves' organization.

"That was a tough deal, not throwing well and getting released and then waiting that long to finally get an opportunity," Cervenka said. "Even though it was in indy ball, it helped me grow a little and figure out the kind of pitcher I was."

When the Braves acquired Ramirez from the Mariners for cash in December, they were simply taking a gamble on a live arm. But the hard-throwing right-hander, who is out of options, sealed his fate as he allowed five ninth-inning runs during Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

Braves promote prospect Smith among moves

Cervenka, De La Cruz receive inaugural callups; Ramirez designated for assignment

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | April 11th, 2016

WASHINGTON -- The Braves on Monday promoted outfield prospect Mallex Smith while continuing to tinker with their bullpen by promoting a pair of relievers -- left-hander Hunter Cervenka and right-hander Joel De La Cruz. The club also designated right-handed reliever Jose Ramirez for assignment.

Cervenka and De La Cruz were both expected to be in Atlanta's bullpen for Monday night's series opener against the Nationals. But De La Cruz's stint could prove to be a short one as the Braves will need to create a roster spot for Jhoulys Chacin, who is scheduled to start Tuesday night's game against the Nats. The additions of Cervenka and De La Cruz fill the two voids created on Sunday, when Daniel Winkler fractured his right elbow throwing a pitch before Ramirez sealed his fate by allowing the Cardinals to tally five ninth-inning runs.

While Monday's transactions were highlighted by the addition of Smith -- the team's No. 11 prospect who will spend the next couple of weeks filling in for the injuredEnder Inciarte -- the additions of Cervenka and De La Cruz provided both longtime Minor Leaguers with their first taste of life in the big leagues.

Cervenka pitched for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters after he was released by the Cubs two months into the 2015 season. Since signing a Minor League deal with the Braves on July 7, the 26-year-old southpaw has not allowed an earned run over the 23 2/3 innings he has combined to complete for Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Braves went through this season's first five games with Eric O'Flaherty serving as their only left-handed reliever. Cervenka, who surrendered one hit over three scoreless innings for Mississippi this year, will have a chance to prove he is capable of serving as the dependable second lefty reliever Atlanta has been seeking.

De La Cruz has posted a 4.10 ERA over the 153 career Minor League appearances he has made since making his pro debut as a member of the Brewers organization in 2007.

When the Braves acquired Ramirez from the Mariners on Dec. 4. they simply took a gamble on a live arm. The 26-year-old reliever allowed five hits and issued four walks while surrendering six earned runs in the two innings he completed for Atlanta since the start of this season.

Gonzalez set for season debut vs. Chacin, Braves

By Alex Putterman / MLB.com | 1:55 AM ET

The last time Gio Gonzalez faced a Major League batter, the calendar still read March and the games didn't count toward the standings.

On Tuesday -- 16 days after last taking the mound -- Gonzalez will finally make his regular-season debut, facing right-hander Jhoulys Chacin and the Braves at Nationals Park.

"I can't wait to grab the ball and finally pitch," Gonzalez said Monday. "I'm just excited to finally get up there and take what I did in Spring Training over to the game."

Gonzalez will look to bounce back from a 2015 season that was a tick below his usual standard. The 30-year-old left-hander posted a 3.79 ERA, his worst mark since 2009, as his strikeout rate dipped to 22.3 percent, the lowest it has been since 2010.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker manipulated Washington's rotation to have Gonzalez, who lasted only 5 2/3 innings per start last year, sandwiched between workhorses Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

Gonzalez pointed out that this configuration has the added benefit of splitting two power right-handers with a lefty.

But Baker's rotation machinations also meant Gonzalez had to wait until more than a week into the season before taking the mound for the first time, in the Nationals' sixth game. Gonzalez said he's not worried about rust and figures he'll "lock it in" by the time he hits the bullpen for pregame tosses Tuesday.

"I just want to get back to my groove, get back to my routine," Gonzalez said. "And once that gets going tomorrow, I'm going to be looking forward to it for the entire season."

Chacin will also be making his 2016 Major League debut as well as his first start in a Braves uniform. Chacin appears to have distanced himself from the right shoulder ailments that plagued him the past two seasons, striking out 16 batters in 21 innings in Spring Training this year.

The veteran earned a rotation spot to start the season, but the Braves opted to have him make his first start for Triple-A Gwinnett, and he fired 7 2/3 scoreless innings against Norfolk on Thursday.

Chacin has had success at Nationals Park in the past -- allowing just one earned run over 14 innings -- but hasn't pitched in Washington since June 22, 2013.

Things to know about this game

• Though Gonzalez has a 4.54 ERA and 1.434 WHIP in 13 career starts against the Braves, he shut down Atlanta in two outings last year, allowing only seven hits and two runs in 13 innings.

• Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has the second-most plate appearances against Gonzalez (34) of any player (Ichiro Suzuki has faced the lefty 41 times). Freeman has fared well in these match-ups, posting a .310/.353/.655 slash line against Gonzalez. Jeff Francoeur, who will likely get his first start of the season in left field on Tuesday, has batted .400 (10-for-25) with three doubles and a homer against Gonzalez in his career.

• Ryan Zimmerman, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games Monday, is 5-for-13 for his career against Chacin, with two home runs.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Norris blows leads vs. Nationals as Braves fall to 0-6

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON — The Braves lost leads in the first and third innings and watch their exciting center-field prospect walk off the field with a bloodied face in the fourth inning of his major league debut.

Nationals Park continues to be a house of horrors for Atlanta.

Bud Norris couldn’t protect early leads and center-prospect Mallex Smith left with a cut over his left eye during a series-opening 6-4 loss that dropped the Braves to 0-6, the first time they’ve started that poorly since going 0-10 in 1988 to begin a 106-loss season.

“We’re trying our darndest,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “I went in there (in the postgame clubhouse) today, told the guys, keep your heads up. Don’t get down. If you have this in July, if you lose five in a row, six in a row in July, nobody worries. It’s the beginning of the season, and I am worried, but I know that we’re playing good baseball; we’re close to playing good baseball. And we’re going to be a lot better off for it.”

Gonzalez even instructed the Braves to play music in the clubhouse after the game, something the Braves normally aren’t permitted to do after a loss or during the postgame media interview period.

The Braves have lost 11 consecutive games at Nationals Park since the beginning of the 2015 season.

The good news: Smith’s laceration required five stitches, but he was otherwise fine. The other positives: Nick Markakis had two more doubles to give him six in his past three games. And the Braves got four runs in the first two innings against former Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.

But Norris (0-2) couldn’t make the lead stand. Neither time.

Fredi Gonzalez said he was pleased with the overall game the Braves played, despite the frustration of giving backs runs after taking leads.

“That’s where we’re at now,” Gonzalez said. “You want shutdowns. You want to score a couple runs, come back in the dugout and go back out there as a defensive team and shut the other team down. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. And today looked like a good ballgame….

“We played good baseball. We swung the bats, pitched well, got out of some jams, made some good pitches there on some really good hitters. We’re close.”

A.J. Pierzynski staked Norris to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out, two-run double, but he gave up three runs in the bottom of the inning when he threw 37 pitches and allowed two walks and three hits, including a two-out, two-run homer by Daniel Murphy on a belt-high 93-mph fastball over the plate.

The Braves scored two more runs on three hits in the second inning, the last a two-run double by Markakis for a 4-3 lead.

Once again, Norris couldn’t hold it. The Nationals scored the tying run in the third inning when three of the first four batters collected singles, then reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Ryan Zimmerman hit a leadoff double and scored on Wilson Ramos’ two-out single.

“Still trying to find my timing with my windup,” said Norris, who was charged with nine hits, five runs and two walks in five innings, and threw 64 strikes in 96 pitches. “That was something that kind of (hurt me) tonight, couple of pitches that ran back over the middle. But it’s a long season.

“I feel really good as far as my arm is concerned and everything else. My health has been great, which is something I really took seriously this offseason. I hope it pays dividends towards the end, but we’ve got to get this thing turned around here and I hope we start winning some games soon.”

The Nationals tacked on an insurance run against the Braves bullpen in the seventh, when Alexi Ogando entered with two out and a runner on first and promptly allowed a walk and RBI single to the first two batters he faced.

Cervenka’s journey: Sugar Land to big leagues in 10 months

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON — From the independent league Sugar Land Skeeters to the big-league Braves in 10 months, it’s been quite a journey for left-hander Hunter Cervenka.

An eight-year minor league veteran released by the Triple-A Cubs in May 2015, Cervenka stood in the Braves clubhouse at Nationals Park on Monday, ready for his first major league game. He was called up from Double-A to give the Braves a second left-hander and help plug their leaky bullpen.

“It’s special,” Cervenka said. “It’s still not real yet.”

The Braves purchased the contracts of Cervenka from Double-A Mississippi and right-handed reliever Joel De La Cruz from Triple-A. The two spots were created when right-hander Jose Ramirez was designated for assignment and Dan Winkler on the disabled list after fracturing his elbow throwing a pitch in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals.

Ramirez allowed five runs in one inning Sunday against the Cardinals and has a 15.83 ERA and .400 opponents’ average in 10 major league appearances for three teams since the beginning of the 2015 season.

De La Cruz allowed four hits and two runs in two innings of his only appearance at Triple-A Gwinnett and is expected to be sent back Tuesday when the Braves activate No. 5 starter Jhoulys Chacin.

For Cervenka, 26, there is an opportunity to stick around if he pitches well. Not bad, considering where he was less than a year ago, wondering about his future in baseball.

“That was a tough deal,” Cervenka said, “getting released and not throwing well, then waiting that long and finally getting an opportunity and it was in indy ball. It helped me grow a little bit more and figure out what type of pitcher I was.”

Cervenka pitched parts of eight seasons in the minor leagues without a major league call-up before this. Adding him gives the Braves two lefties in their bullpen and alleviates the need to rely so heavily on Eric O’Flaherty.

“To put the uniform on and go to a big-league stadium is something else,” Cervenka said. “There’s not many lefties here anymore. Unfortunate injuries (and other moves). But I’m just happy to get the call and finally be here, be where I feel like I deserve to be.

“I worked hard to get here. I signed in 2008. That’s been eight or nine years. It’s been a long road.”

Cervenka impressed in spring training, particularly in a few appearances when brought back over for Grapefruit League games after he was reassigned to minor league camp March 14.

He has a 4.56 ERA in 205 games (23 starts) in parts of eight minor league seasons, with 389 strikeouts and 253 walks in 383 innings. He’s allowed no earned runs in 23 2/3 innings in 19 appearances over two seasons with Braves affiliates, totaling 33 strikeouts and 10 walks.

That included 16 2/3 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett last season. He pitched three innings this season at Double-A Mississippi, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts, before getting the call Sunday.

Cervenka is in major league uniform just 10 months after pitching for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League.

“Being told I was going back to Mississippi to start the year was a little disappointing,” he said, “but now it’s worked out for the best so far. I knew the organization was struggling with lefties. I wanted to take every opportunity I got and run with it, make the best of it that I could. Glad to be here.”

Winkler worked his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2014 and been arguably the Braves’ best reliever in spring training and the early season before reinjuring the surgically repaired elbow.

Braves relievers have blown leads in the late innings of four of five games in the team’s 0-5 start, and have allowed a majors-worst .423 opponents’ batting average.

Mallex Smith exits early in debut with bloody face

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON – Mallex Smith’s major league debut ended abruptly when the speedy Braves center-field prospect left Monday’s game with a bloody laceration over his left eye after being struck by his batting helmet on a fourth-inning slide.

Smith required five stitches but was otherwise in good spirits after the Braves’ 6-4 loss to the Nationals.

“I steal all these bases and now, I get my first day in the big leagues and my helmet comes off and bounces up and cuts me,” said Smith, smiling and shaking his head. “What are the odds?”

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he might rest Smith Tuesday in the second game of the series, but only because they’re facing a left-hander (Gio Gonzalez) and he’d already been leaning toward playing Drew Stubbs in center against the lefty before Smith got hurt.

“I’m sure he didn’t want to come out with five stitches in his forehead,” Gonzalez said of Smith’s debut, “but (the injury is) nothing other than that. He’ll be back in there as soon as we can get him back in there. He didn’t want to come out of the game, but it was a pretty good size cut….

“I’m thinking if there was a right-hander in there tomorrow, he’s in there. Given Gio’s pretty tough on lefties, give (Smith) the day off You don’t want to just throw him to the sharks, because he’s going to have to face (Stephen) Strasburg the next day.”

Smith was on first base with two out in the fourth inning of series opener when he tried to steal second. He dove hands-first on a close play, arriving just as the throw from catcher Wilson Ramos reached the base.

His helmet popped off when he slid, and bounced off the ground and into Smith’s face. When he got up and walked off the field, there was a significant amount blood above his nose on his forehead. Smith was replaced by Stubbs in the bottom of the inning.

“It probably looked worse than it was,” Smith said. “I still haven’t felt too much pain. They numbed me up, got me some stiches. But I’m fine. I’ll play with this every day of the week.”

As for Tuesday’s game, he said, “I have all plans on being in there tomorrow. It’s up to Fredi, but I’m definitely ready to go.”

Smith was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace injured center fielder Ender Inciarte, who went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday for a strained hamstring. Smith, 23, arrived in Washington on Monday and his parents also traveled to the game to his see his debut.

He was in the lineup in center and batting leadoff, and Smith got his first major league hit on an infield single in the second inning in his second plate appearance. He showed his blazing speed on that play and when he scored from first base on a Nick Markakis double.

Before his first at-bat, Smith stood outside the batter’s box and looked around Nationals Park for a moment before getting in to face Scherzer, who struck him out on three pitches in that initial at-bat.

“It looked like he was kind of looking around and taking it all in a little bit,” Gonzalez said of Smith’s reaction when he went to bat that first time. “But that’s him. You know what? Good for him. This guy … it won’t be his last, I’ll tell you that much. This guy’s a good player.”

Smith said he did, indeed, take a moment to take it all in before the first pitch.

“I just wanted to appreciate the moment,” he said. “You get one first at-bat in the major leagues. I just wanted to make sure I took it all in, enjoyed the scenery, enjoyed just who I was facing, the team, Scherzer’s on the mound. And I appreciate him for letting me do that.”

Despite the early exit and Braves loss, Smith said his debut was a night he’d never forget.

“Every moment of it has been great,” he said. “I would have at least liked to have finished the game, but I’ll have more opportunities.”

When a reporter mentioned that Smith might have a scar to remember the game, he said, “Might? I will have a scar to remember it by. I’ll have a good story from my debut down the road.”

Ready or not, Braves’ Mallex Smith is here and it could be exciting

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON – He has an engaging personality, a terrific smile, an abundance of fast-twitch muscles and enough confidence to fall into the “swagger” category in the view of many.

There’s a whole lot for Braves fans to like about Mallex Smith, a dynamic center-field prospect called up from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of schedule when the big club needed a replacement, after center fielder Ender Inciarte strained a hamstring Friday and went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday.

Smith joined the Braves in Washington and was in the lineup, in center field and batting leadoff, for Monday night’s series opener against the Nationals and ace Max Scherzer.

A reporter asked Smith if it felt a bit surreal.

“Surreal maybe is not the word I’m looking for,” Smith said, smiling. “Humbling, exciting. Just glad, very passionate about this. For me to be here right now is an honor, and I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity.”

And when Inciarte returns in a couple of weeks?

“It’s out of my control,” said Smith, 23. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and I never wish ill on anybody. So at the end of the day it’s just moreso taking care of my everyday business, so that when I do get the call, I’m ready.”

Smith said his parents arrived in Washington on Monday afternoon for the game, and his brother and sisters were en route.

For the record, manager Fredi Gonzalez said Monday that the Braves hoped to have Smith play at least 70 games in the minor leagues this season, so the former high school football star could keep polishing his baseball skills and be ready to stay for good once he arrived. But now that he’s up, Gonzalez didn’t hesitate to put Smith into the lineup.

“The plan was to bring him up a little later, let him get some more at-bats in the minor leagues and get him game-ready,” Gonzalez said. “But you know what? Sometimes, at times like this with Inciarte going down, you bring him up and let him play. For me, you don’t bring up one of your top prospects in the minor leagues and put him on the bench. Let him play, and hopefully Inciarte gets ready in two weeks and (Smith) is doing well and see what happens.

“I think he can bring some excitement to the lineup. I mean, he could miss-hit two balls today and get two hits out of it, because he runs that well.”

A former Padres prospect who came to Atlanta in the December 2014 trade for Justin Upton, Smith led all of minor league baseball with 88 stolen bases (in 114 attempts) in 2014 in Single-A. Last year in his first season in the Braves organization, he hit .303 with a .371 OBP, eight triples and 56 steals in a 125 games in Double-A and Triple-A.

Smith impressed plenty this year at spring training, batting .346 (9-for-26) with seven extra-base hits (three triples) in 15 games before being sent to minor league camp.

He was 6-for-15 with two doubles, a triple and five runs scored in three games for Gwinnett — including a four-hit game Saturday — before being removed from the lineup before Sunday’s game and told afterward that he was headed to join the big-league club in Washington.

“This guy hasn’t played much baseball” compared with others his age, Gonzalez said. “The more he plays the game, the more we’re going to see him get better. The only way you can do it is by playing games, getting in there, getting experience, getting at-bats, getting in situations. And we were hoping to let him play 70, 80, 90 games in the minor leagues before bringing him up. But he played all year last year in Double-A and the second half in Triple-A, and he did well. Been to big-league camp a couple of times.

“Sometimes we have a tendency to protect these guys a little bit. Sometimes the best thing is just to say, hey, the plan was for him to come up a little later, but now Inciarte’s hurt, go get ’em.”

That’s what Gonzalez told Smith on Monday, greeting him briefly after the player arrived at Nationals Park, then letting him know that early batting practice was starting in 20 minutes and that he was in the lineup batting leadoff against Scherzer.

Gonzalez had spent plenty of time talking with his coaches and with team officials this weekend about Smith and how to use him if he came up.

“We were talking about, hey, if after two weeks he comes up here and fails, is it going to set him back?” Gonzalez said. “What do we do? And you know what, we’ve got a lot of good baseball people in that room, and we talked it over with our player development people and our big-league staff, and we said, you know what, sometimes we mother-hen these guys. He’s a position player, not a pitcher. Let him go out and play. He’s a good athlete, he’s a good baseball player, let him go out and play and see what happens.

“The (mental) makeup is off the chart, confidence is off the chart. It’s not like he’s going to go 0-for-4 today against Scherzer and go back to the room and curl up in the closet and cry or anything like that. He’s going to come back out tomorrow and play the game the right way.”

Braves’ poor start reaches Liberty Media stockholder meeting

By Tim Tucker

The Braves’ 0-5 start this season didn’t go unnoticed at a special meeting of team owner Liberty Media’s stockholders Monday afternoon.

“It’ll be awhile,” Liberty Media Chairman John Malone said to laughter upon being asked when the Braves will win their first game of the season. “Listen, we’re rebuilding.”

The purpose of the meeting – held in Englewood, Colo., and broadcast on Liberty’s website — was for stockholders to vote on the company’s proposal to issue three new tracking stocks, including one tied to the Braves. The proposal was approved, and the Braves stock is expected to begin trading soon on the Nasdaq exchange.

Beyond noting that the Braves are rebuilding, Malone offered no diagnosis of the team’s on-field problems, saying its management can “make its excuses for the poor starting performance of the team.”

When a meeting attendee said he saw Braves CEO Terry McGuirk on TV at The Masters, Malone joked: “Well, so you know where his focus is.”

Malone also was asked what he thinks of Forbes magazine’s recent valuation of the Braves at $1.18 billion.

“I don’t have a clue,” he replied. “We’ll see shortly (when the Braves stock begins trading). We’ll see what the market puts on it and decide how efficient our monetization thesis is.

“Now, keep in mind the Braves now are a fairly major real-estate business as opposed to just a baseball club.”

He was referring to the mixed-use development, The Battery Atlanta, being built alongside the team’s Cobb County stadium, SunTrust Park. Both the stadium and the development are slated to open next year.

“I personally think that these are good real-estate assets, not just for the team but just as a broad development project,” Malone said. “It does give the team more heft. It gives the vision more heft than just the club itself.”

Malone also spoke highly of the Braves’ 1/30th share of Major League Baseball’s digital business, MLB Advanced Media.

“I think it’s worth a whole bunch,” he said. “They’ve done a very good job of building that. Our indirect part in that is, I think, an attractive asset.”

Braves need to end couple of skids in D.C.

By David O’Brien

WASHINGTON – We don’t know if a 26-year-old lefty reliever with no big-league experience, who pitched for the independent-league Sugar Land Skeeters during part of 2015, can do much to solidify the Braves’ leaky bullpen and enhance their chances against the Nationals.

But we’re pretty sure that Hunter Cervenka can only help at this point.

Cervenka will arrive from Double-A to join the Braves for tonight’s series opener at Nationals Park. The Braves will hope the relatively unknown pitcher can help them try to contain Bryce Harper and end a couple of streaks: a five-game winless streak to start the season and a 10-game skid at Nationals Park.

The Braves lost all 10 games at Nats Park in 2015, just the seventh time since 1900 that a team went winless for a season on the road at a ballpark in which they played at least nine games.

Cervenka will take the spot of right-hander Dan Winkler, who fractured his elbow throwing a pitch in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals. Watching Winkler get hurt and go to his knees in pain was terrible. Good dude, and he had worked his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2014 to be one of the Braves’ few effective relievers in spring training and the first week of the season before reinjuring the elbow.

The addition of Cervenka gives the Braves two lefties in the bullpen as he joins Eric O’Flaherty, who’s not the O’Flaherty he was in his previous stint with the Braves and is still figuring out how to pitch with the stuff he has now.

Meanwhile, the bullpen, with its many reclamation projects or relatively unproven arms, had a very rough first week, blowing late-innings leads in four of the five games. (Relievers certainly weren’t alone in blame as defensive gaffes directly led to a couple of losses).

Braves relievers have allowed a majors-worst .423 opponents’ OBP, and their 8.66 ERA and .978 opponents’ OPS are second-worst in majors, ahead of only Colorado’s relievers in each category.

In Cervenka, they have a guy who spent parts of eight seasons in the minors and hasn’t pitched in the majors. He hasn’t given up an earned run in 23 2/3 innings in the Braves’ minor league system since joining the organization last year, and Cervenka impressed in spring training in a couple of appearances when he brought back over for Grapefruit League games after being reassigned to minor league camp on March 14.

Cervenka has a 4.56 ERA in 205 games (23 starts) in the minors, including 19 appearances for Braves affiliates, with 33 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 2/3 innings. He pitched 16 2/3 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett last season, and in three innings this season at Double-A he allowed one hit and one walk.

Cervenka will be in a major league uniform less than a year after pitching for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters in the independent Atlanta League.

The Braves need bullpen help and particularly need help against lefty batters. Against lefties, Braves pitchers have a .325 opponents’ average and 1.063 OPS, second-worst second-worst in the majors in each category. Braves pitchers have allowed the majors’ second-most walks (16) against lefty batters.

Keep in mind, there are a lot of dangerous left-handed hitters in the NL East.

• Offensive woes: It’s not just pitching and defense that have let down the Braves. Their hitters are batting .198 overall with a .595 OPS that’s third-lowest in the majors, ahead of only the Angels and Mets.

They’ll make do without leadoff man Ender Inciarte for a couple of weeks, as he’s been placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. One positive: Braves fans will get a look at dynamic center-field prospect Mallex Smith sooner than expected. Smith is in D.C. and will be added to the 25-man roster before the series opener.

• Speaking of lefties, Braves hitters are just 7-for-45 (.156) against lefty pitchers, with a .428 OPS that’s second-lowest in the majors ahead of only Baltimore. And the Orioles only have 17 official at-bats against lefties (1-for-17), while against righties they have eight homers and a .929 OPS. The Braves, on the other hand, have a .659 OPS vs. right-handers.

The Braves have a 6.65 ERA and just 17 runs scored (three homers) through five games. Seven of those runs came in Sunday’s 12-7 loss. Braves have five or fewer hits in three of five games.

• Remember 42-42? After posting a .500 record with a 3.90 ERA and 331 runs scored in 84 games last season through July 7, the Braves are 25-58 with a 5.07 ERA and 259 runs scored in their past 83 games. They went 6-31 on the road last season after July 7.

A word to Braves fans: Don’t get discouraged

By Mark Bradley - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Even if you understand why the Braves are doing this, losing is no fun. If you’re the guy largely responsible for this tear-down-to-build-up, losing is excruciating. When the crash came last summer and the Braves lost 19 of 20 games, John Coppolella was miserable. Couldn’t sleep. Barely ate. Woe was he.

Midway through that plunge, the Braves visited Wrigley Field. One of the Cubs’ higher-ups approached Coppolella, who would be promoted to general manager Oct. 1, and said: “We love what you guys are doing. But you can’t get discouraged. We remember how it was in 2012.”

That was Theo Epstein’s first season as Cubs president. On consecutive July days, Epstein traded two of his three best pitchers — Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm — to contenders. (Maholm to the Braves, you’ll recall.) The Cubs finished the year with a rotation that included Chris Rusin, Chris Volstad and Justin Germano, owners of an aggregate career record of 55-100. Those Cubs lost 101 games.

Today the Cubs, who won 97 games last season, are seen as baseball’s most gifted team. They’re so laden with under-25 talent — Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Jorge Soler, Javier Baez — that the loss of Kyle Schwarber to injury figures to be absorbed. Put simply, the Cubs are what the Braves hope to be.

The Astros lost 106 games in 2011, the season before Jeff Luhnow arrived from St. Louis, and got worse — 107 losses in 2012 and 111 in 2013. When Sports Illustrated ran a cover story in June 2014 declaring Houston “your 2017 World Series champ,” the baseball world tittered. Nobody’s laughing now. The Astros made the playoffs last fall. (Heck, SI might have undershot.)

The Braves have opened their season 0-5. This comes a year after they started 5-0 and still lost 95 games. They were terrible at the end of last season; they could be worse this time around. (Last year’s No. 2 starter: Shelby Miller. This year’s: Bud Norris.) Given that their schedule was front-loaded, nobody expected a flying start. Still, 0-5 is the worst Braves have done since 1988, when they finished 54-106.

If you’re Coppolella, you console yourself by noting that Dansby Swanson is hitting .294 with four RBIs for Carolina and that Sean Newcomb struck out five in five innings in his first start for Mississippi. These are the Braves of tomorrow, and they should — fingers crossed — be exponentially better than the Braves of today. If you’re Joe/Jane Doe of Anywhere, Ga., and you’ve paid to watch this alleged big-league team lose, you don’t give a fig about next year.

There’s a reason tanking/rebuilding is never done lightly: It’s awful to behold, and it’s an affront to your customers. It’s easy for a guy like me to say, “I believe the Braves are on the right track,” but — full disclosure — I don’t pay for my seat.

It would be better if tanking teams could say to MLB, “Since we’re not going to be trying hard to win the next few years, could we be taken off the schedule?” Alas, a team has to watch as its considered corporate course plays out over 162 games, all of which are televised. The notion of rebuilding can make great good sense. The reality is agonizing.

But having gone this far, what’s the alternative? Say the Braves traded their top 15 prospects for Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera. They’d have a great pitcher and a great pitcher, yes. They’d also be on the hook for $416 million in future salary for two guys. What the Braves are doing is smarter and cheaper and — we can only hope — better.

It will be a while until we see the fruits of this reset, with no guarantee they’ll be as bountiful as forecast. Until then, there’s not much to do except grin and bear it. (Or try Netflix instead.) As the Cubs’ man said last summer: Don’t get discouraged. Surely better days are ahead. Surely.

Bumbling Braves lack chemistry

By Michael Cunningham

There’s something “off” about the 0-5 Braves. It’s one thing to be not good enough. It’s something else to be bad. The Braves are bad.

To not be good enough means to lack baseball talent. It means not having enough pitchers who can get outs or hitters who can get hits. We saw some of that with the Braves during the 0-5 home stand but, really, that wasn’t the big problem.

The big problem, as I saw it, is that the chemistry isn’t right. By “chemistry” I don’t mean how players and coaches get along which, in my experience, usually is vastly overrated in pro sports. I’m talking about a lack of cohesiveness on the field, which has shown up most obviously with the Braves’ defensive blunders.

The Braves lost two game directly because of defensive miscues. In Game 1 catcher A.J. Pierzynski dropped Ender Inciarte’s bouncing throw at the plate and there also was the unbelievably bad throw to first by Gordon Beckham. In Game 2 there was Pierzynski’s whiffed catch at the plate (or, as the scorekeeper saw it, the errant throw by Freddie Freeman).

To that list Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez added what he saw as center fielder Drew Stubbs’ misplay of Matt Holliday’s flared single to shallow in the eighth inning Sunday. That hit started the Cardinals’ eight-inning rally from a run down.

Stubbs, playing deep to protect against extra-base hits, came charging in for the ball but hesitated and changed his angle at the last moment when he saw shortstop Erick Aybar running hard to the outfield. Stubs slid and the ball fell. Gonzalez blamed Stubbs.

“Everybody did their job,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just a shame that one missed play cost us a chance to shake hands.”

I thought it was strange for Gonzalez to single out Stubbs who, like I said, had a long way to run and was trying to avoid Aybar. (Left unmentioned: Jim Johnson hitting the next batter, Matt Carpenter, with a 0-1 count to put Holliday in position to tie the scoring run.) There’s that lack of chemistry again, which apparently even extends to Gonzalez’s explanations.

Another example: Asked about that errant Freeman throw/whiffed catch by Pierzynski, Gonzalez thought reporters were talking about Aybar’s off-line throw to Freeman that started the sequence. That play actually was a very tough one for Aybar so it hadn’t occurred to anyone to ask about it. Once it became clear the topic was the Freeman/Pierzynski misconnection, Gonzalez still was focused on Aybar.

What Gonzalez says to reporters may not mean much in the big picture and sometimes he has to show some discretion about what he says publicly. But, like I said, it’s just another indication of how things are “off” with the Braves.

Defense, the aspect of the game that most requires the Braves to work together, has been most problematic. Gonzalez noted that the Braves spent a lot of time on individual defensive instruction during spring training. That’s fine, but most of the defensive problems have involved a lack of unity among the individual parts (Aybar’s shockingly bad footwork being the exception).

The Braves are out of whack.

These Braves weren’t built to win. Good thing, seeing that they’re 0-5

By Mark Bradley

Let’s look on the bright side. Six National League teams figured to be terrible this season, and the Atlanta Braves have already surged ahead of — or fallen behind, depending on your perspective — the five others in the race for the No. 1 draft pick in 2018. There’s still the matter of the Minnesota Twins, who are 0-6 to the Braves’ 0-5. But Rome wasn’t rebuilt in a day.

Not to say I told you so, but I kind of did. Forget any false chatter emanating from spring training. (And there wasn’t much of that. The Braves were 6-26 in exhibition games, the worst mark in either the Grapefruit or Cactus Leagues.) They were always going to be awful, and their front-loaded schedule — 15 of their first 22 games against teams that finished 2015 above .500 — stood to make the early going doubly dire. Ergo, 0-5.

Here we note that the Braves started last season 5-0 and still lost 95 games. This 0-fer opening week would seem to give them a flying start on 100 losses, which is harder to do than it sounds: No team has lost 100 games since the Marlins and Astros of 2013, and the latter club serves as one of the Braves’ role models. The franchise that lost 324 games from 2011 through 2013 is now seen as a World Series favorite.

Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs both projected the 2016 Braves to finish 68-94, or one game better than last season. I got wildly optimistic and picked them to go 71-91. My thinking, such as it was: The team would be wretched early — as opposed to last season, when it was wretched late — but would improve once the first real wave of prospects hit. Having already re-calibrated, FanGraphs now tabs the Braves to go 66-96, or one game worse than last year. BP lists the Braves’ playoff odds at 1.5 percent, the lowest among the 30 big-league teams.

We can list all the reasons the Braves are 0-5 — A.J. Pierzynski, a catcher by trade, cannot catch the ball; Freddie Freeman, the only real hitter, is hitting .125; the “E” in Erick Aybar’s first name can also stand for E-6; the retooled bullpen has blown three saves and has the second-worst ERA in the majors — but the chilling part is this: The rotation hasn’t taken a full turn.

Last season began with Julio Teheran, Shelby Miller and Alex Wood taking regular turns, the retreads Eric Stults and Trevor Cahill being Nos. 4 and 5 (though not for long). With Miller and Wood gone, this year’s No. 2 starter is Bud Norris, himself a retread. No. 3 is Matt Wisler, who’s still learning. No. 4 is Williams Perez, who might be the 15th-most-promising pitcher in the organization. No. 5 is Jhoulys Chacin, who was released by Colorado and signed a minor-league contract with the Braves.

The bullpen has started badly, but the rotation figures to be worse. The Braves, who finished last in baseball in runs last season, aren’t apt to outhit anybody. (They’re second-worst in batting average, third-worst in slugging percentage. Cardinals pinch-hitters hoisted as many home runs in three innings Friday as the Braves as a team have this season.) The five-plus months remaining won’t be pretty.

To bash these Braves for being lousy, however, misses the point. We won’t be seeing this team for long, and hooray for that. Aybar and Pierzynski (again) and the Johnsons (Kelly and Jim, both again) could be traded for more pieces by Aug. 1. So could Ender Inciarte and Jason Grilli. This is yet another disposable roster, a place-holder for one filled with younger and presumably better Braves.

That roster, alas, is still a ways away, and 157 games remain. I wish I had something more to say than “Trust the process,” but I don’t. This, see, is the hardest part about tanking-to-rebuild. In the effort to please its fans down the road, a team risks losing those fans forever. Winning is supposed to cure all ills, but right now the Braves don’t seem capable of winning much of anything. Even one lousy game.

Hot starts among Braves’ farmhands

By Staff

Ozzie Albies is off to a hot start at Double-A Mississippi. The Braves’ shortstop prospect is batting .364 in five games through Sunday. He has a .391 OPB and an .800 OPS. He is 8-for-22 with a double and three runs scored. He has walked once and struck out three times. He also committed an error as the M-Braves lost four of the five games.

Another shortstop prospect, although he may end up as a second baseman in the majors, Dansby Swanson is off to a good start at high Single-A Carolina. In four games through Sunday, Swanson is batting .294, but has a .368 OBP and a .780 OPS. He has four RBIs, two doubles and a run scored for the Mudcats, who are 2-2.

Chris Ellis, Lucas Sims and Sean Newcomb all had impressive first starts for Mississippi. Their stat lines:

• Ellis, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts.

• Sims, 0-1, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts.

• Newcomb, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.

Smoltz, Glavine golf for children's charity

By The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves Hall of Fame pitchers John Smoltz and Tom Glavine will be taking part in the 2016 Novelis Celebrity Challenge during this week's Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth.

Smoltz and Glavine - along with former Georgia Bulldogs star Drew Butler - will compete in a round of golf Saturday, April 16, that benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

The trio are playing for a donation would benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's clinical research

The trio will be playing for a donation to a specific area of need at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta that include clinical research, Sickle Cell disease treatment and the hospital's family support team.

More than 80 golfers will be playing for a $1.8 million purse at the Mitsubishi Classic, an event on the PGA TOUR Champions.

Fox Sports

Braves' Smith leaves MLB debut with cut on face

By Cory McCartney

Give Mallex Smith this: over the past month he's had a penchant for notable debuts.

In the Grapefruit League opener he hit two triples, homered and doubled; in the first game of Triple-A Gwinnett's season he led off the game with a three-bagger, and in the center fielder's first game after the Braves promoted him to the majors -- well, he won't forget this one for a number of reasons.

Called up with Ender Inciarte on the 15-day disabled list, Smith hit leadoff in Monday's series-opening 6-4 loss to the Nationals. His first at-bat didn't last long, as Max Scherzer struck him out swinging on three pitches, but the 22-year-old legged out an infield single in the second inning for his first career hit, then reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth.

That's when Smith would deliver something truly unforgettable.

With speed that has resulted in 227 steals in four-plus minor league seasons, Smith is expected to cause pitchers fits at this level and he certainly seemed to be in Scherzer's head. Four times the Washington right-hander threw over to first -- including one pickoff-attempt that was followed by another glance toward Smith, then Scherzer badly missing on a four-seam fastball -- as Smith's lead seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

With Nick Markakis facing a 2-2 count, Smith finally took off, catcher Wilson Ramos' throw beating the rookie as he was thrown out at second. But just as Danny Espinosa applied the tag to the back of Smith's head, his helmet came off and hit him on the forehead, resulting in a laceration over his left eye. He's now listed as day-to-day, and was replaced in the lineup by veteran Drew Stubbs, though Smith said after the game that he expects to play Tuesday.

"It probably looked worse than what it was," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I still haven't felt any pain. They numbed me up and gave me some stitches. I'm fine. I'd play with this every day of the week."

Smith, who received five stitches, said he wasn't initially aware of how much blood the cut produced.

"It was dripping right away," he said, "(but) I didn't know the degree until I saw myself in the mirror."

It certainly wasn't the path that manager Fredi Gonzalez planned for Smith, the Braves' 10th-ranked prospect on FOXSportsSouth.com's composite rankings. With Inciarte in place, Gonzalez noted before last Friday's game against the Cardinals that they had the luxury of noting having to push Smith.

That, of course, would go out the window as Inciarte exited that series opener vs. St. Louis with a tight hamstring. Now they're hoping to take advantage of the energetic Smith, who was the organization's Minor League Player of the Year this past season.

"He can bring some excitement to the lineup," Gonzalez said before Monday's game. "The confidence is off the charts."

As for Smith, he took note of how close that steal attempt was.

"I could have (gotten it) ... but I got thrown out so I didn't," he said. "But that won't be the last attempt."

USA Today

After winless homestand, Braves' Turner Field farewell may be uglier than imagined

Ray Glier, Special for USA TODAY

ATLANTA - In the fifth inning of each home game this season at Turner Field, a celebrity, or a formerBraves player, or a fan, will tear down a 10-foot tall plastic sheet with a red number written on it signifying the number of home games remaining. It is a countdown from 81 as the Braves play their final season at the 20-year old stadium on the south side of downtown.

There is some dread now that the season-long countdown - currently at 76 - could become a morbid six-month march.

In the house of Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Andruw Jones, and Bobby Cox, the Braves have started 0-5.

It is the first time since 1988 the team has dropped its first five games at home.

Center fielder and leadoff hitter Ender Inciarte is already on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. The most effective set-up reliever, Dan Winkler, suffered a fractured elbow delivering a pitch on Sunday in a 12-7 loss to St. Louis. ShortstopErick Aybar, among others, has struggled defensively, and the team’s star hitter,Freddie Freeman, is batting .125.

The organization traded away a core of stars the last two seasons because the minor league system had to be replenished, but the Braves have risked a piercing of their brand by setting themselves up for a miserable season.

“You let a Major League team kind of hang around, or make a mistake, or don’t make a play, it will come back and haunt us and that’s what we did a lot of this series, this homestand,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “This is a big boy’s game, we have to round them up, huddle them up, coach them up, and continue.”

In an era where bullpens have become such a vital part of the game, the Braves blew leads in the seventh inning or later in four of the five losses.

There was an Opening Day throng of 48,282. Parking at independent lots around the stadium cost $60 as fans turned out for the final Opening Day before the move to a new ballpark in Cobb County in 2017.

But the enthusiasm waned quickly at Turner Field in a chilly week. Crowds for the next four games averaged 25,010.

Inciarte's injury could prompt hte club to rush in one of their top prospects, center fielder Mallex Smith, from Class AAA Gwinnett. He is expected to be their centerfielder and leadoff man of the future, and the Braves may rush him in.

The Braves already shipped out reliever John Gant and replaced him with Chris Withrow, a former first-round draft pick of the Dodgers who's less than two years removed from his own Tommy John surgery. Withrow, who inherited a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning Sunday, walked two batters and hit another as the Cardinals tied the game, 5-5.

More pressing is the play of Aybar, who has misplayed routine ground balls. The Braves dealt Andrelton Simmons, arguably the game’s best defensive shortstop, to the Angels for two pitching prospects and Aybar.

“I feel comfortable, things just happen, it’s baseball,” Aybar said through an interpreter.

Aybar is hardly the only player who has made mistakes defensively. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski could not handle a throw from the outfield in the ninth inning of the opener against Washington that would have ended the game with a Braves win. Freeman made a throwing error in the second game that opened the door for a Washington rally.

Inciarte’s replacement, Drew Stubbs, misplayed a fly ball in eighth here Sunday that could have been the third out with a 6-5 lead, and instead the Cardinals scored two runs and went on to win.

“We haven’t been playing the prettiest of baseball these first five games,” Freeman said. “We’ve been giving the other team a lot of outs, a lot more outs than they should be getting. We scored some runs today, now we have to clean up all aspects of the game.”

The Braves built their brand with 14 consecutive division titles, five National Leaguepennants, and a 1995 World Series championship between 1991 and 2005. The luster certainly will not erode overnight, but it could take a hit with a 100-loss season.

Larry Miller, 67, a street vendor who has worked the sidewalks around Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field for almost 40 years, does not want a regression his last season here.

“I remember back, maybe it was the '70s, and it took me four months to sell two dozen T-shirts, that’s how bad they were playing,” Miller said. He shook his head from side to side, as if to say nobody around the Braves wants the old days to return.

Naples Daily News

Atlanta Braves training site could cost Collier nearly $135M over 30 years, generate $20M annually

By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News

Collier County could spend nearly $135 million in tourist tax dollars to build, finance, operate and maintain a spring training stadium for the Atlanta Braves over 30 years, according to a proposal from Fifth Avenue Advisors being considered Tuesday by commissioners.

While the private group doesn't plan to tell commissioners how to pay for the project, its proposal shows funding from a combination of tourist tax dollars, state money and income from team leases and private naming rights. Under its model, annual revenues would match annual expenses, including debt payments.

The county would pay a little over $3 million a year to start, and increase annually until more than doubling in 30 years to $6.4 million.

"For those payments, they could get $20 million a year in direct spending in the community at hotels, restaurants and other businesses. And you have a facility you can use outside the six weeks. So we think it's a good investment," said Gary Price, a partner in Fifth Avenue Advisors in Naples, referring to the six weeks of spring training.

Lee County is an example of the economic impact stadiums can have on a community, Price said. Based on a 2009 study, spring training generated $41 million in annual spending outside of the stadium. Lee County has two teams, the Twins and the Red Sox, so Collier could see half the economic boost from the Braves, Price said.

The group's funding model also shows $20 million coming from the state — $1 million a year for 20 years. Team leases would generate $1.1 million a year, and naming rights would add another $300,000 in revenues annually.

A spring training home for the Atlanta Braves in Collier County would look much like JetBlue Park built for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. The Braves' home would be a bit smaller, with an estimated construction cost of $53 million, according to Fifth Avenue Advisors.

The cost of the land is estimated at $25 million, bringing the total budget to $78 million. An appraisal of the 160-acre property, off Collier Boulevard near Interstate 75, still needs to be done if the county moves forward, Price said.

The new stadium's dimensions would mirror SunTrust Park, the future home of the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County, Georgia, with 7,500 permanent seats and another 2,500 on a berm, which could include spots on the lawn. The project would also have: a 360-degree concourse; six to eight ticket windows; six premium suites for sale; two suites for Braves' employees; an outfield bar and picnic area; seven training fields; and 12 covered batting cages with lighting.

In its presentation, Fifth Avenue Advisors will suggest that using tourist tax dollars is a "best practice" to pay for spring training stadiums, showing nine counties in Florida that have done the same for 14 other teams, including Lee, Charlotte, Palm Beach and Sarasota counties.

"It's a sports tourism destination and park. It should use tourism dollars to help pay for that. That's the argument," Price said.

Fifth Avenue Advisors is suggesting the project be used not just for spring training, but as a public park to meet the growing demands from the community and as a venue for other events that will help grow sports tourism in the county.

Some leaders think adding another percent to the county's 4 percent tourist tax on hotels and other vacation stays would be necessary to build such a project, including Jack Wert, the county's tourism director. The tax pays for tourism marketing and beach projects, and supports local museums and events.

"The only thing they could do is take away their marketing fund. But I'm certainly hopeful that doesn't happen," Wert said of county commissioners.

Today a 5 percent tax would generate another $4 million a year. That would be enough to cover the county's yearly costs for the stadium for at least 14 years, according to Fifth Avenue Advisors. The idea is that tourist tax dollars would grow with the help of the stadium, generating more money later on when the county's costs are higher and the state money has run out, Price said.

Increasing the tourist tax would require a supermajority vote, or approval by four out of the five county commissioners.

Over the years, supporters of a tourist tax increase have argued it could free up more money for beach projects, while generating more money for tourism promotion.

Hoteliers and tourism promoters have long opposed increasing the tourism tax, arguing it would put them at a competitive disadvantage, especially for group business. The charge is on top of the sales tax, and equates to four cents for every dollar spent on overnight stays.

As part of its package to commissioners, Fifth Avenue Advisors included a letter from the team's former president John Schuerholz, who has a part-time home in Naples.

"We believe that relocating our spring training operations to a new facility in Naples and Collier County would be mutually beneficial to our organization and the citizens of Naples and Collier County," Schuerholz wrote in the Jan. 4, 2016 letter.

Also in the packet for commissioners is a letter of support from Jeff Butzke, president of Adrenaline USA Sports Foundation Inc., who has advocated for a stadium complex in Collier County in hopes of luring a professional soccer team. There's also a letter of support from the Collier County Lodging & Tourism Alliance, which represents a tourism industry that employs more than 29,000 workers in the county.

The little detail of paying for a Braves stadium

By Brent Batten

The backers of a proposal to bring Atlanta Braves spring training to Collier County haven't been so presumptuous as to tell the county how to pay for it.

Big ideas tend to be more appealing when you don't go into those sorts of details.

But one need look no further than Lee County to find one model of taxpayer support for Major League teams.

There, the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox pay a fraction of what it costs to build and maintain the facilities they use to sharpen their baseball skills before opening day.

What the county gets in return can't always be quantified on a balance sheet. Proponents point to the economic stimulus of fans' spending. But university studies point out that since spring training takes place in the busiest part of tourist season, the money would likely have been spent elsewhere in the community had the visitors not chosen to go to a ballgame.

So the spring training equation includes a nebulous factor encompassing quality of life, prestige and favorable impressions.

Lee County borrowed money to build the Red Sox park and renovate the Twins facilities, bonding proceeds from the county's tourist tax to back the loans.

In the case of the Red Sox, bonds bringing in about $81 million were issued in 2010. By the time the county pays them back over 30 years with interest, it will have repaid more than $130 million. And that's with a favorable interest rate secured through the federal government. Although the repayment schedule varies by year, it averages out to about $4.4 million per year to repay the land purchase and construction loan.

In addition it costs about $2 million a year to maintain and operate the stadium.

The Red Sox pay $500,000 a year to lease the facility, a figure that is bumped up by 3 percent every five years.

Naming rights, which belong to JetBlue Airways, bring in $150,000 a year for eight years.

The Red Sox make annual payments for maintenance and capital improvements averaging $100,000 per year over the 30 years.

So while construction, operation and maintenance costs Lee County about $6.4 million a year, the stadium returns less than $1 million.

The Twins deal differs in the specifics but the formula is similar.

Bonds that brought in about $41 million in 2014 will be repaid over 30 years for a total cost of $85 million. The Twins pay the same $500,000 annual lease plus a flat $60,000 per year in upkeep. The state agreed to kick in $500,000 a year for 30 years for stadium improvements.

The Twins' minor League affiliate Miracle pay about $6,000 a month in rent and utilities.

The annual maintenance cost is $2 million, just like at JetBlue Park.

That's a lot to pay for prestige and favorable impressions.

For the Braves' supporters to prevail, they'll have to do better than that.

The vision Gary Price, who will pitch the Braves idea to Collier County commissioners Tuesday, is for a multiuse facility that does more than just host spring training.

He sees a complex that can be used year-round for events that build on the county's goal of becoming a sports tourism destination.

Frequent use of the facility by locals would mesh with the image of a fitness-conscious community the promoters of the Blue Zones initiative are trying to foster.

If he can make that case, then the county's investment might more closely resemble the ones it makes when it builds a large park. Like baseball stadiums, regional parks cost a lot to build and maintain. And, they operate at a loss to taxpayers. It costs Collier County about $1.5 million more to run North Collier Regional Park than the park generates in revenue. Yet no one bats an eye when a county park fails to break even.

Unlike spring training stadiums, regional parks are used year-round and have the potential to generate economic activity in months other than February and March, when we're full to capacity anyway.

For spring training to succeed here, commissioners and voters will have to be convinced the Braves are just a seasonal user of a park that benefits everyone, not just the major league team and their fans.

Big ideas tend to be more credible when they include those sorts of details.

Associated Press

Crank it up! Braves, 0-6 for 1st time since '88, play music

By HOWARD FENDRICH (AP Sports Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Even if the Atlanta Braves are 0-6 for the first time in nearly 30 years, manager Fredi Gonzalez decided he didn't want his players moping around in a silent clubhouse.

Instead, he told them to crank up the music.

So a playlist consisting of Justin Bieber's ''Sorry,''Michael Jackson's ''Black or White'' and Journey's ''Don't Stop Believin''' filled the room Monday night after the Braves' 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, who used Wilson Ramos' four singles and two RBIs to help cover up a shaky start by Max Scherzer.

''I told the guys: Keep your heads up. ... Don't get down. We're playing good. If you have this in July - you lose five in a row or six in a row in July - nobody worries. It's the beginning of the season,'' Gonzalez said. ''And I am worried, but I know that we're playing good baseball. We're close to playing good baseball. And, you know, we're going to be a lot better off for it.''

The Braves, who led Washington 2-0 and 4-3, are off to their worst start since dropping their first 10 games in 1988.

Only three major league clubs have reached the postseason after starting 0-6, according to STATS LLC: Pittsburgh (1974), Cincinnati (1995) and Tampa Bay (2011).

''We've got to turn this thing around tomorrow,'' said starting pitcher Bud Norris (0-2), who allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings.

Scherzer (1-0), pitching on a full week's rest, won despite allowing two-run doubles to A.J. Pierzynskiand Nick Markakis in the first two innings. The righty wound up going six innings and didn't let Atlanta score again in front of a sparse crowd announced as 18,119.

Ramos drove in the go-ahead run off Norris in the fifth, breaking a 4-all tie, and added insurance with an RBI single off Alexi Ogando in the seventh.

Daniel Murphy hit a two-run shot off Norris in the first. He is hitting .471 with two homers and seven RBIs in the first season of a $37.5 million, three-year contract.

''Good at-bats up and down the lineup,'' Murphy said. ''As an offense, I feel like we're able to put pressure on the pitcher continually.''

Four Nationals relievers combined for three scoreless innings, including Jonathan Papelbon, who earned his fourth save.

Mallex Smith had an eventful major league debut on the day he was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and immediately put in Atlanta's starting lineup as the center fielder and leadoff hitter.

The 22-year-old Smith, at Double-A for part of last season, struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat. He reached on an infield single in the second and came around to score. Then, in the fourth, he got thrown out by Ramos while trying to steal second base. On that play, Smith was cut above the left eye while sliding and left the game.

He wound up needing five stitches.

''It probably looked worse than what it was,'' Smith said. ''I still haven't really felt too much pain. They numbed me up, got me some stitches. But I'm fine. I'll play with this seven days a week.''

HARPER'S DAY

NL MVP Bryce Harper went 0 for 3 with two walks and two stolen bases and struck out for the first time in 2016.

DUSTY ON CLOSERS

Baker spoke before the game about the ''special mentality'' it takes to be a successful closer in the majors, because ''as soon as you blow one, or whatever it is, people forget about the other five or six that you saved.'' Thinking back to his days as San Francisco's manager, Baker said: ''I had Rod Beck that saved 50-something in a row and he scared me to death (in) about 30 of 'em. So you just learn that, 'Hey, man, if he's not nervous, then I'm not nervous.'''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: RHP Dan Winkler went on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right elbow. He was injured Sunday.

UP NEXT

LHP Gio Gonzalez finally gets a chance to pitch Tuesday, making his first start of the season in Washington's sixth game. It's been more than two weeks since his last appearance in a game - a March 27 Grapefruit League exhibition.

Braves CF Mallex Smith leaves MLB debut with cut on face

By HOWARD FENDRICH (AP Sports Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Atlanta Braves outfielder Mallex Smith had an eventful major league debut Monday night after being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, getting his first hit but leaving after getting cut on the face while being thrown out trying to steal second base.

In the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals, Smith was cut above the left eye when his batting helmet flew off, bounced off the turf and smacked him in the face as he slid on the attempted steal. Catcher Wilson Ramos threw him out.

Smith wound up needing five stitches.

''It probably looked worse than what it was,'' he said. ''I still haven't really felt too much pain. They numbed me up, got me some stitches. But I'm fine. I'll play with this seven days a week.''

The Braves listed Smith's status as day to day.

Atlanta did not exactly ease Smith into things when bringing him up from the minors. He immediately was put in the starting lineup as the center fielder and leadoff hitter against Max Scherzer and the Nationals.

''You don't bring a guy up - one of your top prospects in the minor leagues - and put him on the bench,'' Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

In his first at-bat, Smith struck out on three pitches.

But in his next trip up, in the second inning, he reached on an infield single and eventually came around to score his first MLB run.

In the fourth inning, he reached on a fielder's choice.

The 22-year-old Smith, who was at Double-A for part of last season, came up to replace Ender Inciarte, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

''He can bring some excitement to the lineup,'' Gonzalez said about Smith. ''The confidence is off the charts. It's not like he's going to go 0 for 4 today against Scherzer and go back to the room and curl up in the closet and cry, or anything like that.''

In other moves Monday, the Braves put reliever Dan Winkler on the 15-day DL with a fractured right elbow, designated right-hander Jose Ramirez for assignment, and selected the contracts of righty Joel De La Cruz from Gwinnett and lefty Hunter Cervenka from Double-A Mississippi.

Braves-Nationals Preview

By MATT BECKER (STATS Editor)

After opening the season with a pair of wins in Atlanta, it shouldn't come as a surprise the Washington Nationals again beat the Braves when the series shifted to the nation's capital.

Seeking their best start in 15 years, the Nationals on Tuesday night look to win their 12th straight home game over winless Atlanta, which is off to its worst start in nearly three decades.

Cleanup hitter Ryan Zimmerman and No. 5 hitterDaniel Murphy have been a catalyst to Washington's strong start, with Zimmerman 6 for 15 with six runs and Murphy 8 for 17 with seven RBIs. Murphy homered in his first at-bat with the Nationals (4-1) and hit home run No. 2 in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Braves.

''Good at-bats up and down the lineup,'' Murphy said. ''As an offense, I feel like we're able to put pressure on the pitcher continually.''

Washington is 17-4 in the last 21 against Atlanta and has won all 11 meetings at Nationals Park since the start of last season. The Nationals are averaging 6.9 runs and batting .333 during their home win streak in the series - the franchise's longest home win streak over a single opponent since Montreal won 14 in a row over San Diego between 1993-95.

The Braves haven't lost 12 consecutive road games to a single opponent since a 13-game skid at the Dodgers from 1951-52.

The Nationals haven't won five of their first six since the Expos opened 6-1 in 2001.

Things are not going as smoothly for the Braves (0-6), who are off to their worst start since opening 0-10 in 1988.

The problems are widespread, as they have one of baseball's worst slugging percentages at .299 to go with the majors' second-worst ERA at 6.67.

Freddie Freeman, Atlanta's leader in homers and RBIs a year ago, is 2 for 18 while new shortstopErick Aybar is 5 for 25.

''I told the guys: Keep your heads up. ... Don't get down," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We're playing good. If you have this in July - you lose five in a row or six in a row in July - nobody worries. It's the beginning of the season. And I am worried, but I know that we're playing good baseball. We're close to playing good baseball.''

Nick Markakis is swinging a hot bat, compiling five doubles in the last two games. However, he is 2 for 12 since 2013 against starter Gio Gonzalez, who is making his season debut as Washington's No. 5 starter.

Gonzalez, who was the team's No. 2 starter from 2012-14, went 11-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 31 starts last season.

The left-hander struggled early in spring training, walking 12 over 13 innings in his first four starts before throwing six innings without issuing a base on balls in his final one March 27.

Gonzalez posted a 1.38 ERA while striking out 18 over 13 innings to win two 2015 starts against the Braves - both at home. He had a 5.32 ERA in going 0-7 in his previous eight in the series.

Atlanta turns to Jhoulys Chacin, who will make his first start of 2016. Slowed by shoulder issues the past two seasons, Chacin went 1-1 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts last season for Arizona.

The right-hander had a 3.00 ERA over six spring training appearance but was regularly working with men on base, yielding 28 hits and eight walks over 21 innings. He was sharp, however, in a start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, walking two in 7 2-3 scoreless innings.

He has a 2.65 ERA in winning his last three starts against the Nationals, last facing them in 2013.