Discouragement for Braves

If we learned anything over the years, it was never to pick against the Atlanta Braves. It almost didn't matter who wore the laundry. As long as general manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox were in place, the Braves would find a way to qualify for the tournament in October.

Yes, that tandem has won just one World Series, but the Braves' run of 14 straight division titles ranks as one of the sport's most admirable achievements. They could say goodbye to Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, David Justice, Terry Pendleton, Steve Avery, Fred McGriff . . . didn't matter. The Braves were there in October. The Tomahawk Chop might have been tiresome, but the winning never was.

Those days, however, may finally be crashing to an end. Who could have imagined that the Braves would be also-rans by Father's Day? But it's hard to conclude otherwise.

The Braves began yesterday eight games under .500, a level they haven't been at since 1992. They were 13 games behind the Mets, a gap they haven't faced since 1990, the year they finished last as prelude to the worst-to-first routine that began their run of success. They were 7 1/2 games behind in the wild-card race to Bronson Arroyo's Reds.

The Braves were just a game out of last place Friday. Before returning home to face the Red Sox, they went 1-6 on their trip, scoring just 22 runs. They were swept in Florida by the Marlins and have now lost two straight to Boston.

This team is reeling.

``There's not much to be confident about," said John Smoltz, the ace who is scheduled to duel with Curt Schilling tonight. ``We always seem to find the thing that is not going to win us a ballgame."

Without longtime pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who joined best buddy Sam Perlozzo in Baltimore, the Braves' pitching has been the primary reason for the team's collapse -- particularly the bullpen, which began the weekend with a National League-worst ERA of 5.16.

The entire bullpen has just eight saves in 15 chances, and the erstwhile closer, former Red Sox prospect Chris Reitsma, was a disaster in that role, compiling a 9.11 ERA in 26 games before going on the disabled list with numbness in his pitching fingers. The official diagnosis was ulnar neuritis. Reitsma blew four of his 12 save chances and has given way to another kid, Ken Ray, who in his last appearance before the weekend gave up a three-run home run to Wes Helms in blowing a save against the Marlins.

The bullpen is not the only culprit. Smoltz and Tim Hudson, the stoppers at the top of the rotation, both have ERAs under 4, but their combined record is just 10-10, testimony to both blown saves and spotty run support. The other five starters used by Cox this season are 7-20, Jorge Sosa the biggest drag on the back end with a 1-8 record and 5.48 ERA.

In winning just three times in 18 games after losing to Sox rookie Jon Lester Friday night, the Braves scored three or more runs just nine times, while the staff ERA was 5.85 over that stretch. Lester became the fourth rookie to beat the Braves in a seven-game stretch.

``It's no secret what's been going on around here," Hudson told reporters after Friday night's loss. ``We haven't played good baseball.

``When we've pitched well, we haven't scored runs. And when we hit the ball, we haven't kept the other team from scoring."

The Braves, with righthander John Thomson on the DL, out of necessity are turning to kids like Lance Cormier, who started against the Sox yesterday and took the loss. But with the Mets ripping through the NL East, there appear to be precious few reasons to believe the Braves will be adding another division flag this October.

``Never count out the Braves," Mets closer Billy Wagner said last week. ``They're not the same team, but they haven't been the same team for four years, and then some super sub comes up and carries them."

Middling relief is costly

With the Red Sox' middle relief in shambles, things Theo Epstein doesn't need to be reminded about:

The submariners the Sox dumped because they were only good for a hitter or two, Mike Myers and Chad Bradford, have allowed a total of three inherited runners to score between them this season.

The lefthanded Myers, now with the Yankees, came into the weekend ranked third in the American League by stranding 92 percent of the runners he inherited (23 of 25, the two scoring ahead of David Ortiz's home run back in May).

Bradford, with the Mets, leads the National League by stranding 95.7 percent of the runners he inherited (22 of 23).

Lefties are batting .212 (7 for 33) against Myers, who has allowed just one home run all season, to Ortiz, and has a 0.00 ERA in 13 appearances in Yankee Stadium. Bradford, meanwhile, is unscored upon in his last nine appearances, allowing just one hit.

``Chad's been lights out for us for a long time," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. ``Every time I bring him into a game, he comes up with a big pitch."

The Sox invested $17.8 million in 2006 salaries in five pitchers who made up their set-up corps: Keith Foulke ($7.75 million), Julian Tavarez ($3.35 million), Mike Timlin ($3 million), Rudy Seanez ($1.9 million), and David Riske ($1.8 million). That's the most expensive middle relief in baseball, as NESN's Bob Neumeier noted last week, and the Sox are also paying much of Guillermo Mota's $3 million salary with the Indians. That pushes the figure over $20 million, or almost 33 percent more than the Marlins' entire Opening Day payroll ($14.4 million; all salary figures from ESPN.com).

The Sox' bullpen began the weekend with a 4.30 ERA (88 ER in 184 1/3 innings), which ranks seventh in the league. But take away Jonathan Papelbon's numbers (1 earned run in 32 1/3 innings), and the bullpen ERA jumps to 5.15, well above the league average of 4.45.

Some players steer clear of motorcycles, but some ride on

No, motorcycle riding is not prohibited in the standard Major League Baseball player contract -- motorcycle ``racing" is, though one club official said that in guaranteed contracts, language is typically inserted prohibiting a number of activities, often including motorcycling. The contract language:

``5.(b) The Player and the Club recognize and agree that the Player's participation in certain other sports may impair or destroy his ability and skill as a baseball player. Accordingly, the Player agrees that he will not engage in professional boxing or wrestling; and that, except with the written consent of the Club, he will not engage in skiing, auto racing, motorcycle racing, sky diving, or in any game or exhibition of football, soccer, professional league basketball, ice hockey or other sport involving a substantial risk of personal injury."

That hasn't stopped some players from pursuing their leisure activities of choice: Keith Foulke, for one, rode his chopper regularly to spring training camp; Kevin Millar owns three Harleys.

But last week's accident that left Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with a fractured jaw and other facial fractures apparently has had a sobering effect on at least one ballplayer. Johnny Damon said last week that his biking days are over.

``I was actually already in the process of selling my motorcycle," Damon said. ``I just don't ride it enough anymore and so I was planning to get rid of it. I don't do that crazy stuff as much as I used to when I was younger. But I did always wear a helmet."

Roethlisberger wasn't wearing one when he struck his head against a car windshield and then the pavement, leading to seven hours of surgery.

``It's a two-way street," said Damon. ``Obviously, athletes want to have fun and do the things they enjoy, but you also have to recognize that teams have made a big investment in you."

``Any time you get on the road with a motorcycle or a car, it is a risk," said Millar, who rides a bike to Orioles home games. ``You try to be as careful as you can. The helmet situation is always an issue. That was a lot with Ben. If there was not a helmet law, I'd be lazy and not wear the helmet. Now that I have kids, I thought about getting rid of [the motorcycles]."

Etc.

Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick, claiming that Jason Grimsley was not the first player the team has dumped because of steroid suspicions, did not duck the rumors that have swirled around outfielder Luis Gonzalez since he hit 57 home runs in 2001, a figure Gonzalez has never approached before or since. Gonzalez was nonplussed, calling a news conference to bemoan that his name had been dragged into the steroid discussion. ``Would you, based upon that information [the 2001 numbers], if you had no other information -- and we don't have any other, by the way -- act on Luis Gonzalez?" Kendrick told the Arizona Republic. ``Can you make that decision based on the facts that we have? I think you need more. And how do we get more? We get more by the testing protocols that we now have . . . It's just a long, hard, complicated process, and you just have to be dedicated to it and say we've got to work at this because it's slowly undermining what we are." Asked if the D-Backs would have cut ties with Gonzalez if he'd been a lesser player, Kendrick said, ``That's a possibility. I can't say that it's not something you shouldn't do. But should you, at any time a player's performance spikes . . . just automatically say the only way that could possibly happen is because he is doing something illegal, so we need to move him on? Because that is a self-defeating philosophy if you do that." Kendrick said the D-Backs are working on their own behavior policy, but good luck -- the union isn't going to let that one fly.

Not much of a home show
The Cubs have hit just 19 home runs in Wrigley Field, the fewest at home by any team in the majors. The Reds and Brewers, by contrast, entered the weekend with 51 home runs apiece at home. What should come as a surprise is this: While the Angels had the fewest home runs at home among AL teams with 22, the Red Sox were just behind with 25, less than half the number of home runs the Sox had hit on the road (51) entering the weekend. Sox pitchers, meanwhile, have allowed just 23 home runs at home, only one fewer than the A's, who in the spacious Coliseum have given up the fewest in the AL. Forty-eight home runs in Fenway? There have been 118 hit in Toronto's Rogers Centre, 66 by the home team.

Cutting the cord
The latest technological innovation in baseball: wireless phone service between the dugout and bullpen, introduced last week in Wrigley Field. The visiting Astros were the first to use it Tuesday (the phones already were shipped to the Hall of Fame). The most practical advantage of the Motorola MOTOTALK, which Cubs executive John McDonough predicts will be imitated everywhere by next season? Manager Dusty Baker said he'll no longer need to turn his back to the action when he places a call to the pen. And no, it will not be possible to place calls to an outside line.

A `D' for defense
Here's one of those hard-to-explain developments: The Angels, who ranked first in the American League last season in fielding percentage, are last this season, having already committed 51 errors, more than twice as many as the league-leading Red Sox (23). The Angels already have allowed 47 unearned runs, two more than they allowed in the entire 2005 season. Slick-fielding shortstop Orlando Cabrera has not been exempt; he entered yesterday with eight errors after making just seven in 2005.

Singing a different tune The Cincinnati Bengals showed up one day last week at Great American Ball Park to take batting practice. ``I thought it was the Withrow High School marching band," said Ken Griffey. ``Then I saw how big they were and I saw `Team' on the backs of their shirts and I said, `That ain't no marching band.' "

Level playing field for Leyland
As much as folks were prepared to write off the Tigers after they dropped back-to-back series with the Yankees and Red Sox in Comerica Park, the surprising Tabbies actually did a pretty good job of surviving the toughest part of their schedule, going 7-9 in a stretch against the Indians, Yanks, Red Sox, White Sox, and Blue Jays. ``I'm not going to go on this emotional roller coaster that people around here want to go on," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ``Win two or three in a row, we're the greatest thing since Post Toasties. Lose one, and everybody is like, `Oh my God, what are we going to do?' We're not going to do anything. We're going to come back tomorrow and play."

Star in the making?
Looking for an underdog to support for the All-Star Game? How about Freddy Sanchez, the former Red Sox farmhand who unexpectedly claimed the starting third base job for the Pirates and entered last night third in the NL with a .347 average. Sanchez is leading all major leaguers in write-in votes. ``It's an honor that all the people writing in have appreciated me going out there and playing hard and doing my thing and noticing," Sanchez said.

Big picture on the pitcher
A few folks interpreted last week's note that Pedro Martinez had not won since April 28 as a cartel-driven cheap shot. That wasn't the intent; it truly was just an observation that Martinez had gone six weeks without a W, but here's the fuller picture, which should have been presented: Martinez, who won his last start, is 1-2 with a 2.94 ERA in his last eight starts. He has 64 K's and just 9 walks in his last 52 innings, and he is holding opposing hitters to a .199 average.

Material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.