Talking Chop

Derek Lowe was able to dominate the Blue Jays tonight, both on the mound and at the plate, as he collected his 6th win of the season and the Braves' 4th win in their last 5 games. In addition to pitching 7.2 innings and allowing just a pair of runs, Lowe was also able to collect a pair of singles, and both drive in and score a run. One of the more entertaining experiences of my Spring Training trip this year was watching Lowe take a round of batting practice. He has a lot of fun, but he's very serious about his hitting, something that Atlanta pitchers have been known for, and it paid off tonight.

Mike Gonzalez ran into some troubles in the 9th, as he's been somewhat prone to do this season, but fortunately Rafael Soriano was able to come in and close the door, collecting his 4th save of the season. The offense was able to put enough runs across against Casey Janssen, who pitched pretty decently for a guy who hasn't pitched in a Major League game in a year and a half. Being able to score a little without the tandem of Chipper Jones and Yunel Escobar in the lineup is a good sign. Casey Kotchman is getting on a little bit of a roll, driving in a pair of runs with a double after driving in the game winning run last night. It seems that moving him into the 2 hole was one of the more shrewd moves made by Bobby Cox this season.