Four years ago, the pitching matchup of Pedro Martinez-Mike Hampton would have had Cy Young implications. It's safe to say a lot has changed since the Olympics were in Athens, and the Braves were on their perennial perch atop the NL East. The Braves are no longer feared by any of their divisional rivals, at least on the road, and for good reason. In another world, the Braves' pitching staff would have still been completely healthy, and the fact that both pitchers survived 6+ innings would have been an instant classic in 2008 NL East baseball.
But this is no ordinary season.
How do you explain a streak like the Braves are on? Atlanta hasn't won a one-run game on the road in over a year, a span of 27 games. Luck no longer matters. When the Braves win on the road, they do it by the count of 13-4 or 8-2. When it comes down to the 9th inning or extra innings, they tighten up like Shaquille O'Neal at the free throw line. No longer do they question their winning ability; they KNOW they are going to lose.
If Atlanta had a better chance to win a meaningful road game than Thursday night, I'd like to hear about it. Bobby Cox's bunch had just yawned their way through a 7-game homestand, getting swept by the Cubs and somehow losing 3 of 4 to the Giants. Players making millions were going through the motions; making error after error and looking like they needed a cup of coffee before each at-bat.
Enter the Big Apple. The series with the Mets began with questions abound about the Mets bullpen, yet it was the Braves bullpen who lost the first game of the series, allowing five runs in the 8th. The second game was typical Braves baseball of the 2nd half of the season: a depleted lineup deciding it would be easier not to show up rather than attempting to show up at all.
Enter game 3: Braves-Mets of the new era if you willl, with the Braves playing the role of spoiler. Martinez and Hampton took the mound, both a shadow of their former selves. Martinez was effective through two trips of the Braves lineup; on the third, the Braves sat on his change-up, and Martinez was batting practice. Hampton pitched at a mediocre level, his sinker not sinking quite enough, but enough to get through 6 innings. If nothing else, he is proving to Frank Wren and other GM's out there that he's working through the kinks, and you can no longer question his toughness. Personally, I am rooting for him big time.
Hampton left with the lead. It was almost beautiful to watch; two former dominant pitchers re-inventing themselves at the tail end of their careers. Hampton wasn't great, but he was good enough. Neither the Braves bullpen or the Braves offense gave a damn. Both shut down, and at this point, it's hard to blame the Braves bullpen. Will Ohman and Jeff Bennett are extremely overworked, and the combo didn't work in preventing a sweep. A couple of careless defensive plays resulted in another painful loss for a team badly needing a win.
Simply put, the Braves aren't playing fundamental baseball. They aren't playing Bobby Cox baseball. Kelly Johnson can't turn a 6-4-3 double play. And Bobby isn't the type of manager to get in his player's faces. But at this point, it's useless. The Braves don't play the type of baseball that typically equals results like 16 games under .500. Yet there they are. And they've earned every loss this year. This young Braves team needed a Lou Pinellia or an Ozzie Guillen at the All-Star Break, someone to get in their jock straps and demand results .
Bobby is beloved by his players for that reason; at times he doesn't pull the trigger because he's too nice. If the Braves want to get back to the top of the NL East, they'll need some strength from within. Players like Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, and Yunel Escobar have to start taking some personal responsibility and lead . Or else.
Keywords: Atlanta Braves, Bobby Cox, Mike Hampton, New York Mets, Pedro Martinez
