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Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Braves Nation and MIB abuzz over Tex
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who’d have thought the Braves/Man In Black blog roundtable — we ain’t the Algonquin, but we have BBQ and Cash, Johnny — would be buzzing like this on Aug. 1, with the Braves in third place in the NL East, 3-1/2 games behind the dastardly Mets and right behind the Phillies?
(Haven’t the Phils always shot themselves in the collective foot and fallen through clubhouse fractures by now?)
But here we are, with more anticipation than any time since the week before spring training. Maybe even more anticipation now than there was then, and if you remember there was an awful lot back in February as we headed for Dark Star in Florida.
Of course, the current buzz is centered around a big fella with a little nickname, “Tex.” Mark “Tex” Teixeira has Braves Nation sticking out its chest and saying, “Bring it on.” That and the fact the Braves made a couple of moves to shore up their ‘pen.
But there’s work to be done, folks. Much work on the field, by a Braves team that’s been maddeningly inconsistent and still lacks depth at the back of its rotation. Not saying they don’t have enough pitching to win the division, because I think they do. But they’re going to need good work from Buddy Carlyle and from either Jo-Jo Reyes, or Lance Cormier, or someone in the No. 5 hole.
Once they get to the playoffs, the rotation depth isn’t a concern. Three’s enough, and Smoltz-Hudson-Chuck at their best, or close, is enough, when coupled with this offense and what should be an improved bullpen, to win any postseason series. Really.
But they gotta get there first. And those Mets are not going to go quietly, rest assured. They’ve got Pedro coming back, and even with a surgically repaired wing the future Hall of Famer is not to be taken lightly. At least not until we see what he’s got left in that slender, once-dynamic arm.
The Braves roll out their newly accessorized lineup tonight: Tex will presumably bat cleanup (if Andruw is in the cleanup spot, there might be fans marching on the stadium with torches), and the Braves will set a course for the top of the division standings, then a spot in the postseason.
They’ve got two months to get there, but they hope it doesn’t take that long to get back to first pace. In fact, to the Braves, next week’s three-game series in NYC is probably looking like a pretty good time and place to make a statement and maybe even overtake those Mets.
But for now, they’ve got five games left on this homestand, five games to show the home fans that Tex in the middle of the lineup, hitting behind Chipper Jones, can help make this the best Braves lineup in a long, long time.
He arrives at an opportune time, for more reasons than you’re probably aware. Braves are facing Woody Williams tomorrow, and old Woody has always pitched well against the Bravos. He’s 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA in eight career starts against the Braves, and the Jones Boys are a combined 6-for-47 with two homers against him.
Chipper is 2-for-23 with a homer against him, the rare pitcher who’s dominated Hoss.
And guess which Braves hitter has fared best against Williams, albeit in limited opportunities? That’d be your new boy, Tex. Teixeira is 3-for-6 with a homer off Williams, who knows what a lot of American League pitchers have learned in five years: Mark Teixeira can flat-out rake.
But he’d better heat up to fit in here: If Teixeira takes a look at some recent, gaudy Braves hitting totals, he’ll quickly realize everything ain’t bigger in Texas. At least not July batting averages and other offensive totals.
Most Braves lineup regulars are wielding hot bats at the same time. In fact, Teixeira might just be the “coldest” hitter in the lineup, at this moment, with the exception of Andruw Jones, and even Andruw is still popping a few long balls and driving in runs while hitting below his weight (his .215 average remains the NL’s lowest among lineup regulars, while Chipper’s .340 and Edgar’s .337 rank second and third in the NL behind Floriday’s Hanley Ramirez).
(Speaking of Chipper and Edgar, who’s the team MVP right now? The longer Chipper stays healthy, the more I’d lean toward him. But right now, I’d probably still vote for Edgar, based on his steady play throughout the season. Again, that might change in another month if Chipper stays healthy. And I’ll bet you this: Chipper will finish in the top five in the NL MVP voting, long as he doesn’t miss many games between now and the end of the season. I’ll even suggest that if the Braves win the division, he’ll finish in the top three.)
OK, anyway, back to the Braves afire at the plate. I can’t recall seeing so many guys this hot simultaneously on a team I’ve covered, other than for a two-week period last season after the All-Star break. But we’re talking about a month or more for most of these guys now.
Get a load of these streaks:
Kelly Johnson has hit .358 (24-for-67) with four doubles, three triples, four homers, 16 RBIs and a 1.114 OPS in his past 21 games. And to think, there were some here suggesting he be benched not long ago. He’s hit .291 overall.
Jeff Francoeur has hit .370 (44-for-119) with nine doubles, four homers, 23 RBIs and a .402 OBP in his past 29 games. He’s hitting .300 this season. (Where are the two guys who were convincing each other last week during their late-night blogging session that Francoeur was a mediocre player and that his reduced homers were somehow the most important stat?)
Chipper Jones has hit .381 (59-for-155) with 15 extra-base hits, 29 RBIs, 27 walks, 20 strikeouts and a .467 OBP in 41 games since returning from the DL. He ranks. He’s second in the NL in average, second in OBP, fourth in slugging.
Edgar Renteria has hit .363 (66-for-182) with 13 doubles, two homers and 23 RBIs in his past 44 games, with a .408 OBP and eight steals in eight attempts.
Yunel Escobar has hit .314 (44-for-140) with nine doubles, a homer and 12 RBIs in 44 major league games, showing enough talent and confidence to lead the Braves to make an unspoken declaration, it would seem: “In Yunel we trust, trade the rest of them.”
Willie Harris seems to have snapped out of his first Braves slump, batting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, two triples and seven RBIs in his past seven games, beginning with his 6-for-6, 6-RBI game-of-a-lifetime.
Matt Diaz has hit .358 (29-for-81) with seven doubles and a homer since June 14. No, he doesn’t hit for much power and he ain’t particularly artistic, but the dude keeps hitting, doesn’t he? Platoon of him and Harris is working the way platoons are supposed to work.
Andruw Jones Yes, he seems to have regressed some lately after an encouraging month. And he’s hit just .200 (60-for-300) (how’ that for symmetry?) since May 2, and only .189 at home for the season.
But in his past 30 games he’s hit .256 with nine homers, 27 RBIs and a .355 OBP.
Mark Teixeira spent a month on the DL for a pulled quadriceps, and since returning he hit .281 (18-for-64) with six doubles, a homer and eight RBIs in 17 games. I told you, compared to some in this lineup he’s been relatively cold.
However, no one expects that to continue. In his 22 games before the DL, Teixeira hit .347 with seven homers, 23 RBIs, a .479 OBP and .720 slugging percentage.
As I said, dude can rake. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any adjustment period required in his move to the NL. With the advent of interleague play, I don’t think that’s the big deal it once was. But we’ll see.
Oh, and by the way, Julio Franco was 8-for-24 (.333) with three doubles and five RBIs in his past seven games. He’s going to lose his starting spot, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Braves keep him to pinch-hit and back up Teixeira.
He’s already cleared waivers once. The same can’t be said for Scott Thorman, and I don’t know if the Braves are willing to lose the young Thor to a waiver claim. He’s not met expectations, obviously, but he’s still got a lot of power and he’s still young.
Chris Woodward seems, to many, the obvious candidate to be designated for assignment. But Bobby likes those veterans who play a lot of positions, so I don’t know if that’ll happen.
The’ve got to make two moves today to add two relievers, Octavio Dotel and Ron Mahay. I’m betting they send out one position player and one pitcher, and go with 12 pitchers again. But I could be wrong. Just can’t see two more relievers they can drop without losing someone to waivers.
Home folks are pleased: After probably feeling slighted for much of the season, Turner Field fans are finally seeing the Braves do some of their best hitting at home, instead of saving all the fireworks for the road.
The Braves still lead the NL with a .286 road average, but they’re out of the basement and all the way to eighth in the NL in home average with their surge over the past 14 home games (9-5).
They’ve hit .329 with a 3.05 ERA in that span, including a .335 average and 90 runs in the past 13 home games.
Before June 24, the Braves wre 19-21 with an anemic .237 team batting average and 145 runs in 40 home games, while posting a 4.13 RA in that span.
Alright, time to get to the park. I’ll leave you with a tribute to the great Hank Williams by Dave Alvin, who did the song with his old band, The Blasters.
”LONG WHITE CADILLAC” by Dave Alvin
Night wolves moan
The winter hills are black
I’m all alone
Sitting in the back
Of a long white Cadillac
Headlights shine
Highway fades to black
I’ll take my time
In a long white Cadillac
In a long white Cadillac
Sometime I blame it on a woman
Why my achin’ heart bleeds
Sometimes I blame it on the money
Sometimes I blame it on me
Train whistle cries
Lost on its own track
I’ll close my eyes
I’m never coming back
In a long white Cadillac
Night wolves moan
The winter hills are black
I’m all alone
Sitting in the back
Of a long white Cadillac
One time I had all that I wanted
But it just skipped through my hands
One time I sang away the sorrow
One time I took it like a man
Headlights shine
Highway fades to black
It’s my last ride
I’m never coming back
In a long white Cadillac
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