Bye Bye Boyer

As we first discussed a couple of days ago, it was looking more and more like it was time for Blaine Boyer to hit the road.  Before Saturday’s game against the Pirates, Blaine was replaced on the roster by Jo-Jo Reyes to make the start in the place of an injured Tom Glavine.  Boyer, out of options with the club, was placed on waivers by the Braves, giving other teams 10 days to claim him before the Braves could assign him to one of the minor league squads.

I don’t think Boyer had impressed anyone with his performance over the past two seasons with the Braves and it seems like the patience to see some signs of productivity out of his potentially powerful arm had worn thin.  Last year, we gave Boyer a free pass.  The bullpen was depleted by injuries and starters just weren’t able to get deep in the games at all.  By the All-Star Break, Boyer had compiled 51 appearances and was believed to be battling the arm fatigue developed from that throughout the rest of the season.  By the time the season had ended, he had appeared in 76 games and compiled a 5.88 ERA with a 2-6 record.

This season, Boyer should have been ready with a a fresh arm and be ready to go, but more of the same for the Braves..  In his last outing, he faced 5 batters and gave up 4 runs.  On the season, Blaine has been on the mound in 3 games, recorded 4 outs and given up 6 earned runs.  Not to mention that he has walked three batters and hit another; that’s a 40.50 ERA and an 0-1 record as a Brave in 2009.

Earlier today, it was announced that the Braves would be sending Boyer to the Cards in exchange for AAA outfielder Brian Barton.  Barton was picked up by the Cardinals in 2007 and hit .268 in his rookie season.  I’m not sure what the plans are for him in Atlanta, but I’m glad to see Boyer hit the road.  Hopefully he can find his stride with another team and it’ll be for the best.  So are you happy to see Boyer packing his bags?

Is It Time For Boyer To Go?

The biggest frustration for Braves fans this season has been the bullpen and their inability to exhibit any stable effectiveness to maintain a lead or close game.  Starting with blowing a 7-run lead in an inning and, most recently, allowing the Marlins to pull away from a 5-4 lead to 10-4 in an inning.  With that kind of performance, how can you expect to win games aside from having your starters go the distance?

If you were to ask five Braves fans who the most unreliable reliever on the staff was, there is a good chance you would get at least four different answers.  They’re just that bad at times.  My all-around choice for most lacking in production on the staff, however, is Blaine Boyer, without a doubt.

Last year, we gave Boyer a free pass.  The bullpen was depleted by injuries and starters just weren’t able to get deep in the games at all.  By the All-Star Break, Boyer had compiled 51 appearances and was believed to be battling the arm fatigue developed from that throughout the rest of the season.  By the time the season had ended, he had appeared in 76 games and compiled a 5.88 ERA with a 2-6 record.

Sure enough, let it slide, he was worn down, beaten up and just all around needing a break.  Well he got it.  It’s called the offseason.  This season, Boyer should have a fresh arm and be ready to go, but so far, more of the same.  Wednesday night, he faced 5 batters and gave up 4 runs.  On the season, Blaine has been on the mound in 3 games, recorded 4 outs and given up 6 earned runs.  Not to mention that he has walked three batters and hit another; something we really just don’t want to see out of relievers.  With all said and done, and a little bit of math, that’s a 40.50 ERA and an 0-1 record.

So here is the question, is it time for Blaine Boyer to hit the road?  When Jo-Jo Reyes is called up from Gwinnett on Saturday to take the start in the place of the injured Tom Glavine, someone has to be sent down to make room on the roster.  All signs point to that person being Boyer, based solely on performance.  Sure, he has potential and a powerful arm, but how long can we really be patient and hope that it develops?

The catch is that Boyer is out of options, so there is the chance that if we send him to the minors, he could be claimed and no longer part of the organization.  At this point, I’m not convinced that that is a bad thing to happen.  Maybe he can find more success elsewhere for some other club.  Am I being too harsh or is it time for Blaine to start packing?

DLowe, Braves Fall To Marlins

Derek Lowe didn’t start the night off in a good way. Two walks, two pitches in the dirt (one wild pitch), and one run given up before the Braves came up to bat. Fortunately, Kelly Johnson led off with a triple and scored in the bottom of the first. Similarly, when Lowe gave up 3 runs in the top of the 5th, the Braves answered with three.

But let’s be honest, if your bullpen gives up six runs (5 in the 9th inning), chances are you’re sunk, no matter what happened in the first five innings. Rafael Soriano and Eric O’Flaherty were the only good spots for the Braves – Soriano pitched a perfect 8th inning and O’Flaherty struck out his only charge. Peter Moylan struggled (needed to get that ERA back above 20.00), Blaine Boyer couldn’t find the plate (seriously – he had no clue where it was) and Jorge Campillo had to come in and close the game out in the bottom of the 9th. If we were the Yankees, we’d have sent in Nick Swisher to pitch at that point.

In the end, we lost 10-4. Not even close. The bullpen’s gotta work these jitters out – last year I got so sick of one run games – this year I am going to get mad even faster if we continue to give up six runs every time our bullpen shows up. An ERA of 7.00 from our bullpen is hardly anywhere near acceptable.

Oh, and by the way – if you’re heading out to the game – grab a few layers. It gets downright COLD at night with the wind blowing.

2009 Bullpen Preview – Part 1

We apparently didn’t scare Kent off last time around so he’s back with more content for us.  Once again, you can follow Kent on Twitter @FriedBasballATL.

After the addition of three quality starters, the new look Atlanta starting rotation has been the hot topic of conversation among Braves fans. But with as much depth as they now have in their rotation, the bullpen appears to be even deeper. With a number of Braves hurlers already in Orlando, we take a look at the relief corps the Braves are likely to carry to Atlanta roughly 6 weeks from today.  We start this two-part series by looking at the definites and the probables for this year’s bullpen.

THE CAST:

DEFINITE (barring injuries/setbacks): Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan

PROBABLE: Blaine Boyer, Manny Acosta

POSSIBLE: Jorge Campillo, Jeff Bennett, Buddy Carlyle, Phil Stockman, Eric O’Flaherty, Boone Logan, Jeff Ridgway

Mike Gonzalez has quietly become one of the game’s elite closers, carrying a (then major league best) 39 consecutive saves streak into last season after returning from “Tommy John” surgery. The lefty fire-baller featured a mid-to-upper 90’s heater while closing for the Pirates. Since his arrival in Atlanta two years ago, however, his arm that was never entirely healthy or rested, and his fastball topped out at about 93 mph. Despite diminished velocity, “Gonzo” has been effective, with a 3.38 ERA as a Brave, converting 16 of 18 save opportunities.

After his first full off-season since beginning his rehabilitation in 2007, his arm is now 100%, and Gonzalez says he’s “fired up” about the opportunity to finally show Atlanta his very best. With health no longer a concern, look for a big season from the Braves’ closer.

Rafael Soriano, when healthy, is among the best late-inning relievers in baseball. Since his move to the bullpen at that start of his sophomore season in 2003, Soriano has a career ERA of 2.53, with more strikeouts than innings pitched. In a word: Dominant.

Soriano began experiencing pain in his pitching elbow last spring which eventually cost him most of the 2008 season. Fortunately, the cause of the pain was not a structural issue within his elbow. Soriano underwent surgery last fall to reposition a nerve that was apparently the cause of the discomfort. MLB’s Mark Bowman recently reported that, “all indications are that Soriano is healthy”. That’s excellent news for Braves fans.

Peter Moylan was the only pleasant surprise of the 2007 season. Over 80 appearances, Molyan limited opposing hitters to a .208 average, and allowed only 16 earned runs for a 1.80 ERA. It was the third best ERA in all of baseball, and it was the first sub-2.00 ERA to come out of the Atlanta bullpen over a full season since John Smoltz did it in 2003.

Moylan’s stuff is outstanding, but what makes him truly remarkable is that he fires his mid 90’s fastball, baffling changeup, and hard-biting slider with a submarine delivery. Many submarine/sidearm pitchers develop a deceptive pitching motion to compensate for a lack of overwhelming natural ability. Not so in Moylan’s case. His stuff, coupled with a submarine delivery, seems almost unfair.

After experiencing elbow pain last spring, he made it only 2 weeks into the season before joining the expansive disabled list. He underwent “Tommy John” surgery shortly thereafter. Moylan is reportedly ahead of schedule with his rehabilitation, and could be ready for action on opening day. Like Soriano, if healthy, Moylan is one of the best late-inning relievers in the game.

Blaine Boyer has been described by scouts, coaches, and teammates as a talented young pitcher with “closer’s stuff”. Boyer features a heater that pops the mitt in the mid-to-upper 90’s, and a (at times) knee-buckling 12-6 curveball. Boyer was thrust into a key late-inning role after Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano were lost to injuries, and he responded well to the challenge. Through the end of June, Boyer posted a very solid 3.63 ERA. However, after notching nearly 45 innings by the half-way point of the season, he appeared to “hit a wall”, and struggled throughout the second half.

John Smoltz is a big Blaine Boyer believer. He has raved about Boyer’s potential, and spent most of the winter training with him. And “Smoltzy” isn’t the only one ready to buy stock in the 6′ 3″ right-hander. Everyone within the Braves organization seems to think highly of Boyer. And he was rumored to be one of the pieces the Padres wanted in a potential Jake Peavy trade. With the depth of Atlanta’s bullpen this year, Boyer should benefit from less pressure and a reduced work load.

Manny Acosta is another hard-throwing young righty believed to have closer potential. Through 67 Major League games (2007, 2008), Acosta is owner of an outstanding 3.17 early career ERA. Like Boyer, Acosta features a fastball that rests in the mid 90’s. He struggles at times with his control, but if Manny can continue to develop his command of the strike zone, he could play a play a much larger role for the Braves in the near future. Either way, Acosta has already established himself as a valuable member of the Atlanta ‘pen’.

So there’s a quick look at what you can most likely expect to see as a large part of the Braves’ bullpen on opening day.  Barring any unforseen circumstances and injuries, the bullpen has depth and is ready to get to work in the 2009 season.  Are you happy with who we have?  Wish things looked a little different?  Look for the second half of the bullpen preview where we look into the people fighting for the last couple of spots in the bullpen to come tomorrow.

Bullpen Holding Up Well

Back in February, I wrote a post called “5 Keys to 2008 Bullpen Success” and identified five points I thought would be crucial to have a successful bullpen.  Let’s see how the bullpen has done compared to those five points.

#1 – Rafael Soriano is lights out as closer.
#2 – Peter Moylan eats up innings – and stays effective.
#3 – Will Ohman fills the left-handed setup role.
#4 – The emergence of an effective long-reliever.
#5 – The healthy return of Blaine Boyer and Mike Gonzalez.

Well, I got three out of five right.  Ohman has been great, and Boyer and Gonzalez have been healthy, but Soriano hasn’t seen much time and Moylan is out recovering from Tommy John surgery.

And yet the Braves’ bullpen is one of the best in the NL – we have the third best ERA (3.22) and the best Batting Average Against (or BAA at .224).  We’ve also give up the third fewest runs in the NL.  Our BAA is second only to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

This is thanks in no small part to Will Ohman, Blaine Boyer, and Manny Acosta.  For the crap we give Bobby for over-using Acosta, Manny is a really good pitcher when he’s not overused.  The return of Mike Gonzalez has been crucial to a stable back end of the ‘pen, and we should see that get even stronger as Rafael Soriano nears his return.

As we head into the second half of the season, our bullpen has to continue to impress to give us a chance for our hitting to win us some games.  Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’d say we’re in a good spot and on a good track.

Who’s the most indispensable arm in the bullpen so far?

- Colin

Edit: You just can’t make this stuff up…It seems Mike Hampton tweaked his hamstring after 2 IP in his latest rehab start, you just have to feel for the guy. He gave up one home run, no word on the severity of his injury yet. More details later.

Edit2: He tweaked his groin in the first inning and pitched a second, still no word on the severity, but said his super-surgically repaired arm felt great.

Glavine Pulls In First Win Of Year

Tom Glavine finally got some run support last night as the Braves held off the Phillies 8-6 for his first win of the year.  Yunel Escobar led off the game with a home run and Chipper followed with a homer of his own later in the first to put the Braves up early.   Glavine didn’t have a great outing, but he held his own against the Phillies’ offense – giving up four earned runs in five and two-thirds innings.  He struck out four, walked two, and gave up a two-run homer to Chase Utley.  But thanks to the offense, the Braves stayed out front.   Some extremely rare clutch hitting on the road came from Brian McCann (who had 3 RBIs), Gregor Blanco (2 RBIs), and Kelly Johnson, who added a home run of his own in the second.

Of course, the win couldn’t come without some late drama, courtesy of Blaine Boyer – who already blew two saves when Glavine was in line to get the win.  Blaine came in for the last out of the eighth and then stayed on to try for the save in the ninth.  After retiring the first two batters, he gave up a run on three back-to-back singles before getting the third out on a long fly ball to Jeff Francoeur that made it to the warning track.

The Braves walked out with a win on the road – but they’re still just 6-15.  That mark has to improve for the Braves to compete in the East – despite some recent great play, they’re still 2.5 games out in fourth place.  Tonight we’ll look forward to Chuck James (2-2) taking on the Phillies’ ace, Cole Hamels (4-3).  If the Braves can score some runs, we’ve got a chance.  We desperately need another road win.

We’re Not Dead Yet

The sky is falling. The Braves are 0-5 in one run games. They’re tied for last place in the NL East. Rafael Soriano is on the DL. Mike Hampton is again on the DL. Tim Hudson is fighting the flu. John Smoltz has had recurring shoulder issues.

And two games have already been postponed.

I feel like it’s time for me to say the same thing Phillies and Mets fans said last week. It’s not over yet. 9 games into the season, and it’s not over yet.

So without further ado, 5 things that have to happen to kick this thing into shape:

1. Blaine Boyer needs to stop giving up home runs. Actually, that goes for the whole bullpen. Out of the seven home runs given up this year by Braves pitchers, six of them are out of the bullpen. And the other one belongs to Chuck James, and he doesn’t count as a starter.
2. The bats have got to string together some consecutive hits. Get this ridiculous offense off the ground. That’s ridiculous in a good way.  And Mark Teixeira needs to get that .167 average up.
3. Jair Jurrjens continues to look good.  He got beat up a little in his last start and how he comes back in his next start is crucial.  He seems very mature as a 22 year old pitcher so I’m not concerned.
4. Bobby Cox needs to get thrown out.  Show some enthusiasm, Bobby.  Go out there and give some poor umpire the what’s for.  It’s fun, it shows everyone you want to win, and the fans and the players need it about now.
5. Like our friend Andrew over at The ‘Ropolitans, who recently shaved his beard only to see the Mets go 2-0, I began thinking back about my facial hair and the Braves.  Since I started the goatee about a year, year and a half ago, the Braves haven’t made the postseason.  So I’m shaving, in hopes that the lack of my facial hair can help the Braves over the next few series – most of which are against the Nationals and Marlins, with the Dodgers mixed in.  I will go baby-faced if it helps the Braves.

So there ya have it – we’re not dead yet.  Time to keep moving on and win the next few games.  Go Bravos!

Braves Lose 12 Inning Marathon 12-11

Last night was – with no exceptions – the craziest ballgame I’ve ever been to. The BravesBlast crew gathered in our seats before the pregame ceremonies and stayed there until the final out over five hours later. Tom Glavine looked good. He sure threw a lot of balls – high pitch count really quickly – thus he only got through 5 innings. But the crowd was glad to have him back. We got the lead early – but the bullpen squandered that. Manny Acosta was horrible – hardly the calm and collected reliever we saw in spring training. He gave up four runs and two home runs in two innings, and all of a sudden it was 9-4, Pirates lead. Let’s hope the bullpen doesn’t lapse to last season.

Then came the bottom of the ninth – and we rallied. Started by the second string once again – who drew a series of walks, we somehow pulled alongside the Pirates on a lazy two-out pop fly by Brian McCann. Chipper kicked it into gear as soon as the ball was hit and when the ball inexplicably dropped in short center field, he was already crossing the plate with the tying run. McCann stood on first base with a look of disbelief on his face (that was proudly displayed on the big screen).

At this point, we brought in Soriano. He looked good and kept the Pirates scoreless after giving up a double. The Braves took him out as his spot in the batting order was coming up. Now by this time, the Braves had used so many relievers that Blaine Boyer was the only one left in the ‘pen.

Boyer was spotless in the 11th, striking out two.  We went to the 12th.  Boyer was back on the mound, partially because he was gorgeous in the 11th, partially because there were no more relievers.  Heck, Jair Jurrjens showed up in the bullpen and spent a little time warming up.  He’s supposed to start Wednesday’s game.

But Boyer allowed two base runners and then gave up a shot to right field that just cleared the fence – putting the Pirates up 12-9.  But nobody left – everyone who stuck through the 9-4 deficit in the 9th figured we could pull out of a 12-9 in the 12th.   And we almost did.

Francoeur’s solo shot (which I called, by the way) made it 12-10.  Then Diaz knocked in a run to make it 12-11. And with a runner on base and two outs in the 12th, Corky Miller (the only bench player left to pinch-hit for Boyer) popped a ball to center field.  This time they caught it.  And we had to go home.

Sure, we got an L in the W/L column.  But it didn’t feel like a loss.  It felt like a team ready to fight no matter what the odds this season.  It felt like our team was ready to do battle. It’s baseball season!

Rue’s Scorecards For The Night:
ATL  PIT  Extra Innings

‘08 Roster Nearing Completion

After last night’s loss to Cleveland, the Braves further thinned out their roster, getting ready for Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals.  Of course the most notable moves involved the ongoing battles for the limited number of backup spots on the roster.

Brent Lillibridge, impressive as he was in the first half of the spring, got sent back to AAA Richmond, where he’ll get more playing time.  I think this is crucial, since either he or Escobar will likely be trade bait before too long.  He needs to be playing all the time.  Martin Prado gets to stay in Atlanta – his first time starting the season in the majors.  Joining Prado (who played a few innings last night at first, by the way) is new acquisition Ruben Gotay, a switch-hitting contact hitter who can play second, third, and short.

In the outfield, Gregor Blanco beat out Josh Anderson for the backup job.  Anderson got out-hit by Blanco this spring (.260 to .341) and despite his speed, Bobby couldn’t find a roster spot for him.  I like Anderson though – if we have an issue mid-season with Diaz or Kotsay I’m sure we’ll see him (maybe even before Schafer, whom they might want to groom all season long).

Behind the plate, Corky Miller seems to have the backup job.  Brayan Pena is still on the roster too, but he’s out of options and conventional wisdom says he’s traded by the end of the day.  If Pena sticks around, he can pitch in at first as well.

So that leaves the five bench spots going to Blanco (OF), Gotay (IF), Prado (IF), Pena (C/1B) and Miller (C).  I’m not sure what we’ll see happen if Pena is traded – maybe Anderson comes back up?

The Bullpen is finally solid, with slots going to Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano, Manny Acosta, Will Ohman, Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Blaine Boyer.  I like this year’s ‘pen.  Lots of arms who have the capacity to be good pitchers throughout the season.

Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle are still fighting for the pitching slot left vacant by Smoltzie, who will start the season on the DL (it’ll be backdated and he’ll only miss one start).  I’d give the edge to Bennett in this one – he’s been impressive, but Carlyle hasn’t put together a bad spring himself.

More as we hear it – our ears are to the ground today as we wait for the final moves to be made.

Braves Drop Exhibition To Tribe

It was great to go back to Turner Field and watch baseball.  Though the crowd was light, the evening was perfect – the sunset and great weather combined with seeing the Braves made it a great evening.  Unfortunately, the Braves dropped the game 7-1 to the Indians behind a bad fourth inning outing by Blaine Boyer.

Jair Jurrjens got the start, giving up two runs in over three innings of work.  However, one of those runs should be charged to Boyer, who did not look good at all in the fourth after he came in.  Some other quick observations:

• Yunel made some great plays defensively, including a nice leaping catch.  I’m excited to see him play a full season.
• Kotsay made a diving grab in the outfield that scared me a little bit – he seemed to catch his arm a little bit but he came up fine.
• I was impressed by Kotsay on the basepaths.  He stayed alert and stole second when the catcher simply dropped the ball.  Caught everyone off guard.  It resulted in Atlanta’s only run of the day.
• We had a “Andruw would have gotten that” moment tonight – but it was later in the game and I think Gregor Blanco was in center, not Kotsay.  So we won’t pop that counter yet.  At least not until the regular season.
• Chipper still won’t run out infield ground balls.
• Fernando Nunez looked good today.  Never heard of him before today, but he looked good.
• Acosta looks good – he’ll be an important part of our bullpen this season.
• The Kelly Johnson / Yunel Escobar double play duo this season will be fun to watch.  They’re getting in the groove and should be really smooth here soon.

Next up, Hampton starts against the Indians at 1:10 tomorrow.  The Braves will have their 25-man roster done tomorrow at some point too.  They have to have it set before Sunday’s game against the Nationals.

Trade Rumors Circle Optionless Players

Frank Wren let loose this past weekend with a couple interesting tidbits regarding roster options heading into the season.  Firstly, there are trade talks surrounding many of the out of options players.  Secondly, the Braves have the payroll flexibility to add a player with a $3-4 million if necessary.  This puts us in a good position as Bobby and Frank finalize the 25-man roster.

Wren has said that teh Braves will take whatever player is the best fit for the team, and shop the other players around.  If the Braves don’t trade their out of options players, they’ll likely lose them on the waiver wire with no compensation.  What do other teams want with our leftovers?  Let’s break it down by player:

Brayan Pena

Corky Miller looks to be the favorite to win the backup catcher position, leaving Pena without a place.  He’s a switch hitter and can play first and third as well as outfield, which will make him in demand and valuable to other organizations.

Scott Thorman

Thorman has at times shown power potential that is interesting to some teams.  I’m really not sure what we’d be able to get for him – he’s not been very successful (putting it lightly) in his time in the big leagues, not to mention this spring.  He’s hitting .140 this spring.

The bullpen is congested – seven spots are available, but five of them appear to be spoken for.  Soriano, Moylan, Acosta, Bennett, and Ohman appear to be locks.  This leaves Blaine Boyer, Royce Ring, Chris Resop, and Tyler Yates competing for two spots.  Ridgway will likely get sent to AAA as he still has options left.  Boyer and Resop have been impressive and likely are the leaders for the last two spots (Resop has averaged a strikeout per inning, and Boyer has a 2.25 ERA in seven outings).  This leaves Yates and Ring.

Tyler Yates

Yates has been unimpressive so far this spring.  He’s walked 10 in 7 innings.  He’s also given up 7 hits.  But he’s a steady arm and will likely settle down once the season is moving.  For a team that needs depth in the bullpen, he could be an important addition.

Royce Ring

Royce Ring has immediate value to many bullpens because he’s a lefty, and left-handed specialists are in short supply.  This is the same reason the Braves may keep him – if they want another lefty to join Ohman, they may not want to wait for Mike Gonzalez to get healthy mid-season.  We’ll see what happens – he’d be useful to a lot of teams out there.

For one, I appreciate that the Braves are leaving enough room in their finances to be able to spend money going into the season.  I also appreciate that Wren isn’t just going to ship our guys through waivers and hope they make it to the minors.  We won’t know the magnitude of the goings on until the trigger is pulled on the trades, but as we hear it, we’ll report it.

Braves Destroy Indians 11-4

The Braves’ offense beat the Indians to a pulp tonight as Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira led the offense to a nine-run fourth inning outburst.  McCann went 2-3 and knocked in three runs, while Teixeira went 3-3 and knocked in two runs, while scoring three runs himself.  The supporting role included Chipper Jones, Martin Prado and Jeff Francoeur with an RBI each.  Blaine Boyer even got in on the action with an RBI and a run scored of his own.

On the mound, the Braves started Buddy Carlyle, who looked decent early, but gave up three solo home runs when he seemed to think he was throwing batting practice.  Besides Boyer beating up on the Indians’ pitching staff, he pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.  Tyler Yates got an inning in as well, where he walked two and struck out one.

Good to see Teixeira and McCann come out of their slow starts for a night and knock in some runs.  Both were very confident and solid at the plate.  We’ll need to rely on these guys all year to be competitive offensively.

In other news, Hampton pitched a successful simulation game, in which he pitched four innings and 59 pitches.  And he refrained from hurting his groin, breaking his elbow, or creating some other freak injury nobody has ever had before.  Good news is he had good movement on his curveball during the session.  He should see action early next week.

Next up is Chuck James in his spring debut against the Tigers.  He’ll pitch two innings and test his rotator cuff.  We’ll bring you the latest on that, too.