AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > June > 11
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Next for Braves: Swarm of locusts?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chicago _ Seriously, it might be time to consider keeping Tim Hudson in a protective bubble before his start Thursday against the Cubs. Because either the Braves have been cursed or injuries have suddenly become contagious.
How else to possibly explain how tonight’s scheduled (and now scratched) starter Jair Jurrjens could sprain an ankle walking down the dugout steps following a 10-5 loss last night, less than two hours after Tom Glavine left the game with an elbow injury that will be examined Thursday in Atlanta, and some six hours after John Smoltz had season-ending, career-threatening shoulder surgery?
Chipper Jones said last year that the baseball gods must have finally turned on the Braves after their 14-year division-title run. I thought Hoss was either joking or overly superstitious, but now I’m not so sure.
This has gone beyond ridiculous.
It’s one thing for your 40-something pitchers (Smoltz and Glavine) to have injuries, even if Glavine had never been on the DL before making two trips there in the first 10 weeks of this season. And it’s not so shocking that closer Rafael Soriano would have elbow problems, since he had Tommy John surgery a few years ago and had elbow problems all spring.
(The Braves’ decision to give him a two-year contract in January that includes a $6.1 mill salary in 2009 … that’s not looking particularly good about now. Those who second-guessed that move when the Braves did it, take a bow. You were right — for now, at least. But if Soriano pitches well and closes games the rest of the season he’ll still be a relative bargain as a $6.1 mill closer in this market.)
But it’s quite another when the Braves lose Peter Moylan, their Mr. Durable in 2008, to season-ending elbow injury in the first month of this season. And this whole thing has been ramped up to cruel-and-unusual punishment for the Braves and new GM Frank Wren with this Jurrjens injury.
I mean, seriously.
What next for these Braves? A swarm of locusts?
This is quickly becoming a season that may live in Braves infamy. The year they broke camp with a team that most experts considered to be a serious division-title contender, and a few notable media observers picked to win the World Series (hey, at least I didn’t pick them to go that far, like some of the boys at ESPN did).
Instead they have been a team that can’t stay healthy, rarely gets clutch hits, can’t win one-run games (3-17, worst in the majors) and can’t win on the road (7-22, worst in the majors).
Lately they haven’t even been very good at home, where they were swept over the weekend by Philadelphia. The Braves have lost 12 of their past 18 games after a 21-12 surge that had put them back in the thick of the NL East race.
They’ve lost a mind-numbing 15 of their past 18 road games, and have nine games left on this 10-game trip that couldn’t have possibly started out much worse than it did yesterday on Tuesday, Bloody Tuesday.
The Braves have called up outfield prospect Brandon Jones to take Glavine’s roster spot for the time being, and are going to bring up top pitching prospect Charlie Morton to start Saturday at Anaheim, with Jorge Campillo moving back a day to take Glavine’s place Sunday.
Braves said they wanted Campillo to be able to pitch an inning if needed tonight, but I also think it probably had something to do with them not wanting Morton to make his debut on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
While I’m happy for Charlie and for Braves fans who are so excited to see him pitch after his outstanding Fall League season and performance this year so far at Richmond, it’ll be almost impossible for him to live up to unreasonable expectations some have for a kid who’ll be making his big-league debut.
He’s not the answer for the Braves if they’re going to turn this thing around. Morton might be able to help, sure. But the Braves have got to get a lot more contributions from the Jeff Francoeur and the rest of their outfield.
They’ve got to get healthy. Soriano has got to be able to pitch when called upon, or it’s a black hole at the closer position. Can’t expect Mike Gonzalez just to slip back into the bullpen in a week or two and take over as closer. No way. It’ll take a while for him to get sharp and dominant, maybe not until next season.
I’m in agreement with most denizens of the Braves/MIB blog that, if this season is to be saved, Wren is going to have to make some moves - not on July 31, but starting now.
Braves need to get at least one starting pitcher, whether it’s someone young they can control for years to come, or a stop-gap guy like, yes, Greg Maddux (even though I’ve pointed out he’s not the innings-eater he was, Mad Dog is at least very reliable for the 5,6 or 7 innings he’s been pitching this season).
Hey, then maybe they can add Freddy Garia when the free agent, recovering from shoulder surgery, is ready to pitch sometime around the All-Star break. That wouldn’t cost the Braves anything in return, just money to sign him.
They’ve got to find another reliever or two, whether that’s on the trade market or someone from within the organization. Maybe Phil Stockman is ready to handle a bigger role - they’ve at least got to give him a try, because Manny Acosta and Blaine Boyer are showing signs of all the early-season work.
Acosta, right now, seems a mess mentally, at least to me. He’s given up 11 hits, four homers and 12 runs (eight earned) in 4-1/3 innings over six appearances since May 31, a .500 opponents’ average in that stretch.
That after posting a 1.30 ERA and .198 opponents’ average over his previoius 25 appearances.
His fielding error last night was the second crucial error Acosta has made, the other in his memorable game in Washington when Cox left him in to pitch a third inning even after his turn to bat came up in a crucial situation.
Maybe hard-throwing Jeff Ridgway is ready for a callup. He looked great, at times, during spring training. Hey, I’m just thinking aloud.
Desperate times call for desperate measure. Do something. Soon. Now. Yesterday. For the sanity and overall well-being of Braves Nation.
Oh, and as much as I like Francoeur as a person and his potential as a player, it’s time to drop him to the bottom of the batting order and to bench him a game or three. He’s struggled mightily, not helping the Braves whatsoever at the plate in nine out of 10 games he’s out there lately.
He’s hit .242 with four homers, a .299 OBP and seven double plays grounded into in his past 53 games, and has one homer and seven RBIs in 23 road games in that stretch.
Don’t know what the answers are to several of the outfield woes. Getting Mark Kotsay healthy will be a start, but that’s probably two weeks off.
Francoeur’s going to have to keep playing most of the time, unless they can make a move for another bat soon. Gregor Blanco is second-to-last in the NL in hitting with runners in scoring position at .132 (5-for-38), ahead of only an injured guy with the Dodgers named Andruw Jones (.030, 1-for-33).
How’s this for a stat: Braves rank third in the NL with a .277 average with the bases loaded. How is this possible, you might be asking yourself.
Like you, I seem to remember so many wasted opportunities in those situations. Turns out, the Braves are actually pretty solid with runners in scoring position if you take out Frenchy’s numbers (2-for-16. Oy.)
Unfortunately for the Braves, he has as many at-bats with bases loaded as any other three Braves combined. All the more reason to drop him in the order. Too many wasted chances batting fifth or sixth (not to mentioned third).
The rest of the Braves are 16-for-49 (.327) with bases loaded, and that’s despite 0-for-4’s by both Kotsay and Yunel Escobar.
OK, outta time. Gotta get to the ballpark to see if anyone got hurt en route to Wrigley or while having lunch.
“OLD MAN” by Neil Young
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
Twenty four
and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two.
Love lost, such a cost,
Give me things
that don’t get lost.
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you.
Old man take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that’s true.
Lullabies, look in your eyes,
Run around the same old town.
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you.
I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past.
But I’m all alone at last.
Rolling home to you.
Old man take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that’s true.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
