23-year old righty starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens has been outstanding this season for the Braves. He has started 33 games this season for the Braves and he is 14-10 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The Tigers will likely never answer the phone ever again when the Braves are calling. The Braves only gave up the washed up Edgar Renteria to get Jurrjens from the Tigers. The Tigers have also likely never forgot when the Braves traded Doyle Alexander to them for a young kid named John Smoltz. Jurrjens has now started 64 games in his career for the Braves and he is 27-20 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. What a steal this kid has been and he is a part of a very bright future for the Braves.

23-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hanson came into this season as the best prospect in the Braves’ system according to Baseball America. He started the year in AAA and he earned his call up to the Braves in only 11 starts there in which he was 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. The Braves had no choice but to call up Hanson as they needed help in the starting rotation. He has started 19 games so far for the Braves and he is 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. In 113 2/3 innings for the Braves this season Hanson has only allowed 96 hits while whiffing 100 batters. The only chink in his armor so far in the majors is his control as he has walked 43 batters this year. That’s nitpicking though as Hanson has the look of a #1 pitcher in a starting rotation at the major league level.

Tim Hudson won his first start since last July on Tuesday night, pitching 5 1/3 of six-hit ball in sparking a 4-3 Atlanta victory over the Florida Marlins.

The former Braves ace returned to the mound after 13 months of rehabilitation following surgery.  Hudson had a ligament replaced in his throwing elbow after experiencing discomfort on July 23, 2008.

Despite the break, Hudson looked strong in his  first start of the season.  He only allowed two earned runs while working into the sixth inning, striking out five and walking three.  He managed the near-quality start with only 82 pitches.

Hudson was a two-time All Star with the Oakland Athletics before being traded to the Braves in 2004.  Between 2005-2008, Hudson became arguably Atlanta’s most reliable pitcher: He was 54-38 with a 3.78 ERA over that span.

30-year old righty reliever Peter Moylan has really been used a lot by Bobby Cox this season. He has pitched in 72 games (0 starts) for the Braves this season and he is 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. The sidewinding righty seems to be trying to make up for lost time as he missed most of last year due to injury. Moylan has been very valuable in the middle innings for the Braves so far this season and they need him to finish strongly.

22-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hanson was the top prospect in the Braves’ minor league system heading into the 2009 season according to Baseball America and he’s showing why. Hanson started 11 games in AAA-ball this season before his promotion and he was 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. Hanson has started 6 games for the Braves this season and he is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has only allowed 27 hits in 36 innings this season but he has walked 18 batters so his control will need to improve. Still, Hanson will be a major factor in whether or not the Braves make the playoffs or not this season.