The Braves have traded 25-year old lefty reliever Nelson Payano to the Mariners to complete the Greg Norton trade. Payano had pitched in 27 games (0 starts) in AA for the Braves and he was 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. The Braves would do this move all over again if they had to as Norton has got some key hits off the bench for them despite not putting up a good batting average. Norton has played in 42 games for the Braves this season and he is 18 for 87 (.207 avg, .648 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers and 12 RBIs.

The Atlanta Braves should have also been talking to the Indians about Paul Byrd when they traded them Sal Fasano yesterday. The 37-year old righty would likely help out the Braves right now with all of the injuries they have suffered in the starting rotation. Byrd has started 14 games for the Indians this season and he is 3-7 with a 5.21 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. A return to the National League would probably help cure that high ERA a little bit as he wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with designated hitters. Byrd has a career record of 100-88 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. If the Indians raise the White Flag this season they wouldn’t probably ask for more than Martin Prado as they have a glaring hole at 2B. Prado is stuck on the bench with the Braves with no hope of overtaking Kelly Johnson for the starting job. Prado has played in 18 games for the Braves this season and he is 11 for 39 (.282 avg, .845 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Atlanta Braves have traded catcher Sal Fasano to the Indians for a player to be named later. This is a case of the Braves taking advantage of a situation with the Indians’ Victor Martinez being injured as it’s like they will be getting something for nothing. The 36-year old righty swinging Fasano had played in 26 games in AAA ball for the Braves this season and he was 16 for 83 (.193 avg, .597 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 9 RBIs. Chances are that he was never going to play for the Braves anyway.

I can’t figure out why the Braves are waiting to call up lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez due to all of the injuries on the pitching staff. Gonzalez has pitched in 8 games on his rehab assigment in AA+AAA ball and he is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He is looking really sharp as he has whiffed 12 batters and only has walked 1 in 10 innings in the minors. The Braves need him right now to save games.

The Braves have placed righty reliever Rafael Soriano on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow. It’s starting to look like this will be a problem all season long for Soriano and that’s a shame because he is a good pitcher. Soriano has pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Braves this season and he is 0-0 with 3 saves, a 2.00 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

The Braves have signed 29-year old righty reliever Jorge Julio to a minor league contract. He pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Indians this year and he was 0-0 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. His main issue was his control this season as he walked 11 batters in only 17.2 innings with the Tribe. Julio has now pitched in 426 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-33 with 99 saves, a 4.40 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. This was a nice low risk/high reward move for the Braves as Julio still has good stuff.

Jair Jurrjens has been the 2nd best starting pitcher for the Braves this season and that wasn’t quite expected. He has started 13 games this season for the Braves and he is 6-3 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. This is nitpicking but Jurrjens could tighten up his control a bit as he has walked 32 batters in 76.1 innings this season. Jurrjens was a great pickup for the Braves in the off season and he will likely be a key part of their starting rotation for a long time.

The Atlanta Braves have placed veteran lefty starting pitcher Tom Glavine on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left elbow. Glavine has started 12 games this season for the Braves and he is 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He hasn’t been getting as many calls as he used to as evidenced by his 33 walks in only 59.1 innings. Despite Glavine not pitching his best this season this is still another blow to the Braves’ pitching staff. 24-year old righty rookie Charlie Morton will be recalled from AAA to replace Glavine in the rotation. Morton has pitched in 13 games (12 starts) in AAA this season and he is 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He has whiffed 72 batters and only has allowed 51 hits in 79 innings this season in the minors so he might do o.k. for the Braves.

John Smoltz will need season ending surgery on his right shoulder. Smoltz pitched in 6 games (5 starts) for the Braves this season and he was 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He also recorded 36 strikeouts in only 28 innings which showed he still has great stuff. Smoltz was going to serve as the Braves’ closer the rest of the season to lessen the wear and tear on his shoulder but the plan didn’t work. It will be up to Manny Acosta and Rafael Soriano to close out games at least until lefty Mike Gonzalez is ready to return from his current rehab assignment. Acosta has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) for the Braves this season and he is 3-2 with 3 saves, a 2.73 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Soriano has worked in 8 games (0 starts) this season for the Braves and he is 0-0 with 2 saves, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The Braves will miss Smoltz as he is a big game pitcher but at least they have quality relievers to handle the job.

The Braves have placed starting CF Mark Kotsay on the 15-day disabled list with lower back soreness. This is not good as his back has kept him out of a lot of action the last couple of years. Kotsay has played in 47 games for the Braves this season and he is 50 for 170 (.294 avg, .779 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Kotsay was replaced on the roster by 25-year old lefty swinging OF Josh Anderson. Anderson has played in 3 games for the Braves this season and he is 1 for 4 (.250 avg, .500 OPS) with a stolen base. Anderson also has played in 51 games in AAA ball this season and he was 58 for 206 (.282 avg, .656 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 1 homer, 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.