Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes' shaky results have given manager Bobby Cox and general manager Frank Wren plenty to ponder.
A year ago, Reyes was showing enough signs of being a good major league pitcher that Cox continued to maintain his faith in him, regardless of the facts of any particular outing. However, after Reyes seemed to be rejecting the advice of pitching coach Roger McDowell and teammate Tom Glavine, Cox lost that faith.
Chastened, Reyes worked out and shed pounds in the offseason, to say nothing of reworking his mechanics. It all paid off in a first-rate spring training. That's why Reyes was the one called up from Class AAA Gwinnett when the Braves needed a fifth starter for the April 18 game at Pittsburgh. That was supposed to have been Glavine's first start of the season, but setbacks in his rehab scuttled that.
At first, Reyes pitched well but had no wins to show for it, courtesy of the Braves' sorry offense. But his outings have gotten progressively worse. On Wednesday, he lasted only three innings against the Mets.
One thing Cox does not want is a repeat of last season, when the bullpen was shot by the All-Star break from having to cover for poor starting pitching.
