Almost immediately after being traded to the Braves at the deadline last season, first baseman Mark Teixeira let it be known he planned to become a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. He said he would not address his contract status in the meantime.
After a few half-hearted attempts last season by some to bring up the subject, no one tried again. The exception has been Teixeira himself, on occasion. The latest time came after he hit three home runs Sunday.
He earned a curtain call for his efforts, his second one since he joined the Braves. He other came the day he arrived. He has as many curtain calls in his Braves career as Chipper Jones. So Teixeira was feeling especially honored, knowing how stingy the fans here are with praise.
"Especially in my situation," he said, unprompted, "not knowing what's going to happen next year. It's easy for fans to turn on you and say, 'Sign now,' or, 'When are you going to sign?' But they've been great. They've all been very supportive. Even when I've gone through a couple 0-fers in a row, they're cheering me. They've given me a lot to thank them for."
Teixeira is careful in his comments. It appears his contract is on his mind, whether anyone asks him about it or not.
His batting average is lower than expected -- .271 -- and he has expressed disappointment in his power numbers. His RBI total is nice enough -- 55 -- but not even half of them have come in critical situations where they could have made a difference in the outcome of the game. They aren't quite the stats one would assume a player would hope for after turning down an eight-year, $140 million contract from the Rangers a year ago.
BREWERS 4, BRAVES 1: The Braves couldn't touch Brewers RHP Ben Sheets, and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes couldn't locate his fastball. It wasn't a good combination for Atlanta. Sheets tossed a complete-game four-hitter, while Reyes was knocked out after allowing four runs in 2 1/3 innings.
