The team stands at 11-11, despite having outscored opponents 112-85. Not a
bad place for the team to be given the hits its taken the first few weeks.
Hitting:
Nice starts for a number of guys; keep an eye on this kid Chipper, he
could
go places. Slow starts for Tex, KJ and Diaz. Diaz's big platoon split
along
with Blanco's hot hitting likely has created a platoon, while Blanco seems
to be getting a hold of the backup CF role, which could make it easier for
him to take over there if Kotsay crashes and burns (so far he's been
capable).
No pitcher has a hit yet. 0 for 39 with 5 walks (same number as Francoeur,
though he's started the season hitting well overall).
Pitching:
Smoltz - still good. Holy smokes, what a start. Hudson's K rate is a
little
weak, but his BB rate and HR allowed are outstanding. Nice start for
Jurrjens too, and I think it's probably too easy to underestimate the role
Jeff bennett has played. He's pitched in 9 games, starting three of them,
and while his 4.26 ERA is pedestrian next to those of the front three, in
the context of being an eimpromptu 4th starter/old-school swing-man he's
done a heck of a job.
Bullpen overall has a 4.17 ERA in 77 IP. Not ideal, but hey, they've only
had 4 innings out of their relief ace before he went on the DL.
What strikes me is that the pitching staff as a whole is doing a great job
keeping the ball in the park, only 14 HR allowed vs. 28 hit by the
offense.
On the whole, you'd like a little better record, and that streak of
one-run
losses hurt, but given the hits that this team has taken from injuries
they're hanging in there surprisingly well. Hopefully those players
currently struggling orr hurt will be able to pick up the slack once the
currently hot players start to cool off.
colin
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"Science is based on a fundamental insight - that the degree to which an
idea seems true has nothing to do with whether it is true"
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