The Atlanta Braves’ Ervin Santana will take the mound on this Independence Day (night game) and face the Arizona Diamondback’s Josh Collmenter as the two teams begin their series. The Atlanta Braves will be going for their 8th straight win, and despite that streak are still just a half game up over the division rival Washington Nationals. The Dbacks however, are in the basement in the NL West with a 36-51 record, and will be hoping Collmenter can start digging. Check out MLB reporter Adam Lichtenstein preview.
Braves eye eighth straight win vs. D-backs
"The Braves got a much-needed day off on Thursday before opening a Fourth of July weekend series against the D-backs at Turner Field.The Braves have had only two off-days since June 6, going a respectable 15-11 during the stretch thanks to nine wins in their last 10 games, most recently sweeping the Mets in Atlanta to extend their streak to seven straight victories.To give his team a little more of a break, manager Fredi Gonzalez let the team have a late report time of 5 p.m. ET for Wednesday’s 7:10 p.m. finale against the Mets."
Steven Whitaker of Rant Sports shares with us some trade possibilities for the Atlanta Braves are we get closer each day to the Trade Deadline, take the five Steven mentions for what they’re worth. This time of year, there’ s always more rumor than fact. Read on…
Atlanta Braves Rumors: Top 5 Whispers Before 2014 Trade Deadline
"It’s crazy how much teams can change over the course of a season. For the Atlanta Braves, this has never been more true. They are on a winning streak in which they are scoring runs at a relatively high pace, and their pitching is looking as good as advertised. But some areas need improvement. While the bullpen has gotten better, it wouldn’t be hard to improve it. So, who could the team look use to improve the roster?"
MLB All-Star voting opportunities will end soon, and Atlanta Braves MLB beat reporter Mark Bowman share his own ballot with us for the 2014 All-Star game. While Bowman gave some thought to a smidgen of Atlanta Braves’ players, he didn’t include any, and as I’ve said before, I concur. Love my Braves, but outside of Julio Teheran there’s not a Brave for a purist like me that is All-Star worthy this year I’m afraid. Check out Bowman’s Ballot.
With online balloting set to end tonight, here is a look at my All-Star ballot
"With just a few hours left in this year’s All-Star balloting process, here is cheat sheet for you to use to ensure you vote for the most deserving players. While there was never much reason to believe a Braves player would be elected to start in the upcoming Midsummer Classic, I think there is a good chance Julio Teheran and Craig Kimbrel receive selections. I’d love to see Jason Heyward get a deserving selection based simply on the fact that he has been the game’s best defensive player this season. Along those same lines, it will be a shame if Evan Gattis’ name is not announced during the selection show. While Gattis is sidelined with a bulging disc in his back, he certainly deserves a chance to at least enjoy the festivities surrounding the event."
Jason Heyward is a Gold Glove calibre outfielder, so it’s no surprise that he was named major league Defensive Player of the Month for June by ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog, Congratulations Jason on a well-deserved award, and check out David O’Brien’s thoughts on it…
Heyward’s stellar defense rewarded with June award
"Jason Heyward was named major league Defensive Player of the Month for June by ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog, which has a panel that does a great job thoroughly analyzing and voting on this award. Absolutely no one connected with the Braves is surprised by this, and I’d imagine that few who watched more than a handful of Braves games in June would be either."
FanSided Network’s own intrepid Aaron Somers of Call To The Pen shares his thoughts on the Trade Deadline, and what some of the needs are for the Atlanta Braves. Check out Aaron’s thoughts on one of our sister sites on the FanSided Network – Call To The Pen.
Trade Deadline Preview: Atlanta Braves
"Perennial contenders in the NL East, expectations were once again high for the Atlanta Braves heading into the 2014 season. As the calendar turns to July the Braves are right where we’re used to seeing them; in first place with the Washington Nationals right on their heels."