They Stepped It Up

Do you remember reading in a previous blog where I was complaining that the Braves seemed to have no one who had the ability to step it up when the superstars are down?

Well, I'll be darn, they did. They stepped it up. And who could've seen it coming?

The first two weeks of the season, the Braves found themselves between two rocks and a hard place. Many of their foundational, money-making players were down with either injuries or the flu. Well, we all know that Michelle Hampton has been down for some time now. And I promise I'll stop calling him "Michelle" Hampton when he can develop enough testosterone to pitch again. Glavine went to the DL for the first time in his career. Chipper strained a quad. Tim Hudson lossed his velocity because of his flu-like symptoms and lasted a slim 3 innings against Florida. Rafael Soriano went to the DL with elbow problems. Peter Moylan went to the DL with a fluid-filled elbow. Do I need to go on? Bottom line- we were hurting (no pun intended).

My complaint during that frustrating time was that we seemed to have no one who could step their game up to fill in. Chuck James tried to do this when he faced Colorado. His outing there was just simply hard to watch. Jair Jurrjens was not getting any run support from his team, which was very frustrating because the kid is a rising star trying to establish himself. Bobby Cox was overusing Jeff Bennett, which resulted in 2 hit batters and a ton of walks.

Well, somehow or another, the Braves came out of their slump and have now won 4 in a row. How has this happened?

Cox called Jeff Bennett to spot start last Friday against Andruw Jones and the Dodgers. What did he do to ensure the Braves a chance to win? He stepped up and threw almost 5 solid innnings. As a matter of fact, he pitched like he's been doing this for years. He did a great job changing speeds and locating his fastball, which has seemed to be a problem with him, and the results? A solid outing and a win for a win-less, struggling Braves ball club. It was huge. If you're a Braves fan, or know alot about the game, you realize how huge that was... it had to happen. I just hate Bennett couldn't receive the win. He did his job nonetheless.

Cox called Chuck James back up from AAA Richmond to give what was a solid 11 game winner in years past for the Braves another chance to prove that he deserves to be at the major league level. What did he do? He stepped up and returned to his vintage form. He gained a much needed win on both his part and for the team. Chuckie did, however, give up his casual homerun. To be honest with you, I'm glad it came during a time in which a former, struggling Braves player, Andruw Jones, could place it almost in the upper deck.

"I've never said this about an opposing player, but I was glad to see [Andruw] hit a homer. I was also glad to see him get a standing ovation. He deserves it. I wish nothing but the best for him," said Braves third baseman and former teammate, Chipper Jones.

Oh, and when the media pretty much counted the Braves out of the hunt when they lost their 2 most reliable relievers in Soriano and Moylan, what happened? The bullpen stepped up and just completely shut out opposing hitters. A fellow by the name of Jorge Campillo has gone over 7 innings and has only given up one hit. I never even heard of the guy until Cox called him up. Now, you talk about someone stepping up. Geeez.

The Braves are on a very timely 4 game tear and it's all because a few players stepped up their game and delivered for an injury stricken, struggling ball club. Now, tonight, a much healthier Tim Hudson will return to his very comfortable form facing a team in which he has completely dominated over the years, the Washington Nationals. In fact, Hudson's career ERA against the Expos/Nationals is a 1 something. Pretty dominant.

Since the Marlins and the Mets are showing no sign of letting up, the Braves sure did pick a good time to start stepping things up a notch.
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Tonight:
Tim Hudson (2-1) and the Braves face Matt Chico (0-3) and the Nationals at Turner Field at 7pm on Sports South.