May 18 2008
Braves nearly emerge from big hole but fall short against A’s
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
A’s 5, Braves 4
Top of the Order: Tim Hudson’s control and the Braves defense were not sharp as Atlanta slipped into a big hole and couldn’t come all the way back, losing for just the fifth time in 20 home games.
The Good: Mark Teixeira showed signs of shaking off his latest struggles, going 2-for-4 with a run scored to bump his average up to .247. Atlanta did muster a ninth-inning rally, on hits by Teixeira, Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson, scoring three times to pull within one run. Chris Resop struck out two in pitching two and one-third scoreless innings. Phil Stockman, recalled when Chuck James was demoted, made his season debut with a perfect inning, striking out one.
The Bad: Hudson didn’t have anywhere near the crisp location that’s marked his past three starts. Had he been sitting at a poker table Saturday night, all those fives in his pitching line would’ve been worth some money. Instead, his night of fives – five innings pitched, five hits, five runs, five walks – put the Braves too far behind. Johnson didn’t help the cause in the second when he tried to make a tag-and-throw double play, only to miss the tag and then throw late to first. Hudson then allowed a three-run homer. Chipper Jones went 0-for-4 as his average fell to .412. The Braves struck out 11 times against Oakland pitching. With the Marlins winning, Atlanta now trails first-place Florida (still sounds strange, doesn’t it?) by three games in the NL East. The loss snaps a seven-game home winning streak.
View from the Sports Garage: One of those nights where you end up playing from behind for most of the time, and that’s not a good place to be when you’re facing Rich Harden, the Oakland starter who fanned eight hitters in seven innings and scattered four hits. Hudson didn’t have good command, and the Johnson misplay on the should’ve-been-DP in the second changed the game. Probably going to see more of Omar Infante at second as we slip into more of a platoon situation at second. I’m not sure I like that. KJ is a very good hitter when he’s positioned lower in the order – and Bobby Cox recently moved him to seventh in the lineup, where he should’ve been from day one. But defensively, KJ isn’t as smooth at Infante, and while Johnson has made great strides in learning the position, the Braves can’t afford to lose games because of their defense. It was encouraging to see Atlanta battle back in the late innings again; just fell a little bit short. For those of you updating your scoreboards at home, it’s now 2-12 in one-run games.
On deck
Braves vs. A’s
1:30 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: He allowed 11 hits his last time out, but Jo-Jo Reyes and the Braves’ brass believe the young left-hander fashioned one of his finest efforts to date in a loss to Philadelphia Tuesday night. Reyes (1-1, 4.30 ERA) threw first-pitch strikes to 27 of the 32 hitters he faced, and several of those hits were bleeders and bloopers on good pitches. With James now back at Richmond and Jorge Campillo the latest to audition for the rotation – Campillo will start Tuesday’s doubleheader nightcap against the Mets – this is a great time for Reyes to make a statement to the Braves by nailing down the fourth spot in the rotation with several good starts in a row. For Oakland, Justin Duchscherer (3-2, 2.20 ERA) has been stellar since coming off an early-season DL stint: six earned runs in five starts. He retired 13 hitters in a row in his last start against Cleveland. The Braves need Reyes to step up today and pitch well. A victory gives Atlanta a series win and momentum heading into a big four-game set with the Mets starting Tuesday.
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