Sports Page Atlanta

It wasn’t enough for Atlanta’s best reliever and closer, Rafael Soriano, to go on the disabled list, but now, the Braves new closer and second best reliever, Peter Moylan, is headed to the DL as well, and this injury may be more serious than originally believed.

Two weeks into the season, the Braves’ two best relief pitchers are on the disabled list with balky right elbows. And there’s some concern that one of them, setup man Peter Moylan, could be out quite a while.

He joined closer Rafael Soriano on the DL Tuesday, and Moylan is scheduled to see renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham on Wednesday for a second opinion.

Moylan was diagnosed with a strained elbow, a general term that could cover a broad range of ailments. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam done in Atlanta showed irregularities that could indicate a serious injury.

It’ll be closer by committee until either Soriano or Moylan get back. Or could Mike Gonzalez return from Tommy John surgery to be the Braves closer?

The Atlanta Braves have a record of 3-5 to start the season, and believe it or not, all five losses have been one-run losses. Last night’s 4-3 loss in Colorado had nothing to do with the bullpen, but that was a first, as every other loss for the Atlanta Braves has been a result of Braves relievers. Let’s take a look at a few other facts about the 2008 Braves bullpen.

• Braves relievers are 1 for 4 in save opportunities. Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman, & Peter Moylan all have blown saves.
• Braves relievers (as a whole) rank 21st in ERA with a 5.14 ERA.
• Braves relievers have taken 4 losses thus far, the most by any team in baseball.
• The bullpen has given up 5 home runs, ranking 29th behind only the Oakland A’s who have given up 6.
• Only 4 teams have more relief innings pitched than the Braves. Overwork may be an issue here.
• 4 of the 7 Braves relievers have an ERA over 7.00

As bad as the relief crew has been, remember we’re only eight games in. It’s early enough in the season to chalk all of these bullpen woes up to bad luck. The Braves could use a nice one-run victory to turn things around.

2007 was a breakout year for 29-year-old Aussie reliever, Peter Moylan. He threw 90 innings for the Braves and recorded a 1.80 ERA while notching 5 wins and a save. He’s become the go-to set-up guy for Rafael Soriano and Bobby Cox says very positive things about him.

“You could use him to get out of a jam in the fifth or sixth or put him in the eighth,” Cox said. “I wouldn’t have any problem putting him in the ninth. A guy like that is valuable. He had a sensational year, just sensational.”

In 7.2 spring relief innings, Moylan has struck out 5, walked 4 and posted a 1.17 ERA. Moylan seems to be right on track towards a repeat performance in 2008.

In a small trade, the Braves sent middle reliever Tyler Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Todd Redmond.

The right-hander struggled for the Braves in spring training this season with a 9.00 era in 8 innings.

Last season, Yates appeared in a career-high 75 games for the Braves.

Here were the leaders in games pitched for the Braves last season…

1. Peter Moylan - 80 games
2. Tyler Yates - 75
3. Rafael Soriano - 71
4. Oscar Villarreal - 51