Kuzul

The Upton brothers got a little too close for comfort on Tuesday night.B.J. Upton and Justin Upton collided in left-centerfield on Tuesday night as the Atlanta Braves took on the New York Mets.You can clearly see B.J. waving off his younger brother, but Justin didn't hear him and the two collided right as B.J. makes the catch and hangs on.The two were obviously just fine, as B.J. shoves his younger bro as the two walk off the field together, but I'm not sure Mrs. Upton will be so happy.It's one thing to see two players collide and joke about it, but how often do we see brothers do it?Twitter had a bit of fun with the collision too:  Upton brothers fall down, go boom. http://t.co/vsI6LSttVw— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) June 19, 2013    VIDEO: Upton brothers collide in outfield, but no one's hurt, so it's funny. http://t.co/gtP8l4ZzEP— Deadspin (@Deadspin) June 19, 2013    Too ...

Player: Jacob HeywardDrafted by: Atlanta Braves (No. 1,153 overall) Position: RF DOB: 8/1/1995 (Age: 17) Height/Weight: 6'2"/197 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R School: Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (GA) College Commitment: Miami   Background Jacob Heyward has the blessing and curse of being the younger brother of Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward. Jacob is always going to be compared to Jason, but that doesn't mean the former is without talent. In fact, unlike a lot of famous alumni you will see in this class, Heyward actually has a very high ceiling and could be an intriguing option for a team later in the draft.   Full Scouting Report Note: Numerical scores are on the conventional 80-point scouting scale, with the current score first and projected score second. Hitting: 35/55 Very good hit tool; still raw and unrefined, will struggle adjusting to professional pitching; shows bat speed and leverage; quick through the zone; should grow into more power as his frame ...

When the Atlanta Braves signed center fielder B.J. Upton last winter to a lucrative five-year, $75.25 million contact, they envisioned a young star who would provide solid production in the middle of their batting order for years to come.They may one day rue that deal.Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is now seriously considering asking Upton to work out his hitting woes in the minors.That's right—demoting a player making eight figures annually.Speaking to reporters before Friday's game against the Washington Nationals, Gonzalez talked about what to do about Upton, who is currently hitting just .145.Via ESPN:It's a hard decision. It's a decision that you take very, very seriously. You talk collectively with your coaches about it, and it's something always falls on my shoulders, right? That's fine. I'm comfortable with that. But you've got to think about 25 (players), six staff members, four clubhouse guys, the front office ...

Julio Teheran spent years as a highly regarded pitching prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. His masterful performance on May 20 against the Minnesota Twins may have served notice that the future is now.The 22-year-old righty carried a shut-out into the ninth inning on Monday before Josh Willingham's solo-homer finally put the Twins on the board. Teheran finished his night allowing just that lone run on five hits in 8.1 IP. Not only was it the deepest into a game he has pitched in his brief time in the major leagues, but he also fired a career-high 123 pitches in the process. Spinning a three-hit shut-out through eight innings, manager Fredi Gonzalez had no reservations about sending his young righty back out for a chance to finish the gem. "I think it was good for him to experience that in the ninth inning," said Gonzalez. "He had an extra day ...

The Atlanta Braves were handed a double dose of bad injury-related news this week as Jonny Venters' second Tommy John surgery was announced and Eric O'Flaherty was put on the disabled list with a torn UCL. Over the last few seasons, both left-handed relievers were heavily relied on in the Braves' chase for the playoffs. While the duo were pitching in a combined 293 games over the last two seasons, the concerns about the longevity of both players' have been ever-present. Both Venters and O'Flaherty have provided the Braves with some superb work in relief and they formed one of the most feared bullpen combinations in the majors with closer Craig Kimbrel.But with both relievers out for the foreseeable future, the criticism of how the two pitchers were used can be heard even more than it was in the past. Throwing a reliever over 60 games in just one season can do ...

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.The main talking point going into Friday night was the return of Jason Heyward, but by the time Craig Kimbrel closed the game out in the top of the ninth inning with his 12th save of the season, all everyone wanted to talk about was the grand slam delivered by Justin Upton in the bottom of the sixth inning. Upton's 14th home run of the season came at a crucial point in the game, as the Braves were down by two runs and starting pitcher Paul Maholm was reaching the end of his start after throwing 95 pitches. After Upton's shot to left field scored Jordan Schafer, Andrelton Simmons ...

We are about one quarter of the way through the MLB season with the Atlanta Braves clinging to a slim lead in the National League East.After a blazing start, the Braves have come back down to earth against a rather difficult early schedule.The Braves have yet to play a game with their full lineup and still have one of the more talented rosters in the National League.However, they have also shown some glaring weaknesses, which general manager Frank Wren will look to improve.Much will change between now and the trade deadline, and the moves the Braves make will depend on how injuries play out and what new ones the Braves get hit with.Here's an early look at some realistic moves the Braves could make at July's trade deadline.Begin Slideshow

When the Atlanta Braves took Brian McCann off the DL, they needed to clear a spot on the roster to make room for him. They decided to send infielder Tyler Pastornicky to the minors. I don't understand why no one is talking about this move. While Tyler makes his way back to Gwinnett, let's take a look at the stellar time he spent in Atlanta.He was unable to win the backup infielder position in Spring Training. Braves management preferred the light-hitting Ramiro Pena instead. Even though Pastornicky spent time with Atlanta last year at shortstop and second base, he had to go back to Triple A. He promptly went down and hit .338, but the Braves didn't have room for him to come up.When Jason Heyward suddenly had an emergency appendectomy, he hit the DL and the Braves brought Pastornicky back up. Fans were enthused that this slugger was on ...

At this time last year, Andrelton Simmons was a highly touted prospect in the Atlanta Braves' organization.A year later he has established himself as the starting shortstop and coming off his first career multi-home run game on Monday night.Simmons is just one example of the youth movement the Braves have used in recent years.More often that not, general manager Frank Wren will opt to go with the young, cheap player over a pricey veteran.Even though the Braves have a young roster in 2013, the cupboard is not bare in the minors.Here's a look at some of the prospects who could blossom into stars in the future.Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves (16-9) have all but wrapped up the first month of the 2013 season.Highs include a 10-game winning streak and a sweep of the National League East preseason favorite, Washington Nationals. The low point came over the weekend as the Detroit Tigers swept the Braves.The tough series with the Tigers knocked a few players' grades down a letter.Here's a look at the April edition of every player's' grade in 2013.Begin Slideshow