AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > May > 04
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Braves, Glav going for a sweep
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since there’s nothing else going on today on the Atlanta sports scene, we should have a huge audience in the ballpark today, as well as on TV and here on the blog, right?
What’s that? Potentially the biggest upset in the history of the NBA? At 1 o’clock? Oh.
Maybe that’s why Yunel Escobar was just scratched from the lineup. Maybe he’s a huge Celtics fan.
Actually, he’s sick. Has a cold or flu symptoms.
Anyway, plenty of folks tuning into the Hawks-Celtics Game 7 who’d otherwise never think of watching an NBA game. But there are still plenty of paying customers filing into Turner Field as I sit here typing, even if some are cussing (at least I was) about the repaving they’re doing on the Downtown Connector right now, in the hours before a game.
Hey, guess they’ve got to do it sometime, and Sunday noon is better than tomorrow morning. But man, can’t they get that stuff done overnight?
Anyway, hey, chances are you’re having a better morning than Joe Simpson. He had an appendectomy this morning at about 5 a.m. According to his broadcaster partner, he’s doing fine and plans to be back in the booth on Tuesday.
He’s a tough Sooner, I guess. Good luck, Joe. You apparently are determined to return to action a little quicker than Danys Baez did after his appendectomy a couple or three years ago, whenever that was (the Baez era didn’t exactly leave a big impression with me, obviously).
Now, to today’s series finale as the Braves go for a sweep to get themselves to .500. It’s perhaps the best chance yet for Tom Glavine to get win No. 304, which would also be the first win of his second stint with the Braves.
He’s 0-1 with a 2.60 ERA, and he’s facing Bronson Arroyo, who comes in 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA. Glavine has made four starts for the Braves, and the only one that wasn’t good was his April 13 start at D.C. when he gave up three hits, two runs and pulled a hammy before recording an out.
In his other three starts, he’s given up one earned run in five innings vs. Pittsburgh, no earned runs (and three hits) in 6-1/3 innings at Colorado, and two earned runs in six innings at D.C. last Tuesday, in the 6-3 loss when the bullpen gave up four runs in the seventh inning.
Glavine needs four strikeouts to pass Bob Feller (2,581) for 25th on the all-time list, and six strikeouts to pass Braves legend Warren Spahn (2,583) for 24th.
Speaking of starters…. As a group they haven’t exactly been durable (understatement), but Braves starters have usually been quite good when they’re out on the mound.
Hence the league-leading 3.13 ERA for Atlanta starters, which is significantly better than the No. 2-rated Cardinals starters (3.51). Next are the starters from the Padres (3.77), Cubs (3.82) and Diamondbacks (3.95).
Problem is, Braves starters have worked just 158-1/3 innings, the lowest total in the league. That’s exactly what the Braves hoped to avoid when they added Glavine last winter to a rotation that already had Tim Hudson and John Smoltz.
They talked over and over about having those three combine for 600 innings if things went as planned.
Things haven’t gone as planned, which you’ve probably noticed.
Still, the Braves have managed to juggle their rotation, with a couple of helpful off days that came at perfect times, and avoid having to dip down and bring up starters who were overmatched.
Jo-Jo Reyes surprised me last night. In his previous callups he’s ususually pitched two or three good innings before getting rattled and knocked around in one bad inning that’s undermined his outings. But last night, solid stuff from the kid lefty.
I don’t think the Braves are guilty of exaggerating his stuff to us in the past. I do believe he has the physical stuff, the repertoire, to become a solid No. 3 or No. 2 starter. But the mentality, the maturity, has been the thing that’s held him back.
So last night was a big step in that regard. He didn’t drop his approach or get out of his gameplan. He stayed with it, trusted his stuff, and went at hitters.
If the Braves hope to pick up the slack caused by Smoltz’s injury absence and imminent move to the bullpen upon return from the DL, then they’re going to need more performances like that one from the likes of Reyes (they’re already getting them from fellow rookie Jair Jurrjens, who is even better than expected after his fine spring performance at Dark Star).
I think the Braves are kicking the tires and poking around talking to teams about available starters and relievers, but they don’t want to just make a move and bring in mediocrity. If they add a starter, they want it to be a good one, and such a move might take at least a few more weeks.
By the way, it went unnoticed because the Braves don’t usually announce minor-league contracts, but hey signed reliever Scott Williamson a few weeks ago. He’s had a 13.50 ERA in four appearances for Richmond, which is, coincidentally, the same ERA he had in two games for the Giants this spring before they dropped him.
It’s been a while since the former Cincinnati closer was an effective big league reliever. Probably since 2004, when he had a 1.26 ERA in 28 appearances for Boston (and are we getting a bit tired of the otherwise solid ESPN Baseball Tonight host calling the Sox “The Nation” EVERY … SINGLE … TIME … that he refers to them? Well, I am).
Since then Williamson’s had unimpressive stints (5-plus ERAs) with the Cubs and Padres, and last season he had a 4.40 ERA in 16 appearances for Baltimore.
I just typed three paragraphs about Scott Williamson. What is wrong with me?
Diaz just a tad aggressive: Matt Diaz has replaced Jeff Francoeur as the most overly aggressive hacker on the team, at least statistically. Diaz has taken a league-low 39.5 percent of pitches this season.
And in the swing-at-first-pitch stat, where we found Jeff Francoeur at or near the top of the league for three years running at about 50 percent, we now have Diaz at 45.2 percent, third-highest in the league. Frenchy’s not in the top five.
Diaz is out of the lineup again today against a right-hander, with Gregor Blanco handling left-field duties.
So much for the notion of Cox going with the hot hand. Neither of them are hot now. Blanco has had a bit of a rookie reality check of late, going 1-for-15 in his past five games, after going 11-for-20 in his previous six.
As for Diaz, he’s 2-for-12 in his past six games, and has started only once in the Braves’ past six games. He’s still batting .289, because of his .447 average (17-for-38) against lefties.
Against righties, Diaz has hit .173 (9-for-52).
Etc: The Braves are 10-4 with a league-leading 2.70 ERA at home, and 4-11 with a 4.23 ERA (sixth in the NL) on the road. They are hitting .309 (second in the NL) at home and .252 (sixth in the NL) on the road…. Jorge Campillo’s .106 opponents’ average ranks second among NL relievers, behind Billy Wagner (.075)… Mark Kotsay is 17-for-49 (.347) with six RBIs and a .385 OBP in his past 13 games.
”OLD DOGS, CHILDREN AND WATERMELON WINE” by Tom T. Hall
How old do you think I am? he said.
I said, well, I didn’t know.
He said, I turned 65 about 11 months ago.
I was sittin in Miami pourin’ blended whiskey down
When this old gray black gentleman was cleanin’ up the lounge
There wasn’t anyone around ‘cept this old man and me
The guy who ran the bar was watchin’ Ironsides on tv
Uninvited, he sat down and opened up his mind
On old dogs and children and watermelon wine
Ever had a drink of watermelon wine? he asked
He told me all about it, though I didnt answer back
Ain’t but three things in this world that’s worth a solitary dime,
But old dogs and children and watermelon wine.
He said, women think about they-selves, when menfolk ain’t around.
And friends are hard to find when they discover that you’re down.
He said, I tried it all when I was young and in my natural prime;
Now its old dogs and children and watermelon wine.
Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes;
God bless little children while they’re still too young to hate.
When he moved away I found my pen and copied down that line
‘bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine.
I had to catch a plane up to Atlanta that next day
As I left for my room I saw him pickin’ up my change
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime
Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine.
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