The Braves have placed 34-year old lefty reliever George Sherrill on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 27th, due to a case of left elbow inflammation. Sherrill has pitched in 51 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has whiffed 38 batters in his first 36 innings for the Braves this year as he has his career back on the right track. By putting Sherrill on the D.L., the Braves didn’t need to send anyone to the minors to make room on the active roster for new outfielder Matt Diaz.

21-year old lefty swinging 1B Freddie Freeman is having a very solid rookie year for the Braves. He has played in 129 games for the Braves so far and he is 138 for 475 (.291 avg, .816 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 18 homers, 64 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. August as a tad slow for Freeman as he has played in 24 games so far this month in which he is 23 for 87 (.264 avg, .703 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. The Braves hope that Freeman finishes the year strongly for the Braves, who are fighting for a playoff spot.

The Braves have acquired 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Matt Diaz from the Pirates for a player to be named later. Diaz played in 100 games for the Pirates this year and he was 56 for 216 (.259 avg, .627 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 659 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 509 for 1,720 (.296 avg, .783 OPS) with 199 runs scored, 43 homers, 211 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. His best years have come with the Braves. He played for them from 2006-2010, appearing in 511 games in which he was 423 of 1,385 (.305 avg, .815 OPS) with 173 runs scored, 41 homers, 180 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Braves as they hope Diaz will provide them with a spark off the bench in September.

The Atlanta Braves need 36-year old righty starting pitcher Derek Lowe to finish this season strongly. He has pitched in 28 games (all starts) for the Braves this year and he is 8-12 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Lowe is in the 3rd year of a 4 year, $60 million dollar deal for the Braves. He has pitched in 95 games (all starts) in his first three years for the Braves and he is 39-34 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Lowe has been dependable in his first three years as he always takes the ball when it’s his turn to pitch. But, the Braves need him to start getting better results.

39-year old switch-hitting 3B Chipper Jones is proving that he can still rank even in his old age (baseball wise). Jones has played in 12 games so far in August and he is 17 for 42 (.405 avg, 1.125 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. He has now played in 94 games for the Braves this year and he is 94 for 340 (.276 avg, .815 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 12 homers, 57 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jones has always been a big game player so I look for him to stay hot at the plate as the Braves surge to the N.L. Wildcard spot.