Struggling outfield could get boost from minors…

Because I KNOW you LOVE hearing my thoughts on the Braves.....
With manager Bobby Cox juggling his outfield lineup seemingly daily to try and find the juiciest setup, the short-term answer to the problem may be recalling Josh Anderson from the minors to step in. Anderson is currently sporting a 20 game hitting streak, one he extended last night with a leadoff home run. Acquired in the offseason from Houston for Oscar Villareal, Anderson lost out to Gregor Blanco for a roster spot out of spring training, but in 11 games earlier this year, all Anderson did was hit .318 with 7 hits in 22 at-bats with 2 RBI, 3 runs, 2 stolen bases with a .375 OBP (he has a career .404 OBP). He even played a solid outfield with no errors and one assist for a perfect 1.000 fielding pct.

Given the current outfield struggles, Anderson would fit in nicely to try and add some juice. To try and help Frenchy shake his funk, Cox has him batting 8th, but that hasn’t seemed to help raise his .224 average or cut down on his 85 strikeouts. Mark Kotsay in center is only hitting .288 with five home runs. Anderson would likely put up similar or better numbers over the remainder of the season, should he see time in the field. Omar Infante has been fantastic over the last few weeks and his .309 average is outstanding, but the do-it-all sees time in the infield just as much as the outfield and he may better be served as a fill-in here and there.

It all boils down to looking at the future of the team in 2009. Josh Anderson might be battling Brandon Jones for the role stopgap in left next year until Jason Heyward can make the jump to the majors in 2010. If he can get some at-bats now, he would have the inside track on the job and his speed could help the Braves add a few more runs to the board in a year where they are struggling to post numbers.

In other news, with Tom Glavine scheduled to make his first start since June 10, the likely candidates to be moved to create a roster spot are Vladimir Nunez and rookie Francisley Bueno. Bueno was ejected from his major league debut yesterday for throwing at Alfonso Soriano.
Also, the Braves will be wearing SKIP patches on their uniforms for the rest of the season to honor the late Braves broadcaster Skip Caray. The team is already wearing a BEACH patch for former Braves coach Jim Beauchamp.