Braves always appear steady

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 25, 2000

Have you ever noticed that, no matter how hot it gets in Atlanta, the Braves never seem to sweat?

They are certainly worried in New York. They are close to panic-stricken in Cleveland. In Atlanta, they ponder whether Quilvio Veras has the stats to make the All-Star team.

This is one of the hidden strengths in Atlanta. The Braves never openly fret. They win despite the competition, despite injuries, sometimes despite themselves.

It is not like Atlanta never has adversity. A former Cy Young Award winner was lost before the season began. A certain relief pitcher makes headlines whenever he opens his mouth. The shortstop is charged with DUI and underage alcohol consumption. The reigning MVP is four months from being a free agent.

And still the Braves remain on top.

While the Yankees are supposedly trading for every power hitter in baseball and the Indians are complaining that teams are trying to rip them off in deals for pitchers, the Braves remain quiet. Maybe they will acquire Curt Schilling. Maybe they will acquire Brad Radke. Or maybe they will do nothing.

"I think we can afford to wait," general manager John Schuerholz said. "We do enjoy a lead. If we were trying to close the gap or something, it'd be different. Around here, nobody is complacent enough to where we don't think we can do better, but nobody is in a we-must-do-this-to-survive mode."

It is not like the Braves do not have holes. Their bullpen has been wiped out by injuries and overuse, which is why they may trade for a starter so Terry Mulholland can go back to relief.

The Braves have also been a little uneven in the past few weeks. At 10-12 in June, they have a chance for their first losing month since April 1993.

"Right now, we're going through a stretch where we're making mistakes and paying for them. No question, we need to pick it up a little bit," pitcher Tom Glavine said. "For the first time that I can remember, we're not all quite right at the same time.

"Every time we struggle a little, it's going to be the beginning of the end in other people's minds."

But don't worry, because the Braves aren't.

WASTE MANAGEMENT: Nobody in Milwaukee is crying about the Brewers releasing Jaime Navarro and Sean Berry -- except maybe the team's accountant. Berry was making $2.2-million and Navarro was making $5-million. That means the Brewers have swallowed about 20 percent of their $36-million payroll.

BIRDS IN THE WEEDS: It was not until days before the Blue Jays crept into the AL East lead that their rivals seemed to notice them. "The Blue Jays are probably sitting there letting everybody get all carried away with the Yankees and the Red Sox while they quietly sit back and think about passing everybody at the end while nobody's watching," Red Sox first baseman Mike Stanley said. "They are a nice little silent third party watching us fight each other."

STARTING TO WIN: Looking for a simple explanation for the success St. Louis has had this season? How about this: Cardinals starting pitchers have accounted for 38 of the team's 42 victories. That translates to a remarkable 90 percent. Atlanta's starters, by contrast, have accounted for 73 percent of the team's victories. Last year, with a weak rotation, St. Louis starters won 50 games.

KEVIN STOCKER NEVER DID THIS: Bobby Abreu, 26, was benched for a couple of days after showing up late for a recent road game. "He's a good kid," manager Terry Francona said. "But he's kind of been falling into a couple habits. He wasn't real late, but this isn't the first time."

PUT UP OR SHUT UP: Beginning Tuesday, the Rangers have six games in nine days against division-leading Oakland. That stretch could determine whether the Rangers stay in the AL West chase or start dumping salaries. Owner Tom Hicks already is making noise about pitchers Darren Oliver and Esteban Loaiza and shortstop Royce Clayton. "We've got veteran players that are making a lot of money that aren't performing and that's not satisfactory," Hicks said.

DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB: When the sun goes down, so does Mike Lowell's batting average. The Marlins third baseman hits like a Hall of Famer in day games, with a .336 average and eight home runs in 146 career at-bats. At night, Lowell's average is a pedestrian .224. "I just really like playing during the day," Lowell said. "I always feel like I see the ball better."

CATCHING UP: Indians manager Charlie Manuel has given his team a goal for the final two weeks before the All-Star break -- shave about four games off Chicago's lead. "It's very important that we are five games (behind) by the All-Star break," Manuel said. "The cutoff point is 10 or 12 games. You get down by double digits, that's when you start getting into trouble."

FINAL WORD: Herk Robinson will continue working as Kansas City's chief operating officer, but seemed happy to hand general manager duties to Allard Baird. "Now, I won't have to talk to agents," Robinson said.

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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