The view from Philly: First-place Braves are nothing special
The "easy out" celebrates a home run -- against Philadelphia. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer still believes the road to the World Series runs through Philadelphia, and maybe it does. A check of the NL East standings, however, reveals that the regal Phillies are six games behind a team that Mr. Ford doesn’t regard as anything special.
Writes Ford:
The Braves are a nice team, really nice in some ways, but the notion that leapfrogging the Braves would require super-human effort is ridiculous. The Phillies, if they play as they can, have nothing to worry about, either from Atlanta or from their alleged co-rivals, the Mets.
Me, I’m a worrier by nature. Were I six games behind the Bad News Bears with 70 games remaining, I’d be getting antsy. More Ford:
The Braves are nothing like the team that so recently dominated the division. Those Atlanta teams were built on great starting staffs, just enough offense and some decent power production in the launching pads of Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field.
What do the Braves have now? Well, they have a [six]-game lead over the Phillies and they have a great player in second baseman Martin Prado and an ace starter in Tim Hudson. Beyond that, they have as many peaks and valleys as any other team …
Beyond Hudson, Atlanta’s staff includes talented young Jair Jurrjens who is just back from the disabled list and carrying around a 4.75 ERA. Kris Medlen had a good first half of the season, but he has just 15 career starts and how he will hold up is unknown. There is Derek Lowe, who won Sunday to go 10-8, but with another ERA over four runs per game. There is Tommy Hanson , also just above .500 and another ERA over four runs. Perhaps on a given day, with one given game to win, Tim Hudson would be a problem, but there isn’t much separating the starting staff from that of the Phillies.
To be fair, Mr. Ford does credit the Braves as having the better bullpen, though he wonders if, “with one game to save, you’d feel any more comfortable with [Billy] Wagner than with Brad Lidge. By the end of the season, the difference could be minuscule.” (Well, I suppose it could.)
And the Braves’ offense, which has outhit Philly’s .261 to .255 and ranks first in the National League in on-base percentage — the Phillies are 12th — is likewise seen as inconsequential. Writes Mr. Ford:
On offense, the Braves are 12th in the National League in slugging percentage. Among their players with enough at-bats to be eligible for league leadership, only Prado is hitting better than .270. Troy Glaus and Brian McCann, the all-star MVP, have decent power numbers, but they are also easy outs. Chipper Jones, the holdover from the previous era, is battling a hamstring injury and has been inconsistent at the plate.
I am now going to cite a first baseman’s on-base percentage. It is .366. I am now going to cite another first baseman’s on-base percentage. It is .357. The first first baseman is Glaus. The second is Ryan Howard. Easy out, eh?
I could do this back-and-forth all day, but I’ll leave that to you. (Why should I have all the fun?) I will close with Mr. Ford’s closing argument, such as it is:
If the Phils don’t go for it this year, hopefully it won’t be because they think Braves are a magical, uncatchable team. The Braves are fine, but they aren’t as good as the real Phillies, should the real Phillies choose to show themselves this season.
The only NL East team truly capable of keeping the Phils out of the postseason isn’t found in an opposing dugout but in the mirrors of their own clubhouse.
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360 comments Add your comment
J-Man
July 21st, 2010
12:32 am
7 games back and they have nothing to worry about????????
bob
July 21st, 2010
2:17 am
philly- no play all talk in baseball talk is cheap phil’s are too stupid to realize they won’t be competing for the ws if they keep playing like this. F’ the haters, LETS GO BRAVES!!!!!!
bob
July 21st, 2010
2:19 am
I hope the phils realize if they keep playing like this they won’t be competing for anything! Cocky phils haha they should’nt be talking about anyone else but themselves. 48-44 very good record phils haha
bob
July 21st, 2010
2:21 am
phils won’t be competing for anything if they keep playing like they are 48-44 pretty mediocre to my opinion for a team that has “dominated”
Dirty Dawg
July 21st, 2010
3:35 am
As I attempted to post earlier but haven’t found if it made it, I say it’s truly interesting, and telling, just how arrogant Philly fans/writers/and probably players have gotten after just a couple of years of winning the Division…just think how insufferably cocky and arrogant they’d be if it were 14 or 15 straight.
You keep thinking that you’re gonna win it Philly, and keep losing and making excuses…and we’ll be making room for another pennant sign.
GT Fan
July 21st, 2010
3:57 am
Suck on that Philly! 7 games back!
Will the “real” Philly please stand up….waiting….didn’t think so.
donny ballgame
July 21st, 2010
4:10 am
The Padres are the voice of America. Not the Braves. Winning one game, isn’t the world Series, I know that, you know that, and Karch Karai knows that.
shane
July 21st, 2010
4:19 am
The Padres are the voice of America. Not the Braves. Winning one game, isn’t the world Series, I know that, you know that, and Karch Karai knows that.
First off huh??????
Second nobody said winning one game is the world series. All that said id rather win that one game. Braves gave the Padres a dose of their own medicine. Overpowering pitching
Jo-Bu
July 21st, 2010
4:39 am
Wonder if someone will ask Bob Ford how that View from Philly looks tonight? The Redbirds have laid it on them twice in as many nights and now the Phillies are on the outside looking in 7.0 GB.
Marc in FL
July 21st, 2010
5:16 am
Anyone can be dellusional I suppose. I mean our pitching is better in all but one starting rotation slot and our bullpen is better top to bottom. Our offense, while not as potent, is comparable in some aspects.
It just depends on if you believe offense will win out or if pitching will win out. I’m going with pitching.
donny ballgame
July 21st, 2010
5:35 am
@shane
Padres don’t use or need medicine: only sunscreen.
And only one team has the great Adrian Gonzalez.
shane
July 21st, 2010
7:00 am
@shane
Padres don’t use or need medicine: only sunscreen.
And only one team has the great Adrian Gonzalez.
They might need some medicine for their fannies after the Braves spank it a couple more times.
Bud Wiser
July 21st, 2010
7:06 am
Spoken like a true Philly jerkoff.
He’ll be out booing the hell out of the Phils in print by the end of August.
Loser.
joe
July 21st, 2010
8:04 am
the braves are playing better than the sum of their parts…. they are actually fun to watch ( I haven’t said that in a while).
It's a shame what he did to that dog
July 21st, 2010
8:10 am
donny ballgame
Who won the MVP in the all-star game?
It's a shame what he did to that dog
July 21st, 2010
8:10 am
“Padres don’t use or need medicine: only sunscreen.”
donny has the IQ of a carrot.
Tami
July 21st, 2010
8:24 am
Sounds like the thoughts from a reporter/fan just before they are forced to see the more realistic picture: The Phillies aren’t going ANYWHERE this season. They’ve had plenty of time to make a run. They lost again last night. Yes. There’s a LOT of baseball left, and I know as well as anyone that anything can happen between now and the end of the season. I haven’t yet said the Braves will take it all the way. However….although the team has been sputtering since the 2nd half of the season has resumed, they continue to find a way to win (last night’s wasn’t pretty with 3 errors, but a win is a win) and increase the division lead between themselves & their divisional rivals. We Braves fans could have the last laugh this season. But, the Phils won’t even be in the equation.
Shug
July 21st, 2010
8:29 am
The Phillies are 2-time defending League champs and have won a recent World Series, things the Braves haven’t done lately. That breeds a justified confidence on the Phillies’ part that they can prevail. Phillies are still champs until someone knocks them off, and no one’s knocked them off yet. In summary, Braves’ fans (and writers) shouldn’t be concerned with the Phillies’ attitude and should be more concerned with their own team’s performance.
Go Braves.
Chad
July 21st, 2010
8:32 am
Mark what do you think about the recent rumor that the Phils are “working very hard to acquire a front end SP?” Roy Oswalt is apparently their preferred choice. They also would be trading Werth.
Mark Bradley
July 21st, 2010
8:55 am
A little late, I’d say, Chad.
mike
July 21st, 2010
8:58 am
“first-place Braves are nothing special”???
It seems like every game something happens to remind me of ‘91. Didn’t the Dodgers keep saying stuff like that back in ‘91?
Blackberry Cobbler
July 21st, 2010
9:13 am
I’m a big Braves fan, but I think the article is spot on.
There are even those on the AJC staff (Schultz) who like to remind us that the Braves are playing above their talent. If the Phils can play to their talent and the Braves return to theirs, the Braves aren’t good enough to hang on.
I have said all along, that the Braves need more/better pitching and more (consistent) power in the lineup.
Richard S.
July 21st, 2010
9:19 am
Yes, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium saw some of the largest homer numbers in the history of the game. Theories for this range from depth perception to the large overhang holding in more heat and humidity causing the ball to jump of the bat and into the seats. Probably the most compelling yet perplexing argument is in the argument of elevation, as written in Lonnie Wheeler’s biography of Henry Aaron “I Had a Hammer.” Seeing as though Atlanta is one of the highest elevated stadiums in the game with a number hovering the 1,000 FASL.
But, Turner field has not produced nearly as many homers as the rest of the leagues parks, or even AFCS’s numbers. With nearly the same dimensions and elevation as its predecessor the current stadium has placed in the bottom half of the league in home runs per-game eight of the last ten seasons. So, to summarize, AFCS was a launching pad that was nicknamed the launching pad while Turner Field is a pitchers park that produces a below-average number of homers.
Possibly the style of players could impact that number. It goes without mentioning that for the first ten years AFCS was open Henry Aaron was putting up most of those numbers and for the next 15 of 16 years Dale Murphy was filling those shoes. But guess how many pennants those two won in Atlanta…
OlderNDirt
July 21st, 2010
9:20 am
i was just wondering if anyone noticed that since the Phillies were accused of stealing signals and signs they have dropped precipitously in the standings. is it possible when they have to guess the pitches like everyone else it is tougher.
DoninGa
July 21st, 2010
9:22 am
With all he had to say, he didn’t say much. Might be Heyward and Chipper are the keys for our offense. They do good, the Phillies ain’t coming back no more, no more!
Dave
July 21st, 2010
9:46 am
name one team with at least 50 wins this year that is just “okay.” Regardless of how bad the Phillies are this year, you have to be pretty good to be 17 games over .500. And as for our pitching staff…I’ll take Hanson and Lowe with their 4+ ERA’s over Blanton and Moyer any day of the week.
Braves’ bullpen is better, bench is better, record is better…Philly fans, keep telling yourselves that the Phillies are standing in their own way. Enjoy watching Bobby’s farewell tour.
Barry Draper
July 21st, 2010
10:08 am
The REAL difference is the bullpen. What other team in baseball can come at you with a lefty tandem of Dunn, O’Flaherty, Ventors and Wagner? Complementing the lefties are Moylan and Saito. Our starters do give me a pause, and cause for concern. Hanson is inconsistent. Lowe seems to have righted his ship. Medlen is solid. JJ is back to form. And Huddy is lights out. Hey that gives us three of five solids with upside potential on the other two. Our offense scores late. So if the game is close in the seventh through the ninth innings, the Braves are going to win more than they lose, against anyone.
Scoots
July 21st, 2010
10:10 am
This guy calls Turner Field a ‘launching pad’?! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
TWS
July 21st, 2010
10:11 am
When the Phillies have a healthy Rollins, Polanco and Utley, they are better. Not sure that will happen this year.
diesel gas
July 21st, 2010
10:20 am
Turner Field had always been known as a pitchers park…wtf is that guy talking about???
Bruce Kling
July 21st, 2010
10:46 am
This writer forgot to compare the Philly success numbers before and after their binoculars were discovered. When was the last time Braves fans were charged with murdering someone in the stadium parking lot ….. anyone got numbers on that one? The Braves have had their share of injury riddled seasons, but neither the fans nor our local press make excuses. Philly fans need to take a trip to Milwaukee and have a big Kum-Ba-Yah festival with their fellow cry babies!
otis
July 21st, 2010
10:46 am
we play them the final series of the season. i hope we capitalize on that opportunity
diesel gas
July 21st, 2010
11:33 am
Bruce Kling
July 21st, 2010
10:46 am
Well said my friend!!!!
Adam
July 21st, 2010
11:41 am
Yeah real easy out that McCann. Hitting .295 with 12 homers 55 rbi’s and a .472 OBP they really own that guy.
Jesus
July 21st, 2010
12:14 pm
Poser, Hater, Cry Baby. That should cover the clown from Philly.
BILLY GRAY
July 21st, 2010
12:17 pm
I believe Mr Ford the most wins is how you get in first place.
Jesus
July 21st, 2010
12:27 pm
Mark, your thoughts on the Braves players reading this? Will they?
savannahdawg
July 21st, 2010
12:43 pm
Nothing special? This team has the same look as it did in the early 90’s. Oustanding pitching, and a group of guys on the field that play as a team, play smart and hustle.
Mr. Ford……..Philly is the team that is nothing special…….stop making excuses and take a look at the growing issues on your team.
shmoe
July 21st, 2010
1:32 pm
Let em keep talkin. They are simply deluding themselves. Braves are in fact a magical team, and they are now 7 games back. LOL times 1,000,000
Braves win!
July 21st, 2010
1:40 pm
Well, I will give him this…I agree that the Braves are playing over their heads and the Phillies are underachieving…but this is not May, we are in late July, the Braves are (at least for now) healthy and a 6-game lead is anything but minor…now, the way they managed to catch the Mets in September- was it two years ago?- and the way the media annointed them division champs in just about every preseason publication probably gave them and their slobbering, classless fan base a feeling of invincibility…but that is why we go out and actually play the games.
Philly Anticlimactic
July 21st, 2010
1:42 pm
Why would a 3rd place on the verge of slipping below .500 be concerned with the 1st place team. Look out Philly, the Marlins are closing fast!
nique
July 21st, 2010
1:51 pm
nice bulletin board material!
DELAWARES ONLY BRAVES FAN
July 21st, 2010
2:21 pm
By 9am this morning it was offical. Panic has set in the minds of the class holes of filthadelphia.The airwaves are filled with cry babies!!! Talk radio idots are now saying that they all saw this coming.(funny cause in april the were talking about how they now matched up with the skankies in ny)It is starting to get fun around here.
74Dawg
July 21st, 2010
3:08 pm
And people say the AJC writers are homers:) This guy is dreaming. There are a lot of games to be played, and the Philthies could go get another starter ; and the Braves could collapse. But the fact remains the Braves currently have the best record in the NL with 70 games left. They just got two of their best players back,Jurjens and Heyward . All indications are, they are no fluke. And by the way, wasn’t Bob Ford ” the dirty little coward who shot mr. Howard” aka Jesse James, in the back while he was hanging a picture on the wall?
Delaware's an idiot
July 21st, 2010
3:41 pm
Hey Droolaware’s Brave fan: I believe this article is about a Philly writers column,not thier fans.Due to my job I have lived in several major leauge towns. Atl. is by far the most front-runner town I’ve lived in. I think I seen a stat last week that Phila. has something like 80+ straight sellouts. When I lived in Atl. I recall they couldn’t even sellout PLAYOFF games ! I recall the excuses: “it’s a school night,
it’s too hot to sit a whole game, this is a college football town, it’s a NASCAR town etc,etc… Say what you will but I recall Phila. fans being loyal. I remember it also being a very historic town with beautiful architecture. Your Filthydelphia comment is funny if your a fourth grader. Every town has its run down areas. I remember when you left Turner field or the Ga. Dome if you made a wrong turn down the wrong street you life could be in danger immediatly according to the locals. If you hate it up there, as they say in Atl. “Delta is ready when you are !
mm
July 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
Yak yak yak: 7 games. End of story.
bravesbeast
July 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
Since Bob Ford wrote that article in Philly the Braves have inceased their lead to 7 games! That guy is an idiot haha and I love it.
Delaware's an idiot
July 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
Hey Delawre “Delta is ready is ready when you are”. This article is about a Phila. sports writer and
not thier fans.
Christopher Chance
July 21st, 2010
4:51 pm
The Phillies are in a clubhouse chemistry bind because of the Jayson Werth/Chase Utley situation. For those of you who havent heard it, rumor has it that Werth was nailing Utley’s wife. Given the fact that Werth’s contract is up at the end of this season……combined with Utley being a premier 2nd baseman with a huge contract…….it’s a no brainer that the Phillies are going to side with Utley on this and not re-sign Werth.
However Werth is the only right handed power bat in that line-up. Trying to trade him right now does not help them.
It’ll never happen, but I would love to see the Braves trade for Werth. Screw chemistry. Werth can play center field AND hit for power from the ride side of the plate. Our line-up would become dangerous with Werth’s bat in it. If the Braves could sign him to a long term contract, I’d make the trade.
The Braves are the NL's best team - why isn't that enough? | Mark Bradley
July 21st, 2010
6:23 pm
[...] Braves “a nice team” but contended that “the Phillies, if they play as they can, have nothing to worry about.” Mr. Ford also characterized Brian McCann and Troy Glaus as “easy outs.” His [...]