Fredi Gonzalez is a manager on the final year of his contract. He’s working for men who didn’t hire him. He was always a long shot to be here next year, but the way it’s going — the Braves awoke Wednesday 0-7 and then learned outfielder Hector Olivera had been arrested — Fredi G. mightn’t be around next month.
As bad as the Braves have looked, they might have won a few of those first seven games with different managerial choices. A comprehensive look at our second-guesses:
Game 1, Opening Day vs. the Nationals: The Braves led 3-2 in the eighth. As he'd promised, Gonzalez used Arodys Vizcaino, his best reliever, in what was deemed the highest-leverage situation. Summoned in the eighth, Vizcaino issued a one-out walk to Bryce Harper but whiffed Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy. Jason Grilli, a 39-year-old coming off a torn Achilles, started the ninth. The first three Nats reached. The tying run scored on a sacrifice fly. Washington won in 10 innings. Given that Vizcaino threw only 16 pitches and that the Braves were off two of the next three days, could he have delivered a six-out save?
Game 2, last Wednesday vs. the Nationals: The Braves led 1-0 after six innings. The journeyman Bud Norris stayed in for the seventh. The tying run scored with two outs when catcher A.J. Pierzynski — for the second time in two games — dropped a throw. After an intentional walk, the right-handed Norris was allowed to face Matt den Dekker, a left-handed hitter whose career average against lefties is .156. His double on Norris' 92nd pitch scored two runs.
Game 3, Friday vs. the Cardinals: Matt Wisler, who's 23, carried a 4-3 lead into the seventh. He'd thrown 85 pitches on a chilly night. (Game time temperature was 59 degrees.) Gonzalez let him keep going. Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hazelbaker smacked Wisler's 90th delivery for a tying home run. The Cardinals would set a big-league record by hitting two more pinch-hit homers — one in the eighth against Eric O'Flaherty, another in the ninth off John Gant.
Game 5, Sunday vs. the Cardinals: The Braves led 6-5 after seven innings. Jim Johnson, who'd been needed in the seventh after Daniel Winkler broke his elbow, returned for the eighth. Johnson retired the first two hitters. Matt Holliday's blooper dropped for a single. Matt Carpenter was hit by a pitch. Time for Vizcaino? Nope. Hazelbaker singled to tie the game. Still no move to the bullpen. Stephen Piscotty, the eighth (of nine) hitters Johnson faced, singled to put St. Louis ahead.
Game 7, Tuesday at Washington: Gordon Beckham doubled with two out in the seventh inning of a scoreless game. Due up was Jhoulys Chacin, who'd needed 69 pitches over six innings. Leave him in? Nope. Gonzalez chose Jace Peterson, who was batting .133, to pinch-hit. He struck out. In the eighth, the Braves loaded the bases with one out. Jeff Francoeur, a right-handed hitter, grounded into a double play against righty Blake Treinen. Why not pinch-hit with lefty Kelly Johnson? (The Nats had no lefty warming.)
Wait, there’s more. Johnson yielded two baserunners in the bottom of the inning. O’Flaherty, already carrying two losses and a 13.50 ERA, was called. The Braves could have used Vizcaino, a righty against whom lefties have hit .202 over his career. They wound up with a garden-variety lefty — who had, to be fair, struck out Harper the night before — facing a lefty who hits everybody. (Harper batted.355 against righties last season, .318 against lefties.) They were beaten by his two-run double on O’Flaherty’s first pitch.
You can say that Gonzalez has been handed a truly bad team, and you’d be absolutely right. You can’t, however, say that he has maximized what resources he has. He’s managing as if he wants to be fired. That could happen soon.
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