Atlanta Braves Lose To Cubs Again: Panic Mode Setting In

While the baseball world is watching to see if Chipper Jones can have a season-ending batting average above .400, Atlanta fans have more serious questions on their minds. Call it bad luck or whatever you'd like, but the baseball Gods have not been kind to the Braves this season.

Jeff Bennett, making a spot start for the injured Jair Jurrjens (who missed his start after falling down stairs at Chicago's Wrigley Field), allowed seven runs on seven hits in just two-plus innings.

The bullpen of Phil Stockman, Jeff Ridgway, Royce Ring, and Blaine Boyer held the Cubs scoreless, but Chicago handed the Braves a 7-2 loss on a complete game, four-hit performance by Ryan Dempster. 

It was only Corky Miller's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh that provided the runs for the Braves, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games and a league worst 7-23 on the road this season.

Bad news and injuries started this season almost immediately and have lingered on so far into June:

-Starting pitcher Mike Hampton was placed on the disabled list with a strained left pectoral muscle and has not pitched a single game for the Braves this season.

-Matt Diaz was placed on the DL on May 28 with a strained ligament in his left knee. 

-Mark Kotsay was put on the 15-day DL with soreness in his lower back on May 30.

-The biggest news to shock Braves fans this season: starting pitcher John Smoltz announced on June 4 that he would need season-ending shoulder surgery, putting the future of his pitching career in jeopardy.

-Just six days later bad fortune struck again: starting pitcher Tom Glavine left the game against the Cubs with elbow soreness; he, too, was placed on the DL.

-The strangest injury was Jair Jurrjens, who missed his start Wednesday due to tweaking his ankle after falling down stairs at Wrigley Field. He is not expected to miss additional time, but it adds to the list of injuries and raises a red flag to the Atlanta Braves and their fans.