The A-Braves were idle yesterday, which for some teams is a day off but which for them amounts to half a W. You don't play, you can't lose. You stay away from the ballpark, no arm on the roster breaks down and needs to be shipped to the factory for repairs.

April wasn't kind to the Braves. They left spring training with a sky's-the-limit glow (perhaps a touch too optimistic, but whatever). They exited April sub-.500 and with their staff showing more wear and tear than a used rototiller.

They've begun a new month with three straight wins. Goody. Problem is, Braves starters still are having more trouble locating the sixth inning than the clinic. Damage control has translated into five call-ups already from Richmond. The body count is extensive.

War horse John Smoltz has a damaged shoulder and says he's trading his spot in the rotation for a seat in the bullpen (when he's able to throw at all). He turns 41 next Thursday. Tom Glavine went on the disabled list for the first time in his career. He's 42. Mike Hampton was scratched from his opening-week start with a pectoral-muscle owie and had another one last Wednesday in Durham. He's 35 and hasn't faced a major leaguer since Aug. 19, 2005.

Oh, and closer Mike Gonzalez landed on the DL last May with a sick elbow and hasn't pitched since. Replacement part Rafael Soriano (elbow) went down April 10. Plan C Peter Moylan (another elbow - you think these guys were moonlighting on the ATP tour or something?) - was called up from Richmond on April 11 and shelved the next day.

Keeping score, Braves pitchers hit the DL eight times last month.

Only Barack's Jeremiah Wright monitors had it worse.

"It's bad," Eddie Perez, a coach now and a catcher for those great Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz juggernauts of yore, said the other day in Washington. "We are an organization that's been known for having good pitchers, especially starting pitchers. We used to have starting pitchers that never been on the DL. We're not used to this. If our starting pitchers are hurt, we're in trouble."

The Braves are in some trouble - the silver lining being the fact that no one in the NL East resembles the '27 Yankees. On the other hand, the Braves themselves don't quite resemble the robust crew that emerged from Lake Buena Vista as the season dawned.

"I still think we have a shot," Glavine said. "It's just that now, with the quality of guys we're missing, we're a team that can't afford mistakes and has to capitalize on its opportunities. We have to make do with what we have."

What they have is a collection of starters who've thrown fewer innings than any staff in the league. Up-from-Richmond Jo-Jo Reyes went five and change Saturday. Glavine, staked to a 7-0 cushion, couldn't get out of the fifth a day later. The Braves are 0-9 in one-run games. That's a reflection of a team with an overworked bullpen and a thin margin of error.

"We won 14 division championships in a row because of our pitching," said third baseman Chipper Jones, who's been lights out. "Now those guys who carried us for so long are getting older. They aren't going as deep into games. They're getting injured some. It's hard to be consistent when you don't get consistent innings out of your starting staff."

With Smoltz gone from the rotation - and it's possible he'll never be back - hopes for improvement in that area are problematic. The Mets and high-flying Diamondbacks visit Atlanta for seven straight games later this month. We'll maybe know then if these Braves are in danger of being disarmed.