AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > August > 31 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe Pedro watch is day-to-day for Mets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
They should’ve had it won a while ago. They almost had it won six days ago, when they led the NL East by seven games with 34 to play. But now the befuddling Mets, more than simply not having it won, are flirting with blowing it altogether.
“A week ago,” Tom Glavine said, “we probably were where we thought we should be … We thought, ‘Here we go — we’re going on the kind of run we’d anticipated based on the talent in this room.’ “
Yet here the imperial New Yorkers were, losers of five in a row, the latest four coming in an egregious sweep in Philadelphia that included two walk-off defeats, and for their sins they got a weekend trip to Turner Field, their little shop of personal horrors.
Recent and distant history notwithstanding, the Mets’ clubhouse wasn’t a gloomy place Friday afternoon. Pedro Martinez, icepacks attached to his shoulder and his hip, was bounding around spreading his stylized brand of cheer. After briefing the assembled media, he hollered, “Hey, I’m officially back!” Even if that isn’t yet officially true, it was a sunny note in a bleak week.
Then things got sunnier still. John Maine outpitched Tim Hudson — the Braves managed but four singles, their run scoring on a wild pitch — and the Mets nudged their nemesis a bit closer to the brink. This wasn’t at all what the Braves had in mind. They’ve owned the Mets this season and most seasons, but on the last night of August one of their two aces got trumped. It has, as we know, been that sort of year.
“It’s been an up-and-down summer for all three teams,” said Glavine, including the second-place Phillies in the conversation. Such oscillations are the function of pitching, or the lack thereof. Which brings us back to Pedro.
Martinez hasn’t pitched for the Mets this season. Having undergone nearly a year’s worth of rehab after shoulder surgery and having thrown an encouraging session Friday in the Turner Field bullpen, he might start for them Monday in Cincinnati. Or he might start that day for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets’ Class A affiliate. (“It’d be the biggest game in Brooklyn since ‘56,” cracked Joe Gergen, the Newsday columnist.)
If that sounds confusing — the bigs of Cincy or the bushes of Flatbush? — it’s because the Mets themselves seemed confused. Omar Minaya, their general manager, said Pedro’s next assignment depends on how the pitcher feels this morning. But Minaya also conceded it could depend on how Orlando Hernandez, who’s known as El Duque and who has a sore toe, feels. “He’s day-to-day,” Minaya said of Hernandez. “That adds to the possibility of us [using Pedro] in a major league game.”
The Mets have sought to err on the side of caution with Martinez, but now they’re so strapped for pitching they’re in a hurry. Mike Pelfrey, who’s 0-7 in nine big-league starts this season, has been summoned from Class AAA to work today’s game here, which tells us something. Then again, the Braves will deploy Chuck James, just off the disabled list. See, nobody has enough arms.
Asked if his team was in trouble, Martinez said: “If we stay in first place, we’re not in trouble. If we fall from first place, then trouble is around the corner.”
They should’ve had this thing won. They shouldn’t need a late push from the talismanic Pedro, who would be happy to supply one. “I look at my team, getting away from that big lead,” he said. And then: “I would love to be the one to help them out.”
Maybe he will be. But only a week ago, trouble and the Mets didn’t occupy the same area code. Now trouble lurks just around the corner, trouble with a capital “T,” which rhymes with “P,” which stands for …
Pitching. And also for Pedro. But also for Philadelphia.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves / MLB, Mark Bradley
Comments
By daxxed
August 31, 2007 9:55 PM | Link to this
It does not matter how hard they try, or don’t. This season was lost when the Braves were almost swept for the season against the Reds. When the Braves failed to win 2 separate games with the winning run on 3rd and 1 or less outs and could not hit in the runner to win, I knew the season was over. And as the Braves continue their slide the opposite direction the fans can only sit and wonder, how the season would have been if only JS would have got Glavine back for this eason.
By Bill
August 31, 2007 10:23 PM | Link to this
Mark,I think you have the wrong team unraveling
By John Wayne
September 1, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this
“Turn out the lights the party’s over.”
The braves are finished. The only hope they had rested upon the shoulders of Smoltz and Hudson. Now even they are choking.
Braves will take 1 of the 3 games this weekend - maybe even 2 - then the Phillies come in and sweep us off the map.
Goodbye Atlanta Baseball. See ya next Spring.
By Martin K.
September 1, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
As a Mets fan stuck in the South, I always check with the AJC to see how Braves fans are feeling and read the quality stories…
Braves fans should still feel confident about their chances, what with the best lineup in the NL and the best 1-2 pitching tandem in the NL.
But Mark, I think you’re mistaken when you write: Mike Pelfrey, who’s 0-7 in nine big-league starts this season, has been summoned from Class AAA to work today’s game here, which tells us something.
It tells me that the Mets would rather give Pelfrey a chance in the big leagues and see what he’s got than go with journeyman Brian Lawrence, he of the 5-inning start with a 6.31 ERA.
I would rather see my young rookie experience this atmosphere, this pressure than watch another start from a guy who barely breaks 86 on the gun…
By Coach ( Lets Go Braves in 2008)
September 1, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
What , no playoffs….again ? Say it ain’t so Bobby !
By don
September 1, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this
Boom. “Big Tex” delivers again in the clutch. What a fantasy. He still, after a month, hasn’t been instrumental in any win. Zero. And, the Braves are playing sub-.500 ball since the trade.
It is not nice to gloat but, then, it is nice to be right from the beginning.
Stupid trade before the deadline. Looks even more stupid now. Will look exceedingly stupid in a year. And, even worse, if possible, five years down the line.
By Ralph
September 1, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this
The Braves look like a bunch of amateurs, playing out of their league. The expression on their faces look as if they lost the game before it starts. They look like a bunch of tired old men, that should be in an old folks home. The opposition is using the Braves pitcher for batting practice, and the Braves pitchers are the best about throwing over the heart of the plate, and give up homers. The Braves batters either swing at pitches two feet away from the plate or stand there and look at a third strike, no disciplined. Since the 90’s, I have never seen the Braves in such disarray. They are in third place by pure luck, not because they’re that good. They manage like a rerun of “Lost in space” The Braves have used the same excuses all year long, and I guess they’ll keep using it until the end of the season, no pitching and no timely hitting, no leadership, and so and so is hurt and we only have two pitchers and excuses, excuses, and more excuses and that why they aren’t in first place. The Braves organizations are the king of excuses.
They need to focus on how to fix the problems, which is the same they had lost year.
The Braves organizations are support to have professional players on a team, and they are support to be able to replace one player, with another quality player. The Braves, in plain English, smell bad, in the way they play and they smell bad, in the way they look when they play, they smell bad, in their determination and attitude toward the game. It’s become hard to watch them play, if they fall 3 runs behind, here lately, 90% of the time they lose the games.
By Adirondackdave
September 1, 2007 4:13 PM | Link to this
Not sure, but I think I heard a fat lady sing…
By braint
September 1, 2007 6:15 PM | Link to this
Even if we did get good pitching this weekend…we’ve gotten 6 singles in 17 innings and one of the 2 runs scored was on a wild pitch. 4 1/2 back to start vs. the Mets and this heartless team doesn’t even show up. How pathetic! Woodward starts at SS in a must win game with our 5 inning wonder (James) pitching? So far, 0-3 with a DP and 3 men LOB. Shocked? Yeah, shocked that Woodward has a job in MLB. Hate to say it but it’s time for Cox to retire and get new blood in the club house. Get rid of McDowell as well. This team has no heart and rolled over this wekend and played dead. How embarrassing! I’m ashamed!
By Ralph
September 1, 2007 8:18 PM | Link to this
The Braves are protecting their title of “THE KINGS OF THE STRIKE OUTS” and doing an excellent job doing it. Pendleton has done a great job as pitching coach, all you have to do is see how many Braves strike out in one game, which is an minimum of 10 per game. Bobby Cox, and his non-caring way of managing, has contaminated the whole team, with a losing attitude. What irritates the fans, is that Bobby keep making the same obvious mistakes game, after game. He manages every game the same way game after game, to the point that the opposing manager know what Bobby is going to do before he does it, and the opposing pitchers know what the Braves batters are going to swing at, that’s why they strike out so much, they fall into their trap. Bobby has become complacently. The Mets can put Pedro with two broken arm and he’ll still strike out 10 Braves batters, or if push comes to shoving insert the bat boy he’ll probable strike out six or seven. Baseball in general is the only place where one can fail, and still become millionaires doing it, all you have to do is to look at the Braves and it’s organization. I would like to see the Braves team play with a winning attitude, not with a I hope this game gets rained out, or maybe we’ll win today. I like Franco, but with the game on the line, he put him in to pitch hit, you got to be kidding. Will someone please help Bobby come out of the fog.
By Plate Appearance
September 2, 2007 8:06 AM | Link to this
IN HINDSIGHT
Has anyone noticed how well discarded Braves pitchers have been doing for other playoff contenders? Maddux for the Padres. Byrd for the Indians. Glavine and Sosa for the Mets.
Here are the 3-5 starters the Braves have needed and wanted.
It has never ceased to puzzle me why the Braves didn’t keep Maddux. He signed that same year with the Cubs for a mere 5 million.
And as to Glavine, I really do believe Tom wanted to stay a Brave. I don’t think his leaving had as much to do with less money offered by the Braves or more money offered by the Mets, as it had to do with pride factors.
Certain comments I’ve read over the years make me believe that JS didn’t as effectively communicate the full extent that the Braves wanted to keep Glavine — to Tom’s satisfaction. As such, I believe Tom’s pride was hurt somewhat and that he made a reactionary decision to go to the Mets that he didn’t really want to make.
And as to the Tex trade, as fun as it was for we fans to enjoy the excitement of seeing the Braves add such a quality player as Tex, I still in hindsight question the trade.
Look at the year LaRoche has ended up having in Pittsburgh. Many of us felt LaRoche could have been and should have been the Braves long term first baseman of the future.
And with Gonzalez having gone on the DL, the Braves effectively got nothing “back” this year for LaRoche.
Had the Braves kept LaRoche, we would have had a solidly producing first baseman over the course of the entire season — as I don’t believe LaRoche would have struggled early on with the Braves as he did with the Pirates. And the Tex trade never would have had to be made.
In fact Salty and the others, who ended up being traded for Tex, could have been traded for another quality starting pitcher.
But as mentioned earlier, had the Braves kept Maddux, Glavine, and Byrd, our starting pitching dearth certainly would have been filled in this way — thus allowing the farm system to have been kept intact.
Similarly, with the Dotel trade. I would have much rather seen the Braves give a fine arm like Davies the time to work out his problems on a minor league level — rather than trading so much talent for a short term and non-workable “fix” like Dotel.
I too, have a tendency to believe that the absence of Leo as pitching coach has played much more of a factor in the Braves woes the last two seasons than has been discussed.
I realize that this is hindsight talking, and I do appreciate the efforts JS has made to try to put the Braves over the top on the playoff picture again this year.
But as the saying goes, good starting pitching does negate good hitting, as we’ve seen in recent Braves losses. We’ve seen the absence of effective Braves pitching not “negating” opposing hitters. And we’ve seen the absence of effective Braves hitting, when the offense comes up against good starting pitching.
One final comment about the influx of Braves losses of late: I believe we’re seeing in these losses how important *the absence of Renteria * has been. Edgar has been the most consistent and clutch player on the team this year.
And in spite of how well Yunnel has played in his absence, Renteria’s inclusion in the lineup over the last several weeks would have resulted in more wins, as a result of increased clutch hitting.
JS, please don’t trade Renteria over the winter.
The other fallout of the Tex trade may regrettably be Andruw.
As DOB has recently mentioned, how can the Braves realistically afford two Boras clients — Tex and Andruw given the Braves payroll constraints?
Andruw has many, many solid years left. JS, please work to keep Andruw on the roster next year and for years in the future!
Don’t allow Andruw to be to the Braves, as say a Frank Robinson was to the Reds, when Robinson was traded to the Orioles. Frank had many stellar years ahead, as does Andruw.
I’m disappointed in the many fair weather fans, as far as Andruw is concerned. Where’s the loyalty in baseball?
Andruw’s average has been on the rise the last couple of weeks. He’s been on “the rebound”.
Again JS, please exhibit some “Braves franchise loyalty” by sincerely trying to resign Andruw.
None of us want to be looking back in hindsight on the loss of Andruw and the productive future years he’ll surely yet have, as we fans have had to do with Maddux, Glavine, LaRoche and others!