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NL East: With playoffs in sight, Braves make a switch at short

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07/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It appears as though the Atlanta Braves got tired of waiting for Yunel Escobar.

The Braves dealt the 27-year-old shortstop to the Blue Jays on Wednesday in a five-player trade that sent 33-year-old Alex Gonzalez to the Braves. Atlanta also shipped 25-year-old pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto for the shortstop while getting back a pair of minor league players in the deal as well.

Escobar was a second-round pick of the Braves in 2005 and showed flashes of being a solid player for Atlanta. He hit .299 last season with 14 homers and 76 RBI, but was batting only .238 in 2010 with 19 RBI and zero home runs this year before the trade and has before taken heat due to his inability to mature and grow on the field. Escobar has at times looked lazy on defense and was prone to making mental mistakes.

Currently the owners of first place in the National League East, the Braves decided to part ways with a young talent in exchange for a veteran presence at short in Gonzalez as they look to make a playoff run in manager Bobby Cox's final season before retirement.

"We have been looking at ways to strengthen our club offensively and Alex Gonzalez is a proven veteran player who gives us added power," said Braves general manager Frank Wren. "He is a winner and a solid offensive presence in the lineup as well as a quality defensive shortstop."

A member of the 2003 Florida Marlins championship club, Gonzalez was hitting .259 this year with 17 home runs and 50 RBI with the Blue Jays. His trade to the Braves marks his fifth different team since making his debut in 1998. The right-handed hitter has also played with the Marlins, Red Sox and Reds in addition to the Blue Jays.

Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in his Atlanta debut on Thursday, a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

MARLINS: RAMIREZ, JOHNSON SHINE AT ALL-STAR GAME

They may have some ground to make up if they want to compete for a playoff spot, but that didn't stop some of the Florida Marlins from making a name for themselves at this past week's All-Star Game.

The Marlins have a pair of representatives in Anaheim in shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitcher Josh Johnson. Ramirez was voted in to start at short for the Mid-Summer classic, but his biggest impact came at Monday's Home Run Derby.

Ramirez had 13 homers at the break, but belted a total of 26 during the event. The 26-year-old made it to the finals, but hit just five in the final round to finish second behind Boston's David Ortiz.

"The most important thing tonight is that we were all rooting for each other," Ramirez told MLB.com. "Nobody was rooting for himself. We had fun."

It was then Johnson's turn to shine during Tuesday's game. Though given serious consideration to start, Johnson entered the game in the third inning after Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first two frames. The right-handed Johnson didn't allow a hit in his two innings of work, striking out two while throwing 18 of his 29 pitches for strikes.

Considered a contender for this year's NL Cy Young Award, Johnson went 9-3 in the first half and led the majors with a 1.70 earned run average while striking out 123 batters over 122 innings.

NATIONALS: CLOSER HELPS CAP NL ALL-STAR VICTORY

The rule in major league baseball has always been that every team must be represented at the annual All-Star Game. That means even last-place clubs that are 11 games under .500 at the break get represented at the Mid-Summer Classic, which is why Nationals closer Matt Capps found himself among baseball's elite in Anaheim this week.

Capps earned the All-Star nod over teammates Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, who both could have made a case to serve as Washington's representative, but don't think Capps wasn't worthy either. The 26-year-old is tied for third in the NL with 23 saves and is just four shy of matching the 27 he posted last season with Pittsburgh.

In his first year with the Nationals, Capps is 3-3 with a 3.18 earned run average in 41 games. He has also been charged with four blown saves, but was credited with the win in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the American League. The right-hander faced just one batter, but struck out Boston's David Ortiz to end the sixth inning with a runner on first base.

"It feels pretty good," Capps told MLB.com after the game. "I just came in to face one hitter. The guys did a great job of putting some runs up later. ... It worked out well, I'm very pleased with it, excited about it."

There was some rumblings out there, mostly by the media, that starter Stephen Strasburg should have been named to the All-Star roster. While the soon-to-be 22-year-old has lived up to his epic hype so far, going 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings, the bottom line is that the phenom has made just seven major league starts.

His time to run with the All-Stars will come soon enough.

PHILLIES: HOWARD GETTING HOT

While the Philadelphia Phillies' offense continues to run warm and cool, All- Star first baseman Ryan Howard is doing his best to stay at one temperature: hot.

Howard hit a pair of two-run homers in Thursday's loss to the Chicago Cubs, giving him a National League-leading 69 runs batted in heading into play on Friday as well as 19 homers and a .298 batting average. The left-handed slugger is on pace for his highest season average since a .313 clip during his 2006 MVP season.

The 30-year-old has driven in 14 runs over his last 10 games, belting four homers in that span.

Howard could use some help though. While the Phillies continue to play without second baseman Chase Utley (right thumb) and third baseman Placido Polanco (left elbow), outfielder Shane Victorino is hitting just .252 while shortstop Jimmy Rollins has a current average of .248.

Polanco, who was hitting .318 before going on the disabled list, could return before the end of this weekend.

"He might be," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told Philadelphia's website on Thursday. "We'll see. He might join us in a couple days -- hopefully will. We'll see how it goes."

METS: BELTRAN RETURNS

The New York Mets know they need a little something extra if they are to catch the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Enter Carlos Beltran.

The 33-year-old returned to center field on Thursday versus the Giants, his first major league game this season. Offseason knee surgery caused Beltran to miss all of spring training and the first half of this season.

Beltran didn't have it easy in his return as he faced two-time defending NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who threw a six-hit shutout versus the Mets. Beltran went 1-for-4 in the 2-0 loss and was also thrown out trying to steal second.

"I thought he had some good at-bats, for the first time facing a major league pitcher of that stature," said Mets manager Jerry Manuel.

A five-time All-Star, Beltran was limited to just 81 games last year due to injury, but hit .325 with 10 homers with 48 RBI. In 161 games in 2008, he batted .284 with 27 homers and 112 RBI.

A healthy Beltran should take some pressure off teammates David Wright and rookie Ike Davis. Beltran hit between the two on Thursday, with Davis shifting down to the fifth spot, while Jason Bay hit sixth.