Things have gone from bad to worse over the past two weeks in Bravesland. It just doesn’t seem like anything can go right for Atlanta, while nothing can wrong for the opposition. Friday’s shelling at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals punctuated what has been the roughest stretch of baseball for the Braves in recent memory.

The numbers don’t lie. For a team that was second in the National League and fifth in all of baseball with a 3.79 team ERA at the All-Star break, Atlanta’s hurlers have been battered around at a 6.27 clip in the second half. Over the past two weeks, the Braves have lost 11 of 12 games coming into Saturday and a primary reason for that has been that opponents will jump out to nice leads and never look back.

It would be somewhat unfair to not mention that Atlanta’s patchwork rotation was hardly what anyone thought would be taking the mound every fifth day. What if I told you in April that the only veteran in the Braves rotation by the last week in August will be Mike Hampton? Doubtful anyone would believe me. Heck, I have a hard time believing it myself.

Each game I come across an interesting little updated tidbit that is included in the Braves media notes. When Casey Kotchman missed Wednesday’s contest to return home and be with his ailing mother, he became the 20th different Brave to go on the DL or bereavement list. Total games lost combined? 1,018 (through Friday). Wow. Or “ouch” as the case may be.

Of course, the Braves really haven’t given anyone a reason to look over their shoulder late in the game lately either. Since the trade of Mark Teixeira, the Braves offense has seemed almost punch-less at times. Brian McCann and Chipper Jones have certainly done their part, but the 1-8 production simply has not been there this season.

The season-long struggles of Jeff Francouer underscore an outfield that has simply not turned in the kind of production that anyone in or around the organization has been accustomed to. With Andruw Jones and his decade-plus 30+ homers and 100 RBI’s now a thing of the past, the Braves have not been able to find a way to add some power production to their line-up. Matt Diaz has been out for three months; Mark Kotsay missed some time as well but has been a solid contributor for the most part.

Regardless, the Braves outfield has combined for just 25 homers, 163 RBI and a .252 batting average. By comparison, 2007’s numbers (.275-59-280) even had a career-worst year for Andruw factored in. Even with five more weeks, it’s doubtful that the gap will close between these two stat-lines. If you want to know a place where I would expect to see some money spent this off-season, then you could put the outfield right up there with the starting rotation.

I could go on and on, and on some more, about the loss of starters John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Tim Hudson to season-ending arm surgeries. I could, really. But at this point, you know this pat of the story. There’s no truckload of numbers that I could dump on your computer screen that would locate something that hasn’t been pointed out already…. Those losses hurt. And there is no team in baseball that could stand to lose three top-line starters and contend for any length of time. Unforeseen and unfortunate is all I can say for those injuries.

Jair Jurrjens has been a saving grace, without a doubt, but may start to show the effects of the largest workload of his career over his final starts. Just think of this season without the quality work of the studious Jurrjens, still honing his craft before being thrust to the front of a rotation in his just his first full season. He’s one to watch for the future.

The rest of the younger Braves hurlers took some serious lumps in rotation. Jo-Jo Reyes has been quality on the road (3.54 ERA in 48 innings), but has just a 1-4 record to show for it. Home has been another story. Turner Field has been a little shop of horrors for Reyes, who sports a 2-5 record and a 7.15 ERA in nine starts. There were high hopes that Reyes would be able to hold down a spot in the Atlanta rotation, but he may have been rushed through the system in 2007 and still feeling the effects this season. If Reyes ever gets command of his pitches and cuts down the walks, he could still be a big piece for Atlanta.

Righty starter Charlie Morton (3-8, 6.39 in 13 starts) has shown flashes of brilliance, followed up by forgettable shellings. Friday’s horrific start in St. Louis was wrought with walks (five in 1.1 innings), which seems to be a theme with some of the younger arms. Command has been at a premium, but like Reyes, Morton has the stuff to compete at the Major League level. The problem has been a penchant for walking hitters and dealing with too many base runners (1.64 WHIP) to be successful. Pitching in Turner Field has been hard on Morton as well, with an 0-6 record and an 8.18 ERA in seven starts.

We can talk about potential all day, and what players are capable of, but this season has not allowed the Braves to simply convert the numbers from predictions in the spring into success on the field. It never is quite that easy. Losing Teixeira, who rebuffed Atlanta’s contract extension offer earlier this year, cost the Braves a number of prospects who would be nice to have in the mix. But there is money to be spent on fixing some problem areas this off-season.

The free-agent crop isn’t exactly the world’s best, but there will be some players who could fill the voids left by age and injury in the Braves line-up and on the hill. Fodder for next time…

Till then,
G-Mc

Thursday’s start against the Chicago Cubs certainly isn’t the note the Tom Glavine would like his career to end on, but he may not have much of a say in the matter. After spending more than two months on the disabled list with an elbow injury, Glavine was placed right back on the shelf after allowing seven runs in just four innings. Effectively shut down for the season, Glavine will chart the course for the rest of his career with an MRI on the elbow on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala.

If it did come to a close tomorrow, Glavine will have a plenitude of other, much sweeter memories to
look back on from his 22-year career. A five time 20-game winner with
more than 300 career victories and a pair of Cy Young Awards makes for
a pretty impressive resume. Throw in a World Series MVP in 1995 and 10
All-Star game selections and that gives the lefty quite a few places to
hang his hat.

With surgery coming as soon as Thursday, it will be
up to noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews to determine the full extent of
the injuries to Glavine’s left elbow. An MRI back in June revealed a
partially torn flexor tendon. Doctors advised Glavine that he could
undergo a potentially season-ending surgical procedure or attempt to
let the slight tear heal with time and rehab, thus allowing him the
opportunity to pitch this season. Should Andrews find that Glavine
needs Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, the 42-year old
left-hander has already made it known that he would retire instead.

Glavine and the entire Braves organization was hoping for a story-book ending to his brilliant career when they inked him to a one-year $8 million deal prior to the season. The addition of Glavine gave the Braves a formidable starting rotation that could boast a quartet of former 20-game winners. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in the cards. One of the most durable starters for more than two decades, never making a single trip to the DL in 21 seasons, Glavine has been sidelined three times this year alone. Hardly what anyone had in mind.

Breaking in with Atlanta late in the 1987 season, Glavine suffered through some trying years before enjoying the sweet success of the 1990s. Braves fans seemed to forget his five year stint with the Mets from 2003-2007, and welcomed one of the franchise’s true legends back with open arms. It was a true tragedy that Glavine and longtime friend John Smoltz would manage just 18 starts between them this season.

While there is still the possibility that Glavine would pitch next season, he has gone on record as saying that it would only be for the Braves. It remains to be seen if that will be a part of the 2009 strategy, however. You can put Smoltz in that same boat.

If I had to look back over the career of Glavine and pick a highlight that stands out for me, then I’d probably go with his masterful eight inning one-hit performance in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series. For the all the critics that said the Braves vaunted starters couldn’t get it done in the post-season, Glavine’s mastery of one of baseball’s all-time best offenses (the ’95 Indians hit .291 as a team) was sweet redemption. We may never see a trio like Glavine, Smoltz and Greg Maddux ever again.

With both Glavine and Smoltz possibly calling it a career this off-season, it will mark the end of a great chapter in Braves lore. The once pitching-laden Braves are going to have to try to a new formula – or re-load the cast of characters at least. It was a beautiful run though. Pull out a few old baseball cards (or hit up the internet if you aren’t into that whole vintage approach) and take a stroll through the numbers of those three one night. Those were the good old days.

Till next time,

G-Mc

It’s been a tough week for the Atlanta Braves and baseball fans everywhere, as we all lost a very dear friend who provided the nightly soundtrack for more than three decades of Braves baseball. Skip Caray passed away on August 3, leaving us devoid of the friend who brought Braves baseball into homes across the country and around the world.

Most of you probably don’t know that I have had the dream of being a Major League broadcaster for almost my entire life. Growing up in Georgia, born and raised on Braves baseball, Skip Caray was at the forefront of my desire to chase the dream that I still follow to this day.

Sometimes in this life, we have the opportunity to gain valuable insight and work along side or in conjunction with these figures – ones who first inspired us or fueled the desire to make it in this business. I was afforded that opportunity, and for the last four years it has been an incredible opportunity to learn, not only from Skip, but from an entire team of broadcasters who bring unique styles to the table.

Over the past week, I’ve had the pleasure of reliving some of the most memorable calls and the undeniable one-of-a-kind personality that was Skip Caray. It is a truly incredible body of work, beginning in 1975 and stretching on for 33 years into this very season. Those calls and memories will continue to be a part of Braves lore, capturing both the magic moments and the off-beat antics that made Skip a true original.

It’s amazing to me that following in the foot steps of another beloved “original” – in his father Harry Caray – that Skip blazed a decidedly different trail. With such a tough act to follow, I respect that way in which Skip blended his knowledge, passion, humor and honest story-telling ability into a style which will never be duplicated. It just wouldn’t do it justice for anyone to attempt it.

For my money, the one-two punch of Skip and longtime play-by-play partner Pete Van Wieren represents baseball the way it should be called. That was as clear to me at 10-years old as it is today.

There is a void though, without a doubt, as we move through the last few weeks of a trying season in Atlanta. I’ll definitely miss the laughs that helped ease the the pain of the doldrums and remind us of what was once good and can be again.

So long, Skip. And thank you.

G-Mc

The first half of the 2008 season is now in the books. On the heels of the new Get Smart motion picture (a term that is grossly underutilized these days), comes the renaissance of a phrase that just seems to hit the nail on the head:

“Missed it by that much.” – Maxwell Smart (Original, pictured to the right).

You can apply this in a number of ways to the frustrations that the Atlanta Braves have gone through so far. The first, and most obvious place, would be the alarming number of 1-run defeats. The Braves have played 27 games that were decided by a single run through the season’s first three and a half months. Only five of those came out in the Braves favor, leaving 22 gut-wrenching contests in which Atlanta missed it… by that much.

A losing record at the break is hardly a thing that people have come to expect from Atlanta since 1991. This marks the second time in three years, however. If the Braves had won roughly half of those 1-run games (say 13-of-27), they would be in first place with a 53-42 record and a one and half game lead over the Phillies. Of course, Philadelphia has owned Atlanta this season, going 8-1 thus far, but that is a different story for a different time. The 1-run loss trend really seems to have gotten out of hand on the road, where the Braves have dropped 24 consecutive 1-run contests dating back to last season (0-17 in ’08).

 

Let’s talk pitching:

Skipper Bobby Cox has not been wearing out a Maxwell Smart shoe-phone this season. No, he has been wearing out the bullpen phone. Injuries have decimated Atlanta’s rotation, with John Smoltz and Tom Glavine both potentially having thrown their final pitch. Even with the long lost Mike Hampton toiling in the minor leagues in hopes of rejoining the club after the break, the Braves have been crippled with the loss of its veteran stalwarts.

Atlanta had every reason to believe that their veteran starting staff would provide the foundation, allowing rookie Jair Jurrjens to learn as the fifth starter. Well, maybe the questions surrounded Hampton, but Glavine had never been on the disabled list before trip number one in April. Meanwhile, Smoltz had proven that his ability to pitch through pain would likely get him through an setbacks the season would hold. Despite all that, the Braves are second in the National League with a team ERA of 3.70 this season.

Chief among the reasons that the Braves are turning in such a sparkling effort in the pitching department has been the duo of Tim Hudson and Jurrjens. Who would have guessed that the Braves would reach the break with the 22-year old Jurrjens leading the club in wins (9), ERA (3.00) and strikeouts (81)? Hudson does not trail by much, winning nine games of his own and turning a 3.13 ERA with 77 strikeouts. Both have done everything in their power to help stabilize the Braves starting staff. The season would be lost without their combined efforts.

Filling in quite nicely for Atlanta has been Jorge Campillo (4-4, 3.06 ERA). The 29-year old righty spent some time with Seattle the last two seasons but had spent much of his career in the Mexican league, In fact, when he did not make the club out of spring training, he nearly went back there. Fortunately for Atlanta, they were able to talk Campillo into sticking around at Richmond. By mid-April, Campillo was added to the Atlanta bullpen, a job that paved the way to join the rotation in late May. His command has allowed him to turn into a valued piece of the starting staff. 

There have been some other flashes of promise, in Jo-Jo Reyes and Charlie Morton. Both are still taking some lumps, as young hurlers do. Though his record does not reflect properly, Reyes has been terrific on the road (2.72 ERA in six starts), only to falter at Turner Field (6.16 ERA in eight starts. Morton is still getting his feet wet, having been pressed into service when both Smoltz and Glavine found themselves on the disabled list.

Injuries did not stop at the rotation. The Braves bullpen has suffered as well. The mysterious elbow ailment of Rafael Soriano has kept him on the sidelines virtually all season (2.00 ERA and three saves in nine games). Tragically, those three saves have him tied for the team lead… in mid-July. Recently returned Mike Gonzalez and Manny Acosta also have three.

Saves depend on winning the close games, and the Braves simply have not found themselves on the right side of those contests. The sad fact is that Atlanta has registered just 14 saves as a team, tied with the Cleveland Indians for dead last in Major League Baseball. To make matters worse, the number one candidate to replace Soriano as closer before Gonzalez would make it back, Peter Moylan, went down with season ending elbow surgery as well. When rained on Atlanta, it poured.

If you want to highlight an area that needs to improve over the final 67 games, it would definitely be the number of games that the bullpen successfully closes down. A healthy Gonzalez and Soriano would go a long way towards that end. The Braves are hopeful that Soriano will find himself back in the mix shortly after the All-Star break.

Blaine Boyer, Jeff Bennett, Will Ohman and Acosta have seen more than their fair share of innings over the first half. Boyer and Ohman finished 1-2 in appearances through the team’s first 95 games, with Boyer logging 50 and Ohman 49. Both Bennett and Acosta found themselves on the disabled list by the final home game against Houston on July 6, but not before they had gone to the 41 times each this season.

Lefty specialist Royce Ring (3.44 ERA in 34 games – 18.1 innings), newly appointed long-man Buddy Carlyle (1.55 ERA in 19 games – 29 innings) and well traveled righty Vladimir Nunez (only one appearance) make up the rest of the Atlanta bullpen going into the second half. It’s not exactly a troop of household names, but Carlyle and Ring have made solid contributions and will need to continue to do so if the Braves hope to make any kind of run at a play-off spot.

The recent signing of 35-year old Julian Tavarez may seem like a move of desperation after losing two righty relievers in less than 24 hours last week. Maybe it was. An unimpressive debut against Los Angeles on July 8 (a third of an inning and two earn runs) may spell a short stint for Tavarez with the Braves, his third team of the season.

What will the Braves do at the deadline?

The trade deadline is approaching, but unlike years past, the Braves will have to decide if they are buyers or sellers for the first time since 1990. Consider this answer to solely deal with the pitching aspect of this burning question.

If they are indeed buyers, it would seem to me that getting some reinforcements for the starting staff would give the Braves the best of both worlds. More innings by the starters means and opportunity for the relievers to enjoy a lighter workload. That would help keep Boyer and Ohman from approaching well over 80 appearances this season.

If the Braves decided to sell, then Ohman may be one of the best trade pieces they have, according to Braves.com beat writer Mark Bowman. There will be teams looking for lefty help, so the Braves will have to weigh their options with the soon-to-be free-agent.

Bowman stayed busy as the team wrapped up the San Diego series on Sunday, this time weighing in on the possibility of Atlanta going after Greg Maddux. It’s like he read my mind.  While an intriguing possibility, there doesn’t seem to be a great amount of clarity about what direction the Braves will be going at the deadline just yet. As Bowman points out, the Braves have committed some spots to younger arms at the moment. Atlanta will have to find their way up the ladder in the East standings over the next two weeks to facilitate any move like that. Never say never, but first thing’s first.

Tune in next time for a look at the offensive side of things. Yes, we will have dredge up that nasty little discussion about 1-run ballgames, but I promise it won’t be all bad.

Till then,

G-Mc

 

 

It’s been a long season of injuries for the Atlanta Braves pitching staff, but finally there is some good news on that front. And it comes in the person of Mike Gonzalez. The Braves got a taste of what they’ve been missing on Wednesday night, when Gonzalez returned from the disabled list to pitch a perfect ninth inning against the Texas Rangers and earn his first save in over a year.

Atlanta’s ninth inning duties have been in a state of flux with the mysterious sore arm of Rafael Soriano limiting his availability and the abbreviated return of John Smoltz coming to an abrupt halt with season-ending shoulder surgery. It has not been easy to cobble together a capable replacement for the closer’s role in their absence. Now the Braves may not have to worry about that anymore.

“We decided in the eighth inning that when it came to the ninth, if we’re leading, we’re going with Gonzo no matter what,” said a very pleased Braves manager Bobby Cox.

Gonzalez, 30, hit 94 mph on the radar gun, unleashing a flury of fastballs complemented with wicked breaking pitches on the Rangers batsmen. No doubt, adrenaline was pumping through his veins as Gonzalez rocked back and forth on the rubber and made short work in converting his first save opportunity.

This was the vintage that Cox and the Braves remember from Gonzalez’s days with the Pittsburgh Pirates – great velocity and excellent breaking stuff. With his entire arsenal at his disposal, Gonzalez may have the saved the Braves in a number of ways. No pun intended.

“All I remember him throwing in Pittsburgh was 93-94, so that part is back and I think his breaking ball is right there too,” said Cox after his first look at Gonzalez in a game situation.

While the Braves work to solidify their team in the face of all the injuries to their pitching staff, getting Gonzalez back with half a season to go may have kept them from having to pay a high price in prospects for a closer to help in a pennant run. Couple that with the fact that there are no guarantees on what kind of quality relievers would be available as the trade deadline approaches in mere weeks and you have the best of all scenarios – an in-house solution to a problem that has plagued Atlanta all season.

“When he’s throwing the fastball and then he throws that curve ball up there, if he bounces it, they’re going to swing at it,” added Cox. “He’s kind of like [Billy] Wagner in that respect. When he’s throwing the breaking ball and the fastball, he’s hard to hit at.”

It doesn’t take much convincing when it comes to opposing hitters, as to just how good Gonzalez is when he’s locked in. The save against the Rangers is the 31st consecutive conversion for the lefty from Robstown, Texas. How appropriate that his return would come in his home state and in front of family and friends to boot.

Losing Gonzalez to Tommy John surgery last May severely crippled the Braves options last season, as they chased the New York Mets and eventual East champion Philadelphia Phillies down the stretch. There is some chasing to be done this season as well, but Gonzalez has a chance to be the difference maker at the end of the ballgame.

 

Till next time,

G-Mc

 

As if suffering another road loss in what has become a woeful storyline in a frustrating season was not enough for the Atlanta Braves, they have now lost Tom Glavine for at least 15-days with a left elbow strain.

The soreness in Glavine’s elbow was revealed after the game to have been problematic since early May, with the 42-year old pitching in pain over his past seven starts. Now the Braves have a serious question that may only be answered following an MRI in Atlanta – which could come as early as Wednesday.

Atlanta is already trying to cope with the loss of John Smoltz, who underwent season-ending surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Without Smoltz, Glavine and Mike Hampton, who is still yet to make a start this season after a successful Spring Training showing, the Braves have some serious holes in their starting rotation.

So what does this mean?

Well, it’s clear the Braves have more questions than answers. Jo-Jo Reyes and Jair Jurrjens were battling to become the fifth starter in Orlando this Spring, but both are now key members of a tattered Braves starting rotation. The Braves now rely on Tim Hudson to continue to anchor the staff as the lone veteran presence. Chuck James was dreadful in five starts (2-3 with a 8.22 ERA) and Jorge Campillo has filled in void over the past four weeks that was created by injuries and James’ ineffectiveness.

One answer could be 24-year old right-hander Charlie Morton (5-2 with a 2.05 ERA in 13 games for Triple-A Richomond). Morton was on the prospect bubble before having a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League last season. His numbers this year are highly respectable, holding opponents homerless and limiting them to just a .181 average while racking up 72 strikeouts in 79 innings of work.

Morton seems the most likely internal candidate to get a shot at filling in for Glavine, if the Braves go down to the farm. There’s no doubt that the injury to Glavine could drive up the asking price of any pitching to be had on an almost non-existant trade market. Most teams have not decided whether or not to be buyers or sellers at this point, and alot could change before now and the non-waiver trade deadline of July 31.

Any way you slice it, this latest development could not have come at a worse time. While elbow injuries at any age are a cause for concern, the Braves could find themselves waving good bye to not one, but two, legendary hurlers in the same week.

Sheez.

 

Till next time,

G-Mc

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It’s been an eventful week for the Atlanta Braves, with no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. With that said, here’s a few of the things that have been on my mind as I sit high up in the writer’s box at Turner Field.

Braves must consider life after Smoltz

It’s hard to think of the Atlanta Braves without thinking of John Smoltz. Since the initial run of success began in 1991, no other player has been as easily identifiable as a symbol of winning and determination as the right-hander who wears number 29.

Yet, with the announcement that Smoltz will undergo season ending surgery as soon as next week, the Braves and their fans will have to start giving some serious thought to life after John Smoltz. While he does not yet know what his future holds, a decision will likely be coming sooner than later.

Acquired in a deadline deal in late 1987 in exchange for Doyle Alexander, Smoltz debuted with eight strong innings and came away with a victory against the New York Mets on July 24, 1988. Just like that a Hall of Fame career was born.

If this is the end, and the final pitch has been thrown by the veteran right-hander from Warren, Michigan, then we have all been witness to something pretty special. While the legacy of Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux both have the nice tidy 300-win club attached, Smoltz has cobbled together a different brand of Hall of Fame worthiness. Eight All-Star games, one Cy Young, 200 wins, 154 saves and 3,000 strikeouts later, Smoltz has put together a career unlike any other hurler in the history of the game.

Chipper belts 400th career homer, average still over .400

 Thursday saw the long awaited 400th homer in the stellar career of Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Driving a 2-0 pitch from Ricky Nolasco into the right field seats to become just the third switch-hitter to reach the 400 home run plateau.

How about a little stat department fun for the Chipper Jones Cooperstown contingent, shall we? Only Frankie Frisch holds a higher average among switch-hitters with at least 6,000 plate appearances (.316). Jones is sporting a .310 career mark heading into play on Saturday. But which side of the plate does he hit better from, you might ask. Chipper likes to keep it even from each side, with a .311 mark from the right side and a steady .310 average from the left side of the dish. Pretty impressive.

I wasn’t able to find a full set of splits from Mickey Mantle’s career, but I can tell you that from 1956 (when he won the Triple Crown) to 1968, Mantle played in 1748 games and hit .333 from the right and .281 from the left. Usually there is a disparity (Eddie Murray – .292 left and .276 right), but Chipper is almost dead even. Even Pete Rose had a 13 point differencial (.306 left and .293 righty). Maybe it doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things, but it means alot to know you can count on the same track record one way or the other.

There will be plenty more times to talk about the stats of Chipper Jones as the season wears on, but one that has caught the most attention this season is his .421 average through Friday’s game against the Phillies. If you ask Chipper when it’s time to start talking about hitting.400, you’ll get a simple one word reply, “September.”

 I like it… and he’s right.

 

Till next time,

G-Mc

It’s not everyday that a team gets to bolster its bullpen with three hurlers the caliber of John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. However, that is exactly what the Braves have ahead of them in the not too distant future. As these three come back, Atlanta will have to make some tough calls on who goes out to make room for these relievers on the road to recovery.

All three men are on the mend, with Smoltz and Soriano in full rehab appearances and Gonzalez wrapping up a successful trial in extended Spring Training action. Smoltz needed just 12 pitches to throw a scoreless frame with Double-A Mississippi on Saturday night. With some tightness the day after but no pain reported during the outing, the Braves will presumably decide when to activate him or further his assignment sometime early this week. He may see one more appearance before coming back to Atlanta.

When he is activated, Smoltz will rejoin the bullpen after spending more than three seasons in the starting rotation as the team’s ace. It became clear to Smoltz that, at this point in his career, his durability was not going to allow him to give his club the innings they need from a starter.

Some would call it noble, others have called it a case of going back on what he said prior to 2005. He did leave the pen to alleviate the day-to-day stress he encountered as reliever. Becoming a starter again was supposed to remedy that. For a good while, it did, but this is an older Smoltz. He’s not thinking about ways to extend his career at this juncture.

Look, I don’t know what is best for John Smoltz, but I do think that after all these years that he knows what is best for himself. He has gone on record as saying that he simply cannot push himself beyond five innings. I believe that the 2005 transition was the right move for the club… and I believe that this one would be as well. The bottom line is, Atlanta has the chance to turn that negative (a five inning starter) into a major positive. Now we all just have to wait and see if he’s the same guy who racked up 144 saves from 2002-2004.

One interesting thing to note, it will be a different John Smoltz who returns. He broke a three-quarters arm angle during his recent simulated game at Turner Field earlier in the week. That adjustment will hopefully help relieve the stress on his shoulder.

Moving on to Soriano, who pitched a perfect inning for Mississippi on Friday, the Braves are hoping to have him back in the fold sometime in the next week. Assuming he is able to resume his role from a year ago, he should see some spot saves and a good portion of the set-up work. It’s doubtful that Atlanta is going to run Smoltz out there too many nights in a row. Soriano makes that reality a little less stressful.

Gonzalez will further that sentiment when he returns as well. Missing roughly a year’s worth of action with Tommy John surgery, the lefty Gonzalez will serve as the perfect late inning compliment to the nasty Smoltz/Soriano combo. He may see some ninth inning chances himself, having been a successful closer for Pittsburgh in 2006. Gonzalez was slated to be evaluated by team doctors on Sunday and, given a clean bill of health, to start a rehab assignment of his own.

So who stays and who goes? That’s always a tough call. The problem at the end of spring was the fact that more than a handful of relievers are all out of options. Royce Ring, Blaine Boyer and Chris Resop all stayed on, while Tyler Yates was sent to Pittsburgh for a minor league hurler. Atlanta has already had to part was with Brayan Pena this week, whom they had held on to as a third catcher and utility-type player. He’ll find work, but it just goes to illustrate that there aren’t always enough roster spots to go around. 

If you ask me, my gut feeling is that Phil Stockman, Ring and Resop are the most likely candidates to go out for the returning trio of relievers. Stockman will be able to head back to Richmond, but Resop and Ring would have to be designated for assignment when the time comes. With Smoltz or Soriano coming back in the near future, look for Stockman to head out first, followed by Resop and finally Ring when Gonzalez shows he is healthy. While Atlanta would love to hang on to both Resop and Ring, it just isn’t possible with the lack of options.

When all the shuffling is done, the Atlanta Braves could be building their strongest relief corps in years as these three return. While most teams scramble at the trade deadline to acquire more arms, Atlanta will be able to bolster their bullpen from within. Adding a healthy Smoltz, Soriano and Gonzalez to an already effective squad that includes Will Ohman, Manny Acosta, Jeff Bennett and Boyer will give the Braves one of the best bullpens in the game. Bar none.

 

Till Next time,

G-Mc

When Chipper Jones drove a Mike Pelfrey pitch into the center field stands for his 398th career home run on Wednesday, the blast tied him with long-time Atlanta Braves fan favorite Dale Murphy for 45th on the all-time list. Elite company to be sure, and yet another accomplishment in a storied career of Chipper Jones.

Now Chipper is quickly approaching the 400 home run club, a mark which remained just out of reach for the stoic Murphy. In the 43-year history of the Atlanta club, Jones and Murphy may well be the most popular players of their respective generations. And while homer number 400 will be yet another Hall of Fame qualifier for Jones, it’s number 399 that will see him surpass the “Murph” in the record books.

Murphy, now 52, visited Turner Field with his son Jake over the weekend, perhaps paving the way for his son to join “the family business.” 

With son Shawn drafted by the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, it was time to see what the next in line could do with the leather and the lumber. After watching Jake take a round of batting practice prior to Saturday’s contest against the Oakland Athletics, Murphy had high praise for the man who was then closing in on his spot on the home run leaderboard.

“I knew it was a matter of time before all that would be erased,” said Murphy of the offensive numbers he put up over his 18-year career. “Chipper is a great talent and he’s having one of his best years. He just gets better and better.”

No one questions Murphy’s class-act credentials as Hall of Fame caliber, but his statistical accomplishments have fallen into the borderline category amongst the majority of voters. We remember Murphy as the clean living, two-time NL MVP who won the hearts of Atlanta fans in his nearly 15 seasons with the Braves. It was more than enough to earn him a spot in the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame.

However, Murphy’s decline was precipitous over his final five seasons. A career-best 44 homers and a .295 average in 1987 marked the last great campaign for Murphy. In 1990, shortly after the Braves drafted an 18-year old shortstop named Larry Wayne Jones out of Jacksonville, Florida, Murphy was on his way to Philadelphia to make room in the Atlanta outfield for an up and comer named David Justice. The Braves immediately embarked on a magical post-season journey that lasted for 14 seasons, with Chipper Jones at the center of most of those teams.

For a moment, it looked as though Chipper may suffer the same kind of late career decline, albeit thanks to a number of nagging injuries that began in 2004. But those injuries have been unable to derail the former number one pick from making good on all the talent that the Braves saw in him way back in 1990. Moving back to his more familiar position of third base after a brief sojourn in the outfield, Jones has embarked on a renaissance of sorts at the plate.

“Chipper’s just a great player,” said Murphy, singing the praises of this generation’s premier Braves hitter. “He’s a Hall of Famer. Switch-hitter, he’s smart and he knows how to hit.”

His dominance has been noticed by just about everybody this year. Jones is the only batter still boasting a batting average above .400. Chipper’s nightly hitting displays this season have put him in line for that elusive batting title that escaped him in 2007, when he hit a career-high .337. 

While we are on the subject of batting average, Chipper (.309) is the only switch hitter in the history of the game to have 300 or more homers and a career batting average above .300. Trailing only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) on the homer list for switch hitters, Jones’ accomplishments could earn him a spot in Cooperstown one day. That, my friends, is some pretty serious company.

“It’s incredible,” remarked Murphy. “Let’s be honest, he’s towards the other half of his career as opposed to the beginning half and it’s amazing to get your average to continue [at that level]. Most guys go the other way. Mike Schmidt is one of the few guys I remember that got better and better.”

They don’t come much better at the hot corner than Schmidt. Throughout the early ’80s, Murphy and Schmidt traded MVP seasons, with the two combining to win the award every season from 1980-83 and Schmidt grabbed another in ’86. Chipper captured his MVP in 1999 as the Braves reached the World Series for the fifth time in the decade.

Braves manager Bobby Cox saw most of Murphy’s and has seen all of Chipper’s career in his time with Altanta. He has spent years at the helm in the dugout, beginning with his first stint in 1978-1981. In his final season as the team’s general manager, Cox was the man who both drafted Chipper and traded Murphy during the last of the lean years. Some 18 years after the summer of ’90, Cox has seen every one of Chipper’s 398 career home runs. It’s the most to start a career by any player under one manager. 

With his two-homer game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 5 of last season, Chipper  passed Murphy’s Atlanta record of 371. Having managed them both, few could put it in better perspective better than Cox, who echoed the sentiments that best described the occasion.

“It’s a pretty darn good honor to pass Murphy,” said Cox when Chipper became the Atlanta homer leader. “Murph has been a legend in Atlanta for a long time, and still is. So I think it means an awful lot.”

Murphy is not alone in his summation of Chipper’s surge in the latter part of his career. This extended period of hot hitting over the past few seasons has catipulted Jones back on the offensive leaderboards each season, a fact that is certainly not lost on Cox.

“I think Chipper, the last two years, is swinging a bat and playing… as good as I’ve ever seen him,’ said Cox.

Chipper’s hitting exploits continue to power the Braves offense this season, as always. Conventional wisdom may have pointed to his decline when the injuries crept in, but Jones has thrown that aside and continued to be one of the best hitters in the game. His resume for Cooperstown seemingly grows each game.

But what of Dale Murphy? Will Murphy one day make it to the Hall of Fame? It’s difficult to tell. Murphy is on a short list of the very best players from the 1980s, the last decade before the steroid question really came into the picture. If the stigma of the steroid era starts to keep a Rafael Palmeiro and a Barry Bonds and a Mark McGwire out, there could be a whole new appreciation for the numbers that the ultra-clean Dale Murphy put up. Maybe he will eventually find a place next to Chipper in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Till next time,

G-Mc