Kawakami, Braves Edge Tigers 4-3

Kenshin Kawakami pitched seven strong innings to get his first win of the year, and Chipper Jones blasted a three-run homerun, as the Braves rallied from a 1-0 deficit         to beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 this afternoon in Atlanta.

Kawakami pitched seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball to get his first win of the year, while Chipper’s three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh inning turned a 1-0 Tigers lead into a 3-1 Braves advantage.

Atlanta then added what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning, going up 4-1 when Troy Glaus singled and then scored on an rbi-double by Eric Hinske.

Detroit scored two runs in the ninth inning to cut Atlanta’s lead to 4-3, but Peter Moylan came on with two out in the ninth and struck out Tigers pinch-hitter Johnny Damon     with the bases loaded to end the game and preserve the win for the Braves.

Kawakami got the win, and Moylan notched his first save of the season for the Braves, while Detroit reliever Joel Zumaya gave up the three-run blast to Chipper and took         the loss for the Tigers.

The Braves improved to 44-31 with the win, while the loss dropped the Tigers to 39-34.

Braves Beat Tigers, Wagner Saves 400th

Brian McCann hit the 100th homerun of his career, and Billy Wagner notched his 400th career save, as the Braves beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Friday night in Atlanta.

McCann’s fourth inning solo shot snapped a 1-1 tie and proved to be a game-winner as well as his 100th career homerun, and Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and struck out the side to notch his 400th career save in grand style.

The Tigers broke on top in the game, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead on a first inning rbi-single by Brennan Boesch, but the lead was short-lived, as the Braves rallied to tie    the game on a second inning rbi-single by Melky Cabrera.

McCann’s fourth inning blast put the Braves in front 2-1, and Atlanta added an insurance run in the eighth inning, going up 3-1 on a solo shot by pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad.

The game featured a pair of impressive pitching performances by starters Kris Medlen and Andy Oliver, with Medlen tossing 6 and 2/3 innings of one-run ball for the Braves, and Oliver pitching six strong innings for the Tigers in his major league debut.

Medlen (5-1) picked up his fifth win of the season for Atlanta, while Oliver (0-1) took the loss for Detroit.

Four Atlanta relievers – Eric O’Flaherty, Peter Moylan, Jonny Venters, and Billy Wagner – combined to pitch 2 and 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings to close out the game for the Braves, with Wagner notching his 15th save of the season as well as the milestone 400th career save.

The Braves improved to 43-31 with the win, while the loss dropped the Tigers to 39-33.

Q and A: TigersWeblog’s Bill Ferris

Tomahawk Talk recently had the opportunity to run a series of Braves, Tigers, and MLB related questions by Bill Ferris of The Detroit Tigers Weblog (a GREAT Detroit Tigers blog!), and with the Braves and Tigers all set to play each other this weekend in a three-game series, the timing couldn’t be better!

Here’s a look at what Bill had to say in response to our recent questions:

Tomahawk Talk: The Tigers have been perennial contenders in the AL Central in recent years and appear to have a shot at winning the division again this season. How do you think the Tigers will wind up doing this year?

Bill Ferris: I think the Tigers are good enough this year to keep things interesting in a weak division, but on paper I think they are a little bit behind the Twins. That’s not to say that Detroit doesn’t have a shot, but even as a fan I have to give the edge to Minnesota because of the strength of their lineup top to bottom.

Tomahawk Talk: What do you like best about the 2010 edition of the Detroit Tigers?

Bill Ferris: The bullpen is probably the team’s strong point, but I have really enjoyed watching the young kids play. Brennan Boesch has been tremendous. Austin Jackson is a remarkable centerfielder. And even though he got off to a slow start with the bat, he has been coming along as well. There have been more than a few times this year when the Tigers have featured four rookies in their starting lineup, and haven’t suffered at all.

Tomahawk Talk: What is your primary concern about this year’s Tigers team?

Bill Ferris: The offense has just been okay despite an MVP caliber season from Miguel Cabrera, a ROY season from Boesch, and a comeback season from Magglio Ordonez. There are huge question marks at the bottom of the lineup, and the sustainability of the performances by Boesch in particular are worrisome.

Tomahawk Talk: Do you expect the Tigers to make any major player moves at (or before) the trade deadline? And what (if anything) would you like to see the Tigers do to improve the team?

Bill Ferris: Starting pitching is the area that probably needs the most attention. I would be surprised to see the Tigers go after a Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt caliber pitcher, but if Rick Porcello doesn’t get himself straightened out, a veteran starter would be the most likely acquisition.

Tomahawk Talk: How would you evaluate the performances of Tigers manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski to date? Are they currently doing a good job in       your opinion?

Bill Ferris: While Leyland has some quirks that irritate me, I think he does a good job overall. His lineup construction leaves something to be desired and I’m not a fan of a       lot of his in-game strategic decisions, but I think he does a good job handling his staff     and his real strength seems to lie in managing the clubhouse. I view Dombrowski in a similar vein – he’s definitely made some mistakes (Jurrjens for Renteria for example)      but the good far outweighs the bad.

Tomahawk Talk: How do you see the AL Central race playing out this year. What’s your projected order-of-finish for the AL Central?

Bill Ferris: While this is a boring answer, I see things playing out exactly as they are now with the Twins narrowly winning the division and the Tigers edging out the White Sox for second place.

Tomahawk Talk: What are your thoughts/impressions of this year’s Braves team?

Bill Ferris: Jason Heyward is one of the most exciting players in the NL. And with a few former Tigers on the team, I always perk up when Omar Infante and Jair Jurrjens get mentioned on Baseball Tonight. I think the NL East should prove to be very interesting because there are top caliber teams at the top, but no pushovers at the bottom. It might be the most competitive top to bottom division in baseball.

Tomahawk Talk: Great stuff, Bill. Thanks for doing the Q and A!

Braves Set To Take On Tigers

The Braves are all set to take on the Detroit Tigers this weekend in a three-game series that begins at 7:35 ET tonight in Atlanta.

Kris Medlen (4-1, 3.33 ERA) will start tonight’s series opener for the Braves, while Andrew Oliver, Detroit’s 2009 second round draft pick, will make his major league        debut tonight for the Tigers.

Kenshin Kawakami will start the second game of the series for the Braves on Saturday, and the Tigers will counter with Max Scherzer, who is 4-6 with a 5.67 ERA.

Tommy Hanson will start Sunday afternoon’s series finale for the Braves, and Detroit ace Justin Verlander (8-5, 3.94 ERA) will start the finale for the Tigers.

Those are some great pitching matchups, and this should make for a great series, so be sure to come on out to the Ted this weekend and watch the Braves and Tigers play!