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Bonds' bat awes Braves
That wasn't a brushfire that blew through Atlanta over the weekend. That was Barry Bonds. Nine home runs in his last six games -- including six homers in three days against the vaunted Braves pitching staff -- has left some heads spinning. "He hit six homers off us but all six were solo shots," Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone said. "Some of them, I watched the replays and he should have hit them out. Still, you throw those same pitches to other guys and they might roll over on them or pop them up. In my 11 years up here, he's the greatest player I've seen. He's No. 1 for me." Mazzone's top five toughest outs list through the years reads this way: 2. Tony Gwynn. "We could have just conceded a base hit to left." 3. Will Clark. "I'm glad he retired. The worst thing that happened to us last year was Mark McGwire getting hurt." 4. Larry Walker. "Just an awesome hitter." 5. Derek Jeter, thanks to two World Series matchups and interleague play. "Hits everything." But it's Bonds who drives the Braves batty. "He's so quick coming through the strike zone," Mazzone said. " Pitches most hitters will pull foul, he keeps them fair. He's very intelligent. He knows what he's doing. Those other guys are great, great hitters, but Barry, to me, is the best. He hurts you with power." Bonds, by the way, is now on pace for 86 home runs.
2 good to be trueHow on earth is Rich Aurilia hitting an NL-best .379? The Giants' shortstop cites two major factors: increased patience and the chance to hit in the No. 2 hole after the offseason trade of Bill Mueller."When they moved me to the '2' spot, I kind of told myself, 'If my leadoff guy doesn't see a lot of pitches, I need to take some pitches and make the pitcher throw a little bit,' " Aurilia said. "I've always been an aggressive hitter. I've always attacked one of the first three pitches. Now I'm a more patient hitter. I know if I don't get that pitch early in the count, I might get it later. I've just been more patient and I've been working deep counts. The more pitches you see from a guy, the better chance you have of hitting him." Aurilia, 29, saw 3.57 pitches per plate appearance over his first five seasons. This year that number has risen to 3.61. A career .270 hitter entering this season, Aurelia also benefits from hitting in front of Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, the top two finishers in last year's NL Most Valuable Player voting. "I'm hitting in front of one guy who's going to the Hall of Fame, and the other was MVP last year. That always helps," said Aurilia. "I'm seeing more fastballs in counts where I should be getting fastballs. Hitter's counts. Hitting seventh, you get 2-0 or 3-1, there's a good chance you're going to see a breaking ball or something off the plate. Now, with Barry behind me, the majority of the time when it's 2-0 or 3-1, you're going to get a fastball. They're going to try to make you get yourself out instead of walking." "He's gotten better each year," Giants hitting coach Gene Clines said. "That just comes with experience. He's gotten more selective. That's probably been the biggest key. When you cut down on the giveaway at-bats, your numbers are going to climb. Plus, he's been making more contact, not trying to force things, not trying to make something happen. He's just letting it flow."
Tom's not so terrificHas it been the altered strike zone or poor health that pushed Tom Glavine near the top of the NL walks leaders?In Monday's win over the Marlins, Glavine issued no walks for the first time in 10 starts this season. Afterward, the Braves' left-hander said he was most pleased not by his control but by how well his throwing shoulder felt. Glavine cited previous pain in the shoulder joint, but said that has calmed down. In his three previous starts, Glavine's ERA was 6.88 and he made it through the sixth inning just once. For the season the five-time 20-game winner has made quality starts just half the time he's taken the mound. Braves catcher Javy Lopez said he could tell Glavine's shoulder wasn't right, citing a decrease of 5-7 mph in his fastball velocity. "His last three starts before [Monday], he wasn't throwing as hard as he used to," Lopez told me. "Not that he's a hard thrower, but you can tell the difference. He wasn't 100 percent. He's got some courage to go out there with his arm hurting. He's still got a lot of guts to go out there and do his best." This is Glavine's 15th big league season. In that time he has missed just one scheduled start, and that was with a pulled muscle in his left side. With Kevin Millwood on the disabled list and John Smoltz coming back from Tommy John surgery, the Braves can't afford to lose Glavine, their monument to durability. "The walks have nothing to do with the shoulder," Mazzone told me. "Over the years Tommy has felt things [in his arm], but he's gone to the post every time. He doesn't always feel good when he pitches, but he can pitch good when he doesn't feel real good. He thinks he can win and he usually does. He's very strong minded." Mike Berardino covers the baseball beat for South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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