AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > May
May 2006
Royals GM hire a hit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Few of you would recognize Dayton Moore if you bumped into him at Turner Field. But you’ll be seeing his face a lot soon, when he’s introduced as the new GM of the K.C. Royals.
We’ve had it confirmed to the paper that Dayton, the 39-year-old Braves asst. GM and rising star in exec circles, will be taking his talents to the downtrodden Royals, though as of this moment it’s unclear if they’re going to make the announcement before or after next week’s draft.
Anyway, it’s a big loss to the Braves. By that I mean, he’s a really sharp, really personable and extremely talented guy who’s played a huge role in maintaining one of the best, if not THE best, minor league/player development systems in baseball. And as we know, the continued production of major league-ready players is what’s enabled the Braves to keep their division-title streak alive despite budget cuts in recent years that have prevented them from making the kind of free-agent moves the Braves used to make when they spent almost as much as the Yankees (believe it or not, that wasn’t long ago, though it might seem it was).
But while it’s a big loss for the Braves, it also shouldn’t be overstated. By that, I mean folks shouldn’t assume the Braves are left in a lurch now to find a replacement for John Schuerholz, assuming he will eventually step down from the job (he’s here through at least 2007, and I’d guess 2-3 years beyond that, if I had to guess now). While Dayton was obviously at the top of the list of likely heirs to the Braves GM throne, he wasn’t alone on the list. Too many around baseball seem to have forgotten that Scheurholz’s right-hand man in major league operations has been Frank Wren, not Moore.
Frank is the guy who handles arbitration cases, most contract negotiations, and many other duties for John, who has wisely delegated duties in the increasingly complex and difficult position he’s in. Not letting his admittedly substantial ego stand in the way of making such decisions is one reason Schuerholz has survived and thrived for so long, while other GMs have burned out or faded away.
John’s a really smart man, smart enough to know that having really smart younger and loyal men helping him in crucial elements of the operation is the way to go. And he’s done that.
Now, I’d assume Frank moves back to the top of the list of likely replacements. He’s worked under Dave Dombrowski and Schuerholz for most of two decades in Montreal, Florida and Atlanta, and believes in most of the same principles of running a team that John does, included the most important one: The minor league system and scouting/player development are the lifeblood of the franchise, nothing less.
Though Frank’s short tenure as Baltimore GM didn’t go well, that means absolutely nothing in terms of evaluation him in that role, simply because Peter Angelos and his meddling sons made it impossible, according to everyone I’ve talked to familiar with the situation, for Wren to succeed. His hands were tied, decisions made for him, etc. Bad, bad situation.
Back to Dayton leaving: I understand why he’d take the Royals job, on the one hand. K.C.’s a nice place to raise a family, the franchise was solid years ago - albeit many years - and the town will support baseball if given a decent product. The situation reminds me of Detroit in that regard. The Royals are marrying up in this one, getting the guy who turned down the Red Sox last winter.
But there were factors involved in that decision that most don’t realize, and there was the specter of The Kid (Theo Eptstein) possibly returning, which is just what ended up happening. I know John Henry from his days owning the Marlins, and I know plenty of people who’ve worked for Larry Lucchino who say he (Lucchino) can be the most difficult boss imaginable. That’s a pressure-cooker job to step into, especially in your first GM job. And Dayton is also a midwesterner, born in Wichita, and moving his kids to Kansas City might seem a little less daunting than moving them to Boston.
Expectations aren’t high in Kansas City. They have nowhere to go but up, and Dayton’s work ethic and knowledge of player development and scouting will assure they put the most emphasis on that part of the organization, which is the only way the Royals can become consistently competitive again, by developing their own talent the way the Braves have done, assuring you have players who will be affordable major leaguers until their fourth or fifth years, and giving you pieces to use in trades for a veteran pitcher here or hitter there, etc. The Royals have to do it like that to have any hope.
The Braves? Their player development side will be in good hands. Dayton’s assistants and colleagues, such as minor league operations director J.J. Picollo and Latin and international scouting heads Marco Paddy and Rene Francisco, are all top-notch, experienced guys, and scouting director Roy Clark is absolutely one of the best in the business. Those areas shouldn’t suffer, even if they divide Dayton’s duties until figuring out a full-time replacement.
The Royals hit a home run with Dayton. But unless Stan Kasten swoops in and hires away Frank Wren - and that’s definitely a possibility - the Braves have another heir waiting at John’s side. And even if Wren is hired away before Schuerholz retires, there will be no shortage of candidates for the Braves to choose from. I have a feeling guys like Billy Beane might be interested when the job becomes available.
OK, sorry I didn’t have time to discuss on-field stuff. Just thought I’d throw in my two-cents’ worth about Dayton leaving.
As bad as the Braves have looked the past couple of days, keep in mind they are 15-7 since May 7, while the Mets are 10-11 and Phillies 11-10 in that stretch. The division is very winnable (just be thankful Braves aren’t in the west … whew, do they struggle against those teams in recent years, or what?)
Tyler Yates ain’t the answer in the ‘pen, but Schuerholz is combing the wires, talking to GMs, checking all possibilities. I really believe he’ll find another guy suitable for closing/set-up work before July 31, and that the Braves will stay in this thing until then. But Lidge is back in the closer job for Houston now, and with them signing Roger, I don’t see them dumping their closer when they don’t have another guy who looks better for the role. Or dumping anyone, for that matter, who might help them. They’re going for it.
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.600 or better to win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Following the Braves used to mean watching a lot of tight, well-pitched games. Not anymore.
At least one of the teams scored in double figures during 12 of the Braves’ first 51 games. The good news is that the Braves are 7-5 in such high-scoring affairs.
Monday’s 12-5 loss to the Dodgers, though, was the Braves at their worst. It certainly wasn’t the way to start the longest homestand so far this season.
Road warriors up until now, the Braves finally get a schedule heavy with home games. They have to take advantage of it.
The Braves won yet another division title last season because they were a dominant 53-28 at Turner Field.
The Braves are 12-7 at home this year. That’s good, but maybe not good enough. Most of the wins came against the Marlins and Nationals.
After playing 32 of their first 50 games on the road, the Braves are now on a stretch of 26 of 39 at home before the All-Star break. They also finish the season with 16 of 22 games at home.
The Braves can win the NL East again. But to do it, they are going to have to play at least .600 baseball at home, where high-scoring games aren’t usually the norm.
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Day blogball at Wrigley
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David O’Brien will blog his thoughts from the press box at Wrigley Field during today’s Braves-Cubs game. Can’t watch on TV? Follow along with our live gametracker.
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Braves loaded for Cub
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re going to have to keep this one short, folks, because your friendly correspondent is sitting on a hot plane on a runway in Cincinnati, because apparently every time it rains now, O’Hare Airport in Chicago has to shut down. I mean, talk about ridiculous. Two days in a row they’ve shut it down. Several Braves’ families couldn’t get in last night because of cancelled flights, etc.
Anyway, we’re about to take off when the pilot informs us we’re headed back to gate in Cincy because they’ve got a one-hour hold on arrivals at O’Hare. Nice.
I’m gonna recap, just for the benefit of a certain blogger whose simple response every time I point out something stressful about my job or whatever is, ‘Yeah, but you get to cover the Braves.’ (Hey, we all hate parts of our job - goes with the territory - but this certain guy seems to think if he had my job he’d be in heaven, wouldn’t even ask for a salary probably, because he’d get to eat hot dogs, watch ballgames and interview Chipper. Or so this guy makes it sound.)
Well, let me put down my Braves pom-poms and my foam tomahawk for a moment: After covering my sixth game in six days, and my fifth night game in that span with West Coast deadlines, which means filing an early plug story for the state edition, a notebook before the first pitch, a game story before last pitch, a game story redo with some quotes if we have time by 1:15 A.M. EDT, and if not for online after that, and oh yeah, having spent much of the morning looking up stats and doing the blog and checking the wires and other stuff going on around baseball … where was I? Oh, yeah - after covering the game last night and getting back to my hotel at about midnight pacific time (3 a.m. in Atlanta), I had a 4 a.m. wakeup call so I could make my 6:45 a.m. flight. Flight was late leaving San Diego, so upon arrival in Cincy I raced from gate B20 to B1 (the length of the terminal) with my bags to catch my connecting flight to Chicago.
And now, at 3:30 p.m., I’m sitting on the runway. I’m gonna get to Chicago late now, right at the heart of rush hour, and have to put together the extended scout box we do before a series, then write an off-day story on Edgar Renteria. Keep in mind, this is an “off day.” Or, as our friend, the blogger who thinks this job is a fan’s dream would put it, this is a day to frolic in Chicago. Yeah, right.
OK, I’ve wasted your time. Please, don’t way “waah” or whatever. As I said, I know we’ve all got parts of our jobs that stink, and I really do consider myself fortunate to do something I love to do: write and cover baseball. Unlike many, I like my job. But I just wanted to take this opportunity, as I sit on this plane that’s now broiling and full of cranky, p* -off people, to give you (or rather, this particular person) some idea of why this job is far, far from the playtime you portray it as. Most of you get it, I know. So humor me in my indulgence this one time, with my itinerary and travel woes.
OK, gotta go. Sorry, but laptop’s running out of power.
This series at Wrigley is big only in that the Braves really need to sweep, or win two of three bare minimum, to take advantage of a team that’s lost 20 of its last 25 games and has an ERA in mid-5s during that stretch. Braves can build off momentum of last night’s huge offensive game, and if wind’s blowing out, Andruw can hit a few more bombs and some other guys like Langerhans and Francoeur should be able to chip in some long balls, too.
Thomson wasn’t very sharp last night, another example of how he just can’t seem to protect a lead no matter how large. (I know he won last night, but giving up six runs against that Padres lineup after being staked to a 3-0 lead and 6-1 lead just isn’t a good sign.)
No word on McCann until Friday. He’s resting the ankle today and they’ll see how he feels tomorrow to know whether he can play.
The Smoltz rest thing, I think, is a great idea. It was alarming to see him throw 251 pitches in two starts, and 130 in one was just unreasonable, in my view. So it’s good to see him and the Braves pull back a bit, hopefully just because he thinks it’s smart and not for any soreness (he says he’s fine, so I’ll take him on his word).
OK, now I do have to go. Later.
Again, thanks for letting me bore you with details of my travel day.
And I still haven’t gotten the new Cash CD. Will in Chicago, for sure. There’s some good record stores downtown.
I’ve been playing the heck out of the Steve Wynn CD “Tick Tick Tick” and the Black Keys’ “Chulahoma,” plus the Gnarls Barkley and Neil Young CDs. Those four have been my soundtrack on the first week of this trip out west. Hope to see a band or two while I’m in Chicago, since we have three day games.
Enjoy the games. Eat fish tacos. Or steak. Chicago, steak … mmmmm.
Peace.
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Time to bet on Betemit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pardon me while I divert my attention from the most popular subject of consternation in Braves Nation, the closer situation, in order to focus today’s blog on another recent concern.
The offense. Not just one guy. Not just the one-homer-in-a-month Andruw Jones, nor Marcus Giles (.308 OBP and one RBI in 19 games). Not just Brian Jordan (2-for-18 with one RBI and seven strikeouts since May 13), nor Todd Pratt (.167, three RBIs all season, 1-for-11 in four starts since Brian McCann got hurt), nor Ryan Langerhans (.182, one homer, four RBIs in 19 games).
No, the offense as a whole. What is going on? It’s Uggla (actually, Dan Uggla of the Marlins is hitting better than most of these guys. And so is Josh Willingham of the Marlins. But anyway…)
It’d be easier to name the guys who haven’t stunk lately, like Jeff Francoeur (well, at least in home games he hasn’t) and Brian McCann, who’s been their best hitter all season, at 22.
Speaking of McCann, is it just coincidence that the Braves have hit - brace yourselves - .142 and scored six runs in four games since he got hurt? I’ll repeat those numbers, to assure you they weren’t typos: One-forty-two with six runs in four games. And they WON TWO OF THEM! For that, the Braves can thank Tim Hudson (eight scoreless innings) and John Smoltz (seven scoreless) more than anything else, plus a timely two-run homer from Langerhans and a big double from Renteria (his only extra-base hit in his past 11 games, by the way).
But since McCann got hurt early in Saturday’s game at Arizona, the Braves have been anemic without the NL batting leader in their lineup. Granted, they faced a couple of very tough pitchers in Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy, but that doesn’t explain .142 and six runs in four games. Because they also faced Juan Cruz, who had an 8.62 ERA in four starts and allowed nine runs without getting out of the first inning of his previous start before facing the Braves. He held them to two hits in six innings Sunday.
The Braves still rank fourth in the NL in runs, sixth in average and eighth in homers, but they’re slipping fast in each category, and are tied for 10th in on-base percentage at .334. Who are they tied with? The Marlins, who are running out a bunch of talented kids who should still be in Double-A or Triple-A, and who have an excuse for striking out a ton and drawing few walks. The Braves don’t have that excuse.
This team needs to reduce its strikeouts, work opposing pitchers, make them throw more pitches so they can wait and hit a mistake instead of making it easy on guys like Cruz. Stop swinging at so many first pitches and ball fours, etc. Just be more disciplined. Listen to Terry Pendleton, because that’s what he’s telling them to do. It’s not his fault. He can yank guys out of the lineup or move them down in the order.
If it was me, I’d have Wilson Betemit taking grounders at first base and getting some outfield work before games. Wilson told me this week he’d play first base if they asked him to, no problem, and also said he took some fly balls in the outfield during in the Dominican in winter ball.
He wouldn’t be great out there in the outfield, but they need to get his bat in the lineup, and between sharing time with Adam LaRoche at first base (yes, that’d mean a much lesser role for B.J.) and getting some playing time in left field, with an occasional start at third base - yes, it’s no crime to sit Chipper once a week - and also an occasionial start at second base - Betemit played there in a game last season and didn’t embarrass himself - Betemit could play 4-5 games a week and get the 4-5 at-bats a game he should be getting.
It was Renteria who told me last week that Betemit is good enough to play every day, and I agree.
I think they should also try Betemit in the leadoff spot, even though it’s unconventional. Giles simply isn’t working out there, and needs to be dropped in the order until he gets it going.
It’s nothing radical, because you can only do so much with what you have, and because this team has enough talent to score enough runs to win the division with good pitching. They really do. Just look what they did offensively when they were going well earlier this season.
There is reason to believe they’ll snap out of this funk soon. They’ll get McCann back this weekend, and LaRoche will be back in the lineup tonight (before any of you take aim at LaRoche, consider that he’s got five homers and 22 RBIs in 26 road games, second on the team in both to Andruw Jones, who stopped hitting homers in mid-April). And after an off day Thursday, they’ll play three at Wrigley Field against the Cubs, who are 5-19 with a 5.63 ERA in their past 24 games.
The Braves can’t afford to let the Mets rebuild their NL East lead. And with Jorge Sosa having pitched quite well in his last two starts, there’s reason to believe he might be able to give the Braves another solid starter, the kind they were counting on after Sosa’s remarkable 2005 season. They still need another reliever and a veteran bat by July 31, preferably well before then. But the Mets and everyone else have needs, too. Point is, the Braves have the talent to stay in this thing, but they’ve got to start hitting (and also can’t afford horrendous defensive games like last night, but that’s another story).
As for Horacio Ramirez, his rehab start last night was bad and I’m of the mind that the Braves had best not expect a whole lot from the lefty after he’s activated. Frankly, he hasn’t done much since his rookie year, and it might be time to stop expecting huge things from him.
OK, talk about anything you want. Just wanted to offer my view on the offensive malaise.
Gotta go see if I can find the new Johnny Cash CD on sale anywhere in downtown San Diego. And look for more fish tacos.
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Smoltz-Peavy defining duel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you who may have been sleeping, Braves hitters did a whole lot of swinging and missing late last night - 18 strikeouts and one walk - and Chris Reitsma probably saved his closer job for a while.
Sorry if either of those developments saddened any of you (from what I hear, one or two folks would like to see a new closer…)
But all Braves fans, of course, could be heartened by other goings-on at Petco Park, where John Smoltz put on a resolute demonstration of what he’s all about, and Ryan Langerhans hit a two-run homer on one of the very few pitches that didn’t do exactly what Jake Peavy wanted it to do.
Oh, yeah, Peavy. Sixteen strikeouts in seven innings. Struck out every Braves starter at least once, six of them at least twice, and struck out cleanup hitter Andruw Jones all three times he faced him.
Uh, this Peavy kid from ‘Bamy is pretty good, folks. Not even 25 yet (will be next week) and, as Smoltzy himself said afterward, “He’s one of the nastiest pitchers in the game.”
It was a power-pitching demonstration comparable to the one that Kerry Wood produced years ago, when Wood struck out 20 in a game, before a slew of injuries stalled Wood’s career. The Padres have to hope that Peavy’s delivery is better suited to long-term good health, because he is so very special. But then, so is Smoltz, in ways entirely different at this stage of his great career.
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. Smoltz won both games, and showed why, at 39, he’s still one of the elite pitchers in the game. He simply made every big pitch he needed to make last night, twice thwarting the Padres when they put the potential tying runners on base to protect the 2-0 lead that Langerhans had provided. It was something to watch, those two going at it. One of the best games I’ve seen in years.
And those Chipper-bashers out there, do you get what still makes him special, even if he’s not the 30-homer, 100-RBI guy he used to be? His ninth-inning homer last night, after Piazza homered in the eighth against Kenny Ray to trim the lead to 2-1, was huge. Don’t care who it was against. Doesn’t matter. Because given the state of Reitsma and the Braves’ ninth-inning relief, a two-run lead was crucial. It sucked the life out of the stadium. Chipper can still do that kind of thing with one swing and a swagger that makes people in every city want to strangle him.
That homer probably allowed Reitsma to relax a bit and produce.
Let’s be clear, so no one accuses me of defending, advocating, or protecting Reitsma: I think he’s done an awful job this season, and I think the Braves need another closer. That clear enough?
That said, Bobby used him wisely last night, knowing he had a good chance against the lousy bottom of the order with Vinny (I’m not what I used to be) Castilla and Josh (I’m not Jesse) Barfield due up. He put them away, then struck out Geoff (I’m not one of the greatest lefty hitters around) Blum to end the game.
Cox loves Reitsma, and/or has such a distaste for other closer options available to him presently that he keeps giving Reitsma chances to come around. Last night he got himself another reprieve, I’d suspect.
Probably not going to be any solid closers available until closer to the July 31 trade deadline, folks. Accept it, or keep up the consternation over Reitsma. It’s up to you.
Me, I’m going to get some fish tacos at Rubio’s.
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.
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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.
Hot ATL hits sizzling PHX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from the blast furnace that is Phoenix, where it’s already 90 degrees at 10 a.m. and headed toward 104 this afternoon - I would say as hot as the bats of Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann, Matt Diaz and Johnny Estrada, but that would be too easy and make me a real hack.
Anyway, now that the Braves have completed a most rejuvenating homestand and done what they were supposed to do during a 10-game stretch against the lowly Marlins and Nationals, fattening up to make this NL East a tight three-way race, the next test awaits. A three-city trip starting against the much-improved D-Backs (22-20 record includes 11-5 since April 30) and NL West-leading Padres (23-18) before finishing against the Cubs.
The Braves have won nine of their past 10 at home, including 3-0 in that stretch against Rockies (two games) and Mets (hot start began with last game of that series). But the Braves have dropped 12 of their past 18 games on the road, which includes a 2-1 series win at godawful Florida in their last series away from the friendly confines of Francoeur Field.
By the way, Frenchy’s numbers in Atlanta are getting just absolutely silly. He’s batting .351 at home this season, including a 1-for-8 in the first two home games. In 16 home games since then, he’s hit - let me take a swig of coffee to prepare to type this - .377 with eight homers, 25 RBIs and a .754 slugging percentage. Take it further: His last 10 home games, he has five homers, 19 RBIs, and a couple of dip-the-spikes-in-bronze moments with his walkoff granny and his tying homer off Dontrelle Willis.
Francoeur’s hitting just .204 on the road. But after getting off to a dreadful .132 start in his first 17 games away from home, he’s gone 11-for-30 (.367) with two homers and seven RBIs in his past six, against the Mets and Marlins. So maybe he’s got that whipped, too. We’ll see on this trip.
(An aside: Speaking of D-Train, don’t be shocked if you soon hear the Braves mentioned in trade rumors involving Willis. If and when the Marlins shop him, the Braves, perhaps more than any other team, have the type of prospects the Marlins would be looking for in return. And Willis is affordable for a few more years. So while some speculate on a possible return of Tom Glavine, to me it seems at least as plausible that the next great Braves lefty could be one barely half Glavine’s age.)
OK, back to Francoeur. It seems absurd now that we were even discussing six weeks ago what Bobby should do with him - send him down, bench him a few days, platoon him, etc.
Now, Francoeur has 25 home RBIs, and only Albert Pujols and Jason Giambi have more in the majors. Think about that. The Braves have played fewer home games than almost any team, yet only two superstars have more home RBIs than Francoeur.
As for McCann, he merely leads the NL batting race by 15 points at .353, which includes a .423 average in his past 23 games. He also leads the majors with a .714 average with runners in scoring position, albeit in limited chances (5-for-7).
Diaz, the out-of-nowhere story of the moment, leads the majors with a .650 average (13-for-30) over the past 10 days and is doing just what the Braves hoped he might when they got him, only doing it better than even they could have imagined. They got him because he’s raked against lefties and they wanted that bat as a fourth outfielder and possible platoon guy in left field. So far he’s played far better defense than expected and is hitting .386 overall, incliuding a team-high .412 on the road (14-for-34).
With him and Langerhans in left, Braves are set. Langy plays spectacular defense and, even after his recent slump, still leads the Braves with a .417 average with runners in scoring position, tied for fifth in the NL.
Oh, almost forgot Estrada. For those wondering, the winter trade that sent him to D-Backs for relievers Villarreal and Cormier is a classic case of a deal that helped both teams. While McCann has emerged as an All-Star caliber catcher at 22, Estrada has regained his pre-home-plate-collision form with Arizona. After hitting .182 with no extra-base hits or RBIs in his first 11 games for Arizona, Estrada has hit a whopping .368 with 11 doubles, three homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in his past 22 games. Very impressive.
So much other stuff I don’t have time to get to right now, including Chris Reitsma’s quiet recent resurgence. (Do you guys know he’s changed his approach at McDowell’s suggestion, using a lot more sinkers instead of relying on changeups that hitters were waiting for?) And how about Death Ray? Kenny Ray has been spectacular, not giving up a run in more than a month since giving up three vs. San Diego on April 16.
Roswell High’s Ray (though he now lives in Arizona) has reduced his ERA to 1.35 by allowing just nine hits and no runs in 15 innings over his past 14 games. Wow. In his past seven games, he’s allowed no hits in six and no hits OR walks in five. Not bad for the ultimate journeyman.
Speaking of journeymen, Travis Smith tomorrow night vs. unbeaten Brandon Well. Yikes. Hey, at least the Braves have Tim Hudson going against old friend Juan Cruz in the series finale Sunday. And with Thomson going against Miguel Batista tonight, I like Braves chances of a 2-1 series win.
Southpaw surplus on tap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves don’t have a left-hander in the rotation. A month from now, they may have two.
Horacio Ramirez, sidelined in his first start by a strained hamstring, is scheduled to return May 30 against the Dodgers. Chuck James could also be starting before June is done.
The loss of Kyle Davies is a blow to the Braves, who already had questions at the end of the rotation. Davies will need surgery on his right groin and is out indefinitely.
Ramirez, after Travis Smith gets a spot start Saturday in Arizona, will replace Davies. But James may soon give the Braves an option for Jorge Sosa.
Sosa took an 0-5 record into Thursday’s game against Florida. James, recovered from a strained hamstring, will rehab at Class AAA Richmond with the mission of stretching out his arm for a possible rotation spot.
James had always been a starter in the minors before winning a bullpen spot with the Braves this spring. He wants to start again.
Unless Sosa gets untracked, James may get an opportunity to show what he can do as a starter.
Chipper bound for a breakout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves have had many heroes during their recent upturn. Chipper Jones hasn’t been one of them.
That’s not really a bad thing.
The Braves still have a lot of questions, including whether Marcus Giles can be a successful leadoff man. But no one doubts that their third baseman will hit and hit for power, even if he is 34 now.
Jones, like most long-ball hitters, has always been streaky, with his homers coming in waves. Right now, he’s in a drought.
The switch-hitter hasn’t homered since connecting off Pedro Martinez of the Mets at Turner Field on April 28. The Braves have played 17 games since then and he is still stuck on two homers for the season.
Jones had a 12-game hitting streak during the power drain, but he is just 2-for-17 on the homestand. That the Braves are on a 7-2 run says a lot about the rest of the lineup.
Look for the Braves’ No. 3 hitter to break out soon. When he does, the Braves could really get rolling.
Davies a future great?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While I’m sure plenty of you want to continue mulling the LaRoche matter, I can’t think of much more to say that hasn’t been said.
So while you’re obviously free to debate or comment about him playing last night - frankly, I think Bobby Cox wants to win games and catch the Mets and Phillies, and LaRoche getting booed mercilessly Sunday and again Monday seems like more severe punishment than another four innings on the bench would have been - I’m going to address a couple other matters.
Kyle Davies, who is going on the DL today and who drew the ire of Cox for not mentioning a sore groin yesterday before his start. Davies ended up straining or tearing it in the third inning and is done now for at least 15 days. That’s a big no-no with Cox and most managers, not telling someone when you’re hurt and putting yourself to get seriously hurt and the club in position to have to scramble to find a replacement. But that’s not what I wanted to discuss.
I wanted to discuss Davies’ 2-3 record and 6.12 ERA this season, and 9-9 career record and 5.12 ERA in two seasons. Specifically, does this mean he’s perhaps not as talented and doesn’t have the limitless potential the Braves have said he has?
And I would suggest that there’s no way to say yet. And here’s what I’m basing it on: Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. While I’m not saying Davies is going to be another Maddux or Glavine - I don’t think there will be another Maddux in our lifetime - I’m just saying, at the same point in their careers, no one could have looked at either Maddux or Glavine and said they’re going to be Hall of Famers someday (and yes, I do believe Glavine will get in; Maddux is a cinch first-ballot guy, obviously).
Davies, 22, has made 29 appearances including 22 starts. He’s 8-7 with a 4.94 ERA in the 22 starts.
So I went back, our of curiosity, to see what two of the Braves’ greatest recent pitchers did at similar points, or how their first couple of seasons transpired. And here’s what I found:
In his first 22 starts, Maddux went 6-11 with a 5.04 ERA, with 144 hits, 52 walks and 81 strikeouts in 123-1/3 innings.
In his first 33 starts, Glavine went 5-17 with a 5.52 ERA and more walks (83) than strikeouts (78).
Davies has a ton of talent, good stuff, great mental makeup (as the scouts, coaches and managers say). He’s going to be good. Will he be great? We just don’t know. Too early to tell. But seeing and hearing him after he gets roughed up, I’d lean toward great someday. Because he cares so much, and he honestly listens and understands what he’s doing wrong and what he needs to do to correct it.
Now it’s just a matter of being able to do those things when the lights go on and the pressure is turned up. Not everyone is a freak like Francoeur or McCann who can excel at 22 against grown men who’ve been in the majors for a decade or more. And with pitchers, it can be even tougher in the early going, when everything is riding on your shoulders. Not to mention when you’re pitching for the hometown team and have so many expectations from friends, family, etc. Not an excuse, just reality.
OK, so what about the near-term? Who to replace him? We’ll find out soon, maybe today but maybe not until later in the week. I’d bet that journeyman Travis Smith, he of the slight frame and spectacles, is the guy for one start, until Horacio Ramirez is ready to come off rehab. Travis was 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts at Richmond before getting rocked last night there.
But I wouldn’t expect much from him if he starts a game at Arizona this weekend. Simply because Travis Smith fits the mold of the classic “4-A” pitcher - very good at Triple-A, but just doesn’t have enough stuff or deceptive delivery to do the same things at the big-league level. Sometimes he has a good start or two with a team in a callup, then gets inevitably worse in later games before being sent back down. So if he’s the guy, the Braves will hope to get one good start out of him, at least.
OK, that’s it. Gotta get ready to get to the ballpark. Sorry, but don’t have more time to dissect other issues right now.
The new Drive-By Truckers CD is great, by the way. And so is the Gnarls Barkley effort from Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo (hey, I know the names sound a bit out there, but it’s good, modern R&B). We’ve already raved about the Chili Peppers’ double CD. Get it if you’ve ever liked them; they’re as good or better than ever.
I still suggest all of open minds to buy the Neil Young CD, “Living With War.” Outstanding stuff.
Andruw, McCann rally Braves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They trailed 5-0 before the midway point for the second consecutive game, but this time the Braves refused to go away quietly.
Brian McCann and Andruw Jones drove in nine of 11 runs during a three-inning burst that propelled the Braves to a 11-8 win against Florida in Monday night’s series opener at Turner Field.
McCann had a career-high five RBIs on three hits including a three-run homer, and Jones was 4-for-4 with four RBIs, the last on a single that scored Adam LaRoche for a 9-8 lead in the seventh. All 11 Braves runs came with two outs, including two in the fifth, six in the sixth and three in the third.
“We needed every one of them,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose third-place Braves got their sixth win in eight games to pick up a half-game on idle New York and Philadelphia in the NL East.
They are 5-1/2 games behind the Mets and 4-1/2 behind the surging Phillies, who’ve won 13 of 14. The negative was a groin injury that forced Braves starting pitcher Kyle Davies from the game in the third inning and will put him on the disabled list indefinitely. He allowed five runs including four in the third, when he left without recording an out.
“It popped,” said Davies, who didn’t think the soreness he felt earlier was serious enough for him not to pitch.
“He’s definitely going to be out for a while,” said Cox, who wasn’t pleased to learn that Davies had been sore all day and didn’t tell the manager, pitching coach, or the training staff.
No one was bigger — literally or figuratively — for the Braves than journeyman reliever Chad Paronto. The 260-pounder had a career-high six strikeouts in three scoreless innings after Davies exited.
“Stellar. He kept us in the game,” Cox said of Paronto. “It was amazing how he did so well.”
Cox said the Braves haven’t decided who will take Davies’ spot in the rotation, but said left-hander Horacio Ramirez (hamstring) will need at least one more minor league rehab start Thursday. Journeyman Travis Smith at Class AAA Richmond is a possibility for one start until Ramirez is ready.
McCann’s three-run homer keyed a six-run sixth for an 8-5 lead. It was his fifth home run and second in three games.
“This is the best I’ve felt at the plate probably in my whole life,” said the 22-year-old catcher from Duluth, who is batting .352 overall and .429 with 12 RBIs in his past 20 games.
McCann was among the many Braves offering LaRoche support after he was booed Sunday and again Monday. LaRoche doubled down the left-field line in the seventh, when his hustle was conspicuous.
“When the year is said and done, he will be one of our leaders,” McCann said, “and be the Adam laRoche he’s been the last two years — 20 homers, .280, Gold Glove [-caliber defense].”
McCann and Jones drove in seven of eight Braves runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Jones had an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth to chase reliever Matt Herges. McCann greeted right-hander Randy Messenger with a homer to the Braves’ bullpen. Jeff Francoeur also had one of the five singles in the inning, extending his career-best hitting streak to 13 games.
Florida answered with Mike Jacobs’ three-run homer in the seventh off Oscar Villarreal, giving him six RBIs and three extra-base hits.
Davies exited shortly after Jacobs’ bases-loaded double skipped past first baseman Brian Jordan to extend Florida’s lead to 4-0.
Dan Uggla had led off the third with a home run, the 11th homer allowed by Davies in 37-2/3 innings over his past seven starts.
After Jacobs’ bases-clearing double, Davies went to a 2-2 count against Miguel Olivo before stepping off the mound. He was done.
Permalink | | Categories: Game Night
Lollygagging bites LaRoche
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those Braves fans who may have been away for the weekend or didn’t watch any television, nothing much out of the ordinary the past couple of games.
Well, nothing except Jeff Francoeur’s walkoff grand slam to cap the most dramatic ninth-inning Braves rally in recent memory on Saturday, and Adam LaRoche burying himself alive Sunday with the stupidest/laziest/most regrettable mistake of his young career, which led to more booing at Turner Field than we’re likely to hear until Barry Bonds visits. Notable, of course, since LaRoche plays for the hometown nine, while Bonds does not.
OK, since a lot of you want to know what I think: LaRoche’s fielding blunder was dumb, inexcusable. If I’d been in the crowd instead of the pressbox, I would’ve booed, too.
That said, those who expect me or others to retract our prior defense of LaRoche for not scoring from second base in the division series-deciding loss at Houston (the one where he hit the grand slam earlier in the game), well, keep waiting. He was sick as a dog in that game, and unless you believe Bobby Cox, all the coaches and all his teammates (on and off the record) were merely defending LaRoche by agreeing to tell the same story, then you know the guy was throwing up and dry-heaving at least four times before and during that playoff game at Houston.
And please don’t say he shouldn’t have played — he hit a grand slam, remember. And if Cox didn’t believe he was healthy enough to play, he wouldn’t have played him. And if LaRoche didn’t think he was healthy enough to contribute, he wouldn’t have played that day.
Anyway, that’s not what this is about. It’s about Sunday, when LaRoche’s laid-back style bit him in the arse and cost his team four runs that all but put the game out of reach. It was only 1-0 before his two-out lapse in the fifth inning. It was 5-0 by the time John Thomson got out of the inning. ‘Nuff said.
At 1-0, Braves were even-odds to win, I’d say, against the lowly Nationals. The Braves have come back from larger deficits against better teams than Washington. But at 5-0, it was over.
Anyway, enough’s been written and said by us media members and by LaRoche himself. We can dissect this thing until the cows on ‘Rochy’s Kansas farm come home, but why? I mean, seriously, it wasn’t the seventh game of the World Series. Or the first game of a division series. Or a game in September during a playoff drive. And that’s not to minimize it, because it was colosally stupid and inexcusable. But some perspective is in order. It’s not Bill Buckner here, in terms of long-term impact. Then again, some believed a certain headline posted for an hour or less on a certain blog a month ago was going to do untold damage to Andruw Jones’ reputation. Yeah, that’s happened.
Everyone agrees LaRoche’s mistake was horrid, no excuses. But it’s not like this is a guy who doesn’t care, who has undermined the team repeatedly with his attitude or work habits or whatever. He’s a great dude, all who know him agree. Teammates defended him yesterday, saying he made a big mistake and knew it and would learn from it. But none — NONE — suggested he should be punished and benched.
He will be, of course. At least for tonight. Maybe longer. Bobby Cox knows he has to, or should, send a message to LaRoche and anyone else who might be inclined to non-chalant such a play in the future. Maybe if Bobby hadn’t been ejected after the inning, he would’ve pulled LaRoche Sunday. Don’t know. Bobby didn’t want to talk about the matter further.
Again, let me repeat, so no one here can twist my words: LaRoche was completely in the wrong. Nothing peeves me like a senseless mental error like that. It’s one thing for an aging veteran with health issues not to run out every single routine fly ball and ground ball (I’ll pause a moment — I can hear some of you howling now, but this isn’t Little League, these aren’t teenagers, and a 162-game season is entirely different from a high school or youth league schedule, and they’re being paid millions to perform over a full season, not pull an already tender hammy running out a ground ball in May. So really, what you think about this subject isn’t going to sway my mind; I’ll go with the opinions of those who’ve played and managed in pro ball for decades on this one). It’s another for someone to make a mistake simply by losing track of the situation, a mental mistake more than physical. It wouldn’t have required any more effort to take one step quicker to first.
Anyway, about LaRoche. One of my favorite guys on the team. I do a morning radio thing with him Monday-Friday on road games. Blah blah blah. But it doesn’t matter. I’m able to have an objective opinion on him or anyone else on the team, and the team itself, because I’m not a fan and because it’s what I’m paid to do. He stunk yesterday. And he stunk with that terrible throw in Milwaukee. But otherwise, he’s been pretty damn good defensively this year and the past two years, ranking among the NL leaders in fielding percentage and preventing a lot of errors with good scoops and good double-play starting throws. Anyone who doesn’t see the difference when, say, Brian Jordan is playing defense, isn’t paying attention.
That said, LaRoche has to do better to remain part of the Braves’ future. And it has little if anything to do with yesterday, other than he’s now going to get booed until he does something to stop the boos, and it’s never good for the home atmosphere to have one of your guys getting booed (by that I mean, Braves officials aren’t going to like hearing a lineup regular getting booed. I’m not saying he should or shouldn’t be booed — my opinion isn’t important on that. Boo whomever you want. I’ve got no problem. You pay, you can boo or cheer all you want).
OK, I’ve rambled. Here’s the important thing: LaRoche can get the fans back and get his season back by doing one thing and one thing only (well, besides running hard): Going on a hitting surge. Hitting home runs. Doing what a first baseman is supposed to do offensively. Produce runs. If he hits .300 with 10 homers in the next 25 games, the boos will cease. Mark my words. But that’s a mighty big “if” the way he’s played.
In his last 22 games, LaRoche has hit .183 with more errors (two, both costly) than homers (one), eight RBIs 13 walks and 15 strikeouts in 60 at-bats. Not good. Bad. Very bad.
Last thing: Jurries has missed two weeks recovering from hairline fracture in his knee after taking a line drive off it during batting practice. Before he was hurt, he was hitting .235 with one homer, two RBIs and 16 strikeouts in 51 at-bats for Richmond. In other words, he was less productive in Triple-A than LaRoche has been with the Braves this season.
A better option appears to be the left-hitting Scott Thorman, who was batting .305 with four doubles, two triples, four homers and 15 RBIs in 34 games (131 at-bats) at Richmond, with a .377 OBP and .458 slugging percentage.
Don’t know if Braves are going to do anything, because it’s not like they’re going to send LaRoche down to Triple-A after a boneheaded mistake. It’ll take more slumping. But Thorman seems a legit option if and when they want to do something.
Finally, please don’t make this about ADD. it’s not about that. If LaRoche thought it was, he’d take medication. That’s not why he nonchalanted it to first base yesterday. Not at all. Period.
Hot homestand a must
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves are only home for a week before they have to go out on the road again, but it could be a very good seven days.
In fact, it needs to be a very good seven days.
The Braves have three games this weekend with Washington at Turner Field, then four with Florida. This is the time to close the gap in the National League East.
While the Braves are playing the bottom two teams in the division at home, the Mets - losers of two out of three at Philadelphia - are at Milwaukee and St. Louis before facing the rival Yankees in interleague action.
The second-place Phillies, the hottest team in the division, don’t have it easy either, playing at Cincinnati and Milwaukee.
By this time next week, the NL East may have a tighter different look, with three teams bunched near the top.
If that happens, Braves fans will be feeling a lot better about the possibility of a 15th consecutive division title. The players will be relieved, too.
But the Braves need to take care of business. They can’t afford to not capitalize on this schedule break.
Fix closer conundrum. Now.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Their lineup is punchless, they have no leadoff man, the rotation is only three-deep, the bullpen is full of riff-raff and castoffs, they can’t catch the Mets and maybe not even the Phillies.
The lineup will be fine, Marcus Giles will soon surge, Horacio Ramirez will fortify the rotation, the bullpen will improve with one or two trades, and they’ll overtake the Phils and Mets.
Like many of you, I am waivering on these Braves. Going back and forth. Wondering if history alone is enough to offset their obvious weaknesses and bring Atlanta a 15th consecutive division title.
After last night’s 11-3 debacle, it’s tough to sit here and argue that all is well. Because it’s not. If it weren’t for their history of overcoming deficits, and the presence of Bobby Cox and a few veterans who’ve been through this before, nobody - me included - could make a sound argument that the Braves are poised to win the NL East.
But as long as Cox and those veterans are here, and as long as John Schuerholz is still manning the front-office controls, many, if not most, baseball observers will give the Braves the benefit of doubt and not bet against them until the streak finally ends.
A few things that simply must be fixed for it to happen:
Closer. Chris Reitsma is a prince of a guy, smart and personable and one of my favorites to deal with, but he stinks right now, and he’s not been very good in the closer role for any sustained period during his entire career, unless five weeks last summer can be considered “sustained.”
The Braves must, and I believe will, find another guy. They’ll probably try someone in the organization, though the options are few. Oscar Villarreal, for as good as he’s been in a setup role most nights so far this season, has blown all nine save opportunities in his career, including three this season. That’s 0-for-9, and even if most were difficult situations, the nature of the beast for middle-relief and setup guys, it’s still 0-for-9. Of course, Kyle Farnsworth had a awful track record for saves until he actually became a full-time closer for the Braves.
Then again, Farnsworth choked spectacularly in the postseason, and that dude probably realized in his heart that closing wasn’t for him, which is why he took the Yankees’ only slightly better offer to set up, rather than close for the next three seasons for Atlanta.
It’s a tough job, which is why the Braves should have overspent a bit when the market blew up this winter. Everyone overpaid for closers, and the Braves should have, too. Of course, it’s not my money. So it’s easy to spend. But they simply must get a closer, a proven guy, because this team isn’t going to score enough runs to blow people out, and that makes all those close games so vital and the closer so much more important. They have to win the close ones, and his teammates have to believe their closer will slam the door. Reits? He doesn’t slam the door.
He went 2-0 and 9-for-9 in saves with a 1.04 ERA in 17 games from July 1 to Aug. 6 last season, winning the NL Rolaids Relief Man award for July. But since then, he’s had everyone reaching for the Rolaids.
I mean, this is Kolbian-level stuff, these numbers for Reitsma since Aug. 7: In 35 games, Reitsma is 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA, .352 opponents’ average, and - close your eyes if you’re squeamish - seven blown saves in 13 opportunities. He’s allowed 51 hits and nine walks - 60 BASERUNNERS! - in 33-1/3 innings in that stretch, with only 14 strikeouts. I don’t care how much he’s making, I won’t even mention it here because that’s not important and I’m not trying to take cheap shots or pile one. I’m just saying: End it now. Pull the plug. Send the good-natured Canadian back to a setup role, where he can thrive (I think).
Bring up a minor leaguer, try Villarreal, for god’s sake even try Jorge Sosa in the role, if nothing else (I can’t believe I just said that), but do something now. And do it while working tirelessly to make a trade sooner than later, far sooner than the July 31 trade deadline, because if they don’t have a good closer soon, it’s going to be too late to get one in July.
OK, we’ll talk about Andruw’s slump, Giles’ leadoff performance and other matters later. Or you can talk about them now.
Oh, and as for Davies, don’t jump ship yet. Remember, Maddux and Glavine and even Smoltz struggled just as much at the start of their career. I’m not saying he’s going to become great like them, but just that it’s far, far too early to make judgments. The Braves still love the kid’s stuff and his mental makeup, nothing’s changed in that regard.
That’s it. Gotta get going here and get to the ballpark.
Prime time to gut Fish
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After watching the floundering Marlins last night at a stadium more than nine-tenths empty (seriously, there were barely 6,000 tickets sold), then listening to the excellent new Red Hot Chili Peppers CD this morning in my Fort Lauderdale hotel, an unusual thought came to me, one that may seem completely incomprehensible to others but at least made sense to me. And since it’s a blog, I’ll share it with you.
The Cliff’s Notes version: I’m at the 1991 Lollapalooza concert, the first year of that Perry Farrell-birthed music festival, at the muddy Central Florida fairgrounds in Orlando (at least I think that’s what it was called). The Chili Peppers close the long, long day of music with a killer set in which they wore some strange light-bulb type things on their head with fire coming out of them. Or something like that. Anyway, it was an outstanding show.
Then I remembered that it wasn’t the Chili Peppers; the Chili Peppers were at the second Lollapalooza, in 1992, which I also saw, in Miami the day before Hurricane Andrew hit. But anyway, the link to the CD this morning and last night’s game was too good, in my mind, to let pass. So I committed to linking the two in a blog. Hey, just stay with me.
For the record, it was Jane’s Addiction that closed that remarkable first Lollapalooza show, the one I saw at Orlando.
Anyway, after they were done - Jane’s, not the Peppers - and as my ears were ringing and each step I took made a horrid squishing sound of a foot coming out of deep mud, I looked around and realized that none of the five or six people I came to the show was anywhere near me. The place was like Dawn of the Dead, with wasted people walking around in the mud, making their way out of the fairgrounds, and the one image that struck me was all the shoes, stray, unmatched shoes, that were stuck in the mud all around the fairgrounds.
People enjoying the show had literally come out of their shoes, and in the chaos they didn’t dare reach down and try to find them, for fear of being trampled or whatever by wild-eyed, bloodthirsty youths (or me).
OK, if you’ve made it this far, the link: The Marlins are like those of us who were wandering around after that show, looking for our rides back to South Florida or wherever we were headed. The Marlins last night, in that rainy, empty stadium, looked so lost, so stunned by what was happening around them. Folks, this is a completely overmatched bunch of baseball players, a talented group of players who are just here way too early and don’t have a single veteran leader to show them how to play and win at this level. Florida ownership has done them and their fans a huge disservice. It’s a shame.: It’s sad, really. Unless you’re the Braves, who just lost seven straight road games to fall nine games out of first place before winning Sunday at New York and then coming to South Florida.
The timing absolutely couldn’t be better for the Braves’ visit to South Florida, where they pounded the neophyte Fish 10-2 last night and should do the same the next two nights. Then they get the Marlins for four more games next week, after three against the Nationals.
In a 10-day span, the Braves have a legit chance to trim more than half of the Mets’ lead that looked so frightening to many Braves fans a few days ago. And don’t worry that the Marlins have moved Dontrelle up a day to pitch Thursday’s series finale against Tim Hudson - this isn’t Willis as you know him. Something’s either wrong with his arm or his head, because he’s 0-3 with an ERA over 7 in his past four starts, and the Braves have hit him more often than not anyway, with the glaring exception of the five-hit shutout he threw at them a year ago in Atlanta in June.
OK, I’ve gotta get ready and get to the park. Sorry if I took you down a winding road that some of you baseball-only blog purists didn’t want to travel. But hey, it does us good sometimes to go places we don’t want to go, right? Like taking the kids to the Washington Monument (my parents took me; man, it was hot and dad barely cracked the window as he smoked Winstons and drove mom and us three kids up from N.C. in the Gran Torino to D.C…. but I digress).
I wish I could share with you the state of mind I was in that night at Lollapalooza, and other things that happened to me and my buds on that glorious trip to Orlando, but hey, I fear that the statute of limitations hasn’t expired on some matters, and others can’t be discussed in these politically correct times anyway.
Needless to say, it was a long time ago, and your correspondent has long since gotten clear-minded and serious about his mission.
Over and out, folks. Davies against someone named Josh Johnson tonight.
McCann posting All-Star stats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It really shouldn’t be so easy to overlook him. I mean, he’s 6 feet 3, weighs more than 220 pounds, is a local kid from Duluth, has an amiable personality, and he’s arguably the best all-around young catcher in the National League.
So why does Brian McCann get overshadowed? Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe I’m just an idiot for not mentioning him yesterday among the reasons I think the Braves can and will win another NL East title this year.
(Actually, I should say the only reason I failed to mention him was because it was a blog and I just fired those things off the top of my head before I went out to mow the lawn. If I’d given it more consideration, obviously he’d have been at top of my list. So I’m putting him there now.)
And truthfully, we know a few reasons he gets overshadowed at times: Because he plays on a team that’s got icon-type players in Smoltz and the Joneses, and because his own friend and fellow second-year player, Jeff Francoeur, was ordained the golden boy last year in many circles (guilty as charged), and because Edgar Renteria has merely hit safely in every game he’s played as a Brave and leads the NL with a .351 average.
But that shouldn’t matter in terms of McCann getting his due. The kid is having an All-Star caliber season.
OK, so we’re making it right today by pointing out that McCann, at the tender age of 22, is mature beyond his years and already way, way above average among major league catchers in terms of overall impact and skills. In fact, I’d put him in the NL’s top three right now. Seriously.
Take a look at what he’s doing offensively: Batting .345 with seven doubles, three homers and a .388 on-base percentage. He’s hit .367 with runners on base. He’s hit .351 with two homers and nine RBIs on the road, one of the few Braves getting it done away from home.
As of today, McCann has a .300 career average with eight homers, 35 RBIs and a fine .801 OPS (very good for a catcher) in 267 at-bats and 87 games in the majors. Remember, HE IS 22!
He has improved vastly throwing out runners, and his overall defensive skills and game-calling abilities are solid and improving steadily.
Oh, and he’s 15-for-31 (.484) with six RBis and a .526 OBP in his past 10 games, with five multi-hit games in nine starts during that span.
Brian Michael McCann should not be overlooked by anyone, especially us ink-stained idiots.
Reasons not to panic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So I’m perusing the Internet this weekend and, to my surprise, I see this nugget: “ESPN Research checked and found this: Since the start of the 1991 season, the Braves have never been more than 4-1/2 games out of first on May 7.”
With all due respect to ESPN’s Buster Olney, whom I place at or near the very top of the heap among national guys supplying useful and accurate info, this one left me scratching my head.
To be fair, he’s reporting what the research guys told him, and the statement is technically accurate. And to be clear, I agree the Braves are in trouble because, as I’ve said for weeks, this Mets team might be the most balanced, talented and experienced NL East opponent the Braves have seen since the 1997 Marlins of Sheffield, Alou, Bonilla, K. Brown, Nen, Leiter, Livan, Edgar, etc. (Those Marlins didn’t win the division, but were absolultely confident all season — I know; I covered them — that they could and would beat the Braves in a playoff series, which they did in the NLCS, before going on to win the World Series.)
That said, let’s get back to why that ESPN nugget is misleading, in my view.
My point: When the average fan, one not familiar with all the details of the Braves’ slow starts and midseason rallies during their division-title streak, reads that the Braves may not have been more than 4-1/2 games behind on May 7, that fan might easily infer that the Braves have never been more than 4-1/2 games behind this late in the season. Am I right? Isn’t that what he or she might easily infer?
And that, of course, is untrue. Because while they haven’t been more than 4-1/2 games behind on May 7, the Braves have been farther behind later in the season, and isn’t that more important?
For instance, they were eight games out of first place on June 1, 2001.
Going back to the start of the division streak, they Braves were in fifth place and seven games out of first on May 27, 1992. They were 7-1/2 games behind on June 19, 1993, and 10 games back by July 22 that summer. They were 4-1/2 games behind on June 13, 1995…
My point is, they have been as far or farther behind than 4-1/2 games after May 7, and sometimes well after May 7.
Just thought I’d clarify that. Again, I think Buster is exceptional and his daily blog should be read by all baseball fans. But the research folks gave him a rather misleading stat this time.
Let’s move to pertinent matters on this Braves catch-your-breath day, before entering the humidity of South Florida:
Can the Braves catch the Mets? Of course they can. Unless the Mets trade for Barry Zito well before July 31 (and they won’t), their starting rotation is going to have a real hard time holding off the Braves or Phillies. And if Odalis Perez is traded from the Dodgers to the Mets, that isn’t exactly going to strike fear in the hearts of NL East opponents (he’s won more than 12 games only once in his career).
Their rotation remains shaky after Glavine and Pedro, and Aaron Heilman adds so much to the bullpen that moving him to the rotation would weaken one area considerably while strengthening another only marginally.
Of course, if the Braves don’t start playing a lot better in a lot of ways, they could find themselves not just a significant distance behind the Mets by the All-Star break, but also behind the Phillies. Remember, the Phillies have played the Braves even for the last couple of seasons; they’re not intimidated by Atlanta.
Here’s a few of my current red flags concerning these Braves. Let me know if you agree:
They have the NL’s fourth-lowest team batting average and a league-high 242 strikeouts with only 101 walks, fewer walks than all but the Derrek Lee-less Cubs and stinkin’ Pirates. Nothing speaks more to their lack of plate discipline than this unappetizing combo of many strikeouts, few walks and a low batting average.
Their closer (Chris Reitsma) has a 4.97 ERA, .314 opponents’ average, and almost as many walks (four) as strikeouts (five). When he enters a game, there is something less than a sure-thing feeling. Something far less.
There isn’t a better candidate on the current staff to replace Reitsma (at least not an available candidate; John Smoltz is not going to move back to closer this season).
Marcus Giles is having his most inconsistent season at a most inopportune time, when the Braves need him to be a solid leadoff hitter. With the season nearly one-fifth complete, Braves leadoff hitters (mostly Marcus) are batting .185, which is 25 points worse than any other team’s leadoff hitters and only 10 points better than Braves pitchers (.175). And Giles has swung at 43.8 percent of first pitches, fourth-highest in the NL and entirely out of character for a leadoff hitter. I know they told Marcus not to change anything when he moved from No. 2 to leadoff, but taking a few more pitches might not be such a bad thing at this point.
The Braves are 4-11 with a .230 average and seven one-run losses in their past 15 road games, and that includes 39 hits and 25 runs during the weekend series at N.Y.
The Braves have five players with 25 or more strikeouts. Adam LaRoche has 32 Ks in 95 at-bats, and has struck out once every 3.5 plate appearances, the highest ratio among NL lineup regulars.
LaRoche is 5-for-42 (.119) with one homer and four RBIs in his last 16 games, and his .200 average is fifth-lowest among NL regulars.
Ryan Langerhans, who looked so steady in the first few weeks, is 9-for-45 with one RBI, 15 strikeouts, three walks and no extra-base hits in his past 13 games.
OK, enough with the pessimism. Because despite all the flaws, I actually believe the Braves will win the division. Seriously.
A few reasons:
The starting pitching is better than most and definitely better than the Mets’ starters, in terms of depth (and over 162, that’s most important).
The bullpen is decent in the middle, and I think Schuerholz will do something to address the closer situation if Reitsma doesn’t provide more reason for confidence by July.
Chipper is healthy (knock on wood) and Andruw’s back doesn’t seem like it’ll be an ongoing problem. Edgar Renteria was as good an offseason acquisition as was made by any NL contender, and he’s been a resounding success in the lineup and the clubhouse.
And Francoeur looks like he’s past the worst of it and ready to be a force. He certainly has been the past week. After batting .185 with three homers and nine RBIs in his first 23 games, he’s hit .342 with three homers and 13 RBis in his past eight, while showing the Mets and Shea Stadium denizens just why he’s a special talent with a knack for thriving under pressure.
Francoeur, by the way, is batting just .231 this season, but .344 (11-for-32) with runners in scoring position. And against the Mets, he’s 10-for-22 (.455) with five extra-base hits (three homers) and 11 RBis in his past four games.
Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Edgar Renteria. The Mets don’t have anyone except Glavine who’s been through it as much as any of those guys. Not even Pedro.
OK, I’m done rambling. Good to be back.
And did anyone see the Cash vs. Music Row special on CMT this weekend? Outstanding. John Cash should be added to Mt. Rushmore.
A sign of better times?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did the Braves’ rout Sunday, combined with the Mets losing a key starting pitcher for the season, signal that the gap may close between the East rivals and that there may be a pennant race after all? Or was it just a one-day respite for the Braves?
‘Statement weekend’ needed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the disabled list then, Chipper Jones didn’t hear the Shea Stadium chants of “Larry! Larry! Larry!” when the Braves played in New York during April. He will this weekend.
Chipper needs to shut the fans up. If ever the Braves needed their third baseman to be at his Mets-killing best, it’s now.
The teams split six games in April, each winning twice on the other’s field. But the Braves trail the Mets by seven games in the National League East after being swept in a two-game series at Philadelphia.
The Braves have lost five consecutive road games. The streak has to end and end quickly.
Although he hit a homer, Chipper was relatively quiet when the Mets played in Atlanta last weekend. His bat has to be loaded this weekend.
The Braves offense has been very inconsistent, especially on the road. Injuries can no longer be blamed.
The Braves need a statement weekend. They must show the Mets that they will be in the race all season and aren’t going to have their streak of division titles end without a battle.
Continued concern over ‘pen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves’ rotation appears back on track. The bullpen, though, remains a work in progress. How the pieces come together will likely determine whether the Braves win another division title.
Veteran left-hander Mike Remlinger was a pleasant surprise early in the season, but he doesn’t appear up to such a heavy workload.
With the Phillies sending a lefty-heavy lineup to the plate in the eighth inning Wednesday night, Braves manager Bobby Cox turned to Remlinger. Disaster struck quickly.
Chase Utley led off with a single and Aaron Rowand, the one righty in the middle of the order, hit a home run.
Instead of a comeback 4-3 victory, the Braves had a disheartening 5-4 loss.
Remlinger has pitched in 16 games - the most on the staff. Lance Cormier, who has appeared in 15, won’t be available for a while. He was put on the disabled list Wednesday because of a strained oblique.
Closer Chris Reitsma has pitched better of late, and Oscar Villarreal and Ken Ray have had some good moments. But the bullpen is definitely a continuing concern.
General manager John Schuerholz is almost certain to make a move before the trade deadline. But will the Braves still be in the race?
Gotta stay positive
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Phillies are just 5-10 at home and have heard plenty of boos from Philadelphia fans. With another series against the first-place New York Mets coming up this weekend, the Braves can’t let the Phillies turn the boos into cheers.
Winners of three straight after a five-game losing streak, the Braves need to continue the positive momentum. That means adding to the Phillies’ miseries during the two-game series.
The Braves didn’t fare well in the cozy confines of Citizens Bank Park last season, going 4-6. They have John Smoltz and John Thomson starting in this series, however, and Marcus Giles is finally starting to produce in the leadoff spot to give the offense a real boost.
This is the first of an eight-game road trip that ends in Florida next week. If the Braves can go 6-2, the early-season pressure will be back on the Mets.
In Hud we trust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, well, well, what have we here? Bruce Springsteen playing great folk music like a latter-day Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan touring with Merle Haggard, Kobe Bryant deciding that maybe his team is better without him taking 40 shots a game … and current Braves starting pitchers pitching like Braves starting pitchers of old.
OK, so Dylan touring with Hag isn’t so shocking, considering Bob and Johnny Cash also had a strong bond back in the day, and Hag may well be the Greatest Living Country Artist now that Cash is dead, and one of Bob’s few colleagues in the genius-songwriter category… but Kobe and Braves pitchers is seriously going against the recent grain.
(Stay with me folks, this is just a blog and I like to let this stuff out somewhere….)
If and when Jorge Sosa ever decides to join the party or Horacio Ramirez’s hamstring heals, the Braves might have the vaunted rotation many of us thought they’d have.
And who’d have thunk that 2-1/2 weeks ago, when the starters had a majors-worst 8.17 ERA and .352 opponents’ average after 11 games?
After Tim Hudson’s one-hit gem Monday against a hot-hitting Colorado team, Braves starters have a 2.27 ERA and four complete games in the last 14 games. They’ve whittled their starters ERA to 4.32, which is now sixth in the NL, and the team ERA to 4.37 (eighth in NL). (On a side note, a certain team in Baltimore has a 5.67 ERA that ranks ahead of only one AL team, Minnesota, or two teams if you consider Kansas City an actual AL team).
Now, if the Braves can get any consistent offensive production out of two supposed-to-be power positions, first base and right field, and something close to a .350 OBP out of their leadoff hitter, they might be able to reel in the Mets by the All-Star break. Or not. Adam LaRoche looks so lost at the plate right now, and Francoeur so inconsistent (will he get a walk by the break?) that the Braves may have no choice but to make a move to acquire a bat this summer, and perhaps sooner than that. (Reggie Sanders, Tony Clark, Jeff Conine — someone.)
But anyway, Hudson. Plenty of you are skeptics and not convinced he’s turned a corner. I was one of you, until last night. Now I’m convinced he’s figured out this mechanical flaw and corrected it, the one that Roger McDowell noticed watching side-by-side video and comparing Hudson’s form early this season to his great seasons in Oakland. He’s got him staying taller on the mound now, and the result is more of a downward plane, which gives his pitches more bite, more movement downward, making that sinker the devastating weapon it was when he was the winningest AL pitcher over a five-year run.
Since they made the adjustment, Hudson is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA and .157 opponents’ average in three starts, with as many complete games in that span (two) as any other NL team has this season. He’s allowed 13 hits and four walks with 15 strikeouts in 25 innings in those three games, including a three-hitter at New York.
Folks, if that ain’t convincing, then we’re a hardened bunch. But I’ll understand if some want to hold out for a couple more starts, see if he can keep it up. Me, I’m sold.
But Sosa … well, let’s just say it’ll be good if Horacio Ramirez’s beloved Lakers can inspire him to a quicker recovery and get Ho back in the rotation soon. Because I’m not holding my breath waiting for the Sosa of 2005 to return.
Just one hit, that’s it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was a masterful performance by Tim Hudson, the kind that could someday place him in the pantheon of Braves pitching greats, if he can do it more frequently.
Hudson threw a one-hit shutout and retired the last 17 batters he faced Monday night in a 2-0 win against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field, a thoroughly dominant performance against a team that was among baseball’s hottest.
“I feel like I’m starting to throw the ball the way I’m capable,” said Hudson, who had five strikeouts with three walks and recorded his ninth career shutout and second complete game in three starts.
Hudson also had the game-winning RBI on a second-inning single. One inning later, Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings singled through the right side, the only hit for the top-hitting team in the National League.
“One of his best games ever, for me,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said after Hudson threw the first one-hit complete game by a Brave since John Smoltz against Cincinnati in 1999. “That’s the old Tim Hudson.”
It’s the Hudson the Braves traded for in December 2004, but saw only glimpses of during an inconsistent first season for Atlanta.
Now they’ve seen it twice in 12 days, with this one topping the three-hitter to beat the Mets and Tom Glavine at Shea Stadium on April 19.
It was the 20th complete game for Hudson, who leads the majors with two this season after having none in 2005. His only other one-hitter was against the Chicago White Sox in 2000, when Frank Thomas had a broken-bat single early in the game.
“He’s a guy I know I’d never want to face,” said Braves catcher Brian McCann, who wore a T-shirt afterward inscribed with “I Rode Bodacious For Nine,” a reference to the outstanding movement that Hudson gets on his pitches.
Braves third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez had the shirts made recently and gave the first to Todd Pratt, who caught Hudson’s three-hitter at New York.
“They’re the hottest team in the league right now,” McCann said of the Rockies. “So for him to do that against a team like that, it’s awesome.”
The Rockies came in with a majors-leading 10-3 road record and a four-game winning streak after sweeping a weekend series at Florida.
They also had NL-leading batting averages of .290 overall and .314 on the road, the antithesis of Colorado teams that have often led the NL in home average at mile-high Coors Field and ranked near the bottom in road average.
Hudson (2-2) got help from second baseman Marcus Giles and third baseman Chipper Jones on a couple of difficult defensive plays. But for the most part, this was Hudson handling Colorado hitters with ease and efficiency.
“Like a hot knife through butter,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.
Hudson admonished himself for giving up the only hit to a pitcher, but Jennings hit .382 with 17 homers at Baylor in 1999 when he was the consensus NCAA player of the year.
Hudson credits his recent improvement to pitching coach Roger McDowell, who noticed a flaw in his delivery two weeks ago after looking at side-by-side video of some of his best starts with Oakland and his first few starts this season.
McDowell showed Hudson that he wasn’t staying back as tall on the rubber as he used to, and was pitching more across his body as a result.
Hudson thinks the flaw may have contributed to his side strains the past two years, and lessened the downward movement of his sinker and other pitches.
“It’s something you’d have trouble noticing by yourself,” said Hudson, who threw his sinker about 80 percent of the time Monday, by McCann’s estimation.
He threw 66 strikes in 103 pitches, and needed only 51 pitches to get through the last five innings after walking two in the fourth.
It was his first official shutout since he threw a five-hitter at Baltimore in 2004. He limited Houston to four hits in nine shutout innings in a matchup with Roger Clemens on April 18, 2005, but got no decision in that 12-inning win.
Hudson provided a 1-0 lead with his single up the middle in the second inning, after McCann’s two-out single and a walk by Ryan Langerhans.
Giles added a two-out RBI single in the fourth, his third hit in five at-bats with runners in scoring position after an 0-for-10 start in those situations.
Edgar Renteria’s infield single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 16 games, matching Felipe Alou’s streak in 1966 as the longest by an Atlanta hitter to begin a season.
The Braves got their second win in a row after a five-game losing streak. They’ll finish their two-game set with the Rockies tonight before starting a three-city trip Wednesday at Philadelphia.
Permalink | | Categories: Game Night
Leadoff? More like leadout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that Jeff Francoeur has applied the defibrillator paddles to his batting average and slugging percentage with four hits and a homer Sunday, we turn our attention to the other eyesore in the Braves lineup.
The .161 average from leadoff hitters. Let me repeat: one-sixty-one.
During the month of April, Braves pitchers hit for a higher average (.190) than Marcus Giles and Co. have from the leadoff spot. Got to mention pitchers also have a higher slugging percentage (.310 for Atlanta pitchers:.258 for Atlanta leadoff hitters) and only one fewer RBI and two fewer extra-base hits in 48 at-bats than for the leadoff guys in 93 at-bats.
That’s nearly unfathomable after 24 games.
Now, we all know Marcus Giles is not going to hit .192 all season. That’s his current average, including a .183 mark (13-for-71) from the leadoff spot.
But when Chipper, Andruw, Smoltz and others said after Rafael Furcal left that the Braves were really going to miss the shortstop, did anyone have any idea they’d miss him THIS MUCH?
(And yes, I realize that Furcal is stinkin’ up the joint offensively and defensively at L.A. right now, but that’s not the point — I’m comparing what he did while here to what the Braves are getting now from the leadoff spot).
Anyway, back to my point — what was my point?
Oh yeah, the point is, well, that the Braves simply must get far, far better production at the top of the order to properly utilize the talents of Nos. 2-4 hitters Renteria and the Joneses. (I know, I’m a genius for figuring that out; that’s what covering ball for 12 years will do for you — it gives you that inside knowledge that’s not so obvious to the laymen).
Giles said his achy finger — remember, the man sprained a ligament and also had a bone chip that’s still in there; it wasn’t simply a “jammed finger” as some have written — isn’t an excuse for his poor production. And true, he was struggling before he got hurt.
But it’s affecting him, surely. And this time, I do agree with Bobby Cox about the bad luck Giles has had recently. He’s smoked quite a few balls in the past week that have been right at people.
Nevertheless, the numbers are what they are, and they are ghastly. It’s not time to overreact and make changes, mostly because the Braves don’t have many, if any, viable options for leadoff. It’s not like Ryan Langerhans’ recent work has suggested he’s the man to move into the leadoff slot, though his first couple of weeks showed he could be a guy for the role when he’s going good. He’s got a high on-base percentage, or at least he did until he started whiffing a couple of weeks ago.
But for now, they’ll likely continue and wait for Giles to snap out of this. Pete Orr already showed he’s overmatched as a daily leadoff guy, and the kids — (Pena, Prado, et al) aren’t ready for that, even if there was a position for them to play, which there’s not.
Maybe Giles will have a four-hit game like Francoeur and make this situation better. But for now, the fact is that the Braves have a leadoff average that’s 35 points below the next-worst in the majors (Pittsburgh’s .196) and 84 points below any NL team’s leadoff average in 2005, when the worst was the Cubs’ .245. Braves leadoff hitters last year? They hit .295 with a .356 OBP and .439 slugging.
Even with Giles’ early flurry of walks and his better-than-typical leadoff power, the Braves currently have a .278 OBP and .258 slugging percentage from the No. 1 spot in their lineup, and the dropoff in production has coincided with the team’s overall offensive malaise.
Again, I know Giles will snap out of this. We’re talking about a guy who hit .305 with 116 doubles, 44 homers, 180 RBIs and a .377 OBP in 399 games over the 2003-05 seasons.
But man, he and the lineup had better get going soon if the Braves want to keep the Mets’ NL East lead in single digits.
After hitting .259 with a homer, 11 walks, a .474 OBP and nine runs in eight games through April 10, Giles is 8-for-51 (.157) with four walks, 12 strikeouts, a .218 OBP and four runs in his past 13 games.
He says it’s not the finger and it’s not the leadoff spot that’s killing him. Keep in mind 1,201 of Giles’ 1,507 at-bats in that three-year period came from the No. 2 spot in the order, and only 15 from the leadoff position.
The Braves better hope he’s fibbing about the finger.
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