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UPDATE: 12:59 p.m.: Hello everybody. Breaking news this afternoon: Jeff Francoeur’s stint in the minor leagues is over. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting the slumping outfielder has been recalled to the major-league team, after three games with Double-A Mississippi.

Francoeur hit .538 (7-for-13) in three games with Mississippi. The move came after the Braves lost three players (see below) to injuries in Sunday’s marathon win over Houston.

Francoeur was demoted Friday, in the midst of a season-destroying slump that saw his average plunge to .234. Gotta tell you folks … I’m really surprised at this move. The Braves were adamant Jeffro needed to get away from the majors and work on re-establishing his swing. To basically say he’s did that in three days is a real, real stretch, given how bad Frenchy has looked this season.

On the other hand, you’re talking about a very critical six-game stretch beginning tonight in L.A. Maybe the Braves’ rationale is they need their best/healthiest 25 players, and they’re holding their breath Francoeur comes back and starts hitting right away. We shall see, but a strange season just keeps getting stranger, doesn’t it folks? 

Now, on with your recap of Sunday’s loooooooong day at the park:

By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

Braves 8, Astros 7 (17 innings)

Top of the Order: Down three runs with nine outs to go, the Braves rallied to tie Sunday’s series finale, then played on … and on … and on some more, until Mark Teixeira lined a bases-loaded single off the wall in the bottom of the 17th, giving Atlanta a thrilling victory in the rubber game of a three-game set and pulling the Braves within six games of first place in the NL East.

The Good: Pull up a chair, brothers and sisters, and let’s sift through this box score that’s longer than some of my buddies’ marriages. The top of the order led the charge offensively. Yunel Escobar went 4-for-9 (yes, nine at-bats; you get that when you play one inning shy of a doubleheader); his two-run single in the bottom of the eighth tying this thing at 6-6 and setting the stage for the longest game in Turner Field history. Gregor Blanco went 2-for-8 with two runs scored in the leadoff spot. Chipper Jones went 3-for-5 with four walks, three runs scored and two RBIs, raising his major-league leading average to .388. One of the hits: a solo home run, and Hoss also legged out a triple. Tex finished 3-for-7 with three ribbies and two walks. Martin Prado also had two hits. The Braves’ bullpen was simply outstanding: 11 – yes, ELEVEN – scoreless innings: one each from Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman and Royce Ring (who got the win by pitching a scoreless 17th); two perfect innings from Mike Gonzalez, who struck out four; and three scoreless innings from Buddy Carlyle and Manny Acosta (Carlyle striking out four). Escobar made the play of the game and perhaps the season in the top of the 15th, diving to catch a line drive with the bases loaded and one out, keeping the game tied. The win moves the Braves within six games of the first place, gives them the series victory over Houston and, most of all, gives them a big boost flying to Los Angeles for the start of a three-game set tonight. Congrats to Chipper and Brian McCann, selected to the National League All-Star team. Finally, these nuggets: Rafael Soriano threw a bullpen session Sunday morning and felt pretty good afterward. Jeff Francoeur went 4-for-5 at Double-A Mississippi Sunday with a triple and an RBI, raising his minor-league average to .538 (7-for-13) since his demotion Friday morning. Also at Mississippi, rehabbing outfielder Matt Diaz went 2-for-5.

The Bad: You can’t play 17 innings without some bad stuff happening, so there’s plenty of that, too. First and foremost, word this morning the Braves have placed three more players on the disabled list. Omar Infante reinjured his hamstring running the bases. Acosta, forced to hit for himself, pulled a hamstring trying to beat out a ball in the 16th (hey, look at it this way: Manny now can rest that right arm Bobby Cox has burned out). Jeff Bennett (the only reliever who didn’t appear in Sunday’s game) also heads to the shelf after hurting his shoulder making a throw to first Saturday. Just when you think you’ve seen it all with this team and injuries. Amazing. Young Charlie Morton had his second rough outing in a row, allowing eight hits and six runs in six innings. Four of the runs came on Ty Wigginton’s grand slam in the third inning. Morton could not throw his fastball for strikes, and the Astros took advantage. It wouldn’t be a Braves’ game without missed scoring chances, and there were a ton of them Sunday: Atlanta leaving 21 runners on base. Cox added to his ejection record, getting tossed in the fifth for arguing a checked-swing (don’t think Bobby missed any of the action, though; he likely sat in that little office in the tunnel, steps from the dugout entrance, smoking a cigar and shouting instructions to the coaching staff). Greg Norton went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, McCann (who was to have the day off) went 0-for-5, and Corky Miller was in perfect Corky form: 0-for-3, the Corkster’s average at .093.

View from the Sports Garage: Simply put, as I told my wife while the innings ticked by, a loss would have spelled the end of the season. Were the Braves to have lost this game, a game in which they rallied to tie in the eighth after trailing most of the day, a game in which the Braves played for more than five hours (add in a 1 hour, 50 minute rain delay at the start, and the game ended more than seven hours after the scheduled first pitch), there would have been no recovering for this team that’s wobbled on the brink of destruction for a month. And folks, this is the type of game the Braves should have lost. I’ll be brutally honest: I’m surprised they did win. To get it done, the Braves had to rally late, get stellar work from the bullpen and come through in the clutch. It took some time, but Atlanta finally did it in the 17th, after dodging a couple of bullets and coming up empty themselves in extra innings. This is the type of game that can completely change somebody’s season; at the very least, it gives the Braves a really nice boost as they head West for three with the Dodgers and three with the Padres before the All-Star break. I’m certainly not saying Sunday night is the start of a turnaround. No matter what, it’s a fantastic win and a game we’ll talk about for a long, long time. Now, time to hit the Left Coast, try to win these final two series before the break and assess what this team should do from there.

On deck
Braves at Dodgers
10 p.m. today, Dodger Stadium

The Skinny: Boy, I’d say the Braves need Jorge Campillo (3-3, 2.99 ERA) to step up and pitch deep into tonight’s series opener at Chavez Ravine, eh? Campillo has cooled off somewhat after his very impressive beginning as a starter. His last outing was among his worst: eight hits, five runs, two walks and no strikeouts in a loss Wednesday to Philadelphia, a game in which Campillo pitched five innings. For Los Angeles, Hiroki Kuroda (4-6, 3.73 ERA) makes his second start since coming off the disabled list with shoulder problems. Kuroda, who made the move from Japan to the States this season, allowed just five hits and no earned run in seven solid innings Wednesday against Houston. The Braves, who torched their bullpen in Sunday’s marathon 17-inning contest, need a good, long outing from Campillo to start the road trip off on the right foot.

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