Bullpen gives Braves boost

ATLANTA --- There's only one blemish on the Atlanta Braves' season through six games, but it was ugly.

The Braves were only nine outs away from completing a three-game sweep at Philadelphia to open the season before Blaine Boyer, Peter Moylan and the bullpen blew a 10-3 lead in the seventh inning of a 12-11 loss Wednesday. Relievers combined for five walks and a hit batter in the disastrous inning, and suddenly there was cause to revisit a major concern entering the season.

The three relievers at the back of the bullpen are coming off major elbow surgeries the last two years. Closer Mike Gonzalez is entering his first full season since elbow ligament-replacement surgery in 2007. Moylan had his ligament-replacement surgery last May, and Rafael Soriano had ulnar nerve transposition and a small bone spur removed from his right elbow last August.

The Braves hope a rebuilt rotation -- led by off-season additions Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami -- will put less strain on a bullpen, which finished third in the majors in innings pitched last year, but Wednesday's meltdown in Philadelphia left reason to question whether any lead would be safe.

The bullpen provided encouraging answers in a three-game sweep of Washington that left the Braves, who were off Monday, 5-1 entering tonight's opener of a home series against Florida.

Perhaps the best news was Soriano's performance Sunday, giving the team the needed affirmation there was more than one ninth-inning option.

He has walked two and given up only one hit in four games. He has five strikeouts in four innings.

"I think Soriano is getting back," manager Bobby Cox said. "He's really looking good."

Cox said the bullpen also may be deeper, especially with Kris Medlen and left-hander Boone Logan waiting in the minors.

"It's got a chance to be a really, really good pen," he said.