38-year old closer Billy Wagner maintains that he is going to retire after this season. He has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) for the Braves this year and he is 7-2 with 30 saves, a 1.68 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Wagner has only given up 32 hits in 53 2/3 innings this season while whiffing 77 batters showing that he is still very much on his game. Wagner is #5 all-time saves in major league history with 415 of them. He is 9 saves behind John Franco who has the most saves in history as a lefty. Wagner would like to ride out into the sunset along with Bobby Cox after winning the World Series. Only time will tell if that happens or not.

40-year old righty reliever Takashi Saito is showing no signs of slowing down for the Atlanta Braves. Saito has pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Braves this year and he is 1-3 with 1 save, a 3.14 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He has only given up 35 hits in 43 innings this season for the Braves while whiffing 53 batters. Saito has been outstanding just like most of the Braves bullpen and they need him to finish the season strongly.

The Braves are sending OF Jason Heyward, 2B Martin Prado, C Brian McCann, IF/OF Omar Infante and P Tim Hudson to the All-Star Game. Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward was elected by the fans so he will be one of the starting outfielders if his thumb is o.k. He has played in 71 games for the Braves this season and he is 64 of 255 (.251 avg, .821 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 11 homers, 45 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 26-year old righty swinging 2B Martin Prado will replace Utley in the starting lineup. Prado has played in 81 games for the Braves so far this season and he is 116 of 346 (.335 avg, .854 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 7 homers, 36 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This is Prado’s first All-Star Game and he definitely deserves to start the game. 26-year old lefty swinging catcher Brian McCann will be a reserve this season despite playing far better than the guy the fans picked (Yadier Molina). McCann has played in 70 games this season for the Braves and he is 62 of 234 (.265 avg, .830 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. McCann will be making his fifth All-Star appearance. Omar Infante was a shocking pick for the All-Star Game as he’s not a full time starter for the Braves. Infante has played in 57 games for the Braves this year and he is 51 of 165 (.309 avg, .717 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Infante can play everywhere but pitcher, catcher and 1B and that versatility likely is what got him on the All-Star Team for the first time in his career. 34-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Hudson is rewarding the Braves for their faith in him. He has started 17 games for the Braves this year and he is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has only given up 90 hits in 114 1/3 innings this season as he has come back strong from injury. This is Hudson’s third All-Star Game appearance. Look for the Braves to have a big say in which team has home field advantage in the World Series.

38-year old lefty reliever Billy Wagner said earlier this season that this would be his last year before retirement. He appears to be looking to go out on top based on how he is pitching so far this year. Wagner has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this season and he is 1-0 with 4 saves, a 1.50 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He has only given up 6 hits while whiffing 18 batters in only 12 innings showing that his stuff is still there. Wagner likely has his sites on passing John Franco as the lefty reliever with the most saves ever in major league history but he has some work to do to get there. Franco has 424 career saves while Wagner has 389. If Wagner catches up to Franco that would mean the Braves are having a outstanding season.

23-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hanson is picking up where he left off last year. He has started 2 games for the Braves this season and he is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has only given up 8 hits while whiffing 14 batters in only 11 1/3 innings so far this year showing just how nasty his stuff has been. But, he has walked 7 batters which is way too many. Still, control wasn’t an issue for him last season and I don’t think it will be in 2010 either.