Brian McCann is not in the Braves' lineup Friday. McCann's wife was due to give birth soon, so he could be placed on the paternity leave list. It would be bad timing, given how hot he's been of late. The Braves should have an update soon.

Brian McCann stayed hot in Sunday's win over the Phillies, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. The All-Star break couldn't come at a worse time for Atlanta's catcher, who has now homered in four consecutive games. McCann singled home a run in the fifth before taking Raul Valdes deep for a solo home run in the seventh. Despite the recent hot hitting, McCann will still enter the second half hitting a supremely disappointing .238/.301/.430.

Brian McCann credits his recent surge to a hitting session he had earlier this week with his brother, Brad McCann. Brad, who works as a hitting instructor, watched video from McCann's 2008 season and revamped his brother's approach, according to Brian, "from stepping in the box, to my stance, to my load, to my hands, to when to hit." McCann has homered in three straight games and is confident that the altered approach will work over the long haul. "I took a couple steps back, but I think it's only going to make me better than I've ever been," McCann said.

Brian McCann homered for a third consecutive game, powering the Braves to a 6-3 victory over the Phillies on Saturday. McCann finished the evening 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. His solo shot off Joe Blanton in the second inning got the Braves on the board. He then added an RBI single in their fourth inning rally, helping to capture the lead. His average is still lagging behind his career norms at .235, but his 12 homers and 44 RBI are right in line with expectations.

Brian McCann is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Cubs. He's taking a seat against the left-hander Paul Maholm. David Ross will start behind the dish and catch Randall Delgado.

Brian McCann will get the day off Sunday. Not a bad idea with the lefty Gio Gonzalez scheduled to pitch Sunday for the Nationals. David Ross will fill in.

Brian McCann will serve as the designated hitter Wednesday against the Yankees. This will give him a bit of a breather with the early start time. David Ross will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Brian McCann went 3-for-4 with a double in Wednesday's win over the Marlins. McCann's knee must be feeling alright. Rather amazingly, the three-hit night was just his second of the season. He's now batting .255/.330/.420 with seven home runs and 28 RBI through Atlanta's first 56 games.

Brian McCann (knee) is back in the Braves' starting lineup Tuesday. McCann missed Sunday's game after being hit in the right knee by a wild pitch on Saturday. He's still feeling some soreness, but it isn't serious enough to keep him out of the lineup.

Brian McCann (knee) hopes to return to the lineup Sunday. McCann had to exit Saturday's game after a Jonny Venters wild pitch nailed him in the left knee. Whether he'll be ready to play Sunday depends on how much the knee swells up overnight. "I'm going to get here tomorrow and hopefully play," said McCann. "If I can move around and I can block, I'll be able to play, for sure." If McCann is unable to go, David Ross will draw the start.