May 26 2008
Glavine slammed as Braves blown out at home
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Diamondbacks 9, Braves 3
Top of the Order: Tom Glavine struggled throughout his outing, Eric Byrnes’ grand slam in the fifth breaking the game open as the Braves fell for the second time in three games and for just the seventh time this year at Turner Field.
The Good: Boy, this is going to take some doing to find something positive from an otherwise lethargic and rotten effort. Phil Stockman pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief and was the only Braves’ hurler on this day not to allow a run, striking out four. Omar Infante started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Yunel Escobar had a hit, a walk and an RBI from the leadoff spot. Kelly Johnson drove in a run and scored once batting in the third spot, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Jeff Francoeur had a hit and threw out a runner at second base. Brian McCann pushed his hitting streak to 12 games with a hit, moving his average in May to .423. The Braves rallied from an early 2-0 deficit, briefly taking a 3-2 lead before things got out of hand. Off the field, word is closer Rafael Soriano, out since April 7, could be activated for today’s series finale.
The Bad: We’ll start with the pitching, which allowed a season-high 11 walks. Glavine walked six, fell behind 2-0 after one inning, then gave up Byrnes’ grand slam (just the second allowed by Glavine in his 22-year career) in the fifth. He finished with six walks, six runs and five hits allowed in 4 2/3 innings. Will Ohman was terrible, allowing three hits, two runs and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning. Chris Resop walked two and gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings of mop-up work. The Braves’ offense was lifeless, mustering just six hits – all singles. Chipper Jones, the majors’ leading hitter at .417, was scratched with back spasms. He expects to return to the lineup for today’s series finale. John Smoltz reported soreness after Saturday’s minor-league rehab assignment, but the Braves don’t think it’s serious and Smoltz may be activated at some point during this week’s road trip. McCann left the game in the eighth with dizziness; again, the Braves aren’t concern and expect McCann to play today.
View from the Sports Garage: Butt ugly, no other way to describe it. Glavine’s location betrayed him from the beginning. Unlike Tuesday, when he struggled in the first inning against the Mets before settling down, Glavine never found a groove. Byrnes’ grand slam broke things open, and Ohman and Resop then tossed some extra gasoline on the fire. But to be truthful, the game was over after Byrnes’ shot. The Atlanta offense was brutal. Not having Chipper in the lineup certainly hurt, but the Braves couldn’t get anything going against the D’Backs. It was a painful day in the standings, as the Marlins swept a doubleheader from the Giants to push the Braves 2 ½ games out of first in the NL East. An abomination of an effort from the Braves, who now face the prospects of trying to split the series and finish an otherwise-stellar homestand with some momentum by beating Brandon Webb in today’s series finale. Speaking of which …
On deck
Braves vs. Diamondbacks
1:05 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: Webb is in unfamiliar territory – coming off a loss, as the Marlins handed the 2006 Cy Young winner his first defeat of the season after nine consecutive victories his last time out. They don’t come much tougher than Webb (9-1, 2.69 ERA), who spun 42 consecutive scoreless innings last season, a stretch that included a complete-game gem at Turner Field last August. For the Braves, Jair Jurrjens (5-3, 2.64 ERA) once again plays stopper. The young right-hander sparkled against the Mets in his last outing, going seven strong innings and getting lots of run support. After the way the bats were swung Sunday, hopefully Jurrjens’ mates will give him a better effort today. Jurrjens has taken a liking to Turner Field; he’s 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA at home this season. It’s a dandy pitching matchup between the guys ranked fifth (Jurrjens) and sixth (Webb) in the NL in ERA. At 7-3 on the homestand, the Braves need a win to carry some momentum onto the upcoming road trip to Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
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