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 2-7 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 Columbia 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.
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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.
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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….
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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….
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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.
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Good to know I can only blog at work now. As if I needed more reasons not to do my work. This gives me more time at home to watch the Braves. There’s no place like home… There’s no place like home…... read the full comment by Tomahawk Matt | Comment on Coming home at the perfect time Read Coming home at the perfect time
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It must be a ploy to shift the anger of the blog away from Francoeur, Chuck, and Bobby! Tex also.... read the full comment by The Crab | Comment on Coming home at the perfect time Read Coming home at the perfect time