The Braves were only 2-4 last week as they were outscored 32-23 last week. The Braves pitching hurt them last week and that’s odd for a Braves’ team. The Braves entered this week with a 28-22 record which was good for 2nd place in the National League East, 4.5 games behind the Mets.

Mike Gonzalez will miss the remainder of the 2007 season as he will need Tommy John surgery. This is a major blow to the Braves’ bullpen as Gonzalez was by far their best lefty in the pen. In 18 games this season, Gonzalez was 2-2 with 2 saves, a 1.59 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

22 year old switch-hitting catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia is hoping to stay in the majors for good. In his first 9 games with the Braves, Saltalamacchia is 8 for 25 (.320 avg, .793 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs. He will need to learn how to play either 1B or 3B because McCann is the man behind the plate for the Braves. Saltalamacchia tore his way through AA ball so far this season. In 22 games there, he was 25 for 81 (.309 avg, 1.022 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 6 homers and 13 RBIs. It will be interesting to see if the Braves decide to hold onto him or trade him for a starting pitcher as the rotation seems to be a little short.

Rafael Soriano has been great this season as the setup man and fill-in closer for the Braves. In 21 games this season, Soriano is 1-0 with 5 saves, a 2.61 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP so far. In 20.2 innings, he has allowed only 8 hits and 5 walks while he has whiffed 19 batters. The Braves absolutely stole Rafael Soriano from the Mariners for Horacio Ramirez.

The Braves were hoping that Chad Paronto would build upon the success he had last season, but so far this season he has been terrible. In 16 games this season, Paronto is 2-1 with 1 save, a 8.25 ERA and a 2.42 WHIP so far. In 12 innnings, he has allowed 19 hits and walked 10 batters! Paronto could find himself back in AAA ball unless he starts to pitch better soon.

The Braves went 2-5 last week despite outscoring their opponents 34-33. Too bad the Braves couldn’t save a few of those runs they scored in their wins and used them another night. The Braves entered this week with a 26-18 record which had them in 2nd place in the National League East, 2.5 games behind the Mets.

The Braves should have done this a long time ago, but Redman got injured before they could cut him. Redman pitched in 6 games this season for the Braves (5 starts) and he was 0-4 with a 11.63 ERA and a 2.26 WHIP! He was awful and the Braves will be better by not having him on their roster.

Andruw Jones has been really, really cold with the bat as of late. In his last 6 games, Jones is 3 for 25 (.120 avg, .240 OPS) with 3 RBIs. In those games, Jones has whiffed 12 times and he has not had an extra base hit! It could be that Jones is starting to put too much pressure on himself due to the fact that this is his free agent walk year, but I expect him to explode pretty soon with the bat because he’s much too talented to let a slump like this continue.

The Braves have placed Anthony Lerew on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his right elbow. His first three major league starts didn’t go to well for him as he is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. In 11.2 innings, Lerew allowed 14 hits, 4 homers and walked 7 batters. Lefty Mark Redman will probably get another chance to replace Lerew in the rotation. Redman is 0-4 with a 11.63 ERA and a 2.26 WHIP so far this season. Redman will probably have a short leash this time around because the Braves can’t afford to keep starting him if he continues to pitch as awful as he has this season.

The Braves have released 1B/OF Craig Wilson. In 24 games for the Braves, Wilson was 10 for 58 (.172 avg, .564 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Wilson also whiffed an amazing 25 times. This move pretty much makes Scott Thorman a full time player at first base for the Braves.