AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 07
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Weather’s blazing hot, but will Chipper be?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Phoenix — So I left San Francisco this morning wearing my KU hooded sweatshirt in 50-degree weather, landed in Phoenix in 103-degree weather. Gotta love it.
Anyway, they just shut the roof on Chase Hangar … er, Chase Field, and the place should be cooled down a bit by game time. They leave the roof open during the day to save bucks and/or to grow the grass.
Gonna keep this quick because clubhouse is opening, and I didn’t have time to do anything but drive to my hotel, change clothes and drive down here (it’s 30 minutes to the hotel in Scottsdale; you can stay in very nice hotels here for very cheap rates in the summer, about one-fourth what the same roof costs in winter).
So what do the denizens think — is Chipper going to win the batting title, or what? Hey, that would at least be something cool to monitor down the stretch, don’t you think?
He’s supposed to come off the DL tomorrow, and his lead is down to 17 points against the steadily rising Albert Pujols, .369-.352. There’s no question who’s the hotter hitter, even before Chipper went on the DL two weeks ago.
Pujols has hit .359 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in his past 38 games, including 6-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs in his last two games Tuesday and Wednesday against Los Dodgers.
Meanwhile, Hoss, after batting an even .400 with 16 homers and 45 RBI in his first 66 games, has hit .264 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 23 games since June 19, including .231 with two extra-base hits (doubles) in his last 12 games before he went on the DL with the pulled hammy.
Sign of the times: It’s not exactly North Dallas Forty (look it up, youngsters) in the clubhouse these days, and I guess that’s got to be a good thing given all the performance-enhancing drug ugliness that hung over the game in recent years.
Greenies are out, since they’re testing for amphetamines in baseball, have been for a couple years. So it’s coffee or Red Bull for most guys. Yes, Red Bull qualifies as edgy stuff these days.
Mark Kotsay had a bag of them — Red Bulls, that is; better be clear here — for his teammates yesterday, the early day game after a night game at San Fran. Bobby had pitching coach Roger McDowell distribute them “only to the starters,” he said, laughing.
Hey, the return of innocence. (OK, that’s sarcasm).
Still trying to find it: Jeff Francoeur has hit .214 with a .280 OBP in 89 games since April 23. Yes, .214 (74-for-345). With more hit-by-pitches (eight) than homers (six) in that span, and 11 double plays grounded into.
Since June 14, he’s hit .177 (28-for-158) with four doubles, one homer and 11 RBI, with a .251 OBP and .222 slugging percentage.
His .230 average is second-lowest among NL qualifiers, better than only Khalil Greene’s .213 (Andruw doesn’t qualify, or he’d have the distinction in a runaway, with his .164 average).
Still racking ‘em up: There are three major league relievers with 60 appearances this season, and the Braves have two of the. Blaine Boyer leads the majors with 61, and Will Ohman (60) is tied for second with Florida’s Renyel Pinto.
Kelly likes 2B: Just in case anyone’s wondering, Kelly Johnson has no desire whatsoever to move back to the outfield. I asked him yesterday.
Does that mean the Braves wouldn’t do it? No, but I doubt they’d move a guy who says he wants to stay at his current position.
I asked him if he thought his defense has slipped this season, and he said he thought it’s been about the same.
By the way, I asked Bobby Cox about Omar Infante, and he raved about him and said how great he’s been and how versatile, etc.
I asked if he’s too valuable in the utility role to play one position, and Bobby said, if a guy wants to play every day and has earned it, he should play every day.
Sounded to me like they might be considering making him a starter next season. You speculate on what position that might be.
“AVENUES” by Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown)
Know the cops here they can’t run down to your house
Sometimes I’ll sit and wish I were somewhere else
So let’s dim the daylights for us sweethearts that we are
Sometimes I find myself still lying in your arms
All the sweethearts of the world
Are out dancing in the places
Where me and all my friends go to hide our faces
Avenues run one way
Streets they run the same
Something in the air here
Still keeps me away
Though the cops here they can’t take me to your house
I get directions and pretend I was somewhere else
All the sweethearts of the world are out littering the bars
And I am still avenues from any place you are
You know avenues run one way
The streets they run the same
It’s going to take a lot of s—t for me to stay away
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