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The Good News and the Bad News From Philly
Written by Kent on April 9, 2009 – 6:38 amWell, that sucked, didn’t it?! Sure, the Braves achieved their goal of winning the series in Philly. Still… that Wednesday loss stings. Badly. It was punch to the gut. No… that’s not strong enough. It was a kick to the groin. With a size-15 steel-toed boot.
This was a disgusting loss. Sickening. It was all I could do not to throw the remote through the living room window. Part of me feels that Blaine Boyer and Jorge Campillo should take turns beating the #$@%^ out of each other just to make peace with the universe after that pathetic display. (Moylan must be forgiven, under the circumstances. It was, after all, his very first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery).
That’s the bad news.
But despite the physical illness all Braves fans no doubt share after Wednesday’s bullpen meltdown, there is good news to report after this opening series. A LOT of good news, actually.
Here are some things Braves fans can take away from this opening series in Phili:
- Derek Lowe looks like he’s up for the challenge of being the new Atlanta “Ace”.
- Jair Jurrjens was very good in his start, and Javier Vazquez was solid against a tough lineup in a hitter’s park.
- Though he got off to shaky start, Mike Gonzalez settled in and closed the door in game one. He then breezed his way through hitters in game two. And Rafeal Soriano was excellent in his first appearance of the season on Tuesday. Back end of the pen looks solid.
- Brian McCann appears to be locked in, and could be headed toward a big season.
- Chipper Jones looks like he’s ready to make good on his promise to hit a few more into the seats this year (that is, when he’s in the lineup).
- How about that KID?!! There’s a long way to go, but Jordan Schafer has given us reason to think he might turn out to be a legitimate Rookie of the Year Award candidate.
- Yunel Escobar (who may have been robbed of a homerun on Tuesday) is showing some nice pop in his bat early.
- Jeff Francoeur’s game-one homer, and solid RBI single up the middle on Wednesday provide further evidence that he’s back on track.
The Braves’ offensive depth and balance was on display, proving that there are no coffee breaks in this lineup for opposing pitchers. Every single member of this lineup is a quality, professional hitter – with at least moderate power – who can hurt you. I’m not sure there’s another lineup in the league that can say the same.
And oh yeah… I suppose it is good news that the Braves did, after all, win the series on the road, even if they did throw away a sweep that was all but in their pocket.
And there’s more good news for the Braves… in the form of bad news for the Phillies. It is quite clear that the defending champs have starting pitching problems. There is a lack of depth in the Philadelphia rotation that will go from apparent to neon-lights if Cole Hamels misses any more time this season.
But the Phils aren’t alone. There is also some doubt surrounding the depth and quality of the New York Mets’ rotation, after Johan Santana. Doubts that Mets’ #2 starter, Mike Pelfrey, did nothing to alleviate Wednesday night with a lackluster performance in Cincinnati.
There are no perfect teams in the NL East. Each team has potential problems areas. Many expected offense to be a weak link in Atlanta’s game. But after getting a live look at this Braves lineup; after seeing the kinds of swings Jeff Francoeur is putting on the ball; after seeing the kind of talent (offensive and defensive) they now have roaming Center Field; and after seeing the depth and balance of this lineup… I’m not buying the notion that Atlanta is offensively challenged. I think this lineup is going to be a strength for the Braves. And decidedly so.
The offense looks good. The back end of the bullpen looks good. And unlike their two most talked about division rivals, the Braves appear rich – or at least reasonably well off – when it comes to starting pitching. That leaves middle-relief as the only apparent pothole on the post-season highway.
My point is this: If the Braves do indeed have a middle-relief problem… then they have a better problem than the one potentially facing the Mets and/or Phillies.
A middle-relief sized crack in the hull is a helluva lot easier to repair than a starting pitching sized gorge. And the Braves certainly have the trading chips, should they find it necessary to bolster the middle of their ‘pen. Also, it should be noted that, in addition to the Mets’ starting pitching challenges, they too have unanswered questions where their middle-relief is concerned.
In short, despite a game-three finish that drove me into a frenzied fit of profanity reminiscent of the furnace-fighting scene in A Christmas Story, I’ve seen enough to earnestly say… “I like the Braves chances this year.”
How about you? Good news? Bad news? Whaddya think of this team after watching them play the champs up in Philly?
Tags: Derek Lowe, Jordan Schafer, Middle Relief, Philadelphia Phillies, Starting Pitching
Posted in Game Analysis | 21 Comments »
By Kurtis on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I agree with you. I will say that im glad this happened now, and not in august or september. at least now we have time to try and fix this problem. If we can take 2/3 from really good teams like the phillies, we should be in good shape this year. and we all know it should have been 3/3. i dont think we have a ton to worry about yet.
p.s. i heard an espn moron say that "any team with brian mccan hitting clean up has power issues." i wonder if he feels differently now. ha.
By josh on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I woke up still f-ing mad. These pitchers melted down and couldn’t even lob one in the strike zone. This is unacceptable to the highest degree! Hopefully this crap will never happen again. If this starts to become a trend we will have to start thinking about Glavine going to the pen for long relieve. We would then bring up Hanson for the 5th spot. I know I’m just hot headed right now but its something to think about.
By Larry on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I'm sick of Blaine Boyer. Its the same thing over and over again w/ him. No reason to not throw strikes. Our bullpen was questionable in Spring Training and its about time to handle it. Bobby needs to rip one in them. This isn't something new. The bullpen started doing this in Spring Training
By Davey Crockett on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Why not put Glavine in the pen? Bring Hanson up and get him some expierence in the Majors early in the season – so when it comes down to brass tax we won't have to pull him from the minors and put him in the pressure cooker. It seems to me that the a major problem with moving a SP to RP is the pressure that comes with the job, and I think Glavine, with his wealth of expeirence, could handle the pressure just fine.
June, Junly August.. Lowe, Hudson, J.J., Glavine, and we still have to see how Kawakami is going to do in the regular season. If they actually do bring up Hanson, well that would be talent overload. Sit those middle-reliever Jabronis' on the bench and make them hungry for some playing time.
So my question is: Is moving Glavine to the pen a terrible idea? Why?
By dave on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Kent I agree with you there is many positives we can look at. You did a good job pointing them out. I feel like everyone else, it was an absolute kick in the teeth to watch what happened yesterday. I hope it does not have lingering negative affects. It will be interesting to see what Kawakami can do. If he proves to be a good starter, and If the pen can't right itself, I think moving Glavine to the pen is a good ideal. I agree bring Hanson back. We have some others in the minors that might work out better in relief. I hope this is just a bump in the road to the playoffs. That is where I think we are going with or without the middle relievers we presently have. I am glad this year we have a ton of options. Its a long time till October so GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Glavine to the pen is interesting, but we haven't even seen how he's pitching yet this year (no, spring training doesn't count). I'd be willing to give him a shot to see how he's going to do in the rotation.
If we move Glavine to the pen, we would (presumptuously) have to move either Carlyle, Bennett, or Campillo. Carlyle and Bennett are both out of options, so we'd be basically giving them away for free. I won't assume that the Braves didn't try to shop them befor the season, but surely they could find _something_ to get in return for either of them that's not just organizational filler. It's possible we could move Campillo into the rotation, but is that any better of an option?
Assuming we got rid of one of those three somehow, we'd have to fill the vacancy with either Jo-Jo Reyes, Tommy Hanson, Charlie Morton, or someone like James Parr.
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
First, Morton is on the DL. He's not currently an option – at least, not until he returns.
Jo-Jo was great this spring. Whether that means anything or not is debatable, but I think that after the suckfest that Jo-Jo's put on in the majors the last couple of years, no one's rushing to give him another shot.
Parr's filler. He's decent, but not a true ML arm (yet). Maybe one day he'll develop into something worthy of filling a rotation spot, but he's not there yet.
Hanson's obviously the option you were hoping for, but I don't see any reason to bring him up yet. Bringing up Hanson, who's going to get a chance to start every five days in Gwinnett for what, a half-dozen starts over the next two months, is going to kill the kid's developmental schedule. Anyone can attest that the key to improvement and actually reaching potential is steady, regular practice. Taking Hanson out of his spot at AAA to fill a spot we'll use maybe once a week in the Majors is asking for trouble.
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Besides, the kid needs some seasoning. He was great in the minors, and dominated against other prospects in the AFL, but he wasn't exactly electric this spring. Let him get a little bit of seasoning at a higher level, and then let him dominate at the majors.
Calling him up now also starts his arbitration clock and would make Hanson a super two, meaning he gets four years of arbitration instead of three. If he performs even half as well as the lofty expectations peg him at, then we're giving up 2015 Tommy Hanson for half a year of 2009 Tommy Hanson.
Give Glavine a chance. In a month or two, if he's horrible, then it's time to debate his spot, but not yet.
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
And yes, Hanson struck out 10 of 13 AAAers today just to make me look dumb.
By Colin Ake on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Damn, that's some strikeout action right there.
By Colin Ake on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I'm with ya on this – something has to be done. Our bullpen cannot blow leads like that.
By Colin Ake on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Hey, let's trade Tommy Hanson for a decent middle reliever.
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, and Gorkys Hernandez to KC for Kyle Farnsworth? Would that get it done?
By Jonathan on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I don't forsee that happening.
By Colin Ake on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
May need to include McCann in that package. Too many prospects unproven at the major league level.
By Jack on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Fine, but only if they'll let us take Sir Sidney Ponson along with Farnsworth.
By Colin Ake on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
The bottom line is I just couldn't take a loss like this at the beginning of the season. I'm still exhausted from it happening all last year and I'm not ready for it to become a normal part of my life this year.
By Larry on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I don;t like the idea of bringing hanson up right now. He did good in the minors and Spring Training but to start him now he could be worn down by august. Same thing that happened to J.J. last year. I'd rather see him in the bullpen than Glavine. Kind of like the Rays did w/ Price. Truth be told the bullpen should be ok. I think someone said it earlier that Cox should have went to Bennett before Boyer. It was a perfect scenario for Bennett. Boyer is only good with a big lead and no one on base.
By dave on Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Good thinking! Our guys makeup 1/3 of the Rangers lineup. Might as well help someone else. I didn't think this would happen at all this year. I'm frustrated too!!!
By Jeff on Apr 10, 2009 | Reply
The loss on Wednesday was awful but now that I have had an extra day to relax I am pretty happy about the season so far. If you told me last week that we would take 2 of 3 from the defending champion Phillies on the road while Lowe and Jurrjens pitched great, Francoeur looked good, McCann and Schaffer were killing the ball, then I would have taken that. Now we get the Nationals at home this weekend and the picthing matchups definitely favor the Braves, so hopefully we can get another 2 or 3 wins and keep things rolling.
By Kent on Apr 10, 2009 | Reply
Oliver Perez was nice enough yesterday to support my statement in the blog about Mets (and Phillies) starting pitching. 8 earned runs in a short outing. Thanks Ollie!!