Your one-page daily morning overview of Atlanta Braves news:
Just a cramp for Heyward; Teheran undone (again) by 1 inn. | Atlanta Braves
Braves fans concerned after Jason Heyward left Sunday’s game in the fourth inning can breathe a little easier. It was apparently just cramping in his upper left leg. Manager Fredi Gonzalez replaced Heyward immediately and said he wouldn’t be in the lineup Monday when the Braves play their final Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. "Why take a chance this late in spring training with any of that kind of stuff?" said Gonzalez, who replaced Heyward in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 7-7 tie against Philadelphia, as soon as the right fielder said his leg cramped when he chased a ball in the outfield. "He’s made so much progress and you don’t want a setback now."
Hudson returns Monday; Pastornicky in SS lead? | Atlanta Braves
"Two innings, make sure he knows where the plate is, and go forward," manager Fredi Gonzalez said of expectations for Hudson on Monday. "That’s all. And just keep going forward. Make sure he gets in that five-day rotation and he’s healthy. Knowing him, he’s going to be excited to go out there and compete tomorrow."
Chipper to rejoin Braves on Tuesday | braves.com: News
"He might take a little BP," Braves' manager Fredi Gonzalez announced on Sunday. "He's ready to go. He's on board." Gonzalez also said Jones, who has already declared this will be his final season, will travel with the Braves, who open the regular season on Thursday in New York and then go on to Houston.
Wren coveted new third baseman Francisco | braves.com: News
But general manager Frank Wren said the Braves have coveted the left-hand-hitting Francisco, who was rated the best power-hitting prospect in the Reds' organization last season, for more than a year. "We like his offensive potential, we like his bat, we like his power," Wren said. "He has big power. "This was one of the things that was on the front burner for us since the start of Spring Training. We've been trying to acquire him for well over a year.
Tommy Hanson’s New 2-Seam Sinking Fastball | Capitol Avenue Club
Earlier today Tommy Hanson’s drop in velocity was causing a mild panic on twitter, even though his results were very good. He was routinely throwing pitches in the 88 MPH range and was topping out around 90 MPH. However, later that day on twitter, Kris Medlen revealed that Tommy had been throwing almost exclusively 2-seamers instead of his normal 4-seam fastball for the first time this spring. Typically most pitchers not named Jonny Venters throw their 2-seam fastball 2-3 MPH slower than their 4-seam fastball.