Inside Look: Atlanta Braves

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Joe Janish

The 8-7 Braves come to Flushing this weekend for a three-game series against the 7-9 Mets. With the two teams fairly close in regard to won-loss records, this is an important matchup for the first month of the season. Two weekend wins by the Mets puts them a half-game behind the Bravos, while a sweep sends them ahead and into the running for the NL East lead. On the other hand, if the Mets lose the series or get swept, it will bury them into a deep hole that will take quite an effort to emerge from.

Luckily for the Mets, the Braves look good on paper but haven’t exactly set the world afire. To give us some insight on what’s going on in Atlanta, I’ve called on fellow ESPN SweetSpot blogger Peter Hjort of Capitol Avenue Club to answer some questions about the Braves.

My questions are in bold, Peter’s answers in the blue boxes.

1. Seems like every time you turn on the TV or radio — even here in NY — you hear something about Jason Heyward. How do you compare him, right now, to where Andruw Jones was in Jones’ rookie season?

The hype is similar. Andruw Jones was one of the best prospects of all time, but Heyward is a similarly elite prospect. Andruw was rated BA’s #1 overall pre 1996 and pre 1997, Jason Heyward was rated BA’s #5 overall pre 2009 and #1 overall pre 2010. Andruw was a bit underwhelming–offensively at least–during his rookie year, hitting only .231/.329/.416 and stealing 20 bases at a 65 per cent success rate. Right now, Heyward is hitting like Adrian Gonzalez (.269/.397/.558), and if he keeps it up he’ll end up having a much better season than Andruw’s rookie year.

2. Martin Prado is quietly having a great start in Heyward’s shadow. Can he keep it up throughout the year? Why or why not?

Well, he’s obviously not going to hit .417 all year, but I’m expecting a very nice season from Prado. He’s hit .315/.369/.459 during his MLB career, which is about what I expect going forward.


3. Do you miss Javy Vazquez?

Yes. A lot. Javy was one of my favorite players on the team last year. I understand why the Braves traded him, but I do still miss him quite a bit. It was a joy to watch him pitch. A lot of Yankees’ fans don’t seem to appreciate Vazquez, which is a shame, really. It’s also very idiotic. If some Yankees fans really thinks trading Melky Cabrera for a guy coming off a Cy Young type season hurt their ballclub, they need a labotomy.

4. He’s in a slump now, but will it be tough to watch Jeff Francoeur have a comeback year for the Mets? (Not saying he will, but wondering how you’ll feel if he does.)

No. I hate the guy both for all the wins he cost the Braves over the years and for personal reasons that I won’t discuss here. The day he was traded was one of the happier ones of my life. I couldn’t care less what he does, so long as it’s not in Atlanta. And, honestly, what does a comeback year for Francoeur look like? .300/.330/.450? No thanks.

5. How confident do you feel late in games with Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito closing things out?

I’ve always been extremely confident in Wagner. Two weeks ago I would’ve said “no” on Saito, given his age, injury history, and the fact that he wasn’t particularly effective in 2009. But Saito has pitched extremely well–both statistically and from other talent evaluation perspectives–these first few weeks. The bullpen is the biggest strength of the team and I have a ton of confidence late in games, probably more so than I’ve had since John Smoltz was a full time relief pitcher. Furthermore, this may be the best bullpen, top to bottom, the Braves have ever had.

6. I thought Jonny Venters was a blues guitarist (I guess that was Johnny Winters); who is he and will he be making noise as the season progresses?

Jonny Venters was a 30th round draft pick out of Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, FL in 2003. He’s been used primarily as a starter for his minor league career, mostly with pretty bad numbers. He’s not going to make a lot of noise, really, he’s not a late-innings reliever and likely won’t ever be, but his mid-90’s sinker from the left side will probably be one of Bobby’s favorite toys this season.

7. The Vazquez – Melky Cabrera deal seemed to be more about clearing cash for Troy Glaus and otherr winter pickups. Is that how it went down and if so do you feel the Braves made the right moves?

Yes, the Vazquez-Cabrera deal was strictly about saving money. The good news is the Braves got Arodys Vizcaino, an elite pitching prospect, in the deal. I think the Braves made the right moves, given the situation they were in. I thought the Takashi Saito signing was a waste of cash at the time, but, like I said, he’s been fantastic. A lot of key players become arbitration eligible for the first time this upcoming off season, specifically Martin Prado, Yunel Escobar, and Jair Jurrjens. If trading Vazquez means keeping that trio around (along with Tim Hudson), I think it was a good move.

8. The Braves look great on paper, and so far are in the thick of things in the NL East. What are the keys to them getting into the postseason?

Right now four or five of the regulars (depending on how you count Matt Diaz) are slugging sub-300. Getting everyone on track is pretty much what the Braves need. Like you said, they look good on paper, it’s just a matter of guys doing what we expect them to. Of course, dealing with this mess of a LF situation–getting rid of all the tweeners and acquiring a real LF’er–certainly wouldn’t hurt.

9. Is Bobby Cox REALLY going to retire at the end of the year? If so, who is next in line?

I guess. I can’t know for sure, but all signs seem to indicate he will stay true to his word and hang up the spikes at year’s end. I don’t know who is next in line, though. The organization has been predictably tight lipped about the situation.

Thanks again to Peter for giving us the scoop. Be sure to check out Capitol Avenue Club for all things Braves.

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Mets Game 16: Win Over Cubs

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 5 Cubs 2

The Mets did nearly everything they could to give Chicago the game, but in the end the Cubs just weren’t interested. As a result, the Metropolitans won their first series of 2010.

Game Notes

Johan Santana did not have his best stuff, but had enough to win. Hey … where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah — in all of his starts thus far. Once again the velocity was on the low side (though higher than in previous games) and his command was less than stellar. However, he had an occasionally nasty, vanishing change-up that induced many swings and misses. A few more crafty, savvy performances like this and we may start to wonder if this is what we’ll expect from Santana as a rule, rather than an exception. If so, that’s OK, as long as he keeps winning. Though, the high pitch counts that keep him from plowing through a full seven innings will eventually take their toll on an already overused bullpen. I’m going to assume that Johan’s slow start to the season has something to do with the recovery from elbow surgery. By mid-June he may be at full strength and these so-so (for Santana) starts will be considered a temporary anomaly.

Jerry Manuel is operating like a man managing for his life. In other words, he’s managing every game like it’s the seventh game of the World Series, with a beheading certain to follow a loss (previously he managed every game like it was the seventh game of the World Series, but with the assumption that his life would be spared if he were unsuccessful). This short-sighted strategy may get him through May, but will be detrimental in the long run — particularly to the bullpen. His desperation to win this game and this series led to four relievers in the final 2 2/3 innings, including Fernando Nieve’s 11th appearance and a five-out save from Francisco Rodriguez.

Speaking of, Fernando Nieve is on pace to appear in 110 games this season. In contrast, K-Rod is on pace to save 10 games over the course of the year.

Enough of the negativity; on to the positive.

Ike Davis had 3 of the Mets’ 7 hits, going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored. He also collected his first Major League extra-base hit, a double to left field in the 8th. Granted, Alfonso Soriano was standing next to the peanut salesman in the stands along the left field foul line, and took his time in chasing the ball, but we’ll take it. Half of Davis’ 6 hits in this series came against lefthanded pitchers.

David Wright had only one hit, but it was a big one — a double to left that scored Jose Reyes for the first run of the game. Wright struck out three times on the night and was down 0-2 in that particular at-bat, but fought back and took a strong cut to blast the ball over Soriano’s head. God bless Alfonso Soriano.

Jeff Francoeur also had only one hit, but his also was a biggie — a single to score Wright only moments later. Frenchy flew to first base on the hit, having shed a gorilla-sized monkey off his back (he had been 0 for 24 prior to the RBI single).

There’s just one more middle-of-the-order slugger to bust out of a slump, and I won’t mention his name but you may currently think of him as the righthanded Jeromy Burnitz.

The Mets are in last place in the NL East but currently have a better won-loss record than the Boston Red Sox — so, there’s that. See, I can see a silver lining.

Next Mets Game

The Mets host the Braves for a three-game weekend series in Flushing beginning at 7:10 PM on Friday. The matchup pairs two winless starters in John Maine and Kenshin Kawakami.

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Backman Blow-up with the Posse

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Joe Janish

It’s time for another installment of “Playing for Peanuts,” starring current Brooklyn Cyclones manager Wally Backman. Of course, “Playing for Peanuts” is a TV show about Wally’s team in 2007 – the South Georgia Peanuts. It’s a quirky, crazy story about Wally’s attempted comeback as a professional manager. In retrospect, it was a pretty good comeback attempt (Cyclones, remember?), but anyone who watched the show on SNY knows it was a very rocky road back for Wally Backman. Which leads us to…

“Peanuts” producer John Fitzgerald is offering Mets bloggers a $5 commission for every 3-DVD set sold on the web. Not a bad deal for us bloggers, but it also gives you the chance to help support some of your favorite Mets blogs, including OntheBlack, BrooklynMetFan and MetsToday.

The DVD set contains all 10 episodes of “Playing for Peanuts” on 3-DVDs. Also included are bonus scenes and interviews with Ron Darling and Conor Jackson.Click here for ordering information.

Since Backman will be back with the Mets organization this summer, John Fitzgerald will be sending me some of the bonus footage that he has released online, along with some commentary. Here’s the latest:

Playing for Peanuts – Web Extra Clip #38

John Fitzgerald:

In this clip, Wally discusses some of his biggest blowups while managing in the minor leagues. According to Wally, one of his most memorable blowups occurred while managing the Tri-City Posse of the Western League. It’s a great story… I can’t add anything more than that.

Buy the 3-DVD Set (10 episodes + Bonus Content)

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Mets Game 15: Loss to Cubs

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Joe Janish

Cubs 9 Mets 3

Oliver Perez was so-so, the bullpen was awful, the offense was languid. Put it all together and you end the evening with an “L”.

Game Notes

Ollie was unlike himself — he was neither spectacular nor awful, but rather, ordinary. Perez allowed 8 hits and walked 3 in 5 innings, throwing 97 pitches in the process. He never broke 90 MPH from what I saw, which is disturbing. On a positive note, he was gathering his balance at the top of the leg lift and his follow through often had him sort of facing home plate, rather than third base, which meant his momentum was driving toward home plate and he was better able to command his pitches. But his lack of velocity is a bright red flag; I’m guessing that he’s concentrating so much on his mechanics, it’s slowing down his body and arm.

Manny Acosta, Raul Valdes, and Hisanori Takahashi all were terrible, and allowed a combined 6 runs in the final four frames. Thing is, the Mets were within two runs when Perez left the game, so a victory was still very possible. But it felt like the game was being given away, seeing the likes of Acosta and Valdes on the mound. Reminds me of the days of Jamie Cerda and Bartolome Fortunato.

After a hot start that saw him hitting in the .450s, Jeff Francoeur is now 0 for his last 19, and his average is down to .281. Before you say it’s because he’s swinging at too many pitches, look back at the box scores. You’ll notice that even when he was red-hot, he was often seeing less than 10 pitches in 4-5 ABs per game.

Rod Barajas hit a homerun, but struck out twice and is hitting .204 with a .196 OBP. I need a stathead to explain to me how it is mathmetically possible to have an OBP below one’s batting average, because I don’t get it.

The Mets walked 9 batters in this game, and are leading the NL in walks with 77 in 15 games.

David Wright made some sparkling plays at third base — and has been, for the past few games — but has become a non-entity at the plate. He was 1-for-2 with yet another walk (he has a .433 OBP), but he doesn’t yet look “right” (or is it, “Wright”?). The way he’s now cocking his hands and loading up to take big cuts looks powerful, but has yet to produce consistent results. He looks a bit tense, and his swing looks longer now, as he’s dropping the barrel a bit / tilting the knob skyward through the contact zone. I’d like to see him keeping the barrel up longer as he moves the hands forward and “dropping the hammer” on the ball in front of the plate, which he was doing during the first week of the season.

Future Hall of Famer Carlos Silva held the Mets to one hit — a homer by Rod Barajas — through six innings. He left after only 87 pitches and probably could have continued through 7 or 8, but Lou Piniella wanted to give the Mets a chance.

Alfonso Soriano was 3-for-4 with a homerun, triple, and 3 RBI. This from a guy who is a major disappointment and not fulfilling his contract.

Next Mets Game

The final game of this four-game series beings at 7:10 PM in Flushing. Ace Johan Santana faces fifth starter Tom Gorzelanny.

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Mets Game 14: Win Over Cubs

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 4 Cubs 0

Things are starting to look up for the Mets.

Mike Pelfrey pitched 7 strong innings, the offense provided four runs, and the bullpen held up their end of the bargain to give the Mets their sixth win of the season.

Game Notes

Big Pelf allowed no runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 in his 7 innings pitched. Finally, he has an offspeed pitch to compliment the fastball — the forkball. Not to pat myself on the back, but I’ve been clamoring for Pelfrey to develop a change of pace of some sort since 2007. If you follow those links and read those posts, you won’t need to know what I’m thinking — which is, the fact that Pelfrey is changing speeds is THE point of differentiation between him being an enigma and fulfilling his sky-high potential. Great outings like this will also build his confidence, which in turn feeds off itself and will push his performance to another level. It’s early, and I may be prematurely excited, but I’m liking what I’m seeing from Mr. Pelfrey.

Jose Reyes went 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and a triple; I think it’s safe to say he’s on his way back.

Fernando Tatis hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer off LOOGY John Grabow in the bottom of the 8th to give the Mets breathing room. Why anyone would throw a low and inside pitch to Tatis is baffling — it’s pretty much the only pitch he can put over the fence.

Ryota Igarashi left the game with a hamstring strain in the 8th. He will get an MRI on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury.

In relief of Igarashi, Fernando Nieve came up big with a called strike three against Jeff Baker to end the 8th, stranding Koyie Hill on second base and working out of a mini-jam.

Frankie Rodriguez continues to look shaky; he walked two batters with a four-run lead in a non-save situation, expending 26 pitches in the process.

Next Mets Game

The Mets have a chance to win their first series of the year in the third game of this 4-game sequence with the Cubs. Oliver Perez (or Mr. Hyde) faces Carlos Silva in a matchup of the two worst contracts given to

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Mets Game 13: Win Over Cubs

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 6 Cubs 1

Lucky 13 for the Metsies.

Jon Niese had a so-so outing, keeping the Mets in the game through almost 6 innings but not hanging around long enough to see the win through. In other words, a spectacular start compared to what we’ve seen from most Mets starters thus far this year. A shame, how low we’ve had to drop our standards.

But let’s not harp on the negative; the Mets won! Jason Bay broke out, Ike Davis went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut, the offense had an explosion in the seventh (off legitimate MLB pitching) and the bullpen held up the lead. What more could you ask?

Game Notes

Ike Davis made his much-heralded debut a success. If he turns out as we hope, ten years from now a great trivia question will be, “what number did Ike Davis wear in his Major League debut”? The trick answer, of course, will be, “42”.

Speaking of Davis, I’m happy to have the opportunity to see him play right now. But please, please, PLEASE STOP with the John Olerud “comparisons”. He doesn’t resemble Olerud in any way, shape, or form other than the fact he hits lefthanded. You know what former MLBer Ike reminds me of? RON Davis. Striking resemblance, I’d say. Otherwise, he’s his own man — let’s sit back and watch him grow into whatever that will be, rather than creating some image to shoehorn him into.

Jason Bay broke out of his slump. This could be the beginning of a hot streak.

Angel Pagan continues to rake, and Gary Matthews Jr. continues to strike out. Pagan hit his first homer of the year and GMJ K’d for the 12th time in as many games.

Jon Niese paid a bit too much attention to John Maine’s last start, because he kept the ball up in the zone (but was getting called strikes up there) and threw far too many pitches (112 through 5 2/3 IP). Though, he did get at least a half-dozen swings and misses. Additionally, he looked a bit different to me in this game. It appears as though his arm slot has dropped from straight overhand to more three-quarter, which can be a better angle for getting movement, but takes bite away from his best pitch, the curveball. That angle also was causing him to get “under” the ball, meaning, he was releasing the ball with his fingers at the side of the ball or almost underneath — which causes the ball to move more sideways and up. Generally speaking, you want to stay “on top” of the ball, meaning, release with the fingers literally on top of the ball, which tends to make the ball sink. What he was doing worked well in this particular game, so it’s hard to argue with the execution. However, it will be interesting to see what happens if/when he runs into an umpire who doesn’t call that high strike.

The SNY crew kept referring to one of Niese’s pitches as a “cutter”, and maybe that’s how Niese identifies it, but it is a slider. A “cutter” is a “cut fastball”, so called because it is thrown with a fastball arm action but with a grip that is shifted slightly off-center from across the four seams. The result is a fastball that “cuts” slightly — just a few inches at most. However, what Niese is doing is modifying the grip AND turning his wrist slightly counterclockwise — which is a slider. Why does it matter? Because with a slider, the fingers slide to the side of the ball and the thumb turns up toward the sky, which puts pressure on the elbow. Niese already puts a lot of pressure on his elbow with the overhand curve, so there is concern that an injury will be sustained in that area at some point. But staying in the here and now, that slider / wannabe cutter is often flat and doesn’t have much downward movement, which means it will eventually get hit hard. Why didn’t the Cubs hit it hard? They might have been caught off-guard, not seeing the pitch from him before.

Though, Niese did throw at least 6 or 7 sliders with sharp downward bite. He may want to focus on thinking about that pitch as a slider, and calling it a slider, because when it’s not, it’s dangerous.

Alfonso Soriano hit a 415-foot bomb to the deepest part of Citi Field in the second inning — a shot that was so long and so high, Rod Barajas would’ve had a standup triple. But Soriano chose to gaze at his prodigious blast from the batter’s box, and break into a homerun trot down the first base line. He started running more than half speed when the ball bounced off the wall, and he wound up with a double. Lou Piniella must be getting soft in his old age, because after a stunt like that, Soriano should’ve been sent to the bench.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Cubs do it again at 7:10 PM in Flushing. It will be a matchup between a pair of undefeated righthanders, as Mike Pelfrey faces Carlos Zambrano. Both pitchers are 2-0.

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Inside Look: Chicago Cubs

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Joe Janish

The Chicago Cubs are starting out rough this season, and we are lucky to have fellow ESPN SweetSpot blogger Joe Aiello of “View from the Bleachers” to give us the lowdown.

On paper, the Cubs offense looks pretty good. How is it looking on the field thus far?

The main issue so far seems to be a lack of hitting in timely situations. During the first week of the season the main way the runs were coming was via the home run. It’s settled down a little lately, and the hits with runners in scoring position seems to have improved but the wins have not followed. Lou has vowed to change the lineup around a little during the Mets series, but there really isn’t much you can do to juggle a lineup. Your heart of the order guys may flip flop, but other than that, what can you do?

It’s going to be a dogfight in the NL Central this year. What has to go right for the Cubs to finish in first?

I think we saw last year the issues that can arise when some of the names you’re counting on to produce, don’t. For the Cubs to contend in the central, and really for a playoff spot in general, Alfonso Soriano needs to hit. Geovany Soto has to hit. Carlos Zambrano has to live up to the contract he was given. There are a lot of underachievers on this team that leave the bulk of the work to be done by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. That can’t happen if this team is going to be successful.

Is this Lou Piniella’s last season? Will he make it through the season?

People keep asking the question of whether or not Lou will make it through his contract. It’s not even a question that he’ll play out this year. After that, I truly believe he’ll hang ‘em up. We seem to forget that he managed the Rays and tried everything he could to motivate them out of losing. If he can handle that, surely he can handle a much better club in the Cubs.

What’s up with the rollercoaster known as Carlos Zambrano? Is he going through another slow start, are his skills diminishing, or is he just plain crazy?

All of the above. Then again, I’m a Z hater. In my mind, Zambrano is one of the most over hyped pitchers in the Majors. I wouldn’t even rank him as one of the top five starters in the city when you factor in Ted Lilly who is scheduled to come off the DL on Saturday. His biggest issues are his emotions and his lack of hydration that causes him to cramp up and leave a start early. He refuses to address the cramping issue and we’ve yet to see the emotions be under control for a long stretch of time.

Jeff Samardzija seems to have a live arm, but no set role. Where does he ultimately fit in, this year and beyond?

It depends on who you ask. If you ask Samardzija he’ll tell you that he just wants to help the ballclub in anyway he can while he crosses his fingers behind his back and dreams of being a starter. If you ask the Cubs, his role is a late inning setup man. The problem comes when you merge the two. Because of the differing opinions on how he needs to be used, I think it’s causing his lack of success. When the Cubs have him down in the minors they use him as a starter, but when he’s called up he never gets a chance to make a few consecutive starts and show what he can do. I think that’s affected his mentality and caused him to not fully embrace his bullpen role. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it’s the primary cause for his lack of success so far.

Carlos Marmol as the closer: are you confident in him taking the ball in the ninth?

Without a doubt. He had a bit of a hiccup on Sunday and blew the save, but he’s the most reliable arm we’ve got in the pen. When he’s on, and it’s been often this year, he can be electric. He’s already compiled two saves in which he struck out all three batters he faced. The key this year for Marmol is the fact that he doesn’t need to compete for the closer role like he did last year with Gregg. That seems to have given him the confidence to trust his stuff and blow hitters away.

Your initial impression of Carlos Silva …

Big…Fat…and surprisingly…good? What I like about him so far is that he doesn’t walk guys. I expect him to give up the long ball and give them up at a fairly healthy rate. If he can limit the walks and use that good sinker, I don’t see why he can’t be a very good back of the rotation arm. I don’t expect him to pitch the way he has so far, but he’s definitely better than Milton Bradley. My favorite quote came from Lou this spring when he asked about his work ethic. He said something to the effect of ‘He’s a hard worker….he’s also a hard eater.’

Who is the one Cub who is “under the radar” / will surprise people in 2010?

I think some of the names in the bullpen. The Cubs started the year with a good amount of young arms in the pen. So far, the majority of them have struggled, but I have high hopes for Justin Berg, who throws ground balls, and James Russell, whose father was a former big league closer. Those are the two guys in the pen that I think will surprise some people this year.

Thanks very much to Joe Aiello for giving us his insight. Be sure to check out View From the Bleachers for all the nitty-gritty on the Chicago Cubs.

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Bark at the Park Next Saturday

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Joe Janish

dog day at sheaFor those who fondly remember “Dog Day at Shea” (Oliver Perez should), there will be a “Bark at the Park” at Citi Field next Saturday, April 24th.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, you can bring your dog to Citi Field to watch the game with you. You will even have the opportunity to march around the park — on the field — with your dog during a pre-game parade.

I only know about this because a freelance writer for the New York Post let me know about it — and used me as a source for a story in the Sunday paper!

So for those of you who would like to bring your dog to a ballgame, you can do so by purchasing a special ticket from Mets.com. The seats are in the Pepsi Porch area, and you will have to arrive by noon in order to participate in the parade.

A portion of the revenues from ticket sales will go to the North Shore Animal League, though, strangely enough, the NSAL doesn’t have anything on their site about the event — and there has been little, if any, promotion for it.

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