Well, the 2015 season is underway and the first couple of weeks have held forth a few surprises. I guess the biggest being the departure of fan favorite and closer extraordinaire, Craig Kimbrel. Less than 24 hours before the start of the season, Kimbrel was sent to San Diego along with some heavy baggage formerly known as B;J Upton who’s play was so bad, he felt the need to change his name thinking he could fool the fans in Atlanta into believing a new player had been acquired.
So, a few additional faces we had not had a chance to discuss. Trevor Cahill, a former All-Star who has apparently lost his way since undergoing hip surgery. Mechanics are a funny thing for a major league pitcher, the least little thing can cause him to become a complete Jeckyl and Hyde act. Coming to Atlanta the final week of spring training for a minor league outfielder and a deep discount on his 12 million dollar salary. Trevor did not look at all comfortable in his first start but perhaps like Matt Latos of the Marlins who was shelled by the Braves in his first start, he can come around to the point he can become somewhat of an innings eater. We will know soon enough I suspect.
Eric Stults also made the team. Originally slated as a fifth starter, he moved up a slot with the continued problems experienced by Mike Minor and his balky shoulder. The Braves will continue to hope Stults can be an effective back end of the rotation guy but I do not see the Braves going too deep into the season with him in the line up if Stults continues to struggle. I look for the Braves to turn to another one of their late spring acquisition, Matt Wisler. The 22 year old right hander who came along with Cameron Maybin from San Diego for Kimbrel and Melvin Upton. The young rightie has a high ceiling and appears far ahead of the Brave other wunderkin Mike Foltynewicz. Perhaps the Braves will score a trifecta win with Wisler, Folty and Lucas Sims by the time they move into their new digs north of Atlanta. For sure, the good folks in Gwinnett should take avantage to see these kids develop while parking and seating is cheap. I should also mention Manny Banuelos is another possibility if he can return to his pre Tommy John form. Like I said, mechanics are very important and is often the difference in a weak grounder to short or a 400 foot big fly.
The only real questions for the Braves will be if they can maintain the knack they have shone early on for staying focused in the field and continuing to put up good at bats. Not everyone on this season’s team is hitting over .300 but most every one of the hitters at putting up good at bats. There have been very few three strike at bats by the Braves hitter. Now, they have shone a few chinks in their armor to date but it’s been a fun ride so far. Still, the Braves are getting very little respect from the talking heads who are covering the sport on a professional basis. Can’t say that I blame them after the Braves made them look foolish last season. Besides, teams that tear down to the studs are not suppose to win. I guess the players did not get that memo….
By the way, I would be remiss if I did not mention my new favorite pitcher for the Braves, reliever Cody Martin. Love that kid. Cannot throw a 95 mph fastball but he can throw strikes and opposing hitters are not having much success against his Madduxess 90 mph cutter. He may be the one that Braves Country is glad didn’t get away.
Yep. What you said.
LikeLiked by 1 person
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! 😡
LikeLike
When will these fools learn?? 😡
LikeLike
Major blow to the bullpen considering the lack of effective loogies. And can’t dip into Gwinnett to get Brady Feigl since it seems he’s most likely heading heading for TJ after being shut down due to elbow discomfort. (That determination should come soon.)
So now what?
Inside the organization there are very few options. There’s 28 year old Ian Thomas, a journeyman lefty who was promoted to AAA from AA last week when Feigl went down. There’s Donnie Veal, another career minor leaguer who is even older, and isn’t on the team’s 40-man roster.
That’s it. Seriously.
Unless they reconsider on ManBan, they’ll have to go find someone outside the system, which most likely means someone recently released or waived.
This does now bode well, folks.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Good morning, I was about to post a link on the McKirahan when I read your comment VOX. Will anyway for the rest of the folks.
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/baseball/another-braves-reliever-slapped-with-80-game-ped-s/nkyL7/?ref=cbTopWidget
Anyway, that really blows, not like these guys don’t have value and the Braves will have to pay dearly to get one from another team. It’s a spot in the pen the Braves have had a hard time filling. I would hate to see the Braves bring up ManBam because it would arrest his development.
It really blows about Feigl too. Okay, time for the crack team of staff sabermetric guys working for the Braves to find a reliever who can get out lefties.
LikeLike
I’ll even take a left handed Cody Martin type, it does not have to be a guy who can throw 95 mph even though that is what everyone seems to be looking for.
The fact the Braves are rebuilding apparently has not occurred to the Braves players as yet. They are beginning to believe they have a good chance to win every night.
Watching the gNats games with one eye, their bullpen is awful. The Braves have some decent starters but they are not going very deep into games as yet.
So, both pitchers out of the Cubs organization eh? Miami eh? Something tells me MLB has gotten better at detecting PEDs.
LikeLike
Gil, I would say that John Hart must believe they can win just a little bit himself or we’d simply finish the season with Ian Thomas (ew). And we’ll likely get at least a small dose of Thomas until they can come up with a better option. He’s already on the 40 man, so it’s an easy call to make to fill the roster spot temporarily.
LikeLike
Bowman: The Braves have signed RH reliever Mitchell Boggs to a Minor League contract. Boggs join Triple-A Gwinnett today.
Doesn’t help the Braves’ LHRP situation, but maybe the first a several steps.
LikeLike
Boggs is a reclamation project. He was the Cards closer, who fell from grace, then had herna surgery, and is attempting to make a comeback after 3 years of struggle. He was in the Bosox camp this spring before opting out of his minor league deal when he did not make the Boston club.
Low risk signing, likely for organizational depth more than anything.
LikeLike
“Herna”? 😯 How about Hernia..?
I need another cup of coffee.
LikeLike
Thanks, Gil! Sterling as always!
When will idiots ever stop being idiots?! Seems like since both were just acquired, their old teams should have to take them back – or at least give some compensation. I have no sympathy for people who cheat.
LikeLike
VOX, sounds to me like the Braves are getting ready to move someone off the Gwinnett roster.
LikeLike
I am not worried about the 40 man roster VOX, McKirahan does not count as being on the roster at this point. At least the Braves have an off day to get their relief corps sorted out. They could possibly move Stults to the pen and bring up a new #5 but that depends on if Cahill can make progress I would think.
LikeLike
Some of the Braves’ veteran players were upset on Sunday because the acquisition of McKirahan had essentially taken a Major League roster spot and service time away from left-handed reliever Brady Feigl, who is currently on Triple-A Gwinnett’s disabled list with a left elbow ailment that might require Tommy John surgery.
As I understand it, the reason some guys are upset is because they feel McKirahan took a spot away from Feigl who would be able to accrue time as a major league player while under going TJ and rehab, that is about 18 months and a bunch of money for Brady. I can definitely see the influence of some seasoned veterans in this. Likely McKirahan will be dropped off the Christmas card list for some of his teammates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
McKirahan had only 4.1 innings spread out over 3 appearances, but had given up 2 ER. It’s not like he was lights out. Given that he was a Rule 5 pickup by Miami from Chicago, the Braves can simply offer him back to Chicago for half the original $50,000 claiming price. That’s after he serves his 80 games, of course.
According to Bowman, the failed test was conducted in March when he was still in Miami’s camp.
LikeLike
BTW- Since today is an off day, I don’t expect the Braves to announce any moves to the ML roster today unless they make an acquisition of some sort.
LikeLike
When it come to making trades, the amount of time available to consider a trade or otherwise make a player move is akin to a pilot in an emergency having lots of altitude and fuel. Does mean you won’t still crash but you have more time to pray and consider what is about to happen.
Like when I ask about the need for a second engine on a Cessna, I was told that was so you could get to the crash sooner….
LikeLike
It just so happens that today is Ian Thomas’ birthday. He might have been given the biggest present of his life.
LikeLike
Good grief! They’re starting a stretch of 10 games in a row.
Question: is the 2015 schedule link on the right column a help or is it just not used? Just wondering if there’s anything there I can clean up.
LikeLike
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALTY!!! Wish you many more, my friend!
LikeLike
Not a bad night.
LikeLiked by 2 people
CL, I didn’t even realize it was there. Those items remain static at the top as I scroll down the page. I rarely go back up; rather I stay with the latest entries. It would be cool for those items to “float” to the right part of the page as it cascades downward… don’t know if that’s possible.
I say all that to say that I would find it useful, I just don’t ever see it.
LikeLike
Danny Wild, MiLB.com:
Mike Foltynewicz’s fastball lit up the Norfolk radar gun at 99 mph in the eighth inning Monday night as the right-hander eclipsed the 100-pitch mark.
He debuted a new pitch — a hard slider — and in the process tallied a season high in strikeouts. The learning curve might have cost him as he felt out his improved secondary offering early and gave up a run on a bloop single. [The G-Braves lost 1-0. Folty sports a sterling 1.62 ERA yet is 0-2. It’s why W/L for a starter is a useless measuring stick. But I digress…]
“After my last outing, they wanted me to throw a hard slider, somewhere in the 85, 86, 87 range,” Foltynewicz said. “My whole life, I could never get it over 81 or 82. But they said, ‘As hard as you throw, you should have a power slider.'”
I love a kid that brings alot of hype, yet is still coachable. He’s promising folks. Bright future indeed.
LikeLike
Good morning fine folks of Stuffville… What VOX said CL on the schedule. I usually look at the attached link on the Braves MLB page. Hey, I still have not figured out how to get the reprographics machine to work so I can add pictures to my post….
Anyway, that is great news about Folty. It’s why kids are sent to the minors, to get ready for the Bigs. Offense a problem for the Braves’ minor league clubs too eh? So many different things to look at when evaluating a pitcher, the team he has around him matters too.
LikeLike
BTW- with little fanfare, Juan Jaime cleared waivers. The Braves, however, have done nothing with him yet. Not a good sign for him.
LikeLike
And we got a definite “maybe” from the AJC’s Michael Cunningham when asked if the Braves would consider Manny Banuelos for the bullpen. Thanks MC… solid answer there, bud.
LikeLike
Speaking of AJC’s Cunningham, he’s the first I’ve seen suggest (as I have) that Folty could become a closer in the future.
LikeLike
More excellent work Gil….
CL, didn’t know it was there! Now that I do, I’ll check it out…will the barvo’s see Matt Harvey????
LikeLike
The Braves evidently are playing the reliever card pretty close to the vest. Perhaps waiting until the last possible minute before pulling the trigger on this in case they make a trade/sign a free agent… I suspect whomever they have coming up is already in the Big Apple but are holding off on making it official.
I would guess the Braves would prefer to bring up someone already on the 40 man roster but you never know…. More than one case where a guy was brought up to pitch in one game and then released even after pitching well because they needed to make another move and a starter was of no use for another 5 days.
LikeLike
Look for Ian Thomas. At least for the short term…
LikeLike
LikeLike
LikeLike
LikeLike
Well, I guess no good viable option from the outside showed up for the Braves for a loogie. If we are realistic, all Braves fans should understand the Braves are playing with house money right now. Sure, they say the Braves will be competitive “wink wink” but everyone in baseball knows the Braves are in full rebuild mode right now. Winning is a perk and the Braves feel no need to go out and make a trade or any other move short term. In fact, I suspect the Braves front office would not be all that concerned if the Braves were out of it by the end of June because it would justify trading away some of the vets for more prospects/draft choices/money.
We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy this ride as long as it last because like the rides at the fairs, they don’t last long but they sure can be fun while they last…
LikeLiked by 1 person
By the way VOX, good prediction on Ian but it wasn’t a stretch to figure out the most likely guy to get the promotion. I just hope he is at least moderately successful. He does not have to strike out the side every time but he needs to NOT walk people and get out the guys he is supposed to get out.
LikeLike
Hoo boy, that was as ugly as the though of McKiharan rubbing steroid cream on his butt… Cahill was cruising and wham, a totally different pitcher showed up in his skin for the 5th inning. Sloppy play by the infielders didn’t help his cause either. I don’t know, they just looked flat. Too much big city night life maybe….
LikeLiked by 2 people
Funny, but Ian Thomas was the bright spot last night…
Cahill was such a low risk signing…I wonder if he screws up his next few starts if they might consider turning him into a reliever? He can touch 95 now, usually if a starter becomes a reliever, they can a 2-3 MPH as they obviously don’t have a need to hold back a bit…
He just seems to have a less than smooth motion when I see him on the mound. don’t know if it’s seeing him from the center field camera angle or what…sorta like Juan Jaime looks like he has a very poor motion to the plate
LikeLike
For the 1st 4 innings, Cahill had the sinker working and was dominant. Then in the 5th, his mechanics changed and the wheels came off. Joe Simpson was quick to point out his arm slot had gone from over the top to 3/4. And as a result, his pitches flattened out and stayed up in the zone. I honestly saw great potential there. Obviously Roger, a/k/a The Sultan of Sink, had a chance to coach Cahill on his delivery and something worked. Well, it worked for 4 innings anyway. Still, I think it was a good building block. There is some hope there… at least enough for another turn or 2 through the rotation.
Next test is for Stults. His leash is similarly short. He has to deliver some quality innings tonight. He’s only gone 5 innings in each of his 1st 2 starts, giving up 4 and 3 runs respectively. That does not add up to success. At least Cahill is battling through some mechanical issues. In my view, if he delivers another mediocre short outing, I’d just as soon see what Wisler or Folty can bring in the 5th spot next time around.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Agree on Cail showing promise. I think he just got tired (as in not in the best shape of his life). That would cause him to try to muscle through it. Still, he had a chance to escape relatively unharmed but a ground ball pitcher relies heavily upon his defense to make the plays behind him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Mets have continued their good work out of spring training. The Marlins looked flat in the spring too. Maybe there is a correlation…
LikeLike
So, the left handed line up in harness tonight. Should be interesting to see if the Braves can provide a bit more run support tonight because frankly, Clayton Kershaw would not have beat the Mets last night with only one run of support.
LikeLike
A J Perzenski sure isn’t hitting like a back up is he?
LikeLike
Well, the good thing is Shults really looked good tonight, too bad the pen could not hold the lead for him. At least the team is spreading the blame around.
LikeLike
Stults did look pretty good. Rookie Martin gave up a homer, but was otherwise dominant… the sign of a rookie. Jim Johnson has suddenly lost the strike zone. But before we pile on him too hard, he still only gave up 1 run. 3-2 is hardly a beatdown. As Joe aptly noted, the Braves got into trouble when they walked the leadoff man. Well… yep. And while I’m not a fella to get into too much “hat tipping”, some credit has to go to the Mets, who have now won 10 in a row. There’s a reason they’re the hottest team in MLB. And I don’t think they’re a fluke, either. (How about that running catch in CF for Lagares last night, huh? Highlight reel material. He’s the best I’ve seen in CF since Andruw.)
Anyway, Nick Markakis continues his good work… very quietly. Jace Peterson hit the ball very hard in every AB. Unfortunately, he hit it right at someone every time. As for AJP… the guy certainly is not done yet, eh? He looks to be the perfect compliment to rookie Bcourt. Is anyone else sightly concerned that Freddie is swinging and missing alot?
Hang in there. It’s gonna be a fun ride, y’all. There is enough youth sprinkled into this team that inconsistency is just simply going to be an underlying current.
LikeLike
Vox, I think it’s just Freddie being Freddie. Before you know it, he’ll run a streak the other direction. And yes, I am a bit envious of the Mets having Lagares but that is what happens when you have several seasons of bad teams, you get to pick good young talent.
Last night’s game was baseball. I can deal with it, the Braves had their chances….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just realized the game was on! Now wish I hadn’t…
LikeLike
One of the great things about baseball…the discussions we can all have on who is the best at any position…..IMHO, Lorenzo Cain is as good a CF in baseball as you will see….in fact, even though A Jones is as good a CF as I have ever seen, I think Cain is faster and can get to calls Jones never could have…the way he can go from one side to the other of the field…
Check out this catch from last year!
I’ve seen 6-7 catches this year on baseball tonight that were just amazing…but, I can’t find most of them on the web…
LikeLike
Sugar Ray Marimon is not able to answer the bell… again. Time to send him back down for a few more rounds, IMO.
LikeLike
… after Marimon walks in the go ahead run.
LikeLike
well…tough to come in with the bases loaded…but with a 7.11 ERA, can’t really argue that he should stay, can I?
I have the game on, but have been listening to talk radio and all the….stuff hitting the fan with Hillary(not that I think anything can keep her from running) today…so, I see what’s going on, but not hearing.
A few questions… why is A.J. in after a night game? Any thoughts on what the issue is with Teheran ?
I have always been amazed that with such a razor straight fastball, how he was able to have a career 3.18 ERA (have guessed it must be hard for hitters to spot the ball out of his hands) perhaps he’s tipping pitches?
LikeLike
Bad situation to put Teheran in, he could only lose the game, he could not win it. Run is charged to him.
LikeLike
why is A.J. in after a night game?
He’s batting .391 w/ 3 HR, 1 2B, 5 RBI, .462 OBP, .826 SLG in the 6 games he’s started, including 3 hits last night. Fredi’s going with the “hot hand”.
Any thoughts on what the issue is with Teheran ?
Yes. He basically took the 1st 4 batters of the game to get warmed up on a cold and dry day in Citi Field. After the bases loaded 2B that plated 3 runs, he was actually very good. However, the high pitch count he amassed in the 1st inning caught up to him mid-game and Fredi pulled him after he crossed the 100 pitch mark.
LikeLike
I understand going with the hot hand, but it seems panicky to me to have a 37 YO catch a day game after a night game…of course, he did have a few hits, didn’t he?
And…the team still lost. 6 runs in the last 3 games, hard to win many games that way.
3-7 after the hot start.
Funny, F.G. seems to point more to the bullpen, acting like they haven’t been overworked, when none of starters goes more than 5-6 innings. Have a few guys go 7 innings, the bullpen will look a lot better…
LikeLike
Got a note from our old friend Paladin from days of yore. Reposting with permission:
“Many of you know that in a few days I will be passing the 81 year milestone. The question is: How do I commemorate the occasion? I have noted how some of my senility-dodging senior siblings are jumping out of airplanes, entering cages to observe sharks, etc.
Well, as a former pilot I have an aversion to jumping out of perfectly good aircraft and I have no inclination to voluntarily get into a cage, particularly one that has great white sharks swimming in close proximity. So, I decided to jump off my couch. However, after discussing this with my primary-care person, we agreed that I might not be up to even this activity. Therefore, I will be jumping on to my couch.
But, “jumping” in an operative word so “collapsing on to” may be a more accurate phrase to describe the event. You will be hearing from me, the emergency room, or my next of kin about the outcome of the whole occurrence.
Best to all,
Street, Uncle Street, What’s-his-name”
(We stay in frequent contact.)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, I too thought it bit odd for AJ to be playing today but I’m sure Fredi has his reasons. In the end, he could not will enough errant pitches into the strike zone nor the many of the Mets’ hitters bite on said errant pitches. Walks are killers, especially in late innings.
LikeLike
Walks are killers, especially in late innings.
Always. Starters or relievers, walks will kill you. Julio, who said he cold not get a good grip on the ball in the cold, dry NY conditions yesterday, walked 3 in the first frame; all 3 scored. Ian Thomas walked 2; 1 scored when Marimon issued a free pass with the bases loaded. Killers, indeed.
LikeLike
Certainly Sugar Ray Marimon is one of the casualties, as he should be. No idea who the 2nd pitcher going down will be. Kohn is a RH who had a pretty good spring and has ML experience with LAA. Cornely is a youngster getting his first taste of the bigs. He has been pretty effective at AAA thus far. He’s also a RH. It almost makes you wonder if there is a physical problem with Jim Johnson. Something has suddenly gone sideways for him; injury would explain it.
LikeLike
They are driving from Norfolk, VA, where their team was already playing. The roster moves are to be announced when the 2 pitchers arrive in Philly for tonight’s game.
LikeLike
Cornely is described as a “big fastball reliever” and a “bulldog on the mound with a closer’s mentality”. He was a former Top 25 prospect prior to the influx of top prospects. The Braves had enough confidence in him that they sent him to the AFL in 2013. He was 7 for 8 in save opportunities with AA Mississippi in 2014 with a 2.49 ERA and 74 K’s in 68.2 innings. This year he has a 1.04 ERA with 12 K’s in 8.2 innings against just 1 walk. That’s probably what has earned the promotion.
LikeLike
Ha ha ha… My guess is that either Johnson is hurt, or Thomas is done and they don’t have a LHRP they feel confident in.
Cornely is not on the 40-man roster, so an adjustment will have to be made to correspond with his addition.
LikeLike
Great piece by the esteemed and freelancing Carroll Rogers on Folty:
http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/baseball/folty-dominating-for-triple-a-gwinnett/nk3F6/?ecmp=ajc_social_twitter_2014_braves_sfp#1bdada6c.3828699.735712
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know that was a long link, but it’s a back door through the pay wall.
LikeLike
A DFA or DL will do the trick….
LikeLike
Ah…
Neither of our 2 suspended players count against the 40-man, so there is room for both Kohn and Cornely.
LikeLike
And after a forgetful weekend in the Big Apple, the Phillies are just the right prescription to make an ailing team feel better.
The Philadelphia Phillies: a balm for the rest of the NL. 🙂
LikeLike
Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com:
The Phillies enter the weekend with the fewest runs scored in baseball, the most errors committed in baseball, and the most walks of any pitching staff in the National League. [They] cannot consistently bunch runs together. Aside from Freddy Galvis, who has soft hands and is capable of making fantastic plays at shortstop, the Phillies don’t have a strong defender anywhere else on the diamond. The Phillies need to do a better job supporting their pitchers on both sides of the ball. If they don’t improve and improve soon, there will be no limit to how many losses they can pile up.
How about 3 more this weekend?
LikeLike
Ew. Frenchy batting cleanup. Yikes…
LikeLike
The Philadelphia Phillies: a balm for the rest of the NL. Same might be said of the Braves if they don’t strengthen their pen. For sure, the one thing I have learned about baseball is never put one up in the win column until after the deed is done.
At this point, I’d say the Phils and the Braves are pretty evenly matched, only the Phillies have a lot bigger payroll. The Braves have too many rookies in the pen and the Phils have too much age in the field.
LikeLike
LikeLike
I won’t predict a sweep only because we send Cahill to the bump on Sunday, but Woody and Shelby ought to carve this team up like a cheap tenderloin.
LikeLike
Sugar Ray Marimon and Brandon Cunniff optioned. Cunniff has been pretty dang good, but he’s pitched in 10 of the Braves 15 games. The dude needs a break!! I wouldn’t look to see him make many appearances in Gwinnett over the next several days. Give that arm some time to rest, dude.
LikeLike
Kind of a shame for Cunniff but that is baseball, get used up and discarded in a NY minute. Welcome to the Show kid…
LikeLike
well….that sucked
LikeLike
read some comments on the ajc on the thread on the loss…that was a mistake 😛 I somehow don’t blame F.G. for the team scores zero runs…I am odd that way….
Saw this on mlbtr…
The Braves have outrighted righty Juan Jaime to Triple-A Gwinnett, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The 27-year-old Jaime, who throws very hard and gets plenty of strikeouts, surely would have been an interesting project for any number of teams, but other clubs were likely deterred from claiming him because he was out of options.
So….I am missing something here. A team won’t take a chance on a guy out of options? Why isn’t there some rule that a guy gets, Oh I don’t know..1 option when you are signed to a new team?
but getting back to my original possibly dumb question…can’t a team stick a guy in the minors? That is what I don’t understand. You don’t have to put him on the 40 man roster, correct? I’m missing something here….
LikeLike
I somehow don’t blame F.G. for the team that scores zero runs
or for the team scoring zero runs…whatever works for you 😉
LikeLike
Pretty sloppy game by the Braves last night who made the Philles look a lot better than they are.
LikeLike
so..there is more to A.J. playing than a hot bat….
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/baseball/backup-catcher-pierzynski-starts-4th-consecutive-g/nk3qX/?ecmp=ajc_social_twitter_2014_braves_sfp
LikeLike
Stuff: Having not watched TV in 10 years or so, I hadn’t the first clue about who the local TV news people were. Came across a web site for WWAY here which listed the anchors, reporters, weather guys and the sports guys. One was Trot Nixon. It’s a little hard for me to accept that a big-bucks retired major league would be working for a local TV station. 😯
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey, guys, all of us are in the doghouse! We overlooked the birthday of a friend.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALTY!!
LikeLike
CL, checking baseball-reference.com I see Trot Nixon made only 30 million during his career! 😉 Poor guy…literally! 😛
Mainly in Mass. so, he probably only got to keep half that .
I imagine he just wanted to do something, and sports related….
Happy Birthday(belatedly) Salty!
LikeLike
Ber, his entire is well-off, his father a long-time physician here. But living expenses are not as low here as some may think. I read a year or so ago that it is more expensive to live here than Atlanta, Ga. That surprised me.
but – working for a local TV station?? Maybe he just likes it! 🙂
LikeLike
Maybe it keeps him out of trouble, I’m sure the hours are better that those of a pro baseball player.
LikeLiked by 1 person
7:09 above *family is well off…
LikeLike
Well, that was a lost weekend in Philly, eh what? They looked soooo bad Saturday night thru 7 innings, then Simmons hit a homer, and things turned on a dime after that.
Missed Sunday’s game, but seems like Cahill is not exactly golden out there. 8 ERA. How many more starts will they give him?
Next, the Nats…who also have been the opposite of good of late. Hopefully they will stay bad….
LikeLike
seems MLB has a channel on youtube…and they have some interesting stuff, will have to dig around…this is interesting…the very first inning of Dwight Gooden….31 years ago!
People in the comments talk about the drugs…well, they surely didn’t help, but he had 35 complete games at the age of 21!!!!
Max Scherzer is 30 and has 1, 1! for his career.
Just checked, Stephen Strasburg has 1 complete game for his career…
Don’t know who the broadcasters are, but they seem blase, and seem to be the Mets guys! Didn’t even know he threw a curve…maybe it was the Astros guys….well, I see this was put up a year ago, not exactly new to youtube, are they?
LikeLike
Doc Gooden’s drug of choice was cocaine… will keep you going like the Everready bunny…. Maybe I should give it a try?!
Anyway, poor Freddie, can’t catch a ball to save his butt. His mind appears to be elsewhere. I’m pretty sure he would like to forget the past 6 games he played in but then again, maybe he wasn’t there to begin with. After all, he is still a big kid, a lot is riding on him it seems.
In fact, the entire right side of the infield was AWOL this week. The Braves are not good enough to overcome so many mistakes. Heck, for that matter, the gNats aren’t either as evident by their record.
LikeLike
Gosh guys, some of the most thinned skinned umpires I’ve ever seen. Also, you should never boo Dan Uggla.. he can still put a hurting on ya. Escobar is a big baby… like I said, he hates to be touched….
LikeLiked by 1 person
On the positive side, good win…
LikeLike
Great ESPN article on Simmons Here/s
LikeLike
Booing Dan Uggla was totally classless. I was ashamed of my city watching that last night.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree VOX, While I heard a smattering of cheers, the boos were louder than those reserved for Bryce Harper. I really don’t understand it either, not like he wasn’t trying or had a bad attitude while he was here. He just didn’t hit… And now we have a good idea of why. So why all the hate? What will it be like when BJ come back? Never mind, I already know the answer to that one.
Good solid game by the home team last night, really sloppy play by the gNats. Too much time reading their press clipping and not enough time actually working to get better. I guess they though every else was going to lay down for them.
LikeLike
Looks like the season-ending injury to Adam Wainright – torn Achilles tendon while running out a fly ball – has rekindled the National League DH talk again. It might get traction this time.
I don’t like the DH; I’m on record as not liking the DH. But I don’t like it in either league. As long as the leagues were relatively independent, only meeting in the World Series, then I think it was at least still feasible. But now that there is so much inter-league play, the whole concept has tilted. And I certainly do not like he resulting inequity.
And let’s face it… it can only go one way. It’ll never go away from the AL. Never. It can only come into the NL.
Bowman makes a good point that the AL has an inside track on the premier bats from a contract standpoint since they can project a guy into a DH role further into the deal. It allows an AL team to guaranty longer deals, thus giving the Junior Circuit a bit of an advantage. Same can be said for a guy with a tremendous bat, but iffy defensive skills. Exhibit A: El Oso Blanco. It’s something worth considering in the discussion, I suppose.
I still don’t like it, but I may have to get over it. Like artificial turf, except different.
But I’ll tell you, I get the feeling something will change in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Tradition has gone a long way in baseball, but tradition is no longer as important to the powers that be. It’s coming. Wainright’s injury might just provide the little bit of extra push the argument needed to be taken seriously.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, pitcher get hurt, why don’t they just put a pitching machine on the mound and we could eliminate a lot of torn elbow ligaments… Just saying. It sucks but injuries come with the territory. Tell it to Howard about Achilles injuries.
But, if they change the rules, they change the rules, little I can do about it but adapt.
LikeLike
Sorry, but just a tad bit cynical today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And sorry for Wainwright too. Now we are reminded as to why Bobby was always yelling EASY at his pitchers….
LikeLike
Don’t forget Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees (then) back to back 19 game winner, and in 2008, he was 8-2, and injured his foot running the bases in Houston, and…well, he’s never been the same since. Just saw, he was the fastest to 50 wins since Dwight Gooden….
And Max Scherzer injured his thumb batting the other day….
http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybaseball/update/25164904/report-nationals-max-scherzer-thumb-seeing-specialist
My issue is watching pitchers hitting .098 , coming up with the bases loaded, and striking out 😉
LikeLike
Wow…this A.J. kid, what trade did we get him in? Sorta an under the radar prospect eh? 😛
LikeLike
How come we have heard about the Marlins manager being on the hotseat (well, ok, their owner is an ass) but not the Nats? The Nats are much better team than the Marlins, at least on paper, but look terrible…
I get the feeling Matt Williams may be too intense a manager…at least for this team….
LikeLike
Nats making a game of it, Was 10-2 now 10-6… Hang on guys… Okay 10-7
LikeLike
And thankfully, relief is on the way… Game a lot closer than it should be.
LikeLike
So….perhaps it was a really bad idea for the braves fans to boo Dan Uggla???? 😕
LikeLike
Told you they shouldn’t have booed him so vehemently. Karma’s a b_… well you know the saying. A small part of me is glad Dan single-handedly brought his team back. Now, I’ll be even happier if we can recapture it in our half of the 9th.
LikeLike
Of course, Grilli had the strikeout that was blown by the ump. But hey… that’s part of the game, right?
LikeLike
After blowing a huge, and i mean HUGE lead last night, one has to wonder if our attendance tonight might rival that of this afternoon’s Orioles / White Sox game.
I can hear Camden Yards now…
♫ duhn duhn DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN ♫
*crickets*
7th inning stretch…
♫ Take me out to the… ♫ oh, never mind…
Announcement…
“Tonight’s attendance: zero.”
Vendors…
“Hot dogs! Peanuts! Hot dogs! Peanuts! Hello? Hell-ooo?” 😯
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’ll be alot like Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium back in the 70’s/80’s. 😉
LikeLike
Fitting VOX, Somehow I saw it coming, especially after the missed strike call. I’m thinking, don’t throw him a fast ball… WHAM 450 foot plus dinger. As much as it sickened me, I’m thinking it had to have a very negative vibe on the Braves as a team…. Can’t hold a 1o run lead? Likely will launch the gNats now… Oh well, not like we weren’t warned this would be an ugly year…
LikeLike
Red Sox have DFA’d Anthony Varvaro…
LikeLike
At least he isn’t still on the Braves payroll… On thing I have noticed, the Braves pretty much use up relief pitchers to the point they are not all that when they leave Atlanta.
Okay, yesterday’s game is now in the rear view mirror except every time I have to listen to the gNats announcers, I will be reminded of “THE COMBACK OF THE CENTURY” sigh…. guess I will leave the volume turned off.
LikeLike
Braves might really want Anthony Varvaro back…..
LikeLike
David O’Brien @DOBrienAJC · 38m 38 minutes ago
#Braves will make announcement on Friday starter tomorrow. All signs point to Folty.
LikeLike
I turned last night’s game on with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. For some reason, I watched the last out being made. Fitting somehow. I shall make no comment on it, other than I fear the Braves “woke the sleeping giant”. The Mets should be ticked.
The quick start out of the gate was fun for a while, but now that reality has set in, I’m ready to see some more youngsters. Glad Folty will get the nod Friday.
LikeLike
Makes sense to start Folty and move Cahill to the long reliever role. Braves don’t really have one, and Cahill’s suckiness would be somewhat contained there. RHRP Cornely is not quite ready for prime time, so the corresponding move seems pretty simple.
LikeLike
Yes, the “COME BACK” appears to awakened the gNats to their potential. I watched the game until about 9:15 then switched over to watch regular TV. Once Cahill was brought in, I knew it was done, over, pack the travel bags and move on to the next city.
actually, I think it happened when Zimmermann hit a bases clearing triple.
One point of observation, Woods needs to perfect an out pitch. Seems like the Braves pitchers can get 2 strikes on opposing batters but have a difficult time putting them away. Need that change up to keep them off balance, except Teheran… needs to remember it is his fast ball that needs to be his primary pitch. Ah, the tribulations of youth.
LikeLike
Ah, the tribulations of youth.
Head of nail has been hit.
LikeLike
I suppose this means Ian Thomas is doomed when they call up Folty before tomorrow’s game.
LikeLike
…Ian Thomas is doomed… yup
LikeLike
Well…Shelby Miller is the first Braves starter to go 7 innings, in game 22…amazin’
LikeLike
Chris Johnson fractures left hand on slide into(near) 2nd base. Goes on DL, Folty up, no other move, so down a position player…for some reason…
LikeLike
I guess Kelly Johnson is now the back up first baseman.
LikeLike
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary:
slide – verb \ˈslīd\ – to slip or fall; to fall or dive feetfirst or headfirst; to pass by gradations especially downward
LikeLike
Fredi on Folty:
“He’s earned the opportunity to come up and pitch, It’s not a one-deal tryout. I’m excited, and he’s earned it.”
Translation: Trevor Cahill has sucked and is done as a starter, at least until mid-season when the Braves entertain trade offers for veteran lefty Eric Stults.
LikeLike
Wow! 😯
Strong opinion from Bowman:
After last night’s game, I opined that Shelby Miller might not have surrendered back-to-back homers to begin the seventh inning had he not had to throw 29 pitches during a sixth inning that would have been cleaner had Christitan Bethancourt not dropped the knee-high fastball Miller snuck past Billy Hamilton to begin the frame. The Braves love Bethancourt’s arm, but they have been discouraged by his glovework behind the plate.
Had John Buck not retired near the end of Spring Training, I’m pretty certain the Braves would have already sent Bethancourt down to Triple-A Gwinnett. But because there is not an attractive backup option within the system right now, Bethancourt will continue serving in the backup role to A.J. Pierzynski, who I’m told has been a stern mentor to the young catcher.
LikeLike
More Bowman:
Foltynewicz will fill the roster spot created when Chris Johnson was placed on the disabled list with a fractured left hand last night. But the Braves will need to promote a position player on Saturday. The Braves seem more likely to promote Todd Cunningham, a sound defender who is capable of being an offensive upgrade over what Eric Young Jr. and Cameron Maybin have provided in center field.
Is that good about Ham, or bad about EY and Cammy?
LikeLike
Somewhat surprised they are not considering Ciriaco but why not give Ham a chance? After all, this is supposed to be a developing year more or less. Maybin is who he is, EY was a low cost option who is who he is. No surprises with him either way.
Yes, Bethancourt is still a 22 year old rookie. Reminds me a lot of Javy Lopez behind the plate with a better arm and less power but still a bit on the sloppy side (lazy) when it comes to catching and blocking balls.
On last night’s game, the Reds didn’t miss any mistake pitches did they?
LikeLike
Well how about that?!?!
I hate the head first slide. If they want to improve player safety in the game, outlaw the stupid head first slide. How many hand/wrist/thumb injuries can we count?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a night Folty!! 😀
LikeLike
Well, that was fun.. wasn’t it? And people wonder why it is so much more entertaining to see a pitcher hit? His pitching will get better too. So much more fun to watch than Trevor Cahill getting smacked around.
On another note, opposing outfielders must love to play Atlanta, can’t remember so many hits being taken away by great plays since Andruw left.
LikeLike
That was a fun game! Did ya know that somehow, that was only his 2nd professional at bat??? Crazy! If guys aren’t hitting in the minors, (pitchers) they might as well go DH in the NL….
by the by…shockingly….none of the great plays in Atlanta were web gems on baseball tonight…easily could have replaced 2 of the 5 that were “gems”
LikeLike
The Braves are after thoughts to the talking heads of the baseball shows. Unless they are facing a “name” team, very little coverage and the coverage is about the other team, even if the Braves win…. Worse than watching MSNBC….
LikeLike
True that , Gil…though I’m not sure anything is worse than watching MSNBC 😛
I sure wish I had copied the recap of the braves-reds game (My Dad and I went to the annual BOP and C show (Buick, Olds, Pontiac, and Cadillac) then to the bi-monthly car cruise (that Dad was up to 2 shows was great!)
so missed the game…well….even though the score was 8-4 Reds, the recap made it sound like the braves won! Beat up on ol’ Jason Marquis, said the braves had won back to back games for the first time since the first week of the season…it was funny…sadly, I went back after reading the box scores and the story was back to the reds won….
LikeLike
oh, forgot to mention, it was the ESPN recap I am talking about….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Ber, sadly the wind was blowing out when the Reds were at bat and blowing in when the Bravos were up…. Stults looked really good the first three innings, not so much the next 4 innings. Looks like he would be a good long relief guy when the Jettison Cahill next month.
Question is, which rookie pitcher do they promote next?
Simmons looked very ordinary last night… especially when he got hit by a batted ball for an out. Talk about a rally killer…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, did you catch John Hart on the , I think Friday game for an inning or two? It was interesting….he mentioned Williams Perez as the most polished guy right now…remember him? He had a very good year at AA last year, but looked terrible in spring training, yet they kept running him out there…well, so far, he has looked good at Gwinnett this year
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=perez-003wil
Perhaps he got some suggestions from McDowell, and has worked on them….
The rest of the Gwinnett staff….
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=c6585908#team_pitching::none
LikeLike
Oh, so…what do you guys and gals think about signing….Salty?
I know he is not supposed to be a great defender, yet the Red Sox won the W.S. with him doing the majority of the catching in 2013…. A.J. is 38, and Bethencourt seems to have issues in the ol noggin …so, perhaps a platoon of Salty against lefties/AJ righties? and of course Salty is a switch hitter….Perhaps spending the rest of the year in AAA would wake up Bethencourt…
Can you believe that Salty is still only 30? in fact, just had his birthday yesterday….
LikeLike
trivia time…so, which brave has the most RBI’s?
LikeLike
Salty? I’ll pass
LikeLike
Now I remember who Cody Martin reminds me of, Greg McMichael….
LikeLike
Looks like Perez has paid his dues with the Braves. Good for him if he gets a chance to play in the show.
LikeLike
so, after losing 2 of 3 to the Reds, naturally, the braves beat up arguably, the best righty in baseball! 😉 Teheran looked like himself for the first time this year….guessing Maybin will get the lion’s share of the AB’s for awhile…
LikeLike
While I liked Maybin being able to jack one out, I really liked the fact he cut down on his swing and drove a line drive single to centerfield for an RBI. That shows discipline. Good game all around for the Braves today. Nice to see Julio take heed of the advice to use his fastball. Looked like the guy who is at the top of the order.
Now, if the Braves will be patient and not try to hit 500 foot home runs against Harang, they will have a chance against the Phils. Trying to be happy with the wins and willing to accept the losses as long as they are not beating themselves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, our old friend Aaron Harang is on the mound tonight as the Phillies blow into town. Let’s hope the Braves can figure him out for a change.
LikeLike
One last thought, Chris Johnson must be one tough customer playing with a broken hand all that time….
LikeLike
Not much to say today. The thing about a team with few expectations is that there isn’t much to talk about.
LikeLike
There’s always prospect talk…
LikeLike
LikeLike
How would this look?
1- Peraza, 2B
2- Markakis, RF
3- Freddie, 1B
4- AJP, C
5- KJ/Jonny, LF
6- Simba, SS
7- Jace, 3B
8- Camo, CF
LikeLike
How would this look?
1- Peraza, 2B
2- Simba, SS
3- Markakis, RF
4- Freddie, 1B
5- AJP, C
6- KJ/Jonny, LF
7- Jace, 3B
8- Camo, CF
LikeLike
You know, we went from a lineup that was way to RH heavy, to a LH heavy one. Look at the middle… Markakis, Freddie, AJP, KJ… even Jace. All lefties.
LikeLike
Speaking of prospects…
CF Mallex Smith is tearing it up at AA Mississippi. He’s slashing .324/.342/.412 with 22 hits and 12 runs scored in 16 games. (BONUS: He’s driven in 7 runs in the process.) Also, he has swiped 6 bases in 6 attempts.
LikeLike
Should get interesting around the trading deadline I would say.
LikeLike
V, I think I like lineup #2 better as I think Nick M. is too good a hitter to be batting 1st or 2nd…in fact, as the season goes on, and A.J. slows down (unless he’s had some huge flaw in his swing, and he’s been Seitzed, or whatever it is 😉 ) and teams realize there is little need to give into F.F. if he was batting behind him, while not a classic 4 hole hitter, driving in runs is the name of the game, and he could be like Tom Herr was for the Cards, in 1985, where he hit .302, drove in 110 RBI’s yet only had 8 homers (A career year for HR’s , he only had 28 HR’s in 13 seasons!)
LikeLike
Can someone tell me why the Braves gave up on Aaron Harang so quickly and yet saw fit to sign Trevor Cahill for 6 million? Alex Woods look very much the rookie he is last night. The Braves have him as a number 2 while in reality he is a number 4 or 5 on most every other team….
The Braves looked flat again while the Fillies were frisky…. Can’t say that I blame them, it appears a lot of teams come to Atlanta to get well… Maybe they are thinking it is Augusta….
Anyway, tonight is another night and perhaps Miller can right the ship..
LikeLiked by 1 person
To me, it is yet another example of former (failed) players who go to another team and suddenly blossom. What is it about ATL that causes this??
LikeLike
Can someone tell me why the Braves gave up on Aaron Harang so quickly and yet saw fit to sign Trevor Cahill for 6 million?
I can try…
Part 1: The Braves knew as the FA market opened that they were in “re-tool” mode and would be seeking young pitching on the trade market, so there was no immediacy to their reaching into the FA market. As it turns out, they did acquire a ML ready arm in Shelby Miller. At that point, they actually had a their Top 4 of Teheran, Wood, Miller and Minor with a number of cheap (yes cheap) 5th starter candidates in David Hale, Cody Martin as well as Chien Ming Wang. However, they still were said to be staying “in communication” with Harang’s agent. Reportedly, Harang was seeking a 2 year deal, and the Braves were not willing to do that. Then Harang stunned everyone and signed for 1 year with the Phillies. The inside skinny says the Braves wanted him back on a non-guaranteed minor league deal, and Aaron’s camp wasn’t playing that. Thus, the Braves turned their attention to Eric Stults, of whom Roger was acquainted with in the past. It can also be said that many veteran “surprises” typically turn in that one surprise season and cannot repeat. The league is rife with those type pitchers sitting on rosters. So the Braves were hesitant to guarantee the $5M to Harang that the deep-pocketed Phillies gave him. In a pure business sense, it was the right call. Let’s face it… we spent the entire season last year discussing when the wheels were going to fall off the Harang wagon. To his credit, they never did. But we talked about it at length. And we still are all holding our breath waiting for it to happen, even in The City of Brotherly Shove. I applaud him; but I still don’t believe he’ll keep it up the entire season.
Part 2: Braves went into full re-build mode which prompted them to part with David Hale, reducing the candidate pool in the process. Then Minor went down. That was critical, and cannot be understated. The Braves had just lost to him in arb, which unbelievably awarded him with a $5.6M salary even though he had a horrible injury-riddled 2014. They were counting on him heavily, and he simply was not/is not available. I’m aggravated by it, and I’m not paying his swollen salary.
Part 3: Neither Folty nor ManBan showed that either was ready for The Show as the Braves broke camp. This forced the knee-jerk trade which brought in Trevor Cahill. (As y’all were, I was surprised by it. It didn’t fit into the “re-build” model. IMO, it was more John Coppy than John Hart. It bears the fingerprints of inexperience.) It’s one thing to hope for a Harang-type renaissance from one guy (Stults), but from 2? That was hedging the team’s bets a little much, and we see the result. The only thing I might add is that Cahill’s best pitch is his sinker, which he has lost touch with. Roger is the Sinker Doctor. If anyone can fix him, it’s Roger. Perhaps the lower pressure of languishing as the long-man in the bullpen will give Cahill the opportunity to work on his craft, rather than trying to muddle through with less than 100% stuff. One can hope. He’s still just 27 years old, the same age as the disabled Minor and 9 years younger than Harang.
One more thing, and purely my own opinion…
The Braves have one of the best IF in the league, and arguably the best defensive SS in a long, long time. They want the ball on the ground. Harang is a fly ball pitcher, which was discussed by the national media types ad nauseum when he signed to pitch in that Little League field known as Citizens Bank Park. In 2014 with the Braves, he induced 371 fly balls to 248 ground balls, or roughly 1.5 fly balls to each ground ball. Thus far in 2015, the count is 75 to 33, or roughly 2.25 times as many. That is going to catch up to him at some point and those long fly ball outs of spring are going to soar in the summer heat. I don’t think it’s sustainable. That isn’t sour grapes, it’s an observation.
Now, do I think Trevor Cahill will turn it around under Roger and be an effective pitcher again? Honestly, no. At least not in 2015 in Atlanta. As I said, I didn’t like the move when they made it and I still don’t.
But I also think I would have played the same strategy they did with Harang. And if he wins 12-15 games while giving up all those fly balls, then I’ll apologize and keep my mouth shut. (Chances are he’ll be on the move at the trade deadline.to a contender that needs a little rotation insurance.)
What about the 35 year old Eric Stults? i think what we see is what we have… but for just $2M. He’s a fine #5 guy if you have a strong 4 up front. What we have is a young 4 upfront that are being typical young players and being very inconsistent. That may not change in 2015. That’s the hard part of watching a young team. Then again, we may just see them gel as the season forges on. That’s the fun part of watching a young team. Good with bad… it’s a universal marriage.
LikeLike
One more point, and it’s really just a technicality. The Braves didn’t sign Cahill for $6M. They traded for him. His $12M salary came along with him. Fortunately, the D’backs are paying half of it. The Braves actually hold an option for ’16 (and ’17 too), which they will obviously not exercise. At the time they made the trade, there were no attractive scrap heap starters in the FA pool, and there weren’t many trade possibilities. I’m not trying to make an excuse; I’ve already told you I don’t like the deal. But it is a contributing factor to why the Cahill deal went down. I suppose as the 2015 season was on the doorstep, the Braves felt it was worth committing $6M to buy the flexibility of keeping some of the kids in the minor leagues to continue their needed development. Remember, we were all discussing which rookie would inherit the 5th starter job… not if one of them would. And I have little doubt that both Johns as well as Fredi would have preferred to keep Folty in AAA for a few more weeks until mid-season. Fortunately, Folty took some big steps in his handful of starts, tightening up his slider and throwing it harder at the team’s behest.
LikeLike
As for Uggla and Francoeur…
Danny-boy is hitting a robust .204 on the burgeoning season with 12 K’s in 49 AB’s, and Frenchy is right there with him at .214 with 14 K’s in 70 AB’s. Neither is the player they appeared to be in singular games vs. the Braves. In fact, it has been 3 years since Jeffery notched 4 hits in a game. The 5 RBI Uggs had vs. the Braves in one game were half what he drove in for the entire 2014 season. 8 of his 9 RBI this season came in that one 3 game stretch in Turner Field. I wouldn’t look for either to be the 2015 Comeback Player of the Year. Well, not unless they can play all their games vs. the Braves, anyway…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Speaking of old friends, Salty has now been released by the Fish.
Given that B’court is continuing his mental lapses while behind the plate, and has batted only .136 while swinging over it, maybe he could stand a little time back in AAA. As Ber said earlier, it might drive home the message that the organization has clearly been trying to send by benching him.
Since Salt-man has been released, the Fish are on the hook (see what i did there?) for all but the major league minimum portion of his salary. Maybe a buy-low/sell-high low cost investment the Braves could make for half a season? I dunno. I’m just talking to hear myself type…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Might as well keep the theme going.
Per MLBTR:
[Former Brave] Kyle Farnsworth, has other athletic endeavors in mind. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports, the 39-year-old former reliever is now suiting up on the defensive line for the Orlando Phantoms — and is credited with 11 sacks, the second-highest tally in the Florida Football Alliance. (Attentive fans will recall that Farnsworth showed some gridiron promise at times on the diamond.)
😀
LikeLike
The circle of life. Interesting that Veal was DFA’d. That usually happens when a 40-man roster spot is needed…
LikeLike
LikeLike
The Braves leadoff spot… where major league hitters go to die.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Back to Donnie Veal…
In his last 2 outings, he has come in and walked the leadoff batter, then surrendered a HR. That, my friends, will earn you a ticket out of town.
LikeLike
and I looked up Veal’s AAA numbers, 10 games, 8 innings or so, zero runs..I see why they brought him up…
LikeLike
I was going to give the braves grief for having Nick M. lead off, cuz of his career numbers…well, .293 for his career batting leadoff…odd…though I bet in the A.L. there were ,after leading leading off the game, he would be up with runners on a fair bit…
LikeLike
There is a curse over the Braves leadoff spot…
LikeLike
Back to Veal. The reason he was DFA’d is because he is out of options. Bowman says because he has been outrighted before, he can immediately become a FA. DOB says the Braves hope to resign him to a minor league deal. Whatever. I really don’t see him as anything more than minor league depth.
The haunting question is where the Braves will find a major league talent level LOOGY. It is glaringly missing in the bullpen.
LikeLike
Wow… 😯
LikeLike
Yeah, really wow…
LikeLike
thing is most teams are in the need of a loogy or two
LikeLike
VOX, while I always enjoy your in-depth responses to my inquires, my questions pertaining to Harange were really more of the rhetorical variety. It was only my frustrations creeping out that caused me pose the question.
I just never understood the Trahill signing/trade/acquisition… It was too much of a sign of desperation/hope this will work type of move. I could stand letting a kid stink up the place knowing he is learning on the job, heck, I remember Steve Avery getting shelled when he was first called up against the Mets after being all world in Triple A.
As for Markakis, the balls are not dropping in like the were the first couple of weeks. They are getting caught. I think he could use a day off now and then too.
Sorry, I’ll pass on Salty behind the dish. Just not any improvement over what we already have. If Bethancourt does not realize he is on the hot seat by now, he never will.
Funny, last night, they brought in Cahill because they needed a ground ball. What does he give up, line drives to the outfield…
LikeLike
However, we are starting to see some guys as regulars. Freeman, Peterson, Simmons, Perzinski, Markakis, Maybin is beginning to supplant EY in center. That leave left field and third base as the swing positions.
LikeLike
Gil, I got a little longwinded in my response earlier today. Remember… I work at home with no one else around. Y’all are the only folks I talk to during the day. I was feeling “chatty”. 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think Maybin likes it here. He appears to be very happy to be in Atlanta. And he’s playing pretty well, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree VOX, and one would think Kelly Johnson is feeling it too.Really nice game pitched by Miller last night.
The game was over so quick, i flipped over to catch some of the other games being played last night. Miami is hitting their stride it appears. Our old friend Wandy Rodriquiz is pitching for Texas and looked really good against the Astros. While Jason Heyward may not be hitting for high average, he is a terror on the basepaths when he does get on.
No matter where you look, there are ex Braves….
LikeLike
And of future Braves…
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
LikeLike
That dude can fly. Maybe at mid-season, the Braves will trade off CJohnson and call up Peraza, shifting Jace to 3B. More speed to an already fast lineup.
LikeLike
Too bad he cannot catch….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course, as it stands right now, moving Peterson to third and inserting Perazza at second would leave the Braves a bit power shy but I would not be surprised by any moves the Braves make at this point. Well, a couple but let’s see who and what the Braves opt for on draft day.
Still, remember, Perazza is hitting against Triple A pitching. Yet, there are a lot of guys not hitting Triple A pitching either…. We have not yet seen Peterson take a turn at third base. It could be a ground ball pitcher’s dream to play in Atlanta given the potential defensive talent playing behind them.
No, the Braves trouble spot right now appears to be middle relief and consistent pitching from their starters. However, it is still only May and to this point, I cannot be disappointed with the braves sporting a 13-14 record. Were we not told to expect a 90 loss season? One nice little win streak and the Braves are 5 games over 500.
I guess it is true, you are only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher.
A couple of other quick points, the Braves have been putting the ball in play with a lot greater frequency than in the past. While Markais is cooling off a bit, it’s not like he is having bad at bats. I still like him further down in the order, let Perazza gain experience in the lead off spot in Triple A and when he is ready stack the line up with speed at the top. There will be a market for guys like Gosslin and Callaspo in July.
I also like Simmons plate approach this season. Those line drives to the right field corner are a thing of beauty. Just keep making contact and good things will happen more often than not.
LikeLike
LikeLike
2nite’s lineup:
1- Neck Markakis, RF
2- Simba, SS
3- Free, 1B
4- KJ, LF
5- AlCal, 3B
6- B’court, C
7- Jace, 2B
8- MayDay, CF
9- Folty, RHP
LikeLike
I wonder if the Braves have their own private shuttle for transporting pitchers back and forth between Turner Field and Cool Ray?
I would expect Perez to be used tonight in relief of Folty.
LikeLike
I also wonder if all those relief pitchers are getting their coffee in “to go” cups?
LikeLiked by 1 person
One thing for sure, no matter how many runs the Braves score, they have a way of keeping things interesting until the very end.
I know, three run homers are not suppose to be exciting to watch but they can be very nerve racking to watch out for from the opposing team.
I thought Folty pitched well last night, he just appears to hit that bump in the road the second time through the line up. It is all about experience I suppose and if he can just break through and master his off speed stuff, he will be a real gem.
LikeLike
What? The Braves? Our Braves? 😯
LikeLiked by 1 person
That has to be a mistake…. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought Folty pitched well last night, he just appears to hit that bump in the road the second time through the line up.
He said, in the post-game interview, that the long 5th inning where the team batted around took him out of his rhythm and he never got back in sync. That is simply something that only experience will correct. I thought he did very well. His “epiphany” moment came when Braves execs urged him to go to AAA and tighten up his slider and throw it harder. CLICK That was the key. That pitch, that Chip calls a “slurve”, has become his out pitch. And it works. I believe the kid is here to stay, and I see very good things ahead.
LikeLike
After last night, the Braves rank 3rd in the NL and 10th overall in runs at 4.46 per game. Last season, the finished next to last with 3.54 per game.
Remember when we thought they traded all their offense away? ❓
LikeLike
Justin Upton: .7 HR, 21 RBI
Kelly Johnson: 6 HR, 17 RBI
Jonny Gomes: 3 HR, 8 RBI
Ain’t this a funny game?
LikeLike
Braves CF: 21 H, 12 R, 14 RBI
Melvin Upton; 0 AB, 1 boot
Ain’t this a relief?
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
Be prepared for rain delays this weekend in DC. I would go but since I cannot carry a firearm into DC, It’s not worth the risk for me as I cannot defend myself. I’ll just defend the homestead.
If the Braves can tighten up their relief corps, they are going to be a real threat. There is a lot of baseball left to play and a lot of teams we have not seen yet.
Washington is red hot right now but they have some chinks in their armor too. They are still behind the Braves.
Like I said, keep playing 500 ball and a lot of interesting things can happen. It has been a pretty fun month so far for the Braves, you just never really know how it’s going to pan out. The key is still good pitching and Atlanta’s is getting better. It is all a process.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
Bowman:
Though Peraza has batted .400 (24-for-60) over his past 16 games, the urge to rush him to Atlanta has been subdued as Jace Peterson has raised his batting average from .182 to .286 while batting .424 (14-for-33) over his past 10 games. The Braves may transition Peterson to third base to make room at second base for Peraza, who’s ranked by MLB.com as Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 38 prospect in baseball. But for now, it seems the club is simply planning to evaluate how the highly-regarded Peraza fares over the next few weeks. The Braves are not going to risk tarnishing the 20-year-old second baseman’s development by rushing him to the Majors [and] want to give him a chance to develop every aspect of his game before introducing him to the game’s highest level.
LikeLike
More Bowman:
Though Peraza has long been considered Atlanta’s leadoff hitter of the future, it appears that tag could belong to No. 16 prospect Mallex Smith of Double-A Mississippi, who has hit .315/.333/.411 through this season’s first 17 games. If Smith extends his early-season success, there is a chance he and Peraza could fill the first two spots in the Braves’ lineup at some point next season.
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
LikeLike
Keep loading up the talent and teach them right. No blowhard or prima donnas please….
LikeLike
I like the chemistry of the current team.
LikeLike
I like the chemistry of the current team.
Me too, Gil. And they are not disappointing anyone. In fact, if folks are paying attention, this team is playing .500 ball and exceeding most talking head expectations, which was a team that would finish with 90+ losses.
There is alot to like about being at .500 through the first month of the season. First, as a young team, these guys are just getting better. Second, as Gil has stated many times, hang around in the mix for a while and you never know what might happen.
Shelby has hit his stride (which is a really good stride), Julio has rediscovered the value of his fastball, Folty has risen to the challenge… and I don’t think Woody will struggle all season. Jim Johnosn appears to have gotten his sinker back, too. I think the promotion of Williams Perez was a smart one. He’s been the most consistent minor league pitcher since the start of 2014, and he continually pounds the strike zone. And honestly, he doesn’t fit into the organizations starting plans. His time is now and he needs to take advantage of it.
Pitching aside, these young position players have gelled together quite well, and with the exception of CF, most positions are producing much better than we thought. Is Nick Markakis the best looking “pure hitter” we’ve seen in a while? He squares up more balls consistently than any hitter I’ve seen since Chipper. Now if he can just get a few more to drop in. Nothing more needs be said about KJ. And as for CF, even though there is not a ton of production there right now, it’s still an improvement over last season. Weird, huh? Did we ever imagine we’d miss Jordan Schafer? Oh wait… that statement was made already last year. 🙂 I kid. Cameron Maybin was an under the radar “throw-in” type guy that is playing half decent. I’d like to think he’ll improve as the season rolls along.
Speaking of Maybin, I have a potential nickname for him. Think about his speed for a minute… How about MayFly?
LikeLike
I thought about MayDay, but that’s a distress call. We don’t need any of that…
LikeLiked by 1 person
If he had Freddie’s uni no. 5, he could be Cinco de Maybin. 😉
LikeLike
MayFly Might fly, might not…. Will wait and see on that one 🙂
I have no delusions about our current team. There are still lots of holes but like it has been said over and over, it really still comes down to pitching.
Currently, Eric Stults is filling the bill of “seasoned veteran” on the starting staff. Every team usually has one of those guys who can “mentor” the kids as the progress. If he continues to pitch like the last time he was on the mound, I’ll take it. I don’t expect the Trevor Cahill era to be a long one in Atlanta. It really just depends on him if he can stick around. Basically, he is cannon fodder for those games when one of the kids stumbles out of the blocks and the team is down 8 runs in the second inning.
As I see it, the Braves have four reliable relievers in the pen right now, Grille, Johnson, Avilan and Cody Martin. That leaves room for two more. I noticed that Cunniff was brought back up and we have yet to see Perez. I know the Braves would really like to see Cahill return to form but the D-Backs pais six million just to see Trevor go away, the Braves will do the same if he continues on his present plane.
I thought it interesting what Folty said about losing his rhythm due to the long fifth inning. Maybe he should toss a few down in the tunnel when it looks like the Braves are going to have a long at bat. I know the Japanese pitchers never stop throwing after they start….
LikeLike
More on Maybin, I think he is doing just fine. Better than anyone else playing the position in a while. He’s no Mike Trout but he isn’t Melvin Upton either. He’ll do for now. I like EY Jr. but Maybin is clearly a better player. The Braves are waiting for Mallax anyway. It’s all just part of the process.
It should be interesting to see if and when Perraz will be promoted and who’s spot he takes. Peterson can play third but you can only have so many number eight hitters in your line up.
Guys on the bubble right now are EY and C Johnson but the latter only because of his salary and it’s not exorbitant. The bad thing for Chris is getting the playing time to get his timing down again after he returns next month. .
LikeLike
So…I was playing trivia yesterday with a friend who has been battling Cancer…she secretly asked for the remote, and put on…hockey. Uggh. She also loves…..soccer. So, I was slightly peeved when I saw the Braves were playing the Phils, but hey…she’s been sick..so…put on ….hockey.
When I got home, gosh…just like the night before, a really quick game, with Grilli on to close the 9th. Wow, Ben Revere has another 4 hit game? Amazing…wait a second….this is Wednesdays game again! I know sports south LOVES to rebroadcast games, and it would make sense to rebroadcast a day game at night…but the game the night before, rebroadcast the next night? Has anyone ever known them to do that before?
LikeLike
Kelly Johnson: 6 HR, 17 RBI
Jonny Gomes: 3 HR, 8 RBI
use guys realise that last year, KJ had 7 homers and 27 RBIs , and a .215 BA in 265 AB’s ? Amazing! Of course, last year he played in Boston and New York, and its so very hard to hit homers in those big parks 😛
Gomes hit 6 all of last year…so, have they been Sietzed? Dumb luck? Just hitting better than they did in an off season for them?
LikeLike
Has anyone ever known them to do that before?
Yeah… they do that all the time.
Hockey has been dead to me since the Thrashers were stolen away. Even having a very good minor league team just a few miles away in the Gwinnett Gladiators no longer frosts my cupcake.
As for soccer, until they can figure out a way to increase scoring and stop all the melodramatic flopping – I mean a guy goes down one minute grabbing his knee as if he was shot, then gets up and sprints downfield the next… and they want to be taken seriously? – I’ll pass. Plus, the way the new progressive thought police want to demonize real football and promote soccer as some highly evolved enlightened sport… gimme a break. Light the ball on fire and I might watch. Then again, probably not.
LikeLike
I don’t think Callaspo will take CJ’s job…Peraza I think needs a lot more seasoning…. Jace Peterson can fill in fine…wish he had a little more pop…1 whole extra base hit all season…
As for Cameron Maybin, 4 HR’s and 10 RBI’s in 56 AB’s Last year? 251 AB’s 1, yes 1 HR, and 15 RBis in 251 AB’s.
LikeLike
Seems like everyone thinks it’s a weak draft pool, so the braves are really going to have search everywhere for players…
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/injuries-lack-track-record-scramble-2015-draft-class/
LikeLike
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register:
Dodgers righty Brandon Beachy is traveling with the Dodgers and working with VP of medical services Stan Conte and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt on changing his mechanics. The changes, made in an effort to prevent further elbow injury once he’s healed from his second Tommy John surgery, were Beachy’s idea. Conte immediately supported the pitcher’s interest in pitching mechanics and biomechanics. Beachy admitted that he’s having trouble commanding his pitches thus far in bullpen sessions, perhaps in part due to the new mechanics. While he has plenty of time to iron out the kinks, reduced control would be a trade-off Beachy would happily make if it meant avoiding another surgery. “I think I’d rather be less effective and be able to stay healthy for longer than one or two months.”
Yeah, and I’m sure Don Mattingly would be happy for you to be less effective also. NOT.
OK… tell me again how this is good for the Dodgers? Maybe he can stay healthy, or maybe he can be less effective. Woo hoo!! That’s a fair tradeoff!! 🙄
I love Beach, but I’m so glad the Johns had the cajones to let him go elsewhere.
LikeLike
Less effective but healthier… HAHAHAHAHAHA…. The thing that made Beachy so effective was his simple mechanics. I’m sure there are lots of less effective pitchers down in Class A… but they are healthy…
Sometimes you just have to make a choice, play pro ball or work at Home Depot installing windows.
Hockey…. Loved it when we had a team in Richmond back in the 70’s. Had season tickets and everything, Were the farm club for the Flyers and had our own bullies and everything.. Then A>H> Robins went belly up because of the Dalcon Shield class action suite and away went the Robins… poof…
Tried to stay into it but the semi-pro clubs that came in were just awful. Now, I will watch a few minutes and then turn the channel. I could not name one single player on any pro team today. NOT ONE… As for the scoring, well, it is a subjective thing. The game might be slow scoring but it is fast paced. See the difference? Baseball can have a high scoring game but when the pitcher slows down to watch the grass grow, well, may as well watch bowling….
Soccer.. Hah! Have not been interested since my son stopped playing at age 12, He is now 37… Just not my sport, same goes for pro basketball.. Too many flops in that too. I do watch collage basketball and collage football. Both are much better products than the pros. The Euro/Latino set loves soccer, It is NBC’s favorite thing to show, after all, can’t be prejudiced but if I had a say in it, I would bring back Australian rules football. I just wish someone would explain the rules, at least once…
So, where were we? Oh yeah, ball game tonight at 7 PM.
LikeLike
I read that earlier, and thought it was a bit odd…then I remembered…he’s had 2 TJ surgeries, basically…he is 1 more away from working at Home Depot. So, I don’t blame him for trying to change his mechanics….its his last chance….I hope he can take some pressure off of his elbow and still be good. I think his choice of words were bad….
Funny, I had no control of my fastball (had no coaching either) could drop a curve any ol time, but had problems with my health. First a ganglion cyst in my wrist (no one knew what the problem was for about 2 years) then, the real kicker, hurt my back(not often a teenager has a bad disc in his lower back) kinda got sidetracked…my point , and I do have one 😉 …I had perfect form…faced the plate after a pitch, and…I could pitch forever it seemed, my arm never got tired…don’t think I ever had that “W” arm position that seems to put extra strain on elbows….
Moot point with me. 😕
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could really learn to dislike the gNats….
LikeLiked by 1 person
yep….and the bullpen needs help….as do most other bullpens…so, guys in AAA need to work on their pitches. Lots of opportunities….
LikeLike
Well…nice comeback there…but…there’s always a but…
Think the braves don’t want to treat Bryce Harper like Barry Bonds, but…there’s that word again. Forget his age, right now, he’s about the most clutch hitter in the game. Let him cool off and pitch to him next homestand, but…right now….walk him!
Teheran has had only 3 quality starts in his first 7 starts…
LikeLike
Have to agree with you on that one Ber, I remember Bobby Cox having his pitcher intentionally walk George Brett with the bases loaded. Sometimes you just admit you can’t get the guy out and take your chances with the next guy.
LikeLike
Of course, with a guy who has now hit 6 home runs in three days, Bobby C would give him tomorrow off….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just got a note from Kelly that Margie is in the hospital, will try to find out which one. Our prayers go out to her for a speedy recovery…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Kelly did a great job sending out a mass email….hope and pray CL will be out of the hospital soon!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I didn’t get that one. Prayers up for CL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
if anyone hears about CL please keep us posted! worried for them both.
LikeLike
So… what is going on with CL? I am out of the loop.
LikeLike
So when Donnie Veal was promoted to the ML club, then DFA’d within the same week, did he go sulk somewhere? No. In fact, he made a real fan of this Vox. I’m now pulling for Donnie Veal to find another gear and become a ML regular. Here’s what Veal had to say via Instagram:
So I was just designated for assignment and cleared waivers (sent down to the minors). So basically this is what all happened… Our family now has health insurance paid for by MLB for the next year. My minor league salary is now a little bit higher. We didn’t have to move our all over the country to change teams. Most importantly, I got 3 days off to spend with @mrsrealdveal and these 3 crazies! [His kids are in the accompanying picture.] While I’m not happy about going to the Majors and being sent back down in the same week, I am grateful for all the positives that came from this situation. I can say that when u seek God first in life, he changes the way u see everything that happens in your life!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Okay Rasins, first Margie: A bunch of us got a note from Kelly saying her mom was in the hospital but nothing further. That was yesterday. I know she has some work done on her eyes but that was it. Nothing else.
On Donnie Veal. What a well grounded person. I wish him every success. I was always told, it is not how a person handles winning that shows character but how they handle adversity. That said, the Lord knows the Braves need relief pitching….
Game at Cincy tonight, the Braves have been scoring but what we thought was a strong suit has become a position of weakness. Oh well, it wasn’t as if we were not forewarned…. Let’s turn it around guys….
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Stuff” On Tom Brady getting a four game suspension and the Pats losing a first round pick for playing fast and loose with the rules…. NASCAR would have docked him and fined him for less. I know a pitcher gets kicked out of a game if he is caught tampering with the ball. Same if the bat is corked. Not sure what they did to to the Braves for making the batter’s boxes smaller, I do know the TBS broadcast team got exiled off the plane for pointing it out…
LikeLike
Regarding Brady…
That penalty is more about his denial than his infraction. The prevailing thought is that had Tom Terrific ‘fessed up when the news broke, the punishment would have likely been a stiff fine and a slap on the wrist. But his arrogant defiance drew the ire of the league, and the continued disregard for the rules that Belichick and the team has consistently displayed has reached a boiling point. This strong punishment, which will probably be reduced after its appeal has been heard, is a lifetime achievement award. Sort of.
LikeLiked by 2 people
the pats have definitely had the bright light on them more than once. it appears to be institutional cheating to me. at some point the league had to put them down and make it hurt. i’m glad they did it. of course, he’ll appeal it and it will be reduced to two game suspension.
gil, i don’t remember the brave’s batter’s boxes being smaller. could you remind me of that story please?
on far more important “stuff”, i sure hope CL is ok. i know no one knows anything but that just makes my worry level higher. sure hope she and her daughter are ok.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Another reason I love this team. They may not win any more than they lose this year. They are certainly a long shot for the playoffs, But I have a very strong fondness for what appears to be a new found purity that these guys play the game with. Every aspect of this club exudes a “team first” attitude. i don’t know to whom the credit belongs – manager or veteran players… or both – but I like it. And to be honest, I’ll make more of an effort this season than I did last season to actually watch the game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One more thing…
Shelby Miller is a stud. No knock against JHey, but I know I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Shelby was coming over in that trade.
(And don’t forget the strong prospect Tyrell Jenkins who could have an impact on our roster as soon as next year if he can iron out a few typical developmental wrinkles. There is a very good detailed assessment of his last start right here: http://tomahawktake.com/2015/05/09/reviewing-tyrell-jenkins-thursday-start/ )
But I chased a squirrel there; let me get back to Shelby. Did you see the ridiculous inning by inning pitch count last night? After getting off to a relatively slow start after the 1:40 rain delay, he dominated the Cincy lineup, at one point retiring 15 in a row with pitch counts of 11, 11, 11 & 9 in innings 3-6. He finished with 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB, 100 pitches and no decision. His velocity didn’t drop at all from inning 1 to 7. Dude was a beast. Do you realize his ERA thus far in 2015 is 1.60? It’s just a pleasure to watch him work on the mound. And it’s been a while since we’ve had that kind of starter.
LikeLike
Today’s pitchers: Foltynewicz vs. DeSclafani
Man oh man do I wish I could hear Skip call that one!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chris, I think it was soon after Joe Simson joined the broadcast team on TBS and soon after Greg Maddux came over from the Cubs. During a home series, one of the TBS broadcasters remarked that he thought that somehow the batters boxes looked smaller, the next night, they superimposed what a normal batter’s box looked like over what the Braves were using… Well, the league came down on them pretty hard and the broadcast team was exiled off the team charter flights…
Here is a link to the story, it cites the date as June 26, 2000
http://forums.nyyfans.com/archive/index.php/t-1681.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks gil. i had totally forgotten about that incident.
LikeLike
On last night’s gem… What a great game to watch. The Braves had their chance to break it open early but at least they went down fighting… Great plays in the field prevented the Braves from scoring, not beating themselves by striking out. I agree, you don’t quite know what you are going to get with this year’s team but you do know they are not going to quit.
Miller looked great, I did not tune in until about the third inning because of the rain delay. I think the inning Simba hit his homer (which I did not see). Anyway, as long as the Braves keep putting good swings on the ball, anything can happen.
I think the pitching situation will improve. Sometimes these things have a way of fixing themselves, just keep it close enough until help arrives maybe.
For sure, there are no guarantees in baseball, Chapman is a stud but he still dose not get that he doesn’t have to throw 103 mph to be effective. Sure, it’s nice to have that in your arsenal but tough for a catcher to react to when wild. The old Nuke LaLoosh syndrome… Maybe Aroldis should try wearing a garter belt…
LikeLike
Crikey!! 😯
LikeLike
A bus carrying the Braves Class-A affiliate Carolina Mudcats baseball team was in an early morning wreck. No serious injuries.
LikeLike
LikeLike
LikeLike
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
Foltynewicz vs. DeSclafani
Man oh man do I wish I could hear Skip call that one!!!
Or…Skips Dad! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Did you know Foltynewicz spelled backwards is Zciwenytlof and DeSclafani spelled backwards is Inafalcsed”? ~ Harry Caray, 2015
LikeLiked by 3 people
on a much more serious note, i’m very grateful that no one was seriously injured in the bus accident. i haven’t read details but it could have ended much differently. think someone’s looking over all those souls.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Gil, never heard that story before! Wonder how long before the tv crew was back on flights? 😉
LikeLike
And in case y’all didn’t hear, Minor is likely done for the year. I hope for his sake they find something, amazing how MRI’s still miss stuff….
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/baseball/braves-pitcher-minor-to-have-shoulder-surgery/nmFWr/?ecmp=ajc_social_twitter_2014_braves_sfp
LikeLike
and this just in…
Stanton is very, very strong….
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/124030252/marlins-giancarlo-stanton-hits-one-out-of-dodger-stadium—-literally
LikeLike
Mike, er… Giancarlo Stanton is a man.LikeLike
2nite’s lineup:
1- Neck, RF
2- Simba, SS
3- Free, 1B
4- KJ, LF
5- AlCal, 3B
6- Jace, 2B
7- B’court, C
8- Mayfly, CF
9- Eric Stults, LHP
LikeLike
Braves sign recently released C Wil Nieves to a minor league deal. He’s been assigned to AAA Gwinnett, and C Matt Kennely was dropped to AA Mississippi.
Yawn.
One interesting thing to note, however. Nieves has a July 1 opt out date in his deal. Why is this interesting? Well, he was supposedly signed as minor league depth. OK, I can see that. But depth signees typically cannot opt out of their deal if they haven’t had a ML callup. Especially when there is a top prospect and established veteran taking care of the receiving duties at the top level. Might the Braves take advantage of the resurgent season that AJP is having? Might they try to pillage some more talent another organization? Hmmm…
Stay tuned to that one…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, pretty impressive start for the Reds Iglacious. Sure wish the Braves had him in their quiver. Braves didn’t look all that bad this series, just failed to launch.
Strained lat for KJ, doesn’t help the Braves but could be a good opportunity to call up Perazza, move Peterson to third. Hey, needs to happen sometime, might as well see how it might work out…
LikeLike
Sorry, Gil, but the Braves have instead called up Todd Cunningham. It’s a bad break for KJ, but a great break for Ham. The dude finally gets a shot to show what he can do in The Show. I’m hoping Fredi gives Ham the starts to either make or break. If he does, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles Maybin/Young, etc. Ham is supposedly the best defensive CF of the lot. Might we see him in CF with Maybin in LF? Could be. An OF of Maybin/Ham/Neck would be a much improved group defensively if nothing else. At any rate, I wish the best for Ham. I think he’s a good “baseball guy” and hope he can be better than just a AAAA player.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Speaking of interesting to watch, the whole Peraza/Peterson saga should be interesting to watch unfold also. In all likelihood, Jace Peterson will evolve into our current era Martin Prado, playing wherever Fredi needs him to play. But Fredi is on record as saying he’s only playing Jace at 2B right now so as to let him feel settled and not give him too much to think about. He’s in a real groove, and Fredi doesn’t want to upset that. (It doesn’t hurt anything that he plays a great 2B, either.)
On the other hand, Young Jose Peraza is playing only 2B at AAA with no indication that they are planning on any other position for him either. Same sort of reasoning. They do not want to hamper his development as a 2B by moving him around. And at just 21, he’ll probably remain there in AAA all year to completely develop. And with Jace playing well, why not?
But what of next year?
Stay tuned to that one too…
LikeLike
IMO, he gets one more start to redeem himself. He had some good moments early, but the bad is now outweighing the good. At any rate, it’ll be at least 9 days before they have to make a decision. Another thing to consider is that being a LH, he might can at least be an effective LOOGIE out of the pen, something the Braves do not currently have. SOmething to think about…
Matt Wisler is probably the next in line to be brought up. ManBan is also a possibility if they want to keep a LH in that spot. It would be tough to have 2 rookies trying to establish themselves in the rotation at the same time. And as DOB has said to the many Twitter trolls over and over, the ML team is not a developmental team. They are trying to win.
Still, the poop on Wisler is that he’s actually a higher rated prospect than Folty, but only slightly. Folty has better stuff, but Wisler is more “polished”. Sound anything like Smoltz and Glavine to you? Not making direct comparisons to the 2 HOF’ers, but there are certainly things in Folty’s makeup that remind me of a young John Smoltz. I can’t wait to get a good look at Wisler.
As for ManBan, well.. you can read it in Bowman’s link.
Obligatory info:
In his last start, Wisler’s line was: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. His current ERA is 4.59.
In his last start, ManBan’s line was: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His current ERA is 2.89.
LikeLike
Sounds to me like Wisler had at least one bad game.
Stults: I made one really bad pitch. That was the one he grooved to Frasier. The homer Byrd hit off him was a real cheapie but the field dimensions were the same for both teams…
Simba can really look bad at the plate sometimes. It’s what I call Andruw Jones Syndrome… One day he will realize balance is really important and while those 500 foot homeruns hit by Stanton look impressive, they still only count as one run.
I think the Braves are betwixt and between right now as far as pitching goes. Help is on the way but I fear the wagon train will be wiped out before the cavalry arrives. It is similar to what the Mets went through the past couple of seasons but different in that the Braves rebuild is self imposed.
LikeLike
The Braves can win but they really have to play error free baseball. As bad as they have looked a couple of games, I have seen worse.
LikeLike
Tough break for the Braves and Mike Minor, of course, insurance will cover part of Minor’s salary for this season. We won’t know how much but it will be something. I don’t think we will see Minor in a Braves uniform again either. It is a reminder of how fragile a commodity a major league pitcher really is.
Speaking of fragile pitchers, Strausberg has turned in his third straight stinky start. I’m thinking Tanner will take his spot in the gNats rotation soon. The Mets new “Wunderkin” looked quite the rookie too. It is still a process. Like Folty, you have to learn how to harness the beast before you can hitch him to the plow…
I fear we sometimes get all caught up in the hype before we realize everything is often based on potential rather than actual results. It is tough being patient. We all want it now! It takes a lot of time and effort to become an “Overnight Success” .
LikeLike
I am very impressed by the stable of young pitching that John Hart has assembled. Folty looks really good and pretty dang confident on the mound. It’s sometimes amazing what a difference one coach and one suggestion can make in a kid’s career. I don’t know who insisted he start throwing his breaking ball as a hard slider, but it has made a huge difference in Folty’s repertoire. It is not only a good out pitch itself, it sets up his fastball nicely, and makes his slower curve, which is very good, very devastating.
ManBan really is still in his “re-acquaintance” season following TJ rehab. For whatever results he gets this season, next season is when we’ll see what he truly has to offer.
The poop on Wisler is that he has four “plus” pitches, and has excellent control of all four throwing all for strikes. That’s both good and bad, because in a couple of games, he got hit really hard. The speculation was that he was tipping his pitches, basically setting them up on a tee since he’s always around the plate. But he must have figured it out because he’s had 3 straight outings where he has been fantastic.
I expect to see Wisler sooner than later, even if Stults isn’t immediately dropped from the rotation. You know somebody will get dinged up or pull a muscle or something. It just happens. Wisler’s my bet to be the first in line.
LikeLike
While it’s disappointing to lose him for the season, at least now he knows what the problem was. I’m with y’all in that I don’t expect the Braves to tender him for 2016.
LikeLike
Then again, if they’ll pony up $5M for Trevor Cahill, why not pony up another $5M for Minor? I guess the progress of the aforementioned Wisler and ManBan will have some bearing on that.
LikeLike
The thing is, labrum surgery is often riskier than Tommy John. It is the nature of the beast. Labrums just don’t repair well because of the consistency of the tissue. Oh well, John Smoltz had it done a couple of times I think but guys like James, Tommy Hansen etc not so much after… I think the greatest give away on shoulder (labrum tears) is loss of control. It is the UCLs that show up with a reduction in speed, shoulders is loss of control… Either way, I wish him well as he tries to come back the next 5 years…..
LikeLike
Rotator cuffs by the way are easier to fix but not much. That is, they are easier to work on….
LikeLike
Lucky for me, My career path did not rely on either my UCL or rotatoror cuffs because both have been bad since I was around 16 years old I think….
LikeLike
I had surgery to repair both my rotator cuff and labrum. I like to think that’s why I didn’t make it in the bigs. 😉
Well… I do like to think that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What seems odd about Minor is he is a Tom Glavine kind of pitcher. Never max effort, seemingly smooth low stress motion. And most likely has been dealing with it for a few years….
LikeLike
Ber, I remember Tom Glavin saying the same about Brandon Beachy. Perfect mechanics. Who knows? Our body parts will only take so much wear and tear and I’m sure a lot of pitchers never made it to the Bigs because of arm issues. Of course, there was a time there were half as many big league teams and nobody threw much over 90mph. If they did, there was no way of knowing it.
I guess the innings pitched in college ball count too but likely the damage was done long before then, it just shows up late. Like a 25 year old car…..
VOX, it’s for guys like us that soft ball was invented. Of course, I couldn’t throw a softball far either but it was not an important skill set for the positions I could play and I could hit….
Funny thing, the shortstops voted into the All-star games are not there primarily for their defensive prowess… No today anyway with the fans doing all the choosing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
it’s for guys like us that soft ball was invented.
Actually, that’s what I was doing when I tore my rotator cuff & labrum. Of course, playing 5 seasons a year on 6 different teams (I double dipped during Summer 1) for several years had nothing to do with that… 🙄
I was a hard throwing SS/3B/OF (depending on which team) that was fearless about diving, throwing my body into fences, etc. It was awesome in my 20’s. It hurts now.
Pre-injury, I could make the 1B say “Ow” as a IF, and no one ran on me as an OF. Post-surgery and rehab, I played a little 2B and alot of 1B for a year or so. But my shoulder was never the same. I did try to play a little recreational church league ball back at 3B many years later, but my throws were not as hard or accurate, and every one came with a hard pinch in the shoulder. The pain wasn’t the hard part, though. The hard part was wanting to perform at a level that my body would no longer enable me to do. That was tough. Man oh man I loved playing the game, though. Still would if I could.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The hard part was wanting to perform at a level that my body would no longer enable me to do.
That is true for me on so many levels VOX. T’is why I blog….. It is a very frustrating thing to know how but can no longer do. Of course I am sure when the time comes, God will take care of that predicament too. I can still do many things I once did in my dreams…
As they say, youth is wasted on the young.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Deep and insightful. Looking forward to seeing this kid by 2017… maybe 2016.
LikeLike
Yes VOX, speed is still the one thing that does not translate well via any media. The “eye test” administered in person is the only way to grasp the true perception of speed. Me personally, well, my fleetness afoot could be measured with an hour glass…. Or sun dial … even at night….
I do miss seeing the young Braves talent first hand. Curse you Doug Wilder for not taking the Braves up on their offer to build a stadium in Richmond…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bowman:
The Braves have continued to show [patience] with Eric Young Jr., who has batted .171 (12-for-70) with a .237 on-base percentage in 27 games. Along with losing his platoon role in center field, Young has lost his presence as the club’s leadoff hitter.
There might be some desire to keep Young around while Johnson is sidelined, but if [recently promoted Todd] Cunningham performs well over the next couple of weeks, E.Y. Jr.’s days with the Braves might be numbered.
I do wonder how Fredi intends to use Ham. IIRC, he was considered the best defensive CF in camp this year, but that was prior to Maybin’s acquisition. Ham’s profile is thus: “A switch-hitter, Cunningham makes consistent contact from both sides of the plate. He has minimal power, instead using his above-average speed to get on base and make things happen. He’s a solid defender, capable of playing all three outfield positions.”
So I suppose Fredi could simply use him exactly how he used KJ in LF. His profile fits right in with the team concept of making contact and getting on base.
The problem will be that KJ was providing decent protection for Freeman. I suppose this will mean AJP will continue to get most of the time at C and bat 4th, even though his bat has cooled noticeably. (IMO, the Braves should trade him to a catching starved team right now, make Bcourt “the guy”, and promote Nieves to back him up. But that’s a post for another time.) Too bad Terdo was/still is injured. His bat would profile nicely into the 4 hole right now.
LikeLike
Yep…
II have thought the same about EY Jr. for some time now. I like the guy but you need to be productive or there is some kid who is more than capable of taking your spot. My question is who has the best throwing arm?
I don’t expect to see Ham batting in the three or four hole but I don’t really see anybody striking out all that much in the current line up. Freddie maybe but that is because he is trying to hit some homers and guys trying to hit homers will strike out more often. Nature of the beast..
I don’t think Markakis is back to full strength as of yet. Likely by July and we will see some long balls hit by him.
What is the story on playing bench guys everyday? Their weaknesses begin to show up… Is Terdo still nursing that sore wrist?
LikeLike
My question is who has the best throwing arm?
As far as I know, Ham has a very good OF arm. Maybin’s is OK. EY’s… well, he’s fast. Ham has a prime opportunity to seize a roster spot and not let go. He better make the most of it. It might be his last shot to prove he has a place in the team’s plans. His ceiling is probably no higher than a 4th OF, but every team needs a good one, and he could be. He’s a SH that plays all 3 spots well and has plus speed. That’s what you want, right? Oh, yeah… you want him to get on base. That’s Where EY is falling short. As Skip always said, “You can’t steal 1B.” Ham is also considered a very strong fundamental player… another quality you want in a late inning player.
I don’t think Markakis is back to full strength as of yet.
I heard one of the talking heads (there are so many) say that while he has certainly regained his timing, as is evidenced by his hitting, he hasn’t regained his strength. He was literally shut down post-surgery, so alot of the strength training he does in the offseason was completely skipped. Not sure when we might see a little more pop, but I’m perfectly happy with his slap & gap hitting. The guy really has a “professional” approach at the plate. There is no question that’s why the Braves suits wanted him here. Great example for the youngsters.
Is Terdo still nursing that sore wrist?
Yes. Hard to believe, but he is. Had a great spring… then on the eve of the season, while in serious contention for the last bench spot, gets hurt and hasn’t returned. Crazy, huh?
LikeLike
And I cannot find one tidbit of news on Terdo except for the weekly team reports showing him being placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained wrist retroactive to April 2. That’s it. It’s as if he’s been abducted by aliens.
LikeLike
And as speculated, Ham gets the nod tonight in LF. The fallout from losing KJ means moving Neck out of the leadoff spot back to cleanup, and letting the hot hitting Jace Peterson take a crack at the top spot. I like it!
I also like that Bcourt is behind the plate. This guy has to get it going. He isn’t getting any better sitting on the bench.
Interesting that Goose gets a start at 3B and at the #2 hole. Could be a dynamic 1-4. We’ll see, I suppose.
LikeLike
This one is easier to read…
LikeLike
Sigh!!! Braves fail to score in the top of the 7th and Stanton crushes his 2nd gopher of the night.
LikeLike
I think the league is figuring out Cody Martin.
LikeLike
Have a game Hammy!!! 😀
LikeLike
Man, exiting game, think “Richie” made an impression? He did on me with that catch in the gap in the first robbing Marteen. The hits were gravy…
LikeLike
This just in!!!
Shelby Miller’s pretty good.
😀
LikeLike
We traded our RF for a pitcher who just missed a no-no by 1 batter, leads the league in ERA at 1.33, and is 5-1. And our replacement RF is batting over .300. Not a bad deal all in all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has actually been a good trade for both teams. That is the kind you like to see.
Great ball game for a Braves’ fan. Breaks my heart for Shelby to give up that late hit but it wasn’t a cheapie.
Nice to see everyone contributing today.
Another day off tomorrow but Folty to face the Rays and Perez taking Shults’ spot Wednesday. We shall see how he does as a starter. Some guys just don’t fare well as a reliever but do fine as a starter. We shall see.
Braves inching closer to the .500 mark. I am surprised the Marlins are not playing better but it still comes down to pitching. The Braves are playing loose right now, yes, very enjoyable team to watch…
The bull pen is still a crap shoot but if the starting pitchers can get deeper into the game, that problem might resolve itself too.
LikeLike
One more comment about the pen, anyone besides me feel the difference with Grille closing games and not Kimbrel? Don’t get me wrong, Grilled Cheese is doing a fine job but if I still smoked, I’m pretty sure I would be lighting them end to end as he trudged thru the final three outs.
With Kimbrel, it was such a shock when he blew a save, well, you just felt confident he would get it done. With Jason, not so much. Still, it’s not like he’s chopped liver out there. Jim Johnson has been a pleasant surprise. Not a strike out guy but gets em out just the same.
I’m thinking Shults will do fine in the pen, he looks good for the first nine batters he faces and then he really runs out of steam. I’ve noticed “Magic” Wandy has pitched well for the Texans since they picked him up but I still think the Braves made the right choice in keeping Shults.
I’m hoping the starting assignment suits Perez but there is still plenty of time left before the Braves start the clock on Wieder. Heck, they still have Folty to work on. He appears to be getting better with each start. It is all a matter of control. If the word is out you cannot get you pitches across the plate, major league hitters start eliminating pitches to look for.
LikeLike
Excellent trade for the Braves.
LikeLike
Yes, Jenkins is the Ace in the Hole for the Braves in that trade. One start does not an Ace make but it is better news than reading where he was getting shelled. Lucus Sims must feel like the forgotten man…
That’s okay, the more the merrier.
LikeLike
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150517&content_id=125074512&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp&sid=milb
There’s alot to like in this story… a top pitching prospect not having his best stuff yet finding a way to grind out 7 shutout innings and learning to trust his pitches along the way, a veteran minor league catcher showing the value that position has on the development of young pitchers, and a postscript of a top OF prospect knocking in the winning run. Yep, alot to like in this story.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Almost no info on this guy at all… especially in English.
LikeLike
When we earlier speculated that Stults could be moved to the ‘pen, adding a much needed 2nd LHRP, we ashamedly overlooked Williams Perez as a candidate to take his rotation spot. Never should have done that. I suppose it’s easy to get caught up in the more high profile prospects like Matt Wisler or Manny Banuelos. But all Perez has done in the minors is throw strikes, work innings, and consistently post good numbers, Maybe not flashy, but possibly just what the Braves need in a #5 starter this season.
In 2014 at AA Mississippi, Perez made 26 appearances, 25 of them starts, going 7-6 with a 2.91 ERA. He logged 133.0 innings, In those innings, he notched 94 K’s vs. only 39 BB’s, and surrendered a mere 4 HR’s. His WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched, one of the few “advanced” pitching stats that I think has any real meaning) was just 1.19. Prior to his callup last week, he was working a 1.33 ERA in 5 starts at AAA Gwinnett.
All of that says that he throws strikes but not fat strikes, and he doesn’t give away bases. That’s all Fredi is really asking for from this year’s staff. (Well that plus at least 6 innings from his starters, but no one seems to be doing that much anymore. That’s a another rant for another time.)
LikeLike
Nize.
LikeLike
Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
When the Cardinals traded Shelby Miller to get Jason Heyward, we joined the chorus of those wondering if this could become a reverse Adam Wainwright trade with the Atlanta Braves.
The Wainwright deal — acquiring a future ace pitcher for outfielder J.D. Drew, a pending free agent — helped spur the Cardinals toward perennial contention.
The Miller trade is looking like payback for the Braves. Miller has been the National League’s best pitcher during the first two months of the season.
For the full article, click here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One more post-gem comment…
This may be one of the most important details of the near no-no: Shelby needed only 94 pitches to get it done, 70 of which were for strikes with first pitch strikes to 26 of the 29 batters he faced.
Y’all, that’s getting it done.
LikeLike
Sadly, the thing that makes Shelby effective will be the thing that prevents him from winning a Cy Young. Stat Heads dig strike outs. No matter the fact that most cannot get deep into games. It is no different from the fact that chicks dig the long ball. When you look at the highlights on any sports show, what do you see? Homeruns and strike outs…. Who do you see getting the votes for All-star teams? Pitchers who have a lot of strike outs and hitters with a lot of home runs.
It is what frustrates me about baseball reporters. A 92 pitch complete game shutout is Maddux like but I guarantee someone will ask, how many guys did he strike out?
The Braves first inning was a thing of beauty yesterday. Scoring five runs without benefit of a homerun but nary a highlight of a single run was shown. And yet the talking heads wonder why players continue to swing for the fences….
I watched yesterdays game from start to finish but did not realize Miller was working on a no hitter until about the eight inning. Not like it would have been a an even more rare perfect game but I sure didn’t realize that 1994 was the last time a Brave hurler had tossed a no-no.
Even so, I wish the other Braves pitchers could capture a bit of the magic displayed by Shelby. Good trade VOX? Yes, I would have to agree it was for all appearances, a reverse Adam Wainwright deal.
Now, all that said, I was impressed by Mike Stanton and his three monster shots but it was the Braves stringing together all those base hits that was really more impressive. The diving catch by Goose saving a double off Hechavarria’s bat may have been the most impressive play of the game but no mention on the sports shows of that gem.
So, the bottom line, I’ll take an over achieving bunch of bad news bears any day over a group up underachieving group of superstars anyday
LikeLike
Ken Rosenthal lists 4 managers that he feels are on the proverbial “hot seat”, and could be the next to be fired. You might find #3 a bit interesting:
— Fredi Gonzalez, Braves
The reconstructed Braves, at 18-19, actually have exceeded expectations, and their weekend sweep of the Marlins in Miami helped trigger Redmond’s dismissal.
So, what’s the rub, especially when Gonzalez is thought to be a favorite of both team president John Schuerholz and special assistant Bobby Cox?
He isn’t necessarily a favorite of the new president of baseball operations, John Hart. The Braves had lost five of six games before sweeping the Marlins, prompting internal finger-pointing, according to major-league sources.
Hmmm……..
LikeLike
Let me just say this about Fredi. I’m not sure he is the best handler of pitchers. That is probably my biggest complaint. And I’ve had my share of rants pointed his direction, too. But I think he’s done a pretty good job with the roster he was handed this season. And if we’re really honest, does anyone think he’s in the plans for the exalted 2017 season? I haven’t and still don’t. I think he’s a caretaker currently on a 1-year lame duck deal. And I really would not be surprised if the FOT’s chose not to bring him back in 2016. But I don’t think he’s on any “hot seat” for 2015. No one picked the BRaves to finish anywhere near .500 except the Braves themselves (and me), so their current record of 18-19 is not a disappointment.
I dunno. i have learned not to question anything about John Hart or John Coppa… John Coppo… John Hart or Coppy. They appear to have a good grasp on what they want to accomplish.
LikeLike
Did anyone acted surprised, other than Russ Nixon, when he was replaced by Bobby Cox in 1990. Managers are hired because they possess a particular skill set. Bo Porter is a great manager but not so much for young kids. It’s why the Astros dumped him, that and he bucked management.
Freddie was Frank Wren’s guy. That is all one needs to know…
Good jockeys get to ride the best horses. Think the Learners didn’t know what they were doing when they switched managers as the team got better?
Personally, I think Freddie G has gotten a lot out of the nag he has been given to ride but it’s all about relationships and every new head honcho wants his own guys in charge. That way they know wherein their loyalty lies.
LikeLike
Did anyone act surprised, other than Russ Nixon, when he was replaced by Bobby Cox in 1990. Managers are hired because they possess a particular skill set. Bo Porter is a great manager but not so much for young kids. It’s why the Astros dumped him, that and he bucked management.
Freddie was Frank Wren’s guy. That is all one needs to know…
Good jockeys get to ride the best horses. Think the Learners didn’t know what they were doing when they switched managers as the team got better?
Personally, I think Freddie G has gotten a lot out of the nag he has been given to ride but it’s all about relationships and every new head honcho wants his own guys in charge. That way they know wherein their loyalty lies.
LikeLike
Glad I missed the game yesterday, man , 1 out away…
But, 2 complete game shutouts by mid may? 2 shutouts out of his last 3 starts? Amazing!
Jason Heyward has not set the world on fire in St. Louis. Hitting .244 with 3 HR’s and 10 RBI’s. May start to be platooned too…
LikeLike
I watched the Cubs and Pirates as well as the Cardinals and Tigers this week end. Just getting an idea of the talent out there and the problems some of the other teams are facing.
Just to be brief, the Cubs are loaded with young talent. I really like Rizzo and Bryant. Russel isn’t half bad either, I expect him to move from 2nd to short stop by next season.
Red birds have some really good pitching.
LikeLike
Anyone see the highlight DP by Frenchie for the Phillies?
LikeLike
And on the home front, Gooslin will miss the next couple of months due to a thumb fracture suffered in Sundays game against the Marlins. Some of the kids simply cannot catch a break (no pun intended)
LikeLike
And just as Goose was getting some regular playing time. Kinda reminds me of when Uggs was released and Pastor got the 2B job handed to him. He promptly tore his knee up the next day.
As Gil says, “them’s the breaks”. On comes Adonis!!
LikeLike
LikeLike
And even though Adonis possesses the bat of a demi-god, he apparently possesses the glove of a Demi Moore. Looks like Ciriaco and Callaspo will get the playing time at 3B until CJohn returns.
Ciriaco and Callaspo. Sounds like a salsa band.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Proof once again that one does not have to attend minor league games to see minor league players play. You just never know who will be the next guy to be Wally Pipped….
All I can say is make the most of it while you can kids and try to avoid getting your coffee in “to go” cups….
It’s a shame for The Goose though, he was playing really well. Not your typical 3rd baseman (no power) but not many guys on this years edition of Atlanta Braves are typical. Maybe Freddie Freeman but that is about it.
What we do have is a bunch of single and double hitters who have made the most of their at bats. Guys like Cameron Maybin who apparently has been resurrected by his move to Atlanta.
I suspect EY Jr will be dropped off the roster by mid season when the Braves decide to start moving kids around. After all, you need to put all those early draft picks somewhere.
Right now, the Braves’ biggest weakness appears to be middle relief but maybe only because they are being over used. I hope guys like Teheran, Woods and Folty were paying attention to what Shelby Miller was doing in his past several starts. Not trying to strike out every batter but getting every batter out and relying on his defense to help out.
When you have thrown 90 pitches by the 5th inning, chances are you won’t be around in the 6th. All in all, so far, this team has performed beyond a lot of folks expectation to date. Yep, one game under .500 but without a doubt, they were written off long before April 6th. Of course, it makes it a lot tougher for John Hart to trade AJ Perzinski when the Braves are still in it so to speak. Harder still for him to fire Fredi G when he is getting max effort out of this bunch of so called misfits and retreads.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Multiple moves…
Braves signed ex-Marlin RHRP Nick Masset to a ML deal, optioned Cody Martin to AAA to make room on the 25-man active roster, and DFA’d RHP John Cornely to make room on the 40-man roster.
Cody needed a break. He looked great early, then cooled dramatically. Needs a bit of a break, both physically and mentally. I suspect he’ll be back up before too long.
Masset made 8 appearances with the Marlins, notching a 1.86 ERA w/ 6 K’s and 1 BB. He had been DFA’d by the Fish, cleared waivers, and elected FA rather than be outrighted to AAA.
LikeLike
tootin’ my horn a bit, but I do believe I said Nick M would be a good choice, perhaps the only one , to offer support for Freddie F.
LikeLike
You know who wasn’t very good at protecting a bullpen, would run same 3 arms out there til their arms fell off? And always seemed to have 1 guy that he didn’t get used for 2 weeks, and after walking 1-2 guys after the layoff, wouldn’t be used for another 1-2 weeks?
I think you know who…. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, in it really became apparent in September when those same three could no longer pitch effectively. If you ask me, if you have a guy in the pen you don’t trust to throw strikes, why have him at all?
Cody will be back, he just got over used, plain and simple.
I think Masset was a guy the Fish were trying to sneak past waivers in order to bring another guy up and they got bushwacked by a club who is always looking for fresh arms.
Okay, looks like Bethancourt is officially in the dog house. I suspect tonight’s line up is pretty close to the Braves’ everyday until the trades begin.
Bethancourt would not the the first “second coming” to wash out. He’s still pretty young so if he works hard, he might actually get to play next season. Maybe not for the Braves but he will get to play…
LikeLike
I just think the best thing that can happen to Bethancourt is to spend 4-6 weeks in AAA. Riding buses, less than 4 star hotels, and I bet he would put a lot more effort into improving at and behind the plate….
LikeLike
I bet he would put a lot more effort into improving at and behind the plate
He’s going to have to show something. It happened again in his last game where he nonchalantly attempted to backhand a ball in the dirt, and a critical runner reached 2B after the ball ended up rolling to the wall.
To be a top notch receiver, you have to handle your pitchers well, frame their pitches well, move behind the plate and block pitches, keep runners close, make the throws and hit. Probably in that order of importance. Of that list of 6 things, Bcourt is probably doing about 2. You can get away with 4 out of 6… maybe even 3 out of 6. But not 2 out of 6. Not for long, anyway.
And he better be looking in the rear view mirror a little bit. Chris O’Dowd (former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd’s son whom we got from COL in the David Hale deal) is tearing up AA. He’s slashing .358/.476/.552 with 2 HR, 16 RBI in 22 games. He even has 3 SB. He only has 1 passed ball, and has caught 5 of 15 attempted base stealers. At the time of the trade, Baseball America said “O’Dowd’s best asset is solid game-calling skills.” He’s also played 2 games in RF. At 24, he’s made the steady progression through the minors, and could make the step to AAA this season. He’ll likely never be a star, but who had heard of Brian McCann before his first callup from AA? Uh, that’d be nobody. O’Dowd was supposed to have been an “organizational catcher” with little offensive upside, yet he has managed to figure out how to hit .358 at AA. Ya never know about these guys sometimes.
Right behind him in High A Carolina is 22 yo Jose Briceno, the guy John (pick one) really wanted in that deal. He was the Rockies #18 prospect while in low-A in 2014. He’s a youngster with alot of raw talent that has a few years to polish up. He has plus power to all fields and an “excellent above-average arm”. Scouts say he needs to refine his “receiving and blocking”. That part sound familiar?
I still think Bcourt can still be an excellent everyday catcher, but at some point he the light bulb needs to come on. I didn’t get the “lazy” tag he carried last season, but now I’m starting to understand. I’m also understanding why the Braves brought in AJP. Maybe they were a little hasty in letting Jesús Flores get away…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Last night’s game had a bit of an odd feel to it. It was as if every call went against the Braves and for the Rays. I know this not to be the case but it just seemed to be so.
All part of the learning process for Folty methinks.
Tampa Bay might be the best team no one has ever heard about.
LikeLike
It was as if every call went against the Braves and for the Rays.
I don’t know either if that was the case or not, but I watched innings 5-9, and it did seem as though Tampa’s pitchers got alot of liberal strike calls, and Atlanta’s pitchers – Folty in particular – got squeezed. To see mild-mannered Nick Markakis get visibly perturbed at an umpire’s call is telling.
LikeLike
I rest my case….
LikeLike
BTW- for a youngster, Folty seemed to take the tight plate in stride.
As for Folty’s performance, well, I missed most of it. But looking at the box and skimming over the game’s PBP, he looks to be experiencing many of the exact same growing pains that a young John Smoltz experienced… good outings tainted by a bad inning or a bad pitch sequence.
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not projecting Folty to be a HOF’er. I’m merely saying that if Twitter and blogs had been around when John Smoltz was in his first couple of pro seasons, he’d have been crucified by the so-called fans (most of whom only watch real time stats on their basement desktop gaming computers anyway).
LikeLike
MLBTR: The Red Sox announced today that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher John Cornely from the Braves. Atlanta will receive cash considerations in the deal.
The 26-year-old saw just one inning with the Braves, his first as a big leaguer, before being designated for assignment yesterday. He has posted 17 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA pitching at Triple-A this season, showing promise with 11.9 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9.
This is Cornely’s first season at the highest level of the minors. He earned the promotion after posting a 2.49 ERA in 68 2/3 Double-A frames last year. The former 15th-round pick will head to Pawtucket on optional assignment for Boston.
Sold him for cash. Nice. Kinda like Craigslist.
LikeLike
V, thanks for the info on the 2 catching prospects! It’s good to know, cuz I was just thinking, now the braves might need to find a catcher along with a couple outfielders in the next few years? Just when you think a position is settled…..
LikeLike
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not projecting Folty to be a HOF’er. I’m merely saying that if Twitter and blogs had been around when John Smoltz was in his first couple of pro seasons, he’d have been crucified by the so-called fans (most of whom only watch real time stats on their basement desktop gaming computers anyway).
after 6 starts in 1986,
Greg Maddux’s numbers in 1987…. 6 14 5.61. I’m sure Cubs fans were wondering what in the wide, wide world of sports the Cubs saw in him. Would he be given 30 starts (and only 155 innings) today? His next season? 249 innings (which no team today would do to a 22 year old) 18 8, 3.18 ERA
Smotlz (at 21, 2-7, 5.48 in 12 starts) next year, 12-11, 2.94(Man, even early on, no run support!) 208 innings at 22.
Glavine, at 21 (Gee and we think guys are called up too early today?) 2-4, 5.54 ERA in 50 innings. at 22, 7-17, 4.56 ERA 195 innings. 23, 3.68, at 24 , 4.28…sounds like a good back of the rotation guy…surely nothing more 😛
So yeah, Folty at 23 (but with precious little big league experience) who is striking out a batter per inning…I’m not worried about, as long as he is healthy….
funny…but since (understandably) teams are babying arms today…much younger guys like the 3 HOF’er above, had many more innings at the Minor league and Major league level than folks today…so it stands to reason they would be polished at an earlier age….
LikeLike
Steve Avery did not exactly light it up, although he was lit up a couple of times, when he first appeared on the scene in the majors either.
Lots of young pitchers go through growing pains. Not sure why they don’t just throw what the catcher calls for all the time. Most of them get into trouble when the shake off the first sign.
Well, at least we have another couple of years to get this team together before we need to start jumping off bridges…. Meantime, I am not betting the farm on this team to win but I can still enjoy it when they do, at least I know they have a plan….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice game tonight, not a no hitter or shut out but a win is a win. Perez pitched out of trouble and the Braves scored just enough offense to put up a W…. Still say I’m impressed by the Rays too.
LikeLike
I saw ‘Perez’ and my first thought was “Pasquale is still pitching?” I no longer have a clue who is on this team now. Never thought I’d see the day! 🙂
Been out of touch for a while. Got sick, then a week later wound up in the hospital with acute pancreatitis. Seven days later, my gallbladder (the real culprit in all this) was removed and I’m now out of the hospital and recovering at home. Liver numbers are still high but coming down. Such is life, I guess. But all is well! No weapon formed against me shall prosper!
LikeLiked by 3 people
CL!!!! Yay!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Glad you are back home, and recouping!
I too had my gallbladder out, in 2006…it takes time for the ol’ digestive system to get back in gear….but it will, may take awhile though. And just about everything will set it off, at first…Now, knock on wood, I can eat pretty much anything…in moderation
I also had pancreatitis in 2013, and fatty liver disease. Losing weight helped a lot…if you still have issues after a month or two and you can get a doc to say it’s ok to take some homeopathic meds, let me know, and I’ll tell you about a few things I have had some success with…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome back CL!!! Great to have you back. You have been well prayed for. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, Williams Perez. Well, he came exactly as billed. He pounds the strike zone. Refreshing, actually, to see a guy who knows his bread and butter and doesn’t try to get cute. Sinker after sinker after sinker.
Bowman said a scout told him Perez “tips” his pitches. “If he winds up, he’s bringing the 2-seamer.” 😆
It isn’t exactly accurate, of course. He has a very good changeup and curve to go with it. And he can use those to keep hitters off balance. i don’t know if it’s strategy or not, but he threw something like 28/30 sinkers in the first 2 innings, then began mixing in the curve and change in the 3rd when he retired 8 batters in a row. If it was strategy, it worked. If it wasn’t, it should be.
He had a very successful year at AA last year, with John Hart saying in the spring he was the most consistent pitcher they had in the minors. Well, now we can see why. And if you’ll recall, he was one of the last cuts of camp.
And I’m not concerned either that he only went 5 innings. He isn’t fully “stretched” out for starting yet, having spent the last 3 weeks in the bullpen. I would expect to get more than 79 pitches from him next time around.
One more item…
Have you noticed that the bullpen has improved immensely in the last week or so? They have surrendered only 3 ER over their last 7 games (20 IP). And It would seem that Trevor Cahill has found a place to be effective. Of course, he’s getting paid alot of dough to pitch an inning here and there, but what else are you gonna do? I like having Stults in the pen, too. Every bullpen needs 2 lefties. Here’s one more stat for you: Brandon Cunniff has yet to surrender a hit to a RH batter. They are 0-28 against him. Not too shabby.
LikeLike
News from the weird: Jason Grilli has more saves and a lower ERA than Craig Kimbrel.
No, I don’t expect that to continue. But at the quarter mark, that’s where they are.
LikeLike
CL, so glad to have you back, Josie and I were worries and after Kelly told us you were in the hospital, we could not find out anything else. Many prayers were sent out and I am glad the message got through to the Big Guy upstairs… Take care of yourself and stop with running the marathons now…
On the game, yep, lots of ground balls, a few strike outs but some passion too. Especially following the double play which ended the fifth inning. I think I can live with this team.
Pretty good sub .500 team if you ask me….
LikeLike
I watched the SD/Cubs game last night from about the 5th inning on. The Pads had their chances but the Cubbies held serve. So many things can happen to a young team during the course of the season. That is why I am so encouraged by the Braves hovering close to the .500 mark at this point.
Not saying the Bravos will suddenly get hot and overtake the gNats but every game in which the pitching improves gives me hope the Braves will finish on the uptake and not falter in August and September as they have in the last three seasons.
The Braves still have a couple of young starters I’d like to see take a turn or two at the major league level. The Braves beat a very good pitcher last night. Not a blowout by any stretch of the imagination but at least they are staying relevant. Not that the talking heads care. The only highlights you see are a) strike outs b) homeruns…. And folks wonder why players swing for the fences… Oh, and c) times when Bryce Harper manages to get himself thrown out of games instead of keeping his mouth shut….
LikeLike
Thanks, guys! I sincerely appreciate each one of you. The old grey mare ain’t what she used to be but she’s still in the race!
LikeLiked by 2 people
If anyone is lamenting the deal that sent David Hale to COL, Mr. O’B points out today that Hale is 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA in 6 minor league starts thus far.
Ew.
LikeLike
On the way back. Great for him! I’ll take a guess that he’ll get a shot on the ATL squad at some point after he’s in shape again…
LikeLike
LikeLike
So, the heretofore 7 and 8 hitters moved to 1 and 2, Simmons moved back down to 7… I would say it’s the “B” line up but at this point, I don’t know what the “A” line up is…
Nice to see Bethancount get a turn, AJ needed a rest. Maybe Christian will do something positive tonight.
Watching both the Mets/St Louis and the Astros/Tigers today. DeGrome is a beast. The Stros have come back from being down 5-0 to tieing it up at 5 all in the ninth. Scrappy bunch that doesn’t realize when they are suppose to roll over….
LikeLike
Glad to see Joey make it back, he’ll get his chance methinks if he can regain his stroke.
LikeLike
Wheee… Fun game last night for all of the Atlanta fans. Little bit of everything for the good guys. Teheran looked ace like other than the 4th inning when he seemed to forget where he was..
Thought the Brew Crew dideth protest too much over the ejection of Smith in the 7th inning. Come on dude, you can be a little less obvious. Definitely busted…
LikeLike
https://twitter.com/strat4Him/status/601709489339891714
LikeLike
https://twitter.com/strat4Him/status/601711405524492289
LikeLike
Going to try to write a new lead today. Wish me luck..
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK, here’s the deal. I mocked up a “funny” picture of Will Smith with a big red blob on his arm, then tweeted it so I could post it here which I did. But I discovered right away that it had a typo in the caption, which you cannot edit, so I deleted it. Then I tweeted the picture with a typo-less caption, and posted that one here. Then I immediately felt convicted about it since making fun of someone on social media is not exactly “building each other up” [1 Thessalonians 5:11]. So I took that one down too. Now there are a couple of wasted entries here, plus this one.
I was going to ask our esteemed editor to remove them, plus this one. But it was my mistake and I’ve dealt with it and moved on. Actually, it was a good point of spiritual growth for me, so a reminder here in our little corner of cyberdom is not a bad thing. May the things I post here, while sometimes being a little sharp or sarcastic in humor, never intentionally tear anyone down.
LikeLike
Actually VOX, a good lesson for us all just to leave things as they are, it shows character…And maybe a good reminder that I should ease up on Melvin… Naw… he deserved it….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two bits of news… Smith suspended for 8 games, he will appeal (wait for a time more convenient for the club to do without him)
Other is the Braves have approached the Brewers about catcher Johnathan LuCroy. Be still my beating heart….. Wonder how deep the Braves would have to dig to get the Brewers to part with their best player?
LikeLike
Straight trade for Bethencourt sounds good to me! :p
Most likely him, and one of Folty, or Matt Wisler…
LikeLike
So, did any of use guys hear that the players in that A ball bus accident were hurt more than folks first knew?
I heard Don and…his partner (any other time, I would know the name, and I have to leave in just a minute) talking about it a few days ago…several guys went in the DL, including Lucas Sims.
Never read anything after the initial story…
I assume that’s why so many folks are on the 7 day DL?
http://www.milb.com/roster/index.jsp?sid=t249
LikeLike
Wow, that was some butt ugly baseball last night… I hardly know what else to say… I’m not sure what was ailing Woods last night but I’m pretty sure the rest of the team felt the same sickness in their stomachs after taking part in that debacle.
Hopeing Miller pitches well today. I hate writing a lead following such a negative vibe.
LikeLike
And Dr Jyckel has returned. Great game today, long, but great game…
LikeLike
NEW BLOG UP 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
SIGH! It was fun for about 5 innings but somehow you just knew the pen would blow it… At what point does Hart and Co dump the whole pen and start over?
I know, I know, the Braves are not suppose to be this close to the front at this point in the season but it has to be gut wrenching for a team to score 8 runs and lose after leading big.
and what of Folty? 75 pitches and Fredi pulls the plug? Was he hurt? Are the trading him? It was strange…
LikeLike