Floundering Bravos Bound to Wash Up

The outlook for the Atlanta Braves’ postseason hopes is not so good. In fact, the only thing keeping them on life support is the fact that the Phillies, Marlins (1.0 GB), and Mets (1.5GB) have not shown the ability to pull away from the fourth place Braves, who, at five games under .500, stand just 5 GB in the NL East. Despite the onslaught of serious injuries and individual performance slumps the Braves have faced, they remain in striking distance of the NL East division lead. They have also executed poorly, to say the least, on the road, going just 13-30. For the year, Atlanta has also been outscored by opponents 404-373 going into 7/9/08.

The following is a breakdown by position of the effects of Atlanta’s injuries and other problems on their lineup:


P: As far as starting pitching goes, the Braves lost right-handed ace for the year to right shoulder surgery. Tom Glavine is currently in his second DL stint of his career and of the season with left elbow problems and is not expected back any time soon…maybe even never. Mike Hampton has been anchoring the Braves’ DL staff since he started just 12 games way back in 2005. Starter Chuck James has also visited the DL this season, and is not currently on the Braves roster and has not appeared in a game since giving up 3 HR and 5 earned against the Phillies on May 15.

The bullpen has also been plagued by injuries. Rafael Soriano was slated to be the closer this year, but is currently sitting for the second time this season with right elbow soreness, an injury that poses a significant problem for a right handed pitcher. Closer Mike Gonzalez missed most of the 2007 season and appeared in his first game this year on June 18 after recovering from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. Peter Moylan, expected to be the Braves’ 7th or 8th inning man, is currently on the 60-day DL and has been out of action since 4/15. Troubled reliever, Manny Acosta struggled in the closer role in the absence of Soriano, Gonzalez, and Moylan and currently sits on the 15-day DL alongside fellow injured righty reliever Jeff Bennett. Buddy Carlyle, currently pitching in relief, has also seen DL time this year.

C: On the catching front, no complaints. Lefty-swinging Brian McCann is a deserving All-Star who is thumping southpaws with a .317 average against them. He is currently hitting .293 with 17 homers and 50 RBI’s, all while providing extraordinary protection for Jones and Teixeira in the middle of the order. Defensively, he has shown his durability to this point starting 79 of 91 games this year and appearing behind the plate in 84 of them. He also currently holds a stellar .995 fielding percentage.

1B: Mark Teixiera has been a mainstay at first base for the Bravos, though his offensive numbers are below where they traditionally would be at other times during his career. The biggest drawback on Teixeira this season has not been one of performance, nor injury proneness, but his impending departure via free agency at the end of the season. Last year before being traded to Atlanta, he (and agent Scott Boras) turned down an 8 year/ $140 million extension. It is doubtful that GM Frank Wren will enter the bidding, that will likely start at about that mark.

2B: Kelly Johnson has started in only 76 of Atlanta’s 91 games, but has managed to avoid the DL. Johnson finds himself sitting at times against tough left-handed pitching in favor of the right-handed Martin Prado, and the fleet of foot, switch hitting Ruben Gotay.

3B: Chipper Jones is leading the NL in batting average, and it is hard to find fault in that. However, Jones has been hampered this season by a slight groin injury which he could tweak into a DL stint on any given swing. He has also been bothered at times with a sore quad. Similarly to Johnson, he has started just 72 games.

SS: Twenty-five year old stud shortstop Yunel Escobar has not endured a DL stint, but has battled a painful shoulder injury that is evident in many of his swings as he can be seen wincing in pain during a follow through, especially when swinging and missing. As a right handed hitter, Escobar follows through with the bat in his left hand, causing his injured shoulder some degree of pain. He has also missed time this season due to a strained right hit flexor. Escobar sustained his left shoulder injury in the process of getting picked off of first base in a game in late June against the Brewers.

Utility-man Omar Infante played in Escobar’s stead the following night and promptly left the game with a right hamstring injury after running out a ground ball. This injury comes after Infante began the year on the DL and did not appear in a game until May 8.

Infielder Martin Prado, who has seen time in 2008 at all four infield positions, was on the congested Braves DL from 5/5 to 7/3 with a sprained left thumb.

This string of injuries precipitated the callup and six starts at SS by rookie SS Brent Lillibridge.

LF: Opening Day LF Matt Diaz has not appeared in a game since May 27 due to a left knee ligament strain. Though a career .310 hitter that posssesses the ability to drastically change the complexion of the Braves’ lineup for the better, Diaz hit just .163 during that month.

CF: Mark Kotsay, acquired from the A’s this past offseason to replace departed CF Andruw Jones, missed from May 25 to July 1 with an injury. No surprise for a guy who has appeared in 140 games or more only once since 2002. He has appeared in just 54 games to this point, 49 of which he started. In his limited time, Kotsay’s production has been modest, hitting at a .278 clip with four homers and 22 RBI’s.

RF: It has been a bumpy ride to this point for Jeff Francoeur. Although he has not been bitten by the injury bug (yet), the struggling free-swinger recently endured a demotion Double-A Mississippi that cannot have been any more embarrassing for him than his performance thus far in the Braves’ lineup.


Luckily for Atlanta, Tim Hudson has done an outstanding job securing his status as the new, undisputed ace of the staff, posting a 9-6 record with a 3.19 ERA. Following him is rookie Jair Jurrjens, who has been extremely effective and a savior for the depleted staff. Thus far, Jurrjens has posted an ERA of 3.00, while going 9-4 and winning Rookie of the Month honors for the month of June. Jorge Campillo has filled in admirably, making 10 starts since his shift from the bullpen. Prior to this season, Campillo had one career start. Twenty-three year old lefty Jo-Jo Reyes has been inconsistent, getting tuned up by opposing offenses in about a third of his starts, but his future is bright. Charlie Morton currently occupies the fifth rotation spot, and has been far less than impressive though his first five starts, getting touched up to 19 ER through just 25 innings. Beyond Hudson, the Braves have a glaring inexperience dilemma in the rotation.

In addition to the aforementioned Gonzalez and Carlyle, lefty specialist Royce Ring, Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman, and totally ineffective, aging vet, Julian Tavarez round out the bullpen. The Braves signed Tavarez in an act of sheer desperation to acquire experienced pitching to a worn-out staff. Both the Red Sox and Brewers have taken a chance on the 35 year-old this season and realized their mistake. Look for the Braves to do the same before too long, if the trend of Tavarez’s regression continues. He comes to the Braves with an ERA of 7.20 for the year (with Milwaukee and Boston), allowing 31 hits in 20 innings, all in relief.