By Bill Begley
Sometimes, it’s not how you start that matters as much as how you finish.
Well, actually, most of the time that’s the case.
And that bodes well for Tommy Hanson.
The Atlanta Braves’ 22-year-old righthander out-did the once marketable Brad Penny in a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Hanson won his fourth straight decision, improved to 4-0 on the season and saw his ERA drop to 2.48 – the result of a 20-plus inning stretch in which he has not allowed a run.
Hanson has given up nine runs (eight earned) since being called up early in June – not bad, especially since he gave up seven runs (six earned) in his very first start.
No doubt, the Braves’ latest ace-in-training has a lot of impressive qualities – including a fastball that whistles along in the upper 90s range on a regular basis. But, maybe the most impressive thing is he does not seem to be satisfied to coast along on his physical skills alone.
He’s learning as he goes … and that is a pretty good way to get started.
3 Up
Prince Fielder (Brewers): A slow start has been all but erased with a June as hot as a noon in Fort Worth these days. Milwaukee’s slugging first baseman was hitting .234 entering May, but through Sunday had hit .352 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in June. That’s upped his totals to .301 overall, with 19 home runs and 73 RBI. He’s belted 16 home runs and driven in 56 runs since the beginning of May. As impressive, a lot of that production has been in the clutch. He is 6-for-11 with 20 RBI with the bases loaded this season, and is hitting .355 with two-outs and runners on.
Aaron Cook (Rockies): The Rockies continue to chip away at the mountainous lead the Dodgers have built in the NL West, and Cook – the franchise’s career wins leader now with 60 – is leading the way. He earned his fifth straight win on Sunday, a 3-1 decision over the stumbling A’s. He’s posted a 1.75 ERA in those five games. Colorado is 22-7 since Jim Tracy took over as manager and Cook is the poster boy for that switch. He is 5-1 since Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle. Cook has a 2.36 ERA over that span, with a 24-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and saw a 12-inning scoreless streak end Sunday.
Los Angeles Angels: The new leaders in the AL West completed a sweep of Arizona with a 12-8 win on Sunday. With the win, the Angels wrapped up interleague play with a 14-4 record – 8-1 of that on the road – and have won five straight heading into a critical series with the Rangers this weekend. Now with a 1½-game lead over Texas, L.A. is 16-8 in June and caught the faltering Rangers with 12 wins in its last 15 games, scoring six or more runs in eight of those 15 games.
3 Down
Jason Giambi (A’s): The veteran slugger continues to struggle in his return to his roots. A single in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Colorado prevented his average from dipping below the “Mendoza” line, but his average still dropped to .203 on the season. He entered Sunday’s game in the throes of a 1-for-19 skid and is hitting .157 with 22 strikeouts so far this month. Predictably, the A’s finished interleague play 5-13, their worst performance against the NL since interleague play began.
Billy Buckner (Diamondbacks): No, not that hard-luck guy … this is Arizona’s 25-year-old righthander, who earned a ticket back to the minors after imploding on Friday, when he was lit up for eight earned runs in less than 2 innings of work in a 12-3 loss to the Angels. Buckner suffered his fourth straight loss, fell to 2-5 on the season and saw his ERA inflate to 8.63 on the season. He gave up seven home runs in his last five starts, but maybe a change of scenery will help – Buckner is 0-4 with a 14.34 ERA at home this season. Opponents, hitting .339 overall, hit .411 at home against Buckner.
Texas Rangers: What’s hot in Texas? Everything … except the Rangers. Once in control of the AL West race, Texas is 10-14 this month, including a 2-0 loss to the Padres on Sunday. That’s typical – with slugger Josh Hamilton still struggling to get healthy, the Rangers have hit .227 so far in June and have scored just 88 runs in 24 games. Sadly, it could have been worse. Kevin Millwood (8-5, 2.64 ERA) has earned four of Texas’ 10 wins in June and has 12 quality starts already this season. The Rangers need to get their ship righted soon – a three-game series with the AL West-leading Angels begins tonight in Arlington, and the two teams meet up next week in Anaheim.
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