Monday, April 03, 2006
Notes: Cox raves about Davies
03/17/2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Coming into camp, the Braves knew they had enviable depth in their starting rotation. With what Horacio Ramirez and Kyle Davies have provided over the past few weeks, that belief has been solidified.
Hours after watching Ramirez look solid in a Thursday night game against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Cox returned to Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Friday to see Davies continue his spring dominance in a 7-0 loss to the Astros.
"He looked like a 20-game winner today," Cox said of Davies. "He really did. He can't pitch any better than he did today. That was a 10."
While the gushing comments might hint at a perfect game, Davies actually fell a little short of that accomplishment. But he was still impressive while limiting the Astros to one run and six hits in four innings. The only damage incurred came courtesy of a Preston Wilson fourth-inning home run.
"That might be the best I've ever seen him, ever, even the Boston game," Cox said. "He was that good. I was thrilled with that performance."
Cox's Boston reference was in reference to the five scoreless innings Davies provided in his Major League debut at Fenway Park last year. Two strong starts followed. But as the season progressed, he elevated too many pitches, something he hasn't done while allowing just one run in the eight Grapefruit League innings he's pitched this spring.
Likewise, Ramirez has been showing good command on both sides of the plate, something he didn't do while posting a 4.63 ERA and allowing a team-high 31 homers last year. He allowed just one run and seven hits in five innings against the Mets on Thursday night.
"I wasn't happy with the way I pitched last year," Ramirez said. "So come this spring, I had to go. I wanted to get back to being a solid pitcher again. That's what I've been doing. So far, so good."
Through his first three Grapefruit League starts, Ramirez has allowed six earned runs in 12 innings. He hasn't given up a home run, and more importantly, he's regained confidence in his changeup.
With Ramirez and Davies throwing well, the Braves have six legitimate candidates to fill their five-man starting rotation. Thus, there's certainly a chance they could trade one of the starters to help strengthen their bullpen or bench.
There's also still the seemingly unlikely chance that they could choose to move Jorge Sosa back to the bullpen. One National League scout has said other team's interest in Sosa would likely be as a reliever.
Familiar faces returning: With the United States and Mexico eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur and Oscar Villarreal all could be back in camp by Saturday. Sosa, a member of the Dominican Republic team, is the only Brave still participating in the Classic.
Villarreal has been able to impress his new team and teammates from afar. After seeing him throw two scoreless innings that included three strikeouts in Mexico's 2-1 win over the U.S. on Thursday night, John Smoltz and Tim Hudson were among those who said "[Villarreal's] stuff looked nasty."
One of Villarreal's strikeout victims was Francoeur, who received a total of nine at-bats during the Classic and the exhibition game the U.S. played before the tournament. The lack of playing time raises reason for concern. But the 22-year-old outfielder still has 15 exhibition games to prepare for the regular season.
Cox says he'll likely take Francoeur, Jones -- who hit .353 with two homers in the tournament -- and Villarreal on the team's two-day trip to Jupiter on Sunday.
Every player that participated in the Classic joined their national team's camp on March 2, the day the Braves began their Grapefruit League schedule. Atlanta hasn't yet played a game with all of its starters, and won't do so until a few regulars overcome some minor injuries.
Marcus Giles (sore shoulder), Wilson Betemit (strained right rib cage) and Ryan Langerhans (sore back) are all expected back in the lineup early next week.
"With the flu, injuries and the [Classic], it's certainly been a different kind of camp," Cox said. "But a lot of teams are dealing with the same thing."
Slumbering Andruw: Andruw Jones' second-inning single on Friday was just his third hit in 13 Grapefruit League at-bats. Obviously, he's not going to match the spring numbers he produced last year, which included a .413 batting average and 10 homers.
But as he pointed out, despite that strong Grapefruit League performance, he didn't start his career-best 51-homer regular season in sizzling style.
"It didn't matter, I started the season 0-for-30," said Jones referencing a career-worst 0-for-28 slump he endured last April.
Jones, who finished second in balloting for last year's National League MVP Award, is featured on the cover of the April edition of Sports Illustrated for Kids. It's the special baseball preview edition.
Braves bits: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, the Braves wore green hats on Friday and the grounds crew made two shamrock symbols in the infield dirt. ... Mike Remlinger allowed one unearned run to give him two consecutive impressive appearances. ... Blaine Boyer reported no discomfort in his shoulder after facing hitters for the second time this week. The right-handed reliever says he still could be ready by Opening Day.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Coming into camp, the Braves knew they had enviable depth in their starting rotation. With what Horacio Ramirez and Kyle Davies have provided over the past few weeks, that belief has been solidified.
Hours after watching Ramirez look solid in a Thursday night game against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Cox returned to Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Friday to see Davies continue his spring dominance in a 7-0 loss to the Astros.
"He looked like a 20-game winner today," Cox said of Davies. "He really did. He can't pitch any better than he did today. That was a 10."
While the gushing comments might hint at a perfect game, Davies actually fell a little short of that accomplishment. But he was still impressive while limiting the Astros to one run and six hits in four innings. The only damage incurred came courtesy of a Preston Wilson fourth-inning home run.
"That might be the best I've ever seen him, ever, even the Boston game," Cox said. "He was that good. I was thrilled with that performance."
Cox's Boston reference was in reference to the five scoreless innings Davies provided in his Major League debut at Fenway Park last year. Two strong starts followed. But as the season progressed, he elevated too many pitches, something he hasn't done while allowing just one run in the eight Grapefruit League innings he's pitched this spring.
Likewise, Ramirez has been showing good command on both sides of the plate, something he didn't do while posting a 4.63 ERA and allowing a team-high 31 homers last year. He allowed just one run and seven hits in five innings against the Mets on Thursday night.
"I wasn't happy with the way I pitched last year," Ramirez said. "So come this spring, I had to go. I wanted to get back to being a solid pitcher again. That's what I've been doing. So far, so good."
Through his first three Grapefruit League starts, Ramirez has allowed six earned runs in 12 innings. He hasn't given up a home run, and more importantly, he's regained confidence in his changeup.
With Ramirez and Davies throwing well, the Braves have six legitimate candidates to fill their five-man starting rotation. Thus, there's certainly a chance they could trade one of the starters to help strengthen their bullpen or bench.
There's also still the seemingly unlikely chance that they could choose to move Jorge Sosa back to the bullpen. One National League scout has said other team's interest in Sosa would likely be as a reliever.
Familiar faces returning: With the United States and Mexico eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur and Oscar Villarreal all could be back in camp by Saturday. Sosa, a member of the Dominican Republic team, is the only Brave still participating in the Classic.
Villarreal has been able to impress his new team and teammates from afar. After seeing him throw two scoreless innings that included three strikeouts in Mexico's 2-1 win over the U.S. on Thursday night, John Smoltz and Tim Hudson were among those who said "[Villarreal's] stuff looked nasty."
One of Villarreal's strikeout victims was Francoeur, who received a total of nine at-bats during the Classic and the exhibition game the U.S. played before the tournament. The lack of playing time raises reason for concern. But the 22-year-old outfielder still has 15 exhibition games to prepare for the regular season.
Cox says he'll likely take Francoeur, Jones -- who hit .353 with two homers in the tournament -- and Villarreal on the team's two-day trip to Jupiter on Sunday.
Every player that participated in the Classic joined their national team's camp on March 2, the day the Braves began their Grapefruit League schedule. Atlanta hasn't yet played a game with all of its starters, and won't do so until a few regulars overcome some minor injuries.
Marcus Giles (sore shoulder), Wilson Betemit (strained right rib cage) and Ryan Langerhans (sore back) are all expected back in the lineup early next week.
"With the flu, injuries and the [Classic], it's certainly been a different kind of camp," Cox said. "But a lot of teams are dealing with the same thing."
Slumbering Andruw: Andruw Jones' second-inning single on Friday was just his third hit in 13 Grapefruit League at-bats. Obviously, he's not going to match the spring numbers he produced last year, which included a .413 batting average and 10 homers.
But as he pointed out, despite that strong Grapefruit League performance, he didn't start his career-best 51-homer regular season in sizzling style.
"It didn't matter, I started the season 0-for-30," said Jones referencing a career-worst 0-for-28 slump he endured last April.
Jones, who finished second in balloting for last year's National League MVP Award, is featured on the cover of the April edition of Sports Illustrated for Kids. It's the special baseball preview edition.
Braves bits: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, the Braves wore green hats on Friday and the grounds crew made two shamrock symbols in the infield dirt. ... Mike Remlinger allowed one unearned run to give him two consecutive impressive appearances. ... Blaine Boyer reported no discomfort in his shoulder after facing hitters for the second time this week. The right-handed reliever says he still could be ready by Opening Day.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
