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Friday, June 9, 2006
Apocalypse now in the ‘pen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So John Thomson and Chris Reitsma allowed five runs the sixth inning Thursday night to spit up a 2-1 lead in a 7-4 Braves loss to Houston. And…?
That surely didn’t surprise any serious Braves fans, who’ve seen their team give up four runs or more seven times in an inning during the past 12 games. Yes, SEVEN TIMES.
And it didn’t surprise anyone that Thomson and Reitsma would be the ones to leave their fingerprints all over this latest crime scene. They’ve both been in steady free-fall, Thomson for the past three weeks and Reitsma for the entire season - actually, since early August.
Let’s state the obvious: Thomson has been unable to overcome the least bit of adversity lately; put a runner on base, via a hit, error or walk, and it’s as if there’s suddenly a masked man behind the mound swinging a meat cleaver - Thomson loses the ability to focus and make a good pitch. He’s 1-3 with a 10.57 ERA and .374 opponents’ average in his past five starts, with 40 hits (five homers) allowed in just 23-2/3 innings and more walks (10) than strikeouts (8).
He’s reminded everyone why the Braves dropped him from the starting rotation at the end of spring training in the first place (remember, Thomson started the season in the bullpen, before injuries forced a move back to rotation).
We won’t spend much time on the other obvious point: Reitsma looks done, mentally. Fried. He can’t even pitch the sixth inning now without a mental meltdown and an implosion that can suck the soul out of the team and quash any remaining rally hopes.
Stripped of his closer duties (and rightfully so, everyone agrees), he’s now being stripped of all confidence and everything else, and that is hard to watch for anyone who knows him. But hey, that’s life in the pressure cooker. You enjoy the fruits of success and wealth, but sometimes have to endure public ridicule the likes of which most of us can’t imagine. At least winters are nice.
Not meaning to kick a man while he’s down, but… Reitsma might now be officially considered the worst NL reliever this season. At the least, he’s the worst among those expected to fill a major role. He’s got the worst ERA (7.62) among NL relievers with enough innings to qualify, and the second-highest opponents’ average (.330), behind the immortal Rick White (.337) of Cincinnati.
Sorry, not done kicking yet: With runners in scoring position, Reitsma has allowed a .407 average (11-for-27) with six extra-base hits, four walks and a .485 on-base percentage.
Cut to Brando in “Apocalypse Now.” The horror … the horror.
Lefty hitters must simply salivate when they see Reitsma on the mound. They’re batting .386 (22-for-57) with three homers and a .702 slugging percentage against him.
On the road, doesn’t matter if they’re lefty or righty hitters. They all knock him around. Opponents are hitting .385 (25-for-65) against him with 12 extra-base hits, seven walks, a .452 OBP and a staggering .692 slugging percentage.
Just a reminder: This was the Braves’ CLOSER FOR THE FIRST ONE-THIRD OF THE SEASON!
OK, I can’t do it anymore. I really do feel bad piling on the guy, but wow, are those putrid stats.
Of course, he’s hardly alone among Braves relievers stinking up the joint.
Oscar “No, seriously, I’m 7-0” Villarreal leads major league relievers in wins, yet also is tied for third among NL relievers in homers allowed (six), after giving up another Thursday to continue his slide into oblivion. No NL reliever has let in a higher percentage of inherited runners than Villarreal, who’s let in 9 of the 15 he’s inherited (those runners charged to the pitchers in front of him), and lefties are hitting .314 with a .647 slugging percentage against him.
(While we’re thinking about it - guys, it’s time to shave off the Fu Manchus. It’s great if you do the unity thing and win, but a parody if you do it and keep losing. OK, back to the inventory of bullpen woes.)
McBride is damn good against lefties but so far in his young career, hasn’t found a way to get out right-handers. Until he does, any thoughts of him being more than a situational reliever should be tabled.
Kenny Ray has exceeded all expectations and deserves the closer duties that he’s finally getting, but “Death Ray” can’t do it alone.
40-year-old Mike Remlinger is OK in a limited role, but the notion of him suddenly being a situational lefty seems illogical, given how they’ve hit him this season and most of his career. He’s better against righties, always has been.
Chad Paronto - hey, he’s a journeyman who’s pitched like a journeyman. OK some nights, but not a guy you’re going to rely on consistently for key outs. At least not a guy you’d want to rely on, given a choice.
Tyler Yates, same thing. He’s probably here because his contract stipulated he’d get a shot by this point in the season.
Lance Cormier put more baserunners on (16.5 per nine innings) than all but two NL relievers before he was sent down.
Blaine Boyer and John Foster had season-ending surgeries before making contributions, and they were two guys the Braves were counting on, particularly Boyer.
Joey Devine has been a near-disaster since arriving in the majors at the end of last season. Grand slams, hip injury, playoff-ending homer, Wohlers-like wild pitches in San Francisco, back injury that may or may not be career-threatening, depending upon whom you talk to….
Chuck James was effective in middle relief and could’ve probably filled a bigger role in the bullpen, but the Braves decided to send him to the minors to rebuild arm strength and return him to starting - a decision that looks better and better, the more Thomson struggles. Between James and Kyle Davies, whose recovery from groin surgery is going ahead of schedule, the Braves might - MIGHT - have a couple of guys who can help improve the rotation and ease the load on the bullpen in the second half of the season. Thomson and Sosa, I’d suggest you’re on notice. And probably being shopped.
The Braves have big Aussie Phil Stockman and young Will Startup doing big things in the minors, probably poised for callups by later summer (Stockman perhaps sooner). But it’s clear that to make this a viable bullpen, the Braves simply must make a move or two and bring in proven talent to bolster the motley cast in the bargain-basement ‘pen they have now.
When Reitsma is the only guy making more than $700,000, and the vast majority of guys are making at or slightly above the major league minimum … well, you get what you pay for most of the time. The Braves have made do with modest bullpens in the past, but when you don’t have a Big Three in the rotation, when you don’t have starters consistently working 7-8 innings, when you don’t have an offense that can score a ton of runs in a hurry …
When you don’t have ways to ease the burden on the bullpen, you’re going to have a bullpen that comes apart at the seams like a cheap … well, like a cheap bullpen.
On a brighter note, all you Germans out there can celebrate a World Cup victory today! Is Ireland even in this thing, by the way? I gotta bone up on my World Cup knowledge. But I do love the U2-backed commercials on ESPN…
