John Smoltz is ready to rejoin the Atlanta Braves bullpen. He’s not predicting how effective he’ll be.
“I made up my mind,” the Atlanta closer said. “I’m going to pitch. It’s time.”
Smoltz, who has 44 saves and an 0.89 ERA, threw in the bullpen for about 10 minutes before Friday night’s game and expects to be activated this weekend. He has been on the disabled list since Aug. 24 with tendinitis in his long-troubled right elbow.
While saying he was pleasantly surprised at the power and movement of his pitches, Smoltz wouldn’t reveal if he was hurting.
“You guys are not going to get a meter of pain,” he told reporters, an ice pack on his elbow. “You’re going to get a `What do my pitches look like?’ They looked pretty darn good after all this time.”
Smoltz said it may take a few outings to get some consistency on his fastball, slider and splitter. Not that he has much time–the Braves have only eight regular-season games left after Friday, then head into the playoffs as NL East champions.
“I don’t care if I have results the first couple of games,” he said. “I’m not so obsessed about hits and runs. I just need to get out there and throw.”
Smoltz, a starter most of his career, has undergone three operations on his elbow, including “Tommy John” reconstructive surgery in 2000.
Big whack for Big Unit
The Big Unit went big fly.
Randy Johnson hit his first major-league home run Friday night, connecting for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Milwaukee.
The five-time Cy Young Award winner had gone 436 at-bats without a homer until lining a 385-foot solo shot to left field off Doug Davis in the third inning.
Johnson began this season as a .124 lifetime hitter.
His home run put Arizona ahead 1-0. In Johnson’s last start, he pitched a one-hitter and beat Colorado 5-0.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
RESULTS, SYNOPSIS
Cincinnati 3 at Philadelphia 7
W: Wolf (16-9)
L: Hall (0-1)
Mike Lieberthal homered twice and drove in four runs as the Phillies reclaimed the NL wild-card lead, moving a half-game ahead of Florida. Randy Wolf won his fourth straight decision.
Montreal 7 at N.Y. Mets 1
W: Day (9-7)
L: Glavine (9-14)
Jose Vidro hit a grand slam and a solo home run, sending the Mets to their sixth straight loss and 14th in 15 games. Expos are 8-24 on the road since the beginning of July.
Florida 0 at Atlanta 1
W: Ortiz (20-7)
L: Beckett (8-8)
Russ Ortiz pitched a 3-hitter and drove in the only run with a single. Ortiz reached 20 wins for the 1st time in his career and gave Atlanta its 1st 20-game winner since Tom Glavine in 2000.
Arizona 3 at Milwaukee 2
W: Villarreal (9-7)
L: Nance (0-2)
S: Mantei (26)
Steve Finley’s solo shot broke a ninth-inning tie. Randy Johnson and Matt Kata also homered for Diamondbacks. Eddie Perez went deep for Brewers. Richie Sexson added an RBI single.
San Diego 5 at Colorado 6
W: Elarton (4-4)
L: Howard (1-3)
S: Fuentes (3)
Scott Elarton allowed 1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings in his 1st win in 6 starts since June 8, and Juan Uribe and Pablo Osuna drove in two runs each. Padres dropped to 1-7 on 10-game road trip.
Houston 8 at St. Louis 1
W: Oswalt (9-5)
L: Morris (10-8)
Astros have beaten Cardinals 5 straight times. They are 11-5 overall against the defending NL Central champs. In last 4 games against Cardinals, Astros have won by a combined score of 28-7.
San Francisco at Los Angeles, late
Starters
Hermanson (2-3) vs. Brown (14-8)
Dodgers have won 9 of last 13. They pulled to within 2 games of NL wild card-leading Florida. Dodgers haven’t been in the postseason since 1996, when they won the wild card.
