The Braves are exhausted but not depressed, frustrated but not angry that the just completed road trip that dragged them to four different cities and three different time zones -- twice to the Central -- did not break the bad road spell.
But they are taking their good news wherever they can find it, and Friday's installment comes from center fielder Mark Kotsay, who took 30 swings in the indoor batting cage. Just soft toss, mind you, but this is significant for him after so much inactivity while he tends to his strained lower back and bulging disk.
"You could say (Friday) is kind of a big day," he said gratefully.
On early Friday afternoon, he was out on the field long tossing with the relievers -- they do this every day as part of their warm-up routine. He has been running backward, twisting as he goes, working on his core-strengthening exercises.
After swinging indoors, he shagged balls in the outfield during batting practice.
"Felt good," he said. "I didn't hold anything back. We'll see how I recover (Saturday). If there are any setbacks."
If he can move when he wakes up, he'll discuss what comes next with the training and medical staff. So far, discussion of a possible rehab assignment has not come up.
Kotsay, feeling good after batting practice, was even willing to estimate a time for his return -- a week, he hopes. But that isn't set in stone.
"It's not easy sitting around and watching baseball," he says. "This is the part of the game I enjoy the most, is the actual playing of it, not the other stuff. So being away from it so long, it's frustrating."
MARINERS 10, BRAVES 2: The Braves mustered only two runs against the reeling Mariners. And as if that weren't bad enough, 3B Chipper Jones aggravated his sore right quad scoring the first run in the fourth inning and had to leave the game after the seventh. He expects to miss a couple days.
