Don’t be surprised if 26-year old righty reliever Stephen Marek is the next reliever called up by the Braves if the need arises. Marek has pitched in 39 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball this year and he is 5-0 with 9 saves, a 0.64 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Marek has only allowed 33 hits (0 homers) so far this season in 42 innings in the minors and he has 50 whiffs. He’s too good for the minors so I see the Braves either calling him up at some point or using him for a trade chip this month.

The Braves have placed lefty reliever Eric O’Flaherty on the 15-day disabled list with a viral infection. O’Flaherty has pitched in 41 games (0 starts) for the Braves this year and he is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The Braves have recalled 25-year old lefty reliever Mike Dunn to replace O’Flaherty in the pen. Dunn has pitched in 33 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 2-0 with 7 saves, a 1.05 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Dunn was acquired from the Yankees in the Javier Vazquez over the winter.

The Braves have acquired 33-year old shortstop Alex Gonzalez, 20-year old lefty reliever Tim Collins and 20-year old 2B/SS Tyler Pastornicky from the Blue Jays for 27-year old shortstop Yunel Escobar and 25-year old lefty starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes. Righty swinging Alex Gonzalez will replace Yunel Escobar as the starting SS. Gonzalez has played in 85 games for the Blue Jays this year and he is 85 of 328 (.259 avg, .793 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 17 homers and 50 RBIs. He has now played in 1,314 games in his 12 years in the majors and he is 1,172 of 4,721 (.248 avg, .696 OPS) with 555 runs scored, 131 homers, 571 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. The Braves are hoping that Gonzalez keeps hitting and continues to flash his solid leather in the field. Tim Collins was the Blue Jays’ #19 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. Collins has pitched in 35 games (0 starts) in AA-ball this season and he is 1-0 with 9 saves, a 2.51 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has only given up 27 hits in 43 innings this season while whiffing 73 batters as he is flashing outstanding stuff. Collins has now pitched in 130 games (0 starts) in his four years in the minors and he is 14-9 with 26 saves, a 2.40 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has whiffed an amazing 294 batters in only 194 2/3 innings in the minors! Righty swinging infielder Tyler Pastornicky has played in 77 games in A-ball so far this season and he is 74 of 287 (.258 avg, .724 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 6 homers, 35 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He has now played in 251 games in his 3 years in the minors and he is 244 of 923 (.264 avg, .695 OPS) with 154 runs scored, 8 homers, 86 RBIs and 108 stolen bases. Pastornicky came into this season as the Jays’ #17 rated prospect according to Baseball America.

Yunel Escobar has a lot of talent but he often rubbed Bobby Cox the wrong way due to a lack of hustle. Escobar played in 75 games for the Braves this year and he is 62 of 261 (.238 avg, .618 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He played in 446 games in his four years with the Braves and he was 472 of 1,622 (.291 avg, .771 OPS) with 242 runs scored, 29 homers, 183 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Jo-Jo Reyes only pitched in 1 game for the Braves this season and it was a disaster. He was 0-0 with a 24.30 ERA and a 3.90 WHIP this season for the Braves. Reyes finishes his time with the Braves having pitched in 41 games (37 starts) in which he was 5-15 with a 6.40 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.

Despite Escobar’s upside I really like this deal for the Braves. They needed offensive help and Gonzalez was the best hitting SS in the American League this year. I also like the deal because they were able to extract Tim Collins from the Jays and he has a HUGE upside.

The Atlanta Braves are 52-36 on the season which has them in first place in the N.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Mets and 4.5 games ahead of the Phillies. The Braves’ success hasn’t been without problems. Here’s a closer look at the surprises and disappointments of the first half of the 2010 season:

Pleasant Surprises: The Braves finally gave 26-year old righty swinging Martin Prado the starting job at 2B. He made the All-Star team and started last night in the place of Chase Utley. Prado has played in 87 games for the Braves this season and he is 121 of 372 (.325 avg, .851 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Troy Glaus missed most of last season so the Braves took a chance on him and he has rewarded them for it. Glaus has played in 85 games for the Braves this season and he is 75 of 295 (.254 avg, .802 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 14 homers and 58 RBIs. 28-year old righty swinging infielder Omar Infante made the All-Star Team despite being a backup player. Infante has played in 63 games for the Braves this year and he is 64 of 193 (.332 avg, .762 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 2 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Rookie 25-year old lefty reliever Jonny Venters has burst onto the scene for the Braves this year. He has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Braves this year and he is 3-0 with 1 save, a 1.30 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

Disappointments: 27-year old righty swinging shortstop Yunel Escobar is having by far the worst season of his major league career in 2010. Escobar has played in 75 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 62 of 261 (.238 avg, .618 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 25-year old switch hitting OF Melky Cabrera has had trouble adjusting to N.L. pitching so far this season. He has played in 85 games for the Braves this year and he is 70 of 270 (.259 avg, .664 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 3 homers, 24 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 28-year old lefty swinging Nate McLouth has been a huge bust for the Braves this year. He has played in 57 games for the Braves this year and he is 30 of 170 (.176 avg, .577 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers, 14 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 35-year old righty starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami is also having a hard time for the Braves this year. He has started 15 games for the Braves this year and he is 1-9 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

The Braves are sitting atop of the N.L. East with a 48-35 record which has them 2 games up on the Mets. To stay atop of the N.L. East the Braves are going to have to add a outfielder with some legit power. The Braves should aim big though as this is Bobby Cox’ swan song in Atlanta. Corey Hart and Cody Ross should be the top two targets of the Braves. Jose Bautista, Luke Scott, David DeJesus and Jose Guillen would likely also be solid options for the Braves. They definitely have the firepower prospect wise to make a deal to give them a great chance at winning the N.L. East so they need to make it happen.