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Sunday, July 6, 2008
Soriano throwing and other thoughts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good day, denizens. I’d written most of this blog before I went down to the clubhouse this morning and you’ll see the stuff below, but before we get to that I wanted to give an update from the clubhouse.
Rafael Soriano threw a bullpen for Roger McDowell this morning, threw for about 10 minutes and must have felt pretty good. (He looked nice and easy from the bullpen TV in the dugout, where Bobby was watching and said he looked “real good.”)
Roger said afterward: “He told me he was 80 percent.”
Asked if that was encouraging, he said: “Yes it’s really encouraging. Hopefully we can get the other 20 percent back and he can help us.”
Soriano had spoken to us briefly before he threw, seemed in good spirits saying hello again to his teammates. He said he still felt his elbow “a little bit” when he threw in Florida but maybe he’s come to the realization that he’s just going to feel it and will try to work through that.
Soriano didn’t want to say anything until further until after he met with Bobby Cox and Frank Wren after his side session to figure out what he’ll do next, so that’s all I’ve got for now. But I’ll keep you updated.
Also, Lance Berkman has a swollen left eye - they think it might be pink eye - so he’s scratched from the lineup. Miguel Tejada has the day off. I was in the clubhouse when word came to Charlie Morton, who at the time was going over hitters with Smoltz. That should be a nice break for him not to have a triple crowd kinda guy in there today.
The Braves lineup looks like so:
Blanco LF Escobar SS Jones 3B Tex 1B Infante LF Prado 2B Norton RF Miller C Morton P
Before you get to buzzing about the lineup, read a little more: some leftover thoughts from last night.
On Friday, when Frank Wren was talking about sending Jeff Francoeur down and all that it entailed, he was addressing a question I had about the timing of it and the fact that the Phillies had just left town after a sweep and the Braves were sinking in the standings. In his answer, he let us in on this little nugget.
“We’re to a point now where when you’re seven games back,” Wren said. “Bobby and I talked heading into the weekend. We wanted to be five games or less going into the break.”
And then he went on to explain that that’s not to say he didn’t think the Braves couldn’t go on a winning streak and cut into the Phillies lead more than that, yadda yadda. But it was a realistic-sounding goal to me and not one of those quotes we’ve been hearing lately like “If we can just have a 5-1 homestand” which Francoeur said coming off a road trip a couple of weeks back, or like Kelly Johnson said the other night “it’d be nice to finish out the first half 7-3.”
Well, yeah, the Braves haven’t had a stretch like that all season (ok, ok, two five-game winning streaks, but those just don’t pop up out of nowhere) why would they have it now?
And then last night after following up a nice win Friday night, with a dud of a game against the Astros, Brian McCann was talking about the new focus guys in the clubhouse were talking about, and that’s taking it three games at a time, trying to win a series.
Well, yes. It’s interesting to me that that’s a new thought. Isn’t that always how the Braves tried to approach it? Win the series, win the next series, and by the end of the season, you’ve won the division? When did they start getting ahead of themselves?
Granted, it’s not as easy as it used to be to actually do it. And I’m not going to get caught up in the hyperbole either. After splitting the first two games vs. the Astros the Braves are still seven back and they’ve got seven games to do something about it.
You’d like to think they could take two out of three from the Astros when they don’t have to face Roy Oswalt, and I’d guess Charlie Morton will be back on his game today. And you’d think that the Braves are about to head off on a road trip where they’ve got a great chance to make up some ground. They’re going out to the lowly NL West for the Dodgers and Padres. The Padres had lost 14 out of 16 games until beating Arizona the first two games of their series this weekend.
The Dodgers have won four out of five heading into today’s game against the Giants, though. They got Andruw Jones back, such as he is. He struck out four times in his first game back Friday night. Followed it up with an 0-for-4 on Saturday.
So no, I’m not going out on any limbs and predicting a 5-1 trip. All I know is that it’s pivotal. The Braves find a way to get within five games and in the hunt by the All-Star break and they should be buying as usual at the trading deadline. They bungle this road trip, drop even lower, and then is it time to completely regroup - trade Mark Teixeira as many are calling for?
In my mind, the Braves can’t wait for Mike Hampton to get back, Tom Glavine to start throwing, Matt Diaz to return from his knee injury and Francoeur to get his swing back to figure all this out. These players they have now, to me, are going to determine this fate. And these next seven games are going to show the way.
And you know I can’t write about the Padres without mentioning Maddux. Looks like the Braves will actually catch him this time. He goes on Monday in Florida. With an off day Thursday his spot would fall again on Sunday.
He’s faced the Braves three times since he left here, going 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA. The last time was last July 8 at Petco Park when Maddux gave up five runs in five innings, including homers to Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson. Kyle Davies beat him that day. The last time at Turner Field on May 9 of last year when he faced Smoltz and came away with a no-decision allowing one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings and of course, singled off his buddy.
The Braves should be getting Jake Peavy on Friday, which is less nostalgic but more important - OK I admit it.
As for today? All-Star announcements coming at 2 p.m. McFann are you feeling it? I have to think people are thinking straight and Brian McCann gets in. He’s a guy who seems to have earned the respect of his peers in a short amount of time, so if nothing else, the player ballot is going to help do for him what Cubs fans are trying to blow - his third straight All-Star appearance.
I think Jurrjens is a long shot. It would be a nice story - first Braves rookie pitcher to make the All-Star team since Ron Reed in 1968 - but I’m thinking he needed one more good win to solidify this roll he’s on.
Chipper gets in for the first time since 2001. Bout time.
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