We are a week into the 2011 MLB season now and I'm ready to hit the panic button on the Atlanta Braves. Too soon, you say? What am I, a Boston Red Sox fan?
(Seriously, it is time for the Red Sox to panic. The Rays too. 0-6? Are you serious? That division is going to be a beast this year and two of the contenders are 0-6. Insane.)
Here are ten reasons to panic in Atlanta right now:
1) Nate McLouth - hitting .217 after a good spring. He has struck out five times in 23 at-bats, only walking once. This looks like the old Nate McLouth who spent last year in Gwinnett.
2) Tommy Hanson - two starts, nine innings pitched, 0-2 record. Hanson has been miserable so far - 6.00 ERA, only 3 strikeouts, and he has given up 12 hits in his two starts. Yesterday was a chance for Tommy to come up big and get the Braves a split in Atlanta; instead he gave up early runs and was gone after 5.1 innings. His stuff is very hittable. He looks like a #4 or #5 starter right now, not a potential staff ace.
3) Freddie Freeman - a MLB first-baseman hitting .130. Enough said.
4) Brian McCann - 11 hits so far and a .423 average. So what is there to panic about? How about 11 singles...from our clean-up hitter? He doesn't have a single extra-base hit. No homers. No doubles even. He should be hitting lead-off right now.
5) Team offense - the Braves are hitting .223 as a team right now, above only Washington, San Diego and Houston in the National League. The league average is .257. The Braves are 12th in the league in slugging and 8th in total runs - having played one more game than the rest of the league (besides Milwaukee). They are averaging just over three runs/game, but that is inflated by the one 11-run outburst. Take away that game and the Braves have crossed the plate 13 times in 6 games. Yeesh.
6) Bench production - no hits so far from Hinske, Conrad or Hicks. One hit from Ross and Young. That means the Braves are a combined 2/20 from the bench with three walks so far.
7) Jason Heyward - the J-Hey Kid has two HRs and seven walks, but has looked lost at the plate. He is pulling off the plate which means anything moving away from him (left-handed pitching) or anything on the outer part of the plate isn't being driven. This was a problem last year, but it seems to be worse right now and you know Major League pitching is going to see the hole in his swing and exploit his inability to stay with pitches on the outer part of the plate.
8) Peter Moylan - 3.0 innings pitched, 7 hits allowed. Moylan's ERA is 6.00, but that can be misleading for a relief pitcher. The hits allowed statistic, however, is what it is - a problem. Moylan has been a rock in the bullpen over the past few years, but he has been a liability so far. Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters have been as good as advertised (and O'Flaherty looks to be back as well), but without a steady Moylan coming in to get ground balls the bullpen has a gaping hole in it.
9) Jair Jurrjens - Without Jurrjens in the rotation, the Braves go from a step below the Phillies' staff to somewhere in the middle of the league (especially if Hanson continues to struggle). The projected mid-April return cannot get here soon enough after watching Mike Minor struggle through his first start of the year. Jurrjens was injury-prone last year (hamstring and knee issues last year - he missed more than two months) and came into this year banged up again. Can the Braves count on Jurrjens to be part of the rotation going forward?
10) Speed - Any guess who has the only stolen base for the Braves this year?
It isn't lead-off hitter Martin Prado.
Not Nate McLouth.
Not Dan Uggla (who did steal a base down a run in the 8th in Milwaukee, but slid past the base).
How about Brian McCann?
The Braves are not a fast team on paper, but they aren't hitting with any pop right now. No speed + No power = No runs. Ask the Braves how much Nyger Morgan's speed gave them hits in Milwaukee.
There you have it. The good news is the Braves return home today for the first home stand of the season...against Cliff Lee and the Phillies. Let the panicking begin.
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