Ben Sheets to retire after start in finale vs. Pirates

Former Brewers standout Ben Sheets will take the ball one last time Wednesday afternoon as the Braves' starter in the Pirates' regular-season finale, then retire. Sheets has started eight games for the Braves this season and has pitched rather well, but he hasn't made an appearance since late August. The plan is to have him pitch two innings.

The game will also be Chipper Jones' final regular-season appearance, which will probably take much of the spotlight away from Sheets. But Pirates fans will undoubtedly remember Sheets, whose curveball often flummoxed the Bucs during Sheets' strong early career with the Brewers. Injuries were a consistent problem, however, and Sheets struggled to get back on track, eventually leaving Milwaukee to struggle through his injuries with Oakland and then Atlanta. He's only 34 and might have had a career as one of the better pitchers in baseball if circumstances had been different. Unfortunately, he simply wasn't able to stay healthy.