AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > June > 19
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Can Braves shake the doomsayers?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Like Glum from Gulliver’s Travels (dating myself here, I realize), many here have sat for weeks typing versions of his mantra, “We’re doomed! We’re never gonna make it!”
And yet … 1-1/2 games out of first place, with three wins in the past four days against the AL Central-leading Indians and AL-East leading Red Sox, including wins against C.C. Sabathia and Curt Schilling.
Not to mention a ninth-inning blown 2-0 lead in what would have been a win against Johan Santana and the Twins, in which case it’d be four wins in five days.
So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m having a hard time understanding all the hand-wringing in mid-June over these Braves. Sure, they’ve got problems. But so does every other NL team. And there’s plenty of time to fix them, if the Braves are as creative as they’ve been, at times, in the past.
Still, I also understand it’s the nature of being a “fan” to worry and want more, at all times. And you all — well, at least most of you — are fans with passion, the kind the Braves would love to have more of, especially more of with disposable income and within driving distance of Turner Field.
But that’s another story. So I’ll prepare for another night at the Deep-South outpost of Red Sox Nation. And what should be a very good pitching matchup.
But, and here’s where Glum should make a cameo in this blog, the Braves and their fans had best hope a couple of trends don’t hold.
Here’s what I’m talking about. Tonight, provided we somehow get this game in between heavy rains, Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.25) faces Josh Beckett (9-1, 3.39) out at the Southern Fens (Turner Field). On the surface, as good a pitching matchup as you’ll find in the majors tonight, or most nights.
But look within the numbers (or, if you’re an eternal Braves optimist, this might be the point where you’d want to look away, or skip a couple paragraphs).
Hudson is 3-8 with a 6.22 ERA in 11 career starts against the Red Sox, his worst record against any opponent and second-highest ERA (he’s 1-2 with a 6.33 ERA in eight starts vs. Cleveland).
And it gets worse. Hudson is 0-5 with an alarming 9.45 ERA and .343 opponents’ average in his last five starts vs. the Red Sox, including May 20 at Fenway Park, when he gave up six runs and eight hits in 4-2/3 innings.
He’s got more walks (19) than strikeouts (14) in 24-2/3 innings over those five starts, and lasted fewer than five inning in three of them. How is such a skid possible for such an accomplished pitcher?
Ahh, baseball. A sometimes confounding and nearly inexplicable game.
Meanwhile, Beckett, the former Marlins pitcher, is 5-7 in 14 starts vs. Atlanta despite a stingy 2.62 ERA (his teams scored one or no runs while he was in the game in seven of his first 10 starts vs. Atlanta).
But he’s 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA and .136 opponents’ average in his past four starts against the Braves, and his Red Sox have provided 7.5 runs per nine innings while he’s been in those games.
Like I said, you probably should’ve skipped those paragraphs.
Does Andruw know Alice Cooper? His season (Andruw’s) has started to remind me of a familiar song by the old shock-rocker. “Welcome to my [free agent; blogger embellishment] nightmare. I think you’re going to like it. I think you’re gonna feel like you belong. A nocturnal vacation. Unnecessary sedation. You want to feel at home ‘cause you belong…”
OK, those lyrics aren’t germane to the discussion. But the song was kinda cool when I was in junior high.
Anyway, regarding Andruw’s nightmare … er, season.
This is getting interesting, and by that I mean, like a train wreck is interesting. Seriously, no one really believes he’s slipped this fast, right? No one thinks this will continue for an entire season, or even a half-season, right?
Wait, I just realized we’re only about a week-and-half from the halfway point.
Wow. This really has gone on a long time, hasn’t it?
Here’s the latest mind-boggling stats:
Andruw’s .205 batting average is the worst among NL qualifiers, six points below the next-worst (Pat Burrell, .211) and a full 18 points below Ol’ Rochy (.223).
For the month of June, Pat “The Feeble Bat” is at .136, Andruw nipping at his heels at .139.
Andruw’s .199 average vs. right-handers is also the NL’s worst, at least among guys who appear on the lineup card enough to qualify.
His .190 home average is second-lowest in the NL, ahead of only San Diego’s Khalil Greene (.171 _ what happened to Khalil Greene, who was supposed to be a star by now, sort of like … Burrell).
Andruw is third in the NL in strikeouts (73).
And finally, Andruw’s .202 average (24-for-124) with runners on base is the fourth-lowest in the NL among qualifiers, and it should be noted the three who are worse have 90 or fewer at-bats in those situations.
That’s the thing about Andruw’s hitting that’s made it even worse, of course - he’s a middle-of-the-lineup hitter (still) who is expected to drive guys in.
And rather than tell us how many RBIs he has (as some here are wont to do), consider how many he could have.
The Braves have three hitters with 70 or more at-bats with runners in scoring position. They are: Edgar Renteria (.357, 25-for-70 with four strikeouts and a .958 OPS in those situations), Jeff Francoeur (.337, 29-for-86 with 10 strikeouts and a .915 OPS in those situations) and Andruw Jones (.226 (19-for-84 with 24 strikeouts and an .810 OPS in those situations).
Edgar is a Sox nightmare Speaking of Renteria, I had a Boston radio station call for an interview, and they asked why Willie Harris and Renteria are hitting so well for the Braves, when they struggled so with the Red Sox.
I had no answer for them with Willie, said I honestly didn’t know, but that he was playing great ‘ball for the Braves and had given them a needed spark.
But with Renteria, I pointed out to the guy that he’s hitting and playing much as he has with every team he’s played for (Florida, St. Louis, Atlanta) except the Red Sox, who gave up on him and booted him out the door after one season, such has occasionally been their front office’s reactionary nature when Red Sox Nation turns on a player (which they did early on in 2005 with Edgar, and never really gave him a chance after that, booing him for every mistake and ignoring his mid-season production).
Also told the guy I had no explanation for Edgar’s career-high 30 errors in 2005 for Sox, twice what he had for the Braves in 2006, other than maybe he didn’t like those harsh New England accents (OK, I didn’t say that).
Anyway, he might not have hit enough for Boston, but he sure hits against the Sox, doesn’t he? Renteria has a .348 average in 16 career games vs. Boston, including .444 (20-for-45) with five walks and a .500 OBP in his past 11 games against them, and two three-hit games in four this season.
Reviews, etc. Those wanting to laugh your butt off at a great movie, go see “Knocked Up.” It’s tremendous. Funniest movie I’ve seen since 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Sorry I can’t go to the Wilco concert tonight at Chastain in Atlanta, especially after seeing it’s going to be a no-tables setup. I was envisioning the suffer-no-fools, hair-trigger-temper Jeff Tweedy taking a swing at some of the wine-sipping talkers down front who have infuriated so many performers at Chastain over the years.
Very wise move to go with the no-tables, no-coolers setup for this show (not to mention, the rain and wind they’re probably going to get would’ve made a mess of the fine china).
Someone give us a review if you go (really do hope you avoid monsoons). And also, some give us a review of the new White Stripes album out today, please.
Those of you who still dig The Doors and wonder why they don’t make music like that anymore, try The Black Angels’ “Passover” album that came out last year. I just found a used copy of it, and it’s dark, great, psychedelic rock with a Morrison-voiced lead singer. Saw them open for Black Keys last year, but didn’t have any of their albums until I got this one. Good stuff.
Oh, and I don’t know if we’ve mentioned it here before, but Dale Watson is a criminally underrated country singer-songwriter. Been listening to his “Best of the Hightone Years” CD lately. Got such an old-school vibe to it. Him and James Hand. Dale’s like George Jones, Hand like Hank Williams. And that ain’t bad, folks.
Now, a great one from one of the true masters, to take us out:
“MY RAMONA” by Merle Haggard
Everybody’s talking bad about Ramona
They say she’s changed a lot since I’ve been gone
They say she may not be too glad to see me
Cause Ramona doesn’t know I’m coming home
Ah but everybody’s wrong about Ramona
They’re just going by the way she’s actin’ now
I just can’t believe the things they say about her
Cause Ramona knows the things I wanna allow
Ramona’s gonna be the way she used to be
And I’ll be proud of her just like I was before
She never was the kind to like those crowded bars
And Ramona won’t be seen there anymore
They say I may not recognize Ramona
And going by the picture they describe
The life they say she’s living sure don’t fit her
But I know she’s still the same sweet girl inside
Ramona’s gonna be the way she used to be
And I’ll be proud of her just like I was before
She never was the kind to like those crowded bars
And Ramona won’t be seen there anymore
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