AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May > 15
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Smoltz recovering quickly, but Andruw’s batting average….
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just sat down in the pressbox here at charming RFK Stadium after a cab ride through this artery-clogged city, and now I’m watching Saltalamacchia practice throws from behind the plate to Glenn Hubbard at second base. Strong arm on that kid Salty, for sure….
Anyway, today’s blog. Where do we go. Let’s just dive in on a bunch of topics. And pardon any typos _ haven’t even read this over once. Will after I get back upstairs.
Oh, wait. First off, I should tell you that Salty has taken off the catcher’s gear and is now at first base, fielding ground balls hit by coach Brian Snitker and throwing to second base. Gotta say, he looks pretty good over there. Real good, actually….
OK, now back to cranking out this blog before the clubhouses open at 3:35.
Smoltz update (this part of blog rewritten after initial post): John Smoltz walked into the clubhouse at about 4 p.m., having come directly from the golf course after spending his 40th birthday with friends at an exclusive D.C.-area course. The good news: He said the right pinky he dislocated in Monday’s game was doing very well, much improved after a night of icing.
He’s optimistic about Saturday’s start vs. Boston, but won’t know until after he throws Wednesday or Thursday. Won’t pitch unless he can throw his changeup, the one pitch that requires significant pressure from the pinky.
I think it’s close to 50-50, but knowing Smoltz and the high-profile series, plus his record against Red Sox (1-0, 1.09 ERA, 4-for-4 saves, 27 K in 24-2/3 innings) and desire to stay on his regular schedule, I’d lean toward believing he’ll start. How’s that for definitive?
The finger barely looked swollen today, with almost no discoloration. The man’s got amazing recovery powers, apparently. He said he chipped and putted today with a splint on it.
And speaking of chipped (what a transition)….
The news was not as good on Chipper: Bruised palms (base of the thumb) still hurting, especially right one, and he’s out of lineup again and going to have it X-rays to make sure it’s just bruised.
Now back to the original blog, the part that wasn’t rewritten after initial post.
Andruw’s woes: Still waiting for him to get hot, with nearly a quarter of the season completed. He’s hitting .235 with four homers, and his decent 22 RBIs and solid .374 OBP aren’t enough to offset the least-productive first quarter he’s had in some time.
Andruw is 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts in his past three games, and 7-for-47 (.149) with 15 strikeouts, one homer, eight RBIs in 13 games (including consecutive game-winning hits to the opposite field, after which he reminded us both times that he’s a pull hitter, period).
But here’s the stat that might be most alarming. We all know Andruw’s capable of carrying the offense for two or three weeks at a time when he’s not, but consider how long he’s been hitting for a very low average:
Are you ready for this? In 87 games since Aug. 7, he’s hit .228 (69-for-302) with 21 homers, 61 RBIs, 58 walks, 73 strikeouts, one stolen base, a .367 OBP and an .867 OPS. Folks, that’s .228 for more than half a season by the 2005 MVP runner-up.
But it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets hot tonight or tomorrow, because he’s due and because he usually kills the Nats, moreso than any other team. Before this series, he had hit a robust .315 with a stunning 28 homers, 74 RBIs and an 1.117 OPS in his past 72 games against them, including 12 homers, 29 RBIs and an 1.166 OPS in his last 27 against them.
Then again, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that kind of hitting from Andruw against anyone on a sustained basis.
So far, it’s not been the free-agent year that he envisioned, safe to say.
Leadoff falloff: Can’t put all the blame on Andruw for the Braves’ May offensive swoon, because the only starters who are hitting are Chipper (who’s missed the past three games; no word yet whether he’ll play tonight), Willie Harris (had his first start without a hit or walk last night, by the way), McCann and, to a lesser extent, Edgar.
But next to Andruw, the chilliest spot in the lineup this month has probably been Kelly Johnson in the leadoff position. And it’s been such a sharp downturn that it’s made it more noticeable.
His overall numbers are still strong, including the third-highest leadoff OBP (.410) in the league. But Johnson is just 10-for-52 (.192) with no homers, six RBIs and a .276 OBP in 13 May games, after batting .478 with three homers, 10 RBIs and an absurd .607 OBP in his last 13 games in April.
Various numbers of interest: The two Braves with the most at-bats with runners on base are Jeff Francoeur and Andruw, with 63 each. Francoeur is hitting .381 (24-for-63) with a .452 OBP and 10 strikeouts in those spots, and Andruw is hitting .222 (14-for-63) with a .420 OBP and 18 strikeouts…. Chipper’s still third in the NL in OPS (1.047) behind Bonds (1.239) and Helton (1.059)…. Ryan Langerhans, who once again hurt the Braves by not making contact last night (his missed suicide bunt led to the tag of Kearns that dislocated Smoltz’s finger), is a majors-worst 0-for-34.
Warning, music talk: If you don’t like music, skip the rest of the blog.
No lyrics today, just wanted to put up my favorite early season CD acquisitions, most new, some older, and all purchased in past two months: Kings of Leon “Because of the Times,” Arcade Fire “Neon Bible,” Graham Parker “Don’t Tell Columbus,” The Ponys “Turn the Lights Out” (all those who like straight-ahead rock, get it), Amy Winehouse “Back to Black,” Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration (two CDs full of Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Isaac Hayes, etc), Elvis Perkins “Ash Wednesday” (got a lot of Tom Waits in him), Arctic Monkeys “Favorite Worst Nightmare,” Jarvis Cocker “The Jarvis Cocker Record,” Bright Eyes “Cassadega,” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Baby 81,” and Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts “Let’s Just Be.”
Buy ‘em, download ‘em, or if you must, steal ‘em (Just kidding. Don’t ever steal. Help the artists out and buy some product.)
