Jun 17 2008
Jurrjens sharp as Braves bash Rockies
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 7 Rockies 1
Top of the Order: Jair Jurrjens gave the Braves their fifth consecutive excellent outing from a starting pitcher, and Chipper Jones broke out of a recent skid with two hits to spark the Braves to their third victory in their past four games.
The Good: ANOTHER outstanding effort from a Braves’ starter on this road trip. Jurrjens stood on the bump tonight and authored his best start in a month: 7 2/3 innings, eight hits no runs, two walks, seven strikeouts. The young right-hander, who missed his last start with an injured ankle, threw 71 of his 103 pitches for strikes and kept the Rockies off-balance all night. The offense provided lots and lots of support, with five guys – Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, Brandon Jones and Gregor Blanco – each finishing with two hits. Chipper, who was 2-for-his-last-15 coming in, went 2-for-4 and singled home two runs in a three-run fifth, moving his major-league leading average up a point to .403. Francoeur broke it open with a two-run double in the eighth, and Brandon Jones added a two-run single in the ninth. Kelly Johnson walked three times and scored twice. Along with Jurrjens’ showing, the best news of this day was word Mike Gonzalez will be activated from the disabled list Wednesday. Expect the left-hander, one year and two weeks removed from Tommy John surgery, to quickly move into the closer’s role, a spot where Gonzalez has recorded 30 saves in 33 career attempts. Don’t get your hopes up, good people, but Mike Hampton is heading to the Gulf Coast League for a couple of appearances and, if nothing hurts, will then leave on a minor-league rehab assignment.
The Bad: Why, oh why, does Bobby Cox love pitching the same relievers each and every stinking night? When Jurrjens tired in the eighth, Cox brought on Will Ohman, who stranded two runners. Maybe I see that one, since a homer there makes it a two-run game. But why did Cox bring Jeff Bennett in to pitch the ninth, with a seven-run lead? Bennett, for what it’s worth, lost the shutout in the ninth. Bobby, why are these two guys being used in a blowout? Tisk, tisk. The Braves left 10 runners on base, but on this night, we’ll not whine too much about that because there was plenty of clutch hitting. One who did not hit in the mile-high air of Coors Field: Mark Teixeira, who struck out four times (fit him for the golden sombrero) and stranded six runners. Ouch! Maybe he was looking ahead to his return to Texas. The Phillies won, so the gap remains at 6 ½ games.
View from the Sports Garage: Leaving Wrigley Field Thursday evening, the black cloud of another blown game hanging over this team like the black plague, the Braves looked like a team on the verge of leaving contention behind for three months of 2009 tune-up duty. Don’t look now, folks, but Atlanta is stirring: three victories in their past four games, and all on the road! Wow! The story remains the starting rotation, which at this point in time remains Tim Hudson and a foursome of guys who each possess one year (or less) of major-league starting experience. They haven’t pitched like it, though. In the past five games, Hudson, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, Jorge Campillo and Jurrjens have combined to allow just 32 hits and eight runs in 36 1/3 innings, a sparkling 1.98 ERA in a stretch of games where the Braves have – for now – righted the ship sailing into the final three games of this monster 10-game road swing. Maybe missing his last start with that twisted ankle worked out for Jurrjens, who had struggled in his past three outings. JJJ totally dominated the Rockies, hitting his spots all night and keeping Colorado at bay until the bats got going in the middle innings. Chipper took some of the best swings we’ve seen since he hurt his quadriceps muscle nine days ago. Brandon Jones and Blanco continue to impress at the bottom of the lineup. Most importantly, the Braves have looked relaxed and confident in the past four games, winning almost half as many games away from home (three) in that span as they won in their first 31 road games (seven). If the Braves are going to be in the race in the NL East, we may look back on the past four days and mark this as where Atlanta turned the corner. One game under .500, 3-4 on the road trip and feeling good about things, the Braves head to Texas for a three-game set with the Rangers before coming home.
On deck
Braves at Rangers
8:05 p.m. today, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
The Skinny: Hudson (7-4, 2.76 ERA) has been stuck on seven wins since May 22, and it’s not his fault. In the four starts since his last win, Huddy has pitched into the seventh inning and given the Braves a chance to win each time out. In his past three outings, Hudson has a 2.21 ERA, but is 0-1 with two no-decisions in that span. Timmy gave up just one run Thursday in Chicago, but the bullpen let it slip away. For the Rangers, Vicente Padilla (8-3, 3.89 ERA) has benefited from mega run support in his past three starts. He’s 2-1 in that stretch despite allowing 12 runs in those outings. The Braves are starting to roll a little bit, and it’s critical Atlanta end the roadie with a good showing deep in the heart of Texas. Time to win two out of three and get back to Turner Field at .500 and ready to carve into the Phillies’ lead in the East.
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