European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Stars and Mideast edition june 200 sports Packman surrenders in will plead not Page 28 not letting it slide away Atlanta Jenni the Atlanta braves and Yusnel have been struggling in june but despite an 812 the braves have still managed to Cut three games off the new York mets no East braves again slumping in but they remain in Contention in no East by Paul Newberry the associated press Atlanta this sounds a the Atlanta braves have Hob bled through the month of struggling to Cope with injuries to several key a patched to Gether rotation and a horrendous slump by one of the teams top but theres one big change from a year this time the june swoon Hast knocked the braves out of the no East in there actually closer to first than they were at the be ginning of the trailing the new York mets by Only Iofe games As the summer heats we definitely feel fortunate to be where we said Pitcher Tim who lost four of his last five weve been playing but somehow weve gained a few games in the in new York ran off with the no East snap Ping Atlanta record Streak of 14 straight division but the mets have failed to pull away this managing to win Only four of 18 games in that has allowed the who Are 812 for the month and coming off two dismal losses to the Boston red to actually Knock three games off the 4y2game deficit they faced at the Start of the were stuck in a Little out fielder Jeff Francoeur weve got to get through get a couple of games Back and Well be the braves must Over come several big hurdles to re claim their once take Norgrant de spot in the the starting rotation is shaky beyond Hudson and the ageless John and the bullpen impressive depth took a huge blow last month when hard throwing lefty Mike Gonzalez went Down with a season ending Elbow injun Chipper Jones the key Guy in the lineup has battled injun at la Nta june swoon part ii the Atlanta braves slumped to a 621 Mark in june of effectively playing themselves out of the division this the braves Are struggling winning just eight of 20 games through is still in the race thanks to the struggles of the rest of the 8 games Chipper Jones one of the braves Best players has played this he is stil battling a variety of in Home runs and Bis from Catcher Brian Center fielder an drug Jones and right fielder Jeff fran Coeur in the braves 20 games this none of the three players hit worse than last season and they combined for 94 Home Rejis and 325 Bis in 3 number of victories by starting pitch ers other than John Smoltz in Tim who was dominant in april and solid in is 02 with a Era in four 47 record at Turner the braves had been 1511 at Home entering june and face a 10game Road trip after their cur rent series against the Las place Washington 3 despite All the the braves have Cut three games on the new York mets closing within games of the no East giving them nope of surviving the slump and con tending for the division title in the Sec Ond source Ries for the fourth year in a the latest a Groin problem that forced him out of the wednesday nights 110 loss to the red the braves Arent sure How bad this latest problem but manager Bobby Cox said Omi it was i know that my absence is a big part of it because youve got a lot of Guys that Are hitting out of who has played just 50 of 73 said before his latest when in in everything everybody got their every one knows where there going to and everybody gets Comfort see swoon on Page 29 Giambi will meet Mitchell Girardi turns Down of offer