Dawardoe

atlantabraves.com

Summary- This article is talking about Smoltz being the Braves all-time strikeout leader. He acomplished this Saturday against the Tigers but however, he was recorded with the loss for the game.

ATLANTA -- Separate battles were being fought by John Smoltz and the eight Atlanta hitters trying to offer him support on Friday night.
The offense was fighting against itself, attempting unsuccessfully to score a run for the first time since Monday and prevent the Braves' first three-game scoreless streak since 1988.

Smoltz was fighting through shoulder pain -- an obstacle that has become almost equal parts mental and physical -- against Detroit's high-scoring lineup and against the lack of run support that has plagued Atlanta's pitchers during the last three games.

The Braves were defeated on both counts. Smoltz was knocked out by Detroit's five-run sixth inning, which produced the final outcome, a 5-0 Tigers win. And Atlanta's hitters were sent to the mat by Kenny Rogers, who pitched six scoreless innings in his first Major League start since the 2006 postseason.

But there was a highlight for Atlanta. Smoltz broke the record for strikeouts by a Braves pitcher since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966 when he notched his 2,855th K in the first inning, passing Phil Niekro. The record proved to be a positive milestone on a night when the negative -- three games without a run -- received the most attention.

"You don't score, you don't win," Smoltz said. "We know that, and the last three games, we haven't done that. I certainly appreciate the effort of the guys that are on the field playing, busting it, because I'm on the mound busting it as hard as I can. We all wish we were feeling better, but that's the way it goes."

Smoltz has been laboring through an inflamed right shoulder since initially feeling discomfort in his start on May 29 at Milwaukee. The nagging injury forced him have one start pushed back a day and another to be missed altogether.

The results when Smoltz has taken the mound have been positive. He allowed two runs in each of his two starts before Friday, despite being forced at times to drop to a sidearm delivery to protect his shoulder.

"I'm grinding," he said. "That's my job -- it's what I'm supposed to do. I'm getting hours and hours of treatment, and when I go out there, I think I'm good enough. Tonight I was good enough, it just didn't work."

On Friday, Smoltz ran into a free-swinging, powerful Tigers lineup. He cruised through three innings but began to labor in the fourth. He allowed a leadoff single to Placido Polanco and, despite retiring the next six batters, was forced to throw a number of high-stress pitches.

Several came against Gary Sheffield. Smoltz used his entire arsenal trying to retire the Detroit slugger, and Sheffield worked an eight-pitch at-bat before popping out to the catcher. Smoltz escaped the first three innings having thrown 37 pitches -- in the fourth and fifth, he needed 40.

"I'm really pleased with today's effort," he said. "There were only a couple of times where the pitches affected me, so that's great progress. You notice that I didn't have to drop down at all and change angles. I looked forward to the challenge against this lineup -- it's an awesome lineup."