News
Kawakami kicks off Braves' road trip
Atlanta (53-52) at San Diego (43-63), 10:05 p.m. ET
By Adam Rosenberg / MLB.com
08/03/09 2:24 AM ET
ATLANTA -- When Kenshin Kawakami takes the mound for the Braves on Monday to begin a three-game series against the Padres in San Diego, his mission is twofold: start the Braves' crucial West Coast road trip on a positive note, and erase the memory of a disastrous start against the Marlins on Wednesday. Kawakami's outing in Florida was highly uncharacteristic of the recent good work he had been doing in July, as shaky command led to him lasting just 4 2/3 innings while allowing six earned runs. Three of those runs came on a homer by Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson, a mistake that Kawakami called "pathetic" after the game. Before that outing, Kawakami had posted a solid 3.27 ERA in July. However, his downfall on Wednesday came due to a problem that has become somewhat commonplace as the 33-year-old Japanese import adjusts to American baseball in his first season in the states. "He's going to be fine, but he had a hard time locating his fastball," said Braves catcher Brian McCann. "But he has done well for us all season." Kawakami tallied 89 pitches while not getting out of the fifth inning in Florida, and he has had a tendency to fall victim to high pitch counts that prevent him from pitching deep into games. Still, Kawakami has been solid throughout the year and has given the Braves several marquee wins, including duels with Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay and countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Red Sox. Whether the Braves are starting to feel a greater sense of urgency as the calendar pushes into August or they simply wanted to give their pitcher more rest, Kawakami and his translator flew to San Diego before Sunday's game to avoid the late flight that the rest of the Braves will be forced to take. "He's beaten some big guys," McCann said. "Almost every game he has pitched, he has kept us in. And he has really pitched some great games." The Padres enter this series with one of the worst records in baseball, which means the Braves have a good opportunity to make up ground in both the National League East and Wild Card races. However, the Braves will be certain to avoid the letdowns they have experienced earlier in the season when playing weaker teams, such as a series loss to the Nationals in July. After playing three against the Padres, the Braves will make the short trip to Los Angeles for four more games with the Dodgers, the team with baseball's best record. "This is big for us," McCann said. "It's important we get off to a good start. After San Diego, we have four more games with one of the best teams in baseball." Pitching matchupATL: RHP Kenshin Kawakami (5-8, 4.37 ERA)
While surrendering three homers during Wednesday night's loss to the Marlins, Kawakami provided more reason to wonder if he'll prove durable during the final stages of his first Major League season. Pitching in a five-man rotation for the first time, the 34-year-old Japanese hurler has been bothered by shoulder fatigue throughout the season. But before lasting just 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday, he'd gone 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA in his previous 14 starts. SD: RHP Mat Latos (2-1, 2.70 ERA)
Latos had his most impressive start yet when he shut the Reds down for seven innings. He gave up just one hit, a solo homer to Jerry Hairston Jr. By the time he stepped on the mound in the first, he already had five runs to work with. From there, Latos cruised through the Reds lineup, setting them down in order inning after inning. He only walked one batter and had four strikeouts in the Padres' 7-1 victory. Tidbits
Jair Jurrjens didn't pitch at least six innings for the first time in 10 starts, and he allowed a season-high 10 hits Sunday. The loss snapped a season-high three-game winning streak for Jurrjens. ... The loss on Sunday ensured the Braves of consecutive series losses for the first time since June 23-28 against the Yankees and Red Sox. ... The Braves allowed a season-high 19 hits. ... Matt Diaz's eighth-inning single snapped an 0-for-16 streak. ... The Braves are now 2-1 on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Tickets
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• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 Up next
• Tuesday: Braves (Javier Vazquez, 8-7, 3.01) at Padres (Tim Stauffer, 1-2, 2.57), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Braves (Tommy Hanson, 5-2, 3.25) at Padres (Chad Gaudin, 4-9, 4.76), 3:35 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Braves (Derek Lowe, 11-7, 4.21) at Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 5-6, 3.47), 10:10 p.m. ET
Adam Rosenberg is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
