Tom Glavine Heads to the DL

When the Braves re-aquired Tom Glavine from the Mets in the offseason, I was happy to have him back in an Atlanta uniform, but a little concerned that he might have used up all of his brilliance. After all, Glavine was the man on the mound as the Mets completed one of the most epic collapses in baseball history. Tied for the NL East lead on the final day of the season, Glavine gave up 7 runs in just a third of an inning. New York went on to lose 8-1 to the Marlins, and the Phillies claimed the Eastern Division crown.

Glavine proved me wrong in his first two starts. He posted a slim 0.79 ERA, only to earn no-decisions in his first two starts, thanks in part to the Braves bullpen.

HIS HAIRCUT'S GOTTEN BETTER, HIS HAMSTRING'S GOTTEN WORSE
Well, today we see why a 42-year-old starting pitcher might not be the surest bet in sports. Glavine has left this afternoon's game against the Washington Nationals after throwing just 16 pitches and giving up two runs. The team says he has a strained hamstring, and for now, they're not sure how much time he might have to miss.

The starting pitching is what had me excited about this season, but also had me nervous. John Smoltz, 40 years old, started the year on the disabled list. So far, he's been brilliant since missing the first six games of the year. But, in his first appearance he only managed five innings. 35-year-old Mike Hampton came close to making his first start in nearly two-and-a-half years, but he went down in the bullpen during warm-ups. His return is likely... but really, can you count on the guy? And now Glavine is looking at a possible... possible, we're not sure yet... trip to the disabled list himself. Chuck James wasn't pretty in his return to the rotation, serving up six runs on five hits in three innings of work. He's in Class AAA Richmond right now, but he's the most likely choice to return to Atlanta if Glavine does need to skip starts.

So, goodbye Hudson-Smoltz-Glavine-Hampton-Jurrjens. We may be saying hello to Hudson-Smoltz-Jurrjens-James-???.

Is it a coincidence that Glavine was wearing one of the new blue uniforms when he blew out the hammy??! I knew it!!!!