Braves vs. Phillies Series Recap

Another frustrating end to a series that started very positively. The Phillies are a very good a baseball team with 4 elite level starting pitchers. They are a good, not great, offensive team as well, which makes for a pretty good combination. However, the Phillies offense is hitting the ball at this point in time, and its the difference between the Braves and Phillies right now. The Braves offense doesn't have a lot of punch at this time, but the bats should come around sooner rather than later, as most of these guys have track records of being solid offensive players (Dan Uggla, I'm looking at you). Throw out a couple of bad innings Saturday and the pitching was very solid too, its just that any time a pitcher makes a mistake right now, the Phillies aren't missing it (check out the .400 team BABIP after 9 games. Yikes). It's frustrating to watch right now, and somebody other than Jason Heyward and Martin Prado are going to have to hit the ball with some authority if the Braves are going to make the playoffs. I think they will thankfully, but it is frustrating to have to wait on it. Lets recap who performed and who didn't

Tim Hudson- Huddy was excellent on Friday night after a shaky start, going 7.2 innings of 3 run baseball (2 earned). His command was excellent for the second time in as many starts, not walking a single batter tonight. He gets plenty of movement on his pitches, which can make it tough for him to locate, but when he's in the strike zone, the movement makes it really difficult for opposing hitters. He has only struck out 7 hitters in 14.2 innings this year, but only 1 walk. As long as he's in the strike zone, he's one of few pitchers in the league who really doesn't need a lot of strikeouts to be legitimately effective.

Chipper Jones- Chipper wasn't great in the series, but he did have one big play, which was a bases clearing double in the bottom of the 4th of game 1. The at bat effectively finished off Cliff Lee, and sent the Braves on their way. Also of note was his 2500th career hit on Friday, which is a very notable accomplishment that needs to be mentioned. Chipper's career triple slash is .306/.405/.536, with a .402 wOBA and over 85 WAR to his credit. Now please try to name as many Hall of Fame 3rd baseman as you can. More difficult than you thought right? There are only 10 of them in the Hall, fewest of any position. Take a look at Chipper's numbers compared to all of them. They fit in quite nicely. Hall of Famer in my book.

Derek Lowe- He got the loss today, but he performed solidly for the 3rd time this year. 7 innings of 2 run baseball is something you will take every time, and Lowe gave that today. Unfortunately, Cole Hamels was outstanding, so it will go down as a loss for Lowe. Only 2 strikeouts, but he did not walk anyone either, making that much more acceptable. Shane Victorino killed him (and all Braves pitchers in general this weekend), but otherwise, he was very solid. The way he has looked to start the year has to make you optimistic.

Goats:
Dan Uggla- 0 for 11 in the series, and he's still looking for his first hit at the Ted as a member of the Braves. His walk rate is a little concerning at this point, as that has been one of his strengths as a hitter. He only has 2 in 10 games. However, its a small sample size, and I imagine that rate will bounce back by looking at his track record. He's going to hit, its just more frustrating right now because not many others are hitting either.

George Sherrill/Scott Linebrink- I mentioned in the bullpen preview that Sherrill struggles with command and Linebrink gives up untimely homers. Sound like the 7th inning of the game on Saturday? It was a bad outing for both of them, and their main flaws reared their ugly heads. I think Linebrink will be fine because he has good command and strikes guys out. Sherrill I'm not so sure about because of how much he struggles to find the strike zone against right handers. He doesn't inspire a lot of confidence right now.

Shane Victorino- Yeah, I know he doesn't play for the Braves, but there wasn't really any one else that stood out as being worse than the others on the Braves team, so I'll tip my cap to one of the opponents instead. Shane pounded out 9 hits in 3 days, and got on base every time he came up with nobody on and nobody out (I think 6 times). That makes life a lot easier on offense for the guys behind him to have a fast guy on 1st base every time they come up and still have all 3 outs to work with. He was the biggest reason the Braves lost 2 out of 3 (and Phillies starting pitching).

What to Watch For:
Looking ahead, the Braves will tangle with the pesky Florida Marlins, and they are going to see both of the Marlins best pitchers in the series (Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco). Hanley Ramirez is battling a knee injury, and his status is up in the air for the series. Not having to deal with him would be a huge plus for the Braves, as he is far and away their best hitter. The main thing I'll be watching for is who gets out in front early for 2 reasons. First, the Braves have scored 1st once in their last 7 games, and in that game, they were behind at the end of that same inning (Wednesday against the Brewers). They are 2-5 in those games, so I'm thinking it might be time to get out to an early lead and see if that helps matters. Also, Tommy Hanson seems to have trouble early in games, so it would be nice for him to get off to a quick start in the series opener. If the Braves are going anywhere this year, they are going to need plenty from Hanson. It would make me feel better if he starts pitching the way he's capable sooner rather than later.