How Andruw got his groove back

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For most of the first half of the 2007 MLB season, Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag with scissors in his hand.

Forget that Jones is a treasure chest full of talent in the outfield because he was not producing offensively to help his team reach the win column on a regular basis. Not that he has to do all of the work, but from June 10 - 25 Jones did not record a home run or an RBI and was mired in an 0- for-21 hitless streak.

Then the sleeping giant awoke from his slumber and began making contact with the ball similar to his days as a teenage rookie. Since June 26 Jones has hit safely in 17-of-19 games with eight home runs, 23 RBI and a .303 batting average (23-for-76). Over his last 10 games, the nine-time Gold Glove award winner is batting .385 (15-for-39) with five homers and 16 runs batted in.

In Thursday's series-opening 10-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Jones homered and knocked in three runs. However, his season marks are still low with a .220 batting average, 19 home runs and 65 RBI. But what do you expect from a player who opened the first eight weeks of the season hitting much like former Golden Girls star Betty White circa 2007?

Jones, a five-time All-Star, is on pace for his 10th straight season with at least 25 home runs and will most likely add a 10th Gold Glove to his name. Manager Bobby Cox surely hopes so since his ballclub is only 2 1/2 games off the lead in the National League East standings. And don't forget Jones is in his contract year so big numbers will bring in big bucks.

Jones and the Braves have won 13 of their last 20 games, and put the brakes on a three-game losing streak with last night's nine-run triumph over the defending World Series-champion Cardinals.

CHIPPER RIPPIN' IT UP/ FRANCO RETURNS

Chipper Jones has been on a tear since coming off the disabled list on June 13 because of sore hands.

Jones is batting .388 (45-for-116) and has hit safely in 26 of his last 30 games, including 14 multi-hit games. Jones went 2-for-3 in last night's win.

Meanwhile, ageless veteran Julio Franco made his return to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday after the New York Mets placed him on waivers.

"If it wouldn't have been Atlanta, I would have gone home because I know this is one organization that I can trust to know what I'm capable of doing and how to use me," said, Franco, who started at first base on Thursday and drove in a pair of runs with a single.

The 48-year-old Franco batted .292 with the Braves from 2001-2005 and has already earned the trust and confidence from his manager.

"It's nice to see his smiling face in that clubhouse," longtime skipper Bobby Cox said. "He looks good. He loves the game of baseball and he has fun with it. Plus he's a winner. He was a big cog in our wheel during the years that he was here."

Franco will be primarily used as a pinch-hitter and will also get most of his starts at first base against left-handed starters. Rookie Jarrod Saltalamacchia will play first base against right-handed starting pitchers.

To make room for Franco on the roster, the Braves sent starting pitcher Kyle Davies to Triple-A Richmond. Davies was 4-8 with a 5.76 ERA in 17 starts this season, but was 1-5 with a 7.31 ERA in his past seven trips to the mound.

"He's just got to be more consistent," Cox said of Davies. "He's got everything going for him. He's a sharp kid. He's got all the pitches. He's a great athlete."

SMOLTZ BACK IN ACTION

Veteran starting pitcher John Smoltz was activated off the disabled list this week because of shoulder inflammation.

Smoltz, who was shelved on July 6, pitched seven shutout innings and gave up five hits in a 5-4 15-inning loss to the Reds. He struck out 11 and walked just two, and even struck out five consecutive batters during the game.

"Mentally I was as good as I've ever been -- you have to be when you've had a long layoff," Smoltz said after the game. "The physical part will click back in when I get back in a five-day routine.

"I guess it was best that it was a day game, to get really hot and be able to stay loose."

The right-hander was named to his eighth All-Star Game but couldn't play because of injury.

He is 2-2 over his last five outings with a 3.00 ERA.

WHO'S HOT

Andruw Jones. (See above)

Also, starting pitcher Tim Hudson is riding a five-game unbeaten streak.

Hudson is 4-0 with a 2.61 earned run average in his last five starts, with his only poor performance during that stretch coming on July 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That day Hudson yielded six runs and 10 hits in three innings of an 8-6 Atlanta victory.

The right-hander is currently riding a personal two-game winning streak.

WHO'S NOT

Starting pitcher Kyle Davies was certainly not doing well as of late and the recent acquisition of Julio Franco made him expendable.

ON DECK

Atlanta is 4-3 on a 10-game homestand and will wrap it up with three more games against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After the Braves close out the stand on Sunday, they will open a seven-game road trip to San Francisco and Arizona.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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