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Monday, May 22, 2006
Braves win despite Peavy’s performance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
San Diego— When John Smoltz began dominating the Padres in 1993, Jake Peavy was a 12-year-old Braves fan in Mobile, Ala., who idolized the hard-throwing Atlanta right-hander.
Smoltz is still dominating the Padres, and harder-throwing right-hander Peavy has to wonder what more he can possibly do to beat the steadfast veteran. For the second time in 6-1/2 weeks, Smoltz topped the Padres and their young ace as the Braves won 3-1 in a series opener Monday night at Petco Park.
Peavy recorded a Padres-record 16 strikeouts in seven innings, the most in the majors this season. He only allowed three hits and one walk. He overwhelmed Atlanta’s lineup, which finished the night with 18 strikeouts.
But Ryan Langerhans’ two-run homer in the second inning was enough support for Smoltz (4-2), who worked seven scoreless innings and made crucial pitches when he needed them.
“Peavy was awesome tonight, and so was John,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “Peavy had all the strikeouts, but John made pitches. Peavy was dynamite. That’s about the best stuff we’ve seen all year. But Smoltz outdueled him.”
The Braves totaled eight hits in two games Sunday and Monday and won both of them. They got three hits in a 2-1 win Sunday at Arizona behind Tim Hudson’s eight scoreless innings.
“Those are our two big guns,” Langerhans said of Hudson and Smoltz. “Our offense scuffled a little the last two days and those guys put us on their back.”
Smoltz said, “I can’t say enough about the [importance of] our last two games. I wanted to duplicate what Huddy did.”
Langerhans snapped a string of 107 homerless at-bats with his third of the season to help the Braves pick up a half-game in the standings, closing to four games behind NL East-leader New York and one behind Philadelphia.
The Mets and Phillies both were idle Monday, and the Braves improved to 2-2 on a nine-game trip.
After Mike Piazza homered off Braves reliever Ken Ray in the eighth inning to trim the lead to 2-1, Chipper Jones homered in the ninth to give Atlanta’s shaky bullpen a little breathing room. Embattled closer Chris Reitsma pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in 11 opportunities. He struck out left-hander Geoff Blum for the final out.
“Reits got the ball down tonight and was absolutely excellent,” said Cox, who pulled Reitsma after he gave up a run in the ninth on Sunday, opting not to left him face the left-handed heart of the Arizona lineup.
Smoltz continue his mastery of the Padres, allowed six hits in seven innings and improving to 10-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his past 15 starts against them since Sept. 11, 1993.
He also made nine relief appearances against them during the 2001-2004 seasons, converting 8-of-8 saves and posting a 0.93 ERA.
On April 15, he threw a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 win against the Padres and Peavy, who had eight strikeouts and allowed four hits in seven innings that night at Turner Field.
For those keeping score at home, Peavy (3-5) has 24 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings against the Braves this season, and two losses to show for the effort.
“I tell you what, he’s one of the nastiest pitchers in the game,” Smoltz said. “He struck out 16 and I felt like when Langy hit the home run … I knew coming in chances are we’re not going to get many runs against this guy. I knew I had to keep throwing up zeroes.
“Andruw [Jones] made a great play and the bullpen, which has been under scrutiny, deserves the credit tonight.”
Langerhans had not homered since April 7, but picked a fine time to snap that drought.
“I got that one pitch out over the plate and was able to take advantage,” said Langerhans, who struck out in his other two at-bats against Peavy, one of six Braves to strike out multiple times against him.
Andruw Jones struck out all three times he faced the Alabaman. Peavy struck out 11 of the last 13 batters he faced, beginning with Jones with runners on second and third to end the third inning.
Peavy turns 25 on May 31, and has every trait of an emerging elite pitcher.
Smoltz, of course, has been one for more than 15 years. After throwing 130 pitches on Wednesday against Florida, he showed no sigs of fatigue Monday.
The Padres didn’t get a runner to second base until Mike Piazza’s one-out double in the fourth inning. Smoltz retired the next two batters.
The crowd at Petco Park got excited when the Padres put two on base with one out in the sixth inning and the heart of the order up. But Smoltz quieted them by striking out Piazza and Greene consecutively.
They had two on again in the seventh when Smoltz stuck out hot-hitting leadoff man Dave Roberts, the last batter he faced.
Piazza’s homer off Ray was just the fourth run surrendered by the journeyman this season, all in two games against the Padres. He gave up three runs without an out in a 4-3 loss to San Diego on April 16.
Ray hasn’t allowed a run in his other 20 appearances this season.
Permalink | | Categories: Game Night
One problem, no solutions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It could have been the worst weekend in an awful long time, if the Braves had lost Brian McCann to a serious injury and if Bobby Cox had left Chris Reitsma in long enough to blow another save Sunday and give the Diamondbacks a sweep.
But those things didn’t happen, so the Braves have to consider themselves quite fortunate as they start another series tonight in San Diego. With John Smoltz starting against a team he’s completely dominated for a decade, there’s a good chance the Braves can get to 2-2 with five games remaining on their trip, even with Padres ace Jake Peavy facing Smoltz tonight. This stat I stumbled upon Sunday: Smoltz is 9-1 with a 1.48 ERA in the past 13 starts against the Padres. Even if only three of those have been since his return to the rotation last season, it’s still pretty impressive.
But anyway, today’s topic…. after I tell you that the Black Keys’ “Chulahoma” CD covering Junior Kimbrough songs is the best hard-blues album I’ve heard in some time, and the Steve Wynn album “Tick, Tick, Tick” is outstanding, intelligent, straight-ahead rock’n’roll by someone who refuses to compromise or bend with the trends. No pop crap from this guy. And also, I’ll be ready to buy Johnny Cash’s double-CD of acoustic stuff that’s coming out tomorrow, stuff he recorded in 1973 and his estate just now agreed to release. I cannot wait, folks.
OK, back to the Braves. Specifically, the leadoff spot. (What, you thought I was going to talk about Reitsma again? Come on, what else can I say. I agree with all of you that he should be dropped to situational work and not face any lefties, but Bobby’s going to do it when he’s good and ready. Maybe Sunday was the first step. I tried to get Bobby to comment on it, but he was very guarded and vague.)
Anyway, the leadoff spot. Marcus Giles. What is going on here? I mean, I find it hard to believe that simply batting first instead of second could render a damn-fine hitter so mediocre. I keep waiting for him to snap out of it and reel off a 30-for-75 tear with five homers and a bunch of doubles, but so far, nothing close to that. And we’re a quarter of the way through the season now, and the Braves still sit dead last in the majors with a .211 average from their leadoff hitters (mostly Giles, though Pete Orr has been even worse in enough chances to drag it down even further).
They’re dead last in the NL with a .298 on-base percentage from the position. That’s just wretched. It’s amazing, really, the Braves have been even as productive as they have been offensively, given the state of the top of the order. I mean, only Kansas City and Tampa Bay have worse leadoff on-base percentages than the Braves, and just barely.
In recent years, the Braves’ offense relied heavily on great production from Furcal and Giles in the 1-2 spots. Now they’re getting great production from Edgar Renteria in the 2-spot, but woeful output from the guy in front of him. Maybe a few days in his San Diego hometown will help Marcus, maybe he can talk things over with big brother Brian of the Padres and find an answer. (Hey, I’m just reaching, hoping for the sake of the Braves and Giles.)
He’s batting .235 with 10 doubles, one homer, seven RBIs and a .330 OBP. Folks, I’ll remind you we’re a quarter way into the season. He’s played 40 games, 162 at-bats. One homer, .235 average. He has ONE RBI in his past 17 games, but at least he’s got a respectable .350 OBP in that span. He’s hit .175 with two RBIs in his past 17 road games.
This from a guy who hit .305 with a .377 OBP over the past three seasons while piling up 116 doubles, 44 homers and 180 RBIs in that stretch, despite several injuries. There’s no questioning his ability — he’s one of the best few all-around second baseman in the game. But Giles just doesn’t look himself this season. He’s got that same upper-cut swing, but it looks ugly a lot more when he misses. He isn’t sparking things offensively like he has in the past, though he’s played the same level of defense, or close to it.
And as much as I don’t see why it should affect him so much, maybe he just has a mental thing with the leadoff role. Or maybe it’s just coincidence, his slow start coming while he’s been thrust into the leadoff role to replace Furcal. But look at the numbers: Giles now has a .253 career average with 18 doubles, nine homers and a .334 OBP in 400 at-bats in the leadoff spot. In the No. 2 spot, he has a .276 average with 105 doubles, 40 homers and a .373 OBP in 1,290 at-bats.
Granted, most of his other leadoff at-bats came early in his career. But still, it makes you wonder.
The answer? I don’t have one. He’s still the best leadoff option on this team as currently constructed, because I think it’d be crazy to move Renteria to leadoff from the No. 2 role where he’s flourished for most of his career. He’s hit in every game but one this season and ranks among NL leaders with a .333 average and .416 OBP, so you don’t move Renteria just in hopes that Giles will flick a switch on once he’s back in the 2-hole.
Ryan Langerhans is a possibility, but that’s about it. No one else fits the leadoff mold at all — not that Giles or Langerhans do, either, really.
OK, I presented a problem and no solution. Sorry. I’ll leave that up to you good folks. Have at it.
