Oct 30 2008
Boyer victim of overuse, hopes to rebound for Braves in ‘09
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — It’s fitting, to a certain extent, that on the day after the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, we resume our look at key members of the 2008 Braves by focusing on Blaine Boyer.
The Walton High graduate stood on the mound on June 4, the Braves leading the NL East leading Phillies by one run with two outs in the top of the ninth. Boyer was about to nail down a save in a game that would move Atlanta to within 2 ½ games of the NL East top spot.
Then came Kelly Johnson’s drop of the final out of the game, and it all spiraled south from there.
Boyer’s season, which started strong, unraveled as the summer wore on, but I’m hesitant to put too much of the blame on the right-hander who ranked among the league leaders in appearances.
With injuries to Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano in the season’s first two weeks decimating the bullpen, Bobby Cox was reluctant to trust anybody other than Boyer, Manny Acosta and left-handed specialist Will Ohman in the late innings until Mike Gonzalez returned from surgery in June.
By then, Boyer’s arm was toast.
In May, Boyer went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and his first major-league save. Then came the fateful Phillies game, and the slide started. Boyer went 1-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 13 June games; respectable numbers. Then came July: a 7.82 ERA in 15 appearances. Then came August: a 7.94 ERA in 14 appearances. Then came September: a 21.60 ERA in four games.
Was there anybody happier to see the end of the season than Boyer? Ironically, his final appearance was his best one of September: one run allowed in 1 2/3 innings against the Phillies.
Boyer only pitched seven games total in the majors in 2006-07 due to injuries. As disappointing as his 2-6 record and 5.88 ERA in 2008 were to everybody involved, there is every reason in the world to think Boyer will bounce back. He has a great fastball that touches the mid-90s. He may not be ready to close games out, but as a seventh- or eighth-inning guy, Boyer is a good fit for this bullpen.
And after all, 2008 now is over. It’s gotta be better.
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