Bleacher Report - Articles by Chad Creel

Braves Lose 6-3 to Nationals

Chad Creel — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:22:00 -0400

The Atlanta Braves had another weak outing from the Bullpen. Tom Glavine was coming off of the 15-day DL and pitched well for the Braves,
only giving up 2 runs in 6 innings. Glavine then handed the ball over to Blaine Boyer to hold it down, who proceeded to give up 4 more runs in route to a 6-3 loss at the hands of the Nationals.

A Side note- The Braves placed John Smoltz on the 15-day Dl today, but
there is some talk that he may end up as the closer when he comes back since
he is having so much soreness in his elbow. He was a dominant closer the last
time he tried it so I am all for this as long as we have enough starting pitching to compensate for the loss.

Tim Hudson Leads Braves to Victory

Chad Creel — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:53:00 -0400

Tim Hudson Pitched 6 2/3 innings Monday night and also drove in 2 runs to help his cause as the Braves Won 7-3. Chipper Jones was in the lineup a day after injuring his quad so that is great news for us Braves fans. Chipper had a hit and an RBI Monday night and his season average sits at .438. It would be something to see him go for .400 this year, but as we all know its a long season and slumps happen so we will have to see.. I expect him to hit in the .350 range.. Mccann also led the Braves lastnight as he had a homerun and a couple of hits. The Braves are on a 5 Game Winning Streak after starting off kinda slow this season.

Braves-Dodgers: Jair Jurrjens Pitches Well As Atlanta Sweeps Los Angeles

Chad Creel — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:14:00 -0400

The Atlanta Braves have finally gotten on the right track. They swept the three games series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend. Jair Jurrjens gave up only 3 hits over 7 innings while striking out a career high 8 batters. Jurrjens was hitting 95 on the gun which is the hardest he has thrown all since joining the Braves. Mark Teixiera led the Braves with 3 hits including a Homerun and 3 RBI. Kelly Johnson also added couple of hits and a Homerun. On a down note, Chipper Jones left the game in the 6th with a pulled quad muscle, but he was being precautionary and will probably just take a day off and be back on Tuesday.

Braves-Marlins: Chipper Jones Homers Twice for Second-Straight Night

Chad Creel — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:51:00 -0400

Chipper Jones is on a tear and just when the Braves needed him. Lastnight against the Florida Marlins he has 2 homers and Smoltz pitched 5 Shutout innings to beat the Marlins 8-0. Mccann, Texiera, and Jones went back to back to back in the game.. Kelly Johnson also added a homer to give the Braves 5 total on the night..

Chipper again led the charge tonight with 2 more Homeruns giving him 6 on the young season, while leading the Atlanta Braves to a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday Night. Jeff Bennett pitched well while filling in for the Injured Tom Glavine who was placed on the 15 day DL for the first time in his 22 year career.
This offensive surgence over the past few days has really come at the right time with the Braves already having 5 pitchers hit the DL this season.

Player Profile: Jorge Campillo, P

Chad Creel — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:37:00 -0400

Jorge Campillo was called up last week to replace Chuck James on the roster and has done nothing but impress. Campillo pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief against the Rockies this past weekend and has Braves fans really hoping he can keep up this successs. He also came into relief lastnight against the Marlins after Braves Starter Tim Hudson had a rough outing. He again impressed throwing 3 innings and again not allowing any runs and striking out 1. Look for Campillo to get more meaningful innings out of the pen and maybe eventually be come the steady middle relief guy with all the Braves Injuries.

Braves Lose Again!

Chad Creel — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:47:00 -0400

The Atlanta Braves lost to the Florida Marlins on Tuesday putting there record at 5 and 8 on this young baseball season. The Braves just could not get anything going against Marlins Starting Pitcher Scott Olsen, who came into this game with an ERA over 8. Jair Jurrjens took the loss for the Braves putting his record a 1 and 2 on the season. He pitched fairly well giving up 2 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. The Braves offense is going to have to step it up if they are going to get out of this funk. They also are struggling with Injuries to the pitching staff with Tom Glavine bothered by a hamstring and Peter Moylan headed to the 15-day DL with an Injury aswell. Hopefully the Braves can get it all together and pick up a few wins in this series to get back on track. The Marlins would be a good team to get it going against as they are thought to be one of the least talented teams in the Major Leagues.

Player Profile: Mark Teixeira

Chad Creel — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:18:00 -0400

Mark Teixeira is one of the top 1st Basemen in the league. The Braves aquired Teixeira in a trade toward the end of the 2007 Season and he hit great. Mark has started off the 2008 Season somewhat slow, but has had some good hits here and there helping to win a game earlier in the Season with a Homerun and then saving it late in the game with a great defensive play. Teixeira is in the last year of his contract and I am hoping the Braves fork out the dough to keep him since this is the firs top notch First Basemen we have had since the likes of Fred Mcgriff and Andres Galaraga. I look for Teixeira to turn it up a notch and hit 35-40 hrs this year and hit around .275. He has always been a 2nd half player, but I hope he turns it on before then.

Atlanta Braves, Tim Hudson Shut Down Nationals

Chad Creel — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:14:00 -0400

Tim Hudson had to wait an extra day to get his start in, but it was well worth it.

The Braves and Rockies got snowed out and Hudsons start got pushed back to Friday against the Washington Nationals. Hudson threw 8 shutout innings only giving up 3 hits in his second start of the year, putting him at 2-0 on the season.

Yunnel Escobar led the Braves at the plate going 2-4 with a HR and a couple of runs scored. Matt Diaz also pitched in with 2 Runs Batted In.

Atlanta Braves Player Profile: Tim Hudson

Chad Creel — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:47:00 -0400

Tim Hudson is coming into the 2008 season as the Atlanta Braves #2 Starting Pitcher behind John Smoltz. Hudson is ready for a big year and has started off on the right foot with 1 win already under his belt. Hudson has had problems in the past getting run support and bullpen help when he has handed them the ball with the lead. It is hard to keep going at it when the bullpen loses lead after lead, but hopefully this year will be better with a little bit different bullpen look and maybe Mike Gonzalez will come back strong from his season ending injury, he is expected back around the all-star break. Hudson looks to have a good year this year, I expect him in the 15-17 win area with about a 3.50 era. I look for him to lead the staff in wins and innings pitched as he will have to be the strong arm of the staff with Smoltz getting up in years.

Colorado-Atlanta: Rockies Top Braves 4-3

Chad Creel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:01:00 -0400

Atlanta Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens' second start was not quite as successful as his first.

Jurrjens did not throw a bad game. But he did give up a few dinks and dunks that cost the Braves runs.

On the other side, though, Ubaldo Jimenez pitched solidly after the first inning, giving up only a two-run homer to Mark Kotsay the rest of the way.

The Braves need to hit the ball more and play more consistently to take advantage of their strong pitching staff. When a starter gives up four runs or less, Atlanta should be able to put up enough runs to win.

But it is still early in the season, and the team is built well. The Braves are still well on their way to being contenders in the National League.

Braves-Mets: Mark Teixeira and John Smoltz Lead Atlanta to Victory

Chad Creel — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:39:00 -0400

John Smoltz pitched well in his season debut, holding the New York Mets scoreless for 5 innings before leaving the game with shoulder soreness, later saying it was a precautionary measure. Smoltz and Johan Santana had a pitchers duel going as Santana only gave up 1 run through 7 innings. Aaron Heilman gave up a 2 run Homer in the 8th inning to the Braves Mark Teixeira to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Braves bullpen held onto the win allowing 1 run for a game final of 3-1. The Braves swept the Mets in a 2 game series this past weekend as the 1st game of the series was postponed to a later date due to rain.

Atlanta Braves-New York Mets: Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson lead Braves

Chad Creel — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:25:00 -0400

The Atlanta Braves came through victorious versus the New York Mets, with an 11-5 victory.

Jeff Francoeur had a big night for the Braves collecting three hits and three runs batted in.

While Kelly Johnson was not able to start for the third straight game with a sore knee, Bobby Cox gave him the opportunity to pinch hit, and boy did he take advantage. With a 3-2 count against him, Johnson launches Grand Slam into the outfield seats, which also helped the Braves pull away and take the first win in this series.

Tim Hudson had a solid outing giving up three runs over six innings, while earning his first victory of the season.