May 27 2008
Braves smash Webb to cap awesome homestand
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 7, Diamondbacks 3
Top of the Order: The Braves chased Brandon Webb – arguably the best pitcher in baseball – by the fifth inning, and combined clutch hitting with great bullpen work to capture the series finale over Arizona, finishing the homestand at 8-3.
The Good: Mark Teixeira continued his May awakening (.378, 10 RBIs in his past 10 games) by going 2-for-4 with four RBIs Monday, all four ribbies coming in the first two innings, two of which came with two outs and runners in scoring position. Rookie Gregor Blanco went 3-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. He’s hitting .299 and continues to earn more playing time. Chipper Jones went 1-for 3 and walked twice, his major-league leading average dipping one point to .416. Yunel Escobar added two hits as the Braves pounded out 12 hits, 10 off Webb. Ruben Gotay added a pinch-hit single in the fifth to drive in a run. Jeff Bennett came on with the tying run at the plate in the top of the fifth and got out of trouble. Manny Acosta and Blaine Boyer locked it down from there, each throwing two scoreless innings to finish the game. Acosta earned the victory. And here come the reinforcements for the pitching staff: Buddy Carlyle returned to the active roster from the disabled list, as the Braves designated Chris Resop for assignment. Rafael Soriano is expected to be activated in the next day or two if today’s bullpen session goes well. Mike Gonzalez is expected to start a minor-league rehab assignment sometime this week, too.
The Bad: What is it with blisters and this pitching staff? Now it’s Jair Jurrjens who has a blister, one that hindered his sinker Monday and forced him from the game after 4 2/3 innings. Jurrjens wasn’t spectacular (eight hits, three runs, two walks, four strikeouts), but he wasn’t bad either. Mark Kotsay was scratched from the lineup with back soreness that isn’t expected to sideline him for Tuesday’s series opener at Milwaukee. The Braves left 10 runners on base. The Marlins beat the Mets to keep the Braves 2 ½ games out of first … but seriously, you never can consider the Mets losing to be a bad thing.
View from the Sports Garage: Wow, what a homestand! An 8-3 finish against three playoff contenders, the A’s, Mets and D’Backs. What’s encouraging to me is not just the fact Atlanta won eight of 11 on this homestand, but the way the Braves played as a whole. Clutch hitting. Solid starting pitching. Outstanding bullpen work. Fundamental baseball (both Jurrjens and Jo-Jo Reyes put down perfect bunts Monday, for example). This team came home May 16 stuck at .500 and wallowing in mediocrity. Now, they’re five games over and look like they’re ready to play like a playoff-caliber squad the rest of the season. The bullpen is about to be bolstered by the return of Soriano and Gonzalez (and maybe John Smoltz, too), which is why you saw Acosta and Boyer stretched out to two innings each Monday. The offense is absolutely clicking right now with Escobar, Jones, Teixeira, Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson and Blanco flat out killing the ball. The starting pitching has been good enough on most nights. Now comes the tough part: Turning things around on the road, where Atlanta is a ghastly 6-16 (compared to a sparkling 22-7 at Turner Field).
On deck
Braves at Brewers
8:05 p.m. today, Miller Park
The Skinny: Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.97 ERA) climbs the hill for the Braves in the opener of a six-game road swing through Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Huddy was fantastic his last time out, pitching eight strong innings to slay Johan Santana and the Mets. He’s pitched like an ace in four of his past five starts (four victories), and tonight is a chance for Timmy to set the tone for the road trip. Man up, Huddy! The Brew Crew – who has lost 15 of its past 23 – counters with Dave Bush (1-5, 6.56 ERA), who is hanging onto his spot in the rotation by a thread after allowing six earned runs his last time out against Pittsburgh. He’s already been sent to the minors once this season. Hopefully, the Braves make it an easy decision for Milwaukee manager Ned Yost by blasting Bush and opening the road trip in a good way tonight.
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