a silver lining

Maybe Bobby Cox’s magic will rub off on the Mississippi Braves. The man who helped turn the Atlanta Braves into a National League powerhouse will make an appearance tonight at Trustmark Park, where the M-Braves will try to pull out of a freefall that has seen them lose eight of their last 10 and 11 of 15. At 23-37, the M-Braves have the second-worst record in the entire Southern League heading into the last five games of the first half. Their pitching seemingly has hit a wall. A staff armed with top prospects — four made the SL South All-Star team — currently has an ERA of 4.40, eighth in the league. And they still can’t hit (.255, eighth) or score (243 runs, last) with any consistency. Tyler Pastornicky, an All-Star pick at shortstop, has played well, hitting .309 with five homers and 33 RBIs. Cox and the others in Atlanta’s front office have to like his progress in his first full Double-A season. And the same could be said of third baseman Donell Linares, a less-heralded 27-year-old Cuban in his second tour with the M-Braves. The Braves wanted to see Linares come back this year in better condition, and he appears to have done that. He is hitting .285 with five homers and 40 RBIs in 51 games. He has struck out just 17 times in 186 at-bats. And he has committed only five errors. He may have worked his way into the Braves’ picture as a possible replacement for Chipper Jones. Keep an eye on Linares.