Tuesday, April 29

The Pitchers Are Coming! The Pitchers Are Coming!

So far in 2008 the Braves have had to endure more than their fair share of injuries, particularly to the pitching staff. 4/5 of the optimal starting rotation has spent time on the disabled list and they've been joined by the team's three best relievers from last season. While John Smoltz's sore right shoulder will likely force him to miss another start - and may apparently require another stint on the DL - the stable of arms is likely to get a net boost shortly regardless. Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton, Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano are all expected back sooner rather than later.

Glavine is actually slated to return to the mound tonight against the Washington Nationals after being placed on the DL for the first time in his career with a strained right hamstring. While he was never expected to anchor the rotation or go deep into games, he can still churn out quality starts at this point in his career. His return could help mitigate the damaged if Smoltz has to miss much time.

Hampton hasn't started a major league game in years, but he continues to battle back from numerous injuries with steadfast resolve. He's already put together a successful 50-pitch outing for the AAA Richmond Braves and could be back in Atlanta after just one more rehab start. At this point, any amount of production from him would be a bonus. I will always wish him all the best, I just don't expect anything from him.

Gonzalez has had his timetable for return moved up a couple times already and he should now return to the big league bullpen by mid-May. Since he's coming back from Tommy John surgery, it'll take him some time to return to form, but his contributions will be appreciated regardless. The 'pen has been exhausted in this early season and they could use a guy with his track record.

Soriano's mysterious elbow problem seems to be dissipating again, which is great news. He could make his return to Atlanta as soon as early May and it wouldn't be a moment to soon. In his absence, the youngsters Manny Acosta and Blaine Boyer have really stepped up. Having Soriano and Gonzalez back should provide for a formidable bullpen sooner rather than later.

UPDATE: John Smoltz has finally relented and will be going on the DL. His performance thus far has been nothing short of extraordinary and we should once again be extremely thankful for his efforts. I'm starting to believe this might be John's last season and that's a real shame, but I'll hold out hope until he utters those final words. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope Glavine, Hampton and/or whomever else is called upon to step into the rotation can hold down the fort for a while. All of our starters will need to step up and Smoltz will have to come back sooner rather than later if the Braves are to salvage this season.

Sunday, April 20

Season To Date: Plenty of Hope.

Our rotation was expected to be solid and deep, but several injuries have cast doubt on that. Hudson and Smoltz have turned in every bit the ace-caliber performances that we have come to expect, but durability concerns hover over both of them due to John's troublesome right shoulder and Tim's mysterious decline in velocity. Nevertheless, both aces seem determined to work through their difficulties and anchor our rotation. Glavine - who was brought in for additional stability - recently landed on the DL for the first time in his illustrious career, but he should be back sooner rather than later. When healthy, Tom was a strong #3 starter, as expected. Hampton has yet to start an MLB game since 2005 and we'd be better of assuming he won't be able to contribute. Mike continues to battle through his myriad injuries and I wish him all the best. Jurrjens - acquired this off-season from the Detroit Tigers in the Edgar Renteria trade - earned a starting role in Atlanta with a strong spring and as performed admirably despite heightened pressure due to the multiple injuries throughout our pitching staff early in the season. Jair might not be able to sustain his current workload, but he's done everything we could have hoped for so far. Jeff Bennett has performed above and beyond the call of duty as he's been asked to spot start and routinely pitch out of the bullpen at the same time. Chuck James has flashed both the best and worst he has to offer, so we'll need him to settle down and perform consistently while we wait for our veterans to come off the DL. Considering the unexpected difficulties we've had to suffer so far, the rotation has managed quite well; we can also expect that they will only do better as we get healthier.

The bullpen has actually been hit harder by injuries than the rotation and, after writing the previous paragraph, that's a lot to say. The entire back end of the 'pen under optimal conditions (Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez and Peter Moylan) currently resides on the DL. Still, our other relievers have done what the can to hold down the fort. Youngsters Manny Acosta and Blaine Boyer, now called upon to close out games, have been rock solid since the calender turned to April. Lefty Will Ohman has been a steadying veteran influence and AAA reinforcements Buddy Carlyle and Jorge Campillo have been excellent in Atlanta. The aforementioned Jeff Bennett has been heroic and better than expected considering the circumstances of his use. The jury is out on LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) Royce Ring, other than to say that he is clearly best used as a specialist. All in all the bullpen has held its own despite an extremely high workload and depleted roster; moreover, they should get better as some of our relievers come off the DL.

The line-up, despite some unexpected voids in production, has been very strong overall. Chipper Jones continues to be among the best hitter alive, but he's not the only one anchoring the line-up. Rising stars Brian McCann and Yunel Escobar are performing at exceptional levels. Jeff Francouer and Mark Kostay have been fine at the plate, but their real value lies in the field where they continue to play extremely well. Unfortunately Teixeira, Johnson and Diaz have all struggled mightily. Mark is a notoriously slow starter and his MVP potential will keep him in the line-up everyday; he'll turn it around sooner rather than later. Kelly and Matt, however, have been used in platoons before and that should be a consideration moving forward. Ruben Gotay and Martin Prado have played well in limited time, as has Gregor Blanco in the outfield. The bench as a whole has performed extremely well, which is a welcome change from last season. This team has real depth here and those struggling are more likely to improve than those hitting well are likely to regress.

I still believe we'll see another pennant on the facade at Turner Field after this season is over and done with, so let's keep the faith Braves fans!

Saturday, April 5

Series Review: Washington and Pittsburgh (3/30 - 4/3)

This was not the start to the season that Braves fans were hoping for or even expecting. The two losses in extra innings to the Pirates and a walk-off loss to the Nationals in the opener were heartbreaking, to say the least. Nevertheless, there are plenty of positive notes to take away from the otherwise slow start.

It looks as though Chipper Jones and Yunel Escobar picked up right where they left off last season; they are tearing the cover off the ball! Unlike last year, however, the bench has held its own in the early stages. Chief among them has been Martin Prado, who has filled in admirably for Kelly Johnson at 2B and in the leadoff slot. Of the regulars, only notorious slow-starter Mark Teixeira has produced at below acceptable levels. Watching them hit, however, I am concerned about Jeff Francouer's unrestrained approach at the plate. The line-up has to do a better job of converting base runners into runs, but they've looked good enough so far.

The pitching has been more of a mixed bag. Tim Hudson looked great in the opener and was only taken out in favor of a pinch hitter because of the close score late in the game. Both Tom Glavine and Jair Jurrjens turned in solid outings, but neither could make it out of the 6th inning. Mike Hampton was scratched before his start, forcing Jeff Bennett to take his place in a pinch and he pitched a tough four innings himself. Their performance has been good enough, but they need to extend their starts further or risk torching the bullpen early.

The relievers have had their ups and downs as well. Quite unexpectedly, the lefties have led the way. Royce Ring and Will Ohman, when used properly, have shown that they can be extremely effective. At the back-end of the bullpen, Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano have looked every bit as dominant as they did last year, with the exception of the game ending pitch to Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman. The three righties that fill out the 'pen after them - Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer and Chris Resop - have each had disastrous outings coupled with decent to good ones, so only time will tell which is the ultimate outcome from them. They each have good stuff, so we can remain optimistic about them.

The little things or often overlooked aspects of the game that are big in baseball, have not gone our way early this season. The defense has been sloppy at times and its cost us. We have good gloves and arms almost all the way around, so I expect that difficulty to fade as time goes on.

Atlanta has played all of 2.5% of their season thus far, so it's definitely to early to panic. Mark Teixeira won't be our worst hitter this year, we'll have more than one starter crack into the 7th inning and beyond, our young guys in the bullpen will settle into some semblance of consistency and the Braves will start winning more games. For now, we should just sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that baseball is finally back!