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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- John Rocker couldn't find the strike zone -- again. Luckily for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh starter Jimmy Anderson couldn't, either.
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Braves reliever Seanez
out for season
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ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Braves reliever Rudy Seanez will miss the
rest of the season with a torn ligament in his pitching arm that
will require surgery.
An MRI test Wednesday found a complete tear of the medial
collateral ligament in Seanez's right elbow. He was injured in the
eighth inning Tuesday night at Pittsburgh.
The injury led to the immediate recall of controversial
left-hander John Rocker, who had been pitching at Triple-A Richmond
of the International League.
Seanez, who will have ligament transplant surgery, is the fourth
reliever from the Braves' opening day roster to go on the disabled list. He
joins Greg McMichael, Kevin McGlinchy and Luis Rivera, who is
pitching at Richmond.
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Rocker made a wild but harmless return to the Braves on
Wednesday night, throwing six successive balls in the eighth inning
before being lifted in an 8-4 victory over the Pirates.
Rocker, exiled to the minors to battle his wildness following a
heated run-in with a reporter June 4, replaced Greg Maddux (9-1)
with the Braves up 8-4, two on and two outs. He heard far more boos
than cheers, a far different reception than during his short stay
in Rocker-friendly Richmond.
Rocker, whose volatile and often confrontational relationship
with the media developed from his offseason interview in which he
criticized gays and minorities, talked briefly but cordially to
reporters before the game. He threw almost all strikes in three
appearances in Richmond -- he charted his own pitches there -- and
felt his control problems were worked out.
Evidently, they weren't.
The cheers from the crowd of 16,972 picked up with each ball to
John Vander Wal, who walked on four pitches, only one very close to
the strike zone. It was Rocker's 26th walk in 18 1-3 innings.
After Rocker threw two more balls to Pat Meares, putting him in
danger of walking in a run, manager Bobby Cox came to the mound,
talked briefly to the reliever, then signaled for former closer
Kerry Ligtenberg.
"Well, what do you think? I don't know," Cox said. "I thought
he held his composure well ... we'll run him out there tomorrow
night if we have to."
Ligtenberg worked out of the jam by getting Meares to ground
into an inning-ending force play grounder and got the final four
outs for his fourth save. The Braves had overcome an early Pirates
3-2 lead as Anderson walked five, including the leadoff hitter in
all four innings he worked.
Several teammates previously critical of Rocker were more
supportive, though Chipper Jones, who hit a two-run go-ahead homer
in the fourth off Anderson, said it's up to Rocker if he stays in
the major leagues.
"We can do it with him, or we can do it without him," Jones
said. "It's his choice what happens. We can't go out there and
throw strikes for him."
Rocker wasn't saying how he felt, telling the Braves' publicist
he wouldn't talk to reporters.
Brian Jordan, who called Rocker "a cancer" on the club after
Rocker angrily confronted a Sports Illustrated reporter before his
demotion, predicted Rocker will work out his problems.
"I think he's trying too hard," Jordan said. "I'm sure
there's some pressure on him and he's trying too hard to do well.
He's going to work on it. It's no different than a hitter being in
a slump. Get a couple of hits, and you're out of it. He'll have a
good game and he'll be out of it."
Maddux gave up four runs in the first three innings, including
Vander Wal's two-run homer, but didn't allow a run after Jones put
the Braves ahead to stay in the fourth with his 14th homer.
Maddux struck out eight in 7 2-3 innings and broke the major
league record for career putouts by a pitcher with his 388th on
Vander Wal's groundout in the fourth.
"I feel good about the way I threw, as good as I did when I
pitched a shutout in Chicago," Maddux said. "They hit some good
pitches. But runs are nice, man."
The four-time Cy Young winner is 8-9 in Three Rivers Stadium,
with most of the losses coming when he pitched for the Cubs, but is
9-0 overall against the Pirates since last losing to them on April
30, 1994.
While Maddux had his customary control, walking one, Anderson
(1-5) kept himself in trouble. Of the five batters he walked, three
scored.
Quilvio Veras walked and scored on Andres Galarraga's groundout
in the first, and Mark DeRosa walked ahead of Veras' RBI single in
the second. Jones' leadoff walk and second baseman Warren Morris'
run-scoring error on Jordan's grounder led to a two-run third.
"I kept the ball down for the most part, except for Chipper's
home run," Anderson said. "I wish I could have kept us in the
game because we were hitting Maddux well. The first hitter got on
in every inning, and I felt like I was behind every hitter."
Game notes
Braves LHP Terry Mulholland reported soreness in a
hamstring, so Kevin Millwood will make his second start of the
series Thursday night. He lasted only 1-3 of an inning Monday. ...
Anderson has lost his last five decisions. ... Jones has a 12-game
hitting streak (17-for-45, .378). ... Pirates hitting coach Lloyd
McClendon was ejected in the sixth after Kevin Young struck out
looking on a pitch that appeared to be outside. ... Meares made his
first start since leaving Friday's game at Kansas City with a
bruised right shin ... Maddux is 5-0 since last losing May 3. ...
Brian Giles, who had three hits, is 5-for-9 against Maddux.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Rocker talks -- briefly -- upon wild return to Braves
Braves' Furcal goes from DUI to DL; report questions rookie's age
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