Braves (3-0) 20 Orioles (0-3) 10
What did we learn this weekend?
1) Wilson Betemit is the everyday third baseman. The Braves wisely sent Marte back to Richmond to play every day when they brought up Colon. Betemit continued to produce, going 5 for 11 in the series, and certainly deserves to play every day. Now, would it be too much to ask that he bat a little higher in the order? When Chipper comes back, we will have what is known as a "good problem" to have -- how to get everyone playing time.
2) Roman Colon can pitch a little. As impressive and unexpected as Davies' first few starts as well as Sosa's have been, Colon's performance on Saturday was a shock and revelation. He'll get another start on Thursday, and we'll see if he can build on his success. His prospect status hasn't jibed with his performance before now, but now we see what the fuss was about. Much like Rick Mahler's emergency start in '91, if we eke out this division by one game, this is one we'll remember.
3) Andruw Jones is an All-Star. Unthinkable two weeks ago, undeniable now. This is '99 Chipper stuff that Andruw is doing. His 948 OPS is fourth among NL outfielders, and his .597 SLG trails only Derrek Lee and Pujols. It's not just his hitting, either -- he seems to have stepped up the defense as well. Balls that he was just missing a few weeks ago are now finding their way into his glove. Viva Andruw!
4) Davies is plainly tired and not ready. His command has suffered badly since throwing 230 pitches combined in consecutive starts, then going on three days rest. He's a good candidate to be sent down when Hudson returns -- he looks like he needs a breather.
5) John Smoltz decides how long John Smoltz pitches. How else to explain his presence on the mound in the ninth inning of an 8-1 game, with 8 pitchers in the bullpen? I don't trust them either, but come on. That said, Smoltzie was keeping us in the race a few weeks ago, and now the rest of the team is rolling right along with him.
1) Wilson Betemit is the everyday third baseman. The Braves wisely sent Marte back to Richmond to play every day when they brought up Colon. Betemit continued to produce, going 5 for 11 in the series, and certainly deserves to play every day. Now, would it be too much to ask that he bat a little higher in the order? When Chipper comes back, we will have what is known as a "good problem" to have -- how to get everyone playing time.
2) Roman Colon can pitch a little. As impressive and unexpected as Davies' first few starts as well as Sosa's have been, Colon's performance on Saturday was a shock and revelation. He'll get another start on Thursday, and we'll see if he can build on his success. His prospect status hasn't jibed with his performance before now, but now we see what the fuss was about. Much like Rick Mahler's emergency start in '91, if we eke out this division by one game, this is one we'll remember.
3) Andruw Jones is an All-Star. Unthinkable two weeks ago, undeniable now. This is '99 Chipper stuff that Andruw is doing. His 948 OPS is fourth among NL outfielders, and his .597 SLG trails only Derrek Lee and Pujols. It's not just his hitting, either -- he seems to have stepped up the defense as well. Balls that he was just missing a few weeks ago are now finding their way into his glove. Viva Andruw!
4) Davies is plainly tired and not ready. His command has suffered badly since throwing 230 pitches combined in consecutive starts, then going on three days rest. He's a good candidate to be sent down when Hudson returns -- he looks like he needs a breather.
5) John Smoltz decides how long John Smoltz pitches. How else to explain his presence on the mound in the ninth inning of an 8-1 game, with 8 pitchers in the bullpen? I don't trust them either, but come on. That said, Smoltzie was keeping us in the race a few weeks ago, and now the rest of the team is rolling right along with him.
posted by Sam Bass | 5:49 PM
1 Comments:
McCann has been great so far, and if Smoltz is on record liking him, I'm pretty sure he'll stick. I've sort of assumed that Eddie Perez was being stowed on the DL for longer than necessary, and it may be time for him to say adios.
One question we'll have to address -- are we going to continue to carry 13 pitchers until Chipper returns? It's understandable (though I don't necessarily like it) to carry that many for the time being, with Smoltz the only starter capable of throwing deep into games, but there's a lot of dead weight out there (Bernero and Dank Lob in particular) and we have a very short bench.
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