If forced to find something positive about the Braves this year I can only think of three things: Matt Wisler’s maturity, Arodys’ dominance and the surprising performance by J. Chacin. The first two are likely to continue, though tonight will provide a good test for Chacin.
More optimism can be found down on the farm, where the biggest surprise has to be Rio Ruiz, who struggled mightily with the Mississippi Braves last season. The organization promoted him anyway, and he’s been raking at Gwinnett: 368 BA, .419 OBP, .579 slugging.
The line-up:
Markakis 9, Castro 4, Freeman 3, Garcia 5, Flowers 2, Frenchy 7, Aybar 6, Stubbs 8, Chacin 1
ROWLAND'S OFFICE 