Atlanta Braves Clippings

Friday, September 11, 2015

Braves.com

Miller's hard-luck winless streak continues

By Mark Bowman and John Donovan / MLB.com | 2:27 AM ET

ATLANTA -- Bartolo Colon pitched strong into the seventh inning and drove in one of the three fourth-inning runs the Mets tallied while strengthening their division lead with a 7-2 win over the Braves on Thursday night at Turner Field.

"He's one guy you can just ride him," Mets manager Terry Collins said of his starter after the game. "He just doesn't use a lot of pitches to get you deep into a game. I hope Steven Matz can do the same thing [Friday]."

After Kevin Plawecki gave the Mets a lead with a two-out, two-run single in the fourth, Colon lined an RBI single off Shelby Miller, whose winless streak was extended to 21 starts. Miller surrendered three runs over six innings and saw the Braves provide him zero runs of support for the 11th time during this maddening stretch.

Colon extended his scoreless streak to 31 innings before surrendering a pair of seventh-inning runs during his 6 2/3-inning effort. The 42-year-old pitcher's recent success has helped the Mets widen the lead atop the National League East standings. They now lead the second-place Nationals by 7 1/2 games with 22 games remaining.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Snapping the streak: Before Jace Peterson's RBI triple against Colon in the seventh, the big right-hander had not given up a run since Colorado's Nolan Arenado touched him for a two-out, three-run home run Aug. 21 at Coors Field in Denver. The 31 scoreless innings, the longest for a 42-year-old (or older) pitcher in Major League history, stretched over four starts -- against Philadelphia (twice), Miami and Atlanta -- and a one-inning relief appearance against Boston.

Miller's two-out trouble: With two on, two outs and Colon on deck in the fourth inning, Miller had the option to cautiously attack Plawecki and he seemingly did as his first two pitches were out of the strike zone. But the Mets catcher took advantage of a grooved 2-0 fastball by lacing it to center field. Colon followed with what proved to be the decisive RBI single.

"He gave up a check-swing single to Kelly Johnson [in the fourth] and you can't do anything about that," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Then Plawecki and Colon score those three runs. But other than that, [Miller] gave us a good opportunity to win."

Control freak: One of the keys to Colon's recent success is that he's not walking batters. When he carefully pitched around Freddie Freeman in the sixth in a seven-pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk, it was the first time he walked a batter since he gave Philadelphia's Ryan Howard a free pass on Aug. 31, snapping a streak of 68 straight batters faced without a walk.

QUOTABLE "You know how good [Miller] is, so you think today is the day he's going to get his deserved win. But his fortune is just so bad right now." -- Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

"I'm really proud; I surprised myself. I didn't know at this stage of my career I could do that kind of stuff and perform like that. So I'm really happy." -- Colon, through a translator, on his 31-inning scoreless streak.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Braves have now lost nine straight home games, their longest such streak since the 1988 club lost its first nine home games of the season.

LONG DELAY A downpour that soaked Turner Field just before 7 p.m. ET caused the start of Thursday's game to be delayed for two hours and 20 minutes.

WHAT'S NEXT Mets: Steven Matz will take the mound when New York and Atlanta resume their four-game series Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET. Matz will be making the

fourth start of his career. The 20 strikeouts he has compiled through his first three starts rank second only to Matt Harvey for any Mets pitcher through the first three starts of a career.

Braves: Atlanta will counter with Matt Wisler, who returns to the starting rotation after making an unexpected two-inning relief appearance Sunday that was aimed toward halting his recent struggles. The rookie has produced a 9.49 ERA over his past seven starts.

Braves focused on winning regardless of foe

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 2:14 AM ET

ATLANTA -- Given the significance of the struggles they have endured over the past month, it might sound ridiculous to hear the Braves say they want to play a spoiler role as they face a daunting schedule over the remainder of this season. But while playing for nothing but pride, such statements must be made to simply maintain motivation.

Unfortunately, the Braves saw their pride and motivation further weakened Thursday night when they opened a four-game series against the first-place Mets with a 7-2 loss. Ace Shelby Miller saw another of his good efforts prove to be not good enough, and the bullpen once again managed to damage late-inning hope.

"We're going out there and trying to get wins, not for anybody else, but for ourselves," Miller said. "We're trying to win for the team. Obviously, we're struggling and we're not going out there for anybody else. We're trying to win for the fans and stuff like that. But as far as going out there and trying to beat other guys in the playoffs and stuff like that, we're trying to beat our opponent, whoever it is that day."

This is a task that is easier said than done, when working with a rotation that includes three rookies, a bullpen that includes just one or two pitchers who could be on Atlanta's Opening Day roster and an offense that has scored the fewest runs in the Major Leagues.

When you combine all of these realities, it is easier to understand why the Braves have lost nine straight home games and 21 of the 24 games they have played dating back to Aug. 17. The 14-43 record they have compiled since entering July 8 with a .500 record (42-42) is a pace that equates to 122 losses over an entire season.

Miller allowed three earned runs over six innings during Thursday's loss and still saw his winless streak extended to 21 starts. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 15 of these starts, but he has also received two runs or fewer of support 16 times during this span.

"You try to win games," Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. "Nobody wants to go out there and lose day in and day out. I feel like we've been playing a little better the past couple games, but the Mets are a good team."

Unfortunately, the challenge will not get any easier for the Braves, who will spend the next six games of the homestand playing the Mets, who have won 15 of their past 20 games, and the potent Blue Jays, who have won 26 of their past 34 games.

While manager Fredi Gonzalez has routinely referenced the spoiler role over the past month, Miller indicated it is more important to simply focus on the need to play for pride.

"That's not our goal to ruin somebody's season," Miller said. "You're just trying to show up and beat your opponent, whoever it is."

Folty recovering, hopes to pitch again soon

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | September 10th, 2015

ATLANTA -- When Mike Foltynewicz returned to Turner Field on Thursday afternoon, he was still attempting to regain the strength he lost while spending the past week battling pneumonia. But the Braves right-hander remains hopeful he will soon be back on the mound.

"It just [stinks] that something like that sidelined me," Foltynewicz said. "It wasn't an actual injury or anything. I just got sick. I feel really bad because I put my teammates in a bad situation."

When Foltynewicz was unable to make his scheduled start against the Marlins on Sept. 2, the Braves recalled Williams Perez from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier than expected. The rotation was also affected by a couple of other developments over the past week. Manny Banuelos was shut down with a sore left elbow and Matt Wisler experienced a brief bullpen stint aimed toward halting his recent struggles.

Wisler will return to the rotation to start Friday night's game against the Mets. But it is still not clear when Foltynewicz will return to action or what role he will assume.

Foltynewicz played catch for the first time in more than a week Thursday and will likely complete a few bullpen sessions before being inserted into a game. His energy was zapped to the point that he still feels some fatigue after walking a flight of stairs.

"He hasn't done anything," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I think he's just been laid out. We'll see where he's at, but I can't tell you it's going to be Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday. We don't know if he's going to start or we'll just get him out of the 'pen and let him go an inning or two."

Foltynewicz began battling some congestion when the Braves traveled to San Diego on Aug. 16. His condition got worse after returning to Atlanta the following week. Still, the five innings he completed against the Rockies on Aug. 25 provided him and the team reason to look forward to how he pitched over the remainder of the season.

"It wasn't something I could really control, but it also stinks that I was kind of going in the right direction with my pitching," Foltynewicz said. "This kind of set me back a little bit."

The Braves made another change to the pitching staff Thursday, when they activated right-handed reliever Daniel Winkler from the 60-day disabled list. Winkler was selected out of the Rockies' system during the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. He spent this summer working out at the Braves' Spring Training complex while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The service time Winkler compiles over the remainder of this year counts toward the 90 days he is required to be on Atlanta's active roster. Thus, the Braves could essentially carry him through the first two months of next year and then send him to the Minors without having to offer him back to the Rockies.

Jenkins, Smith lead Braves' Minors honors

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman |

ATLANTA -- Tyrell Jenkins and Mallex Smith were two of the highly regarded prospects the Braves acquired this past offseason. Over the course of this summer, they proved to be two of the most impressive players in Atlanta's restocked farm system.

Jenkins was named the organization's Pitcher of the Year and Smith was named the organization's Player of the Year when the Braves announced their 2015 Minor League Awards on Thursday. They will be honored along with the players and pitchers of the year from each affiliate before Saturday night's game against the Mets at Turner Field.

Acquired along with Shelby Miller in the November trade that sent Jason Heyward to the Cardinals, Jenkins produced a 3.19 ERA over 25 combined starts for Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. The 23-year-old right-hander will come to Spring Training with a chance to begin the 2016 season in Atlanta's rotation.

Smith lived up to the expectations that were set when he was acquired as part of the four-player return the Braves gained when they traded Justin Upton to the Padres. The fleet-footed outfielder batted .306, compiled a .760 OPS and recorded 57 stolen bases while playing a combined 126 games with Mississippi and Gwinnett. He batted .325 with a .394 on-base percentage over the final 39 games he played for Gwinnett.

AFFILIATE AWARDS: Gwinnett: Manny Banuelos (Pitcher of the Year), Adonis Garcia (Player of the Year) Mississippi: Victor Mateo (Pitcher), Emerson Landoni (Player) Class A Advanced Carolina: Brandon Barker (Pitcher), Connor Lien (Player) Class A Rome: Sean Furney (Pitcher), Ozhaino Albies (Player) Rookie-level Danville: Ryan Clark (Pitcher), Austin Riley (Player) Gulf Coast League: Evertz Orozco (Pitcher), Jonathan Morales (Player) Dominican Summer League: Ramon Taveras (Pitcher), Randy Ventura (Player)

Matz faces Braves as Mets keep rotation fresh

By John Donovan / Special to MLB.com |

The resurgent New York Mets take another step toward their first postseason berth since 2006 when they match up against the Atlanta Braves on Friday at Turner Field. Rookie left-hander Steven Matz (2-0, 1.89 ERA) will be making his fourth start of the season for the Mets, his second this month, as manager Terry Collins tries to keep his pitching staff fresh for the September stretch and a hopeful playoff run.

Right-hander Matt Wisler (5-6, 5.81), who has lost his last five starts and was used for two innings out of the bullpen in his last appearance Sunday, will go for the Braves in his 15th start of the season.

The Mets, who entered Friday with a 7 1/2-game lead over the Nationals in the National League East, are riding a four-game winning streak.

Things to know about this game

• The Mets will wear hats of various New York City agencies during batting practice Friday in a tribute to the city's first responders on the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

• If the Braves' rotation holds, they'll be sending out rookies Friday (Wisler), Saturday (Williams Perez) and Sunday (Ryan Weber) against the first-place Mets. Weber will be making just the second start of his career. He went six innings, scattered four hits and gave up two runs in a loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

• Yoenis Cespedes, who played his first game for the Mets on Aug. 1, continues to get some heavy mention in National League MVP consideration. His influence on the Mets' lineup has been remarkable. Since he arrived via a trade from Detroit, the Mets have scored 6.1 runs a game (in 36 games, heading into Thursday's game in Atlanta). They averaged 3.5 runs a game in the 103 games before then.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves quotes after loss to Mets

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves quotes after 7-3 loss to the Mets on Thursday at Turner Field.

**FREDI GONZALEZ

On Shelby Miller’s fourth inning

“The check-swing by Kelly Johnson, you can’t really do anything about that. He had two of those against him today. And then (Kevin) Pawlecki and then (Bartolo) Colon gets three runs. Other than that, he gave us a good opportunity. You can’t saying this about him. We fought back and got within (two) runs and they just kept adding runs against our bullpen. We just couldn’t come back from that.”

On at-bats vs. Colon

“I thought we had really, really good at-bats. I know we had some opportunities against him. We had some people on base and we couldn’t break through. He’s a veteran guy. I hope our young guys that re pitching are watching him. He commands his fastball both sides of the plate in and out, up and down. Changes speeds. And he throws the ball over the plate. There is nothing tricky about him other than he’s got some movement on his fastball. He gets deep in the ballgame and he gives his team a good chance to win. It’s not about throwing 99 mph or having a nasty split. He knows how to pitch and he commands his pitches.”

On being motivated to play spoiler

“No question. From here on out I think we owe it to the Washington Nationals and the wild card and every team in our league to put the best team out there every single night and compete.”

**SHELBY MILLER

On if he gets frustrated by the winless streak

“You would think so but you’ve got to go out there and keep grinding.”

On trying to play spoiler

“That’s not our goal is to ruin somebody’s season. You are just trying to show up and beat your opponent, whoever that is. We are not trying to spoil anyone’s season. I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never heard that kind of term, ‘spoil somebody’s season.’ We are going out there and trying to get wins not for anybody but ourselves. Trying to win for the team. Obviously we are struggling. We are trying to play for the fans and stuff like that. But as far as trying to beat other guys in the playoffs or stuff like that, we are trying to beat our opponent whoever it is that day.”

**ANDRELTON SIMMONS

On Colon

“Good ole Colon. He comes right at you. He puts a little movement on that two-seam (fastball). We hit a couple balls hard but right at people. He kept throwing strikes. He got the ground ball when he needed to.”

On Colon getting better with age

“He’s a smart guy. He knows how to pitch. He’s been around. He knows he has to throw strikes so he comes in, pounds the zone, gets a lot of ground balls and gets outs.”

On Miller

“Started off good. Then they got a couple hits in a row. They didn’t spread them out. They got on base, they got them in. He looked good. His curveball looked good. His fastball looked good. But they hit him. He might have made a couple mistakes and they were on top of them.”

On Miller’s winless streak

“You know how good he is so you think, ‘Today is the day.’ Today is the day he’s going to get his deserved win. But it’s fortune sometimes. It’s so bad right how.”

On playing the spoiler

“Nobody wants to go out there and lose day in and day out. I feel like we’ve been playing better the last couple days but the Mets are a good team. They have good pitchers. They’ve got really good hitters. But we are going to go out there and compete every day. We are going to try to take away as many games from every team we face.”

Braves, Miller lose again

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The series that opened at Turner Field on Thursday should be, by any objective evaluation, a mismatch.

The Mets are streaking to the NL East title. The Braves are slinking off to the winter.

But Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said there are stakes beyond the standings. For one thing the Mets have Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, who were Braves until they were traded in July.

“Bragging rights,” Freeman said, smiling.

That will have to wait at least a day for the Braves. Uribe and Johnson played their parts and right-hander Bartolo Colon dominated as the Mets won 7-2 after rain delayed the first pitch by 140 minutes.

The Mets (79-61) continued to roll after sweeping the second-place Nationals with three comeback victories and going up seven games in the division. The Braves (56-85) won two of three at the Phillies to end a streak of six straight series losses.

Now the Braves are looking to pump the brakes a bit on the Mets’ runaway to their first division title since 2006, the year they ended the Braves’ streak of NL East titles at 11 in a row.

“A lot of people think this is going to be a walkover series but we’ve got a group of guys in there that are going to fight and hopefully put a damper on things,” Freeman said.

The Braves had the man on the mound to do it in the opener but, once again, Shelby Miller pitched well enough to win and didn’t. The Mets scored three runs against Miller (5-14) in the fourth inning and the lead held up.

Miller’s winless starts streak climbed to 21 games in spite of his 3.50 ERA during that span. He extended his career-high losing streak to 13 decisions. Miller is the unluckiest All-Star pitcher, ever, in terms of consecutive starts without a win.

After the latest, he was in no mood to entertain the notion of the Braves playing “spoiler” against contending teams as they finish out the season.

“You are just trying to show up and beat your opponent, whoever that is,” Miller said. “We are not trying to spoil anyone’s season. I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never heard that kind of term, ‘spoil somebody’s season.’”

A luckless play led to Miller’s deficit on Thursday.

Uribe led off the fourth inning with a single and, with two outs, Johnson checked his swing and hit a slow roller along the third-base line. Miller slipped on the wet grass while trying to field the ball, though a clean play probably would not have gotten Johnson at first base anyway.

Kevin Plawecki was the next batter. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had ordered Plawecki walked with a runner on base in the second inning to get to Colon, who struck out. This time, with two base runners, he had Miller pitch to Plawecki.

Miller got down 2-0 to Plawecki before the catcher ripped a two-run double. Colon followed with a sharp single to center, just his eighth hit of the season, to put the Mets up 3-0.

Miller departed after six inning, assuring his winless streak would continue.

“You know how good he is so you think, ‘Today is the day’,” Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “Today is the day he’s going to get his deserved win. But it’s fortune sometimes. It’s so bad right how.”

Uribe added an RBI single against reliever Andrew McKirahan in the seventh. That was plenty of support for Colon, who held the Braves to two runs over 6 2/3 innings.

Braves second baseman Jace Peterson ended Colon’s league-high scoreless streak at 31 innings with an RBI triple in the seventh inning. Simmons followed with a single to score Peterson. Colon (14-11) retired two batters before Mets reliever Dario Alvarez came in and got Nick Markakis to fly out.

The Braves hit plenty of balls hard against Colon that didn’t fall. Markakis, Peterson, Miller, A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Bourn all smacked line drives that were snagged by outfielders.

Before scoring in the seventh, the Braves couldn’t convert other chances against Colon.

Nick Swisher grounded out to strand two base runners in the first. Simmons was left at first after a one-out single in the second inning, and the same thing happened to Hector Olivera in the third. Pierzynski grounded into a double play to end the sixth.

Colon, 42, won his third decision in his last four starts.

“He’s a smart guy,” Simmons said. “He knows how to pitch. He’s been around. He knows he has to throw strikes so he comes in, pounds the zone, gets a lot of ground balls and gets outs.”

Uribe added a two-run double in the ninth inning against Braves right-hander Ryan Kelly to cap a 3-for-4 night.

Braves prospects Jenkins, Smith get top minor-league honors

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Braves announced Thursday that Tyrell Jenkins and Mallex Smith earned the organization’s top minor-league awards for 2015. Right-hander Jenkins was named the pitcher of the year and outfielder Smith is the player of the year.

Jenkins, 23, had a 3.19 ERA in 25 starts between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. The Cardinals traded Jenkins to the Braves along with right-hander Shelby Miller last November in exchange for outfielder Jason Heyward and relied pitcher Jordan Walden.

Smith, 22, hit .306 with a .373 on-base percentage and 57 stolen bases in 126 combined games with Mississippi and Gwinnett. Smith is one of the players acquired by the Braves in a trade with the Padres before the season.

The Braves also announced award winners for each minor-league level:

Gwinnett: Manny Banuelos (pitcher), Adonis Garcia (player).

Mississippi: Victor Mateo (pitcher), Emerson Landoni (player).

High Single-A Carolina: Brandon Barker (pitcher), Connor Lien (player).

Single-A Rome: Sean Furney (pitcher), Ozzie Albies (player).

Rookie Danville: Ryan Clark (pitcher), Austin Riley (player).

Rookie Gulf Coast: Evertz Orozco (pitcher), Jonathan Morales (player).

Dominican Summer: Ramon Taveras (pitcher), Randy Ventura (player).

Braves pitcher ‘Folty’ returns to activity

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz threw on flat ground Thursday for his first baseball activity since going to the disabled list because of illness on Sept. 2.

Foltynewicz said he still suffers from fatigue and would need at least two bullpen sessions before he’s ready to pitch in a game.

“We are going to take it day-by-day and don’t rush into anything right away,” he said.

Foltynewicz was a late scratch for his scheduled start against the Marlins on Aug. 31 and Shelby Miller took his place. The Braves eventually placed Foltynewicz on the DL with inflammation of cartilage in his ribs.

“I felt really bad because I put my teammates in a bad situation,” he said. “It wasn’t something I could really control but it also sucked that I was going in the right direction with my pitching. It kind of set me back a little bit.”

Foltynewicz, 22, is 4-6 with a 5.71 ERA in 18 games (15 starts) during his first full big-league season. The Braves acquired him in a trade with the Astros in January.

Braves activate pitching prospect Winkler

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Braves activated pitching prospect Dan Winkler from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday. He was available to pitch in the series opener against the Mets.

The Braves acquired Winkler in the Rule 5 draft in December after the Rockies left him unprotected. He hasn’t pitched this year while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Winkler had a 1.41 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A Tulsa last season with 0.71 walks and hits allowed per inning. Over four seasons in the minors at four levels Winkler has a 3.35 ERA and 1.13 ERA with 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Winkler, 25, was a starter for all 76 of his minor-league appearances. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Winkler will have an undetermined role with the team.

“We’ll use him however we see fit,” Gonzalez said.

Pitcher Wisler to start again for Braves

By Michael Cunningham - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

After losing his spot in the rotation and making one relief appearance, Braves right-hander Matt Wisler is scheduled start against the Mets on Friday.

Wisler went to the bullpen after a series of ineffective starts culminated with an outing of 1 2/3 innings and seven runs allowed against the Nationals on Sept 3. Three days later Wisler pitched two scoreless innings against the Nationals and, he said, regained some confidence.

“I think it was mental,” Wisler said before he was announced as the Friday starter. “My mentality on the mound wasn’t what it needed to be. My mound presence wasn’t very good. I was pitching kind of in fear—fear of failure—instead of just pitching and seeing what happens. Going to the bullpen was a good move.”

The Braves acquired Wisler in a trade with the Padres on the eve of opening day. He was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett in June for his first big-league stint and was effective through July.

But Wisler’s results were spotty during six August starts. He had three outings that month in which he allowed five or more runs and just one appearance longer than five innings. Then he couldn’t get out of the second inning against the Nationals in his last start while allowing five hits and walking three batters.

Wisler said he was “losing a little confidence” with each poor start but said the successful relief appearance gave him a boost.

“Just attacking hitters again and getting after it,” he said. “Not thinking about anything except getting outs and just really attacking the glove.”

Scheduled to follow Wisler in the rotation are Williams Perez, Ryan Weber, Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller.

Sept. 1991: Recalling a special Braves moment

By I.J. Rosenberg - For the AJC

Sept. 8, 1991

The situation: The Braves claimed a 7-5 comeback win against the New York Mets on this date. The Braves had fallen behind 4-0 in New York but came back behind the bats of David Justice and Brian Hunter. Starting pitcher Tom Glavine settled and the club completed a three-game sweep at Shea Stadium to keep the Braves one-half of a game behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves went on to win 18 of their next 26 games to win the division and complete the worst-to-first season.

The quote: “If we would have blown this series we would have come home a couple of games out. There is a lot of life to this club right now; it’s a lot of fun.’’ — Second baseman Mark Lemke after the comeback victory in New York.

Fox Sports

Tyrell Jenkins, Mallex Smith named Braves organizational players of the year

Staff

Two touted prospects acquired during the Atlanta Braves' offseason trading spree were named the organization's top players on Thursday.

Tyrell Jenkins earned the organization's Pitcher of the Year honors, while outfielder Mallex Smith was named the system's Player of the Year.

Both players began their Braves careers at the Double-A level and are now Triple-A Gwinnett teammates. Perhaps more importantly, both are expected to challenge for MLB roster spots in 2016.

Jenkins, who the Braves acquired in the Shelby Miller-Jason Heyward blockbuster trade, posted strong numbers at Double-A Mississippi before being called up. He owned a 3.00 ERA in 93 innings pitched at the Double-A level; he owns a 3.19 ERA overall this season, being named a Southern League All-Star along the way.

Smith, the speedy outfielder the Braves brought over from the Padres system, has hit .306 overall in stops at Mississippi and Gwinnett, the fourth-highest batting average in the franchise's farm system. He raked at the Double-A level, hitting .340/418/.413 with 23 steals and drawing high praise from manager Aaron Holbert. His bat understandably cooled down at the highest level in the farm system, but he's still stolen 34 bases in 69 games in Triple-A. Here's the full rundown of the organization's annual minor-league awards:

Gwinnett Braves Pitcher of the Year: LHP Manny Banuelos Gwinnett Braves Player of the Year: INF/OF Adonis Garcia Mississippi Braves Pitcher of the Year: RHP Victor Mateo Mississippi Braves Player of the Year: INF Emerson Landoni Carolina Mudcats Pitcher of the Year: RHP Brandon Barker Carolina Mudcats Player of the Year: OF Connor Lien Rome Braves Pitcher of the Year: RHP Sean Furney Rome Braves Player of the Year: INF Ozhaino Albies Danville Braves Pitcher of the Year: RHP Ryan Clark Danville Braves Player of the Year: 3B Austin Riley Gulf Coast League Pitcher of the Year: RHP Evertz Orozco Gulf Coast League Pitcher of the Year: C Jonathan Morales Dominican Summer League Braves Pitcher of the Year: RHP Ramon Taveras Dominican Summer League Braves Player of the Year: OF Randy Ventura

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Turner Field floods during Braves, Mets game

Carla Caldwell - Morning Edition Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle

Numerous showers that rolled through Atlanta Thursday evening caused flooding at Turner Field during the Atlanta Braves' game with the New York Mets.

At least four inches of rain fell in about two hours around Turner Field, according to WSB-TV Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns.

The game was delayed for several hours.

New York Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki posted video of water pouring down steps to the Mets clubhouse.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s play ball," Plawecki posted along with the video.

ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweeted, “Turner Field is under water.”

Rubin followed up with tweets that included:

“Can barely see the outfield grass now. Looks like a lake at Turner Field.”

“No joke: Water is ankle deep in outfield where couple of grounds crew people are walking at Turner Field.”

Greg Diamond, a Graphic Meteorologist and Weather Producer for theWeather Channel, tweeted,“Almost 1000 lightning strikes in past 30 min in area surrounding Turner Field."

The Sports Xchange

Colon keeps rolling as Mets beat Braves

ATLANTA -- Bartolo Colon looks nothing like the guy who lost six consecutive decisions in mid-summer.

The veteran right-hander's scoreless streak ended, but the 42-year-old pitched well enough to earn his 14th win as the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 7-2 Thursday at Turner Field.

"He got pretty frustrated when things weren't going very good and he was getting knocked around," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He started throwing between starts, which he hadn't done in a long time. Now he's commanding it as good as I've seen him through the years. That's why you look up and he's getting deep in the game."

Colon extended his scoreless streak to 31 innings before the Braves scratched for a pair of runs in the seventh inning. It was the team's longest scoreless streak since R.A. Dickey set the franchise record of 32 2/3 innings in 2012.

Colon (14-11) threw 94 pitches in 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk. He won his fourth decision in a row and improved to 5-0 in his career at Turner Field. Colon also an RBI single.

"He's a veteran guy, and I hope our young guys are watching him because he commands his fastball on both sides of the plate, in and out, up and down, changes speed, and he throws the ball over the plate," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Rookie Dario Alvarez followed Colon with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Addison Reed pitched a scoreless ninth to finish the game.

The Mets (79-61) equaled their win total from 2014 and increased their lead in the National League East to 7 1/2 games over the idle Washington Nationals.

The New York offense was led by catcher Kevin Plawecki, who had a double and three RBIs, and third baseman Jose Uribe, who went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

"Big night for Kevin, getting us going with the big hit," Collins said.

Atlanta pitcher Shelby Miller (5-14) lost his 13th consecutive decision. He allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings with five strikeouts and two walks.

Miller extended his winless streak to 21 games. It is the longest single-season winless streak for a starter in Atlanta history, one short of the record set by Carl Morton in 1975-76. It was the 13th time this season that the Braves failed to score a run for Miller.

"He gave us a good opportunity," Gonzalez said. "You keep saying good things about him. We fought back and got within two runs, and they kept adding on against the bullpen."

The Mets broke through to score three runs in the fourth inning and take a 3-0 lead.

Uribe rolled a single up the middle to lead off the inning and went to second on an infield single by second baseman Kelly Johnson. Plawecki sliced a double into the gap in right to drive in two runs, and he scored when Colon slapped a single to center field.

The Braves had runners on base in the first three innings against Colon but failed to score.

The Mets added a run in the seventh inning. Reliever Ross Detwiler walked right fielder Curtis Granderson and center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, then left the game with a left hamstring strain. Andrew McKirahan entered the game and allowed a one-out broken bat single to Uribe, scoring Granderson.

Atlanta scored twice in the seventh to break Colon's streak. Left fielder Nick Swisher led off with a single and scored on second baseman Jace Peterson's triple. Simmons followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-2.

New York extended the margin to 5-2 with a run in the eighth. Shortstop Wilmer Flores walked, and pinch runner Eric Young Jr. went to second on a wild pitch, took third on Johnson's flyout to center and scored on Plawecki's infield grounder.

The Mets iced the game with two runs in the ninth against rookie reliever Ryan Kelly. Granderson and first baseman Lucas Duda walked, and Uribe drove them home with a double.

NOTES: Thursday's game was delayed 2 hours, 20 minutes when an afternoon thunderstorm blew through. ... New York pitching coach Dan Warthen was hospitalized before the game with an accelerated heartbeat. Manager Terry Collins said Warthen likely would return to the team Saturday. ... Atlanta activated RHP Dan Winkler from the 60-day disabled list. Winkler underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2014 and was acquired by the Braves in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft from Colorado. He is expected to work out of the bullpen during the last month of the season. Once Winkler appears in a game, he will be the 60th player used by the Braves this season. ... Mets GM Sandy Alderson said RHP Matt Harvey would skip his next start Monday against Miami, with rookie RHP Logan Verrett starting instead. Harvey is expected to start Sept. 20 against the New York Yankees and make only one other regular-season start. The Mets also will monitor the innings of rookie RHP Noah Syndergaard. ... Mets manager Terry Collins gave a night off to 2B Daniel Murphy and C Travis d'Arnaud, though Murphy flied out as a pinch hitter. ... New York LHP Steven Matz (2-0, 1.89 ERA) will face Atlanta RHP Matt Wisler (5-6, 5.81) on Friday

Trade pickups earn Braves' top farm awards

ATLANTA -- Two players acquired by the Atlanta Braves in preseason trades were selected the organization's Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year.

Right-handed pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, picked up from the St. Louis Cardinals, and outfielder Mallex Smith, acquired in a deal from the San Diego Padres, topped the organization's honor roll announced Thursday.

Jenkins split the year between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett and went 8-9 with a 3.19 ERA. He made 25 starts with three complete games and 88 strikeouts, fifth best in the organization.

"He could be knocking on the door to go north with the team next year," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the Braves' 7-2 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday.

Smith had a combined .306 batting average while splitting time in Double-A and Triple-A. He stole 57 bases, the fifth most in minor league baseball. After struggling at the plate when he was promoted to Gwinnett, Smith hit .326 over his final 32 games.

"He's a guy you want playing center field in the future," Gonzalez said.

The Gwinnett pitcher and player of the year spent a lot of time with the major league team. Left-hander Manny Banuelos was 6-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 16 starts for Gwinnett. Third baseman Adonis Garcia hit .284 with 17 doubles and 47 RBI in 87 games for the G-Braves.

Other players honored by the organization: Double-A Mississippi -- right-handed pitcher Victor Mateo, infield Emerson Landoni; Advanced Class A Carolina -- right-handed pitcher Brandon Barker, outfielder Connor Lien; Class A Rome -- right-handed pitcher Sean Furney, infielder Ozhaino Albies; advanced rookie-level Danville -- right-handed pitcher Ryan Clark, third baseman Austin Riley; rookie-level Gulf Coast League -- right-handed pitcher Evertz Orozco, catcher Jonathan Morales; Dominican Summer League -- right-handed pitcher Ramon Taveras, outfielder Randy Ventura

Associated Press

Colon's shutout streak ends at 31 innings, Mets beat Braves

By GEORGE HENRY (Associated Press)

ATLANTA (AP) -- - Bartolo Colon is hardly feeling his age these days, particularly after pitching so many consecutive scoreless innings.

''I'm really proud and surprised myself because I didn't know, at this stage of my career, that I could still do that kind of stuff,'' he said. ''So I'm really proud, but more than that, I'm helping the team.''

Colon's scoreless streak ended at 31 innings while he won his fourth straight start, pitching the streakingNew York Mets past the reeling Atlanta Braves 7-2 on Thursday night.

Kevin Plawecki and Juan Uribe each drove in three runs for New York, which has won four in a row to increase its NL East lead to 7 1/2 games over Washington.

In a game that started 2 hours, 20 minutes late because of rain, Colon (14-11) allowed seven hits, two runs, one walk and struck out two in 6 2/3 innings.

The 42-year-old Colon, who added an RBI single in the fourth, led 4-0 before Jace Peterson's RBI triple and Andrelton Simmons' single in the seventh.

Atlanta, which has lost 21 of 24 overall, dropped its ninth straight at home to match the franchise's longest single-season skid and worst since the 1988 team started 0-9 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The Mets' record for consecutive scoreless innings is 32 2/3, set by R.A. Dickey in 2012. Jerry Koosman, in 1973, went 31 2/3 scoreless innings, and Colon tied Dwight Gooden, who went 31 innings in 1984, for third place on the franchise list.

Colon outpitched All-Star Shelby Miller (5-14), whose winless streak reached 21 straight starts - longest by Braves pitcher since Carl Morton went a franchise-record 22 without a victory from Sept. 10, 1975-July 18, 1976.

The Mets went up 3-0 in the fourth on Plawecki's two-run double and Colon's single. Uribe added an RBI single to make it 4-0 in the seventh.

Plawecki had an RBI groundout for as New York took a 5-2 lead in the eighth. Uribe's two-run double put the Mets up 7-2 in the ninth.

Colon stranded two runners in the first, one in the second and one in the third before retiring nine straight batters.

Since receiving no decision in New York's 14-9 loss at Colorado on Aug. 21, Colon is 5-0 with four walks and 23 strikeouts in stretch of 31 2/3 innings that includes four starts and one relief appearance. He is 13-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 14 starts against NL East opponents this year.

''Now his command is as good as I've seen it in two years,'' Mets manager Terry Collins said. ''That's why you look up and he keeps going deep into games.''

Dario Alvarez pitched 1 1/3 innings before Addison Reed got the final three outs.

Miller, who allowed seven hits, three runs, two walks and struck out five in six innings, has now lost six games when giving up no more than one run. He began the night with a 2.81 ERA that ranked sixth in the NL and paltry run support - 2.45 per nine innings - that ranked worst in the majors.

Miller has dropped 13 straight decisions, tying Jim Acker from Sept. 29, 1987-Aug. 16, 1989, for the longest in team history.

''You would think so (that it's frustrating), but you have to keep going out there and grinding,'' Miller said.

Colon's streak is the longest by a pitcher 42 or older.

DEGROM PAUSE

Collins stopped short of saying RHP Jacob deGromwill skip a start, but added that mild fatigue has caused the 27-year-old All-Star to miss recently with his location. Collins said deGrom is struggling slightly with his release point.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: Pitching coach Dan Warthen was admitted to an Atlanta hospital after experiencing an irregular heartbeat before the game. Warthen, 62, has been New York's pitching coach since June 2008. ... RHP Hansel Robles left the team to return to the Dominican Republic because of a family death.

Braves: Manager Fredi Gonzalez has yet to decide if RHP Mike Foltzynewicz (ribs) will work as a starter or a reliever when he's eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list next week.

UP NEXT

Mets: LHP Steven Matz (2-0) will face Atlanta for the first time. He is the first pitcher in franchise history to record at least six strikeouts in each of his first three career starts.

Braves: RHP Matt Wisler (5-6), who beat the Mets 2-1 on June 19 in his major league debut, is 0-5 with a 9.49 ERA in his last seven starts.

Mets-Braves Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO (STATS Writer)

The New York Mets have built their biggest lead of the season in the NL East. There's little reason to believe it won't have a chance to grow against the woeful Atlanta Braves.

Steven Matz looks to shake off any lingering effects of a blister and help the Mets send the Braves to a franchise-record home losing streak Friday night.

New York (79-61) leads the division by 7 1/2 games over Washington after sweeping a three-game series in the nation's capital earlier this week.

The Mets opened this four-game set with Thursday's 7-2 victory over the Braves (56-85), who have lost nine straight at home to tie their single-season record from 1988 when they opened 0-9 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Matz (2-0, 1.89 ERA) takes the ball for the first time since a blister on his middle finger forced him to leave in the sixth inning in Sunday's 4-3 loss at Miami. The left-hander allowed two runs with six strikeouts in his first start in two months due to a partially torn lat muscle.

"I think we caught it before it got too bad," Matz said. "I used to get it a lot in 2013 when I pitched in (Class-A) Savannah and it was really humid. I guess your skin just softens up when it gets humid."

Matz, who is facing the Braves for the first time, is trying to make a case for a spot in the postseason rotation.

Matt Wisler's sights are set on making next season's rotation with Atlanta. The rookie right-hander, though, is 0-5 with a 9.49 ERA over his last seven starts. He was hammered for seven runs in 1 2-3 innings of a 15-1 loss at Washington in his most recent one Sept. 3.

Wisler (5-6, 5.81) was unexpectedly used out of the bullpen in the series finale Sunday and responded with two scoreless innings.

The Braves, losers of 21 of 24, were encouraged by Wisler's aggressiveness.

"I really like the way he responded," manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB's official website. "He looked totally different in those two innings. He pounded the strike zone and got some ground balls.

"I like the character that man showed after just (three) short days ago, he doesn't even get out of the second. Then to run him back out against the same team, I liked what I saw."

Wisler allowed one run in eight innings of a 2-1 win over the Mets in his major league debut June 19. However, he had a tough time with Michael Cuddyer, who went 2 for 3.

Cuddyer is expected to be back in the lineup after missing seven games with discomfort in his right wrist. He's hitting .459 in his last 14 road games.

David Wright and Travis d'Arnaud will face Wisler for the first time after they got a day off Thursday. Wright has a .404 average in his last 13 meetings with the Braves, going 5 for 12 in three this year - all in Atlanta.

D'Arnaud has homered on two of his three hits while driving in five runs in his last two meetings with the Braves. He enters this matchup batting .440 with two homers and seven RBIs in his last eight games.

The Mets have won 12 of 14 on the road but are still 34-37 there.