AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > August > 12
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Feels like postseason _ the weather, that is
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Always thinking about the denizens of the Braves and the Man in Black blog, your hard-working correspondent has decided to knock out a quickie here during the first inning of the game.
And why not, since it doesn’t appear that Kevin Barry is in any hurry to get through this thing quickly tonight. So much for the notion of Smoltz’s stellar performance creating any kind of momentum.
There’s a playoff atmosphere out here at the ballpark. Wait, what I meant to say was, the weather feels like October out here. It most definitely is not a playoff atmosphere.
Barry’s two-run first inning served to underscore what I’ve said for weeks _ this team, while not a great assemblage of talent, was certainly good enough to compete for a playoff spot this season were it not for injuries and lack of depth on the pitching staff.
Journeymen pitchers to the left of me, overmatched kids to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle of boos….
I realize that diagnosis _ lack of quality pitching _ hardly makes me a genius, but some of you insist this is just a bad Braves team living down to its potential. Not so, in my opinion. It’s a bad Braves pitching staff, certainly compared to staffs during the Braves’ run of division titles.
But the lineup is good enough, and the defense well above average.
The closer situation dragged them down early _ 20 of 40 blown saves before Wickman arrived was absurd _ and the erratic work of the injury-plagued starters other than Smoltz has bitten the Braves all season, and with increased frequency of late.
There is no way that Kevin Barry should be starting a game for the Braves in August when they’re trying to win every series to stay in the wild-card hunt. No way. But because of their lack of depth, he is.
That’s why I’d strongly suggest getting at least one accomplished starter this winter to supplment returners Smoltz, Hudson, Hampton and presumably Ramirez and Chuck James.
The minor league system no longer has starting pitcher prospects lined up 3-5 deep in the upper levels (the guys near-ready for the majors) like the system had in the past, so the Braves need to replenish it.
They must do so, whether that means trading a top position-player prospect and/or someone in the current lineup. Much as I like Marcus Giles, he might be the logical guy to be dealt for younger talent only because a lot of teams would give up a lot to get him, and because the Braves might decide that Yunel Escobar, Willy Aybar or Martin Prado can handle second base next season. I don’t know. Too early to know.
I’ve already suggested re-signing Wickman. That, to me, should be job No. 1.
On other matters…. I just posted something on the previous blog about Aybar. He’s got a non-displaced chip fracture of a small bone in his left hand and a sprained middle finger, and he’s going on the DL tomorrow to open a spot for Chipper to come off it.
Aybar’s been playing with the injury, Bobby Cox said, since he got hurt sliding into second base on the last out of his four-hit debut July 30.
That would explain why Aybar’s swing has looked so weak since that game. Bobby said he’s just been trying to lay the bat on the ball and scratch out hits, and that he never complained or used it as an excuse.
Aybar was 4-for-6 with two RBIs in that debut July 30 against the Mets, and 8-for-39 (.205) with no extra-base hits or RBIs in his next 10 games while filling in for Chipper and batting leadoff.
Trust me on this one: While Aybar hasn’t done much at the plate in his past 10 games, he got some big points with the manager playing hurt and not complaining. Very big. That won’t be forgotten.
“He’s a smart kid,” Cox told a couple of us before the game tonight. “He’s got tools. He’s got talent.”
I’ll be shocked if Giles isn’t back in the leadoff spot tomorrow when Chipper returns. Pete Orr played third and batted leadoff tonight, but Chipper’s coming off the DL tomorrow and unless Bobby really shakes it up and tries Edgar or perhaps Matt Diaz at the leadoff spot, it’ll have to be Giles there. I’d bet Giles.
Everyone here was still talking about Smoltz’s performance last night.
Do you guys realize that Smoltz, the 39-year-old many predicted wouldn’t be able to withstand the rigors of starting again because of his surgically-repaired (four freakin’ times) elbow, was third in the majors with 169 innings pitched before Saturday, behind only Roy Halladay (170) and Johan Santana (169.1) and Bronson Arroyo (169)?
Ohh, my _ as I wrote that, Bill Hall just hit a two-run homer to dead center off Barry to put the Brewers ahead 4-0. Looks like I want have to be updating any info on the Bob Wickman story that’s posted online and will run in tomorrow’s paper.
I think I’ll go back to the press dining room and look for some pie. And coffee. Definitely coffee.
