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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Hoping to avoid a letdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is there such a thing as a letdown in baseball? The Braves started the season so well against the Phillies and Mets, two teams projected by a lot of people to finish ahead of the Braves in the NL East standings. They were ready to get going, ready to show off their new bullpen and came up with clutch hits. They won those series 5-1.
Since then, the Braves have gone 3-3 against the Marlins and Nationals, teams supposed to finish behind the Braves in the NL East.
Are “letdowns” and “overlooking teams” just for football and basketball or can baseball teams do it too? The argument against it is, you play baseball every day. Emotions don’t come into play as much. They can’t. It’s more clinical. Guys are hitting well or not, pitching well or not. Weather is cold. And tides turn on who’s pitching and how well. A team could face a great pitcher for a bad team.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if you ask me, the Braves were locked in before, and they’ve lost their mojo. The key hits aren’t coming. Even Brian McCann, who’s been the Braves’ most reliable hitter this season and hard to pick on, is a good example. He hit .364 (8 for 22) with two homers and seven RBI in those first two series. He’s hit .222 (4 for 18) since then, with no homers and one RBI.
So is it good news the Mets are coming up again already, when the Braves start a 10-day road trip this coming weekend? Perhaps. And for those who are on the conservative “this is baseball” side, the Braves can feel good about having their rotation lined up to go Tim Hudson, Chuck James and John Smoltz against the Mets.
A GOOD START: Left-hander Steve Colyer made his first appearance Monday night (1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, two hits, 3 Ks) since getting called up from Richmond to replace of Macay McBride. One thing he’s got ahead of McBride already is he’s throwing strikes. Of his 21 pitches, 16 went for strikes.
He gave up a couple hits, one a double on a groundball past Chipper Jones and one on a single to Dmitri Young, who was hitting everybody Monday night (3 for 4), but the Braves have to like it better than the three-walks-a-game clip McBride was putting out there.
Colyer did let one pitch loose to the backstop against Ryan Church, perhaps showing a few nerves or effects of the cold, but he came back to strike out Church and Brian Schneider to get out of the inning.
McBride ran into more control problems in his first outing Monday night for Richmond. He walked two batters and hit another before escaping the inning on a bases-loaded groundout. McBride got the win vs. Louisville.
DID YOU KNOW? Yes, Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones homered twice in five days to make that the 57th time both Joneses have homered in the same game. They lead all active teammates in that category (ahead of Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols, who’ve done it 46 times) and are seventh all-time.
But thanks to the Braves’ SABR connection, David Vincent, who provided this information to Braves PR, we also know that Andruw and Chipper Jones homering 57 times in the same game is the most ever by teammates with the same name. Brooks and Frank Robinson did it 24 times. Edgar and Tino Martinez did it 24 times. Dave and Rickey Henderson did it 11 times….
And as good as the Braves bullpen has been in final results - 5 for 5 in save chances - they entered this Washington series leading the majors in baserunners allowed (16.71 per nine 9 innings) and in walks (26). They allowed another six baserunners Monday night, including two walks by Mike Gonzalez. Flirting with danger there.
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Remembering Jake Rocker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just read about the death of Jake Rocker, John Rocker’s father, who died in a car accident this morning in Warner Robins. I’m wondering when the shocks are going to stop this week. I’m saddened by the news and my heart goes out to John Rocker and his family.
I feel compelled to write a little about this because I knew Jake fairly well, especially well for a parent of an athlete I covered. I first got to know him when I was writing for the Macon Telegraph covering high schools in the early ’90s. It was John’s last two years as the flame-throwing stud at First Presbyterian Day School, back in the days when he used to call me ‘ma’am.’
I used to see his dad all the time at baseball games, basketball games, football games, whatever games. He was a very involved parent. And John is an only child. I’m sure this is a very, very hard day for him.
As John came up through the minors, his family opened their home to other Braves minor leaguers. It was neat to see. Andruw Jones and former shortstop prospect Glenn Williams of Australia lived with the Rockers for the summer in 1995. I used to see Jake all the time at Luther Williams Field, supporting Macon Braves players even when John wasn’t pitching.
The whole Sports Illustrated mess took a toll on both John’s parents. Jake took it hard, but he took it standing up. He tried to defend his son publicly and sometimes it backfired. He ruffled his share of feathers. But I was personally indebted to him for his decision to notify me of meetings John had lined up one day with Hank Aaron and Andrew Young, in an attempt to begin to make peace and to rebuild John’s image.
I had been staying in Macon for a few days, hoping to get John to speak publicly on the subject. Jake called me back one morning. He didn’t tell me where we were going. I was to meet him at his office. I rode in his car with him to Atlanta where we met John and made our way to Young’s house. I spent the day getting unbelievable access to a story that wound up winning a national award. For that, I’m indebted to Jake.
I didn’t always make him happy with what I wrote, but I think if the two of us saw each other now, we’d be up for a good chat about the old days. I’m sorry I won’t get that chance.
Note: Funeral services for Jake Rocker will be at 11 a.m Friday at Ingleside Baptist Church on Wimbish Road in Macon.
No mojo in the dojo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is there such a thing as a letdown in baseball? The Braves started the season so well against the Phillies and Mets, two teams projected by a lot of people to finish ahead of the Braves in the NL East standings. They were ready to get going, ready to show off their new bullpen and came up with clutch hits. They won those series 5-1.
Since then, the Braves have gone 3-3 against the Marlins and Nationals, teams supposed to finish behind the Braves in the NL East.
Are “letdowns” and “overlooking teams” just for football and basketball or can baseball teams do it too? The argument against it is, you play baseball every day. Emotions don’t come into play as much. They can’t. It’s more clinical. Guys are hitting well or not, pitching well or not. Weather is cold. And tides turn on who’s pitching and how well. A team could face a great pitcher for a bad team.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if you ask me, the Braves were locked in before, and they’ve lost their mojo. The key hits aren’t coming. Even Brian McCann, who’s been the Braves’ most reliable hitter this season and hard to pick on, is a good example. He hit .364 (8 for 22) with two homers and seven RBI in those first two series. He’s hit .222 (4 for 18) since then, with no homers and one RBI.
So is it good news the Mets are coming up again already, when the Braves start a 10-day road trip this coming weekend? Perhaps. And for those who are on the conservative “this is baseball” side, the Braves can feel good about having their rotation lined up to go Tim Hudson, Chuck James and John Smoltz against the Mets.
A GOOD START: Left-hander Steve Colyer made his first appearance Monday night (1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, two hits, 3 Ks) since getting called up from Richmond to replace of Macay McBride. One thing he’s got ahead of McBride already is he’s throwing strikes. Of his 21 pitches, 16 went for strikes.
He gave up a couple hits, one a double on a groundball past Chipper Jones and one on a single to Dmitri Young, who was hitting everybody Monday night (3 for 4), but the Braves have to like it better than the three-walks-a-game clip McBride was putting out there.
Colyer did let one pitch loose to the backstop against Ryan Church, perhaps showing a few nerves or effects of the cold, but he came back to strike out Church and Brian Schneider to get out of the inning.
McBride ran into more control problems in his first outing Monday night for Richmond. He walked two batters and hit another before escaping the inning on a bases-loaded groundout. McBride got the win vs. Louisville.
DID YOU KNOW? Yes, Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones homered twice in five days to make that the 57th time both Joneses have homered in the same game. They lead all active teammates in that category (ahead of Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols, who’ve done it 46 times) and are seventh all-time.
But thanks to the Braves’ SABR connection, David Vincent, who provided this information to Braves PR, we also know that Andruw and Chipper Jones homering 57 times in the same game is the most ever by teammates with the same name. Brooks and Frank Robinson did it 24 times. Edgar and Tino Martinez did it 24 times. Dave and Rickey Henderson did it 11 times….
And as good as the Braves bullpen has been in final results - 5 for 5 in save chances - they entered this Washington series leading the majors in baserunners allowed (16.71 per nine 9 innings) and in walks (26). They allowed another six baserunners Monday night, including two walks by Mike Gonzalez. Flirting with danger there.
