Off days are bad. There aren't any decent stories out there. Well, maybe that's untrue. In Jack Etkin's column, he has the Atkins diet planned for Atkins: swing, because eventually you'll get hot. I like the idea--not the diet pun, however. If, as Alan Cockrell has discovered, Atkins' swing this year hasn't changed from the previous two years, what needs to be corrected? His BABIP is .279, slightly below average. As we've been saying for a while now, a bit more luck on connecting with those balls and we should see Atkins make a turnaround.
Troy Renck claims that even a changed bullpen won't help this team as long as the team doesn't hit. I can buy that to some extent but that's not the whole story. Lose 5-1 or lose 15-1, no one wants either to happen, but having and using a bullpen that is more effective provides respect in losses. Still, if you can't hit in losses either, who's going to respect you. Playing for wins is better than playing for respect.
Jorge Julio, are you ready to pitch against your 2006 team?