Independence (from Braves apologists) Day
OK, admitted, I forgot to wait until the Braves' inevitable midsummer hot streak (also known as the time of year the rest of the division beats up on itself, or in the case of the Phillies, the time of IMPLOSION) before writing off the Braves. I really didn't mean to, anyway. A few weeks back, I was simply saying a Braves slide was understandable with everybody hurt, whereas pitching-rich Florida had no excuse.
With that said, the Braves will look good in the division race -- and wild-card hunt -- when Hudson, Thomson and Hampton return to the starting rotation because: 1) They've broken in some R-Braves players who will provide nice depth when the injured return to form. 2) The Nats will likely falter at some point. They've won 25 or 26 1-run games and a ton of come-from-behind games. I don't see the success in close games as so much a strength as a statistical anomaly. The law of averages tends to even those close wins out with close losses. I'd feel a lot better about things if Jose Vidro made a quick return to the lineup.
By the way, Bruce, the Nationals just swept the Cubs -- in Chicago, not D.C.
No offense to Tim Kurkjian, but I'm not sure why he's so dazzled by these Richmond Braves. I like Kyle Davies' arm and toughness. But Wilson Betemit was supposed to be a breakthrough star 4-5 years ago. Is he a legit prospect or not? And Pete Orr? Come on.
And, how do you like these numbers?: 29-56. That's the R-Braves' record. Don't say it's terrible because half their team's in Atlanta. They were below .500 at the end of April, when they had many of these young studs that everyone's frothing at the mouth about.
When they win the World Series with this makeshift group, I'll give Bobby Cox his due. Until then, you guys can enjoy feasting on a bunch of shlub NL East teams that have demonstrated over the years they don't know what it takes to win a division like the Braves do.
I will say this: If the wild card's the thing for Atlanta, they don't have Arizona or the Dodgers to worry about. I went to see those clubs play last night at Chavez Ravine, and it was a comedy of errors and all-around bad baseball. Both (they're about 4 under .500) are fading fast. So the Cubs -- and Florida??? -- are the only team to worry about.
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And let me add to that last sentence: Houston! The Astros, once 15 under .500, have snuck up on everyone and are now just 5 back of the Braves, a game over .500.
Posted on July 11, 2005 3:27 PM
Good point about the Nationals in one-run games. These things have a way of evening themselves out over the course of a season.
On the flip side, the Braves should be getting healthy during the second half of the season. If they can get their starting pitching off the DL, they should be in pretty good shape for a playoff run.
And don't be fooled by the won-loss record of the Richmond team. The function of minor league baseball is to develop players for the majors, not to win games. It doesn't matter how many games the farm teams win - what matters is if they are producing a handful of guys who can help in Atlanta. So far, so good, on that front.
Posted on July 12, 2005 3:54 PM
Bruce, I covered the Braves' rookie-league team in Danville, Va., for two seasons and know very well that winning and losing in the minors means diddly -- at least at the lowest levels. When you get to Double-A and Triple-A, though, that won-loss record's usually a pretty good gauge of the talent on hand. I'm more surprised by the R-Braves' record than anything because they've clearly had some talent.
Posted on July 12, 2005 4:10 PM