'New' Braves have familiar faces

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves expanded their roster to 30 players Thursday, but it wasn't your average wide-eyed cup of coffee players they trotted into the big league clubhouse.

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Each member of the quintet has played in an Atlanta uniform this season.

Two players, outfielder Brian Jordan and reliever Jim Brower, have postseason experience.

Jordan was activated from the disabled list, his left knee healed enough to contribute. Brower was brought back up from Triple-A Richmond, where he'd spent the past couple of weeks after being designated for assignment.

The other three "new" Braves are rookies, but each was a part of the team's youth movement cycle.

Pitcher Kyle Davies, third baseman Andy Marte and catcher Brayan Pena have all started games this year.

"All of them could be a huge factor," manager Bobby Cox said, adding that Wednesday's doubleheader and several nagging injuries on the team make that even more of a possibility.

After 13 starts, Davies is the most seasoned of the rookie callups. The 21-year-old said it feels like his May 21 debut in Boston, where he shut out the Red Sox for five innings, was another lifetime ago.

"It seems like Boston was a long time ago. If it was just a couple of weeks ago, I'd be really nervous about going out there," said Davies, 6-3 with a 4.56 ERA with the Braves. "The jitterbugs have kind of gotten out of the way."

Brower, 32, was 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 28 games when the Braves gave him the choice of finding a new team or hanging out in Richmond until the roster was expanded.

"I didn't want to take the jersey off my own back," said Brower, who pitched in the playoffs with the Giants in 2003. "I wanted to make someone else do it for me."

He gave up a run in four innings with the Triple-A club, and he said the time helped him fine-tune some things. Namely, he said he feels more comfortable with his sinking two-seam fastball, something crucial to a contact pitcher.

AILING BUT IN: Three members of Thursday's starting lineup weren't at 100 percent, but they returned from mild ailments anyway.

Rafael Furcal's sore right knee felt well enough that he was a late addition to the top of the order. He led off in the first by beating out a grounder for a base hit.

That turned out to be beneficial when Chipper Jones, who left Wednesday's second game with a stomach virus, homered a batter later.

Julio Franco, who's been fighting a sore left elbow, was also in the starting lineup.