More bad history for Kawakami (0-9), but Chipper homers
What's that about a picture telling a story? Here's Kenshin Kawakami after allowing a two-run homer to Evan Longoria in Tampa Bay's four-run first inning. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
And in other news, Kenshin Kawakami probably also feels like retiring.
Kawakami hasn’t quite built up the pension that Chipper Jones has, and he certainly doesn’t have “longevity” stamped on his forehead right now. The Braves’ Japanese import just became the first starting pitcher in franchise history to start 0-9, by virtue of a 10-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The last franchise pitcher to start the season 0-9, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was Tom Tuckey of the 1909 Boston Doves. But Tuckey was not an exclusive starter. He lost seven games as a starter and two as a reliever.
Since baseball is a number’s game, here’s one to chew on: at 0-9 through 13 starts, Kawakami is on a pace to go 0-22. But that assumes he’ll be in the rotation the rest of the season, which probably isn’t a safe assumption.
When Braves general manager Frank Wren signed Kawakami last year to a three-year, $23 million contract, it was somewhat of an historical moment for the organization. But the pitcher is making the wrong kind of history. Even before Tuesday’s game, Kawakami earned the distinction of becoming the first pitcher in major league history to start the season 0-8 while playing for a first-place team.
The Braves just came off a 6-5 road trip (four one-run losses) and were returning to Turner Field, where they were 19-6. But after a two-hour and 20-minute rain delay, Kawakami seemed intent on wrecking the party. Tampa Bay pounded him for four runs in the first inning, including a prodigious two-run homer by Evan Longoria to left field. Through two innings, the Rays had five runs and five hits, including a home run and three doubles.
By the time Kawakami left in the fifth inning, he was assured of going through his 13th start without a victory. His totals: five innings, five runs (fortunately only two earned), seven hits and three walks (one intentional). He threw 100 pitches in five innings. He also committed two errors in the fifth inning on an errant pickoff attempt and a fielding error, though somehow he escaped without allowing a run.
“I’m just getting into a bad rhythm every start,” Kawakami said. “It’s my fault that some of the games are going this way. I have to improve on that.”
Jones managed some improvement. After a day of retirement talk — and having missed nine of the previous 11 games with a sore ring finger on his right hand — Jones doubled and homered in the game. If every game had gone like this, a retirement announcement probably wouldn’t seem imminent.
But everything points to an announcement soon. I spoke to Jones before the game and have updated and re-written the column, which is online now. Chipper wasn’t at his locker after the game, dressing in a back room, away from the media. But his parents, who are in town for game, spoke and had some interesting comments, which you can read in the Jones’ column.
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346 comments Add your comment
Long Way Home Brave
June 15th, 2010
10:18 pm
Never cheered for a Braves strike out more
Steve
June 15th, 2010
10:20 pm
Roy Halladay tonight – 6 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs, 3 HR, loss. Nice.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
I just lost optimism for tonight…
The Difference
June 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
Bases Loaded…0 Outs….0 Runs….NICE!!!
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
What channel is the basketball game on?
Gary
June 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
Bases loaded, no outs. And we cant even get one run home?
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
That was huge — bases loaded, nobody out and can’t score.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:22 pm
I am a huge J-Hey fan but I think it might be time to drop him in the order when a lefty is pitching….
The Difference
June 15th, 2010
10:22 pm
batting Hinske for KK would have been the thing to do there
The Difference
June 15th, 2010
10:23 pm
JHey is becoming too patient again….he’s not jumping on the 1st pitch…usually a FB for a strike.
atl39
June 15th, 2010
10:23 pm
I disagreed 100% with having KK hit with the bases loaded nobody out.Long delay.A top pitcher in price.That coulda been there only chance to do something.Hit or not.That was a BAD call by Cox.And that strike to Prado was just as bad.
skip
June 15th, 2010
10:24 pm
that was potentially the game right there
just can’t let that happen, thats the kind of crap we were doing during the 9 game loser…. LAME! wow did kk just strike someone out? seriously he needs to go .. im dong with the KK experiment medlin is MUCH MUCH better!
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:25 pm
I really like Blanco in CF….I would love to see him get some more time…
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:25 pm
Atl39 — I thought they might pull him there. I was at least mildly surprised.
Big B CH 99
June 15th, 2010
10:26 pm
I’m wondering how the 1 error to Escobar made 3 out of the 4 1st inning runs unearned. Obviously the runner that reached on the error (got driven in by the Longoria dinger) would be unearned, but shouldn’t everything else, including Longoria be earned.
Isn’t today the deadline to call up Resop, so I’m assuming that they’re not calling him up. I’d call him up & send Chavez down.
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:26 pm
Well, Jeff, I guess you’re right. I thought getting Kotchman for Tex might be up there, but at least he was cheap and netted us LaRoche in the end. McClouth might qualify, though. He’s cheaper than KK, so I guess it will depend on if Gorkys ever does anything and what we can get for McClouth.
The Difference
June 15th, 2010
10:29 pm
Resop was called up today:
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100615&content_id=11200340¬ebook_id=11200364&vkey=notebook_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
bob
June 15th, 2010
10:30 pm
Enter your comments herebraves or rays
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:30 pm
Attaboy Chipper…..
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:31 pm
Big B CH 99 — I’m assuming because when Pena (fourth batter of the inning) struck out, he would’ve been the third out, if not for the error. The walk and two doubles (and 2 more runs) followed.
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:31 pm
Lowe could be up there, though. He’s getting the Ws, but his ERA as a Brave is worse than KK’s, and he’s going to end up costing the Braves nearly 3 times as much as KK.
Long Way Home Brave
June 15th, 2010
10:31 pm
Chip
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:32 pm
GT alum — that’s the thing about KK — he would be fine for a fifth starter, but $23 million says he was supposed to be more.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:32 pm
Is Joe Simpson on crack? “Chipper can still hit anybody’s fastball” Really Joe? Is that why he’s hitting .228??
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:32 pm
Well, we’re getting runners on base, but we haven’t been able to drive any of them in. Our lone run scored on a WP.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:33 pm
He would be a good 5th starter for the Orioles or Pirates Jeff…not a 1st place club
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:36 pm
Be a nice spot for a gapper….
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:36 pm
We overpaid for both Lowe and KK after whiffing on our first choices for starting pitchers last year. If we had known how good Vaz, JJ and Hanson would be, and that Huddy would come back strong, we might’ve gone with those guys, Glavine and at worst one of Lowe and KK. That’s the benefit of hindsight, though.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:37 pm
Come through Yunel…..please…
Beach Dawg
June 15th, 2010
10:37 pm
GT Alum, which would you prefer Ws or nice ERA??
Long Way Home Brave
June 15th, 2010
10:38 pm
W’s all day
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:39 pm
Actually, mclOUTh, KK would likely be earning that salary for Baltimore or Pittsburgh. He’d probably be their 2nd or 3rd best starter.
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:39 pm
McLouth — Point taken. First 0-8 pitcher for a first-place team in major league history. That’s an amazing stat.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:40 pm
Too many wasted chances…..get the Orient Express out of the rotation please?
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:41 pm
Jeff…be proactive….probably 0-9. Maybe a miracle….but more than likely our lead goes to 1/2 and KK goes to 0-9. How long do you let this poor guy go? At some point look for him to commit Harry Carey.
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:43 pm
I don’t know, I guess I’m not all that upset about KK’s salary because we’re getting Hudson, Medlen, JJ and Hanson for about $10M combined, so I look at it as I’d have no problem paying $17M for that starting rotation. Honestly, $32M for a rotation as good as ours is pretty darn good. It’s just the money’s being distributed almost exactly opposite of how it should be.
bob
June 15th, 2010
10:44 pm
fire kawakawakami
Line Drive
June 15th, 2010
10:45 pm
KaKa has made it to the mound to start the 4th…..Tampa Bay you should have knocked him out when you had the chance
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:45 pm
from 0-2 to a walk. Geesh. GET HIM THE HECK OUT OF THE GAME, THE ROTATION, and THE ROSTER!
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:45 pm
That walk to Crawford makes 10 Tampa baserunners and we’re one out into the fourth.
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:46 pm
I’ve always wanted to call him Kenshin Kamikaze. Looks like he’s living up to that name tonight.
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:48 pm
May have gotten Crawford on that stolen base, but you’ll never get that call with a throw that high and a tag halfway up the runner’s body.
mclOUTh
June 15th, 2010
10:48 pm
He and Bobby must have got hammered on sake one night and he has compromising pics of Bobby and a geisha girl
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:52 pm
The only thing I can think is Bobby wants to save the ‘pen for games we have a good chance of winning. He may be waiting to see if KK can give the offense a chance to get back in this one. If so, he’ll start being a bit more aggressive about trying to win this one. If not, save the ‘pen for the games where we appear to have an advantage with regard to the starting pitchers.
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:52 pm
Back to back scoreless innings by KK! Stop the game!
GT Alum
June 15th, 2010
10:56 pm
Nice play by Crawford to take a hit from Blanco.
Jeff Schultz
June 15th, 2010
10:56 pm
I guess Kawakami redeemed himself in Cox’s mind since he’s letting him bat.
JohnSmith
June 15th, 2010
10:58 pm
KK has pitched into some bad luck, for sure, but he also doesn’t go very long into ball games. It’s time to move him to the ‘pen, but who’ll make that determination? Will Cox do the right thing, or will Wren swallow his pride and ask Bobby to do it?
The Difference
June 15th, 2010
10:58 pm
JHey will take a first pitch strike here.
Big B CH 99
June 15th, 2010
10:59 pm
Thanks, Jeff I should’ve thought about that, but it’s sometimes hard to figure out when a run is earned or not.
Thanks for letting me know about Resop, Difference. I should’ve checked Braves.com. Hopefully he’ll be good outta the pen, he can’t be much worse than Chavez.
I like Blanco better than McOut in CF. He’s got good speed & range defensively & is swinging the bat better than McOut. He’s doesn’t have as much power, but he’s hitting above 200. I think someone else has mentioned before that like me they feel more comfortable w/ Huddy hitting w/ RISP than McOut. Hopefully McLouth will come back from the concussion and play better.