'Those guys ... pitch like they don't want to leave'

ATLANTA — Jair Jurrjens was supposed to inject a little youth into an aging Braves rotation, to take the first step in a gentle transition to what's next for the Braves.

Instead, he opened the floodgates.

The 22-year-old Jurrjens was joined by three other fresh 20-something faces, who were forced into starting duty after injuries to John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton.

Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes (23), Jorge Campillo (29) and Charlie Morton (24) gave the Braves rotation a near-complete transformation in the last 3 1/2 months.

"We've had some tough luck, man," said Tim Hudson, the veteran of the bunch at 33, who is the only projected Braves starter other than Jurrjens actually pitching. "But we've had those guys step in and pitch like they don't want to leave."

Jurrjens, Reyes, Campillo and Morton have 67 major league starts between them. That's as many as Smoltz made in his last two full seasons. But those four combined with Hudson to put up the second-best ERA among National League starting rotations. They are tied with Arizona for second-best at 3.97, trailing only the Chicago's 3.88.

Reyes, the lone left-hander, is the prized prospect who survived some bumps along the way to blossom into the solid young pitcher the Braves expected.

Morton is the lanky talent, who emerged from a checkered minor league career to live up to what manager Bobby Cox saw in him in the Arizona Fall League.

"The only person that doubted me in the Braves system was me," Morton said.

Campillo was the unknown commodity with mostly a Mexican League past, who doesn't throw as hard as the others but baffled hitters from the start.

"It's fun to see how stupid some hitters look sometimes out there," Hudson said.

And Jurrjens, the pleasant youngster from Curacao, walked through the Braves clubhouse door this spring with his head high, like he knew something nobody else did about him. Now the Braves know.

Originally projected as the No. 4 starter, Jurrjens pitched much of the first half like he was the No. 1. He tied Hudson for the team lead in wins (9) and leads in ERA (3.00) and strikeouts (81).

At 9-4, he leads all National League rookies in wins and is second in ERA.

"I'm always confident when I go out there," Jurrjens said. "At least I try to believe I'm the best one."

That's one thing Hudson sees in common with all four young pitchers — confidence.

"It's saying 'You know what? I'm here, you have to deal with me now,'" Hudson said. "It's 'I'm going to get you out,' not 'I'm going to try to get you out.' You're not going to get them out all the time, but if you think you are, you're going to most of the time, and it's going to be pretty impressive. And that's what they've been able to do."

At the same time, each has also shown an eagerness to learn.

"I try every day to learn, talk to Glavine and Huddy and Smoltzie," Campillo said. "I think if I want to be a good pitcher, I need to learn more and more."

Morton will sit at his locker studying the hot-and-cold zone notebooks, which diagram opposing hitters strengths and weaknesses. He'll chat with Smoltz about opposing lineups, like he did prior to his start against Houston July 6.

Jurrjens got in Smoltz's ear early in the season, asking him how to avoid overthrowing in late-inning jams. He turned to Glavine for help on the feel of his changeup and got tips about dragging his leg to knock off a few MPH. But he's found an even closer fit with Hudson, since both are sinkerball pitchers.

"He's always up to helping me and I appreciate that," Jurrjens said.

They got to know each other in spring training when Hudson was looking for a partner to play catch with every day. Now they follow each other in the order and often sit down together to watch film of an upcoming opponent.

"It's cool for him to ask me questions," Hudson said. "(They're) questions when I was his age, I didn't really know too much about. And I might not have asked a veteran, but he's comfortable enough to come up and talk to you."

Something else all these pitchers have in common, if you ask Hudson, is catcher Brian McCann.

"They've got one of the best catchers in the game in my opinion, back there calling ball games so that makes their job a lot easier," he said.

Morton seconds that notion, pointing out that teammates have made a big difference for the young starters.

To illustrate his point, Morton told a story about how Mark Kotsay reacted recently to something Morton said in the dugout prior to his start against Philadelphia. Morton's location had been off during his bullpen session and he muttered something about "getting it together" as he looked over into the Phillies dugout prior to the game. He went on to give up five runs in two innings of a loss.

"I had Kotsay come up to me (the next day) and grab my face and say 'If I ever hear you doubt yourself ever again, you're going to have a problem,'" Morton said. "Guys have been like that. Everybody I've talked to has been supportive. That's sometimes what you need as a new player and a young pitcher."

As the Braves head into the second half, Hampton and Glavine are both gearing up to return. Who's spot they might take will be an interesting question, but as Hudson points out, that's not a bad problem to have.

"That's the best problem this team could have is wondering which good pitcher you're going to (demote or) put in the bullpen," Hudson said.

Carroll Rogers writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.