Okay, is it just me or do you get the same feeling I do that some changes need to be forthcoming with the Braves current pitching staff? Randle Delgado and Mike Minor are currently auditioning to be be the next Kyle Davis and Jo Jo Reyes. Yes, I realize the Braves are currently in first place in their division but I do not believe they have the team to hold serve when they only have three legit starting pitchers in the fold.
Questions abound as to what is wrong with Jair Jurrjens, who is currently holding down a spot in Gwennett. Is is a mental thing or is he biding his time to join Derrek Lowe on the island of misfit pitchers? Speaking of Derreck Lowe, did anyone else besides the GM of the Cleveland Indians really think DLowe would be leading the American League in ERA at this juncture? Does anyone think the Braves can find a fourth starter for $5 million difference in what the Braves traded Lowe for to reduce their payroll?
I guess I would have to say that Mike (start me or trade me) Minor is my biggest disappointment right now. When will a rookie pitcher not named Stephen Strausburg get the benefit of the call several inches off the plate? Everyone else better show they have enough stuff to get it past major league hitters. Minor looks smooth enough with his delivery and his fast ball has plenty of giddy up on it but like JJ, it looks flat with little movement. Just like sitting it on a tee for big league hitters.
We have seen this before, guys like Chuck James who looked good for a short while and fizzled. I mean, even solo homeruns can add up but like Delgado yesterday, you walk guys ahead of big boppers you are playing with matches during the dry season. You don’t have to be tipping your pitches when everybody in the park knows you are not going to get the calls on the edges and you have to throw a fast ball over the middle of the plate.
It’s still early but Wren and company need to stop the bleeding pretty soon. The Phillies have learned how to win with who the have and the Nats are not going away anytime soon. That plus Chipper is still the engine that drives the Braves’ bus. At least until Uggla can get it started in the four hole.
Braves & Stuff 
Okay, this started out as a regular post but what the heck, sometimes you just need to do it. The bad thing was my original opine was much better but “poof” it was sacrificed to the cyber gods when I tried to copy and paste. The second time around the words just don’t always flow. Old timers disease I suppose…
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Good thoughts, Gil!
(Isn’t WP’s editing system a pain in the patooie?! There have been times when it nearly brought me to tears.)
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V must be somewheres….what is my excuse??? well, when I first read Gil’s excellent post above…I was so tired, I was falling asleep while reading it!(Not it wasn’t the writer, it was the day before, blowout on 285, then going to a junkyard looking for a wheel for a friend, not finding he correct one, putting the joke of a spare on her car, getting old where doing something like that on a hot day messes me up for a few days)…anyway…baseball.
Gil, Chuck James/Mike Minor…what is the difference? Chuck I think threw more over the top…both threw/throw 90-91. Minor likely gets another start…thought he was done after giving up 3 homers in a row.
I don’t know, wish I could watch earlier games of his…something doesn’t look quite right in his mechanics. No pitch seems like an “out” pitch. Doesn’t look like a first round pick right now, does he?
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After watching
ChuckMike Minor throw three gopher balls in a row last night, I was once again reminded of the hero of the Home Depot. I don’t know how much longer the Braves can continue to throwJo JoMike out there but I believe his tenure in Atlanta is prolonged only by the fact he is left handed.LikeLike
I think I have to take the other side here…
First, he did give up the home runs, but in a joke of a park. Second, I will borrow some numbers from the Braves beat writer.
Pitcher #1: 10-8 with a 5.39 ERA and .295 opponents’ average in 32 games (31 starts) over three seasons, with 164 strikeouts and 56 walks in 170-1/3 innings.
Pitcher #2: 8-15 with a 5.30 ERA and .295 opponents’ average in his first 30 major league games (28 starts), with 104 strikeouts and 71 walks in 163 innings.
Pitcher #3: 5-17 with a 5.52 ERA and .289 opponents’ average in his first 33 starts, with 78 strikeouts and 83 walks in 177-2/3 innings.
Pitcher #4: 13-15 with a 3.12 ERA and .225 opponents’ average in his first 34 starts, with 169 strikeouts and 83 walks in 227-2/3 innings. Then 4-9 with a 5.79 ERA and .271 opponents’ average in his next 20 starts.
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Pitcher #1 = Mike Minor
Pitcher #2 = Greg Maddux
Pitcher #3 = Tom Glavine
Pitcher #4 = John Smoltz
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Minor’s numbers actually look a little better than the Big 3 over his/their first 3 years. Not saying he’s in the same company with the Holy Trinity of Braves pitching. Just saying that he’s a young’un; gotta have patience. He’ll figure it out.
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Far be it for me to argue with DOB, but…
Maddux at 23
19 12 .613 2.95
Glavine at 23
14 8 .636 3.68
Smoltz at 22
12 11 .522 2.94
Minor at 24(only one of 4 to get to pitch in college)
2 4 .333 6.96. leads league in runs allowed and in homers allowed…looks terrible…should be pitching in the minors not losing games for the big club, IMO
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CL or Gil, can you number this blog lead pretty please? I know, it’s weird but that’s how I end up coming here…
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Yes, but…
As you noted, Minor pitched in college, so his professional baseball began at a later age. But age really is irrelevant. Experience is the benchmark, especially major league experience, thus the comparison in major league starts.
With Minor, it’s not pitch development. He has major league “stuff”. It’s simply getting through the learning curve. That cannot be done at the minor league level.
I think that the real problem yesterday is that it was Monday. Go check the Braves’ record on Mondays this season.
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V, we will just have to agree to disagree(after this post! 😉 ) I had no idea what his college numbers were. so looked them up. in 3 seasons, 45 starts, 22-10 in 310 innings. That has to be worth something…forget what I used to hear…good college ball = AA? High A?? Anyway…his stuff doesn’t look worth a darn right now. Not sure why. don’t have a good enough memory to recall if it was his curve/changeup was his out pitch, or what…but something is not right.
Not the biggest fan of fangraphs(so many stats I just don’t know/get/care to know)…but some good points in this article.
seems he is a lot better pitching from the windup(imagine most starters are) but it’s really drastic with him…
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/when-to-stop-making-excuses-for-mike-minor/
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Last comment on the subject… (And it is good to disagree sometimes. Keeps things healthy.)
Pitching in college, AA or AAA is not the same as pitching to elite hitters in front of 40,000+ screaming fans who want to exalt you when you win and bury you when you lose. Not to mention the national media attention or the rabid fan following. It’s just not the same pressure or intensity. Those are the things that must be adjusted to at the major league level as much as hitters who punish every mistake.
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And with that I bid you adieu for a week. I am officially on vaca. Leaving for the Smokies early in the a.m.
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V, you are no doubt gone, but have a fun vacation! 🙂
True, pitching in the bigs is very different than anywhere else…perhaps he is one adjustment away from pitches doing something more than being straight as a razor…
Beachy had a bit of a longball issue last night…still, if that’s a bad game for him, quite survivable…need to get the offense going again though…someone mentioned their crazy number of games they have to play thru…33 in 35 days? stupid schedulers
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Done, Ber!
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Thanks CL!!!! 🙂
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Now, can you fix the braves offense? 😕
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Hi folks, home for the weekend…. Sorry I could not reply sooner but Ms Josie has this insane idea of going on vacations once a week.. The dogs hate it by the way, anywho, on Mike Minor. It was not just the fact of the homeruns, after all the fences were the same distance for both teams, unlike the old Metrodome, anyway, it was Mike Minor’s deportment after doing so that irked me. He looked beaten in a hangdog sort of way. Even Josie commented on it.
Josie may not be steeped in baseball lore but I have learned not to go against her observation. (She is not so good at picking horses but I digress)
Since Minor has pitched, Beachy did his bet to not be outdone. I fear a sweep but in that bandbox of a ball ark, anything can happen.
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For sure, the Braves will be happy to see Cincinnati in their rear view mirror. I actually thought they had a chance last night until Medlen gave up that grand slam.
I will also be glad when Chipper returns to the line up. Franciso may yet work out but first he has to stop trying to hit every ball 500 feet. I’m sure the one he hit last year was a sight to behold but major league pitchers are not the same as BP throwers. Well, maybe not Braves hurlers but I digress….
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Gil, just not the same team without Chipper, is it? Did Borass tell Bourne that hitting a few homers would help get a bigger contract this offseason? 😉
3 homers in a series, amazing! He has never had more than 5 homers in a season!
I think Minor is like JJ, they know their weapon has been blunted. Now they have a nail clipper they are taking to a gun fight.
I did hear on TV that JJ was now throwing 93…why wasn’t he before? Wonder if everything is related to mechanics with him?
Not going to get any easier facing the Nats…hopefully, everyone gets over the flu, and soon!
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I’m pretty sure the Nats won’t have any sympathy for the Brave’s plight after having a third of their team on the DL. Good teams overcome adversity, it is called depth. If a team discovers they can pitch around a guy, they will.
Bad news on the BMac front is even after he recovers form the flu, it will take weeks for him to regain his stroke. Just the way it works, that and aside from the pitcher, the catcher is the hardest working position on the team, maybe the hardest period.
Best the Braves can hope for is to be able to just ride this spell out.
On an even gloomier note, how much you want to bet the Braves discover Chipper suffered a bone fracture in his leg? I think the swelling prevents it from showing up on x-ray. It has persisted a bit too long to be a simple bruise.
Outside working today preparing for the “family” picnic on Sunday. I think it is call occupational therapy. Still trying to remember how to walk…. I look like a BIG toddler taking those funky first steps. Sigh, at least I can see the light at the end of a tunnel, hope it’s not a train….
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How on earth did all the ol’ time players do it? Train rides between cities, years without getting hurt (enough to not play), sick (same), and be happy with little pay – and be very happy doing it?
Hang in there, Gil! You’re doing a GREAT job in your recovery. At least you can now walk (a little) for which I am thankful to God for hearing our prayers. I’ve tried to imagine how it would be to try learn to walk again – and just can’t come up with anything anywhere close to what it must be like. Cap is off to you, my friend!
Who on earth is going to “replace” Chipper as team leader next year??? If they are this dependent on him, I don’t even want to think of what it will be like when he isn’t there at all. Life without Chipper. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?
Sorta like life without Skip – just ain’t ever going to be the same – or even close to it.
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Morning folks, so the Braves finally put Jones on the DL and call up a catcher (TBA) as Ross went down last night, It is just one of those stretches the Braves will have to ride out. Nobody is going to feel sorry for them. Best be learning how to play without your best guys. It is called good pitching….
I could not believe Huddy gave up all those runs last night but that is the way the baseball goods do it, give some, take some. It all evens out in the long run…
I have been saying for some time now, the Nationals are a team that can put some crooked numbers on you in a hurry, they just needed pitching. Looks like they have all the components now except a strong bullpen.
Oh well, I survived being a Braves fan during the lean years in the 70’s and 80’s, I’ll survive this…. I don’t have to like it but I will survive it…
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Ouch, this streak is beginning to have some consequences. The Marlins and the Mets have caught us… Maybe the Braves are getting their September swoon over and out of the way early…
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Gil, I know there are injuries the team is dealing with…but…the Marlins have had not one, but two closers go down (Storen, Lidge) Lost their starting catcher for the year, lost their right fielder for a few months(Caveman, can’t think of his name,and this has to be written fast) their main left fielder hasn’t played a game this year either, Morse…so, how much can we blame the braves woes on injuries/sickness?
Of course, no team has had to play as many games in 35 day period as the braves…they ought to sue…someone….
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Well, the good news is…ummm, er…well…the Phils lost too, so we are not in last place…yet… Braves with RISP, 0 for 3. Nats with RISP, 4 for 10. I know there was a game earlier in the week where the braves went oh for the game as well…more than 3 chances that day. Won’t it be fun to see Gio Gonzalez throwing against the braves for the next several seasons?
And is Livan Hernandez the guy in close games? 3rd game in 4 days, and he pitched 3 innings. and he’s…wink, wink, nudge, nudge, 37 and never been anything but a starter…he’s it? All those arms at AAA, and we can’t risk them not pitching well in the bigs?
I can’t wait to see Durbin(who to be fair, has been better of late) and Livan coming in against the AL lineups….Medlen and Venters look quite human right now….Venters was hitting 95, yet everyone was teeing off on him Friday night…lefties are pounding him…but, be patient….lose a ton of games early, and hope you get in via the weakened playoff schedule….sigh….
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Happy Memorial Day!!!
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Greetings fellow Braves fans… Day game today, chance to turn this thing around. You cannot do anything about the games you have lost. Just right the ship.
Yep, the Nats are tough this year. Long season however.
Jonny Venters is looking very much like the pitcher I saw when he was being used as a starter for the Richmond Braves way back when. Sad…. very, very sad…. must be shoulder issues, over throwing to compensate. It happens when you are riding hard and put away wet too many times…
I thought Beachy was throwing a very nice game last night, I thought Freddi was a little quick with the hook. I was thinking Livian was a bad choice to bring in but they did not call me so I had no say so in the deal….
Okay, going to lie down now and watch the game.
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Gil, hope you slept right on through it! V sure picked the right week to go on vacation…hopefully tv and radio reception are terrible there…
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Ber, I was just thinking, it is all Raisin’s fault… the losing streak that is. It all coincides with him being on vacation… he apparently took all of the hitting and pitching with him.
I thought Tommy was living on the edge the first two innings, then it all came crashing in on him. You just cannot tempt fate that many times without consequences.
Of course, we could all say it is Freddie’s fault for sitting Bourne in the middle of a hot streak. I just think the team has gotten into a rut that is deep and wide. Began with Chipper going down and the end is still a couple of weeks away. Hope the hole won’t be too deep to recover from but, well, you know…
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I could have sworn I left somebody in charge of pitching and hitting (and fielding) while I was away!!! 😡
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Sure V, blame someone else! 😛
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The squeamish may not want to look at this, but according to John Kincade from 680theFan (the Braves flagship station here in the A), “Francoeur first 232 career games had 43HR and 148 RBI and .270BA Heyward first 318 career games (86 more) has 38HR and 137 RBI and .253BA”
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Ouch! 😯
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Ouch indeed! And did you see this in the latest DOB blog???
Jason Heyward has hit .189 (21-for-111) with 31 strikeouts, a .297 OBP and .351 slugging percentage (.648 OPS) in his past 33 games, with one multi-hit game in that stretch. In his past 16 games he has three doubles and one homer in 55 at-bats, with a .262 OBP and .291 slugging percentage.
At yet, he does look better at the plate, doesn’t he??? Or am I delusional?
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Hey, how about a quick update on what former braves are doing this year? (What am I a masochist? yes, had to look it up to see how to spell it)
Remember how sad we all were when Melky Cabrera left? Me neither. well, last year he hit 18 HR’s and drove in 87 while hitting .305. Surely he wouldn’t do the same thing this year, at the ripe old age of 27, right? Nope…this year he’s hitting .368 for the Giants, and leads the league with 74 hits?
Frenchy? .282 BA, but only 5 HR’s and 14 RBI’s. weird.
Kelly Johnson, 9 HR’s 26 RBi’s and .263.
Gregor Blanco, one of the feel good stories of the year, .290 Ba, .403 OBP(also for the Giants)
Yunel Escobar .262 BA, .313 OBP. Don’t miss him a bit.
Nate McLouth, .140 BA, released by the Pirates, what in the world happened to him????
Jordan Schafer, .260 BA, was hot in April, ice cold in May.
There must be some others I have seen, and was going to mention , but forgot them…hopefully very soon, we will have some braves on the team worth talking about!
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I wouldn’t mind having Frenchy back in LF with JHey in right…
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Sorry Rasins. looks like you will have to settle for “George” instead.
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Had my car towed to my mechanic’s place this morning. He called this afternoon. Rear-most cylinder is full of coolant. *sigh*
Did I ever mention that you should stay as far away as possible from a 3.8 liter engine designed by Ford in the mid-90s??
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I love AAA Premium!
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I see that order has been restored upon my return. Makes me feel kinda special. 🙂
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Yes Raisins, you will not be allowed to take vacations in the summer ever again… 🙂
CL, I really liked the 3.8 in my Buicks. You just cannot expect to get 1,00, 000 miles out of your car without a little maintenance. Still, I’ll bet that made it really run funky.
Now baseball… Whew, that was a nerve racking win. Better than a gut wrenching loss but I digress…
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Busy guy: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSSports/status/207873915853352962
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn to run, CF
2- Marteeen, 3B
3- Big Mac, C
4- Forearms, 2B
5- Goggles, 1B
6- Wayward, RF
7- George Constanza, LF
8- One-eyed Jack Wilson, SS
9- Hudson Hornet, P
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CL, sorry about that! 😦 I can’t swear to it, but I think there was some class action suit against some ford V6 , might have been earlier…my Dad had a friend that had near constant problems with the engine in a Ford Taurus late 80s/early 90’s…I’ll ask what he remembers….probably too late now…sadly, there is a reason so many people went to imports in the 80s and 90s and it wasn’t just price alone….
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Some funny names there V! 😆
Constanza??? when did he get called up???
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B, he came up and played last night. Played a pretty decent game, too. Medlen was sent down to “stretch out” and Georgie was the corresponding callup. Seems that we are down a reliever at the moment. And if you consider that pitching Livan really is like tossing gas on the fire, we’re down 2.
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DOB “relieves” the reliever shortage as thus: “Delgado will be available in ‘pen at D.C., and if Braves use him they’d skip his start Tues. at Miami (they have off day Monday).”
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He goes on to say that the “Braves plan to keep extra catcher through Nationals series, then replace with a pitcher (provided Ross has no setbacks)”
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You have to admit, Constanza does add spark. Freddi with a well hit jack in the first tonight. Goggles worked..
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Well… this one caught me a little by surprise. Pastornicky is sent down to AAA Gwinnett and Simmons is called up. Fredi says he’ll be in the starting lineup Friday night in DC. 😯
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Wow, that is a surprise. Not sure what the pastor did to piss off Freddi G and Frank Wren, Maybe they are going to work him out in centerfield..
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Okay, looks like the brass wanted at least one guy who can play shortstop available. Have to agree, watching the game last night, at least 3 balls hit to the 6 hole should have been caught/stopped.
Often we don’t know what we had until it’s gone. Pretty easy to lay blame on the pitching staff for the Braves’ ills of late but the team defense has been a porous as a flour sifter of late.
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Could be that his fielding percentage was lowest among all major league SS, and that he was getting worse? Just a guess… 😉
Must really suck, though, to know that “the future franchise SS” just got called up in front of you. How do you overcome that? Maybe he can rebuild some trade value…
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Wow, that is surprising! Guess I have missed a fair bit of the early part of games(Play trivia Mon thru Wed nights til 9 PM, and of course hearing the games on the way home, isn’t the same as watching) I didn’t think he was terrible…Jack Wilson played last night.
Tyler hasn’t done a whole lot at the plate. .248 BA, .289 OBP. Simmons is hitting .292, so hopefully, he will provide a spark.
Constanza really did yesterday, didn’t he? If you ask me, if a certain RF, who is hitting .209 in May is still stinking up the place when Chipper is back, he needs to do what he did last August, and keep the bench nice and warm….
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I do not necessarily believe in a knee jerk reaction to a guy who is still a kid (JHey), but he certainly gets much more of a pass than Frenchy ever did. That said, he is still a kid and can certainly get it turned around.
As to Pastor, yeah… he was pretty loose out there. And for a team that had Gonzo scooping up anything and everything in his vicinity over the last couple of years, it was tough to watch. His offense was acceptable, and fine for a #8 guy. Honestly, I do not expect anything more at the plate from Simmons. But this is all about defense, and many scouts – I have read – say that Simmons will already be among the best defensive SS in MLB, if not the best. I agree with the move, and look forward to seeing another vacuum cleaning up everything on the left side. I bet our pitchers do, too.
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There is some thought that Pastornicky was a “get by” until June 1 to save an extra arb year on Simmons. Hmmm… coincidence that tomorrow, when Simmons will be activated, is June 1? I think I may concur with the conspiracy theorists on this one. Simmons seemed to have won the job in Spring, as I recall.
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I agree Raisins, it is likely about retaining the rights to a guy long term if your expectations are such. Simmons had the inside track until it was evident he could not hit water falling out of a boat. Another Tony Perez Jr.
What do you do Ber… learn a new position. Centerfield would be a good spot to start… He is not as good as Bourne but I think Michael will be roaming the outfield for some other team next year. One which has deep pockets.
So, Magic Mike starts tonight for the Braves, we can only hope can’t we… At least it is not Monday.
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Simmons had the inside track until it was evident he could not hit water falling out of a boat
Actually, he incurred the infamous oblique strain and couldn’t swing a bat. He delayed reporting it to the trainers because he wanted to keep going out with the big boys. Problem was, suddenly “he could not hit water falling out of a boat”. But that was the result of injury, not ability… or lack thereof.
According to the ajc, Simmons was hitting .292 w/ 14 XBH (including 3 HR), a .372 OBP and 10 SB in 43 games at AA Mississippi before Wednesday. And don’t forget, he’s a kid. He was a 2nd round draft pick in 2010… yep, less than 2 years in professional baseball.
But the kid is a defensive whiz, and that’s why he’ll be on the field. Anything we get from him offensively in the 8 hole will be gravy.
But perhaps most importantly, what will we call him? Simmy? Andy? This one is gonna be tough…
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I think Michael will be roaming the outfield for some other team next year
I had this discussion with a young fella last night, and we both are in agreement that we shouldn’t write him off just yet.
I’ll tell ya why…
Do you know that the Braves only have $15MM committed for next season? That is 3rd lowest among all of MLB. Now, that does not include any team options, and certainly the Braves will exercise Mac’s $12MM option for next season. But the point is still made. There will be great flexibility for the first time in several years. To underscore that, the longest commitment the Braves currently have out is to Uggla who is signed through 2015.
Now, that said, most believe that the Braves will lock up Mac with “Chipper’s money” once it is off the books. Well, as the great Quickdraw McGraw once said, “Hold on there, Baba Louie!” The debate is well chronicled. Once Yadier Molina inked his 5 year, $75MM extension in St. Louis, the playing field changed dramatically. Popular thought is that Mac has to get at least the same time and length. And honestly, he should… but not from Atlanta.
Heresy! you say. I say nay.
First, can you honestly give $15MM+ a year (he can probably command $20MM from someone) to a guy who only plays 120 games a year? And that is if he stays healthy. He’s a catcher for cryin’ out loud. He won’t stay healthy. And last I checked, he is aging not getting younger. He would be 34 at the end of the deal. Not that old for you and me, but for an elite MLB player, and a catcher at that…
Now, if the Braves were an AL team (shudder at the thought), it might be different. Then he could catch 110 games – if healthy, big IF – and DH another 30 or so. Then it’s viable. But I’m not giving that money over those years to a catcher.
Now… 5-6 years at $15MM per is exactly the kind of money that Bourn will be looking at. And I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s a good year to go after a CF. The big spenders all have their CF position well in hand. Look across the landscape of the AL East and NL East, then look at the Rangers, Angels, Dodgers… only Philly will be looking for a CF, and that’s if they don’t re-up with Victorino (which I expect to happen).
As for catchers, the Yanks need one on a bad way, and they can let the boy DH a couple of times a week. And we all know that the Braves will never outbid NYY. Never. Ted Turner left the building a long time ago.
Let’s hope that 20 year old Christian Bethancourt continues to develop. We might just need him in 2014.
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2night’s lineup, if they can get past the 100% chance of thunderstorms predicted for the DC area:
1- Bourn to run, CF
2- Marteeen, 3B
3- Big Mac, C
4- Forearms, 2B
5- Goggles, 1B
6- Wayward, RF
7- Some new kid wearing #19, SS
8- Mike Minor league in my future of I don’t get my butt turned around, LHP
9- Flash Constanza, LF
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And who was the last Brave to wear #19?
Scott Linebrink… but who was the last Brave before Linedrive to wear #19?
Yunel Escobar.
Let’s hope it works out better for Andy… 😉
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Game has been postponed for tonight. Most of the rain has been to the west of me by about 20iles but have had some to get the grass wet.
Now baseball… Too many moving parts for me right now. Right about BMac however. Don’t see the Braves shelling out BIG money for a part time player.
Then again, you don’t know that the National Leagues won’t adopt the DH…
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Then again, you don’t know that the National Leagues won’t adopt the DH…
😯
Don’t… even… utter… such … atrocity!
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So Fredi says that Pastornicky is going down to become a utility player like Omar. I hope it works out for him… and the Braves. Seems like a reasonable idea, anyway.
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Well, Minor didn’t lose! 😛 lots of good comments above…been fighting a cold for a few weeks…not fighting too well it appears. 😕 Really low on energy. It’s bad when you can read whats on the web, but can’t find the energy to post something…anyway…I am reading the good stuff. I feel a bit sorry for the Pastor, hope he makes it back as a jack of all trades. Worked for Infante and Prado to the point they are both now full timers…4:05 game today(wouldn’t it have made sense to make up the game, say today? Both teams should be rested. Two days off in a row, the braves must have loved that…
Don’t know what to say about Borne vs McCann. If McCann was hitting .310 and had 40 RBI’s I bet everyone would be saying you have to re-sign him…but, he isn’t. Ross and that late bloomer whose name escapes me, might make a good tandem…Borne + Prado do make a good 1 2 punch.
V, I know you will hate me for saying this, but the DH doesn’t bother me too much. I lost a lot of my purity of the game feelings when Wrigley got lights. HATED that. Of course every other park did it, but it still bothered me.
heck, I just read about some HOF’er that is nearly forgotten today Either it was Tris Speaker, or Harry Heilmann (Check out the stats on Harry Heilmann, http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/heilmha01.shtml and wonder why you never hear about him as one of the all time greats…he had bad arthritis in his wrists, he could clearly still hit at the end of his somewhat shortened career) was hit in the face with a hit ball, missed an inning, (someone else played center I , must of been Tris then) then was allowed to go back out there. Thought there were no substitutions ever?
I really hate the pitcher hitting when the guy is hitting .111 and the bases are loaded. Whatever.won’t lose sleep over it one way or the other. We will need someone DHing more and more the more games we play in AL parks in the coming seasons…
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Boy, the umps really give Strasburg a wide strike zone, they must think he is Greg Maddux or somebody…
Ber, sorry to hear you are ailing, must be the nasty little flu bug that is going around under the radar. Well, for Atlanta, not so under the wire.
It would have been a beautiful day to drive up to DC but I still am a bit unsteady on my feet and there is a lot of walking involved to get to the Nationals Park. I am shooting for August now and hoping to see Chipper play one last time.
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I really need to see a ballgame! I’m reading names which have no faces (to me).
“CL, I really liked the 3.8 in my Buicks.” Was it made by Ford??
“You just cannot expect to get 1,000,000 miles out of your car without a little maintenance.” Really, Gil?? This is engine #4 in 18 years, just over 108,000 miles. All the same problem. All the same engine by Ford. At least this one will be a completely “remanufactured” engine.
“Still, I’ll bet that made it really run funky.” Yes, it did! But after initially getting it rolling, it smoothed right out.
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Just my annual hello, y’all.
You’re missed. You’re wanted. You’re needed. You’re certainly not forgotten.
I guess I have two main feelings. First, as it was my original, we need you back. Second, and probably more important, I’ve come to realize y’all are right. The old place is a cesspool, concealing fewer and fewer gems all the time. I wish I could stop. I truly do.
But, forget all that. All that matters: I wish y’all well. Go Braves.
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“I love AAA Premium!”
As a guy who’ll drive a rear-wheel-drive B-body (last made 15 years ago) as long as is feasible, you speak truth, woman.
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And, Berigan, that’s not only ’cause I’m cheap. I’m not sayin’ it’s not mostly ’cause I’m cheap, just that it’s not only.
Figure that out y’all. That was like 17 negatives.
And, forgive the intrusion. Be well.
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BAS!!! Wish I had checked in, in the middle of your posts! And I was going to say something about annual visit(or is it bi-Annual?) but as I scrolled up, I see you bet me to it! Are you happy about that? 😕
Yeah, I too go over there to see whats what, and I see some perfectly good posts…but so many that make my brain bleed, and me weep for humanity! 😦
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Yes Steve, I know… Still, I find many of my observations are ignored over there. Some for good reason… besides, it is cozy here. I think all of us who frequent the ol’ B&S have lots to say, we’ve been here a long time now, long enough to respect everyone else’s opinion without going all stupid on folks. Besides, good folks like yourself still know where to find us.
It was a good game yesterday, despite the loss. Strasburg was really sharp yesterday, so much so, the ump was giving him pitches 6 inched off the plate for strikes.
Poor Jonny, he seems very frustrated right now. I’m pretty sure he is hiding an injury.
So, Meds did not fare well in his triple A debut. Think about how frustrated Buddy Carlyle must feel. Knowing that he is near the bottom of a very long list of pitchers who have a chance to be in the majors this year.
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Okay, day game today, right? It is absolutely beautiful outside today. Almost fall like in the cool morning with low humidity. Not a good day for the global warming folks I fear. Too bad for them…
Sorry CL, I thought you drove a Buick…
You could always tell when the engine was going bad with the GM 3.8 liters by the drastic change in fuel consumption. You did not really notice much change in performance but all of a sudden, you would find you were only getting about 14 MPG…
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CL.. At some point, you are going to have to break down a buy the sports package… 🙂
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whats with all these days off??? 😕
Draft day! what cheap, easy to sign player will the braves go after? double 😕
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They are on the clock right now… watching closely…
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Lucas Sims, RHP, Brookwood HS, GA, DOB: 05/10/94
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Lucas Sims is a two-pitch pitcher right now with a mid-90s fastball and hard curveball.
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6’2″, 195 lb., throws in the lower-90s and can occasionally get it into the mid- to upper-90s, and has both a slider and a curveball, with BA describing all three pitches as plus pitches. Sims also has a changeup which he reportedly throws more than most high school pitching prospects, even though it is his weakest pitch.
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1994??? Wow…doesn’t that make one feel….old????
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sounds good!
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Who knows? Could be Adam Wainright; could be Brett DeVall. Much time must pass…
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STEVE!! I had given up! You are aware, aren’t you, that you have a life-time pass here? It doesn’t wear out, either! Sure hope you’ll be able to stop in more frequently. Thanks for stopping in! We all enjoyed hearing from you!!
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Gil, no Buick. ’94 Mercury Sable GS, 108k+ something miles on it. Did I mention that this is the 4th engine it has had??
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Joey Terdo was so disappointing at AAA Gwinnett this year that he has been demoted to AA. Braves bought, er, traded “cash considerations” to Toronto to bring Ruben Gotay back to the organization to play 3B at Gwinnett. Gotay was hitting .346 w/ .435 OBP, 3 XBH (all doubles) in 92 PAs for Triple-A Las Vegas in the Jays system.
Makes me wonder just how severe Chipper’s leg injury is. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but all indications are that Chipper won’t even be close on Friday when he is eligible to be activated. Now the Braves make an adjustment at 3B at their highest minor league level?
One thing is clear. The Braves are not happy with Juan Francisco. And to be honest, the guy can’t play a MLB level defense. His future lies in the AL where he can swing for the fences as a DH. (Think Rob Deer…) I wonder if bringing Gotay back is a precursor to Francisco being included in a deal? It is June, and the rumor mill is already turning. The Braves have to address their pitching (who would have thought?) and Francisco might be a decent trade piece to the right club.
As for the big picture, there is no clear 3B replacement in the system. Is Prado the guy? I love him, but I love him more in LF. I would prefer more pop out of my 3B.
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Didn’t Freddie Freeman move to first base from third? Could move back if push came to shove and a first baseman was all that was available.
Sure does seem the Braves are buying a lot of minor league players. I can’t remember so many cash deals being made.
Great game Sunday by the way. To be honest, I would not given a nickle as to the Braves chance after Hanson gave up back to back dingers to leas off the game. I guess it shows why you have to play all 9 innings to win a game.
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We’re in pitching trouble already?? This is the first week of June, isn’t it?
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Whatever happened to the Japanese guy who was permanently demoted to Mississippi?
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CL, http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/27/kenshin-kawakami-is-headed-back-to-japan/
Wow, great game by Hudson last night! Glad he was allowed to finish the game, instead of taking him out after 7 innings in a blowout, and allowing the Marlins to score some runs, and end up burning thru a few arms for no reason.
I think it was the first multi hit game for Heyward since May 11th!
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Yes, it is always entertaining when you are on the good end of an 10-0 blowout. No so much when you are the one being shutout.
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Thanks, Ber!
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2 night’s lineup:
1- Mikey Bourn, CF
2- Marty Prado, 3B
3- Mackie McCann, C
4- Danny Uggla, 2B
5- Freddie Freeman, 1B
6- Jasey Heyward, RF
7- Andy Simmons, SS
8- Randy Delgado, P
9- Georgie Constanza, LF
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DOB tweets “#Braves have signed first 6 picks, Sims, Wood, De La Rosa, Black, Brown, Elander. Getting guys wrapped up and ready to play.”
Good stuff!
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Good morning folks, what a dominating performance by Delgado last night, the kid showed what he is capable of.
Tough break for Freddie Freeman and the Braves last night too. Talk about a freakish injury, and of course there is no x-ray machine at the ballpark, with the money Loria spent on that giant eyesore out in centerfield, the visiting players should be thankful they have running water and indoor plumbing.
Washington continues to win, they absolutely own the Mets this year. Looks like the pack is falling back but still only two games out. The Braves can only take care of their own business and hope someone can step up against the Nats. Still a lot of baseball to be played by everyone and from what I can remember, they do not hand out trophies for finishing in first at the All-Star break… That is, unless you are in the Sallie league…
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The intrepid beat writer reports that X-rays are negative; there is NO break in Freddie’s finger. The other Fredi says that Freddie #1 should miss just a couple of games.
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Chance for the Braves to move closer to the Nats if they can sweep the fish. No easy task when your best hitters are on the bench. At least Mike Minor is not toeing it up on a Monday.
Dodgers sweep a 4 game series from the fillies… first time they have done that since they moved to LA. Oh how the mighty have fallen… Still early though and I suspect there is still some fight in that old dog.
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I suspect there is still some fight in that old dog
Ah, and thus you have hit on the Philistines’ main issue… they got old. We all saw it coming, and it has arrived with a vengeance. I for one am not crying the first tear.
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Evening all, sitting here watching the game and have to say Simmons made one of the best plays by a shortstop I have seen in ages. It is the top of the ninth and the Braves are holding onto a 4-2 lead.
And as I type, Heyward hits another moon shot to center… Double wow, this could be just what the Braves need to get them going.
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Agreed on all points, Gil.
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Yep from me too! I think Heyward was scared by a little guy…did NOT want to ride the bench again…2 homers in a game first time since 2010!
Since when did Borne become a power hitter? Not a bad thing from a leadoff hitter.
And yes, Simmons play was amazing!
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As long as Bourne picks his spots, I don’t mind him hitting the long ball on occasion, but that is not his bread and butter. Homeruns can be the bane of a lead-off hitter when they start going all Ricky Henderson… Next thing you know, a bunch of warning track first outs.
I opined across the street on how Simmons is very Andruw Jones like in that he makes very difficult plays look easy. Even the spectacular DP he started last night, he did not look stressed. He did look a bit surprised by the over the shoulder catch in center in the ninth but even so…
Even Josie is impressed by him and that is saying something, she is not easily taken in by the hype often associated with the young kids. Anywho, great comeback for the Braves following that awful 8 game skid. Looks like they have got their feet under themselves now. Next guy to be gone methinks is Fancisco.
He will be Juan gone and then Atlanta will be sans Francisco….
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Gil, I believe Francisco will be dealt before July 31. Even if he is dealt for a Langerhansian return. (Who was that PTBNL anyway? I never heard! 😯 ) JuanFran has zero minor league options remaining, so it’s trade or release. I am convinced he’ll be traded. He adds nothing to this team. At least Ruben Gotay can field…
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Being the “homer” that I am, I really wanted to see Juan Fancisco do well, that said, he has been exactly what the Reds saw in him that spring, a young kid who failed to realize he was being given an opportunity to become an everyday third baseman for a major league baseball team. He showed up overweight and lazy.
What we have seen is years of getting by with the big fly (drive in more than let in) mentality. I guess he is still mesmerized by the 500 footer he hit last season because he keeps trying to duplicate it. If so, he needs to borrow one of Sammy Sosa’s corked specials and pray it does not break on him.
My bet is he would clear waivers pretty easily right now. He might be a decent project given an opportunity to cut down on his swing in triple A. He is a strong kid but that big swing of his makes him very susceptible to off speed pitches and high fast balls because he can’t catch up to them.
That and every ball hit to third makes me cringe just like hitting one in the six hole with Pasternicky paying short.
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Just watched our boy Francisco strike out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. Even with 2 strikes he was loaded for bear. That bugs me…
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Exactly my point Raisins. Always trying to hit a 500 foot, five run homer… Net results.. NADA…
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Nice win by the Braves by the way, the game was way too long (almost 4 hours) but it sure was interesting.
Jack Wilson may be the best bunter I have seen. Heck of a deal to be making a million dollars to bunt but it is what it is. Heyward looks to be playing with energy again. No, he isn’t getting hits every at bat but he is getting more hits. I don’t know, he just looks more confident.
I think it will be interesting to see who gets sent back down when Chipper comes back. Likely Boscan. I am thinking the Braves will make a decision on Francisco too. Too bad they sold Sutton to the Pirates who flipped him to the Rays. I think he could have been a lot more serviceable that long Juan…
Constanza is an automatic strike one…. He does that little move to bunt but pulls off the ball, it drives me crazy, not like you are going to fool anyone in the majors with that move. Too many eyes and way too much video to keep a secret.
Poor Henski, he looks like he needs a blow… I think the combination of weight and age has caught up with him.
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now that was a game! Goofy, weird, fun, but a fun game! And Heyward does seem more alive, doesn’t he??? One of those things that has irked me of late, and it’s what irks me most of the time with the team is about moola. Meaning we can’t usually get a really exciting player. Someone that makes you pay more attention to what they are doing. Nats have a few guys like that, but that’s because they were terrible. But, the Angels used smart scouting to get Mike Trout(think he was something like a 26th pick) Anyway, I was lead to believe by all the hype that the JHey Kid was one of those guys, and he was for half a season or so…Now, Stanton is the guy that hits the ball with such batspeed, such force that infielders must sweat. Base coaches must sweat…really, the only guy that gives me a jolt to watch is Kimbrel…but we saw Heyward about single handedly won the game last night. It was EXCITING! I hope his confidence is back, as we know it’s so important to a player….
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and sorry I missed the Smoltz ceremonies before the game…but heard them say during the game that Prado is a bit like him, such a hard worker…and I saw Prado make 3 great plays at 3rd last night…I really believe now that he can will himself into being an above average 3rd baseman. Now…if we lose Borne(hope not!) but if we do, and Prado goes to 3rd, no excuse not getting some semi to real bopper to play LF….and we will be ok at 3rd..
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A very nice pitching performance today by Tommy Hanson. I think he is well suited to pitch in the American League. Perhaps someone will be interested in him this fall.
Teheran to pitch Sunday if they can squeeze the game in between raindrops. Chipper Jones may or may not be in the line up depending on how he feels.
Prado played a heck of a third base today. The kid impresses me a bit more everyday. I have to say, he is a gamer. while he is not a shortstop or a catcher, I would not be surprised to see him play either position if called upon to do so.
While J-Hey did not get a hit today, he did make a highlight reel worthy catch on a dying quail in the 7th inning. Good for him. Nothing like getting shown up by a 19 year old rookie (Bryce Harper) to get you going in this game. Isn’t that all we ask, to give it your all everyday? Jason is still really young, hard for us to remember that sometimes, I think he is going to be a superstar someday. We just have to wait for it to happen.
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So, think we will need a closer Sunday? If so, who? I don’t think Kimbrel does three in a row….
By the way, Jonny looks better. Not at the top of his game but better.
On Uggla’s diving catch to end the game… Those things hurt! I know, I have done a couple of them in my day and I can still feel it. It is especially true when you still don’t make the catch!!!
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Can we please get rid of the dinosaur Livan! 😡
I said it when he trotted his fat butt out of the bullpen that he’d give up the lead, and 3 straight hits later, he did.
And as I type, a 4th hit drives in another. PLEASE! Frank, get rid of this guy!!!
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Now he allows a hit to the pitcher – an AL pitcher, for cryin’ out loud, followed by a 2 run dinger to Lawrie. Can we just escort him straight to the parking lot. Get some clubhouse boy to dump the contents of his locker in a box, and just go straight to Capital Ave.
AAARRRGGGHHH. As I type, Rasmus knocks one out! Livan has now given up 7 hits and 5 ER in 1 1/3 innings. Oh, and he let 3 baserunners charged to Teheran score.
Man, he sucks.
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V, you know who sucks more than Livan??? Freddi! He took Teheran (SP) out because it was 4-1 in the 4th…bases loaded…and didn’t want you know…to have a big inning….now I kinda-sorta understand wanting him to go back down feeling confident…but sometimes you have to see if a guy can get out of a bases loaded situation, you know? If he had, had pitched one more inning…gets a win…it would have been as good as Minor’s “Best” start in a few months the other day…
But to bring in Livan…what was the joke about Bobby putting players in the best position to win?(might have been true years ago with him) I had a Bobby flashback when I heard Livan hadn’t been in a game since May 27th. Really? Guy hasn’t pitched in a game in 2 weeks and you bring him in when the braves are up by 3 runs, and the bases are loaded? and you keep him in after what, 7 straight hits? Why??? Afraid of having to use the good arms in the bullpen for a 4th/5th straight game, so better to lose?
I know….overreaching a bit…a bit….but Martinez was warming up…why did he let Livan LOSE the game???? Makes ZERO sense to me!!!!!!!!!!
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Yep, that move was wrong on so many levels. Okay, the kid was just missing, if you are going to bring in a reliever in that spot, you need a ground ball guy, not a guy who on a good day throws a BP speed fast
ball. I understand the rational of the move but you have to have the right guys in place to make it work.
Reminds me of relieving John Smoltz with Charlie Liebrant… same results too.
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I guess there will be a lot of cap tipping after the game.
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Gil…I bow to you…..
On why went with Hernandez in that situation with bases loaded
“Who else would you like me to go with? If you give me a suggestion we can talk about it. I could have brought in [Craig] Kimbrel there. Some of the SABR people thought that would be a good spot. In these situations, the fifth inning of a game, is a perfect situation for [Hernandez] with all the experience he can wiggle out of there. He’s not going to spook in that situation. They got him. You have to tip your hat to the Toronto Blue Jays.”
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Guys, I really like Fredi G. I thought him to be a good fit for the transition from Bobby Cox. That said, there are a couple of things Fredi Lacks, one is fire. He hardly ever come out of the dugout to defend his players, Bobby would take one for the team in a heartbeat. Cost him a lot of money over the years but won him a lot of respect from his players because they knew he always had their back. He would never, never throw a player under the bus, not in public anyway, they would simply be moved to other teams if they did not “play the game the right way”…
The second is mental acumen, they say a manager only wins or loses around a dozen games a year with the moves he makes, well, yesterday was one of the loses… He said to DOB, who do you suggest I bring in? Now, I could see the validity of taking Teheran out in that spot, I also could have lived with leaving him in, the kid has to learn how to get out of jams like that sometime, why not then? Who do you bring in? I’m thinking someone who can induce a ground ball. Is that not why Chad Durbin is on the team?
Durbin would have finished the inning and then you could have brought in Matinez or Hernandez to pitch another 3 or 4.
So, instead you have an epidemic of cap tipping. Settling instead of going for the jugular. You have to have the killer instinct in professional sports. You cannot feel sorry for your opponent. That is for storybooks and Little League. When you are charging for the privilege of watching you play, you owe it to the fans to provide value for their money. A half hearted effort is not satisfactory. To tell the truth, if I were Frank Wren I would offer every patron of yesterday’s game an apology and a refund for the weak effort displayed on the field, I would tell Fredi to get his act together PDQ or he will be sending out his resume’ by July.
It is his job to know who can do what, when and where. No, I don’t expect the team to win every game but I don’t expect them to roll over and play dead either.
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I’ll even give you this…
There are certainly times when you do have to “tip your cap” to the other team. Heck, other teams have been tipping their caps to the Braves alot lately. But yesterday was NOT one of those days. The move was bad in theory, was bad in reality, and even worse in retrospect. And the tell tale sign that Fredi knew he screwed the pooch was his reaction when questioned. He got very defensive. I was watching the Q&A when he did that, and was extremely disappointed. He lost a ton of respect in my book. In fact, in my opinion, he no longer merits the great honor of being on the B&S banner. He’s a short timer anyway.
You never want to be the guy that follows the legend. You want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows the legend. But you especially don’t want to be the guy who follows the legend and sucks as a manager. He has had several questionable moves from the ‘pen since he’s been here. Yesterday’s was just blatantly obvious. I still maintain that Livan should never toe the rubber again Los Bravos. If you want experience, go down and get Paul Byrd. If you want to get guys out, bring in someone who can pitch.
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Suddenly, Terry Pendleton doesn’t seem like such a bad managerial candidate after all…
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Braves are 34-26 on the season, including 0-8 on Mondays. What what?
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that really is amazing! 4-4 and the braves would be 38-22
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Afternoon guys, killing a little time before going to rehab this afternoon.
Thinking that Fredi “jumped the shark” yesterday….
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On the Monday record… Can pray for rain but must remember to specific as to time and amount…. Otherwise it will start raining in the 5th inning while behind or 4th inning while ahead… Also a fast way to “burn” a starter.
Now, managing your pitchers. Sometimes you just have to let your pitchers work out of the mess they have got themselves into. Otherwise, at the first sign of trouble, they will be looking into the dugout for the hook.
Now, it is one thing to come get a guy who has thrown 100 pitches or so but to get out the hook on a low pitch count, that is how you burn out your bullpen.
Still, it is up to the GM to provide the hosses to pull the wagon, the manger has to know how to drive them….
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I think I may have to wander across the street to see what is being slung over there…
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Wow… before getting to the carnage, I read through today’s DOB blog. Here is a startling statistic: With runners on base, Livan has allowed a .386 average (22-for-57), .439 OBP and .526 slugging percentage.
Yet Fredi brought him in with the game still very much in the balance…. for his “experience”. Dadgummit! That really chaps my posterior portion! 😡
I’m supposed to be OK with that glaring managerial blunder because “In these situations, the fifth inning of a game, is a perfect situation for [Hernandez] with all the experience he can wiggle out of there. He’s not going to spook in that situation. They got him. You have to tip your hat to the Toronto Blue Jays.” They got him alright. And according to the numbers, so have almost half of all other batters in the same situation.
Let me tell you what the “perfect situation” for Livan is: slow pitch softball. Do y’all realize that the pitch (if you can call it that… more like a toss) that Lawrie drove to LF was a 66mph curve? I once coached an 11-year-old with better stuff!
Gotta tell you, that pretty much does it for me. I have been patient, but that’s just too blatant. I am officially on the “Fire Fredi” bandwagon. Whatever this team achieves this season will be on the merit of talent alone.
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And for my money, forget stretching Medlen out as a starter. Bring him back as long man (sure wish we had him yesterday… difference between W/L) and give Teheran the shot he deserves.
Actually, how about letting JJ have a few starts so he can have some semblance of trade value?
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You know, the more I think about it, the madder I get. Not only was it an amateurish bonehead decision, he knew it was an amateurish bonehead decision. He knew he made an egregious mistake, and was expecting the inevitable questions about it. But rather than have a semi-reasonable retort, and accepting the responsibility a manager should shoulder, he gives us, “Who else would you like me to go with? If you give me a suggestion we can talk about it.”
😡
OK… how about Durbin, who throws a heavy sinker and induces a ton of ground balls? How about Martinez, who has a much higher K/9 rate? Heck, how about me? Even with my old ragged surgically repaired right shoulder, I can still bring it better than 66 mph! Even my curve (it’s all in the grip… breaks pretty good still) gets up there quicker than that. Gads… was Smoltzie still in town? I’d take ANYBODY over Livan. Maybe David Ross could have pitched to Livan. Why not? Livan’s built like a backstop. (No, not backstop as in slang for catcher. Backstop like… a backstop.) And Ross can throw to 2B quicker than Livan gets it to the plate!
Could they have activated Roger McDowell?
Man I’m ill… I hate excuses. Hate them! It speaks to the character of the man. I am so disappointed…
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Well, Rasins, looks like you feel pretty much the way I felt yesterday. Today, I’m over it, no, I have not forgotten it, I’ll put it in my memory bank for later use but right now, it time to get ready for the Stankees. But having said that, anyone remember when Fredi had Andruw Jones intentionally walked when he was batting .080 or so? I haven’t.
Anyway, I suspect Frank Wren refused to call Fredi after yesterday’s game because he would have been mad too, except he is the guy who put Livian on the team. Don’t get mad at the dog for being a dog….
And yeah, Fredi should have owned up to it….
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I am over getting over it. I lost my respect for him yesterday. It’s gone like a hanging curve slammed into the LF stands. Done. Kaput. Fin.
Fire Fredi.
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The only tiny thought in Freddi’s favor taking out Teheran was a fear of blowing out his arm….but that’s it. as V pointed out, Durbin would have been an excellent choice. Gonna keep Livan on the roster it appears. Who else could go long, throw gas on a fire, and make sure the team loses a game? You think those guys are all over the minors or somethin’?
Sorry the braves didn’t make much of an effort to get Cuban Jorge Soler. Just 20, and was reading how he was walking a ton 2 years ago in the W.C. You sure don’t see that every day with young players, especially players from the islands… reading how he could be something special. 9 years, 30 mil. but, he can opt out after reaching arb years, and go to arbitration instead. Seems fairly low risk for what you would be paying him the first few years. Wren had been sign Bourne, cuz if he leaves…we have a real problem.
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Ber, I do not fault the decision to remove Teheran – although I do not think it’s a slam dunk that he should have been removed – I fault the choice of reliever.
As to Soler, the numbers are outrageous. He’ll get MLB star money for likely 2 years in the minors before he’s even MLB ready. Then he can go to arb? With the baseline salary figures already being skewed? Look for record arb numbers there… and unfortunately, look for the negative domino effect to follow. Arb numbers will then escalate across the board because they’ll use Soler as a reference. A very bad deal in my opinion.
And apparently the Braves were in the last group still bidding. I am glad they didn’t wade into ridiculous. 9/$30M for Soler, or 6/$90M for Bourn? I’ll take Bourn in a heartbeat. Frank could not have done both. I believe Frank will make every effort to re-sign “Bourny”, too. Unless, Michael doesn’t want to be here, or wants to play others teams against ATL to maximize the numbers, I think it’ll happen. I hope it’s a semi-fair negotiation. Well, as fair as it can get when Boras is involved, anyway.
I’m a little worried about Mac. Are we witnessing an off year, or are we witnessing a slip? The boy has played very very hard for a number of years at a very demanding position. He seemingly has DH written all over him. I hate that.
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Well, I am am still a bit confused on the Soler situation…but the money just doesn’t sound like a ton…he may get to go to arbitration sooner, well, it’s a risk for a player others have said….
Speaking of Soler, one AL scout summed him up in four words, “Strength legit. Power bat.”
Said an N.L. exec: “He has a chance to be an All-Star corner outfielder.”
Braves had better sign Bourn …but, remember who his agent is….Nats like Borass, for some reason…or at least are very willing to deal with him…again, not to be a gloomy gus, but if he signs elsewhere, we are in trouble. Perhaps Wren then has to re-sign McCann…
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assuming Prado isn’t traded, and goes to 3rd (And then who plays 3rd if he is traded?) and Bourn leaves, we would have to get a left and a Center fielder. And I’m thinking no one is going to offer what they were offering for the “untouchables” last winter…the more they pitch the less I am impressed. Delgado may be the best one…and yes, they are still young…but I never find myself thinking, wow, what stuff ____ has, boy, once he gets a bit more refined, look out NL East!
Speaking of overrated…Minor vs. the Yankees tonight…shudder…would anyone bet on him even making it 5 innings tonight??? Hope he proves me wrong, and being a lefty, does to the Yankees what lefties do to the braves…
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sorry if I seem so negative…I was so high on the club a few days ago…If Livan comes in the 4th with the bases loaded tonight…I’m not likely to be cheered up! 😉
As for McCann, last night was the first time in ages he smoked a few balls…read somewhere on the AJC he made some mechanical adjustments, but didn’t want to explain them…why give opposing teams any help?
When he’s going good, he can kill inside pitches that you wouldn’t think he could…I think he’s far too young to be DH just yet….I was about to say I’d like to see him without his shirt on…but no matter how you say that, it wouldn’t come out right. 😉 But, he doesn’t appear to be super fit, does he? Every year, its BSOML syndrome, but he still looks stocky…
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Good morning guys, I can only describe last night’s contest with the Yankees as the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The Good? That would be BMac absolutely smoking three balls off Nova, One to the deepest part of center, one which he was robbed of a homer by Swisher and one snagged by Texeria down the first base line. If he keeps making contact like that, he will see his numbers rise. The Bad? That would be the bad luck Braves hitters had. Sometimes you just can’t catch a break. The Ugly? That would be Chipper Jones being caught out of position and allowing ARod to reach third. That and the ole’ of a ball hit by him that went for an error. Is it scary to say that I have become spoiled by Prado at third?
I thought Delgado pitched a decent game. I’m am not sure if he was shaking off McCann to go with off speed stuff too often or if it was McCann calling for the junk but his fastball was electric last night, he should have used it more because I don’t think the Yankees hit one hard in five innings.
While disappointed, I’ll not stress over last night’s game, after all, it was Monday. Sometimes the baseball gods just don’t smile upon you. That said, maybe it’s time for Chipper to bite the head off a live chicken or something…
For sure, he needs to get over whatever it is bothering him.
Maybe he is still mad that Tom Glavin took his family to Rome, Italy while he was sent to the other Rome..
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Yep, Mac is hitting the ball well… but right at people. You know why? Virtually every team has started using some form of “shift” on him, and he hits right into it. That’s a problem. He has never been an off field hitter, and doesn’t appear to be easily making that adjustment now that the defense has adjusted to him. Time will tell because the shift will be employed even more since its success has been born out.
I read somewhere last week that Delgado’s recent successful starts have been due to him throwing less off speed stuff and locating his fastball batter. I hope he’s not slipping back into old habits.
Speaking of our young pitchers’ stuff, did you see the sick breaking balls Teheran was breaking off Sunday? Dadgum they were nasty! Wish we had seen a few more of them in the 4th inning.
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For sure Raisins, Teheran has one of the best curve balls I have ever seen. It really has a sharp, late break. No way you could hit one of those…
The whole idea of the shift is to get a homerun hitter to hit something else, alter his swing, get him out of his comfort zone. Take a power hitter like Mac and reducing him to a singles hitter is a goal nearly every opposing club would take. It really increases the values of a singles hitter like Bourne who has speed.
I can remember when Furcal first came up to the bigs and every time he got on first base, it was like giving him a double.
As for BMac, he is not blessed with speed so it will become an all or nothing proposition for him, A lot like Adam Dunn.
Anyone else remember when Don Baylor was the Braves hitting coach and he put that big bat in Chipper Jones’ hands. Told him he was a “power hitter”. Chippers’ OBP and BA suffered but his RBI totals were way up that year.
Personally, I think you have to be a smart hitter. You don’t want guys with warning track power swinging for the fences but sometimes, just making contact is all you need to win a game. Walk off homers are nice but walk off singles can be just as effective.
At the risk of sounding trite, sometimes you just have to “tip your cap” to the other guy for making a great play. It is encouraging however to see a player making solid contact with the ball. That is a feat hard enough in itself without the added pressure of trying to guide the ball.
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn to run, CF
2- Marteeen, 3B
3- Shifty, C
4- Popeye, 2B
5- Live and let Diaz, RF
6- Not as Chipper, 3B
7- Set my people Freeman, 1B
8- Sheriff Andy, SS
9- I better pitch my butt off or I’ll be back in the Minor(s), P
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Let’s see…
Mac is batting .234 with 28 RBI; Freddie is batting .255 37 RBI. Gee, that explains why Mac is in the 3 hole and Freddie is dropped to 7th.
Fire Fredi.
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🙂 Methinks Raisins has a bone to pick with our beloved manager…
Raisins, don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for second guessing in September… 🙂
So, the over/under on Fredi making it to September or Carlos Tosca taking over by then? Of course if the Braves with the Braves being 7 over 500 still, one wonders how much of a case can be made…
Perhaps it is just the Nationals have golden horseshoes crammed up their collective butts right now.
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so for the first time in quite some time, I actually got to see a braves game on TV on Tues nite trivia. (Usually one gal on our team wants to see Soccer, and so do the spanish speaking cooks, but a customer beat them to it and asked for the game) I was really looking forward to eating some crow on Minor(Hey guys, am I dreaming, or is throwing on the far right side of the rubber something new for him? Something looked MUCH better to me, even though the velocity was the same) it was 3-0 in the 7th…talked to a few people outside trivia for about an hour, get in the car, and hear stuff like, that was the hardest loss since the last game of 2011! 80 Wow!
The feeling I get after missing the action, vs seeing a game implode like I did Sunday…quite different…How did it feel to see live???
I imagine if someone had mentioned that Swisher was hitting .200 and only had 2 HR’s batting right handed, I would have been quite peeved to see him get a homer batting left handed…any good reason why O’Flaherty didn’t pitch to him? Is he sick or injured????
Well, at least Minor has something more to build on than pitching 5 innings…
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Sooo, here I was, ailing along with a comfortable 4-0 lead, Minor comes out to pitch the 8th inning, gets the first out then BAM, gives up a sharp single to right, Minor has thrown 100 pitches. Okay, no real harm, enough to finish the inning, even if he gives up a dinger. Uh oh, camera pans to Fredi stirring in the dugout, oh crap, I think, he’s going to take him out…. Sure enough, out pops Fredi, brings in Venters and the rest is history…
Okay, I understand maybe bringing in a reliever in that spot but Minor had pitched a heck of a game to that point and his velocity had not waned. Venters was pitching his third game in a row and could not find the plate… When he got to 3-0 on ARod, I’m thinking, okay, walk him, it’s only one run… Nope, gets back to 3-2 and then throws a fat pitch over the plate that a major league player (not on the Braves) could not miss. Grand Slam!!!! Damage is done, air sucked out of the room and they bring in Gearing who has also pitched 3 nights in a row, Yes, minor league games count… Wham, two run homer, I shut off the game, went to bed and sulked because I knew the Braves could not, would not come back….
Raisins, I may be getting on the “Fire Fredi” bandwagon with you pretty soon…
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I missed the debacle completely, so I can hardly pass harsh judgment, but I might imagine that I would bring in someone besides the struggling Jonny Venters in that situation. That said, I understand now that EOF was unavailable due to a sore elbow. Maybe last night can be attributed to attrition in the ‘pen. Maybe. Fredi says the suits are meeting today to discuss the Minor/Delgado/Medlen situation. Hey… Scott Linebrink was recently released and should be available. 😯
Just kidding…
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Mike Minor was a good as any pitcher on the Braves staff last night, Lively fastball, crisp change up that had the Yankee hitters on their heels all night. Most certainly, one cannot hang this one on him in any way unless folks feel every started should go nine innings.
Nope, I have to chalk this one up to lack of depth in the pen, that and Jonny Venters meltdown that began last August. My suspicion is “shoulder” … Loss of effectiveness due to being overworked in the past. It happens when you are forced to pitch in relief 80 times a year.
I doubt he will ever be the same pitcher he was before Bobby Cox rode him into the ground. You cannot get mad at Jonny for trying to answer the bell every time he is called upon. That is his job. It is up to the coaches and the manager to use players effectively.
So… what do you think would happen if Jonny were to go to the medical staff and tell them, “I have a little twinge in my shoulder”… Yep, next bus to Gwinnett.. Major leaguers know, unless you have tenure, you have 10 guys who want your job and are perfectly willing to do whatever necessary to take it away from you.
Careers are short for athletes. Rare is the player who plays for more than 6 years in the bigs if they ever make it that far. I guess they are lucky, at least they are not fed to the lions when they are done. The Romans never worried about retirement plans did they?
The Braves are in a tough spot, they know what they need, they just don’t have the finances to swing it. Sometimes it is easier to just blow up a team and start from scratch. At least their are no false expectations on the part of the fans.
For sure, it is wrenching the heart out of the Atlanta fans to go through this. Games that could have and should have been won, only to deal with crushing defeats. I guess we will see what kind of team the Braves really have the next few weeks… a short memory is an asset for a pro ball player one would think…
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Scott Linebrink….the mere mention of his name makes me feel queasy…
good points made above…not much I can add…lucky for you all! 😉
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Well, a red letter day for me today, return to light duty and hauled my trash off to the collection site. While there, I retrieved an electric lawnmower. Amazing what you can do with a can of W-D 40, a little electrical tape and a bit of knowledge. Had it up and running in no time. I feel sorry for some folks, whoever had ditched it, had the mower blade on upside down and backwards. Would not cut a lick that way…
Not something I would want to mow my 5 acres with but perfect for the place I just bought at the bay… They charge you by the sq inch for waterfront property… Anyway, another toy….
I still am pretty restricted as to what I can and cannot do but progress… always trying to make progress…
Now more baseball… I went back to the AJC this afternoon to read the after the game comments. Gee, they pretty much reflect what I was thinking. Except Jonny said he felt great.. blah.. maybe he needs to feel a little less great.
I suspect Cory Gearing will be going back down soon. Really should make a spot for Meds but then again, Frank Wren has a big ego and I doubt he will want to admit defeat as far as Livian goes. There has to be at least one grizzled old veteran in the pen. Baseball law….
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I suspect Cory Gearrin will be going back down soon.
He did…
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I need a baseball break… That is, a break from baseball… Fortunately, the Braves have a day off today.
It’s time to regroup, lick your wounds and go back out there and play a little harder.
5 games back of the Nats now, tied with the Mets. Honestly, did anyone see this coming besides Mitch Williams? Okay, we will see how good the Yankees really are now…
I thought Huddy pitched a heck of a game last night, one mistake, of course, that is all it takes when your offense continues to leave guys on the vine to whither and die… At least BMac is back, those balls he has been crushing are finally falling in.
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Mac must have read DOB’s blog Tuesday… 😉
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Can only blame last night’s loss on a stagnant braves offense and a potent Yankees lineup. Fredi gets a pass… on that one, at least.
That said, I spent a good bit of yesterday on the road. Whilst broiling in traffic (my a/c is out in my car 😦 ) I listened to a good bit of radio discussion on Fredi’s handling of the pitching Tuesday, and a little bit of Fredi’s handling of pitching historically.
Wow…
Gotta tell you, if the account I heard was correct, Fredi was dead wrong to pull Minor when he did. And he was dead wrong to leave the currently woeful Jonny Venters in as long as he did.
So, I can imagine Fredi answering his critics again with, “Who do you want me to bring in there, Kimbrel?”
Yes. Guess what. The “save” would have been getting out of the 8th inning jam. Get just 1 out there, and there isn’t even a save opportunity in the 9th. Then, the rookie Gearrin can come in clean with a 4 run lead. It was perhaps even more damning than Sunday’s blunder. That’s a tough week for the shaky leader. I bet Eddie Perez knows how to handle pitchers. I’d even bet Terry Pendleton knows how to handle pitchers better than what has been on display lately.
FF
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A random thought for a Friday morning. Can’t blame Fredi for playing Matt Diaz in RF against CC. His numbers were too good to ignore, and it bore itself out in the game. I just had high hopes that Jason Heyward would be the kind of player that you would never even consider removing from the lineup barring injury. I can remember a time when we thought that JHey would be our “Mike Trout” or our “Bryce Harper”. Instead, he’s our “Jeff Francoeur”. Maybe there’s still time…
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Thank God!!!
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/06/15/braves-designated-hernandez-for-assignment-recall-medlen/
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Really? And nobody bit? What a surprise… 🙄
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Now… let’s tighten it up a little more by bringing up Teheran for good, moving Delgado to long relief (for this season; don’t get too excited), and letting Meds get us out of those tough late inning situations that Jonny used to wiggle out of.
Jonny needs to work out his “hand positioning” problems by pitching… but not in Atlanta. These games count. Gwinnett is the perfect spot for that.
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I really don’t want to defend Freddi, but IF Minor had not worked his way out of it, there would be all sorts of people saying, why push your luck? Red Sox fired a Manager for leaving the best starter in the game(at the time) Pedro Martinez in for one too many hitters during the playoffs…of course, that was Boston…still, I feel managers HATE to be second guessed in certain areas…if the bullpen fails, hey, they did what you are supposed to do…oh well…
V, as for JHey…I know, I know…and you have been the one pointing out he’s still young. And I hope that game where he almost single handedly won the game, showed to him he can be a game changer. It’s funny…sometimes a kid can do amazing things because he doesn’t know he shouldn’t be able to do that….I remember in 2010, some death to lefties reliever from the Padres ( I don’t recall the numbers exactly, but lefties were hitting well under .200, and I don’t think there had been an extra base hit given up by him) anyway, Heyward went with the pitch away, hit a double, and I think a homer off the guy the next day…I thought, oh man, this guy is special, no fear, etc…but…once you start to fail, you start to doubt yourself. His swing looks much better this year, IMHO. .250 ain’t great, but it’s better than the .221 or whatever it was last year..Not everyone can hit at 22. I sure don’t hope we see Harper or Trout struggle like Heyward has, but it could happen….especially if they got hurt….
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Braves think anyone on their roster is pure gold…should have released KK when no one would trade for him…to punish him by keeping him in AA seems kinda petty, you know? People with bad contracts are either traded to another teams bad contract or released. I can’t blame Livan, he did what he was asked to do…but his stuff can’t be a relievers stuff…glad they finally wised up…
But, what is Medlin’s role? they are going to mess the kid up…6th inning guy, long man, wait, stretch out in the minors, wait..now you are….
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DOB: Cristhian Martinez moves into long role, Medlen can be used in variety of roles but will help out back end given Venters struggles Os elbow.
Somebody’s listening… 😀
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So when EOF can’t pitch the 7th, and Jonny can’t pitch the 8th, just bring in Meds to handle both. Simple, right?
I will always maintain that he’s more valuable out of the ‘pen.
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Interesting:
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Well, He’s more valuable if Minor keeps pitching the way he did the last time…but those 6 straight starts giving up 4 or more runs(lost 4 of them) sure didn’t help the team…he’s back doing what he was doing before…basically pitching when Venters and Eric can’t…sure hope Eric hasn’t seriously hurt his elbow again…he’d be a huge loss…
Now, the game…Prado…was that his first game of the year at 1st? Amazing…2 plays should make web gems tonight…we shall see…Who would think that Durbin would be are 2nd best bullpen option?????? 80
McCann appears to have escaped his captures, and has replaced his impostor…love to know what correction he made to his swing…
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that is interesting…wonder if he thought the Cubs gave him a quicker shot to the big leagues?
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wonder if he thought the Cubs gave him a quicker shot to the big leagues?
Can’t see how… the Braves have zero bona fide OF prospects at the upper minor league level.
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So the Braves just picked up a struggling minor league lefty from the O’s. I wonder if that is a bad sign regarding the health of EOF…
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And the D’Backs’ beat writer says the Braves are interested in lefty starter Joe Saunders. Interesting. Clearly, Frank is looking to shore up pitching staff. Got to. It’s the weak link right now. Hard to believe, but it’s true.
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn to run, CF,
2- MVPrado, LF
3- Mac, C
4- Popeye, 2B
5- JHey, RF,
6- Big Ski, 1B (ugh…)
7- Awesome Andy, SS
8- Fatcisco, 3B (ugh, even more so…)
9- Cy Beachy, RHP
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Joe Saunders? Not having a bad year, but a soft tosser for sure…Teheran wouldn’t be any good? Well…thinking about it, perhaps it’s someone who can at least make it 6-7 innings…we don’t have a lot of those, you knows?
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Teheran wouldn’t be any good? = Teheran couldn’t be as good(as Saunders) sigh…
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Crud…now Beachy is injured…and you just know if it’s the elbow, what it must be! 😦
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ;-(
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Lemme try that one again…
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 😦
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Beach has a MRI scheduled for either tomorrow or Monday.
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Beachy to the DL, and JJ coming up Friday…meanwhile, Todd Redmond is up now from Gwinnett. 8 years in the Organization, good for him!
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/06/17/beachy-to-dl-redmond-recalled/
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JJ has had some very odd starts in the minors…2 good, two terrible…then good then bad…
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=457453
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Hi guys, back from baseball purgatory.. No cable, no internet.. Whats with those people, don’t they know this is the 21st century????
I did get to see the gem of a game Friday night, not Saturday or Sunday. Just as well I guess.
So, now the arms are falling off… Augh!!!! Well, time for JJ to sink or swim, it appears Minor can sue for non-support, another great game by him it appears.
And Prado may be even better that I thought, two great plays he made at first Friday night, had the Oriole announcers raving… Freddi Freeman better watch out or he may find himself be playing left field.
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Happy Father’s Day to my favorite bunch of guys! (Happy DAY, Ber. 😀 )
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Sitting on pins and needles today awaiting news of Beachy’s MRI… 😯
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In the mean time, how about this encouraging stat courtesy of Mr. O’B:
“The Braves are 0-9 on Mondays with 14 total runs in those games.” 🙄
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Well, at some point, that stat has to even out doesn’t it? May as well be tonight. That would be under the guise of the “blind Squirrel theory”…
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CL, thanks! 😉
Monday game, Minor 2nd start against Yankees, in Yankee stadium…no chance, no chance at all!!!!! (Trying some reverse psychology since he pitched so well the last time I trashed him…keep your fingers crossed! 😕 )
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That’s right, Gil. We’re due. I’ll go with that.
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Now overdue… 😦
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Well, Beachy has a partial tear in that important ligament. 😦 It must me catching. Kyle Drebak, and I think 2 other starters for the Blue Jays will need the surgery…makes you wonder. Too many sliders? Splits? not enough throwing in general? I still feel guys, especially bullpen guys, warm up too quickly….
0-10 on Mondays now…wow. Can we win one in NYC????
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forgot link….
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/06/18/braves-await-report-on-beachys-elbow-mri/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog
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I can see JJ getting a 2-3 start “audition”. If he’s pre-ASB 2011 JJ, then the Braves are saved. If he’s current JJ, then the Braves will be shopping for a starter.
I still believe he can be a very good pitcher. But the time for him is now.
For my money, they should go ahead and give a rotation slot to Teheran. He cannot progress any further in AAA. He could come up and be a real shot in the arm.
If I had Frank’s plate on my office door, my rotation would be (in no particular order):
Huddy
Hanson
JJ
Delgado
Teheran
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So, a Minor subtraction Raisins? To be honest, I thought he pitched outstanding baseball for four innings, Then could not get his slider called for a strike. I think the Yankees just waited him out.
Medlin produced two ground balls which I thought should have been caught by someone, well, maybe not the first one but the second one for sure. Simmons got there but the ball was by him and under his glove…. You can’t really ask any more of your pitcher than to produce ground balls.
After the score became 4-2, I turned it off and went to bed. Slept better than Freddi G. I’ll bet. By now, he has to be hearing footsteps….
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On Beachy… Man. what tough luck, okay, go ahead and have the surgery, We’ll look for him to be back in September next year, otherwise, I think the Braves are just delaying the inevitable.
I don’t look for spectacular results from JJ but a couple of solid starts will do. He just needs to get his head on straight. Ether way, I don’t look to have him past this season.
Oh, and somebody wake up the offense… Do we need to call up Constanza again? Weird how that works…
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The one thing consistent about Minor this year is his ability to have “outstanding” starts unravel in a single inning. It’s happened over and over again. At some point, Fredi and Frank have to realize the L’s are piling up regardless of how outstanding his first trips through the order are.
Agreed that Beachy needs to get it done now. His return in August 2013 will be as good as a deadline deal.
Speaking of deals, Frank will surely be scouring for a starter now. They need someone who can get past the 6th inning, else the bullpen is doomed to collapse again in September… if they haven’t already.
I do not like how this season is shaping up. Chipper has lost his feel for the plate, even on the days he can actually limp out to the field. We’ve lost one pitcher to a bad elbow, and another to a bad brain. The vaunted bullpen has but 1 reliable arm, and he doesn’t come in unless our sputtering offense has managed to give us a lead after 8. Other teams pitch around Uggla, and Bourn and Prado are constantly stranded on base. It’s sometimes painful to watch.
Yet they’ll come out and look like an All Star team for a few starts in a row, just enough to get all of our collective hopes up once again, then trample them under the fabled hobnail boot.
Heck.. this season’s final standings could well be a mirror image of last season. And who knew R.A. Dickey would be nearly unhittable? Who knew that Randall Delgado would be our best pitcher through mid-June? Do y’all realize that the Braves have scored 2 or fewer runs in most of Delgado’s starts?
I have no ideas what to do for this team. They need starting pitching; they need relief pitching; they need hitting. How about this one (just for Fredi): the Braves have lost 16 of their last 24 games, and that includes a 6 game win streak.
Fredi should not be sleeping well.
I’m not. :mad:.
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The Brewers have DFA’d Brooks Conrad. I’d take Brooksie any day of the week over FatCisco.
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn, CF
2- Prado, LF
3- McCann, C
4- Uggla, 2B
5- Freeman, 1B
6- Jones, 3B
7- Heyward, RF
8- Simmons, SS
9- Hinske, DH
Hudson, P
OK… I realize it seems as though I have a bone to pick with Fredi, but you are in an AL city; you can pick anybody you want to DH for you. And the guy you pick is so bad you’re batting him 9th? 🙄
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Who’s better on the roster than Hinske, you say? Maybe that’s a problem, Frank. Here’s a suggestion (although too late now…)
You just put a starter on the DL, and don’t need his replacement until Friday. Knowing you have a stretch of games in AL cities, why not recall a guy like Ernesto Mejia (AAA Gwinnett’s 1B) to be your DH? He has 13 HR’s and 49 RBI in 67 games… with a slash line of .312/.374/.542. He’s leading your top affiliate in AVG, SLG, OPS, RBI, HR’s, 2B, hits, runs scored, and total bases. Think he might could help this anemic offense?
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Hinske’s batting .205 with exactly 1 HR and a paltry .261 SLG. He has 26 K’s in 88 AB’s. His K avg. (.295) is higher than his batting avg. for crying out loud! 😡
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… and THAT is your DH 2night, folks.
I’m not even gonna turn it on. 😥
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“I’m not even gonna turn it on”.
Hum, think maybe SportsSouth and Peachtree TV knew something when they negotiated the TV contract.
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V, you make an excellent point about Ernesto Mejia ! Never even heard of him. He’s 26, why not give him a shot? And have you all seen the guy??? Who exactly does he look like??? 80 http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=448171
I “get” trying to get someone like Hinske on a roll again…but, He’s ok at first, why not have Freddie rest the hand for one more day? Or how about resting Chipper?
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Don’t worry, I will fill ya’ll in on the gruesome details in the morning…
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Gil, I didn’t know you were one of them masochists! 😉
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V, go ahead, watch the re-run! 😉 LOVED watching Kimbrel mow them Yankees down! 🙂
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So, I’ll take and ugly win over a pretty loss any day of the week… No, it was not the most well played game I have seen the Braves produce lately, especially the fourth inning when the ball played Fredi Freeman ans Chipper Jones. Or the top of the inning when Jason Heyward ran the Braves out of an inning and cost the Braves a run. All that said, the Braves survived and yes, Kimbrel looked like the All-star he has become.
Now, I realize it is blasphemous to speak ill of the Braves venerable third baseman but I guess I understand why guys move on to play first base or even just to DH rather than get themselves killed by a baseball traveling 110 mph 90 feet from home plate. Chipper’s reflexes have slowed a tad and it is to the point where he is close to becoming a liability at the hot corner. Maybe I just have become spoiled after seeing “Brooks” Prado play the position.
Anyway, ol’ Hoss did drive in an important run with a double down the line past an out of position Mark Texiera on a two strike pitch so maybe his timing is returning. More than we can say about a hapless and hopelessly lost Eric Hinske. Wow, is he ever doing his best Jason Heyward imitation right now….?
So, the bright spots? Brian McCann is returning to form. Simmons continues to impress, Durbin shows why he and not Henrnadez should have been summoned in the loss of the year last week. Jason Heyward, other than his base running blunder, continues to improve at the plate. And Kimbrel.. what else can you say but wow, is this kid great or what? Yes, should have brought him in during the eight inning to save the game last week.
The not so good… Dan Uggla continues his quest to beat out Adam Dunn for the title of strike out king garnering a golden sombrero last night. Jonny Venters continues to be a mere shadow of his former self and would have made Earl Weaver into a four pack a day smoker.
Okay guys and gals, a early game today for get-a-way day and moving on to Boston. 12:30 I think….
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So our vaunted DH went 0-4 last night I see. Glad Fredi took advantage of the extra hitter in the lineup. He must have had an idea, though.. after all, he batted Ski 9th. Heck, he shoulda just let Huddy hit… 🙄
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Here’s what I really do not understand… why not just DH Chipper? Seriously. Take advantage of the stupid AL rule and save Chipper’s legs while keeping his bat in the lineup. It isn’t rocket surgery. Play Diaz in LF and put Prado’s glove back at 3B.
I notice that Chipper isn’t even in today’s lineup at all. Well, I guess Ross is catching the day game after night game, and Mac is DH’ing. I get that. I suppose Fredi gets a pass on that one. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then…
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It’s getting serious with Hinske now…don’t now what in the world is wrong with him…he is streaky, but this is just crazy…he should be our best pinch hitter, a very good 4th outfielder, backup 1st baseman….
I wonder with Venters…if hitters are just laying off his pitches…they know now that more than half the pitches will end up 3 inches off the ground…smart hitting teams like the Yankees won’t fall for that…to be fair to Chipper, he did make 2 very good plays too…but yeah, he looks a bit slow out there at times…
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V, how about McCann DH’ing last night instead of Hinske, having Ross catch of course(he did have 2 hits Monday) and have McCann catch today, and Chipper could DH today? Is that just crazy talk?
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The explanation on Hinske was to try and give him some at-bats to work himself out of his slump…
So, I guess that is why he sits a player who is hot and plays a guy who is cold… Anyone else think that Uggla could use a day off, or two?
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Game’s on, Ber!!!
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Folks, I believe our young star is beginning to hit stride… 😀
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see, if Chipper was in there, we…umm, would have scored more than 10 runs! 😉
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Per DOB: “D.J. Carrasco signed a minor league deal with #Braves on Wed., then gave up 4 runs in 2/3rds of an inn. Wed. night for Triple-A Gwinnett.”
Methinks that perhaps Frank needs to stop shopping for good china at the Dollar General…
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Methinks that perhaps Frank needs to stop shopping for good china at the Dollar General…
Yes, but the pattern is already registered there…. 🙂
It is why it scares me to be shopping away good prospects for rentals. Still, it is pretty tough to be a Cubs fan right now… Proof positive that money does not always buy happiness.
Now the game, wow, a potent offense sure can cover up a lot of deficiencies in your pitching. Any other day, we would be talking about Hanson’s perchance for giving up gopher balls to lead off batters. Watching Jonny Venters is like it was when Manny Acosta was with Atlanta, you never quite knew what to expect and you were on the edge of your seat the entire time he was pitching.
I could just see the Yankees’ brass salivating over Jason Heyward… They are thinking, “only 3 short years and we will snatch him up…” Money is no object… Just ask ARod..
He did have a series didn’t he?
SO, it is on to Boston, who by the way, have suddenly remembered how to play baseball. I sure hope JJ pitches well.
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Methinks that perhaps Frank needs to stop shopping for good china at the Dollar General…
V, Now that is funny stuff!!!!! 🙂
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Well, I give him credit for thinking outside the box: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/a-more-radical-pitching-staff-proposal/
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I actually like the overall concept, but the problems it would create outweigh the benefits of his idea. But it’s not a bad idea in a vacuum. Unfortunately, games are not played in a vacuum.
(Or they’d all suck.)
OK, that was pretty bad. But it was just too easy.
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Pretty much destroys your bullpen if you have any extra inning games but what do you do, they are another Liberty Media owned team. Shows what happens when you are run by the bean counters.
Now, I am not against the bean counters per see, I just think you have to be careful as to who you allow to call the shots. There has to be a happy median somewhere.
Okay, big thunder storm brewing. It is suppose to cool things off as it passes, that usually means wicked winds…
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JJ wants to stay. He’s making a statement. A very nice statement.
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I have to say that JJ put on one of the more impressive pitching displays last night as I have seen out of any pitcher last evening. His fast ball had the life and movement we had grown accustom to with Jair prior to his knee injury. It will be tough for him to match it in his next appearance. That said, it looks like the Braves have their ace back.
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Yep, that was the early 2011 JJ we saw last night, wasn’t it??? Did anyone’s feed show the MPH of his pitches? For some unknown reason, it didn’t show up on Peachtree. Also, was there just a weird vibe last night? Like a lack of energy or something? Moreso from the Red Sox, and their fans, but something seemed…odd.
Wonder how much of a pep talk Reggie Jackson gave JHey, he really seems to have come alive since then…perhaps a hitting tip or two as well???
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Nice little story on Mike Trout(he scored on a single yesterday) http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/angels/post/_/id/6299/trouts-play-good-enough-for-happy-meal
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Did it seem like a very quick hook with Delgado? I know, he walked 3, Braves down 4-1, but he wasn’t being hit around…Pedroia hit was a joke…that park is so small….Martinez kept it 4-1, but after Bourn gets on…no move to steal, or hit and run…Prado hits into a DP…Red Sox have a lefty on the mound…we know what that means…should try to be aggressive early in the game, IMHO…
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Fredi is famous for his quick hook with starters… one of the things I do not like about him. I am simply not fond of the way he handles pitchers.
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Delgado is exactly what he is, a rookie pitcher… That is the thing about rookies, one good game, one or two not so good. It is the difference in a number 1 or 2 and a 4 or 5.
The networks folks decided I would not be blessed to see the Braves/Boston game last night. Just as well, apparently it was a good game to miss.
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Well, it appears the Braves suffered another Minor setback today. As I sat and watched the game. I kept thinking, I bet he blows up in the 4th. Two walks and a dinger later I’m thinking, The Braves really need another starter..
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Y’all pray for FBG… I believe they are in the midst of a big storm.
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Yes, my youngest son, who resides in Sarasota, commented that his pool was overflowing from the deluge. I thought it was supposes to head to Texas but then, with a hurricane, who knows what exactly it will do?
That said, we are thinking about you Jennifer….
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Interesting comment: https://twitter.com/mlbbowman/status/217277411178446849
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Hey Guys…my computer is either suffering from a really sneaky virus, or the hard drive is failing…windows won’t start up normally, won’t begin to start up, and the repair system won’t repair. Neither will system restore work…went into safe mode(for the first time in many years) which doesn’t allow much work to be done…can’t get online, can’t print, run a disc…must have been created by the Feds 😉 Anyway, antivirus run in safe mode claimed no viruses. Found a way to do windows debugger from that safe mode and then I can get to my desktop, and the web…eventually…anyway, still following stuff….
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Well, folks… a this juncture, I don’t see the Braves making any significant offensive upgrades. And honestly, with the return of JHey, I’m not sure we need to. Where would you put him? Can’t put him in LF. Prado is probably the team’s MVP thus far. 3B? Can’t do that either. Chipper will play when Chipper can. Any real upgrade will not be in the form of part-time player. Nope… the Braves are likely set offensively. And that’s OK. They can score runs.
But… looking at my crystal ball, I see a new starting pitcher, and a real one, too. I’ll bet Delgado is destined to for the trade market. The kid has pitched well, and has great upside. But it takes value to get value, and I think Matt Garza is prominently on our radar. It’d be a nice pickup for us. The only thing that concerns me is the other pieces it’ll take. Might it also take a Sean Gilmartin to get Garza? It could… That’s a hefty price, but other teams know our needs, and it won’t be an easy trek. I do wonder what other pitchers will become available as July sets in.
Here’s the deal, though. With the 2nd Wild Card team being added (something that I hate, BTW), more teams remain “in the hunt”, thus less teams are willing to part with difference makers. It’ll lessen the July trade market for sure. That said, there will be impact players, just less of them. The competition will be more fierce and the prices will be higher.
Bowman says that the Braves are allocating “2013” money for the 2nd half of 2012. That’s a good sign. I just wonder what we’ll have to give up…
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I’d be all for Garza…but, a lot of teams need starting pitching, and like you said V, fewer teams are going to be eliminated…so, if they can’t get him…I really hope they don’t settle for a Joe Saunders (Unless other teams in the division have as much trouble with lefties as we do) At that point, you might as well give Medlin a shot…not like he was knocked out of the rotation….
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I think Medlen gets his shot in Minor’s next scheduled start. But I also think Delgado goes in any deal for a starter. So that makes the rotation: Hudson, Hanson, Jurjjens, Medlen, (who knows?). We cannot keep going with Minor. Just can’t…
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2 things… you aren’t going to make the playoffs with what is essentially 2 rookies in the rotation (Minor and Delgado). Minor has to go down to work on his problems, whether physical or mental. He cannot keep working them out (or not, as the case may be) during games that count in the standings. You aren’t going to get value without giving up value. Teheran is untouchable. It leaves only Delgado. But that said, Garza is only 28 and still has 1 more year of team control following this year. If he were acquired, the rotation would look like this: Hudson, Hanson, Garza, Jurjjens, maybe Medlen. I think that is much improved over what’s toeing the rubber for us right now. And in 2013, your probably looking at Hudson, Hanson, Garza, Medlen/Minor, Teheran. I like that one alot. I like Hudson, Hanson, Garza as the top 3 period.
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Interesting…saw this buried a bit on a MLBTR post….
The Braves and Nationals were recently scouting at a Twins game, tweets Phil Mackey of ESPN’s 1500 Twin Cities radio. Atlanta was there to see Francisco Liriano, while Washington was likely keeping tabs on center fielder Denard Span.
Lirano was terrible early in the year, much better of late. But of course he has been all over the place(quality wise) in his career….
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No thanks…
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Here’s some wishful thinking: http://mlb.mlblogs.com/2012/06/27/braves-wish-list-starts-with-greinke/
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IMHO, the Braves would not be wise to trade for Greinke. Yes, he’s a great pitcher, but he’ll cost way too much in prospects, then way too much in salary to re-sign. With no more compensation for losing him to FA, Greinke would have ALL the leverage. They would essentially screw themselves out of Bourn, and lose some valuable prospects in the process.
They need to look to someone who is under team control at least through 2013…
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V, correct…Don’t know how soon before Liriano goes before being a F.A. (and not that hot on him, but I did see even during bad seasons, he still gives up less than a hit per inning)
Just was looking at Adam Dunn’s numbers. these are wild. after a big day today(after slumping for awhile) 24 HR’s 57 RBI’s, which projects out to 52 HRs and 123 RBIs…Pretty darned nice, right??? What’s his B.A right now???? .216!!!! How do you do that???
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correct meaning they need to find someone under control next year as well..
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well, wish I had more time to waste time…but this is quite interesting, IMO as well..who is leading the NL in hitting??? A Catcher…a 33 year old catcher…on a last place team…Carlos Ruiz at .361…amazing!
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Good afternoon folks, back from computer purgatory…
I massed the last two games so I will have to go back to read the happenings, I did spot they had a two game streak going so that is a positive.
Ber, what kind of hard drive do you have? I have a bunch of 8 gig ones you can have if you want? I have just been stacking them and using them for back up but they are small by today’s standards. I have reformated them and they are just taking up space in my office.
Now baseball… Yes, it is always the desire to not over pay when making a trade but them, It depends on your immediate needs. I think the Braves could actually get by with what they have if Medlin could just be average and give about six innings a game and only about three runs per outing. Not much less than what one could expect from Garza.
I still have nightmares when I think about how JS was fleeced by the Rangers for Texiera. You just cannot give up that much for a rental.
One does have to wonder about Mike Minor’s mental aspects. It is like he just loses focus and tries to be too fine and the next thing you know he is throwing gopher balls by the hand fulls, that is, after walking a ton of guys. Sometimes you just have to face facts that the other side is going to score some runs off you, no matter how good you are, that and the umps are going to miss calls….
I remember when Smoltz had the same problem, you just have to have a very short memory when it come to being a successful major league pitcher. Much like a closer who blows one. Now, Jonny Venters is another story entirely. He is just not as sharp as he was. His slider bites a little too quick so hitters give up on it. That and the fact that unless he can get a hitter down two strikes, batters can afford to take a pitch. He has got to have the ability to blow his fastball by hitters for strikes, either swinging or in the zone early in the count for that down and away slider to work against lefties.
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The problem with inserting Medlen into the rotation is that you further weaken an already shaky bullpen. Honestly, I like him better in the ‘pen. He brings a little stability. Just look back at the debacles the ‘pen experienced while Meds was “stretching out”. He’s a valuable pitcher for sure, I just believe his value is better realized in relief.
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For want of a hitter, a game was lost… Last night’s lose can be laid directly at the feet of all the batters who failed at the most crucial times. Getting on base does not appear to be a problem for this team but getting a hit when it can translate into a run seems to be the impossible dream….
So frustrating. Okay, Kimbrel gave up a homer to lose the game officially but no one goes forever without giving up a solo shot or two. In fact, I thought the Braves pitching staff did an outstanding job, even Jurjjins who pitched well and Venters who scares the crap out of me. No, it was the failure of the Braves hitters time and time again who left me frustrated…
Oh by the way, heck of a play by J-Hey to nail the runner at the plate. That should have been the boost the Braves needed to put the Snakes away… Sadly, these Braves are much the same as we have seen for the last 5 years. Not quite good enough to seal the deal.
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V, as for Medlin…I see what you are saying…I just don’t feel a guy who keeps it fairly close in a loss, or a guy who can pitch when the big 3 can’t, equals a sub 4.00 ERA starter. Surely those nerds have come with some ratings system for relievers vs. starters! 😉
What may make the decision easier to put him in the rotation, is I heard Moylan is about to start pitching in games, in the next few days I believe. IF he can be the old Moylan, then with Durbin, Martinez, the big three and Anthony Varvaro(I think he looks pretty decent, if used properly) then it would seem the team could afford to put Medlin back in the rotation, right? Of course, anyone goes down in the bullpen…but that applies to the rotation too….
Gil…meant to say good seeing you back here! I know what you mean about last night…was just looking at the RBI stats for the team…Freeman is in a tie for 21st most RBI’s driven in, in the NL, with 43. Shows how important he is to the clubs success….will anyone drive in 100 this year? I mean, you don’t have to do that, but it seems like most playoff teams have a guy, sometimes 2 that drive in that many. But even if no one does, someone needs to find a way to get runners in, when someone is on 3rd with 0 or 1 outs…you just know a team like the Yankees just do it…don’t know what the secret is…but it’s been a problem for years…thing is, no one we can really trade, is there? (Offensively speaking) Same problem we had last off season, except Prado has built up his value. But, trade him and Chipper gets hurt…real trouble. Can’t do it then, can we? Can’t trade him also because we don’t have a 3rd baseman for next year. Uggla? What could you get for him? Something good, but better than him? Not likely…But something will have to be done to improve this team for next year, because there won’t be a Chipper coming off the DL to save the day….
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Ho hum… More cap tipping…. Sigh, this close but no cigar is what causes managers to become chain smokers.
For sure, when you put a guy in the line up for his defense, he is supposed to make plays, otherwise, he better be a heck of a bat. I am speaking of Jack Wilson… My, how the might have fallen. I get it with Chipper, he his getting old(er) but Wilson is suppose to make those plays standing on his head, oh well, the sure handed (cough, cough) Dan Uggla will be back in there today, look for him to take his frustrations out on somebody.
The thing I hate most is being stuck having to listen to the Washington TV announcers gloat.
By the way, I would have had Huddy or somebody pinch hit last night to move Freeman to third rather than Hinske swinging away. He could have PH next or something when a fly ball was needed but for sure, you cannot continue to leadoff an inning with a double and not score and expect to beat anybody..
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crazy, insane to have the game on at the worst part of the day, heat wise. Should have pushed it back to 7 Pm…people could die in all time record heat….110 supposedly where Iive…
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and where I live…Gil, I just looked up Jack Wilson…last start before last night? 5-30. hmm, can’t figure out from Espn how I can tell what cames he pinch hit in, and played afterwards…if he only played 2-3 innings in the field all month…well,as we have seen with Chipper the game is faster as you get older, and as you don’t play in the field.
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To be honest, I was so reminded of Brooks Conrad, and that was just on Chipper’s boot… Okay, a little sarcasm thrown in there.. Yes, it was unmercifully hot today, everywhere. Should have played that game at 11PM..
good win today , Minor actually pitched really well after that double play was turned behind him, it was like he suddenly gained his confidence. I have no problem with Freddie pulling him after giving up a couple of baserunners in the 6th, He was gassed…
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Well, that was close. Had a bit of wind shear blow thru and took the top out of some of our pines and a cedar tree in our back yard. Missed my brother’s boat and my pole barn by inches. Went right between the two of them… See, prayer works… Still, all that wind can be scary.
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Whew! Glad you dodged that storm…was it in any way related to the “land Hurricane” of the day before? A mini Land Hurricane? or just a good ol ‘ fashioned several storm???
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It was all part of the same system Ber but we escaped most of the damaging winds of the first storm, not quite as lucky the second time around but still not as bad as it could have been. I lost several hardwoods on the rear 3 acres. Too bad I don’t have a fire place, I sold the wood stove because Josie did not want it in the middle of our living room. (I gave up arguing over such things many years ago… ) Anyway, we went out and started cleaning up this morning but it soon became clear I am going to have to recruit some of my son in laws to help out, I still am not strong enough to handle the chain saw, at least not safely. It is hard enough for me just to stand up much less saw. That and sitting down while hewing a tree is just not safe on any planet…
Now baseball… Going to be another hot one and I am worried a bit because Huddy does not handle heat well. He gets dehydrated quickly and cramps up. I’m sorry, but if I was the Braves front office, I would reschedule the game for 8 PM tonight. Would be smart on so many levels. After all, if it was any other type of weather emergency, they would postpone the game.
Of course, I cannot help but think about the two a days in August while playing high school football. Back in the dark ages when they did not allow you to have water even with all the heat. It was brutal… I still cannot see what good it did other than make us miserable.
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So, the Nats took advantage of nearly every opportunity and jumped on every mistake and the Braves.. well the Braves signed Ben Sheets to a minor league contract, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.
Okay, I hope it turns out to be a huge signing for the Braves, they could stand to have a little bit of something go their way for a change.
And I hope BMac gets plenty of rest during the All-star break and LaRussa does not use Kimbrel either. Sorry, but I am selfish like that, having watched time after time, good players come home damaged after having played in an exhibition game.
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Gil, I was kinda scratching my head about Ben Sheets myself. I would have thought coming back as a reliever, at least for the rest of this season made more sense…but, they said he looked great, and the few pitches I saw of a bullpen session…from the front and above…looked decent.
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Regarding Mr. Benjamin Sheets:
This is a perfect example of a low risk / high reward signing. Seriously… there is no way Sheets signs with anyone on a contract that is not heavily incentive driven. Nothing to lose here.
According to several published reports, Sheets is not still in the process of trying to make it back. He is “100%”. His agents stressed it, and apparently he demonstrated it during a 5-inning simulated game. His comeback plan was to wait until he was 100% before throwing for teams. And judging by those same published reports, his fastball consistently hung around 92-94, and his off-speed stuff was sharp.
If you look at Sheets’ injury history, the serious injuries all centered around the elbow. First it was the ulnar nerve (same injury as Rafael Soriano) and then the UCL. Well, how many pitchers come back stronger from TJ surgery? It is seemingly a part of the landscape of current day major league pitchers. And Dr. Andrews would have addressed any ulnar nerve positional issues while in there, so there should be no potential problems with that, either.
Like Frank Wren & Co. or not, they are professionals. Those men make a ton of $$ based on their ability to judge talent and potential. Granted, some do it alot better than others. But I’ll defer to those guys and their ability to tell if Sheets has a comeback in him or not.
And, it should be noted that even after this signing, Braves scouts still were seen at Francisco Liriano’s last start. They have not packed their American Touristers and come home.
So, all that said, I like the signing. There is really nothing to lose. When Tommy Lasorda managed the US Olympic baseball team, he held Sheets in such high esteem that he was quoted as saying that if he was starting a brand new team, he’d start with Sheets over any major league pitcher. Sheets was a college pitcher at the time. I don’t expect Sheets to be that pitcher now, but neither do I expect him to be Livan Hernandez. I also do not think that it will prevent Frank from making a deal for another pitcher. But what it does is make the Braves less desperate in the market. Perhaps other teams will feel less like they can ask the moon and the stars for their pitchers, feeling as though they have the Braves over a barrel. Maybe just the moon…
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And speaking of the moon… there seems to be a little steam gaining in these Greinke/Braves rumors. That would be a major deal – the Braves first blockbuster since Mark Teixeira. Does the Braves Nation have the stomach to see a handful of top prospects go out the door again? Tough call, but honestly, it’s the only way to get over the top.
Teams scout, sign and develop prospects for 2 reasons. First, and obviously, is to come through the system and help the big league team. But also, and equally important, is to be used to trade off for needed components. I will assert that the Braves have failed to utilize that second aspect in recent years mainly due to the blowback from the Teixeira deal. And it has hurt them. They needed help down the stretch last year, and failed to make a key acquisition at the deadline. BTW- Michael Bourn does not count here. The Braves gave relatively little to take his contract from Houston. I’m talking about a trade that has a real cost. And Frank was on record last year saying “Don’t even come asking for any of my top prospects.” They desperately needed a top of the rotation starting pitcher, and it cost them in September.
Now we are in the same position. We desperately need a top of the rotation starter. Well, it takes quality to get quality. Will we have the nerve? Will we let go of Delgado or Minor? Will we let go of Teheran? One will most certainly have to go… and maybe 2. Any talks with Milwaukee will most certainly start with Teheran. But one thing in Atlanta’s favor here is Greinke’s contract, which expires at the end of 2012. If there were another year of team control, Milly could ask for multiple prospects and likely get them from someone. Frank says they won’t consider it unless there is some assurance of signing Greinke to a multi-year deal.
So my questions are as follows: Would you give up the potential of Teheran for Greinke in his prime? And if so, would you take a large percentage of your suddenly available cash to throw at him, especially when you have the pending contract issues with Bourn and Mac?
For me, yes and yes…
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Would you give up the potential of Teheran for Greinke in his prime?
I remember asking the same questions when there were rumors that the Braves would include Ryan Klesko in a deal for Fred McGriff. And while that didn’t happen, I said “yes” to that one also.
My reasoning is this: If the prospect reaches his expected potential, he’ll be what the veteran already is. And by the time he reaches that potential, will we have a competitive team around him? Maybe, maybe not. Too many variables. I like proven over potential. There are too many roadblocks for potential. Just ask Arodys Vizcaino, Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy. This team is ready go to the next level now. Greinke would be a major step in that direction.
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The Braves are still winless on Monday. Hanson vs. Samardzija. I like the matchup. Actually, I like the matchups for all 4 games, except maybe Thursday, when we get Minor vs. Matt Garza. Maybe he’ll be a Brave in a couple of weeks… Garza, not Minor. 😉
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn, CF
2- Prado, LF
3- Heyward, RF
4- Chipper, 3B
5- Freeman, 1B
6- Struggla, 2B
7- McCan’t, C
8- Simmons, SS
9- Hanson, RHP
Finally a lineup that I am on board with. Why Fredi ever busted up the Bourn/Prado duo I’ll never know. Chipper’s legs NEVER again need to be above 4 in the lineup, and finally Fredi has seen Mac’s struggles and adjusted accordingly. Finally…
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Just heard a radio interview with Frank. Here are the main points: Ben Sheets looks very much like Ben Sheets; no prospect is untouchable; improving the club overall is the top priority, and they are considering all scenarios to accomplish that; yes he would consider a “rental”, but the return compensation will reflect the rental; Roger is working overtime to determine the root cause of Jonny’s struggles…
That covers 10 minutes of interview in about 25 seconds. 🙂
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What, Roger has an MRI machine?
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Shucks, I saw the same Jonny Venters when he was used as a starter here in Richmond. Same results… Relievers can be so fickle at times. It only takes a bit of being too far off the plate and suddenly hitters (not in a Braves uni) realize you can make them throw you a strike. You don’t have to swing at that awful down and away slider if you don’t already have two strike on you.
And how is this about tipping pitches, it does not have to be the pitcher who is doing it. FP Santangelo,who was announcing for the Nats, commented that every time Kimbrel was going to throw a slider, BMac would squat closer to the ground and spread his feet a bit further apart to be ready to stop a throw in the dirt. Called every pitch based on how Mac set up. Think maybe there isn’t anybody in the league who doesn’t know about that now?
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On the plus side, no one could hit Kimbrel’s heater anyway….
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And Raisins. giving someone a good “mooning” every once in a while can be very liberating….
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Ber, thanks for the “eyes on” evaluation. I have a lot more faith in your reports than I do DOB’s, especially after the Mark Redmond fiasco… Man. that dude has to still be striking them out in his basement. Like Kershin’s agent sending in the vidio tape upon which the Braves based his signing… Must have snipped a couple of frames out to make his fastball appear quicker to the plate.
Yeah, I have become very cynical…. Having people
lie to youembellish the truth will make that happen…. Like free health care… but different…LikeLike
If nothing else, Sheets’ signing gives us a little more flexibility in the trade market. Like I said… low risk/high reward. Why not?
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Now 0-11 on Mondays… 🙄
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Braves Sign Dominican Third Baseman Kelvin Esteves
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/07/braves-sign-dominican-third-baseman-kelvin-esteves-for-300000/
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The cure for every pitcher who is struggling this season? Play the Braves, become an All-star caliber hurler…
Okay, I know that is not completely fair, after all, the guy was making some great pitches.
Tommy pitched well until the seventh, definitely hit the wall.
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The difference? When our pitchers make mistakes, other teams make them pay. When other pitchers make mistakes, we are just missing. Makes a huge difference in the ol’ W-L, though.
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And all indications are that the Braves are aggressively scouting Greinke. I still like the move. If they could trade for Greinke, with the assurance that an extension will get done, and still re-sign Bourn, I would kiss Frank.
Well, maybe not… 😕
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nope, you should kiss ’em! 😉 As long as we don’t have to give up Julio…
gotta keep the best of the 3, IMHO.
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Howdy all… this yard work while
handicappedphysically challenged is tough… Really got lucky folks, I went back and looked at the damage the tornado did to my trees, like I said, too bad I don’t need fire wood.LikeLike
Glad you all dodged that bullet Gil! 🙂
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Excellent article by Mark Bowman on the Braves pitching pursuit: http://markbowman.mlblogs.com/2012/07/03/braves-have-the-willingness-and-flexibility-to-pursue-greinke/
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2night’s lineup:
1- Bourn, CF
2- Prado, LF
3- Heyward, RF
4- Chipper, 3B
5- Freeman, 1B
6- Struggla, 2B
7- McCan’t, C
8- Simmons, SS
9- Jurjjens, RHP
Just like last night, except tonight. Fredi has it right 2 nights in a row…
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How cool for Chipper… Congrats Dude!
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Bowman: This year’s All-Star Game will be played next Tuesday night at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium. This is the only current ballpark in which Jones has not played.
That is too cool for words. My hat’s off to Tony LaRussa. Classy move.
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Danny Knobler, CBS Sports: Another rival official said that the Jays are souring on shortstop Yunel Escobar, and suggested he could be on the move to make room for Adeiny Hechevarria. The original plan had been for Escobar to eventually shift to second base, but the thinking now is that the Blue Jays could prefer to move him to another team, instead.
Big surprise… 🙄
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So much talent, wasted on a pinhead…
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Happy Birthday America…
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The old man really had a game for the ages last night. The guy must think he’s an All-star or something… 🙂
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I have to say, watching the Braves in the Cubs half of the third last night made me physically ill. Honestly, it was depressing to the point I change channels. Tuned back in just in time to see Bourn hit the three run triple. Okay, there is life yet in this old hoss…
After seeing the Braves fail on so many levels, it is good to see them bringing guys home instead of wasting so many opportunities. I think it may have covered some sloppy play enough to take away the stench of poor fielding..
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welll,didn’t want to do it, but had to…put in new harddrive since old one successfully died last night….now I don’t seem to be able to have windows mail(used to be outlook express) not available with Windows 7. Change. Sorta like our Prez change you didn’t want or believe in….anyone use windows live mail? I dont’ know if I can transfer old emails to it or not…oh, new hard drive just sitting on top of old one, and computer on side, because some genius put two screws in a place that is all but impossible to get to! Nice…don’t really feel like taking out motherboard to get to them, so hope harbor freight has a philips that does a 90 degree bend at 1/3 of an inch.
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Ok, now…baseball…what that a game, or what???? 🙂 I couldn’t believe it when all 3 runs scored on his double…then 4 for 4…then…5 for 5!!! Plus an amazing defensive play, and a stolen base. best game he ever had, and at 40! 🙂 🙂
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and the fans ate it up, when was the last time you saw a curtain call?
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Or someone who actually earned one?
Nope, I have been using AOL since the 80s. Hate it but it’s free…
I once used Outlook but it has been so long ago, I am lost even thinging about it.
So guys, how do y’all rate our chances tonight?
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Happy Fourth, y’all!!
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Happy Fourth to y’all too!!!!!!!! 🙂
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Well, the cubs, you know…it’s not like the braves are playing the worst team in baseball or anything… 😕
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Here are most of the highlights of Chippers great game, except the SB and the great throwing play… http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22816861&topic_id=8878972&c_id=atl
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I’m not positive but the rumor is the Cubs are lobbing the commissioner’s office to add another 10 games with the Braves each season..
Looks like Ben Sheets might not be ready just yet to step into the Ace’s role in Atlanta. I wonder if he has returned Redmond’s mattress yet?
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I would not judge Sheets on just his 1st live game appearance in a couple of years. I’ll wait and judge him harshly after a couple more. 😉
Actually, I am on “wait and see” mode with Sheets. Interesting things going on with our pitching staff though. Young LHRP Luis Avilan was promoted to AAA to make room for Sheets on the AA roster, but he tweeted numerous tweets gushing over his promotion to “big leagues”. Much speculation abounds as to what that means, but apparently the Braves have told him he’s coming up. Makes sense, though. We can’t get lefties out from the ‘pen, Jonny ha moved past struggling to plain sucking, and with the ASB, there is not a need for a 5th starter for a couple of weeks. Jonny could be demoted, or Delgado/Minor could be demoted temporarily.
We’ll likely see a roster move sometime today.
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Not exactly sure who this guy is, but I think me makes valid point on Jason Vargas… http://paullebowitz.com/blog/?p=5280
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Gil gets the prophet start. Jonny on the DL with an “elbow impingement”. The aforementioned Luis Avilan is called up as was predicted.
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… and I personally think that Vargas would be a “decent” pickup. He’s a lefty; he works alot of innings. Not great, but decent. And from that standpoint, the cost would not be as high. Maybe Pastornicky and one of Jose Constanza/Jordan Parraz/Ernesto Mejia.
But as the column states, not an impact starter.
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And the Braves officials’ observation on Sheets outing was this: Impressive “stuff”… good velocity, good breaking stuff, good offspeed stuff. Not sharp location, which is not terribly surprising given 1st live outing following long layoff.
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BTW – speaking again of Jason Vargas… the column stated he’d benefit from a larger park and better defense. The Braves have both. Could be a sleeper pickup? Of course, they only play half their games in the larger park. They have several left in that joke of a park in Philly.
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Courtesy of Mr. O’B: Avilan had a 3.23 ERA in 16 games (12 starts) at Mississippi, with 55 strikeouts, 31 walks and 50 hits allowed in 61-1/3 innings. Left-handed batters hit just .189 with a .561 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against him this season.
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MLBTR: Under GM Frank Wren the Braves won more games while spending less money than every team but the Rays from 2009-11, [Ken] Rosenthal notes.
… and have gotten nowhere in the postseason, VOR notes.
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Maybe if they would spend a little money, they’d at least get out of the Wild Card round. That is, assuming they make the Wild Card round.
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I could spend relatively little a the grocery store, but my family would be malnourished. There is a threshold which you have to spend to make it effective. Need we revisit last September?
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There are reports out of Philly that Ryan Howard will be activated prior to tonight’s game… perfect.
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Given the major improvement in Minor’s last 2 starts, including 0 hits into the 5th inning yesterday, I have to think Randall Delgado is at the top of Frank’s list to be traded. And given that Sheets could possibly join the team right after the ASB, RD may not get another start. I am a little surprised that RD wasn’t sent down to add another ‘pen arm since there isn’t a need for a 5th starter for almost 2 weeks (4 day ASB and off day the following Monday).
Then again, maybe RD could be valuable out of the pen. Who knows?
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And how did I miss that Chase Utley was back in the Philthies lineup last week?
Maybe because he’s old and irrelevant? Yeah… that’s gotta be it.
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FYI: here is the report on Sheets from Wednesday.
He gave up 2 runs in both the 1st and 2nd innings, but settled down and finished strong, retiring 10 in a row to end his 5 inning night, including 6 K’s against just 1 BB. He threw 74 pitches, 46 for strikes, and his fastball sat mostly around 90 mph but touched 93. According to an ESPN report “his sharp curveball produced several flailing swings and his fastball command improved throughout the night.”
Bowman says he is tentatively looking at making his ATL debut at home vs. the Mutts on the Sunday following the ASB.
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thanks for the updates V. For all it’s faults I still watch baseball tonight(Gil is thinking now, why don’t you watch MLB.TV instead? 😉 funny, Howard was expected back after the ASB. Chase sadly has an issue with his knees, that will never get better…but even part time Chase, because of that super short swing, is still dangerous, 2 HR’s in 7 games. And while I don’t know why, every “expert” on the web acts like the Phils made a huge mistake in extending Howard, but when healthy(and he usually was til the freak injury) is still one of the most dangerous hitters out there. I predict they will play much better after the ASB,(Pretty gutsy call, IKnow) but I think it’s too late for them to compete…think it’s pretty safe to say the Nats will win the division, unless they go thru a ton of injuries…everyone else is fighting for the wildcard(s)….should be interesting!
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Don’t forget, Ber, that the Nats will shut Strasberg down after 150 innings. That’s a major part of their pitching that will just disappear sometime in August. I cannot buy into the Nats as long as they stick to that policy…
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Heyman says: Braves, Orioles could be the biggest players in Greinke trade market
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/19517576/braves-orioles-could-be-the-biggest-players-in-greinke-trade-market
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Heck, Raisins, the Braves pitchers used to warm up more innings than that!
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Howdy all, looks like I missed a couple of good games… Rats….
Raisins, sometimes I hate being right (Venters) but it seemed so obvious that he was not right and I have come to expect major league ball players to lie if necessary to stay in the Bigs. I don’t know if Jonny’s problem will require surgery, which I expect, but I would not be surprized if it does. I am just glad it is something physical because usually that means it can be fixed. It is the head cases that are so much more difficult to repair…
Okay, maybe I was a little quick to judge Sheets based on one outing, I know better but that is what you get when you want to say something profound when you don’t take all the facts into account. Maybe I should have been a politician..
Anyway, y’all are right when you say to give him a chance to work out the kinks. After all, you don’t have an umpire calling balls and strikes when you are pitching alone in your back yard.
I’ll bet the Braves were thinking it would get cooler going north to Philly… HA!!!
The 90% humidity alone is responsible for 50 gun deaths in Philly each year. It was 100 degrees here this morning at 11 AM. I suspect it will be miserable tonight. The best you can hope for is a breeze. The east coast is like that…
Now, the new guys… Don’t know enough about him yet but he has to be an upgrade from what we have had. As for the possible trades… Will just have to wait and see who finally shows up… And yes, being thrifty with the payroll only helps if you are trying to land a job with the Pirates.
Like the old saying goes, “Never confuse value with price….” There is a reason great players command big contracts.
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CL, you are so right! Amazing how healthy the starters were…Smoltz was the only one of the big three that ever had issues, and not that often…I do understand what the Nats fear…Strausburg becoming the next Mark Pryor. The way they both make a “W” with their arms when they pitch is uncanny. And it puts a lot stress on a young arm. Of course, if they were to listen to me, the solution would be to DL him for 3 weeks right now(Groin pull, hammy, whatever fake thing you want) then have him skip a start in August and Sept against so-so clubs, then you have rested the shoulder and can actually have him in the pennant race…It will really p.o. their fans to lose in Sept because he’s riding the bench. But hey, knock yourselves out doing things the wrong way Nats braintrust! 😉
Gil, I don’t know how good a game last night’s was…in fact, I gave up after 7 innings…when you can’t more than 4 hits, and can’t score a run off of Kyle Kendrick(Braves hitters must think his is a lefty, his era after last night is down to 4.89) and the Phils get the last A.B…shows what I knows…little. Forget ol’ Charlie suffers a bit of Bobby Coxitis, and took him out after 89 pitches for no reason at all.. Thanks Charlie! 🙂
Gil, you were right about Venters…too bad. Hope he can avoid surgery…but that’s probably wishful thinking….
Amazed that Sheets can be ready so quickly…wonder if he’s been pitching to High schoolers or something….otherwise, how can you not pitch for 2 years, and be ready in a few weeks???
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NEW BLOG UP!!!!
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