Regarding the rather inauspicious debut of newly acquired Atlanta Braves closer Shane Greene this past weekend, a friend said Monday, "I hope the Braves kept the receipt on him."
Ouch!
But it does make you wonder if something along the lines of the Curse of Kimbrel - as in former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, whom Atlanta declined to bring back this summer - isn't afflicting the club at the moment as it attempts to shore up its most glaring weakness.
In truth, those four runs Greene allowed in two appearances - Sunday's 10th-inning, three-run homer giving Cincinnati a 6-4 victory - are probably just an unfortunate glitch for the central Florida native who grew up a huge Braves fan hoping to become the next Chipper Jones.
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel delivers against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)Saturday and Sunday aside, he almost certainly didn't forget how to pitch on the flight from Detroit to Atlanta. There's a reason Greene had successfully completed 22 of 24 save opportunities and owned a 1.18 earned run average before the trade last Wednesday, and it wasn't just dumb luck.
It may even have been something as simple as him feeling an inordinate amount of pressure before his new fan base, given this quote from him after Sunday's collapse: "It's unfortunate I showed up with everybody excited for me to be here to get the job done. I haven't got that job done two days in a row. I just have to pitch better."
That said, as Mark Bowman wrote on MLB.com on Monday: "Through two innings with the Braves, Greene has allowed four earned runs - or one fewer than he did over 38 innings for Detroit this year."
There's also this to ponder: As good as Greene had been this summer prior to the trade, his 2018 numbers of a 5.12 ERA and six blown saves in 38 chances are a bit more worrisome.
So which is the real Greene? This 2019 version (at least before Saturday)? Or his 2018 numbers in Motown?
"I haven't seen him enough to think anything yet," Braves manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com after Sunday's loss. "Those guys have those kinds of games."
What may be of greater concern to Braves Nation moving forward, beginning with Monday night's visit to the Minnesota Twins, are the dwindling offensive numbers as we move into the final two months of the regular season.
Back in June, a red-hot Braves offense averaged a stunning 6.3 runs scored per outing. In July that production slipped to 5.17 runs per game. So far in August, though the sample size is small, the Braves had dipped to 3.75 runs per game through four contests prior to Monday.
One certainly could blame part of this on injuries to Dansby Swanson and Nick Markakis. Both are veterans, both have been at their best in the clutch and neither is an all-or-nothing hitter, which means they're willing to do what is necessary to keep an inning alive rather than focus on individual glory.
Fortunately for the offense, the 25-year-old Swanson and his .265 average, 17 home runs and 57 RBIs should be back on the field by the end of the week, if not sooner.
Unfortunately, the Braves are expected to be without the 35-year-old Markakis and his .284 average and 55 RBIs until at least mid-September due to his broken wrist.
Mark WiedmerThere's also this to consider about that offensive decline: Though July's 5.17 runs a game were still pretty impressive, the scoring since the All-Star Break is far less so. Erase that two-game explosion in Philly when the Braves totaled 24 runs in two nights and the average for the rest of those post-All-Star July games dipped to 4.25.
Yes, their 600 total runs scored heading into the Minnesota series remained the fifth highest in all of baseball, but their plus-58 run differential is easily the lowest among division leaders in both leagues.
So what does any of this mean moving forward? Probably not much when it comes to the National League East. The Braves remained seven games ahead of both the Phillies and the Nationals on Monday morning, numbers that would require a pretty colossal meltdown over the rest of the season to finish outside the playoffs.
After all, with a 66-47 record to date, if the Braves go merely 25-24 over their final 49 games, the Phillies and Nats - who each stood 58-53 on Monday - would have to go 33-18 down the stretch to catch them. It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.
It's another quote attributed to Greene by Bowman that may keep Braves Nation on the edge of its seat moving forward.
According to the writer, when Greene first met his new teammates last week, he told them, "I'll be throwing my haymakers, they'll be throwing theirs, and one of us is going to get knocked out."
Two games in, it's Greene who's been KO'd first. If that doesn't change, it's the Braves' postseason dreams that could be down for the count, and there's no return policy on broken dreams.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.