But the true reason for concern came when Smoltz spoke to the media after Sunday afternoon's 6-3 loss to the Mets at Shea Stadium. Instead of just saying his disappointing performance was a product of the cold weather or the tightness he's been experiencing in his upper back, the Braves' 40-year-old workhorse is wondering if he's battling a more serious injury than previously thought.
"I don't have an answer now," Smoltz said after allowing the Mets four earned runs and seven hits in a season-low four innings. "But I think within a couple of days, I should know what we are looking at."
Smoltz's postgame reaction could have come from the frustration of losing consecutive starts or experiencing his worst start of the season on the day after Hudson lasted just three innings for the second time in three starts. There's also a chance that the veteran hurler has gained the belief that the tightness that has existed between his neck and shoulder is actually a sign that he is battling a more serious injury.
Before heading to Washington with his teammates early Sunday evening, Smoltz said there's a chance he could return to Atlanta within the next few days for further medical evaluation. Thus, it's safe to say he's certainly questionable for Saturday's scheduled start against the Reds.
"It's frustrating -- I'm not going to lie, especially with the start that I've had," said Smoltz, who had surrendered a total of two runs in the four starts (23 1/3 innings) that he'd completed entering Sunday. "But there are some things that you can't avoid."
With an announced game-time temperature of 54 degrees, there was reason to wonder about Smoltz's shoulder. When he threw a two-out, first-inning wild pitch that allowed Jose Reyes to score, it was apparent that he might not have the same stuff that had allowed him to record double-digit strikeout totals in his previous two starts. The wild pitch came when catcher Brian McCann set up outside, only to have to lunge back in an attempt to grab a first-pitch inside fastball to Carlos Beltran.
Smoltz surrendered a two-run homer to Raul Casanova and then finally escaped the second inning with the bases loaded. The only other run he surrendered came when Carlos Delgado began his two-homer afternoon with a third-inning solo shot.
"I gave them more than I thought I could have given them today," said Smoltz, who had lasted less than five innings just four times previously in the 71 starts he'd made since the beginning of the 2006 season.
When manager Bobby Cox chose to dip into his bullpen in the fourth inning on Saturday, he indicated there was nothing physically wrong with Hudson, who confirmed this. But after calling upon his bullpen in Sunday's fifth inning, the veteran skipper couldn't confidently say he'd removed a healthy starter.
"If we've got enough pitchers out there in that bullpen, I like to get the starters out of there," Cox said. "It's a long season."
There's reason to believe this still could be a long and prosperous season for Smoltz. Just five days ago, in the process of becoming the 16th pitcher in Major League history to record 3,000 career strikeouts, he limited the Marlins to one run and had 10 strikeouts in seven innings.
"This is the first time all season that he hasn't been able to locate his offspeed pitches," McCann said. "He gave it everything he had. Today was the first time all year that he didn't dominate."
Much of Smoltz's frustration stemmed from the fact that this proved to be one of those rare days when he was unable to improvise and pitch effectively despite the pain. When he was dealing with a bad elbow in 1999, he lowered his arm angle in the same manner that he often has since starting to battle tightness in his shoulder region midway through last year.
"Today was more of a grind than it should have been," Smoltz said. "It didn't matter what kind of adjustments that I made."
Smoltz's words don't exactly help revive a Braves team that played the final two games of this series without Chipper Jones, who had his first experience with back spasms on Saturday, and Yunel Escobar, who bruised his right index finger and had to exit during Friday night's first inning.
The Braves certainly could have used either of these two bats against Mets starter Nelson Figueroa, who allowed three earned runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Each of the three runs he surrendered came during the sixth, which was highlighted by Mark Teixeira's RBI double. Teixeira just missed his third double and second RBI of the day when Mets right fielder Ryan Church ran into the gap to end the seventh inning with a catch that prompted a standing ovation during his return to the dugout.
Matt Diaz's ninth-inning single accounted for the only hit Billy Wagner has surrendered in 10 innings this season. But it wasn't enough to stop the Mets closer from adding to the frustrations and pains the Braves experienced during what quickly became a forgettable weekend.
"We have to start winning some games," McCann said. "We're still in the middle of this thing. But it's time to start turning it up a notch and winning these games."
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