There’s time enough for Hudson to make a difference
Tim Hudson doing rehab. He'll have work to do in the bigs as well. (AJC photo by Hyosub Shin)
When Tim Hudson makes his first big-league start of 2009 on Monday, there’ll be 32 games remaining in the regular season. If we count by fives, he could get seven starts. It’s late, but he could still tip the balance in the wild card scramble.
Hudson is a big-time pitcher. Let’s not forget that. Adding him to the Braves’ rotation — if we assume the Hudson of August/September is indeed the Hudson of old — could have the same impact Cliff Lee made on the Phillies’ rotation when he joined it. Except for this part:
The Phils’ rotation contained massive holes; the Braves’ rotation has been good all season.
Lee has given the Phillies five quality starts in five appearances. Kenshin Kawakami, whose place in the rotation Hudson is apparently taking, provided 12 quality starts in 24 appearances this season, which isn’t bad for the No. 5 man in a rotation. (Javier Vazquez has had 16 quality starts in 25 tries, by way of comparison.)
Kawakami hasn’t been Koufax, but he’s been pretty good. His ERA (4.08) is better than Derek Lowe’s (4.48). His record isn’t pretty — he’s 5-10 — but the Braves won eight of the final 15 games he started. He gave them a chance most nights. He did his job.
At his best, Hudson would be an upgrade. But it’s not going to be easy for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery to do a lot better than Kawakami has done. Maybe Hudson will go 6-1 — granted, that’s a giddy best-case scenario — where Kawakami would have gone 3-4. That’s a three-game bump. That could mean nothing at all. Or it could mean a postseason berth.
The Braves trail Colorado, the wild card leader, by 4 1/2 games. This could get very, very tight.
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87 comments Add your comment
Steve
August 28th, 2009
3:14 am
Bradley you work late…this thing certainly is not over, but dropping a home series to a team like the Padres is not very encouraging.
Karl
August 28th, 2009
3:49 am
The Cliff Lee comparisons go to far, Bradley. Tim Hudson has looked great and been hitting the low to mid 90s in rehab, but he’ll be in a tight pitch count and you just never know. As much as I distrust Kawakami you can’t ignore the fact that he’s been the Braves best big game pitcher of late. I’d rather see Lowe demoted. I’m not sure that 75% of Tim Hudson is better than 100% of Kawakami down the stretch. Giving Hudson the ball vs. the Marlins in Florida Monday sure seems awfully confident in a guy coming off Tommy John.
Karl Moats
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130on2
August 28th, 2009
4:33 am
I distrust Kawakami but I don’t know if Hudson will be ready or not. I am afraid Hudson will be so-so at best resulting in the Braves getting rid of him. Next year, however, I expect Hudson to be great again.
Dr. Warren
August 28th, 2009
4:46 am
When your season hinges on the return of an already inconsistent pitcher from Tommy John surgery, you know the playoffs are unlikely at best. Two home losses to the league’s worst team during a playoff drive? Chasing the NL’s hottest team? Wait till next year.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
August 28th, 2009
4:51 am
I’m a big Tim Hudson fan as he’s from my home town. That said, whether or not Hudson is ready to pitch will soon be determined by the results on the mound. Personally, I think it’s too soon.
So back to the old…..if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.
Cox and Wren are about to look real smart or real stupid. My money is on the later.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 28th, 2009
5:25 am
I hope Huddy does well at the plate to becuase that’s what this team needs most. Hits, hits, and more hits. The staff has more than pulled its weight this season.
MarkD335
August 28th, 2009
6:25 am
Comparing the Phils’ acquisition of Cliff Lee to a Hudson coming off Tommy John is sort of a stretch. Kawakami has seriously suffered from lack of run support, which points to the real culprit here… an overall lack of offensive pop. Without the acquisition of a big bat, I’m afraid this pitching switch won’t amount to much and they’re still likely to come up short, altho I’m encouraged by Wren’s work overall in upgrading the team.
ExecutiveStinger
August 28th, 2009
7:20 am
I hope it’s true Mark, but I’m not sure if Huddy or anyone else can save what our “esteemed” manager has run into the ground. Once again, his decisions have befuddled me. Finally, Manny Acosta has been sent down, but because of overuse, not because he STINKS. Bobby sounded like he couldn’t wait to get him back up here when the rosters expand. Greg Norton continues to be a joke but gets in almost every night in a clutch situation, Chipper has been given a free pass to go out there and stink it up every night. Two hits last night is the least of what he owes this team offensively. I’ll give it to Bobby for trying Diaz at leadoff last night, but of course that decision comes after 2 dreadful losses. Like most things Cox, and Wren to some extent, have done this season: too little too late.
Hope it happens, but college football is coming and my focus, like the last 3 years, is shifting rapidly……
Bama Aaron
August 28th, 2009
7:29 am
Personally I’d rather see Huddy take Lowe’s spot in the rotation this weekend in Philly. The way Lowe’s sinker has been staying up & floating he might give up 6 long balls that day.
Kawakami has pitched well, you just have to remember to take him out in the 6th regardless what the score is as he has no long game endurance.
Nativebird
August 28th, 2009
7:50 am
and pitchers and catchers report when in 2010?
Mitch C
August 28th, 2009
7:51 am
Mark, I agree with you. I think the Braves still have a chance. If you read your co worker Jeff Schultz’s column, we should all be saying “See ya later, Braves”, and be getting ready for 2010. I dont see it that way.
While we all know Colorado has been playing very well lately, they could well hit a dry spell. Jeff talked about us having to play 10 games over 500 to catch Colorado if the Rockies play 500 ball, and that we would need to go 24-11 if the Rockies play at their current pace. I say, it might be somewhere inbetween. I think the Rockies will slow down, and that the Braves can pick it up.
One thing we cannot do is do things like lose two of three to bottom feeders like San Diego. That series hurt us. Yes, we still have games left with good teams on the road such as the Phillies and Cardinals, but we also have a lot of games left with bottom feeders the Metropolitans, and the Nationals.
I’m not saying we will win the wild card, but I’m saying we still have a chance, and I dont think the situation is as bleak as Jeff makes it seem.
Mitch
greg
August 28th, 2009
8:01 am
pie in the sky to think Hudson will be 6 and 1…he may get 5 starts…2 quality and gets killed 3 times…mark it down
Hillbilly Deluxe
August 28th, 2009
8:07 am
i think I hear Don Meredith warming up to do a little Willie Nelson number.
Dandy Don
August 28th, 2009
8:19 am
Turn out the lights, the party’s over. They say that all good things must end.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
August 28th, 2009
8:31 am
I think the Braves should acquire Nick Green for some bullben help.
Mark why don’t you call Hudson, Huddy. I think Cox is a nick name master….Huddy, Greenie, Frenchie, Smoltzie, Jonesie……I wonder what he called Bob Horner?
Angus
August 28th, 2009
8:33 am
Is this the first time in three years we’ve had more than 85% of the payroll going to the active roster?
Paul H
August 28th, 2009
8:40 am
Agree with Bama Aaron – take Lowe’s spot. It will be good to see Huddy get some starts to finish out this season – good practice for next year. This season is over but getting him in there now will help him.
dap01
August 28th, 2009
8:53 am
What is the rush? I hope that Tim is ready but history shows that TJ surgery players are not especially sharp for the first weeks, months after the surgery. Will he be better than a 4.00 era? I hope so.
MightyQuinn
August 28th, 2009
9:03 am
I like the Braves chances better than I like my Mega-Millions chances.
Don
August 28th, 2009
9:10 am
First of all, it is unlikely that Hudson will prove to be very effective this soon after that kind of surgery. Secondly, with Bobby Cox managing, we are not going to compete for the wild card. With our pitching and without him blundering in so many different ways especially in the first half of the season, we would now be leading the Division. What IF HE HAD: started using Prado much sooner, started usind Diaz sooner, benched Francoeur when it became obvious he was not going to produce, not continued to use a couple of relief pitchers when it became obvious they were not going to be effective, made adjustments in his batting order relating to hitters who where hot or cold, not continuously misused the bullpen, made any effort to teach/emphasize the absolute necessity for hitters to work the count/ be selecitve, make the opposing pitcher throw a lot of pitches, not made continous blunders within game strategies etc. etc?????????
Tami
August 28th, 2009
9:16 am
I’m equally optimistic. However, the Braves will be playing the Marlins on Monday. They have some great young hitters on that team, that Hudson may not have faced before or just a few times before. This will be his first chance at facing major-league hitting (vs. the minors). I really hope he’s fantastic coming out of the gate on his first opportunity to pitch in well over a year. I have a business meeting Monday night, so I’ll miss a good portion of the game…darn it. However, I am choosing to wait to see how he does Monday before I can gauge how I think things will go for the remainder of the season. At any rate — whether the Braves are postseason contenders this season or not — they will make it tough for the other teams to get in. Out of the spoilers bunch in the league, they might be the best team in that category. We shall see. I personally believe that the team — if they can hold on to their pitchers (or get even better without losing the solid talent already on the team and the fledgling farm in the process), are just one major bat away from a solid, contending team. Whatever they do this season, 2010 should be awesome.
TommyP
August 28th, 2009
9:30 am
The Cliff Lee comparison isn’t one I’d use. Cliff Lee has been Cy Young dominant. And all the Phils needed was a good starter to go with their incredible offense.
Another good starter for the Braves? Hope he hits like Carlos Zambrano ’cause we need another, err, A bopper in the lineup.
mudcat
August 28th, 2009
9:31 am
Bank Walker, you’re right about Bobby and his nicknames. When he called out to Bob Horner he would say “come on Hornie”. That’s where the famous expression “I’m so horney” originated.
ann lewis
August 28th, 2009
9:37 am
let’s see cox is done, jones is done, wren traded good players for worse. the braves are done.
time for wren and cox togo oh and while your at it, take church, diaz, jones, andlafort or whatever his name is with them.
Joseph
August 28th, 2009
9:40 am
Braves are finished however I hope they play well enough to take 2nd in the East and get close to enough to Colorado to get everyone on board for a serious run in 2010. If the Braves would not have been so reliant on Johnson, Shaffer, and Frenchy at trhe beginnig of the season, we would definately be going to the playoffs this year. At least we are better than last!
raleighbravefan
August 28th, 2009
9:49 am
The next 7 games are make or break, especially (possibly) break. We’ve got to get hot and stay hot with the bats. September expansion will help, but it helps everyone else, too.
Pitching staff has done thier job, including KK. Many loses have been due to poor run support. Lowe has been pretty good overall, but is seriously overpaid compared to rest of staff. Kodos to Wren for pitching moves. (remember last year?) We have enough depth to use everyone (including Medlin and Carlyle) to limit KK, Hudson, etc. to shorter outings while they are still effective.
Go Braves, and don’t give up until you are eliminated. Then look forward to a great 2010.
jimma
August 28th, 2009
9:54 am
season`s lost bring up kids in the minors fire WREN
raleighbravefan
August 28th, 2009
9:54 am
anne lewis – Which “good players for bad” trades has Wren made? LaRoach? McClouth? Vasques? You cannot posibly believe Francure was a good player for us when traded. Diaz has been great for the role he plays. And would you prefer to still have Corky Miller as backup catcher?
leland
August 28th, 2009
9:56 am
Dear Mr. MB–I’m not too sure about replacing Kawakami with Hudson–he may not be ready yet. But maybe Hudson and Cox know more about it than I do. Your pal, Leland
DP
August 28th, 2009
10:05 am
I don’t get how Hudson is going to make a big difference given that starting pitching has not been the Braves problem this year. If he was a slugging outfielder who could bat cleanup, then he might make a difference.
Bat Masterson
August 28th, 2009
10:06 am
mudcat, I thought Tommy Lee Jones came up with that in ” coal Miners Daughter”.
Justafan
August 28th, 2009
10:08 am
Hope Hudson don’t get killed like Smoltz did the first few games. Hud is no C Lee! Lowe, well he got alot of money for??????????? What happen to the big bat Frank Wren ? LaRoach has been great but not enought.
This season is history. The fat lady is singing, some people just need a hearing aid. Braves need new coaches and new Mgr. Cox needs to retire or be retired. God forbid another season with Bobby in control.
Herschel Talker
August 28th, 2009
10:31 am
See the numbers in Schultz’s column. It’s over. Not happening. Losing 2 of 3 to San Diego sealed it. Assume they split with Philly and Florida for the rest of the year. Then they probably have to win 80%+ of the other games. Yeah, that’s going to happen. Sure.
WHAT?????
August 28th, 2009
10:41 am
Kawakami has been dubbed the “dragon slayer” and we’re going to replace him? Unless Hudson can swing the bat like he did at Auburn he isn’t going to help this team make a push.
David
August 28th, 2009
10:41 am
Let him take Lowe’s spot in the rotation. He’s terrible. At some point we should just ‘fess up that we blew money on a guy who can’t throw hard, and is having a hard time getting ground ball outs. If he can’t get ground ball outs, he’s useless.
Matt
August 28th, 2009
10:42 am
Make a difference?? In what, the lack of run support??
mudcat
August 28th, 2009
11:08 am
Bat, it’s obviously a famous expression. When I was stationed overseas the ladies were always saying “me so horney G.I.”
Mrs. Chanandler Bong
August 28th, 2009
11:24 am
I don’t think he’s ready to be in the starting rotation just yet. Huddy used to be my fave, but I don’t see him tipping the scales.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
11:37 am
Duly noted, Ms. CB. And I’m kind of sorry Kenshin gets dropped. I think he has gotten kind of a bad rap. He’s been OK. He did what the Braves hired him to do.
dyldawg
August 28th, 2009
11:51 am
espn said that the braves arent done
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
11:55 am
Well, if ESPN said it, it must be true.
But clearly they’re not out of it. The Colorado Rockies were 76-72 on Sept. 15, 2007. They won 21 of the next 22 games and played in the Series. This is baseball. Baseball’s a funny game.
dyldawg
August 28th, 2009
11:56 am
Mark do you see them calling up Heyward and in the playoffs?
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
11:58 am
I don’t, DylDawg. But Frank Wren hasn’t asked my opinion.
dyldawg
August 28th, 2009
11:58 am
Mark do the braves call up Heyward?
dyldawg
August 28th, 2009
11:59 am
What about the playoffs?
PWHjort
August 28th, 2009
12:02 pm
I think this:
And I’m kind of sorry Kenshin gets dropped. I think he has gotten kind of a bad rap. He’s been OK. He did what the Braves hired him to do.
Is exactly right. Though he’s not being demoted or anything. The Braves said they will not pitch Kawakami out of the bullpen and he will start again. Good for him, he deserves to stay in the rotation. He hasn’t been the worst of the five, even. That would be Derek Lowe.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
12:03 pm
A player has to be on the big-league roster on Sept. 1 to be playoff-eligible.
Aunt Esther
August 28th, 2009
12:18 pm
I always seem to come in late to these blogs when I want to comment, but the truth is, the wild card is there for the taking. The Braves, if they had swept the Padres, would be 2.5 out (11 over .500). Give the Padres credit: for a team going nowhere this season, they are still battling. You have to respect them for that.
Still, the Braves cannot afford to go to Philadelphia and get swept. It probably wouldn’t be the end of the season losing 2-3, but I don’t think emotionally they could come back from a sweep.
Actually, I expect them to go into Philly this weekend and play well. I think we’ll win the series. If so, maybe it, with the return of Tim Hudson, will be enough to give the Braves a momentum boost to win something like 12-15, etc, etc.
Finally, I keep looking at “games over .500.” I don’t think it is realistic to talk about the playoffs when the team in question isn’t even 10 games over .500 (equaling 86 wins). It is most likely, however, going to take 90 wins (at the LEAST) to win the wild card = 18 games over. This stat is what I watch more than any other. If the Braves aren’t 10-12 over by the end of next week, it is unlikely they’re going anywhere.
Finally, dyldawg, I don’t think we’ll call up Heyward because it will start the arbitration clock on him. I saw him play last weekend and he seems to be the real deal. He can play rightfield as well as Francoeur (who I believe is one of the very best), he’s very fast, and looks to be a “five tool” player.
He reminds me from a physical standpoint of Darryl Strawberry. That’s pretty good company to be in as DS could have been one of the very best if not for his off-the-field problems.
I hope if the Braves get a good run they will call him up. He and Hudson could be the extra push they need to make the playoffs.
Jurrjens4NLCY {Knoble.MLBlogs.com}
August 28th, 2009
12:22 pm
I can’t wait for Hudon’s return!!
Innocent Bystander
August 28th, 2009
12:28 pm
Mark, a bit of clarity. Does a player have to remain on the roster for the entirety of September to be playoff-eligible? And for that matter, let’s say they decide to give Nate a few more days before activating him and perhaps activate him on Sept. 3. Would he be eligible for October?
Facts Please
August 28th, 2009
12:40 pm
Your kidding right? Hudson will not make a difference. Its not the pitching, they have been rock solid all year. Yes a game here or there but none the less our pitchers have gotten the job done.
The problem is the rest of the team. How many blown holds do we have. How many games has our lineup just stuck it up. They fixed the rotation and yes we have Hudson back but here are the facts.
They built a utility team around McCann and Escobar. They traded for LaRoche. Thats all you have. Chipper is a bumb and he should retire, he does this team no good and the 90’s is over. The rest of the team are nothing shy of utility players. Thats it, final answer. This lineup is weak and should never be playing every day.
Trade Lowe and KK and get some hitters. Our pitchers are fine, we need HITTING.
Mitchell
August 28th, 2009
12:44 pm
Bradley, be serious. You get paid for this?
What was that, like 200 words?
Unbelievable.
Kentavo
August 28th, 2009
12:51 pm
I went to one of Huddy’s rehab starts in Myrtle Beach and it was totally unimpressive – the defense didn’t do him any favors, but he did not look sharp.
PWHjort
August 28th, 2009
1:09 pm
Kentavo
I went to one of Huddy’s rehab starts in Myrtle Beach and it was totally unimpressive – the defense didn’t do him any favors, but he did not look sharp.
Well, that happens when you’re throwing for the first and second times in a year as he did in Myrtle Beach. Not that you’re drawing conclusions, but for anyone who may take that piece as “Hudson isn’t ready”, two starts at Myrtle Beach hardly have predictive value.
Mac
August 28th, 2009
1:22 pm
Kenshin Kawakami must really be a lively presence in the clubhouse, because Mark Bradley defends him like he’s not the weakest link in the rotation. Yes, he’s had some good starts, but he’s had a bunch of short, cruddy ones, too, and lost twice as many as he’s won. Yeah, that’s real good. Yet, a first baseman who was hitting 40 points higher with the same number of RBIs as the guy he was traded for was an “All-American out,” according to Bradley.
Players are mostly their results, not their personalities. Speaking of which, some people who’ve met him say Bradley can be quite the pill, too.
PWHjort
August 28th, 2009
1:28 pm
Pitcher A: 4.08 ERA, 1.75 K/BB, 1.361 WHIP
Pitcher B: 4.48 ERA, 1.64 K/BB, 1.462 WHIP
Pitcher A is Kenshin Kawakami. Pitcher B is Derek Lowe.
Hannibal Lechter
August 28th, 2009
1:32 pm
Pitcher B 12 wins.
Pitcher A 6 wins.
nique
August 28th, 2009
1:38 pm
i can’t imagine it’s going to be much of an upgrade at all in the rotation considering that cox will probably only let the guy pitch 6 inn and he’s bound to have at least one or two not so sharp games. it does give us another good arm in the pen though. if bobby was creative he could let huddy start every 5th game and plan to have KK come in as huddy’s relief and finish off the game pitching like 3-4 innings. i think i’d really be in favor of something like that. kk is really sharp in the first few innings and if we did that way we wouldn’t use any other bullpen arms every 5th day and kk basically stays in rhythm and the rotation.
Mark what do you think?
raindawg722
August 28th, 2009
1:38 pm
KK’s ERA by month
April – 7.06
May – 3.03
June – 3.33
July – 4.73
August – 3.13
D Lowe’s ERA by month
April – 3.10
May – 3.76
June – 6.54
July – 3.38
August – 5.79 (eww)
KK started out badly so he got a bad rep. He’s been better than Lowe. Not saying that would have continued if they’d left him in the rotation, but, by performance alone, he’s getting the short end of the stick here.
Benjamin
August 28th, 2009
2:23 pm
Kenshin has only 12 quality starts in 24 games? Are we certain of that statistic?
I thought a quality start was 6+ innings, 3 or less runs… seems like KK has done that rather consistently this year. Regardless, he is much better than most people realize.
yall are crazy
August 28th, 2009
2:34 pm
If the Braves are seven games out when the last week of the season arrives, there will still be some people saying, “We’re not out of it yet! We just need to win these last seven games and the Phillies lose them! We still have a shot!”
JR
August 28th, 2009
2:41 pm
The quality starts statistic is highly overrated. So comparing quality starts between Kawakami, Vazquez and Cliff Lee is a nice way of crafting stats into saying what you want them to say. Nolan Ryan has said before that quality starts is a bogus statistic, as well. Earlier this year, he was quoted as saying, ““I’ll tell you, if I gave up three runs in six innings I was hacked off. What’s the quality in that? You deserved to lose. I wasn’t very happy and I can tell you the manager and the general manager weren’t very happy either.”
PWHjort
August 28th, 2009
2:44 pm
Hannibal Lechter,
There is such a thing as luck. Or random variation. Whatever you want to call it.
Hannibal Lechter
August 28th, 2009
2:51 pm
And I’m lucky enough to have enough sense to realize the pitcher with 12 wins is better than the one with six.
Oh, I’m sorry, did that sting?
PWHjort
August 28th, 2009
3:22 pm
And I’m lucky enough to have enough sense to realize the pitcher with 12 wins is better than the one with six.
Not necessarily true. Wins have no valuation quality.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
4:16 pm
The ESPN.com statistics list Kenshin as having 12 quality starts. I was surprised it was that low, too. I’d have guessed 15.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2009
4:21 pm
If the Braves would call up Heyward on Sept. 1, there’d be no real reason to send him back down. The minor-league seasons end in early September.
And as I understand it, Innocent Bystander, just being on the roster on Sept. 1 makes you postseason-eligible. There are some examples of guys who got hot in September and helped their teams make the playoffs but weren’t eligible for them because they arrived too late. I believe that was the case with Len Matuszek of Philly in 1983.
Benjamin
August 28th, 2009
4:39 pm
@ JR:
I think we come from completely opposite perspectives when it comes to quality starts, as I feel it’s a very underrated stat. Pitchers are supposed to pitch well enough to keep their teams in games, and this is one of the few stats that goes game to game and recognizes that importance.
Hannibal Lechter
August 28th, 2009
4:57 pm
The team with the most wins makes the playoffs. No value there?
Smart Jay
August 28th, 2009
5:24 pm
I believe the rule is you must be on the 40 man roster on 9/1 for post season elgibility. As for the quality starts on KK, recall that he has had several decent starts where he didn’t go 6. So, if we lowered that bar to 5+ innings, it would probably be more.
richbrave
August 28th, 2009
7:43 pm
Bringing HEYWARD up SEPT. 1 starts his arb clock doesn’t it?
richbrave
August 28th, 2009
7:45 pm
KK has been more consistantly good of late. I’m sure he’ll be the first in line to espouse a six-man. LOWE won’t be far behind.
Raymond
August 28th, 2009
10:06 pm
What difference will Hudson make ? Whether we finish 2nd or 3rd in the NL east ? Why doesn’t everyone face reality-the Braves are not making the playoffs. The team is not good enough with or without Hudson. When you count pennies, it usually comes back to haunt you.
sal governale
August 29th, 2009
1:47 am
Bradley, why should anyone take you seriously when you can’t even be bothered to look up Kawakami’s correct win-loss record? (He’s 6-10.) Here’s a better idea: Why not get back to writing columns about Smoltz.
A 42-year-old HOF pitcher who makes an unprecedented return from major shoulder surgery sounds like a huge story. However, a 42-year-old pitcher who looks like he’s not going to make it back after major shoulder surgery doesn’t sound all that surprising. Why is it that you love the latter story, and ignore the former? Of course, I’m sure it has nothing to do with your personal bias against Smoltz, right Bradley?
Why not pretend to be a real journalist for a day or two, and drop the vindictive hack act? Just a suggestion, take it or leave it.
Millard
August 29th, 2009
6:13 am
The Braves don’t have a pitching problem. They continue to score 3 or less runs per game. They can not hit – they leave men on base all night!! The AJC says we got beat by Howard’s home runs, which is ridiculous. Braves bats look tired.
John
August 29th, 2009
12:15 pm
Braves choke…Braves choke… Braves choke again!!!!
PWHjort
August 29th, 2009
1:11 pm
And as I understand it, Innocent Bystander, just being on the roster on Sept. 1 makes you postseason-eligible.
You have to be on a roster on August 31 to be post-season eligible unless someone gets hurt.
Hannibal Lechter,
All things equal, Kawakami and Lowe would have the exact same number of wins (or maybe KK would have more). Pitcher wins are a useless statistic. To many outside influences to draw any conclusions.
Ward
August 29th, 2009
6:33 pm
OK, OK!! Here is the straight scoop…Hudson and the “charging” Braves finish 90-72 dead-heat with Rockies. One game “play-in”..Hudson wins it..Go Mark Bradley!!! Ward
abudefdef
August 30th, 2009
8:34 am
Hudson is a big game pitcher who knows what it takes to get to the postseason…
KEEP THE FAITH BRAVES NATION!!!
Keep the Faith!
***WHOOOOOOAAAA OOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA WHOOOOOOOOAAA OOOOAAAAAAA***
**TOMAHAWK-A-CHOPPIN**
Skeezix
August 30th, 2009
8:46 am
Can’t wait to see Huddy start his come back against the Fish. Not been holding my breath for a post season. Right now, after getting abused by the Padres, I’m just rooting for a series win against the Phils.
Twas nice to see Lowe throwing better and the offense wake up against Lee last night.
Skeezix
August 30th, 2009
8:50 am
Yeah Mark, what about Smoltz’s great work for St. Louis?
Firearm
August 30th, 2009
1:32 pm
It didn’t help Kenshin that he hardly ever got run support when he started. Is he still 2nd-worst in the majors at run support? I know when O’Brien threw out that stat the Braves put up 3 runs and 4 runs in his next two starts. But for most of the season, Kenshin could throw a shutout and the Braves would find a way to score -1 runs.
BTW, Kenshin can’t be the Dragon Slayer–he’s the Dragon. (PLEASE tell me someone gets this joke.
Biff Pocoroba
August 30th, 2009
2:06 pm
The Braves need to leave Hudson in Gwinnett. They have a better shot at the playoffs than Atlanta.
Don
August 31st, 2009
8:59 am
One of the all time biggest mysteries in baseball is why the Atlanta Writers protect Bobby Cox. If you need more evidence of his incompetence, he continued to keep Chipper in the 3rd spot in the battig order throughout his prolonged slump. And this is just one little thing – Like of worse blunders occur day after day game after game – To say nothing of his overall complete failure to teach/emphasize/demand the absolute essental for consistant offense that hitters work the count/ be selective/ make the pitcher throw some pitches – which has multiple advantages.
slow roller
August 31st, 2009
10:54 am
Too bad Hudson can’t hit….bring Conrad back up already!!!!
Richard Weiss
August 31st, 2009
11:08 am
Won’t matter.
The problem really has been consistent offense.
Now, if we acquired a really big time bat right now, that might possibly make a difference.
Braves lose too many games, many very close, late, with very good to great pitching by the way, due to their absent offense. They have no problem piling up runs in individual games; they just are poor in clutch hitting where it really matters, late. And, they tend to try to coast on an early lead, depending on pitching, while the offense goes to sleep.
Gorecki, byh the way, along with Norton, are automatic outs. Trades are required if the management really wants to contend the last part of this year. Otherwise, start packing for next year, and please, remove the desd wood.
Richard Weiss
August 31st, 2009
11:23 am
Also would add that Gorecki is a minor league player who cannot hit major league-type pitching. He’s an OK fielder. But he has absolutely no business starting in center field for the Braves. He chokes almost everytime he is up with RISP and the braves desparately needing runs. It’s the guaranteed last out of the inning with runners on and 2 outs. Isn’t there someone else, anyone, who can replace McClouth? I thought we had some good ones down in the minors?
Norton is as bad, but at least he doesn’t start. I don’t know what’s wrong with Chipper – the Braves are toast without him and it looks increasingly like they don’t have him. Apparently, the team relies on Prado, Diaz, Infante and McCann mostly, if there is a chance to get a clutch run and they happen to be at bat. Chipper looks like he is past his prime and clueless where the pitch is or what it is and is having ongoing problems hitting even straight fastballs too. Why hasn’t Bobby put him down in the order, like 6th or 7th, until Jones can show us he is hitting like he can?