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Friday, September 21, 2007
Refreshing change of pace, thanks to pitching
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It might be foolish to think the Braves’ 5-0 run will get them anywhere come October, but it’s been refreshing in its change of pace, hasn’t it?
We all know the reason for recent success, don’t we? All five starting pitchers won - something that hasn’t happened all year in one trip through the rotation. Here it just happened with Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, Jo-Jo Reyes, Chuck James and newcomer Jeff Bennett.
I think after that win Sunday, when Tim Hudson pitched the Braves’ first complete game all season in Washington, and a shutout at that, everybody took a deep breath. Then John Smoltz went out, pitched like he always pitches and actually got good run support. Then Jo-Jo Reyes got his first major league win, then Chuck James actually pitched seven innings and then last night, you saw, rookie Jeff Bennett did his thing.
What it means beyond some warm fuzzies for the Braves and their fans, will depend on whether the Mets keep tanking, the Braves keep winning and whether the Braves can somehow sweep the Phillies next week in Philadelphia.
The match-ups for the weekend have to favor the Braves, with Hudson tonight (vs. Carlos Villaneuva), Smoltz tomorrow (vs. Yovani Gallardo) and then Sunday Ben Sheets a likely scratch because of hamstring issues (vs. Reyes).
And hey, don’t you know that everybody other than the Braves, as in the Brewers, the Phillies, the Mets (and hey, the Red Sox? Oh my) - they’ve been feeling the screws tighten lately. The Braves don’t have a whole lot to lose at this point, and they’re playing like it. The pressure is on everybody else.
Last night after the game, while we were talking to Bennett, a bunch of the Braves were gathered back in the players’ lounge watching the Mets cough up another one. There was a big loud roar when the Marlins started their ninth inning rally.
It’s becoming fun again for the Braves.
And thoughts on the Rafael Soriano suspension: He’s looking at a four-game suspension with nine games to go and one very important series coming up with the Phillies next Tuesday-Thursday.
I would think MLB, which is considering his appeal, wants to make darn sure this is important enough to uphold four games. Normally I’d have a hunch they’d shorten the suspension to two games, perhaps, given that there was no warning before Soriano hit Dan Uggla, there was no ejection, no ensuing fight, not much of anything except a disgruntled Uggla. And they also have to consider this is a key stretch that will affect the outcome of the NL East race. The Braves possibly losing their closer for the entire series against the Phillies is a big deal.
The Phillies’ Antonio Alfonseca just got a four-game suspension for throwing at Todd Helton. He appealed it but eventually dropped the appeal. He’s serving his four games and will return when the Braves get to Philly on Tuesday. The one difference, though, is Alfonseca was ejected from that game.
I guess we’ll just have to see.
Batting title, schmatting title, is what I told Tim Hudson yesterday, let’s talk about the Silver Slugger.
Huddy has quietly gotten himself 19 hits this year, which ties Carlos Zambrano for the lead among pitchers. And Zambrano, who won the Silver Slugger last year, is hitting .253 compared to Huddy’s .264. And yes he has two homers this year while Hudson has none, but Hudson has driven in nine runs to Zambrano’s five and has three doubles to his Zambrano’s one.
But ultimately. managers and coaches who vote are just they everybody else apparently. They dig the long ball.
Leave it to Mike Hampton, who won the Silver Slugger five times from 1999-2003, to explain. Think Hudson can win it?
“No,” Hampton said. ”Gotta have pop.”
Hudson, the former center fielder for Auburn who hit 18 home runs his senior year, has yet to hit a home run in the majors.
“Little bit more drop and drive I think,” Hudson said. “Maybe work on my swing a little bit this offseason.”
He knows it hurts him when it comes to a silver bat.
“Nah. I think for any pitcher to hit over .200 is pretty good. There are some guys in the league who’ve hit over .200 and they have a bunch of homers. I don’t exactly have explosive power coming out of my bat these days. But it’s kinda cool to be mentioned along those lines.”
Managers and coaches vote on Silver Sluggers and they base it on triple crown categories: batting average, homers, RBIs and also on total bases. And while Hudson has more hits than anybody else and more at-bats than anyone other than Zambrano, there are other pitchers impressive in a couple categories:
Micah Owings .291 (16-for-55), 4 homers, 12 RBIs.
Kip Wells .327 (17-for-52), 1 homer, 5 RBIs.
But Hudson has to feel good about himself this year, going from hitting a combined .117 (15-for-128) his first two years as a Brave to .264 (19-for-72) this year.
“Coming from the American League, when I first got here it was not too fun up there; it seemed really hard,” Hudson said. “Having a lot of fun playing two positions in college, you would think it would come back pretty quickly. It’s taken a couple years. I’m not saying I’ve figured it all out, but I feel a lot better than I did my first year up here, handling the bat….
“You go over to the American League, six or seven years, not seeing anything and all of a sudden you see an 88 mph fastball, it seems like it’s 98. You really don’t have a chance. Until you start seeing pitches and having more at-bats, trying to recognize sliders and curveballs and that kind of thing….”
The Braves have a pretty rich tradition of Silver Slugger awards on the pitching staff. Hampton won one of his as a Brave in 2003. Tom Glavine won four of them - in 1998, 1996, 1995 and 1991. And Smoltz won one in 1997.
“It’s going to be pretty interesting next year when Hammy comes back,” Hudson said. “He’s already talking smack. He’s had a couple years off now. He says it’s like riding a bike. I beg to differ.”
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