Mike Minor News

May 5, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets catcher John Buck blocks a pitch in the dirt against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Turner Field.

DAVID GOLDMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESSAtlanta's Evan Gattis, second from right, is greeted by teammates from left, Chris Johnson, Jason Heyward, and Freddie Freeman after hitting a grand slam in a game earlier this week against Minnesota.

Whether they're a legitimate title contender, hovering around .500 or in the process of a full-blown rebuild, each MLB team faces a number of tough decisions throughout the course of a season.

As fantasy owners, we cringe at the thought of seeing our pitcher's line in the box score at the end of the day with a five, six or higher number in the "ER" column.

So much of the Braves' success depends on having a strong farm system, and building through the draft plays a large role in having just that.

The Atlanta Braves had a four-run rally in the eighth inning and swept a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-2 win on Sunday.

Playing at home did no favors for the Minnesota Twins, so they'll try to find their way back to the win column on the road when they open a nine-game journey Monday against the Atlanta Braves.

Pena fouled the first pitch off his lower right leg and bent over in anguish. But after he fouled off the next pitch, he hit a sacrifice fly to put the Atlanta Braves ahead to stay.

You know I had a nice recap all planned out for this game, but the pathetic Dodger loser-pen robbed me of being able to use it.

Matt Magill's stay in the Dodgers' starting rotation could be short-lived if he doesn't pitch well in Sunday's series finale against the Braves at Turner Field.

Sunday sweep day? The Braves are looking to complete the three-game sweep against the Dodgers on Sunday in Atlanta.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Atlanta again on Sunday to take on the Braves in the final game of a three-game set.

Gattis took advantage of some last-second tips from teammate Justin Upton before hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer off Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning, and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Saturday night.

As you probably know the Braves put lefty Eric O'Flaherty on the 15 day DL with a tear of his UCL and called up Cory Rasmus from Gwinnett.

After a brutal 10-game road trip that saw the Atlanta Braves go 4-6 against the Cincinnati Reds , San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks , they returned home to Turner Field and finally got back on track with an 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers .

Matt Magill gets the call in the series finale on Sunday in place of Josh Beckett, who was placed on the disabled list on Wednesday.

Fans of the Atlanta Braves have certainly enjoyed the first month and a half of the season, as they have been one of the top teams in baseball.

Following the 2010 season, one man stood above all others as an infielder to watch in the Atlanta Braves' farm system.

Patrick Corbin, not former All-Star Ian Kennedy, leads the Arizona Diamondbacks in wins.

Justin Upton takes batting practice before Monday night's game in Phoenix. Watching are hitting coach Greg Walker , B.J. Upton and Carlos Tosca.