trade winds

Paul Maholm should really help the Atlanta Braves. The former Mississippi State ace might not be considered a big league star, but he is a solid No. 3 or 4 type pitcher. And he gives the Braves’ rotation a second left-hander (with Mike Minor), which is big. He was 9-6 with a 3.74 ERA for the Chicago Cubs and his career mark of 62-79 would be much better if hadn’t spent all that time with Pittsburgh. The Braves also added a capable outfielder in Reed Johnson in the deal for former Mississippi Braves pitchers Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman. Vizcaino might be a star someday, but the Braves have so much pitching depth, they could afford to part with him. Maholm, from Greenwood, joins a short list of Mississippi natives to play for Atlanta, including Bob Didier, Rod Gilbreath, Howard Battle, John Thomson and Jay Powell. … Texas may have been compelled to make the Ryan Dempster trade with the Cubs after watching Weir native Roy Oswalt’s performance against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Bugs Bunny ball was not working for Oswalt, who gave up 11 hits and eight runs in 5 1/3 innings. His ERA ballooned to 6.49 in six starts. And he’s got that back problem. … Former M-Braves center fielder Gorkys Hernandez moved from Pittsburgh to Miami, where he might actually get to play. He can run and has an outstanding glove. P.S. Richton’s JaCoby Jones, the former Mr. Baseball now at LSU, won the Cape Cod League home run derby on Saturday night.

sparking some interest

Two interesting things happened to the Mississippi Braves on Saturday night. They beat Mobile 7-3 at Trustmark Park for their season-high fifth straight win. They also got into a ninth-inning dustup with the BayBears, a benches-clearing incident resulting in several ejections. (Fines and/or suspensions may be in the offing.) Regrettable thought it may be, that’s the kind of thing that can light a fire under a club that seems to need it. A defining moment, perhaps. We’ll see. The M-Braves are now 15-19, 5½ games out of first place in the Southern League South with a trip to division leader Montgomery (21-14) coming up. Onetime big leaguer and Brandon native Brent Leach is scheduled to start tonight’s opener of the five-game series with the Biscuits, an M-Braves nemesis literally from Day One. A five-game series at Chattanooga follows the Montgomery trip. If these M-Braves have a move in them, it’s time to make it. P.S. Class A Asheville (Colorado Rockies) manager Joe Mikulik, the former Jackson Generals standout who famously — or infamously — went on a tirade in a 2006 game, was at it again on Friday. Mikulik threw another YouTube-worthy tantrum in a game at Charleston, S.C., “stealing” third base and giving it to a fan, among other things.

leading man

Lance Lynn is zeroing in on the 2012 Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the top performance by a Mississippian (native or college alum) in the majors. The big right-hander out of Ole Miss won his 13th game on Friday. He didn’t pitch great (eight hits, two walks, six runs in five innings), but his St. Louis teammates backed him with five home runs in a 9-6 win over the Chicago Cubs. Lynn is 13-4 with a 3.42 ERA and has been a big reason the Cardinals are still hanging around in the National League Central race. … Others still in contention for the Cool Papa include UM product Seth Smith, who is batting .251 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs (five on Friday) for Oakland; ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland, who is batting .272 with 10 homers for Texas (and is due off the DL soon); former MSU standout Jonathan Papelbon, who has 22 saves for Philadelphia; and Bulldogs alum Paul Maholm, who is 9-6 with a 3.88 ERA for the lowly Cubs. P.S. One of the best stories in baseball is being written by Ben Sheets, who is now 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA in three starts for Atlanta. Sheets, out almost two years following Tommy John surgery, launched his comeback with the Mississippi Braves earlier this month.

the arms keep coming

It is often said that the Atlanta Braves do a great job of drafting and developing quality arms. We’ve seen the evidence flowing through the pipeline at Trustmark Park since 2005. Consider a few of the stalwarts who’ve passed through with the Double-A Mississippi Braves: Blaine Boyer, Macay McBride, Chuck James, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, Matt Harrison, Kris Medlen, Tommy Hanson, Craig Kimbrel, Mike Minor, Brandon Beachy and Scott Diamond. On the cusp of breaking out are the likes of Randall Delgado, Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, J.J. Hoover, Luis Avilan, Paul Clemens and Brett Oberholtzer. The latest to reach the Double-A stage is J.R. Graham, who sparkled in his TeePee debut on Thursday night: five innings, two hits, no runs, eight strikeouts. (As if he needs something more to stand out, he sports old-school stirrups.) A 6-foot right-hander drafted just last summer out of Santa Clara, Graham hits the mid-90s with his fastball and displays great control. In 170 1/3 pro innings, he has walked just 32 batters while fanning 132. He went 9-1 with a 2.63 ERA at Class A Lynchburg to earn the promotion to Mississippi last week. He joins a rotation already bubbling with big league prospects: Zeke Spruill, Sean Gilmartin, David Hale and Gary Moran. If nothing else, Atlanta has pieces to offer in a trade. P.S. The more you see of Todd Cunningham, the more you have to be impressed. The M-Braves’ leadoff batter scored the game’s only run in the eighth inning Thursday night when he raced around from first base on an infield hit and throwing error. Cunningham, hitting .317, had reached on a two-out infield single to extend his latest hit streak to six games.

clear a space

Pittsburgh, seeking more punch in its lineup, has called up highly regarded prospect Starling Marte. That’s bad news for Ole Miss alumnus Alex Presley. Marte has displaced Presley, at least for tonight, as the Pirates’ leadoff batter and left fielder. Presley, who batted .298 in 2011, is hitting just .231 this season. Marte, a five-tool talent, was batting .286 with 21 doubles, 13 triples and 12 home runs in Triple-A. He might not be ready to take over as a major league regular, but then again, he doesn’t have to do a lot to give the Bucs more than Presley was putting up.

tale of the tape

OK, so it’s not really Bobby Abreu vs. Lance Berkman. But the former Jackson Generals stars, the most accomplished hitters produced by the Capital City’s old Texas League franchise, will be on the same field today, as opponents, when the Los Angeles Dodgers play the St. Louis Cardinals. Both are piling up impressive career numbers. Abreu, 38, who seemed revived when the Dodgers nabbed him after the Angels cut him loose, has played in 2,319 games, ringing up 2,432 hits, including 286 homers, plus 1,439 runs, 1,347 RBIs and 397 stolen bases. He passed through Jackson in 1994, batting .303 with 16 homers. Berkman, now 36, didn’t come along in Jackson until 1997, when he hit .306 with 24 bombs. Abreu was already an established big leaguer when Berkman reached the majors in 1999, but Berkman’s stats aren’t far behind. He has out-hit Abreu .296 to .292, and has a better slugging percentage, .545 to .477, despite battling injury problems in recent seasons. In 1,794 games, Berkman has 1,839 hits, 359 homers, 1,116 runs, 1,198 RBIs and 48 steals (18 in one season, as if to show that he could do that, too). Wonder which one will break down and retire first? Not that we’re counting the days. No, just the numbers.

ranger ramblings

Mitch Moreland is scheduled to start a rehab assignment tonight for Triple-A Round Rock as he attempts to work his way back to Texas. Mississippi State product Moreland, out a month with a hamstring injury, is expected to take some time off this week to be with his wife, Susannah, for the birth of their first child, and is reportedly targeting early next week for his return to the Rangers’ lineup. He is hitting .272 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs. Meanwhile, Holmes Community College’s Roy Oswalt was scratched from a scheduled start for the Rangers tonight because of lower back stiffness. The problem isn’t believed to be serious, according to reports, but Oswalt does have that history … . His next win, whenever that might be, will move him into second place alone on the all-time Mississippi list. He is currently tied with Claude Passeau at 162.

rebel yells

It was a good day to be a Rebel in the big leagues. Ole Miss product Seth Smith hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning today and Oakland went on to beat the New York Yankees 5-4 in 12. Smith’s homer was his 11th and the first allowed this season by Yanks closer Rafael Soriano. The win gave the surging A’s a four-game sweep of New York. Lance Lynn threw six shutout innings for St. Louis, leading the Cardinals to a 7-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Lynn notched his 12th win of the season. And Alex Presley, batting leadoff for Pittsburgh, had a hit and scored a run as the Pirates won their fifth straight, 3-0 over Miami. P.S. Jackson native Donnie Veal was sent back to Triple-A by the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander made two scoreless appearances in his first big league duty since 2009 with Pittsburgh.

red-letter day

Zack Cozart snapped out of a 1-for-21 slump with a three-hit game on Friday night, helping first-place Cincinnati beat Milwaukee 3-1 and hold onto a half-game lead in the National League Central. “It feels good. Especially for me …,” the rookie shortstop out of Ole Miss told mlb.com after Friday’s game. Cozart hasn’t hit perhaps as well as the Reds had hoped this season — his average is just .246 — but has provided some pop. He homered Friday, giving him 10 for the season. He also has 22 doubles. His runs accounted for total is 68 (20 RBIs, 48 runs) in 88 games, which isn’t bad for a guy who’s not a middle-of-the-order hitter. And no one’s complaining about his defense. It’ll be interesting to see how Cozart responds as the playoff chase heats up. It's got to be fun to be in the middle of that, right?

a wanted man?

Despite winning 14 of 19, the Chicago Cubs are still buried in the depths of the National League Central and figure to be sellers as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. One of the players who figures to attract a fair bit of attention from the buyers is former Mississippi State standout Paul Maholm. The veteran — and, yes, crafty — left-hander has pitched as well as anybody of late, winning four straight with a 0.89 ERA. For the year, he is 8-6, 4.09. Maholm “escaped” Pittsburgh as a free agent in the off-season, signing a one-year, $4.75 million deal (with a team option) with the Cubs. It’s a good bet he’ll be wearing a different unie soon. P.S. Jackson’s Seth Smith had a big two-run hit in Oakland’s 4-3 win over the New York Yankees late Thursday. Keep an eye on those Swingin’ A’s, just 7 ½ back in the American League West.

walking tall

It was a first for Brandon Hicks, the former Mississippi Braves shortstop, but Wednesday’s walk-off win was just another day at the office for the Oakland A’s. The A’s, who have climbed to 47-44 (same as Baltimore and better than Tampa Bay, Boston, the New York Mets and St. Louis), have nine walk-off wins this season, most in the majors. While this isn’t really a Moneyball operation anymore, former Jackson Mets star Billy Beane, the A’s dynamic GM, has pieced together another solid yet unheralded club in small-budget Oakland. Recent additions such as Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss and Seth Smith (the Ole Miss alum) have given the lineup spark. Hicks, a waiver claim from Atlanta in the spring, has seven big league hits. He’ll always remember the seventh, which came Wednesday at O.Co Coliseum. It was a tape-measure homer, his first in The Show, and it took down Texas, the American League West leader. Hicks has some power; he hit 10 homers in Pearl in 2009 and has 21 in Triple-A the last two seasons. He’s not a bad infielder, either. He can make contributions in Oakland. The A’s start a series tonight against the visiting New York Yankees (and former Jackson Generals ace Freddy Garcia). Suddenly, this is a series worth watching. Who'da thought it?

update

Poor Todd Redmond. Cincinnati sent the former Mississippi Braves right-hander back to Triple-A today, just a day after bringing him up. In the minors since 2005, with good numbers down the line, Redmond still hasn't pitched in a big league game.

opposing views

So far, Texas has to be happy with what it has gotten from midseason addition Roy Oswalt. The former Holmes Community College standout is 3-1 in his five starts, despite a 5.22 ERA. (This just in: The Rangers score a lot.) Oswalt beat Oakland at O.Co Coliseum on Tuesday night, allowing just three hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings. “I’m getting there,” he told mlb.com. The A’s Josh Reddick begged to differ. “I don’t feel he was very good,” said Reddick, who homered for the A’s only run in their 6-1 loss. Stay tuned. … Meanwhile, Meridian Community College alum Cliff Lee, who is 1-6 despite a 3.92 ERA, goes to the mound for Philadelphia today hoping for some better luck. The struggling Phillies have suddenly won four in a row, the last two against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with ex-Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon saving both. (He has 21 now.) P.S. With catcher Hector Sanchez having suffered a knee sprain on Tuesday, wonder if San Francisco is considering bringing back Delta State product Eli Whiteside to back up Buster Posey for a few days. Whiteside is hitting .241 with a homer and 15 RBIs at Triple-A Fresno. … Former Ole Miss standout Alex Presley has had a hit in both games he’s played in since coming off the concussion DL for Pittsburgh. … Former Mississippi Braves ace Todd Redmond is back in the big leagues with Cincinnati, which got him in the Paul Janish trade with Atlanta. Redmond, a longtime minor leaguer, never got in a game when the Braves called him up earlier this summer. … Belhaven made a nice pickup Tuesday when it added transfer Zach Polzin. The former Northwest Rankin and Hinds CC standout has big-time power.

minor matters

Billy Hamilton’s adjustment to Double-A ball has not been too taxing. The former Taylorsville High star has four hits, including a triple and a homer, and five steals in six attempts over five games for Cincinnati’s Pensacola club. He has 109 bags on the season. … Ole Miss product Justin Henry, itching for a call-up, is hitting .282 for Detroit’s Triple-A team. … Meridian Community College alumnus Corey Dickerson was promoted from high-A (.338, nine homers) to Double-A by Colorado and is hitting .282 with four homers in 30 games at the advanced level. … Former Picayune High star T.J. House, a left-handed starter, is 5-2 with a 4.07 ERA in Double-A for Cleveland. … Batesville’s David Renfroe is batting .277 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in low-A for Boston. … Among this year’s draft crop: D.J Davis from Stone County — the first Mississippian picked — is at .234 in 19 games in rookie ball for Toronto. Mississippi State alum Chris Stratton, the 2012 Ferriss Trophy winner, gave up a home run in two innings in his pro debut Sunday in short-season ball. And ex-Ole Miss star Alex Yarbrough was off to a .288 start for the L.A. Angels’ low-A club. … Ryan Bolden, the Madison Central product who was the top Mississippi pick in 2010, is batting .184 in his third tour of rookie ball in the Angels’ system. Bolden’s career average is .180.

ready or not ...

The MLB season resumed at long last on Friday, but it seems like most of the Mississippians in The Show weren’t quite ready to clock back in. Paul Maholm got a win for Chicago — he is 7-6 for a 34-52 Cubs club — but you’d be hard-pressed to find another highlight. Desmond Jennings went 0-for-4, Zack Cozart 0-for-3 and Brian Dozier 0-for-2. Jarrod Dyson drew a couple of walks and stole a bag (No. 16) but also got picked off. Seth Smith and Tyler Moore didn’t play. Alex Presley, eligible to come off the 7-day (concussion) disabled list, wasn’t activated and instead will go on a rehab assignment. Cliff Lee took another loss; he’s 1-6. Louis Coleman threw two scoreless innings but wasn’t involved in the decision in Kansas City’s 14-inning loss to the White Sox. Jonathan Papelbon and Tony Sipp didn’t get called on, and Tim Dillard found himself back in the minors. But today’s a new day. P.S. Injury-stricken Atlanta apparently will not recall former Mississippi Braves standout Tyler Pastornicky to play shortstop; he’s been playing some second base at Triple-A Gwinnett, prepping for his possible role as a utility player. Geez. … Ben Sheets, who was with the M-Braves on a minor league contract, will count as the 67th M-Braves alumnus to advance to the majors when he starts for Atlanta on Sunday.

star gazing

When the Triple-A stars come out tonight in Buffalo, be on the lookout for Mississippi native Joey Butler. The right-handed hitting outfielder, in his fifth year in the Texas Rangers’ organization, will suit up for the Pacific Coast League team. Butler is batting .277 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs in his second tour at Round Rock. Butler, 26, was born in Moss Point and played at Pascagoula High, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the University of New Orleans before Texas drafted him in the 15th round in 2008. He’s got a career average of .289 with 53 home runs. He doesn’t show up on the Rangers’ prospect charts (due perhaps in part to his high strikeout totals), but he has a chance to make an impression tonight in a star-studded game that will be televised by MLB Network at 6 p.m.

it could be

The 2012 Mississippi Braves haven’t been in this position very often. They go for their fourth straight win tonight against Birmingham at Trustmark Park. Only twice before have the M-Braves won three straight this season; they didn’t get the fourth W in either of those opportunities. So tonight could be special, maybe even the start of something. Former major leaguer Ben Sheets will be on the bump, aiming to fare better than he did on July 4 when he took the loss (four runs in five innings) in his first outing in some two years. Odds are he will be sharper. The M-Braves haven’t exactly knocked the cover off the ball during the current three-game streak, scoring 11 runs. But they have done some clutch hitting. And, hey, Joe Leonard belted a home run on Saturday, the first at the TeePee by an M-Brave since June 13, when Leonard went yard against Jacksonville. The team has hit just seven homers at home all season. The M-Braves are 7-11 in the second half, not so far back yet that they can’t make a move in the Southern League South. A fourth straight win would be a big step in the right direction. P.S. Former Taylorsville star Billy Hamilton has been promoted to the Double-A Southern League by Cincinnati, but the Reds’ Pensacola club doesn’t come to Pearl until Aug. 24.

fast times

Let’s hope Billy Hamilton gets on base. The Taylorsville native, whose speed is generating much buzz in baseball these days, will play shortstop and bat leadoff today for the U.S. team in the All-Star Futures Game in Kansas City. (First pitch 4 p.m. on ESPN2.) Hamilton, currently rated the No. 27 prospect in the minors by Baseball America, already has 104 stolen bases for Class A Bakersfield in the Cincinnati system. Scouts rave about his ability to hit top-end speed in two steps. He has been timed at 3.4 seconds running home to first base from the left side (he’s a switch-hitter). He has a .323 batting average and a .413 on-base percentage, so there’s a good chance he will get on, even against some of the good arms he’ll face today. One guy who’s probably not hoping to see Hamilton reach base? Christian Bethancourt of the Mississippi Braves. He is the starting catcher for the World team.

eye on ...

Mississippi Braves outfielder Todd Cunningham entered this season, just his second full year in pro ball, rated by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Atlanta’s system. The 23-year-old Alabama native has only improved his stock. The switch-hitting Cunningham, playing for an offensively challenged M-Braves club, is batting .308 with a .347 on-base percentage, 31 RBIs, 35 runs and 12 stolen bases in 72 games. He often hits leadoff and usually plays center field. BA rated him the best defensive outfielder in the organization in 2011. Atlanta center fielder and leadoff man Michael Bourn is a free agent after this season, so the Braves might be looking to fill that role as early as 2013. Cunningham may not be ready by then, but he certainly is worth keeping an eye on. Drafted in the second round out of Jacksonville State in 2010, Cunningham came with a reputation as a pure hitter. He won two summer league batting titles as a collegian and hit .359 his junior year at Jacksonville State. He batted .260 at low Class A Rome in 2010 and .257 at high-A Lynchburg last season, but the bat has awoken this summer at the more challenging Double-A level. That’s a good sign.

he was money

The most interesting facet of the baseball career of Chad Bradford, the new pitching coach at Hinds Community College, is not his submarine pitching style. Nor is it his featured status in the “Moneyball” book and movie. No, it would have to be his postseason success in the major leagues: a 0.39 ERA in 24 appearances over seven different seasons with five different teams. His job was to come in from the bullpen in tight spots and get ground balls, and he did it very well. The Byram native had a 3.26 career regular season ERA spread over parts of 12 years in the big leagues. He quietly retired after the 2009 season. The Byram native and former Southern Miss star is now returning to Hinds, which he helped reach the junior college World Series in 1994 and ’95.

the magnolia state five

It has been a good week for the All-Mississippi rotation. (Note: When Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz was recalled by Colorado on Sunday, there were five starting pitchers with Mississippi college connections in the big leagues.) Pomeranz did not allow an earned run in six innings on Sunday but took the loss in a 2-0 defeat against San Diego. Now 0-3 with a 3.72 ERA, he goes again tonight against Washington and Stephen Strasburg. On Thursday night, UM product Lance Lynn of St. Louis celebrated his All-Star selection with six shutout innings vs. Colorado and gained his 11th win. On July 4th, Philadelphia cracked open a vintage Cliff Lee, and the Meridian Community College alumnus delivered his first win of the season (in his 14th start) with eight strong innings against the New York Mets. Also on Wednesday, ex-Mississippi State star Paul Maholm, pitching for the woeful Chicago Cubs, beat Atlanta for the second time this season, yielding just one run in six innings. The only major smudge on the ledger came from Holmes CC product Roy Oswalt, who was rocked by the White Sox for nine earned runs in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday in his third start for Texas. P.S. Former MSU star Jonathan Papelbon, beaten up by the Mets on Thursday night, is in a funk all of a sudden. In his last five appearances, the Phillies closer has allowed six runs and blown two saves. … UM alum Alex Presley is on the 7-day disabled list with Pittsburgh after suffering a concussion diving for a ball on Tuesday. Presley is hitting .244 with six homers for Clint Hurdle’s first-place Pirates.

moving parts

Couple of interesting moves by the Atlanta organization today. Left-hander Luis Avilan, who was in the Mississippi Braves’ rotation as recently as Tuesday, has been promoted twice since. He was bumped up to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday to make room on the M-Braves roster for Ben Sheets, then shipped to the big leagues today, becoming the 66th former M-Brave to advance to The Show. He takes the spot there of ex-M-Braves standout Jonny Venters, who has gone on the disabled list. Avilan, from Venezuela, was 3-6 with a 3.23 ERA this year after going 5-8, 4.57 in 2011 as a starter and reliever. Also, the Braves released M-Braves outfielder Cory Harrilchak, once considered a player of promise. The lefty-swinging Harrilchak hit .266 with seven homers, 56 RBIs and 10 steals with Mississippi in 2011 but was batting just .179 with no homers in 140 at-bats this season. His spot will be taken by Jordan Parraz, a veteran minor league outfielder who was batting .305 at Gwinnett before an injury setback. He had been rehabbing in Florida.

there's another one

Deunte Heath, a right-hander out of Tennessee who pitched for the Mississippi Braves in 2008 and ’09, has been called up by the Chicago White Sox. Heath is the 65th M-Braves alumnus to advance to The Show. Heath was drafted by Atlanta in 2006 and released in 2010 after a brush with the law during spring training. He signed with the White Sox and pitched for Birmingham in the Southern League in 2010. … Also back in the bigs are ex-M-Braves Mauro Gomez (Boston) and Gorkys Hernandez (Pittsburgh). Not so fortunate was Matt Young, who was designated for assignment by Detroit, though he could remain with the Tigers’ Triple-A club if he clears waivers.

same old, same old

OPS, which stands for on-base percentage plus slugging average, is a somewhat obscure statistic that the casual fan doesn’t often cite when discussing a player or team. In the case of the Mississippi Braves, it’s a telling number. The M-Braves, who are last in the Southern League South standings at 4-9 after finishing last in the first half, are last in the league in OPS with a .654. Basically, they aren’t getting on base enough and they aren’t getting the big hits that generate runs. Not surprisingly, they are ninth (of 10 teams) in scoring (316 runs), as well as last in home runs (23) and last in total bases (914). The starting pitching, which should get a boost from former big leaguer Ben Sheets, has been very good. Each of the five current starters has an of 3.65 or less. The bullpen has been shaky at times, with just 14 saves (last in the SL) and 19 holds (eighth), but it’s not a glaring weakness. It comes back to offense. The lineup the M-Braves trotted out in Tuesday’s win at Mobile had a grand total of seven homers, four of those by Joe Leonard. The players who were inexperienced at the Double-A level to start the season — and there were many — can no longer use that excuse. Yes, there have been roster changes since the launch. The loss (to promotion) of Andrelton Simmons and (to injury) of Evan Gattis, a true long-ball threat, have hurt. But others, such as Phillip Gosselin (.252) and Christian Bethancourt (.254) need to step up; that’s part of the game. Joey Terdoslavich, a prospect sent down from Triple-A, is batting .297 but has just one homer in 24 games. Tim Smith, brought in to add some left-handed pop, has one homer in 26 games. Ian Gac, who has seven homers, hasn’t hit consistently and rarely plays now that Terdoslavich is occupying first base. Todd Cunningham, now the club’s leadoff batter, can get on: .307 average, .349 on-base percentage. But he has scored just 33 runs in 69 games. It’s a maddening situation. Sheets gets the call tonight when the M-Braves play Jackson (Tenn.) at Trustmark Park, where the run-starved home boys were swept in their last series. There will be fireworks after the game. The M-Braves need some during the game. Question is, are they packing any?

a funny line

There was nothing humorous about Roy Oswalt’s pitching line tonight — he gave up 13 hits and nine earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in taking a loss for Texas — but a Chicago White Sox radio announcer did manage a witty comment about Oswalt’s struggles. During the first inning, in which the right-hander from Weir allowed three home runs, a double off the wall and a deep fly out, the broadcaster (courtesy of XM radio) said: “They’re going to have to drag the warning track after this inning.” Oswalt pitched well enough to win his first two starts for the Rangers, but tonight’s was a disaster. He yielded four runs in the first and three more in the second. His ERA for the year jumped to 7.79. Oh, and Texas lost the game 19-2.

summer stock

Bobby Wahl, the ace of Ole Miss’ staff as a sophomore this past season, has continued to pitch well this summer with Team USA. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings in Monday night’s Prospect Classic (an intrasquad game of sorts) in Cary, N.C., and has a 0.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings overall. Wahl went 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA for the Rebels in 2012 after working out of the bullpen his first season in Oxford. P.S. Taylorsville native Billy Hamilton stole his 100th base of the season on Monday night for Class A Bakersfield. The Cincinnati Reds prospect has now hit the century mark two years in a row.

make that five

The luster is off the Philadelphia Phillies this season, but that didn’t keep Jonathan Papelbon from making the All-Star Game for the fifth time in his young MLB career. The Mississippi State product, in his seventh full year and first with the Phillies, has 18 saves for a last-place club (36-45) that may be in real trouble in the competitive National League East. Papelbon, who came up with Boston, signed a $50 million free agent contract with Philadelphia in the off-season. Philly fans can be nasty, but they’d be hard-pressed to find fault with Papelbon's results. He has blown only one save while posting a 3.03 ERA with 37 strikeouts and just seven walks in 29 2/3 innings. Those are star-worthy stats. Former Mississippi Braves closer Craig Kimbrel (23 saves, 1.50 ERA for Atlanta) was an obvious choice for his second All-Star berth, and Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (10-4, 3.62 for St. Louis) and M-Braves alum Matt Harrison (11-3, 3.16 for Texas) are deserving first-timers. P.S. Props to ex-M-Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who was named the NL rookie of the month for June after batting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBIs while also shining on defense.

this just in

July 4th is always a big draw at Trustmark Park. Today, it just got a little more compelling. Right-hander Ben Sheets, a four-time All-Star, has signed with Atlanta and will start for the Mississippi Braves against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals on Wednesday night. Atlanta hopes Sheets might bolster its rotation at some point this summer. Sheets, 33, who last pitched in the majors in 2010 with Oakland, has 90 big league wins on his ledger and a sub-4.00 career ERA despite a history of injuries. He started the 2006 season opener at the TeePee on a rehab assignment with Milwaukee.

hot ’lanta

Witnessed first-hand the hottest game ever at Atlanta’s Turner Field (or Fulton County Stadium, for that matter) on Saturday. It was actually a pretty cool experience. Saw eight former Mississippi Braves contribute in the 7-5 win over first-place Washington and ace Stephen Strasburg. Scuffling Mike Minor got a much-needed win. Martin Prado and Jason Heyward had big hits, and the amazing Andrelton Simmons had three of the Braves’ nine total. Craig Kimbrel was sensational as usual in notching his 23rd save. Brandon’s Tyler Moore played well for Washington, getting an RBI infield hit and drawing a walk. P.S. Lance Lynn, the former Ole Miss standout, once looked like a lock for the All-Star Game. Now, after three straight rocky outings, not so much. The St. Louis right-hander gave up four first-inning runs (and six all told) on Saturday in a loss against Pittsburgh and has yielded 17 runs in his last 15 1/3 innings. He has lost two straight decisions to slip to 10-4 with a 3.62 ERA. … Zack Cozart, another UM product, ended San Francisco’s shutout streak at four games with a leadoff home run against Matt Cain on Friday night, sparking a 5-1 Cincinnati win. Then he doubled and scored a run in a 2-1 victory on Saturday. Cozart, who’s had some cold snaps, is at .249 for the year but has eight homers and 44 runs for the first-place Reds.