May 02 2008
Things could be a lot worse for the Braves … really
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – Want to know the best thing that happened to the Atlanta Braves in April?
The calendar flipped to May.
But in the cruel fashion that’s dogged this team through the season’s first five weeks, the month ended with the lowest of lows in a month chocked full of them: A 12-inning loss in which the Braves wasted a good performance from their starting pitcher, could not get its offense on track and paid the price for questionable managerial decisions, the bullpen falling apart with the game on the line after the Braves took the lead in extra innings.
Come to think of it, Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Nationals wasn’t too much different from the rest of April.
It’s hard to imagine a worse start for a team from which so much was expected. Granted, that may sound harsh considering the team we’re discussing reached May Day sitting just three games below .500 and just three games out of first place.
It could be worse – and it has.
While everybody in Atlanta is tripping down Memory Lane thanks to the Hawks’ playoff surge, I decided to look back 20 years, when the Hawks last dueled the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs. That spring, the Braves were done before the Hawks. Seriously. Starting the season 0-10 will do that to you. The ’88 Braves won two in a row after dropping their first 10, then lost three straight, scoring nary a run in each of those three losses. By May 1, the Braves were 6-18. When Larry Bird outdueled Dominique Wilkins in that epic Game 7 of the Hawks/Celtics series and Boston finally eliminated the Hawks on May 22, the Braves sat 12-27 and 11 ½ games out in the NL West.
So you see, it COULD be worse.
Come back from 20 years ago to the present, and do you feel better? Of course you don’t, and you should feel bad after watching the ’08 Braves muddle and stumble and limp through the first 27 games of a season in which we thought the Braves would roar out of the gate. Instead, four starting pitchers landed on the disabled list, the offense hit in the clutch like they were holding a wet newspaper rather than a Louisville Slugger, and the bullpen took turns tossing gasoline onto raging fires.
So, what to make of all of this as the Braves open the May portion of their schedule tonight at home against Cincinnati, a portion of the schedule that will – believe it or not – make or break the rest of 2008:
– A starting pitcher not named Jair Jurrjens must step up and pitch consistently. The 22-year-old right-hander has pitched six or more innings in each of his starts so far. Can’t say the same for Tim Hudson, who has a pair of three-inning exits in his past three outings. Hudson and Tom Glavine, who went on the DL for the first time in his career last month, absolutely have to take control of a starting rotation left in shambles by Hudson’s inconsistency, Glavine’s injury, the continuing injury woes of Mike Hampton and the loss of John Smoltz (the starter) presumably for the rest of the season.
– Somebody not named Chipper Jones must start hitting in the clutch. Jones has ripped through National League pitchers, but while most of the lineup has produced, very little has come when the Braves have needed it most. Time and time again, Atlanta has left runners on base in critical situations. Hence, 60 percent of the Braves’ losses are by one run, and Atlanta is 0-9 in games decided by a lone run, the worst record in the majors.
– Somebody in the bullpen has to become a stabilizing force in the late innings. Perhaps Smoltz (the reliever) will be that guy, but counting on him before early June at the earliest is foolish. Peter Moylan likely is gone for the year, and Rafael Soriano continues his DL stint with a sore elbow. We’ve seen very good things from Blaine Boyer and Manny Acosta, but we’ve also seen them melt down in the pressure cooker of games on the line in late innings. Mike Gonzalez could be back in two weeks; his presence immediately will help.
For all that has gone awry for the Braves so far – and as you know, there’s plenty that didn’t follow the script in April – Atlanta is still right in the thick of the NL East race. A few clutch hits here, and few pitches by relievers that didn’t miss location there, and the Braves likely would be in first place. That in and of itself is a saving grace for this team. Honestly, it deserves to be seven or eight games out of first place, not three.
But if the Braves’ play in May resembles anything close to what we saw in April, that’s exactly where they will be when the month ends. And if you think things are tough now, remember, it could be worse. And it will be, if this team doesn’t start playing better.
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Editor’s note: Thanks so much for your comments. I am working through some technical issues that are preventing me from posting comments of my own. Please keep leaving your feedback, and once things are resolved on this end, I’ll be more than happy to respond to your questions and comments. Thanks again! Bud L. Ellis.
