The guy who Ozzie Guillen once regarded as “not a big game pitcher” ; the guy who was widely pigeon-holed as a “decent number 3 starter” ; the guy who the Braves hoped would simply give them a quality start more than half the time, is not the guy that arrived in Atlanta in the off season. This guy has simply led the league in strike-outs per inning, allowed a mere 8 earned runs in his last 5 starts, and in a rogue make-up game leading into the Braves’ metaphorical climb to the summit of Mt. Everest this week, when they play the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies, this guy, Javier Vazquez, buried a hot Chicago Cubs team in zeroes.
On the eve of what will undoubtedly be the home stand that determines what the Braves are truly made of (not to mention their strategy on July31st) and amidst a squall of exotic trade permutations on the web that have often included Vazquez as bait, it has become increasingly foggy as to who the Braves true ace is. Derek Lowe, like Jair Jurrjens, is a rotation anchor who doesn’t make many mistakes and who won’t buckle under the pressure of a bases loaded 3-2 count. But the largely unheralded Vazquez, (he didn’t command 60 million) is showing signs he may be entering the pole position of his career. His strikeouts are up, his walks are down, his rumored habitual tendency to unravel during his “one bad inning” each game has so far been just that: a rumor.
Perhaps the veracity of Ozzie Guillen’s unflattering assessment of our “number three guy” has yet to be tested–perhaps Vazquez’s mettle melts away during big games. But after an emotional series in Fenway Park, the opening gambit of this treacherous homestand set a tone for the rest of the climb: we aren’t giving up. It won’t be easy: the Braves will need near perfect conditions to make it to July above .500–some bottled oxygen perhaps.
Or, better yet, The Braves “aces” might want to look at what Javier Vazquez is doing, and find out if they bottle that.
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