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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Putting a positive spin on one-run losses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bobby Cox is such a glass-half-full kind of guy that he can even put a positive spin on five one-run losses. After the Braves fell to the Rockies, 4-3, last night, Cox said it was “a sign of a good team,” because they’re in every game.
They are indeed competitive, thanks mostly to solid starting pitching — last night by Jair Jurrjens, who did the bullpen a favor by going seven and keeping the game close. But the Braves weren’t able to get the leadoff guy on very often, and when the table was set, the hitting didn’t come through.
As Bobby said, the breaks haven’t gone their way, and that will probably even out eventually. But I found one stat that’s a bit unnerving: While the regulars are hitting about .280 as a team, in ESPN.com’s “close and late” category, those same guys are 11-for-70 (.157), and no regular is hitting over .300 except — get this — Teixeira (3-for-7, .429).
It does seem as though their ability to push runs across does falter as the game goes on. In fact, two of the great rallies they produced were aided by errors — namely the passed ball in Washington and the dropped routine fly ball by the Pirates.
But that’s something that will come around, right? They can’t be shut down by other teams’ bullpens forever, can they? And if the starting pitching, solid bullpen work and defense continue to hold up, they’ll be OK.
So is Bobby right? Is this the sign of a good team merely getting a few bad breaks or is it something more problematic?
Speaking of problematic, what about the center fielder of the future getting caught using HGH? The Braves organization puts a big emphasis on character, and the team as a whole was immensely proud of the fact that no current Braves were mentioned in the Mitchell Report.
So it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if Jordan Schafer is dealt in the next two years. Do you think Mark Kotsay should get settled in while the Braves start looking further down the line, or will this blow over and everything be forgiven and forgotten?
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