Tommy Hanson challenges Phillies' Happ for rookie honors

By David O’Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PHILADELPHIA — While the Braves haven’t been able to gain ground on the Phillies, Tommy Hanson has crept up on Philadelphia pitcher J.A. Happ in the race for National League Rookie of the Year.

Hanson was 9-2 with a 3.19 ERA before making his 15th start Friday night in the Braves’ series opener against the Phillies. Happ is 10-3 with a 2.63 ERA, and the general consensus is that he remains the favorite for the rookie award.

While Hanson was toiling at Class AA Mississippi until June, Happ made 12 relief April-May relief appearances before moving into the Phillies rotation.

Happ is 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 14 starts, 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in relief.

“I like both of them,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “Happ wasn’t as good the last time we faced him, but I’ve seen him before, and on TV, where he just popped your eyes out with his stuff.”

Hanson had 69 strikeouts and 32 walks in 86-2/3 innings before Friday, with a .239 opponents’ average and eight homers allowed.

As a starter, Happ had 80 strikeouts and 42 walks in 122 innings, with a .234 opponents’ average and 14 homers allowed.

With his relief statistics included, Happ had 97 strikeouts and 51 walks in 143-2/3 innings, with an impressive .226 opponents’ average.

“I think [Happ] should be Rookie of the Year, I can tell you that right now,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told the Philadelphia Daily News. “For what he’s done for us and how he’s done, it’s pretty hard for me to see somebody beating him out for that, but, of course, I don’t have a vote.”

Hanson entered Friday on a four-game winning streak, the second time he has won four consecutive starts in his brief major-league career.

Others who could figure in the rookie balloting among writers at season’s end: Cubs pitcher Randy Wells (9-7, 3.06 ERA in 20 starts) and outfielders Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Dexter Fowler of Colorado.

McCutchen hit .290 with 33 extra-base hits, a .361 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases in 72 games before Friday, including seven homers since the All-Star break. He was hitting .347 in 49 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Before landing on the disabled list this week, Fowler hit .270 with 27 doubles, nine triples, four homers, a .372 OBP and 26 stolen bases for the surging Rockies, including .297 with a .408 OBP since the All-Star break.

Chipper trying to thaw

Chipper Jones has been mired in one of coldest-hitting stretches of his career, and the Braves hoped his encouraging game Thursday against San Diego and a weekend series with the Phillies would help him snap out of it.

Jones entered Friday with a .341 average, 42 homers and a .458 on-base percentage in 201 career games against the Phillies, and including .372 with 11 homers and 29 RBI in his past 35 games against them.

But he has rarely faced them amid a funk like he has been in lately. Before going 2-for-3 with two walks Thursday, Jones hit just .236 with 17 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and a .377 slugging percentage in his past 63 games.

“He’s been working on it,” hitting coach Terry Pendleton said, “trying to get settled and get his hands through the ball, just trying to get his swing back.”