It is no secret that here at The Sports Idiot we are not big fans on Kelly Johnson. Hell, last year one of our fantasy teams was named Kelly Johnson Sucks. Well, he is living up to that mantra this season, and has now added Prior List member to his resume. Dude has right wrist tendinitis and is on the shelf for at least 15 days. Martin Prado should be the everyday two bagger for the Braves now, and is worth a look if you need one.
When the Phillies and Braves kicked off their series this week in Atlanta, one of the talking points for the Philadelphia broadcast crew was that Turner Field was now “Friendly Field” in regards to the Phillies, who swept all nine games in Atlanta last season. In 2007, the Phillies took five of nine in Atlanta. In 2006, the Phillies won six of their meetings in the Dirty South. So how have the Bravos fared in the North? In 2006 the Braves took four of five in the city of Brotherly Love. 2007 saw the Braves come out on top five times in Philly, while in 2008 they won four times. So far in 2009, the Phillies have lost four of six games in Citizens Bank Park, and now the first three in Atlanta.
So has the tide turned back in favor of the Braves in this NL East rivalry? It is hard to say at this point. Let’s play a quick game of “who would you take” with the Braves and Phillies.
Starting rotation goes to the Braves easily. All five starters have ERAs under 4.50, with two players (Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, ) sitting below 3.00. Compare that to the Phillies, whose starting rotation is a patchwork at best right now. Current ace, Cole Hamels, is sporting a 4.98 ERA, and the staff leader is J.A. Happ at an even 3.00. Happ, mind you, started out in the bully, and is only in the rotation because Brett Myers in on the Prior List with a bum hip. Jamie Moyer, who recently joined the 250 win club, is sitting at 6.05 while Joe Blanton is at 5.08. The fifth starting spot is in limbo right now, with Rodrigo Lopez being called up to make tonight’s start against the Mets.
Let us now turn our attention to the bullpens. The edge once more goes to the Bravos. Why? Simple. Hand the ball to Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano in the eigth inning and it is pretty much lights out this season. The Braves lead the Majors in winning percentage when entering the eigth with a lead (stat thrown up on the TV the other night, I have no clue where to find it online and would love some help with that), and are something like 29 – 1 when doing so. The Phillies? Not so much. Brad Lidge has blown six saves on his own so far, and Ryan Madson has not fared well since being thrown into the closer role and then moved back into the setup role.
Where the Phillies have a clear advantage is in the batter’s box. The Braves are absolutely terrible at the plate, Brian McCann excluded of course. I could go position by position here, but then this would not be a quick game of “who would you take”. The Phillies plated 392 runners this season, while the Braves have only scored 324 runs. Homers? Try a 107 – 61 edge in favor of the Phillies. Granted, they do play in Citizen’s Bank Park compared to the Braves in Turner, but we are talking a 46 homer tilt here. Blame it on the park if you choose, but here at The Sports Idiot we chalk it up to superior players on offense. Players like Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, all of whom are in double digits in this category, hold a clear advantage over the leading Braves power hitters. The Braves do not have a single player in double digits, by the way.
So in the end, who do you take? The Braves of the Phillies? If the Braves can find a way to add a power hitting right fielder to the mix, as well as a power hitting one bagger, then they might be able to make a run at the NL East this year. If the Phillies can find a way to lock down their pitching staff by adding an ace or a two, and the bully managed to pull it’s collective head out of it’s ass, then the Phillies are a clear favorite. Right now, I do not want to put my eggs in either basket and will call the Florida Marlins’ the best team in the NL East.
Any NC State fan that does not know about Nate Irving’s terrible car crash this past weekend, well, is not as big of a State fan as they claim to be. Anyway, Nate is recovering nicely from surgery, and even cracked a smile at his linebackers coach, Andy McCollum, despite being in a neck brace, having a broken leg, and a lung that collapsed during the accident. No word on how long his recovery will take, or what his status for the upcoming season will be. Of course, his timetable for getting back on the field is secondary to his wellbeing, and we wish Nate the best in his recovery efforts. Whether he is taking the field for the Pack this season or not, he will surely provide an emotional lift to the fans and players when he makes his firts appearance at Carter Finley.
We do not know for how long, but Carlos Carrasco’s debut in the Bigs has been pushed back at least a day. J.A. Happ will get the nod on Thursday in Atlanta, not Carrasco as previously reported. Hey, do not blame me on this one, even ESPN.com’s pitching probables had Carrasco inked in (which is why we ran with it to begin with).
On Thursday in Atlanta, the Philadelphia Phillies are rolling out their top pitching prospect, and their second overall prospect (according to Baseball America), Carlos Carrasco. The Venezuelan is a right hander, who utilizes his mid-90’s fastball and lively changeup to get through innings. He does mix in a curve as well, but going into this year his third pitch was still a work in progress. Judging from his numbers in AAA this season, his “stuff” is in question because he sports a 4.92 ERA, and an 84:22 K:BB ratio.
Those walks, accompanied by the 93 hits he has allowed, have lead the way to a 4 – 7 record. Here at The Sports Idiot, we do not put a lot of stock into win/loss records, but we do put stock into a pitcher’s ability to go deep into games and keep his ERA down. Neither of these things are being done by Carrasco, who has 15 starts under his belt, but only 86 total innings pitched. A little math tells us that is less than six innings per start.
The good news is that he gets to go against the Atlanta Braves, who currently hold the honor of being 25th in all of MLB in regards to runs scored, and are hitting a club aberage of only .256. Carlos Carrasco has long been regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, but has a reputation for being soft and giving up big innings. Yes, he has a history of striking out a lot of batters, but this season he does not seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Carrasco is not a must add, but if he gets his feet under him and gains some confidence he could be an asset in the second half. If he keeps a rotation spot, that is.
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Well, according to Heather Dinich he is. Of course, here in Wolfpack Nation we feel that he is the best player in the entire country, but what do we know? He has only played one year under center for the Pack, and he already holds the record for most passes thrown without an INT. As a matter of fact, he only threw one to the enemies last season overall. Hopefully his time playing baseball this Summer does not effect his ability to find the open man or thread the needle. Of course, if it does, Mike Glennon is willing, ready and able to step in.
Wilson is only the 3rd member of the NC State football team to make Heather’s list of the top 50 players in the ACC, joining Willie Young at #9 and Nate Irving at #19. Expect the number of Pack players on this list to increase next Summer, as head coach Tom O’Brien is tearing up the recruiting trails and building his program the right way. The trenches are going to be a battle in the future, and the ex-Marine knows something about winning in the trenches.
John Smoltz will make his debut for the Boston Red Sox tonight against the Nationals in Washington, D.C. Get him in your lineup, because there is no reason to believe that he will have trouble with the Nationals.
Go here to read a nice piece by MLB.com’s Ian Browne about Smoltzie.
How close? Very close. Consider that Lidge is currently rehabbing in Clearwater while the Phillies are in Tampa playing the Rays. That is how close he is to returning. Then there is also the fact that Charlie Manuel said before Wednesday’s beatdown by the Rays that they would most likely activate Lidge today, Thursday the 25th of June. Get him in your lineup, because he will immediately resume the role of the Hammer.
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