Braves enjoy time afforded by rare respite

ST. LOUIS -- The Braves had the rare luxury of almost two full nights off in St. Louis following a 1-0 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.

Atlanta had a break of almost 53 hours between the end of Wednesday's game and the opener of Friday's three-game set in St. Louis.

"Just relaxed for a while," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Long season and you need a break every once in a while. It was fun while it lasted -- but now it's over and done with."

Leadoff hitter Michael Bourn took the time off to catch up on the NBA playoffs. He had nice meal in downtown St. Louis on Thursday before camping himself in front on the television to watch Game 6 of the Western Conference series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

"I like basketball," Bourn said. "Love to watch the Lakers. Other than that, it was time to catch up on my rest."