Braves Review and Preview

Well, dern.

That was about as bad a week of baseball as a Braves fan could ask for. 

A week that started out with such excitement and promise ended with such despair.  I bet if you took a pulse of the Braves Nation Wednesday morning and this morning, the readings would be a complete 180.

Tuesday night, we saw 3 home runs in the last 4 at bats to seal a walk off victory against the rival Phillies. With Roy Halladay coming to town, we stole a victory and found some much needed power.  The team even pulled a pretty funny prank on hero Nate McLouth. 

Then Wednesday came.  The Doc’s prognosis was worse than I thought.

After being shut out for 8 innings on Tuesday, Roy Halladay shut the Braves down for a complete game on Wednesday.  Thursday the woes didn’t get any better, as Derek Lowe’s lack of control finally caught up with him.  The Braves didn’t get an earned run off Phillies’ starting pitching.

But that’s ok.  The Phillies are good, and I predicted we would go 1-2.  As the loss against the Padres showed us, no matter how ugly a loss is, it is just a loss in a 162 game season. We could go and take a series against New York.

 Oh boy.  You had good outings from Kawakami, Jurrjens and Hanson this weekend that were wasted.  Last night, the game was mercifully called due to rain.  The Mets held on to a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, so the game was just called.  Now, I think a 1 run lead in the sixth is hardly over, but honestly how can you be mad?  What have we seen in the last week to make you think (and the umpires think) the Braves would score a run?

They are beating themselves.  It makes you wonder how bad they want to win.  I am being serious.  4 errors Friday night, including an infield fly error.  Escobar’s bone headed base running mistake (and I won’t even mention the bleach blond headed punk gingerly running out a grounder), and last night continued errors.  If the Braves are going to screw around like that, they don’t deserve to win.  It physically pained me to watch the Mets series.  Imagine how it must make Bobby feel.  

Ok, I will mention Escobar.  Look at Jose Reyes last night and his hustle.  He scored from Second Base due to alert base running and hustle.  Escobar can’t even run out a grounder, or tag up and score from 90 feet away. 

Chipper is hurt…again. 

However, we are barely just over 10% through the baseball season, so it is still ridiculously early.  But remember what happened last year.  The Braves were one of the best teams in baseball the second half, but couldn’t overcome a poor first half.  So there is time to correct the glaring obvious problem-the poor offense.  With the Phillies being so dominate, we are reliant on the one Wild Card spot.  The Braves can’t afford to get in an early hole that be overcome.

However, this was a problem that was glaring and obvious last October, right? Am I mistaken, but isn’t that what the offseason is for?

Before you think I am being a Negative Nancy, check out these post by Dave O’Brien.  The offense sucks.  The leadoff batters can’t get on base.

Now, the Braves go to St. Louis.  At best we should hope to split this series.  We then get a reprieve at home against the equally poor Astros, but then have to play the Nationals and Phillies on the road next week. 

If I said it once, I’ll say it a million times.  I think the Braves could haves something special here.  I do.  I think if they can make it to playoffs, they could be a real dangerous team. 

But somebody other than Jason Heyward has to step up.  While Heyward is outstanding, he is still only a 20 year old rookie.  He can’t be expected to carry this ballclub on his back as he had done so far this season. 

Hudson is going tonight, so perhaps he can stop the bleeding. 

Go Braves!

Corbindawg