AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > May
May 2008
U Kno Who is tearin’ it up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U Kno Who is a little too tied up right now to come to the blog, so I decided to bring the blog to U Know Who.
Well, actually something just came up in my discussion with Chipper yesterday about All-Star stuff that made me go - HEY, the bloggers were just ALL over this topic, and here Chipper was just spilling it right out to me. You guys were thinking alike!
It’s about whether this .400 batting average bit (.420, actually, heading into the Cincinnati series) - and an almost instinctive desire to keep it there despite the ludicrousness of maintaining that pace too long - is costing him power.
(Sorry, the subject-verb separation in that sentence is terrible. But I’ve got a club sandwich to shove down, a river to cross, and a Great American Ballpark to walk to, so I’m forging on.)
Now, at first blush, I reacted like some of you guys did - good grief the guy is getting two hits a game, and he’s the only consistent offensive force in this lineup. He’s leading the team with 12 home runs, which puts him on pace for 36 for the season, and he’s got 35 RBIs, which also leads the Braves.
What else do you want?
A quick check and I see Chipper is also leading the majors with a .500 on-base percentage, he’s third with a .670 slugging percentage and second with a 1.170 OPS.
So why the fuss?
Straight from the (ahem) Hoss’s mouth? “Not driving the ball out of the ballpark quite the way I want,” he said.
And this: “This hitting .400 thing kind of takes away from your aggressiveness. Whereas you might look to juice a ball 2-0, I find myself trying to get hits, trying to get multiple-hit games and whatnot, and it’s taking away from some of the times during the course of a game where I might pick a spot and swing from the heels and try to break somebody’s back or just tie it up. That’s been the only thing in the streak that I’ve been on that’s cost me.”
So Chipper agrees with the other of you guys. Y’all are kindred spirits you see. And here’s what he said when I told him so:
“The slugging percentage is still there, the OPS is still there, the on-base percentage is still there,” Jones said. “So just because I haven’t hit a home run in over a week, not only do people you’re talking to say something about it, I’m thinking about it too because quite frankly, I’ve got 70 hits this year and not enough of them are for extra bases. And that bothers me.
“If I had 20 doubles and 15 homers, that’s great. That’s 35 extra base hits; that’s 35 singles. That’s OK. But the fact that I’ve only got 24, 25 extra base hits that’s bothers me. Because I’m not a singles guy.”
The exact numbers through Thursday’s game are: Chipper has 79 hits, 23 of them for extra bases (including 11 doubles).
And yes, he concedes that he’s going up to the plate, trying to keep the average up, almost in spite of himself. Here’s what I - and he - means by that.
“I’m not going to hit .400, you know, and the quicker I come to the realization that I’m not, then all this effort that goes into keeping my average over. 400, to be honest, would be better spent concentrating on getting caught up in the moment during the game,” Jones said. “If I got a pitcher set up, take that pitch, try and hit the ball to the moon.”
He says he’s going to keep taking the same approach at the plate, but just dig in a little more when those situations to really drive the ball come up. In the meantime, there are other things involved, as always.
Some of it is dictated by the game situation:
“If nobody is on, I’m more inclined to try and provide instant offense with two outs,” Jones said. “If I’m leading off an inning, I’m a leadoff hitter.”
Some of it depends on the pitchers:
“I’ve got to be really careful right now because pitchers are a little timid right now,” Jones said. “I don’t want to expand my zone to try and hit something that I’m not capable of driving. That’s my main concern is try and recognize what a guy is trying to do to me early in the count, whether he’s coming to me or not. Kinda go from there.” (He’s drawn 31 walks overall, and increasingly more by the day.)
Some of it is guarding against an instinct to try to do too much to help the team out of its offensive struggles, especially on the road:
“It’s hard because everybody is struggling. Yeah, you want to be the guy that snaps everybody out of it, but you can’t try and do it all by yourself. Sometimes you have to set the table so other guys can eat.”
Chipper said until Tuesday night when he pounded a ball off Rickie Weeks’ glove and drove a liner to center (for an out), he had been getting lucky here in the last 10 days. You don’t hit .420 without getting your share of flares and broken bat bloops.
But at least now you know - blog nation - he’s hungry for doing more. Now whether that’s in the front of his mind when he walked to the plate? I asked him that too. Because I can. And besides, I’m always curious what goes through a hitter’s mind at the plate. And I wouldn’t mind if somehow they could be played aloud like they were in Bull Durham. (“Go ahead, Meat, throw me that again.” Wasn’t that it?)
Anyway, Chipper’s thoughts when walking to the plate these days?
“When I walk to the plate I think about being the toughest out possible,” Jones said. “I don’t want to swing at bad pitches, I want to take my walks, but when he does come over the plate, I want to barrel it, one way or the other. That’s what I said last night (Tuesday night), first good night in 10 days. I was patient, took my walks and when it came over the plate, I barreled it. I hit two rockets last night. That’s what I’ve been shooting for and hopefully it’s starting to come back a little bit.”
Hey, the only thing this blog can’t do for you is give you the southern drawl Chipper used when he said “barrel it.” But you can’t hear it in your mind, can’t you?
As for the rest of this here blog (in Southern drawl), all I’m sayin in “Ask and ye shall receive.” Can I get an Amen?
OK, yes, apparently pretty punchy from the morning flight and all. More to come from GAP, where we all get to see Bruce and Griffey and sorry, not Matt Belisle. He got sent down. It’ll be Josh Fogg now on Saturday.
Permalink | Comments (684) | Post your comment |
Roof is open, and so’s this blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Beauty of baseball? There’s always another day, another game, and this time it came in half a day, or feels like it from the heavy eyelids I’m looking out from behind. But I’m breathing some fresh air here, with the roof open at Miller Park for a game set to start shortly.
This will be the first game the Brewers have played at home all year with the roof open, maybe it’s just what the Braves need to blow the lid off this road ridiculousness. Oh my, that was corny. Sorry. Must need some coffee.
Better now. Just got back from the clubhouse, where Will Ohman modeled several new looks for the skipper. First it was road grays with the all-blue cap. Then it was the blue jersey with the traditional red and blue cap. Ultimately, the guys chose to go with grays with blue cap, which got a cheer and a “yeah, fill it up” from Francoeur and a “I like it” from Glavine.
So see, they’re trying. Gotta mix it up.
Speaking of mixing it up, Bobby Cox has Greg Norton in the lineup in left field, batting fifth, trying to get something going.
“He’s known as a hitter, so we’re trying to get a little more lumber in the lineup,” Cox said. “Infante last night made two great catches. Hate to take out the defense. But we feel comfortable with it, gives us another pretty heavy bat.”
Infante has his right hamstring wrapped up with an ice pack last night but said he was OK, and Bobby said Infante told him the same thing.
OH WAIT: I interrupt this blog for an update on Matt Diaz (which you might also see in a burst): An MRI confirmed Thursday that Braves outfielder Matt Diaz has a partial tear in the posterior cruciate ligament of his left knee and he is out four to six weeks.
Surgery is not required. Doctors think it’s a matter of rest and rehabilitation. They fitted Diaz for a brace.
Diaz injured his knee Tuesday night, crashing into an outfield wall knee-first trying to catch a Prince Fielder foul ball. Diaz returned to Atlanta Wednesday, when he was placed on the disabled list, and had the MRI on Thursday.
Diaz had been struggling at the plate lately, but broke an 0-for-12 stretch Tuesday with a single. He had been counted on as a platoon player in left field. The Braves played Omar Infante in left field Wednesday and Greg Norton is in the lineup today.
Mark Kotsay is still out with back stiffness, so the other half of the platoon in left field - Gregor Blanco - has been playing center.
Anyway, where was I? Norton broke in as a left fielder in 2001, playing at Coors Field in Colorado, so this is not nearly that big an adventure for him.
Last year he played some right field for the Rays, and here’s his version of how it went. “I told (third base coach) Tom Foley, I said ‘I wasn’t too bad out there, Foley.’ He’s like ‘Yeah that’s because you hit .296 with 17 (homers) but if you’re not hitting, you’re not a good outfielder.’ So that put it in perspective for me.”
Norton who is 0-for-14 coming into the game since going 3-for-4, got some tapes sent from Seattle for Terry Pendleton to look at and get more familiar with his swing. Norton was looking more comfortable last night when he lined out hard to end the game.
This will be Norton’s second start in left field for the Braves, after Monday’s game against Arizona. In seriousness, this is what the natural infielder said about playing there:
“I wish I was better out there,” Norton said. “I wish I had the skills as far as running that I used to have, the arm strength, so it’s something for me personally, I have to try to get some work in bp, work on my angles. Because I can’t really afford to take a misstep and have the makeup speed as some other guys. It’s a challenge. I like challenges. On the other side, it’s not like it’s foreign. It’s not like I haven’t been out there.”
TALK ABOUT ROAD WOES: Norton also had some pretty great stuff this morning, talking about the road woes he’s been a part of. Makes this 6-18 thing for the Braves seem sort of normal I suppose.
First there were the three seasons he played in Colorado, where everybody knows they played better at home than on the road. But he trumped that when telling us about playing on a Tampa team two years ago that won only three of its final 36 road games after July 1.
“In Colorado, it got to the point where it was something players really didn’t think about, but they had sports psychologists coming in and having meetings about why we played better at home than on the road,” Norton said. “As a player, when we go out there, we’re not thinking about playing better at home than on the road, but the more people kept bringing up, then it’s going to start seeping in a little bit and you’ll start questioning why.”
“In Tampa in 2006, I think we set the all-time worst record in the road in baseball history. That was rough. So yeah, I’d say more than anybody in here, I’ve been through this quite a bit.”
He said this feels different.
“This is a better team. In Colorado we had some good players but you’re fourth or five in the division. Tampa in the AL East, we lost 101, then last year 90 some odd losses, so I think it’s a different team. I don’t think anybody is really worried about it. We’re figuring it’s going to turn around. It can’t go like this for the entire season. Keep going out and playing hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
THANK YOU, CHIPPER: Look, you gotta love Chipper for his honesty, and the fact that he’s willing to say what’s on his mind, and surely a lot of other people’s too, regardless of how it might sound. I asked him this morning about the first All-Star voting totals that came out yesterday. Chipper is leading David Wright at third base 420,664 to 321,091.
And after giving me the politically correct answer, as we talked about it a little more and he said:
“Well, honestly it’s a shame that I’ve got to go out and hit .400 for two months to make an All-Star team,” Jones said. “It’s kind of depressing to me because I’ve had, to me, what I think are some pretty good first halves, what I think is a pretty good career, and I haven’t made an All-Star team since ‘01. And I gotta hit .400 for the first two months of the season to do it. But I’ll take it. Gotta make a splash to get people’s attention? Gotta make a splash.”
He’s trying to get voted in for the third time in his career, but Wright has been hogging the votes in recent years.
Oh, and here was the politically correct answer he gave first: “It’s flattering that a lot of people in Atlanta are taking it upon themselves to vote. I heard a radio station promoting people to get on-line and vote, which is good and flattering. It would be cool to go to this one, last one at old Yankee Stadium. I’m sure they’re going to put on a good show. We’ll see. Still got a long way to go.”
INSTANT REPLAY? Some folks were asking Bobby Cox yesterday what he thought about the possibility of using instant replay in baseball. Thought you’d be curious to hear what he had to say:
“Maybe to make the call on home runs, but not the other stuff. On bases and slides, you just can’t do it. It’s not fair to the umpires. No. 1, it takes time if you’re going to do bases and those types of plays, it would take all day to play…
“And how many can you do in one game, can you ask every play? Throw up a flag? Is that what you do? Baseball doesn’t need that.”
And he doesn’t even feel that strongly about having replay for just the homers, just maybe a way to improve the foul poles, so it’s easier for umpires to see contrasts and make the calls.
“The home run that’s not a home run that’s foul or fair, 99 out of 100 times they end up getting it right,” Cox said.
HOMER REDUX: I ended up asking Gregor Blanco about his first major league homer which he hit Tuesday and I liked what he had to say.
“I was kind of ready for it,” Blanco said. “I think I’m the kind of guy who can have a little power too, so some damage.”
Not that he’s going to break out and change his approach, but just the idea that he’s like “Yeah, I should do that.” He did get the ball, by the way. Had it back in his hotel room for safe keeping, not even in his locker.
Permalink | Comments (461) | Post your comment |
Braves have company with road woes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Searching around for answers for the Braves road woes this morning? This unbelievably dichotomy going on of their 22-7 record at home, 6-17 on the road, after last night’s 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
I’ve made it as far as the USA Today in front of my hotel room door. Lo and behold there’s a story by Bob Nightengale about how this road losing bit is apparently a major league wide thing. (Thanks, Bob. Nice tidbit.)
He points out that entering games Wednesday, teams have won just 42.9 percent of their road games, which is the worst percentage since 1931 according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
He also writes that if five teams keep up this pace of playing .700 ball at home, it would be the most teams to do so since 1900. And nobody had a .700 home winning percentage last year. The LA Angels led with .667.
Terry Francona - whose Red Sox are 21-5 at home and 11-18 on the road - pointed out a lack of bullpen depth these days might be showing up for teams more on the road, since you use don’t use your setup guy and closer the same way.
What do you guys think? Is that it? That might have been a factor last night for the Braves, though failing to score after the second inning did them zero favors either.
Just having a look through the standings, and there are only six teams out there with winning records at home and on the road right now. Three of the six division leaders have losing records on the road (Tampa Bay, Chicago Cubs and Arizona.)
Here are the teams that are winning at home (listed first) and on the road:
*Chicago White Sox 13-9, 15-14 *LA Angels 16-11, 16-11 *Marlins 18-12, 12-9 Phillies 15-11, 15-13 Astros 15-9, 15-14 Cardinals 17-11, 13-12
(*Division leaders)
So there, see, maybe it’s everybody. Does that make the Braves feel any better? Don’t guess it should, should it? Five more games to see if the Braves can make it better this trip.
And speaking of this trip, it will be interesting to see 21-year-old center fielder Jay Bruce in a couple of days for the Reds, huh? ESPN played up his debut pretty well last night, and rightly so: 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, a stolen base, two walks and a shaving cream pie in the face. Kinda reminds me of Jeff Francoeur’s debut night. Remember those good old days?
The Braves will have a few games’ worth of a scouting report on him, unless they go back to the AAA files. There he was hitting everything - .364 with 10 homers 37 RBIs, eight stolen bases in 49 games for Louisville.
LEADOFF SPOT: Interesting talk about the leadoff spot in the Braves order yesterday on the Braves/MLB. Thought I’d crunch a few numbers and see what we get. They are all from this season:
Kelly Johnson in the leadoff spot: hitting .263 (30-for-114) with 8 doubles, 3 homers and 11 RBIs.
Kelly everywhere else: hitting .375 (18-for-48) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers and 12 RBIs.
Yunel Escobar in the leadoff spot: hitting .250 (14-for-56) with one double, one homer and 7 RBIs. He’s walked once and struck out 10 times.
Yunel everywhere else: hitting .326 (43-for-132) with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBIs. He has 16 walks and 17 strikeouts.
Gregor Blanco might be the more true leadoff hitter and as the Braves go forward following Matt Diaz’s knee injury, maybe he’ll get more of a shot up there. He’s only 1-for-6 as a hitter in the leadoff spot this year but he drew three walks, so funny how this happens but his on-base percentage in the leadoff spot is higher than the other two: Blanco .444, Johnson .328, and Escobar .295.
DIAZ: And speaking of Diaz, he’s headed to Atlanta today for an MRI on his posterior cruciate ligament after crashing left knee first into the outfield fence last night - hitting chain link and concrete.
And yes he had some thoughts on that:
“I have four stitches because I hit chain link and concrete,” Diaz said. “I never understood that. I know it’s so the pad doesn’t get wet but if you’re going to put a pad on a fence I don’t understand why it doesn’t go all the way down or at least within an inch or two of the ground because it seems to happen every now and again, somebody will do something stupid like I did.”
Not that he’s apologizing for playing hard. That’s how he plays. As for the knee, Diaz has torn his right PCL before when he was in A Ball and said even with a grade 2 tear he was out six weeks. We shall see what the report is. Not sure if he’ll be getting the MRI today or tomorrow. Just know it was really good news that it wasn’t ACL.
Diaz had been struggling bigtime at the plate but said he was just figuring some things out with Terry Pendleton. He broke an 0-for-12 streak at the plate with a single to left in his second at-bat Tuesday night.
“It stinks because three days ago, TP and I did some film study and my swing started to feel good,” Diaz said. “Hit a hard ball tonight to right and hit a line drive to left, then to go and do something like this. But it comes with kind of the reckless aggressive way I play.”
Permalink | Comments (577) | Post your comment |
Milwaukee’s not at its best
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s hope this road trip goes better than my landing this morning…Greetings from Milwaukee, where some winds coming off Lake Michigan had us doing a little less-than-smooth-sailing on my flight in. We landed with a serious thud.
A girl with a Georgia sweatshirt on the flight squealed, which gave us a way to break with the tension by laughing. But I’m telling you, the pilots didn’t even open the door to the cockpit to tell us goodbye and thanks as we got off the plane. Embarrassed, perhaps?
The flight attendant did get on the overhead thing and say “Everybody awake now?” Hey, good for her. It got a laugh out of me.
Well, surely the Braves got here a little more smoothly and slept soundly last night and woke up ready to break this ridiculous road thing. They woke up to temperatures today in the 40s, which I’m thinking isn’t such a great sign, though.
Yes it’s in the 40s still this afternoon. Didn’t we just celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer yesterday with Memorial Day? Won’t this weather just remind the Braves they’re a long ways from Atlanta and the summer-like weather they had on their 8-3 homestand?
I really hope they did what Jeff Francoeur was threatening to, bring a white jersey to hang in their lockers. Something they can laugh at - like the flight attendant gave us - to break up some of this tension.
And hey, it’s gotta (excuse me, Biff, I mean got to) be hard to get blisters in weather these next few days in the 40s (gulp), then 50s and 60s. Right? (It’s Jo-Jo Reyes, Jorge Campillo and now Jurrjens?!)
I’m pretty sure by now you’ve seen the home and road numbers fleshed out in every which way in all their glory, so I’ll spare you. Instead we look to the brighter side and dig around for some reasons for optimism that this terrible road run will turn around, as the Braves begin this six-game swing through Milwaukee and Cincinnati, other than surely the whole law of averages catching up thing.
Milwaukee enters this series having lost 15 of their past 23. Their closer Eric Gagne just went on the disabled list and their manager Ned Yost got lumped in today in a USA Today article today talking about managers coming under heat. Willie Randolph and Seattle’s John McLaren were the others.
The Brewers have had some road struggles of their own, going 4-6 on a recent road trip and losing 12 of their last 16 away from home.
The Braves took five of seven from the Brewers last year, including two out of three at Miller Park. Yes, that’s where John Smoltz’s trapezius muscle problems first surfaced. But from what I’ve been reading, Smoltz and Rafael Soriano both have a shot to be activated on this trip. Soriano is throwing a bullpen today. I’ll have updates on all that as it comes. (I’m not at the ballpark yet, as I type this, for those who’ll want instant answers.)
Meantime, the Braves will see some old pals this series….Russell Branyan, who played his high school baseball and Warner Robins and Stratford Academy (I know, I covered him in high school, thanks very much), signed a minor league deal with the Brewers this spring and just got called up from AAA Nashville this weekend. He of the mighty swing and the lack-o-fear of the strikeout will play some third base vs. right-handers, given Bill Hall’s struggles against them (.158 compared to .409 against lefties).
(Branyan was hitting .359 in AAA with 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 45 games.)
I coulda sworn Branyan played some with the Braves, but he’s not listed on the all-time roster and would have been had he played in one official game. So my memory fails, and he must have been cut right out of the spring training he spent with the Braves. Of course, I can’t remember what year that was either. Someone, anyone?
Also the Brewers are about to sign reliever Julian Tavares (pending a physical). Who could forget the tearful shots of him in the Cleveland dugout at the end of the 1995 World Series? He was just released by Boston, but the Brewers need some arms for their ailing bullpen.
And the good news on the horizon in Cincinnati? The Braves swept three from the Reds May 2-4, granted at Turner Field. It’s also supposed to be warmer this weekend. Meantime, let’s hope they close the roof tonight in Milwaukee. (Yes, I’m a wimp.)
If you haven’t noticed by now, and some surely have, I haven’t been around the team much lately to gather new stuff for the blog. DOB covered the last NINE games in a row, and is somewhere trying to work the carpal tunnel syndrome out of his hands and wrists, perhaps by cruising on his motorcyle.
For me to find blog fodder after so long away, I just had to dig a little deeper in the notebook. And this is what I came up with. When the Padres were in town, I went over the chatted with Maddux for a while and never used it. So allow me now.
Among the things we talked about was Bobby Cox and whether or not he might really retire.
I had been thinking Bobby might stick to what he’d said a year ago in spring training, that he was still thinking about hanging it up at the end of this season but didn’t want to say yet, because it would make everything harder on the Braves as far as trying to sign players, etc. I mentioned this to M-dog and he just gave me one of those twisted looks, like “what the heck are you talking about?”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said. Turns out he was right. Interesting news last week that Bobby’s sticking around at least through 2009. Congratulations to him. I know there’s one four-time Cy Young award winner, who respects him like no other.
While I might have been wrong this time about Bobby, I wasn’t wrong when I - unlike the Braves front office - predicted Maddux would accept arbitration in 2003 to play one more year for Cox.
Here’s what Maddux had to say about his former manager:
“There were no gimmicks. It was baseball. And he did whatever he thought helped his players win. The players never once thought he made a decision based on how it looked, or how it was perceived. All his decisions were based on, does it give us a better chance to win. I think players really appreciated that.”
And more…
“He always made excuses for me when I messed up,” Maddux said. “He always took heat off me and never put heat on me. He allowed me to enjoy the game both on and off the field, went out of his way to see that that happened.”
And, as I suggested, got ejected a few times on Maddux’s behalf?
“Just one that was my fault,” Maddux said. “I said something to an umpire that I shouldn’t have said and he got kicked out.”
And then he laughed. Just like Cox did when I told him Maddux said Cox got kicked out only once on his behalf. Maddux must have meant only one time that Bobby literally jumped in and took an ejection Maddux would have definitely gotten. Cause we can all think of a few more, can’t we.?
Catcher’s box in Milwaukee rings a bell. County Stadium. Eddie Perez behind the plate. Angel Hernandez umpiring. Broadcasters had been booted off the charter for pointing out a discrepancy in the catcher’s box drawn for Maddux at home. Or soon would be. Right?
Anyway… It’s Miller time. I’ll get you updated once I get to the park.
Permalink | Comments (426) | Post your comment |
Dewsy, ‘ball and The Boss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When you walk into the stadium on a Sunday morning and pass venerable Bobby Dews headed to the batting cage in full Braves uniform, offering you a smile and a “Good morning,” well, that’s when you’re reminded there are worse ways to spend a Memorial Day weekend than working, if working happens to be covering major league baseball.
Greetings from the ‘yard, folks.
Big crowd pouring into Turner Field for this afternoon game against the Diamondbacks, as there will be for tomorrow afternoon’s homestand finale. If you can’t be here, then hopefully you’re enjoying whatever it is you’re doing. Stay safe.
Anyway, we’re about to get started so I’m gonna have to keep it brief. Had hoped to write a long blog this morning after I got back from the clubhouse, but we had news (again) with Chipper’s back spasms and waiting for Smoltz to tell us how he felt after his rehab appearance last night against the Smokies in the Smokies.
(Smoltz pitched an inning for Double-A Mississippi against the Tennessee Smokies in some town near Knoxville. I’m sure it’s beautiful up there, but I don’t have time to look up the name of the place, so don’t be offended if you live there).
Anyway, Smoltz never came out. Sent word through a team official that he was a bit “under the weather” but otherwise fine. Apparently that meant his shoulder was OK, though Bobby Cox told us that Smoltz reported “normal” day-after shoulder soreness, or stiffness, as Bobby put it.
Anyway, Smoltz plans to throw a side session tomorrow here in Atlanta, then they’ll decide if he needs to go out and throw another rehab game or two before he’s activated. Sounds like they’re probably leaning that way.
As for Chipper’s back, he and his .418 average are on the bench for this game after the back locked up on Hoss last night while he was tussling with his kids at home. Said it locked up just like it did a month ago in New York, when he was reaching for a shirt at his locker and was nearly brought to his knees by the first severe back spasms he’d ever had in his life.
Now he’s had it again. Based on my own experience, I’ll predict it’s something Chipper’s going to have to deal with from now on and stay on top of, stretching daily and especially when he feels it coming on. He said he had some pain during Saturday’s game (didn’t stop him from getting two hits, of course — but what does?).
He’s hit .432 average in his past 32 games with 11 home runs, 26 RBI, 23 walks and a .516 on-base percentage. It’s remarkable what he’s doing, folks, and the only concern is that he can stay healthy and avoid any significant time missed. One or two games isn’t enough to get him out of his groove, but a DL stint might be (not that this is a DL thing; he might even be ready to pinch-hit late in today’s game, he told me. That’s how much it’s improved since he got to the ballpark at 8:30 a.m. today and started in with the treatment).
By the way, Chipper’s .417 average is the highest in the last 50 years in the majors this late in a season. He also leads the majors in OBP (.488) and ranks third in slugging (.680).
The Braves have two certain All-Stars in Chipper and Brian McCann, who’s hitting .426 with three homers and 19 RBI in 18 May games before today. Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens will also get consideration with a few more wins between now and the All-Star break.
McCann is seventh in the NL with a .337 average and seventh with a 1.002 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
As I type this…. Tom Glavine has already given up a leadoff homer and two runs in the first inning of today’s game. The difference is, the veteran lefty can do damage control, unlike young Jo-Jo Reyes, who gave up two homers and five runs in the first inning of Fridays’ 11-1 loss to Arizona, one of only two Braves losses in the first nine games of this 11-game homestand.
Rafael Soriano update: He’s expected to be activated on Monday, according to Cox. Soriano has been on the DL for six weeks, and the Braves’ bullpen has somehow not just gotten through that period without a closer, but actually prospered.
Bobby has said on several occasions how much “fun” it’s been for him and Roger McDowell and the relievers themselves to make this work, going with matchups and creating a we’re-in-this-together vibe down there in the bullpen. Those guys have all been pulling for each other and feeding off each other’s success, trying to match or surpass each other.
But no, I don’t think the return of Soriano, Smoltz and lefty Mike Gonzalez can be anything but good for the Braves. Those are three veteran power arms and three with plenty of closer experience. Chemistry’s great, but chemistry alone isn’t going to get you through 162 games.
Big talent added to good chemistry, that’s a nice formula. And these three guys are probably returning at the perfect time, while the patchwork bullpen is performing so well and before the possible slippage that could be expected if they had to keep relying on so many of the same young arms to get through the last few innings of so many games.
Diaz slump deepening: This is getting alarming. No, moving past alarming. Matt Diaz is 8-for-49 (.163) with zero extra-base hits and two RBI in his past 19 games, with three walks, 12 strikeouts and a .385 OPS in that span, including a .163 slugging percentage and .222 on-base percentage.
Reflecting on Big Unit: I just like to type that. But anyway, Randy Johnson’s performance yesterday convinced me he’s going to win at least the 12 more games it’ll take to make him the next and possibly last 300-game winner, thereby removing that distinction from Tom Glavine’s resume.
Johnson is back from two back surgeries and, while he doesn’t throw close to 100 mph anymore, his location seems as good or better than ever. And that slider is still nasty.
By the way, Johnson’s last three starts vs. the Braves: 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA and .120 opponents’ average. He’s allowed nine hits and one run in 22 innings with - are you ready for this? — 32 strikeouts and zero walks. Mind boggling.
Talk about matchups: It might not have quite the name cache of Thursday’s Johan Santana vs. Tim Hudson matchup, but the Monday matchup of Jair Jurrjens against Arizona ace Brandon Webb is even better, based on this year’s statistics.
Santana has not been the completely dominant ace he was in the American League, and Brandon Webb is at the very top of his game — and at the top of the game, period.
And Jurrjens? Well, you folks know how good the Curacao Kid has been.
Webb won nine straight decisions to start the season before losing this week at Florida. He leads the league with a 9-1 record and has allowed a league-low .251 on-base percentage and 9.0 baserunners per nine innings.
Webb’s 2.69 ERA includes a 1.85 mark on the road.
Jurrjens is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA and .202 opponents’ average, including 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA in five home starts.
They’re both among the top six in the NL in ERA and opponents’ average.
OK, a tune: This one feels like Memorial Day to me. Or the Fourth of July. Or just America. Or something.
“BADLANDS” by Bruce Springsteen
Lights out tonight
trouble in the heartland
Got a head-on collision
smashin’ in my guts, man
I’m caught in a cross fire
that I don’t understand
But there’s one thing I know for sure girl
I don’t give a damn
For the same old played-out scenes
I don’t give a damn
For just the in-betweens
Honey, I want the heart, I want the soul
I want control right now
talk about a dream
Try to make it real
you wake up in the night
With a fear so real
Spend your life waiting
for a moment that just don’t come
Well, don’t waste your time waiting
(Chorus)
Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you’ve gotta pay
We’ll keep pushin’ till it’s understood
and these badlands start treating us good
Workin’ in the fields
till you get your back burned
Workin’ ‘neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts
learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling
Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain’t satisfied
till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got
Well I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these
(Chorus)
mmmmmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmm
For the ones who had a notion,
a notion deep inside
That it ain’t no sin
to be glad you’re alive
I wanna find one face
that ain’t looking through me
I wanna find one place,
I wanna spit in the face of these badlands
Chorus
Permalink | Comments (542) | Post your comment |
For Braves, home is where sizzle is
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, this is getting ridiculous. Ridiculous in a good way, in an entertaining and interesting way for your correspondent and Crusading Everyman. But ridiculous nonetheless.
The Braves are 21-12 since April 17, the National League’s best record in that span, just ahead of Houston (21-13).
The only team in the majors with a better mark since April 17? That’d be the Central Florida outfit formerly known as Devil Rays (hey, I said it was getting ridiculous). Tampa Bay is 21-11 since April 17, while Boston is 22-12.
But anyway, we care about the Senior Circuit here, so back to the Bravos.
Atlanta got off to 5-9 start that had a few folks here on the ol’ Braves/MIB blog practically throwing souvenir bats through TVs, and some pleading for GM Frank Wren to start selling off high-priced parts and building for the future.
(Nevermind Bobby Cox’s teams had mediocre starts more often than not during the last decade or so of their 14-year division title runs. Hey, some people don’t want to know about the past, just this week, today, now dammit.)
(By the way, Atlanta hosts a four-game weekend series starting tonight against an Arizona team that’s going the other way, having struggled to a 9-12 record since its 19-7 start. The D-backs have scored a total of 10 runs during a six-game road skid, including just three runs in three games this week at Florida).
Anyway … where were we before the awkward two paragraphs in parentheses that we like to use on this blog?
Oh, yes, the Bravos’ split personality.
It’s not so shocking, at least to me, that the Braves would rebound from their slow start and be within 1-1/2 games of first place on May 22. I knew they were a better team than they showed in that odd first 2-1/2 weeks, when they faced a lot of adversity and didn’t handle most of it very well, including the brutal schedule, weather and the first few of their many, many injuries.
No, the component that’s inexplicable _ well, besides the fact that it’s still Florida leading the division _ is this crazy home-road dichotomy for the Braves, who have the National League’s best home record (20-5) and the majors’ worst road mark (6-16, a few percentage points worse than Cincy’s 7-18).
The Braves are on a tremendous 19-3 home surge in which they’ve batted .320 with a stingy 2.45 ERA. They’ve won 13 of their past 14 home games while averaging more than six runs per game in that stretch.
Meanwhile on the road, they’ve lost nine of their last 11 games, batting .240 with a 4.61 ERA in that period away from Turner Field.
Hey, the crowds have been great lately at the ballpark I refuse to call The Ted. But that doesn’t begin to explain why the Braves could pitch and hit so much better at home, in a ballpark that slightly favors pitching and is a far cry from more recently built hitters’ havens in Cincy, Philly and Houston.
There probably is no explanation (I asked a handful of Braves yesterday, and they basically said they had no clue). And you know what? It’s likely to start evening out soon. Almost always does, eventually.
Remember last year? It was the total opposite for the Braves for the first three-quarters of the season, when they were a road machine that played poorly at Turner Field and lost so many close games at home.
They turned that around late in the season and have taken it to an entirely new level this season.
They have a majors-leading 2.71 ERA at home (more than a half-run ahead of No. 2 San Diego), but rank seventh in the NL with a 4.30 road ERA.
The Braves’ league-leading .286 batting average includes a .316 average, .386 OBP and .474 slugging percentage at home, and .251/.322/.396 on the road.
“We just have to figure out how to get this feeling when we’re eating foreign food and sleeping in different beds,” said Chipper Jones, who was talking about road games, not trips to Japan. “We’ve got a lot of confidence going. Somehow, some way, that’s got to translate to the airplane ride wherever we go next.”
Both Kelly Johnson and Jeff Francoeur, in separate interviews, mentioned taking the teams’s home-white jerseys on the road to Milwaukee and Cincinnati on a six-game trip that starts Tuesday, even if just to hang them in the lockers.
They were smiling, but I think it’s something the Braves have seriously discussed, one of the slump-busting ideas you run into in baseball. Hey, why not? Whatever they do, they should retire the new road blues, if you ask me. Almost nothing but losses and injuries have happened in those jerseys.
Besides, if you stop wearing them now, they might even sell more at the stands and stores for the novelty factor (“Hey, remember when the Braves wore these jerseys for a couple months in 2008? No? Well, they did. I’m getting one, probably be a collector’s item….”) (That was my stab at fan-to-fan dialogue there. Pretty good, huh? No? Ok, anyway….)
Let’s face it, the jerseys, like all throwbacks and alternate jerseys that have pervaded in pro sports in recent years, are designed for one thing and one thing only - to make money. So retire them. I’d say retire the garish Sunday reds, too, but the Braves have played awfully well in those and apparently a lot of fans like them, for some reason.
(Me, I’m old-school all the way on unis. Gimme all-white pants with little or no stripes, simple logos and color schemes. Dodgers, Cardinals, Braves all have great uniforms. Dodgers made a tweak to theirs a few years back, some unnecessary shadow-boxing or trim or whatever you call it on the lettering around “Los Angeles.” Dumb move.)
OK, we’ve rambled incoherently for a few paragraphs, steered way off course….
It’ll turn around: That’s the point we meant to make. Or the prediction. The Braves are playing such good ball on this homestand, building such momentum and confidence, that the one-run game thing doesn’t seem so dire. Though they are still 2-12 in one-run games, you don’t get the feeling that right now that’s a concern for them like it was a week or two ago.
And they won’t keep losing three out of every four games on the road, just as they won’t keep winning four out of every five (or more, lately) at home. Just won’t happen.
This next road trip, to Milwaukee and Cincy, provides an opportunity for them to flex some hitting muscle, bang out some homers, and have their groundball pitchers succeed in environments that can be brutal on flyball pitchers.
Roger McDowell has done an outstanding job with this patchwork bullpen and the injury-plagued rotation, and the Braves have as good a groundball-heavy staff as you’ll find in the majors. They don’t give up many homers and have cut down on walks, which are two big keys to avoiding big innings and keeping your team in games.
This weekend: There are almost too many good factors in the Braves’ favor this weekend, to the point where you figure things can’t possibly go as well as the stats indicate they should.
Here’s what I mean: The Braves will play three consecutive day games beginning Saturday. They have the best day-game record (10-5) in the National League, and their pitchers have the best day-game ERA (3.11), and more than twice as many strikeouts (104) as walks issued (55) in those games.
The Braves also have the best day-game batting average (.303) by a whopping 20 points over the Cubs. And the best day-game OBP (.381), and the best day-game slugging percentage (.453)…. You getting the picture?
Add that to the home-game thing, and the D-backs’ road-game thing … well, it just looks too good for the Braves. No way they can sweep another four-game series. Too many things working in their favor.
Kelly’s turnaround: Talked to Kelly Johnson yesterday, and he said he believes his recent surge has to do with two things: Yes, he’s a bit more relaxed now that he’s out of the leadoff role and not worrying as much about taking pitches.
But even more than that, he said that an adjustment he made even before the move out of the leadoff role has helped him a lot. It involved taking the approach he’s used recently against lefties, being aggressive and keeping his shoulder in and not bailing out, and applying that to right-handers (the irony didn’t escape him, when I mentioned it’s funny he’s been used in a platoon some recently, playing against right-handers when he’s actually felt better hitting against lefties for some time).
If I had time to go over my notes I could explain it a little better, but I’m running late now, gotta get to the ballpark. Suffice to say, it’s working whatever the reason. Kelly’s hit .411 (23-for-56) with 12 extra-base hits and nine RBI in his past 16 games, after hitting .231 with six extra-base hits and 12 RBI in 91 at-bats in his previous 24 games.
Etc.: We might want to temper the first-pitch aggressiveness discussions for now, because the approach seems to be working for a lot of Braves.
They lead the NL with a .397 average (98-for-247) when putting the first pitch in play, including 12 home runs.
Kelly J. is 9-for-16 with two homers in those situations, Hoss is 15-for-29 (.517) with two homers, Mark Kotsay is 16-for-33 (.485) with five extra-base hits, and Yunel Escobar is 14-for-30 (.467) with three homers and 11 RBIs.
Couple others of interest to the denizens: Brian McCann has a .355 average (11-for-31) with two first-pitch homers, and Jeff Francoeur is 10-for-31 (.323) with a homer….
On a note of some concern, do you folks realize the Braves have only 10 home runs from outfielders? Only the Dodgers (9) and Nationals (6) have fewer among NL teams.
Kotsay and Francouer have four apiece to lead Braves outfielders. They’re getting no power and very little production in general from left field. But you knew that.
OK, a tune. By the brilliant young bard from Nebraska.
“WE ARE NOWHERE AND IT’S NOW” by Coner Oberst (Bright Eyes)
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it till you’re blind?
And if you swear that there’s no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you’re right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it’s salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on…
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we’ve been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere and it’s now
We are nowhere and it’s now
And for a ten minute dream in the passenger’s seat
While the world was flying by
You haven’t been gone very long
But it feels like a life time
I’ve been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don’t advertise
I’ve been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I’ve got no plans in too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I’m always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the juke box on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me
She said this one will bring you love
And I don’t know if it’s true
But I keep it for good luck
Permalink | Comments (608) | Post your comment |
Is Jurrjens NL’s top rookie?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While waiting for the daily injury update for a team that’s had more injuries to key players than any team I’ve covered in 14 seasons of doing this beat thing, let us consider the early race for National League Rookie of the Year and the Braves’ strong candidate: Jair Jurrjens.
The 22-year-old not only leads all major league rookies in wins (5) and ERA (2.64), but among all National League starters Jurrjens ranks fifth in ERA, tied for seventh (with Dan Haren) in opponents’ batting average (.219), and fourth in opponents’ slugging (.298).
Folks, the Curacao Kid has a better ERA than Brandon Webb (2.69), and his 1.48 home ERA is the third-best in the NL, just behind Cincy’s Edinson Volquez (1.44) and San Diego’s Jake Peavy (1.46) and ahead of S.D.’s Greg Maddux (1.88).
(That Volquez has put up that ERA at Cincy is amazing; that park is ridiculously small, as the Braves will be reminded when they go there next week and hit a slew of homers).
Jurrjens has been so good, when he gives up five hits and two runs (one earned) in seven innings like he did last night in a win against the Mets — the 18th win in the Braves’ last 21 home games — it no longer even surprises anyone.
No other major league rookie has an ERA as low as 3.10, and Washington’s John Lannan (3.40) ranks second among NL rookies, three-quarters of a run behind Jurrjens.
Of course, it’s way early and the race could be completely different in another 50 games, but Jurrjens looks like anything but a fluke so far.
However, even if he keeps up something close to this pace and wins 12-15 games with an ERA under 3.00, he still won’t be guaranteed of the NL Rookie award, because this is another strong year for elite rookies in the league.
The Cubs’ Geovany Soto is hitting .314 with a whopping nine homers and 34 RBI, and a lot of voters tend to side with every-day position players over pitchers if one has an overwhelming season.
Blake DeWitt of the Dodgers is hitting .325 with four homers and 23 RBI, and offseason blog favorite Kosuke Fukudome is hitting .305 with 17 RBI. He’ll need to pick it up, or else voters will probably say something akin to his name regarding his candidacy.
Cincy’s Joey Votto also has nine homers and 23 RBI. That Great America Small Park is a nice place to be a rookie slugger, I’m telling you.
Not much time today: So let’s hit a few things quickly before we have to motor over to the ballpark. Gotta swap out bags, move my stuff to the backpack, because I’m riding the bike today.
_ Mac’s May: Looks like we’re getting the 2006 version of Brian McCann, aka the best-hitting young catcher in the National League and, in my opinion, the majors.
McCann is hitting .419 with a stunning 11 doubles, three homers and 19 RBI in 16 May games, with eight walks, six strikeouts, a .486 OBP and a .742 slugging percentage.
He might have gotten last year’s All-Star nod on reputation and a lack of stiff competition, but McCann will be selected to his third consecutive All-Star Game this season because he’s flat-out deserving.
Oh, and in his last nine games, he’s hit .405 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI. Look out, now. Mac might be ready to put up some silly-good numbers this season while hitting in the shadow of Hoss.
— KJ’s better there: Bobby Cox agreed with what many here have been saying for some time - Kelly Johnson looks a lot more comfortable hitting down in the order instead of in the leadoff spot.
Johnson, recently dropped from the leadoff spot to mostly hitting seventh, has gone 12-for-30 (.400) with three doubles, two triples, a homer and five RBI in his past nine games.
For the season he’s hit .263 with a .328 OBP and .412 slugging percentage in the 114 at-bats in the leadoff spot, and .429 (9-for-21) with a .458 OBP and .762 slugging percentage in the No. 7 hole.
For his career, it’s .270/.363/.442 in 434 leadoff at-bats, .241/.332/.407 in 253 at-bats in the No. 2 spot, and .368/./447/.632 in 114 at-bats in the No. 7 position.
(He’s also hit in every other spot in the lineup for at least two at-bats in his career, and is 7-for-17 with three extra-base hits while batting fifth).
By the way, Johnson is 8-for-25 with four extra-base hits (two homers) and 11 RBI in eight games against the Mets this season.
— Speaking of Mets nemeses … Jeff Francoeur, after his three-hit, four-RBI game with a triple and homer last night, has hit .316 with 15 extra-base hits and 24 RBI in 25 games against the Mets since the beginning of last season.
For his career, he’s hit .300 with 21 doubles, eight homers and 41 RBI in 51 games against the Metropolitans.
Ok, a tune: Let’s go with another product of the rich local music scene we have here in Atlanta, Shawn Mullins, and a cut from his 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor CD (his recently released CD, Honeydew, is another fine recording).
”COLD BLACK HEART” by Shawn Mullins
I once had a true love,
Her name was Maggie Brown
Her eyes they were the color
Of the sun burning down
And she had hair that smelled like jasmine
I loved her from the start
How was I to know she’d have a cold black heart
Well Maggie was my true love,
The only kiss I knew
I’d meet her at the oak tree
In the cool evening dew
Where we would walk beside the levee
Our fingers intertwined
While the crimson moon gazed through
The needles of the pines
We’d lay beside each other,
Staring at the sky
Listenin’ to the whistlin’
Of the train blowin’ by
As it was on it’s way to Macon
The town where I was born
We’d make love in the darkness,
‘til the hours of the morn
Waterfalls and rainbows,
Sweet salvation sin
As I lay there sleeping
Against her golden skin,
My friends now gather around
And listen close
The story takes a turn
I wasn’t fair young Maggie’s
Only lover I did learn
I went down by the oak tree
Lookin’ for my lass
And walked east towards the levee
With the sunset in my past
And then I ran through briars and brambles,
Until I finally found
My Maggie and her true love
There lyin’ on the ground
My eyes they filled with fire,
They didn’t see me there
I watched as she made love to him,
Caressed him with her hair
I don’t remember how it happened
I guess I just saw red
I drew my pistol from my belt
And shot them graveyard dead
I once loved a maiden
Her name was Maggie Brown
But now I’m riding on a boxcar
Back to Macon town
The setting sun will never let me forget
What deed I have done
Until the day they hunt me down,
I’m livin’ on the run
Permalink | Comments (499) | Post your comment |
Braves’ rollercoaster in improbable ascent
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that we’ve had a chance to rest the carpal-tunneled fingers and let the laptop sleep a few hours following yesterday’s marathon of ‘ball and blogging, whaddya say we do it again, folks?
Hey, Braves schedule says they play again tonight, and my schedule says I’m covering it. So let’s do this.
Don’t know what I find to be more surprising:
— The Braves’ 17-3 record in their last 20 home games (11-1 in last 12);
— That Atlanta is first in the NL in starters’ ERA and third in relief ERA;
— That the Braves have won four of their past five games with just one extra-base hit and one RBI in that five-game stretch from Chipper Jones (still hitting over .400 to lead the majors despite the absurdly hot recent stretch by Houston’s Lance Berkman).
Anyway, the Bravos will try to keep the surge going while Willie Randolph will try to improve his chances of remaining employed with the Mets, who’ve lost eight of their past 14 games (and lost five of seven against the Braves this season, for those keeping score in the rivalry).
(While I’m thinking about it, who thought the House season finale was outstanding? I watched the second part of the two-parter last night at about 2 a.m., as the remnants of my coffee-and-deadline buzz wore off. Great show.)
OK, the Escobar situation: Teammates have to be crossing fingers as they drive to the ballpark today hopeful of an optimistic report on shortstop Yunel Escobar, who hurt his right knee on that spectacular and scary double play that ended the doubleheader late last night.
Ryan Church was taken to the hospital with a concussion after his head crashed into Escobar’s knee as the budding Cuban star hurdled over the awkwardly sliding Met to make the throw to first base.
“Esco” (nickname Bobby Cox and other Braves call him) had his knee and lefty hamstring wrapped in ice after the game and said “No DL” to reporters before heading back to the training room. “Tomorrow,” he added as he walked away.
“Tomorrow” (meaning today) might be too ambitious; I don’t expect him to be in the lineup for tonight’s game, despite his prediction he’d play. But the DL decision is the far more important matter, obviously.
Cox was non-commital, said they’d have to wait and see how Escobar feels today.
We’ll probably know a lot more soon after the clubhouse is opened this afternoon. Needless to say, the Braves can ill afford to lose Escobar for 15 or more days (although maybe I shouldn’t say that, since they’ve certainly managed to patch holes and dispel the notion that they couldn’t survive for significant stretches without John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan, among others).
Escobar is a dynamic talent who’s gone 7-for-12 in the last three games and hit .338 with a .381 OBP in his past 19 games. He’s given the Braves a spark since Cox moved him to the leadoff spot recently, and in the field he seems to produce a couple of highlight-reel plays every night, and a handful yesterday.
Take him out of the lineup and you’re scrambling to fill the leadoff role again, and either having to use utility man Omar Infante at shortstop (thus robbing the Braves of his defensive versatility) or calling up an inexperienced prospect (remember, Martin Prado is on the DL and still wearing a cast on his hand/wrist).
Impressive pitching: Ever since pitching coach Roger McDowell arrived in Atlanta, Bobby Cox has given him overwhelming positive reviews. Frankly, the time of some of his kudos for McDowell left us scratching our heads, seeing that Cox would often laud him when the pitchers were struggling and ranked in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories.
But talk to Braves pitchers and glance at the NL statistics this season, and you start to see what Cox has been talking about. The results are impossible to argue with this season, especially given the rash of injuries to key members of the pitching staff.
The Braves lead the NL with a 3.14 ERA in May (Houston’s 13-5 record is the only better league record this month). The relievers had a string of 20 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the second game last night.
For the season, Atlanta leads the league with an overall 3.47 ERA, ahead of a loaded Arizona staff that has Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Randy Johnson, Micah Owings, hotshot rookie Max Scherzer, et al.
Braves starters also lead the NL with a 3.53 ERA to Arizona’s 3.63. That’s hard to fathom, given that Atlanta has been without Smoltz for nearly a month, hasn’t gotten an inning out of Mike Hampton, and already had Tom Glavine do his first-ever stint on the DL and Chuck James not the same since his shoulder injury.
Jorge Campillo? Are you kidding me? Dude has a 0.99 ERA in 14 games including one start, a six-inning scoreless gem last night. This is a guy who signed as a minor-league free agent on Dec. 26, a guy that any team could have had for a song. Talk about your reclamation projects….
Even Braves relievers, despite being without Soriano and Moylan most of the season, rank third in the NL with a 3.35 ERA, behind only the Phillies and Dodgers. The Braves are doing this with a bullpen that has only one active pitcher making as much as $1 million (Will Ohman, $1.6 mill).
More disciplined hitting: The Braves are also winning without a lot of homers this month, though they got two big ones yesterday from Brian McCann and Mark Kotsay.
The Braves have only 12 homers this month — eight NL teams have 20 or more — but the Braves’ .290 average trails only Houston’s .293 this month, and the Braves lead the league with 40 doubles and a robust .370 OBP for the month.
They’ve increased their walks (75 this month, third in the NL) and reduced their strikeouts (101 this month, second-fewest in the league).
Now the Braves just have to figure out a way to do all this good stuff on the road, of course.
Because while they lead the NL by a wide margin in home ERA (2.73), the Braves are seventh in road ERA (4.30).
And while they lead the league with a .312 home batting average, the Braves are tied for eighth in road average (.251, same as those Astros).
OK, gotta get to the park. First, a tune. You know how you sometimes buy a few CDs, or a bunch of CDs, and get busy and forget about this one or that one for a few months? (No, this doesn’t happen to you? Well, humor me.) So I’d not listened to the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club CD from last year, Baby 81, in a long time. What a great CD. Been playing it for the past two days solid, alternating between it and Dwight Yoakam’s terrific Dwight Sings Buck, which I never get tired of. Best country album of the past couple of years.
Here’s my favorite song from that Yoakam-covers-Buck Owens album.
”CLOSE UP THE HONKY TONKS” by Buck Owens
She’s in some honky tonk tonight, I know
She’s dancing where the music’s loud and lights are low
In a crowded bar she likes to hang around
And as long as there’s a honky tonk she’ll never settle down
So close up the honky tonks, lock all the doors
Don’t let the one I love go there anymore
Close up the honky tonks, throw away the key
And maybe the one I love will come back to me
If I had the power I’d turn back time
And live again the hours when she was all mine
It hurts to see her running with that crowd in town
But as long as there’s a honky tonk she’ll never settle down
So close up the honky tonks, lock all the doors
Don’t let the one I love go there anymore
Close up the honky tonks, throw away the key
And maybe the one I love will come back to me
Yeah, maybe the one I love will come back to me
Close up the honky tonks, lock all the doors
Don’t let the one I love go there anymore
Close up the honky tonks, throw away the key
And maybe the one I love will come back to me
Close up the honky tonks, lock all the doors
Don’t let the one I love go there anymore
Permalink | Comments (505) | Post your comment |
Braves-Mets: Long, long day at ballpark
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Getting ready for a 14-hour day (give or taken an hour) at the ballyard today, the dreaded split doubleheader. It’s the bane of a beat writer’s existence (or a broadcaster’s, if he’s doing both games), right up there with catching a 6 a.m. flight to make it to a day game in one city after a night game in another.
(But our team charter-flying friends in the booth wouldn’t know about that, now would they? Rock chalk, Skip and Joe.)
Anyway, the Bravos have two against the Mets today at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., a result of a rainout earlier this season. Instead of playing an old-school straight doubleheader, with the second game starting a half hour after the first, the Braves will get two separate paid crowds out of this day … er, I mean the Braves will be able to clean the stadium and make it nice for the nightcap.
(Oh, Skip’s a Mizzou graduate and Joe’s an OU man, for those who might not have known.)
Speaking of nice … are you as shocked as some of us at how well the Braves’ bullpen has held up in the absence of Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan?
I mean, seriously, if someone had told you in March that the Braves would get just 11 combined appearances from their best two relievers during the first 43 games of the season, where would you have expected that bullpen to be ranked in the National League?
How ‘bout third in ERA (3.37) and first - yes, first - in opponents’ batting average (.228)?
That, to me, is stunning. So is the 16-game scoreless streak by relievers in the past four games - four innings in every game in that stretch.
I mean, they’re doing it without a closer, and with the likes of Blaine Boyer, Manny Acosta, Jorge Campillo and Will Ohman serving major roles. Two largely untested (before this season) youngsters, a journeyman from the Mexican League, and a lefty who wore out his welcome at Wrigley Field.
All of them have done, more often than not, great work for the Braves this season. So has Royce Ring, who’s been used wisely (usually against just one good lefty batter) and stranded all 19 inherited runners, best in the NL.
Braves starters rank second in the NL with a 3.68 ERA, but their 235 innings is the second-lowest total in the lead. So a big workload has fallen on the patchwork bullpen. And those relievers have responsed impressively, without once complaining about the expectations and the demands placed upon them.
The Braves haven’t hit well in close-and-late situations, but they’ve pitched well in those situations, posting the fifth-lowest opponents’ average (.229) and third-lowest opponents’ on-base percentage (.312).
The bulk of that close-and-late pitching has been handled by the relievers.
How long can they maintain this pace without a breakdown or slump? Don’t know. The Braves hope they can keep it up until they get reinforcements in the form of Soriano’s return (could be by next week, though I’m sure you’re tired of hearing that) and lefty Mike Gonzalez (could be by early June) and, of course, John Smoltz (he’s hoping for late May, but has also said it could take longer).
In the meantime, the Braves are only two games behind division leader Florida (and one behind these Mets) with more than a quarter of the season completed.
Considering the array of injuries and a few slow starts from key players, suffice to say the performance of the bullpen has been essential to keeping the Braves’ heads above water in that first quarter.
Waiting for Tex: It’s not often that we cite in this space a comment from one of the denizens, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
Here was a post from last night, from a regular whose glass is, well, not exactly half-full on most occasions. It read, in part:
Tex is NOWHERE near the pace he was on in the 2 months he spent in a Braves uniform. Did I expect 175 RBI from him this year? No. But I didn’t/don’t think that 45 HR and 140 RBI were out of line….Not gonna happen now.
I’ll agree with you that 140 RBI is not going to happen (how many players do you think ever have 140 RBI? Teixeira’s done it once; Chipper Jones has never had 120, Andruw Jones has never had 130, and Gary Sheffield has never had 135).
But to those who keep insisting that Teixeira’s slow start has ruined his chances of putting up his typically robust numbers in a free-agent year … well, I’m going to just guess that you’re not aware of how slowly he comes out of the blocks. Not just this year, or last year, but every year.
In 2007: Teixeira had 5 home runs, 18 RBI and a .469 slugging percentage in 39 games through May 15.
He hit .317 with 25 homers, 87 RBI and a .602 slugging percentage in 93 games the rest of the season (with a DL stint for a quad injury).
In 2006: Teixeira had 4 homers, 22 RBI and a .424 slugging percentage in 46 games through May 24.
He hit .284 with 32 doubles, 29 homers, 88 RBI and a .552 slugging percentage in 116 games the rest of that season.
In 2005: Teixeira had 8 home runs, 24 RBI and a .469 slugging percentage in 42 games through May 20.
He hit .311 with 31 doubles, 35 homers, 120 RBI and a .614 slugging percentage in 120 games the rest of the season.
In 2004: Teixeira hit .220 with 5 homers, 14 RBI and a .432 slugging percentage in 33 games through June 1.
He hit .297 with 33 homers, 98 RBI and a .595 slugging percentage in 112 games the rest of the season.
In 2003: The rookie Teixeira hit .232 with 2 homers, 11 RBI and a .368 slugging percentage in 31 games through May 19.
He hit .264 with 24 homers, 73 RBIs and a .505 slugging percentage in 115 games the rest of the season.
This season: Teixeira has 5 homers, 21 RBIs and a .411 slugging percentage in 41 games.
If he starts a power surge in the next week or two, and finishes the season with his usual 30-40 homers and 120 or so RBI, are you really going to be so surprised? Really?
Winning without long ball: The Braves have won nine of their past 10 home games entering today’s doubleheader, despite hitting only six homers in that stretch including no homers in their past five games at Turner Field. They’ve hit .288 with just 22 runs in their past five home games, but have a 2.40 ERA and two one-run wins in that stretch.
Etc.: Left-handed batters are hitting .232 against the Braves, second-lowest in the NL and 30 points below the league average. Lefties are hitting .228 against Arizona pitching…. Mets closer Billy Wagner still hasn’t allowed an earned run this season, but at least he’s giving up a few hits lately. He’s allowed nine hits in eight innings over his last seven appearances, after giving up no hits (that’s right, zero) in his first nine appearances…. Mets starter John Maine brings a four-game winning streak (4-0, 2.13 ERA) into his start today, while Mets starter Mike Pelfrey takes a four-game skid (0-4, 4.88) into his start tomorrow night.
”16 Days” by Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown)
I got sixteen days
one for every time I’ve gone away
one for every time I should have stayed
you should have worn my wedding ring
I got sixteen days
fifteen of those are nights
can’t sleep when the bed sheet fights
its way back to your side
the ghost has got me running
the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away from you.
the ghost has got me running
the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away from you.
I got sixteen days
got a Bible and a rosary
god, I wish that you were close to me
guess I owe you an apology
i got sixteen days
fifteen of those are nights
can’t sleep when the bed sheet fights
its way back to your side
The ghost has got me running
yeah, the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away from you.
The ghost has got me running
yeah, the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away…
Old tin cups, little paper dolls
all wrapped up, in ribbons, bowed with hearts
old tin cups, and little paper dolls
all wrapped up, in the ribbons of your heart
The ghost has got me running
yeah, the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away from you.
the ghost has got me running
yeah, the ghost has got me running
away from you, away from you, away from you.
Sixteen days
I got sixteen days
it’s like before I hang
Permalink | Comments (704) | Post your comment |
Three productive hitters isn’t enough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You want analysis (and an easy, simple Sunday blog lead), we’ll give you analysis. (Oh, and a recommendation to see Iron Man. I’m not a sci-fi or superhero/summer blockbuster movie guy, but I really enjoyed this one. Robert Downey Jr. reinforces his standing as one of the generation’s great actors).
OK, now for the analysis, which probably is pretty obvious to most of you:
If the Bravos are going to stay in this NL East race through the summer and into the fall, they’re obviously going to have to start getting a lot more production from hitters other than Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Mark Kotsa (and Kelly Johnson, who’s been productive more often than not when he’s in the lineup).
Never mind all the pitching injuries. Well, OK, not never mind them. But let’s stop acting as though the pitching injuries are the main reason the Braves are in fourth place in the division, or that trading for a starting pitcher is the answer to their problems.
No. The biggest problem right now is an underperforming lineup, including the likes of Mark Teixeira, Jeff Francoeur and Matt Diaz. The Braves need more from all of them, or there’s no way they’ll overcome the aforementioned injuries and get to the postseason.
“There’s no doubt that Chipper and Kotsay and Mac are three of the hottest hitters in the National League,” Diaz told me this morning. “If the rest of us start hitting, this lineup can be scary.”
To his credit, Diaz quickly added, “But it’s not early now. It’s getting to the point where we need to pick pick up the slack. We need to take some of the load off Chipper, because his back’s got to be sore from carrying us.”
Diaz went on to say they have to remember that Kotsay missed most of last season for back issues after surgery, and that other Braves need to do more so that Kotsay can get some rest and be comfortable being out of the lineup from time to time.
“Any day Tex is going to get hot, you can see it,” said Diaz, who mentioned a couple of hard-hit balls that Teixeira has hit right at people, etc.
I know, you’re all sick of hearing about hard-hit balls that were hit right at people, about how the Braves haven’t had luck on their side and haven’t gotten any breaks. All that stuff. Can’t say I blame you for being tired of it, either.
Anyway, here’s some numbers to consider, entering this Sunday afternoon series-ending tilt with the A’s:
The Braves, after leading the NL in hitting for much of the early season, still are tied for second at .279 before today’s games. But really, that’s not of overriding importance.
Not when you consider that eight teams have hit more homers than the Braves, eight teams have hit more doubles, and 11 teams have stolen more bases. In May, the Braves have hit 10 homers, surpassing only two NL teams.
Then there’s the fact that Atlanta ranks 10th in the league this season in hitting with runners in scoring position (.254).
On the road, the Braves’ .251 average ranks eighth in the league, and only three teams have scored fewer runs, and 10th in average in close-and-late situations (.245).
And despite having the most at-bats against lefties (559), only three teams have fewer homers against lefties than the Braves (9).
Keep in mind, all this while have the major league batting leader, Chipper Jones, who’s hitting .412 with 11 homers and 32 RBI.
Let’s point fingers at individuals, shall we? Near as I can tell, the Braves have three hot hitters right now, and a bunch who are either muddling along or flat-out stuggling.
McCann is hitting .400 (20-for-50) with 11 extra-base hits and 13 RBI in 13 May games before today (Sunday).
Chipper has hit .427 (47-for-110) with 18 extra-base hits (including 10 home runs) and 23 RBI in his past 29 games.
Kotsay has hit .348 (32-for-92) with nine extra-base hits and 16 RBI in his past 25 games.
And that’s about it for the hot bats.
The rest of the rundown ain’t too pretty.
Teixeira is hitting .162 (6-for-37) with two extra-base hits and three RBI in his past 11 games. The cleanup hitting is not cleaning up, to put it mildly.
Yunel Escobar has hit a respectable .279 (19-for-68) in his past 17 games, but with only three extra-base hits (one homer) and six RBI in that period, which began after he returned from a two-start absence caused by his finger injury at New York.
Before the injury, Escobar hit .310 with seven extra-base hits (three homers), 11 RBI and a .400 OBP and .471 slugging percentage in his first 22 games.
I asked Yunel about the finger this morning, whether it was still hurting, and he said it’s good. Twice he said it. I gotta say, it wasn’t very convincing either time.
Francoeur has hit .229 (16-for-70) with three doubles, seven RBI, four walks and 15 strikeouts in his past 17 games, a .289 OBP and .271 slugging percentage in that span. He went 5-for-10 in the May 12 doublheader at Pittsburg; he’s 11-for-58 (.190) with 14 strikeouts in his other 15 games in that period.
Diaz is 6-for-34 (.176) with no extra-basee hits and two RBI in his past 14 games, part of a left-field platoon that’s not getting it done from either side lately.
Gregor Blanco, the other half of that platoon, is 10-for-49 (.204) with three doubles and five RBI in his past 15 games, though he does have 10 walks in that span.
Among NL teams, only the Nationals have a lower OPS from their left fielders than the Braves (.620).
OK, moving to some other topics…
Vulture has landed … with a thud: Have you guys noticed what former Braves reliever Oscar Villarreal is doing in Houston? Getting torched, is what. He’s allowed 10 homers in his past 16 appearances (18-1/3 innings). No that’s not a typo.
For the season, his 10 homers allowed are topped only by four major league pitchers, all starters: Brett Myers (15), Roy Oswalt (14), Johnny Cuet0 (12) and Johan Santana (11).
By the way, Jair Jurrjens has allowed one homer in 54-1/3 innings for a league-leading average of 0.17 per nine innings pitched.
Speaking of Santana…. Not going to say I told you so, because when the Mets got Johan Santana I, too, said they got a great pitcher. But some of you here (and around baseball, actually) wanted to just start engraving the Cy Young Award for him, and the NL championship trophy for the Mets.
And I frankly didn’t understand why so many were convinced he’d be the best pitcher in the league, when his performance last year wasn’t all that. Or why so many seemed to believe he’d be enough to compensate for the Mets’ other flaws.
Santana has now allowed 44 homers in 279 innings since the beginning of the 2007 season, and he’s 20-15 with a 3.32 ERA in 42 starts over that span. Very solid numbers, but not nearly what a couple of young NL aces have done in that span.
Brandon Webb is 27-10 with a 2.91 ERA (and 14 homers allowed, by the way) in 43 starts since the beginning of the 2007 season.
Jake Peavy is 23-9 with a 2.62 ERA (and 19 homers allowed) in 43 starts since the beginning of the 2007 season.
Even a couple of Braves have put up comparable stats to Santana in that period.
John Smoltz is 17-10 with a 2.98 ERA (and 20 homers allowed) in 37 starts since the beginning of the 2007 season. Unfortunately for the Braves, there probably won’t be any more starts from Smoltz, not this season.
Tim Hudson is 22-13 with a 3.27 ERA (and 13 homers allowed) in 44 starts since the beginning of the 2007 season.
This season, Santana is 4-1 with a 3.72 ERA in his past seven starts, and the Mets have provided him with some of the best run support among NL starters at more than 6.6 runs per nine innings pitched in that stretch.
OK, game has started. Gotta start scoring it. Here’s a tune from Mr. Zimmerman.
“A HARD RAIN’S A-GONNA FALL” by Bob Dylan
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways,
I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin’,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’,
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’,
Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’,
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin’,
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one?
I’m a-goin’ back out ‘fore the rain starts a-fallin’,
I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’,
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’,
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Permalink | Comments (561) | Post your comment |
Coming home at the perfect time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So, where is the longest home stand of the season when you need one? Ah, right here. Eleven games at Turner Field, including one extra with the doubleheader Tuesday vs. the Mets. Haven from the 2-5 road trip, the 6-16 road record and whatever plane food, hotel beds and uncomfortable suits seems to be doing to the Braves.
They get to come home to the best winning percentage at home in the majors 14-4 (.778), where they have won their last seven in a row, including a perfect 6-0 homestand. But then again, this is not the Padres and Reds.
This is the Oakland A’s for three games, the Mets for four and the Diamondbacks for four, the team with the best record in baseball. Yes the A’s come in pretty cold, in the midst of a 1-5 road trip to Texas and Cleveland, losing three of those by shutout. But they also have the second-best overall ERA in the American League at 3.32.
And a random perusal of the stats page tells me Braves pitchers should watch out for Emil Brown. He is hitting .468 with runners in scoring position, which leads the American League and came in with 33 RBIs, third in the American League.
INTERLEAGUE PLAY: Today starts the first wave of interleague play, and it feels like it kind of sneaked up on us, doesn’t it? You remember last year? When Chipper Jones got a little up-in-arms about the unfairness of the interleague schedule?
The Braves probably had the toughest interleague schedule last year with six games against eventual World Series champion Boston, and three-game series against Detroit, Minnesota and Cleveland, another playoff team. Only Minnesota was sub-.500 at the time. The Braves went 4-11. Yowza.
Chipper should be a little happier with things this year, with the Braves and the rest of the NL East playing mostly AL West opponents, with some natural rivalries mixed in. Only the Braves have no Boston this year, however natural or unnatural that rivalry was.
For only the second time in 12 years of interleague play, the Braves won’t face the Red Sox. Bummer for Boston fans in the area, but something tells me the Braves won’t miss it.
The Braves have three games each vs. Oakland, the Angels (Los Angeles of Anaheim, yeah, yeah), Texas, Seattle and Toronto. That’s one first-place team (right now the Angels). Toronto is fourth in the AL East (Tampa is first now? Yankees last? Work that one through. I’m still trying.)
Let’s have a look around the rest of the NL East, shall we?
Mets go Yankees for six games, Texas, Angels, Seattle.
Phillies go Toronto, Boston, Angels, Oakland, Texas.
Marlins go six games with Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Seattle, Oakland.
Nats are the team that’s got 18 games this year. They go six with Baltimore, Minnesota, Seattle, Texas, Angels.
So I gotta go advantage Braves here, especially if this Tampa pitching staff is for real. That used to be a big advantage for Florida to play the (not-Devil) Rays. We’ll see how it plays out.
Not sure how many purists we have out there, but I don’t mind interleague play so much. Gives us cool things to write about from time-to-time like Huddy facing his former team tomorrow night. But by all means, stir it up, if you need to vent on the subject for a few.
WHEN IN ROME: And lastly, from the farm. I went up to Rome on Wednesday to take in the young Jason Heyward for a story I’m doing for Sunday. And wouldn’t you know a 13-inning game broke out? Good thing it started at 10:30 a.m. Yes, 10:30 a.m.
It was some a school-kids special, and they brought them by the bus load. It all worked well and good, with a crowd screaming like it was the Jonas Brothers (Isn’t that right? Hey, I’d never heard of them until the NHL All-Star game stuff here.) Right up until they had to leave before the game ended, presumably because they had to get back to school and be picked up by their parents. So then it went to dead quiet. Weird. But a very nice ballpark.
Ashamed to say it’s taken me so long to get up there, and good to see some ol’ pals from the Macon Braves.
Oh and a shout-out to the PA guy Eddie Brock, who told me he was a blog reader. We get around, don’t we, denizens?
But the whole point was to tell you a little about what I learned about Heyward. At least the stuff I didn’t put in my story for Sunday (see more teasing).
Heading into the weekend, he was leading the Rome Braves with .365 average, had four home runs, 19 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
The batting average is exactly what the Braves want to see, and for all the talk about the Henry County kid’s raw power, they don’t mind seeing no more than four home runs yet.
“His power is going to come,” said Frank Wren, who was up there watching the Rome Braves a good bit this week. “I don’t see him as a power hitter today. That’s not to say he doesn’t have power. I think he’s a good balanced hitter, and hopefully he’ll continue to have that approach. I think too many times kids want to be a power hitter. If he keeps a good solid approach, he’s strong enough that his home runs are going to come when he makes good contact, not when he tries to hit home runs.”
What’s impressive is what Jason had to say on the subject. Listen in:
“That’s never been me, all power,” he said. “I’ve always put average first and everything else comes with it. If it goes out, it goes out. I always try to do what the situation calls for.”
As for any impending plans to move him to first base, they’re not in the works. He’s playing right field every day in Rome, though he actually played center the day I was there because C.J. Lee has a broken orbital bone.
“I think he’s too good of an athlete and does too many things well out there to take him away from that,” Wren said. “Being a big strong power corner outfielder that can run and throw like he does, that’s tough to find as well. You can find first basemen. You can’t find athletes that can do all the things he does.”
Jason, being the young man he is, wouldn’t buck a move. I gather he played a little first base as a kid, a little in high school and some in East Cobb.
“If they call me up tomorrow - I’m saying for example, in general - and they tell me to play first base or left field, I’m going to go to either one,” Heyward said. “Me being left-handed, those are the only positions I can play- three outfield positions and first base. Wherever they need me I’m going.”
The Rome Braves lost 8-7 that day - they seem to have caught a little of their parent club’s one-run bugaboo - and Jason was 1-for-6 at the plate with an RBI. Hit a couple balls hard, but didn’t have the best day to show for it. And he was surely tired after the game. But he was a good sport to sit down and chat for a while. Sure you’ll be hearing more from him as we go.
Other tidbits, I don’t believe 17-year-old Colombian sensation Julio Teheran, a RHP, is there yet. Not that I saw or was told or now see on the roster. I asked Jose Martinez (assistant director of international scouting) about him and he said he was doing well in extended spring.
Former first-round pick Cody Johnson is back to having some strikeout issues. Through Thursday he had 65 strikeouts in 139 at-bats. He was also leading the team with five home runs.
In rookie ball in 2006 in the Gulf Coast League, Johnson had 49 strikeouts in 114 at-bats, while hitting .184. He rebounded to have a great year last year in Danville, hitting .305 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs in 63 games, while holding the strikeouts to 72 in 243 at-bats.
Meantime, back to the big league boys in a couple of hours. I would expect Chipper Jones back in the lineup. Will keep you posted on that and more.
Permalink | Comments (481) | Post your comment |
Can Chuck keep it in the park tonight?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Philadelphia _ A few words while attempt to digest this Tony DiNic’s Italian-style pulled-pork sandwich before heading to the ballpark for the rubber game in this first Braves-Phillies series of the season, which has been typical of the never-boring matchups between these teams in recent years.
By the way, when in Philly I’d highly recommend the DiNic’s sandwich counter in the Reading Terminal. Just wish we were here another day so I could get the roast pork. The Salumeria deli about 30 feet away from DiNic’s is equally terrific, with gut-busting hoagies piled high with fresh everything.
Anyway … Chuck James at Citizens Bank Park. Strap yourselves in, folks, we could be in for a bumpy ride.
Hopefully Chuck can remember to keep the ball down tonight against Utley, Howard, Burrell and the boys at the banking bandbox, where the balls were carrying like crazy last night. (Of course, Brett Myers’ pitches didn’t hurt the Braves’ long-ball cause, either. That dude really started opening day? Yikes.)
Chuck’s been solid this season … in Triple-A, that is.
If he’s going to help the Braves this season, now would be an awful good time to step up and get ‘er done (why I just slipped into Larry the Cable Guy mode, I have no earthly idea. Maybe because I was talking about Chuck? That or the fact I just ran into Bowman on the sidewalk as I was walking back from Reading Terminal).
Anyway, here are the concerns about Chuck and tonight’s start: He’s allowed 10 hits, nine runs and nine walks in 11 innings over his past two starts. He’s 0-2 with an 11.00 ERA in two road starts this season, and 0-3 with a 7.81 ERA and eight homers allowed in six road starts (27-2/3 innings) since July 25.
He is unbeaten (2-0) with a 4.08 ERA in seven career games against the Phillies, including 1-0 in three starts at this park. But he has a 5.52 ERA in those three games, with four homers allowed in 14-2/3 innings. Jimmy Rollins is 9-for-18 with a home run against him, Burrell is 6-for-16 with two homers, and Ryan Howard is 2-for-16 with two homers.
Please stow your tray tables and fasten your seatbelts….
By the way, Chuck has a 6.50 ERA in 13 starts since July 31, with just two quality starts (six innings or more, three earned runs or fewer). It’s 19 homers he’s given up in 63-2/3 innings in that stretch. But he’s 6-5 in those games, thanks in large part to 6-1/2 support runs per nine innings pitched.
His counterpart tonight is Phillies ace-of-sorts Cole Hamels. Another lefty. A good one. But the Braves do have a way of surprising you, now don’t they? By that I mean, struggling against a pitcher they should destroy, and then knocking around a far better pitcher?
Hamels is 2-2 with a 4.98 in his past five starts, after posting an 0.82 ERA in his first three. But he’s 2-2 with a 2.80 ERA and .203 opponents’ average in five home starts this season, and 9-3 with a 2.87 ERA in his past 14 home starts since May 2007. The dude knows how to pitch at the banking center.
He’s 3-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six starts against the Braves. Hoss is 3-for-9 with two homers against him, Matt Diaz is 5-for-18 with a homer, and Brian McCann is 4-for-9.
So there’s your preview.
Now, back to Myers a moment. Braves fans don’t have a corner on the frustration market this early season. Myers was booed (again) lustily last night when he served up three homers in the first two innings and was slapped around for nine hits, eight runs (six earned) in 4-1/3 innings, is ERA climbing to 5.91.
Here’s what the Inquirer’s Todd Zolecki wrote about him today: “Myers pitched horribly in an 8-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves, and his latest performance was cause for legitimate concern. The Phillies have entered the second quarter of their season with three starting pitchers carrying ERAs of 5.02 or higher, and one of those pitchers was their opening-day starter.”
The new-look lineup: The Braves have 21 hits and 12 runs in two games since Yunel Escobar was moved to the leadoff spot and Mark Kotsay was moved from the bottom third of the order into the No. 2 spot in place of Kelly Johnson.
They did that despite cleanup hitter Mark Teixeira missing Tuesday’s game with back spasms and going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Wednesday.
Johnson has produced back-to-back two-hit games since the change and had a home run Wednesday Escobar led off Tuesday’s game with a hit and scored in the inning, and then homered to start Wednesday’s game.
Kotsay had two hits and two runs last night and has hit .357 (30-for-84) with five doubles, two homers, 15 RBI and a .919 OPS (.407 OBP) in his past 22 games.
“This little lineup adjustment, I think it’s going to help us,” said Chipper Jones, who has been a house afire regardless of ballpark, pitcher or what those around him are doing.
But he’s said since the Braves traded for Kotsay that he thought he’d be a good fit in the 2-hole. Now he’s there.
“Hopefully this sparks us a little,” Chipper said of the lineup changes, after last night’s game. “We’re swinging the bats well the last couple of games.”
All Chipper has done is hit .437 in his past 27 games with eight doubles, 10 homers, 23 RBI, 22 runs, 17 walks and a .512 OBP and .806 slugging percentage (1.318 OPS).
The Braves will start an 11-game homestand Friday, and it’ll be interesting to see if Chipper can sustain this absurdly hot streak for the next week and a half. He’s hit .451 with a 1.224 OPS at Turner Field this season, including .519 (14-for-27) with three homers and nine RBI in his past seven games.
Keep it civil: A couple of our regulars can’t seem to avoid resorting to the late-night mudslinging and junior-high namecalling. Fellas, I ask nicely: Can you two (and others, occasionally) avoid letting it degenerate to levels we’ve fortunately been able to avoid for many months now?
Or, in the immortal words of Walter Sobchak: “Smokey, this is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.”
And here’s a tune: This won Bobby Bare a Grammy for Song of the Year in 1963, the year I was born. It was also covered masterfully by George Jones on the Possum’s 2005 album, “Hits I Missed … and One I Didn’t.” Both versions are terrific.
”DETROIT CITY” by Mel Tillis
I want to go home, I want to go home.
Oh Lord, I want to go home.
Last night I went to sleep in Detroit city.
And I dreamed about those cotton fields and home.
I dreamed about my mother,
dear old papa, sister and brother.
And I dreamed about that girl,
whose been waitin’ for so long.
I want to go home, I want to go home.
Oh Lord, I want to go home.
Home folks think I’m big in Detroit city.
From the letters that I write they think I’m fine.
But by day I make the cars,
by night I make the bars,
If only they could read between the lines.
I want to go home, I want to go home.
Oh Lord, I want to go home,
I rode a freight train north to Detroit city.
After all these years I’ve been wasting my time,
I’ll take my foolish pride,
on a southbound freight and ride.
Go on back to the ones,
I’ve left waitin’ so far behind.
I want to go home, I want to go home.
Oh Lord, I want to go home.
Permalink | Comments (524) | Post your comment |
Late innings have been woeful
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Philadelphia _ Blowing a three-run first-inning lead last night in the City of Brotherly Love was not exactly what the Braves were looking for to shake their road doldrums and/or their one-run game affliction.
But it’s what they got. So you deal with it and move on.
No, wait. First, let’s ruminate on it a bit. Because I got to thinking in that ninth inning about how it seemed I’d witnessed a lot of similar down-to-the-wire heartbreak for the Bravos here in Philly in the past couple of years.
So I looked it up. And it wasn’t quite as many times as I seemed to remember, but it was still a lot. Enough that I wasn’t going to waste the research or the easy intro to this blog, especially since I’m running late (again) and have to get to the ballpark.
Anyway, five times. Last night was the fifth time since the beginning of the 2006 season that the Braves have lost at Philadelphia by one run. Five times in 19 games, or half of their 10 losses at Big Faceless Commercial Bank Park.
(The park itself is actually nice; it’s the bank that’s big and faceless).
So anyway, the Braves were losing a lot here in Philly by one run before they started losing everywhere else by one run. Last night’s 5-4 loss was their 16th consecutive loss in one-run road games dating to last season.
Sixteen straight. That’s remarkable.
And it was their 11th loss in 12 one-run games this season, home or road. Again, staggering.
Do I think it’s flukey or the sign of a real, fundamental flaw in this team?
Glad you asked.
We’re in mid-May now, and the Braves have won one game decided by a run. One.
That’s terrible, obviously. And I do think they’re to the point now where they’ve been asked about it so much, and talked about it so much, that it’s in the back (or perhaps front) of their minds, at least with some Braves, when they enter the late innings of a very close game.
By that I mean, some of them are perhaps expecting something bad to happen, rather than playing smart, aggressive baseball and making sure something bad doesn’t happen.
That’s easy for me to say, I know. And probably overly simplistic. And yes, I do think the Braves will eventually go on a run of four or five consecutive wins in one-run games to make the record a little less glaring.
But to be 1-11 in one-run games, and to have lost 16 consecutive one-run road losses _ that’s just tough to fathom.
There’s a reason the Braves never had runs of such ineptitude in close games during their division-title streak. You know, back when they had a high payroll and a roster filled with proven veterans and a perhaps a few kids sprinkled in.
Proven veterans have a tendency to come through in tight situations. And in the glory years of the Braves pitching staff, they had the kind of starting rotations that only needed 3-4 support runs to assure wins most nights.
And they usually got more runs than that.
After the pitching staff began to decline slightly, to levels of simply solid major league staff instead of utterly dominant staffs, then the Braves had a few years when they had a lineup filled with hitters capable of hitting a ball out of the park.
That’ll also help you win a lot of one-run games, as you can imagine.
The Braves have 37 homers, which ranks eighth in the 16-team NL. And when you consider that 17 of those homers have been hit by two players, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann … well, this isn’t a power-laden lineup. At least not right now.
Not until Mark Teixeira starts hitting the way he’s capable of hitting, and unless and until Jeff Francoeur returns to the power-hitting mode he was in a couple years ago.
Just a few years back, in 2005 (their last division title), the Braves finished fourth in the NL in homers. In 2003 they had a whopping 235 homers when no other NL team had 200.
That 2003 team had six players with more than 20 homers apiece, led by Javy Lopez (43), Gary Sheffield (39), Andruw Jones (36), Chipper Jones (27), Vinny Castilla (22) and Marcus Giles (21).
Not to mention leadoff man Rafael Furcal’s 60 extra-base hits (15 homers) and 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
Those were the days, weren’t they?
Well, they’re not coming back anytime soon. Not in that form. Not a power-laden lineup like that (even Robert Fick had 11 homers and 80 RBI on that team).
But the Braves do have a good rotation (despite all the injuries), a solid bullpen (despite all the injuries) and a lineup that hits and scores enough, if they play smart baseball (can’t get picked off second base in crucial situations, for example), and if they start getting hits when it counts.
Yes, the Braves currently lead the NL in batting average (.283). But tell me that doesn’t seem like a mighty hollow distinction?
That’s because while they lead the league by a significant margin in average from the first through sixth innings (.294), the Braves are seventh in average after the sixth inning (.258), and have only nine homers in those late innings.
They’re slugging .390 after the sixth inning, .452 in the first through sixth.
And not to harp on the close-and-late thing, but it’s important: In the late innings of close games (basically, after the sixth inning in tied or one-run games), the Braves are tied for 11th in the NL with a .240 average and have only two homers and a .330 slugging percentage.
By comparison, the Phillies have 12 homers, 23 RBI and a .423 slugging percentage in the late innings.
The Cubs are hitting .264 with eight homers, 42 RBI and a .386 slugging percentage in the late innings.
The Astros have 42 RBI and a .451 slugging percentage in the late innings.
The Marlins have nine homers in the late innings.
On and on.
The Braves have got to start producing in the late innings, because they don’t have the lineup that’s proven it can build big leads on a consistent basis and coast through the late innings.
It didn’t help that in their ninth-inning rally last night, they were without Teixeira, who missed his second game with back spasms. I’m expecting him to be back in there tonight, but won’t know till we get down to clubhouse.
Teixeira is tied for the major league lead with a .500 average (10-for-20). Throw that out and the rest of the Braves’ lineup … well, the close-and-late thing ain’t pretty.
And what’s a shame is that the pitching staff ranks among the league’s best in the late innings, especially in close games.
Chipper in SI: Michael Bamberger of Sports Illustrated is in Philly to write a story on Chipper Jones. I talked to Michael for a while last night. He had some good questions about Hoss, wants to really write about what’s made him so good in his mid-30s.
By the way, here’s the latest on Chipper’s recent and extended surges: He’s hit .434 (43-for-99) with nine homers, 22 RBIs and a .509 OBP and 1.287 OPS in his past 26 games.
He’s hit .371 (156-for-421) with 34 doubles, 26 homers, 94 RBIs and a .450 OBP and .646 slugging percentage in 109 games since July 5.
And in 221 games since June 24, 2006, Chipper has hit .361 (305-for-844) with 66 doubles, six triples, 58 homers, 184 RBI and a .441 OBP and .660 slugging percentage (1.101 OPS).
Oh, and on the road in that last stretch he’s hit .371 with 37 doubles, 30 homers and 89 RBI in 110 games.
So much for that idea: I think I’ll just shut up about Francoeur taking a day off, for now. He’s 7-for-15 with two RBI in his three games during the past two days, after going 6-for-38 (.158) with three RBI in his previous 10 games.
Road-woeful Braves: Since April 24, the Brave are 7-0 with a .331 batting average, 2.86 ERA, 47 runs and six homers in seven home games. And in that same period, they are 1-8 with a .241 average, 4.34 ERA, 27 runs and three homers in eight road games.
OK, tunes. Just stopped at a Philly record store and got the great new CD by British songstress Duffy, a blonde who’s better looking and, believe it or not, more talented and soulful than Amy Winehouse. Also got the just-released one by Philly’s own The Roots, a remastered edition of Roberta Flack’s “First Take,” and a My Morning Jacket early CD, The Tennessee Fire, which I’d only owned on a burned copy. Had to have the real thing.
Today’s tune — this seemed appropriate.
”CAN’T WIN” by Richard Thompson
I started to cry, they put gin in my cup
I started to crawl, and they swaddled me up
I got up and run, they said “Easy, son,
Play up, play the game”
They told me to think and forget what I’d heard
They told me to lie and they questioned my word
They told me to fail, better sink than sail,
Just play the game
Oh, towers will tumble and locusts will visit the land
Oh, a curse on your house and your children and the fruit of your hand
They said “You can’t win. You can’t win.
You sweat blood. You give in.
You can’t win. You can’t win.
Turn the cheek. Take it on the chin.
Don’t you dare do this. Don’t you dare do that.”
We shoot down dreams, we stiletto in the back
Oh the nerve of some people, the nerve of some people,
The nerve of some people
I don’t know who you think you are, who you think you are
Oh what kind of mother would hamstring her sons?
Throw sand in their eyes and put ice on their tongues
Ah better to leave than stay here and grieve
And play the game
Don’t waken the dead as you sleepwalk around
If you have a dream, brother, hush, not a sound
Just stand there and rust, die if you must
But play the game
Oh, if we can’t have it, why should a wretch like you?
Oh, it was drilled in our heads, now we drill it into your head too.
They said “You can’t win. You can’t win.
You sweat blood. You give in.
You can’t win. You can’t win.
Turn the cheek. Take it on the chin.
Don’t you dare do this. Don’t you dare do that.”
We shoot down dreams, we stiletto in the back
Oh, the nerve of some people, the nerve of some people,
The nerve of some people
I don’t know who you think you are
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people….
Permalink | Comments (436) | Post your comment |
Braves-Phillies: Should be interesting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Philadelphia _ Yes, the sun does still shine occasionally in Pennsylvania. I can assure you of that, as we sit typing with the bright sun coming through the windows of my downtown Philly hotel room.
Don’t have much time because I’ve got to get to the ballpark and find out about Teixeira’s back, Soriano’s shoulder, Friday’s starter, etc. Oh, and to cover the opening game of this three-game Braves-Phils series.
Noticed a lot of continued chatter on the previous blog about the ongoing struggles of Andruw Jones and how he’s been treated by a certain member of the Los Angeles media.
Well, if I can get your attention a moment, I’d like to provide the statistics produced by another center fielder in his past 20 games. Mark Kotsay, who replaced Andruw in center for the Braves.
In his past 20 games, Kotsay has hit .368 (28-for-76) with five doubles, a triple, two homers and 15 RBI. He has five walks, six strikeouts and a .407 OBP and .539 slugging percentage in that period since April 17.
So far, his surgically repaired back has been fine (while several other Braves’ backs have not been). I’m not saying Kotsay is going to remain healthy and play 150 or more games this season, just saying that so far, he’s been very solid.
And the strong throws that don’t hit the pitcher’s mound … that’s been refreshing.
By the way, I do believe Andruw will start hitting, at least better than he is now. But so far, wow, it really is shocking how bad he’s been.
He’s hit .170 with one homer and five RBI. No, not in the past two weeks. Those are his SEASON totals. He’s 19-for-112 with one homer, 17 walks, 38 strikeouts and a .543 OPS.
In his past 19 games, he’s 9-for-57 (.158) with no homers, two RBI, 20 strikeouts and a .248 OBP.
For the season, he’s 1-for-27 with runners in scoring position, with 15 strikeouts.
And going back to Aug. 12, 2006, when he really started to struggle and the power started to slip, Andruw has hit .217 in his past 237 games, with 39 homers, 129 RBI, 118 walks, 207 strikeouts in 835 at-bats.
He has a .321 OBP and .423 slugging percentage (.754 OPS) in that 235-game stretch.
Emulating the big club: The Braves snapped their seven-game road losing skid with a win in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader at Pittsburgh, leaving them with a 5-14 road record that’s the worst in the majors.
Meanwhile, their Class A Rome club has a 5.15 road record, worst in the South Atlantic League. And get this: The Rome team is 2-11 in one run games (the big Braves are 1-10 in one-run games).
Speaking of yesterday’s win against the Pirates and woeful right-hander John Van Benschoten, the dude with the long last name and the 1-12 career record and 8.84 ERA was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis immediately after losing to the Braves.
Hoss vs. Howard: Chipper Jones has a .308 average and seven homers in his past 18 games against the Phillies.
Philly’s Ryan Howard had seven homers and 21 RBI in 18 games against the Braves in 2007, and has a .337 average with 17 homers and 47 RBIs in 48 games against the Braves throughout his career.
But one of them comes into this series struggling mightily. It’s not Chipper.
Howard is hitting .171 with seven homers, 19 RBI and a jaw-dropping 54 strikeouts in 140 at-bats, including, .148 with two walks and 29 strikeouts in 69 at-bats against lefties.
But be warned: Howard struggled like this at the start of last season, too. Not quite as long or deeply, but pretty close.
The big man hit .198 with four homers and 17 RBI his first 26 games last season through May 5.
But then he went on a tear, batting .300 with 14 homers and 39 RBI in 33 games from May 6 to June 27, with a DL stint in that span unable to slow him down.
The Braves just have to hope he waits a few more days, at least, before beginning a similar tear. Because you can count on it happening at some point, and soon.
Meanwhile, the Braves are lucky enough to be facing the Phils a week or so since Pat Burrell and Chase Utley came back from the hitting stratosphere they inhabited for the first five weeks of the season.
Burrell is 4-for-24 with no homers and 11 strikeouts in his past eight games, after hitting .330 with nine homers and 21 strikeouts in his first 30 games.
And Utley is 4-for-28 with no homers and two RBIs in his past eight games, after hitting .369 with 13 homers and 26 RBIs in his first 31 games.
Leading the league: I had to laugh when I ready someone on the previous blog saying the Braves’ problem is their pitching. I mean, how do you figure? Other than not getting enough innings out of a few starters, there hasn’t been much to complain about with the injury-riddled pitching staff.
The Braves have a league-low 3.49 ERA (Arizona’s 3.69 is next), and Braves starters have a 3.31 ERA that leads the league by nearly a half-run over St. Louis starters (3.80).
Braves pitchers (starters and relievers) have allowed a league-low .230 opponents’ average.
The relievers, despite going without Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan most of the season, rank seventh in the league with a 3.78 ERA, one spot behind the Mets.
If you want to look for the biggest culprit in the one-run record and the overall record, look to the lineup. The Braves lead the NL with a .284 overall batting average, but rank 11th in the NL with a .239 average in the late innings of close games, as defined by Stats Inc.
(Braves pitchers have limited opponents to a .224 average in close-and-late situations, tied for fourth-best among NL staffs.)
Atlanta hitters’ .249 average with runners in scoring position is better than only four NL teams, and their .208 average with RISP and two outs ranks 13th in the 16-team league.
Meanwhile, the Braves lead the league with a .293 average with no runners on base.
OK, gotta get to the ballpark. First, I’d like to reiterate that Ipod shuffle is the coolest invention of my lifetime. It can’t stop global climate change, but it’s otherwise perfect. I was reminded of this when this lineup of songs played in succession while I was in the hotel gym this morning: “Just Like Honey” by The Jesus & Mary Chain, “If That Ain’t Country” by David Allan Coe, “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, “Wang Dang Sweet (you know the rest)” by Ted Nugent, “Bring Da Ruckus” by Wu-Tang Clan, “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly & The Family Stone, and “Decoration Day” by Drive-By Truckers.
”JESUS ON THE RADIO (DADDY ON THE PHONE)” by Tom T. Hall
Mama likes to listen to the grand old gospel time
Daddy is a cowboy drinkin’ beer and wine
Mama’s in the kitchen standin’ there all alone
She got Jesus on the radio and daddy on the phone
Daddy says come on down to Tootsie’s and have yourself a beer
Mama’s in the kitchen standin’ there in tears
My mama love my daddy but it’s breaking up our home
She got Jesus on the radio and daddy on the phone
Mama don’t like drinkin’ and she don’t understand
Daddy’s had a hard life, a deeply troubled man
It’s honky tonk and gospel that’s breaking up our home
She got Jesus on the radio and daddy on the phone
Daddy says come on down to Tootsie’s and have yourself a beer
Mama’s in the kitchen standin’ there in tears
My mama love my daddy but it’s breaking up our home
She got Jesus on the radio and daddy on the phone
I came home one evening there was mama on her knees
Big old tears of gospel joy running down her cheeks
She says you don’t have to worry son we are not alone
I got Jesus on the radio and Jesus on the phone
Daddy says come on down to Tootsie’s….
Permalink | Comments (487) | Post your comment |
Braves: Two chances to win road game today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is everyone situated in their cubicles with the “boss button” ready to conceal what you’re really doing online? Good. Bosses, are you ready? Good. Folks at home, relaxing and drinking coffee (or having lunch), are you ready?
Then let’s play two, folks. Nothing like a doubleheader on getaway day, with the temperature in the upper 40s and a steel-gray sky over the Steel City skyline.
There’s a chance of showers most of the day, but probably not enough to stop play (he says, crossing fingers hopefully while glancing to make sure that, yes, that flight tonight is at 8:45 p.m. to Philly, and it’s the last one out. Yikes. And I’m already checked out of my hotel, my bags here with me in the pressbox.)
Just posted the lineup over at yesterday’s blog, but I’ll give it to you again here. For the 12:35 p.m. opener, 1. Infante (yes, at 2B instead of Kelly for the third straight time against a lefty); 2. Escobar; 3. Chipper; 4. Teixeira; 5. Francoeur; 6. Diaz; 7. Miller; 8. Blanco; 9. Jurrjens.
Asked Kelly about sharing duties lately with Infante, and he said, hey, he wants to play every, but that was all he was going to say. He’s not going to cause any problems or complain; not that kind of guy.
Bobby Cox is trying to get Infante playing time since he came off the DL last week. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts playing him some in center against lefties.
Kelly’s hit for a higher average against lefties (.286, 12-for-42) than against righties (.239, 17-for-71), but has nine of his 11 extra-base hits against righties, including all four of his homers.
Kotsay has hit .366 (26-for-71) with nine extra-base hits and a robust 1.022 OPS against righties, and .200 (10-for-50) with one extra-base hit and an .479 OPS against lefties.
Anyway, it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on.
Friday starter: We don’t know who the Braves will start Friday against Oakland, and they don’t decide until after they see how the pitching goes today.
I asked Bobby if he’d bring back one of today’s two starters, Jair Jurrjens or Tim Hudson, on short rest Friday and he said that was definitely a possibility. If Hudson comes out after, say, five or six efficient innings today, I think that’ll make him a likely candidate.
Jeff Bennett is the other obvious choice, provided Bobby doesn’t use him after today.
Last week a Braves official indicated to me that they want Charlie Morton to keep making strides at Class AAA Richmond before they considering bringing him up. If you look at his career, Charlie has really had less than a half-season of consistent success at any level in six-plus years in the minors (and that period of success is what he’s in now, which began last August).
He’s too valuable a kid to rush to the majors unless it’s an emergency. Of course, Friday could be an emergency, if the Braves have to use Bennett and everyone else this week, and if Hudson and Jurrjens throw a lot of pitches today.
When I asked Cox this morning about the possibility of Charlie pitching Friday, he said, “He’s thrown great. Not saying we would or wouldn’t, [just saying] he’s pitched good enough.”
Given that Jurrjens has never thrown 145 innings in any season, and had some shoulder problems late last season as his innings mounted, I’d guess Braves will be reluctant to bring him back on short rest. But that’s just a guess.
Coupon good for bullets: So I went to the Penguins-Flyers NHL playoff game last night, bought a $140 ticket from a scalper for $100 20 minutes before the puck dropped. And it was an awesome experience. Great atmosphere at the Igloo.
And I’m sitting next to the guy who’d sold the ticket I used to the scalper, after this guy’s buddy broke his leg and collarbone while riding ATVs with this dude the day before.
Anyway, this blue-collar Pittsburgh dude I’m sitting next to was a good guy, talked the entire game (when he wasn’t yelling “Philly you suck,” or “Hatcher you suck,” etc). Told me how he used to attend concerts at this old arena in the 1970s - Foghat, The Who, on and on. But his favorite moment was at Ted Nugent show, back when they’d still open the roof of the Igloo (now formally known as Mellon Arena) for some concerts.
“The Nuge was swinging on a vine, pointing at the roof as it opened,” this guy tells me, and he’s just smiling and laughing and reliving what clearly was a great night in his Glory Days (this guy’s Glory Days, and the Motor City Madman’s, too).
Anyway, all that was my setup to tell you what happened when the Penguins scored their third goal, which triggers the P.A. announcement of a promotion that gives ticket-holders a $10 discount on a $50 purchase at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“Good deal,” the guy tells me. “I can get some bullets. Bullets are gettin’ damn expensive these days.”
Yes, he was being entirely serious.
OK, let’s get going. First, a quick tune. One of my favorites, and heard it last night at the hockey game.
”ROCKIN’ IN THE FREE WORLD” by Neil Young
There’s colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin’ their feet
People sleepin’ in their shoes
But there’s a warnin’ sign on the road ahead
There’s a lot of people sayin’ we’d be better off dead
Don’t feel like Satan, but I am to them
So I try to forget it, any way I can.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away, and she’s gone to get a hit
She hates her life, and what she’s done to it
There’s one more kid that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Permalink | Comments (518) | Post your comment |
Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seems like plenty of activity on the ‘ol blog today (for a Saturday, that is), so your C.E. thought, why not crank out a new one for the denizens? Especially since we’ve got a day game tomorrow and it’ll be a pain getting one done before that first pitch.
So here goes, while I enjoy this pulled pork BBQ sandwich (with slaw and a slice of tomato; guess that’s how they do it here in the Steel City. Gotta say, it’s good).
Speaking of sandwiches, per our discussion this morning, I just found out there’s a Primanti Brothers right here in PNC Ballpark. Actually two of them, though the one on the rich folks’ level is supposedly much better because they make the sandwiches to order, just like in the outstanding restaurant itself.
That’ll be lunch tomorrow. But it will be difficult for it to unseat the all-time best ballpark sandwich though. Where’s that? Glad you asked. None other than Shea Stadium, where Mama’s of Corona has a stand. The best sandwich, bar none. Actually, the best concession food I eat at any ballpark.
But let’s get to the blog itself. The meat of the blog, rather than the sandwich.
Kelly Johnson … time to drop him in the order.
You all know I really like Kelly, think the world of his potential as a hitter, etc. Great guy. Fine interview. That said, this isn’t working, him at the leadoff spot.
Or I should say, when he’s in a groove, yes, it works. But he’s too streaky a hitter to hold down that spot atop the order, if you ask me (or even if you don’t ask, for that matter).
Folks, Kelly is 9-for-38 with five doubles in his past 10 games, and six of the hits and all the doubles came in those back-to-back games against Cincy May 3-4. In the other eight of his last 10 games, he’s 3-for-28 with no extra-base hits, one run, two RBI and eight strikeouts, including three strikeouts Friday.
Last season Bobby dropped him down in the order when Kelly was hitting far better in the leadoff spot than he is now. Time to do it again.
As I’ve said before, I think Escobar and Kotsay at the top of the order works best with this personnel. Or when Blanco is in the lineup, he could lead off.
Kelly’s not in the NL’s top 10 in leadoff on-base percentage at .325. Actually, he’s 25 points behind No. 10 Cristian Guzman (and 115 points behind Rafael Furcal, but that’s another story).
Last season Kelly had a .372 leadoff OBP, most of that foundation established in his strong first half.
He’s struggled more often than not since the end of August, with 4-5 game stretches of hot hitting mixed in. Since Aug. 28, Kelly has hit .231 (45-for-195) with nine doubles, five homers, 20 RBI, 23 walks, 43 strikeouts and a .311 OBP and .354 slugging percentage.
While we’re p’ing off people…. Remind me, why is Jeff Francoeur playing every single game, night after night after night. Why? Bobby Cox has always been exemplary at knowing when to rest guys, knowing how to give them a day off here, a day off before an off-day there (to give them two days off while missing only one game), that kind of thing.
And then there’s Francoeur, who plays every day and virtually every inning, regardless of whether he’s surging, skidding, aching or limping. Every day.
He has the longest active playing streak in the majors. So what? His streak is, what, one-eighth as long as Cal’s? He will almost certainly never play as many as one-fourth as many games as Ripken did, unless Francoeur avoids all serious injury and continues to play for Bobby for a long time.
He’s got a cannon arm and throws out guys and prevents others from running. But that’s not enough to counter that he looks sluggish at the plate and could simply use a day to refresh.
So why not just take the decision out of the kid’s hands now, take some pressure off him, and sit him a day? For the love of…. Anyway, why not just move Kotsay over to right field for a day, play Blanco in center, and be done with this streak, before it gets even longer and the pressure to keep playing him grows even more.
Francoeur had two homers and seven RBI at Washington on April 12. Since then? He’s hit .244 (22-for-90) with 10 doubles, no homers, 11 RBI, a .307 OBP and a .356 slugging percentage in 23 games.
On the road in that span, he’s hit .244 (9-for-40) with a .256 OBP in 10 games. That coincides, by the way, with the Braves’ 2-8 record in that 10-game road span.
It certainly isn’t all his fault. Not even close. But it’s played a part.
God bless him for wanting to play every day, for never complaining about aches and pains and such. But enough.
And another thing: Slow-starting Tex got going, but now he’s struggling again. In his past eight games, 6-for-28 (.214) with one double, two RBI. In his past 16 games, a .262 average with no homers in 61 at-bats.
He’s drawing plenty of walks, got a high OBP throughout that period. But hey, let’s not kid ourselves. Braves (and Chipper) could really use a little power surge from the cleanup hitter.
OK, gotta get down to the clubhouse now. Talk to you later.
“BOOTS OF SPANISH LEATHER” by Bob Dylan
Oh, I’m sailin’ away my own true love,
I’m sailin’ away in the morning.
Is there something I can send you from across the sea,
From the place that I’ll be landing?
No, there’s nothin’ you can send me, my own true love,
There’s nothin’ I wish to be ownin’.
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled,
From across that lonesome ocean.
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden,
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona.
Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean,
I’d forsake them all for your sweet kiss,
For that’s all I’m wishin’ to be ownin’.
That I might be gone a long time
And it’s only that I’m askin’,
Is there something I can send you to remember me by,
To make your time more easy passin’.
Oh, how can, how can you ask me again,
It only brings me sorrow.
The same thing I would want today,
I would want again tomorrow.
I got a letter on a lonesome day,
It was from her ship a-sailin’,
Saying I don’t know when I’ll be comin’ back again,
It depends on how I’m a-feelin’.
Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way,
I’m sure your mind is roamin’.
I’m sure your thoughts are not with me,
But with the country to where you’re goin’.
So take heed, take heed of the western wind,
Take heed of the stormy weather.
And yes, there’s something you can send back to me,
Spanish boots of Spanish leather.
Permalink | Comments (478) | Post your comment |
OK, Braves, now do it on the road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pittsburgh — Yes, the Braves righted their listing ship by sweeping an entire six-game homestand against Cincinnati and San Diego, a couple of last-place teams. Now comes the real test.
Because to convince a lot of denizens here and baseball observers everywhere, the Braves are going to have to prove they can play good ball on the road and not just beat up on teams at Turner Field.
Says here the severe dichotomy won’t last. The Braves, even with their swelling ranks of walking wounded, are too good to continue losing 11 of every 15 road games (they are 4-11 on the road, worse than any team in the majors except 4-12 Washignton).
Then again, we don’t believe they will continue to win 14 of every 18 home games, either (their 14-4 home record is the best in the majors).
So they’d best get the road thing cleaned up quickly and start playing more consistent ball, not limping home from dismal road trips and expecting to get healthy by winning all or most of their home games.
And they will. We’re fairly certain of that. There are 129 games left in the season, and the Braves can only get healthier (Right? They can’t possibly put more key members on the DL at once, can they?)
So anyway, they come to Pittsburgh looking to get their road house in order (cue the Patrick Swayze fight scene … OK, didn’t get much sleep after seeing Radiohead last night).
They start a seven-game trip with four at Pittsburgh, where the Braves will look to avoid any semblance of a history repeating. We won’t go into the details of last year’s Mother’s Day Massacre, the blowout at PNC Park that served as the unlikely turning point in the Braves’ season, after which they dropped like a rock and never fully recovered.
But just because the Pirates are 15-19, don’t get any assumptions that they are ripe for sweeping, or even taking three of four from.
Because the Pirates not only have a winning record (9-7) at beautiful PNC Park — by the way I’m literally looking at the stadium as I type, from the window of my 14th-floor hotel room) — they also are 4-0 with a .331 batting average and 3.00 ERA in their past four home games, including a win against Philly and a sweep of the Giants.
(Hey, the Giants are lowly, but not as lowly as the Padres. S.F. is 14-21, two games ahead of S.D. in the West.)
And don’t look now, but our boy, Adam LaRoche, has once again flicked on the switch after his traditional ghastly April. ‘Ol Rochy is 8-for-20 with two home runs and six RBI in his past five games, after hitting .167 with one homer, five RBI and 30 strikeouts in 90 at-bats in his first 26 games.
Lot of lefties: Tonight we’ve got Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.50) going against Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell (2-2, 5.09), and Snell’s the only right-hander the Pirates are starting in the four-game series.
It’ll be interesting to see how many of the last three games of the series Mark Kotsay will start against the lefties. He’s been one of the Braves’ hottest hitters the past two or three weeks, but Kots is still hitting just .191 (9-for-47) vs. lefties, compared to .388 (26-for-67) vs. righties.
And he’s also hitting .255 with one homer and five RBI on the road, compared to .349 with two homers and 10 RBI at Turner Field. But I’m guessing he’ll play at least two of three games vs. the lefties, and he should. Too early to start any platoon in center, if you ask me. Not as long as Kotsay is healthy.
Gregor Blanco does need to play and has earned playing time. But do you folks agree that Kotsay should hit against a few more lefties to see if the early numbers were just a product of a slow start overall? Because he’s hit lefties well in the past.
Speaking of a lefty-righty disparity, Matt Diaz’s is a bit alarming. He’s 9-for-54 (.167) vs. righties and 20-for-46 (.435) against lefties. Wow.
Oh, and I’m thinking Brian McCann is squeezing a bat somewhere right now, just waiting to get to the ballpark and play tonight. Because he’s 7-for-12 with three homers against Snell. If that’s not ownership, it’s a lease with an option to purchase.
For those wondering, the Braves lead the league with a .288 average against right-handers, and their .286 average vs. lefties ranks fourth. Not much difference average-wise, but the Braves are slugging .477 against righties and just .395 against lefties, which is a very wide gulf indeed.
They have 49 doubles and 27 homers in 723 at-bats vs. righties, and only 19 doubles and eight homers in 430 at-bats against lefties. Big difference. Big.
The Braves’ home thing: In case you missed it here a few days ago, the Braves’ home sizzle actually began late last season, a reversal of the trend they followed most of the season, when they played so well on the road and struggled at home.
Since Sept. 5, 2007, the Braves are 23-6 with a .304 average and 3.13 ERA in their past 29 home games, with 174 runs scored (6.0 per game).
During that same period on the road, they’re 9-18 with a .253 average, 4.02 ERA and 117 runs scored (4.3 per game).
This season Atlanta leads the NL with a .316 home average and ranks eighth with a .252 road average. Their .287 overall average is seven points ahead of the second-ranked Dodgers.
The Braves also lead the league with a 3.49 ERA, ahead of Arizona (3.54), although Atlant’s road ERA is nearly two runs higher than the D-Backs’.
Braves starters, as hard as it might be to believe given their rash of injuries, lead the NL with a 3.27 ERA that’s almost a half-run ahead of the second-ranked Cardinals starters (3.73).
But Atlanta starters are also last in the league with 178-2/3 innings. Gotta clean that, up, obviously, or they’re going to have to have a regular shuttle for fresh relievers back and forth between Richmond and Atlanta by midseason.
Tex cooled off again: Mark Teixeira usually starts slow in April, but it looked like he was back in a groove after going 19-for-56 (.339) with seven doubles, two homers and 11 RBis in 13 games from April 17 to April 30.
Since then, the first baseman is 3-for-20 with no extra-base hits and two RBI in his past six games, though he does have seven walks and a .393 OBP in that span.
OK, enough for now. Let’s have a tune and get some lunch before heading to PNC Park.
”WHITE LEXUS” by Mike Doughty
Please show me how to live
Please show me how to have a day
I don’t wanna wake up now
Why do I have to wake up, anyway?
Like a soap star in anguish, shrill but bland
When your white Lexus comes
Around
The way
Idling in the long driveway
Try to feel nothing on command
When your white Lexus comes
The thrill
Be damned
I forgive the world right now
Still I play the chump’s role every time
My world’s the surface of the moon
My heart’s down in a diamond mine
Like the black stars of Memphis, moaning on,
When your white Lexus comes
To drive
Me out
Drive me to the edge of town
Try to feel nothing on command
When your white Lexus comes
The thrill
Be damned
Damn it to the last damned man
Permalink | Comments (434) | Post your comment |
Braves aim for perfection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top of the morning to you. I see the May flowers continue. Braves are going for 6-0 on the homestand today vs. the Padres and our fleeting pal Wil Ledezma. If they pull it off, it’ll be their first perfect homestand of two or more series since June 3-8, 2003 when they took five from the Rangers and Pirates. The Braves haven’t had a perfect six-game homestand since April 2000, when they went 9-0 vs. the Phillies, Pirates and Dodgers.
Personally, I’m ignoring the possibility for showers today — looks awfully sunny to me — so let’s get on with the lineup.
Omar Infante is in the lineup today playing second base. He’s not exactly in the park yet — he was due in this morning from Richmond and when I left the Braves clubhouse about 11:40 a.m. he wasn’t there yet. But he’s been activated from the DL and I’m sure he’ll show up and throw on a uni and do what Bobby always wants done — get right into the swing of things.
This will be the Braves’ first look at their super utility player acquired from Detroit via the Cubs, who was delayed by the broken hand he suffered in winter ball. The Braves wanted him to play third base, shortstop, second base and center field while he was in extended spring training. He didn’t have time to get to all those positions so he spent the last three games in Richmond in center field.
Brayan Pena heads to the disabled list with a back strain, he apparently suffered on Sunday injury pinch-hitting against the Reds.
Also, this just in, Brian McCann rests today and Corky Miller gets the start catching Jo-Jo Reyes. No, that’s not that unusual with a day game after a night game, but it is unusual in that hey, McCann has played a ton.
Ever stop to think about how often McCann is behind the plate? Me neither. It just hit me last night how much he’s been in there, something we start to take for granted. It’s something his youth, toughness and a few off days have allowed for lately, and it’s something not just McFann should appreciate, eh?
McCann had played in the Braves first 32 games, entering Sunday. He got the day off on April 3 vs. Pittsburgh and April 20 vs. the Dodgers, but came into pinch hit both days. He had played 14 in a row behind the plate until today.
Felt like checking with John Smoltz today, just to see what’s going on with his arm. He’s 10 days into his resting period and said a lot of the pain/stiffness is dissipating in the shoulder. When he pointed to the place where he still feels a little stiffness now, it’s the old trapezius muscle. But he’s feeling positive about things and he said the serious pain started to subside when he hit the six-day mark of rest.
He doesn’t want to over-promise and undersell — something he pointed out he’s learned from the work he’s done with Kings Ridge, the Christian school he started from the ground up — but he’s betting on being back out there by the end of May. Or the way he put it “something that starts with a 2.” Hm, having now just looked that up on the schedule, wonder if it’s any coincidence that the first day that starts with a 2 — May 20 — is the first of a three-day series against the Mets at Turner Field.
Not that I’m pushing, but Smoltz, gotta love the enthusiasm. But that might be pushing it. Maybe another day with a 2 in it is more like it. But we’ll see. (Oh gosh, I’m beginning to sound like Bobby, who I’m now kidding because he says “we’ll see” so much about all these injuries.
Anyway, Smoltz said trainers wanting him to rest for a couple more days but he thinks he’ll be playing catch by Sunday in Pittsburgh. And somewhere between catch and returning to the bullpen, there will be a minor league rehab assignment.
I did ask — because I was curious — if moving to the bullpen had anything to do with trying to keep himself from having to throw all his pitches. Smoltz said no, that it’s strictly the amount of pitches. So that’s that. He also said he doesn’t see himself being in a typical closer’s role because he’s not going to be ready to go three days in a row or four out of five. So it’ll be interesting to see how Bobby uses him when the time comes. He needs some structure, which isn’t easy to pull off in the bullpen.
And one last thing. Had to share this little tidbit. I’m working on a story about Chipper and his switch-hitting history for Sunday’s Braves Insider, and I went to the source Larry Wayne Sr. who taught Chipper how to switch-hit and who is always great to talk to. And we were chatting just a bit about the ride Chipper is on right now.
Larry’s taking it all in through Chipper’s nightly calls to his dad riding home from the ballpark. One of these nights here recently, Larry said, Chipper told him: “It’s great to be me right now, Dad.”
And Larry (otherwise known as U Kno Who Sr?) also said Chipper has sounded as introspective about things lately as he’s ever sounded, and here’s one of the things Chipper told him that made him say that:
“He told me ‘In all my years in baseball, I can’t ever remember a time when I’d walk to the plate with the buzz going through the stadium like I’m starting to hear now. There’s a buzz that starts as I leave the on-deck circle.”
Rightly so. And perhaps overdue.
Without further ado……the game. Enjoy.
Permalink | Comments (458) | Post your comment |
Braves, fans on rollercoaster ride
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Say what you will about these Bravos, but they sure aren’t boring. You folks need to restock the Rolaids yet? (Hint: this blog available for sponsorship.)
There’s been a crisis a day, more or less, from this team as it’s sputtered and surged to the best home record in baseball (12-4) and the worst road mark (4-11, same as the lowly Nationals).
While navigating an early season trail littered with sore elbows and balky shoulders (oh, and a strained pec), the Braves have somehow managed to cobble together a National League-leading 3.30 starters’ ERA (this from a team that’s had starters John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Chuck James on the DL; oh, and Mike Hampton, who has a long-term lease on DL Street).
Of course, Braves starters have also pitched a league-low 169 innings, and that’s got the potential to really bite the Braves in the butt if they can’t get that trend reversed before the All-Star break.
Or is there someone out there who believes this injury-ravaged bullpen can continue to carry such a burden throughout the season? No, I’ll answer that one myself. It can’t happen.
We’ll probably get an update today on closer Rafael Soriano’s elbow after his MRI, but there’s little reason to believe he’s going to be back soon, or that if he is back soon, that he’ll be able to stay healthy.
Fortunately for the Braves, they’ve got Mike Gonzalez coming back in two weeks or so, and by the second half he might just be ready to close some games. They’ll also have John Smoltz moving to the bullpen, and between him and Gonzalez, the Braves could be good to go with a proven closer most nights, regardless of what happens with Soriano.
(Hey, while I’m thinking about it, I’m listening to the new Neil Diamond CD as I write this. It’s the second back-to-basics CDs of his produced by Rick Rubin, who did the great Johnny Cash’s American Recordings set in the Man in Black’s latter years.)
(I know, scores of you will deride and ridicule me for digging the sometimes-cheesy — OK, frequently cheesy — Diamond, and I’m not even going to try to argue with you about the greatness of songs like I Am … I Said, Solitary Man and Cracklin’ Rosie, because you love them or you’re wrong [kidding, folks. Well, sort of.] But I’m telling you, these two rootsy albums of his that Rubin produced are solid, the latest titled Home Before Dark that came out Tuesday.)
(While on the subject of tunes, gotta say how cool it is to have these 680 Rude Awakening guys ask me for a song to play each Wednesday when I’m on with them at 9:10 a.m. I mean, how often do you hear The Replacements’ Answering Machine or James McMurtry’s Just Us Kids or Spoon’s You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb on a sports-talk radio station? Tell me! Awesome, even if they’re only playing 20-30 seconds or so. Cool dudes.)
OK, back to the regularly scheduled blog already in progress….
But there are reasons to believe they can stabilize that rotation, even without making a trade (Frank Wren will continue making calls in case a starter becomes available, but I’d not count on anything happening on that front before July).
The reason for optimism? Well, Tim Hudson’s already gone through a rough patch and bounced back with a three-hit shutout in his last start (he usually goes through one or two rough stretches per season, and that’s about it).
And did we mention Jair Jurrjens? How’d we get this far into today’s blog without mentioning the Curacao Kid, who has been nothing short of splendid in his first April-May in the majors.
His six-inninng, one-run performance last night to beat the Padres made him 7-3 with a 3.60 ERA in the first 14 games of his career with Detroit and Atlanta. That’s special, denizens. We needn’t remind you of how the likes of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine fared in their first year or so in the majors, do we?
I joked with Glavine in the clubhouse after last night’s game that he was this good after 14 starts, wasn’t he?
“Oh, yeah, I was dealin’ after 14 starts,” quipped Glavine, who was 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA in nine starts for Atlanta in 1987, and 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA in 34 starts in 1988.
Jurrjens has allowed just one run seven times in his 14 starts, and has a .212 opponents’ average in 75 innings. Think about that - a .212 opponents’ average, for a 22-year-old kid with far less high-level amateur baseball experience than most American pitchers who grow up playing the game.
In his past four starts, he’s 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA and .152 opponents’ average, with 14 hits (one homer), six runs, eight walks and 23 strikeouts in 26 innings. Jurrjens has pitched six or seven innings in each of those and given up one run three times in that span, while allowing hit totals of 3, 2, 2 and 7.
In three starts at Turner Field, he’s 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA, with 21 strikeouts and five walks in 18-1/3 innings. He’s had a career-high eight strikeouts in each of his past two home starts.
In fact, in his brief career he’s yet to lose a game at home. Jurrjens is 5-0 with a 3.68 ERA in eight home starts for Detroit and Atlanta, and his teams have won all eight of those games.
Speaking of Jurrjens….
Rookie of the Month: For those of you who felt Chipper Jones deserved the NL Player of the Month award in April (Chase Utley got it), here’s your chance to have a say in another monthly award.
Jurrjens is one of four finalists for the the Gillette/MLB Rookie of the Month Award for April. The others are Cubs OF Kosuke “Be Careful With My Name” Fukudome, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto and Cardinals pitcher Kyle McClellan.
This one will be decided by fan balloting. And given that his three competitors are from teams with rabid fan bases, I’d suggest you might want to pound the computers if you believe Jurrjens is deserving.
Online ballots are at www.mlb.com/gillette.
Hudson also likes home: Jurrjens isn’t the only unbeaten Braves starter at Turner this season. Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three home starts, including his three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks Friday against the Reds.
He’ll face a Padres team that hasn’t beaten him, but has battered him a bit. Hudson is 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA in five starts against San Diego, including 1-0 with a 6.32 ERA in three during 2006-07. Yes, a 6.32 ERA.
He benefited from more than nine support runs per nine innings pitched in those three games. Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with two home runs against him, and Brian Giles is 6-for-12.
His counterpart is familiar lefty Randy Wolf, who’s got a 6.06 ERA in his past three starts. Folks, things are obviously in place for the Braves to stretch their winning streak to five games, if they get a decent game from Hudson.
Wolf is 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA and .364 opponents’ average in his past six starts against Atlanta. Chipper is 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers against him, Mark Kotsay is 6-for-14 with a homer, Matt Diaz is 4-for-5, and Brian McCann has a homer and a walk in two plate appearances against the former Phillies lefty.
Hot-hitting Hoss update: He’ll cool at some point, of that we’re certain. But if Chipper keeps this up for much longer, he’ll have such a foundation that the batting title will be his to lose.
If he can just stay healthy and get enough at-bats to qualify, he’s got to be a hands-down favorite to win his first batting title year after coming so close in 2007. Imagine, his first batting title at age 36.
But anyway, here’s a few more Hoss stats: After going 1-for-2 with two walks and a two run homer last night, he’s hitting .426, 60 points higher than the majors’ next-best average, Rafael Furcal’s .366.
Chipper leads the Braves with 10 homers and 29 RBI and leads the majors with a 1.220 on base-plus-slugging percentage, ahead of Utley (1.176) and Lance Berkman (1.159).
Bill Brasky … er, Chipper leads the majors with a .500 average (29-for-58) with runners on base. He’s hitting .440 against right-handers with a ridiculous .880 slugging percentage (Berkman is next at .766 against righties).
Oh, and he has seven three-hit games; nobody else in either league has more than five.
Chipper has a .468 home average with five homers and 19 RBIs in 16 games, and he’s hit safely in all but one of those games, including 10 multi-hit games.
In his last 26 games against the Padres, dating to May 2003, he has hit .365 (35-for-96) with 11 homers, 20 RBIs and a 1.248 OPS.
The Braves are 20-6 at home since Sept. 7, and Chipper has hit .449 with eight homers and 31 RBI in those games, with 17 walks and a .517 OBP (he’s played all 26 games).
Some view it as sacrilege to suggest Chipper should come to the plate with anything but Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” playing, but here’s one that would be better suited, if you ask me (which no one has):
”COPPERHEAD ROAD” by Steve Earle
Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin’ sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin’, knew something wasn’t right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin’ down Copperhead Road
I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first, ‘round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol’ Charlie don’t you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road…
Copperhead Road…
Copperhead Road…
Permalink | Comments (422) | Post your comment |
Best at home, worst on the road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With all due respect to the reunion of the Big Three this week at Turner Field, we’re going to focus on a couple of other unprecedented and/or highly improbable trends and occurrences related to this Braves team.
First of all, do you realize the Braves have the best home record (11-4) in the National League and the worst road record (4-11) in all of major league baseball? Well, they do.
They’ve got three more home games before we venture back out on that cruel road. Not only that, those three home games are against the San Diego Padres, losers of 14 of their past 18 games, and those three don’t include a matchup with Padres ace Jake Peavy.
Braves have a legitimate chance to sweep an entire homestand, though it’s hardly a lock of a proposition, given that Padres starters Chris Young and Randy Wolf both take sub-4.00 ERAs into matchups tonight (Young vs. the Curacao Kid, Jair Jurrjens) and Wednesday (Wolf vs. Mr. Recent Consistency, Tim Hudson).
Still, it’s a legit shot at going 6-0 on a homestand, which would certainly provide a bit of balm to the recent rash of woes that were casting a pall over the Braves’ season before we even reached the one-fifth pole (just a reminder, tonight is game No. 31 in a 162-game season).
But this home/road dichotomy obviously can’t continue, if the Braves hope to contend with Philly and the rest of the NL East through the summer and fall. Because I’m gonna go out out on a limb and predict the Braves aren’t going to win 11 of every 15 home games the rest of the season.
So they’d best start winning a lot more on the road. No better place to begin that Pennsylvania, where they will fly into the middle of a heated NHL playoff series (Flyers vs. Penguins) and try to do some damage against the lowly Pirates (12-19 overall, 6-7 at home) and not-at-all-lowly Phillies (19-14 overall, 10-8 at the bandbox of verbal abuse, Citizens Bank Park).
And before any of you get yourselves too worked up over the fact that Chase Utley beat out Chipper for NL Player of the Month, consider that Utley leads the league with 26 extra-base hits, while Chipper (15) doesn’t rank in the top 10.
And as great as Chipper’s 1.189 on base-plus-slugging percentage is, Utley’s 1.210 is even better. Those are the best two OPS totals in the majors; in fact, the top 10 are all NL players.
(Just wondering aloud, are we finally seeing signs of a balancing of the scale in terms of balance of power between the leagues? Might the NL win the All-Star Game this summer? I’m going to predict it happens, giving the NL team the home-field advantage for the World Series. I already predicted the Diamondbacks would win the World Series, and I’ll stick with that pick regardless).
Secondly, the Joneses…. OK, show of hands from those of you who would’ve predicted this back in 2005, when 28-year-old Andruw Jones was amassing a majors-leading 51 homers and league-high 128 RBI, and 33-year-old Chipper Jones was playing 109 games and hitting 21 homers with 72 RBIs?
Who would have, who could have, predicted anything even remotely close to what has transpired for those two players since then? Because today, Andruw looks likes the oldest 31-year-old “star” in the majors and Chipper looks like one of the best 36-year-old hitters in recent memory.
Andruw Jones has followed up the worst season of his career in 2007 with an even worse start to the 2008 season, and Chipper has followed up one of the best seasons of his career in 2007 with an even hotter start to the 2008 season.
Andruw, in the first season of a two-year, $36.2 mill contract with the Dodgers, is batting .158 (16-for-101) with six extra-base hits (one homer), four RBI, 34 strikeouts, a .267 OBP and a .248 slugging percentage (.515 OPS).
A year ago through May 5, Jones was hitting .235 with 14 extra-base hits (five homers) and 20 RBIs in 29 games, with a .375 OBP and .846 OPS. I’m guessing the Dodgers would kill to have such numbers from the center fielder today.
Andruw is a majors-worst 1-for-25 (.040) with runners in scoring position, and a league-worst 4-for-48 (.083) with runners on base.
He’s hitting an unfathomable .138 (9-for-65) with no RBI and 25 strikeouts against right-handers. In other words, he’s hitting about like most pitchers hit against right-handers.
Andruw hit a home run against the Braves on April 19 at Turner Field, and many believed that might start a bit of a resurgence for the longtime former Brave.
It has not. To say the least.
Since that day he’s 6-for-46 (.130) with one double, one RBI, 16 strikeouts, and a couple of benchings.
Chipper Jones, meanwhile, is off to such a torrid start that we’re all left to wonder just what he might be capable of if he plays 145-150 games. It’s not a stretch to say that, when healthy, he’s been the majors’ best all-around hitter for the past couple of years.
“He killed us,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said Sunday, after Hoss went 3-for-6 with a homer and five RBI in the series finale and 7-for-13 in the series. “He’s always been a great hitter. Now, he looks like the best hitter on earth. That’s a sweet stroke he’s got going.”
Kelly Johnson told me that if Jones played in Boston or New York, he’d be on the cover of every national magazine, the toast of the town, compared to the greats to play the game, etc. I didn’t disagree.
The man is hitting .425 more than a month into the season, a mere 59-point lead over the next-highest average in the majors, Rafael Furcal’s .366 (Utley is at .362).
Jones leads the Braves with nine homers and 27 RBIs, not to mention his .472 OBP and .717 slugging percentage. He’s hitting .400 against lefties, and .438 with an absurd .849 slugging percentage against righties.
He’s hitting .467 (28-for-60) with a 1.231 OPS at home in a park that’s considered to be favorable for pitchers.
He is hitting .500 (28-for-56) with runners on base, and .385 with a .500 OBP with runners in scoring position.
He is on fire.
In 18 games since April 12, Chipper is 32-for-70 (.457) with eight homers, 18 RBI, 10 walks and a 1.390 OPS. He’s struck out just five times in that span.
Going back to Sept. 5, the Braves are 20-6 in their past 26 home games.
Chipper has played in all of those games and batted .446 (45-for-101) with seven homers, 28 runs, 30 RBI and a .504 on-base percentage.
He leads the majors with a .341 average since the beginning of the 2006 season, ahead of Ichiro Suzuki (.331) and Derek Jeter (.331).
But this is the one I keep going back to, the hitting line that just demands to be read again a couple of times, because it frankly doesn’t seem possible.
Chipper really started to get hot in late June 2006, after a slump earlier that month. Since June 24, 2006, here’s what he’s done, in bold for emphasis:
In 213 games, he’s hit .361 (294-for-815) with 64 doubles, 6 triples, 57 homers, 180 RBI, 120 walks, 108 strikeouts, a .439 OBP, a .664 slugging percentage, and a 1.103 OPS.
The Braves are 118-95 in that span in games Chipper has played, and 29-38 in games he has not. Therein lies the knock on Chipper, of course. He had DL stints, though none this season.
Out of curiosity, I thought about Kelly Johnson’s comment and decided to see how a few Red Sox and Yankee stars have done in that same period.
Since June 24, 2006, Manny Ramirez has played 229 games and hit .312 with 62 doubles, 2 triples, 41 homers, 163 RBI, .407 OBP, .542 slugging, .949 OPS.
David Ortiz has played 259 games in that span and hit .311 with 72 doubles, 3 triples, 74 homers, 216 RBI, .432 OBP, .624 slugging, 1.056 OPS.
Alex Rodriguez has played 267 games and hit .305 with 53 doubles, 78 homers, 236 RBI, .404 OBP, .596 slugging, 1.000 OPS.
And for those who might be wondering: Andruw Jones in that period has played 268 games and hit .220 (212-for-963) with 47 doubles, 3 triples, 50 homers, 163 RBI, 142 walks, 238 strikeouts, .327 OBP, .431 slugging, .758 OPS.
Kotsay on a roll: The Braves haven’t seen as many lefties lately, and that’s helped Mark Kotsay keep his batting average in a steady ascent, now up to .301 overall. He’s hit .377 (20-for-53) with five extra-base hits and nine RBI in his past 14 games.
For the season, he’s hit .171 (7-for-41) vs. lefties and .387 (24-for-62) against righties.
By the way, Kotsay is 0-for-12 against tonight’s starter, Chris Young.
Etc.: Braves really might want to be careful this time around with San Diego’s Tony Clark, the former Arizona slugger who has a .429 average and amazing six homers in just 28 at-bats against the Braves over the past three seasons…. Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez has hit .386 with seven homers in 70 road at-bats…. Tim Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three home starts. Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with two homers against him…. Matt Diaz is hitting .405 (17-for-42) at home, second to Chipper among Braves. He’s hit .204 on the road.
OK, how ‘bout a tune? For the woman who took our old dog Larry to freakin’ New Jersey, along with half the wedding pictures. (Hey, been a few years now, can smile about it. Sometimes.)
“YOU’RE A BIG GIRL NOW” by Bob Dylan
Our conversation was short and sweet
It nearly swept me off-a my feet.
And I’m back in the rain, oh, oh,
And you are on dry land.
You made it there somehow
You’re a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon, sittin’ on a fence,
He’s singin’ his song for me at his own expense.
And I’m just like that bird, oh, oh,
Singin’ just for you.
I hope that you can hear,
Hear me singin’ through these tears.
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast
Oh, but what a shame if all we’ve shared can’t last.
I can change, I swear, oh, oh,
See what you can do.
I can make it through,
You can make it too.
Love is so simple, to quote a phrase,
You’ve known it all the time, I’m learnin’ it these days.
Oh, I know where I can find you, oh, oh,
In somebody’s room.
It’s a price I have to pay
You’re a big girl all the way.
A change in the weather is known to be extreme
But what’s the sense of changing horses in midstream?
I’m going out of my mind, oh, oh,
With a pain that stops and starts
Like a corkscrew to my heart
Ever since we’ve been apart.
Permalink | Comments (358) | Post your comment |
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.
Permalink | Comments (544) | Post your comment |
Are pitchers doomed to injury?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hear me out just a minute….Hey, you have to, it’s my blog. Well, it’s David O’Brien’s blog, but I get to commandeer it from time-to-time (hint, Coach, this means it’s not DOB at the wheel today).
All these arm injuries piling up got me to thinking. Yes, I know they’ve always been part of baseball, all the more in recent years, but it’s been on the brain quite a bit with all the Smoltz news, the Peter Moylan news, the Soriano news, and the fact that I just got back from extended spring training where I saw Tommy John survivors Mike Gonzalez and Anthony Lerew.
Let’s just say that If I had a dime for every time I’ve typed “elbow,” or “shoulder” or “reconstructive surgery,” I’d be, well, you know, able to afford gas.
So my thought? What is up with baseball?
In other sports, when players get hurt, isn’t it very often for doing something fluky? Something bad happens. A running back gets tackled low as he’s making an awkward cut, or a lineman rolls up on some unsuspecting somebody’s knee. Or a linebacker goes in head down on a tackle, and God forbid, breaks his neck.
Or a quarterback makes a perfectly good throw, somebody hits him just as he releases, at just the wrong angle, and the shoulder pops out of joint.
Or in basketball, a power forward goes up to make a rebound and comes down on somebody’s foot. There goes the ankle.
But in baseball, aren’t these pitchers just doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing? They’re pitching. They’re doing their job, and then boom, things inflame, ligaments blow.
There’s nobody bum-rushing the mound and trying to pull anybody’s arm out of socket - it’s just how it is. Nothing has to happen. Shoot, a guy like Moylan can throw the best inning of his life - hitting 97 mph on the radar gun, striking out Ryan Zimmerman and collecting the second save of his career - then he wakes up the next day and his elbow is toast.
And Moylan throws side-arm, which I’m assuming (hey, I was pre-med, but I only got a C in organic chemistry) is healthier for his arm, a safer way to throw.
The only answer we can really point to is innings thrown, perhaps (or something from his wacky Australian childhood cricket games). But that’s nebulous too. Who’s to say had Moylan had thrown 75 innings instead of 90 last year he wouldn’t be where he is? If it were so black-and-white about pitch counts, how come all the minor league guys who come up so protected are blowing ligaments left and right too? Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, anyone?
So what is the problem? Is throwing a baseball - or at least throwing one 95 miles an hour or with a disgusting break - just a completely unnatural thing to do? Ever take a hard look at photos of pitchers as they’re just about to let the ball fly? Maybe it’s just those of us who’ve had shoulder surgery, but geez, sometimes I have to look away. The torque, the way the arm bends back. (And more often than not, the scar that’s exposed right there in the photo, in all its ugly glory.)
Is this a completely unnatural thing we’re watching or what? Gosh, I know, I’m about to start sounding like a woman, here. (Just saving you guys from saying it first.) What can I say, the over-protective instincts come with the extra X chromosome. And yes I think NASCAR is a mostly-stupid sport (sorry). I have my issues with boxing too.
But is there anything to be done, short of drafting players at age 12 and making them pitch their formative years underwater? (Weird, I know, it just came out.)
All pitchers can’t be born to throw like Maddux and Glavine who settle into pitching in the 80s, and at least from the look of it, and the history, do it without putting so much stress on the arm.
I wonder too if the game is conspiring against the pitchers. The bandbox ballyards, the shrinking strike zone, the tightly-wound balls, the radar gun in every ballpark (though, I appreciate those, I have to say).
And the mound is so low. I know. I walked over one once in the bullpen along the left field line in San Francisco on my way to a Division Series press conference in some room under the left field bleachers. Maddux, who was walking out to the press conference too, saw me sneak a step up onto the mound and said: “Not as high as you think it is, is it?” No.
Baseball is doing its part now to take the ‘roided-out hitter out of the equation, and maybe some ‘roided out pitchers have had their own issues. But is there anything more to be done, or are we on a cycle now that means we’d better just suck it up? Pitchers are going to miss time, have multiple surgeries, and that’s the way it goes.
Maybe it’ll just become part of the routine - and maybe it already has - for pitchers like Gonzalez to have a bionic arm, having had surgeries on both his elbow and shoulder. And Smoltz, who blew out his elbow, to then have problems creep up to his shoulder.
Or is there a way out? Doctors like Dr. James Andrews and the Braves own Dr. Joe Chandler have been preaching “No curveballs until you shave” to anybody who will listen. They urge kids to take three months off from any overhand throwing. They want parents and coaches to get the damn radar guns off their 13 and 14-year-olds who are trying to throw 85.
And these are guys who get paid for fixing these things. But shoot, they’re overworked. And both happen to be gentlemen, with real concern for pitchers’ health, but hey, let’s not interrupt this blog with goo-goo, gah-gah.
I’m not really sure where else to go with this other than to throw it open for anyone who’s interested in chipping in. All I can say is it perplexes me. But at least I feel a little better for saying so.
Home sweet home: The Braves are 8-4 at Turner Field and 4-11 on the road this season, so the Braves at least have that going for them tonight when they kick off a six-game homestand against the Reds.
Or perhaps this: the Braves are 7-13 with DOB covering, and 5-2 with moi. I got today and tomorrow, and I’ll be taking bribes to cover Sunday as well. (Kidding. Let’s not give the boss man any ideas.)
Doggie-snatcher: It doesn’t appear Maddux will be going for No. 350 in our presence. He’s scheduled to pitch Sunday in Florida and not in the three games the Padres will play at Turner Field Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The 12-17 Reds are no pushover: And the Braves should remember that from last year, losing six out of seven to them. And this kid Edinson Volquez going tonight, who came in a trade from Texas for Josh Hamilton is leading the National League with a 1.23 ERA. Perhaps National League hitters are still trying to adjust. Or he’s just really good.
The trade’s not working out too bad for Texas either. Hamilton is leading the majors with 32 RBIs, hitting .322 for the Rangers with six homers. He’s ranked sixth in the AL with a .947 OPS.
Stop the madness: Sure the Braves are a well-documented 0-9 in one-run games this season. But did you know this? Here are the guys they gotta beat to stay out of the cellar for record in one-run games over the course of a season since the start of divisional play in 1969. And they’d better get cracking.
(The numbers come compliments of former AJC scribe Gerry Fraley, whom you read an old story by in a DOB blog last week.)
1999 Royals 11-32 .256 1975 Astros 16-41 .281 1981 Padres 12-30 .286 1985 Rangers 11-27 .289 2007 Orioles 13-31 .295
Come back on board tonight, I’ll be keeping you in the loop on the latest stuff. That is, if you can tear yourself away from the Hawks game.
Services »
