Streaking Braves Sweep Phillies, Extend NL East Lead to 2.5 Games

Thanks to the powerful stroke of Troy Glaus, a surprisingly dominant outing from Derek Lowe, and a huge clutch hit from Omar Infante, the Atlanta Braves have taken the division lead and are beginning to pull ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Troy Glaus hit two three run homers in back-to-back days over the series’ first two games, and Omar Infante had a clutch base hit with men on first and second and two out in the bottom of the eighth inning earlier today to close out a three game sweep of the Phillies.

Infante only entered the game today because of Chipper Jones’ injured ring finger. Chipper is said to be day-to-day, but thankfully Infante was able to step in and produce in Jones’ absence.

Omar pushed ahead the game-winning run, but Derek Lowe’s performance is the real story from today’s game. Lowe pitched eight great innings while allowing just one run, one intentional walk, and six hits. This was easily Derek’s best outing of the year and it could not have come at a better time or against a better opponent. Billy Wagner closed out the game, earning his ninth save as he allowed just one baserunner while facing the heart of the Philadelphia lineup.

The Braves are now winners of eight straight games. They are 23-8 since their nine game losing streak at the end of April, and 13-2 in their last 15 games.

This has been a dominant stretch for the Braves in Bobby Cox’s final season as they closed out a perfect 6-0 homestand and improved their major league best home record to 19-6.

The Braves problems have come on the road (12-16), where they will play there next 11 games. Championship teams win wherever they play, so if Atlanta wants to prove they can withstand the difficulties that come with success,they will need to have a respectable road trip against some difficult opponents in the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Twins.

The Phillies will play better throughout the year, but as I said earlier last week, the Braves were in a great position to take over the NL East lead and they did just that in incredible fashion as they swept the two time defending National League Champions.

Waking Up In First Place

The Atlanta Braves have not been in first place this late in the season since 2005, which is coincidentally — or maybe not — the last year the Braves won the division.

When this team was reeling in April with that unforgettable nine game losing streak, you would have been hard-pressed to find many who would believe that the Braves would be in first place by the start of June.

The Braves being in first place is a combination of superb play from the team themselves and a huge slump coming from the preseason favorite Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies closed out May with a 3-7 record over their past ten games whereas the Braves went 8-2, including the major’s longest winning streak with six straight victories.

Until San Diego’s blowout of the Mets, the Braves had the best run differential in the National League. Unfortunately, the Padres passed the Braves, but personally, I am not too upset that they pounded the Mets out as they surpassed us in terms of Pythagorean Record.

As they enter June, the Braves have a tough schedule in the coming weeks.

Atlanta plays Philadelphia for the remaining two games in this series tonight and tomorrow, then they fly out to Los Angeles for a three game set, then to Arizona for four, and close out the road trip in Minnesota for three. There are no off days from now until the end of that stretch. The Braves have struggled outside of Turner (12-16 in away games), so having a solid road trip will be a tough task that hopefully the Braves are up for.

Before they start the road trip, the Braves have a great opportunity to extend their NL East lead and put the Phillies in a bigger hole with Tim Hudson on the mound tonight and Derek Lowe facing off against Kyle Kendrick tomorrow.

Hudson has had solid numbers so far, but has been less effective than many believe. His 4.39 FIP compared to his 2.24 ERA says that he has gotten rather lucky, and if he wants to continue the success he has had this year, he will have to strike-out more and walk less.

Derek Lowe, on the other hand has had more success as of late (4.11 ERA in May), and has actually been a bit unlucky this year as his FIP stands at 4.47 while his ERA sits at 4.86. If Lowe pitches as he has, he should be in line for a lower ERA and more success in the general fan’s eyes in the near future.

Both of their performances will be key in extending the division league in the next two days, but regardless, this is not a must-win situation for either game. The Braves are in a great position and are playing very solid baseball as of late. Regardless of whether they win or lose both games, the Braves are playing well. And at the start of June, that means more than their current place in the standings.

This is a great time to be a Braves follower, and waking up in first place for the first time in June since 2005 at least shows that this is a better product than we have seen in the past few seasons. Hopefully, the Braves will be able start consecutive months in first place and bring the winning ways back to Atlanta. Those same winning ways we all grew accustom to for 14 straight seasons.

The 6 Keys To Sending Bobby Cox Out On Top

This will be Bobby Cox’s 19 consecutive season as the Braves manager. Prior to this run, he was the general manager from 1986-1990, and he had previously managed the ball club for three seasons from 1978-1981.

Bobby Cox is possibly the most influential person in Braves’ history with Hank Aaron and John Schuerholz having pretty solid arguments themselves.

Cox has announced that this will be his last season, and you can bet that Chipper Jones will make sure this team plays every single game with the passion and fire that Cox deserves in his final summer as the manager.

The Braves took a major step forward last season as they won 86 games, their highest total since 2005 when they last won the division. In order for the Braves to send Bobby Cox out on top they need a few things to happen, and they are far from guarantees.

With that said, the talent on this roster is absolutely enough to get into post season baseball and the arms in the rotation are strong enough to carry a team through a short series.

Here are the six keys to sending Bobby Cox out on top, with his second World Series title as the Atlanta Braves’ manager.

Chipper Jones Bouncing Back

Chipper Jones is the most important hitter on this roster and he hits in the most important spot in the lineup. Chipper is a first ballot Hall of Famer and he needs to produce numbers closer to his career average in order for this offense to succeed.

Chipper does not need to have an MVP season or win the batting title for this offense to be good, but they do need him to give the team 20+ homers and a good on base percentage.

If Chipper is able to stay semi-healthy, play in 130+ games, and be productive in those games to the tune of a .290/.405/.485 triple slash line with 20 or more homers then this offense will score enough runs to support the strong starting staff.

There are enough decent to solid bats in the lineup to help Chipper out, but his production must improve for this team to have a chance to win a title.

Troy Glaus Remaining Relatively Healthy

As Jayson Stark mentioned earlier this week, the Braves are the only team in the league with a cleanup hitter and a closer who played less than 20 games last season.

Troy Glaus is the right handed power bat that the Braves have been searching for, but his health remains an issue. Glaus had shoulder surgery and missed nearly all of the 2009 season and has played 149 games only three times in the past seven seasons. He played in 91, 58, 115, and 14 in the other four seasons.

When Glaus plays, he is extremely productive and very powerful. From 2005-2008 Glaus averaged 35 home runs per 162 games played. If he plays 140 games this year, expecting around 27-33 home runs is absolutely attainable. The problem is that the if in the previous statement is far from a guarantee.

Glaus’ health is the reason that he was able to be had for so cheap, and if this offense wants to have a big right handed threat in the middle of the lineup then Glaus needs to be able to stay on the field.

Billy Wagner’s and Takashi Saito’s Arms Holding Up

The Braves two biggest acquisitions in the bullpen this offseason have a combined age of 78, and one appeared in only 15 games last season.

Billy Wagner was signed to close and Takashi Saito was signed to be a set-up man along side of Peter Moylan. The Braves bullpen was outstanding last year with the righty/lefty combo of Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. In order for the bullpen to be as successful as last season, the elder statesmen of the back end must stay healthy.

Wagner has had no setbacks since his Tommy John surgery so another torn ligament to his left elbow is extremely doubtful. However, at the age of 38 (39 on July 25th) injuries can occur to nearly any body part as a professional athlete.

Saito has pitched at least 56 games in all but one season, but again, at age 40 anything can happen to a body or arm of an athlete. Saito was used in much less strenuous situations last year and his ability to handle high stress innings this season will be crucial to the bullpen’s success.

Both of them need to stay healthy. It is not as if the Braves do not have the ability to have others fill in as a closer or set up man. The problem comes when the middle relievers and Moylan have to move up and minor leaguers are brought up to fill the void in middle relief. The Braves have depth in the bullpen, but if Wagner and Saito remain healthy and productive they could have one of the top bullpens in the National League.

Jason Heyward Having a Productive Rookie Season

The top prospect in baseball, Jason Heyward, needs to be productive this season. The Braves have suffered from lack of production from their corner outfield spots (except from Matt Diaz, but he only plays against lefties) for a number of seasons.

Good offenses strive on the production they receive from the corner outfield and infield spots. The Braves need Heyward to have a solid season and start to become the player that everyone knows he will eventually be.

They do not need 30 home runs and a .330 average from Heyward, but a solid .360 on base percentage with 15-20 home runs will be a great improvement from what they have had in the seasons past. Heyward could be the spark this team needs to make and go deep into the playoffs.

Derek Lowe Becoming the Pitcher They Signed

Derek Lowe has completely changed is throwing motion. He has stated that he has changed his entire delivery from top to bottom.

“Arm angle, arm path, stride, knee, head, shoulder, elbow, height to my arm, we can go on all day long,” Lowe said. “There’s isn’t one thing I did last year, not one thing, which probably a lot of people are happy to hear.”

This new motion can help the Braves become one of the top teams in the NL. With Hanson, Hudson, and Jurrjens getting all of the love as they rightfully deserve, Lowe needs to prove that he is worth his $60 million contract he received before the 2009 season.

If they get the type of season that Lowe has the ability to have, then the Braves rotation will undoubtedly be one of the top two rotations in the National League along with the San Francisco Giants. The rotation is the Braves’ biggest strength, and a bounce back year for Lowe could put them over the top.

Eric Hinske Producing In Chipper’s and Glaus’ Absence

Lets face it, Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus will miss a good amount of games this season. They are both past their primes and both have had numerous injuries throughout their careers, especially as of late.

I mentioned before that Glaus needs to remain relatively healthy, and that Chipper needs to bounce back in order for this team to win. But even if they do produce, they will most likely suffer from nagging injuries throughout the season and be forced to miss some games.

Over the past few years the Braves have used middle infield production with the likes of Omar Infante and Martin Prado to fill the void left by Chipper Jones when he is injured. This season they have someone with power and a true corner infielder, Eric Hinske.

Hinske hit 20 home runs only two seasons ago in 2008. He has also been lucky enough to make the past three World Series with the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees respectively.

When Chipper or Glaus get injured the Braves need Hinske to mitigate the loss by hitting for power and getting on base. If Hinske can do this, and also prove to be an adequate pinch hitter and corner outfield option then the Braves offense will be very good.

Hinske will not light up the world, but Bobby Cox and the rest of the Braves nation are hoping that Hinske is able to make the World Series for the fourth straight time. He may not be the reason for getting to meaningful October baseball, but he can certainly help by producing in Chipper’s and Glaus’ absence.

Lowe Opening Day Starter, Not Staff Ace

Paul and Tom over at HotStove.com asked me if Derek Lowe, the newly appointed opening day starter, was the best pitcher on the Braves’ staff. Here is my answer and a link to the article.

The Braves are starting Lowe in the first game of the season to help him regain the confidence that he had to start last season. Through the first few months Lowe was exactly the pitcher they had hoped for but he fell off towards the end of the year. By naming Lowe the opening day starter there is no better way to put the trade fiasco from earlier this offseason in the past. Lowe is definitely not the best pitcher on the staff, but he is very consistent and if naming him the opening day starter makes Derek more comfortable and confident in his own abilities then this is a great decision.

http://www.hotstove.com/2010/03/braves-marlins-bloggers-respond-to-our-questions/

The New Additions

The Atlanta Braves have now added Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe in consecutive days. These signings are coming off of the loss of Brave great and future Hall of Famer, John Smoltz. Frank Wren has made attempts at getting an ace throughout the off season as he attempted to trade for Jake Peavy and sign AJ Burnett. The Peavy talks ended with both teams in a stand still and the Yankees were able to outbid (fortunately in my opinion) the Braves for Burnett’s services. This left the Braves in a position to either build for the future or go and get a few innings eaters if they want to be competitive in 2009. In Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami the Braves have successfully fixed their rotation.

Kenshin Kawakami should serve as a back end starter who has tremendous upside. Kawakami is said to throw 6 different pitches and after watching Ken pitch you can see that he has a very nice straight fastball and a potentially knee buckling curve. Throughout the highlight real you will notice the opposing hitters pulling off of pitches which is a sign that he has great knowledge of how to keep hitters off balance. Kawakami will come into Spring Training as the #4 starter and will not have the same pressure that most Japanese pitchers have had when they cross the Pacific. In most cases the newcomers are expected to be aces or at least front line starters and this can be very tough for any pitcher just entering the major leagues.

Derek Lowe is now the ace of the Atlanta Braves. Since 1991 this has been a very well respected roll around the league as future Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz have been at the front of the Braves rotation and Tim Hudson has been in this roll the past few seasons. These are big shoes to fill, but it is very hard to find a more consistent pitcher than Derek Lowe since 2002. He has posted an ERA+ of over 100 in 6 of 7 seasons and has made 32 or more starts in every season since 2002. He will pitch this season at age 36 and has been signed to a 4 year deal that will give him the opportunity to pitch at age 40. With most pitchers this would be a concern but Lowe has shown consistency and durability throughout his career. If the Braves were willing to offer more years to AJ Burnett who was a great injury risk, then I must agree to give Lowe his 4th year even at age 40. Lowe is a great sinker ball pitcher who will remind many Braves fan of Tim Hudson who will be out until at least August if not the whole season. Dodger’s stadium and Turner Field are both stadiums where ground ball pitchers usually succeed, and with Lowe’s track record it is hard to believe that this would change.

The overall style of the Braves rotation is much different than it has been in the past few seasons. The Braves have had a very top heavy rotation since 2005 with a few stud aces and a rather poor back end. This rotation is full of workhorses with 4 starters who have the ability to go deep into games and pitch with consistency every single start.

The Braves now have Lowe, Vasquez, Jurrjens, and Kawakami for the next two seasons and Tommy Hanson expected to step into the rotation at some point in 2009. The Braves are now looking at a rotation that has something that they haven’t seen since the 14 straight division titles, consistency.