It's interesting to watch and listen to manager Bobby Cox's reaction to left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes' outings. Reyes is certainly not the first young pitcher Cox has shepherded through the big leagues, but one can't recall another instance where Cox was so quick to give a young pitcher the hook when he fell behind early.
Cox is constantly praising Reyes and counseling patience, so the only explanation for his tight-lipped assessment of Reyes after Monday's 4-1 loss to Ben Sheets and the Brewers: "He couldn't put the ball anywhere near where he wanted." Cox lifted Reyes after only 2 1/3 innings, and 66 pitches, with the score 4-0. By then right-hander Buddy Carlyle had been up in the bullpen for an inning.
"He couldn't locate his fastball," Cox said, "and that's the name of the game for a pitcher, locating the heater."
Although Cox has always been careful not to put young pitchers in bad positions (the case of former Braves reliever Joey Devine was the unfortunate exception), he has generally let them try to work their way out of jams, as much as he could.
Reyes, though, Cox tends to pull immediately, once it becomes obvious he isn't locating the fastball.
"His off-speed pitches, they weren't bad," catcher Brian McCann said. "He'll build off it. He knows to win you've got to pitch off your fastball."
"It just sunk right over the middle of the plate," Reyes said.
But he wasn't discouraged, which may be thanks to the short outing.
"You're not going to have your best stuff every night," he said. "Even the best don't do that. They do it on a more consistent basis."
BRAVES 4, BREWERS 2: RHP Jorge Campillo gave up only two runs in seven innings while contributing two singles and scoring twice. 2B Kelly Johnson drove him in both times, and drove in CF Gregor Blanco as well.
