Two out of three ain't bad

As long as the Braves don't have to face Chris Carpenter too often, they'll be all right, apparently. It didn't help that they were using yet another emergency fifth starter. It seems like thats 27 starting pitchers this year. Anyway, Jason Shiell did about what you'd expect, giving up four runs in four innings. That should be good enough to get him another start - it wasn't any worse than Cormier had been giving. For that matter, it was better than Thomson's last few outings.

The offense continued its onslaught through the first two games of the series. Betemit has played well in Giles's absence. McCann has suddenly started hitting home runs, Chipper and Andruw are still in gear. The bullpen has continued to be an adventure.... The league has apparently seen enough of Kevin Barry to figure him out. Unless he makes some adjustments, his major league career will be short.

As to the starting pitching other than Shiell, it was a mixed bag. Ramirez pitched well, then left with a hamstring injury. Hopefully that was as minor as he claimed it was after the game. Hudson pitched well for five innings, then lost it. Fortunately, he'd been staked to a twelve run lead, so his collapse didn't lose the game.

The Braves made a move today, trading catcher Max Ramirez (Rome) for reliever Bob Wickman. I like that trade. Wickman, although not what he once was, is an upgrade over whoever he replaces, and Ramirez was unlikely to ever play for Atlanta. The team is loaded with catching prospects - most of them will eventually be traded.