Mechanicsville, VA
Ben Sheets started for the Atlanta Braves in the final game of a three-day set against the Mets Sunday and showed there can be life after Little League. In true storybook fashion, the big right hander showed he had not forgotten how to pitch in this league. In fact, he might very well be in a league of his own right now with a jumping 90-93mph fastball and a drop off the table curve to go with his cutter.
With a back-end of a rotation previously consisting of Mike Minor and Randle Delgato leaking more runs than a pasta strainer, Ben Sheets showed the same All-Star ability he possessed before having two arm surgeries and being away from the game nearly two years. Six innings of two hit, one walk shutout baseball sprinkled with five strikeouts and a collection of flyballs and pop-ups made for an impressive debut in Atlanta.
For some reason, many Braves fans suddenly feel a measure of invincibility. Of course, as we all know, a team is only as good as their last start but for seven straight starts, they have been mighty good.
Sometimes the addition of a good veteran arm can have a very positive impact on an entire team. It appears this might be the case with Sheets. Of course his next start might be a bit more telling, it’s can be most telling when aging muscles are awaken from a long slumber. That said, Tom Glavin remarked during the telecast that for a veteran, the question is not on if he knows how to pitch, it is if he is physically able to pitch.
Braves & Stuff 
Okay guys, see if you all can post to this one…. Good luck
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Reblogged this on Braves And Stuff and commented:
Test – it seems the only way I can post is through the “reblog” which I know nothing about. But somehow the post shows so I guess I’ll be using the backdoor until the whatever it is clears itself up. WELCOME TO CLARENCE!!! Happy to have you here with us!
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Tis bad when you get locked out of your “own house” CL…
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Yesterday, I tried to enter a comment and it appeared as though the console froze. I “refreshed” the page, and my comment was there. I did the same thing a couple of more times afterwards. Odd…
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Raisins, Ber has been locked out for days, unknown why. CL has been unable to post too unless she sends a lead from her desk… Strange things happening with wordpress but we are in so deep right now, I would hate to switch host. Especially some of our classics…
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Now baseball…
I did not really get a chance to mention Paul Janish (whats with the phonically incorrect spellings) and his performance.
He looked pretty good in the field, at least I did not feel as if I had to hold my breath with each ground ball hit to short. As for offense, funny how it’s important some days and some days it not. His best at-bat was a walk in the fifth inning. Pretty important walk too as he kept the line moving.
I suspect Wilson will be the odd man out. Likely he will not be on the active roster when Simmons returns. Come to think of it, it could be scarey as to how good this team could be come September when Simmons is able to return.
Yes. I know he is only projected to be out for four to six weeks but by the time he rehabs to get his timing back, it will be September. Lucky for Jack Wilson, the rosters will expand by then, otherwise, he would be gone. Paul Yanish could be around for a while.
Now, if we could just get Dan Uggla straightened out… At lot like Juan Francisco, but more expensive…
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Uggla has proven to be very streaky in his short tenure here. One thing we learned last year was that he can suck profusely for a lengthy period of time, then hoist the team on his quite capable shoulders and take then for a jog for a while. Mac is back; Chipper is suddenly, well, chipper; and Freddie appears to have returned to form from his hand injury. JHey now looks like what we expected, and Bourn and Prado have been amazing all season. Imagine if Uggla breaks out and starts on one of is tears. It is scary for the rest of the NL East.
As to Yanni, as we said with Simmons, we don’t care about his bat, we just need his glove. Simmons provided a nice surprise with his bat. But I don’t care about Yanni’s bat, really. I just want a good solid SS pickin’ ’em up behind our resurgent pitching staff.
Speaking of pitching staff, I still expect Frank to pick up another starter. Even with Sheets proving himself worthy, I expect another pitcher. We need a good back of the rotation starter with some consistency. We need someone that will go more than 6 innings sometimes to spare our bullpen some innings. If I were Frank, I’d be talking to Seattle and seeing if we couldn’t swap Mike Minor for Jason Vargas. Honesty… if Minor reached his potential, he’d probably be Jason Vargas. Except Vargas racks up some innings. Make the swap; take the known and jettison the unknown.
The Braves need to make a hard push for this year period. I can count the reasons on 1 hand:
Opposable thumb – This is it for Chipper. The organization owes it to him to do everything within their power to put a contending team on the field.
Pointer finger – This is it for Chipper. And whether the team realizes it or not, there will be a significant dropoff when he’s gone.
Bird finger – It is a down year in the NL East, and in the NL in general. The pennant is ripe for the pickin’. And only the Rangers are truly dominant in the AL. The path to a title might not be any better than this year.
Ring finger – We quite likely may not have Sheets in 2013; Hudson is on the downside of his career; Bourn might not be back. We could have a drastic slip in talent next season.
Pinky – This is it for Chipper. It doesn’t matter what he does or does not do on the field, there will be a serious void in the clubhouse. Chipper is the final link to the “glory years”. He’s a winner. He needs to go out a winner.
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Grinke has been pulled from his scheduled start on Wed vs the Cardinals. Sounds as if a deal is close to being done…
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I should add, it may or may not be with the Braves… just saying…
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I can’t see the Braves getting in on the Greinke circus… I just can’t. The asking price is just too high, and given the recent booster shots given by JJ and Big Ben, I can’t see the Braves giving up that much for another starter. That said, I will not be surprised in the least to see them in on Jason Vargas or Francisco Liriano. Maybe Ryan Dempster, but I doubt it. The interest shown in Dempster from so many teams will probably price him off the Braves shopping list.
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Well, if you are a buyer, you are trying for cheap and if you are a seller, then you are going for as much as you can. It’s like an auction on steroids. Funny thing, my buyers regret never was over the things I bought, just the things I did not get… That said, I get over it pretty quickly… I have the attention span of a squirrel sometimes…
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He knows better than I do…
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Yay!! The Braves did not lose another Monday game yesterday!! Of course, they didn’t play, either… 🙄
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“Yay!! The Braves did not lose another Monday game yesterday!! Of course, they didn’t play, either…”
Whatever it takes Raisins, whatever it takes… Actually, the Braves did win with the Nats dropping their game to the Fish, now only 2 1/2 back… They pretty much control there own destiny now. Like the old saying goes, if you are going to be the best, you have to beat the best…
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A little fun:
http://twitter.com/Prado_Facts/status/225007348547203072
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When it comes to streaks, I sure like the winning streaks a lot more than the losing variety. I say go for the record.
I find it interesting the Braves are looking for a front line guy. They must see what we see, the time is now for this team. It is so seldom you get the opportunity to actually get to the World Series, much less win one.
I hate not being able to follow the young players on their way up…. I have no clue as to what the Braves really have to offer in the way of talent in a trade, not like the NFL where you trade drafts picks, not players….
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If JPM would follow the ol’ B&S, he’d have known that already…
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I have a feeling on Dempster… a strong gut feeling. For one, the Nats are also trying to get him. He could well be the swing acquisition in the NL East.
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YES!!!! I’m finally allowed to post through the front door!!! I’m really happy that MY computer and equipment are all suitable to wp’s requirements. (I didn’t do a thing!) :-)))
I sure hope the Braves make SMART moves. And not for a 3-month rental.
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Was reading some of the comments across the street and saw where the Nats were interested in Dempster (hey, you’ve got to have somebody to take over for Strasburg) and they said the Nats did not have the money… HA! They have an owner with deeper pockets than Uncle Sam. He just is frugal with his money. Or at least he doesn’t just throw it around to be doing so.
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testing?????
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yay!!!!!!!! 🙂
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Out of Jail FREE card. Didn’t know they were still accepted!
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Welcome back one and all…
Now baseball, Well, that was ugly… Actually, I can’t put all the blame on JJ. Most of it but not all. A miscue at first, another ball skipping under Chipper’s glove. Melky playing like the guy the Braves thought they had traded for two years ago… Sigh! Oh well, I think we all know this was over early. No need to stay up late to learn the final results.
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Can’t win ’em all…
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As they should:
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Ken Rosenthal: Ryan Dempster’s first choice is the Los Angeles Dodgers and his second is the Atlanta Braves, according to major-league sources.
Just ’cause the Dodgers are on the left coast. In the end, he’ll don the Tomahawk. I gotta feelin’…
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I do not believe that Frank would make the deal without some mild assurance that a long term deal can be reached. Dempster is NOT represented by Bor-ass, so the possibility of wrapping him up before he hits FA at season’s end is certainly a possibility.
Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times believe that a deal is imminent, and that it will get done before his next scheduled start on Friday.
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Mr. O’B: Not only did the Braves get a tremendous lift from Ben Sheets’ six shutout innings Sunday in his first start in two years, but his surgically-repaired elbow responded well too.
“Good,” said Sheets Tuesday, when asked how his elbow felt coming off the outing, bending his arm back and forth. “Great….I’m Tony the Tiger.”
Awesome. He answered all questions regarding his abilities on Sunday. The only remaining question was how his bionic elbow would bounce back after 88 pitches against major league batters. Question answered…
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Have to say, the Ben Sheets signing might just be the thing which keeps the Braves relevant.
I was really disappointed by JJ’s performance lat night. He is much better than that. More evidence the Braves will make the trade for a front line guy.
And anyone who thinks conditioning isn’t important for a ball player, just look at Melky Cabrara. Maturity is pretty important too. It makes me mad when guys show up out of shape and try to phone it in….
Andruw Jones is another great example.
One last thing, I keep thinking a bunch of the folks across the street can’t be older than 16. Who in their right mind would take Jair in a trade when they could get him for free this winter?
Okay, one bad game does not a season make but it t’was a really bad game…. Chipper may have summed it up best when he said it was “sloppy”… Yep, that it was Mr. Jones…
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Thanks for all the help guys! 🙂 really sucks when you can’t post. going back a bit…color me very surprised to see Sheets pitch so amazingly well! Can’t wait to see the next start! Not only was Melky out of shape, he just didn’t seem that good a player. Couldn’t figure out why Bobby kept running him out there. Oh well…
as for JJ. His velocity just ain’t what it once was, sadly enough. Which means he has to be finer than ever. Way too young to lose speed on his fastball, without there being an arm issue….
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Dempster would be a great pickup…but…2 issues. The Cubs are bad. Theo is going to want really good prospects in return. No sense getting rid of someone good to help another team(How/why the Astros traded an elite center fielder like Borne for what they got is amazing, good for the braves though!) the other issue…the Dodgers basically have a blank check now…so yeah, better offer a nice contract to keep him here for a few years. the Dodgers might not be willing to do that, but then again, they might. And teams better start doing this with there being no more picks to pick when someone signs with a new team come 2013.
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Way too young to lose speed on his fastball, without there being an arm issue…
That’s a misnomer… pitch velocity is more determined by trunk and lower body strength than arm strength. If Jair’s knee is not 100%, neither is his velocity. And the hard fact is, his fastball may never return to mid-90’s post knee surgery. That said, it’s certainly possible for a pitcher to be successful with a fastball that sits in the high 80’s. Just ask Greg Maddux. As they say in real estate: location, location, location.
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And if Don Sutton is to be believed, JJ sat around 90, and occasionally touched 93-94 early. Maybe that is why he faltered… trying to throw harder. Could have cost him control and movement. Again, ask Mr. Maddux which is more important.
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Oh absolutely, he legs can be involved…I forgot he admitted after coming back his knee was more of a problem than he was willing to admit. And you can win with great location like Maddux or Glavine…remind me again how many folks do you see pitching like them today, with their kind of success? 😉
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I just saw a few pitches as I was out last night…haven’t seen the “highlights” cuz as soon as I got home, I had to take advantage of the last night of free listings on ebay….always curious to see what the speed was of pitches that were pounded…
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From MLBTR: Heyman keeps hearing that the Blue Jays want to trade Yunel Escobar (Twitter link). The Braves, Escobar’s former team, have little depth at shortstop following injuries to Andrelton Simmons and Jack Wilson, but they’re not interested in Escobar.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 😆
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Yep, ha! 😉
Well, I know everyone is DYING to know what I thought of JJ’s start! Well, blood sugar was high so had to stop working and start peddling my stationary bike…so watched much of baseball tonight. Melky hit an offspeed pitch, outside the strikezone(low and away) for a hit, so…hat tipping time. Then a high offspeed pitch was hit. Zito hit a 90 MPH pitch for a hit(who expects him to get a hit?) then another hanger was hit…so…hard to tell much…Then the Baseball tonight showed his 12-3 1.86 or whatever his ERA was til July 6th last year, and how it is 6.04 since.
But, the really interesting thing was Doug Glanville saying he talked to McCann recently and said….JJ is the smartest pitcher in the rotation! Wouldn’t have guessed that…but has to give credence that it’s more health than head….though one can be smart and stoopid all at once! 😉
Oh, and forgot to say hello to Gil’s brother! Hello!
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WOOHOO!!! Thunderstorm blowing thru and the rain is coming from the total opposite direction of our normal storms. I guess God wanted to water the other side of the plants… Maybe push some trees back upright? Anyway, here is hoping the storm will pass in time for me to watch the game. The bad thing about DirecTV is the signal hates rain… And lightning, especially lightning… all those scrambled ions. I think I would be like McCoy on Star Trek, not like having my ions scattered all over the universe. Anyone else read Time line by Michael Creighton?
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Just seeing if the key to the front door still works….
😀
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So… when did Melk-dud become such a punk? I mean, it’s one thing to celebrate actually being in shape, but being cocky is another story. Too bad it’s a tie game. I’d love to see a fastball planted in his ribs.
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Good news, bad news last night… Mike Minor pitched a heck of a ball game last night, Varvaro did not. Braves should have won it in the bottom of the ninth…
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Gil, might thoughts exactly! I turned the tv off at that point…same old , age old problem. Impossible to get a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs. Braves players should be forced to watch every time the Yankees have done that in the last couple of years…
As for Melky…yeah, weird….it seems like he has a chip on his shoulder against the team that traded for him and hoped he’d hit more than .255 and 4 homers. That was ALL his fault.
I was wondering awhile back, can’t recall now if it was on radio or Tv, but there was a bit of mocking of Melky…and at the time it seemed strange. Now, it all fits together, doesn’t it?
Well, well, well…whilst looking for the Melk-mans stats, found this article…well done Chipper!
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/07/chipper-jones-calls-out-melky-cabrera-for-gesture/1#.UAgNrvVQR-w
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Go figure baseball, Jonathan Sanchez, the pitcher the Giants traded for Melky(and I seem to recall all the experts saying the Giants made a huge mistake trading him) well, he was just DFA’ed with a 7.76 ERA.
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See, that is the sort of thing that turns you off to ball players, showing up out of shape and with a lackadaisical attitude and then getting mad when a team cuts you. Usually see it in the young guys who think the world owes them something.
That was Cabrera, over weight, just like Andruw Jones was. Some ball players can get away with the weight but all it really does is cut their careers short due to knee and back problems. Melky and Yunel are two peas in a pod when it comes to the attitude.
I always like Gregor Blanco, the deal with him as a Brave was he was still pretty young. Outfielders don’t really hit their stride until they are about 27 years old. All the fantasy guys clamor for the prospects to hit .300 as soon as they walk in the door but it really takes time for athletes to mature and then it is a very quick window.
It is why you have to be patient with guys like Heyward and Freeman. Their best years are ahead of them. Unfortunately, it will be about the time they are free agents.
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Game time, Ber!!!!
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No seams in Melky’s hip in his first AB. I am disappointed. 😡
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Allrighty now, that was more like it. Get a lead and hold it, really nice game by Huddy today, BIG… homerun by Ross. Now, lets take 3 of 4 from the Nats…
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“Bubba” Hudson, I love it….
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V, yea….kinda hard to say something will be remembered, then do nothing to said person. I know, then Prado or someone else might get drilled…gosh, better not chance it…Wonder how many games the braves have one this year with only 3 hits? Or any other team?
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MLBTR: The Astros and Blue Jays have completed a ten-player trade, the teams announced. The Astros obtain seven players from Toronto: Major Leaguers Francisco Cordero and Ben Francisco, minor leaguers Joe Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski, David Rollins and Carlos Perez, and a player to be named. The Astros send Brandon Lyon, J.A. Happ and David Carpenter to Toronto in the trade.
JA Happ? That might not have been a bad pickup. Bet he coulda come cheap…
I still think Frank is working on a big deal. Just a gut feeling, but I believe it.
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Francisco Liriano IF he can be had without giving up the farm, would be an interesting choice IMO. 4.81 ERA for the season, but his terrible April (11.01 ERA) is the big problem. 4.56 ERA in May 2.86 ERA, in June, and 3.46 ERA in July so far. He is really striking out people in bunches. June BA against, .159, July hitters are only hitting .189 . So, what would you be willing to give up for this guy?
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Missed it… missed it all.
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*sniff* Me, too, Raisins. 😦
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Does this now make the Braves the favorites?
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Well, let me tell ya…I was driving around, and it was 7-0. Bleh…9-0 double bleh. Talking about Star Wars during the game. Then 9-2. Then 9-4. Well, put the tv on at home…slight chance they might come back, right? Didn’t expect it though…and when they “blew” it in the 8th, I thought, well, a good comback, at least they didn’t give up…when they got the lead in the 9th, 10-9, game over…2nd blown save of Kimbrels season. Wow…what a heartbreaking loss this will be! Braves take lead again…who is left to pitch? Chad Durbin??? 80 Oh no!!!!!!!! Well, you have to give Chad credit, he’s a gamer, and easily shut the nats down for his first save since 2009….a great win!
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V, I could almost see the Cubs hanging onto him…if someone isn’t willing to give up a decent prospect for him, why bother? I think baseball really screwed up in doing away with teams getting/losing draft picks. Braves gonna give up Delgado if they can’t re-sign Dempster and get nothing if he signs with someone else? just stoopid.
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Afternoon Braves fans… and others…
Interesting so far in DC. I really hope JJ brings his A game today, Taking 3 out of 4 against the Nats would be huge, Funny watching the Braves Sarurday, I did not think Sheets was sharp at all but stats don’t lie do they? 12 innings of shutout ball so far.
I thought Delgado really pitched his tail off, One of his better outings for sure. Too bad the pen (Martinez) could not hold the Nats down.
Sell out for last night’s game in Washington, who says winning doesn’t matter. Also a huge amount of Braves fans there.
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JJ did NOT have his good stuff today. When your fastball sits at 88-89 and your changeup comes in at 84, you might as well set it on a tee.
Precisely the reason that Frank has to swing a deal for a top of the rotation pitcher. The one thing the Braves felt was a given this season has been anything but. Maybe it’s still early, but I’m calling Tommy Hanson a bust. I’ve seen enough now to say that he has nothing special. Hitters do not fear him. And JJ… well, this is the last year we’ll see him here anyway. If he isn’t traded, he’ll be released. No way they pay his inflated arb salary in his final arb year.
The Braves have maybe the best offense they have had in a very long time, but as all offenses do, they have down periods. Good teams have pitching to overcome offensive droughts. The Braves do not…
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Me thinks the Braves sent the wrong pitcher to triple A when Delgado returned to Gwennett. I hate to give up on a guy but you are right on both counts Raisins. Hanson is returning to last season’s form and JJ is a project for someone to figure out. Isn’t this why the Braves went into a tailspin last season?
Time to get really serious and get some real pitching help. One guy will do it. Two would seal the deal but that is not going to happen. It is sad to see a kid who has ace potential hit the skids but this is big boy baseball and you have to show up every 5 days, ready or not.
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Yep, Gil. In my very humble opinion, the next 9 days will define the direction this club wants to go. If they are truly desirous of being a World Series caliber team, they’ll give up the prospects for the pitching. Else, it’s all about “controllable” contracts. They lose too much this upcoming off-season to really think they’ll return to contention in 2013. No more Chipper, likely no more Bourn (another topic for another rant), Huddy further down the down side of a great career, and a down year from the Mets, Marlins and Phillies. By the way, the Nats are only getting better.
So this is it. They could have swept this series in DC if they had the pitching to compliment the hitting. They could be traveling to Miami in 1st place in the NL East and not looking back.
Instead, they’re just where they were when they hit the nation’s capital. Sure… they lost no ground, but they did lose 4 more games on the schedule, and a necessary head to head matchup was wasted. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
C’mon, Frank… give us something. Show a pulse up there…
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Frank is traveling with the team to Miami. Coincidence? Methinks not…
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And as I type that, I find this tweet from the intrepid beat writer:
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Also, semi-related:
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Gil, I finally saw, “got” what others saw/see in Delgado in his last start. Joe noticed he was less rushed in his delivery..he sure looked much smoother, and was throwing easy 95 in the first inning.
Ok…Is Hanson on the downhill? JJ too? Hudson is getting older(as is everyone, but you know what I mean) Sheets has been better than anyone could have imagined, but he has no history of staying healthy. Minor…is Jo-Jo in my eyes. One good start every once in a while to give you false hope.
So, say you are Frank…do you trade the two best pitchers, Delgado or Teheran for a 2 month rental? Who starts next year? I know its tough not to just think of this season, but Minor, Hanson, and Hudson next year…does that give you much hope for 2013????
Frank has a tough job ahead of him…plus so many teams NEED a starter…
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of course posted before V’s posts…well…who????
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For my money, I send them both down and call Delgado up for my pen. I know he’s a future starter, but I want to win now. I want my best available pitchers on my team. I call Delgado to my pen, finalize a deal for a bona fide starter, and let JJ go. I mean go, like in gone. He has no real trade value, and isn’t going to find another 4 mph on his fastball at Gwinnett. He needs a fresh start somewhere. Maybe he’s s throw-in on a deal. That’d be fine with me too.
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It may be Dempster…that’s aok with me! Just hope we didnt’ give up too much!
JJ is still only 26…get his knee fixed once and for all(what other pitcher have you heard that can’t pitch like he used to because of his knee????)
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Here it is: Braves acquire Ryan Dempster.
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No definite word yet on who is going to the Cubs. Delgado makes sense. I hate it, but I’ll take Dempster. I pray we can re-sign him.
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OK, Frank. Nice… but that’s only move #1 of 3 necessary moves. We still need a pen arm, and we still need a RH bat. Go get ’em, Frank.
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Dempster: 5-4, 2.11 ERA on a pathetic Cubs team that cannot score runs. How will he do now with the best Braves offense in years?
Braves now have an ace.
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BTW- Bowman is the only one currently reporting it as being a done deal…
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But DOB did say the Braves think they would have a good shot at re-signing Dempster since Wren and Freddi had a good relationship with him in Florida(I didn’t even know he pitched there!)
Still, Delgado…man…
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Dempster came up as a Marlin. If it’s Delgado for Dempster straight up, it’s actually good for both teams. I imagine there is a lower level prospect attached as well. If it’s Delgado plus another top prospect, I like it a little less. But Dempster is probably the best fit for Atlanta. He has to feel like it’s Christmas coming from the Scrubs. He’s the most likely to be re-signed from both ends, give his past relationship with Frank/Fredi (as was mentioned), but also the fact that the Braves will have the financial ability to sign a pitcher for 3-4 years at $12-13M per. Not so much with the projected $20+M that Hamels and Greinke will get.
If they can get the extension done, then it’s another nice move for Frank. And I have to think that they have at least had the conversation with Dempster.
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https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/227474908375027712
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If Delgado reaches what many believe his potential to be, he’ll be a #3 Major League starter. Dempster comes to the Braves as their new #1. As I said earlier, if he can be re-signed, I’ll take 3-4 years of certainty over 6-7 years of potential. Just ask Julio Teheran…
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Sorry, Julio was a bad example. He still has room to improve. A better example is Tommy Hanson. Tremendous potential… “ace” potential 2 or 3 years ago. Today, maybe a #4 type at best.
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Something that cannot be glossed over in Bowman’s trade story:
When the Braves began evaluating ways to improve their starting rotation, Dempster and Zack Greinke sat at the top of their wish list. But as the past few days passed with the Brewers have providing clear indication that they are willing to move Greinke, the focus fell on Dempster.
To get Greinke, the Braves would have had to likely part with top pitching prospect Julio Teheran and at least one other Top 15 prospect. Now they will likely simply pursue him on the free agent market this winter.
Really? Does this mean that the Braves are still willing to pay for a high $$ FA pitcher this off-season even after saying they want to extend Dempster?
I get the idea that Bowman believes that Dempster is a rental and that the Greinke is the guy they really want long term.
DOB leans more toward Dempster signing an extension here.
Hmmm… interesting…
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Per DOB: Braves recalled Jose Constanza from AAA Gwinnett and have optioned Varvaro to AAA Gwinnett. Jack Wilson will begin a rehab assignment at Gwinnett.
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Nothing like a technicality to throw a wet blanket on a party:
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Sullivan is a beat writer from the Chicago Tribune…
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seems the braves would need more bullpen help, not less…but Jose always sparks the club for a week or so…
V, I just feel like it appears I am trying to be a contrarian(really, not in spellcheck, a word even I know?) at times….but the braves have given up a lot of arms and as we have seen, developed very few in the last decade +. Adam Wainwright for one year of a very overrated outfielder who left after a season. He hasn’t been very good this year, and missed all of 2011, but he was basically the best pitcher in baseball in 2009 and 2010. Think the braves would have been better with him those years?
Matt Harrison, I remember DOB hearing wasn’t even that highly regarded in the organization. Well, he was 14-9 with a 3.39 era last year, and 12-4 this year with a 3.02 ERA this year. Gee, I guess throwing from the left and hitting 96 is a bit better than the “stuff” Minor possesses.
Probably in too sour a mood today(not because of this) to not see things in a negative light, but what would the rotation have looked like with those two guys in it? Would they have wasted all that moola on DLowe and KK if Wainwright had been there all along? Would the braves have won a few more games with Harrison giving them solid starts all last year??? What do the braves have to show for giving up Wainwright, Harrison, (and never mind Elvis, Feliz)
Don’t get me wrong, Demster will help this team.
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lots of thunder, so didn’t want to lose that masterpiece of a post. 🙄 Dempster will help this team. A tough battle with the Nats clearly being the better team(their “worst” starter Edwin Jackson, has a 3.71 ERA, and Lannan would put Minor in the minors in a sec) meanwhile, the best starter on the braves team with more than 2 starts, Hudson, has a 3.70 ERA. Of course I just made a case for the team needing pitching..oh well….
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Heyman says the teams have come to agreement… the only hangup can be getting formal approval from Dempster (10/5 veto rights).
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Dempster’s 2012 ERA vs. the NL East:
vs. Nats – 1.17
vs. Mets – 0.00
vs. Marlins – 0.00
vs. Phils – n/a
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Gotta say… if Dempster is taking this much time to “approve” the deal, doesn’t exactly speak well to any perceived desire to sign any extension.
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The Tigers acquired Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. 😯
2 things come to mind:
#1 – The Fish have raised he white flag.
#2 – Man, I wish the Braves coulda swung that deal.
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And the really big shocker of the day: the Yankes acquire Ichiro. I never woulda imagined him anywhere other than Seattle.
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YankesYankees 😳LikeLike
Man. talk about being dissed… If Dempter vetos a deal that would send him to a real contender, well, he either hates grits or he has an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Georgia.
Yes, Ber, it was a masterful blog entry…
No need for embarrassment V, I call them the Yankers all the time…
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I continue to read much speculation. I am growing tired of posting speculation. Think I’ll go and cut some grass and see if any concrete news comes down the pike while I’m away…
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V, I have a feeling this is Ichiro’s last year…he doesn’t look it, but he’s 37. 2nd down year…gives him a chance to go out a winner…
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OK, Gil, I’ll post one more tidbit of speculation. Rosenthal postulates (FOB?) that the hangup could actually be on the Braves end. He bases it on a few items he has picked up on recently. His logic? The Cubs are willing to pay a significant portion of the remaining $5+M owed to Dempster this season if the Braves upgrade the prospect coming to them – reportedly Delgado. But the Braves want assurances of an extension before giving up Delgado for 2 months of Dempster. Dempster prefers a team that trains in Arizona – specifically the Dodgers – and thus isn’t all fired up about signing with the Braves long term. Rosey was quick to point out that there is no indication that Dempster doesn’t want to come here for the stretch run this year, though.
It all makes sense, but is still speculation. My grass calls…
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Sigh.. It’s Monday, what else can explain this game???
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Is the holdup with Dempster or his agent, I wonder. If he doesn’t want to come to ATL, I hope he stays where he is.
I’m tired of “rent-a-john” players who come for a couple of months, then move on.
I’m tired of ATL giving up too much in valuable players for the rent-a-johns. I’m tired of the team being “almost” good enough.
And lord knows I’m tired of skin-flint owners who want all of the money but none of the cost.
My $.02 at the end of a blazing hot day.
😀
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You tell em CL…
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@Gil – 😆
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Okay, looked to me the offense let Minor’s gem go by the wayside. Payback for all those early season blowouts? Honest, I don’t know if he can pitch a better game. Why did it feel like the Braves were down 10 nothing after the 2 inning then?
Okay, today is not Monday…. Huddy is due a good game, he has been hit around pretty hard lately.
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What CL said too! 😉
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from MLBTR …. TUESDAY, 9:05am: Dempster has given preliminary indications that he’d accept a trade to the Braves, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). However, Dempster felt blindsided when news of the proposed deal leaked before the Cubs reached him.
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“However, Dempster felt blindsided when news of the proposed deal leaked before the Cubs reached him.”
What? He doesn’t read the papers? How could he not know he is on the block? Man, some people are just too sensitive…
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Handled a little ham-handedly by the Cubs, I’d say. Can’t blame the guy for feeling a little slapped by getting the news from the media. Surprisingly clumsy for Theo Epstein.
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From the horse’s mouth:
http://twitter.com/RyanDempsterFDN/status/227805237107384321
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Rosenthal: Chicago Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster does not want to be traded to the Atlanta Braves, according to major-league sources.
At least not right now.
Dempster, as a player with 10 years of major-league service, the last five with the same team, has the right to block a trade to the Braves.
The pitcher instead wants to be sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were unable to reach agreement with the Cubs on a suitable deal, sources said.
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I say screw him and move on. He’s already earned a few boos if he were to come here anyway. He won’t exactly be embraced now. It even rubs me the wrong way, and I’m an easy going kinda guy.
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Seriously… best available pitcher or not, I’m not interested in a hired gun. The guy doesn’t want to be here, accommodate him. Good luck, Theo, trading the dude. He’s screwing the Cubs in the process. For a guy who is universally thought of as a “good guy”, he’s not exactly respecting any of the other parties involved. He’s only thinking of himself.
Now, I understand he’s “earned” this right with his 10/5 status. That’s just business, right? Good for him. The classy thing to do would be to help your current club get as good a return as possible, then fulfill your own desires in 3 months through FA. But with this selfish attitude of “I only want to go to the Dodgers”, he’s seriously stunted Theo’s bargaining position.
What I’d love to see happen is the Dodgers flatly say, “We’re no longer interested. We’ve moved on.” Then when Dempster relents, the Braves say, “Fine, but our offer has been adjusted to reflect the diminished market.”
That’s how business is done. And it’s all business, right Mr. Dempster?
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Yes, it’s just business…. and that is why the Braves should make a deal somewhere else and say forget Dempster. Holding up the Braves pushes them to the brink the longer they have to wait.
I understand a player wanting to move to LA, after all, there is so little crime there…
Anyway, I suspect there is another pitcher available amongst the vast spectrum of baseball who would love to wear the tomahawk across his chest who would fill the Braves’ short term needs. Heck, Delgado and Minor may actually be one of those, maybe Kris Medlin… You never know until you try, right? Shucks, let him pitch next Monday, what could we lose besides another Monday game?
For sure, I would not make a trade with the proverbial gun to our head.
That said, Dempter may not know how to play on a winning team. much like Dan Uggla, but I digress…
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Wow… Uggla may be having his offensive struggle, but he’s a man, Did you see the fastball just carom off of the earhole of his helmet? The guy didn’t go down, he even sent Fredi and the trainer back to the dugout. That was a solid shot to the head, and he just shook it off like it was a mosquito bite. Wow… 😯
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92 mph on the fastball that clocked Danny boy square in the ear flap. I’m telling you, he didn’t even stagger. Amazing. I want him on my side if I ever get in a fight for sure!
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The only problem is, if he swings at someone’s jaw, he’ll miss.
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Kidding… 😆
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Man, Ryan Dempster is exercising his “earned” right, but he’s making an awful lot of folks mad in the meantime. Braves fans are ticked for obvious reasons, and Cubs fans are ticked because they wanted Delgado in return. They know that the Dodgers don’t have the same quality to offer and feel like Demps is screwing their team over. Nice job, kid. Burn bridges everywhere…
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So, JA Happ goes to the Jays, Anibal Sanchez goes to the Tigers, and now Wandy Rodriguez goes to the Pirates. The market is in full swing, and the Braves are held up by a putz.
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I’m back on the Jason Vargas bandwagon. I might even be on the Francisco Liriano bandwagon. Neither of those should cost us Delgado either. If you retain Delgado, you can help your bullpen without another trade.
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Missed most of what happened today…wow. V, you are right, who wants him now? Can’t spend 3 months here? Unless he was feeling pressured to sign here since the braves were giving up a prized prospect, them bleep him. really have lost all respect for the guy. This is like AJ Burnette, Furcal, all over again. Guess I needed a reminder why we had to sign DLowe and KK….some players just don’t want to come to the ATL…and for the life of me, can’t figure out why…
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my night to say….wow…the Marlins traded Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate to the Dodgers for a starter I haven’t heard of, and a minor leaguer to be named later. My, how the mighty have fallen!
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/07/dodgers-acquire-hanley-ramirez-randy-choate.html#disqus_thread
2 years ago, he was arguably the best hitter in baseball, now back to back sub .250 seasons. Still, he will probably play better in front of , you know fans…
Good news for the Braves though! Marlins should be pretty easy to beat later today! 😉
Oh, and baseball tonight said the A’s were the team most likely to win the Ramirez sweepstakes.
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V, pretty funny about Uggla! 😉 And you are right, pretty darned tough!
I didn’t like having to give up Delgado…it might be the best trade never made if it falls thru now…He pitched the best game I’ve seen(not that I have come close to seeing all of his starts!) and I know he must feel the pressure of Freddi having a quick hook with him, so for him to get out of that 6th inning jam the last time, well, it had to give him confidence.
But, sure put him in the pen if we get a starter…you know an under the radar guy that might make a good pickup???? Kevin Millwood. Ever hear of the guy? 😉 I keep seeing him pitch on baseball tonight, and snickering to myself that at 91-92 he throws harder than Minor(And clearly I have been hard on Minor, and he may have finally turned a corner, we shall see)
Vargas would give the braves more innings, which would be a real plus, but the ERA’s are not that different. 3.91 for Vargas, 4.13 for Millwood. I bet that would drop a bit coming back to the NL. I don’t know…he isn’t pitching even 6 innings a start…I was just thinking decent ERA for AL, and wouldn’t cost a ton. Man…might as well keep tossing Delgado out, right???
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I don’t know what to do now (like I’m the one doing stuff…) Can the Dodgers pull off another big deal after getting HanRam and Choate? I don’t know, but if they get Dempster also, I’ll feel pretty nauseated watching another team with seemingly endless resources just cherry pick whom they want at the deadline while my team sits on its wallet.
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Yeah, this from a team that was supposedly near bankruptcy.. Funny thing about being given a chance to start over. Especially in a big market. Can’t say I can blame Dempster for wanting to go to LA, looks like they are lining up as a loaded team.
And a Yankees/Dodgers World Series that go seven, Fox’s dream match up… only because it would not be a round robin with the Red Sox.
Question, what ever happened to the days when a team would fine a player (Melky) for showing up out of shape? I begrudge a guy for having an attitude…
I was telling the wife last night it seems the Braves are always having a right handed dead pull hitter (Jeff Francouer, Andruw Jones, Dan Uglla) coming to the plate with the bases juiced and striking out in big situations. What is it with the Braves and their aversion to getting the big hit with the bases loaded?
Yeah, it would seem the Marlins don’t have any fire power but for some reason these teams find a way to beat the Braves… Aurgh!!!!
Okay guys, 12 o’clock game today! WAKE UP BER…
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Good news…
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Wow… Dempster has really screwed the Cubs. Dodgers don’t have what they want, but Braves do. (And Delgado would be a nice pitcher to insert right into their Major League rotation already.) But thanks to Dempster’s veto, the Cubs will get a draft pick. How nice for them.
What a putz…
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Vitriol from the Cubbies’ fanbase: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/07/ryan-dempster-rumors-wednesday-1.html
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And of course, if the Cubs try to slip him thru to the Dodgers after the trade deadline, the Braves will be in a position to block them, if they really want to.
That said, what the Braves really need is someone that is better than Jurrjens to go every fifth day, how is that so hard?
It is pretty obvious that others see that Delgado is a prize pick. Push comes to shove, I say flip him with JJ and move on.
I know, you really would like to have a veteran guy that is not a head case. Also helps if he has some talent.
Heck, just get the Phillies to leave Cole Hammels in Atlanta this weekend, after all, the Dodgers can’t sign but so many guys next year and that is where everyone appears to want to go… I guess they have not figured out the tax rates and the cost of living for LA is 10 time that of Georgia…
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Gil, Hamels has his extension in Philly… he’s going nowhere. As to having someone better that JJ every 5th day, the Braves need a bona fide “ace”. The closest they have is Huddy, who I’ll go into battle with any day…
But to be a real contender you have to have a 1-2 punch, and really a 1-2-3 punch. The Braves have Huddy and who-knows-what coming after. I don’t want either Hanson or Minor going twice in playoff series. Sheets is still a mystery at this point.
If the Braves are serious about a run in 2012, they have to land a top pitcher. They just have to.
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Oh… and this:
Thankfully, the Braves aren’t just sitting under Theo’s feet like a starving puppy.
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Yep, saw the news of the Hammels signing about 15 minutes after I posted. 6 years, 144 million… lot of money but when you are selling out every game, you have some payroll flexibility.
So, ARod has a non displaced fracture of his fifth metacarpal on his left hand. Hummmm, same injury as Simmons but opposite hand, saying 6-8 weeks. Funny, was only 4-6 weeks for Andi. Better doctors in Atlanta? Wishful thing on the Braves part?
And all this talk about a new chandelier and what we really need is more light…
Okay, I agree, the Braves do need an Ace but those guys are not cheap, see the Hammels deal… You are not going to get a new Lexus at Toyota prices unless it has been wrecked. Moral, you just have to get off the dime to make the call.
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Well, after watching Tommy pitch 4 1/3 innings 8 steals, the guy is toast.. really, needs to be on the same bus as JJ.. SAD!
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Against a good team, he would be down by 10 runs, Oh yeah, that’s what happened against the Nats. Delgado is saying, if you guys would give me a little run support, I would have a winning record too…
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Hmmm… some mighty specific info from Bowman on something that is pretty speculative… or is it?
Indications are that the Brewers will want top pitching prospect Julio Teheran and at least one other highly-regarded prospect in exchange for Greinke, who is set for a big payday on the free agent market this winter.
The Braves are willing to provide the five-year contract and $20-plus million annual salary that Greinke will be seeking. But the package they would be willing to provide the Brewers will be based on their confidence that Greinke would not simply be a two-month rental.
It’s no secret that Frank covets Greinke… he has for a while. But this is the first time I have seen it in print that they “are willing” to go that high in salary commitment. You gotta wonder if there is a conversation going on with Greinke’s reps as part of the process.
Here’s the question: Would you give up Teheran and another top prospect for a young former Cy Young winner if you knew he’d be around for 5 more years?
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Chipper on Twitter:
😆
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So, here is the deal, go all in, knowing you have a guy wrapped up for the next five or stand pat and hope Teheran becomes an ACE in 3 years. Depends on if they will have enough to pay the rest of the team. That said, good starters are not getting cheaper.
te
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Bowman has seemed to intimate lately that the Braves are well prepared to give a pitcher high $$ in FA this winter. Why not go ahead and get him now? And If Teheran does happen to realize the potential that he has been labeled with for a while, he’ll become what Greinke already is. I like certainty. To me, the sticking point is the second top prospect. Who would they want? My first thought goes to Christian Bethancourt. That is a steep price.
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Gee, I was so sad to see Dempster lose a close game. And, like the super classy, swell guy we all know him to be, he went around tossing things in the dugout, over, and over….then he threw a drink that sure looked like it splashed on a fellow player…if he had done that to me, he’d have found himself on the DL for a week or three….
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Safe to say he’s under a little pressure right now? 🙄
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Hi gang, nothing new yet eh? I’m not the least bit worried though, oh wait… didn’t the Braves find themselves in this same position when they traded for Texeria?
Okay, so I am a little bit worried ….
We will just have to speculate as to how much Frank Wren will be held up by teams who actually have an Ace will want in return. Think maybe the Marlins would take Uggla back for Josh Johnson? Naw, I didn’t think so either.
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So, even with all the speculation going on, how many here think the Braves would have a better chance if Medlen starts instead of Jurrjens for the rest of the season? Yep, I thought so, pretty obvious to everyone except maybe Wren.
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Gil, yep! Even Freddi was mentioning Medlin possibly starting…if he can go 5 he will be able to top what JJ does most days…
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I gotta say… I don’t want Medlen in the rotation. The bullpen is barely strung together. Think about the time period when Meds went down to AAA to get stretched out. The ‘pen fell apart. We need him down there. Seriously, I shudder to think of our ‘pen without him. Now… if you were to insert Delgado in his place, then maybe I’d be for it. But, then again, I think Delgado ought to be in the ‘pen with Meds.
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Big shot ego. *snorts* Have a nice year, RD! I for SURE don’t want him in ATL now! Don’t imagine he’d be a real welcome presence in the clubhouse with the attitude he has shown. Throwing things around the dugout?? Aren’t there fines for that sort of stuff? At least under Bobby’s watch, the Braves usually went up the tunnel to blow off steam. Can’t remember seeing juvenile antics like that in the Braves dugout in a very, very long time. Don’t know how Fredi handles anything. What does he do, btw?
The Braves don’t have enough high-caliber players to afford to trade without damaging at one position. Day late, dollar short.
112 heat index today. Higher tomorrow.
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Wow CL, I bet you have the old A/C working overtime…
Yeah, that would be an interesting question to ask of FG. If I were a manager, I would have some type of device that does not hit back, ie: no rubber walls… Block walls have also cut short more than one pitcher’s career. Remind me to tell you of my own personal experiences with a rubber mallet some time… 🙂
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PLEASE Frank, move on!!! Don’t let the arse find a way here…
http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/8206379/2012-mlb-trade-deadline-source-ryan-dempster-open-more-los-angeles-dodgers
CL, wow!!!! V and I have been dealing with some pretty crazy heat too. here on the southside of the ATL, we had back to back days that showed 108(not heat index!) in Jonesboro in early July! I was watering the tomato plants twice and day and they still were getting burned on top….back to watering twice a day again. Anyone else having to do this? The plants simply looked like every drop of moisture is out of them…no way they would make it til tomorrow….
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not getting Zachery….. http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8207299/milwaukee-brewers-trade-rhp-zack-greinke-los-angeles-angels
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Think Bonds was juiced??? 🙄 http://atlantablackstar.com/2012/07/27/check-out-the-new-slimmed-down-barry-bonds/
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And Greinke is on to the Angels… glad he is outta the NL. Now, for Frank… what’s left? James Shields will cost too much for what he is; Garza is not going anywhere… Liriano? Maybe… I can also see Garza. Maybe that’s OK. Either would be better than JJ – and that’s a bug plus – and neither will cost a top prospect.
Folks, we really need a starter. JJ is shot and Hanson is taking on water. Did you see his line on Wednesday? 7 walks; 7 steals?
We need a starter.
Y’all can disagree with me all you want, but I still hope Demps ends up in our rotation. We need the big arm. I honestly believe he could be the difference maker in the division. And for me, it’s this year I’m worried about. I’ll worry about next season after October.
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“Did you see his line on Wednesday? 7 walks; 7 steals?”
Raisins, I saw the game, he did not look that good… Really, a lot of smoke and mirrors against a club that is not very good right now.
Ben Sheets with another good outing. He did not look spectacular last night but wow, is he ever effective. I expected more of a game out of Cole Hammels, goes to show that even the best pitcher can have an off night.
Joe Simpson was commenting on BMac changing to an ash bat, results along with doing something mechanical, ball is going further… Hey, I never liked those spindly things any way. He changed bats at the behest of Chipper Jones. I sure wish Chipper could help Dan Uglla with his struggle. Dan is just flat missing pitches right now.
Jonny made me a little nervous in the 7th last night but the Phillie helped him out by expanding the strike zone. He is not back yet but he is a lot better than he was a month ago.
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One thing in Garza’s favor, some playoff experience….
as for “big Game” James Shields….he was incredible last year…13 complete games…wonder if he was overworked? It was clearly his best year though…and getting out of the AL East, and the DH league…could only help. I guess my thought is he’d be a lot cheaper to have than Dempster. 8 Mil this year(well, for the whole season, so what, 3 mil the rest of the way?) and I know he is under contract for 2013 too.
He has a weird line…137 innings(No one on the braves has more than 121-Hanson), 134 strikeouts…but 156 hits. How do you do that?
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“134 strikeouts…but 156 hits. How do you do that?”
Not walk a lot of people? Have a crappy (slow footed) defense behind you? Always pitch with the wind blowing out?.. 🙂
Whew, some of that hot weather blew back our way. I hate sticky, stifling hot weather! Josie is outside cleaning the pool now, she can’t fool me though, it is about the only work one can perform right now without suffering from a heat stroke.
I am on my third Tee shirt of the day. I keep thinking I have one little 10 minute job to repair the pull rope on the lawn mower and I just am dreading it. How can grass grow when it’s this hot anyway?
Okay, game time at 7PM tonight, I’m glad they moved the game because I would have been afforded the Yankees/ Red Sox game otherwise.
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According to Mr. O’B, the Braves will start Medlen on Tuesday in place of JJ unless the pick up another starter before then.
Now… my reaction:
If they move Meds out of the ‘pen, they sure as heck better pick up another reliever. And I don’t mean 41 year old Miguel Batista. I may be wrong, and I like Medlen alot, but his presence in the pen makes the whole thing tick. You remove him, and you put more pressure on Venters – who has been far from stellar this year, Martinez – who is OK, but wildly inconsistent, and on EOF – who will likely have to pitch more innings.
I’m tellin’ ya, we can’t have it both ways. We need the kid badly. The question is, where do we need him more? I suppose if the market for starters is prohibitive, you turn to relievers and move Meds. If you ,have to. But even then, Meds is not the “ace” starter that the Braves lack.
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Correction: According to Mr. O’B, the Braves will start Medlen on Tuesday in place of JJ unless
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Don’t mess with Frank Wren!!!
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Interesting… the Braves just swapped a AAA OF/1B for a AAA SS/2B/3B from the Pirates. He’s another Pastornicky/Janish/Wilson. WOnder why the Braves felt the need to add another one of those? Hmmm… makes a guy (or gal, as the case may be) wonder…
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Great game by Mike Minor tonight, Braves are rounding into form.
How come every time I see the Olympic rings, I have a strange craving for Balleitine beer??? 🙂
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Liriano goes to the ChiSox. Another starter off the board…
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Yeah, crud…and sure doesn’t look like the White Sox gave up much either…
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I think it is going to be a last minute deal if it happens. I don’t think it is Wren who controls the timing. May depend on if LA thinks Dempster is really worth it and if they really need him.
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Not gonna be surprised if Demps ends up making 10 or more starts for us…
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I also won’t be surprised if Frank pulls a name that we have not heard at all through any of the rumor mills…
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really don’t want him at this point….and he may have made his best starts of the year….he’s never had a year like this before…
And has Mike Minor done a 180 or what? Not quite sure what is different…heard on the radio less changeups…glad it has happened of course! I think my bashing him really made the difference! 😉
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V, you your last point….Rick Sutcliffe keeps talking up Paul Maholm, wondering why he hasn’t been mentioned much(He’s with the cubs too) 9-6 3.88 ERA. really weird splits. 5.33 ERA on the road, 2.78 in Wrigley!!! 1.20 ERA in July…a thought…
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Battle Ax goes yicketty!!!
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Her we go… 6th inning, 2 outs, 2-1 lead with 2 on. This is where Medlen usually comes in to stop the advance. Can we do it without him?
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Whew! 😯
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Another good game by the Braves today, this year’s Phillies team looks a lot like last year’s Braves team. It happens when you have key guys hurt. Still, sweeping them is a good series. You sure can’t feel sorry for them because they did not feel any sympathy for Atlanta in the past.
I just hope they can pull themselves together long enough to beat the Nats. Oh by the way, the Brew Crew really sucks… big time…. A great example of what not having a pen can do to you. Reminds me of some of the mid 2000 Braves teams and those pre 1991….
The key to winning is to either be able to score runs or keep the other team from doing so. It appears that Milwaukee has plenty of offense but they sure can’t plug the dike when it comes to holding a lead. I think it is pretty close as to who has the worse staff, Milwaukee or the Astros.
For all the belly aching and whining that goes on across the street about the Braves falling just short, it sure could be worse, at least they are not playing for next decade like the Pirates have done for the past 20 years.
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So here we are… just 1 day left before the non-waiver trade deadline. The popular thought was that Frank had to make his deal today so that the incoming pitcher would have time to travel and make JJ’s scheduled start tomorrow. But Frank smartly played his “Medlen” card giving him another day and taking some of the other GMs’ perceived leverage away. Having Meds as an option makes Frank a little less desperate for a starter.
Now, as for the Beckett rumors… I have a hard time seeing that one unless Boston eats a chunk of cash. The guy is more affordable than the prposed “extensions” for Dempster or Greinke, and under contract for 2 more years, but definitely on the downside. I believe Frank wants more “stud” quality for his buck.
Don’t count out Dempster. LA doesn’t have him yet and the clock is ticking. Regardless of how you may feel about him, he’s better than all of our starters not named Tim. I’d much rather have Demps make 3 starts in a playoff series than Hanson or Minor.
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I still like Jason Vargas from Seattle. He’s a horse; he pitches a bunch of innings. He has 11 wins in the season. He’s a lefty. He would not cost Randall Delgado. In my mind, it works as 2 trades. You add him to your rotation, you can stand pat with your bullpen by adding Delgado.
They’ll need a SS. They can have Pastornicky. I think The Rev is earmarked for trade anyway. It’s why we just picked up that kid SS/2B/3B from Pittsburgh’s AAA team for our AAA team. Why else?
Still need to strengthen the bench…
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Just wondering, what do you think is the greatest need for the bench? A left handed bat to replace (supplement) Henski or a right handed bat to replace (I’m all thumbs) Matty Diaz?
So many options, everyone wanting quality for crap.
Likely it will be another Rick Ankiel, Farnsworth type pick up. Someone cheap…. Sigh, it’s just tough to spend other people’s money when they don’t give it to you.
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Did I mention that Vargas is also under team control (last arb year) through 2013?
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Jason Vargas pitched 192.2 innings in 2010, his first full season in the majors. He pitched 201.0 last season. He’s on a pace to surpass that this season.
Only Huddy pitched more than 200 innings for the Braves last season, going 215. Next closest was DLowe at 187 (ironic, huh?). Then it drops to 152 by JJ. Hanson clocked in at an alarming 130. Any wonder why our bullpen wilted in the dog days of September?
Folks, that is a very telling stat…
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Man, there are some real idiots across the street… 🙄
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So many options, so little of value to trade unless you trade away your trump card. The it is gone. Is it just me or has the quality of the Braves farm system player declined? Maybe it is just the expectation of having a Chipper Jones level player at every position and forgetting that it take time for most of these kids to develop.
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And it’s Monday… will Frank also lose on Monday? Man I hope not. (Was it last Monday that the Dempster thing hit the fan? I think it was! 😯 )
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Now that is irony…
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Gil, to your talk about the farm…yeah, that’s where a decent outfield/ss/1b prospect would really help to get someone like Vargas the Mariners NEED offense like few teams around. A cool guy who knows a ton of baseball on a jazz forum I frequent is a mariners fan. Just about everyone they have gotten via draft or trade is a flop, hitting wise. So if a team like the Reds or Cards can come up with a hitter, they will likely get the job done.
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The drought is over!!!!!!! 😀
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Excellent!!!
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No word yet on who is going the other way, but it’s a great pickup for the Braves. Johnson hits righty and plays all OF positions, including CF which he plays well. Maholm is a lefty, 9-6 with a 3.74 ERA, 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his past 7 starts.
Nice job Frank… as long as you didn’t overpay.
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MLBTR: Johnson, 35, has a .307/.361/.452 batting line in 180 plate appearances this year. The right-handed hitter has played all three outfield positions for the Cubs and owns a career .313/.370/.469 line against left-handed pitching. He’s signed to a one-year, $1.15MM contract and will hit free agency after the season.
Maholm, 30, has a 3.74 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 120 1/3 innings for the Cubs this year. He earns a $4.75MM salary and his contract includes a $6.5MM club option for 2013.
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Nice call, Ber…
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Awesome. I’ll bet Zeke Spruill is one of them.
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Bowman says it is NOT Spruill…
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Rumor is it’s Chapman and Visciano going to the Cubs.
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The 5 year plan has begun in Chicago.
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V, I wouldn’t have even thought of it without Rick Sutcliffe mentioning him! Wonder if Frank watches a lot of baseball tonight? 😉
Oh yeah, a trade I can believe in! 🙂 Visciano is a lot to give up, but he likely won’t be 100% til 2014, but …Delgado is still a brave, and I think they will really be glad he didn’t get traded!
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Hmmm… Vizcaino… tough one there. That kid had great stuff. IIRC, he was more destined for our pen than our rotation. But, waddaya do? I still think it’s a great move. It truly gives the Braves a chance to win it this year. Two very solid acquisitions.
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Good morning gang, the more I read about it, the better this trade sounds for the Braves, it really did solve multiple problems all at once. It gave them a solid pitcher, who is left handed to boot, and whom the Braves will maintain control over in 2013. Can you say bye, bye JJ.
They pick up a right handed bat to replace Matt Diaz and will can play all three outfield positions. A really quality guy who will win us some ball games.
I imagine the Braves will announce Costanza being sent back to triple A today.
A couple of observations about last night’s game if I may.
Tommy Hanson can sure pick em as to who he is facing. I don’t think there is a chance in heck that he wins his last two games pitching to another team.
Prado made as good a throw to nail Reyes at the plate last night as I have ever seen. I thought he had no chance to get that speedster. The guy has an impressive arm.
One of the best at bats last night in my opinion was Juan Francisco. He show me he was really maturing as a hitter by taking the outside pitch and staying on it to drive it to left field. Early in the season he would have been flailing away trying to hit it 500 feet to left. This kid may have a future in Atlanta as an everyday third baseman yet.
I am really feeling good about this club now. Perhaps it is the level of the competition they are playing but they do not appear to be dogging it like we have seen them do in the past. I so look forward to watching them right now. Makes me wonder who else Frank Wren will pull out of a hat.
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They really seem to be coming together as a club…
Re: Francisco. I gotta give credit where credit is due. His hitting coach says he’s been working his tail off. It shows. Bowman says “Francisco has incredible physical talent w/ his hands”
Love the deal. I really do. As you mentioned, it does solve multiple problems.
Another thing Bowman mentioned that I haven’t seen anywhere else is that the Cubs included a little cash in the deal as well. That never hurts.
One more thing… maybe this also means that they could have the $$ available next season to pay Bourn since they aren’t throwing at Greinke or Dempster. Just a thought..
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The Dodgers aren’t anywhere close on Dempster and are concentrating on Shane Victorino. Now the Rangers and Yankees are making a late push for him. Don’t you know he’s kicking his own butt right about now? And in the end, the Braves came out better… 🙂
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The Dodgers have really made a splash, and they will be a formidable opponent on the NL, especially if they get Victorino. I honestly believe that the Braves were already close enough to the Nats, now they may be a little better. And once Rizzo shuts Strasburg down, well… let’s just say I hope he sticks to his promise.
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One last thing…
Why are the Nats leading the NL East? Simple… pitching. They lead all of MLB with a 3.25 ERA. It’s an old formula, but a reliable one. The Braves just got better in that department. The Nats have thus far stood pat. And they will lose their best pitcher in a few short weeks.
No complaints here, though. 😀
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There have been some significant moves made by the NL West, the Dodgers get the flying Hawaiian and San Fran just picked up Hunter Pence. That is going to be a dog fight.
Sadly, it is going to be tough to catch the Nats unless the Braves can take them head to head. The rest of the NL East is suddenly less formidable.
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V, you are correct, pitching is what separates the Nats from the field. Offense is not off the charts. And while Harper has been fine as a 19 YO rookie with some big hits, thank goodness he is not doing what Mike Trout is doing. He has almost single handedly turned the Angels season around.
But, back to the Nats…without Strasburg, the Nats are going to be a lot more beatable. And while I certainly understand wanting to be very careful with him,(I would hate to see him be the next Mark Prior) I would have had him have a “hamstring” issue all August. But sure, shut him down Sept 5th or whatever…miss the playoffs by a game or get in w.c. and lose the 1 game series..then next year, have Geo or Jordan Zimmerman go down with T.J. and then have the fans realize you don’t necessarily get to go to the playoffs every year…and Rizzo will be toast.
You know who else is going to be toast, this year? the Marlins and Phils! Wow! Phils are nuts getting rid of Hunter Pence! He’s a gamer, kept what little offense they had afloat. Mayberry is going to be their CF??? Really? Just read Domonic Brown is coming up to play LF. Who is going to play RF? Juan Pierre??? 😆 (Love the guy, never should have had to sit on the bench in LA for all those years-they probably will trade him to the Reds) Seriously though…they just done blowed up the team. What good will it do them to have the big 3 if they can’t score? They have already had that issue the past two seasons. Will they trade Roy, and Cliff away too? Cole Hamels is really going to regret re-signing with the Phils.
Normally, I would hate facing the Marlins and Phils during the dog days…not this year though! 🙂 Well, better temper that…don’t want to get too cocky.
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Yes, the Phillies have gutted the team but sometimes the young guys surprise you. I was hoping the Phillies would take a couple from the Nats this week but that is going to be a tall order. Looks like seeing the Marlins and the Phillies play each other will be like watching their triple A teams playing, I wonder if the will lower the ticket prices to reflect that? HAHAHAHAHA, of course we already know the answer to that rhetorical question.
You have to wonder if Frank Wren is going to pull the trigger on another trade for another bullpen arm. We will know shortly.
Maybe MLB should have split seasons like the Sally League. Let the first half winners play the second half for playoff spots… Could run the season all the way into December. 🙂
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Karma is tough, ain’t it?
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Unconfirmed word that Dempster is going to the Yankees. 😆
That’s funny right there. You know, New York… closer to Vanvouver… the West Coast…
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And Jon Heyman was wrong… Buster Olney says it’s the Rangers. Still, not exactly on the beach…
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You know what folks, there is a lot of baseball to be played between now and October, guys are going to get hurt, guys are going to go through stretches where they are worn down. Now is usually the time it is critical to have depth. Reed Johnson will really be a benefit in that department. It reminds me a lot of the Mike Devereaux pick up back in ’95. A lot of folks were going Mike who but I had been seeing him play with the Orioles and knew he was a great player.
So many times, the superstars never really pan out, at least not by themselves but you can get a big boost when you surround yourself with good solid role players.
Best analogy I can think of is the Chicargo Bulls when they had Michael Jordan but before Scotty Pippin and Dennis Rodman.
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… and Phil Jackson. Doug Collins was a joke.
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Mainly because he only had number 23…
And on another note, Hanson to the DL with a lower back strain. I suspect it has been barking for a while now. Velocity was down quite a bit last night.
We beat up on Tommy as much as anyone but you have to admire a guy who will go to the post for you when he does not have anywhere close to his best stuff.
At least we now know there is a legit reason for his poor performance of late.
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Dumpster to the Rangers.
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CL, :LOL:
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or, CL, 😆
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The heading to Paul Maholm’s Twitter page says this: Christian, husband, father, pitcher.
He’s got the order right. I like him alot already before he even shows up to the clubhouse…
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Yes Raisins, it is nice to have people of good character on the team. I think he will be a real plus for the team.
And a bit about last night’s game.
Medlen really looked good. He just has a certain (dare I say it) “X” factor about him. Very Maddux like in his demeanor. He is not going to blow you away with a 95mph fastball but he is going to get you out.
Juan continues to impress me with good at bats. I sure wish Dan Uggla would take note, although, to be fair, Dan does look to be coming around. His defense and hustle have not diminished.
Jair pitched a nice 9th inning too. I still think a lot of his problems can be traced back to his All-star appearance in 2010 when he was brought in as a reliever. To me, it was the beginning of his decline, for whatever reason. He just never looked the same to me after that.
Some has posed the question of what to do when Jack Wilson is ready to come back. I guess he is a better back up to Paul Janish than Pastornicky at short but not by much. He looks like Brooks Conrad while fielding ground balls. Just really speeds up the play and acts like he is fighting the ball off rather than simply catching it.
I’m thinking he may come back in September because after all. he is going to get paid no matter what for the rest of the year but I doubt he will play very much in an Atlanta uniform again. I am incline to believe Yanish has earned a spot on this team as the number one back up to Simmons.
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Agreed regarding Janish. He is what they were looking for in Spring. Jack Wilson better hope his injury keeps him out another 31 days.
Medlen is a cool cat. Quick worker. Knows what he wants to do. Always charging; never retreating. He always looks like he is the one in charge.
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5 innings, 54 pitched…who besides Hudson might have a line like that? guess he will keep starting with Hanson going on the DL.
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Another guy who I thought had Maddux like qualities was Tim Collins who the Braves got from Toronto as part of the Escobar deal and then traded away to Kansas City. I never did figure that one out.
Anyway, I know the Braves organization is still pretty high on Hanson but if I were Frank Wren and another team was looking for him as part of a trade deal, I would not hesitate to send him packing. Just too many things wrong with his pitching motion and too many issues…
Ben Sheets goes tonight, one has to wonder if he can keep it up. It’s not like the Marlins have the firepower to subdue him but one has to wonder if he is for real.
Cliff Lee pitched like the old Cliff Lee last night against the Nats. Tonight it is Vance Worley toeing the rubber versus Edwin Jackson. That’s another toss up from a pitching prospective if you ask me although Jackson has been pretty stout of late while Worley has struggled. Like Chipper says, the only thing the Braves can do at this point is win their own games and hope everything else falls into place.
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So apparently JJ strained his groin in his 1 inning of work last night (wink, wink). He’ll go on the DL and Maholm will take his roster spot. It may take up to 31 days for the groin to heal and for JJ make a couple of rehab starts. 😉
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Ever think it may have been strained all along and he just pushed through it? That could explain a lot. There are groin strains and there are groin strains. It would have been just as easy for the Braves to send him back to Gwennett for the rest of the season so I don’t have a problem with it.
DOB was commenting on how sad it was for JJ to be regulated to mop up duty in the 9th last night but it would have been sadder for him to have been sent 39 miles north to triple A. the money might be the same for JJ but the accommodations are light years apart between the show and the minors.
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MLBTR: The Indians have designated Derek Lowe for assignment, reports MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). The move clears room on the roster for Corey Kluber.
Lowe, 39, pitched to a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts for Cleveland this season, including an 8.80 ERA in his last dozen starts.
Ouch…
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And another good reason for not giving a pitcher a four year contract.
It reminds us of how nice it is for Chipper to be going out on a high note rather than hanging around too long. I hope he has invested his money well.
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On last night’s game…
While Ben Sheets will get the collar for last night’s 4-2 loss to the Marlins, and maybe deservedly so, the Braves had their chance to score runs and failed to deliver.
I did not think the Braves look particularly sharp afield. That said, Big Ben seemed to have trouble getting loose and the 5 straight singles by the fish held up. Nothing to do but saddle up and reload for today.
By the way, I thought Freddie gave the wrong guy in the outfield off last night…
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Eh… can’t win ’em all, but if we can win 7 out of 8 the rest of the way, we’ll be OK. 😀
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Funny how a team can just look flat. That is the way they struck me last night. Goes to show how much difference not having bennies available can present itself. Not that it is a bad thing. Just an observation.
At least the Braves held serve with the Nationals also losing.
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Gil, and it’s funny how teams do 180s all the time..both ways. A guy on that jazz forum, a texas rangers fan said last night… What I admired most about the Rangers – their character, their resiliency, their defiance – has vanished. No idea why, or how, but it is gone.
then, after coming back, down 3 runs in the 10th, he said…
Uh…guess it’s back?
🙂
funny how unpredictable the game can be at times…guess that’s why we keep following…you just never know..you know?
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I think what we are seeing with the Marlins and Phils are teams that, not unlike Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam, run off the edge of the cliff, but are still defying gravity, til they look down and see nothing is there supporting them. Everyone falls to earth eventually….
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For the past several years, the Marlins have been to the Nationals what the Nationals are to the Braves. We can only hope the trend continues.
The Braves should take at least 2 of 3 from the hapless Astros but stranger things have happened.
Too bad for Mike Minor tonight that he got rained out but a good trend is the Braves won. As long as he continues his newly discovered success, he will continue to hold down his spot in the rotation.
I guess J-Hey will get the night off Friday as Johnson makes his rounds in the outfield. The guy can swing the bat a little bit too, good pick up by the Braves.
So, how do you think Dempster feels about his decision to snub the Braves? LOL… Life is full of all sorts of little odd twist and turns isn’t it?
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odd twists and turns indeed! 😉 I feel so….sorry for him. yep. real sorry for him. Especially come this offseason when teams will fear a 36 year old with a say 5 era in the AL, and he has to sign a 1 year contract for 2-3 mil. sniff, sniff…
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I’ll not lose any sleep over it. 🙂
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Good morning gang, decent game last night, generous scoring by the the official scorekeeper on Dan Uggla’s pop to short but that will be covered up and forgotten in a couple of days. I wish I had an answer for him but alas, I doubt he would listen even if I did. All I can say is run hard and hope the drop in like last night.
Huddy seems to take a couple of innings to get loose these days. Funny thing pitching. Today we get to see Maholn perform in a Braves uni for the first time. I hate to say it but pitching to the Astros is a like like a scrimmage game against the JV only the stats count.
And only two back now of the Nationals. I wonder if they are hearing footsteps yet?
And Joe Blanton to the Dodgers. Playing the Bums is going to be like playing the NL East All-stars when they come to town in a couple of weeks. Anyhoo, it is nice to have deep pockets.
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Sigh, well pitched game wasted…. Of course the other guy was dealing too. Have to turn it back around today.
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Man. I love watching Kris Medlen pitch…
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Well, the Braves continue the trend of winning ball games in which Kris Medlen starts. Too bad Gearin could not hold the lead for him. That’s okay, I cannot help but think Medlen has earned a spot in the starting rotation regardless of who comes back and when. That said, my guess is he will yield to Tommy Hanson upon his return. JJ, not as likely.
Okay, I understand it was only Houston but a win is a win and it’s not like the Braves swept them…
So, it is off to Philadelphia and the new look Phillies. No wonder the Fanatic resides in the City of Brotherly Love. Any doubt the boo birds will be exercising their right to free speech? Just as long as they don’t bare arms in the form of “D” cell batteries.
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JJ sent to Gwennette for rehab. The triple A club has a long 11 game homestand so he can sleep in his own bed for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, I wish JJ could find himself again. He was a really special young talent. I cannot believe he has simply forgotten how to pitch. There has to be something physically wrong with him which has not been revealed to us as yet.
I don’t see him being with the Braves beyond this season but perhaps this could be Tommy Hanson’s last season in a Braves’ uni too.
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I don’t see him being with the Braves beyond this season but perhaps this could be Tommy Hanson’s last season in a Braves’ uni too.
Very true on both counts. The Braves will not tender JJ a contract in his final arb year, because he will not be worth the arb figure. And he has zero trade value. He’s just playing out the string “on a rehab stint”, and then in the ‘pen once the rosters expand.
As to Tommy… well, he does have trade value, and the Braves just might utilize it. I think they go after an “ace” type pitcher this off-season, whether it be via FA (Greinke is really the only “ace” FA candidate, IMO), or via trade. Trade is more likely. Tommy is gonna command a hefty arb figure, and an even heftier contract in FA in 2015. The Braves ought to get something for him now and spend those hefty amounts on a #1 or 2 starter. Tommy isn’t, and he won’t be. Jon Lester could be, and the Braves have already shown an interest in him.
It just wouldn’t surprise me to see both JJ and Tommy elsewhere in 2013.
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http://twitter.com/fauxfrankwren/status/232537755865980928
😆
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Let’s not forget that the Braves haven’t lost on Monday in almost 2 weeks…
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Sweet. Mondays have been conquered…
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To be honest, I really like the “high socks” look… They just bring back so many good memories.
Sheets did not look sharp but he looked confident. Goes to show that if you first convince yourself you can and will win, 90% of the problem is solved.
Heyward looks like the player we were all hoping he would be three years ago. To me, he looks like he is right on schedule. He is going to be a great one folks if he can stay healthy.
PS, I had forgot it was Monday until I saw the high socks tonight… Hey, whatever works is fine with me.
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Have been reading all the excellent comments, usually when I am about to go out, or to bed…can’t think of much to add….2 points this A.M. Would anyone have believed Sheets would be this good???? Truly amazing…
And the JHey kid….wonder what exactly caused him to turn that corner???? Just getting some confidence back? And did he look this fast before? I heard on the radio the other day that they asked the tv folks to rewind Bourn and JHey going from 1st to 3rd, and they were both the 10 seconds flat(I think!, It was a dead heat) I saw him on a restaurant TV back in the bar…I just saw this thin guy rounding 3rd and scoring…and I didn’t know who it was! I thought, fast guy, someone we just called up? I ALWAYS can recognize guys, might not know Janish on the basepaths, but I can spot guys…didn’t know it was him.
Not complaining mind you, very glad to see what we all thought we saw in 2010! 🙂
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Yes Ber, you expect a little short dude like Bourn to be fast but Jason motoring that fast is scary. The guy could have been a heck of a wide receiver.
Funny how no one is saying Sheets will be back next season too. Is it automatically assumed he will sign a huge contract to play somewhere else in ’13?
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It has been opined that J-Hey had an epiphany the day Bryce Harper clowned him on national TV. Maybe so, maybe not, but he has stepped up his game since then. Perhaps getting healthy at the same time had something to do with it.
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Is it automatically assumed he [Sheets] will sign a huge contract to play somewhere else in ’13?
It shouldn’t be. First, he turned down “better” offers to pitch in the ATL this season. Why? Simple… he loves the heat and humidity because he grew up in Louisiana, and it’s close to his home. Home and family are very important to Ben Sheets. To be honest, I will be surprised if he doesn’t re-sign here. He’s just what the Braves need. He’s a horse who will give you very productive innings even when he doesn’t have his best stuff. He’s great in the clubhouse (by all reports). He’s a winner… period. We need that with Chipper leaving.
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The only reason I mentioned the idea of Sheets going elsewhere is because I never read anything about him as part of the Braves’ pitching plans for next year.
I did not know he had given the Braves a “home town discount” to pitch in Atlanta this season.
Is it just me or does Juan Francisco look thinner? The guy looks to be in better shape than when he first appeared in a Braves uniform. For sure, it looks like he has cut down on his swing after two strikes.
Has Uggla finally turned the corner? He is taking a much different approach it appears in driving the ball to right field and center last night. I sure hope so because the Braves are going to need his bat.
I am also thinking Paul Janish has found a home… He sure looks like he fits in this line up. Smooth in the field, getting better with the bat.
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Janish is a greatly underrated acquisition by Frank. He is a perfect fit behind Andrelton (who has the cast of his hand, by the way.)
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Janish is younger, cheaper, and a better Jack Wilson than Jack Wilson.
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And still 2 more years of arb with Janish, too.
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Some things are just too funny for words… 😆
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Boo! Brooksie Conrad was DFA’d by the Rays today. RawDog is still one of my faves…
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V, that’s pretty funny! 😆
Too bad for Brooks, I like him a lot too. He had some big hits for the Rays, but they are getting Longoria back and traded for Tat man from the Diamondbacks, too many guys that play same positions right now….
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Oops, thought that boo might be for the Braves offense or lack there of tonight. Prado suddenly had hands of stone around second base tonight. That said, the homer by Howard was no cheapee…
Quaility start for Minor tonight but my, what an ugly quality it had to it. Oh well, time to get back on track in the win column Wednesday. Cannot afford to let the Nats get too far ahead. Keep them within striking distance boys…
Oh, and you might try pulling your pant legs back up!
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Tonight was a perfect example of why the offense has to step up and bail your pitching staff out once in a while. I was watching the game with Josie and I remarked to her that Huddy had lost his mojo and Howard was about to take him deep. WHAM… Ryan went mammo to center on him. Thank goodness Bourne was able to track down the ensuing shot to center to stop the bleeding.
All that said, Uggla showed why the Braves signed him to a big contract. The guy has worked out his swing and lo and behold, he is driving in runs and endearing himself to Braves fans everywhere. Not all Braves fans but most. Some would not be happy if he walked on water but what purpose would that particular talent serve as a ball player?
Now, a night off and on to the Big Apple. I hope J-Hey enjoys his birthday in old New Yawk. Lots to see and do if you don’t mind rudeness…
One last opine, looks like Jonny Venters has found himself… That my friends is a very good thing…
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I listened to a radio interview with Greg Walker (hitting coach) about 3 weeks ago regarding Uggla. He was very frank about the situation, saying that Uggla had developed a hitch in his mechanics, and that they had isolated the problem and had fixed it. But… the the issue at hand was no longer mechanics, but that Uggla had lost his timing in the process. This is not something that you can flip a switch on, and that Uggla was working tireless hours in extra BP to get it back. He continued saying that Uggla was drilling the ball in BP (this is 3 weeks ago), but that there was a huge difference in the speed of a BP fastball and a Major League fastball. And while Danny-boy was getting some great swings, he was still a tad late. Bottom line was simply that the timing would come, but it would take a little more time. 3 weeks later, it looks like he may have his timing back.
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Perfect time for him to get it back I would say Raisins…
September is to a major league baseball team that the 23rd mile is to a marathon runner. It is the proverbial wall which the Braves have hit the past couple of years.
My feeling is the Braves are in a much better position to make their final push this season than in years past.
I am worried te Braves may not have the Ace necessary to go deep in the play-offs but the first order of business is to get there.
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I have to admit I was a bit concerned about Greg Walker…Adam Dunn had by far the worst season of his career with him as hitting coach…but clearly, he has helped players on this team….and glad he talks about some of this stuff…one of the reasons we didn’t like TP or Larry Parrish is we never knew what if anything they were doing…
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A hitting coach can’t help a guy if the guy thinks he knows it already. Thus was the case with alot of people under Ozzie’s “leadership”. Greg Walker was a great hire. As you said, he has clearly helped players on this team. But those players were willing to be helped.
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true dat…
nice story on Mike Trout…sure hope he stays healthy and humble…
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8249312/will-los-angeles-angels-outfielder-mike-trout-stand-test-time
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Great read Ber, thanks for the link.
Sigh… pre season football tonight. bummer…
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yeah, before you know it, baseball will be over, and all the talk will be…football…double sigh…
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Busy weekend ahead, attending a graduation party for one grand daughter tonight and a wedding for another tomorrow. Wow, talk about feeling your age…
I am thinking I should record the games tonight and tomorrow. Actually, skipping the commercials makes watching much more enjoyable.
It is going to be tough catching up to the Nats. Washington does not show any signs of abating their march towards the division championship. It just might be their year. We can only hope the Braves maintain their positives and win every series and perform a couple of sweeps in September.
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The Nats will take a hit if they hold the line on Strasburg. That’s a big hole in their rotation.
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Tonight’s pitching performance was the epitome of an ace worthy effort. I know Mahone was supposed to be a back of the rotation type pitcher but he has certainly move to the front of the line in my eyes.
Juan Francisco may not have contributed with his bat tonight but I think he made plays on twp balls that would have been by Chipper. That and Paul Janish may be the best guy no one had heard of to come in and play a flawless shortstop. Kudos to Frank Wren for that pick up. For sure, he makes the absence of Simmons a non issue.
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Just a couple of more quick comments about last night’s game.
First Jason Heyward. looks like this kid have finally arrived. No more lunging at the ball, no more lollygagging in the outfield. He looks to have finally matured into the player he promised to be when he first arrived on the scene. I hope Atlanta is able to keep him in the fold when he hits free agency.
A fact of life, players’ salaries will continue to escalate, folks have to get over the fact a player will go where the money is. The best players will command the biggest paydays. It’s tough for a guy making $12 an hour to fathom a player making 20 mm a year but it is what it is. As long as the TV money pours in, salaries will continue to climb.
Secondly, it appears that Dan Uggla has found his stroke. All that flailing and falling back on his back foot is behind him. Lets hope so because as long as Chipper has back trouble every time he lands in New York, the Braves are going to need his bat.
Note to Frank Wren, allow Chipper to pick his own hotel… For that matter, buy him a motor home and he can bring his own mattress with him. For sure, I would have moved him into a new room by now.
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For sure, all the bad publicly the Hyatt garnered on Chipper’s tweet, it would have been worth it supply him with a new mattress, or at least move him to another room. I wonder if Hoss thought about calling the front desk and complaining?
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Gil, I heard yesterday on the radio Powell and Sutton talking about that Chipper tweeted about the room and all the issues, and that soon after he did, he got a knock on the door from someone saying they were from the hotel, wanting to fix the problem…but Chipper worried he couldn’t know, that it could be some “issues” heck, let Chipper tell the rest of the story! 😉
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/19772016/chipper-jones-and-the-power-of-twitter
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Fellas, that moon shot by Freddie Freeman tonight has to be one of the longest I have ever seen hit. I don’t know how far it went but it cleared the apple behind the center field fence. Knowing the folks in New York, they will likely shorten it by 50 feet or so because they would not want to hurt the feeling of the Mets reliever. WOW.. that was MAMMO for sure.
Another stellar pitching performance by Kris Medlen. I guess he will be banished back to the pen upon Tommy Hanson return but don’t be surprised to see him mentioned as part of next season’s rotation. He needs to build up his endurance but he certainly has the make up to be a front line starter for the Bravos. And the kid can handle a bat a little bit too…
Paul Yanish is the best hitter on the Braves roster to not get any hits. He is not striking out but he sure hit a lot of at’em balls. That’s okay, Frank Wren did not get him for his offense.
Alright, lets go for the sweep tomorrow night. Little choice if they want to keep pace with the Nats who are playing other worldly right now.
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Oh, and Chipper’s bat looked slow tonight, just saying…. Need to get that man a good mattress to sleep on.
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No matter which city or town I’ve ever been in, there are always stores holding a mattress sale. Chipper should go pick one out, send it to the hotel and tell them it is HIS and they are to put it is HIS room before he checks in next time.
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Happy Birthday, Skip! We miss ya!
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Where is Clarence??
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Fair question me lady… I think he gets lost trying to find his way back.
Game is on ESPN tonight so no excuses for not watching CL.
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Who is Clarence????
from MLBTR….
Johnny Damon could be a fit for the Braves as they are in need of a lefthanded pinch hitter. Atlanta is looking all around for a part-time lefthanded bat and they are scouting almost every team out of the race. Damon posted a posted a .222/.281/.329 batting line with four home runs in 224 plate appearances for the Tribe this year.
The Braves aren’t optimistic that they can re-sign Michael Bourn when he becomes a free agent, in part because they don’t seem to do well with Scott Boras clients. Given that, it also seems unlikely that they’ll aggressively pursue Jacoby Ellsbury this offseason.
Atlanta will have to replace both Bourn and Chipper Jones, and one Braves official didn’t rule out Kevin Youkilis if the White Sox don’t pick up his $13MM option. Of course, the Braves would be looking to spend considerably less than that to sign him.
grrrrr
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/08/cafardo-on-damon-braves-youkilis-saunders.html
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Clarence is my brother Ber, dropped by a couple of weeks ago.
I am not too enamored with the idea of signing Youkilis. I think he is past his prime. I would rather go with a young kid like Francisco and look for upgrades elsewhere, not sure where that should be. Looks like Bourne or bust.
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Oh, THAT Clarence! 😳
Heh, now I recall the name…man, I have a mind like a…like a…well, it’s like something! 😉
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What a great at bat by Francisco. Man, has that kid matured this season or what?
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CL… I hope you’ve hung around to the end. C’mon, JHey. Bring ’em on in!
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I am so ashamed… I went to bed after the 8th inning, thinking the Braves were not going to come back from being down 6-1. Proves that every run you give up is important because you don’t always know which one will make the difference.
Anyway, I am glad the Braves made it respectable in the end. It will give them confidence latter.
Ben Sheets lost his rabbit’s foot I guess. That’s okay, he will get his mojo back in his next start. If not, we still have our secret weapon in Kris Medlen.
Now, time to whip up on the Padres…
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I have to say, the Braves looked flat tonight. The best thing you can say about the game was it was over mercifully quick. The players can comment otherwise but the eyes don’t lie and I know what I saw.
So, the other guy was dealing but when you have a team as a whole trying their best to take make an out on the first pitch seen, well, you know…
I am saddened to read that Matt Diaz is done for the season. He is still one of my favorite players. Funky swing and odd routes in the outfield not withstanding, he was a positive force in the club house and on the field when healthy.
I suspect he will not be back in a Braves Uni next year with the acquisition of Reed Johnson but I wish him well where ever he goes.
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Yes… a cross country flight coupled with a gametime 3 hours later than your body is accustomed to might make for listless play. Just theorizing there…
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Gil, no reason to feel ashamed for that last game against the Mutts(I Hate to say it, but I like the scrappy play of those guys, Collins could be manager of the year-if they only had a bullpen, glad they don’t!) I only had it on still because my Dad was on the phone. Was ready to watch Classic 5-0…then the game got interesting, but like you said, you never know what run will make the difference, and we blew a chance in the 8th to get a run.The Mets bullpen is so very bad…I forget, it was 6-3 (and bases still loaded)I think, without a hit, before Prado’s single.
Then last night’s game. There was a similar issue in both games. Lefties starting. Two spawns of Sandy Koufax, apparently. 😉
Seriously though, I thought Reed Johnson was going to start a fair bit against lefties. I think Bourn is tired. Did you know he only hit .250 in July? .273 in August. .269 vs Lefties, .303 against righties. He is still on pace for 162 games.
And find this surprising. Guess who is only hitting .229 against lefties? Yep, the JHey kid…
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finished post of quickly, as it is stormin’ and didn’t want to lose such a brilliant piece of writing, naturally! 🙂
Clearly, Reed, doesn’t provide the pop of JHey, nor the speed of Bourn, but is hitting .319 against lefties and has a slugging % of .500
Now, after bashing a certain manager a bit…have to give Freddi his due. Lets see a show of hands…how many folks here would have kept Chad Durbin around after the rough start, if they were the Braves manager? Or Livan? Wait, not such a good point there! 😉
But, ESPN also showed how through 113 games or whatever it was Sunday night, that the 2011 braves bullpen,the big 3 were in the top 5 in all of MLB in appearances, but in 2012, O’Flaherty, Venters, and Kimbrel were now in the 60’s….of course a better offense helps, but Freddi has been a bit smarter when using them….
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Voice of Raisins
August 14, 2012 at 7:08 am
Yes… a cross country flight coupled with a gametime 3 hours later than your body is accustomed to might make for listless play. Just theorizing there…
Then again, considering they were at home… 😳
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Ha! And we all missed that V! 🙂
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No,didn’t miss it but they did played like it…
Last night was a lot more like what we are use to. I like the high sock look. I think the team should make the change now… Looks way better than the softball look of the bell bottoms.
I am glad to see Prado getting back to basics too. He simply needs to remember who he is and play his own game. Same could be said for Paul Janish. The guy has some pop in hs bat but he needs to remember to level out his swing. He is the classic example of having warning track power. The guy seldom strikes out but hits way too many fly balls. He sure can pick em at short though.
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Well this certainly explains alot:
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I’m guessing this will seriously hamper Melk-dud’s big time FA contract pursuit. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy…
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wow…now we know why he went from being a 4th outfielder to one of the best hitters in baseball…yep, couldn’t happen to a nicer guy…
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You know guys, I’m thinking it may be time for me to get some of those PEDs for my own personal use. After all, it’s not like I have to worry about anyone making me pee in a cup or anything.. Well, maybe to test for sugar but other than that.
Okay, joking aside, maybe it is time to get really serious about keeping players from cheating, like, in high school ball, if a player is ineligible, you have to forfeit all the games that player participated in. Think maybe there wouldn’t be a bit of peer pressure against cheating?
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I like it.
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A ‘yes’ vote here, Gil!
Are these guys so deluded that they think they just won’t get caught??
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Paul Maholm. Great acquisition, and we have him for another year. Frank gets a big pat on the back this year for pulling yet another under the radar rabbit out of a very public hat.
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At least we know how Melky got so ripped in the off season…
Now the Braves, decent game all around last night. Maholm does not have blow em away stuff but he is a left handed version of Hudson it appears. Remarkable no one really had this guy on their must have to win list. He is a perfect fit for the Braves.
The Braves secret weapon, Kris Medlen, goes tonight. My thinking is he is the best pitcher on the staff right now. Certainly is one of the most versatile. Put him anywhere you want and he will still give you a good performance.
Reports from Gwennette that JJ was pulled from the game last night after experiencing dizziness. Must be the realization that his career with the Braves is in the dumper and circling the drain. A shame really, it was not all that long ago he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Perhaps a change in organizations will allow him to resurrect his big league career.
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I think Maholm is absolutely a great fit for ATL, and Frank should talk “extension” with him this off-season. Huddy’s got 1 more year left on his deal, and will be 38 at the end of it. He might get 1-2 more years… if he wants it. He might take the Chipper approach and go out on his own terms. We’ll need a cagey veteran to lead the Medlen/Minor/Teheran/Delgado contingent.
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Did you notice I left Tommy Hanson out of that? That was no accident. Tommy is a bust. He no longer throws hard, he can’t stay out of the training room, and he does not have the quality Gil alluded to that allows guys like Huddy and Maholm to be successful without “blowing people away”. Tommy can no longer blow people away. Unless someone gets hurt before September, can anyone imagine that Hanson would take the 5th starter’s spot ahead of Huddy? Maholm? Medlen? Minor? Sheets? I cannot. But it’s a long stretch between now and Sept. 1. These things have a way of working themselves out…
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I’ve wondered if some intern, or some other fairly low level guy(Or gal) was watching baseball tonight, and saw Rick Sutcliffe mentioning night after night that Paul Maholm was a real sleeper in the Cubs rotation? “um, Mr Wren Sir? I um…sorry to interrupt your eatin…anyway, have we, umm, has anyone talked about possibly trading for, or scouted …Paul Maholm? Check out these numbers so far this season!” 😉
“Kid, you are going places! ”
As for Hanson, he’s 25,(well, 26 in a few weeks) and his 12-5 record and 4.29 ERA would be pretty darned attractive to other teams IF they didn’t know about the arm issues already, and the motion destined for more trouble.
That being said, expect Freddi to put him back in the rotation and Medlin back in the bullpen. I’m glad it truly doesn’t seem to be an issue with Medlin, cuz if I was Medlin at this point, and it wasn’t just a theory that you might start well, but a fact you can, and likely better than Hanson can right now…I would not be a happy camper. Medlen is a team guy all the way…sure hope they don’t ever trade him away!
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If Fredi is a man of his word, then the best 5 pitchers will remain in the rotation in September. I’ll place a few duckets on Medlen to remain…
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And as if on cue, Bowman’s tweet from earlier this afternoon:
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And of course, again as if on cue, Bowman makes my argument for me, and makes it better than I could:
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well, I of course forgot the braves are going to go with a 6 man rotation, so no one has to leave the rotation til September…so, if Hanson has a sub 2.00 ERA and Sheets is 4.50, well, then Hanson should win a spot…not counting on that though…
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I hope you guys are enjoying this game as much as I am.
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meh….I was hoping Chipper would hit a 3rd homer, and Medlen would toss a no hitter, not just a mere complete game shutout…
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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The power has been out here. Did I miss something?
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Maybe one of the best games of the year for Braves fans Raisins. Complete game shutout by
Greg MadduxKris Medlen and 2 dingers by #10 plus a mammo and a hustle double by J-Hey and some of the best defense at short since Ozzie Smith… SO yeah, I’d say you missed a lot. Sue the power company because you were robbed…So now the Dodgers come to town while the Braves are riding a wave. Need to put a little distance between them and the wild card spot. Not that I have given up on catching the Nats. Reminds me so much of the year they ran down the Giants when Bonds and company won 102 games. Fun every night.
Just stay health guys, just stay healthy…
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😯
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😥
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😡
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😐
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🙂
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OK… I think I have worked through all the steps of getting over missing it…
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Well V, if it makes you feel any better, I saw the game was 2-0, had to cook, Pa had O’Reilly on, and I finally remembered, hey, put the game on, and saw I had just missed Chipper’s 2nd homer. But, did get to feel the excitement when he came up a 3rd time(It was Chipper’s bobble head night to boot!) and the crowd was loving it! So many people were there with signs(one Guy was had driven quite aways, on his birthday, he will never forget this one!) everyone was standing, phone cameras running…he hit the ball pretty well, but on a line and the right fielder caught it…And then Medlen pitching a complete game shutout….I take back what I said before, if he continues to pitch like this, and someone else gets his spot, he should whine like a baby! 😉
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video of the 2 homers
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_08_16_sdnmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=atl#gid=2012_08_16_sdnmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=video
And a GREAT play by Chipper that should have been a web gem(they did show it at least, but how was it not a top 5 play? Janish’s play was #1 at least)
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_08_16_sdnmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=atl#gid=2012_08_16_sdnmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=video
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Let’s just say, last night’s game was the antithesis of the game they played Monday night when they were as flat as a glass of CokeCola left on the bed side table overnight.
Just was electric, it even gave me goose bumps and I was 1200 miles away. Man, that HD is pretty impressive….
Anyone feel up to penning a new lead? I think this one has run it’s course. We are coming down to the home stretch and I don’t have the same feel for this team as fading like I did last September. JJ may have flamed out again but Wren appears to have plugged the gap pretty well with Maholm and Sheets. Any bets on Hanson realizing his playing days in a Braves uni may be numbered?
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grrrr! that worked in the past…thats right, make it hard to share videos…that’ll learn us!
this gets you to some of them, I think
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=116706&c_id=atl&player_name=Chipper-Jones
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Cool, Ber. Thanks for the link. I got to catch up on the game through the video clips. Chipper’s 2 yicketies, Meds doing it with his arm and his glove, Janish playing like a Hoover, and of course, Chipper making the great dive and flip. Outstanding.
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Morning y’all, Okay, I know Tommy Hanson’s effort last night qualified as a “Quality start” but other than the first inning, it sure had the feel of someone struggling. So many deep counts, a slow tediousness.. Okay enough about me.
Still, a win is a win, even if they had to play a couple of extra innings. Personally, I thought they should have won it in the 10th but Prado put up maybe his worst at-bat of the year in that inning.
Kudos to Juan Francisco. The kid really appears to be getting it. Not trying to do too much and stroking that single through the hole between short and third. The Braves may have found themselves a third baseman.
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Well, I guess the credit to give Hanson is he seems to avoid a really big inning. I did see that his 6th inning ERA is 10.13.
JHey had a big hit, but his slugging against lefties is still .353…Since the team has such trouble against every left handed starter, don’t know why Reed still doesn’t seem to fill in for JHey or Bourn at least once in awhile…
Gil, V, would you have dreamed we would all be singing the praises of Juan Francisco , back in May??? Good on him!
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Gil, V, would you have dreamed we would all be singing the praises of Juan Francisco , back in May??? Good on him!
Not in my wildest dreams Ber. Glad he proved me wrong however.
My question now is if Simmons will come back as the everyday shortstop? Paul is playing so well, I kind of hate to mess with the chemistry.
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Well, I guess I picked a good game to miss yesterday. No MLB available here and my computer is having an issue with the MLB Gameday. Thus, I missed Ben Sheet’s meltdown. Sounds pretty bad though, four homers? Blah…
Anyway, it is up to Mike Minor to get it turned around today. I won’t see this one either.. Rats, I may be going into withdrawal…
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Um… didn’t happen.
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games to miss, for sure…
Hard to figure this team out…
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Okay, time for the Braves to put up or shut up. Doubtfull they can sweep the Nats in DC but winning 2 of 3 shoulkd be a very doable task. No need to fall any further behind because it becomes obvious they are not good enough to win against good teams.
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MLBTR: The trade that sent Zack Greinke to Anaheim hasn’t worked out as well as expected for the Angels, Greinke has a 6.19 ERA in five starts since being traded.
I’ll take Paul Maholm…
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Ya know… they really do have good pitching. The Nats should be sending some bouquets of “Thanks” to Stan over in LA. And to a certain degree, by association, to Bobby Cox. If you build on good young pitching, you’re just gonna win a bunch of games.
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SIGH, THIS IS GETTING DEPRESSING….
Well, maybe not as much as actually seeing the braves lose but waking up and reading about another defeat… Augh….
Okay team, it may be time to eat a tub of KFC or something, the socks aren’t working anymore….
It might be time to break out the red jerseys.
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Gave up after the top the 13th…feel sorry for Martinez, he has ended up on the wrong end of too many extra inning games…Avilan looked the best I have ever seen him, 95, 96 and the ball was almost sinking like Venters’! Bullpen as usual did a great job. The offense…ugh…braves got 8 base on balls…some leading off innings, couldn’t do a thing with them. JHey had one of the worst a.b.’s I’ve seen him take, in the extra innings. When I can call another in the dirt slider/split on a 1-2 count….you just aren’t paying attention, or ready for the playoffs.
And speaking of not ready for the playoffs. Eric Hinske…Think he’s a great guy, but have you noticed how terrible he’s been this year? .348 for April…since then….180 in May, .130 in June, .200 in July (3 hits in 15 AB’s) .143 in August. The Braves should have DFA’ed him awhile back, let him go to AAA and play regularly for a few weeks and if he hopefully improved, bring him back up…nope, instead Freddi has been positively Bobby Cox-ish, and kept a pinch hitter around that isn’t productive. Hasn’t played a full game since June 19th. Did y’all see Lyle Overbay was signed by the braves? I checked his numbers He had a bad July,(2 for 18) but .317 before the all star break, .305 vs righties…but a doubt he will replace Hinske, he might get some big hits in Sept, but no chance to play in the playoffs, cuz you know, Hinske is a swell guy great teammate, etc, etc, etc… 🙄
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Last night’s game was really a good game. It’s hard to swallow the loss because both teams deserved to win, but watcha gonna do? The Nats swing at a great pitch, and the ball bounces high off the plate such that it is not playable. Great pitch, induced a poorly struck ball… but the result is a base hit and a runner advancing the 3B. That is the game that we love…
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And as good as a game that it was, is it just hindsight to question Fredi’s strategy there in the bottom of the 13th?
Potential game winning run on 3B and runner on 1B with only 1 out, of course you bring your OF in. But why isn’t your IF playing at double play depth? A DP gets you to inning 14. Had the IF not been in, Uggla makes that play IMO.
Again, hindsight… but the DP gets you out of the inning. Why are you playing for just 1 out in their park, anyway?
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Fredi: “You’ve got the infield in – I haven’t spoken to him [Uggla] – he’s got the play at the plate. You can’t go anywhere else but the play at the plate and he bobbled it… We can’t take a chance of turning a double play there and not turning it and the game’s over. So we’ve got to play the infield in.”
I disagree entirely. You have a good chance of a DP with Suzuki on 1B and Tracy batting. And did you know that the Braves lead the NL in DP’s turned with 123? Yeah… we do it kinda well. Uggla is taking a beating over the play today, but in my opinion the whole IF was out of place. If Dan isn’t in on the grass, he isn’t handcuffed by the smash. There is a very good chance they turn the DP and bat in the 14th. But Fredi didn’t want to “take a chance”. Instead, he played it safe and lost. That’s Fredi’s gamble, not Uggla’s.
That’s on Fredi.
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Agreement, Raisins. I rarely get to actually see a game these days, but I watch the replays and other bits of video wherever I can find them, and it seems to me that the team just isn’t being managed well. I had high hopes before Fredi took over this year, but the whole mess is just another year of disappointment.
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That sound you hear is the Braves management shifting focus away from the division and fully toward the Wild Card…
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Hate to think in Chipper’s last year, the best hope is playing a one game playoff, to get to the next round…..and the other team tosses a lefty against us.
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I am having serious baseball withdrawal this week. Maybe it’s my fault for not watching… I dread seeing that the Braves get swept by the Nats, it changes everything for the final month of the season…
Come on Meds, you can get this thing turned around….
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YEA… MEDS COMES THROUGH LIKE THE PRO WE KNOW HIM TO BE.
I sure will be glad to actually watch the games again. Time for the Braves to go on a nice little 10-0 run here…
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Kris Medlen is my hero.
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I got to see a few innings last night. What can you say about Medlen? The kid loves the game, and it’s obvious. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and that’s a real positive. All he does is throw fastballs to perfect locations… yes, very Maddux-like. But that’s what Maddux always said: location, location, location. Medlen is proving it.
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Toot-toot! That’s me, tooting my own horn! 😉 🙄 Yep, I totally predicted Medlen would be THE pitcher in the rotation if he got a chance to start! Well, perhaps not…but I thought he would be a solid #3, perhaps even a #2, but right now…he’s a #1. Amazing. If there is a one game W.C. the braves get into, who else would you put ahead of him starting it?
And so nice to see the braves can actually compete with the Nats, at least for one night. And that was without Bourn(till the 9th) Uggla or McCann. Has to make the flight to the West Coast so very much better!
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And Gil, did I miss something? Why can’t you see any of the games? Not even the Nats broadcasts? weird!
So many exciting young players, have you all heard of Billy Hamiltion? No, no, not the 19th century HOF’er (Who had a songor poem written about him, Slide Billy, Slide) but the kid in the Reds organization that has stolen more bases in a season than anyone, ever!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1308245-cincinnati-reds-will-we-see-billy-hamilton-in-the-majors-this-season
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Berigan, I am on my annual family vacation in beautiful Holden Beach, North Carolina. The cable TV here does not have any of the baseball packages and I am too cheap to spring for the MLB package so I can watch on the CPU for a week.
I will be back home on Saturday so I may get the game on big Fox but more than likely I will get some game involving either the Red Sox or the Yankees…
I feel sad for CL in being shut out by Time Warner….
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Well, another not very good lefty(at least not what he used to be with the A’s a long time ago) shut the braves out for 8 innings…in fact, he apparently didn’t expect to go back out for the 9th, did, and the braves then roughed him up for 2 whole runs…but, Hanson had already put the game out of reach.
Who knows, perhaps Tommy will be good out of the bullpen, come Sept. He seems to be good for 2-3 innings at least.
But, getting back to the lefty thing…something HAS to be done about this during the offseason. If Bourn is going to get offered crazy money(We hear 16 to 22 Mil a year) sure hope there is some right handed back available for a lot less. Hope one is available, period!
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Our esteemed Mayor has posted a new lead! (Next page, Ber!) 😛
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