Braves lose by one again as April swoon continues
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
Nationals 4, Braves 3
Top of the Order: The early-season stretch from hell
extended marched on unabated, the Braves building a 3-0 lead in the top of the
first, only to see the Nats peck away in sending Atlanta to its seventh loss in
the past eight games as the Braves put runners on second and third with no outs
in the ninth but could not score.
The Good: Gonna take some digging to find some positives out
of losing to the woeful Nats for the second consecutive night. Brian McCann and
a new contact lens for his problematic left eye returned to the lineup, Mac walking
twice. The Bravos started fast, Casey Kotchman’s two-out double in the top of
the first scoring a run. Kotchman finished 2-for-4. Jeff Francoeur drove in the
second run with a hustle infield single, a third run scoring on an error on
Frenchy’s hit. Chipper Jones went 2-for-3 with a walk. Jordan Schafer doubled
twice. Peter Moylan fired a scoreless seventh inning. Mike Gonzalez struck out
two in pitching around a walk in the eighth.
The Bad: Oh, Matt Diaz, how we love ya as a hitter and how we
cringe whenever a low line drive heads your way. Matty lost a ball in the
lights in the sixth, letting it slice past him and all the way to the wall to
plate the tying run (Diaz lost a similar ball in the ninth inning of the home
opener). Oh, Jeff Bennett, how we love ya when that sinker is sinking and how
we cringe when you leave pitches up in the zone. Bennett gave up the go-ahead
single in the sixth, but battled back to leave a runner at third. The defense
was shoddy: Jones booted a ball in the sixth that led to a run. McCann sailed a
throw into center field on a stolen-base attempt in the eighth. The Braves were
horrible on the bases. Schafer couldn’t make up his mind if he should stretch a
double into a triple, decided to go back to second, and was tagged out. In the
seventh, with Jones at the plate, Martin Prado tried to move to third on a
bounced pitch at the plate, but was thrown out (ouch! It’s only the defending
NL BATTING CHAMPION AT THE PLATE) to end the inning with the Braves trailing by
one. In the ninth, the Braves put runners on second and third with no outs, but
could not get the fly ball needed to tie the game. Kenshin Kawakami couldn’t
hold the early advantage, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits in
five-plus innings, walking three and striking out two. Off the field, Garret
Anderson didn’t start yet again and may be heading to the disabled list. Put him on the shelf until he’s ready and get somebody up here who is able to play.
View from the Sports Garage: Once upon a time, the Braves
were four games above .500, tied for first place in the NL East, and looked
every bit like a team destined to play in October. Then the cold reality of the
second week of the season arrived like an Arctic cold front, and the Braves
have been frozen in their tracks ever since. You look at a road trip through Pittsburgh, Washington,
and Cincinnati,
and if you’re serious about reaching the postseason, these are the road trips
where at worst you go 6-3. The Braves have responded by losing four of their
first five on this three-city swing, this after losing three straight at home
to the Marlins. Ugh. Not exactly the type of statement you want to make after
starting the season 5-1. And yes, folks, that’s three one-run losses on this
trip. Kinda sounds like last season, doesn’t it, losing by the slimmest of
margins away from home. Ugh indeed.
On deck
Braves at Nationals
7 p.m. today, Nationals
Park
The Skinny: So I’ll have the clicker working big-time
tonight as I toggle between the Bravos and Game 2 of the Hawks/Heat series (Go
Hawks!) at the Highlight Factory! For the Bravos, it’s Jair Jurrjens toeing the
slab, and JJJ comes off a super effort for which he deserved a far better fate.
Friday in Pittsburgh, Jurrjens (2-1, 2.04 ERA) gave up one run on four hits in
6 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out seven in a game the Braves lost
1-0. For the Nationals, lefty John Lannan (0-2, 6.46 ERA) pitched well his last
time out, giving up just one run in 6 1/3 innings Friday in a no-decision
against the Nationals. The Braves tagged Lannan for nine hits and four earned
runs April 11. With the way this road trip’s unfolded so far, the Braves need a
repeat of their smacking around of Lannan to try and generate some momentum
heading into Cincy this weekend.
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Frustration grows as Braves blanked by Bucs
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
ATLANTA — Across the vast expanse of 162 games, those little moments of frustration tend to be blurred out, balanced by the ledger sheet of six months of ups and downs.
But in a season still fresh, four games of missed chances and blown opportunities fester like an open wound.
So it goes with the Atlanta Braves, the latest notch in the L column coming Friday night in the opener of a nine-game road swing. A quality start wasted, a bevy of offensive chances unclaimed, and another rough bullpen showing all added up to a 3-0 loss at Pittsburgh, bringing the once sky-high Braves to .500 through 10 games.
Jair Jurrjens definitely did his part, allowing just one run in 6 2/3 stellar innings during which the 23-year-old righty gave up four hits while walking two and striking out seven. Jurrjens, who reminds me of a young Greg Maddux — heady praise, I know — in his understanding of the mental aspect of pitching, fired a career-high 120 pitches.
He did his job. The offense … not so much.
Atlanta had its chances. Bases loaded with no outs in the second, all the Braves could do was go quietly, the last two outs coming after Jordan Schafer’s grounder back to the mound sparked a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning. Martin Prado lined into a double-play, then hit a bullet right at Pittsburgh shortstop Ramon Vazquez with two on and two out in the eighth.
The numbers give proof to the pain: 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, nine runners left on base, six hits on the night (three by Jeff Francoeur).
Mike Gonzalez then gave all of us cringing at the mere mention of the words “Braves bullpen” reason to writhe in pain some more, Gonzo giving up a two-run homer to Nate McLouth in the eighth, turning a 1-0 game into a 3-0 deficit.
Matt Capps — who hails from my hometown of Douglasville, Ga. — slammed shut the door in the ninth for the Pirates. Sorry Matt … no hometown pride swelling in my heart on this night.
So now the Bravos sit even on a season they opened with five victories in their first six attempts. It’s been a rough week, and even though they didn’t have Chipper Jones or Yunel Escobar in this one, the Braves still had moments where they could’ve come through.
The little things, those things the Braves did so well in the first week, the things this Braves’ team will have to do in order to be in the race in the NL East this season, well they didn’t get done again on this night. And the end result is another L, one that certainly doesn’t sit well with the denizens of Braves Nation.
When your starter gives you the effort Jurrjens gave on Friday, when you can hold the opposition to six hits, you’ve got to generate offense. The Braves couldn’t do it on this night. These are the games playoff teams find a way to win.
The feel-good euphoria of week one is long gone, replaced by the despair and criticism that we all absorbed in heaping doses last season. Week two hasn’t been great. The Braves haven’t won since Sunday. It’s almost Saturday. It’s time for the Braves to get back on track, to get back in the win column.
–30–
Too early to worry about Braves … or is it?
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
ATLANTA — Three days of Fish, and the Atlanta Braves suddenly stink?
Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems. But then again, this is a team that suddenly showed a disturbing inability to do the little things it did so well in winning five of its first six games to open 2009.
Those who labeled the Braves’ three-game set with Florida as a showdown in the NL East are misguided. Nothing can be decided in the third series of the season. It’s way too early to worry about losing three games in a row at home.
With that said, it’s not too early to worry about some of the things we saw the past three days at Turner Field:
– Shoddy defense: The Braves simply didn’t make the plays they should against the Marlins, and poor defense will more often than not send you into the L column. Case-in-point: While Kelly Johnson didn’t serve up that fat three-run homer to Cody Ross yesterday, his inability to catch Yunel Escobar’s feed for a double play set up Ross’ big blast, putting the Braves in a deep 3-0 hole.
– Early deficits: The starting pitching, so good through the first six games, wasn’t horrid in this series. But it wasn’t crisp. Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami had to work far too hard in the early innings, each unable to give the already gassed Braves’ bullpen a break. Speaking of which …
– Relief? Somebody? Anybody?: Peter Moylan’s inability to throw strikes, Blaine Boyer’s inability to get through an inning … it’s a disturbing trend we’re starting to see. Jorge Campillo going on the disabled list with arm fatigue (thanks, World Baseball Classic) is just the first move toward re-energizing the bullpen. James Parr had a great spring, and hopefully Jeff Bennett is finding his comfort zone. But with Jo-Jo Reyes coming up to start Saturday in Pittsburgh, somebody’s leaving the bullpen — most likely Boyer, who is out of options but at this moment, has exhausted Bobby Cox’s patience.
The good news in all of this is the Braves are embarking on a road trip where it’s feasible they can win series. Going to Pittsburgh, Washington and Cincinnati isn’t exactly like going to Wrigley, Fenway or Chavez Ravine. But if the Braves allow 21 runs in any of those series, as they did against the Marlins, they’ll be hard-pressed to win two out of three at any stop on the trip.
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Ugly, disinterested … Braves need better relief and a jolt
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
ATLANTA — Bases loaded walks. The scourge of the earth … or at least, any pitching staff hoping to be successful.
As for me, I’m sick and darn tired of
seeing them. It only generates one run, while a grand slam is four runs. But the way I feel right now, I’d rather
see an opposing batter take a Atlanta Braves’ reliever deep with the bags packed than
to watch another run score because somebody standing on the hill with an A on
their cap can’t throw the darn ball over the plate.
Come on! I’m sick of this
stuff already. Peter Moylan had great movement on his pitches in the seventh inning of the Braves’ sickening 10-4 loss to the Marlins Wednesday night at Turner Field … too
much movement. He got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but couldn’t
get the Marlins to put the ball in play and wasn’t close on ball four.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. We’ve seen Moylan author a couple of good performances before he hit a batter and walked in the eventual winning run. Blaine Boyer is
out of options, and he’s running out of time. It sucks, because the Marietta native has the
arm to be a very good pitcher up here. He dominated as a set-up man in 2005, but we’re in 2009 and the right-hander’s confidence is just shot right now.
I don’t know why, because Blaine
had a great spring. Somebody’s got to come off the roster before Jo-Jo Reyes
makes the start Saturday; while I don’t think he’d pass through waivers and the
Braves would lose him, I don’t think that will stop the team from making that
move. His pitches simply are flat, and while Bobby Cox told the media last night he still has confidence in Moylan, there was no such atta-boy for Boyer. And that speaks volumes.
Ugh … two tough losses in a row for a Braves’ team that looked so good in five of their first six games. Need to get this one today on getaway
day, avoid the sweep, and make the flight to Pittsburgh tonight a little more pleasant.
But the Braves better show a little more of the passion and swagger we saw in
the first two series of the season, or else they’re going to get their butts
handed to them on a silver platter again today. Man up, guys, and act like you
give a you-know-what, and then go out there and play like it. That top of the
ninth was an insult to every man, woman and child who considers themselves a
Braves fan.
Kenshin Kawakami toes the slab today, and the Braves have to get a deep outing from the Japanese right-hander. The bullpen is gassed at the moment, and a short outing from KK would be tough to deal with at this point.
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Lowe on the mound gives Braves high hopes
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
ATLANTA — I’ve seen some pretty good pitching in my day.
I’m a Braves fan, after all, and throughout the 1990s and the first part of this decade, we were treated to some of the greatest pitching of this — or any other — generation.
Night after night after night, the Braves sent the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz to the bump. Most nights, those three future Hall of Famers dominated in a way that we’ll wax poetic about for years to come.
Those days, as anybody who watched this team last season can attest, are over. Instead of nightly oohing and aahing, I spent most of last season writing on http://braves.today.com about yet another rotten pitching performance, another member of the starting rotation landing on the disabled list, another loss that eventually piled up to equal 90.
But Derek Lowe took us back to the heyday of Braves’ pitching dominance Sunday night, authoring a command performance on opening night. Beyond the numbers — and believe me, eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball with no walks, against a great offensive team in a hitter’s yard — it’s the way Lowe went about his business that struck me as ultra-impressive.
Folks everywhere moaned and groaned about the Braves’ lack of a pure ace. Perhaps it’s because for the first two months of the offseason, Atlanta seemed destined to land Jake Peavy, whose performance and persona personify ace in every sense of the word.
Lowe? Nowhere near the sexy, seductive pick like Peavy.
But who would you rather have out there at the top of the rotation every fifth day? Granted, Peavy is younger and throws harder. But Lowe knows how to pitch, folks, and the way he threw that heavy sinker on Sunday, it shows you that being smart and staying in control can go a long way toward success when you’re on the hill.
Lowe’s never been on the DL, annually generates double-digit wins and 200 innings, and showed Sunday night the cool calm at the helm that has helped him win six postseason games and post a career playoff ERA of 3.35.
More importantly, Lowe showed Sunday night that he can be the guy who helps lead this team back from last season’s unmitigated train wreck and back into contention. No, he won’t throw a two-hit shutout every time out. But more often than not, he’s going to give his team a chance to win. He’s going to pitch deep into games. He’s going to use that sinker, and his poise, to head off trouble at the pass.
After last season, that in and of itself is enough to make you feel good if you’re a Braves fan.
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Jo-Jo, Jeff-ro showing signs of leaving ’08 misery behind
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.com
ATLANTA
– Frustration starts with the letter F. For the Atlanta Braves, one could argue
last season’s top two points of frustration start with the letter J.
During a campaign where injuries ripped apart the starting rotation,
Jo-Jo Reyes found himself with an opportunity to establish himself as a key
part of the Braves’ future. With the offense struggling to find power and
consistency, Jeff Francoeur found himself with an opportunity to establish
himself as a bona fide major-league star.
Yeah, we know how all that turned out.
Reyes put together a solid stretch from mid-May to mid-June,
then the wheels fell out, so much so he was banished back to the minor leagues. In nine games after the All-Star break, Reyes allowed 35 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings. Ouch!
It wasn’t much better for Francoeur, who hit .277 in April, then plunged into a slump so bad, Atlanta’s chosen one was
booed, benched, and even sent to the minors for a weekend.
But on a sunny March day in Clearwater, both Reyes and Francoeur provided
evidence that they’re turning the page on their horrors of 2008.
Reyes pitched four strong innings, allowing two runs on four
hits with no walks and four strikeouts, as the Braves outlasted the Phillies
12-10. That marks four solid outings for Reyes this spring, the little lefty
now having allowed just three runs in 13 innings with six strikeouts while
going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA.
Francoeur continued to show his new approach at the plate is
working, going 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly, two RBIs and a run scored. More
importantly is what Frenchy didn’t do: strike out, something he hasn’t done in
a game all spring.
So, what to take from a Grapefruit League game the second
week of March, one held three and a half weeks before the Braves open a 2009
season that Braves Nation hopes will be better than the 90-loss misery endured
last season?
You have to be careful not to read too much into the doings
on Florida diamonds
in early spring. Still, there is plenty of reason to believe both Reyes and
Francoeur can and will help Atlanta
this season.
With a lineup devoid of a power hitter, the Braves need Francoeur
to return to his 2005-07 form. No, he does not have to hit 29 homers, as he did
in 2006. But playing in an outfield that generated a mere 27 homers last
season, Francoeur has to produce more than the .239 average and 11 homers that
defined his miserable 2008 campaign.
Some fans have moaned and groaned at Frenchy’s lack of
production this spring. Coming into Tuesday, his average hovered slightly above
.100, and he has hit just one home run. But more important is the fact
Francoeur’s stuck to his approach at the plate. He’s covering the outer half of
the plate better, he’s starting to hit the ball hard to all fields, and
especially encouraging is how Francoeur’s battled back from down in the count
on several occasions this spring, including rallying from an 0-2 count Tuesday
to produce a sacrifice fly that plated a run.
As for Reyes, it’s going to be a little harder for him to
make an impact at the major-league level this season. The Braves reconstructed
their rotation, and with the signing of Tom Glavine to man the fifth starter’s
spot, it’s more than likely Reyes spends plenty of time pitching up I-85 from
Turner Field at Gwinnett.
But given his sheer talent, which is considerable, and the
fact he’s left-handed (and that the Braves’ front four starters all are
rightys), if Reyes can continue to show the poise and control that’s marked his
first four spring appearances, he’s going to make an impact on this team at
some point.
Jo-Jo and Jeff-ro … yes, it’s early. But so far, so good.
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