Mar 07 2009
Braves blast Astros behind Diaz’ big night at plate
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Atlanta 13, Houston 0 (exhibition)
Top of the Order: Matt Diaz fronted a huge offensive showing with a three-hit, four-RBI night, and Jo-Jo Reyes’ four no-hit innings set the tone pitching-wise as the Braves improved to 5-2 in Grapefruit League action.
The Good: So what’s all this talk about the Braves struggling to score runs? Yeah, whatever. Good offensive effort on this night, and we’ll start with Diaz, who homered, doubled, drove in four and scored twice. Martin Prado added two hits and three RBIs. Jeff Francoeur scored twice and went 1-for-2, drawing a walk in the process. Casey Kotchman scored twice. Kelly Johnson walked twice. Josh Anderson drove in two. Clint Sammons went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. The Braves hung seven on the board in the fourth inning. It was all enough for Reyes, who sparkled in his four innings: no hits, no runs and two walks allowed, facing just two hitters above the minimum. Four Atlanta relievers combined to hold Houston to two hits in five innings. Jeff Bennett allowed those two hits, but nothing else in two innings. Boone Logan, Manny Acosta and Todd Redmond each pitched a scoreless frame, Acosta striking out a pair of hitters in the eighth.
The Bad: Newly signed left fielder Garret Anderson strained his right calf during pregame warmups and did not play. The Braves do not believe it’s serious, and announced Anderson as day-to-day (aren’t we all, though?). Jordan Schafer’s hopes of winning the center field job have been halted by a strained right shoulder, which will sideline him until the middle of next week.
View from the Sports Garage: Get 11 hits on offense, hold the opposition to two hits, and you’re just about guaranteed to get a W. I know, it’s early March, and nobody puts much stock into the end result of these Grapefruit League affairs. But still, drilling down into Friday’s action, there’s plenty to feel good about, and plenty of reason to believe despite not having a big bopper in the lineup – a fact that’s been repeated over and over again by the national media – these Braves can field a good offensive team. Lots of hits, lots of production with guys on base, lots of walks. That, folks, is why the Braves figure to score enough runs for their revamped pitching staff. And speaking of pitching, I wrote all last season that Reyes indeed has the stuff to be an effective major-league pitcher. The mental aspect? Gotta get tougher, gotta get better at grinding through on those nights when he doesn’t have his sharpest stuff. So far, you can’t ask anything more out of the little left-hander: two excellent outings totaling seven innings of very good pitching. Reyes walked two in the first inning, then locked in and was dominant in his next three frames. Logan continues to show he’s got a great arm and probably will be the left-handed guy out of the bullpen (Eric O’Flaherty has pitched well his past two times out, though). Great to see Acosta striking guys out. A nice night of baseball, for sure, even if it’s only the first weekend in March.
On deck
Braves at Yankees
1:15 p.m. today, Tampa
The Skinny: Ah, the Yankees. Will A-Rod have surgery on that hip of his and miss the next four months, or will he try to grind through it? We shall see, but A-Rod won’t be in the lineup today. Neither will Derek Jeter, who along with Braves’ stars Chipper Jones and Brian McCann open World Baseball Classic play for Team USA against Canada. Jair Jurrjens, who has struggled with his control so far this spring, toes the slab for Atlanta. Buddy Carlyle and Blaine Boyer, both of whom have been excellent in spring play, also are scheduled to pitch.
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