Kris Medlen's Debut, Brian McCann's Vision Lead Braves Headlines in May

The new-look Atlanta Braves squad opened 2009 on a 5-1 high before falling back to earth by the end of April, finishing 10-11. 

They opened May with more of the same, winning only once in a five-game homestand against the Astros and Mets.  Brian McCann was out with blurred vision, and Jojo Reyes continued to be an ineffective starter.

Then the Braves went on the road.

They went 6-2 on a divisional road trip to Florida, Philadelphia and New York, bringing their overall record back up to .500.  Although a successful 6-3 homestand followed, the Braves fell apart at home.  They lost five of seven to the Giants and Diamondbacks, both struggling in the NL West.

Overall in May, the Braves went 15-14, going 8-7 on the road and 7-7 at home.

Though unable to climb too far in the standings, the Braves remain in third place, just 4.5 games behind the first-place Phillies heading into June.

Notable numbers, notes and names:

• Derek Lowe won four games, Jair Jurrjens won three and the rotation went 12-10 overall.
• Highly touted prospect Kris Medlen (1-2) made his Major League Debut at home against Colorado, lasting only three innings and allowing five runs in the loss.  Medlen steadily improved over his next two starts, finally earning his first win against the Diamondbacks on May 31 (6 IP, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB).
• Brian McCann missed the first week of May, but returned with new glasses and the same old hitting stroke.  In 66 at-bats, McCann hit .394 with three HR and 11 RBI.  He also stole his second base of the season.
• Garret Anderson progressed nicely, driving in 15 runs in May and hitting his first home run as a Brave on May 31 against Arizona. He's hitting .328 since May 13.
  
• Casey Kotchman's 20 RBI in May led the team (he had 4 four in April).  He batted second for a brief period (8-30, 8 RBI), though was back in the six hole by month's end.  He may be out a couple of games to start the month after getting hit by a pitch on May 31 (such a newsworthy game), causing a knee contusion.
• Bobby Cox hit Yunel Escobar leadoff for a time (.091 AVG), before slotting him back in the two hole (.312 AVG).  He hit extremely well, shrugging off lineup changes and minor injuries: three HR, 17 RBI, .400 OBP. His 26 total RBI leads the team.
  
• Chipper Jones sported a .443 OBP, but was in and out of the lineup with some nagging foot injuries. He also struck out four times in a game for the first time in his career on May 27.
• Rookie Jordan Schafer's offensive struggles continued, batting just .158 in May with 40 strikeouts.  His 63 K leads the team and is good for second most in the National League.  He's no more than a defensive standout at this point.
  **6/2 Update: Schafer was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, Gregor Blanco has been called up to replace him.**
• Jeff Francoeur walked as many times as he homered: once.
• As a team, the Braves hit 18 HR for the second consecutive month, with a .266 team batting average. For comparison, Yankees sluggers Mark Teixeira (13) and Alex Rodriguez (7) combined for 20 HR in May.

The Braves open June with a ten game homestand, hosting the Cubs, Brewers, and Pirates. The games start tonight, with the inconsistent Kenshin Kawakami taking the hill.