Sports Page Atlanta

With the Braves playing the Padres in a 3-game series that starts tonight… it made me think, oh yeah Greg Maddux is on the Padres.  I bet we will hear a million times, how great the Braves were when they had all Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux all on the same team.  Well, here is the first time.

The 3 of them together were on the Braves from 1993 to 2002.

The 3 of them are on almost every major pitching category’s top-4 list in Atlanta Brave history, well them and Phil Niekro.  For example… (remember these are just as member of the Atlanta Braves only)

Wins: 1. Niekro (266) 2. Glavine (244) 3. Smoltz (210) 4. Maddux (194)

Strikeouts: 1. Smoltz (3,011) 2. Niekro (2,855) 3. Glavine (2,088) 4. Maddux (1,828)

Complete Games: 1. Niekro (226) 2. Maddux (61) 3. Smoltz (53) 4. Glavine (52)

Shutouts: 1. Niekro (43) 2. Glavine (22) 3. Maddux (21) 4. Smoltz (16)

ERA: 1. Maddux (2.63) 2. Niekro (3.20) 3. Smoltz (3.26) 4. Glavine (3.39)

Saves: 1. Smoltz (154)… ok that’s where it ends… Glavine and Maddux have a combined 4 relief appearances (all Maddux during his 1st 2 seasons with the Cubs)

And in case you were wondering… Niekro is first in losses, Smoltz is 2nd, Glavine is 3rd, but Maddux is Tied for 5th with Ron Reed and behind Rick Mahler.

Chipper Jones and Brian McCann made the all-star game roster this season.

Chipper is making his 6th appearance and Brian his 3rd.  Both players have a long way to go to catch up to the great Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial.  Those 3 Hall of Famers made it 24 mid-summer classic’s each.

Although Hank Aaron made it 24 games, he represented the Atlanta Braves in 9 of those games.  The 9 games is the most by an Atlanta Brave…

Most games in the all-star game as an Atlanta Brave…

Hank Aaron - 9

Tom Glavine - 8

John Smoltz - 8

Dale Murphy - 7

Chipper Jones - 6

Greg Maddux - 6

Even though he pitched just 8 innings and received the loss, Braves pitcher Jorge Campillo pitched a complete game in the 2-0 loss to the Angels last night.

You probably guessed it was Campillo’s first career complete game. He actually did not even have one in his 48 career minor league starts.

The Braves have only 2 complete games this season (Tim Hudson has the other).

In fact only 40 pitchers this season have thrown one and Roy Halladay has 5. The 5 is pretty amazing since Halladay was the only pitcher to have more than 5 last year when he led the majors with 7.

Cy Young is the all-time leader in complete games with 749.

I think that record is safe. Greg Maddux is the active leader with 109. Statistically (remember this is a stat article) he would have to pitch until the year 2143 and keep up his current pace to break the record… doubt it

Tom Glavine (56) and John Smoltz (53) have 109 combined.

The Braves season took a HUGE hit on Wednesday when it was learned that former Cy Young Award winner John Smoltz will have season-ending surgery on his ailing right shoulder. The news comes just two days after Smoltz blew a save in his first, and only, relief appearance since 2004.

The news also puts the career of Smoltz in question. He has been on record as saying that he will retire rather than going through another surgery, but quickly backtracked on those statements at a press conference this morning at Turner Field. If arthriscopic surgery reveals serious shoulder damage, Smoltz could be forced to retire.

For fans going to the Mets games on September 19th, 20th and 21st at Turner Field you better get there early.  The Braves starting pitchers have done a great job when playing the Mets in Atlanta this season.  What makes it more impressive is that everyone is pitching in. (sorry about the pun)

The starting pitchers are a combined 5-0 with a 1.50 era.

April 5th - Tim Hudson: 6 ip, 3 er - win

April 6th - John Smoltz: 5 ip, 0 er - win

May 20th (game 1) - Tom Glavine: 6 ip, 1 er - win

May 20th (game 2) - Jorge Campillo: 6 ip, 0 er - win

May 21st - Jair Jurrjens: 7 ip, 1 er - win

On the other side, the Braves starting pitchers at Shea Stadium this year are just 1-2 with a 7.62 era.

John Smoltz is on the disabled list right now with a shoulder injury that does not require surgery. Prior to yesterday, the big question was centered around when Smoltz would return to the lineup. Now, after a phone interview with Dave O’Brien, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Smoltz will even be back in the rotation.

After going on the disabled list Tuesday with inflammation in the rotator cuff and a biceps tendon in his pitching arm, Smoltz said it’s possible he would return to the closer role where he dominated during the 2002-04 seasons.

“Yes,” he said during a phone interview Tuesday night. “Right now I’m sitting at ground zero, taking it day by day, looking at every option to help this team get to the playoffs and end my career the way I’d like to end it.”

It was a surprising acknowledgment from Smoltz, who returned to his preferred starting role in 2005 after converting 154 saves in 3 1/2 seasons as a closer, including a National League-record 55 saves in 2002. He is 47-26 as a starter since the beginning of the 2005 season.

I’m not a fan of this move, unless it’s being made as a result of Smoltz’s shoulder wearing down. By that, I mean if this move is a knee-jerk reaction to the failing Braves bullpen, it’s a poor decision. However, if Smoltz returning to the closer role extends his career, or even allows him to continue with his career at the level of dominance he’s established, then, by all means, let’s get Smoltz pitching in the 9th inning again.

Well, Aaron was wrong when he predicted the Wily Mo Pena would be John Smoltz’s 3,000 strikeout. As you know the victim was Felipe Lopez.

3,000 is a lot of strikeouts. That is averaging 200 for a 15-year stretch. Now Smoltz has played a lot longer than 15 years but some of those seasons he was a closer and did not rack as many innings.

But Smoltzie did ring up five 200-strikeout seasons. Only a few pitchers of the 16 players that have recorded 3,000 career K’s has had fewer 200-strikeout seasons. And some of some Atlanta Braves ties (not the kind you wear.)

• Greg Maddux - 1 200 K season (1998 with Braves)
• Phil Niekro - 3 200 K seasons (1977-79 all with Braves)
• Smoltz - 5 (1992, 93, 96, 97 and 2006)
• Don Sutton - 5 200 K seasons (former Braves announcer)
• Curt Schilling - 5 200 K seasons

John Smoltz has 2,996 career strikeouts going into tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals. Even those of us with problems in math can figure out that Smoltz is 4 strikeouts away from an amazing feat. Tonight Smoltz should become the 16th pitcher in baseball history to reach 3,000 strikeouts.

What’s more amazing to me is the fact that from 2001 to 2004 Smoltz only made 5 starts as he moved to the bullpen to act as the Braves closer. Imagine how much quicker he would have reached 3,000 if he’d stayed in the rotation that whole time.

Smoltz has 260 career strikeouts against the Nationals franchise, which is more strikeouts than he has against any other team in baseball except the New York Mets (275). He averages 1.16 strikeouts per inning against the Nat’s, so tune in by the 3rd inning at least, or you may miss something special. Actually strike that… Get down to Turner Field tonight. The game starts at 7:10. You don’t get many chances to see this kind of historic event unfold right before your eyes.

Totally random guess: Smoltz will get his 3,000 strikeout facing Wily Mo Pena in the 3rd inning tonight (Pena in his career is 0-8 with 4 strikeouts against Smoltz). What’s your guess???
photo credit: angel_shark

Atlanta Braves ace, John Smoltz is sitting on 2,981 career strikeouts after fanning 6 Mets hitters yesterday. He has only 19 strikeouts to go until he reaches the elusive 3,000 career strikeout club, which only has 15 members in the history of baseball.

Smoltz probably isn’t going to join the club on his next start, but you need to start planning on watching this historic occurrence some time in the 2nd or 3rd week in April. The Braves begin an seven game home stand on April 18th and will host the Dodgers, Nationals and Marlins. If Smoltz gets his third start at some point during that home stand (April 18th - April 24th) the home crowd at “The Ted” could be in for a magical moment.

My money is on Sunday, April 20th against the Dodgers. Anyone else have a guess at when Smoltz K’s his 3,000th victim?
photo credit: sluggerwv

The pitcher’s duel we were promised between John Smoltz and Johan Santana lived up to its billing on Sunday, as Smoltz led the Braves to a 3-1 win over the Mets, finishing off the short, two-game sweep. Smoltz went five innings, giving up zero runs and striking out six, en route to his first victory of the year. Smoltz’ ailing shoulder did stiffen up a bit after the fifth, and the veteran pulled himself out of the game strictly as a precautionary measure. He is not expected to miss his next start.

Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Mark Teixeira took Mets’ RP Aaron Heilman deep for a two-run shot, giving the Braves a little insurance.which they would need. In the top of the 9th, Rafael Soriano had already given up one run, and had two on and two outs with the go-ahead run at the plate. Brian Schneider ripped a ball down the first base line. Teixeira, who was a gold glove 1B in the AL with the Rangers, laid out to prevent the game-tying double, and flipped it to Soriano covering, to seal the win.

With the win, the Braves move into a first place tie in the NL East after the first week of play (as I predicted), and will embark on a 10-day road trip that takes them to Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Florida.
photo credit: bangart