Jul 15 2008
Braves at the Break: A long, strange trip
Editor’s note: Braves at the Break is a four-part look at the 2008 Atlanta Braves at the All-Star break. The series begins today with a look at the first half of the season, and continues through Friday.
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Listening to Pete Van Wieren’s voice through my Internet connection, broadcasting spring training games from a variety of idyllic settings throughout Florida this March, optimism abounded like the spring breeze.
The Atlanta Braves, after spending the past two Octobers watching the playoffs instead of taking part in them, were geared toward returning to the postseason. The lack of pitching depth that had helped to short-circuit the 2006 and 2007 seasons was addressed in the offseason. The offense, prone to long stretches of unproductiveness, was constructed to rely more on gap power and line drives, and less on the three-run homer and big inning. The bullpen, at times shakier than a house of cards the past two seasons, looked locked and settled.
So, what the heck happened along the way to fourth place, five games under .500 and 6 ½ games out of first at the All-Star break?
Just about every calamity imaginable for a team that actually had folks uttering the words “World Series” in spring training.
To say watching and writing about this team during its first 95 games of the season has been interesting would do the situation a grave injustice. For in 30 years of watching ball, the past three and a half months have been an exercise in – time and time again – looking at the person next to you, sending a text, or picking up the phone and saying, “did that really just happen?”
Did Kelly Johnson really drop that fly ball with two outs in the ninth against Philly, a game that would’ve pulled the Braves within 2 ½ games of first place in early June?
Did Mike Hampton really pull a chest muscle warming up in the bullpen for his first major-league start since August 2005?
Did Bobby Cox really call on (insert Blaine Boyer/Manny Acosta here) again?
Did Jeff Francoeur really swing at that pitch?
Did John Smoltz really try to come back as a reliever, throwing three-quarters?
Did the Braves really lose ANOTHER one-run game?
Did the Braves really lose ANOTHER road game?
To all of the above, the answer is yes. You saw it happen to this team in the first half.
That pitching depth I spoke about, so deep in spring you practically had to step high to avoid it at Lake Buena Vista? It’s a good thing the Braves compiled it; they’ve needed every single ounce of it. Three-fifths of the starting rotation leaving spring training – Smoltz, Hampton and Tom Glavine – currently resides on the disabled list, along with four relievers counted on heavily coming out of spring (Jeff Bennett, Acosta, Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano).
Smoltz, Hampton and Glavine have combined for five wins all season. Soriano, the closer, and Moylan, the set-up guy, were gone two weeks into the season. We may see Soriano return; Moylan is out until next year. Smoltz is done for the year and may never pitch again. Glavine may be done, too. Hampton? He starts this week for Mississippi, and (disclaimer alert!) could be in the major-league rotation after the break.
Despite all of this, the pitching has been plenty good enough. The Braves, sparked by Tim Hudson (who should have 14 wins but only has nine due to lack of run support), Jair Jurrjens (even better than we thought), and the young corps of Jo-Jo Reyes, Jorge Campillo and Charlie Morton, have held this thing together. Despite Boyer, Acosta, Will Ohman and Bennett being overworked to the point of one having to seriously question Cox’s rationale in using relievers, the Braves’ bullpen has been – for the most part – effective.
But about those close games …
Is there anything more frustrating than watching this team come up one-run short, time after time after time? The Braves played with a fear of not losing for most of the first half, displaying a lack of confidence when games got tight. That wasn’t supposed to happen with a team that features a good mix of veterans and youth, but it did. And I don’t care what the players say, you could see it in their eyes in the seventh inning of a one-run game on the road.
They knew what was coming.
The lack of consistent hitting is the single biggest reason the Braves find themselves staring up at Philadelphia, the Mets and Florida in the watered-down, plodding-along NL East. Cox juggled the lineup in early May, ending the Johnson-at-leadoff spot (hopefully) once and for all. It worked for three weeks, until Mark Kotsay’s back shelved him for a month. Rookie Gregor Blanco has played well at times hitting leadoff, although he strikes out more than one would like from a table-setter and just wrapped up a 3-for-24 road trip. Yunel Escobar is better suited for the second spot.
Injuries certainly haven’t helped here, either. Along with Kotsay, Matt Diaz – who hadn’t been able to replicate his success from the past two seasons – is rehabbing from an injured knee. Escobar has missed time with a bad shoulder. Chipper Jones has been hobbled by a quadriceps injury. Omar Infante, who provided a spark when healthy, is back on the DL with a hamstring injury. Martin Prado missed time with a thumb injury. When you have to start two rookies (Brandon Jones and Blanco) in the outfield, and are relying on Brent Lillibridge and Greg Norton in your starting lineup on a consistent basis, it’s hard to expect consistent offensive support.
Then there are the cases of Mark Teixeira and Francoeur. One (Teixeira) has pretty good stats. One (Francoeur) has stats so poor, he earned an all-expenses paid trip for the Fourth of July weekend … to Double-A. Teixeira’s numbers aren’t bad, but Braves’ fans expected so much more from a player they traded five prospects for at the trade deadline last summer, one who will command a king’s ransom at the trade deadline or, if kept, at the end of the season. Francoeur’s endured the worst prolonged slump I’ve ever seen from a major league player, and his comments about his demotion coupled with his hurried return to the majors sparked a firestorm that was unnecessary and disappointing.
And still, through all of this, the Braves have somehow found a way to keep the cart from totally sliding off the slope. Chipper Jones’ run at .400 may have subsided (he enters the break hitting .376), but the veteran third baseman still is having a stellar season; he’ll start tonight for the NL All-Star team. Brian McCann (the Braves’ other All-Star) and Escobar have proven themselves to be young stalwarts on the rise, among the best at their position in the NL (and that’s quite a strong statement, given the amount of great shortstops and catchers in the Senior Circuit, but Mac and Esco are on those short lists). Hudson and Jurrjens have pitched like aces. Reyes and Campillo have shown they can dominate games. Morton is going to be a special one, although he needs just a bit more seasoning.
It’s easy to say this team should be so much better than 45-50, and it’s true. Losing 22 of 27 one-run games is the most damning statistic; win just seven of those 22 losses, and the Braves would lead the East by ½ game. The play on the road (15-32) has been brutal, although the 3-3 road trip to enter the break hopefully is a sign of a turnaround in that department.
At the break, the Braves are an enigma in every sense of the word. Will enough of their injured players heal in time for Atlanta to make a second-half surge? Can this team hit consistently enough to win some of those close games, especially on the road? Does this team try to get a power-hitting outfielder (Xavier Nady of the Pirates is a popular choice) at the deadline, or does it deal Teixeira to the highest bidder (the Red Sox and Angels seem to occupy the top of the list) and start looking toward 2009?
Whatever happens the next three weeks, this much is certain: It’s been a long, strange trip to this point, and the soothing optimism that was so plentiful in March is in short supply.
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