AJC > Blog > Archives > 2008 > April > 10
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Braves have a new and different problem
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chuck James certainly didn’t have the outing he’d hoped for (six earned runs in three innings), but it’s not entirely fair to judge him on a night when he wasn’t feeling well, the wind chill was 36 and it was raining. Those aren’t ideal conditions by any stretch of the imagination, but it must be noted that he continued his history of struggling the second time through the order, which indicates he’s not making adjustments.
In the end, despite Brian McCann’s big night at the plate (3-for-4 with three RBIs), the bats couldn’t bail Chuck of the early hole.
The bigger issue out of last night’s game, though, involves the guy who went on the DL in the move that made room for James on the roster: Rafael Soriano. The Braves’ closer is out for at least 15 days with tendonitis in his right elbow. The good news is, that might explain why he’s looked a bit shaky lately; the bad news is, there’s no obvious replacement.
With the Braves losing 9-5 (and later 12-5) in the eighth, Bobby Cox didn’t have to make an immediate decision, but assuming this team will have a slim ninth-inning lead at some point in the next two weeks, he’ll have to eventually. Three relievers other than Soriano have had save opportunities, but none of them have saves. Peter Moylan, Will Ohman and Blaine Boyer are a combined 0-for-3 in save ops. While that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, there are some extenuating circumstances.
Ohman’s blown save came in the seventh inning of the last game of the Pirates series, when Martin Prado’s error and a passed ball contributed, so the run was unearned. And Moylan’s could have been prevented with a better throw by Yunel Escobar in the seventh inning of the home opener against Pittsburgh, so that run was unearned as well.
Ohman has a 0.00 ERA, and Moylan’s ERA is only 1.93, but the sole run he’s given up in his six appearances was a costly one — Ryan Zimmerman’s game-winning shot in the ninth on Opening Night in Washington, D.C.
Bobby didn’t give a definitive answer in the postgame interview, but I’m guessing they’ll go by committee with Moylan being the first choice. What do you think Bobby and Roger McDowell will do?
As bad as things may seem for the Braves, though, they’re worse for Andruw Jones. Joe Torre obviously isn’t the patient man that Bobby is, because only nine games into the season, Andruw was benched by the Dodgers.
He’s hitting a miniscule .103 and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday night’s game. “He just looks now like he’s overanxious, that’s the simplest explanation,” Torre told MLB.com. “It looks like he’s doing more guessing than anticipating. We know it’s not physical. He seems to be getting in his own way.”
The Braves’ former center fielder signed a two-year, $36.2 million deal with L.A., and Torre said he might be pressing to justify that money. Another theory is that he’s picking up where he left off last year, when he ended the season with a .222 average and 138 strikeouts.
I’m not trying to bash Andruw — he’s probably the best defensive center fielder of his generation and was a great presence in the clubhouse — but you’ve got to wonder when, or if, he’s going to snap out of this extremely prolonged slump.
Permalink | Comments (77) | Post your comment | Categories: Chop Chick
