The Braves and Tigers swapped talented left handers that both needed a fresh start. Wil Ledezma has great stuff but he hasn’t had a lot of success with it. The 26 year old Ledezma has pitched in 23 games this season (all in relief) for the Tigers and he’s 3-1 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. In 35.2 innings this season, Ledezma has allowed 38 hits, walked 26 batters and whiffed 24. If the Braves can get Ledezma to throw strikes they might have something here. The Braves will likely use Ledezma in the bullpen but he does have some starting experience in his major league career. Ledezma has pitched in 106 games (33 starts) in his major league career and he’s 15-18 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. He has tossed 283 innings and he’s allowed 313 hits, walked 126 batters and whiffed 171.

With Brian McCann entrenched as the #1 catcher on the Braves, what will the Braves do with Saltalamacchia? The likely answer is that they will keep him as a backup catcher and platoon first baseman. But could the Braves be showcasing Saltalamacchia to make a trade for some much needed rotation help? With the Giants and White Sox getting close to raising the white flag, Matt Morris, Noah Lowry and Mark Buehrle could become available soon. Still, the Braves will need to evaluate their first base situation and see if Scott Thorman can handle the job fulltime. He has played in 62 games so far this season and he’s 46 for 195 (.236 avg, .686 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 8 homers and 28 RBIs. Saltalamacchia has outplayed Thorman so far so it’s also possible that the Braves keep Salty as their full-time 1B. Salty has played in 23 games so far this season and he’s 21 for 67 (.313 avg, .824 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs.Â

Edgar Renteria continues to rip the baseball for the Atlanta Braves. In his last 28 games, Renteria is 32 for 100 (.320 avg, .947 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 5 homers and 13 RBIs. Renteria’s season average has actually dropped to .325 but he’s been very consistent and he’s been a driving force in the offense for the Braves at the top of the lineup with Kelly Johnson. Renteria has been excellent for the Atlanta Braves ever since he’s gotten here and that should continue for one of the most underrated players in all of baseball.

The Atlanta Braves are 7-7 the last two weeks despite getting outscored 66-57.  The Braves pitching hasn’t been that good lately and the hitting has been a little spotty. The Braves enter this week with a 35-29 record which is good for 2nd place in the National League East, 2.5 games behind the Mets.

The Braves have placed Lance Cormier on the 15-day disabled list with a tired arm. I surprised it wasn’t whiplash with all of the homers he has allowed. In 2 starts this season, Cormier is 0-2 with a 15.26 ERA and a 2.74 WHIP! In 7.2 innings this season, Cormier has allowed 14 hits, 7 HOMERS, walked 7 batters and whiffed 4 batters. The Braves have recalled Buddy Carlyle from the minors to get his big chance. He will be the #5 starter on the Braves for as long as he can pitch well. In 3 games (2 starts), Carlyle is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Carlyle has thrown 12 innings and he has allowed 8 hits, walked 5 batters and whiffed 9.Â

Last season the Braves platooned Matt Diaz and Ryan Langerhans and they gave the Braves a decent blend of offense (Diaz) and defense (Langerhans). The Braves felt safe in running the same two guys out to left field again this season but Langerhans hit so poorly that they traded him off to the A’s. The Braves didn’t want to play Diaz full-time so they promoted lefty swinging Willie Harris from AAA to share the postion with him. The Braves weren’t expecting much out of Harris as he has been a sub par player in his major league career but he has surprised them big-time so far. In his first 29 games this season, Harris is 32 for 83 (.386 avg, .970 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Braves hope Harris can keep up the good work because Matt Diaz fares much better against lefty pitchers. Diaz has played in 47 games this season and he’s 41 for 121 (.339 avg, .833 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers, 14 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.Â

Matt Diaz is on fire for the Atlanta Braves with a bat in his hands. In his last 25 games, Diaz is 25 for 60 (.417 avg, 1.005 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 10 RBIs. Diaz’ recent surge has lifted his batting average to .339 for the season. Diaz and his new platoon partner (Willie Harris) have given the Braves great production out of left field and the Braves are hoping that continues.

The Braves have placed Chipper Jones on the 15-day disabled list with a pair of bruised hands. In 42 games this season, Jones is 48 for 160 (.300 avg, 1.017 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 12 homers and 27 RBIs. This will be a huge blow to the Braves offense as Chipper Jones was off to a great start to the 2007 season. The Braves have recalled shortstop Yunel Escobar from AAA ball. He will likely get a lot of playing time at 3B for the Braves until Jones returns. In 46 games in AAA ball, Escobar was 60 for 180 (.333 avg, .835 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 2 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.Â