AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 08
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Hampton shuts it down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happy Easter to all from sunny and significantly more comfortable Turner Field, where the temp is still low but the wind’s not howling. And where Kelly Johnson just crushed the first pitch El Duque threw, a leadoff homer to start the bottom of the first.
That was Kelly’s second hit of the the season, both homers.
First, some bad news: Mike Hampton’s elbow was barking at him again when he threw a bullpen session this morning in the indoor batting cage. Not good, folks. He aborted at mid-session and went to talk with the orthopedist.
Hampton wasn’t available to talk to us before the game. Hopefully I’ll get him afterward. But the important stuff is already known: His left elbow is still not right, 18-1/2 months after surgery.
“Especially knowing what a productive, competitive member of our pitching staff he was before he got hurt, this is bad news,” GM John Schuerholz just told me a few minutes ago in a pressbox hallway. “But we have to press on. We have no choice.”
Hampton’s going to be reexamined Monday in New York by the doctor who did his September 2005 “Tommy John” surgery, and the Braves are probably braced for the worst _ since it seems that’s become the best way to prepare for news regarding the oft-injured pitcher.
OK, don’t want to rain all over the Easter parade, so here’s the good news: Lance Cormier threw in the outfield this morning and said he was pain-free. Granted, it wasn’t off the mound, wasn’t really turning it up to full intensity.
But it was progress nonetheless, given that he had discomfort in his troublesome triceps/lat area when he did the same throwing drill Monday on the off day at Philly. That’s when they decided to DL him, rememember.
He’s eligible to come off the DL on the 15th, but his next scheduled rotation turn (the one Kyle Davies is taking today), wouldn’t be until the 19th. So there’s no rush to get Cormier on the mound to test it with a bullpen session, but that will likely come within a week.
What happens to the rotation when Cormier is ready? I’d assume he’d replace Davies. But hey, if Davies deals today and in his next start, maybe they have a decision to make. I don’t know. That’s getting ahead of ourselves.
I do know that Mark Redman hasn’t relieved since 2000 and certainly doesn’t have the stuff to be a reliever, unless you looked at it like this: He throws so much junk, his stuff might throw some hitters for a loop if he came in during the late innings after a hard-throwing starter and another reliever or two.
But again, that’s getting ahead of ourselves. And Redman didn’t throw badly in his first start Friday. Wasn’t great, by any means. But he didn’t pitch badly, and as I said in spring training, the Braves got him at a bargain rate _ $750,000, plus incentives _ for a guy who’ll give you 170-190 innings and a chance to win more often than not.
So my guess is he stays in the rotation. But hey, we’ll see what transpires. Davies would need to pitch a lot better than he did last season to even give the Braves anything to think about, in the first place.
He’ll get his chance, starting today.
El Duque vs. El Davies: Gonna be an interesting matchup today, isn’t it? They say this big, slow curveball that Orlando Hernandez has been throwing at times is almost an eephus pitch, it’s so slow (mid-60 mph range).
“That pitch just locks a hitter up,” Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “If he gets ahead of you with that at 0-1, he has four pitches than he can throw for strikes. He’s tough, and he’s very deceptive.”
I’ve gotta share this from my buddy, Dan Graziano, who writes baseball in New York (we used to cover the Marlins together in the mid-90s). He wrote this tongue-in-cheek _ at least I think it was tongue-in-cheek _ description of Hernandez for the notes network our paper is part of:
“Hernandez, as you may or may not know, is a powerful and mysterious ancient wizard, similar to Gandalf from ‘Lord of the Rings,’ except in Spanish. Other tricks from Tuesday night’s game included pitching those seven outstanding innings without striking out a single batter and also picking off a baserunner. Later, in the clubhouse, he put a spell on David Wright’s bowling ball, turning it into a rooster.”
That’s good stuff.
Best Radiohead and REM songs: This has nothing to do with anything, so skip this part if you don’t want to hear my opinion of music. But I was just thinking in the past couple days how time can change your thoughts on particular songs, etc.
Specifically, two bands I’ve always loved: REM and Radiohead. My favorite REM songs were always “Begin the Begin,” “Pretty Persuasion,” “I Believe,” “Rockville,” etc. Now, after listening to the Best of IRS CD a few times lately, I’ve decided that “Sitting Still” might just be my favorite song of theirs. Don’t know why I’ve come to that conclusion or changed my opinion, but man, is that song incredible.
As for Radiohead, I hadn’t played any of their stuff in a while, and was listening to the “OK Computer” CD this week when I came to another conclusion: “Let Down” is just a remarkably good song that only gets better with time.
OK, like I said, it had nothing to do with anything.
“HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME” by John Hiatt
When the road gets dark/And you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark/And have a little faith in me
And when the tears you cry/Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try/And have a little faith in me
Chorus:
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
When your secret heart/Cannot speak so easily
Come here darlin’/From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me
And when your backs against the wall/Just turn around and you will see
I will catch, I will catch your fall baby
Just have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Well, I’ve been loving you for such a long time girl/Expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend/cause for us there is no end
And all you gotta do is have a little faith in me
I said I will hold you up, I will hold you up
Your love gives me strength enough
So have a little faith in me
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