Gil
Mechanicsville, VA
After a pretty ragged start to the season which saw the Braves boot the ball around like they were auditioning for a spot with the Atlanta United FC. Needless to say, 
no one secured a spot on the football club for fear of a rash of own goals occurring. While the Braves were in most of their early games, unforced errors led to a 1-6 record.
Along with a split of a two game set in Miami, the Braves returned to the Atlanta suburbs and their new home of Sun Trust Park. Warm weather and timely hitting as well as fundamentally sound defense the Los Bravos have chopped their way to a modest 5 game win streak. Perhaps most encouragingly it has been done in the absence of Matt Kemp while he rested a cranky hamstring.
The braves still face a pretty tough road as they continue to seek answers at several key positions. Adonis Garcia continues to man the third base position and it is likely he will be one of the first to be jettisoned when a suitable alternative is procured. Perhaps his best role would be as a right handed pinch hitter off the bench but after having future hall of fame player Chipper Jones play there, the drop off is noticeable. Even Martin Prado was solid as a super sub manning the position.
The Braves bullpen has found the sweet spot too with Rameirez, Vizcaino and Johnson closing games but these guys cannot pitch every night. It would be nice to see Braves starters going deep into games instead of coming out after 5 or 6 innings.
Ramirez, Viscaino, Johnson
Ian Krol still seems to have some problems being consistent in the strike zone and 
causes me to have some angst when his number is called to come in from the bull pen.What we don’t want to see is Snit fall in love with the same three guys every night to the point they lose their effectiveness or their arms fall off by August.
So, as the gNats blow into town, the first real test of the young season might well be upon us. Swatting the gNats could go a long way in showing this team and baseball they are pretty far along on the road to respectability.
Braves & Stuff 
Excellent, Gil! Our thanks, as always, for your efforts for us all.
LikeLike
Last night was an ol’ fashioned whoopin’. Julio didn’t have it (Bryce Harper did) and Ian Krol mirrored what Gil noted above. Bless Luke Jackson… he was just trying to finish the game, but had nothing after making 3 appearances in 3 games. I don’t blame him for anything. Sadly, he’ll probably be returned to AAA for a fresh arm today. That’s the tenuous life of a young reliever.
Now… our bench. It sucks. In the bottom of the 7th inning, when the game was still somewhat within reach, Chip Carey announced that the Braves had Bonfacio, Recker and d’Arnaud coming up in the inning.
Bonfacio, Recker and d’Arnaud.
Do you think Dusty Baker was nervous? Short answer: NO.
Now… Adonis. Even though he did try to remove Matt Albers’ left shoulder with a batted baseball, Chip noted as Adonis stood in that the Braves would have to address that Adonis was 4-45 vs. RHP. (Now 5-45. Still sucks.)
Really? I’ve been crying for a week for a platoon. Won’t anybody listen?
I also read after the game that Snit isn’t ready to pull the plug on Adonis nor drop Dansby from the 2-hole. Now… I get that Snit is from the Bobby Cox tree, and shares some of the superhuman patience for which Bobby was noted. But at some point, Dansby is going to have to drop to 7 or 8 and Brandon Phillips is gonna have to move up to 2. Honestly, it’s only a matter of time.
If I were the GM today, here’s the steps I’d take before tonight’s tilt:
Activate Matt Kemp from the DL and DFA Emilio Bonifacio.
Activate Chaz Roe from the DL and option Luke Jackson to AAA.
Promote Rio Ruiz and option Johan Camargo to AAA.
And once Flowers is 100%, which he says should be tomorrow:
Promote OF Lane Adams and option Recker to AAA.
Promoting Adams means he has to be added to the 40-man roster. But I’ve just DFA’d Boni, so Adams can have his slot. (Plus, it currently sits at just 38 anyway.)
If I were the manager today, here’s my lineup tonight:
Ender, CF
BPhil, 2B
Freddie, 1B
Kemp, LF
Markakis, RF
Suzuki, C
Rio, 3B (vs. the RH Strasburg)
d’Arnaud, SS
I’m not benching Dansby, I’m just giving him a night off ahead of the upcoming East Coast trip. He could use it. I still believe Dansby will be everything we want him to be, but he’s still had less than 2 years of pro ball, and even a veteran can use a break every now and then. And once he returns, I keep him at #8 for a while. What’s the rush?
LikeLiked by 3 people
It would have been a bit more considerate of the Braves if they had put up more of a fight last night in order to christen a new lead. Ugh! That was some ugly baseball… Of course the gNats were gleeful about it but it’s MLB and they are not handing out participation trophies.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Boy do the Braves miss Sean Rodriguez. That accident really threw their plans for a loop. A bench that should have been a strength is a glaring weakness.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh by the way, thanks CL for the excellent graphics work as usual. Always making my prose look good.
LikeLiked by 2 people
In 10 games at AAA Gwinnett, the RH Lane Adams is slashing .341/.349/.659 w/ 4 HR and 15 RBI. During that time he’s split evenly 5 games each in CF and RF. All along, Coppy was seeking a RH that could occasionally spell Ender and Nick. Well, there ‘s one right there.
During the same period, Boni is slashing .118/.167/.176 in ATL as our first bat off the bench. Nothing else needs to be said about that. Even if the argument is that Lane has never been able to produce at the ML level, is .118/.167/.176 production? Hardly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Vee, While Jackson was being used as the sacrificial lamb, I hope Snit didn’t bruise his young too much. I hope it was explained to him that last night didn’t count against him. It was just the Braves didn’t have a Francoeur to throw into the fire last evening.
I am of the mind Snit should just throw up four fingers when Julio is facing Harper. Bases loaded or no, just walk the guy. Harper owns Julio now. Hey, it happens to everyone. Every pitcher has a batter they cannot get out.
And that is all I have to say about that. New game tonight…
LikeLiked by 1 person
At least Adams would force the defense to play a little deeper. Talk about your punch and Judy singles hitter, Boni is the poster child for the guild.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Courtesy of ajc:
“The experience I’ve had with (Garcia), I just want to keep running the guy out there and hopefully he starts doing what we think he can do,” Snitker said. “Dansby, it’s his second full year (of pro ball). Facing some really good pitching. He’s going to handle everything and get better and better. At some point in time we might have to adjust, but right now I think he’s in a good spot.
The Braves leave tomorrow for 3 each in Philly and NY before moving on to MIL. If they can’t at least split those 6 against the NL East rivals, they’ll be buried in the standings before the calendar even turns to May. Oh yeah, once it flips to May, we have 4 more with the Mets at home.
I appreciate Snit’s patience, but this is supposed to be a transition year. At some point, we have to start being as concerned with winning games as developing players. I harbor no illusions of grabbing the 2nd Wild Card or making a run at anything, but I’d at least like to be relevant for a few weeks anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the new stadium ❤
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well interesting…
At 7:50am this morning, I posted what I though the GM and manager should do with the roster and lineup.
About an hour ago, Alan Carpenter at Tomahawk Take posted an article that did basically the same thing. He did have a couple of different ideas though. I gotta say, I agree with him on some of his differences.
First, like me, he would DFA Boni and promote Lane Adams. We agree there.
He’s a little harsher on the bullpen than I am. He would DFA both Ian Krol and Chaz Roe, while promoting Jason Hursh and purchasing the contract of Jason Motte. You know what? I’m good with that. In fact, let’s make it happen before the finale with the Nats tonight. Bring on the Motte!
Where we differ is that he has no desire to promote Rio to platoon with Adonis, and he’s only switching Dansby and Philips in the #’s 2 & 6 slots. Not sure I want Dansby batting #6. Still, it’s better than #2 right now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would bat Dansby 7th. He would at least see some pitches to hit. 8th is where you stick a guy like Boni if you have to play him… Isn’t that where they started out with Enders.
Of course, scoring 4 runs a night isn’t all that bad, you just have to have pitching staff which holds the opposition to fewer than 3 a night to be successful.
On pitching… Neither Ian Krol nor Chaz Roe have really impressed me or shown me they have what it takes to be major league pitchers. Not so far this season anyway. Perhaps after working out the bugs at Gwinnett for a couple of months but not yet. Both had a pretty miserable spring training.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Down at AAA today…
Lucas Sims had a tremendous start: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 90 pitches/59 strikes.
Jason Motte: 1.1P, 0 H
Lane Adams went 3-4 with 1 RBI and 2 SB.
FINAL: Gwinnett 3 – Rochester 0
Motte should have been held out so that he could be called up for tonight’s game.
LikeLike
As expected, Kemp has been activated and Camargo has been sent down.
LikeLike
With Collmenter tossing 50 pitches last night, the Braves have recalled Aaron Blair for long relief. Luke Jackson has been sent down. I suspect we’ll see LuJack again sooner than later.
LikeLike
McAlpin: Blair has allowed 3 ER in his last 11 IP with 13 Ks
He does have a much improved slider that Smoltzy helped him with at the end of last season. He’s gotten a much better feel for it this year. And if you’ll recall, he also completely revamped his delivery. Those things take time. But he’s working and improving.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suspect the Braves will bring up Motte soon. Since he pitched today, it won’t be today or tomorrow. But once Collmenter is rested enough to resume his long relief role, Blair should go back down to continue starting. That’s when we’ll likely see Motte.
And if I’m not mistake, Mauricio is slated to begin a rehab stint at AAA very soon, so that’ll happen before too much longer.
I suspect that Roe and Krol (sounds like an 80’s pop duo… or a seafood dish) are on the hot seat.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ah… somebody up there is listening. Dansby gets a night off tonight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And Motte could come on up.
LikeLike
Excellent comments, guys! And the Graphics Department thanks you, Gil! V, fantastic breakdown of the team above. Surely TPTB will read and follow! 😀
LikeLike
Watching the MLB Network and they had a feature on Harpers 7 homeruns to date off Julio. Every homer was on a different pitch in a different location… I still say, just put him on base and work on the next guy. Either that or alter your tempo… He has Julio down pat.
Dansby with the night off, I won’t be too surprised to see him used as a pinch hitter. Not like the Braves have a lot to choose from in that regard.
Someone on twitter asked DOB when we might see Ozzie… HAH! not before he passes the the deadline for the super twos….
I don’t really expect any major changes (even minor changes) until after the first month is in the books. If Ryan Howard returns to form, I expect it will coincide with the Braves first interleague tilt. They always said it didn’t really take but two weeks for a major league player to get ready for the season, we will soon find out. It’s all about getting your timing down, I doubt he has lost any power.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Almost game time… AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH! I hate having to listen to the gNats announcers. Maybe I can find the radio feed…
LikeLike
Ugh… I sure thought we had that one. Ouch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If Ryan Howard returns to form, I expect it will coincide with the Braves first interleague tilt.
May 9 in Houston. That will give him 2 weeks or so at AAA. He should be just about on track to be activated about then.
LikeLike
I’ll be honest… a middle of the order trek through Freeman, Kemp and Howard followed by Markakis and Phillips isn’t exactly a walk through the rose garden.
LikeLike
Not quite sure why Snit hit Adonis in the #2 slot last night, but he did get a hit off the RH Strasburg, so there’s that. He had some nice plays in the field too. He’s made great strides defensively. Gotta give him credit for that.
All that said, I still believe you put him the best position to succeed by limiting his exposure to RH pitching. Would still love to see a platoon over there. If the organization isn’t ready to promote Rio, there’s still Jace… although I still think Rio gives you more power potential.
LikeLike
I used the word “still” 4 times in a 3 sentence span up there. That’s not good. Need more coffee. My prose is suffering.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And of course, Boni was typical Boni last night… and in critical times too. How much longer will Coppy put up with that?
LikeLike
I guess at some point, Snit believes Boni will achieve the “Blind Squirrel Theory”…
Yes, I was very disappointed with last night’s results. While I am a fan of Ryan Zimmerman, I would much rather he be successful against someone else. He has taken Ryan Howard’s place as a Braves killer… That said, it was the walk to Harper which really hurt but what are you going to do?
Hand it to the gNats, it was some stella play in the outfield which killed the Braves scoring opportunities.
Matt Kemp performed about as I expected him to last night, will have to give him a few games to get his timing back. Strasburg is not the guy to do that with.
LikeLike
The best thing Coppy could do to help this team is take Boni away from Snit so he could not use him as the first pinch hitter off the bench. I fear as long as he is available, Snit will play him…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I fear as long as he is available, Snit will play him…
I don’t think he has any better options.
LikeLike
I wonder, though…
The indication was that if Aaron Blair did not get in the game last night, he’d be returned to Gwinnett to make tonight’s start. And since the ML team left for Philly after last night’s loss, one might assume they’d have made the change last night.
Surely Blair stayed here and they took another pitcher on the flight. Perhaps they have just delayed the announcement.
LikeLike
This is awesome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think he has any better options.
AH HA!
LikeLike
Fine work again Mr Gil!
Don’t we have a pitcher that can pinch hit in the 6th? Wreck it Ralph?
now that we have exist velo stats…I think we can figure out what Boni’s problem is…
http://m.mlb.com/player/466988/emilio-bonifacio
LikeLike
now that we have exist velo stats…I think we can figure out what Boni’s problem is…
What… he can’t hit?
LikeLike
Our first guy off the bench is 0-for-9 w/ 3 strikeouts as a pinch-hitter. Houston, we have a problem.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is Gil using Josie’s CPU.. Ber, Wreck it Ralph is the nickname I assigned to Anthony Recker becuse of his resemblance to the cartoon character.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, oh I know, even though I haven’t seen the film….I was just thinking WIR might run into a ball and you know, hit it over the wall?
Boni has as much chance of hitting a homer as I do….
LikeLike
Drat, a run short again…
LikeLike
.. and again.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Last night’s game was a bitter pill to swallow, I hope the players took it as hard as I did. Just an unbelievable way to lose a game.
LikeLike
sounds like a real shame I missed last nights game…8th inning, braves have 1 run…
Dansby eeks out a single, yay? Boni keeps his hitless record intact (but, it was a productive out, a bunt, Yay???)
What will happen, runner on 2nd…will they get ’em in???
LikeLike
no….. 😕
LikeLike
so….2 guys that I don’t even know the names of (guess I better get to know them!) hit back to back homers off of Vizcaino (trade value is not going up right now, is it?) after, get this…a pinch hitter who, you know, hits the ball harder than Boni does, got a double….
sigh….
LikeLike
hmmm, I was wrong, back to back to back homers….same result though… a loss…
braves got runners on in the 9th bases loaded if u weren’t watching…., but…Garcia swung wildly on a 0-2 count, didn’t hit it of course…then Dansby showed he can’t hit a good fastball now either, and popped up to shallow center…
Now to face the Mutts, losers of 8 of their last 10…gee, I wonder what team they might get healthy against????
LikeLike
I had told myself I would not watch today’s game… I turned it on in the third inning. Folty was stellar… Then the eight inning happened and the ninth inning didn’t for the Braves. RATS!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s still just April… it’s still just April… it’s still just April… it’s still just April…
I gotta keep telling myself it’s still just April…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Vee, it is times like these that separate the real fans from the ones who love to jump on the band wagon… Of course, nothing saying it’s easy to watch.
It is just frustrating to see losses pile up when a supposed strength turns into a weakness.
It’s on to New York and one team’s string of losses is about to come to an end.
LikeLike
It’s raining here, the third day of fouty… At least I will have two sporting events to occupy my time, the Bristol race and the ballgame tonight. Saves me from actual work… as if I could actually do any.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Braves traded AAA RHRP David Hernandez to the Halos today for a PTBNL. A little surprising in that I figured him to be called up to replace Krol at any time.
LikeLike
The Braves official announcement says for a PTBNL or “cash considerations”. At least they’ll get something. According to Bowman, he had a May 1 opt-out date and wasn’t expected to be promoted before then.
LikeLike
Claud Ed, welcome to the Braves & Stuff! Glad to see you following us and invite you to join in any time. Great folks here!
LikeLike
DUH! No ballgame, I guess one out of two will have to do.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Shelby Miller will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday in Los Angeles to receive a second opinion on his right elbow, which landed him on the 10-day disabled list Monday.
Miller left his Sunday start against the Dodgers in the fifth inning after experiencing forearm tightness, which is often an indication of elbow issues.
The right-hander had an MRI on Monday and was examined by team physician Gary Waslewski. The team declined to say what the MRI revealed other than “elbow inflammation.”
“He didn’t really tell me much,” Miller said of what he heard Monday from the doctor. “Just kind of looked at the MRI a little bit and saw something was there — some inflammation and stuff. I’m going to get a second opinion tomorrow and go from there. Not a lot of specifics. I just know that something is not right.”
I like Shelby Miller and hope this is not what it sounds like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would explain a lot though.
Speaking of Tommy John… anyone heard how Kris Medlen is doing?
Can it be that the Braves’ brain trust has finally concluded (realized) that Boni is not the answer as the primary bat off the bench? I’m sure Snit had a lot of success using him in triple A but he is just not the guy who can provide instant offense.
LikeLike
Can it be that the Braves’ brain trust has finally concluded (realized) that Boni is not the answer as the primary bat off the bench?
Unless they are sleeping through the games, they can’t help but come to that realization.
I’ve been looking at my crystal ball this morning, and here’s what I see happening in the next week or so…
First, Lane Adams’ contract is purchased and he’s added to the 40-man roster and to the 25 man active roster. I believe he’ll take Boni’s spot on both, and Boni will be DFA’d.
Next, Jason Motte’s contract will also be purchased, and he’ll also be added to the 40-man roster and to the 25 man active roster. To accommodate him on the active roster, Matt Wisler will return to AAA’s rotation. The 40-man is currently at 39, so Motte can simply be added. But it does take away all wiggle room. IMO, Chaz Roe will join Boni in DFA limbo.
Mauricio Cabrera should be close to returning, meaning he’ll need to be activated. Whose active roster spot does he take? Well… Ian Krol sure hasn’t shown me much lately, but he is a lefty, which seems to prolong many GMs’ patience. Hard to make this call. Viz might need to go down and work on some things, though. He’s been struggling. He does have an option left, so that’s at least plausible.
One other possibility that we’ve mentioned here is Ryan Howard. There is a 2 game series in HOU in 2 weeks, followed soon thereafter by a 4 gamer in TOR. They also travel to Anaheim for 3 games at the end of May. He’d be natural DH for those 9 games. Will he be ready in 2 weeks to pick up a bat and hit ML pitching? Probably won’t know until he gives it a try. He did get 2 hits in his Gwinnett debut last week though. More specifically, in 4 PA’s, he collected 2 hits, a walk and was hit by a pitch. It’d be awfully nice to have a real game changing bat to bring off the bench.
So what would have to happen to make room for him on both the 40 man and the 25 man active rosters? The easiest call would be to simply option Recker back to AAA. It’s been speculated that Chase d’Arnaud could be DFA’d, but he’d never make it through waivers, so you’re effectively saying bye-bye. I’m not so sure Coppy or Snit would want to do that. He’s actually been pretty good off the bench even if he has no power.
So there you are. I see 4 moves a-comin’. The crystal ball says so. (OK, maybe it’s really just a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Don’t judge me.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
There is the thing, those frosted flakes can be murky depending on the milk used… 🙂
Day four of forty here. Thing is, when the sun finally comes out, it will be green, green, green. I’ll have to use a bush hog to mow the front lawn…
I have two errands on my agenda today but just don’t really feel like getting wet… Maybe tomorrow.
I am hoping good Julio shows up tonight. The Braves really need to get themselves turned around before they are completely buried. Nothing several series wins can’t get straightened out but you have to start sometime.
It is just so all over the place right now. No one thing can fix it, so many rabbits to chase, staring pitching when solid, it’s the relievers, the old bug-a-boo of not getting the big hit when needed. No one seems able to be the guy who is getting the big hit. Frustrating!
LikeLiked by 2 people
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reading DOB’s latest opine, he has observed much of what we have. Lots of holes….
LikeLike
I absolutely cannot wait to see this guy in ATL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
Well played, sir… well played.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Whoa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What does Boni have on Coppy?
In my limited little mind, had they chosen to DFA Boni, he would pass cleanly through waivers and either accept a minor league assignment or not. But chances are he would.
I don’t believe Chase will make it through waivers without being claimed.
To me, it leaves the team little thin in the IF. Jace is now the sole backup to all 3 IF spots.
LikeLike
Lane Adams: 13 games, .333/.352/.588, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 6 SB
LikeLike
OK… I see it now. Upon deeper inspection, Adams is a RH bat. Had they jettisoned Boni, who is a SH, Jace would be the lone LH on the bench… and he plays frequently.
LikeLike
How about Rio (L) for Boni? 😉
LikeLike
How about Howard for Boni… I suspect that will be coming by May 1st.
And like I said, those frosted flakes can be opaque… Whole milk I presume.
Chase, we hardly knew you…
LikeLiked by 2 people
LikeLike
Ha ha ha ha!!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Gil, there is hope! The low dumped 8″ on us and today the sun is making limited appearances – now and then. Talk about GREEN – we’d rival Ireland right now! 😀 (More gray clouds in sight….)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chase did play some CF last year, didn’t he? use guys gonna make me look it up? Fine…4 games…hmm, ok, they fear being without a CF’er IF Ender gets hurt…ok, wouldn’t Boni be on the next car/flight (if out of town) IF this happened? Boni, I am gonna guess would safely pass thru waivers, and would gladly stay at AAA with the chance to come back up if there was an injury…
all I know is this is the bench of a last place team…
that other kid hit a homer, didn’t he? Lefty that was up for a short time?
You really have to wonder why the team won’t let go of Boni…
but then I wonder why so many teams act like liberal lemmings with the recent philosophy that a guy who has forever been on the ML roster is no longer worth a space once they hit 32-34 or so….KJ, didn’t nothing to show he can’t hit anymore (and actually looked terrible a few years back, but was….younger) and Frenchy still has as good an arm as there is out there, and could be the bat off the bench every single night…instead they are “retired” (Angel Pagan as well, and aren’t the Giants proud of saving a few mil in left…of course they are getting a .260 slugging number out of the rejects playing there now, but Angel was 35!!!)
I know, they could have swallowed their pride, but they didn’t feel they had to….
and the braves have the worst bench perhaps ever of a braves team (other night I heard there were 2 pinch hits from the bench, don’t know if that number went up since then)
as of right now, this is a team with very weak bench, with a very weak hitting left side of the infield, with an inconsistent bullpen, and rotation , but it’s early…
but, the other teams in the division are getting better and better…I really misjudged the talent of the Marlins…I thought after losing arguably the most talented pitcher in baseball , in a senseless tragedy , they would be down for the count this year….pitching is only so-so, but that offense! Phils look much better…in normal years, the braves would be able to fatten up against those 2 teams…not this year…..
LikeLike
Got a new follower! Welcome to chinesedecomposition! Feel free to join in any time. A great group of Braves fans here.
LikeLike
I can’t get enough of this.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good points Ber, while I was not in love with Chase as a ballplayer, he certainly seemed to me to be a better option than Emilio.
The cold hard truth is even with all those good young arms in the system, the Braves are doomed to failure with the crew they currently have. Sometimes you have to be able to slug it out. Like the gNats and the Rockies last night. 15-12… you would have thought the Skins were playing the Broncos from that score, except maybe the Skins could not score 15 points in one game…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an amazing move! Perfectly executed. 😀 Thanks for posting it, V.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Uh, tell me again who the Braves traded Mallex Smith for?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, that may have been a rhetorical question, but since I couldn’t remember….
http://www.talkingchop.com/2017/1/11/14241136/braves-trade-mallex-smith-and-shae-simmons-to-seattle-mariners-luiz-gohara-thomas-burrows
LikeLike
LHP Luiz Gohara has made 4 starts for the Low-A Florida Fire Frogs ( I love that name) and has posted a 1.29 ERA and 20:4 K:BB through 21 IP, including 7 shutout innings last Saturday. He’s only 20, but scouts say his outstanding control might allow him to jump straight to AA as soon as later this season.
LikeLike
Okay, traded for a lefty pitcher currently at high A Florida.
More future building… It’s a great time to follow Braves minor league baseball, especially Rome. Not so great for Atlanta.
LikeLike
Okay, day five of forty but just overcast, no rain, yet… Saw the sun for about five minutes yesterday… It was just a tease. BRIGHT! I am reminded as to why people in the northwest are so depressed all the time. And that was before Trump was elected… Mercy.
Yes Ber, it is the bench of a last place team. There is still time to get out of April without being buried but my pre season forecast of 85 wins looks to have been way over optimistic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, you caught my earlier goof…
Yes, The Florida Fire Frogs (I really like typing that) are the high-A team, so a promotion to AA Pearl would not be skipping a level. 😛
Still, Gohara is a guy that has a really high ceiling, and possesses a quality not found in many older pitchers… good control of his pitches. He also has a plus slider that has many an aspiring young hitter buckling at the knees.
While we won’t see him this year, he’s the kinda guy that’s on the Max Fried track… ahead of his peers and in line for a ML look. I personally believe we’ll see Fried in Atlanta before this season wraps. And if Gohara moves on up to AAA this year, we could see him here late next year.
I know… it’s still not much fun in “The A” in 2017. But man, oh man is the future bright.
LikeLike
And if Gohara moves on up to AAA this year, we could see him here late next year.
AAA… AAUgh… really must proof read first. (In fairness, I’m swamped with work and rushing in and out of the old B&S.)
LikeLike
One last thing on the Boni vs. d’Arnaud thing.
I read a really interesting take on that this morning. Apparently the popular thought in the front office is that they feel Boni had a greater chance of being claimed on waivers of the two. And while that can be debated, the really interesting point is that the feeling is that should Chase be claimed, the team has an open 40-man spot and will simply pull him back. In other words, they don’t want to lose him, they just prefer to keep the roster wiggle room. Chase does have an option left, so he can be sent to AAA without affecting the active roster. Boni does not. So there’s that.
In that context, it makes even more sense to me.
LikeLike
And it really is all procedural anyway. I truly believe we’ll see Ryan Howard added before we head to Houston, and barring injuries to any of the OF, that’s when Boni will be given his walking papers. Those 2 weeks will be the trial period for Lane Adams. If Adams proves he can stick as a PH, Boni will finally be expendable. (Adams’ defense and baserunning are a given.)
Plus, the LH Ryan will keep the bench balanced with the RH Adams.
Also, no Frosted Flakes today, but common sense tells me that bullpen changes are also on the horizon. Mauricio Cabrera will be activated as soon as he proves his health. Jason Motte is only a matter of time. As I stated yesterday, they’ll want Wisler back starting on a regular basis before too much longer. As for the 40 man roster, Chaz Roe has virtually disappeared. He was placed on the 10-day DL 14 days ago with a mysterious and convenient muscle strain of some sort and his name has not even been whispered since. He sucked like a Hoover in Spring and early on. Seems a no-brainer to me to simply release him.
LikeLike
He’ll replace one of the vets upon their mid-season trade. 😀
LikeLike
The Braves future pitching rotation it seems will rival what we are now seeing with the Mets but as we are seeing with said New Yorkers, you also have to have a bullpen to shore up those young arms who don’t go deep into games.
I will say I was pretty impressed with Folty’s last start but the goal should be to routinely be able to hurl 120 pitches. You will never be able to run a marathon if you only train to run a mile. You have to push a little bit but you also have to know how to get guys out without throwing 98mph.
And as I sit here, I am now hearing John Smoltz on MLB saying basically the same thing. Uncanny…
LikeLike
An opine that pretty much sums up what we are espousing…
http://www.talkingchop.com/2017/4/26/15427712/benches-and-holds-weakest-links-are-proving-detrimental-braves
LikeLike
Gil, that guy makes some pretty good points that are in line with what has been discussed here…
EXCEPT…
There is no way Brandon Phillips is a bench guy and no way that would ever fly in the dugout or in the clubhouse. And to suggest such crushes his credibility to dust. First, Philips is slashing a sizzling .343/.378/.500 and is the only consistent hitter on the team not named Freddie Freeman. Second, the guy is a stellar defender. He’s done nothing to “earn” a demotion. In fact, what he has done is lead both on and off the field. At the same time, he continues to increase his trade value. So closer to June and July, when teams are beginning to line up for reinforcements heading down the stretch (ahem… Dodgers), then the team can discuss an Albies promotion and how to accommodate it.
LikeLike
V, don’t you get it? BP is old! Old = no good in the eyes of the baseball “experts”
/s
I guess he was just suggesting it….IF he hits .210 from here on out, yeah, sure make him a bench guy…but like you said, all he has done is hit…
LikeLike
Note: Did not say I agreed with everything.. 🙂
I think there are several players who will be on the block, Markakis, Phillips, several pitchers… Just depends on when the brass wants to pull the plug.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, the flood watch is over after five days of only a short glimpse of sun, I suspect NY will still be nasty but the game likely to be played.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, Jayson Stark and Jim Bowden, two of the better folks at ESPN were let go in the blood letting at espn today…bet no Latino folks were let go from espn Beisbol ….hopefully the MLB channel will grab 1 of those 2 guys….
Want to know something funny? Instead of the Ozzie Guillen type they kept trying to foist on folks (guys that never learned to speak english even after 30 years in the U.S.) they got Raul Ibanez, Tex, and some other former player, that I can’t think of the name of…they had probably the best crew they have ever had…of course they rarely run baseball tonight anymore(can’t believe it’s to save moola, they still have talking heads all the time) they don’t even run it like wed thru Sat anymore….which means the MLB channel, which is fine…but unlike baseball tonight which I can DVR, I have to manually record the late night highlight show each night, if I remember (the guys on earlier cutting back and forth between games gets on my nerves)
I know, who cares? Well, old habits die hard (Still have DISH V? 😉 )
and since we are forced to give moola to ESPN, whether we watch it or not, well…might as well watch 1 show, and 1 show only….
Still, ESPN in a death spiral is not the worst thing ever….
LikeLike
I can see Phillips traded in July, as I can with Bartolo and Garcia. I think Dickey sticks around, though, as the elder statesman. And the replacements are pretty easy to peg also…
2B Brandon Phillips => 2B Ozzie Albies
LHP Jaime Garcia => LHP Sean Newcomb
RHP Bartolo Colon => RHP Aaron Blair
I’m not convinced they’ll trade Nick mainly because there’s really no one to take over the spot. Dustin Peterson might have been in line, but he’s still not back yet from his broken hand, so he’ll in all likelihood finish the year in AAA. Of course, I suppose the Braves could get an OF back in one of the deals.
LikeLike
NFL Reporter Ed Werder was let go after 17 years, that’s got to suck…
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Karl Ravech, Ryen Russillo, and Hannah Storm will see their roles “significantly reduced.”
LikeLike
Jayson Stark will have no problem finding a job. In fact, I’ll bet he’s already had more than one conversation with MLB Network.
I can’t remember the last time I watched ESPN for anything other than an ocassional college football game.
Seriously.
I can’t.
LikeLike
Personally, I won’t miss any of the ESPN talking heads since I haven’t seen one in so long. If they’re any good, they’ll get snapped up by Fox or CBS or some other league network. If they aren’t any good… well, somebody’s gotta make the fries.
LikeLike
McAlpin:
Mauricio Cabrera progressing well. Will throw an inning Friday followed by a two inning stint with the Fire Frogs.
After his two inning stint with Florida, Cabrera will advance to Gwinnett as his rehab progresses.
In a related story, Ian Krol was spotted talking to a real estate agent. 😉
LikeLike
not sure how good she is, but one look at her, and I am gonna say they made a big mistake in firing her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://twitter.com/ChantelJennings?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
LikeLike
Before I forget, Ber, just hit the rec button twice after finding the line up to record the series. You might have to go back and delete a bunch of duplicates. Pick a 5 AM showing.
yes Vee, other than some of the college basketball games and occasionally a baseball game of the Braves which is shown only on ESPU, I don’t tune them in. I don’t need their opinions of transgender bathrooms nor am I a fan of women’s basketball.
Jason Stark will land a gig somewhere. Not sure of the others, Life is tough ain’t it? Well, McDonalds is always hiring…
LikeLike
Yeah Gil, I was clear as mud there, it’s getting up to 8 of the very same show recorded from one night that gets old, hence having to remember to manually record each night (I really hate the liberal mantra, 1st world problem, but have to agree, that’s a minor issue, just annoying that’s all)
you would think with all the tech out there, you could set a DVR to record just a 1 am showing????
LikeLike
I guess I dreamed that guy who came up for a week hit a homer…sure thought I heard he had…
anyway, since I can’t get too excited about this braves team…right now, more Baseball tonight talk!
doesn’t matter to you guys, I know…but at it’s best, it was a great show for a baseball fan, people like Stark, Tim K, Buster, Bowden, were interesting, and often thought outside the box…once a week they used to have a BT with just the writers, it was by far the most interesting show of the week…so naturally they cancelled it…
Been watching it for 10 + years, if MLB could come up with the right mix of folks (former ESPN guy Kenny Mayne (SP) gets on my nerves as too much of a BABIP/VORP/WAR guy….
I just want to watch an hour of baseball highlights from the games last night….
and Like I said, unless or until we can all get away from Cable/Satellite and truly choose what we watch…we feed the ESPN monster whether we watch or not….sigh…
LikeLike
well, nice to get a 5-0 lead against 1 of the very few weak starters with the Mutts, need to do that once in awhile!
LikeLike
That’s more like it. Hope BP is not too dinged. Don’t expect to see him today. Groins are not to be trifled with. (OK, it felt a little creepy typing that.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh… and a 1:10pm game time today. Don’t let it sneak by.
LikeLike
That was fun to watch. For a change… Truthfully, I kept waiting for Julio to fall apart and the Mutts to come back. Glad my fear were unfounded.
Matt Wisler scares me a little. A fly ball pitcher is not going to have a big future playing in Sun Trust Park.
I’ll bet BP knew the problem as soon as he tried to walk down the steps to the dugout. OW!
LikeLike
I understand your consternation Ber, once you become familiar with a program, you feel like you have a vested interest.
Lots of competition in sports programing. When you are no longer the only game in town, you are going to lose market share. DuPont was famous for trying to drive the competition out of business. Many of the same tactics I see being deployed by the Chinese. Sell a product at a loss because your competitor can’t last as long as you can.
Then when the competition becomes too great, they sell out the product…
Any hoo… In the long run, it still come down to the Benjamins..
LikeLike
Knew it’d happen soon.
LikeLike
“Tired arm”… before May. Unbelievable staff if they could stay healthy. But they can’t.
LikeLike
They say Thor could pitch as early as Sunday… pending the MRI results. Because I always have an MRI when something is “tired”.
LikeLike
Ha ha ha ha ha! 😆
Of course, I’ll never look at Chipotle quite the same way ever again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I fear that will come back to haunt us…
LikeLike
… and suddenly it’s a tie game. 😡
LikeLike
… and suddenly we’re back on top. 😀
LikeLike
“Tired arm” what happens when you try to pitch at 100% for 6 months.
John Smoltz said yesterday that if he was coming along today, he doubts he would have been successful. He said he could throw 98 mph but Leo had a different philosophy, To throw at 80% effort with movement.
Chase signs with Boston… Good luck young man…
LikeLike
I’m trying to figure how you wrap a groin….
MRI? could change tired to tore..
LikeLike
He (Smoltz) made a good point about how it is much harder to go deep in games or last very long when you abuse your body. Only thing that would prolong them would be PEDs.
LikeLike
Chase signs with Boston… Good luck young man…
Yep, the Sawx claimed him and the Braves let him go.
LikeLike
That was closer that it should be.
LikeLike
Not like he was shutting them down but a big margin to play with, The play to the plate was pretty close, I think that one falls into the (not enough evidence to overturn the call) category.
Okay, grass cutting time.
LikeLike
Things sure are not going to get any easier for the Mutts with the red hot gNats buzzing into New York tomorrow. Holy Smokes, they just clobbered a pretty good Rockies team. The Washing club is plain scary right now. They may cool off in a month or so but right now they are playing like the ’27 Yankees.
The Braves, while looking better in the field, still show signs of having holes. It should be a good measuring stick facing the Brewers this week end. NOT GETTING SWEPT…. That should be the mantra for the Bravos this series. Keep the ball down and on the ground should be the Braves pitching blueprint. That means keeping Matt Wisler stashed away in the pen.
I have no delusions. The Brew Crew is loaded right now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting opine from Jim Bowden, late of ESPN…
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1spqum4
LikeLike
I like alot of what Jim Bowden proposed in that opine, Gil. Very interesting. I vehemently oppose the proposal to replace umpires calling balls and strikes with “robots”. But otherwise, very well thought out. I especially like his suggestion to expand by 2 teams, triggering a realignment that creates (8) 4-team divisions. I can even live with the harsh reality of a DH in the National League. I am a purist, but it’s pretty much inevitable. Might as well get it over with.
That said, I don’t like the way he realigned, as shown below:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL LEAGUE (ONE LEAGUE)
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EASTERN DIVISION: Boston, Montreal, NY Mets, NY Yankees
NORTHERN DIVISON: Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, Toronto
MIDATLANTIC DIVISION: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington
MIDWEST DIVISION: Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), St. Louis, Milwaukee
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
SOUTHERN DIVISION: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Tampa
SOUTHWEST DIVISION: Colorado, Kansas City, Houston, Texas
NORTHWEST DIVSIION: Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Las Vegas
WESTERN DIVISION: LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Diego, Arizona
For one, I still prefer to have a National League and American League. But with the constant presence of inter-league play, that’s really just semantics anyway. If we have to have inter-league play, then I prefer it the way it started out… just in certain periods of time when all teams are doing it.
Perhaps the thing I dislike the most in his realignment is the fact that the darling teams of the northeast never have to travel any farther west than St. Louis within their own “conference”. That is hardly equitable, especially to a team such as our beloved Braves, who have 12 of 16 teams west of the Mississippi River. The Southern Division in his proposed league gets royally screwed.
I am all for geographical realignment, but not that way. Massive disrespect for ATL, CIN, MIA and TAM.
LikeLike
A lot of folks forget just how great the distance is between Miami and everywhere else… Just like the huge expanse that is known as California. Think Virginia to Florida.
Yes, sweet deal for New York and Boston teams.
A lot of folks also do understand how close Atlanta is to the Central time zone.
Does Vegas really deserve a major league franchise?
No way to make everyone happy.
There is a reason NASCAR hurt itself. Dumping on its fan base and trying to expand to other areas where they are trying to grow their market. No matter what you do, New Yorkers won’t watch the races….
So, Big Sexy to face Thane tonight…
LikeLike
One more thing, fans don’t always like to have the teams they like in the same division.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To me, a better way would be:
AL:
EAST: Baltimore, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto
CENTRAL: ChiSox, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
MIDWEST: Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
WEST: LA Angels, Las Vegas, Oakland, Seattle
NL
NORTHEAST: Montreal, NY Mets, Philadelphia, Washington,
SOUTHEAST: Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Tampa
CENTRAL: ChiCubs, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh
WEST: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco
I think this is the least disruptive. it does require Colorado and Tampa to switch leagues. These divisions make sense from a geographical and a rivalry point of view.
I especially like the AL Midwest division a/k/a the BBQ division. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can picture Montreal and Las Vegas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t like Jim Bowden at first (for one thing, a terrible toupee 😉 )
but the more I saw him, the more I realized he tried to think outside the box, and had truly original thoughts/ideas….
He also said before the season started that the braves were going to be at least a .500 team…
I praised Raul Ibanez as an already excellent analyst right out of the box, so naturally ESPN fired him, Doug Glanville, and Dallas Braden, a truly original human being….
oh well…I read Baseball Tonight is only going to exist as a Sunday night show, (Wonder why they didn’t just fire everyone? )which was by far the worst BBTN, as it was basically an ad for the upcoming game…Thank goodness this will allow ESPN to give more prime time to poker, Womens soccer, and other things I will never ever watch…
I would ride my stationary bike and watch BBTN(fastforwarding thru commercials, pc bs) during the baseball season …hmm, plan B. Watch Bill O’Reilly, or the 3 am show Red Eye that I DVR’ed every night? No??? hmm…plan C…
Still have a tube tv (last home in Georgia I believe) so can’t go ROKU etc yet, but to pay this much for basically Braves games only? Crazy….even Turner Classic movies only runs the same 200 or so movies it seems (and a far left leaning lib host who will no doubt get more modern “message” films on the channel) I don’t have anything I have to watch these days…
but, we still all give ESPN 8-10 bucks a month…if we watch or not, matters little…only if we cut the cord/take the dish down….
LikeLike
Until they allow Ala Carte selection, I will continue to get not only ESPN but Oprah, etc not to ment QVC, the Cutlery Channel etc.
I don’t even watch Fox very much any more since they canned O’Reilly. I do like being able to get movies on demand but I am too lazy to start over and learn how to record with a new system.
It is why I so look forward to baseball season and I can fill 3 hours of my day. I record the shows I would normally follow in the off season with a different recorder.
Still using a CRT TV? Not a problem, unless you are actually watching a high def show in high def, the picture on a regular TV is better. I picked up about 50 VHS tapes today for $5 that are primarily military channel type stuff. I have a long time friend who still uses VHS and I thought he would like them.
I found an eight tape set on trains that he has just about worn out…
While I have a load of DVDs, I hardly ever use the Blu Ray player because I use the DirecTV movie features.
Okay, baseball…. 8:10 PM start. I think it will be important for Bartolo to keep the ball down and out of the middle of the plate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
V, that map reminds me of the way I taught Kelly US geography. As a very young but rabid Braves fan, she was interested in where they played. So I bought a big wall map. Atl was marked with a big red star. Then wherever they played, that city got a blue star. At the time, Blockbuster offered free travel/educational films. We’d go get some dvds of whichever city was up and watch them, learning what was around the city, things of interest, etc. She STILL knows the US through that method. Teaching a learning disabled child takes a lot of thought! It was actually fun!
LikeLiked by 3 people
That sounds amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
groins are not to be trifled with!
LikeLiked by 1 person
very cool CL!
Wish TBS still broadcast all the games…
LikeLiked by 1 person
now to tonight’s game…home ump is squeezing both pitchers a lot…
) Dansby walked, Colon make a terrible bunt, FF didn’t get a SF, but Matt Kemp, you know a negative WAR guy drove in 3 useless runs that tied the game up at 4!
all looked lost after Colon gave up 4 runs in the 2nd (after Brewers players who strike out a ton were very patient against a guy always around the plate, but as I said, a lot of on the corner pitches were not called)
but Anderson for the Brewers didn’t get the calls either (didn’t I just mention this above?
LikeLike
of course….I gave up when they were down 8-4, no way they were going to come back from that score… 😛
LikeLike
Wasn’t that a fun game last night? Glad I didn’t give up on them as I thought about it… Two really amazing at bats in addition to Freddie’s shot at redemption. The bases clearing double Matt Kemp hit thus saving Freddie from being a goat and Ender’s two run double in the 7th in a seven pitch at bat.
Not saying all hits aren’t important, Just those stand out for me. Honorable mention goes to Zuzuki’s PH single to tie the game in the eight.
Matt Kemp made a really nice catch in left field too. Pretty impressive for a guy who is supposed to be a defensive liability.
Tonight’s game is being aired at 7PM local time, makes it a bit easier on me.
Garcia vs Jim Nelson. Looks to be pretty evenly matched game as far as pitching goes. If the Braves can take tonight’s contest, I like their chances of a series sweep with Folty toeing the rubber Sunday. Of course you just never know, Tight strike zones are tougher on rookies than vets. A lot does depend on an umpire’s definition of the strike zone, just ask Tom Glavine…
So, the Mets beat the unbeatable gNats last night. I guess the Nationals were exhausted from the clubbing they laid on the Rockies this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ain’t baseball a crazy game? The Nats were coming home on a Rocky Mountain high on a streak and after clubbing the Rocks like baby seals and the Mutts were lower than whale poop after getting swept by the Braves and losing perhaps their best player and BOOM! The Mets have taken the first two games in DC and have looked good doing it.
And what of the Braves? Two scoring opportunities lost with aggressive base running and the Brew Crew scoring in the first but it could have been worse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And Fab5 comes through.. tie game.
On Ryan Zimmerman’s 470 foot home run while impressive still only counted for one run. That said, me thinks Zim is back to full strength after some down years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A shame about Washington’s Adam Eaton. Torn ACL and done for the season. The gNats gave up a ton to the Sox to get him, I’m not a fan of DC but that is a terrible blow. Shows how fickle the baseball gods can be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, it’s so funny what can make a difference in a hitters performance, health, bringing hands up, hands down, standing more upright, crouching more at the plate…moving closer to the plate, backing off of it…
JHey has been looking more like his old self of late too…
They said yesterday how Dansby and Seitzer were looking at Dansby’s college days, and I think they moved his hands up, and how it seems his confidence was improving from that alone…he did walk twice last night…
LikeLike
and it looked like B.P. may have tweeked his groin again….did get the runner over (something he and Kemp do, and get Sac Flies, but they are old, so don’t keep them long term, whatever you do
) and now 2-1 braves…the team has been real lucky with guys coming back from Hammys, etc…so far.
Dansby grounds into a D.P. to end the inning…how long will they let him keep going like this? 11 for 84 to start the year is…well, you know what that is…
LikeLike
And now you know,,, no getting him out of the line up now… :p
Looking at the replays of the Adam Eaton injury, looks almost exactly like the way Chipper tore his ACL in ’94
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyone else catch Dansby’s Taka Tanaka imitation when Matt Kemp was returning to the dugout following his third homerun of the night?
You need “marbles”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Saw the Dodgers comeback in the bottom of the ninth last night against the Phillies. Thinking of the commercial “Want to get away”? for the win.
http://www.truebluela.com/2017/4/29/15490318/dodgers-home-runs-cody-bellinger-yasiel-puig-justin-turner-comeback-wtf-wow
You have to feel bad for the fillies just a little bit but hey, they did it to the Braves so there…
Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm… perhaps not the best candidate for DH after all?
LikeLike
Sean Newcomb yesterday: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
Not a bad day.
LikeLike
Hummm, I gues Howard’s bat has slowed down or his timing is off. Will wait another couple of weeks to decide the trend.
A little disappointed in the Braves’ loss yesterday. I can’t really blame Folty, I thought he pitched a heck of a game. What he learned yesterday is when you are losing a pitch (his slider) then you reach into your bag for something different. All about stamina and learning to pace yourself. Can’t beat the rookie (Swanson) up too bad for his misque but well, you know….
I am sure the good guys will be happy to return home tonight. The Braves should take advantage of the Mutts ills while they have the chance
LikeLike
Can’t beat the rookie (Swanson) up too bad for his misque but well, you know…
He’s made his share of plays too, but some errors are just magnified. That’s baseball.
LikeLike
Oh, and Adonis had a pretty decent road trip. I still hope 3B is one of Coppy’s primary targets in FA/trade, but for now I’ll lay off Adonis.
LikeLike
2nite’s lineup:
Ender, CF
BP, 2B
Freeman, 1B
MattyK, LF
Kakes, RF
Adonis, 3B
Flow, C
Ron Swanson, SS
Julio, RHP
LikeLike
V, again I ask…who do “you” want for 3rd base? Who’s gonna be better than Garcia? Who is gonna be better that a team is willing to trade I guess is the better question….Baltimore and Colorado’s 3rd basemen I think we can safely say are not going to be moved (really don’t like Dumbo anyways, too many times he’s hurt a guy, remember when his backswing hit the catcher not once, but twice in an A.B? If I was that catcher’s manager, I’d throw at him 4 times a night til he too was no longer in the game…grrr, don’t like him, he’s like the evil AROD, and that’s saying something)
Anyway, Todd Frasier you can get, for 2 or 3 minor league studs (stupid I know, but after they got the top 2 prospects from the Red Sox and Nationals, can’t blame them for trying)
Rio Ruiz was hitting .211 when I looked in on him about a week ago…now up to .235, and he does have 11 RBI’s…but…is he an improvement?
LikeLike
Ken R. has a column that I think we would all agree on….
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/noah-syndergaard-injury-time-grame-new-york-mets-tommy-john-surgery-rosenthal-043017
LikeLike
“I call it the red-line factor,” Smoltz said. “When you keep running your engine above the red line, you’re going to blow it out. If you race your car hard for too long a period, it’s going to overheat.
“We’re getting dangerously close to every pitcher red-lining when he doesn’t really have to. They’re not preparing to learn how to pitch like it’s a six-gear car. They’re always in sixth gear. Never in fourth or fifth.”
Actually John, if you are in 6th, you would be in overdrive, and revs would be down 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bad Julio on the mound tonight. He has a game like this every 4th game or so… Still, the game is manageable. currently 6-3 Mutts.
I think I like the line up better with Adonis in the 2 hole and BP hitting 6th. The line up just seems to flow better. C’mon Snit, make it happen…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just thinking, Adonis kind of reminds me of when the Braves used Brian Hunter as their first baseman, he was replaced by Sid Bream and then McGriff. He was not awful but you always felt he was playing out of position.
LikeLike
So… who do you replace Adonis with? At this point, likely someone we have never heard about but either a couple more years away or when the Braves trade some of their pitching capital. Like I said, Adonis is not awful, just not a guy you build your franchise around.
LikeLike
V, again I ask…who do “you” want for 3rd base? Todd Frasier you can get, for 2 or 3 minor league studs.
Frazier is s FA at season’s end. So is Mike Moustakis. I’ll take either one.
LikeLike
… in FA, that is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see Adonis as the 2017 version of Jim Pressley.
In 2018, well jettison the contracts of Bartolo and Garcia, if not sooner. Well also lose Markasis and Philips from the books. And we’ll be paying the league minimums for Newcomb, Sims, DPetersom and Albies. There will be money to spend on a big name veteran FA to supplement the youngsters. The Terry Pendleton of 2018 if you will.
FA is not the way to build, but it is the way to fill out. Frazier or Moustakis would fill that bill nicely
LikeLike
I’m typing from my phone, btw. Pardon the typos.
LikeLike
As i recall, John S brought in 2 FAs for the 91 team… 3B and 1B. Maybe 3B and C for 2018?
LikeLike
Speaking of C in FA, Suzuki is a FA after this season, and Flow has a team option after this season. Who might be available… uh, Jonathan Lucroy maybe?
Maybe that’s where Coppy makes his splash. I just have the feeling he’s going to add at least 1 big name to the lineup in 2018.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Its just so hard to count on getting free agents. (i too am using phone as i wait to see skin doc …so
..errors..more than usual) can u really plan these days?
LikeLike
Fraiser and lucroy will have a ton of suitors . lucroy may re-sign . braves could outbid anyone in the early 90s. I guess technically theu could now but…what would it take for those guys? 25 to 30 mil per year? But like u say a lot xoning off books
LikeLike
Naw Vee, Presley??? He’s not that bad…
Well, The Braves made it interesting but a bridge too far to comeback from.
LikeLike
Naw Vee, Presley??? He’s not that bad…
Jim Presley 1990: .242/.282/.414
Adonis Garcia 2017: .226/.255/.312
Yes, there’s time to pull out of that. And he’s looked better lately. But he’s still nothing more than a placeholder.
The problem is that there doesn’t appear to be a real long term solution on the horizon for the near future. That is unless they can lure Frazier or Moustakis here.
LikeLike
Minor leaguer whose name you’ll start hearing more and more…
OF Tyler Neslony, currently playing with the Florida Fire Frogs in high-A.
For the month of April, he led the entire organization in both OBP (.453) and SLG (.605), to go with an impressive .326 AVG.
Neslony was a 9th round pick out of Texas Tech last season, so he’s just in his 1st full season of pro ball. But he’s already 23 after a very successful college career. Given his age and relative maturity level, if he continues to kill high-A pitching, he’ll almost certainly move up to AA by mid-season. And if he proves he can hit AA pitching, he could be a fast riser.
I remember watching him in the College World Series last year before the Braves took him, and he stood out to me as a guy who was more advanced than the other college players around him. And when I saw he was drafted by ATL, I knew he would not be a wasted pick.
As a consistent, high OBP, lefty hitting RF with power, he sounds alot like a guy that is currently roaming around STP’s RF. Wonder if he has a beard?
LikeLike
2nite’s lineup:
Ender, CF
BP, 2B
Freeman, 1B
MattyK, LF
Kakes, RF
Adonis, 3B
Suzuki, C
Ron Swanson, SS
RAD, RHP
LikeLike
After 500 PA for Adonis, we will revisit him. Still say he hits better in the 2 hole but what do I know? I’m just a boo bird….
Agree though, Adonis is not going to be a 10 year guy with the Braves, he’s just keeping the seat warm but his defense has improved, not ready to fit him with a gold glove but he is superior to some I have seen hold down third.
I have to hand it to the Mutts, they have collectively found a way to put together good at bats and score runs. Sometimes a team realizes they can depend on someone else to do it.
Now Krol & Mott…. I know the Braves are waiting for Cabrera to come back but Krol has not impressed me and neither has Mott.
LikeLike
Not many Ryan Zimmerman’s or David Wrights to be had unless you are ready to shell out some serious coin, even then, it all a crap shoot. At some point your short stop gets big and you have to move him to third. Your third baseman gets heavy and you move him to first. Or the get hurt and you start all over again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, the Cubs have kid by the name of Jeimer Candelario who is a switch hitter, good command of the strike zone and is blocked at both 1st and 3rd. Cubs can use pitching, some the Braves have an abundance of…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not exactly a pitching duel tonight. Nobody is missing a lot of bats… fun as long as the Braves stay ahead.
Dicky’s quad still bothering him methinks.
LikeLike
Folks, I have a feeling the Braves pitching staff will burn Coppy in effigy if he were to trade Nick Markakis. At least two runs saved tonight with outstanding diving plays in right.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Last night’s game was closer than it should have been but when you have a big lead, just don’t walk people. Young Matt Wisler is still learning, his slider was a bit too flat and the Mutts made him pay. Still, order was restored and all is forgiven. I guess this is why the Braves have only trotted him out in games where they have a big lead.
LikeLike
Gil, hadn’t heard the name Jeimer Candelario before, glad you mentioned him….hmm, a switch hitting 3rd baseman, have we ever had one of those before??? 😛
http://cubbiescrib.com/2017/02/01/chicago-cubs-prospect-candelario-might-just-trade-bait/
LikeLike
Jeimer Candelario at AAA Iowa in 2017: .321/.436/.679, 4 HR, 12 2B
Rio Ruiz at AAA Gwinnett in 2017: .241/.287/.402, 3 HR, 5 2B
I’d say there is a distinct upgrade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jeimer is their #4 prospect and standing by at AAA for a 2017 promotion, so a similar pitcher for us would be Sean Newcomb. That trade ain’t happening.
So it’d take a lesser ranked pitcher in a similar holding position, plus another guy.
#18 Lucas Sims + #19 Ricardo Sanchez?
I’d want another an additional lesser prospect in return in that package. How about #29 prospect RHP Preston Morrison?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trades always come down to who needs what when and how badly, The Cubs are blessed with an embarrassment of riches in position players while the Braves have pitching, pitching, pitching.
Newcome will take Jamie Garcia’s spot either this year or next but you can pretty much bank on it.
The Cubs will want a can’t miss arm or two. Maybe even a position player like Ruiz in addition. Doesn’t it really come down to how soon the Braves feel they are ready to make the big push?
How much capital do you invest in one player? It is a real balancing act, just ask the Royals…
I still say the Cubs should have kept Fowler. He meant a lot more than just OBP… He was a big club house presence..
So, tonight’s contest between the Braves and Mutts. Could go either way. No use fooling ourselves, the Nats are the class of the division right now but it is a really long season. So many pitfalls to fall into as far as DC goes, They better put as much space as they can between themselves and the rest of the division. One 5 game winning streak and a tem is right in it.
LikeLike
Looks like Jace is getting the start tonight against deGrom. Peterson’s bat has heated up of late and I’m sure BP didn’t fuss too much about it.
LikeLike
P-ew.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Newcome will take Jamie Garcia’s spot either this year or next but you can pretty much bank on it.
No question. The plan calls for Garcia and Colon to be effective and in demand at the trade deadline. Garcia is cooperating. Colon has some catching up to do.
Sean Newcomb is the next guy up, and Aaron Blair is not far bwhind. His slider and fastball placement is greatly improved over last season. He’s made himself back into a legit prospect again. Now Wisler? Uh… he just got sent back down. He’s fallen way back.
One other guy who seems to have turned the corner is Lucas Sims. His fastball is finally being located effectively, which sets up that big, beautiful hook. He may get his shot sometime this summer as well.
LikeLike
You can always tell when I’m typing from my phone… the spelling goes sideways. It’s simply because I cannot see the little (and very light) characters on my screen. I’m back on the ol’ desktop now. 🙂
LikeLike
That was right ugly last night… 16-5…. Well, at least it wasn’t the kind of game you lost sleep over and I didn’t, I gave up early. Now, let’s split this series…
LikeLike
Writing is on the wall. I hope EOF doesn’t have a year’s lease…
LikeLike
EOF in 2017: 14 appearances, 7.45 ERA, 1.552 WHIP
Not good.
Ian Krol in 2017: 11 appearances, 8.44 ERA, 1.594 WHIP
Worse.
Any question as to why they brought up a lefty?
LikeLike
Sam Freeman at AAA Gwinnett in 2017: 9 appearances, 0.87 ERA, 1.065 WHIP
This is your chance young man. Seize the day.
Actually, not so young. he’s 29 and has ML appearances with STL, TEX and MIL.
This is your chance
young manfella. Seize the day.LikeLiked by 2 people
If SamFree can prove he belongs, either EOF or Krol is a goner once MoCab is ready. I think MoCab has 1 more rehab appearance to make in Gwinnett. (Disclaimer: MoCab’s overall numbers have been OK, but his control hasn’t. He’s thrown about as many balls as strikes.)
LikeLike
BTW- Sam Freeman is not currently on the 40-man roster. There is 1 open spot, so the team could simply fill to capacity. They could also choose to part ways with Chaz Roe, who has disappeared like a Hillary email since going on the DL with a “lat strain” on 4/8.
LikeLike
And there ya go…
LikeLike
LikeLike
Very happy to welcome hite.net and Natal who are now following B&S! Both of you feel free to join in the chatter anytime! Great group here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, stormy wake up call this AM.. 2 inches of rain and much of it came down sideways. Part of the same system that marched thru Georgia…
I thought Garcia was pitching a nice game last night but just as well the game was washed out when it was, much better to start over than have it called after 5 with the Braves trailing.
The Red Birds come to town tonight and Folty, who has been the Braves best pitcher of late draws another tough assignment against Lynn. The law of averages has to allow Folty to win one of these contest. He has been solid if you ask me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Part of the same system that marched thru Georgia…
Yes it did.
LikeLike
Here’s something to be excited about…
LHP Kolby Allard, the Braves 1st round pick in 2015, is dominating at AA at the tender age of 19 after jumping over the high-A Fire Frogs (I could not not wait to type that) from low-A Rome last season.
On the season, he owns a 1.36 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 6 starts (33 IP), including 6 shutout innings last night that featured 11 K’s and 0 walks.
That’s dealing folks, and the kid is just 19.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chipper on Ozzie, courtesy of ajc:
Former Atlanta Braves third baseman and future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, currently Special Assistant to Baseball Operations jumped into the Fox Sports’ broadcasting booth during Thursday night’s Braves-New York Mets rain delay to give a scouting report on minor-leaguer Ozzie Albies.
During the broadcast, Jones said he watched the 20-year-old Albies play for the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves earlier in the week and while Albies is “coming along nicely,” he’s not ready to move up yet.
“This is a kid who I think is going to lead this organization going forward,” Jones said. “He does have some flaws that we’ve got to fix and it’s up to us as a staff and as an organization to fix that. … He’s a very, very good player, but he’s not quite ready yet.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Last night during Chipper’s interview with Chip Caray, he talked about the young kids in the system, the pitchers, the hitters. He said while they were really some bright spots, to remember these kids are still only 19 and 20 years old. He is right, sometimes you have to be patient and allow these prospects to develop and learn their craft.
Being able to perform in A, AA and AAA does not always mean success at the major league level. Don’r be in too big a hurry for these kids to get here but they will get here and if done right, the Braves will be good again for a very long time.
I still remember Steve Avery’s first start in the majors against the Mets. He was killing it at triple A Richmond but he got shelled in New York.
Okay, I can wait a while longer, maybe another two years but owo is it going to be fun again.
One of the position players he spoke of was Austin Riley Said he was a Bob Horner clone. Will strike out a lot but also hit a bunch of homers.. We shall see. Now, for the moment at hand… Let’s hold the Cardinals in check… .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gil, it was interesting to hear Chipper, wasn’t it? Talked about that catcher too, but like you said, the hitters are a few years away….
LikeLike
well….that was the opposite of a fun game, a good game…
I’m sorry, but Dansby is useless right now….it would be one thing if he was fielding well, but he keeps screwing up(I know, you expect that from a rookie) or not even seeing the ball off the bat, it seems…or has little range to his left…which isn’t gonna work for a SS. yet another 0 for night…can’t even seem to catch up to 92 MPH fastballs…if he doesn’t get hot soon, he really, really needs to go down for a few weeks….
I hear the future is bright, starting pitching wise. Great! Swell even! But…the #5 pitcher (til giving up 7 tonight) is the best starter, the knuckleballer is the 2nd best, (but just ave and not eating up innings) Jaime looked better last night,(still gave up 3 runs before rainout) but really doesn’t impress me at all. He was flat out terrible the last outing even though he only gave up 2 runs. Kept throwing ball after ball in the dirt…don’t know how or why he even came back out for the 6th, he was that bad in the 5th…
Not sure what is wrong with Julio, but I expect him to correct it (and never throw a strike to Harper again)
Bartolo….hmmm, Bartolo 6.27 ERA. But, he never throws hard, still hits 90. Just lack of movement? Teams being more patient, not swinging at outside pitches? Just his time to lose his touch?
I realize it’s just May, but…do they really want another 90 + loss season? Especially with 3/5ths of the rotation being guys that won’t be here next year?
Are they going to run out Bartolo til Aug no matter what cuz he’s getting paid a fair bit, and thinking someone is going to trade someone of value for a 44 y.o.?
LikeLike
Yes Ber, pretty poor game last night from a Braves’ fan perspective. Agree with you on every point. I want Dansby to succeed just like I wanted Francour to succeed but if it takes sending him down to triple A for a month to do it, well, do it…. You are right too in it’s not just his bat…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tyler Flowers: “There’s a lot to forget about today.”
LikeLike
Agree with you on every point
Can I get this made into wallpaper, or embroidered on a pillow ? 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
ROFLMAO!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It can be strange and somewhat scary how my mind works sometimes. After watching the Braves pitching corp get shelled the past week, all I can think about is how they must know what it feels like to be a baby seal upon spotting a Canadian with a club…
I wonder if Roger sees the Atlanta pitching stat lines in the paper and chuckles, all the while having a team hanging tough with the Yankees in the AL East.
Dansby getting the night off, whew, thanks Snit, we all need the break. While Frenchy was forever getting struck out on the down and away slider, Dansby is getting eat up with high and tight fastballs. That and never getting the benefit of the doubt on close pitches. Welcome to the big leagues son… No one ever said it would be fair.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A little about yesterday’s game. SIGH!…. The Braves had their chances but just could not get the big hit when needed. I am sure some in Braves Country will blame Collmeter for giving up the 2 run dinger in the 14th inning, I think the loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the Braves offense or lack thereof.
Oh well, an off day and then on to Houston and a chance to see our old friends BMac and El Orso Blanco…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if Roger sees the Atlanta pitching stat lines in the paper and chuckles
Chuck Hernandez may or not be the problem. He was hired because of his experience with the upcoming young pitchers, but they’re not there yet. Kinda weird.
LikeLike
This team is really, really hard to figure out. I still believe they are a team capable of a .500 season except they aren’t playing like it consistently… and I think that’s the key. So why aren’t they?
This is my amateur assessment after the Braves fell to 11-18, almost 1/4 way into the season;
One, I never make any wholesale judgments on any team until Memorial Day… never. Just too many weather related outcomes and uneven schedules this early in the year. Heck, it seems as if the Braves have played half their games vs. the Mets. That said, you can make some targeted observations.
Two, the Braves veteran starters, brought in for the sole purpose of providing innings and stability, have provided neither innings nor stability. The bullpen has already been overused and we’re only in the first week of May. Is it because we’ve played multiple series against both NYM and WAS, the top 2 HR hitting teams in the league? Or maybe they are the top 2 HR hitting teams because they’ve played multiple series against the Braves..? Doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that the starting pitching has been too inconsistent, and that includes Julio and Folty. Something has to give, and soon. No offense perform consistently when they are constantly trying to dig out of a hole every stinking night. So how do you get the starters on track? I suppose if I knew that, I’d be employed by a MLB team somewhere.
Three, the bullpen, which can have its bad moments, actually has turned in some pretty good outings. Heck, yesterday they gave us 7 innings of 1 hit ball until the fateful 14th. But when you have to trot a guy out there 3 nights in a row, you have to expect trouble. Also, if you take away just Wisler’s stats alone, the overall numbers improve dramatically. JimmyJohn, Viz, JoRam have all been dominant at times. Sam Freeman thus far has been effective. But when you expose Motte, Kroll and EOF too often, you’re gonna get burned. And you never know if you’re gonna get the good Collmenter or the bad Collmenter. Ever. The inconsistency of our starters has overexposed the pen. Period. Improve the rotation and you automatically improve the bullpen. That part is simple.
Four, as I mentioned earlier, if you stop giving up an early lead every game, the offense can work more effectively. When I look at the lineup, it’s absolutely a lineup capable of pushing a team to a .500 record or better. Thanks to Adonis’ late revival, the top of the lineup is actually pretty good. Our catching tandem even leads the league in OBP at the position. No comments are needed for Dansby. Our eyes all work perfectly. I’ll only add my agreement with Gil that the kid is getting no help from the umps. That called strike 3 he took in the 11th inning yesterday was shoulder high. That’s just salt in the gaping wound. Heck, it made me feel uncomfortable and I’m not feeling his pressure. Overall, these guys are capable. They’re just being betrayed by the pitching.
Five, the bench is still not constructed well. Lane Adams has been a good addition, and Jace has been better than expected. Whichever of our catching tandem is not starting has respectively held his own as a PH. But here’s where it drops off the cliff. We’re already running a short bench, and we’ve got Emilio Bonifacio still taking up a spot. Why? He’s not contributing anything. Might as well add a 9th reliever. (If I’m in charge, he’s released immediately and Johan Camargo is added.) The absence of a good bench is exemplified by our 1-3 record in extra innings? Heck, we were forced to PH Julio in yesterday’s tilt. What greater example needs be shown? If you’re gonna run a short bench, you better make darn sure the 4 guys you have are of ML quality. I only count 3 on our bench. That’s a huge problem. We had the potential winning run on 3B in the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings yesterday, but nobody could drive them in. Good teams have a guy that can come off the bench and get it done at least once out of 3 times. We don’t.
Six, the manager is still the same guy that was a breath of fresh air in 2016. I don’t think he is a factor here. You could have Sparky Anderson in the dugout with this team and they still would have us all pulling our collective hair out. It’s simply not possible to put a puzzle together when you don’t have all the pieces.
Finally, you add all that up and you get 11-18. Want to get back to .500? Find more quality starts from the rotation and find a real bench replacement for Boni. They might not contend for a WC, but they sure as heck won’t be as frustrating as this current group.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK, maybe they weren’t so hard to figure out after all. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
almost 1/4 way into the season
Actually it’s not. My math was as bad as our bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alan Carpenter at Tomahawk Take (whose writing is the main reason I read over there) gives his summary of the current slump:
Over the past week:
The starters (notably Julio Teheran and Bartolo Colon) are giving up too much. He should have included Folty in that statement. And none of them are going long enough in their starts.
Brandon Phillips is still playing hurt… and hitting .167 in limited action. Apparently wrapping up like a Chipotle burrito wasn’t a good idea after all. He should have been DL’d and allowed to fully heal.
Jace Peterson has been bouncing around to try and spell most of the infielders. But he’s been at .143. He’s actually played pretty well and has had some timely hits, even if not in abundance.
Dansby Swanson might consider changing his uniform number back to “2”… the 7 still isn’t working for him (.125). Hmmm, hadn’t thought of that. Last to wear it? Gordon Beckham. He sucked too. Francoeur must have cursed it. Maybe changing back to “2” is not a bad idea. 🙂
Even dependable Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman have cooled in recent days: .200 and .227 respectively. Slumps are contagious. That said, I’m not worried about either of those guys.
LikeLike
Some lead worthy blogage there Vee
LikeLike
I would like to make one comment about Nick Markakis.. He has had about a season’s worth of high lite reel plays in right field this week.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nick has been so steady both in the field and at the plate, and I can imagine he’s even more stabilizing in the clubhouse. His real value is hard to measure from just observation.
LikeLike
Gil, you are right, have CL put some purty pics with V’s long post, and make it a blog!
This one is getting long(slow) quickly
LikeLike
One hopeful observation on this off day prior to playing in HOU…
The Braves will play 7 games in the month of May in AL stadiums. Even speaking of just the games in HOU this week, wouldn’t you want to return your bench to 5? You’re using the DH, so the necessity to PH for the pitcher is negated. Can’t we safely travel with just 7 relievers?
Now.. please don’t think I’m advocating promoting Ryan Howard to be our DH. He’s slashing a Bonifacious .184/.238/.263 at Gwinnett in his bid to extend his career.
Meanwhile, Johan Camargo is slashing .309/.350/.473 with 2 HR’s in just 22 G. He isn’t a DH, but he is hitting.
If I’m the GM, I DFA Motte, who has been disappointing, and I promote Camargo. He fits the bench and is already on the 40-man roster.
Then, in HOU, TOR and LAA, I DH Kemp and play Lane Adams in LF. Adams has hit well, has power and speed, and plays great defense. It gives Kemp a couple of days “rest” while keeping his bat at the cleanup spot.
My lineup looks like:
Ender, CF
Adonis, 3B
Freddie, 1B
Matty, DH
Nick, RF
BP, 2B
Adams, LF
Catcher of the Day
Dansby, SS
LikeLike
I didn’t comment last nite cuz…it wouldn’t have been nice…
tooting my horn a bit…I never understood how getting 60% of your rotation from free agency/trades was going to make the team demonstrably better when you were getting…mediocre guys. Big Sexy actually had the best numbers of the 3 last year, but he will be 44 this month. How many pitchers are there even 40 still in baseball? do we have both of them?
Counting on guys that old to be innings eaters…well.
I already said Jaime just didn’t look that good to me….could be just when I’ve seem him , but…he’s not a guy you want facing Houston, Nats, Mutts, Dodgers, Baltimore, Cubs…I could go on…
and I had this “brilliant” thought early on…in the AL, it’s a lot easier to have innings eaters because of the DH. Or if you are team that scores a ton of runs (this team does have it’s moments, but still not a consistent team offensively ) so if it 3-2 Mutts in the 6th, and you get 2 runners on before the pitcher comes up, you will run out there Boni, cuz…cuz…the GM tells you to.
How much credit does Roger McDowell deserve for a pitcher’s success we have seen here? well, how many scrap heap guys did he prop up long enough to have the braves sucker a team into trading someone/something fairly valuable for a guy on fumes that immediately got hurt, started stinking?
It’s so funny how the former class clown became the most serious student ever…Even DOB said he didn’t talk to DOB at all…became a bit of a pill it seemed.
And I bet he was old school enough that some younger guys, surrounded by many a snowflake in their real worlds, had issues with that…all I know is he was quite successful as the Pitching coach here…but upper management probably thinks you can just have a printout of what some computer readout says is the best way to coach pitchers..and have guys look at HD video of themselves, and be good…(wow, I also feel the need to add, get off my lawn! )
But you get my point….I hope!
As for Dansby…I think it was from the AJC instead of the TV guys, but I heard/read a good point made by somebody I know longer recall(I SAID, GET OFF MY LAWN!)
that he has a lot more pressure to make it than a typical rookie…He was already being made into the face of the franchise when he came up last year…why? Marketing, the main reason…New park, got sell handsome new face of the franchise….well, hold your horses guys! Yeah, he was having success last year, but you were touting him while he was in the minors!
so, adding unnecessary pressure to a rookie is not a good idea…also keeping him up here while his confidence keeps getting crushed, is also not a good idea…of course going with a razor thin bench means not really having a backup SS (Is Jase good enough for 2-3 weeks? I guess we’d find out)
But seeing teams like the Card or Mutts lose so many key players and still steamroll this braves team is no fun….
and I feel like “they” will keep running the 2 key free agent guys out there instead of a kid cuz…money/trade potential …which is NOT good for the future of this team, IMHO….
LikeLike
think how negative it would have been last night? 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Braves release Ryan Howard from his minor league contract. So long Mr Howard, we hardly knew you. Hey. it was worth a shot….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Braves trade Kevin Chapman and cash for IF/OF switch hitting Danny Santana of the Twins. Not sure if he will be going to Triple A or taking Boni’s spot.
LikeLike
Per DOB, Lane Adams to Triple A, Santana will be with ATL in Houston Tue night.
Wonder if his walk up music is Black Magic Woman?
LikeLiked by 1 person
In other news, our old friend Marteen Prado is returning to the DL with a ham string injury.
LikeLike
Great. Now we have 2 Bonifacios. The one guy who was producing was optioned. Lane Adams did everything they asked of him. Boni must be holding that incriminating file that keeps getting handed down.
LikeLiked by 2 people
V, how can you be so sarcastic? I think he is just what we need to make a push for the playoffs!!!!! 😮
I also saw the one and only homer by Ryan Howard at AAA, (local sports news ) he looked to be out of shape, and hobbled around the bases like he was doing his Babe Ruth impression…I have to believe something was really hurting him….Shame, always liked the guy, and he seemed to be forever punished for signing a big contract…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Vee, but he is a 26 year old version of Boni… Lane’s failing was he was not a switch hitter. However, I agree, they cut the wrong player.
Ber, getting old sucks, it sucks even more when you are only 37… I hope Howard saved a bunch of that money so he can enjoy his retirement. Maybe pick up a side job as a hitting coach somewhere if he wants to stay in the game. Bat speed and reaction time and eyesight fail a player’s ability to do things, those are less important when teaching others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I call it the “Keith Lockhart” file. He held it first from 1997-2002. It disappeared for a couple of years before resurfacing with fellow 2B Pete Orr in 2005. He held it until 2007. Corky Miller had it in 2008 before it fell into the hands of Diory Hernandez for 3 years. Somewhere during the 2011 season, Jose Constanza gained possession, and held it until 2015.
I was hoping that with the move of the team into a new ballpark, that the file might have been lost in transition. But it would appear that it has now reared its ugly head again. It’s obvious that Emilio Bonifacio is the most recent recipient and has been keeping it active. I don’t know what incriminating pictures are in that file, but they must be doozies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve got no real issue with Danny Santana.. In fact, I think it was another genius acquisition by Coppy to get something of utility out of a middling minor league pitcher. I honestly don’t know how he does it.
Santana is slashing a less than desirable .200/.231.360 w/ 1 HR in 26 PA’s thus far in 2017, but does have a semi-respectable .266/.300/.381 line over 4 years. He was a top prospect with MIN at one point and had a strong rookie season. He’s a great “change of scenery” candidate. I really like the potential.
Santana’s addition to the bench should have made it stronger. But optioning Lane Adams instead of releasing Boni only serves to negate the gain. In fact, looking at Santana’s power numbers, it weakens the bench. We lost our only power threat. Adams slashed .333/.352/.588 w/ 4 HR in 13 games at Gwinnett, and an even .333/.333/.333 in 9 games off the bench in ATL. He easily met expectations here in his short tenure.
Boni? .167/.200/.292. How in the #@!$%^& is he still here?
Of course, the official reasoning is that Adams had an option remaining, so it was an easy move. But in my mind, releasing Boni is just as easy. He’s contributing NOTHING. His biggest asset entering the season was that he was the backup to CF for Ender. But Adams also plays CF, as does the newly acquired Santana.
BTW- something else to keep an eye on with Santana. He’s also played alot of SS. Not sayin’… just sayin’…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not one to string conclusions together… 😉
But one does have to wonder a little about picking up another utility guy. Santana has played mainly CF and SS, but does have ML time at 2B, 3B, and both OF corners. It makes you wonder if this could be a precursor to another move. Yes… I know it’s only May, but Coppy has proven he’ll start moving parts in June as opposed to July, and the groundwork for alot of those deals begins weeks ahead. Perhaps the fact that Ozzie is currently slumping in AAA (and still only 20 years old) has lead the organization to the conclusion he needs the full season at AAA to continue his development. But of course, that should not preclude Coppy getting what he can for BP at mid-season.
Who knows?
LikeLike
Speaking of young’uns…
19 year old LHP Kolby Allard was named AA Southern League Pitcher of the Week and Braves organizational Pitcher of the Month for April. He’s 2-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 6 starts this season, including his last start when he had 11 K in 6 IP with 0 R, 0 BB and just 3 H allowed.
Ya’ll realize that AA is the big stepping stone of minor league ball, right? That’s the level that usually separates the real prospects from the wannabes. He skipped high-A. He’s just 19. He’s dominating.
It’s why he’s the #37 prospect in Baseball America’s Top 100 and #3 for the Braves, ahead of both Sean Newcomb (#5) and Max Fried (#8).
For the record, also squeezed in between Allard and Newcomb are Mike Soroka (#4, also 19 years old, also skipped high-A and is pitching well at AA), and Ian Anderson (#6).
Man, oh man the organization is stocked with young arms! Hopefully the pipeline begins to supply the ML team later this year with Newcomb and Lucas Sims (#18). Then the supply should be steady.
LikeLike
No real comments need to be made over the release of Ryan Howard from his minor league contract. It was worth a shot; it didn’t get anywhere. I’m sure he’ll try to continue somewhere else, and I’m sure somebody will give him a shot. I wish him luck, just not against ATL.
Bon Voyage.
LikeLike
So many rabbits Vee, I don’t know which one to chase…
Okay, about Ozzie, Chipper said in his short 1/2 inning interview that Ozzie was ready to play defensively in the majors now but he still had some things to learn in the minors. I take that to mean he is still learning to hit and may never be a real threat to put up offensive numbers. We’ll see.
Yes, all those young arms are like money. Some will play for the Braves, some will play somewhere else. All are still young and the Mets have shown us that too much too soon can be wrought with peril.
Santana is a talented kid. He showed potential and maybe he has been moved around a bit too much for his bat to settle in. Still, 26 at bats is not enough to really judge a guy. He has shown that he can play anywhere so I don’t think it is a real risk. He was DFA on May 5th so I guess the Twinkies felt they could slip him thru to the minors but the Braves gave up something to get him so why not?
I agree on the Lane Adams vs Bonifacio thread. I doubt he will be with the team past May if Santana shows anything.
LikeLike
And I still like Adonis hitting in the two hole… I think it is the propensity of opposing pitchers to throw him fast balls ahead of Freddie coming to the plate.
“propensity”… blog first?… 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Maybe the biggest news from yesterday is that 19-year-old CF Ronald Acuna, the Braves #5 prospect and rising star, was promoted from high-A Florida to AA Mississippi last night.
He hit .287/.336/.478 with 14 steals, 5 triples, 3 HR, 3 doubles and 21 runs scored through 28 G in the Florida State League.
This kid is gonna be special. As I mentioned earlier, AA is just a phone call away in an emergency.
LikeLike
And I still like Adonis hitting in the two hole… I think it is the propensity of opposing pitchers to throw him fast balls ahead of Freddie coming to the plate.
It seems to agree with him.
LikeLike
With movement both on the ML team and in the system, it would appear that Coppy might be lining up for something. As frustrated as we are with this team and its inconsistency, you know it’s even worse for Coppy. I think changes could be afoot.
Keep an eye on this…
If Bartolo gets shelled tonight in HOU, I won’t be surprised to see him take a 10 day rest on the DL. Lucas Sims pitched last night for his 3rd win, allowing just 5 H and 1 ER over 6.1 IP. He’s put together a very solid season in his 2nd go around at AAA (3-0, 2.57 ERA) and could be in line to slide into Big Sexy’s rotation slot for a couple of games. The 22-year-old is finally locating his mid-90’s fastball well, which sets up that big hammer curve that’s his out pitch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
BTW- Lucas Sims is a former #1 pick and former #1 prospect. Of course, that was before the system got turned upside down and the team begun hoarding high-upside arms. That plus a tough time controlling his FB led to his slide to #18. But as we all know, control is the last thing to come in a young pitcher’s development. The kid is still just 22.
LikeLike
Last rant on the Boni vs. Adams issue:
I completely agree with Alan Carpenter on this. He said,
That leads to an obvious question, which I’ll defer to Mark Bowman to answer: “When it comes down to Boni vs. Adams, one guy has options and the one that doesn’t costs $1.25M regardless of where he spends this year.”
Still, one has to wonder if performance truly matters here. If Bonifacio gets paid whether he’s on the team or not (he does), then perhaps he should be paid to go on vacation and allow Adams to improve the team instead. Hopefully Lane will get a shot to return.
Exactly.
LikeLike
I know, I said that was the last rant, but this is sort of Part 2 to that one…
Is there any question whatsoever that Boni would easily pass through waivers? So why not DFA him and outright him when the waiver period is up? And even if by some strange and odd occurrence he should be claimed, isn’t that a good thing? Doesn’t that relieve us of the $1.25M boondoggle?
LikeLike
Patrick Weigel, who is a starting pitcher, has been promoted to AAA Gwinnett. Another dot to connect or am I off base?
LikeLike
In 58 AA IP, Weigel notched 55 K’s and has a 2.64 ERA.
LikeLike
Also, OF Adam Brett Walker has been released from AA, likely to make room for Ronald Acuna. ABW slashed a very disappointing .122/.182/.388 in 14 games at AA after being demoted from AAA where he slashed .128/.205/.282 in his first 10 games.
LikeLike
Still, 26 at bats is not enough to really judge a guy.
Oh I don’t know. Boni has 24 AB’s…I think we know what he is… 😉
LikeLike
Big difference in a 30 something guy who is a slap hitter and a 26 year old who has some power, not a lot but some. Cheaper too. I think it is all a matter of timing trying to get past the “super two” stage. Not like they will get the team into the play-offs this season but Coppy has also shone he is not afraid to eat a contract.
Nice to see Acuna move up, I will not be shocked to see him in Atlanta this season. Not right away but if he can hit in AA, he can hit in the majors…
LikeLike
well, I was sorry I had missed the game with the Astros, (hoped to catch a few innings, but it must have been a fairly quick game) then I saw the score…
Uggh…
even the folks on Sports South couldn’t sugar coat this…this…you know what.
I gained a lot of respect for Snit…he didn’t do much sugar coating at all. Saying basically it’s deflating to have your offense have to try to dig you out of a 4-5 run deficit after the first inning or so, night after night. I just hope Coppy et all aren’t bothered by it…
“Hey Snit, gotta stay positive at all times man! ” Glad the new stud was started right away, too bad he went 0-4, perhaps you should have had Superstar Bonifacio pinch hit for him…he’s sooooo close to breaking out, then look out National League!!!!
J.J. and Brian Jordan were trying to be positive, but kept going back to Colon, and Kelsey was the one saying how good he was last year, 3.50 ERA (3.43, but close enough) but perhaps at 43….I think she even mentioned guys in AAA….
B.J. even seemed to laugh after she said this…not sure why..unless it was just her being so honest.
We all know there is a TON of pitching talent in AA and AAA
We also know this current group of management will….eventually admit errors and correct them….I understand not wanting to jettison Colon 2nd week in May…but, how long do you give a guy a spot in the rotation who now has a 7 + ERA? Put him on the 10 day DL, something (and via the “highlights” I saw of homers he gave up, he wasn’t even hitting 90, so perhaps he is hurt)
Everyone basically has a 4 or higher ERA right now, and everyone has sucked of late…I think Jaime’s game this afternoon is a fairly big one for him. go 5,6 and give up 3…fine…but get blown out and…oh who am I kidding, they will run him out several more times, he’s the only leftie…but, considering Coppy and company felt Aaron Blair and Wisler weren’t going to have a chance for rotation spot this year, how long to they go with Colon, Dickey, and Garcia IF they don’t all turn it around in the next start or two?
LikeLike
considering Coppy and company felt Aaron Blair and Wisler weren’t going to have a chance for rotation spot this year
Blair and Wisler are no longer real candidates to move up. They’re nothing more than depth now. Lucas Sims will probably be the next starter up, with Newcomb following him.
I won’t be surprised to see Sims soon.
LikeLike
He also had a stolen base.
LikeLike
I stand by my prediction from yesterday… I believe Bartolo could see a 10-day DL stint. He could be hurt. It would explain the dramatic dropoff. Or has age finally caught up with him? Maybe. One thing I do know… they have to fix him. He needs to win games both for the team and for his mid-season marketability. Otherwise he hurts The Plan. Can’t hurt The Plan.
LikeLike
Day baseball today. 1:30pm start.
LikeLike
And just like he did yesterday in his first game at the AA level, Ronald Acuna knocks the first pitch he saw today out of the park.
Not a bad start to the AA stage of his development.
LikeLike
Emilio gets the start today in RF with Nick playing the DH role.
Ugh.
LikeLike
Blair and Wisler are no longer real candidates to move up
Yeah, after I wrote all that, I saw that they both…stink. to put it mildly. Wisler 4.94 ERA, Blair 7.17 (I thought he was briefly pitching well?)
Luke Jackson has a 7 + ERA (man 2 starters with 7 + ERAs, yikes)
and the not very good Astros starter got to 3-2 on both Ender and BP (and BP was fouling off several of them) and for some reason, Ender was running like it was 3-2 2 outs, and when BP struck out, Ender was thrown out by Gattis on a slow curve…easily…why do that with FF on deck???
LikeLike
LikeLike
Luke Jackson has a 7 + ERA
He’s not a viable starting candidate. He came up as a starter, has had relief experience, but is starting again in Gwinnett. The truth is that with all the starting potential around and behind him, he hasn’t got a chance to start in ATL. And as basically a 2 pitch pitcher, he’s best suited for the bullpen anyway.
The only reason I can see that he’s continued to start in Gwinnett is to keep some sort of trade value. But that won’t happen as a starter now. I still think he could be a good short man.
LikeLike
I assume he’ll take the spot vacated by Patrick Weigle who was bumped to AAA yesterday. Who’s spot will Weigle take at AAA? And where is that mystery pitcher going? As for me, I’d like to see Lucas Sims get a start or two in ATL.
LikeLike
For those bemoaning the trade of Mallex Smith to Seattle, Gohara is the guy we got back.
LikeLike
Two pitch pitcher = relief pitcher…
Well, it was fun while it lasted but you cannot give a teams as good as the Stros extra outs.
Tight zone today by the way.
LikeLike
Can’t blame the pitchers today…
LikeLike
Garcia looked much better today…but, still gave up 4 runs, walked a what, 5 ? and pitched 6 innings…
LikeLike
V’s new lead is up!
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored. com (@MiLB) <a href=”https://twitter.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored. com (@MiLB) <a href=”https://twitter.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored. com/RLHjiM0d79
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) <a href=”https://twitter.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
LikeLike
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
<
div class=”embed-twitter”>
<
blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”500″>
<
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Ronald Acuna called up to AA yesterday – is already 6 for 8 with 2 homers & 4 runs scored.
LikeLiked by 1 person