Mar 14 2009
Braves make it eight (or is it 10?) straight
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Atlanta 9, Florida 2 (exhibition)
Top of the Order: Win, win, win … down 2-0 after the first inning, super-prospect Tommy Hanson settled down and the Braves’ offense roared to life once again, scoring six times in the fifth en route to Atlanta’s eighth-consecutive Grapefruit League victory and 10th W in a row overall.
The Good: Gonna start with the young star in the making on the hill. Yes, Hanson gave up two runs in the bottom of the first, but one run was unearned, and from there, Hanson totally took control. His line wasn’t dominant – five hits, two runs, two walks, two strikeouts – but lotta poise from the 22-year-old to settle down and get on a roll. James Parr, impressive in two of his four September starts last season, continued his dominant spring with 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless inning, striking out four. The offense took it from there. Jeff Francoeur continued his great week with two hits, two RBIs, two runs scored … and once again, no strikeouts (no whiffs all spring for Frenchy … let that soak in for a minute). Omar Infante hit a two-run homer, finishing 2-for-3. Young Freddie Freeman went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, raising the 19-year-old’s average to .304. Jordan Schafer is trying his best to make center field interesting, doubling twice in going 2-for-5 to bump his average to .364. Prospect Brandon Hicks hit a solo homer. The Braves turned three double plays.
The Bad: Schafer did strike out twice. Clint Sammons’ throwing error in the first led to an unearned run. Otherwise? No complaints on this day.
View from the Sports Garage: OK, so it’s March. I hear y’all. But still … 10 victories in a row is reason to be excited or, at the very least, feel good about things. The Braves haven’t lost a game since March 1 – two of those victories don’t “count” in the Grapefruit League standings, since they came against the Panama and Venezuela World Baseball Classic teams. But here we are on March 14, and the Braves are a sporty 8-1 (or 10-1, depending on how you view it) in March. This after a 3-1 February. In fact, counting the two games against WBC teams, and the Braves have won 13 out of their past 14, after losing the spring opener to Detroit. Hanson showed his grit, grinding through a rough first inning then totally locking in, finishing with 40 strikes in 65 pitches. Offensively, this bunch continues to string hits together with runners on base. Again, I know it’s spring, but still, look at the averages of some of the Braves’ regulars: Yunel Escobar (.375), Kelly Johnson (.346), Casey Kotchman (.350), Francoeur (.280), Infante (.385), Matt Diaz (.375) … yes, those averages will drop once April arrives, but what we’re seeing is a team that puts hits together, creates scoring opportunities and cashes in on them, and backs it up with solid pitching. That’s a recipe for winning that equates any time of the year, be it March or October.
On deck
Braves at Cardinals
1:05 p.m. today, Jupiter, Fla.
The Skinny: His last time out, Kenshin Kawakami got roughed up. The good news is that outing came in a simulated game against some of his Braves’ teammates. Facing other teams’ hitters, the Japanese right-hander has been excellent. He’ll toe the slab today against a guy who grew up idolizing the Braves and was the team’s top draft pick way back in 2000 – Adam Wainwright. The pride of St. Simons Island looks to build off his stellar 2008 season for the Redbirds.
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