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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- I too predicted that on May 22, Lyle Overbay would be the starting first baseman for the Yanks May 22, 2013 11:19 pm
- Just saw the Orioles sent JJ down to AAA. Bums me out. I hope he can turn it around. May 21, 2013 11:15 pm
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- ICYMI: New podcast. The EOF injury. Mac & Heyward return. Medlen's start. Better off w/out BJ & Uggla? http://t.co/F6ynm0kDzy #Braves May 20, 2013 4:08 pm
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Atlanta Braves News
- Braves' workload examined with elbow issues Thursday, 23 May 2013, 9:25 pm
- Momentum on Medlen's side as Braves streak into Citi Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 10:27 pm
- Gattis' slam powers Braves' sixth straight win Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 10:00 pm
- 'Suffer' shirts fit Braves to a tee Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 4:45 pm
- Braves getting used to late-inning heroics Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 4:45 pm
- Injuries haven't slowed dominance of bullpen Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 4:45 pm
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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.
April 30th, 2012 at 9:36 am
Just got through reading about Lowe being 4-1. Good for him.
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
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.
April 30th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Thanks, DAP! We appreciate the kind words.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
April 30th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Gotta go with the ivory Dubrin jersey and the red Wilson jersey.
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.
April 30th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
#15, I second this.
April 30th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Not to sound like a “stat-head”, but this game is a “poop sandwich.”
April 30th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Curt, are you at the game again?
April 30th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Let’s see…Yu Darvish or team tango on Dancing with the Stars?
April 30th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
#13 – #18: Awesomeness. Or the exact opposite of tonight’s game.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
May 1st, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Curt, point was Jim Rice wasn’t actually a Hall of Famer. Murphy is probably more worthy of the Hall. Jack Morris was an okay pitcher who racked up wins because he was fortunate enough to play on good teams and had one big moment. He’s not Hall worthy. Murphy is more worthy than Morris.
So, I agree that Murph is better than most Hall of Famers and if he had played on more winning teams and/or in New York or Boston or Chicago, he would probably be in.
I think voters pay attention to era, but probably not enough. I think even we adjust for era, Murphy falls a bit short. But, then again, Rice and Morris (if Morris gets in) should cause everyone to rethink Murph.
May 1st, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Cannot remember the last time I checked a Nats score so regularly.
May 1st, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Really bad inning for McCann — he can’t handle the pitch from Venters and allows the go-ahead run to score, then kills a potential rally with a GIDP.
On another note…I’m putting very little stock into JJ’s numbers while in AAA. Like y’all mentioned in the podcast, all he’s shown is that he owns Houston’s AAA split-squad lineup and the Toledo Mudhens. 7 IP and 1 run on 4 hits are nice numbers, but I just hope he regains confidence and gets his knee straightened out.
And for what it’s worth: before yesterday’s game, I was thinking 4-3 for this week. I probably would have said a win on Monday, 2 out of 3 against the Phillies, and 1 win in Colorado. I’ll stick with my 4-3, but obviously I’m thinking now that we take the next two against Philly and two in Colorado. That is, of course, assuming we don’t get to Papelbon right now.
May 1st, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Yikes. Depressing start to the week. Was April a dream?
May 1st, 2012 at 11:46 pm
This is a good team but if we seldom have Heyward, Chipper, and McCann in the same lineup over the course of the season, then it’s going to be hard.
May 2nd, 2012 at 2:29 pm
With CLE having an all right handed starters, do you think we could get Matt LaPorta from them, maybe for Gilmartin? They have two RH SP’s with little experience, both struggling (5+ ERAs each)…
LaPorta seems ready for majors, must not be in CLE’s plans. He is a 1B/LF. They already have a “power bat” for LF in Shelley Duncan. They signed Damon for LF as well and though Kotchman is struggling at the plate (.149), LaPorta is still in the minors, hitting well to begin the year. His carreer totals for 2009, 2010 & 2011:
GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
269 909 104 216 51 2 30 115 81 206 3 0 .238 .304 .397 .701
Strike out numbers worry me a little…
GP HR BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS
2010 110 12 46 82 .221 .306 .362 .668
2011 107 11 23 87 .247 .299 .412 .711
He could be a power hitter in LF, if not this year, then next, thus moving Prado to third on a permanent basis post-Chipper…
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 pm
#2
And lucky for him with 10 BB, 9 SO (5 in one game), a 1.42 WHIP and .282 BAA…
I have a feeling he will “come back to earth” before too long…
May 2nd, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Interesting take from the Philadelphia Enquirer. Particularly the Hamels reaction.
“The Braves ultimately sliced Hamels for two runs and his night was over after six innings. Hamels said he did not expect Atlanta to demonstrate as much patience. He threw only 64 strikes in his 108 total pitches. He surrendered the lead in the sixth, but it could have been worse.”
May 2nd, 2012 at 8:03 pm
I thought the 2011 Braves were gone.
May 2nd, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Sometimes the rev looks so much like McOut I cringe in a knee jerk type reaction. Sorry Tyler…takes time to get over such trauma.
May 2nd, 2012 at 8:56 pm
THE BIG MAC ATTACK
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Baseball is fun!!!! Love watching Doc sweat!
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Unbelievable. Hope we can close this one out. To further state the obvious, it would be huge.
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Don’t break my heart EOF!
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:27 pm
……….
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:28 pm
You could almost see it coming
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Double dawg damn.
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Ok…no more fooling around. Score a ton!
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:53 pm
We come all the way back and take the lead just so our bullpen can give it right back.
Embarrassing.
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:56 pm
You could put the Toledo Mudhens in the Phillies uniforms and the Braves would still find a way to lose to them.
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:59 pm
The Braves just have to tip their caps and call the Phillies their daddy.
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Any chance Greg Walker knows how to coach pitchers?
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Maybe they’ll give Ruiz the day off tomorrow.
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Wow! Chip an Joe actually just made me laugh!
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 pm
This game is insane.
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Love the crowd! Freddie, Freddie…
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:46 pm
I know this is crazy and all, but we got this.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:05 pm
I’ve got a good feeling about the bottom of the 11th.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:11 pm
I love that old man
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Holy Poop.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Like I said. Totally in the bag, the whole time.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
I’m exhausted. Go figure Chad Durbin has the 8 pitch 1-2-3 inning for the win 4 hours and 28 runs after Hanson and Halladay started.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:18 pm
#57 – That’s exactly what I predicted. Weird.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Really crazy. I mean, we were completely out of it, never going to come back and win it – TWICE. And then that. Fantastic.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:22 pm
In a post game interview, Heyward just said he believes he hurt his side throwing, not hitting.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:24 pm
For me, this one is right there with the Conrad Walk Off Slam game.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:31 pm
#61 – Better, imo.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:34 pm
I’ve been out of it for days with insomnia and stomach aches. So I slumped my groggy ass over to the computer, didn’t even know if Atlanta was playing, checked it out. Huh, I says, tied with Philly in some mega-run game in extra innings.
Pulled up Gameday. Chipper at bat. One runner on.
In Play, Run(s).
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Bub – it was an all timer. Not even close. Ridiculous.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Sounds like it. Looks like there were a week’s worth of big hits in it. Just watched McCann’s slam. Wow. Awesome way to shake the losing streak.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:55 pm
*losing streak to Philly, of course.
May 2nd, 2012 at 11:59 pm
My favorite post game quote from Fredi G.:
Reporter: How glad are you to get this win since they had won eight straight and you hadn’t beaten them since before the All-Star break?
Fredi: Tom [calling the guy's name - I think it was Tom], we are one and one… (with a “knowing look” thrown in for good measure as if to say “what a dumb question”)
I LOVED it…
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:06 am
#67, that’s the best thing Fredi’s ever said. Of course, it’s a short list, but still…
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:06 am
Anybody want to hazard a guess on how many “clean” saves (no walks, no hits) Kimbrell has this year?
Anybody want to guess (w/o looking it up) on how many he had last year?
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:18 am
This year, I guess zero.
Last year, I’d guess five.
Am I close?
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:20 am
Though, I have to say, dirty saves don’t bother me much. It’s like the strikeouts during Dunn’s best years. It’s part of the package, ya just deal with it.
May 3rd, 2012 at 9:09 am
My favorite quote from last night’s game is from Matt Diaz:
On coming back from 6-0 to tie against Halladay: “It’s one of those where you’re like, surely Roy Halladay is not going to give up a grand slam. But in the back of your mind you think, ‘Well Mac’s definitely going to hit a grand slam here.’”
May 3rd, 2012 at 10:00 am
Made my 11 year old watch the condensed game with me. Fantastic win! So glad I stayed up for it. Did y’all notice Prado, Rev, and Freddie had cups of water waiting on the first step of the dugout during Chipper’s at bat? They ha Steve’s premonition as well. Then I loved Chip’s casual gaze into the dugout after the homer just watching his buddies, soaking it in.
I say we win today! Bub, go get your gall bladder removed.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Do we have a 3pm flight to Denver or something? The boys are having some mighty quick/puzzling ABs.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
So much for not giving away at-bats and making the pitcher work. Seems like the guys are eager to finish this game as quickly as possible.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:20 pm
At the same time, at least the Phillies are also having short at-bats.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Hanson also start the Brooks Conrad walk off grand slam game.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:55 pm
So have the Braves decided to just lose this game? Seems like our offense doesn’t care.
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Is that 4 innings where he has thrown a single digit pitch count? Plus he has two 10 pitch innings. Blanton just mowing us down.
May 3rd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
That’s one of the saddest games I’ve seen in a while. Nobody even tried.
May 3rd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Buster Olney just tweeted “Joe Blanton with a huge effort today for the Phillies –first complete game in almost five years, the day after PHI had its guts ripped out.”
The only tweet about last night’s game from him was about Michael Bourne poking Mac in the eye. Just wrong.
May 3rd, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Im only watching the games Chipper is in the lineup. Apparently those are the only games we win.
May 3rd, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Agreed, folks. Really depressing outcome today. I mean, how did it look like we were the ones reeling and hungover from last night? Shouldn’t that have been the Phillies?
May 3rd, 2012 at 8:09 pm
It really is amazing how poorly this team plays without Chipper. And I have brought it up everywhere today, but when the Phils have their big three, you have to make your move on the back end of their rotation. The Braves can’t beat ANYONE who starts at 4 & 5 for them. Blanton, Happ, Kendrick, Moyer, Worley. It’s pathetic. And when you play them 19 times a year, those losses rack up. Even more galling is that for the most part, those guys can’t beat anyone other than the Braves.
May 3rd, 2012 at 9:45 pm
If you’ve not seen it, this 4 minutes of Mo Rivera’s injuring himself in BP is pretty compelling stuff. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_05_03_nyamlb_kcamlb_1&highlight_content_id=21128441&c_id=mlb
May 4th, 2012 at 8:19 am
No one hates the Yankees more than I do, but that sucks.
May 4th, 2012 at 8:35 am
86 – Agreed. As much as I hate the Yankees, you want any player to be able to go out on his own terms, especially a homegrown, classy guy.
May 4th, 2012 at 9:22 am
86 Really really sad.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:00 am
#87, good way to sum it up. Ouch.
May 4th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Rivera said he’s coming back. That incident just reminds me to take in every single Chipper at bat knowing it could be his last.
Nice to see Chipper hitting second tonight.
May 4th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
I think Fredi gives too many off days. Pastornicky is 22 yet we are giving up offense by starting Jack Wilson in Coors Field.
May 4th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
#91 – I get the whole Hudson’s a sinker ball pitcher/needs strong defense behind him thing. But the guy’s hitting .400 since his three days off.
May 4th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
91 and 92 — I think it’s okay. Fredi probably figured that the other 7 guys would provide enough offense at Coors Field, and I’d say that he figured right on that one. Besides, Pastornicky can come off the bench late in the game.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
The most logical question here is why didn’t someone pinch hit for Hudson if you’re bringing in Medlen? Right?
May 4th, 2012 at 11:14 pm
94 — yup
May 4th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
#94 And why the heck are you playing small ball in Coors Field in the first place, especially when our pitchers still have to get 9 outs? Fredi is beyond bad. If he can’t make the playoffs with this team he has to go.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
@96
I agree and Wren probably does too. Either the Braves make the playoffs or he’s the Houston Astros 3rd base coach next year.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
Re the non-pinch hitting, DOB positing that Prado is sicker than originally thought. I mean, you’ve still got Francisco and the Rev.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
I love Freddie but I don’t understand how anyone could be that slow.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
It’s a good thing we threw away yesterday’s game so that we could win 3 games in Colorado.
May 4th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Why is Diaz in RF?
May 4th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
So Fredi double-switched, took out Heyward so Diaz could pinch-hit with only righties left in the Colorado bullpen, and when he still has Venters and Kimbrel left in the bullpen, so it’s not like he loses much of anything by taking O’Flaherty out of the game.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:00 am
PHEEEEEEWWWWWW! Nice K, O’Flaherty…But you’re going to get a talking-to from Fredi, who was trying to get back to the hotel in time to catch “U.S. Marshals” on Showtime.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:06 am
Shaun – I got pulled away from the game for about 10 minutes during the double-switch. What happened and why do you think Fredi did it?
May 5th, 2012 at 12:08 am
Fredi….why do you perplex me??
May 5th, 2012 at 12:09 am
Shaun – my real question is: why? It looks like all he did was make the defense weaker and the offense weaker.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:10 am
CHOKE
May 5th, 2012 at 12:13 am
I feel bad about this bottom of the 10th.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:14 am
Why the hell is Durbin pitching? Where is Kimbrel and Venters?
May 5th, 2012 at 12:15 am
It doesn’t help that he wears the Hampton/Lowe number
May 5th, 2012 at 12:18 am
#110 – Great point. I hadn’t put that together. Yikes.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Are Braves relievers required to walk a batter an inning?
May 5th, 2012 at 12:21 am
Steve, who knows? I guess he wanted O’Flaherty in longer, even with Kimbrel and Venters left.
Oh, but gotta save Kimbrel for a save! Can’t use him to prevent runs, only to rack up saves!
May 5th, 2012 at 12:22 am
Fredi’s bad managing dodges another bullet.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:23 am
Great. Durbin got out of the inning so there are some who will think Fredi’s hunch was correct or something. Not that I didn’t want Durbin to get out of it.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:26 am
I vote Pastornicky to be our everyday shortstop.
Also Hooray for Hinske!
May 5th, 2012 at 12:27 am
Hinske smash. Channeling his 2010 May. Keep playin him!
May 5th, 2012 at 12:28 am
Meanwhile Diaz can’t buy a hit.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:28 am
Sometimes a good team can hide how horrible a manager is.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:28 am
Nice! Now the run-preventing corner-outfield is in to protect the lead.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:29 am
You know the Rockies might be tops in bullpen landscape work. It really looks serene and peaceful out there.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:34 am
Kimbrel the idea is to NOT walk the lead-off hitter.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:38 am
Fair or Foul: The bullpen is a concern.
May 5th, 2012 at 12:43 am
We win
May 5th, 2012 at 12:44 am
bullpen control no good tonight, das fo sho
yay hinske
May 5th, 2012 at 12:47 am
Great win
May 5th, 2012 at 10:47 am
i didnt like the double switch, but since heyward made the last out, and fredi wanted to leave o’flarety in there for a while, it made sense to take out heyward…sort of. i mean. you dont know how long that game was going to go, and fredi was able to preserve at least one arm by doing that.
of course, on the other side of the “you dont know how long the game will go” coin, diaz got 2 ABs in spots where heyward could have been swinging it. toss up, trade off, whatever.
i actually have to give fredi credit because i think his managing this year so far seems to be WAY better than last season. way better. the bullpen, even when to take out the starter, and late inning defense, lineup construction…everything.
May 5th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Our pitchers are slow learners.
Is it just me, or is this mound really low compared to other parks?
May 5th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Brian McCann is slow
May 5th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
really slow
May 5th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
are we seriously going to get beat my Moyer again? This is just silly.
May 5th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
I know that it was probably good thinking at the time, but now I’m questioning whether it was a wise move for Fredi to have Minor avoid his throwing session after Wednesday night’s game. Note to Fredi: have your young pitchers keep with their regular throwing routine before heading out to Colorado.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
I like Chipper as the 2.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
I think it was 2008 when I just stopped looking at any Philly deficit on the scoreboard with any hope because they’d just erase it every single time. I guess that’s us now. Wild.
Also, Chipper Jones: yeesh. May he live a thousand years and unretire as often as he likes. I’m done speaking ill of him.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
I sure hope Prado’s not breathing on anybody. All we need is an flu epidemic.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
@133
He’s exactly what the #2 hitter should be…….One of the best hitters in the lineup.
Common Sense
May 5th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
#136 he’s hitting with guys on base now that he’s not hitting behind Mac, Uggla, and Freeman.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Weird how that worked out again.
May 5th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Is it possible to not win when Chipper is in the lineup?
May 5th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Chipper is insane. In other news, I am not posting comments too quickly and STOP telling me what to do!
May 5th, 2012 at 11:06 pm
This is a very entertaining Braves team.
May 5th, 2012 at 11:14 pm
I appreciate the big comebacks, but hasn’t the starting pitching been awful lately?
May 5th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
You can always count on Curt to bring everyone down. But he does have a point.
May 5th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
@Curt
I’ll just write the bad starting pitching off to just a phase in a 162 game season.
May 6th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Curt, both starting and BP pitching were my main concern this year. I’m pretty happy with them compared to what I feared.
May 6th, 2012 at 2:23 am
fun game
BP looked ok in 8 and 9.
Livan ate all the balloons in town.
(somebody must have already said that…I’m slow)
May 6th, 2012 at 5:33 am
dunno if you all saw this, but catch this Grade AAA smack from Chipper after Moyer accused him of stealing signs…
“I don’t know what the problem was,” Jones said. “I was literally having a conversation with the shortstop when he stepped off and said that. I don’t know why he’s so paranoid. But to be honest with you, every pitch he throws is 78 [mph]. So it’s not like we really have to relay signs.”
May 6th, 2012 at 8:02 am
#147 – Will, just read that myself. I wasn’t watching the game but sounds hilarious. If that’s what it takes for a great comeback win…Go Braves!!
May 6th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
I think Bourn is going to have a career year. I don’t know how they are going to replace him next year. It seems like he is having for more and is more comfortable though than he was last year when he got traded here. Its too bad Boras is his agent…
May 6th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
DAP, Fredi does seem to be a little better. The mistakes he’s made seem to be the same ones that probably 90 percent of the managers in the game make this year. But he seems to be playing less “small ball,” which is always good.
May 6th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Curt @ 142, I think Hanson’s start was probably just a fluke.
Tim Hudson is doesn’t miss a whole lot of bats so he’s prone to some starts like Friday’s, especially in a place like Coors Field.
I think Minor got a little overrated after some of his early-season start. He was just so good, that it was hard to imagine him keeping that up. And most scouting types seem to think Minor’s ceiling is closer to a mid-rotation or closer to a back-end starter than something like a number two, which is fine. He’ll provide plenty of value even if he’s not consistently one of the best starters on the team, year-in and year-out.
May 6th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
#142: First of all, yes, the starting pitching has been awful lately.
I’ll follow that up with this, though:
Monday: Minor with a bad start, although he also had a lot of Ks and got into the 7th.
Tuesday: Beachy with a terrific start.
Wednesday: Hanson with an awful start.
Thursday: Delgado with a terrific start.
Friday: Hudson with a bad start.
Saturday: Minor with a bad start.
4 bad/awful starts on the week. Personally, I think we can attribute Friday and Saturday’s starts to pitching in Colorado. Hudson’s never pitched well there, and it was Minor’s first time.
Minor’s start against Pittsburgh — not good. At the same time, I agree with Shaun #151: he’s pitching like a back-of-the-rotation starter. I think he’ll probably be like this all year, with some good stretches and some bad stretches as he learns the league and learns how to work hitters.
Hanson against Philly — that one’s got me baffled as well, although we’ve seen Hanson come out and just have a big crap start every now and then.
Looking forward to seeing Beachy this afternoon. I just hope that his slider is working and he’s able to miss a lot of bats.
May 6th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
That’s how you pay ‘em back Freddie!
May 6th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
I love this Chipper/Moyer stuff.
May 6th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Question: does the HoF clock begin with retirement year? If Moyer also retires this year AND if he & Chipper are both first-round picks, I wanna be at that ceremony.
May 6th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
If Moyer gets in the HOF, it needs to close
May 6th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Sweeeeeeeeeeeep!
May 6th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Nice sweep
May 6th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/05/06/chipper-rips-moyer-over-sign-stealing-accusation/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog
You guys should read this article if you didnt already yet, its a great read. It has some great quotes in there, and its awesome seeing Chipper fired up! Also talkes about the Pirates and the Phillies stealing signs.
May 6th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
“I tell you what, the next time we face them I’ll stand with my back to him, and see what he says then,” Jones said. “What’s his excuse going to be when he gives it up then? I mean, dude, we don’t need signs, especially for him. I mean, my goodness, every pitch is 78 [mph]. Come on.”
I love me some Chipper Jones. LOL