AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 10
Monday, September 10, 2007
Biggest Braves Series of … oh, nevermind.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coming to you from within shooting distance of Shea Stadium, where the Braves’ season could get either a jolt from the defibrillator paddles or last rites, if the Mets do to them what they did just over a week ago in Atlanta.
With the U.S. Open going on, room rates were $450 and higher at any decent hotel in Manhattan, so I’m holed up at a LaGuardia hotel, where there was an interesting mix if tennis folks and Farm Aid concert people in the lobby just before noon (Neil Young, Willie, Mellencamp and the Allmans played the Farm Aid thing here Sunday).
Anyway, we’re here for latest Biggest Series of the Season for the Braves.
(I say that in mock capitalization, because it’s really probably too late for this series against the Mets to unseat the one with the Mets just over a week ago as the true biggest series of the season for the Braves, since getting swept by the Mets in that one virtually assured the Braves would lose the division and also significantly decreased their wild-card chances.)
Despite stumbling to a 4-5 record in the Most Important Homestand, the Braves still are “only” 4-1/2 games off the wild-card pace, albeit with five teams ahead of them and a couple of those teams playing much better these days than the Braves.
Braves would have to make an unprecedented comeback from 8-1/2 games down to win the division, so forget that. It’s wild card or sit home and watch the playoffs on TV again for these Braves.
Braves could get right in thick of wild-card race if they pull off a series win here, particularly if they could somehow pull off a (most) improbable sweep.
Just how improbable? Braves have Buddy Carlyle (8-6, 5.21) going in the middle game against Orlando Hernandez, who hasn’t pitched since hurting his foot Aug. 30, but who is 5-0 in his past 10 starts and a stunning 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA and .160 opponents’ average in his past eight starts at Shea. Yikes.
Oh, and there’s this: Hernandez is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in his past five starts against the Braves, although with no decisions and a 2.77 ERA in two this season.
Long time below .500 for Braves. Many of us made snide comments about the Nationals and suggested the Braves should be able to sweep them, etc. (Many of us just make snide comments all the time, so that should not come as a surprise.)
But consider this sobering little statistic: Since May 13, the Braves are 49-58, while the Nationals are 53-54 in that same span.
The Nats started out a crippling 9-25 in their first 34 games this season, but have since played one game over .500 (55-54).
Meanwhile the Braves started out 24-12, and have since played nine games under .500 (49-58).
Snide that.
That got me thinking, wondering how other wild-card contenders have fared in that same period while the Braves have been on their march to mediocrity.
Behold, others’ records since May 13: Padres (58-47), Dodgers (53-53), Cubs (56-52), Brewers (48-58 — a slide even steeper than Atlanta’s), Rockies (58-47), Phillies (58-58), Diamondbacks (61-45).
As you can see, most wild-card contenders have played 10 games or more above .500 during the stretch in which the Braves are nine games below .500. My astute observations and instincts tell me this is no way to make the playoffs, this route undertaken by the Braves (snide, again).
None until No. 100? Ouch. Just saw Sports Illustrated NFL guru Peter King’s ratings of the top 500 players in that league, and found it interesting that Alge Crumpler was the first Falcon listed, all the way down at 100.
Think of that. Not one player from the Falcons in the top 99? Wow.
And I was wondering, how many Braves do you think would make, say, the top 50 of a list of the top 250 major league players? (Rosters are about half the size of NFL teams, so I just used those numbers.)
I honestly don’t know. Would have to give it a lot of thought, weigh current performance and all. If any of you have a serious opinion, I’d be curious.
It’s not TV, it’s HBO: You’d better believe it ain’t TV. A few extremely explicit sex scenes in last night’s series premiere of “Tell Me You Love Me” were … well, did any of you folks see it? Were you as surprised as I was, or had some of you read about it beforehand?
I thought the show was solid.
Of course, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s season premiere that followed had me howling, as usual. Always 3-4 scenes in that show that make you laugh out loud.
Happy Birthday, Patsy: We missed it Saturday, so better late than never for the Man In Black blog to extend our wishes toward the late Ms. Cline.
”LEAVIN’ ON YOUR MIND” by Webb Pierce & Wayne Walker
If you got leavin’ on your mind,/Tell me now, get it over,
Hurt me now, get it over,/If you got leavin’ on your mind.
If there’s a new love in your heart,/Tell me now, get it over,
Hurt me now, get it over,/If there’s a new love in your heart.
Don’t leave me here in a world/Filled with dreams that might have been,
Hurt me now, get it over/I may learn to love again.
If there’s a new love in your heart,/Tell me now, get it over,
Hurt me now, get it over/If there’s a new love in your heart,
Hurt me now, get it over,/If there’s a new love in your heart.
