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.

Another Injury-Filled Day

It seems that I spend more time these days writing about injuries than I do about anything else.  Every day it’s disabled lists, injuries, surgeries, lack of pitching….get the picture?  So while the Braves finished up a strong homestand today, why would it be any different?  So let’s get to it and highlight the injuries du jour:

Jo-Jo Reyes - Jo-Jo made the start in today’s game against the Padres.  Reyes didn’t have his best stuff today and left the game in the third inning with a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand.  This is one of those nagging little injuries that you just want to take care of so that it doesn’t become a nagging problem.

Buddy Carlyle - Buddy replaced Jo-Jo Reyes after he left with his injury in the third inning today.  Carlyle however only made it through 6 batters before colliding with Kevin Kouzmanoff while trying to field a ball down the first base line.  He recorded the out but fell to the field in obvious pain.  Buddy was diagnosed with a muscle strain in the left side of his neck and is listed as day-to-day.

Peter Moylan - Moylan underwent Tommy John surgery today and will miss the next 12 months or so.  He will be missed in the Braves’ bullpen.

Brayan Pena - Brayan was placed on the 15-day disabled list today with a back strain.  Pena’s trip to the disabled list made room on the roster for utility man, Omar Infante, who was activated today after breaking his hand in Venezuelan winter leagues. Infante made the start in today’s game in place of Kelly Johnson at second base.

So those are the injuries for today.  Check back in tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll have more to keep you updated about.  In the meantime, let’s hope the Braves can figure out the secret to winning on the road as we head to Pittsburgh.

Moylan Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Not being seen much as a surprise, Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan underwent Tommy John surgery today when he went to see his doctor in Birmingham.  After the surgery, Moylan’s doctor, James Andrews, confirmed that a bone spur had lodged itself into the UCL in Moylan’s right elbow.  This had compromised the integrity of the ligament to the point that it would not have been rehabilitable.

The Braves are no strangers to Tommy John surgery.  The surgery, which involves replacing the UCL in the elbow with a tendon from the leg, requires at least a year of rehabilitation and recovery time until the individual can pitch again.  Moylan’s hoping that he can return to the Braves’ bullpen around this time next year and continue to help carry the bullpen as a setup man.  In seven appearances thus far this season, Moylan had posted a 1.59 ERA.

Prado To Disabled List

Martin Prado was placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier today with a sprained thumb suffered diving into first to obtain an infield single during yesterday’s game against the Reds.  Prado’s thumb is in a cast and the Braves are expecting him to be out a full 6 weeks as a result of this injury.

In other news, the Braves have moved Peter Moylan over to the 60-day disabled list.  Moylan will have season-ending Tommy John surgery later this week.  The surgery requires at least a year of recovery time and I’d like to see Moylan back as soon as possible.  Just more injuries to hamper the Braves.

Braves Injury Updates

It has been a tough season on the injury-front for the Braves already this season, especially when we take a look at our pitching staff.  I figured we could use today’s off-day to do a quick review of where we stand with a lot of the injuries that are plaguing the team on both sides of the ball thus far.  We need most (and preferably all) of these guys healthy if we want to have a hope at returning to the playoffs this season:

Chipper Jones - Chipper missed the last two games with spasms in his lower back.  This is a tricky injury that could be gone in a minute or stick around for a couple of weeks.  Chipper’s tough though and if there’s any chance of him playing, he’s not going to miss a game.  He’s still having some trouble rotating his body though, so we may see him miss another game or two.  He should hopefully be back by the time the Braves return to Turner Field this weekend.

Yunel Escobar - Yunel cracked his fingernail trying to lay down a bunt in Friday night’s game and missed the games on Saturday and Sunday as a result.  Bobby Cox said there’s an outside chance that we’ll see Yunel play Tuesday night.  The swelling in his finger is going down but he’s still unable to really grip a bat and I’m sure he’ll be severely crippled by the injury in the field as well.  I look for him to be back in the lineup by the time the Braves head back to Atlanta as well.

John Smoltz - Smoltz has been bothered off and on by soreness between his neck and shoulder.  He was strong in his two previous starts before coming out of the game after only 3 innings yesterday.  In his postgame interviews, Smoltz gave a less than positive impression of how he was feeling, saying that he doesn’t know if this is more than just muscle tightness.  Losing Smoltz would be a huge blow to our already crippled pitching staff, but if a month on the DL would keep him healthier through the rest of the season, it’s for the best.  I’m sure we’ll hear more on this soon as Smoltz may head back to Atlanta for medical evaluation.

Tom Glavine - Glavine’s expected to return from the disabled list to make his start this Tuesday.  Tommy has been out for a couple of weeks after leaving a game in the first inning with tightness in his hamstring.  His stint on the DL has gone smoothly however and the Braves are confident that he’ll be ready to go against the Nationals tomorrow night.

Mike Hampton - How can there be an injury report without a man by the name of Mike Hampton.  Hampton’s still looking to make his first start in the majors since 2005 after a slew of injuries.  The latest was straining a pectoral muscle while warming up for a start at Turner Field earlier this season.  Hampton made a start with AAA Richmond this past week and went three innings.  I’d look for at least one more rehab start in Richmond before he heads back to Atlanta to make another attempt at starting.  He joined up with the team in New York this past weekend however and spent some time playing catch pregame.

Peter Moylan - Losing Moylan for the remainder of the season is a scary prospect, but is highly likely at this point in time.  Moylan is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a bone spur in his elbow that has compromised his UCL.  Later this week, he will be reevaluated to make a determination as to whether or not he will need to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament.  I say that if this is the determination that is made, they shouldn’t waste any time in getting the surgery done to give Moylan as much time to recover as possible.  Tommy John usually requires a year at the minimum for recovery and rehab.

Mike Gonzalez - Gonzalez made an appearance in extended spring training last week throwing 12 pitches.  He still has a ways to go to be ready to pitch in the majors, but hopefully after a month or so more of rehab, we’ll be able to look to him to take a spot in the bullpen.

Rafael Soriano - Soriano’s elbow troubles continue to plague him.  When his stint on the 15-day disabled list was over, he was definitely not ready to come back to pitch.  We need Soriano healthy to take his spot as the closer, especially with Moylan down and out as well.  We’ll have to rely on Acosta for now until we get Soriano back.  Soriano threw a bullpen session last week and experienced some lingering discomfort in the elbow, but will continue to try throwing over the next week.

So there are the current injuries that are hampering the team.  On the offensive side, we desperately need Chipper and Yunel back in the lineup as they are great producers on that side of the ball.  Most of our problems lie in pitching however; 3 of our 5 starters are on this list as well as a number of key bullpen members.  Without pitching, we’re not going to go very far this season.

Season May Be Over For Moylan

We won’t know for sure for a couple of weeks, but there’s a chance that Peter Moylan is done for the season with his elbow injury.  The Braves will reevaluate his status in two weeks to determine the next best step for Moylan.  The diagnosis was confirmed today with a second look at his elbow; a bone spur pressing against his ulnar collateral ligament has compromised the integrity of the ligament.

We should know in a couple of weeks if Moylan will need Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his UCL.  If surgery is deemed necessary, he will definitely be done for the remainder of the season for the long recovery process.  More to come on this as we hear it, but it’s not the best news for our bullpen right now.

Braves Face First-Place Marlins

It’s only a dozen games into the season, but I don’t think many people had the Marlins at the top of the potent NL East at any point this season.  Nevertheless, as the Braves (5-7) head into Florida to start a three-game series against the Marlins (7-5), that’s exactly the case.  The Braves currently find themselves in fourth place with only the Washington Nationals behind them.

The Miami weather will be a nice change for the Braves who have played their last two series in Colorado and Washington.  Tonight, Jair Jurrjens (1-1, 4.38) faces off against Scott Olsen (1-0, 4.61) in the series opener.  It will be interesting to see how the bullpen fairs after today’s events where we lost yet another reliever.  Peter Moylan was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow strain and is back in Atlanta for an MRI.  Hopefully he won’t be gone long.  Buddy Carlyle has taken his place for the time being.

The Braves have faired well against Scott Olsen in the past, scoring 10 runs in 4 innings against him in the last outing between the two.  The offense has been streaky at best lately so hopefully they can find their stride tonight and we can see Jair go deep into the game to take a little stress off our bullpen tonight.  Sidenote: it’s Jackie Robinson Day (Mark Kotsay will be sporting the #42 tonight; Bo Porter is doing so for the Marlins).

Carlyle Called Up, Who Goes?

As reported by the AJC, Buddy Carlyle is on his way from Triple-A Richmond to Florida to meet up with the Braves for their series against the Marlins.  He is slated to either replace Tom Glavine should he need to be placed on the disabled list because of his hamstring, or to fill in as the fifth starter in the rotation.

With this move, someone from the bullpen has to be sent down to make room on the roster.   The Braves have not yet announced their decision on whose spot Carlyle will take, but I’m hopeful that it’s Chris Resop.  Resop, though he’s out of options and would have to clear waivers, has been a thorn in the side of the pen so far this season as far as I’m concerned.  I don’t think Jeff Bennett’s outing was bad enough to send him and we need his potential as a long reliever.

Carlyle was 0-0 through 2 outings in Richmond thus far this season with a 7.04 ERA.

UPDATE: The Braves have announced that Peter Moylan has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain.

Hudson Heats It Up In DC

This is more like it.

After a recent three game skid in Colorado, I (as well as most Braves fans) was ready for something good to happen. And we got it tonight, April 11th, in our nation’s capitol.

The last time we played here, opening the National’s new park on March 30th, we were robbed by a walk-off homer in the 9th. But tonight, Tim Hudson was almost hitless in 8 solid innings. Actually, he wasn’t-he gave up three hits, but let’s not split hairs.

His placement was extraordinary. The ball seemed to obey his every thought. I re-watched some of the pitches in slow-mo and it was uncanny at times the movement the ball had. You know you are doing it right when you retire a side twice throwing nine pitches.

Did it smell a little special at the beginning of the game? Like maybe something good was in the oven? Maybe so, or maybe it’s my optimism. But the Braves’ alternate road jerseys were on (by Hudson’s choosing, evidently) and it seemed like our team was feeling refreshed by an extra day of rest. Plus the fact that D.C.’s 73° was almost balmy considering Colorado’s unfriendly climate.

Now the Nats are nothing to sneeze at, despite the fact that their pitching is ranked 14th in the National League. We all know baseball is a sport that any given night, the worst team can beat the best team. Yes, the Braves look better on paper than the Nats, but with some of our players yet to find their offensive legs (Tex? Francoeur?), and a bullpen that has yet to not give me heartburn, this game was still something to be taken seriously.

And, sure, Hudson dominated, but so did the Nationals Matt Chico. In fact, he didn’t give up an earned run until the 6th inning, off of Yunel Escobar’s solo homer. Really, either the Braves’ offense was asleep at the wheel, or Chico had our number.

And Matty Diaz looked like he was headed into a terrible night, what with two strike-outs and hitting into a double play. But it was his two-run RBI in the top of the 9th that gave Hudson some much desired breathing room.

By this time (the 9th) sidewinder artist Peter Moylan came in to close the door on the still run-less Nationals. But you’re thinking-Hey, Moylan’s not the closer! What are we paying Rafael Soriano for? Well, if you’re not thinking that, you should. That guy is freaking expensive and we have barely started this season.

But Soriano is on the DL and Moylan is the semi-closer. This made me nervous as a cat around a bunch of rocking chairs (get it? The whole fear of the cat getting his tail caught under one of the rockers?). But Moylan not only slammed the door closed, I’m afraid it broke off its hinges and shattered.

Totally freakin’ unbelievable lights out! If you are standing at the plate, you are thinking Holy cow, Batman, I’m supposed to hit that?!

The Nats looked like Colonel Steve Austin the first time he saw Bionic Bigfoot^TM. The brain could not comprehend the info sent by the eyes. I’ve never seen Moylan slam it like that, striking out two of the perplexed batters. Oh, and most folks don’t think a sidearmer can bring the heat. But some of his stuff was piercing the air at 96 mph.

So, yeah. It’s in the book. We’ll take it.

And we’d like another couple just like it. Please.

________________________________________________________________________________

Smitty’s Random Notes:
(A stream of consciousness recall of unrelated observations for the short-of-attention span)

» Was the Braves infield pretty freakin’ flawless tonight? Chipper, Escobar, KJ, and Tex were artists on the canvas of the infield.

» Sure. I can see why the Nat’s manager, Manny Acta, wanted to put a “hot” closer in at the top of the 9th. Even though Chico had pitched an unbelievable 8 innings, common wisdom says take out your starter and get your “hot” closer to slam the door. What did the “hot” (and by “hot,” I mean “crappy”) closer Jon Rauch do for his team? He promptly loaded the bases with no outs and then gave up two runs. Thanks, Rauch. I think they need a new batboy on the team. Seriously, stop crying. I’m sure your mother still loves you. Probably.

» Come on, KJ. We love you and everything. We just need you to get on base more than once a game.

» What’d you say?! KotSAY!!! Check out his defensive play tonight. Hey, Marky? What are you doing in 2009? Do you smell what the Smitty is cooking? (Sorry, Rock.)

» Hey, Escobar. Please make yourself comfortable.

‘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.

Mets Down Braves In Final Grapefruit Game

The Braves are on their way to Atlanta.

After dropping their final Grapefruit league game 9-4 to the division rival Mets Thursday afternoon, the Braves pack their bags and head north. They’ll play exhibition games Friday and Saturday at Turner Field before heading to Washington DC to help open the Nationals’ new stadium.

Cox let his relievers pitch the entire game, giving Peter Moylan the start. Moylan gave up three earned runs in his inning of work. Chris Resop and Royce Ring helped make their case for the big league roster by striking out two each in their scoreless innings. Charlie Morton (whom yes, we sent down to the minors once already) pitched three innings and allowed three earned runs. He walked four.

Mark Teixeira continued his good hitting as of late, knocking in two runs on one hit and a sacrifice fly.  Matt Diaz added a two-hit game, and Chipper and Kelly Johnson doubled.  In a continuation of the recent battle for the backup infield slot, both Brent Lillibridge and Martin Prado knocked in a run.

Next up, Jair Jurrjens starts for the Braves Friday against the Cleveland Indians.  Sunday, Tim Hudson gets the start against the Washington Nationals, and Monday we’ll see our good friend Tom Glavine start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jurrjens Beat Up By Nats

So we made it into town last night (and I use the term “night” very loosely as we settled into our hotel room around 5 in the morning) to enjoy a couple days of spring training before the team heads back to Atlanta to kick off the regular season.  The next time we schedule a weekend road trip, maybe I’ll actually take into consideration the holidays that might be going on that weekend.

The Braves faced off against the Nationals at Space Coast Stadium this afternoon and we got to see our first in-person glimpse of the preseason Braves with Jair Jurrjens taking the mound.  Jurrjens started the game without much doing for either team, but faltered as he pitched into the start of the 6th inning.  He finished out his day issuing 10 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings of work.  At this point, he still appears to be the front-runner for the 5th rotation spot, but here’s hoping that he can get his stuff together for a little more consistency as we head into the regular season.

In other pitching for the Braves, Soriano pitched an inning, issuing one hit and striking out two.  Peter Moylan also pitched a hitless inning.  The Braves attempted to mount a rally in the top of the 9th.  Trailing by 3 with two runners on and two outs, Joe Borchard flied out to center to end the comeback attempt for the Braves, falling in a 4-1 loss.

But in the end, the day was not a complete loss.  Rue got her monthly picture with Frank Wren to continue building the collection.