Braves Updates

Well we’ve seen a bunch of Braves news lately, so we’ll hit it real fast for ya:

• Morton pitched well yesterday - one hit through seven innings, but he gave up a home run to Prince Fielder, and the Braves fell 4-2.
• C.C. Sabathia showed us yesterday why we need to sign him in the offseason.  8 1/3 innings of four-hit ball.  He’s insane.
• Tim Hudson is going ahead with Tommy John surgery - Dr. James Andrews (the recognized expert in this area) will perform the surgery.  Hudson will have a 12 month rehab time before he is expected back with the team.
• Chipper is expecting to be back in the lineup Friday, the first day he’s eligible off the DL.  He says that “everything feels great” and he’s no longer having trouble with either his hamstring or his quad.
• Brian McCann should be expected back in the starting lineup Monday - he’s nearly done recovering from his concussion.  He may pinch hit today.
• Casey Kotchman is off to a slow start in the NL - only 2 for 16 - with 1 RBI.  Yes, it’s only been four games, but he’s not on fire.
• Royce Ring has been designated for assignment after a really ugly stretch where his ERA jumped 5 runs.  That’s not big league ball stuff.  Vladimir Nunez is expected to replace him.  Ring, according to the AJC, has the “distinction of the worst statistical season of any reliever in the history of the franchise since the 1870s, among those who appeared in as many games as he did.”  That didn’t work out well - he’s a specialist and shouldn’t be pitching as much as he did.

Well there ya have it - maybe we’ll see you at the Stadium today.  Ben Sheets is going against Jorge Campillo.  Go Braves!

Bad News For Braves’ Elder Statesmen

John Smoltz has a torn labrum - significantly more damage than they hoped to find during surgery yesterday.  His future with the club is “uncertain” at this point.  He’s a fierce competitor, but can he come back from this surgery?  It took the spry Blaine Boyer nearly two years to recover from similar surgery.

Meanwhile, Tom Glavine strained his elbow and was placed on the DL.  Apparently from the first pitch last night his elbow hurt, but he pitched through the pain only to be pulled with the elbow strain.

So there’s the Braves’ two elder statesmen having health issues.  Glavine is on the DL for the second time this season - and the second time in his long career.  Smoltzie is gone for at least this season, maybe for good.  And the Braves are back below .500, trying to figure out how to win on the road and where they can find some pitching.

This time, more than ever, we’ve got to figure out where we’re going to get some starting pitching, and fast.  I maintain that Charlie Morton is ready - the traditional measure for minor league pitchers is innings pitched, and he’s thrown just under 600 innings.  He’s also 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA and 72 K’s to 27 walks.  Bring him up and give him a shot - he impressed in spring training.

We also likely should trade for another solid arm.  Even if we bring Morton up, we’re pitching Hudson, Jurrjens, Campillo, Morton, and Reyes.  If we want to win and go into the post season, we need another solid arm.  Jonathan’s a big proponent of trading Mark Teixeira for a young arm with some life left on the contract.  I’m not sure what he said Tex is supposed to ask for at the end of the season, but supposedly we may not be able to afford it even without Hampton, Smoltz, and Glavine’s contracts.  I’ll let him explain that more here.

What do you think we should do?  Should we let Jo-Jo Reyes fight it out for that fifth spot?  Can he make it at the big league level?  Is Morton ready, or am I just talking out of the seat of my pants?

Summer Hot Stove Heating Up - Trade Rumors

The Braves are playing amazing baseball at home, but not performing so great on the road. They’re also 2-14 in one-run games, a number that should improve once Smoltz, Soriano, and Gonzalez are all active in the bullpen (I shamelessly stole that line from Jayson Stark). But with the Braves moving John Smoltz from the rotation to the ‘pen, they’re short a starting pitcher. And even though Jo-Jo Reyes and Jorge Campillo are standing in admirably (Campillo more so than Reyes), the Braves are reportedly looking for a starting pitcher.

There are a couple rumors here - one mentioned by the announcers during today’s game involved the highest profile free agent on the team. Reportedly the Braves would send Mark Teixeira to the Cleveland Indians for starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would provide the depth to the rotation the Braves need (he’s won an average of 15.3 games each of the last three seasons), but the Braves would lose Teixeira and much of the needed protection behind Chipper, who is powering the offense. Sabathia is only 28 and would possibly be harder to resign at season’s end than Teixeira will be - and we can’t count that out. Plus, who would play first? Other rumors include either a top pitching prospect or Jordan Schafer for Sabathia - neither of which make sense for a pitcher with under a year left on his contract.  Don’t forget that if we trade Tex, we have nearly no chance of re-signing him.

The most popular rumor has Greg Maddux coming to Atlanta - something that I don’t think will happen. Frank Wren was very adamant pre-season that he wasn’t looking for a reunion tour of the big three. Now Maddux would be a very popular choice, but he’s older and may not be available for re-signing at the end of the year (no telling when he hangs up the cleats).

Jayson Stark offered his opinion on this earlier today:

“Clubs that have spoken with the Braves say they’re more focused on trying to find a younger starting pitcher they can hang onto for [more than] just the last few months of this season. So think more along the lines of the non-free agents who could pop onto the market…”

Stark goes on to mention Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Bronson Arroyo, and Jeremy Bonderman - but stresses the Braves could be after any pitcher in this category.

I think that the Maddux thing is a bit of a pipe dream as opposed to reality. He’d offer us a good fifth arm in the rotation if Reyes isn’t working out, but I think we’d have to give up too much to get him. I’d much rather see us trade a younger prospect for a pitcher with plenty left in the tank and a few years on his contract. It’s time we start stacking our rotation for tomorrow.

Who would you like to see come to the Braves? Chime in with your opinion and comment below.

Other tidbits: East Coast Bias had a great article today on the Braves one-third of the way through the season. Take a look - very good read.

Braves Win On The Road?

Jorge Campillo’s ERA rose after today’s outing as our fifth starter, while the Braves secured a rare 8-1 road win. Campillo, who’s ERA was 0.86 before the game, allowed a home run to Russell Branyan to increase his ERA to 0.99, just disgusting.  That’s the first run that Campillo has given up since assuming a starting role.

In all seriousness though, the Braves were hopefully able to put two one-run road losses behind them on their way to Cincinnati to take on the Reds. Campillo (2-0) pitched five innings and allowed one run on the homer for his second win, another converted reliever, Seth McClung (2-2), took the loss after allowing six runs in four and two-thirds innings.

Campillo struck out six in his five innings and walked none. Campillo also got his first major league hit and RBIs on a flair to right fielder Corey Hart.

Mark Teixeira homered in the win, his first in the last 19 games, as he continues to show signs of life with his second four-RBI game this week. Teixeira’s .290 batting average is 30 points higher than his .262 average in April and only figures to get higher going into the summer.

The Braves did not start the game out soundly. Yunel Escobar singled on the first pitch of the game. After Kelly Johnson popped up on the second pitch, Chipper Jones singled and Teixeira walked. Greg Norton, getting the start in left field while Kotsay is nursing his sore back (Blanco made the start in center), grounded into a double play—a signature of the Braves season.

In the third, Escobar singled and moved to third on a Chipper single. Teixeira hit the ball to the right side that would have scored Escobar anyway, but Teixeira was safe at first and Chipper moved up thanks to Rickie Weeks’ throwing error.

In the fifth, Kelly Johnson singled and stole second on a mental error by the Brewers—they didn’t hold the runner with Chipper at the plate. With first base open, Chipper was intentionally walked before Tex unloaded to right field for a 4-0 lead. Campillo later singled with the bases loaded for a 6-0 lead.

In the eighth, the Braves loaded the bases with two outs, but Manny Acosta grounded out to first. Atlanta replicated that in the ninth, but this time Kelly Johnson’s single scored two to put the Braves up 8-1.

Some strange occurrences happened in this game. After Brian McCann’s strike without being in the box last night, the umpire was involved in a very rare call today as well. With Ryan Braun attempting to steal third, Corky Miller’s throw to third sailed into left field and allowed Braun to score. But before that happened, Hart was called out on batter’s interference because he stepped out of the batter’s box during the throw attempt. The hitter is required to stand in the batter’s box to avoid this call. This cost the Brewers a run that would have tied the game.

Chipper watch: Chipper went 2-4 today to raise his average to .420, the fourth highest batting average through May 28^th this late in the season.

Injury update: Matt Diaz’s PCL is partially torn, but he will not require surgery. He will, however, be out six weeks for treatment. Soriano threw the ninth inning today with his fastball reaching 94 miles an hour, he allowed a base runner on a walk but did not allow a hit. Smoltz will pitch for Rome tonight and Gonzalez was cleared to go on a 10-day minor league rehab assignment.

We Had A Game Yesterday?!

Despite what everyone has been telling me, I’m pretty sure yesterday was an off day for the Braves.  Don’t try to tell me there was a game…..you’re wrong.

The Braves face off against Arizona and Randy Johnson this afternoon.  What’s there to worry about?  Sure, the last time Johnson threw at Turner Field, he threw a perfect game.  And the Diamondbacks are tied for the second best record in baseball……who cares?!  Jorge Campillo’s taking the mound for the Braves today after an impressive outing in the second game of the doubleheader against the Mets last week to secure his first win.

The real question in this afternoon is: which Braves team will show up for the game today?  The one that dominated the Mets or the batting practice squad that was destroyed in last night’s “non-game” against the Diamondbacks.  As far as I’m concerned, it can only get better…….I hope I didn’t just jinx us.

Everyone Loves A Clean Sweep

It was so sweet to be able to go to Turner Field after a long day this week and watch the Braves beat the crud out of the Mets.  We got solid starts from Glavine, Hudson, Jurrjens, and some guy named Campillo making his first start since 2005.  Our starters’ combined lines?

4 Wins, 27 Innings Pitched, 18 Hits, 4 Earned Runs, 3 Walks, 16 Strikeouts, 3 Home Runs Allowed 

Compare that to the Mets and their starters’ combined lines:

4 Losses, 20 Innings Pitched, 33 Hits, 17 Earned Runs, 8 Walks, 6 Strikeouts, 1 Home Runs Allowed

For the record, our best start came from Jorge Campillo.  And wasn’t it great to watch Santana implode tonight?  We can deduce a few things here from these lines - firstly, the Braves played a lot of fundamental ball - only one homer off of Mets starters.  And we didn’t rely on our ‘pen much - an average of just over 2 innings per game.  This is the kind of baseball we need to be playing.  Strong starters are the best foundation for a solid game.

Next up are the Diamondbacks - we can beat them since we’re at home, I’m sure.  We need to learn how to translate this play on the road.  And the Marlins need to start losing.  They’re NOT that good.

The Mets, on the other hand, aren’t that good.  And everybody knows it.  Especially them.  By the way, Jair Jurrjens has the same record as Johan Santana.  Ouch.

Go Braves!  Let’s sweep the Diamondbacks too.

This Campillo Guy Ain’t Half Bad

I think we have our fifth starter. Jorge Campillo had a tremendous start last night, translating the solid work he’s shown in the bullpen to a start that could only be described as excellent - going six scoreless innings against the Mets in the second game of the day/night so-called doubleheader. But you can find excellent accounts of that start on some of our friends’ blogs - Section435 has a very pretty picture too.

I’m here to talk about Jorge Campillo. My alternate title was “Who Is This Jorge Campillo Guy Anyway?” Here’s a bit of info on Campillo.

Campillo was signed by the Braves in 1996 as an amateur free agent, but was released in January of 1997. He pitched in the Mexican leagues from 1997-2004 as a starter - and a successful one at that. The Mariners picked him up and he pitched in just two games - one as a starter in 2005, before exiting after one inning with elbow trouble that would lead to Tommy John surgery.  The Mariners released him and he was invited to spring training by the Braves as a non-roster invitee after being signed to a minor league contract on the recommendations of two of the Braves’ top scouts.

After impressing in spring training, Campillo started out the year at AAA Richmond, and since being brought up, has had 13 relief appearances and one start, racking up a 0.99 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and is currently fifth in innings pitched for the Braves this season.

Campillo is described by Cox as a “master of changing speeds” with his pitches - with a great curveball and a fastball that tops out around 89, but looks faster. And Cox compares his command with that of Maddux and Glavine - praise that does not come lightly from Bobby.

So put Campillo in the starting rotation already.  We need someone to replace James and Campillo looks like our guy.  He’s coming back on three-days rest on Saturday against the Diamondbacks, apparently.  Don’t overwork him, Bobby.

Pitching Problems Have Yet To Creep Up

When the Braves started the season, it seemed as if their impenetrable depth in the starting pitching spot would be their greatest strength. Now, heading into the second half of May, it has already become a weakness. Yes, I know we lead the league in starter’s ERA, but it’s a very deceiving stat in that our starters have only pitched 225 innings, 14th in the NL (St. Louis leads the league with 266.1 and Philly comes in second at 256.0 for comparisons).

Does that take away anything from our accomplishment so far? Not necessarily. It does, however, bring about the question of how long can the bullpen keep up their routine. Yes, eventually Smoltz, Soriano and Gonzalez will return and give us probably the best finishers in the league, but until then? And what about after that? What happens to our middle relief? Acosta, Boyer, Ohman and the others can only go so far. Especially Acosta, who has never pitched a full season in the majors and may hit a wall.

Going back to the starters. At the beginning the season, the Braves touted one of the deepest starting pitching crops of any team in the majors and looked to be getting back to their old ways of being the pitching premium. Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, Jurrjens, Hampton, James, Reyes, Carlyle and Bennett among others that were potential starters.

Smoltz went down in spring training with a shoulder injury that never really fully recovered, and may not. It’s an injury that will linger throughout the season. For Smoltz, though, the option of pitching out of the bullpen is still there and will probably become a reality. This will reduce the stress he puts on his shoulder as well as allow him time to recover between appearances.

And then our boy Hampton tries to go up the stairs without his bubble-wrap suit and yeah…gets hurt (kidding, he actually strained a pectoral muscle warming up in cold weather and strained it again on the 71st pitch of a rehab game). Thankfully, the Braves had options at that point.

Chuck James, a veteran with options who has won 10 games in each of the past two seasons as well as Jojo Reyes and Jeff Bennett. Bennett has been a solid replacement. Three times spot starting, all of his starts have been solid. Unfortunately, only one of those was a “quality start” (6 or more innings pitched, three or less earned runs allowed). For the Braves to be successful in the long run, quality starts are important. Two of last seasons top three quality starters (Huddy and Glavine) are in the rotation, while the other (Smoltzy) is moving to the bullpen. The AJC reported today that Bennett may be a potential replacement for James in the rotation. Updated: Campillo to get the start in James’ place in game 2 against the Mets.

Carlyle is sitting on the DL with a strained neck after running into a runner against San Diego. Jojo Reyes has been both solid and bad at times. Against San Diego, he gave up two runs, but walked two in 2 2/3 innings and had thrown 51 pitches to that point. Against Philly last Friday, Reyes cruised through the first three innings with no trouble. But really struggled with the middle of the order the second and third times around and ended up giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

The Braves are truly lucky to be sitting where they are, and with no one having run away with the division to this point, the Braves are primed for a run. Both Gonzalez and Soriano should be back before the end of the month and Smoltz not too far behind. Reyes is getting adjusted to the majors and Bennett/Campillo could be a solid tail end of the rotation. With the way John Schuerholz and Frank Wren prepared this team, they had injury problems at the front of their mind and truly did a strong job of getting together the right personnel to keep this team afloat.

The TJ Club

With Peter Moylan on the brink of season ending reconstructive surgery, we here at BravesBlast thought it would be a good idea to profile the surgery itself as well as some of the Braves that have had the surgery: the list isn’t short.
The surgery itself was developed in 1974 when the now infamous Tommy John developed a pain in his elbow as well as a noticeable drop in velocity. After tests, Dr. Frank Jobe diagnosed John with a torn UCL, ulnar collateral ligament. The UCL is the ligament in the elbow that connects the upper arm bone (humerus) to the ulna and radius of the forearm.

At the time, there was no reconstruction and recovery procedure for the injury and pitchers that suffered from a torn or “compromised” (like Moylan) ligament were doomed to sit out the rest of their days. Dr. Frank Jobe decided to try a new, unheard of procedure on John. He hypothesized that if he could use a tendon from another part of the body (most likely the arm or leg) and attach it to the elbow, it would grow into a ligament. Jobe tried the procedure but had to wait an entire year to witness the results of the surgery.

Jobe was delighted to see that the surgery was a success. John went on to a 10-10 record in his first season back, 1976. John went on to pitch 13 more seasons in the bigs and compiled a 288-231 record and had a 3.34 career ERA.

With John being the first to successfully complete a rehab from the UCL surgery, the reconstructive procedure took on his name and to this day is considered a pitcher’s best friend.

Now as far as its ties to the Braves go, several pitchers on our staff have had the surgery already:

John Smoltz – In 1999 Smoltzie started throwing with a side-arm and three quarters-arm delivery. I don’t know if this is what caused the UCL tear or if he pitched that way because of arm troubles, but it was fairly effective. Smoltz went 11-8 with a 3.19 ERA. Smoltz pretty much lost all or part of five years with the surgery as a starter. It’s probably that he would be a 300 game winner, or at least within reach of the milestone. But there’s another one he can get to at this point: 200 saves.

Mike Hampton – Wow…what more is there to say about Hampton. He was off to what looked like a career year for the Braves before having fore-arm soreness in May on 2005. He made one more start that year towards the end, before electing to have the procedure. He sat out all of 2006 rehabbing from the injury, but unfortunately tore another ligament in the same elbow.

Rafael Soriano – Soriano was supposed to be a great relief pitcher for the Mariners. He struck out 68 in 53 innings in 2004 with a 1.53 ERA, but had to have the surgery late in 2004. He pitched well in 2006, but had to sit out the last month with a severe concussion after getting hit with a line drive in the head. The Braves then traded for him and he has had mixed success in his time with the Braves. Luckily the MRI on Soriano’s elbow came back negative for anything serious.

Jorge Campillo – Campillo also pitched for the Mariners (what is with us and getting players from AL west teams, a few from the A’s and a couple from the Mariners and one big one from the Rangers). He debuted in 2005, but quickly required the surgery after just two appearances. He was released after rehabbing because the team was not pleased with his progress. He signed with the Braves this past offseason and has been a great addition to the roster.

Jeff Bennett – Bennett pitched one season with the Brewers going 1-5 in 60 appearances. Bennett required the surgery in 2006 after spending 2005-06 in the minors. Bennett signed with the Braves after the 2006 season and spent much of 2007 in the minors. During the September call-ups, Bennett proved he could pitch in the majors and won a spot as the long-reliever/spot starter in spring training.

Among other pitchers in the Braves organization, Anthony Lerew underwent the surgery after two starts last season and is currently rehabbing.

Kelly Johnson also underwent the surgery after a tear on a throw from the outfield during the 2005 season. Braves personnel decided to shift him to second base (he was originally drafted as a short stop) to avoid any further injuries to his arm. He sat out the entire 2006 season, but has returned the Braves lineup as an asset as the leadoff man.

With more and more pitchers electing to get this surgery on a regular basis, it poses the question, “what’s the best way to pitch?” Pitchers get hurt pitching overhand, side arm, whatever. Is there really a perfect way to pitch to avoid injuries? So far Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux may be the best examples of two pitchers that have avoided pitching-related injuries for as long as they have.

Marlins Beat Braves 6-5

At this point, one has to ask - will the Braves ever win a one-run game?  After the loss to the Marlins, the Braves are 0-7 in one-run games.  That’s right, 7 out of our 9 losses were lost by one run.

Tim Hudson, normally the stopper when we’re on a losing streak, did not look good after giving up four runs in just three innings of work.  His fastball was topping out just over 85 mph, and his control was not there.  Cox pulled him after just three innings because, “His arm was kind of dead.”

The Braves plated a run in the first, and then Yunel Escobar hit a two run home run in the fifth inning to bring the game to 4-3, but even a two-run rally in the eighth couldn’t help the Braves get out of the hole they dug early.  On the bright side, Jorge Campillo pitched three hitless innings and he’s looking good.  Not a bad guy to have in the ‘pen - and if he can keep it up, he’ll be one of the go-to long relievers.

Of course the worst part of all this is the loss.  The Braves are now 5-9 and in fourth place in the NL East.  They’re 0-7 in one-run games.  And something has to turn around soon.

It’ll happen, but one has to wonder how long we wait before the Braves look the way they should in our minds.

Off-Day Thoughts

So the Braves have a much needed day off today as they make the trip to Florida to play the Marlins, who have flown out of the gates this year to get off to a great start to the season.  Hopefully the Braves will make a good run at stopping that.  But either way, I wanted to take the off day to make some commentary about the season thus far and things that are on my mind.

The Season Thus Far - It hasn’t been the best start to the season thus far as far as the record is concerned.  We’re 5-7 at this point, but there’s still plenty of time to get things going.  Six of our losses have been by one run, so we’ve been in most of the games and not eliminated early.

Leadoff Runners - We don’t get nearly enough leadoff base runners from our offense.  It seems like every time that we put someone on base, it’s with two outs.  Likewise, we give up way too many leadoff base runners to our opposition.  We need to swing that a little more in our direction.

Jeff Bennett - I liked the guy……..until yesterday.  I know Glavine took the loss in the game yesterday, but in my personal scoring system, I’m giving it to Bennett.  There’s never any excuse to walk four straight batters and definitely never an excuse to give up two runs on walks.

Jorge Campillo - I still don’t know much about him, but I know I liked what I saw yesterday.  I think if he can keep that up steadily through the season, then there’s no reason he shouldn’t find a full-time position in our bullpen.

Starting Pitching - Nevermind, I don’t want to get into our endless list of injuries to our starters.  Hampton, Glavine, Smoltz…….it could be a long year.

Clutch Offense - So we can score endless runs when we’re up in a game (which is good with the condition of our bullpen at times), but it seems like when we need the hits and the runs, we just can’t do it.  I attribute this to our slew of one-run losses so far this season.

I’ve got a few more things on my mind, but these are just the pressing ones for now.  I don’t like off days.  I feel like there’s nothing to keep up with, but the team definitely needs it.  I’m ready to watch Jair start tomorrow against the Marlins.  What’d I miss?

Glavine Hurt, Braves Drop Finale To Nats

Wow, that hurts.

Losing a game always does, but moreso when you are behind a run in the ninth with bases loaded and you just can’t get it done.

The Braves finished their first three-game series in DC this season taking the first two and stumbling through the final one following Tom Glavine’s abrupt first inning departure.  It was obvious Tommy didn’t have his stuff early on. The last time we saw him was the home opener against Pittsburgh and he was classic Tommy, going five solid innings. In DC today, he struggled early on and it was obvious he was in pain. He left and it was reported he had a strained right hamstring, the severity of which, we aren’t sure of.

Bennett came in and had an “uneven” showing , allowing three earned runs in four innings.  Not to mention, he walked four straight batters and walked in two runs as a result.  After him, our bullpen gave us some very respectable work from Campillo, Resop, and Boyer.

The bright spot of the day, as relates to pitching? It has to be Campillo. He shut the door on six straight batters and certainly looked major league-ready.

Chipper’s 2-run homer and some smart base-running, and a late inning rally gave us hope for a come-from-behind win. But, alas, too little, too late.

Positives:
- 2 out of 3 on the road
- 4 hits from the bullpen
- Got a break on McCann tagging out the runner
- Jorge Campillo!
- Escobar shows some discipline and gets walked twice

Negatives:
- McCann/Johnson/Diaz: all three 0-4 at the plate
- Bennett, 2 runs on 4 straight walks
- Losing another 1-run game.

Now, we head down to a warmer climate and face the Florida Marlins. The fish are doing great offensively, but may just have the worst rotation in the majors. Hopefully, we can capitalize on that and get another series in the books.

Also, keep your fingers crossed and your prayers going that Tommy’s hammy isn’t that bad.