Q&A with Braves GM Frank Wren

ATLANTA — As the Atlanta Braves prepared to start the second half of the season Friday night at Turner Field, General Manager Frank Wren took stock of the team's first half and where it is headed in a conversation with Cox News Service writer Carroll Rogers. Here are excerpts:

Q. How would you characterize your first half as a full-blooded Braves general manager?

A. It's been challenging. We haven't been able to do a lot of things we came out of spring training planning to do, from a standpoint of injuries and from a standpoint of performance.

Q. How have you dealt with seemingly daily doses of big news with this team?

A. The good thing about baseball is we play every day. You're only a two- or three-game winning streak away from feeling like your team is turned in the right direction. With what we've gone through, the injury challenges and everything else, I think you have to remain optimistic. I think we have a good team. I think our players feel like they have a good team. For whatever reason, we haven't played like we're capable.

Q. What's gone well despite the obstacles?

A. Our young starting pitchers have had a chance to be tested and have done a pretty good job. You could say the same for a lot of our bullpen, guys that had to take on roles that none of us anticipated. As we get guys healthy, most everybody in our bullpen will be back next year, barring trades or things like that. It gives you some hope that our bullpen should be a strength again, and our starting rotation should have a good nucleus of young starting pitchers. The majority of the talks are going to be around our everyday players and putting that part of the club back together. Those are the areas we've got to think about.

Q. What's been lacking?

A. We've had a difficult time getting key hits and being in position to win some games when we've had opportunities from an offensive perspective. I don't know the answer to that. I guess if I did, we'd have solved it already.

Q. Now six games out, does it feel like you're in no man's land?

A. Yes. We're in a situation right now where we've got to watch for a little while and see which direction this team takes after the first half. If we continue to stay at a .500 pace, that's just not going to be good enough. We're going to have to put a streak together. And nothing has to be done by July 31. That's a non-waiver trade deadline, but it doesn't really affect what we're trying to do. We all know there are trades made after that time.

Q. What circumstances would prompt you to trade Mark Teixeira?

A. A lot of it will depend on how our club is performing. Circumstances will dictate a lot of our plans the next two months.

Q. Have other teams expressed much interest in Teixeira so far?

A. I wouldn't comment on that.

Q. How much do you think his impending free agency is affecting the level of interest?

A. I don't want to get into a Teixeira trade conversation because we're just not there yet. It's obvious to everybody, his situation and our situation, and we'll just see how things play out.

Q. If the team makes a run and you do look to add in a trade, what would you be looking for?

A. It would probably be an offensive position, to create a little more offense in our lineup. We could use a right-handed hitter. We could use more power. We could use more offense in our outfield. Those are all areas that we've talked about.

Q. What your attitude about this club going into second half?

A. I still feel like we've got a talented team. But we've gotten to the point now where we have to perform. We can't rely on our talent, we have to perform, do it on a nightly basis and win games. If we do that, then we can get right back in it. There's no doubt in my mind about that. We can't talk about it. We've got to do it.

Q. What are the latest injury updates with Rafael Soriano, Mike Hampton and Yunel Escobar?

A. [Soriano] had another outing today [in the Dominican Summer League] and threw well. He'll be back with us tomorrow, and we'll evaluate him. [Hampton] had a slight strain [in his groin] a week ago and felt it a little more last night [in Class AA Mississippi]. It still seems like it's a pretty mild strain; he just didn't want to make it worse. With Escobar, having the four days off should put him in a pretty good position.

Carroll Rogers writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.