While Kenshin Kawakami was still feeling the sting created by the three homers that he surrendered during Wednesday night's 6-3 loss to the Marlins, the usually mild-mannered Brian McCann was fighting to hold back the anger that stemmed from the eighth-inning ejections issued to him and manager Bobby Cox by home-plate umpire Bill Hohn.

"I'm not going to talk about umpires any more," said Cox, whose record 147th career ejection came 24 hours after he'd expressed his displeasure toward Jerry Meal's strike zone during Tuesday's series opener.

Hohn, who ejected Cox, Chipper Jones and Eric O'Flaherty during a heated seventh-inning exchange in Boston on June 21, seemingly missed the 1-0 pitch that drew McCann's ire. But he certainly couldn't be blamed for the two-out, three-run homer that Kawakami surrendered to Marlins All-Star pitcher Josh Johnson in the fourth.

While surrendering seven hits and throwing just 48 of his 89 pitches for strikes over 4 2/3 innings, Kawakami provided reason to wonder if he was burdened by the right shoulder that has bothered him throughout this season. But the 34-year-old Japanese right-hander said that his health had nothing to do with him allowing three homers in a game for the second time this season.

Kawakami has started three of the five games the Braves have lost since the All-Star break.

While allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings, Johnson was nearly as dominant as he'd been in many of his previous starts against Atlanta. He surrendered a fifth-inning solo shot to Casey Kotchman and a two-run sixth-inning blast to Garret Anderson, who has hit four of his nine homers this season since the All-Star break.

But Johnson delivered the night's biggest blow by drilling Kawakami's 1-1 fastball over the center-field wall. His second career homer landed in the same area that he'd deposited his homer off Dave Bush on June 4.

Kawakami said that he wasn't sure if Johnson's homer played a part in the fact that he allowed Hanley Ramirez to drill his first pitch of the fifth inning deep over the left-field wall. Two batters later, the Braves hurler's night ended with Dan Uggla depositing his own monstrous solo shot into the left-field seats.

While going 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA in his previous 14 starts, Kawakami provided indication that he could be solid at the back end of the rotation. But as he nears his first full season as a member of a five-man rotation, there's reason to wonder if he'd be more effective moving to the bullpen to free up a rotation spot for Hudson, who may need to make just three more Minor League rehab starts.
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Source: MLB.com