April 29, 2012

Show #181: The Braves Continue to Roll

Analyzing the off-season “if’s,”  JJ’s demotion and the use of Chad Durbin.

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160 Responses to “Show #181: The Braves Continue to Roll”

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  1. 1
    Walker Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:17 am

    Yeah our lineup is deep and definitely puts fear in opposing starters. Chipper and Heyward is a great 6 and 7 even though they have the best OBPs and should be hitting 2nd and 3rd.

    Durbin did great yesterday. However, C. Martinez was lights out. Between Medlen and Martinez, I’m not sure why Durbin is the first choice.

    I truly felt sorry for JJ. He was missing his location. But boy did he have bad luck with all those bloops.

  2. 2
    Curt Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:36 am

    Just got through reading about Lowe being 4-1. Good for him.

  3. 3
    Steve Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:55 am

    I would definitely swap Heyward and Prado in the lineup. But I’m ok with Chipper where he is if nothing else but for the fact that it may result in a fewer at bats per game which may make him available for more games overall

  4. 4
    DAP Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 11:02 am

    you guys are awesome, great show. the braves are just looking good right now. they appear to be being coached well, and managed well too. shocking, i know. i would still like to see the bench strengthened a little bit, but im in no hurry, the team seems solid.

  5. 5
    Steve Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 11:06 am

    Thanks, DAP! We appreciate the kind words.

  6. 6
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    With all the injuries to the top NL contenders and the Braves’ offense looking good, so far, the Braves look like one of the top two teams in the NL, along with the Cardinals.

    That could change if Philadelphia gets healthy or if Arizona makes some call-ups or some teams make some trades. But as of this moment, I’m saying the Braves are one of the top two teams in the league.

  7. 7
    Steve Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    6 – I agree.

    Great tweet from DOB: By my math, O’F, Venters, Kimbrel have pitched 12 2/3 fewer innings this April than last and come in twice when trailing as opposed to 11 Xs

  8. 8
    DAP Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    id say the braves are among the top teams in the NL, but they were before the season started too. i think the braves are what we thought they would be.

    there is room for improvement, mostly on the bench, but its hard to complain because the team looks pretty solid up and down, either way.

    just win, baby. and start putting some distance between us and other contenders in the league. a little cushion is always nice.

  9. 9
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 2:07 pm

    Didn’t realize Freddie Freeman is OBPing .304, worst among the eight regulars, worse than Pastornicky.

    He has 5 walks and 25 strikeouts in 92 PA. Matt Diaz has 4 walks in 25 PA.

    Luckily he’s slugging .464. But he’s looking a little Francoeurian.

  10. 10
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Freeman has swung at 61.1 percent of pitches, highest on the team among non-pitchers.

    Only Juan Francisco has a higher percentage of pitches that are swinging strikes. Freeman and Uggla are tied for second among non-pitchers. But Freeman’s walk rate is the second-worst. Only Francisco has a lower walk rate.

  11. 11
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 2:28 pm

    Oh, and Freeman is made even more Francoeurian by the fact that he leads the team in RBI.

  12. 12
    David Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    7 – I think another factor that’s preventing O’Ventbrel from being overused is the lack of extra-inning games the Braves have played this year. Last year in April they played 4 x-inn games. This year: none.

    It’s obvious to say that the offense is a huge reason for this team’s success, but that factor is also, I think, a big reason why the pitching is doing well. The bullpen guys are often coming in with leads; the offense is preventing the team from having to play extra-innings; etc. Last year, the bullpen often had to either keep the game tied or, when we were behind, keep the game close so that the bats could mount a comeback.

    Also, do y’all realize that the Braves have had only ONE blown save all season, and that was in the home opener when O’Flaherty allowed the Brewers to tie the game which we went on to win anyway? The bullpen has been stingy and nearly perfect all month. Knock on wood — but that’s pretty dang exciting.

  13. 13
    Mike Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    What do you guys think? Should I get the Sunday red or the ivory alternate for my Durbin jersey?

  14. 14
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    Gotta go with the ivory Dubrin jersey and the red Wilson jersey.

  15. 15
    David Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    I say get the pale blue throwback jersey with Murphy’s name on it, then take a black sharpie and x-out the letters and write “DURBIN” above it. That and add a big “2″ after the 3.

  16. 16
    Nate Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    #15, I second this.

  17. 17
    Ham Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    Not to sound like a “stat-head”, but this game is a “poop sandwich.”

  18. 18
    Anne Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Curt, are you at the game again?

  19. 19
    Shaun Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    Let’s see…Yu Darvish or team tango on Dancing with the Stars?

  20. 20
    Steve Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    #13 – #18: Awesomeness. Or the exact opposite of tonight’s game.

  21. 21
    Walker Says:
    April 30th, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    I know everyone thinks Dale Murphy is a HOF but I just compared his career to Andruw Jones and according to WAR, Andruw was the more valuable player interestingly enough. Andruw has a higher career OPS to go along with being the greatest defensive centerfielder in ML History according to Defensive WAR. Both players stopped producing offensively early in their early 30′s. So just sayin. If you think Dale Murphy is a HOF then Andruw Jones is too.

  22. 22
    Curt Says:
    May 1st, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Anne – not at the game last night, thankfully.

    Walker, not sure that everyone thinks he is, otherwise he would be in.

    I will offer that Andruw played on some of the greatest Braves teams in the history of the franchise. Murphy did not. He had no protection. He was one of the best players in the 80s. I will not back away from that statement, regardless of stats. Now does that merit a spot in the HOF? Maybe not. His peak was a window of 6 or 7 years. He stayed in the league 2 years too long. But his place in the game should not be overlooked or discounted because he is a ‘nice guy’ or because he played in Atlanta during the 80s.

  23. 23
    Shaun Says:
    May 1st, 2012 at 12:25 pm

    Walker, I certainly believe Andruw has the better Hall of Fame case. He was a historically elite defensive player and he was a very valuable offensive player. Andruw’s offense alone doesn’t get him in, of course, and I think we all realize that. But the combo of historically great defense and very good offense I think should get him in.

    Murphy in all honestly probably wasn’t great for long enough. But the fact that Jim Rice got in and the very real possibility of Jack Morris getting in will help Murph’s case.

  24. 24
    Leah Says:
    May 1st, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    Great podcast. Bad game. Was that a case of you win some you lose some? We’re not afraid Minor’s falling from grace are we?

  25. 25
    Curt Says:
    May 1st, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    Jim Rice played in Boston. Jack Morris has Game 7 of the 91 WS. Murphy has neither of those things.

    You can’t compare the offensive numbers of guys from the 90s and 00s with guys from the 80s. They aren’t the same. The game played in the 80s was completely different than the one played today. Apples and oranges. Murphy should be compared to his piers. If he had played in the current game he would have hit 100 more home runs. The 80s is an era of baseball that is ignored. It shouldn’t be. Again, is Murphy a HOFer, maybe not. Was he a better player than guys who are in there? Without a doubt. If he played for the Yankees he would be in the HOF.

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