by Gil Elliott
Mechanicsville VA
One has to wonder if Alex Anthopoulos did indeed make that trip to the crossroads for that deal with the devil. The remade outfield has sparked a resurgence in the offense led by a re-born Jorge Solar and a guy who should not have been set free to begin with in Adam Duvall. Timely hitting and power by Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario has been a boost too and has softened the blow of losing all world outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.
A team which could not seem to get out of its own way suddenly put it all together after the All-Star break and ran down every obstacle to take a lead in the NL East which they never relinquished.
So the Braves begin their quest to get to and win a World Series title today. Are the Braves good enough and deep enough to do it all? Yes but as we all have seen in the past, the baseball gods are a fickle bunch. You just never know when something strange will jump up and bite you in the butt. I suppose the best thing that could happen with this team is no one gets hurt and the umpires remain anonymous.
Braves & Stuff 
Gil, CL, VoR, and assorted others, get ready to rumble.
May Uncle Charlie live up to the buildup, i gave him when the Braves franchise was here and Morton had just advanced to AAA.
He was signing balls at the park after the game.
I told my grandson to get his autograph, that he would be a great pitcher in the future.
I never realized at the time just HOW far into the future that would be, but the realization of greatness has crept into his game at an advanced age.
Dealt to Pittsburgh, I was dismayed, sure the Braves had let another one ala Adam Wainwright slip away.
I continued following his game with growing frustration due to his lack of consistent success there.
Houston set things aright, and finally he came back home an accomplished front line twirler.
Though it took a bit for him to settle in this season, he’s come on of late to be the # 1 vet in our fledgling rotation.
I’m pulling for him all the way in this post-season.
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Thanks Gil!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Lets go braves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Many thanks, Chief! You da man!
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Sigh, the Braves had him on the ropes in the first inning and he somehow spit the hook… That’s baseball for ya.
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I hate numbers…. but, they don’t lie (at least when talking baseball 😉 ) braves haven’t won the first game of a playoff series on the road since….2001 (or 2002) ! Braves are….3-17 when they lose the first game of any playoff series… 😦
Perhaps someone mentioned it, but I didn’t hear anyone talk about how the Brewers catcher blocked the path to home plate. IF this was 2000, or 1990. big deal. But, I thought you weren’t allowed to do it? Oh I know, the ball brought him to the point of blocking the plate…yeah, right…Craig Counsell was one of those pesky, dare I say slimy players…bet he corked his bat (Cuz of all those homers 😆 ) ok, maybe not…but…he would use anything to gain an advantage, and I bet ya he tells catchers if there is going to be a play at the plate back up so when the ball comes in, you are blocking at least part of home plate. Soler would have likely scored if he hadn’t been blocked . Sigh…I knew right then that the braves were unlikely to win the game…
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of course they won game 2, didn’t have a second of doubt when Will Smith walked Christian Yelich 😉
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I will say one thing about Will Smith, he keeps people glued to their seats with anticipation….
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Hey everyone. I’m back in the fold after a week away from everything wandering up the coastline of Maine. Bucket list trip for Mrs. Vox and worthy of said distinction. Now I’m ready to settle in for a nice best 2-of-3 series with the homeboys holding home field advantage over the Yeliches. The yellow and blue crew will all be flailing away at Ian’s disappearing changeup on Monday. I’m confident.
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Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday CL. Your birthday fell on Thursday, a day that I was atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in the morning, followed by an afternoon excursion around Frenchman Bay in Bay Harbor, ME on the Margaret Todd, a real 4-masted schooner that is the largest (151′) working schooner in New England.
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BEAUTIFUL!!!!
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Been there, done that.
Wishing for a double dip.
It was great.
Enjoy
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Ber watching the game….why is Joc not starting? Wait, why are the braves pinch hitting for Ian so early in the game???
oh….OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I get it! 😆
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As I suspected, the Crew had no answer for Ian’s changeup. So who gets the ball tomorrow? Uncle Charlie is on 4 days rest. Does Huascar get a shot? His last couple of outings have not been very impressive…
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Chavez looked pretty stout today, Ynoa does not have to pitch a complete came. Once thru the order works for me. Smyly is well rested too/
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Tonights not a must win game for the braves, and yet…it kinda-sorta is…no way to we want to have to go back into Milwaukee for a game 5, so win it today guys, lets keep the suspense low, ok? 🙂
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“to we want?”
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It’s a tough call, but I think I’d start him today also, even if he goes short innings. Go 4 with the curveball we, then bring in Huascar and his slider. And should the unthinkable happen, Max is ready for the deciding Game 5.
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Forgot this link…
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Joc-tober.
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Duvey in CF and Joc in LF? Is that right?
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Anyone else think that the Rays are ruing they let Charlie Morton get away this season after losing the ALDS to the Red Sox?
So, this is October when your starters have to reach back and go on short rest as a matter of routine. Let’s go Charlie….
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Holy schnikey!
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Literally the last thing I was thinking about going into Game 4…
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If there is any positive spin to this at all, the OF defense just got better. And with pitching seemingly being the key to this series, maybe it’s not so bad. Plus, and not trying to kick a guy when he’s down, he’s not exactly tearing it up in this post-season. He’s slashing a frigid .091/.231/.182 with just 1 hit.
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YEA TEAM….
Freddie Freeman shows Liberty why he deserves the money…. Sign him Alec….
With so many young players on this team, they have an opportunity to challenge the record of the ’90s team for success. Not saying they will win the World Series this year but why not? They remind me of the 2013 Cardinals in that they are hot at the right time.
There will be a team out west with at least 106 wins this season who will be staying home after tomorrow night. Having a lot of wins is great but how many times did we see the Braves run out of gas in October? Just saying, this team has heart.
Best to win it all when you have the opportunity, I doubt the Phillies, Mets, Nats and Marlins will stand pat in the off season and will be flashing big bucks at free agents.
I don’t think the Braves have to sign Freddie for $300 million for 10 years but if he was in LA or NY they would not bat an eye at such a figure. Still, 5 years for $150 million would still be a bargain. Besides, the Braves already have Acuna and Albies in their back pocket for what amounts to chump change in the modern world.
One last word about all the gambling money in sports today…. BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID….
If people are willing to sell out their country for $100,000, why would they be tempted to shave a point or two? Just saying… Need a wide or loose strike zone? You Know!… The Astros still have their World Series rings don’t they?
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Excellent points, Gil.
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Freddie Freeman shows Liberty why he deserves the money…. Sign him Alec
I don’t see how they can’t get it done. Both sides want it, so it’s truly just a matter of finding the dollar amount that both sides can live with. Freddie Freeman knows it; Alex Anthopoulos knows it; Derek Schiller knows it; Terry McGuirk knows it.
Funny thing… I was listening to the pre-game radio show yesterday when a host stopped in the middle of a sentence and said, “What..? Do we have this confirmed? I’ll hold this a minute while we go to break. Hopefully we have it when we get back… we have it? OK…”
Then he spilled the beans on Jorge Soler. I honestly thought he was about to announce Freddie’s extension. That’s exactly what was on my mind. C-19 was the last thing I imagined.
Now we have a couple of days to hold while we await the outcome of Thursday’s Game 5 between the Dodgers and G-men. Why not use this time wisely and nail the extension down? What else is there to do… go to the Georgia Aquarium? Get to work Alex. Get to work Excel Sports Management.
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I know it’s too early to take a really hard look at the 2022 roster, but there really is alot of work that has to get done there outside of keeping Freddie in the fold.
Our entire OF is about become FA’s.
Well, that’s not entirely true. RAJ is under contract, but he won’t be back until closer to mid-season. Marcell Ozuna is under contract, but he may not be available at the start of the season even if he is still a member of the team. (Plus, he’s likely the DH if he’s still here.) Adam Duvall and Joc Pederson both have mutual options, and each would be foolish not to parlay their 2021 success into FA success. Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario are both FAs.
We do have Guillermo Heredia (Arb 2). That’s it.
The team’s other FAs (not counting Freddie; I refuse to include Freddie here) are: Drew Smyly, Chris Martin, Ehire Adrianza, and Jesse Chavez. Josh Tomlin is on a Team Option that is likely to be bought out. (There’s also Stephen Vogt, but he’s already gone.)
So by my count, Alex needs to replace 9 players on his active roster… not counting Freddie.
The team still has pitching bubbling up from the minors in guys like Tucker Davidson, Kyle Muller, and Spencer Strider. And Freddy Tarnok. Remember the name Freddy Tarnok. Hopefully a healthy Mike Soroka will return at some point. I still think Alex will look to bring in 1 veteran starter to hold up the back end of the rotation behind Charlie, Max, Ian and Muller/Davidson. (Huascar needs to be moved to the bullpen permanently.)
I expect William Contreras to be the backup to Td’A, and you have to think Cristian Pache will get another shot at making the roster. Drew Waters will also get a long look this year, having now spent a full year at AAA. But Pache/Waters and Heredia do not an OF make.
Prospect Braden Shewmake is the eventual utilityman, but he’s just wrapped up a successful AA campaign and still needs another year percolating at AAA before joining the big club. That said, Orlando Arcia is already on board and likely to replace Adrianza on the bench.
So the shopping list is pretty much defined as 1 starter and a pair of corner OFs. I could foresee possibly resigning Soler or Rosario… especially Rosario. He’s a guy that would likely be open to a shorter term deal to prove he’s healthy and build up a FA resume. But I doubt they’d bring both back. Duvall and Pederson are almost certainly headed for greener (read that as the color of money) pastures.
Oh… and maybe Alex will look for a real closer. Will Smith is still here for another year, but I can only take so much stress in the 9th inning. I’d like to think Strider can win that job, but they may keep him as a starter in AAA for another year.
The point to all this is that we better enjoy this club now, because alot of it will be hitting the trail when the last out is called. At least we have our stellar IF intact… right Alex and Freddie?
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Yep, much like the 90s when there was a lot of turnover from year to year.
Sometimes money is no longer the prime motivator but it still plays big. A player will often give a discount to stay somewhere but they are also mindful to not sell themselves short as long as they can be traded to a less desirable situation.
PS. Note to Snit, do not rely on Adam Duval in critical base running situations, he has been asleep at the wheel this week.
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I was driving and listening to the game on the radio last night and heard this call in real time. The Braves have some great radio announcers…
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Indeed.
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I was driving and listening to the game on the radio last night and heard this call in real time. The Braves have some great radio announcers…
same here, only I caught a few innings early on, and got home literally 2-3 pitches before the game ended. Where is Jim Powell again?
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Jim Powell is there. He was doing all the on-field interviews in the post-game. I like Jim Powell. I like the way he calls the game. But I think Ben Ingram is stellar. He really paints a picture. I listened to pretty much that whole game on radio, and didn’t really miss seeing it.
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I love listening to the game on radio, it takes me back to a time when my dad, my brother and I would all three sit in my mom’s ’57 Ford and listen to the game. It is amazing how one could visualize all the happenings on the field. Of late I have taken to muting the play by play by the TV announcers and just watching the game or turning on the radio play by play.
About tonight’s game. I am very conflicted as to who to root for. As much as I would prefer a Giants’ victory, if the Dodgers win, the Braves would have home field advantage which could be big.
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I think the Giants have been very consistent from April to now. The Dodgers are missing Kershaw and Muncy. To me, the thing that tips it toward the Dodgers is the homefield thing. But just barely. And there’s also the revenge thing. I’d like to get past them this year. It’s gonna be tough with either team though.
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Always remember, “If you are going to be the best, you have to beat the best” GO BRAVES!
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Game 1 info: Saturday, 8pm ET, TV: TBS
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There is speculation that since the Braves are the home team, Snit might push Charlie back to Game 3 in LA to a) give him a couple extra days rest after his last short-rest start on Tuesday, and b) allow Ian to make his start at home where he has been so very good.
I endorse that strategy.
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I just took a glance at Ian’s home/away splits for 2021, and while Ian is a bit better at home, the differences are actually not earthshaking. Still, I like him starting Game 2 at home.
One has to wonder if Max Scherzer will be tabbed for Game 1 since he pitched in last night’s game, even if it was just 1 inning. I suppose that remains to be seen. I’m sure he’ll lobby Dave Roberts for the start. That said, the Braves have shown many times that they can beat Scherzer… and I always like the Braves with Max Fried starting. Maybe we should hope it is a battle of the Maxes in Game 1 start so that Scherzer won’t be dueling Ian.
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Agreed, unless the umps feel compelled to shave points in this one too…
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yeah, I didn’t watch much of the Giants/Dodgers game, but did catch the last 2 innings. To have a season ended on a check swing like that….man, could you imagine how we’d feel if that happened to the braves????
Dodgers do NOT need any help umps…guessing we will get replays on checked swings now cuz of it.
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guessing we will get replays on checked swings now cuz of it
Interestingly, there is no clear definition of what constitutes a “checked swing” in the rulebook. Nothing defines where the bat must stop, or what the wrists must do, even though that’s what I’ve always heard. Does the bat cross the plate? Do the wrists break? That’s what I always heard, but it’s not in the rulebook. It’s 100% at the umpire’s discretion, thus cant be reviewable.
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Getting to watch the NLCS on TBS just seems right to me. Still will listen to the play by play on radio
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YES!
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Two fantastic games. Truly playoff baseball…
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About last night….
Wow, just wow… Frankly, I felt a little sick when two batters in, the Braves were down 2 zip but somehow Ian found a way to get it under control until Joc made a statement with a 454 ft mamo. Suddenly you felt the tide shift just a bit, after all, was The Super Max suppose to be the guy who schooled the upstart pretenders?
Kudos to Webb and Minter for bridging to the sixth inning and continuing to hold the vaunted Dodgers at bay. Yes, they did break thru in the 7th, I would suppose it was inevitable but only giving up two runs with eight batters coming to the plate is still a great accomplishment.
Poor Freddie Free is really struggling at the plate right now but the beauty of this team is there are more to the\is team than just Freddie. I think it speaks well of a team that can still win with your star player in a funk. I have faith, Freddie will still come up big before this thing is all said and done.
I know, we have been constantly reminded that this thing is not over but this year the Braves actually have more solid starters than just needing to pull names out of the hat. I know LA plans to win three in their home park starting Tuesday night but the Braves really only need to win one of the three. That said, there is no reason they can’t shock the world and sweep the Dodgers right out of the play-offs. Stranger things have happened, s\after all, it is baseball.
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I cannot tell you guys how little hope I had at different points of these 2 games (even watched something else for an inning, after they gave up 2 runs to the Dodgers late like that) FF missing balls right down the center. Taking Ian out after 2 + after he started to pitch better…and when Dansby was sent up to bunt off a guy throwing 102, I KNEW he would not get the runner over to 2nd…but…that’s why we watch and love baseball, right? You just never know how games will end! 🙂
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Don’t ever give up on this team. They’ve proven they don’t give up on themselves very easily. Plus, there are so many things these guys are doing that just don’t happen… it’s as if they are a team of (dare I say it?) destiny.
And to me, Snit is making all the right calls. It’s very hard to argue the results. On the flip side, Dave Roberts has made me scratch my head several times. And it’s usually followed by “Thanks!”
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You have to think the Dodgers are now under the gun to sweep their home portion of the series. And with Charlie taking the ball in Game 3, and Fried lined up for a possible Game 5, they have alot of work to do just to stay in the series. Not to mention the fact that Roberts has totally screwed his rotation by using Scherzer in the NLDS (resulting in his “dead arm” yesterday) and using Urias and Gosselin in relief yesterday. They better hope they get a stellar effort from Beuhler tomorrow. But my money is on Charlie.
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Does anyone else get a nagging feeling that something is seriously eating at Freeman and affecting his performance?
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It sure seems that way doesn’t it? Maybe the trip to LA will help clear his head. We can hope….
About the Astros. When Lance McCullars went down, the hand writing was on the wall for the Stros. They are in the same position the Braves were in last year. No stopper available. I look for the Red sox to close the ALCS in Boston.
Braves are in a very good position with their pitching. Lets hope the whole Soler situation becomes a moot point by Friday.
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If we go to game 6 and seven is Soler back from Covid?
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That is the rumor.
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Have use guys caught Chip, Moylen, et al on sports south…err Ballys post game shows? SOOOO much better than the TBS guys (though Costas is miles better than Ernie Johnson Jr ) and I LOVE Moylen’s passion for the braves. He was so mad last year after losing 3 in a row to the Dodgers, I honestly thought…his honesty was going to cost him. So glad it hasn’t….really enjoyable to watch them
Dodgers have won something like 16 our of their last 17 at home, so please don’t think they are done…after all, this is just like last year….Now, if the braves can win tonight….I’ll feel a bit better about our chances 😉
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I have to disagree Ber, this is nothing like last year. Different roster, better starting rotation and No Max Muncy or Kershaw for the Dodgers. Pederson is playing for the Braves and just a different vibe despite the prevailing feeling by the “experts” .
Yes, I am aware of how the Braves have been known to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory in the past but that is the past. Different players, different season.
I do know it is the Dodgers who are in trouble, not the Braves. So tired arms not withstanding, I won’t be surprise to see the Braves sweep in four… A little over optimistic maybe but I like the Braves chances.
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The thing you have to like about the Braves right now is that everyone is contributing except for… Freddie Freeman. And you have to believe that’s not gonna last, so when he breaks out of his funk the team becomes even more dangerous.
As for Freddie specifically, I do not think there are any underlying causes to his frigid streak. I think it can be best explained by: baseball. These things happen to all hitters at some point or another. In fact, it has happened to Freddie before. Mark Bowman shared this info the other day: “Freeman struck out in seven straight plate appearances July 16-18, 2016. That stretch was over three games vs. COL and at CIN. It should be noted Freeman hit .337 w/ 18 HR, a 1.108 OPS and a 22.7% strikeout rate over the remaining 66 games of that 2016 season.” This is also the guy that went 20-something plate appearances earlier this year with out a swinging strike. I think he’s perfectly primed to break loose vs. Walker Beuhler tonight.
What’s more dangerous than Freddie Freeman? Freddie Freeman when he is DUE.
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And then there’s this:
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In other words, even if he was cleared for a possible Game 6, he would probably not be game ready. Let’s hope there is a World Series for him to be involved in. That said, Joc-tober is ripping the cover off the ball right now, so it’s really not too concerning. At best, he takes the roster spot of Johan Camargo on Friday. At worst…well, just keep riding those horses that brung ya, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow
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more of a thing to check out perhaps…just perhaps during the winter, but man, found this list of fastest players interesting…actually set it to “by team” for this link (hopefully) wondering if anyone would guess who the 3rd fastest player on the team is? might explain why he can play ….t…well…don’t want to give up too much info… https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/sprint_speed?year=2021&position=&team=&min=10&sort=1&sortDir=desc
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Opportunity lost.
I’ll only say this… the pitch that Bellinger popped was a good pitch. He had just chased high and missed. I said to my son, “I’d go back up but higher. Climb that ladder.” Well, Luke did just that. Bellinger hit a ball that was above the letters. Credit where credit is due.
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This is not a pitch that is usually hammered (unless your Vladimir Guerrero). d’Arnaud is reaching above his own head.
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Luke Jackson in the post-game presser, courtesy of AJC.com: “Sad thing is I would do the same thing again,” Jackson said. “I was trying to throw a fastball up and away. I actually threw it better than I thought I threw it. Out of my hand, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a ball. It’s too high.’ And no, it wasn’t too high. A good player put a good swing on it. Pretty remarkable.”
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Yep, remember that Joc hit one just like that in Atlanta.
As much as it pains me, the Dodgers just hit some pretty good pitches that were not strikes. There is a reason they won 106 games.
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I still feel that we only have to take 1 game in LA to come back home with. I’ll be quite happy to win the series there, but I feel certain that LA cannot take 2 home games from us.
And who does Dave Roberts have left to pitch? He’s starting Urias, who has appeared in relief in both games 1 & 2. And he’s gone through through his pen like Bernie Sanders goes through tax dollars.
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Agreed, while yesterday’s loss was disappointing, it is not the end of the world. Braves going with a bullpen game today. I expect to see Drew Smyly unless he has an unreported injury, He should be rested enough by now.
By the way, AJ Minter looked like the guy we saw in 2019.
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Probably see some combination of Minter/Ynoa/Smyly to start the game. Maybe you can get one time through the order with Minter, and possibly a couple innings from Ynoa depending on how the 9th spot comes up in the batting order. I wouldn’t expect much from Smyly. There’s a reason he hasn’t pitched since Oct. 2. His velo has dropped severely since mid-season. You don’t want him tossing bricks up to Bellinger/Taylor/Betts/Seager. I can see Jacob Webb getting an inning or 2 here as well. I think the goal will be to get to the 7th inning when the 3-headed monster of Matzek/Jackson/Smith will take over, just as they have through the playoffs. The caution here is to not run every pitcher you have out there for an inning ala Dave Roberts. My ideal situation would be to get 2 innings each from Minter/Ynoa/Webb and only trot Smyly out there if you have to.
Or, at the risk of rambling, maybe start Ynoa and pitch him once through the order, or until his spot in the Braves batting order comes up and he’s PH for. Follow him with the salad tossing Smyly for an inning, then come back with the hard throwing Minter. Might keep them a little off-stride.
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Ynoa scratched
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Huascar gets the start tonight. It’s not known who Snit has lined up to follow.
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Well, that changed quickly.
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So in case you missed the deets…
Huascar was long tossing in workouts yesterday and noticed some tightness in his shoulder. He mentioned it to the team so they were aware and monitoring him today. When he experienced the same tightness after arriving at the park, they immediately shut him down. He’s been IR’d and MLB approved LH Dylan Lee to replace him. The bad news is that we were all hoping to get 2-3 innings out of Ynoa to start the game. Now we just hope to get a clean inning out of Jesse Chavez. The good news is that Snit has a fresh LH arm in the bullpen.
The biggest question is who follows Chavez and how many batters will Smyly face. Y’all know he’s the only pitcher on the roster that has not pitched in the series, right? He hasn’t pitched in 18 days. Anybody got a graphic on how he does in 18 days rest? I did hear that teams are only hitting .193 against him on extra rest. Hope that also applies to XXL rest.
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IR’d? Dang… IL’d. Duhr…
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I bit my tongue last night, as to not sound like those igits on other sites….like you all said, Luke did nothing wrong…that was were the awesome “El Oso Blanco” used to hit pitches…it’s just….the Dodgers were done…their fair weather fans were leaving…4 outs to go…now, with a bullpen game…I fear we will lose tonight. Then, all tied up, and I would guess the braves would have a 20, 30 % chance of winning the series. so darned close to winning 3 in a row…well, once again, you never know….but this does feel awful familiar ….
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Oh ye of little faith…
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FWIW, Smyly hasn’t touched 93 on the run in a while. I suppose extended rest agrees with him.
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*on the gun. Autocorrect apparently doesn’t like the word “gun”. Stoopid woke AI.
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mmm, yummy!!!!!
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Ha ha ha ha
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Maxie on the mound tomorrow. The Dodgers counter with a (tired) bullpen game. I hear chops being licked.
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“About the Astros. When Lance McCullars went down, the hand writing was on the wall for the Stros. They are in the same position the Braves were in last year. No stopper available. I look for the Red sox to close the ALCS in Boston.” LOL… well, now y’all know why I don’t bet on baseball…. egg on face is not yummy…
Braves did a wonderful job of bouncing back from a disheartening loss of Wednesday’s game to reassert themselves as the best team in the NCLS. I know, I know, The fat lady has not sung her tune yet but she can be heard going thru the scales…
Eddie Rosario, makes you want to say “Ozuna who?”
And wasn’t it nice to see Freddie return to form and be FabFive Freddie again? And Duvall doing his Andrew Jones imitation in center with a homerun and homer denying catch. Who knew?
Yes, Snit pushed all the right button yesterday. Dave Roberts is playing with a deck a few aces short right now, plus Justin Turner is likely done for the season too. WOOHOO!!!!
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Ozuna who?
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LOL… well, now y’all know why I don’t bet on baseball…. egg on face is not yummy…
Gil, you should have tried Crow, much tastier! 😆
Braves did a wonderful job of bouncing back from a disheartening loss of Wednesday’s game to reassert themselves as the best team in the NCLS. I know, I know, The fat lady has not sung her tune yet but she can be heard going thru the scales…
How many times have we been sure we’d be going to the next round, or had a team to compete well in the W.S. only to get our hearts stomped on? Dodgers I think have won 6-7 elimination games in a row…so…time to put an end to that sort of tomfoolery (blog 1st? blog 1st!) tonight, lets win a series on the home team’s field for once!
Eddie Rosario, makes you want to say “Ozuna who?”
I am sure if we went back to my posts after that trade I was genuinely confused/blase about the move. Another guy like Soler having an off year, who has a .309 OBP??? Meh, I said MEH (simpsons line from Lisa Simpson decades ago) Harold Reynolds said at one point in his career he had a really bad ankle, then his stomach/side muscle issue this year…who knew he was fast? Who knew he had an excellent arm? (surprised Frenchy acted like he was a so-so outfielder, yeah, a few balls clinked off his glove during his short time here, but hey, gonna say Mookie Betts is so-so after a few balls were clinking off his glove in the playoffs?) and he’s a money player…like Joc…the kind of guys the braves have honestly NOT had for years….meaning they don’t squeeze the sawdust out of the bat in the big games…do we try to sign him, or Duvall…both??? I love Joctober, but…I just don’t think he’s the guy to keep…plus…doesn’t he look a bit …fat? 😉
Ad wasn’t it nice to see Freddie return to form and be FabFive Freddie again? And Duvall doing his Andrew Jones imitation in center with a homerun and homer denying catch. Who knew?
Yes about FF! And so funny, after the game last night when they asked what was different, just like earlier in the year, he claims he hasn’t changed a thing (I think he’s…fibbing a bit…he was swinging at EVERYTHING and they knew it, once he got a bit more selective, he started to see , and hit the ball , a very important part of hitting 😛
Did use guys see my link above, and scroll all the way down to the fastest braves? Would anyone have guessed Duvall was 3rd fastest brave???? Never in a million years! Really want us to re-sign him, and not just hope a kid starts to turn it around next year…anyone coming up going to hit 30/35 HRs ???
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Well, that didn’t go exactly as I had wished but the Braves have two more shots at this thing and they are coming home.
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If we’re honest, they were due a stinker. I suppose having it right before coming back home is not the worst thing ever.
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Yes, as we all know, it’s baseball and one blow out does not a series win make, just ask the red Sox…
I hope Truist is packed and loud tomorrow night. moving the game to 8 PM should help attendance.
I look for Ian to have a snap back outing if he is not nursing some heretofore unknow injury.
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3 outs away. Will Smith vs. Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock. Holy crap.
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World Series baby!!!!!
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HOLY TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
JUST DON’T KNOW HOW YOU GUYS HAD ANY , ANY DOUBTS THAT THE BRAVES WERE WORLD SERIES BOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
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😆
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😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
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I was nervous all day about this game. That said, Tyler Matzek has huge stones man… Eddie Rosario deserved the MVP but Tyler saved this game. Talk about a stopper….
Now, the media can ignore this game as there is no Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox to fawn over.
So, it is on to Houston, why not Braves fans, why not?
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Gil, I wasn’t nervous before the game, but I sure was nervous all game! I mean, FF grounding into a DP then 2 hits…only 1 run. Then, when the game was 4-2 (I think?) bases loaded, and the ump called a pitch way outside a strike….ugh!!! I thought, man, they sure want the L.A.-Astros rematch, huh? Missed a few other scoring opportunities I was telling my Dad, they are just a walk and a homer from tying the game! Can’t go to game 7, just can’t!
Let me tell you other things everyone knows! 😛 Luke didn’t look terrible, but they were patient with him, and his pitches just weren’t sharp (arm tired?) 2nd and 3rd, no outs? How are they not going to tie this sucker up? They’re not the braves! Well, Tyler Matzek, as a wise man said, has…you know what! 😉 has there ever been a better relief performance by a braves pitcher??? Heck, I would have kept him in for the 9th!
But Will Smith got it done!!!! hats off to him.
Still can’t believe the braves are going to the World Series! Can you all??? I mean, you guys have better memories for different seasons ( I sure remember 91, 92, but later years, esp after the strike, are a bit of a blur) but did you all remember it has been since 1999 that they went to the W.S? I thought early 2000’s but mainly I remember all the years of very good/great teams, not getting past whatever team was in the way (astros too!)
My Dad always says, I’m so negative ! So does my friend that I go to Twisted Taco to watch a game…
I’m not negative, I’m a realist I say! 😉 But, but…1999, no wonder I didn’t expect them to get to the final round.
If I told you all on say….July 20th. that the braves were going to lose Ronald for the year, (after losing Ozuna) mike soroka, that the braves were going to win their division, beat the Brewers, then beat the Dodgers who won 105+ games, you would have called me crazy….
so wonderful! 🙂
I sure hope you all saw the After game show on Ballys! Just chuck full of awesomeness! Nick Green, and Peter Moylan were downright giddy! Brian Jordan was at times too….everyone is just so shocked and happy! FF and Snit with the long hug…Snits wife talking….just great stuff….
a truly amazing team …..
Now, get those Trashtros and get Freddie a ring as some Dodgers fan said on a braves fb group!
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As great as the individual members of the team played, this was truly a team accomplishment. And I can’t say enough about how well Snit managed that series. Yes, hindsight is 20/20, but you also cannot argue the results. He pushed all the right buttons. And do we even need to heap any more accolades on Alex Ant-man? Like I said, a complete team accomplishment, from the very top to last man on the bench.
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love this tweet!!!!
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This World Series feels different. For one thing, it doesn’t appear this team is exhausted from just tying to get there. The pitching is rested. The attitude is refreshing. They are playing with house money. They are not facing the Blue Jays, the Red Sox or the Yankees.
Game one will be a key in this series. Allowing the Braves to get home to Atlanta with a chance to put it away will be huge.
Just one more thing about the recent NLCS, having travel days plays a huge role is allowing you to reset an overtaxed pitching staff. To me it was the reason the Dodgers were able to comeback against the Braves last year.
Question of the week: Does the commissioner have the stones to show his face in Atlanta for the Series? I predict he would generate more boos than a Bryce Harper homerun…
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I will say it again, I pray the WS will have invisible umpires. No controversial calls, no mystery strike zone, no fathom infield flies, etc. lets have a thrilling and fun Series with the Braves winning…
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Look for some other player to step up. Certain guys do well against certain teams. I expect Soler will lead off against the lefty.
Game one suggested line up for the Braves
1 (R) DH Soler
2 (L) 1b Freeman
3 (S) 2b Albies
4 (R) 3b Riley
5 (L) LF Rosario
6 (R) CF DuVall
7 (L) RF Peterson
8 (R) C D’arnaud
9 (R) SS Swanson
I might note 4 and 5 could switch as well as 7 and 8
With a right hander on the mound, same line up. just splits your right and left handed bats.
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I like it, but Eddie Rosario has been so red hot, especially leading off, I think I’d have to keep him there.
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I thought about that but in an effort to break up the lefties and righties I put Soler at the top of the order. Makes it a lot tougher to justify an opener.
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This is their ace. Granted they have fine pitching up and down the rotation, but the Braves will not face their ace in this series.
I must admit, I know nothing about the presumed 3 starters they ‘Stros will use, being Framber Valdez (L), Luis Garcia (R), and José Urquidy (R) except for their ages – 27, 24, 26 respectively. Other than that, I know nothing.
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And for what it’s worth, I think Charlie, Max, and Ian are as fine a 1-2-3 as you’ll find. Charlie will be well rested. Max is coming off a less-than-stellar performance which will only fuel the next one. When have you seen him go 2 strugglers in a row? And Ian can dominate when he’s on. His changeup baffled the Dodger lineup.
I certainly don’t see this as a cakewalk, but I also don’t think the Braves are overmatched as some are characterizing it. I will never undersell this bunch.
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No, the one thing that has not been taken into account is heart… Who wants it more? Who is willing to do the things necessary for the TEAM to succeed? We shall see, I don’t think this group will be intermediated nor will the hoopla bedazzle them. Play their game and don’t let the moment get too big, after all, did they not just beat the best team in baseball*?
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This series could honestly come down to bullpens…
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To me, this year’s edition of the Atlanta Braves being in the World Series is almost as improbable as the 1991 Braves. You just never know what improbable play or call is going to be the difference maker.
Heck, I thought the Red Sox had it in the bag until the didn’t.
It is a big stage but I don’t think the bright lights are going to bother this Braves team. If we can just get Ozzie to perform like Ozzie and for Dansby to hit a little bit then just maybe the narrative can shift back to Dusty’s failure to win a World Series…
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After all, this team has already broken a 22 year old jinx.
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As I sit here this morning, I ruminate over the Braves prepping for Game 1 of the World Series, the UGA Bulldogs being the unanimous #1 team in the NCAA football nation, the Hawks having just come within winning the Eastern Division Championship game 7 to send them to the NBA Finals, and the Falcons… well, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.
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I don’t think I knew that Snit’s son was a hitting coach for the ‘Stros…
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Soler Power… gotta love it…
I still think the Braves should let Soler lead off in game one against the lefty. Swap them back to Rosario leading off against the righty. It keeps the bats alternating but then again, they pay Snit the big bucks to acquire that ulcer.
LA Dodger fans are bitter the Braves beat them. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
I predict Luke will redeem himself against the Astros. Like he said, the Dodgers are his daddy…
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https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/joc-pederson-atlanta-braves-mlb-baseball
Read this… Joc is certifiable crazy and I love him for it…
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Fantastic article!!
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Seldom you get a player who is willing to share his truth. The guy is a riot… You need someone like that to keep things loose. You don’t want a roster full but just enough spice to keep things interesting. Pretty sure that article will become a Braves classic.
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Wow. Kyle Wright makes the squad. I’m assuming he’ll be there for long relief duty only. Jacob Webb did not look good in his only LCS appearance. Gore brings a ton of speed to the table. Camargo brought a ton of K’s. I’ll take Gore.
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Great articles above!
Here’s another one I thoroughly enjoyed:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/chipper-jones-braves-letter-to-my-younger-self
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I sure do like the way this lineup looks with the DH in it. #BattleATL
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Gil was right, prophet star for ya! 🙂
Ok, The Astros are tough,no doubt. a ton of experience, and they COULD beat us up….but, but….I feared the Dodgers much more. Better starting pitching for sure….
Don’t jinx us ber!
GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Soler with a lead off homer…. yea
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in case someone is under a rock tonight 😦 https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1453183334620667904
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We can add this one to the “Bloody Sock” for World Series lore. This is one for the ages. By the way, great win by the Los Bravos last night. Nothing to do but make the loss of Charlie irreverent by sweeping the next three games.
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Game 1 baby!!
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Yeah, what is Kyle Muller up to????
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Is Drew Smyly still with the team? Asking for a friend…
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Smyly is 4 innings at best. 3 is more likely.
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The plan, of course, is to just go ahead and win Games 2 & 3 and not be as stressed about who pitches Game 4 or 5. 😉
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Ken Rosendweeb: Astros [Game 2] starter José Urquidy has pitched only once in the past 24 days, lasting just 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALCS.
Their best hope is to outslug the Braves much like they did the Red Sox in the ALCS. Let’s all hope that Max and Krannie have figured out what he was doing to tip his pitches to the Dodgers and have fixed the problem.
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So here is my amateur analysis of the Braves pitching plans following Charlies broken leg.
First, they’ve already taken a game on the road and have arguably their ace #1A on the mound tonight. Ian will get the Game 3 home start where he has proven to be a really tough cookie. But what about Game 4? I expected a “bullpen game” somewhere along he way, whether it’s for Game 4 or for Game 5, but with Charlie down for the series the need for another real starter to emerge is now critical.
The Astros hit LHP slightly better than RHP over the course of 2021, but not really enough to make it a huge criteria. That said, it is a slight edge so the team might as well use it. The Trashstros also tend to feast on fastballs more so than benders, as was evidenced by their performance against Charlie’s curves and Luke’s sliders. It might behoove the Braves to try to take advantage of that with Touki Toussaint and his curveballs. If we’re totally honest, you really only get about 6 good innings from Charlie anyway, so if we can get Touki through the lineup a couple of times before handing it off to the bullpen, we might be OK.
Or…
I admit I’m the one who opined that Kyle Wright’s inclusion on the WS roster was in a mop-up role to spare the other weapons in the event we needed some innings eaten in a runaway game. But… has anyone looked at his AAA numbers from this year? While he hasn’t been eye popping, he’s quietly put together a pretty decent year. He finished that season with a 3.02 ERA while averaging exactly 1 K per inning and posting a respectable 1.182 WHIP. And let’s not forget the gem he gave the Braves in last season’s NLDS vs. the Marlins. A game 4 or 5 start would be a home game in a home atmosphere. It’s the right place for such a start. This could be a turning point for Kyle in this organization… one way or the other.
The reality is that the team probably won’t make such a decision on a Game 5 starter until after game 4. If they go with the bullpen game in Game 4, and need Wright there, then they’ll use him there regardless of Game 5. Heck, if they just win it in 4 it doesn’t matter. But for now, I expect them to replace Charlie on the roster with someone capable of giving them multiple innings, from the RH side, with an arsenal of breaking pitches. I expect to see Touki added to the roster.
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BTW, with the off day to travel tomorrow, a Game 5 would actually rotate back around to Max on regular rest. Game 4 is the one to focus on.
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Maybe Game 5 would be Touki to Drew to Kyle, once through the lineup each, or some semblance thereof?
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I felt it was somewhat hilarious the talking heads were opining how much stress the Braves pen was being subject to without mentioning the same is actually true for the Stros.
No, this series is far from over but it does make a difference when the hitter does not know what’s coming.
All that said, for the Braves to win game one in Houston was huge because the Astros no longer have the homefield advantage.
Tyler did not look as sharp last night as he did against the Dodgers but he was sharp enough. Luke reverted to his non Dodger form and was solid.
I am of a belief that most of the pundits have no idea of how good this Braves team had become after the All Star break.
Sigh…. don’t rely on the umpires to get balls and strike calls right. I appears that most still suffer from glaucoma.
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Remember when I said the Braves would likely replace Charlie on the roster with a similar RH breaking ball pitcher? Yeah… they’re bringing up LH fastballer Tucker Davidson. 🤣
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Well, that was ugly….
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very ugly….Didn’t expect Fried to be bad 2 games in a row (I know there were some bloop hits, and errors, but still) and sure didn’t expect the braves defense to collapse like that. Honestly, I could have seen a game like game 2 happening game one (as an aside, I can’t recall how many braves players I heard say how important it was that Soler hit that homer in the 1st, clearly relaxed the team)
can’t figure out why they seemed to play so tight last night. Loud crowd? They dealt just fine with issue that in Milwaukee and L.A.
Really important that Ian has a good game, and if we are honest, he really hasn’t been the Ian of old (can I really say that about a…23 year old? 😉 ) And being 23, a lot of pressure.
“fun” fact. since 1995, 21 of the 26 teams that won game 1, went on to win the W.S. But…the Astros lost game 1 in 2017, and cheat…err, won the series that year.
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Yes, they did look bad, maybe time to break out the sage and smoke the gloves of the middle infielders.
Of course if anyone had asked if the Braves splitting the first to games in Houston would have been okay, I am sure they would have said absolutely. I think we all are a little guilty of being greedy sometimes.
I hope the umps are a little more even with the balls an strike calls going forward. I do not mind either a loose or tight strike zone as long as it is the same both both teams. Pretty obvious it has not been to this point.
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https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/249614184_10220009247244109_3731778963103567254_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=8tpJf97lW0MAX_uCdUx&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=201cf27bffe2725146c41328b01ca37c&oe=61A22FD5
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https://www.imagebam.com/view/ME4LPMU
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It is once again speculated that Max is tipping his pitches. If you saw the game on Wednesday, you know that his pitches were moving just as they have all season. But HOU just seemed to be all over them. One might suspect the ‘Stros of a recheat performance if the Dodgers had not already done the same thing in his last start. Don’t you know Dusty was on the phone with Dave Roberts finding out just what they had picked up on.
I suppose there is always the chance that Max just had 2 stinkers in a row… but it sure did look like he was throwing well to me.
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BTW, the Padres found their new manager yesterday in veteran skipper Bob Melvin (whom I still remember as the backup catcher to Bob Brenly on the late 80’s Giants). Why is this relevant? Because Wash was on their short list.
Whew.
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Break out the red tonight… even to watch it on TV. I don’t believe in mojo, but why take the chance? 😆
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d’Arnaud’s second homer in two games, to go with an opposite-field double the veteran catcher hit off the right-field brick wall in the second inning. D’Arnaud has been using one of teammate Joc Pederson’s bats and has two home runs in the past two games.
“I’m going to keep using it, that’s for sure,” d’Arnaud said. “I picked it up, and I said, ‘Joc, this feels pretty good.’ He said, ‘It’s yours, big guy.’ I said, ‘All right, I’m going to use it.’
Yeah, I’m going to keep using it.”
This musical bat thingee could work methinks…
Oh by the way, great win by the Braves Friday night. Now, let’s get two solid bullpen games going. It isn’t like Zack Grinke is a 27 year old bullet thrower now.
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Anyone else remember little league when we all pretty much used the same bat? Funny but I always preferred a thick handle bat, those wispy things had too many ground balls in them…
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I am beginning to believe that the talking heads at MLB, Fox Sports etc are dumb as a box of rocks. They are all over the airwaves and the internet bemoaning the fact Snit pulled a 23 year old kid after 5 innings. Sure, he had a no-hitter going but it was not as if he had a perfect game going.
More than once we saw a Braves starter stay in a game an inning too long this season. I guess those dudes are the same people who don’t know how to walk away from the Black Jack table while they are up.
Every Braves win makes it tougher for the Trashtos to comeback. Question: If the Braves win tonight and go up 3 games to 1, will the narrative revert to last years loss to the Dodgers or did this year’s team squash that for good???? Asking for a friend. 🙂
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Gil, honestly I thought Ian was not at all sharp, and was surprised that Snit let him go out for the 5th (which he was better in) 3 walks and a hit batter is not so hot….
I’ve been checking out the red sox forum, sonsofsamhorn cuz they are super passionate baseball fans…from the 1st inning…
According to ESPN’s gamecast, the first pitch to Alvarez was a strike, and the 2nd and fourth were borderline. Also it shows that pitches 1, 2, and 5 to Brantley were strikes. It shows that the 2nd pitch to Brantley was called a ball and the 3rd pitch was in exactly the same spot and called a strike.
So an IF single and two walks that appear (by ESPN’s gamecast) to be loaded with missed calls by the ump.
Accurate?
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Yes, at this point it as become blatantly obvious the umps are in the Astro tank
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https://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/the-2021-world-series-braves-vs-astros.34950/page-16#post-4714201
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Big Tuck gets the start tonight. Make no Kia take, this is a talented kid. If his nerves don’t get the better of him (and who clicks blame him for that?), then unlike his chances as much as anyone.
BTW, who had Kyle Wright being the Game 4 savior? Can’t say enough about the good work he did in that game. The whole series may have turned on him being able to hold the ‘Stros at bay when they smelled blood in the water.
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*could
I really shouldn’t do this on my phone.
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*mistake
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Who else finds MLB’s Brian Kenny super annoying?
I’d bet he would not last 5 innings as a manager. That would be a single A team at that. It is very easy to take pot shots at a manager for his decisions that don’t work with the benefit of 20-20 hind sight.
Huge opportunity for Tucker Davison tonight. Dylan Lee did not really pitch all that badly, he was squeezed terribly by the home plate ump.
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Series MVP is still out. IMHO. Perhaps the winner will be whoever wins tonight’s game.
Other than the Braves “Night Shift” I have to give the nod to Austin Riley at this point.
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Note from tonight’s game…
With the universal DH almost a certainty in 2022, we may have already seen the last pitcher hitting. Ever.
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SIGH!
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Should have never let them back in early. Hard to fault the rookie, but I fault the rookie. He started nibbling when he went back out for the 2nd inning… never a good idea. Psychologically, had we shut them down 1-2-3 in the top of the 2nd inning it would have been a crushing blow.
Oh well, no time to dwell on the past. Must look forward to Max on the mound tomorrow in HOU. I sure hope its ace Max…
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This has been the craziest playoff I’ve ever seen. I have had bad feelings in most of the games the braves have played. Seen guys swing at pitches 6-8 inches outside, after I clearly yelled at them a slider/cutter/etc was coming and to not swing 😉 then, next ab, they crush a pitch right down the middle. Then, I’ve seen Snit take out starters that were pitching fine, in the 4th, 5th…and it has worked out.
I was going to write some long winded post about all the things I have been wrong about , after game 4, but didn’t get a chance.
So, last nights game….ugh….after a grand slam, in the 1st. the braves were up 4-0 against a team down, 3-1. If this happened to any braves team in the last 25 + years, that braves team would have been done, just….done.
“we” had kept them not hitting for so many games…now? they are alive and well, heading to a park that they play really,really well in , which will be even louder than the first 2 games.
I fear Snit managed like a guy who has 2 other games with a chance to win….since I have been wrong so many times , I don’t know if the main bullpen arms were saying they were good to go, but…perhaps the coaches/trainers were saying,they could really use 2 more days off? Which makes sense, but….you just don’t take your foot off the throat (yikes!) of the team on the ground. They just kept getting those take on runs, that made any chance to get back into the game….of course, if Minter hadn’t had a bad game (someone was due to have a bad game of course) and snit hadn’t walked a guy, giving Minter no room for error, and the trashtros catcher hadn’t decided to stand extremely close to the plate making it so hard to throw a strike…oh well, I do recall last year Snit made some decision last year, when the braves were up 3-1 that really upset me, and felt was a reason they ended up losing….it got me so p.o. ed that…I couldn’t remember what it was this year….
But, the braves have really, really excited the fan base and IF they end up losing 2 more games (I honestly think we have about a 50-50 chance at this point, it will go down to 10% if they lose game 6) it is going to do damage long term to the team….you may say, hey, who needs fair weather fans? but, I saw a lot of young folks in the battery going nuts after the wins……and man, did I want to see Manfred lustily (blog first?) booed when the braves got the W.S. trophy on the field!
Well, all will be forgiven if the braves win tomorrow (or Weds) please let me forgive you guys, please???? Lets not have another crushing loss, ok? man, every reporter was talking to the braves being 27 outs away from the title, over, and over, to Freddie, etc….still need those 27 more outs…
go BRAVES!!!!!
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Yep, 27 more outs… and more runs than the opponent. Max has a chip on his shoulder. I think that’s a good thing.
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Gil, best wishes up there in the Old Dominion today. That’s all I’ll say about that.
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Yes, I can only hope a pray that people in Virginia come to their senses. Jo and I vote on Saturday. The real winners will be we folks who won’t have to watch anymore political ads which have been particularly nasty by the Democrats this year.
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First and foremost, Ehire has his priorities in the right order. No problem with him being where he should be.
But man… the timing sucks for him and sucks worse for the Braves. Camargo? Really? Maybe because he’s a switch hitter? Which in his case simply means he can strike out from both sides of the plate. Can you tell I am completely done with Johan Camargo? In the LA series he came to the plate 4 times and made 4 outs, 2 of which were by K. Couldn’t we have brought Pache back? How about Ronnie on one leg? Can we activate Eddie Perez? EY? Anybody but Johan Camargo.
Let’s all hope he doesn’t have to come to the plate, and if he does that it’s not a critical AB.
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The good news is that with the DH in the AL home ballpark, the likelihood of Camargo being called upon to pinch hit is minimized.
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Remember the 1995 championship? The Atlanta team was looking to win it’s first World Series in Game 6, with their ace lefty Tom Glavine on the mound. The Braves were up 3-2 in the series after a disappointing Game 5 loss. That year, Glav went 16-7 in the regular season with a 3.08 ERA, with 127 K’s. He was also a Silver Slugger that year. Glavine dominated the MLB’s highest scoring team in the team’s victory.
Our ace lefty Max Fried toes the rubber in potential World Series winning Game 6 tonight. The Braves are up 3-2 in the series after a disappointing Game 5 loss. This year, Max went 14-7 with a 3.04 ERA, with 158 K’s and is a favorite to win the Silver Slugger. Max will be looking to dominate the MLB’s highest scoring team.
Tonight’s victory is pre-ordained.
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Interesting.
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hmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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3 outs remaining…
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Here we go Will Smith. Close this 7 run lead out and preserve the shutout. Yes, I’m that greedy.
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Pre-ordained.
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facebook chewed up my post where I tagged everyone…oh well…….
BRAVES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN YOU ALL BELIEVE IT??????????????????
UNBELIVABLE!!!!!!!!! YES I AM SHOUTING!!!!!!!!!!!! YES i AM EATING CROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YUMMY, YUMMY CROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :LOL:
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WHAT A RIDE… Never a doubt… cough…
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Josie said she was going for the trifecta today, said she was buying a lottery ticket because the Braves won as the Republicans in VA yesterday. She went to bed happy. 🙂
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Gil, I think she should go for it!
Honesty compels me to admit that I didn’t think the Braves would actually do it. Been disappointed so many times before. There was just “something” about this team that kept hope flickering. Happy is in North Carolina tonight! 😀
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I will say that I never doubted for a minute. I recognized that this team had the “it” factor early on in the playoffs. I know it’s easy to say this in hindsight, but I never doubted.
Pre-ordained.
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And last night… seemingly from pitch #1, this team was focused and working. They never let up. And Max… I like the Max with a chip on his shoulder. I read an article by Matt Diaz earlier yesterday detailing how Max had tipped his pitches vs. the Dodgers and in game 2 vs. the Astros. You know if that came out in a published article that Max himself was aware of the details. He didn’t appear to be tipping anything last night. Complete domination from Max to Tyler to Will. And this Will Smith that came on the scene in the playoffs was a whole different guy than took us on so many roller coaster rides in the regular season. He was nails and deserves a ton of credit.
What a team. This was special. I don’t know how many, if any, of our 4 rental OF’s will return for 2022, but I sure did love seeing them carry this team on their collective backs.
Beyond the games themselves, I most enjoyed the post-game glimpses of this team as human beings. What a fun, humble, and devoted bunch this was. So often they would deflect the spotlight onto others.
And Snit. Freddie said it best last night. Snit is not just a great manager, but an “amazing human being”. It’s refreshing to see a guy with genuine loyalty and caring for his organization, staff and players. But mostly his humanity and caring for his wife, kids and grandkids. He may not be the best tactical manager in baseball, but he’s at the top of the list when it comes to being honest and transparent. (And you can’t find much fault with his decision making over this playoff run, either.)
This one is special. 1995 was expected. In fact, most would say it was overdue. This was different. It’s the perfect example of what can be accomplished when no one gives up in the face of adversity. From losing Soroka to losing Ozuna to losing Acuña to losing Charlie. From hovering just under .500 seemingly forever to dominating in a World Series winner. This team overcame in spectacular fashion.
I’m a proud Braves fan this morning. Yes for a championship, but more so for the real victory. What a ride!
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He didn’t appear to be tipping anything last night. Complete domination from Max to Tyler to Will. And this Will Smith that came on the scene in the playoffs was a whole different guy than took us on so many roller coaster rides in the regular season. He was nails and deserves a ton of credit.
When I saw Max’s ankle stepped on…hard…and that they didn’t even ask for the umps to do replay…I felt a lot of doom (and gloom) seemed to only make him more determined to win. Ever see him hit 98 before? I would have left him in another inning, but what do I know? Apparently, nothing! 😉
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What a team. This was special. I don’t know how many, if any, of our 4 rental OF’s will return for 2022, but I sure did love seeing them carry this team on their collective backs.
I was on the Soler train before that 3 run homer last night (446 feet? My ….aunt Fannie!) he just has great ab’s. He was doing that during the season. He’s Ozuna, without the…baggage, to put it charitably. Don’t care if there is a DH or not in 2022….got to re-sign him, IMHO. Who else? Duval? Rosario? I love Rosario, but….Duval has more power (neither one of them have a good OBP) and Adam can, inexplicably, play CF. Don’t care that he’s gonna be 33, or that he’s never played there before. He’s an athlete . Or do you put him in Right, and Acuna, who’s apparently not a true CF’er (Can’t he, you know, improve? I mean, who has better wheels, Dale Murphy, Or Acuna? Duval or Acuna? I know that’s just one part of being a good CFer, but still ….it would sure make things easier, wouldn’t it? So would the DH….. Joc Peterson? I love the guy, but….he has real holes in his swing, can actually hit lefties a little, but without much power so….trade for him next august?
And Wither Drew Waters and Christian Pashe? Drew hit .240 in Gwinnett, so seems like he needs another year on the farm. Cristian Pache , do they run with him in CF IF there is a DH, so Acuna (I know, people say he won’t be ready to start the season, but he’s young….) Pashe, and Duval, with Soler as DH/4th outfielder?
Other ideas?
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Cristian Pache , do they run with him in CF
I believe that is exactly what you’ll see. He does have offensive potential, but his greatest asset is his Gold Glove caliber defense. We all know how valuable great defense up the middle is. And you touched on it perfectly… the presence of the DH lets you go with him in the 9 hole.
I, too, would like to see Jorge Soler brought back. I’d also like to see Eddie Rosario come back. I fear Eddie will be priced out of our market. But he has great AB’s every time up. A big question, of course, is when will Ronnie return? I don’t expect to see him until at least May, and more likely June. But I won’t put anything past him. Still you have to have someone out there in RF until he gets back.
I know Guillermo Heredia is still under team control (Arb 2) for 2022, so he may get alot of starts awaiting Ronnie’s return.
Two big things have to happen before the Braves can determine who (and more specifically how) they will fill the OF vacancies. #1, they must re-sign Freddie Freeman. That will eat up a chunk of change in the bank account. #2, they must determine what to do with Marcell Ozuna. Like it or not, he’s probably going to be on this team at some point in 2022. He’ll most likely serve a 30-60 day suspension to open the season, But the Braves are pretty powerless to send him away. Even of the dump him somewhere else, they’ll almost certainly have to pay a large portion of his remaining deal. No… the most prudent move is to just keep hi and his still potent bat as the DH.
I think the most likely OF to return is Adam Duvall. Both Rosario and Soler will have multiple bidders driving up the price. Adam will undoubtedly have interest as well, but he fits best on the Atlanta Braves. And he knows that as much as the team knows that. So the go-to OF next season once everyone returns is likely Duvall-Pache-Acuña, with Ozuna as DH and Heredia as 4th OF. That’s still a pretty good OF.
Wild Card: Drew Waters.
Yes, he hit only .240 at AAA. But let me remind you that Duvall only hit .228, and still led the league in RBI.
I don’t think the team would go with 2 rookies in the same OF, but finances will certainly come into play and a rookie salary might let you re-sign Freddie and still have some $$ left over to flesh out the bench. Who knows? I suppose we’ll see what he does in Spring. I think they’ll at least have an open mind depending on his performance in Spring.
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A post to good to lie buried in the comments….
NEW POST UP.
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