ESPN.com – MLB – Box Score – Braves at Padres
I suppose you could hit worse and still win the game, but I’m not sure how. The Braves struck out eighteen times, sixteen (in seven innings) against Jake Peavy. They hit only one ball out of the infield against Peavy. Fortunately, that was a home run by Ryan Langerhans coming with Francoeur on in the second, and it won the game thanks to another great outing by Smoltz. Peavy was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the seventh, otherwise he probably would have set the NL strikeout record.
Smoltz didn’t really match Peavy pitch for pitch, but was more than good enough in his seven innings to win the game. Unfortunately, he needed 121 pitches to make it that far and had to leave after that. He didn’t allow a run, struck out five and walked only one, allowing six hits.
Ray pitched the eighth but allowed a homer to Piazza and another hit. The Braves put the lead back to two with a Chipper homer in the top of the ninth, and Reitsma, bizarrely, came out to finish it. He got them 1-2-3 with a strikeout, but there’s little or no chance of that continuing.
Every Brave struck out at least once, Andruw and Langerhans three times. Renteria and Chipper were the only ones to strike out just once. It was that kind of night. Hits, other than the homers, were by Francoeur, Marcus, and Betemit (pinch-hitting)… LaRoche didn’t start with a “stiff neck”. He always looks like he has a stiff neck to me.
Good game, I hate the 9 p.m. games. It looks as if I should get use to them for the rest of the week. Smoltz looked good, but the ump wasn’t giving him any close pitches. I expect Bobby o give him an extra day off before long. I guess Reitsma hasn’t reached the K**b status just yet. After Reitsma – who is next in line? Paronto or Ray.
How is Yates doing and will he be called up before long?
I don’t think Chris Reitsma has lost the closer’s role just yet, but I think he’s probably hanging by just a thread.
By the way, who is Yates? Haven’t heard of him.
Yates pitched w/ the Mets in 04 and he had shoudler surgery last year. I dont remember what kind of year he had w/ the Mets, but he could be the hard thrower that we need. He could be a good setup man for whoever our closer will be. Here was the last article I could find on him.
http://www.braves.net/?p=7
The only reason Reitsma hasn’t lost the closer role is because we don’t really have a better option. Our bullpen is scary.
Actually, this whole team is scary. The pitching is inconsistent and the offense is K-a-riffic. We are doing this with smoke and mirrors right now.
B.S., JB. Very good pitching from our 1-2 starters is not “smoke and mirrors.” You sound like an AL fan.
I realize that many couldn’t see the game last night, but take it from me: Peavy was naaaaaaasty. Our guys couldn’t have hit his slider if he told them it was coming. Last night’s was a game we were quite lucky to win, and we should be quite grateful. I wouldn’t blame our hitters, though; any team would have struggled facing that guy.
Smoltz has thrown 251 pitches over his last two starts… that concerns me.
Ken Ray gave up his second run of the season last night, but in most ball parks he might have given up three. I think he is about to come back to Earth. He told Bobby out of the blue that he would take a shot at the closer’s role, ugh!
Actually, I think that was the fourth run he’s given up. It was only the second appearance in which he’s given up any runs, though.
And I’m with you, Kyle. I said it last night: Smoltz’s pitch counts are going to be trouble soon.
I guess JS now realizes that you can’t get a bunch of “crap” arms and expect them to turn out to be great. Paronto, with a small sample size, and Ray have been pretty good. Remlinger, Villareal, and Reitsma are horrible! We need to find ways to finish games and dont put so much pressure on Smoltz, Hudson, and Thomson to pitch into the 8th every night.
With KJ starting to get healthy, I look for him to get delt for some live arms.
JB, do you not think McBride would be better answer at closer?
Have y’all seen Stockman’s Richmond’s stats? Who is he? The stat line’s impressive.
Good to have you back, Mac. I never made the switch over to the temporary boards so it’s been pretty bleak.
I was never too down on Reitsma, but our bullpen is really scaring me now. We have to go out and get somebody. I don’t know who, but we need at least one reliable arm out there.
This might be just plain silly, but wasn’t there talk of making Kerry Wood a closer last year? The Cubs already have Dempster . . . Wood is probably too expensive and obviously he is less than durable, but I’m just saying . . .
according to Pete this morning, SMoltz claimed he was more than gassed in the 7th, had to grind through it. I dont like hearing that from an old guy, before the all star break, pitching in cool, breezy san diego.
I think we need someone like James to step up and become an aaron heilman type, that can give you 2 good middle innings, or our staff will be screwed in the second half.
I’m with Jeff K: These sorts of games–last night’s, and Sunday afternoon’s–are kind of inspiring. They are the kind of games that I think of as having “made” the Braves during their long run of successes. I think back to Greg Maddux beating Jose Rijo when he was all but unhittable, 1-0 (was that in the ’93 comeback season); and beating Hideki Nomo in the 9th (was it a 2-run Chipper HR?) when Nomo was having his lights-out season.
Phill Stockman has had a pretty boring career. I suspect there’s some injury problems in there. I suspect he could throw some low-leverage innings in the big leagues, but isn’t much to get excited about. SOS, different reliever.
Phil Stockman is 26 and a former Diamondback prospect. His stats this year are impressive.
Mississippi: 7.1 IP 1H 2BB OER 12Ks
Richmond: 19IP 7H 10BB 3ER 24Ks
Those are good numbers but he is pitching way over his head compared with his career stats.
Manny Acosta has also been closing out some games for Richmond recently. He hasn’t allowed a run in 3 innings at Richmond. He had a 2.35 ERA for Mississippi before being called up to Richmond. However, his 15 BB’s and 13 k’s in 13.1 innings at Mississippi scares me.
Re: Reitsma
Pretty good Mark Bradley column in the AJC that seems to channel Braves fans’ woes:
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2006/05/22/close_chapter_o.html
The solution? Help!
Free Ugueth Urbina!
Trade Rummor from my barber!
Reitsma to the Venezuelan Penal League for Uggie Urbina
Count it!
It would be great! Uggie could make comments in the paper like:
“Next time DelGatto leans over that plate, I am giong to burn him…inside. Trust me, he has never seen my heat.”
Here is a thought…..Lidge is struggling in Houston. He’s a lights out guy, but his head is screwed on wrong after all those post season bombs hit against him. If Clemens decides to go somewhere besides Houston, why not offer them HoRam, LaDouche and Reeksma, or some package of players to get him. I think a change of scenerey, and playing for a guy like Bobby Cox might just fix him up. I’ll cover my head now, since I’m sure someone is going to jump all over me for this suggestion!
I don’t want another head case. I think Smoltz should give Reeksma the number for that sports psycologist he use to see
I have to admit I read that blog jenny posted, which is the US Weekly for baseball. They had some interesting comments about pudge and uggie. Im not sure if it was correct, but I still cannot understand why detroit traded Uggie to Philly, at such a strange time.
Houston needs are one problem, the other is that you typically cannot trade your three big trouble spots for a shut-down closer.
typically you cannot trade anything for a shut-down closer. Almost every other position is more easily replaced or substituted for.
Oh, and Reitsma hasn’t lost the closer job because he isn’t actually the worst closer in baseball, but because the only worse closers are also on our team.
My point was, Lidge has been awful in Houston this season. I dont think they will want to keep him as a mop up guy at his salary. I dont think he is a head case, I just think he has lost his confidence, which is something Bobby seems to help alot of players with.
What’s striking about Reitsma is how he’s been worse at everything this year over the last two. His strikeouts are down. His walks are up. Most striking, however, are the bombs. He’s already given up more bombs this year in 20 innings than all of last year in 73 innings. His walk rate isn’t bad, but his other numbers are atrocious. It really is the line of a guy who’s just sending stuff over the plate and hoping for the best.
I hate that the AJC guy focuses on hits and blown saves when those are the least of Reitsma’s problems. Giving up dingers to Joe Borchard and Lance Niekro is an issue.
There is no solution to this problem, though. The only guy in the pen with good looking numbers is Paronto, but he’s only pitched eight innings, and there’s no way he keeps that strikeout rate up. When Remlinger is the best option in your pen, trades need to be made or people need to be called up. Or old pitching coaches need to be rehired.
Who are we going to get?
Lidge, Rivera, Hoffman, Wagner, Turnbrow, Street, K-Rod, BJ Ryan, and Todd Jones are off the list. No way we get any of those guys.
Anyone else? Fuentes in Colorado? Mike Gonzalez in Pittsbugh? Not so sure I want those guys in a pennate race. Scott Sheilds hasn’t ever really been a closer. Maybe Chad Quals?
On this list, we could maybe get Sheilds, but not until the Angels fall out of the race all together. It would be after the All Star break. Colorado is playing well and won’t give up their closer and Houston is in it and the won’t give up the best set up man in the league. Gonzo could be had, but he would deffenatly cost us Salty or Lerew. They might take Betemit, but he has played really well for us.
Who ever we get is going to cost us a top porspect. Probably Salty. We are in the running to sign Tony Pena’s brother, who is a catcher and is going to be good.
Who do we have? We messed up Devine. I don’t think he will be ready to contribute for a year or so. McBride, I don’t think so. Chuck James? I think we need someone who throws harder.
There is just not a lot out their for us to choose from, at least not at this point.
There not their.
Kerry wood is also on the list and would cost us Lewrew and maybe KJ.
JS missed his chances and now we are seeing the effects. There is no one out there, of any quality, that we can get. If we pick up someone it will be closer to the break. Its going to be another long year of bullpen blues!
Maybe we could get someone of the Qualls, Wheeler, Shields type, but I dont see it happening any time soon.
how did the braves mess up joey Devine i must of missed it some how?
just wondering
If we can find someone to replace him as a starter, I think Sosa should get a shot at closing. He seems to give up very few runs in his first inning of work in every game he pitches (whether as a starter or reliever). He throws hard and isn’t burdened with an overflowing tool box of pitches. I think he might even have the right kind of mental make up for the closer role. It might be easier to trade or promote someone from within to a starter position than trying to fill the closer position.
It appears that doubledawg, like me, is a gossip fiend 😉
I get the feeling that if Sosa were closer, he’d wind up being like Bob Wickman: put a bunch of baserunners on and usually get out of it, but sometimes not. Better than Reitsma (what could be worse?), but still nail-biting. I guess almost anything’s worth a try.
Has anyone noticed the general state of closers around the league, though? They’re all either sort of inconsistent or getting old. Mariano Rivera hasn’t really been anything special this year. It seems like in a year or two, there is really going to be a desperate run on whatever there is, and the only teams that are going to be sitting pretty are the ones that have lucked into good, young talent from their own system, like Boston with Jonathan Papelbon and Baltimore with Chris Ray. I hope Joey Devine will be ready by then so we can join them.
On another note, I find it hilarious that Smitty labeled Brad Lidge a “head case” right below a post about a guy who supposedly attacked 5 people with machetes and lit them on fire.
Papelbon will be in the Red Sox rotation soon. Hansen is their young closer of the future.
I want a guy on my team that will light your ass on fire if you mess with him. If Puljos had taken Uggie deep, then he might be daed now. Instead Lidge now runs and hides.
Actually Lidge was tipping his pitches.
I’m just getting around to reading Leo’s book, “Mazzone and Sain, and Pray for Low and Away”. I really liked his quotes from Pena back in the day. It may not be dead on, but this was the gist.
Reporter: How are you able to save so many games?
Pena: I pitch in the 9th inning.
basically, I dont buy into the “closer” aura. the mustaches, goatees, antics, shaggy hair, eccentrics are all a bunch of bull. its just like any other inning, dont walk guys to lead the inning off, concentrate on what your doing, and get 3 outs.
So, i think we have multiple “closers” in our system. come in, throw strikes, and cut the crap.
At least we are ranked #1 in somthing
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5630738
“Top prospect Lastings Milledge is quickly becoming the most unpopular player in the International League. Milledge instigated a bench-clearing incident Sunday at Triple-A Norfolk with a spikes-up slide that made a four-inch tear in the upper thigh portion of Jonathan Schuerholz’s pants. The Richmond third baseman is the son of Braves GM John Schuerholz.”
Well, Something has to be done about Little Jon. He’s been so awful that its not worth demoting him and taking playing time from players with a future in baseball. Let those dirty mets blow out his knee for all I care, He’s risking becoming another Petey Rose in a couple of years. With Andrus, Escobar, Prado, Timmons, Cambell, and the Tony “Human Glove” Pena, all fighting for time in the minors, keeping the boss’s kid around as a Lockhart special isnt helping anyone.
Doubledawg, what you just said is right on the mark…
“come in, throw strikes, and cut the crap”
Our problem is that Reitsma just does not do that. He is in the postition where he does not know where his pitches are going to go. Our options are to trade for someone who throws strikes with good stuff which may cost us more than it is worth or look within. We don’t need lidge or rivera, just someone who will step up and give us a chance. I don’t want us to give up Salty for anything. Losing Marte was enough of a blow. I vote that we give McBride the chance. If he doesn’t work, then give James a chance. At least he will throw strikes.
Hey! I’ve got one for us. Forget about Lidge, etc. No one is going to trade us their premium closer (especially for our castoffs). We’re either going to have to trade for a minor league arm who has the ability to get the job done or for some guy deeper in a major league pen who’s either unnecessary for his current team or off to a poor start.
How about Brendan Donnelly from the Anaheim Angels? He’s unhappy about his role because he used to either close or set up and now K-Rod is closing and Scott Shields (R) and J.C. Romero (L) are setting up.
Donnelly’s pitched well so far, with a 3.54 ERA and 7.52 Ks per 9. He’s 34, so he’s no rookie and he’s not completely ancient. He’s also been a pretty consistent late inning reliever for a few years.
We’re not going to be able to get anyone who has pitched perfectly so far, but Donnelly is a guy who can do a good job for us, I believe, and someone who wants a more relevant role than mop up guy.
Backchannel some agitation on his part and work out a deal with the Angels’ GM. We’d probably have to part with a younger reliever with more potential (McBride/Lerew/James/Devine), but how long do we expect Smoltzie and Chipper to keep contributing?
That is the kind of thinking that fixing the closer role will take. We can’t blow up our farm system to get a big name. Being creative is the answer and I hope JS is digging through rosters as we speak.
I cannot imagine what the Angels would want. They have Kendricks, Morales, and good ol’ Dallas. that are top shelf prospects. Their AAA team has a better rotation than most of the Majors (why they choose Jeff over Jered, I cant say). I’m not sure what we could offer them. The OF is getting old, but I’d rather have Garret and Vlad over Langerhans or KJ. Teams dont usually trade valuable pen help for back-ups. They seem to have it all, prospects, depth, money to blow, its like they are choosing to lose.
The Angels could use a hitter, so we could send them Langy and give the job to diaz and KJ.
If they could use a hitter, we’d need to send KJ, not Langerhans, who’s ok with the bat, but more renown for his D.
*renowned
If we had to give up one of our three talented left fielders for a pitcher, I would be all for it.
If we could just get by till close to the break, then we should have a pretty good idea of who will be available and who wont. Asking for Lidge is wishful thinking on my part, but we can all dream, right?
I’d be more than happy with another Kyle Farnsworth type aquisition.
The Angels need a CF and a 1B. I think we can find them a center fielder. I would love to get rid of LaRoche, but I don’t want Jordan there for the rest of the year.
They already have underperforming 1B, Kotchman and Quinlan. We’d have to hope for blue-chipper Morales to fall on his face during the next few weeks. Still, I dont think a team would trade anything but a hemeroid for adam laroche, unless we just put A. Laroche and they thought it was his little brother.
Trading them Langerhans as a CF isnt bad, but it wont happen. They have Rivera to be a back-up OF, and they sure arent going to start langerhans over Erstad, if for no other reason than they are paying Erstad about $9MM.
Did anyone notice we are still being mentioned as pursuing Huff? It has to be for 1B.
Erstad can play first and Langerhans can play center
Kotchman is out with mono, which reminds me that Alex and I were trying to figure out a way to get Ramirez out of the rotation during spring training and I suggested we find a girl with mono to go on a date with him.
Hey Mac,
Nice site, I see you are working through some software and some design issues right now, I have to say the google ads on the top of the page distract me a bit visually. I am only mentioning it b/c you are maybe flexible with your layout and trying different things out. I do web design for a living out here in CA and my advice to you is find a layout you like on the web and copy it 🙂 Its how we all got started. Keep up the good work!
“If Clemens decides to go somewhere besides Houston, why not offer them HoRam, LaDouche and Reeksma…”
How many times must we read something like this. You can’t package below or just average players to get a great one, it doesn’t work like that.
Sorry the Jordan, Pratt and Ramirez for Pujols idea won’t work neither.
I like the Donnelly suggestion — also, the Cubs have three good veteran relievers, all of whom are making about $2-$3 million. Eyre, Howry, and Williamson. Williamson especially intrigues me, as he seems to be back from arm troubles, and his K rate remains outstanding. The Cubs are going nowhere, and have needs in the middle infield and outfield. Might be a good fit.