Jair Jurrjens' Career Tracker

That sure rubs salt into a sore wound! Tigers came out on the short end of this one, even though Renteria has not been horrible, JJ is now a super star!

If we woulda kept him, we coulda brought Hollimon up and put him at SS, and we wouldnt even have to worry about the spot in the rotation, I still wouldnt know Eddie Bonine, and JL would have some major job security.

11/04/08 12:20 PM EST
ChopTalk Q&A with Jair Jurrjens
Right-hander talks about love for homeland of Curacao

By Patty Rasmussen / ChopTalk Magazine

ChopTalk: What's life like in Curacao, where you're from?

Jurrjens: It's not a big island, so it's like everyone knows you and they recognize you easily. Growing up there was really fun. When I'm home (in the offseason), I mostly hang out with my family and my friends, the guys who play pro ball. When you're home, you want to see "your boys." It's been six months since you've been able to hang out, so we go to the clubs. We have fun, but we're safe, too. Sometimes, we'll just go to a club and sit around and talk. It's good to make jokes and talk -- like a boys' night out.

ChopTalk: When you go to the clubs, do you dance? If so, are you a good dancer?

Jurrjens: Yes, I definitely dance, and I am a good dancer! We do the salsa type dancing.

ChopTalk: You pitched more innings this season than any time previously. How do you feel physically, and how was your transition to the Braves after being traded here from Detroit last October?

Jurrjens: When I was getting to my career high in innings (previously 143 1/3 in 2007), I was getting a little nervous, because I didn't know what was going to happen when I got there -- whether I'd feel pain in my shoulder and get sore. I worked really hard last offseason with Lloyd Van Pamelin and the training staff with exercises that would strengthen my shoulder. Thanks to guys like Tim Hudson and John Smoltz and veteran guys, they made it easy for me to feel like a part of the team right away at Spring Training. They helped me be part of the team, be part of the family. If it wasn't for them, the transition would have been a little slower and a little rougher. The veteran guys accepted me into the Braves. It was fun. I accomplished goals I had and still have more to go. I really came here to try to help the team make it to the playoffs, and that's still something I want to do.

ChopTalk: What was the highlight of your season?

Jurrjens: For me, honestly, it was staying healthy. That was something that I was really trying hard to do this year. The last couple of years, I've missed starts due to injuries, and I didn't take care of myself like I did this year. I missed a start (in Chicago), but I missed it because I hurt my ankle. It was stupid and had nothing to do with baseball (slipped on stairs at Wrigley Field). I didn't feel anything bad in my arm this year, other than normal soreness after a game. I worked between my starts really hard, doing my exercises, getting massage. I've felt really good all year, and I think that's what's made me happiest this year.

My goal for next year is throwing 200 innings (188 1/3 in '08), for sure, and trying to get 200 strikeouts (139 in '08), even though I know that's really difficult. It's a tough goal, but it's something that makes me work hard in the offseason and during the season. I want to just try to help our team make it to the playoffs. That's the thing I'm missing, to accomplish my dad's dream. I'm playing for his favorite team, in the big leagues, and just want to get to the playoffs and get a ring.

ChopTalk: What's the first thing that comes to your mind to these questions: Who's the best-dressed guy on the team?

Jurrjens: Mike Gonzalez.

ChopTalk: Who's the funniest guy on the team?

Jurrjens: Martin Prado.

ChopTalk: Who's the most serious?

Jurrjens: Chipper Jones.

ChopTalk: What's the craziest thing you've seen one of your teammates do that you can tell me about?

Jurrjens: I think I'd better not answer that one.

ChopTalk: What's the most recent song you added to your iPod?

Jurrjens: "Out Here Grinding" by DJ Khaled.

ChopTalk: You got auctioned off for the Make-A-Wish Foundation by Jezebel Magazine as one of the most-eligible bachelors in Atlanta. Do you know how much money you were "bought" for, and did you go on a date with the winner?

Jurrjens: No, no date! A girl won the auction and came to the stadium. We met before a game and took some pictures. That was it. She told me that she bid on me because no one was bidding for me and she felt pity! I said, "Thank you, I appreciate that!" I was a pity auction! I don't know how much she paid.

ChopTalk: You¹re not going home to Curacao until late November. What's the first thing you'll do when you get home?

Jurrjens: I really do just spend a lot of time with my family. When I get home, I'll give my family the gifts I've brought them and eat my mom's cooking.

She's a great cook. My favorite thing that she makes is a meat and vegetable soup. I don't know everything that's in it, but it's the best soup I've ever had. Every time I go home, I ask her to make it.

ChopTalk: You got to visit the Little League World Series when Curacao was competing. What's it like to have an entire island nation of Little Leaguers looking up to you?

Jurrjens: It's an honor and pressure, too. When I go back home, I need to make sure I'm a good example. We're all human, and we all make mistakes. But I don't want any kids seeing me do something they shouldn't do. There are a lot of kids looking up to me, and I want to be a good example.

ChopTalk: Did you get to say anything to the Little Leaguers when you were at the World Series?

Jurrjens: I got there about five minutes before the game. I got to throw out the first pitch, and it was awesome when they said my name. The kids' families were standing up and cheering and waving my flag (Curacao), and it was the best feeling ever. I didn't really talk too much to the kids about baseball.

I told them to have fun and enjoy it, because it was a big stage. Every time I see them play, I get emotional, because I come from a small island, and when the kids play, the whole world is watching. I never had the chance to play at the Little League World Series.

ChopTalk: What's the most extravagant present you ever bought yourself?

Jurrjens: The car I bought this year is the best. I got a GMC Yukon with all the things, a DVD player. When the family comes to visit, it's great. I drive it here in the U.S. When I'm at home, I usually drive a car from the dealership down there. Or sometimes I drive the car I gave my dad when I signed, a Lexus.

ChopTalk: You and Ruben Gotay became best friends. Did you know him before this season?

Jurrjens: No. The thing was I didn't have a place to live. Ruben didn't have a place to live. I was talking to Yunel Escobar, and he told me about a place (in Buckhead), and I went to check it out. I called Ruben and told him about it. We both moved in. I didn't have a car, and he was living two doors from me. I would ride to the stadium and back with him, and we began to hang out.

We were new guys on the team. Everyone here knew everyone. Omar Infante had come from Detroit, too, but he knew Martin Prado and Gregor Blanco from playing in Venezuela. So, Ruben and I just clicked. We became best friends.

ChopTalk: It sounds more like brothers.

Jurrjens: Yeah, definitely. He's got my back. I've got his. You don't always see this in pro ball. There can be a lot of jealousy. When my family is here and they cook, I call him to come and eat, and he does the same with me when his family is in Atlanta (from Puerto Rico). We go out to the mall, and if you see him, you'll see me. If I'm not there, I'll be there in a few seconds.

It's really a great friendship, and you don't find people like that all the time. The sad part about baseball is that you meet friends wherever you go, but sometimes you have to say goodbye when they move on or you do. When someone goes to another team, you lose contact, because you're busy, they're busy, and you're not living near each other.

ChopTalk: You're not the same age, right?

Jurrjens: No, he's older than me. I'm 22, and he's 25.

ChopTalk: Does he ever lord that over you, that you're younger than he is?

Jurrjens: I always tell him that even though I'm younger, he looks up to me -- because he's a midget (listed at 5-foot-11 to Jurrjens' 6-foot-1)!

This article appears in ChopTalk magazine. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers biggest mistake


Trading Jurrjens

Jurrjens remains flawless in Philly
Johnson, Chipper go deep to back young righty, bullpen

PHILADELPHIA -- Taking the first two games of the season against the defending World Series champions doesn't provide the Braves any guarantees pertaining to this season. They opened the 2007 season with a three-game sweep in Philadelphia, then watched the Phillies claim a National League East crown six months later.

But coming off a 90-loss season, during which they were routinely outplayed by the Phillies, the Braves have every reason to be thrilled about the fact that they've come to Philadelphia and sobered some of the post-World Series jubilation with two solid victories that have come courtesy of impressive pitching and distributed power.

While claiming a 4-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night, the Braves saw Kelly Johnson hammer the evening's first pitch into the right-field seats, providing Jair Jurrjens all the support he'd need to gain yet another win in this offensive haven that he's conquered during the early days of his career.

"We were 4-14 against these guys last year," Chipper Jones said. "We're not going out and knocking anybody's eyeballs out by denting the scoreboard every inning. But we're hitting some balls hard and hitting them out of the ballpark. That goes a long way for the team's confidence, for the individual's confidence and the pitcher's confidence."

While taking 14 of the first 16 games played during last year's season series, the Phils found numerous ways to shake the Braves' confidence. Courtesy of a shaky Atlanta pitching staff, Philadelphia claimed four of those victories in games that it was trailing by at least three runs.

But the page has turned to 2009, and the Braves are providing indication that last year's pitching struggles are certainly a thing of the past. During the first two games of this season, their starters have completed 13 2/3 scoreless innings and their bullpen, healthy once again, has surrendered just one run in 4 1/3 innings.

While Jurrjens proved stingy with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, the evening's most important outing might have been delivered by Eric O'Flaherty, who allowed just one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The left-handed reliever retired Matt Stairs with two runners on to end the sixth, then adeptly handled the top of Philadelphia's potent lineup in the seventh.

Switch-hitters Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino began the seventh with back-to-back groundouts. That provided some breathing room to face the left-handed power duo of Chase Utley, who singled, and Ryan Howard, who grounded out to end the inning.

"Eric probably gets the save, because he was in the key position there facing the middle of the lineup," Jones said. "There was some trouble that inning and he restored order and allowed [Rafael] Soriano and [Mike] Gonzalez to go through some relatively easy innings."

The power-suspect Braves have backed their pitchers with five homers from five players. Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Jordan Schafer each homered during their first at-bats on Sunday.

Following that trio's lead on Tuesday, Johnson jumped on the 80-mph fastball that Jamie Moyer delivered for his first pitch of the season. Knowing the soft-tossing 45-year-old southpaw couldn't throw anything past him, Atlanta's second baseman went to the plate looking to collect his fourth career leadoff homer.

"[Moyer] relies on location," Johnson said. "But there, he was just trying to get strike one with his first pitch of the game in the first start of the year with his first pitch of the season. If it was there, I was ready to swing."

Jones collected his first homer of the season in the fourth inning and aided the two-run first inning with a double that put him in position to score on Chase Utley's fielding error on a ball hit by Brian McCann. Like Lowe on Sunday night, Jurrjens was able to deliver his first pitch with a 2-0 lead.

Jurrjens needed 46 pitches to complete the first two innings, then once again showed his advanced maturity while making the adjustments that allowed him to surrender just four hits over 5 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old right-hander's toughest stretch came during a 24-pitch second inning, which began with a Raul Ibanez double and included a six-pitch walk to Moyer.

"He didn't get hit real hard tonight," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He got some nice ground balls. He got in trouble a couple of times with a walk or so and an error, and pitched right out of it."

Like O'Flaherty in the sixth and Soriano in the eighth, Jurrjens benefitted from a stiff wind that was knocking down most anything hit to left or center field.

While not nearly as masterful as the eight-scoreless-inning performance he tossed at this park last July 25, Jurrjens' effort proved to be just as effective. In three career starts at Citizens Bank Park, he is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA.

"The kid is good," Jones said. "He's just flat-out good. You love his poise out there. You knew he had to get some quick outs there in the middle innings to be able to go six innings for us."

Update:

Jurrjens is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA in 4 starts for the Braves.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday's top game: Braves 4, Marlins 0
Braves take 15th win in 17 games behind streaking Jair Jurrjens
Detroit News wire services

Atlanta -- The banner in right field summed up how the Atlanta Braves feel about this final week of the season.

"Believe."

Former Tiger Jair Jurrjens pitched five-hit ball over seven innings, Chipper Jones homered and the Braves beat Florida, 4-0, Monday night for their 15th win in 17 games, a stretch that has lifted them into playoff contention with six games left in the regular season.

Atlanta closed within two games of idle Colorado in the NL wild-card race and moved to four behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East. The Phillies lost, 8-2, at home to Houston.

"We've got a chance to do it," said manager Bobby Cox, whose team hasn't made the playoffs since the last of its record 14 straight division titles in 2005. "You can't get away from it. We're watching the scoreboard every inning. But really, you can only worry about your own team."

The Braves haven't caused Cox any worries lately. They won their seventh straight, matching a season high set at the start of this run, behind another dominant performance by Jurrjens (14-10). The right-hander won his fourth in a row and has gone at least seven innings in seven straight starts, allowing only eight earned runs in 50 2/3 innings (a 1.42 ERA) during that stretch.

Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano finished off the five-hitter with one inning apiece for Atlanta's 10th shutout of the season.

"You've got to feel somewhat confident," said Moylan, who set a team record with his 85th appearance of the season. "We've still got a long ways to go, six games to go. Anything can happen."

Moylan joined the Braves after their last playoff appearance and missed most of last season recovering from elbow surgery. The Aussie has definitely noticed a different feeling in the clubhouse and during the games as he takes part in his first playoff race.

"I've never had this much nervous adrenaline pumping from the first inning through the sixth inning," he said. "It's crazy. I guess that's why we play this game. No feeling can top it."

Florida's third loss in four games all but finished off the Marlins, who dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Rockies and can do no better than tie for the wild card. One more Florida loss or Colorado win would eliminate the Marlins.

The Braves managed just three hits but took advantage of 11 walks by the Marlins -- including a career-worst eight by starter Anibal Sanchez (3-8).

"I never walked that many, ever," he said. "I don't know what happened."

Sanchez walked the first three Atlanta hitters, throwing only two strikes, and wound up trailing, 2-0, without giving up a hit. Brian McCann drove in a run with a bases-loaded grounder to first, and Garret Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly.

"The way Jurrjens was pitching, and three walks, we had no chance to win," catcher John Baker said.

Florida had its bullpen throwing just 15 pitches into the game, though Sanchez managed to hang around for five innings. He allowed only two hits, one of them a towering shot by Jones in the third that struck the right-field foul pole about halfway up, his 18th homer of the season but just his second since Aug. 29.

Jones will need two more over the final week of a disappointing year to become the first player in baseball history to hit at least 20 homers in each of his first 15 seasons. Jones and Eddie Mathews are the only two to start their careers with 14 consecutive 20-homer seasons.

"I guess it's a pretty good time to be rounding into form, 156 games in," Jones said sarcastically. "I would be a lot more upset if I weren't contributing at this time of year. Especially with the team doing what it's doing."

Florida got its first two runners aboard in both the sixth and seventh innings. Jurrjens pitched out of trouble each time before turning it over to the bullpen.

The Marlins started the sixth with Chris Coghlan's single and a walk to Cameron Maybin. But Hanley Ramirez struck out, failing to check his swing on a low pitch, and Jurrjens retired the next two hitters.

Florida had an even better scoring chance in the seventh when Dan Uggla led off with a double and moved to third on Baker's single. Jurrjens toughened up again, retiring Brett Carroll on a fly to right that wasn't deep enough to score the run, striking out pinch hitter Jeremy Hermida and getting Coghlan on a force-out at second.

Even though plenty was at stake, an announced crowd of 25,046 that looked closer to 15,000 turned out at Turner Field on a night with a hint of fall in the air.

"Hopefully," Cox said, "we will have more of them out here tomorrow and on the weekend."

Note: Jones' homer was his 426th, tying Billy Williams for 40th on the career list. Next up is Mike Piazza at 427.

We shoulda kept him! Then Wash(ed-up)burn wouldn't matter.