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October 2005
McDowell move unconventional
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My initial reaction to Roger McDowell being hired to replace Leo: Strong move, and typical of Cox/Schuerholz in that it could be considered at least slightly unconventional.
Most teams probably would have sought to replace Mazzone with another pitching coach of great stature and record, but the Braves’ leaders don’t much care about perception when it comes to this stuff, and they heard enough great things about McDowell, then felt strongly enough after interviewing him, to go no further than one more interview (don’t know who that was with, but trying to find out), that they offered him the job. Probably a good thing, considering he would have gotten either the Seattle or L.A. Dodgers job if Braves didn’t hire him.
From talking to people since the hire, I hear same things Braves did — seemingly universal praise and approval. Sounds like his personality will fit in perfectly with Braves, and he’s another under-45 coach (with T.P. and Fredi Gonzalez) that can relate to players, along with being the second-most accomplished former player on the staff (behind T.P. obviously), for what that’s worth. And I think it’s worth something.
By that, I mean it helps when a guy steps into new situation, with such a unique mix of accomplished pitchers (Smoltz, Hudson, Hampton) and youngsters, to be able to command some instant respect for having been successful at the craft himself. Then they might be more inclined to listen and get the message than if they went in skeptical and had to have him prove to them he knows what he’s talking about.
Anyway, after my conversation with Roger late Saturday, I can say he comes across as a good dude, articulate, good sense of humor, etc. Can’t base much on what his pitchers have done at Las Vegas, so I didn’t even bother looking up the stats (they’re largely irrelevent because it’s such a hitters’ park, from what I’m told). Anyway, enough probably to know that Dodgers insiders said that team would have considered him a strong candidate for their own pitching coach job, once they got their management mess ironed out.
As for Smoltz, haven’t heard from him yet, but Schuerholz called him before announcement was made to let Smoltz know. Roger says he has a great respect for Smoltz and all he’s accomplished, and here’s what really impressed me about McDowell: He said every pitcher’s unique, not a robot. He doesn’t plan to try to make people fit a mold. I think that’s the former major leaguer in him coming out, and why I think past experience does help guys, provided they use it the right way; not like, say, Ted Williams, who got frustrated because hitters he managed weren’t half the player he was. A guy like McDowell, who had plenty of success as a reliever but wasn’t a superstar, seems like he’ll be able to relate to all the guys.
OK, enough about that (probably too much, actually). Couple other things: Braves will start talking to Furcal and his agent this week, probably Tuesday if Furcal gets back from Dominican. He’s been down there a couple of weeks and they haven’t had any contracts talks in the interim. I know that’s probably not enough for one or two of you who demand to know now, today, this minute if they’re going to keep him and if not who’s going to replace him andhowmuchthatpersonwillcostand;whydon’ttheykeepfurcalandwho’snextshorrtstopifthenextguytheysignisonlyforoneyear…. whew. You get my point, I guess. I’m dealing with real world of baseball negotiations, and it’s far more complicated and not at the breakneck speed that fantasy leagues can operate.
It’d be pointless to speculate on who’s going to play 2B if they get rid of Giles in order to sign Furcal, etc., when there’s nothing that I’ve heard that leads me to believe it’ll happen (at least not anything I’ve heard yet) and absolutely no reputable rumors or stories about anybody coming or going (only fantasy folks who like to e-mail about trades that never were going to happen and never will, like the Braves last year supposedly going to trade Furcal and Thomson for Teixeira. There was absolutely nothing to it, and if you did a Google search you’d find every single mention of it was either a blogger, a fantasy league, or a newspaper responding to the groundless rumor. Sorry, but even if my paper would allow me to print those unsubstantiated rumors, I don’t want to. Again, I’d rather live in the real world).
Found it interesting that someone in last week’s blog chain mentioned a Smoltz-to-Detroit rumor and said, if I’m not mistaken, that even though he knew that would never happen, that’s the kind of stuff he likes to read. Huh?
OK, if that’s the case: I hear Smoltz could be traded to Dodgers for Gagne, since the salaries aren’t too much different, and Braves are thinking of trading Andruw to White Sox, getting Manny from the Red Sox, and moving Francoeur to center field. There. How’s that?
I don’t know if there’s any validity to any of that (although most of it makes at least as much sense as Smoltz going home to Detroit), but what the heck? Run with it. It’s grist for the rumor mill, for those who don’t care about whether anything is fact-based or simply fantasy-world stuff, long as it’s in print somewhere (or even just on the internet) and they can play GM and respond to it.
But seriously, if we could discuss one other matter, hopefully for the last time (though I’m sure it won’t be): Chipper Jones is making $17 mil next season, folks. And if he gets 450 plate appearances next season, it’ll vest his $15 mil option for 2007. And if that happens and he then gets 450 plate appearances in 2007, it’ll vest another $15 mil option for 2008. And if that happens, he’ll get an additional $5 mil bonus on top of that, because the contract stipulates as much.
And those ‘07 and ‘08 options can’t be bought out unless they don’t vest, and even then the buyout is $5 mil. Are we painting a clear picture here?
Chipper Jones isn’t going anywhere. He will, in effect, be paid $52 million for the next three seasons of work, provided his options vest (and even if he misses a month, he can get 450 plate appearances). There isn’t one team, not even the Yankees, that’s going to pay Chipper that kind of money to hit 20-30 homers and drive in 90-105 runs.
The Braves would have to eat a large chunk of the contract to make a trade work, and the Braves would never eat a large chunk of a team icon’s contract to make him go away. This on top of the fact that Chipper is a 10-and-5 guy and thus as complete no-trade protection, meaning he’d have to approve of any trade.
Furthermore, in the interest of full Chipper clarification, he made it clear to me last winter that he’s not going to switch positions again, or that he’d strongly oppose such a move if the Braves came to him and asked him to move. That experience left him miserable in left field before, and now that he’s back at 3B and playing better defense than he did five years ago, I absolutely can’t see him accepting a move to 1B next season, even if the Braves had any inkling of asking him to (and they don’t, from what I’m told). Especially not to supplant his close friend Adam LaRoche, who did hit a grand slam in that final game, although that seems to have been completely lost in the fallout from folks upset over his lackluster attempt to score.
Anyway, I’ve rambled too much. Just trying to be all things to all bloggers, I guess. I know the vast majority of you want stuff you can believe, rather than groundless rumors, but it’s still real early and the hot stove league will get cranked up in the next week or two, trust me. I’ll be out at GM meetings in Palm Springs, and stuff should start happening, good rumors that have some weight to them.
Oh, just one other thing: We may have been too quick to dismiss chances of the Braves exercising the option on John Thomson’s contract. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the deadline, and from what I’m told there’s a good chance they’ll bring him back by exercising the $4.75 mil option for 2006. We’ll know by tomorrow, for sure. But that’s not a bad point to start, if the top of the rotation is Smoltz-Hudson-Thomson, provided they can stay healthy.
The perspective outside Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sitting here in my Houston hotel room, preparing to go over the Minute Maid Park for Game 3 of the World Series. And thinking about the certain Southern team that ain’t here….
Sometimes you have to get a little distance from a subject to get a better perspective. And while I realize that’s difficult for a fan of a team to do, let me offer this — my quick perspective on the Braves’ season, and what I’m hearing from others around the country, both within the baseball industry and chroniclers of it.
First, we are jaded and spoiled. Period.
Say what you will about how much heartache Atlantans have endured with 13 of 14 postseason runs during this division-title stretch ending in something other than the ultimate prize. That can’t change the fact that the Braves are in it every year, and that’s remarkable. Now don’t start rolling your eyes and saying I’ve drank the Schuerholz/Cox Kool-Aid. I’m just as stunned as many of you are that a team could lose so many times in the postseason without at least once more winning the World Series. The bad luck and bad draws can only explain away so much.
But the simple fact is, fans of the Astros and White Sox, fans I see in hotel lobbies and concierge lounges, on the subways and at the Starbucks line, all say the same thing: They don’t say the Braves are chokers. They say the Braves are incredibly fortunate to be in the playoffs every year. And when I think about it, I have to agree. But that’s a tired subject, I know. So I’m not going to go down that road.
Instead, I’m going to offer a quick thought just on this season. People, we lost track along the way, because of the concerns/fears/premonitions that this postseason would end like most others for the Braves (which it did). We lost focus of the fact that what this team did was simply, and unquestionably, remarkable. It defied all skeptics and all logic. That’s what every baseball writer I talk to says, what every player from these two teams in the World Series says.
And it’s tough to argue when you look at the facts: 18 rookies — EIGHTEEN! Eight rookies on the 25-man postseason roster. Three veteran starting pitchers on the DL for at least one month, two for at least three. A closer that was an absolute bust. Players manning right field and catching and two bullpen spots with no previous experience above DOUBLE A! One of the two key power hitters (Chipper) missing six weeks with injuries. And the leadoff man struggling until late June while playing with an injured shoulder.
I know, you’ve heard all that before. But just think about it. And look at the two World Series teams. How many rookies do they have? How many injuries to key players — basically one on each team, Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell, with Lance Berkman also missing the early part of the season for Houston, akin to Furcal in that they both started contributing big at about the same time.
Bobby Jenks is a huge story for the Sox in part because he began the season at Double A. OK, well, that’s hardly unusual for the Braves this season. Willy Taveras is a big story for Houston because he’s a rookie contributing big. Well, the Braves had Francoeur in right, McCann behind the plate, Davies in the rotation for a while, Boyer and McBride in the bullpen much of the season, Langerhans and Johnson splitting left-field duties, Betemit handling third base for long stretches….
Anyway, the point is, if you focus simply on this season, on the job that Bobby Cox did with this team, most unbiased observers would have to admit it was exceptional. Nevermind what’s happened before, if that’s possible. Just look at this season.
And for those who seriously, genuinely believe Cox should be pushed aside, given the gold watch, dismissed for falling short of the World Series again… let me just say, if you suggested that to serious baseball people involved at all levels in this World Series, be they hardcore fans, writers, players or team executives, you would be laughed at or simply given a look of utter amazement.
And by the way, would you fire him before or after he gets his second consecutive NL Manager of the Year award later this month? Just wondering.
OK, I’ve got that off my chest. Go ahead and attack if you want.
Want better play? You better pay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Although technically there is no reason the Braves can’t wait until December to re-sign Rafael Furcal as a free agent, in reality they need to get it done before he hits the open market, if they are truly intent on signing him. That means the Braves need to sign him between now and the end of the 15-day free-agent filing period that starts the day after the World Series. After that 15-day period, their exclusive negotiating rights end and other teams can start throwing money at Furcal. And believe me, they will.
His agent said that because Furcal has gotten to this point, so close to free agency without the Braves signing him to a multi-year deal when they had ample opportunities over the past few years, that it only makes sense for the player to file for free agency now and see what’s out there. Can’t say I blame him one bit, considering Furcal could’ve gotten seriously injured while playing on a one-year deal this past season and he’d be out in the cold now.
In other words — and this is me saying this, not Furcal or his agent — if a player gets to this point, he’s basically taken all the risks himself — that’s the system — playing on one-year contracts, while the club hasn’t made him a multi-year offer that would’ve given a player valuable to their organization some sense of assurance beyond the present season, some sense of insurance as a reward for all that he’s done for the team.
To be clear, I’m not just talking about the Braves, but about any team with such a productive player as he nears free agency. In this particular case, I know the Braves could have gotten Furcal a year or more ago to a four- or five-year deal for well below the $8-9 mil a year he’s probably going to command now. But hey, from the team’s perspective, given budgetary constraints and/or the chance that Furcal could get hurt or have off-field problems or whatever, they may have decided it was more prudent to wait.
If so, now they’ll pay the price for waiting, if they are to keep him.
Furcal loves the Braves and particularly Bobby Cox. He’d much prefer to stay with Atlanta. But at what cost? He’s not going to take a big discount to stay with the Braves. If the Cubs, Mets or someone else offers him $40 mil over five years, then don’t expect Furcal to accept a five-year, $35 mil or four-year, $30 mil offer to stay with the Braves (and I’m just throwing out hypothetical numbers to make a point). With his biggest strengths — speed and a cannon arm — both susceptible to injuries, including the worrisome shoulder, if you’re Furcal you can’t assume there will be another big contract at the end of this one.
You gotta get what you can now, unless there’s just not that much difference in offers and you clearly prefer your present situation, not having to move, etc.
Is it important, even crucial, to keep him? Yes, talk to any other Brave and they’ll tell you it is. And I agree, for two reasons: To replace him, you not only have to get a top-quality defensive shortstop, but a legit leadoff man. If it were only a matter of replacing his defense, they could turn the job over to Wilson Betemit, who’s no Furcal in terms of overall defensive skills, but is solid nonetheless.
But Betemit is no leadoff man or top-half-of-the-order hitter, and the person who wrote in some online report that the Braves wouldn’t have much offensive dropoff from Furcal to Betemit was either insane or hadn’t watched 10 Braves games this season to compare the two players. There’s no comparison. Betemit might hit .285-.300 in a full season at shortstop, but he’s got no speed and doesn’t even have Furcal’s power. So other than not being able to get as many infield hits, extra-base hits or one-tenth as many stolen bases … yeah, not much dropoff at all.
The Braves have good shortstop prospects in the minors, perhaps more than any other organization has (middle infielders and catchers, the Braves have in abundance). But none are clearly ready to step in next season and produce, at least not offensively. And the Braves don’t have enough offense to be able to afford an all-glove, no-stick shortstop, at least with their current personnel at other positions.
The Braves would need to sign a leadoff man, and where would he play if not at shortstop? The outfield is basically set; I don’t think you’re going to find a leadoff man to play left field and be affordable, at least not to play it well enough and hit well enough to warrant dropping Langerhans from that spot. But that’d be about the only place to look, it seems.
Marcus Giles is going to make at least double his $2.4 mil 2005 salary next season because of his arbitration status, but the only way you could even think about not bringing him back is if you apply that money to Furcal and are assured of getting Furcal. It’d be a little easier to find someone to hit second and play second base, I think, than to replace Furcal, though neither option is attractive (let’s face it, the Brave are nowhere last season without both Furcal and Giles hitting in front of the Joneses).
Easy for me to spend someone else’s money, but I think the Braves have to buck up, allocate the $6-7 mil they’ll get for insurance for Hampton next season toward Furcal, and if necessary raise the payroll just slightly from $80 mil to about $84-85 mil in order to keep Furcal and Giles and improve the bullpen. We’ll get into the closer situation later, but unless Farnsworth can be signed for $4 mil or less (which seems unlikely, but we’ll see how the market goes), then you turn elsewhere.
And just a name to consider: Georgia resident Todd Jones, who had a helluva year for the Marlins and has told folks in Florida that the only two places he’d want to go are Atlanta or stay with the Marlins. No, he’s no Billy Wagner (who also wants to pitch here), but Jones could be signed for less than half of Wagner’s expected $9 mil asking price, and maybe the Braves could get Jones to agree to a two-year, incentive-laced deal for under $3.5 mil or so annually. Maybe, I stress.
Of course, with the way the Dan Kolb fiasco unfolded throughout the 2005 season, Braves fans — and team officials — might be understandably leery of giving a lot of money to a guy who’s only had one or two great seasons in the closer role and done it in less-than-demanding markets.
Season over for Braves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Houston - The Braves found a new and excruciating way to make what’s become their annual first-round exit from the playoffs, blowing a five-run, eighth-inning lead and losing the longest postseason game in history.
Rookie Chris Burke emerged as the last, unlikely hero in an epic contest, hitting a walk-off homer off Joey Devine in the 18th inning for a 7-6 Houston Astros victory in Game 4 of the division series Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
“There’s nothing worse,” said Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche, whose third-inning grand slam provided a 4-0 lead that grew to 6-1 before closer Kyle Farnsworth gave it all back on home runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
” I’ve said it before _ if I would have known we were going to lose in the first round, I’d rather not even be in the playoffs at all,” LaRoche said.
The Braves matched a division series record by stranding 18 runners and batting 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position in a game that stretched to 5 hours, 50 minutes, setting postseason records for innings and time.
“Well, it was remarkable,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves lost three of four games in the best-of-five series for their fourth consecutive first-round postseason loss, and sixth straight year falling short of the World Series.
Words other than remarkable were used by most Braves to describe the game, which saw Braves starter Tim Hudson pitch seven strong innings on short rest and Roger Clemens pitch the last three for the Astros on even shorter rest.
The 43-year-old Rocket allowed one hit and got the win, after starting Game 2.
“I’ve lost my share of heartbreakers over the years, but this is certainly at the top of the heap,” said Chipper Jones, who was 1-for-6 Sunday and 3-for-17 in the series, continuing his recent run of subpar postseasons.
The top three in the Braves’ batting order _ Rafael Furcal, Marcus Giles and Jones _ went 10-for-57 (.175) with two RBIs in the series.
But the lasting impression of this Braves October will be Farnsworth giving up a Lance Berkman grand slam in the eighth inning and a solo homer by Brad Ausmus with two out in the ninth to force extra innings.
“Never in a million years,” Jones said, “did I expect them to score five runs off Farnsworth.”
Farnsworth had converted 10-of-10 saves for the Braves since being traded from Detroit on July 31, and posted a stingy 1.62 ERA and .163 opponents’ average with four homers allowed over 58 regular-season appearances since early May.
“If we won today, we definitely probably would have won [Game 5] tomorrow,” said Farnsworth, who tried to take solace in the fact that Berkman’s slam was a mere 335-foot drive to the Crawford Box seats down the left-field line.
Of course, the Braves were playing on the same field and had plenty of chances to aim at that short porch, included repeated chances with runners on base.
The only homers they got were two to right field by rookie Brian McCann _ a leadoff homer in eighth, his second of the series _ and the slam by LaRoche, who left soon after because of a stomach flu that had him vomiting all day.
LaRoche also hit a long three-run tying homer in Game 4 of last year’s NLDS at Houston, which the Braves won 6-5 to force a Game 5 in Atlanta. LaRoche wasn’t around for the late innings Sunday, replaced by Julio Franco, who went 1-for-5 and grounded out with two runners in scoring position to end the 11th inning.
“His legs gave out going home,” Cox said of LaRoche, who left the game shortly after he was thrown out at the plate on Jeff Francoeur’s double in the seventh inning, a would-be run that proved to be important. “He couldn’t go anymore.”
Even after Farnsworth gave up the Berkman slam, the Braves had a 6-5 lead and were confident their closer would put it away in the ninth. Some described stunned disbelief when Ausmus took Farnsworth deep with two out in the ninth.
No cheapie was this, a 406-foot homer to left-center that hit off a retaining wall just above the padded fence and the outstretched glove of center fielder Andruw Jones. The game-tying blast drew an ear-splitting roar from a sellout crowd that filled the seats of the closed-roof ballpark.
“When I started getting back to the wall, I knew it was going to go out,” said Jones, who had eight of the Braves’ 41 hits in the series and five of their 21 RBIs. “We didn’t want this to happen like this. It’s a tough loss. Our pitchers were great, but we just couldn’t shut them down [at the end].
“They took advantage of their opportunities and we didn’t, and that’s why they’re celebrating.”
After Farnsworth left, the Braves got a stretch of eight scoreless and seven hitless innings from Chris Reitsma, John Thomson, Jim Brower and Devine, the rookie who was pitching for North Carolina State four months ago.
But the streak ended when Burke hit a 2-0 pitch from Devine to the Crawford Boxes, touching off a celebration at Minute Maid as the Astros raced from their dugout to mob Burke and revel in their second consecutive trip to the NL Championship. They wild-card Astros will again face St. Louis.
“We’ve got no one to blame but ourselves,” Chipper Jones said of the Braves’ latest dismissal from the playoffs. “We had our chances…. We laid it all on the line for six hours and 18 innings. It just wasn’t good enough.”
A few feet away from Jones in the clubhouse were Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann, two of 18 rookies who became so much of the identity of this team. They came to grips with their first taste of Braves playoff defeat.
What had been a story-book season had an ending too familiar for the Braves, who have won one World Series in their run of 14 consecutive division titles.
“It stinks,” Francoeur said. “We were so close to taking it back to Atlanta [for Game 5]. We just weren’t able to hold it. Walking off the field, you realize it’s over. So close. We should be back in Atlanta right now.”
This was some three hours after Farnsworth gave it up. About the time it would’ve taken the Braves’ charter to get home if the game lasted nine innings.
“When Ausmus hit that home run … we’re a pitch away from going home [winners],” Chipper Jones said. “It was the last thing I expected. You look in the dugout like, ‘Pinch me.’ It’s shocking. I was shocked.”
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Permalink | | Categories: Game Night
Facing a familiar fate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Houston — The absurdly improbable story of Jorge Sosa, who came to Atlanta and became The Man Who Couldn’t Lose on the Road, hit a snag Saturday when relief help again abandoned the Braves in Game 3 of the division series.
Sosa gave up three runs in six innings before the beleaguered bullpen came apart at its ragged seams in the seventh, turning a one-run Astros lead into a 7-3 rout that sent the Braves to the brink of postseason elimination.
The Braves will send Tim Hudson to the mound on short rest Sunday for Game 4, and they must win to get the series back to Atlanta for Game 5 Monday. They’d have to win that, too, to avoid a fourth consecutive first-round playoff exit.
“Once again we find ourselves on the road needing to win Game 4,” said third baseman Chipper Jones, who went 0-for-4 on a night when Roy Oswalt plowed through the Braves lineup from the third through seventh innings.
Game 1 loser Hudson threw eight scoreless innings against the Mets in May in his only start this season on short rest, but he’s 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two postseason starts on less than four days’ rest.
“Obviously it’s the biggest game of the year,” Hudson said of today’s matchup with fresh-armed Astros starter Brandon Backe. “I’m glad they have the confidence in me to go out there and try to get this back to Atlanta.
“I’m excited just to get the ball again, to make the necessary adjustments I need to make since my last outing. I need to make some pitches.”
Hudson gave up five runs in 6 2/3 innings in Game 1, and the bullpen was trampled for five more in that 10-5 loss. Once again Saturday, any hope of a comeback was eliminated soon after the bullpen took over.
“We should take responsibility for tonight,” said Chris Reitsma one of four relievers who were pounded for four runs on five hits in the seventh inning. “It’s very frustrating, collectively, for our bullpen.
“We’re a lot better than we’re showing.”
They’d better be today, or Hudson better go at least eight innings. If not, the Braves won’t even get to try to end their Game 5 curse at Turner Field, where they’ve lost the final game in each of the past three division series.
Sosa threw 90 pitches (including eight on intentional walks) and allowed seven hits before manager Bobby Cox had rookie Kelly Johnson pinch-hit for him with one out and none on in the seventh, the Braves trailing 3-2. Johnson flied out.
“You’ve got to pinch-hit,” Cox said. “It’s the seventh inning. You’ve got [Astros closer Brad] Lidge in the ninth. You’ve got literally two innings to do something… . We had to try to make something happen.”
Sosa gave up two runs in the first, and the Braves answered with two in the second inning against Astros right-hander Roy Oswalt. But they left two on to end that inning, and Oswalt got his motor going after that.
He struck out six of eight batters at one point. The Braves didn’t score again until Oswalt gave up a hit to start the eighth and Andruw Jones doubled off reliever Dan Wheeler, the third hit and second double of the night for Jones.
Sosa, 9-0 on the road in the regular season, took the loss in his first postseason start.
“It’s definitely frustrating — Sosa pitched his butt off,” said reliever Joey Devine, who gave up a two-run double by Morgan Ensberg in the seventh, after Reitsma surrendered two hits to two batters and John Foster gave up a hit to the only one he faced.
Reitsma with a 40.50 ERA in three appearances in the series (six hits, six runs, 1 1/3 innings) and a 24.92 ERA and .524 opponents’ average in six appearances over two division series.
Oswalt, the only pitcher to win 20 games each of the past two seasons, was charged with six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings.
The retractable roof on the ballpark was closed on a gorgeous night, precisely so that the sellout crowd could make a din, and man did those fans do it.
Oswalt was 12-2 this season at Minute Maid, where the Astros won 40 of their last 59 games. They had the best record in baseball after May 24 (74-43) and the best home record in that span.
The Braves were 29-28 after July and lost 12 of their final 19 games, when their offense went into a funk and their bullpen struggled mightily. Both problems have continued into the postseason, particularly the latter one. The bullpen has a 12.79 ERA in the series.
Oswalt is 0-2 with a 6.41 ERA in six regular-season starts against the Braves, easily his highest ERA against any team, and the only team he’s faced more than once without a win.
In the postseason, however, he’s 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts against the Braves, including a win in Game 5 of last year’s division series, when he pitched five innings despite a severely strained side.
Mixing his 95-mph fastball with a 75-mph curveball, he had hitters off-balance most of the night.
“It’s not fair to throw 97 [mph] and locate like that, and have four pitches he can throw for strikes,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “He’s got that fastball, and a curveball that’s 25 mph slower. That’s why he won 20 games.”
Oswalt has been the most proficient home pitcher in the majors since Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field) opened in 2000, posting a 45-14 record and 2.62 ERA at a venue loathed by many pitchers and regarded as a hitter’s park.
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Permalink | | Categories: Game Night
Righting the wrongs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just one thing before we get into the heart of today’s blog: Would those who advocated Chipper Jones stepping aside so that Andy Marte could take over at third base this season, please raise your hands? OK, now go write on the chalkboard 100 times: Chipper Jones is a very good player. Chipper Jones is a very good player….
Just kidding with you. But seriously, I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong about guys — I was wrong about Raul Mondesi, for instance (thought he had something left), and I was really, really wrong about Dan Kolb (thought he was legit All-Star who’d do fine in Atlanta), and I was wrong about the Braves’ chances of making the postseason with rookies playing both outfield corners (didn’t think it was possible) — so those of you who said Chipper couldn’t play third base anymore, or needed to go somewhere, anywhere, to make room for Marte last spring, you people need to admit you were wrong, or at least badly jumped the gun.
I mean, come on, the guy can still play a solid third base, and made a couple of sensational plays last night in Game 2, in addition to being a hitter that Marte can only hope to someday become.
OK, that aside, Smoltz saved the series last night. McCann was huge, absolutely huge. But Smoltz saved the series. Braves had to get at least seven strong innings out of him, and did. Now they’ve got a legit chance to take a 2-1 series lead, though it’s certainly not going to be easy, regardless of Sosa’s 9-0 road record. There’s a reason Roy Oswalt is the only major league pitcher who’s won 20 games each of the past two seasons, folks, and it ain’t smoke-and-mirrors. If he pitched for the Yankees, he’d be a huge star right now, but he’s overshadowed by Clemens and Pettitte in Houston.
By the way, bet you didn’t know Smoltz has never pitched in a postseason loss against Houston in eight games? He’s 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA, .198 opponents’ average and 2-for-2 saves in three starts and five relief appearances against them in eight postseason games dating to 1997 (including three in 2001 and two last season).
And lastly, before I head over to Minute Maid Park for today’s workout, it should be pointed out that Andruw Jones got overlooked in last night’s 7-1 win, but he was very significant. He had three hits, continuing a remarkable run of postseaon raking vs. Houston. Andruw’s hit .462 with three doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs in his past 13 playoff games against them, with at least a hit in every game and multiple hits in seven of the 13.
Don’t know what to make of this: Andruw has hit .393 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 17 career playoff games against the Astros, and .221 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 56 postseason games against everyone else.
In this division series and the one last October, he’s 14-for-26 (.538) with three home runs and eight RBIs in seven games against Houston.
Already, enjoy the night off from playoff baseball, or at least Braves playoff baseball. And get recharged so you can go through the wonderful wringer again tomorrow.
On Smoltz’s shoulders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He’s defied the skeptics before, and the Braves really, really need John Smoltz to do it again tonight.
The veteran with the sore shoulder needs to do some hero-level stuff tonight in game 2 of the division series, or else the Braves could be staring at not just their fourth consecutive division series loss, but the very real possibility of getting swept by the Houston Astros.
Because for all of Jorge Sosa’s Houdini escapes and 9-0 road record this season, he’ll be going up against 20-game winner Roy Oswalt on Saturday at raucous Minute Maid Park in Houston, where the Astros were the toughest home team in the league for most of the season.
So it falls upon Smoltz’s shoulders tonight, along with the veteran members of the lineup. The Braves did enough offensively in Game 1 to win, but not with the poor performance they got from Tim Hudson and the beleaguered bullpen. Smoltz, pitching with a sore shoulder and making his first start since Sept. 23, needs to give the Braves at least seven strong innings and preferably eight, so the Braves can hand over a lead to Kyle Farnsworth and hope that his career-best regular season will carry over to the postseason.
As for Hudson, it’s not too comforting a thought for the Braves right now, knowing that he’d have to face Pettitte or Clemens in a potential Game 4 or Game 5 if the Braves can get themselves back into this series. Hudson, for all his greatness in the past five seasons with Oakland — he was the winningest pitcher in the AL over that stretch — hasn’t done much in the postseason, at least not since firing a very fine eight scoreless innings to beat the Yankees in his second playoff start.
Since then he’s gone 0-2 with 5.73 ERA in his past five postseason starts, with 30 hits, 14 earned runs and 10 walks allowed in 22 innings (by the way, I don’t know why I keep hearing talking heads and such say Hudson only had four postseason starts going into yesterday’s game; he had six. He’s had seven starts and one relief appearance in the postseaon, and is 1-3 with a 3.98 ERA in those eight games, including six team losses).
Anyway, this may not come as a shock to you folks, but Chris Reitsma now has a 27.00 ERA and .533 opponents’ average in four career postseason games, all with the Braves, all against Houston, and all losses. He’s given up eight hits, 10 earned runs and two homers in 3-1/3 innings in those four games _ three last October and Wednesday.
And not to be pessimistic or anything, but here’s something worth making a mental note: Kyle Farnsworth has 5.93 ERA in his past 27 appearances vs. Houston (all regular season), with 30 hits, four homers and 14 walks to go with 40 K in 30-1/3 innigs.
As I said, it looks like this one is up to Smoltz.
Jordan in, Langerhans out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It wasn’t the first time Bobby Cox made a postseason lineup decision that left observers scratching their heads. So it wasn’t too shocking when Ryan Langerhans wasn’t in the lineup in left field for Game 1 of the division series today, and Brian Jordan was.
But it still caused some scratching of the head.
Here’s what I mean: Langerhans has been one of the hottest hitters on the team for the past few weeks, batting .367 (22-for-60) with seven doubles, a homer, 11 RBIs and a .465 on-base percentage in his last 21 games. He has hit .317 at home this season and .216 on the road (this is a home game, obviously).
Langerhans has hit .293 against lefties (lefty Andy Pettitte is starting today for Houston) and .261 against righties. He’s hit .270 with six homers, a robust .504 slugging percentage and 21 RBIs in 39 day games (this is a day game) and .265-2-21 with a .384 slugging percentage in 89 night games.
In other words, if Langerhans was going to sit for a game in this series, this would be about the last one you’d expect him to sit for. And we haven’t even mentioned that the Texas native was 5-for-13 with three homers and seven RBIs against Houston this season, which was enough for many to expect Langerhans to be in the lineup every game against the Astros.
By the way: Jordan is 1-for-11 in his career against Pettitte; Langerhans hasn’t faced him.
“Just hoping to catch lightning in a bottle,” Cox said when I asked him about it before the game. He went on to say that Jordan’s knee has been better and that he hit the ball hard in the last week of the regular season, which he did. Jordan was 3-for-10 with a triple in his last four games, including two starts in the Braves’ last five games of the season.
Still, he batted .240 with one homer and seven RBIs in 121 at-bats since May 10, missing much of the season with chronic knee problems. But when he’s healthy, Jordan has played solid defense and still has speed. And maybe Bobby figures he hasn’t been a lot of help as a pinch hitter, going 2-for-14 with seven strikeouts in that role this season. But I think it probably comes down to Bobby’s loyalty and belief in veterans coming up big in key games, even if Jordan has given little reason of late to reinforce that confidence.
This is probably the impetus to the move: He’s performed in postseason play, including four homers and 22 RBIs in his past 25 games. But Jordan’s last postseason game before today was 2001, and he was a far better, healthier player back then.
Let’s watch. If he goes 2-for-4 with a double or whatever, then Bobby’s hunch paid off. But you can bet, if Jordan goes 0-for and strikes out two or three times and the Braves lose, there’s going to be a lot of second-guessing right out of the box in this postseason.
Roster news update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, I’m scrambling to pound out a story on the playoffs roster, which is coming together this afternoon.
Some quick early facts: Both Brian Jordan and Kelly Johnson are on the 25-man roster; Todd Hollandsworth is not.
And Bobby Cox decided to go with only two catchers — Johnny Estrada and Brian McCann. That means Pete Orr will be the emergency catcher.
OK, back to work for me. Discuss the ramifications among yourselves.
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