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Your one-page daily morning overview of Atlanta Braves news:
Braves quotes after Monday’s loss to Mets | Atlanta Braves
Fredi Gonzalez, on pitching around and walking Wright to get to Davis: "I think it was … I know it was the right decision, he just left a breaking ball over the plate and he hit it out. That was the name of the ball game. One pitch. But I thought overall Tommy was very good. He did a nice job for us, gave us seven innings. We just didn’t score runs like we had been against Milwaukee.
Win streak snapped, Braves fall to 0-4 vs. Mets | Atlanta Braves
The big crowds and noise of home-opening weekend against the Brewers were gone Monday, replaced by a small gathering of 16,161 that got quiet in a hurry after Davis’ homer put the Mets up 4-1.
Hanson does his part to save 'pen | braves.com: News
Before Minor or Beachy turned the trick, the Braves had not had starting pitchers last at least seven innings in consecutive games since Beachy and Tim Hudson on July 29 and 30. Tommy Hanson extended this streak with a seven-inning effort in Monday night's loss to the Mets. This marks the first time the Braves have had starting pitchers go at least seven innings in three consecutive games since May 14-17 last season.
Jurrjens encouraged by increase in velocity | braves.com: News
Jair Jurrjens was certainly not satisfied when he extended his recent woes by allowing the Brewers five runs in five innings on Friday night. But the Braves right-hander was encouraged by the fact a jump in velocity was seen with the 92-mph fastball he used to strike out Ryan Braun in the first inning. "How many times did I hit 92 last year?," Jurrjens said. "Maybe the first two games in the season?"
Slumping Freeman out of lineup for first time | Atlanta Braves
"The way he’s swinging he should be in there," Freeman said of Hinske, who was 3-for-7 with three RBIs before Monday, all pinch-hitting. "It’s hard to count on someone in the eighth and ninth inning if they haven’t played. ‘Ski somehow seems to do it. Every time he’s up there he’s hitting a guy in. "I’ve just got to keep working hard and build off of what happened yesterday." What happened Sunday for Freeman was two line-drive outs to left field. When the left-handed slugger is on his game, Freeman hits a lot of balls hard to center or to the opposite (left) field. That’s something he did plenty in the last two weeks of spring training, but not during the early part of the season.
Durbin continues to struggle with long ball | Atlanta Braves
"We need to get him in there a little more and get him that life on that fastball, that two-seamer," Fredi Gonzalez said. Durbin concedes that his pitches are coming out flat; his sinker’s not sinking and his cutter isn’t cutting as he’d like. "There’s just a little bit of action on the ball that’s not happening to get them off the barrel," Durbin said.
New infield grass at Turner Field designed to be slower | Atlanta Braves
The new bright green infield grass at Turner Field is not just for show, though many have noticed the difference during the Braves’ first home stand of the season. Braves head groundskeeper Ed Mangan planted a new kind of infield grass this season in the hopes of slowing it down for the sake of the Braves infielders. The Turner Field infield is known for being quick, and Mangan planted a thicker grass he hopes will remedy that. Mangan said he’s been testing out a variety of grass called "paspalum" in the bullpen and center field sod farm, for a few years, and decided to try it out this season. He plans to use it only on the infield for now, but might eventually plant it in the outfield too.