AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 22
Friday, August 22, 2008
These aren’t Braves as we’ve known them
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
St. Louis — It has a corrosive effect, all of this losing by the Braves, who are performing lately at a level beneath what many fans (including plenty who are old enough to vote) can ever remember witnessing.
There’s a corrosive effect on some fans, many of whom are expressing their displeasure over the diminished Braves in increasingly harsh tones (sometimes uncomfortably, over-the-top, downright nasty tones, at least in this particular forum you and I are engaged in).
And there’s a corrosive effect in the clubhouse. Yes, in the clubhouse.
For the first time in a long time, there are ripples, fissures, uneasinness — however you care to characterize it. Mostly below the surface, but present. Not to the degree that you see in so many other teams, but the kind of stuff the Braves have been virtually immune to during Bobby Cox’s entire tenure with the team.
Plenty of you have probably read between the lines occasionally in recent weeks, in a player’s quote after a particularly brutal defeat. Hey, maybe it’s just a product of so much losing. But I get a sense it’s something more, in the makeup of the team and a few personnel decisions that were made.
Some who’ve been around this team the longest — we’ll not say if it’s coaches, players, or both, out of respect for privacy — say it’s not like it was before in the organization and the clubhouse. Just not quite as good.
There aren’t enough veterans around to assure others adhere to the standard of professionalism and respect that Braves teams displayed throughout their decade-and-a-half run of success. Injuries robbed the team of the regular presence of some of those veterans, and others were traded or let go in recent seasons.
The presumed young foundation, the celebrated “Baby Braves” of 2005, has not worked out as planned. Only Brian McCann has met or surpassed all expectations. The rest have not, for various reasons.
Some of those young guys are gone now and others are struggling, be it from injuries, an inability to make necessary adjustments, immaturity, stubbornness, or a combination of the above. It’s hard to say precisely why in some cases.
It also appears that one or two simply lacked or lack a certain skill or mental toughness to perform at an elite level in the face of adversity.
It’s been a near-perfect storm of factors that have contributed to this spiraling season for the Braves, who have lost 10 of 11 games and five in a row, including being swept by the Mets in the series that ended Thursday — with the Braves’ 27th consecutive loss in a road game decided by one run, extending their own major league record for ignominy in that category.
The Braves would have to go 25-9 in their remaining games just to finish .500. Even those who didn’t buy into the spring optimism and trendy predicitions — my hand is raised as one who picked Atlanta to win the division — even you folks who didn’t buy into it could never have imagined they would struggle like this.
Then again, who’d have ever imagined that virtually every possible area of concern would wind up with the worst-case scenario realized? Every aging and/or injury-prone veteran has missed significant time due to injury including many — no, make that most — of the key pitchers lost to arm surgeries.
John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan missed almost the entire season. Tom Glavine will end up missing two-thirds of it. Tim Hudson, close to half.
But while injuries can explain why the Braves weren’t able to contend for a postseason berth, and why they understandably decided to wave the white flag at the trade deadline and ship out Mark Teixeira after it became obvious they couldn’t win the division, injuries can’t explain what else has happened.
Sloppy, uninspired play — not every night, but too many nights lately. A completely punchless offense — due in part to very little production from Matt Diaz, who struggled before he got hurt; due in greater part to the performance of Jeff Francoeur, who has looked lost at the plate most of the season.
Francoeur, a player the Braves were counting on for big production in the middle of the order, has struggled to such a degree that his future as a franchise cornerstone — perhaps even his future with the team, period — no longer seem assured.
The Braves have a lot of work to do this winter. I don’t envy GM Frank Wren, because the scrutiny is going to be great from Braves Nation. It’s been a trying time in his first year on the job, and not going to get easier anytime soon.
This team was a winning machine for a long time, churning out division title after division title, with a pennant sprinkled in here and there and one World Series title.
Sure, there was grumbling from some quarters about the Braves winning only one World Series during that run. But after the way things have gone these past few years, well, I’ve got a feeling most Braves followers would relish the opportunity to be upset about a first-round playoff exit.
Lot of work to do, indeed. To be a major contender, this team needs to acquire at least one and probably two solid, proven top-half-of-the-rotation starters to pair with Jair Jurrjens next season. Hudson is going to be out until at least August, and there’s no guarantee, none whatsoever, that Smoltz or Glavine will be back at all. And if Smoltz does return, it might be as a reliever.
The Braves have to decide how to fix their outfield, and whether adding one power-hitting corner outfielder (for left field) is enough. In other words, will they be comfortable counting on Francoeur to bounce back with a solid season?
Jordan Schafer should be ready to play center field in 2009. If not, the Braves have other possibilities including Gregor Blanco, Josh Anderson and perhaps Mark Kotsay, though he says he’d like to come back but probably only in a full-time starting role (can the Braves count on him to fill a full-time role?)
I don’t know if the Braves are as content with their infield as Wren indicated at the trade deadline. Maybe so, but the right side with Kelly Johnson’s mediocre defense and Casey Kotchman’s modest offense, seems less than ideal. One of them, yes, both both?
Omar Infante will presumably be back, as will Martin Prado. So the Braves have solid backups at third base and second base. But what about backup shortstop and first base (assuming Kotchman is the starter)? So many things to address.
Lot of work ahead. But there’s also still a lot of time to go this season before the Braves can formulate a serious free-agent plan and discuss possible trades that might fill most of their needs. Right now, it’s just speculation.
Bottom line, they need to make moves to bring in people that can restore both the performance level and the professionalism that, at least to me, seems lacking lately. These Braves aren’t playing or carrying themselves like the Braves we’ve been accustomed to seeing, and Braves Nation is getting restless.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Stunning stats: The Braves have a league-low 17 saves (in 29 opportunities) this season. Washington has the next-fewest saves, with 22. With only 34 games left, the Braves’ saves leader has only five (Mike Gonzalez)….
— The Braves’ 5.90 ERA since the All-Star break is nearly a full run higher than the next-worst (Cincinnati, 5.07). This after the Braves posted a 3.69 ERA before the break, second in the league behind the Dodgers (3.64)….
— The pitching’s faltered, but the power hitting has been even worse lately:
— The Braves have a majors-low seven homers in August in 667 at-bats. Yes, seven homers in 667 at-bats. Nine NL teams have hit at least 20 homers in August. Kotsay is the only Brave with more than one homer in August. He has two….
— Braves outfielders have hit 23 homers all season, which is less than half the league average and 10 fewer than the next-lowest total, the San Francisco outfielders’ 33 homers. Seven NL teams have at least 55 from outfielders….
— Braves outfielders are slugging .368. Washington outfielders (.360) are the only other ones in the NL slugging below .413….
— Since the All-Star break, Braves home runs leaders are Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira, with three apiece. Teixeira played 10 games (35 at-bats) after the break before he was traded. Six Braves have more than 100 at-bats since the break, and none has more than two homers (McCann has 89 at-bats since the break).
OK, a tune: But there’s no reason to be entirely down out there. Not when there are two just-released, well-reviewed movies starring the ravishing Penelope Cruz (OK, that was kind of random, but she just does it for me).
A tune:
”WISH YOU WERE HERE” by Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange
A walk on part in the war,
For a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
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