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Giles and Furcal keying Braves run
ATLANTA -- On June 21, the Braves were in third place in the National League East and were sitting three games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals. But after a shutout victory at home against the Marlins that night, things began to change.
Now, nearly two months later, the Braves have a comfortable five-game lead over the rest of the division, and are poised to win their 14th consecutive division title. So what might have led to the turnaround?
Most in the Braves clubhouse believe it had something to do with the resurgence of Rafael Furcal and Marcus Giles.
Since June 21, Furcal has seen his batting average rise from .220 to .271. As for Giles, whose career-high 15-game hitting streak was snapped on Friday, his average has risen from .286 to .308 in that same period.
"Anytime Fookie's on and Giles is hot, you're going to score runs. ... You can't help but score runs," manager Bobby Cox said at the start of Giles' streak.
In addition to Cox, many in the Braves clubhouse have noticed the difference in the way the team has been playing the last two months, and connect it to the recent success both players have had at the plate.
"It's a huge difference for the guys that come up third, fourth and fifth," said cleanup hitter Andruw Jones, who admits he has seen better pitches and been more productive when Furcal and Giles are on base.
As the result of an early-season shoulder injury that made swinging left-handed difficult, the switch-hitting Furcal struggled to get on base.
"He'd come to me and tell me, 'I'm hitting .220, I get on base one time every two games. Every time I'm on base I score. ... I got to get on base.' I say, 'Yeah you do, but we got to work on getting you there, it's not going to happen tomorrow,'" hitting coach Terry Pendleton said.
In order to get Furcal back on base, Pendleton knew the shortstop's shoulder had to improve.
"First of all, getting the shoulder healthy was the biggest issue," Pendleton said. "The shoulder feels much better now so he's able to start doing the things he should do offensively. The other thing was getting him down to the [batting] cage one-on-one, just he and I, and getting him back to where I felt he should be in terms of his swing, and his stance."
Against the Diamondbacks this past weekend, Furcal continued his recent success and further proved he's over his shoulder problem. In the fifth inning of Saturday's game, he tied a career high when he ripped his 10th triple of the season into the right-field corner. He also began Sunday's seven-run third inning with a double.
"I think he's such a dynamic player and that he can do so many things," Ryan Langerhans said. "And when he's hot and he's doing what he does, it's just the sparkplug for this offense, and, for us, his success has been very nice."
Before going on his 15-game hitting streak, Giles had only five hits in his previous 40 at-bats, and it seemed like the second baseman couldn't get anything going for himself.
"[Giles] had like six or seven games where, just to put it plain and simple, he was terrible," Pendleton said. "And then he went in the cage and worked on his stuff. This game, right here, is repetition, you get better at it the more you work at it," Pendleton said.
While Chipper Jones missed several games this season as the result of foot and shoulder injuries, Giles has been forced to fill Chipper's No. 3 spot in the batting order.
"[Giles] can hit anywhere [in the lineup] because he can hit the ball," Furcal said. "He can play, he can swing the bat so good -- like he is right now. And he's been doing a great job hitting third."
The ease with which Giles made the shift from second in the batting order to the No. 3 spot has not surprised Pendleton. Nor has it surprised him that within the last two months, even while being separated in the order, Giles and Furcal have still been productive at the top of the lineup.
"I know Marcus can hit in the two or three spot for a fact," Pendleton said. " He can leadoff for you if he has to. He's that type of player. Just to separate them a little bit, I don't think it hurts."
After getting a day off on Saturday, Giles came back on Sunday to go 2-for-4 with an RBI double.
Furcal and Giles have done more than simply fill the top two spots in the Braves batting order for most of the past three seasons. In addition, the two make up one of the Major Leagues' most recognized double-play combinations. Part of their sound chemistry is the result of having played together for so long.
In 1999, the two were a part of the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans team that won the Carolina League championship. The following season, Furcal was called up to the Major League team, and was joined in 2001 by Giles.
"I'm so comfortable with Gilly because he's one of the crazy guys on the team," Furcal said. "He's that kind of guy -- coming to the field happy every day, tries to do his job, and tries to make it fun again. And [we] are always talking on the field about what we need to do, about what happened."
Jones, whose locker is sandwiched by Furcal's and Giles', observes their relationship on a daily basis, and can also recognize a close connection between the middle infielders.
"They love the game," Jones said. "They love to go out there every play and play hard, and that's why we're playing the way we're playing right now."
Coley M. Harvey is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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I agree. Furcal and Giles have been the key to our sucess. With them on base it lets Chipper drive in a run or two. And then Andruw Jones. IF they get going its the biggest slap in the face for the opponet.
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Originally Posted by Generalissimo
