Major League Baseball

Braves call rare meeting, try to 'get mojo back'

Published Sep. 14, 2011 12:50 a.m. ET

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Mired in their first four-game losing streak of the season, the Atlanta Braves called a rare team meeting Tuesday before facing the Florida Marlins.

Third baseman Chipper Jones said the meeting was ''basically a circling of the wagons'' after a galling 12-inning loss to the Marlins the night before. Atlanta had lost seven of nine overall, reducing its lead in the wild-card race to 4 1/2 games over St. Louis.

''The message was just go out and let the game come to you,'' Jones said. ''Do your job when the time comes, whether it's throwing a strike in a big spot, or making a big play, or getting a guy in from third with less than two outs - all the little things.''

The Braves were still in fairly good shape with only 14 games left. Manager Fredi Gonzalez insisted there was no sense of panic about possibly squandering what had been a much more comfortable lead. In fact, the team's position - even with the slump - came up during the meeting.

''The goal in spring training was to make the playoffs,'' he said. ''Someone asked, 'If I told you we would have a 4 1/2-game lead in September with 14 games to go, would you take it?' Yeah. Everybody, to a man, raised their hands to say yes. 'Well, that's where we're at boys. Let's go have some fun.'''

But even if they hang on to the wild card, the Braves will have to play much better if they want to win a postseason series for the first time since 2001. Atlanta has been eliminated in the opening round in its last five playoff appearances.

''We're in a good spot, but we're not playing the consistent, nine-inning baseball that we expect to play,'' Jones said. ''It's a pitch here, an at-bat there, a play here, whatever. We need to get our mojo back.''

A day earlier, Gonzalez said he didn't see a reason to call only his second meeting of the season. He changed his mind after the Braves squandered numerous chances in Monday's loss to the Marlins.

''Coming in this morning I was saying to myself, 'You know what, I think it's time to get the troops together,''' Gonzalez said.

The Braves could go into the playoffs without two of their leading starters. Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, with 24 wins between them, are both out with injuries and it's not known if they'll be recovered in time for the playoffs, which begin in a little over two weeks.

Without those two, the Braves will have to rely on rookies such as Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor, Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran.

That's just fine with Gonzalez.

''You know what? Some pretty young pitchers have won some big postseason games over the years,'' the manager said. ''We feel good about the kids we can run out there. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. These kids have no idea what to expect, and that might help 'em.''

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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