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July 2007
No question: Trade was good
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Of course the Tex-for-Salty trade was a good one for the Braves. Glad you asked.
And please, don’t give me the “smells like J.D. Drew all over again” line.
(And before we go any further, let me say that if the Braves get Octavio Dotel from Kansas City for Kyle Davies, it will have been arguably the best couple of days of trading in Atlanta Braves history, in terms of impacting a playoff race.)
(Wait, not done with that thought. How can they get Dotel for Davies? It’s only because Dayton Moore, KC GM and former Schuerholz assistant, had such a big hand in developing Davies that he probably believes Davies can still be pitcher they always believed he’d be. Otherwise, Dayton would take one of the better offers he’s received in the past month for Dotel. For the Braves’ sake, lot of denizens hoping Dayton keeps the nostalgiac view of Davies and pulls the trigger on this deal around noon today, or as soon as the Braves can officially offer him Davies, after the Rangers sign off on the Teixeira trade without demanding Davies be included instead of sore-shouldered Matt Harrison.)
(Whew _ that was one helluva run-on sentence and paragraph. Flexing my skills. Yeah, right. Now, back to original blog point about the Salty-for-Tex deal….)
For one very big thing, Mark “Tex” Teixeira is under the Braves’ control at least through 2008. That’s two runs at the playoffs, not one like they got from Drew.
What they do with those two runs at the playoffs will determine how this is viewed by many Monday-morning GMs in the future, but the fact is, the Braves have Teixeira to team with Chipper Jones and the rest of this relatively young lineup for two runs at the playoffs.
And having Teixeira makes those runs a whole lot more realistic and optimistic than not having him.
The second thing is, the Braves could certainly have used Adam Wainwright, the pitcher they gave up in the Drew deal, during these past few years of injuries to key pitchers. He might have made a real difference in Atlanta. (I’d say they could also have used Jason Marquis, but fact of the matter is, Marquis wasn’t going to prosper until he went somewhere else and got a fresh start and a new attitude, which he got in St. Louis … at least for a while.)
With Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the big stud they’re giving up in this trade for Teixeira, the Braves don’t have a spot for him in the near future, unless you saw enough of Salty at first base to conclude that he was the answer there. I did not. While I think he could certainly have been a serviceable and perhaps even good defensive first baseman, the brief stint he got there with the Braves could not have led any reasonable person to believe he was the next Keith Hernandez. He was out of position there.
Salty is a catcher. Probably going to be a very good one for a long time. But he had more value to the Braves as a catcher they could trade to fill the first-base need, than he did as a first baseman trying to fill that need himself during a playoff run. He wasn’t going to get any playing time at first base the rest of the season for a manager who didn’t have the confidence in him to keep running him out there in a division race after the All-Star break.
Besides, as much as some would have you believe this was just some arbitrary decision to yank Salty from the lineup and play old man Franco, fact is Salty hit .228 with two extra-base hits (doubles) and two RBIs in 15 games (15 games with multiple at-bats in each) during July, including 10-for-51 (.196) with 10 strikeouts and three walks in the last 13 of those games.
That’s when the Braves decided it was worth signing Franco, and that’s when Cox started playing Franco every day to see what he had left and to better gauge how desperate it was for the Braves to make a deal for a first baseman.
So they got the best player available on the trade market, and they got a competent lefty reliever, Ron Mahay, as part of the same trade. Two birds with four stones _ Salty, shortstop prospect Elvis Andrus, who’s 18, lefty prospect Matt Harrison and righty prospect Neifi Feliz, who’s 19.
Yes, they gave up a lot of young talent. But folks, for every Braves fan that will how that the Braves mortgaged the future and that Schuerholz and Bobby Cox only care about going out with a flourish in this season and/or next season, there are two Braves fans who would have howled if the Braves didn’t get Teixeira that the team isn’t a small-market team and shouldn’t behave like it by overvaluing its prospects and not trying to win now.
That’s just the way it is. You can’t please everyone, and the Braves don’t try to make decisions to please the most number of folks possible. They’re trying to win now. All teams do in this day and age, at least all teams who run successful operations. This isn’t a build-for-the-future business as much as it is a win-now, and win-in-the-future, too, business.
You have to make very hard decisions that are going to upset a lot of people. The Braves made a big one yesterday. It could blow up in their faces if Salty goes on to become the next Johnny Bench, or just if he’s better over the next 5-6 years than Brian McCann is. And if Elvis becomes The King (of defensive shortstops) for the next decade. Or if Feliz or Harrison becomes a front-line pitcher.
Personally, I was so struck by how remarkably timid Harrison seemed in spring training, that I found it hard to believe he’d become a true staff ace. Just don’t know many pitchers with that kind of personality who are true aces in the majors.
Now, the Feliz kid, from all accounts, has got a ton of potential. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if he becomes a very good major league pitcher. But he’s in low-A ball. He’s 19. He’s 3-4 years, minimum, from being a factor.
You can’t assume a kid is going to develop steadily over the next four years and be a major league contributor. You don’t just build a great farm system in order to continually fuel your major league team. You build a farm system so that you can also use some of those players to trade and bring in proven commodities, such as a Teixeira, to fill holes in a playoff race.
This division race is wide open. The Mets (13-13 in July) aren’t world-beaters, and the Braves lineup is now at least as good, if not better, than New York’s. Philly has won nine of 10, but the injuries are stacking up and I don’t think they’re pitching is good enough to hold off the Braves down the stretch.
The Braves might have a better shot at winning the division than they do the wild card, given how many solid teams there are out west and given how the Cubs and D-Backs look like they might win their divisions and relegate the Brewers, Dodgers and Padres to competing for wild-card berths.
But with the division so wide open, Schuerholz just made it possible for the Braves to make a legit run at reclaiming what was theirs for 14 consecutive completed seasons. It’s on the players and Cox now to bring it home.
Tex ain’t driving South, but you get the point here:
“DRIVE SOUTH” by John Hiatt
I didn’t say we wouldn’t hurt anymore
That’s how you learn, you just get burned
But we don’t have to feel like dirt anymore
Though love’s not earned, baby its our turn
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you’re feeling down and out
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
I’m not talkin’ bout retreatin’ little girl
Gonna take our stand, in this Chevy van
Windows open on the rest of the world
Holdin’ hands, all the way to Dixieland
We’ve been tryin to turn our lives around
Since we were little kids, it’s been wearin’ us down
Don’t turn away now darlin’ let’s fire it up and wind it out
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
I heard your mama callin’, I think she was just stallin’
Don’t know who she was talkin to, baby me and you
We could go down with a smile on, don’t bother to pack your nylons
Just keep them pretty legs showin’, it gets hot down where were goin’
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you’re feeling down and out’
Come on baby drive, come on baby drive South, come on baby drive South
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
Come on baby drive South, with the one you love
Tex for Salty a good deal?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Does the Teixeira for Saltalamacchia trade give you hope for the Braves’ future or do you think giving up Salty plus Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and another unnamed pitching prospect means Atlanta just dealt away the future for a present quick fix? Tell us.
If Tex arrives, will Elvis leave building?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few thoughts while wondering how many years it’s been since the Braves had a better lineup than 1. Johnson/Escobar, 2. Renteria, 3. Chipper, 4. Teixeira, 5. McCann, 6. Francouer, 7. Andruw, 8. Diaz/Harris.
Oh, wait, forgot I’m not the one making out the lineup. It’ll probably be 1. Harris/Escobar, 2. Renteria, 3. Chipper, 4. Teixeira, 5. Andruw, 6. McCann/Francoeur, 7. Francoeur/McCann, 8. Johnson/Diaz.
Anyway, it’s been a while. Probably since Marcus Giles was an offensive force and Javy Lopez was in a contract year and… Wait, what’s that? The Teixeira deal’s not done?
Not to worry, folks. It’s probably going to get done, unless Arizona’s interest has risen dramatically in the past couple days with their eight-game winning streak and sudden serious-contender status.
Before Saturday’s word that Arizona was now involved, it seemed only a matter of whether the Braves would give up both Matt Harrison and either Elvis or Lillibridge, in addition to Salty, without getting a pitcher in return along with Tex.
If they could somehow squeeze C.J. Wilson out of the Rangers, it’d be a phenomenal deal that puts the Braves over the top in the NL East race. But I don’t think the Rangers will part with the lefty, who’s got closer stuff and has a .190 opponents’ average that includes a jaw-dropping .099 (7-for-71) with 28 strikeouts by lefty batters. Wow. Dude is outrageous.
Even if they got Eric Gagne instead of him, it’d still tip the balance of power, in the division, in my opinion. But it also doesn’t look like that will happen. Rangers can get more for him in a separate deal.
Gagne has 16-for-17 saves, a 2.16 ERA and .192 opponents’ average that, by the way, included .155 by lefty batters before Saturday.
Even if the Braves “only” got 36-year-old Ron Mahay from the Rangers, that’s a huge upgrade over what they’ve got in the lefty ‘pen now, which is Wil Ledezma, who just isn’t very good in relief (0-2, 7.71 ERA since the Braves’ curious trade of him for Macay McBride).
Mahay had a 2.13 ERA and .222 opponents’ average before Saturday, including a miniscule 1.29 ERA and .184 opponents’ average away from hitter-friendly Arlington Stadium, with one homer allowed on the road.
He’s held lefties to a .213 average and righties to a .230 with one homer in 74 at-bats. Like I said, huge upgrade over the current lefty.
I f they don’t get one from the Rangers, well, then the Braves have still got to make a significant move to shore up that bullpen, and then it won’t be such a rosy-looking trade unless Teixeira just rakes the rest of the season and really becomes the difference-maker this year and/or next that the Braves hope he’ll be.
Braves really need to demand that reliever in the package. And if it means giving up Elvis, I’d do it to get that reliever in the package. And remember, I’m a huge Elvis fan, particularly the late-60s era Elvis, the “From Elvis in Memphis” album, which I consider his underrated masterpiece, with “In The Ghetto,” “Long Black Limousine,” “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road,” “Only the Strong Survive,” “Wearing That Loved On Look,” “Any Day Now” … man, what a great record.
You younger folks should get that one if you want to understand the Elvis power. He wasn’t some novelty act. The man had one of the greatest voices in popular-music history, and magnetism that’ll never be matched. Period.
Oh, and Elvis Andrus: Tremendous defensive skills, but there’s still some question about how much he’ll eventually hit. But he’s only 18, a supremely gifted fielder, and it’ll be hard to part with him, if the Braves do.
All that said, we realize, of course, that “Tex” is the reason the Braves are doing this deal. He’s the piece they’re missing, the switch-hitting slugger who’ll give them defense of the Adam LaRoche caliber, and offense … well, offense that’s comparable to a healthy Chipper Jones, the man he’ll be helping to protect by forcing pitchers to give Hoss a few more fastballs than he’s getting with Andruw Jones hitting behind him.
OK, let’s see if it happens before the weekend ends. Might not happen until Tuesday afternoon. But I’d (still) be surprised if it doesn’t happen.
”ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE” by Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
I see you sittin’ there all alone
Crying your eyes out
While everything’s going wrong
You know there’s gonna be
A whole lot of trouble in your life
Listen to me, get up off your knees
‘Cause only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Hey, you gotta be strong
You gotta hold on
I said don’t give up, no don’t
I said don’t go around
With your head looking down
Don’t you let’em make you feel like a clown
There’s a lot of opportunity
Out there just waiting for you
But you’ll never succeed if you’ve given up
And say your life is through
Listen this minute what I’m tellin’ you
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Hey, you gotta be strong
Gotta hold on
You gotta be a man, take a stand
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Weak fall by the wayside
You gotta hold on
You gotta keep on, keep on
Keep on, keep on, keep on gettin’ on
‘Cause only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Weak fall by the wayside
You gotta be strong
You gotta hold on
You gotta keep goin’ on
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Weak fall by the wayside
You gotta be a man
You gotta take a stand
Get up, set your body in motion
You know the strong survive
Wake up and get your education
So you can keep your family alive
Get away from negative situations
It can only bring you a lot of frustrations
‘Cause only the strong survive
Can Braves afford Tex and Andruw?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re 102 games into the season, 60 to go, and I honestly don’t have a much better feel for the Andruw Jones situation than I did when we left spring training. Or when last season ended, for that matter.
If anything, I’d say his performance this season — .214 average before Thursday, still the worst among NL regulars, with team-high 19 homers and 66 RBIs, and typically strong defense — has slightly increased the chances he’ll stay with the Braves, simply because I can’t see anyone ponying up the $20 mill or so that Scott Boras wants to get for Jones.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think he’ll end up signing for more than $16-18 mill a year, and I think it’s possible he could be retained for five years and $75 million, thought it might take some creativity and performances clauses or options and opt-out years, whatever.
The other thing is, I don’t know how much Liberty might raise the payroll, since they’ve given no indication yet. Privately, I’ve heard at least $10 mill and perhaps $20 mill will be added to the payroll. But I just don’t know yet if that’s true.
Another big possible factor that could come into play: Mark Teixeira. If the Braves pull off a trade for the Rangers’ switch-hitting slugger, they might decide they’d rather spend $18 mill or so in a long-term deal for him and that it’s not possible to tie up more than $35 mill a year in Teixeira and Jones.
If they can sign Teixeira to a long-term extension, they’d have a better all-around hitter than Andruw, much higher average and OBP, probably more RBIs, and possibly as many or more homers, too.
And the other factor: I don’t know how badly the Braves still want to re-sign Andruw, period. I think they would like to keep him, but at a far lower rate than Boras wants.
In that case, it would ultimately come down to Andruw again telling Scott that he wants to stay in Atlanta, so make it happen.
That said, here’s an interview I did with Andruw a couple days ago, and I’ll just run his answers in full.
ME: What has to happen for the Braves to make a run at NL east or wild card?
ANDRUW: “I think we just have to stay healthy and do what we need to do to win games. We’re really close to the Mets, and these last few months we’ve got left, we’re gonna face our division a lot. So it’s a good chance to gain games on them.
“The focus is just play solid baseball. We’ve been trying our best to play good, but we got swept by Cincinnati. There’s stuff we wish could go a different way, but you just have to play good baseball and things will fall in place.”
ME: You’re currently on track to drive in over 100 RBI, but also hitting a career-low .214. Andruw, you would become only the second player, after Tony Armas Sr., to drive in 100 runs and hit below .220. What is the most important stat to you?
ANDRUW: “I think it’s RBIs. If I went out and drive in over 100 runs this year, even if I struggled with the average, I think it would be a good season.”
ME: Do you have any idea why you’ve struggled a little this year? Have you changed anything to turn it around - as it seems as if you have in July?
ANDRUW: “I don’t know. I just had little injuries that hurt a little bit, but I don’t make excuses. I just got pitched differently. I made my adjustments the last two years, to what the pitchers were doing. It took me a little longer to adjust to the way they’re pitching me now. Hopefully next year I’ll look over my tapes to the way they’re pitching me and I can make my adjustments again.”
ME: Have you looked to anyone in particular for help or advice?
ANDRUW: “Not really. I just look to myself, look at my tapes, try to stay positive. A lot of people are trying to help you all the time, but you’re the one who has to go out and do it.”
ME: How has being in a contract year had an impact on you? Do you think about being an impending free agent?
ANDRUW: “It really doesn’t matter. A lot of guys want to have big years in the contract year, so they can get paid a lot of money. That’s not the way your reputation is built, you reputation is built on previous years, not what you just did. Everybody can have one great year, and that’s the only good year you have, and still make money.”
ME: How do you think your performance this year has impacted your next contract?
ANDRUW: “I’m really not thinking about it. Hopefully when the season’s over we can come to an agreement and I can stay with the Atlanta Braves forever.”
And there you have it, folks. The man clearly wants to stay with the Braves. He loves Atlanta, doesn’t want to move, and wants to play for Cox as long as he possibly can. He’s said before he wants to be one of those players who stays with one team his whole career.
Whether the Braves feel as strongly about keeping him remains to be seen. We might not know for some time, since Boras has said Andruw doesn’t want to negotiate until after the season (and the Braves don’t, either).
Tight races: A quick look reveals that the wild-card and NL East races are tight and showing no signs of loosening, and that the Cubs are hotter than anyone else in the wild-card race (though they might soon surpass Milwaukee and not be a concern for the other wild-card contenders).
Anyway, here’s what they’ve all done since June 25:
Braves 16-10 with .304 average, 3.59 ERA, 155 runs, 25 homers.
Mets 16-11 with .259 average, 4.24 ERA, 123 runs, 34 homers.
Phillies 13-12 with .305 average, 4.76 ERA, 160 runs, 41 homers (Utley injury is huge.)
Dodgers 14-13 with .309 average, 4.27 ERA, 151 runs, 27 homers.
Padres 12-14 with .233 average, 4.41 ERA, 87 runs, 22 homers (these guys are going to be non-factors soon, I believe).
Cubs 18-7 with .276 average, 3.81 ERA, 133 runs, 94 homers.
And here’s why they’re really frightening: Since June 1, Cubs are 31-17 with a .275 average, 3.51 ERA, 232 runs and 37 homers. Nothing extraordinaly except wins. They know how to win. Lou’s got them playing winning ball.
Now, a tune. Didn’t think Public Enemy’s “By the Time I Get To Arizona” would sit well with some folks, so I went with a slightly less inflammatory classic.
“BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX” by Jimmy Webb
By the time I get to Phoenix she’ll be rising
She’ll find the note I left hangin’ on her door
She’ll laugh when she reads the part that says I’m leavin’
‘Cause I’ve left that girl so many times before
By the time I make Albuquerque she’ll be working
She’ll prob’ly stop at lunch and give me a call
But she’ll just hear that phone keep on ringin’
Off the wall that’s all
By the time I make Oklahoma she’ll be sleepin’
She’ll turn softly and call my name out loud
And she’ll cry just to think I’d really leave her
Tho’ time and time I try to tell her so
She just didn’t know I would really go.
Tex and Hoss on the corners? That’ll work
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tex and Hoss on the infield corners for the rest of ’07 and all of 2008?
Yeah, that would work. It’s not a stretch to say the Braves, with Mark Teixeira at first base and a healthy Chipper Jones at third, would have the best lineup in the National League for at least the remainder of this season.
Yes, better than the New York Mets. Those switch-hitting sluggers on the corners would be the best 1-2 run-producing tandem in the league, long as they’re both healthy.
If the Braves could somehow pull off a trade for a top-notch reliever, perhaps in the same deal — Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson or rejuvenated closer Eric Gagne are attractive — then the Braves would, in the eyes of many observers, become the favorite to win the NL East and a strong contender for the NL pennant.
Now, will it happen? Will the Braves get Teixeira in a trade with the Rangers, who I’m told this afternoon are still talking to at least five other teams interested in their power-hitting, Gold Glove first baseman?
I don’t know. I’d say it’s at least a 50-50 proposition that the Braves will pull off the deal, maybe even better, say 65-35. But they’re almost certainly going to have to give up Salty to get Tex, and they might have to give up one of their top pitching prospects.
Would they do Salty and Jo-Jo Reyes for, say, Tex and Wilson? As much as the Braves would hate to give up both their top overall prospect and their top pitching prospect for a slugger they might not be able to afford beyond 2008 and a lefty reliever, they might have to do it.
Because if you look at this Braves team, their glaring weaknesses right now are first base and bullpen, particularly left-handed relief. They don’t have a lefty reliever (Wil Ledezma doesn’t count as a lefty reliever, nothing personal).
So if you could plug both your weaknesses while still only a few games out of first place with 40 percent of the season left to play, and knowing you’d at least be able to keep Tex for another playoff run in 2008, wouldn’t you have to strongly consider doing it?
Keeping in mind, as much as Salty could become a superstar, he’s not going to become that with the Braves, who don’t see moving him to first base a great option, when they can get so much back in a trade for him while he’s still a top prospect.
Sure, they could hold onto him, but what’s to say they’re going to get a better offer for him this winter? Who’s trading top young starting pitching these days? No team is. And if you can’t get a top young starter in return for him, then you fill your biggest weakness in a trade for him.
And from what I’m told, Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech star, would definitely be open to listening to long-term contract offers from the Braves. I know it’s a red flag to many (and probably to the Braves) that he’s repped by Boras, but hey, the Braves are either going to be able to afford to re-sign Andruw or they’re going to clear up an awful lot of payroll by not doing so.
And if they don’t re-sign Boras client Andruw, then they’re going to have to fill that offensive hold with a power hitter. Not many better ones available than Teixeira, who’ll also give you Gold Glove defense, something that’s important to the Braves at first base, if they can get it.
Teixeira is only 27, and he’s a career .286 hitter who averaged 35 homers in his first four seasons through 2006 and totaled a whopping 366 RBIs in the past three seasons with OBPs of .370 or higher in each of those seasons and slugging percentages of .560, .575 and .514.
Oh, he also played all 162 games in 2005 and again in 2006.
The man had 144 RBIs and led the AL with 370 total bases in 2005, and his huge offensive totals aren’t merely a product of a hitters’ ballpark. He actually hit more homers on the road (21) last season than at home (12), after hitting 30 of his 43 at home in 2005.
This season? He’s hit .300 with 23 doubles, 13 homers, 48 RBIs and a .404 OBP and .537 slugging percentage in 74 games, and had a stint on the DL for a leg injury.
Before going on the DL in early June, he was tearing it up. Teixeira hit .347 with 16 doubles, 12 homers, 38 RBIs and a .439 OBP in 40 games from April 27 to June 8, playing in all 40 Texas games in that stretch (dude plays every day).
He’s hit .292 with only one homer and seven RBIs in 13 games since returning from the DL, but has a .404 OBP. It also took Chipper a while to get his power stroke back when he returned from the DL, remember.
Would I do this trade, with Salty and Tex as the principles? Given the Braves’ current situation, and the fact that Teixeira would be back for at least 2008, yes, I would. But I’d hold out until the very last moment possible trying to get either Wilson or Gagne thrown into the mix, even if I had to give up Matt Harrison (but not Reyes) to get it done.
Stay tuned. This could happen. Could happen soon. Just don’t know. But when I don’t get callbacks from certain people in timely fashion, it’s usually an indication the Braves are heavily involved in talks.
Gagne is back: I’ll admit until very recently I wasn’t sold on Gagne, since I’ve seen him break down so frequently in recent years. But after checking into his status with people I know, and after looking at his numbers, it’s changed my mind.
Then seeing him save both games in a doubleheader yesterday for the Rangers, convinced me further. But God, get him out of Texas before they pitch him into the ground.
I mean, using Gagne in both ends of a doubleheader, with his history of arm problems? Insanity.
Anyway, check his numbers: He’s 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA has converted 16 of 17 saves, most of those in the past four weeks since moving into the closer role full-time. He’s got 29 strikeouts and 12 walks in 33-1/3 innings, and opponents are hitting just .192, including a meager .155 (9-for-58) with no homers by left-handed batters.
(Hey, Braves need a lefty, but he’d be the next-best thing — kill two birds with one stone, too, by giving them another closer option.)
Since June 26, Gagne has pitched 12 times and converted nine of 10 saves while allowing 12 hits, five runs and one homer in 12-1/3 innings. That included two scoreless innings for two saves in Tuesday’s doubleheader vs. Seattle (again, I say, insanity).
And get this: Gagne has been untouchable in road games, the complete antithesis of Bob Wickman, who as you probably know, has been terrible on the road and not blown a save or even given up an earned run at home.
Yes, Wickman got a 0.00 ERA to go with a .150 opponents’ average and 8-for-8 saves converted at home, and an 8.20 ERA and .349 opponents’ average with five blown saves in 14 opportunities on the road, including last night’s blown save in the 13-inning win vs. San Francisco.
Gagne? He’s got a 3.72 ERA and .230 opponents’ average in 20 games at Texas (outstanding, in that park) and a 0.00 ERA, .130 opponents’ average, and 10-for-10 saves in 14 road appearances.
So between Gagne on the road, and Wickman at Turner Field, you’d have the ideal closer combination, right? OK, so it wouldn’t work that way, since Bobby Cox isn’t exactly avant-garde in his approach (which is probably a good thing, for the most part).
But it’s nice for Braves fans to dream, eh? Sort of like Hoss and Tex on the infield corners, although that might be a lot closer to reality.
Ok, some blues. Blues lyrics don’t always translate well without the accompaniment. But if you’re not familiar with the tune, just imagine some deep, deep blues, “The Hook” in his low rumble of a voice, and the fog rolling in….
”FRISCO BLUES” by John Lee Hooker
I left my heart in San Francisco
I left my heart, people, in San Francisco
High on the hill, at the Golden Gate, ‘cross the bay,
in San Francisco, on the hill, the mornin’ fog,
and the cool, cool night
That’s where, I wanna be, San Francisco
That’s where
my heart up in New York City,
I’ve been to Chicago,
but found no place, like San Francisco,
with the cable car, high, high, on the hill.
In the mornin’ fog, the evening breeze,
the cool, cool night, is where I wanna be
Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
Work, work people, tell me about it, now
work out, work out
I got the blues for San Francisco
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
My heart is there, high, on the hill,
right down by the Golden Gate, ‘cross the bay,
that’s where I wanna be
I left my heart right there, in San Francisco
with the mornin’ fog and the cool, cool night, the cable cars on the hill.
That’s where I wanna be people,
my heart is there, my heart is there.
Want a prime seat for history?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have a front-row center seat for history, if it were to happen in this Braves series (and the fact that Barry Bonds went homerless last night in the series opener obviously reduced the chances somewhat).
I’m assigned the absolute middle seat in the front row of the pressbox, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman to my left and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale to my right at the beautiful bayside ballpark, which I rated last winter as my favorite of the 30 major league stadiums.
They’ve got us packed in shoulder to shoulder for what Tim Hudson called “the Barry Bonds Homerfest” yesterday when I asked him about it. (He said that with I perceived to be touch of disdain, though I could be wrong.)
More than 400 media credentials issued for yesterday’s game at AT&T Park, where the Giants usually issue about 100 for a regular-season contest. There were two auxiliary pressboxes set up in the upper decks somewhere, amongst the paying customers (and believe me, these customers pay plenty, with one of the highest average seat prices in baseball, and scalper’s prices that are through the roof for this homestand despite the Giants’ sorry won-lost record).
If he were to hit a homer tonight, you can be there’d bet closer to 500 credentials issued for tomorrow’s game. But let’s just hope San Francisco’s left fielder (I say San Francisco’s left fielder, because surveys indicate most of America would not embrace him as theirs) does not hit one tonight, or if he does, that he doesn’t hit another tomorrow or Thursday.
Not that I don’t want to see history; I love to see history made. I’ve covered four no-hitters, including Al Leiter’s no-no vs. Colorado in Miami, Kevin Brown’s no-hitter vs. these Giants at Candlestick, a nine-walk beautiful mess of a no-hitter by A.J. Burnett for the Marlins at San Diego’s old park, and a perfect-game masterpience by Randy Johnson against the Braves in Atlanta.
History is fun. It’s cool to cover. But for some reason, I just don’t really want to see this history made. Not against the Braves, Hank’s team. Not by Barry, whom I really believe will only hold the record for six or seven years until A-Rod beats it (not that I particularly like A-Rod, since slick phoniness grates on me almost as much as rampant performance-enhancing substance use as indicated by overwhelming circumstantial evidence, but that’s another story).
Not only that, but covering history isn’t as much fun when it’s made at midnight or later on the East Coast, and you’re scrambling just to get the bare essentials and make sure the score is right on extreme deadline.
But again, if this were, say, Ken Griffey Jr. pursuing this record, I’d admittedly probably have a different take on covering this would-be historical series.
As it is, I find myself sitting there thinking, don’t make a mistake, Smoltz (or Soriano, etc). Don’t do it. Let’s make this nice and neat, get out of here without any complications. Then I won’t have to stand in the scrum hoping that Barry will give us a few minutes of his time and won’t have to watch him and the reporters who cover him go through the same tiresome sparring that usually accompanies these increasingly rare interviews with him.
Anyway, maybe I’m jaded. Should I want to witness and cover history, regardless of circumstances? I don’t know. Probably. But I’m just behind honest. This is the one case, and it’s the absolute biggest record in sports, where I don’t have a lot of desire to see it and cover it.
But if it does happen, you better believe I’ll be writing my butt off trying to describe the moment as best as I can before that last deadline.
The road thing: Don’t know if we’ll ever get a viable explanation for the stunning road hitting success for this particular Braves team. Probably just a fluke year, more than anything else.
But right now, 100 games into the season, the Braves still have three of the top five road batting averages in the NL, and four of the top 10. Chipper Jones leads the league with a .356 road average, followed by the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano (.354), Kelly Johnson (.352), the Cards’ Albert Pujols (.347) and Edgar Renteria (.340). Jeff Francoeur (.321) is 10th.
The Braves lead the NL with a .286 road average (second in the majors to Detroit’s .291), while no other NL team is higher than .275. Strange.
The Braves lead the NL with a .447 road slugging percentage, ahead of the Ryan Howard and the rest of the Philly mashers (.444).
This from an Atlanta team that ranks 10th in the NL in home average (.261) and 11th in home slugging percentage (.403). The Phillies, by the way, are slugging a league-high .476 at that hitters’ haven of a ballpark of theirs.
Reason to believe: If you’re a Braves fan wondering whether your team can stay overtake the Mets and hold off the Phillies, there’s reason to believe, based purely on most-recent performance.
Since June 25, a period that included seven games at Los Angeles and San Diego, the Braves are 15-9 with a .307 batting average, 3.68 ERA and 6.1 runs scored per game.
In that same stretch, the Mets are 14-11 with a .252 average, 4.30 ERA and 4.4 runs per game. And the Phillies are 11-12 with a .312 average (38 homers), 4.94 ERA and 6.5 runs per game.
Co-aces have done their part: While the Braves continue searching for a proven veteran (Livan Hernandez? Jon Garland? Matt Morris — please no) to add to their rotation for the stretch drive, it’s worth noting how the co-aces at the top have done exactly what the Braves hoped they’d do, and worth pondering what might have been if Mike Hampton had done anything close to what the Braves had him targeted for (realistic or not, I’m just saying they had Hampton targeted for a solid season, so you don’t need to tell me that was delusional).
Smoltz and and Hudson each is 10-5, Smoltz in 19 starts and Hudson in 21. That’s a 20-10 record and 3.03 ERA in 40 starts from the co-aces, with 193 strikeouts, 57 walks and 249 hits allowed in 255-2/3 innings.
All other Braves are 17-26 with a 5.31 ERA in 60 starts.
Toss out Buddy Carlyle’s solid 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA in 10 starts, and the others are 12-24 with a 5.59 ERA in 50 starts. Ugh. Yikes. Frightening.
McCann doing it again: He rebounded from an ankle injury that sapped his power in the first half of the 2006 season and had a power surge throughout the second half, and Brian McCann might be following a similar course this year.
McCann had a three-run double in Monday’s 4-2 win and has a .324 average with six doubles, six homers and 22 RBIs in his past 20 games, with a .385 OBP and 1.047 OPS in that span.
This after hitting .250 with five homers, 35 RBIs and a .303 OBP in his previous 63 games, with a .303 OBP and .698 OPS.
OK, gotta go get a late breakfast. Might try to see Hank III tonight, if we get a quick game and Sir Cranium doesn’t go deep.
To take us out, a great one from a mighty San Francisco band.
”Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin” by Sly and the Family Stone
Lookin’ at the devil, grinnin’ at his gun/Fingers start shakin’, I begin to run
Bullets start chasin’, I begin to stop/We begin to wrestle I was on the top
Want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
I wanna thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Stiff all in the collar, fluffy in the face/Chit chat chatter tryin’, Stuffy in the place
Thank you for the party, But I could never stay/Many thangs is on my mind, words in the way
I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Dance to the music/All nite long
Everyday people/Sing a simple song
Mama’s so happy/Mama start to cry
Papa still singin’/You can make it if you try
I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Flamin’ eyes of peoples fear, burnin’ into you/Many men are missin’ much, hatin’ what they do
Youth and truth are makin’ love/Dig it for a starter
Dyin’ young is hard to take/Sellin’ out is harder
I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Advice: Keep Braves’ Soriano from Bonds
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s some unsolicited advice if the Braves want to win a series and avoid Barry Bonds breaking Hank’s homer record this week at their expense: Do not bring in Rafael Soriano to face him with a game on the line.
Actually, do not bring in Soriano to face anyone with a game on the line.
Not right now. Not until Soriano gets straightened out and gets back to being the devastating setup man he was for much of the season. Because right now, the only team he’s devastating is the Braves.
The numbers don’t lie, and what the numbers tell us is that Soriano’s five-week skid reached such depths during the just-completed homestand that he played the biggest role than in assuring results weren’t what the Braves needed:
Soriano pitched five times in nine days on the homestand, and results were awful in four of those five. He went 0-1 with three blown saves in as many opportunities, while posting a 12.46 ERA and .400 opponents average with eight hits, six runs and three critical homers allowed in 4-1/3 innings over five games.
On the July 14 vs. Pittsburgh, July 18 vs. Cincinnati and last night (July 22) vs. St. Louis, Soriano gave up a homer and blew a save. That’s three blown saves in nine days, for a team that only blew seven before the All-Star break.
It may seem long ago, but it was only June 14 when Soriano was finishing one of the best runs we’ve seen from a Braves reliever since John Smoltz was in the ‘pen. From April 22 to June 14, Soriano posted a 0.42 ERA and sensational .074 opponents’ average in 21 games, allowing just five hits and one run (on a homer) in 21-1/3 innings while recording four walks with 22 strikeouts.
And then, literally overnight, he went from surging to skidding. He gave up a homer June 15 at Cleveland, beginning a 16-appearance stretch in which he’s put up a 6.91 ERA and .339 opponents’ average while allowing 21 hits, 11 earned runs and six homers in just 14-1/3 innings.
The Braves were already without lefty Mike Gonzalez, lost to elbow surgery in May. Now the vaunted Big Three bullpen trio is down to closer Bob Wickman. The Braves don’t even have a lefty reliever, at least not one who gets lefties out with any consistency (lefty Wilfredo Ledezma is a lefty reliever in name only; he’s actually tougher on righties than lefties, and has been tough on neither this season).
The Braves’ biggest need going toward the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline isn’t offense, and I no longer even believe it’s starting pitching (though they could certainly use another reliable starter, and there is some merit to the rumors you’re heaing about Jon Garland, Livan Hernandez, etc).
No, the most critical need is relief help. It’s essential they pick up at least one reliever before the deadline, preferably a lefty who could succeed in a setup role, if necessary. I know that’s getting a bit specific and choosy, but they need it.
With Soriano and Tyler Yates appearing tired and lately ineffective, the Braves might need to move Aussie sidearmer Peter Moylan into the primary setup role unless and until they acquire another arm. He and Chad Paronto have been their most consistent relievers in recent weeks.
Yates wasn’t any better than Soriano on the homestand, at least not in three of his five appearances. Coincidentally, he struggled in the same three games in which Soriano blew saves.
Yates gave up three runs while recording two outs July 14 vs. Pittsburgh, gave up a run on two hits and a walk July 18 vs. Cincinnati, and gave up four runs while recording one out last night vs. St. Louis.
In 12 appearances May 28 to June 30, Yates had a 0.79 ERA and .154 opponents’ average, with only six hit and one earned run in 11-1/3 innings.
Since then he’s 0-2 with a 16.71 ERA and .444 opponents’ average, with 16 hits and 13 earned runs allowed in just seven innings over 10 appearances.
Frightening numbers from Soriano and Yates, who’ve had arguably the most prominent bullpen roles outside of Wickman.
Facing Barry in his backyard: If you’re worried about going to bed at midnight and waking up the next morning to read that Barry broke Hammerin’ Hank’s record against your team while you slept, well, relax.
At least for tonight.
Because it’s been a long time since Barry had three homers in a game, and that’s what it’d take for him to break the record.
He’s got 753 homers and needs two to tie and three to surpass the Braves legend. Considering the way Barry’s been going lately, there’s a very good chance he won’t set it in the four-game series against the Braves that begins tonight.
Then again, that’s what we were all saying about him before he had his two-homer game Thursday at Wrigley Field, where Bonds went 3-for-3 with six RBIs to move him onto the front porch, knocking at Hank’s door.
But still, other than that impressive day in Chicago, Barry’s not done much lately. He hasn’t had a homer or RBIs in his other 10 games since July 4, and he’s 0-for-25 in his past nine games other than that one huge one.
He went 0-for-6 with three walks and two strikeouts while playing in two of three games in the Giants’ weekend series at Milwaukee.
On the other hand, he can warm up in a hurry, obviously. And before this drought of sorts, he’d hit .400 (18-for-45) with five homers and 14 RBIs in his previous 18 games from June 11 to July 3, with 25 walks and an absurd .620 OBP and 1.442 OPS in that stretch.
And there’s the Smoltz and Hudson factors. Bonds is 19-for-64 (.297) with eight homers against Smoltz, tied for the most he’s hit against any pitcher. But he’s not hit any homers off him since 1998, except for one in the 2002 division series when the Braves had a game pretty well put away.
Bonds also has 20 walks and 14 strikeouts against Smoltz, who won’t just put him on base if he can avoid doing so. He’ll pitch to him, unless the situation absolutely dictates pitching around him.
Bonds is 9-for-19 with four homers vs. Hudson, whom he’ll face Tuesday on Bonds’ 43rd birthday. Hudson gave up two homers to Bonds last Aug. 29. But Hudson has been far better this season at keeping the ball down, so it’ll be interesting to see how that matchup goes.
Hudson pitched for a lot of years across the bay at Oakland, and will have friends in attendance, for sure. He’s already said he won’t let Bonds’ homer total influence how he pitches to him, that only the game situation can affect that, and that’ll he pitch to him as long as it’s reasonable to do so.
Chance to make up ground: Other than the little matter of Bonds and the home-run chase, the Braves are facing the Giants at a good time.
This isn’t a very strong San Francisco team, and the Giants have hit just .245 and lost 28 of 43 games since June 2. They are 3-8 with a .238 average in their past 11, though they did just win two of three over the weekend at Milwaukee.
Smoltz faces Matt Cain, who’s 1-8 with terrible run support in his past 11 starts, including 1-4 with a bad ERA (6.26) and the aforementioned terrible run support in his past five starts (for the season, Cain has a respectable 3.87 ERA, and an astounding nine quality starts in which he either took a loss or got no decision).
On Tuesday, Hudson faces Matt Morris, whose name keeps coming up in trade rumors, including one with the Braves, though I’m not sure why any team would give up anything of quality to get him. He’s having a bad season and he’s at his worst right now, 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA and .393 opp avg in his past six starts.
Hudson, meanwhile, is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in his past five starts, and he pitched seven innings while allowing one or no runs in each of those four wins.
Philly should appreciate the gesture: Does anyone want to win the NL East? The Mets and Braves seem to be willing to defer, considering their July performances.
The Braves are 9-9 in July despite a .298 average and 102 runs, nearly six per game on average. Their 4.23 ERA isn’t lousy, but too many of the runs allowed have come in crucial situations.
The Mets, meanwhile, are 9-10 with a .264 average and 4.95 ERA in July, and have averaged just over four runs per game.
He hasn’t looked very good, folks. Despite the warm applause and opportunity to play plenty. Julio needs to perform soon, or the Braves might need to do something else about first base before the trade deadline.
Their first basemen are down to .202, the majors’ worst at the position and a stunning 40 points worse than any other NL team’s first basemen (Pittsburgh is 15th at .242).
Braves 1Bs have a .260 OBP, 59 points worse than any other NL team at the position. They have a .353 slugging percentage, while no other NL team is below .405 at the position. And they have a league-low 37 RBIs at the position.
Hey, I’m 43. Glad I’m not trying to catch up to 95-mph fastballs.
OK, I’m going to get breakfast (it’s still early enough out here in San Francisco. That or some clam chowder in a sourdough bread roll.
Oh, and Ryan Adams is playing the next two nights at different halls here, but night games both nights probably gonna make it impossible to get over there in time to see the show either night.
“OLD MAN” by Neil Young
Old man look at my life,/I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,/I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,/Twenty four and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise/That makes me think of two.
Love lost, such a cost,/Give me things that don’t get lost.
Like a coin that won’t get tossed/Rolling home to you.
Old man take a look at my life I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true.
Lullabies, look in your eyes,/Run around the same old town.
Doesn’t mean that much to me/To mean that much to you.
I’ve been first and last/Look at how the time goes past.
But I’m all alone at last./Rolling home to you.
Old man take a look at my life I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true.
Old man look at my life,/I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,/I’m a lot like you were.
Cox gamble pays off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s some bright and early blogging on a Sunday morning because you guys were posting fiends the last 48 hours. Congratulate yourselves. And let me clean the slate.
It’s not actually that early, just feels that way since the game last night was a lot to wind down from. And hey, I just covered it. I wonder if Willie Harris was bouncing off the walls for a couple hours after the game? Might still be.
It’s been fairly well documented last night, but surely bears repeating. Before Willie Harris stepped to the plate for the first of his six hits in six at-bats last night, his two triples and his six RBIs, he had zero extra base hits, zero runs batted in and was hitting .190 over the last month. Friday night he’d gone 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
Yet Bobby Cox trots him out there as always, in the leadoff spot, against a right-hander, there you go. That got me to thinking — about how I’m such a horrible gambler. Not that I spend much time doing it. I’ve never even bought a lottery ticket.) It goes against my type A personality. I think I’ve been to one blackjack table in the last five years when I was covering the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. I mean what the heck else are you going to do in Shreveport?
But the reason that I never make any money is I won’t stack a lot of chips down on one hand. It’s pretty much a $5 bet a hand at a $5 table, a $10 bet if all they have is $10 tables, and an occasional double down. I see a king, I think that’s good. I see a two, I’m worried. And a good night at the table for me is either to break even, make something that might cover a dinner at Houston’s, or at least get to say hey, I played on my $50 for an hour.
I don’t have the stuff of Cox, to put so many big chips on a player everybody else would walk away from the table for, at least for one hand, or maybe the night. And that’s why it’s fun to watch Cox gamble sometimes and come up with what he did Saturday night: Willie’s 6-for-6.
Call it luck if you want. But six hits don’t come out of nowhere. Loyalty counts for something. And going to the plate, not worried about your job means something. And if you can follow me here, I’ll continue the blackjack analogy: while the rest of us get excited about the king - the guy who’s on the 10-game hitting streak - we’re not realizing that under the two, there might be a nine, and then here come the blessed face cards.
Cox sticks with his guns. His players love it. And Buddy Carlyle, for one, benefited - he’s now 5-2, folks - if only to improve his cardiovascular health from scoring from first twice on Willie triples.
“Obviously there’s no manager in the major leagues who has more faith and confidence in players than Bobby does,” Carlyle said. “There are other teams when you struggle, you can feel a manager pressing on you. But here, I don’t think you really ever feel that.”
And just a side note about Willie. No I’m not going to pick the day after he went 6-for-6 to remind everybody how when he first came up, I suggested he had Charles Thomas potential. No, that would be just way too easy. I was just going to describe for you what I saw when I walked into the clubhouse yesterday.
No players were around except for Willie and Matt Diaz, the two members of the Braves’ left field platoon. They locker side-by-side. They were sitting in their lockers, deeply engrossed in conversation, pleasantly chatting along. They both got up and walked out of the clubhouse together, still chatting it up. They might not have noticed anybody else in the room as they walked out.
I marveled for just a second at two guys who play the same position and both want more playing time. If it were me, I’m not so sure how pleasant I would be, much less friendly.
Matt and Willie say they pull for each other, and I’m inclined to believe them. This arrangement works, and it’s cool to see. I could surely learn something from them, eh?
It’s also pretty clear St. Louis’ pitching staff has got some major issues. Just saying.
And onto the trade winds … from hearing what John Schuerholz had to say yesterday, and trying as always to read between the lines, it sounds like if Schuerholz had his druthers, the Braves would be acquiring pitching some time in the next nine days.
“We’re talking about a variety of things,” Schuerholz said. “I’m not going to narrow it down to one thing. We’re just doing our due diligence. Something might come up that we weren’t even focusing on. Pitching is always a priority. It always has been and always will be.”
Diaz is Braves’ hidden gem
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If he’s not the most underrated player in the National League, Matt Diaz is certainly on the short list.
We don’t want to overstate his importance to the Braves, but without this Tampa Bay/Kansas City castoff, where would the Braves be this season?
The man is hitting .358, which would lead the NL batting race if he had enough plate appearances to qualify (he’s not even close, and won’t be as long as he’s playing in a platoon and pinch-hitting role. You gotta have 3.1 plate appearances per team game to qualify, and he’s got barely two-thirds that many).
Diaz went 3-for-4 with a single, double, homer and three RBIs last night in the series-opening rout against the Cardinals.
He leads the majors by a wide margin with his .399 average since April 24, but again almost nobody knows that because his name isn’t listed among league leaders in anything and because he plays in a left-field platoon and doesn’t hit homers on a team that’s got plenty of bigger-name players who do.
All of that should assure Diaz remains off the national radar and on the most-underrated list, as it were. Just the fact that he doesn’t put up big power numbers in an age when being a singles hitter is roughly akin to wearing a scarlet letter “S” on your jersey.
But the Braves know how valuable he’s been to them since they got him for an obscure minor league pitcher in a trade with Kansas City two winters ago, a trade that was relegated to one line in the “transactions” section in the agate (small type) results section of every major newspaper in the country, except maybe this one and the Kansas City Star. If it even made the transactions.
The Braves know his worth to them, which is far greater than his $395,000 salary, for sure.
Andruw Jones told me as much when I asked him after the game last night, told me how much Diaz busts his butt whenever he’s called upon, how much Diaz strives to get better all the time, offensively and defensively, etc.
“He’s one of the top ones,” Andruw said, when I asked if he was one of the most underrated players in the game.
After Ryan Langerhans floundered early and got traded, Diaz put his foot on the gas and hasn’t taken it off, not on the days he plays in the left-field platoon with Willie Harris, or when Diaz is merely pinch-hitting (he’s been the Braves’ only productive pinch-hitter, and one of the league’s best).
After hitting .217 in 46 at-bats through April 24, Diaz has hit .399 (63-for-158) with 10 doubles, four homers and 21 RBIs in his past 61 games, with only two errors (did I mention his defense isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was rumored to be when the Braves got him; in fact, it’s not bad at all).
How would he do playing every day? I honestly don’t know. I’m sure a lot better than I figured he would the day the Braves traded for him, when I was told how well he hit lefties and how he would compete for a roster spot in the outfield.
Diaz has hit .355 with four homers in 124 at-bats vs. lefties this season, but he’s also hit .363 with a homer in 80 at-bats against righties.
He’s been steady as they come since late April, and for the season he’s hit .358 at home and .357 on the road.
He’s hit .360 with none on base, .354 with runners on, and .333 with runners in scoring position. He’s hit .324 in the late innings of close games, and he’s hit in seven spots in the batting order - and has a plus-.300 average at every one of them.
“He’s always hit,” Bobby Cox said after Thursday’s game. “He guy has always hit. He had a beautiful night.”
Frenchy pleased with progress: Speaking of hitting, I talked to Jeff Francoeur yesterday about his stated goal in spring training of being more consistent and how he thought there was no reason he couldn’t hit .280-.290 on a consistent basis.
Have to admit, I thought he was dreaming, at least for the foreseeable future. This is a kid whose “Caveman” approach (Chipper’s words) yielded a .260 average with 29 homers, 103 RBIs, 132 strikeouts and a puny .293 OBP last season.
But look at him now. Francoeur is hitting .291 with a .330 OBP after 96 games, and even though his home runs are down (10) and he still has plenty of strikeouts (73), he’s also got 21 doubles, 65 RBIs and a lot more hits.
He’s on pace to hit .291 (obviously) with 35 doubles, 17 homers and 106 RBIs, and he ranks seventh in the NL with a .360 average with runners in scoring position.
He’s hit .302 in his past 45 games, and .365 (27-for-74) with two homers and 19 RBIs in his past 18 games.
Everybody likes the long ball, but that’ll come as Francoeur gets stronger. For now, don’t you think this is a better hitter than we saw last season, a guy hitting 30 points higher, with an OBP nearly 40 points higher, slightly more RBIs and a far more disciplined approach?
Francoeur thinks so. “Absolutely,” he told me, conceding that there were stretches last season when he was slumping and went to the plate feeling clueless, like he had very little chance of hitting the ball. He doesn’t have many moments like that anymore.
That’s progress, in my book. Also, he hasn’t made nearly as many careless defensive mistakes or overthrows, though it’s still early and we’ll see how that goes as the long season wears on for a kid who plays every freakin’ day.
Salty’s slippage: Anybody getting concerned about Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s little slump? Hey, I think the sky’s the limit with this big kid. But pitchers are making adjustments to him, and now we’ll see if he can do the same.
(By the way, Yunel Escobar just keeps on hitting, which should tell us something about what a dynamic talent that dude is, and also might be an indication of how much relatively high-level experience he had with the Cuban junior national team before he ever came over here. Remember, he’s a bit older than other prospects.)
Anyway, Salty hit .329 (26-for-79) with four homers and 10 RBIs in 29 games through June 26. Since then he’s hit .204 (11-for-54) with no homers and two RBIs in 15 games.
Hey, hardly the end of the world, and like I said, Salty’s going to be a very good player, no question in my mind. But it’s a reminder that rookies are going to struggle at times, and Salty, despite his confidence and swagger and immense talent, isn’t immune. He’s a rookie.
The return of Julio Franco. Thought about using Neil’s “Old Man” as a tribute to the 48-year-old first baseman, who had a two-run single and a couple of big ovations last night in his first game back with the Braves.
But “Old Man” seemed too obvious, and besides, the lyrics don’t really fit, other than the title. Then I thought of one that makes a lot more sense, at least to me. I know these lyrics don’t fit exactly, but look close and think about it, and tell me if this song doesn’t sound a lot like Julio’s return to the Braves.
(And Julio will probably be upset at me for even using a song that has references to bars and such, but hey, to me it speaks of the situation.)
“ALL THE WAY HOME” by Bruce Springsteen
I know what it’s like to have failed baby/With the whole world lookin’ on
I know what it’s like to have soared/And come crashin’ like a drunk on a bar room floor
Now you got no reason to trust me/My confidence is a little rusty
But if you don’t feel like bein’ alone/Baby I could walk you all the way home
Well now our old fears and failures/Baby they do linger
Like the shadow of that ring/That was on your finger
Those days they’ve come and gone/Baby I could walk you all the way home
Love leaves nothin’ but shadows and vapor/We go on, as is our sad nature
Now it’s some old Stones song the band is trashin’/If you feel like dancin’, baby I’m askin’
It’s comin’ on closing time/Bartender he’s ringin’ last call
These days I don’t stand on pride/And I ain’t afraid to take a fall
So if you’re seein’ what you like/Maybe your first choice, he’s gone
Well that’s all right
Baby I could walk you all the way home
Baby I could walk you all the way home
Smoltz’s strong return overshadowed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who would have thought that when the World Series champion Cardinals came to Atlanta on the same homestand as the Reds, the Reds would actually look like the more formidable opponent?
That’s the case, if you consider things like pitching matchups, healthy and hot-hitting lineups, and the fact that Cincinnati has a better record (18-17) in its past 35 games than St. Louis (17-18), not to mention an ERA one-third of a run lower in that stretch.
Anyway, the Braves need to quickly get rid of the bitter aftertaste from that sweep by the Reds, and no better way than to win this four-game series against the Cardinals before going back out west to face San Francisco and Arizona.
Before I forget, the fact that the Braves lost in 15 innings yesterday should do nothing to detract from the most positive news they could have received - a strong, apparently pain-free outing from John Smoltz, who had a season-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings and lowered his ERA to 2.88, including 1.98 at home (third-best in the NL).
It’s too bad for the Braves that Rafael Soriano and Tyler Yates are struggling after turning in such impressive extended stretches, Soriano for nearly two months and Yates for the entire month of June.
If Soriano doesn’t give up the two-run jack to the imminential strikeout-able Adam Dunn, the Braves lead 2-1 going to the ninth. But, hey, it happens. Like I’ve said, Soriano was arguably the best reliever in baseball for nearly two months. Might just have rode him a bit too often in that stretch.
But you’d rather see him and Yates go through a rough patch now than in September or October, for sure. So maybe they get through this and feel rejuvenated for the stretch drive. It certainly happens, in fact it happens to most relievers at least once during the season, even the best ones go through a few weeks where they look anything but dominant.
Here’s the breakdown of the breakdowns, so to speak, just for the record:
Soriano had an 0.42 ERA and .074 opponents’ average in 21 appearances from April 22 to June 14, allowing a jaw-dropping five hits, one run and four walks with 22 strikeouts in that overpowering stretch.
Since then he’s posted a 5.84 ERA and .308 opponents’ average in 14 games, allowing 16 hits, eight earned runs, five homers and four walks with 11 strikeouts in 12-1/3 innings.
Yates had an 0.79 ERA and .154 opponents’ average in 12 appearances from April 28 to June 30, allowing six hits, one earned run and six walks with 10 strikeouts in 11-1/3 innings.
Since then he’s posted a 14.29 ERA and .448 opponents’ average in eight appearances, allowing 13 hits, 11 runs (nine earned) and four walks with six strikeouts in 5-2/3 innings.
By the way, the Braves’ overall pitching is squarely middle-of-the-pack in the NL, ranked eighth with a 4.19 ERA, though there’s a big dropoff to No. 9 Florida (4.52) and the rest of the bottom half, including No. 16 Philly (4.98).
Most of the contenders are in the top half, obviously, led by San Diego (3.13, pitchers’ park), New York (3.83) and the Cubs (3.86, wind hasn’t blown out much so far) and Dodgers (3.87).
The worn Braves bullpen has slipped to seventh in the NL with a 3.79 ERA, and their 313-2/3 innings are third-highest in the league, behind only the Nationals (340) and Marlins (336). Twelve NL teams have fewer than 300 relief innings.
Since the break the Braves have two blown saves, both by Soriano on Saturday vs. Pittsburgh and yesterday vs. Cincinnati.
One glaring weakness in offense: For all the concerns earlier in the season about the offense, do you folks realize that the Braves have only struggled mightily at one position, or two if you include center field, where Andruw’s average is still terrible but the homers and RBIs are certainly not.
(They’ve actually gotten less from LF than CF, considering they’ve really gotten only a high average from LF, not any power or RBIs to speak of, but not many teams have a leadoff guy playing LF, so that’s skewed a bit, perhaps.)
Anyway, the one glaring weakness has been, of course, first base, where we might be dreaming if we think playing Saltalamacchia full-time is the answer (and the Braves obviously don’t think he is, because they just signed Julio Franco yesterday and have inquired about Mark Teixeira and lesser 1B options).
Anyway, Braves first basemen (primarily Scott Thorman) have hit a pitiful .205 with 35 RBIs, a .261 OBP and a .360 slugging percentage, last in the league by in all those categories, and by whopping margins in all but RBIs.
Here’s where the Braves rank by average and a couple other notable stats at the other positions:
Catchers (second in average, .289, second in slugging, .471, second in homers, 14, and second in RBIs, 59).
Second basemen (second in average, .295, and second in OBP, .377).
Third basemen (third in average, .302, second in OBP, .381, and third in slugging, .509).
Shortstops (second in average, .323, third in OBP, .378, and third in slugging, .474).
Left fielders (fourth in average, .297, last in homers, 5, and last in RBIs, 27).
Center fielders (last in average, first in homers, 18, and first in RBIs, 64).
Right fielders (third in average, .288, third in RBIs, 63, tied for ninth in OBP, .328).
Most of them are hitting: The only Braves who aren’t on hot streaks right now are Willie Harris, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Scott Thorman.
We may be seeing the inevitable market correction from Harris, who’s still having a helluva season regardless. In his past 21 games, he has a .193 average with no extra-base hits or RBIs. In his past 16 games, he’s 7-for-45 (.156) with 12 strikeouts and a .269 OBP.
Saltalamacchia hasn’t homered since his two-homer game June 26, and he’s 7-for-39 (.179) with two doubles and two RBIs in his past 10 games.
Thorman has been woeful since April 30, but we’ve covered that ground enough. He’s got no options, but Braves might soon be forced to make a move and risk losing him on waivers.
The surges: Andruw is 21-for-73 (.288) with seven homers, 20 RBIs and a .376 OBP and .992 OPS in his past 18 games, including a .361 average with four homers and 13 RBIs in his past nine games, with only three strikeouts in 36 at-bats and a .465 on-base percentage in that latter span.
Francoeur has hit .345 with two homers and 17 RBIs in his past 21 games (24 of his 29 hits in that span were singles).
Brian McCann has hit .339 with six homers, 18 RBIs and an 1.112 OPS in his past 17 games.
Kelly Johnson has hit .425 with seven RBIs and a .521 OBP in his past 15 games.
Matt Diaz has hit .376 (47-for-125) with 10 extra-base hits in his past 45 games.
Edgar Renteria has hit .348 (46-for-132) with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs in his past 32 games.
Chipper is hitting .333 overall and ranks second in the NL in OPS (1.012). He’s hit .381 with 10 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs, 20 walks and a .474 OBP in 29 games since returning from the DL.
Scout on Davies: “I’d take him”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So I’m talking today with a scout of an AL team, a guy with a strong pitching background, and I ask him about Kyle Davies, then prepare for the worst.
But I didn’t get the worst. For you holding out hope and/or belief that the former boy wonder from Stockbridge will get it together and have a strong career, you’re not alone.
“Kyle Davies has a good arm,” was the first thing from the scout, when I asked him what he thought after watching Kyle pitch a couple nights ago.
Not, “Kyle Davies is a mess,” or “Kyle Davies’ confidence is shot,” but “Kyle Davies has a good arm.”
“He’s not throwing as hard as he did before he hurt his groin,” the scout said. “But he’s got a good arm.”
“So there are teams that believe Davies will be a good major league pitcher?” I asked him.
And he replied without hesitation, “I’d take him.”
So there. That’s the other side of the dilemma of Davies, if there is a dilemma. I say “if” because the Braves have to decide whether to keep him up in the majors, send him down to the minors - he does have options - or perhaps listen to trade offers.
Since returning from the DL in September after groin surgery, Davies has gone 5-12 with a 7.17 ERA in 23 starts, and posted a .306 opponents’ average with 60 walks and only 74 strikeouts in 106-2/3 innings in that span. That’s fewer than five innings per start, folks.
He’s won just one game in 10 home starts (1-5) in that span.
Of course the Braves might not see it as much of a dilemma with Davies, at least not yet. Since he still has minor-league options, they might view it as, “Hey, we’ll send the guy down and let him work on things in the minors, if we have to.” I don’t know exactly what they’re thinking right now, to be honest.
I will say this: He’s in the bullpen today, available if Braves need a long man. To open a roster spot for John Smoltz coming off the DL today, they sent down Joey Devine, who’s building up quite a bank of frequent-flier miles this season, if not innings.
When I asked Bobby Cox about it, about keeping Jo-Jo Reyes and Davies and sending down Devine, he first was as vague as you could possibly imagine. “Yeah, he [Reyes] is staying around for a while.”
Only after asked again 15 minutes later in a slightly different manner did he allow that the Braves needed to have a long reliever available, what with Smoltz coming off the DL and there always being some uncertainty in such a situation, and with Oscar Villarreal’s arm not made entirely of rubber and therefore not available for bullpen use every single day.
But for Sunday’s ESPN game, Davies is tentatively scheduled to start. Reyes isn’t on the rotation plans, as of today. Again, this could all change. If Davies were to be used in long relief today, maybe Reyes gets the start Sunday.
We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
Given the dearth of pitching on the trade market, the Braves have got to be at least a bit encouraged by Lance Cormier’s much improved performance in his most recent rehab start. Who knows, maybe the guy will finally be ready to pitch like he did in the spring - but personally, I ain’t holding my breath for that one, not after seeing what he did in his couple of starts between DL stints.
By the way, don’t want to say I told you so on Bronson Arroyo a few weeks back, but he’s a good pitcher, still, regardless of his season numbers. He showed that last night.
He’d be a great fit in this ballpark and with this team, though I don’t know how available he is and what the Reds would want for him. Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell would also be a nice fit, and cheap for a few years, but Pirates GM Dave Littlefield is notorious for demanding too much for his young talent, and I don’t know that the Braves would be willing to give up Salty for Snell.
Salty’s in there again: Jarrod Saltalamacchia is making his second consecutive start at 1B against a right-hander today, which tells me the Braves are trying to decide whether they have to make a move at any cost for first-base help before the trade deadline.
If they don’t think Salty can give them production there for the stretch drive, they have to make a move. That point, seemingly, is not open for debate.
Here’s what I mean: Braves first baseman are hitting .203 with just 34 RBIs entering today’s game, worst in the majors in both. Repeat, .203 with 34 RBIs.
The Mariners (.206) are the only other major league team with first basement hitting below .230, and even they have 52 RBIs from first basemen.
The Braves also rank dead last in the majors, by even wider margins, in on-base percentage (.260) and slugging percentage (.363) from 1Bs. Average, OBP and slugging. The terrible trifecta.
Why, Mets pitchers (.230) are only 30 points below Braves first basemen in on-base percentage. Pitchers!
The bulk of the damage has been done by Thorman, batting .193 with six homers and a .230 on-base percentage in 60 games since Aug. 30.
He’s hit .071 (3-for-42) with one extra-base hit (double) and as many errors (three) as RBIs in his past 16 games. A scout told me he’s like a young Ryan Klesko, but without the “adjustment valve.” Said Thorman has too many holes in his swing and doesn’t make adjustments, keeps getting out on the same pitches by the same pitchers.
Salty hasn’t exactly torn it up at 1B, either, though in obviously limited opportunities. He was 7-for-38 (.184) with two homers and a .238 OBP at the position, compared to 25-for-67 (.373) with a .417 OBP at catcher.
Since his two-homer game June 26, Salty has gone 10-for-44 (.227) with two doubles, no homers and one RBI in his past 13 games.
Harris has cooled: Speaking of slumps, Willie Harris is in one. He’s 10-for-50 with no extra-base hits, seven runs and no RBIs in his past 20 games.
Harris is leading off again today, and you gotta like Kelly Johnson’s attitude about that. Kelly, who of course was the full-time leadoff guy for most of the first half, said he hopes Willie will get hot again in the leadoff spot because he runs and disrupts pitchers.
Not one word or roll of the eyes or anything else to tell me that Kelly has any problem hitting down in the order. He really does want Harris to get back to where he was, blistering hot until a few weeks ago.
Johnson is doing quite well hitting down in the order and platooning with Yunel Escobar.
Since June 29, K.J. was 15-for-34 (.441) with four extra-base hits, seven RBIs, seven walks and a .537 OBP in his past 14 games before today.
”I HAVE THE TOUCH” by Peter Gabriel
The time I like is the rush hour, cause I like the rush
The pushing of the people — I like it all so much
Such a mass of motion — do not know where it goes
I move with the movement and … I have the touch
I’m waiting for ignition, I’m looking for a spark
Any chance collision and I light up in the dark
There you stand before me, all that fur and all that hair
Oh, do I dare … I have the touch
Wanting contact
I’m wanting contact
I’m wanting contact with you
Shake those hands, shake those hands
Give me the thing I understand
Shake those hands, shake those hands
Shake those hands, shake those hands
Any social occasion, it’s hello, how do you do
All those introductions, I never miss my cue
So before a question, so before a doubt
My hand moves out and … I have the touch
Wanting contact
I’m wanting contact
I’m wanting contact with you
Shake those hands, shake those hands
Give me the thing I understand
Shake those hands, shake those hands
Pull my chin, stroke my hair, scratch my nose, hug my knees
Try drink, food, cigarette, tension will not ease
I tap my fingers, fold my arms, breathe in deep, cross my legs
Shrug my shoulders, stretch my back — but nothing seems to please
I need contact
I need contact
Nothing seems to please
I need contact
Does Jo-Jo have some mojo?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Isn’t the great thing about baseball that you don’t have to wait a week for a clean slate? Just 24 hours. And tonight the Braves get one with Jo-Jo Reyes on the mound.
After what happened to Kyle Davies Monday night - let me rip the scab off that wound and repeat that he got pulled after facing only five batters in a 10-3 loss to the Reds - you have to think Reyes has got a real opportunity tonight.
He didn’t give the Braves much to go on in his first start (five runs in three innings vs. Padres), but he’s had a chance to catch his breath now, and things seem to be wide open with possibility at the moment.
As for Davies, that’s another story. He was asked after last night’s game if he was worried if Bobby Cox had lost confidence in him, or worried about his standing with the team. No, and no, he said, and he said nothing further. At least he was smart enough not to compound his problems I guess by saying something dumb.
But Cox’s actions spoke pretty loudly last night, pulling Davies so quickly. And so did his words. There were a couple of quotes, I couldn’t fit into my game story but here was Bobby after the game on:
Davies’ lack of consistency:
“He threw a pretty darn good game in San Diego, and everybody else has been pitching good and you would think you might feed off that kind of thing. But I don’t know what happened to him. He just couldn’t locate anything.”
And on whether Davies problems were mechanical:
“There’s nothing mechanical about it, just, he’s got to put it together back-to-back.”
Earlier in the interview Cox had said Davies was way, way off the mark with his pitches. Davies didn’t see it that way, exactly.
Davies said he was only six inches away on the four pitches to Adam Dunn on the bases loaded walk. And they were down, which is where you want to be if you’re going to miss. He was right on both counts. But the message I’m getting from Cox is when it’s time to throw a strike, he wants you to throw a strike. And that’s that.
For some reason Bruce Chen is coming to mind.
And did you know? Entering Monday night’s game, Kyle Davies and Chuck James had the same number of losses — seven? But James has twice the number of wins as Kyle with eight.
And how about Reyes with the bat last night, pinch hitting in the third inning? He worked the count like a hitter and singled with authority to left center field. That was good for his first major league hit. It was also the first time a pitcher collected his first major league hit as a pinch hitter since Michael Tejera with the Marlins on June 14, 2002.
And Reyes had obviously given Cox the peace of mind that he was good enough, and knew what he was doing at the plate well enough, not to get hit/hurt the night before he was supposed to be starting a game.
How did Cox know? A clue was that Reyes had hit .267 in Mississippi with four hits in 15 at-bats, including two doubles.
Last night the Braves lost another game to a lefty starter (Bobby Livingston of the Reds) to make their record 19-24 on the season vs. lefties. The Braves have faced lefty starters 43 times this season, well ahead of the second-place Reds (34) and nobody in the AL has faced more than 29.
Do I get kudos for personal service?….I got an e-mail from a Braves fan relieved to wake up this morning and find out the Mets lost to the Padres late, meaning the Braves lost no ground despite their loss to the Reds. He was curious how many times the Mets and Braves have lost on the same day this season. What the heck, I was a little curious too.
By my math, the Braves and Mets have lost on the same day 17 times this season. The Mets have won 20 times otherwise on days the Braves have lost (This is not including the series between the two clubs or when one team was off.) It has happened quite a bit recently though, with the Mets losing the same day four of the last five times the Braves have lost.
And with apologies to the home club, I think it’s just nice to see Ken Griffey Jr. with his groove back. He’s got the prettiest swing in the game. And we all got to see him move past Frank Robinson last night into sole possession of sixth-place on the all-time home run list with No. 587.
It’s going nowhere fast for Scott Thorman, who struck out twice in two at-bats off the bench Monday night to fall to 0-for-his-last-16. Since Craig Wilson was released on May 17, Thorman has hit only .171 (24-for-140). And I go with DOB on out of options.
Out of time now, will keep you abreast of scoop at the ballpark.
Complete game drought’s troubling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buddy Carlyle threw eight great innings yesterday and I love it — the story he’s become this season. Talk about taking absolute advantage of an opportunity he got with Atlanta, and leading up to now, taking all the bumps in the road like a man and coming back again and again and again.
But the eight innings is what really got me thinking some yesterday. Thanks in part, of course, to listening to Skip and Pete on the radio talking about how the Braves had yet to pitch a complete game this year.
That’s right. Zero. And from just looking it up, the Braves are one of only five teams in baseball without a complete game yet this season. Three of them are currently last-place teams: Washington, Kansas City, and Texas. The other is Florida. Coincidence? Not so sure.
While I was at it, I wondered if this was the longest the Braves had gone without a complete game in a season. I mean, this is a pitching rich franchise — a starting pitching rich franchise.
Thanks to Braves assistant pr man Adam Liberman and the Elias Sports Bureau, I found out that’s true: the Braves have never gone this long without a complete game. The previous long was 2003 when the Braves played 86 games before Horacio Ramirez went the distance in a 7-3 win over the Mets. (Wouldn’t have guessed Ramirez, eh? I wouldn’t have.)
Now, I trust Bobby Cox’s judgment on Carlyle yesterday. I usually see the logic in bringing in a fresh guy from the bullpen, when the starter is dragging. I think Bobby develops a trust with his starters where they’d better tell him when they’ve had enough, and on the flipside, they feel like they can.
It used to drive people nuts when Greg Maddux would come out after six innings. I learned to respect Maddux’s judgment on when he was “gassed”; and that he was doing what he thought was best for the team. Even still, at age 41, he has one more complete game this year for the Padres than the Braves do as a team.
But it still feels like something is missing, especially for a team that prides itself on pitching. And no matter how much the game has changed, it sure would be nice to see one of your horses go the distance from time to time.
Right now it’s a big deal to go eight innings. Carlyle has done it once, now, this season, Kyle Davies once (5/22 vs. Mets). John Smoltz has made it eight innings only once this year and that was April 12 in a loss to Washington.
Tim Hudson has given himself the best shot at a complete game this season. He pitched eight innings four starts in a row April 20 to May 5. He pitched the closest thing the Braves got to a complete game on April 25 at Florida but after giving up three straight hits in the ninth, he left too much work for Bob Wickman and the Braves lost.
Yes, this is the baseball wide-trend. The National League is averaging only two complete games per team. But the Braves did have six complete games last year and eight in 2005. And was it really that long ago that the Braves had 13 complete games in 2000? Well, maybe so. Maddux had six that year and Tom Glavine four, and both are past 40 and long gone from here. And the young guys around now seem the least likely sometimes to go nine innings.
Is it just me? I mean, I think Chuck James has got a better shot at participating in the late innings now as a pinch hitter than he does as a pitcher. The Braves are carrying 13 pitchers on the staff at the moment, eight of them relievers, to the do the dirty work in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. That means James gets to hit sometimes when Cox gets low on position players. He is 0-for-2 in pinch hit at-bats this season.
The Reds, who come in today, have five complete games. I just tried to figure out exactly who had the five, and the stats page I’m looking at online doesn’t even have complete games on its main page of pitching stats. It has quality starts and WHIP and pitches per start and holds. No CGs. Though.
But a little more searching and I found the leader for the Reds is Kyle Lohse with two. Aaron Harang has one, Bronson Arroyo has one, former Braves farmhand Matt Belisle has one.
Could you repeat those names back to me, without looking back at them to check? Didn’t really think so.
I’m just sayin,’ somebody, anybody for the Braves? Let’s not get shutout in CGs for the season.
Last week I compiled a story about nine “did you know” sort of things from the first half. I found out about another cool one from Reds beat writer Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News and it was too late to put it in the story. So I’ll put it here.
When Ken Griffey Jr. went out to Seattle last month for his first game there since being traded to the Reds in 1999, the big homecoming with the warm reception and such? Hal says that before the game, Griffey’s old Seattle teammate Edgar Martinez told him “With your luck, you’ll probably hit two home runs and you’ll lose 3-2.” Griffey homered twice, and the Reds lost 3-2.
And did you catch the tiny little factoid that ran in the stories about the Phillies reaching 10,000 losses, the most in the history of professional sports franchises? Did you catch who’s next? The Braves. That’s right, the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves have lost 9,681 games. Not even the Cubbies can claim such a total. They’re next in line at 9,425. Course, you play a lot of games, you have a lot of history, you’re gonna win some, gonna lose some. Let’s just hope the Braves put off five digits’ worth of losing some for a while.
Should the Braves bring home Julio?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seems like we could use a fresh blog, so here goes, unsolicited on a Sunday afternoon as the game’s getting underway. Before moving on to the scouting preview of the Reds, the notebook and scoring the game, an offering to the denizens.
First up, the Julio matter. Julio Franco. I really didn’t believe the Braves would or should try to sign the 48-year-old pinch-hitter/first baseman after he was designated for assignment last week by the Mets, much as I loved hearing him call me “Amigo!” in that baritone voice every time he disagreed with me.
But after sitting in John Schuerholz’ private box with the GM and his assistant, Frank Wren, I’ve got to say I do believe they’re serious about pursuing it. And frankly, given the way the likes of Scott Thorman and Chris Woodward have performed this season, it’s not a bad idea the more I think about it.
By that I mean, if the Braves can’t go out and get a Jeff Conine for bench help or a big-time slugger that would allow them to move one of their current guys to the bench, then by all means go for Franco, who comes dirt-cheap and could give you more in a pinch-hitting role than anyone on the current roster has provided this season, other than LF platoon man Matt Diaz.
Braves can wait for Franco to clear waivers a week from now, which he almost certainly will do, and then make him an offer at a prorated portion of the minimum salary, where they’d end up paying him, oh, about $150,000 for the rest of the season. Mets would still have to pay him rest of his $1.15 mill salary.
You guys know where Braves pinch-hitters rank in the NL? Going into today’s games, they were 12th with a .209 average and had only one pinch-hit homer in 129 at-bats. Among the rest of the NL teams, only the Padres and Nationals had fewer than two pinch-hit homers.
The Braves’ one pinch homer was by Woodward, who is only 4-for-28 (.143) as a pinch-hitter. Diaz is 10-for-25 as a pinch-hitter, and the rest of the Braves are a meager 17-for-104 (.163). That’s bad, folks. Real bad.
And guess where Braves first basemen rank in the NL? Dead-last by a wide margin, with a woeful .207 average that was 26 points worse than any other NL team at the position before today. Two-oh-seven, people.
With a .263 OBP and .367 slugging percentage, also dead last in both those categories. And 34 RBIs, also at the bottom of the league.
Thorman has hit .211 with nine homers as a first baseman before today, Saltalamacchia has hit .226 with two homers in 31 at-bats as a first baseman, and Craig Wilson hit .185 with one homer in 54 at-bats at the position before he was dumpied in May.
Oh, and Woodward was 1-for-10 with five strikeouts as a first baseman before today, when he’s in the starting lineup at the position.
Will the Braves’ semi-annual revolving door at first base ever stop spinning? Right now, Robert Fick practically looks like Fred McGriff, compared to the production the Braves are getting from their current first basemen.
Since April 30, Thorman has hit .196 (37-for-189) in 58 games with six homers, 22 RBIs, five errors, 46 strikeouts and a .578 OPS.
Chipper making it look easy: Entering today’s game, Chipper Jones had hit .402 with a .467 OBP in 25 games since returning from the DL. Since returning without benefit of a rehab assignment, we might add. That’s not normal.
Oh, wait, he just grounded into a double play in the first inning as I typed that. He is human.
But anyway, since getting hot late last June, Chipper hasn’t cooled for any significant period, injuries and the DL be damned. He’s hit .359 in 446 at-bats with 35 doubles, four triples, 34 homers, 92 RBIs and a .439 OBP and 1.123 OPS in his past 118 games.
That’s a very productive season, and he did it in 118 games since June 24, 2006. Problem of course, is that the Braves have been about 175 or so games since then.
But other than the flukey hand injuries this season, he’s stayed relatively healthy. No significant injuries to his sides, hamstrings, etc. So the Braves have gotta like the possibility of having him for the entire second half, don’t you think?
As of this morning, he was tied with Matt Holliday for the NL batting lead at .339, and Chipper ranked second in the NL in slugging (.603) behind Prince Fielder (.623) and third in OBP behind Bonds (.505) and Helton (.442).
Only the Personable Giants LF (1.075) ranked ahead of Chipper in OPS (1.027).
Oh, and Chipper had raised his career average to .306 and OBP to .403.
Alright, gotta get to work for print. Let’s let Nick Cave take us out with his tribute to the late, great Man in Black.
“LET THE BELLS RING” by Nick Cave
C’mon, kind Sir, let’s walk outside/And breathe the autumn air
See the many that have lived and died/See the unending golden stair
See all of us that have come behind/Clutching at your hem
All the way from Arkansas/To your sweet and last amen
Let the bells ring/He is the real thing
Let the bells ring/He is the real, real thing
Take this deafening thunder down/Take this bread and take this wine
Your passing is not what we mourn/But the world you left behind
Well, do not breathe, nor make a sound/And behold your mighty work
That towers over the uncaring ground/Of a lesser, darker world
Let the bells ring/He is the real thing
Let the bells ring/He is the real, real thing
There are those of us not fit to tie/The laces of your shoes
Must remain behind to testify/Through an elementary blues
So, let’s walk outside, the hour is late/Through your crumbs and scattered shells
Where the awed and the mediocre wait/Barely fit to ring the bells
Let the bells ring/He is the real thing
Let the bells ring/He is the real, real thing
Interviewing Bonds has never been a treat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Friday the 13th. I haven’t blogged in ages. It seems like the Braves haven’t played in ages. So what’s on my mind today?
Barry Bonds.
Sorry, I know you’ve been slammed with stuff about him over the All-Star break, all the feel good, feel bad, dang Hank’s record is really going to fall stuff. But I thought now might be a good time to share my own brush with infamy story, one I never really thought I would tell.
When I first told an old editor about this, she said, “Why didn’t you write it?” Well, that wasn’t my style, I explained. But hey, that was before we had this wonderful new forum called a blog, before BALCO and before, I don’t know, the statute of my limitations on the subject ran out.
And it’s not like Barry has done any of us media types any favors. Last time I asked him a question, during spring training, his response was “I’ve done that interview 21 times and I’m not doing it today.”
So there. And so here goes.
I was a young and somewhat terrified reporter for the Macon Telegraph at the time, 10 summers ago, when I was assigned to go write a sidebar about Barry Bonds when the Giants were in town.
Now he had supposedly gotten a little media friendlier, but I never kidded myself this interview would be a picnic. It was already a little bit hard for me to go in visiting clubhouses anyway, as a woman, since opposing teams weren’t really expecting me or used to me being around. It just meant I had to take a little bit deeper breath before I walked through the door.
So I did and went to look for Bonds. Didn’t see him, didn’t see him, didn’t see him. I’d go back to the clubhouse, wait for a few minutes, then leave, not wanting to be a fixture there. I’d done this probably three times, when I decided during batting practice to give it one last swing by. I walked into the visiting clubhouse at Turner Field and heard music blaring. I walked around the corner to see nobody in the room except Barry Bonds. He was sitting on a couch on the opposite side of the room, head in a magazine, bobbing to the music.
You talk about a deep breath.
“OK,” I thought. “Here I go.”
I walked all the way around the couch and came up behind him. He never looked up. I reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. I got most of the words out “Barry, do you have a minute?” when I looked over his shoulder and saw something I never really ever need to see.
Let’s just say he was reading a magazine that doesn’t require much reading. I froze. It was way too late for me to take my tap-on-the-shoulder back, throw it in reverse and disappear.
“No, I’m busy right now,” Bonds said, managing to increase my angst.
So I’m standing there, face flushed, brain spinning, trying to figure out the next thing you’re supposed to say in a situation like that, and he spoke again.
“You know what? Yeah, yeah I do have a minute,” and he put the magazine down and moved over on the couch.
So I walked around and sat down, all excited and nervous then, and I started firing off my questions. I had planned quite a few of them - preparation helps take the nerves away for me. And he proceeded to deflect every question I asked.
“That’s luck,” or “I’m not really sure,” or “Blahty blah.”
It wasn’t mean-spirited. It seemed more like a game to him.
Not really sure what to say, I finally just kinda threw up my hands and said “Well, I’m just not asking very good questions, am I?”
He said “Yes you are, I’m just not answering them.”
And we laughed.
Hey, at least I knew I was doing everything I could possibly do to get that story, and it just wasn’t happening. So we chatted for a few minutes more, in an amicable way, and I left. I called my editor and told him I didn’t get enough to write anything. I don’t think I’d ever done that before, but at that time, it was what I felt I had to do.
I wasn’t about to write about Barry Bonds and a porno mag. I was supposed to respect the fact that baseball players let me into their fraternity house and I wasn’t going to blow that all up because a player had made me mad by not talking. Or at least not saying anything I could write. For one thing, I didn’t want other players to read that and think I could not be trusted.
I still feel that way. But I guess the blog has broken me down, and the fact that Barry Bonds isn’t exactly a charter member of the fraternity anymore, or so it seems to me. And it’s not a bad story, is it? I’ve told it at cocktail parties. Might as well tell it here.
So that’s it. Maybe you guys would have a better punch line for it.
And oh yeah, this is supposed to be a Braves blog. and I can’t twist Bonds into much of a Braves angle that DOB hasn’t already done. He’s already put the fear into everybody’s hearts of “oh no, what if Bonds breaks Hank Aaron’s record against Atlanta. Or even in Atlanta, no less?”
Dave’s also done a nice and complete job of wrapping up the first half of the Braves season. So I’ll just say hey, Pirates are in town tonight. Let’s get rolling.
The Braves get to play their next 14 games against teams with sub .500 records - Pirates, Reds, Cardinals, and yes, the Giants. Maybe the Braves will make a move back to the top of the NL East.
So bring it on, second half. About time you got here.
I’m still picking Braves to win the East
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, I can tell you that after talking to a lot of ink-stained wretches and a few TV-types out here covering the All-Star Game, including some from New York and Philly, the general consensus is that the NL East is wide open.
The Mets are pinning a lot of hopes on the return of Pedro Martinez, and I’ve gotta say if he’s back strong, I’d lean toward them winning the division. But that’s a big “if.”
Every time I see that ESPN footage of him in a throwing session a couple months or so ago, can’t help but notice how he barely reached back behind his ear. Granted, that was a couple months ago, but I’ve just got my doubts about how strong he’s going to be. So much wear and tear on that slender, spectacular arm.
So I’m sticking with my preseason prediction, the one several of you mocked me for when the Braves were hitting .150 and scoring one run during an 0-5 skid vs. Boston and Detroit. Yes, I’m still picking the Braves to win the division.
The Mets aren’t nearly as tough as I thought they’d be, which is why I’ll take this flawed Braves team to play better in the second half, pick up another starting pitcher and perhaps another bat before the trade deadline, and to win this thing in a race to the wire.
Andruw’s hitting better now and he’s going to have a big second half. McCann’s hitting better and is going to have a big second half. Chipper needs to stay healthy, but other than the flukey palm injuries in the stumble at Pittsburgh, he’s been pretty healthy this season, even Hoss-bashers would have to admit.
Healthy enough to rank among the league leaders in average (.329, sixth in NL), slugging, (.594, second), on-base percentage (.417, third) and OPS (1.011, second to Bonds’ 1.101).
He belonged on the All-Star team, and would’ve made it if his DL stint had come later instead of earlier, when it kep his name from appearing in NL rankings because he didn’t have the plate appearances to qualify until the last couple weeks before the break, when most voting was already done.
That said, shortstop Edgar Renteria’s been this team’s MVP in the first half, and certainly belonged on the All-Star team more than any Brave, including Chipper and even the guys who actually made the team, McCann and John Smoltz.
Pittsburgh radio station just called… Asked if I’d be available tomorrow morning to discuss the upcoming series with the Pirates. See, folks care, even in Steel Town, where their squad isn’t very good, but has played better lately.
At least I think they have, right? I know ‘Ol Rochy is coming around and has been on fire in the last two or three weeks. It’ll be interesting to hear the reception he gets in his return to Turner Field for the three-gamer that starts Friday.
OK, a little interesting.
In actuality, not expecting thunderous applause or lusty boos, but something in the middle. Remember, the man didn’t leave on his only initiative. The Braves traded him. Always leaves me scratching my head when players who got traded get booed in their return. I mean, unless they were total jackballs while here.
And ‘Ol Rochy wasn’t a total jackball. Or even a partial one. He’s a good dude. And man, do the Braves miss that defense at first base….
But anyway, I told the station I’m catching a redeye flight tonight at 11:45 p.m., arriving in Atlanta about 7:30 a.m, and probably wouldn’t be a very engaging interview at mid-morning. And that was that.
Kelly back to leadoff? Is it time for Kelly Johnson to be moved back to the leadoff spot. I’d say so, at least on the days when he’s in the lineup, assuming Bobby Cox continues to use the Escobar/Johnson platoon at 2B.
Willie Harris has been hitting leadoff lately when K.J.’s in the lineup, but that’s not worked out so well. I never thought Kelly deserved to lose the leadoff job, thought I understood the platoon at 2B simply because Escobar’s a dynamic talent and needs to play somewhere.
But have them split the leadoff role, too, if they’re going to platoon.
K.J. went to the break with the fourth-highest leadoff OBP in the league at .386, and two ahead of him were Hanley Ramirez (.438) and Jose Reyes (.387). The other was Scott Hatteberg (.415), but he had fewer than 100 plate appearances as a leadoff man.
Also, K.J. does another thing a leadoff man should do _ sees a lot of pitches. His 4.14 pitches seen per PA ranked fifth in the NL at the break behind only Todd Helton (4.36), Albert Pujols (4.21), Ryan Howard (4.20) and strikeout machine Adam Dunn (4.17).
Kelly hit .444 (12-for-27) with a homer, five RBIs, four walks and a .516 OBP in his last 10 games before the break. Willie was 3-for-23 with six walks, no extra-base hits or RBIs in his last 10 games before the break.
Harris had a great first half and is part of a productive left-field platoon with Matt Diaz that’s been crucial for the Braves since Ryan Langerhans was traded.
But Kelly has a .284 average and .386 OBP with 27 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs as a leadoff man. Very strong numbers.
Willie has a .194 average with no extra-base hits and a .342 OBP in limited duty (31 at-bats) as a leadoff man, compared to his .397 average in the 2-hole and .375 average in the 8-hole.
Whaddya think of this Diet Pepsi Max? They call it “invigorating cola” with extra caffeine and ginseng. A little too sweet for me, but hey, this hotel tragically doesn’t have coffee makers in its rooms, and I’m on the 21st floor with a pile of stuff to do for Friday paper, trying to crank out this blog before my 3 p.m. late checkout. So it’s Diet Pepsi Max, which some girls were distributing free cans of last night as we left AT&T Park. Glad I took a couple.
Speaking of invigorating: I think my limo/cab driver had a death wish last night. He pulled over in a Town Car, practically slamming against the curb as I was walking away from the ballpark. Asked if I needed a cab. It was starting to rain, so I jumped in.
Next thing I know, we’re careening down streets and he pulls over to let a fire engine go by with its sirens wailing and lights flashing. And what does this wired-up idiot do? He tucks in behind the fire engine and proceeds to go through red lights behind this thing for about six blocks through the heart of downtown San Francisco.
Unbelievable.
And I thought I was impatient.
Road warriors wrap: The Braves finished the first half with a .287 team batting average on the road, a full 15 points ahead of the next-best in the NL, the Mets’ .272. The Braves also had a league-high .340 road OBP and league-high .449 road slugging percentage.
Meanwhile, they ranked just 15th in the NL in home average at .248, ahead of only San Diego. The Braves’ .326 OBP and .391 slugging percentage on the road were far lower than their home marks in those categories, and they have hit 39 homers at Turner Field compared to 52 on the road.
The Braves had three of the NL’s top four road averages before the break, lead by Chipper’s league-best .361. Kelly (.346) was third and Edgar (.342) fourth, while Jeff Francouer (.326) was tied for eighth with Hanley Ramirez.
The Braves didn’t have any in the top 10 in home averages, but get this: Willie Harris’ .403 mark would lead the majors, just ahead of Ichiro (.402), if Willie had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Chase Utley (.387) leads the NL in home average.
Alright, I’m outta time. Gotta shower and check out of hotel. Probably gonna spend the rest of the day/night working in the Delta Crown Room at the SF airport, as much as I’d prefer to spend it hanging out in the city.
Take us out, out Billy Joe. Soon I’lll be on a fast plane home.
“GEORGIA ON A FAST TRAIN” by Billy Joe Shaver
On a rainy Wednesday morning that’s the way that I was born in/That old sharecropper’s one room country shack
They said my mommie left me the day before she had me/Said she hit the road and never once looked back
And I just like to mention my grandma’s old age pension/Is the reason why I’m standing here today
I got all my country learning a milking and a churning/Picking cotton raisin’ hell and baling hay
I been to Georgia on a fast train honey I wouldn’t born no yesterday/I got a good Christian raisin’ and an eight grade education
Ain’t no need in y’all a treatin’ me this way
Now sweet Carolina I don’t think I’ll ever find/Another woman put together like you are
I like your wiggle in your walking and your big city talking/And your brand new shiny Plymouth ragtop car
Well it’s hurry up and wait in this land of give and take/It seems like haste it makes for waste everytime
I declare to my soul when you hear those ages roll/You better know I’m gonna get my share of mine
I been to Georgia on a fast train…
I been to Georgia on a fast train…
It’s true: Braves only two back at break
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, it’s a flawed team that must get more innings from its starting pitchers after the All-Star break, along with more production from its center fielder, and probably needs to make a change at first base and strengthen its bench.
That said, anyone watching the Braves the past two weeks, during a 9-4 run in which they hit .311 and averaged 6.5 runs per game, has to feel better about the team’s chances of making the postseason than you did in mid-June.
That is unless you’re watching with a jaundiced view or not considering the competition.
Or haven’t you noticed, the NL East-leading New York Mets are 2-6 with a league-worst 6.57 ERA in July?
As much as some folks keep insisting the Mets have a bank vault — Citi Bank is their big new sponsor, right? — that they can dip into and solve all team deficiencies for the stretch run, the reality is that simply throwing money around can’t do it.
The few teams that have impact pitchers they’re willing to trade before the July 31 trade deadline are asking for top prospects and/or young players in return. It’s the Braves who have more of those than most teams, including a pair that other teams are drooling over, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Yunel Escobar.
It’s probably going to come down to this question: Are the Braves willing to potentially sacrifice a future star or two for a pitcher, or for possibly another hitter, who might not be anything more than a rental for the rest of the season?
In the next three weeks, they’ll have to decide if such a proven talent is necessary to get them over the hump, or to at least greatly enhance their chances of making the postseason.
If Braves officials believe they can get to the postseason without giving up Salty or Yunel — or maybe both, though I doubt it strongly — they certainly would prefer not to trade them now, but rather hold onto them until the offseason.
Because doing so would allow them to sit back, see how the rest of the season plays out at the major and minor league levels, decide where all pieces fit best, and see if their young kids might be cheaper options for starting roles next year, which would allow the Braves to clear up some payroll by trading a veteran position player during the winter, that kind of thing.
But again, it’ll come down to whether the Braves officials believe they absolutely have to get another starter now, at any cost, or add another bat now, at almost any cost.
Those are the kind of pressure decisions they face in the next few weeks, decisions that can cause executives’ underarm heat to increase a little each day as the calendar clicks toward July 31, if those NL East standings don’t look quite the way they want them to in the morning paper.
Ok, couple of quick statistical notes before I board a flight from San Diego to S.F. for the All-Star Game:
Shhh. Andruw’s waking up: It took half a season, but Andruw Jones finally appears to be coming out of the worst slump of his career and one of the worst in recent memory by a marquee free-agent-to-be in a “walk year.”
Braves fans are understandably skeptical, having watching his flailing, off-balance exploits at the plate for nearly three cringe-inducing months. But you gotta admit, he’s finally showing real progress. These numbers don’t lie.
After hitting .164 (30-for-183) with six homers, 23 RBIs, 47 strikeouts and a pitiful .542 OPS from May 2 to June 25, Andruw has hit .292 (14-for-48) with four homers, 12 RBIs and a .968 OPS in his past 12 games.
OK, so six of those hits and five RBIs came in three games at Petco Park, where Andruw always rakes while Padres whine about the park’s dimensions. And OK, so his .211 average is still the worst among NL lineup regulars.
Nevertheless, he’s looked far better at the plate while getting at least one hit in 11 of those past 12 games, and he hasn’t been collapsing on his back leg and causing Little League dads to cover their sons’ eyes when he swings.
We’ve seen it before, what Andruw can do when he goes on one of his torrid two-week runs. It remains to be seen if this San Diego series started one, or whether the All-Star break came at the worst possible time for him (he says it most definitely did not, because he’s as tired as he’s ever been at the break and needed to rest his entire body).
McCann getting in sync: Brian McCann is a proud guy who refuses to make excuses, so we might never know exactly how much his finger and ankle injuries affected his approach and performance this season.
But he got out of sync with his swing, especially the timing of his toe-tap and his hand placement before the pitch was delivered. He’s been working on that for a few weeks with hitting coach Terry Pendleton since Pendleton spotted a flaw when comparing McCann’s swings in 2006 and 2007.
The work seems to have paid off the past couple weeks. After hitting .250 with five homers, 35 RBIs and a .698 OPS in his first 63 games, McCann has hit .325 with four homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.047 OPS in his past 14 games.
That included a couple games where he had one plate appearance as a pinch-hitter or late-inning sub. He’s 13-for-39 with six extra-base hits (four homers) and 14 RBIs in his past 12 starts.
And he’s headed to his second All-Star Game in as many full seasons in the majors, after his peers voted him to go (McCann is the first to say, sounding embarrassed, that other catchers deserved consideration; I’m telling you the kid is as salt-of-the-earth good as it gets).
That he was selected says plenty about the respect he’s developed, at 23, among players around the league.
By the way, McCann has nine homers and 49 RBIs at the break. Last season he had six homers and 29 RBIs at the break, then piled up 18 homers and 64 RBIs after playing in the All-Star Game.
K.J. ends on high note: He lost his leadoff spot weeks ago and has been sharing second-base duties with Escobar, but Kelly Johnson hasn’t let the reduced role affect his performance.
The second baseman went 12-for-27 (.444) with five RBIs and a .516 OBP in his last 10 games before the break, including a homer off Greg Maddux in Sunday night’s win at San Diego.
He hopes to get back into the every-day lineup again instead of platooning, but I’ve got a hard time seeing that happening unless there’s an injury elsewhere or Escobar is traded before the deadline.
For the record, Escobar has hit .333 (18-for-54) with five doubles vs. lefties; Johnson has hit .255 (28-for-110) with five doubles, three triples and two homers vs. lefties.
Meanwhile, Johnson will try to get a handle on this home-road disparity.
His .346 road average is the third-best in the NL (Chipper leads at .361), and Johnson has hit .390 (32-for-82) with 15 RBIs and a 1.042 OPS in his past 23 road games. He’s a road hitting machine.
But at home, he’s hit just .178 (16-for-90) with nine RBIs and a .572 OPS in his past 25 games.
OK, I’ll post another blog in a couple days,with more at-the-break stuff and some humorous anecdotes and such from the first half. But for now, I gotta get going or I’m gonna miss my flight.
Take us out, Otis….
”(SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY” by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper
Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun,/I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ come.
Watching the ships roll in,/Then I’ll watch ‘em roll away again.
Yeah, I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay,/Watching the tide roll away.
Ooh, I’m just sittin’ on the dock of the day,/Wastin’ time.
I left my home in Georgia,/Headed for the Frisco bay.
I have nothing to live for,/Look like nothin’s gonna come my way.
So I’m just gonna sit on the dock of the bay,/Watching the tide roll away.
Ooh, I’m sittin’ on the dock of the day,/Wastin’ time.
Look like nothing’s gonna change/Everything still remains the same.
I can’t do what ten people tell me to do/So I guess I’ll remain the same.
Just sittin’ here resting my bones,/And this loneliness won’t leave me alone.
Two thousand miles I roam,/Just to make this dock my home.
Now I’m just gonna sit at the dock of the bay,/Watchin’ the tide roll away.
Ooh, I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay,/Wastin’ time.
Hot-hitting Hoss overtakes Murph
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wouldn’t you know the last game in the Dodgers series would be wildest, longest one of the four, ending so late we didn’t make a single newspaper (before online, those last couple innings on such a long West Coast night game were spent eating popcorn and kicking back, not writing … progress stinks sometimes).
Before we go any further, let me give you the THIS JUST IN report on Smoltz:
Braves just announced this: “Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz met with team doctors today in Atlanta and underwent an MRI test on his right shoulder. The results of the test showed a “good” rotator cuff and some inflammation in the shoulder.
“As a result of today’s findings, Smoltz will not be going to Birmingham, Ala., next week to meet with Dr. James Andrews. However, the Braves have placed Smoltz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 3. Smoltz will be eligible to come off the DL on July 18.”
OK, I’ll fill you in a little later when I get to the park and get any more details.
Anyway … drove down the 5 freeway after midnight and checked into my hotel at 3 a.m. (6 a.m. in Atlanta). Thankfully I’m in San Diego, where lack of sleep doesn’t seem too bad a problem to deal with when you look out at the scenery, including the view I’ve got of the Pacific Ocean beyond the harbor.
So I’m gonna crank this blog out quickly and go wolf down lunch (fish tacos, you better believe it) before heading to the ballpark.
How ‘bout Chipper last night? One night after his two-run single starts the Braves toward a 5-2 win over Los Dodgers, he comes back with not one, but two homers to unknot what had been a careening 6-6 game in which neither of the veteran starters, Tim Hudson and Brad Penny, got a decision or a decent performance.
(In fact, those two combined for seven innings pitched, and 19 hits, 12 runs and six walks allowed. Yikes. How does something like that happen? “That’s baseball,” as Livan Hernandez used to tell me in his thick Cuban accent.)
So back to Hoss. Jacks a homer off lefty Eric Stults in the sixth inning for a 7-6 lead, then another off righty Chin-hui Tsao in the eighth to provide a two-run cushion. And this time Bob Wickman was able to protect it.
The two homers gave Chipper a team-high 15 for the season (despite his time missed) and moved him past Murph, Dale Murphy, as the all-time Atlanta franchise leader (many have asked me why Hank Aaron’s not the leader; the great Aaron spent more than half his career with the Milwaukee Braves before they moved to Atlanta, and hit “only” 335 of his 755 career homers for the Atlanta Braves).
Folks, even I’m surprised by how much Chipper’s raking this year, which is merely a continuation of what he did starting last June. When healthy, he’s been one of the top five hitters in all of baseball in the past 13 months. Seriously.
He’s hit .390 (30-for-77) with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .466 OBP in 20 games since he returned from his latest DL stint, and now his hands are healing and his strength’s returning, as evident by the ease with which he appeared to stroke those balls out of the park from both sides last night.
In his past eight games, he’s 13-for-33 (.394) with 13 RBIs and a .487 OBP.
Now consider these extended-stretch stats:
Since June 24, 2006, he’s hit .354 (151-for-426) with 32 doubles, four triples, 34 homers, 92 RBIs, 62 walks (59 strikeouts) and a .435 OBP and .688 slugging percentage. That’s 70 extra-base hits and a 1.023 OPS in 113 games.
On the road in that period, he’s hit .385 (90-for-234) with 40 extra-base hits (18 homers), 43 RBIs and an 1.181 OPS.
Entering today’s games, Chipper ranks fourth in the majors in OPS this season at 1.019, behind Bonds (1.121), A-Rod (1.065) and Magglio (1.061). Chipper’s .603 slugging percentage is third in the NL behind Bonds (.607) and Prince Fielder (.604).
Joneses like Petco Park … a lot: It’s a good bet that Chipper’s surge will continue in San Diego, where he and Andruw Jones have put up gaudy numbers since the beautiful downtown park opened a few years ago.
(I’m not going to say it’s a good bet Andruw will have his usual power binge at Petco, because, as you may have heard, he’s in a bit of a slump. Uh-umm.)
Chipper’s 15-for-36 with six homers and 11 RBIs in 10 games at Petco, his highest average (.417) at any park he’s played more than five games, and his highest slugging percentage (.944) at any park, period.
Andruw is 16-for-45 (.356) with eight homers and 16 RBIs in 12 games at Petco, where he’s posted a whopping .956 slugging percentage. Of course, he’s never staggered into Petco lugging anything like his current numbers.
Jones is hitting .199 for the season and .173 (38-for-220) with nine homers and 59 strikeouts in 58 games since May 2.
He’s hit .131 (11-for-81) with 25 strikeouts and a .463 OPS in his past 22 games. Yikes. How much longer?
He did, however, miss a grand slam by about a foot last night (but also let a ball roll under his glove in the outfield).
As The Slump Turns: Jones has the lowest average among NL regulars, the worst vs. right-handers (.195), the second-worst with runners on base (.190), the second-worst after the sixth inning (.144), and the fourth-most strikeouts (87).
By the way, something’s wrong when the cleanup hitter has a team-worst .206 average with runners in scoring position and a team-high 102 at-bats in those situations.
B-Mac’s knee: Brian McCann was scratched from the lineup with what was called a sprained right knee last night, but I really don’t think it’s serious. I’ll let you know later after talking to him, but the fact that the team said he was available if needed last night told me it wasn’t anything major.
He’s 10-for-31 (.323) with two doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs in his past nine games, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s playing tonight. McCann is, by the way, 6-for-16 with two homers and seven RBIs in four game at Petco.
And what about the recent resurgence of his old roomie, Jeff Francoeur?
Frenchy is 15-for-34 (.441) with four extra-base hits and nine RBIs in his past eight games, including a homer to straight center last night that the was first homer allowed this season by Penny at Dodger Stadium.
Down Under from the side: Peter Moylan (3-1) is slinging his way to a helluva season. The sidearming righty bailed Hudson out of a man-at-third-with-no-outs jam last night, getting out unscathed with two grounders and a strikeout on his way to two scoreless innings and the win.
Since giving up three hits and three runs on one-third of an inning in his April 15 season debut (after a red-eye flight from the minors), the heavily tattoed and amiable Aussie has posted a 1.62 ERA and .203 opponents’ average in his 34 subsequent appearances.
Ok, gotta run. But first, a tune from the master of literate-underbelly songwriters, this one based on Tom’s experiences while he worked at a dive pizza parlor in San Diego many years ago:
“The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone’s Pizza House)” by Tom Waits
A cab combs the snake,
Tryin’ to rake in that last night’s fare,
And a solitary sailor/Who spends the facts of his life
like small change on strangers…
Paws his inside P-coat pocket/for a welcome twenty-five cents,
And the last bent butt from a package of Kents,
As he dreams of a waitress with Maxwell House eyes
And marmalade thighs with scrambled yellow hair.
Her rhinestone-studded moniker says, “Irene”
As she wipes the wisps of dishwater blonde from her eyes
And the Texaco beacon burns on,
The steel-belted attendant with a ‘Ring and Valve Special’…
Cryin’ “Fill’er up and check that oil”
“You know it could be a distributor and it could be a coil.”
The early mornin’ final edition’s on the stands,
And that town cryer’s cryin’ there with nickels in his hands.
Pigs in a blanket sixty-nine cents,
Eggs - roll ‘em over and a package of Kents,
Adam and Eve on a log, you can sink ‘em damn straight,
Hash browns, hash browns, you know I can’t be late.
And the early dawn cracks out a carpet of diamond
Across a cash crop car lot
filled with twilight Coupe Devilles,
Leaving the town in a-keeping
Of the one who is sweeping
Up the ghost of Saturday night…
Braves’ hitting resurgence was timely
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gonna be an interesting night with a fine pitching matchup of Tim Hudson vs. Brad Penny at Dodger Stadium, then a midnight drive to San Diego. Wish you were here. (Well, some of you.)
Anyway, while I’m thinking about it, I was just crunching numbers and came up with this one: The Braves have hit .290 on the road since May 1, and .248 at home in that same stretch.
But here’s the positive news you folks were looking for (no, not “Kyle Davies has figured out the flaw in his delivery and should now be ready to turn in quality starts on a regular basis.”)
The positive news: The Braves have hit .317 and scored 59 runs in their past nine games, while going 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA in that span. This after going 3-9 in the previous 12 games while posting a 4.74 ERA and hitting just .242 with 28 runs — yes, 28 runs in 12 games. Ugly.
From under 2-1/2 runs per game to nearly 5-1/2 runs per game, that’s progress. Of course, the level of competition hasn’t been nearly as strong in the latter stretch, with Washington, Florida and Los Dodgers not comparable to the likes of Cleveland, Boston and Detroit. Well, the Dodgers are, but not the others.
But nevertheless … the schedule is the schedule. And while the Mets have been stumbling and letting the Braves stick around, several Atlanta hitters have emerged from their slumps and the team actually has more than a few hitters going strong at once, for the first time in a while.
The pitching still is rife with concerns — John Smoltz’s shoulder, Davies’ everything, Bob Wickman’s recent struggles, the new lefty’s underwhelming work — but improved offense can go a long way toward lessening the impact of those pitching problems.
The Braves still need to find a starter on the market, which I think they’ll do before the July 31 trade deadline, whether it’s an impact guy or just a modest innings-eater who’s more reliable than what they’ve got now at the back end of the rotation.
We’ll know soon enough, perhaps in the next few hours, who is expected to start Saturday for Smoltz. Could it be top prospect Jo Jo Reyes, the extremely promising lefty who’s only been up with Class AAA Richmond for a few weeks? Probably so. Which tells you how desperate the Braves are getting, to use the first option on this kid with such limited experience in the high minors.
Stay tuned.
Now, about those resurgent hitters: Chipper Jones has hit .378 with a .446 OBP in 19 games since returning from the DL, and has 11 RBIs in his past seven games.
Several others have picked it up in the last week or three, perhaps some of them responding since Hoss returned to stabilize the lineup from his No. 3 spot. For example:
Brian McCann has hit .323 with three homers and 10 RBIs in his past nine games, after hitting .174 with two homers and 13 RBIs in his previous 24 games.
Jeff Francoeur has hit .448 (13-for-29) with three doubles and seven RBIs in his past seven games, after batting .206 with just one extra-base hit and three RBIs in 68 at-bats over his previous 18 games.
Matt Diaz has hit all season, but jacked it up recently, batting .415 (17-for-41) in his past 15 games.
Edgar Renteria keeps going strong, batting .333 with 14 RBIs and a .404 OBP in his past 22 games.
Rookie phenom Yunel Escobar went through a very brief slump, but is cookin’ again now, going 11-for-25 (.440) with four doubles, eight runs and four RBIs in his past seven games.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia has hit since he got here, and despite going 1-for-9 in the first three games of the Dodgers series, he still has a .339 average with three homers in his past 20 games (59 at-bats).
The Braves regulars still struggling mightily: Scott Thorman, who’s 3-for-26 (.115) with one double and 10 strikeouts in his past 10 games, and Andruw Jones, despite his current one-hit-a-game eight-game hitting streak.
He’s 8-for-35 (.229) with three homers, six RBIs and 12 strikeouts during that unusual hitting streak, and in his past 21 games he has a .134 average with six RBIs, 25 strikeouts in 82 at-bats, and a .202 OBP.
Is Wickman fading? The veteran closer has been very hittable for the past few weeks, posting a 9.45 ERA and .382 opponents’ average in nine appearances since June 14. He’s allowed 13 hits and seven earned runs in 6-2/3 innings over that stretch, with an 0-1 record and two blown saves in six chances.
For the season, Wickman has a .270 opponents’ average and .349 OBP, including a .293 average (17-for-58) by right-handed batters.
He’s allowed only eight hits and one unearned run in 14 home games this season, but on the road he’s got a 7.63 ERA and .333 opponents’ average in 18 appearances, with 23 hits, 13 earned runs and 10 walks in 15-1/3 innings.
New guy not impressive: So far it’s been a rough go of it for left-hander Wilfredo Ledezma, who is doing pretty much for the Braves what he was doing with Detroit before coming over in a trade for lefty Macay McBride.
Ledezma was charged with a run and two hits without recording an out Wednesday night, after allowing a run Monday and two runs and three hits in one inning Friday at Florida.
In his past 20 appearances with Detroit and the Braves, he has a 6.93 ERA and .301 opponents’ average, with 31 hits (three homers), 20 runs (19 earned) and 14 walks allowed in 24-2/3 innnings.
Ok, gotta get to the ‘park. For our last day in L.A., a late, great Southern Californian will take us out with this little ditty.
“JOIN ME IN L.A.” by Warren Zevon
Well, they say this place is evil
That ain’t why I stay
‘Cause I found something
That will never be nothing
And I found it in L. A.
It was midnight in Topanga
I heard the DJ say
There’s a full moon rising
Join me in L. A.
wake up … wake up
I was at the Tropicana
On a dark and sultry day
Had to call someone long distance
I said “Join me in L. A.”
Join me in L. A.
Braves need win, with Penny waiting in finale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings to the denizens and a happy Fourth and all that. Hope most of you folks don’t have to work on this holiday, but if you do, I hope you at least dig your jobs.
It’s smokin’ hot out here — the weather I’m talking about — at least by L.A. standards. You wouldn’t believe the complaints you hear from spoiled Angelenos when their temperature reaches 90.
Anyway, hopefully there’s enough of you out there to flood this blog and make it worthwhile to do one on the holiday. I debated whether to kick back and not post one (it wasn’t required), so let’s see if we can show how strong this corner of Braves Nation is, even when some aren’t blogging at their workplaces.
I’ll keep it brief, since the clubhouse opens shortly and I don’t want to miss Smoltz, who might know today whether he’s going to skip a start (and the All-Star Game; the latter you can bet on) or what to deal with the sore shoulder.
The Braves obviously can’t afford to go long without him, especially if they don’t add a starter soon. And after talking to some folks today, I’m getting the impression that they might not be able to add one until closer to the July 31 trade deadline.
Seems like some teams the Braves were talking to have kind of cooled their heels, for now, and will wait to see if they can get more in trade that is currently being offered.
But anyway, for the hear and now, the Braves had better win tonight against 6-foot-9 lefty Mark Hendrickson, because if they don’t they’ll have to hope Tim Hudson can beat Brad Penny tomorrow just to avoid being swept in a four-game series. And getting swept in a four-game series ain’t good.
Did we mention Penny is about the hottest pitcher going, in either league? Huddy’s looked real good in is last two starts, but Penny has looked real good all year. Let me tell you, he’s a far, far different pitcher than the one I covered in Florida during Penny’s first few seasons in the majors.
The dude is 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his past eight starts, including five consecutive games in which he’s allowed only one run in seven or more innings, with no homers and seven or fewer hits in each of those games.
At home, Penny is 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in nine starts, and hasn’t allowed a homer at Dodger Stadium all season.
As I said, the Braves had best beat the mediocre stick-figure lefty tonight.
Kyle Davies … oh my: It wasn’t pretty, as any of you who stayed up last night can attest. Kyle Davies laid an egg late Tuesday, again.
Given a 3-1 lead in the second inning, he blew it. Given a 6-3 lead in the third, he blew it. Or rather, the Braves believed he blew it. Or rather, manager Bobby Cox was fairly sure he was going to blow it.
So the manager pulled Davies after he faced two batters in the third inning and retired neither. Both would score on Wilson Betemit’s two-run double off Oscar Villarreal (this after Betemit hit a two-run homer off Davies in the second inning, his third consecutive homer in as many at-bats vs. the Braves, two of them off Davies).
Bobby had what, for him, as as harsh a postgame assessment as I’ve heard, of Davies’ performance and the team’s failure to win in the first two games of the series on nights when the Mets lost.
“It p—es you off, to be honest with you,” he said. “You get six runs in the first three innings, you’ve got to win.”
Ouch.
Davies was charged with five runs, six hits and two walks while recording six outs, sending his seasonal ERA to 5.85, although he did manage to avoid what would have been his fifth consecutive loss. He’s 0-4 with an 8.06 ERA in his past five starts.
OK, here’s where we are with the right-hander from Stockbridge. Make sure you’re seated, and don’t take another drink of that beverage for a moment (wouldn’t want you to spit it up).
Davies is 3-7 in 15 starts this season, and 12-18 with a 6.04 ERA in 43 career starts.
Throw in his 1-2 record and 9.00 ERA in seven relief appearances, and his major league stats read 13-20 with a 6.19 ERA — the highest ERA of any active pitcher who’s made at least 40 starts.
He made a big splash initially in 2005, when he came up from the minors and seemed wonderfully oblivious to the pressure and expectations and went 2-1 with an 0.77 ERA in his first four starts.
But since then, Davies has been a mess more often than not. Injuries, shaken confidence, injuries, changing approaches, injuries … it’s been a litany of reasons/excuses with the bottom line being, failure to meet expectations. Big time.
He’s still very young, so it’s too early to give up on him. But wow, has he struggled.
After those first four starts, he’s gone 11-19 with a 6.80 ERA in 46 games (39 starts) with a .296 opponents’ average on 252 hits (34 homers) in 207-2/3 innings. With 110 walks and 145 strikeouts.
OK, have a sip now. The worst is past.
Oh, wait. On the road since that initial success, Davies has posted a 7.49 ERA in his past 23 games (21 starts). The Braves are 6-17 in those games.
“He couldn’t get anything going,” Cox said last night. “Fastball wasn’t going, for location or velocity. He tried to throw Betemit a changeup after missing up high, and he hits it out. Just one of those nights where he didn’t have it.”
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of those nights.
Betemit makes ‘em pay: His overall performance for the Dodgers hasn’t been enough to keep a starting job, but Wilson Betemit has punished the Braves.
After going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts this year in his first game against the team that traded him last July, Betemit has gone 5-for-6 with three homers and seven RBIs in his past three against the Braves.
He had two pinch-hit homers against them May 5-6, then went 3-for-4 with a two-run double and two-run homer Tuesday.
This after hitting .185 (10-for-54) with four homers, seven RBIs and 20 strikeouts in 35 games from May 19 through Sunday (he didn’t play Monday’s series opener).
They’re still hitting: The Braves have lost three in a row heading into tonight’s Fourth of July game, but they are still hitting like they did during the five-game winning streak that came before this skid.
In their past eight games, the Braves have hit .320 and scored 54 runs, including five games with six or more runs and five games with 11 or more hits.
They’ve lost two one-run games during the three-game slid, 6-5 at Florida on Sunday and 7-6 last night, with the bullpen blowing leads and taking losses in both games.
Nevertheless, the ‘pen still has only seven blown saves in 31 opportunities this season, after leading the NL with 29 blown saves (in 67 opps) last season.
Detroit, by the way, has blown 14 saves this season.
Now, som more L.A.-related tuneage. And if you haven’t heard of this guy, you should check him out. Great songwriter, great singer.
”CAMERA ONE” by Josh Joplin
The sandy haired son of Hollywood/Lost his faith in all that’s good
Closed the curtain, unplugged the clock/Hung his clothes on the shower rod
But he never got undressed/And no, he never made a mess
It’s funny how life turns out/The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in/The soundtrack starts
The scene begins
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
Take a bow
Take a bow
The trophy wife from Palisades/Whose yearbook beauty never fades
Sits and watches the sea fold in/And wonders what might have been
If she could ever have the chance/Would she do it all again?
It’s funny how life turns out/The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in/The soundtrack starts
The scene begins
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
Take a bow
Take a bow
On the corner/By his streets
He sits in his lawnchair/In the heat
Sightseers see /What they want
They’re selling star-maps /To the sun
The sunny-haired son of Hollywood/Lost his faith in all that’s good
Closed the curtain, unplugged the clock/Hung his clothes on the shower rod
But he didn’t get undressed/And no, he didn’t seem depressed
It’s funny how life turns out/The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in/The soundtrack starts
The scene begins
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
You’re playing you now
Take a bow
Take a bow
Take a bow
Take a bow
Hey, I didn’ say it was uplifting. HAPPY FOURTH!
How quickly the game turned around
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before heading back over to Chavez Ravine for the second act in this four-game series at Dodger Stadium, a quick reflection on last night’s eventful series-opening loss for the Bravos (don’t tell me — some of you were asleep and missed it, didn’t you? What, your work schedules don’t allow for 1 a.m. baseball viewing?)
Amazing how quickly that game turned, from a would-be inning-ending strikeout by James Loney to a two-run, tie-breaking homer by Matt Kemp after Loney reached on a strike-three wild pitch in the sixth inning.
(Less amazing, but at least notable, was seeing the ancient Larry King, starlet Alyssa Milano — and I honestly don’t see the supposed sex appeal there, folks — and a coterie of other well-heeled Dodger fans walk past us ink-stained wretches waiting to get in the Braves clubhouse after the game.)
(Wait, more. They all sit in their ultra-expensive seats behind home plate that were added in recent years as the Dodgers opted for huge revenue by cutting into their once-unmatched expansive foul territory to put seats there. Look close and you’ll see frequent blog subject Scott Boras in the front row, cell phone to ear most of the time. OK, now baseball….)
Yes, the bullpen melted down in the seventh, with the recently reliable Tyler Yates and Peter Moylan both squirting gas on the conflagration, and Chipper also making a throwing error.
But you gotta wonder what might have been if Smoltz got out of the inning with the strikeout, instead of seeing his nasty splitter hit the plate and squirt past Brian McCann to the backstop.
Then again, maybe not, since I asked Smoltz and he said he would have come out after the sixth inning even if Loney’s strikeout had ended it. Which says something about the state of Smoltz’s lingering sore shoulder….
The shoulder’s still not right. It’s been tolerable and he’s pitched fairly well — not great by his standards, for sure — since straining his right shoulder at Milwaukee. But we’re on Smoltz shoulder watch again this week, since he said last night he would take the next couple days and see how it responded.
He didn’t elaborate on what that meant, as far as what he’d do if it didn’t bounce back quickly fromm this game. But to me it meant he’d either ask for more rest before his next start, perhaps even skip a turn or go on the DL. Yes, the DL is always a possibility, as much as Smoltz hates the thought of doing it.
He’s been honest in appraising his shoulder and other injuries this season, not like in the past couple years when he tried to soldier through injuries and carry the team on his aging back when he felt like he was their best option, injured or not.
He’s left games after six innings and even earlier this season, something he’d have never done voluntarily in the past. He knows the Braves need him healthy down the stretch and if they’re so fortunate as to make the postseason, and knows that his attempts to carry the team through recent summers left him at lesser effectiveness in the stretch drive when the team needed him at his best.
In other words, he knows even he’s not immune to the effects of age and injury.
Taking a quick look at his results before and after that fateful slip on a warmup pitch in Milwaukee, which is when he strained the shoulder after reinjuring his pinky earlier in the same inning, it’s obvious that Smoltz hasn’t been the same pitcher since that game.
Beginning with that game, he’s 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA in six starts. He’s recorded 36 strikeouts (six Monday) and only four walks in 32-1/3 innings in that span, but allowed 38 hits for a .286 opponents’ average.
He hasn’t lasted more than six innings in that stretch.
Now contrast those figures to the six starts before Milwaukee: Smoltz was 5-1 with a 1.30 ERA and .229 opponents’ average in that span, and worked seven innings in five games and 6-2/3 innings in the other.
He had 38 strikeouts with six walks and 38 hits in 41-2/3 innings. The strikeouts and walks have stayed consistent, but the hits have risen and the innings decreased.
He can often be seen stretching the shoulder behind the mound, or on it, during innings as games wear on now, and only Smoltz probably knows if the shoulder is sore enough that it should be rested for an extended period, if there’s a chance it could worsen.
This much is certain: The Braves’ options are limited in his absence, and none of those options are attractive. Rather than hope that Anthony Lerew figures it out or Lance Cormier can regain some semblance of the form he showed in spring training, and certainly rather than rush a starter prospect to the majors before he’s ready, the Braves need to make a move as soon as possible to bring in a starter.
Doesn’t have to be a Mark Buehrle-level guy, or a guy making eight figures next season like Javier Vazquez. It’s not going to be Roy Oswalt, who makes way too much money to fit in the payroll when three other Braves starters are going to be making eight-figure salaries next season (Smoltz, Hudson, Hampton).
But the Braves have been shaking the trees, looking everywhere for a starter who could be pried loose, preferably one who’d be here longer than a few months and who could be had without mortgaging too much of the future in the form of multiple prospects and/or young players in return.
I think they’ll find someone. It might not be good enough to satisfy the denizens, but someone who can held solidify a rotation that could be in a bad state, indeed, if Smoltz were to be gone for any extended period.
Andruw not going to bench: But you already knew that, didn’t you? As frustrated as it’s been watching the 2005 NL MVP runner-up go half a season hitting under .200, all signs point to Bobby Cox sticking with him as long as it takes for Andruw Jones to snap out of this mother of all slumps.
Now, whether Bobby will continue to see logic in batting Andruw fourth is something none of us is qualified to answer.
But here’s what Bobby said about Andruw yesterday, to give you an idea of just how deep and unwavering is the manager’s patience and support for Jones: “He’s still the best center fielder in baseball. He’s always had some parts of the season where he’s looked like that [bad at the plate]. Not this long, but….
“At the end of the year, he’s going to have 100 RBIs, 30 homers, and hopefully get his average higher. And he catches everything that goes up.”
So hold on, and put Mr. Mendoza on notice.
For the record, here’s the update: Andruw’s .199 average remains the NL’s worst (among qualifiers), and his .140 average (13-for-93) after the sixth inning is the league’s second-worst.
His .193 average (29-for-150) with runners on base is also the NL’s second-lowest.
On a more positive statistical bent: Chipper Jones’ three hits Monday raised his league-leading road average to .375, 18 points higher than the NL’s second-best, which happens to be teammate Edgar Renteria (.357).
Next behind the Braves’ duo are Alfonso Soriano (.354) and Paul Lo Duca (.349). Kelly Johnson (.340) is sixth, giving the Braves’ half of the top six road averages.
Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez (.382) leads the majors.
Yates’ June doesn’t carry over: After allowing only one earned run and six hits in 12 appearances from May 28 through the end of June, Yates was knocked around for three hits and three runs while recording just one out in the seventh inning of Monday’s 8-2 loss.
And how ‘bou Moylan? He had a 2.27 ER and .193 opponents’ average in 30 games through June 25. But in three appearances since then, he’s given up six hits and three runs (one earned) in two innings, for a .545 opponents’ average.
Oh, and one more Andruw note: The Dodgers must be wondering what happened to him (wait, we all are, aren’t we? Nevermind). Anyway, Andruw hit .326 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 12 games against the Dodgers during the 2005-06 season.
This season? He’s 1-for-14 with no RBIs and six strikeouts in four games against them.
Wrapping up this blog: Couple more stats to throw at you, then I’m out. Chipper Jones has hit .415 (27-for-65) with 10 RBIs and a .486 OBP in 17 games since returning from the DL, and last night’s error was his first since then…. Brian McCann is 14-for-73 (.192) with 19 strikeouts in 22 games since June 5, but does have four homers and 14 RBIs in that stretch.
Alright, take us out, mighty Lizard King:
”L.A. WOMAN” by Jim Morrison (The Doors)
Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows
Are you a lucky little lady in The City of Light
Or just another lost angel…City of Night
City of Night, City of Night, City of Night, woo, c’mon….
L.A. Woman, L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman Sunday afternoon
L.A. Woman Sunday afternoon
L.A. Woman Sunday afternoon
Drive thru your suburbs
Into your blues, into your blues, yeah
Into your blue-blue Blues
Into your blues, ohh, yeah
I see your hair is burnin’/Hills are filled with fire
If they say I never loved you/You know they are a liar
Drivin’ down your freeways/Midnite alleys roam
Cops in cars, the topless bars/Never saw a woman…
So alone, so alone
So alone, so alone
Motel Money Murder Madness/Let’s change the mood from glad to sadness
Mr. Mojo Risin’, Mr. Mojo Risin’
Mr. Mojo Risin’, Mr. Mojo Risin’
Got to keep on risin’
Mr. Mojo Risin’, Mr. Mojo Risin’
Mojo Risin’, gotta Mojo Risin’
Mr. Mojo Risin’, gotta keep on risin’
Risin’, risin’
Gone risin’, risin’
I’m gone risin’, risin’
I gotta risin’, risin’
Well, risin’, risin’
I gotta — wooo, yeah, risin’
Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows
Are you a lucky little lady in The City of Light
Or just another lost angel…City of Night
City of Night, City of Night, City of Night — woah, c’mon
L.A. Woman, L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman, you’re my woman
Little L.A. Woman, Little L.A. Woman
L.A. L.A. Woman Woman
L.A. Woman c’mon
Bravos hit Golden State; no sunny disposition for clothes-less scribe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back on the case here in Los Angeles, this dude abides and prepares to put nose to grindstone for a week of late-night ‘ball in the Golden State, as the Bravos roll into the All-Star break with what they hope will be momentum.
Don’t have much time to crank out this blog, since I’ve got to find a store near by hotel in downtown L.A. to go buy some clothes to wear to tonight’s game, clothes that Delta won’t reimburse me for despite the fact they’ve had my bags sitting at LAX since about 9 p.m. last night and still haven’t devised a strategy that would allow them to traverse the 10 miles to downtown L.A. and drop them off at the hotel the way they promised they would when I left the airport yesterday afternoon at 2 p.m.
(It was Orange County/John Wayne airport that I left, because my flight from Atlanta to LAX was delayed from 10 a.m. to at least 1 p.m. because of a mechanical problem, and Delta offered no assurances that that flight would ever get off the ground, so a bunch of us got on a different flight and were assured our bags would be taken off the broken-down plane and put on the other, which they weren’t. But I’m not angry. Why should I be? Like I said, it’s an awful long way from LAX to downtown L.A., and that Sunday overnight traffic and all….)
But anyway, the blog. (Didn’t mean to bother you with my Delta nightmare story, but you get a bit upset when you waste half the morning on hold for 20 minutes at a pop with their automaton voice recordings — you know, the ones that are EXACTLY like the witty new Delta airlines commercials mock, the ones the supposedly “generic” airlines have, when in fact it’s Delta that has them? Yeah, those annoying recordings.)
Yes, the blog. Baseball. Ready for some good games out here, and some fine pitching matchups, including two of the four games in this Dodger series - Smoltz vs. Lowe tonight and Hudson vs. Penny on Thursday afternoon.
Then it’s on to San Diego for the last series before the break.
Several Braves, including Jeff Francoeur, Chipper Jones and John Smoltz (when he was still talking to the always controversy-seeking Atlanta scribes), all said the Braves needed to have a good run into the break. Chipper put a number on it, said they needed to go 8-4 or 9-3, at least, during their last 13 games.
This was after the Braves had been humiliated during a five-game skid in which they scored one run vs. Boston and Detroit. Chipper said before the Washington series last week the Braves needed to win eight or nine of their last 13, at least stay on pace with the Mets, then try to make up more ground after the break with a 10-game homestand vs. Pittsburgh, Cincy and St. Louis, three losing-record teams that are a combined 31 games under .500 today.
Well, the Braves have won five of six since he said that. So if they go 3-4 on this California trip, they’d be 8-5 for those 13 games. Go 4-3 out here and it’s 9-4.
In other words, they’ve done exactly what they hoped.
But I certainly understand how fans might have a bad taste today, when the Braves’ five-game winning streak ended yesterday after another bullpen meltdown in Florida by Wickman and, this time, Soriano too.
This after they nearly lost the fifth game of the streak the night before on a Wickman meltdown (and think about it, that would have been two wins he cost Tim Hudson in Florida this season; but the Braves held on to win Saturday).
But I’d remind you that is the nature of most bullpens - guys have the hot hand, then look bad when they cool for a few games. Even the Mariano Riveras and Trevor Hoffmans have skids now and then (and how ‘bout reliever Scott Procter of the Yankees, the guy the Braves wanted so badly last summer, who’s now in such a funk he burned his glove and other personal equipment on the dirt in front of the dugout after a game recently? Yikes.)
I do think Soriano tends to have his little funks when he’s been used heavily for a month or so, which is why I don’t understand ever using him in a blowout game, unless he just hasn’t worked in 4-5 days or so. No other reason to use him in those games, which is why almost all of his runs and homers have been given up.
As for Wickman, he has a 13.50 ERA and .500 opponents’ average in his past four games vs. the Marlins this season, with eight hits, five runs (four earned) and two homers allowed in just 2-2/3 innings. All the runs and seven of the hits came in 1-2/3 innings of three appearances at Dolphin Stadium, which is certainly as good a place as any to perform poorly, since it’s an awful place for baseball and not many people show up to see it played there anyway.
But the aesthetics of Dolphin Stadium, unfortunately, can’t be blamed for all of Wickman’s road problems this season. Check this out: Opponents are hitting just .174 against him in 14 appearances at Turner Field, with a meager .224 OBP and .217 slugging percentage.
But on the road? Aye yi yi. He’s allowed a .338 opponents’ average in 17 games, with a bloated .427 OBP and .585 slugging percentage. That’s a .441 OPS allowed at home, and a frightening 1.012 OPS on the road.
That’s inexplicable, that kind of split.
And so is this one:
Braves hitters rake on road: Sure, this isn’t a new story. But the longer it continues to hold up, the more remarkable it seems.
The Braves lead the NL with a .287 road batting average (13 points better than No. 2 Mets) and lead with a .449 road slugging percentage. But the Braves are 15th in the league with a .248 home average.
This after the 2006 Braves hit .280 with a .457 slugging percentage at home, and .261 with a .453 slugging percentage on the road.
I mean, seriously, how to explain why these Braves have three of the NL’s top five road averages? That’s not a typo, three of the top five road averages.
(That’s like what Colorado used to do at Coors, where they’d have three or four of the top home averages in the majors every season, before the humidor came and the Blake Street Bombers left.)
Chipper Jones leads the NL with a .365 road average (42-for-115), Edgar Renteria (.353) is second, and Kelly Johnnson is third (.343).
Paul Lo Duca (.361) and Alfonso Soriano (.352) are there to separate the Braves’ trio in the top five.
Speaking of Hoss…. Did Chipper deserve to make the All-Star team? A case could certainly be made. He’s hitting .327 with a team-high 13 homers and 37 RBIs, and now that he’s back up above the mimimum plate-appearance qualifying standards, he ranks second in the NL in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) at 1.011, behind Barry Bonds (1.119).
The only others in the majors with OPS’s over 1.000 are A-Rod (1.105) and Magglio Ordonez (1.061).
Chipper ranks second in the NL in OBP (.416) and fourth in slugging (.595), but his 58 games played undoubtedly kept him off the team. Oh, well. He’s an All-Star when healthy, I guess.
The far bigger omissions were at shortstop, where Edgar Renteria, Jimmy Rollins and Hanley Ramirez, all had All-Star resumes. I thought taking only two shortstops from the NL this season (elected starter Jose Reyes and Milwaukee’s J.J. Hardy) was absurd.
But that’s what happens when every time has to be represented, and the starters are selected by the fans. I don’t have a problem with the fan voting; it’s their game, let them elect the starters. But drop the stupid every-team-needs-a-rep requirement. Even with expanded rosters, it’s too much to have someone from all 16 NL teams on the roster, when a couple of teams don’t have worthy candidates.
Renteria is hitting .324 with a 31 extra-base hits (10 homers), 41 RBIs and a .949 OPS. But he he’ll be home watching, instead of being on his fourth All-Star team in five years, the way he should have been (only other time he wasn’t an All-Star in that stretch was his only season out of the NL, with Boston in 2005).
Soriano’s hits a bump: You get so used to seeing Rafael Soriano blow away all hitters, it’s shocking when he actually gives up hits and, gasp, runs. But right now, they’re sure hitting him.
He’s got to be tired when Soriano gives up nine hits, five runs (four earned) and a .409 opponents’ average in his past five games.
Between April 22 and May 28, he allowed two hits - TWO HITS - and four walks with 18 strikeouts in 15-2/3 scoreless innings over 15 appearances.
Since then he’s allowed 14 hits, seven runs (six earned) and two walks with nine strikeouts in 11-2/3 innings over 13 appearances.
He apparently transferred the hot hand in the bullpen to Tyler Yates, who since May 28 has allowed six hits and one run (on a homer) in 11-1/3 innings. He’s got a 0.79 ERA and .154 opponents’ average in that 12-appearance stretch.
Andruw update: Or, today’s episode of As The Slump Turns. He’s hovering at a league-worst .199 average still (just ahead of now part-timer Pat “The Bat” Burrell, .201), and Andruw’s .190 average with runners on base is second-worst, behind only the Cubs’ Cesar Izturis (.181).
In two months since May 2, Andruw has hit .170 (35-for-206) with eight homers, 28 RBI, 19 walks, 53 strikeouts and a .562 OPS (.242 OBP, .320 slugging).
Let’s take ‘er out with a great tune. From a brilliant old guy:
”THE PILGRIM: CHAPTER 33” by Kris Kristofferson
See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans,
Wearin’ yesterday’s misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was goin’ outta style—
And he keeps right on a-changin’ for the better or the worse,
Searchin’ for a shrine he’s never found—
Never knowin’ if believin’ is a blessin’ or a curse,
Or if the goin’ up was worth the comin’ down—
He’s a poet, he’s a picker
He’s a prophet, he’s a pusher
He’s a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he’s stoned
He’s a walkin’ contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin’ every wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he’s traded in tomorrow for today
Runnin’ from his devils, Lord, and reachin’ for the stars,
And losin’ all he’s loved along the way
But if this world keeps right on turnin’ for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around
From the rockin’ of the cradle to the rollin’ of the hearse,
The goin’ up was worth the comin’ down
He’s a poet, he’s a picker
He’s a prophet, he’s a pusher
He’s a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he’s stoned
He’s a walkin’ contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin’ ev’ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
There’s a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.
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