30 May
Game thread: Braves at Reds, May 30
Mark Kotsay to the DL, Josh Anderson called up. Because our outfield wasn’t underpowered enough already.
This text represents the size of the Cincinnati ballpark.
CONTACT
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Mark Kotsay to the DL, Josh Anderson called up. Because our outfield wasn’t underpowered enough already.
This text represents the size of the Cincinnati ballpark.
Mac, I have a site that one of those valuation places said was worth over 700K, though I’ve found others that say it’s worth only 10-15K… though I’ve had no offers in either range, much to my chagrin.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pmKotsay lasted longer and was obviously much better than I thought he would be. But it’s time to stop screwing around and go get an outfielder. Just an average guy like a Randy Winn or somebody would help a lot.
A Norton/Anderson/Infante-Blanco-Francoeur outfield is a joke.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:18 pmanything is an upgrade over Infante and Norton in our outfield. I dont mind the Anderson call up (I would like to see Brandon Jones also). Anderson will give us an upgrade on defense, more speed in the lineup, and will hit just as good as the 1st two mentioned. With KJ, Tex, McCann, and Chipper in the lineup we just need our other guys to get on base and not screw anything up.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:22 pmI’m with Robert. On the one hand, I’ve come to terms with Blanco, I guess, as he’s getting on base and looked fine in CF this week. But the overall outfield situation is ridiculous. Basically, the 6-8 spots in the lineup are all outfielders and all black holes, with the occasional Blanco walk. The Braves are going to have to get something from one of their corner outfielders down the stretch… it’s that simple. I actually think that LF is as big a position of need now as SP.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:33 pmTotally agree, Robert. It really shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who’s Randy Winn-ish for a reasonable price. It’s time to do so.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:36 pmRandy Winn would be a very nice acquisition. The Giants suck also so there is no point in them keeping him
May 30th, 2008 at 2:38 pmSince when is there any point in what the Giants do or don’t do?
May 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pmAnderson is fine as a stop-gap, and he’ll be gone once Kotsay returns. But I’d still like to see us make a move in the next week or so to add another bat to the OF.
On the positive side of things, I wasn’t aware of this until today, but the Braves are leading the NL in defensive effeciency (3rd in MLB behind the Rays and Orioles). On the season, Braves fielders have converted 72.1% of balls in play into outs. Last year, we were pretty good, too, tied for 5th in the league with the Rockies. The rate last year was 70.3%, and the top overall number was Toronto at 71.4%, which makes me think that we may regress a bit.
On the other hand, we’ve upgraded at SS and 1B defensively while getting Blanco in LF instead of Harris. Kotsay probably hasn’t been as good as Andruw, but that drop-off shouldn’t swamp the other upgrades.
So that explains at least part of why our pitching is doing well. In fact, it explains a lot of it. The rest of it is that our pitchers (well, Chucky excepted) don’t give up HRs (2nd in the league). We’re above-average in SO and BB, but it’s really the keeping the ball in the park and the high rate of putouts that’s kept our pitchers near the top of the league.
Let’s hope these guys can keep it up!
(I got all the numbers from Baseball Prospectus’s statistics section. There’s some good stuff and easy filters if anyone interested in checking it out.)
May 30th, 2008 at 2:41 pmAlso, for whatever it’s worth, I think we’ve got enough pitchers to pitch all of our innings, we just need to be a bit more creative about how we do it. The starting point here would be getting Bennett back into the long man role, going 3 innings in a couple appearances a week (one of them probably after Campillo). There no reason not to give him 100+ innings this year spread over 50-60 outings.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:44 pmTotally agree with Robert. But I doubt if the Giants give up Winn…he just help them sweep the Diamondbacks. If we are not going to have an outfielder with power, can we at least get a speedster or someone who can hit well over .300? And maybe hit a double every now and then. With our infield, one solid outfielder and the Braves may distance themselves from the pack.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:45 pmI wonder what Bobby will do with the lineup now. There is really no point in putting the fastest guys in the lineup in the 7 and 8th spots.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:48 pmWell, there’s no point in putting a guy with a .330 OBP in a high spot in the order, but then again he was putting Infante up there and he’s even worse.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:50 pmRandy Winn’s no spring chicken.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmare the reds still wanting to get rid of adam dunn? i know he’s a lot more expensive than we could expect to spend, and i know he’s not exactly a gold glover in left field, and i know he doesn’t hit for average, and he probably doesn’t really help our lineup against lefties (I haven’t checked, just assuming)… but he sure could clog up the bases and hit for power.
Also… how inept is he at 1b? Completely? Just wondering.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmI think Ken Griffey is available!!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pmI’ve never been a big fan of Adam Dunn. I fully recognize his value — I just don’t enjoy his approach. Guys like him were the original sabermetric darlings, and it’s true that he puts runs on the scoreboard and wins in the standings. Maybe that’s all I should care about.
But watching big doofuses haul their butts down to first base after taking another walk, or back to the dugout after striking out yet again, or plodding around the bases after homering — it’s just not very dynamic. I always thought there was a “careful what you wish for” aspect to recognizing the offensive value of guys like Dunn, Howard, et al. Yes, they’re big run producers. They’re also boring as hell to watch.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:11 pmWe should have a pool on when Terence writes that column. I say, the day after Junior hits 600
May 30th, 2008 at 3:12 pmHe doesn’t have to write the column. He has a macro (ctrl+shift+f8) that automatically generates a “Braves should trade for Griffey” column.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pmRandy Winn is 33 y/o with 9 stolen bases/ OBP of .346 right above Mark Kotsay. If the Braves are truly going to compete, an outfielder is a must. I think the Braves, Mets and Phillies are equal when it comes to the infield, but the outfield is where the Braves are lagging. Victorino has the speed and avg for Philly, while Burrell is 2nd in the NL with OPS of 1.007. Ryan Church(currently DL) is having his breakout year with 9 HR and an OBS. of .904, and while he is not his old self, Beltran still has an OBS .802 with 7 steals.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:16 pmWhat’s the deal with Volquez? Is he really as good as his numbers are suggesting after ten games? I ahve never seen him pitch. Anyone?
May 30th, 2008 at 3:19 pmFun fact — Gregor Blanco has been a better hitter than Carlos Beltran this season.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pmI just want to know what Chipper’s OBS is?
May 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pmtimo, we won against him on May 2, 2-0 with Hudson pitching.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:24 pmNo I see why Volquez has been so tough:
“Shocks hitters with a change-up that cuts 20 m.p.h. off his mid-90′s fastball, which can lead to numerous strikeouts. Works hard at improving his craft. “
May 30th, 2008 at 3:24 pmHe’s also been better than Ryan Howard.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pmVolquez = good fastball, excellent changeup but has bouts of wildness that haven’t come back to bite him in the ass yet.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pmThanks, MGL and Tony…
May 30th, 2008 at 3:26 pmWell, time to bite tonight then, Aram!!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:26 pmChipper OPS…..1.170. But what is even more uncanny…is Lance Berkman’s OPS of 1.228.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:27 pmPark effects.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:30 pmLance Berkmans’ OPS at home 1.362
May 30th, 2008 at 3:34 pmOPS away 1.119
Pretty damn impressive.
Chipper’s splits….this is amazing!!
at home: .437 .516 .660 1.176
May 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pmaway: .400 .480 .682 1.162
See, park effects. And Berkman’s OPS is more SLG-heavy. Chipper’s been the better hitter this year.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pmI love WKRP in Cincinnati, what a great show.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pmLoni Anderson was a sight gag — Bailey, on the other hand, was the bomb. Can’t believe James Brolin dumped her for Barbra Streisand. I can’t believe I just spent five minutes finding this out….
May 30th, 2008 at 3:44 pmsansho1 — i thought the 3 true outcomes (or whatever they’re called) were supposed to be exciting in at least 2 out of the 3 cases. heh heh.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:47 pmSansho1….don’t be embarassed. You just told me something I never knew. Plus I loved WKRP in Cincy too…it’s one of the few sitcoms along with Seinfeld, Sanford and Son and Andy Griffith that I can watch reruns of….
Yea Mac I see what you mean about Park Effects for Berkman.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pmAfter my first year of law school wrapped up, I decided to do some Braves watching. Every year I try to go to a game in Pittsburgh because I love the park so much, so I caught three games in Pittsburgh, went down to Atlanta for the Wednesday/Thursday Mets games, which were my first in Turner Field.
Now I’ve been to games in Braves gear in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, but never in my life have I been heckled or cursed at like Tuesday in Miller Park. Those people are brutal…and drunk. It was a tough night to be a Braves fan.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pmBailey Quarters was, I believe, my first TV crush.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pmDoes anyone have a site for Braves radio affiliates? I will be driving through South Carolina tonight during game time and I am looking for a feed.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:52 pmThe Bull which is…94.9 I think, then AM 640 which (I think) is WGST. I’m sure they all have official sites.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:54 pmhttp://mlb.mlb.com/atl/schedule/affiliates.jsp
Amazing what googling “braves radio affiliates” can do…
May 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pmKyle B. that’s funny. Just wait until you take the Philly trip. Hopefully you will still be able to talk about it….
May 30th, 2008 at 3:59 pmThanks, dooood.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pmTony, I think people in Pittsburgh have accepted their futility and just don’t care enough to heckle.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pmCarrol Rogers is reporting that Anderson will not start and will be used for for pinch running and defensive substitutions. I guess we can’t do without Greg Norton’s .154
What tonight’s lineup should be
1) Blanco
Anderson
May 30th, 2008 at 4:02 pm2) Escobar
3) Chipper
4) McCann
5) Tex
6) Frenchy
7) KJ
The list of Braves radio affiliates is at http://mlb.mlb.com/atl/schedule/affiliates.jsp
(Hope I got that right.)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pm#39
Mine was Holly from “Land of the Lost” — but I’ve just learned from imdb that her son is a rapper named “40 Keys”, which has retroactively crushed my crush.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pmgreat another player who’ll be on the roster and not play, whats the point? He’s better than Norton and Infante defensively and probably better with the bat also
May 30th, 2008 at 4:07 pmCarrol Rogers is reporting that Anderson will not start and will be used for for pinch running and defensive substitutions. I guess we can’t do without Greg Norton’s .154
As frustrating as this was upon my initial reading, well, Anderson’s not that good and Norton’s supposed to be able to hit.
I know he’s in a slump, but I wish we’d called up Brandon Jones. That would have gotten me excited.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pmDamn…Norton’s best year: .296 .374 .520 .894, in 98 games with 17 HR and 45 RBis in 2006. Does this warrant him getting all this playing time? Batting 5th in the batting order? Jesus he is .252 career hitter…
May 30th, 2008 at 4:33 pmYes, according to the guy in right field.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:42 pmNow, that’s a quality zing.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:42 pmyour starting lineup
Yunel
May 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pmKJ
Chip
Tex
Mac
Frenchy
Norton
Blanco
Glav
Brayan Pena is now a KC Royal.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pmWhoa, really?
May 30th, 2008 at 4:57 pmThey take all of our discarded Penas. Was he a FA or did we get something for him?
(BTW, Lil’ Tony’s OPS is .381. That’s an OPS+ of 4.)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:57 pmyour article
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/642722.html
May 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pmFree Joe Borchard !!!
May 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pmFree Scott Thorman !!
May 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pmKidding on both, of course.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pmWow, I’d already completely forgotten about Borchard.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pmThat team down in Richmond is a sad, sad offensive bunch collectively, I didn’t really realize until now I guess.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=t_ibp&cid=431
May 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pmKyle B,
I’ve seen some youtube videos of Cubs fans at Miller Park really getting verbally thrashed.
But, I mean, Cubs/Brewers? Not exactly Bears/Packers, IMO.
And I’ll amend the above Philly statement: Phils fans certainly hate their opponents, but not quite as much as they hate themselves.
Generally, folks at that park are attempting unique suicide method: Death-by-funnel cake.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pmMaybe we should start a Chipper’s BA vs. Lil TP’s OPS Watch. Nice of Tony to spot him forty points just to make things interesting!
May 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pmWKRP
Yes, Bailey was hot & Jennifer was a stage prop—Bailey was Mary Ann to Jennifer’s Ginger—but Herb Tarlek has always been one of my favorite TV characters.
Little did I know that, when I grew up to be a professional journalist guy, I’d be surrounded by Herb Tarleks.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pmStu,
No offense but why would you be excited by a callup of Brandon Jones. Hasn’t he stunk this year in the minors.
Do we even have one legitimate minor league OF prospect? And by prospect I mean prospect not in the way that Ryan Langerhans was a prospect for years.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:53 pmI really, really want Barry Bonds on this team. I know it won’t happen, but man Chipper/Tex/Bonds would be devastating.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:54 pmI wouldn’t be mad at all if we signed Bonds. I’d think it was hilarious.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:56 pmDo we even have one legitimate minor league OF prospect?
Jason Heyward, Jordan Schafer and Gorkys Hernandez are all legitimate OF prospects.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pmAs pointed out before, as long as Hank Aaron is still a part of the Braves organization it will never happen.
I hate Bonds perhaps as much as anybody, but I may start a sign Bonds campaign myself if I’m subjected to too many more nights of Norton/Infante and soon to be Josh Anderson.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pmYeah, Brandon’s had a bad year so far, but there was a reason he was thought of as a prospect headed into this season. Look at last year’s stats, for example.
I’d be excited because I see Brandon as a possible part of the future, not just some stop-gap defensive sub like Anderson is.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:05 pmSince he pitched in relief (!) already this week, I’ll set the Volquez Dusty Baker pitch count over/under at 110. I’ll take the over.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:21 pmnot good
Tom has gone from a 1-2 count to a walk and an 0-2 count to a hit
May 30th, 2008 at 6:24 pmAs much as I hate the variously colored jerseys, I like the new hats. Simpler is better.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pmI’m getting the Reds feed, which means Thom Brenneman and Jeff Brantley. I already want to gouge my eardrums out.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pmWell, Volquez looks phenomenal. We better start working the count and get him out of there as soon as possible.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:32 pmHey, a four pitch walk. Should have tried that jinx earlier.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:33 pmBall 8.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:34 pmFrenchy is wearing his stirrup socks backwards. More grist for the mill…
May 30th, 2008 at 6:35 pmThis has to be the worst OF in the league.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:40 pmAYFKM? This Volquez guy has disgusting stuff.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:41 pmBlanco had couple of shitty strikes called on him, but man, Volquez has amazing movement on his pitches.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:43 pmThis guy had a HR problem with Texas?..seems unbelievable..
By my count Volquez threw 17 pitches in the first, and 20 in the second. Let’s keep that up.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:43 pmEverybody has HR problems in Texas. Has anyone noticed that Turner Field now has a sub 100 park factor? We used to have a neutral to slight hitter’s park. All these stupid new band boxes are screwing things up.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:50 pmCan we forget about Barry Bonds already?
Just. Not. Happening.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:51 pmTurner field has been playing tougher than Shea for 2 yrs now…
May 30th, 2008 at 6:51 pmOle!
May 30th, 2008 at 6:53 pmTurner Field has generally played as a little more of a pitcher’s park; it was a little hitter-friendlier around the turn of the millenium but other that that…
May 30th, 2008 at 6:54 pmDammit, Chipper should have bunted
May 30th, 2008 at 6:57 pmVolquez continues his Houdini act.
Coming into tonight, his LOB% was 88.2%. That is astronomically high. He has great stuff and all, but it’s going to be a long fall back to Earth.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:58 pm*sigh* Well, at least Volquez’s pitch count is up.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:59 pmIn comparison, Jorge Sosa had a 85.1 LOB% in his fluke year of ’05.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:00 pmOf course, Sosa was a flyball pitcher with a below average strikeout rate. Which makes his performance in 2005 even more amazing.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:02 pmAll together now: “Anderson would have gotten that.”
May 30th, 2008 at 7:02 pmPhillies with seven runs in the second against the Marlins. They’ll probably be in first place in the morning.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:11 pmFor those with the Reds feed, AFLAC answer is
May 30th, 2008 at 7:11 pmRuth, Garr and ..?Rico Carthy?
Damn, ruined Frenchy’s great at bat.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:12 pmI hate Norton
May 30th, 2008 at 7:15 pmI’m for signing Barry Bonds.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:27 pmI’m not.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:29 pmI call collusion. How can a guy who holds the MLB homerun record and hit .276/.480/.565 with 28 homeruns just last season not find a team to give him a 1YR/10M contract?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:33 pmEverybody hates his guts and he might go to jail.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:34 pmWent to see X last night at the Variety in Atl – Absolutely killer. Apropos of nothing, just wanted to share..
May 30th, 2008 at 7:34 pmcause he’s a piece of crap
May 30th, 2008 at 7:35 pmHe ain’t goin’ to the pokey this season – it’s doubtless collusion, but proving it would be impossible.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:36 pmwith Harang, Volquez, and Cueto the Reds should have a very strong rotation for quite a while. They should trade Dunn and Griffey if possible and build their franchise
May 30th, 2008 at 7:38 pmChipper really needs to bunt here.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:39 pmDusty will turn Volquez into the next Dontrelle
May 30th, 2008 at 7:39 pmwhen was his last sac bunt?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:39 pmKelly performs well solely by my sheer force of will. GET HIM IN!
May 30th, 2008 at 7:40 pmWhy? Maybe because he is going to court this season and would be a huge distraction and liability?
He’s like a cancer, you don’t let it get in your system because you know it will only spread.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:40 pmAs for Bonds… Seriously, everybody hates him. He can’t play defense anymore, so basically he’s limited to DH or LF in a small park, which limits his options. There’s more to it than that, though. He’s not a big draw now that he’s broken the HR record (and everyone hates him) and so if you have a bad team there’s no reason to get him. Most good teams don’t need a DH or a LF. Those that do include teams like the Braves, who would never in a million years sign him. There just aren’t a lot of possibilities. And he’s 43 and is now pretty much a sabermetric player (homers and walks), so a lot of teams probably genuinely question what’s left.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:43 pmFrancouer really needs to quit the toe tap thing, its really screwing up his timing
May 30th, 2008 at 7:44 pmYeah, better chase Brian back, you know how dangerous he is on the basepaths.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:44 pmI’m not sure if anything can fix Frenchy. If the stride is what is messing him up, why doesn’t he go the KJ route?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:45 pmJoey Devine on the DL today…same day as Mark Kotsay.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:46 pmyou’re probably right, he’s just not a good hitter like we expect him to be. At least we all know how clutch he is with two outs :^)
May 30th, 2008 at 7:46 pmSomeone’s going to get Boyered this game…I can feel it.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:47 pmDan, that’s kind of eerie.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:48 pmOh my god…
May 30th, 2008 at 7:50 pmThat lead died quickly.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:50 pmYeah, getting that first run was HUGE, wasn’t it?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:50 pmWell, it means we aren’t losing… yet.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:53 pmMost good teams don’t need a DH or a LF.
That sounds like it came squarely off the top of your head Mac. Can I assume you didn’t really see if that was true before you said it?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:54 pmBobby still seems to have a mountain of faith in Glavine during the middle innings. My faith goes about as high as first base rises from the dirt.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:55 pmTwo random interjections:
1) Is Luis Castillo on the juice? Because he seems to be.
2) I’d never had Red Stripe until about 30 minutes ago, and boy is it disgusting.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:57 pmAnother one-run road loss?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:58 pmwally, if you need advice on beer ask. Im sure there are several here who have tried almost all. Yes, not a fan of red stripe either.
do we lose this game 2-1?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:00 pmI think the Reds might have found themselves a player in this Jay Bruce kid.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:00 pmWell, at least their guy is at 100 pitches already.
Spike,
So was all the X material from the first 4 albums?
A few years ago, I was in Chicago to see a Braves/Cubs series. X was playing House of Blues that night, so a pal & I went. They were so good, we went back to see them there the next night, too.
And what a goofball Billy Zoom is…
May 30th, 2008 at 8:00 pmThining just about the NL East -
Mets, Braves, Nationals, and Marlins would improve immediately in LF
May 30th, 2008 at 8:00 pmI love Red Stripe.
Ya mon.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:02 pmBilly Zoom is goofy, but in a good way. He worked on my Echoplexes for years when he retired for a while with tinnitis. Almost all the material was the pre-Alvin stuff, and they played for a couple of hours. Exene and John did do a nice acoustic version of 4th of July though.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:03 pmMost good teams don’t have a lot of needs is all. To take the AL, since he really should DH… The Red Sox have Manny and Papi, and though Ortiz looks to be going Delgado on them they aren’t going to replace him. The White Sox have Thome and Quentin. The Angels or Twins could use him, but it’s out of character for either of those clubs, especially Minnesota. Cust and Thomas are giving just that sort of production the A’s could expect, for a whole lot less. The one fit I see among the stronger teams is in Tampa.
Sure, NOW Norton gets a hit.
In the NL, the Phillies don’t need him, for sure. The Marlins are getting acceptable offense out of Gonzalez, and we’ve gone over why the Braves wouldn’t do it. The Cubs have Soriano playing left now. The Cardinals are getting bubkes from left, but they also have a converted pitcher playing center, so I don’t think you can stretch the defense much. The Astros have Carlos Lee, and the Dodgers more outfielders than they know what to do with. Arizona would seem the best possibility except that they’re committed to Byrnes, who won’t go on the DL.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:05 pmnow our outfield is Infante, Norton, and Francouer.
Why would you bring in Infante to bunt instead of Blanco???
May 30th, 2008 at 8:05 pmWhy wasn’t Anderson running for Norton?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:05 pmAnd he turned me on to Gretsch solidbodies – went out and got a ’54 duo-jet in ’82. Didja know he toured with Gene Vincent at the end of Gene’s xareer?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:06 pmAnd I think that’s every team with a winning record.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:07 pmBobby probably thinks Boyer is strong enough to pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th
May 30th, 2008 at 8:08 pmBleeping double play…
May 30th, 2008 at 8:09 pmOh, man….
May 30th, 2008 at 8:09 pmNot to be pushy, but you just changed the argument quite a ways from “good teams don’t need a LF or DH”, pal. Have it your way – I merely was contending that it’s pretty obvious SOMEBODY would have approached him by now, but hasn’t for some overarching reason outside of money or need – a top down directive not to do it.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:10 pmNo, it’s a close game. Wait til we get a 6 or 7 run lead for Boyer.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:10 pmUsually “good” teams will actually develop hitters that they may have an extra 3B or 1B or such that get moved to left so they can get “hid” defensively, such as Adam Dunn, Jack Cust, Matt Holliday, etc.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:11 pmI don’t think that they need a directive is all. There just aren’t many slots for a player whose skills are so limited. And everybody hates him.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pmOr more specifically of Braves teams past, Ron Gant or Ryan Klesko.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pmGet a hit Kelly!!!!
May 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pmThere just aren’t many slots for a player whose skills are so limited.
Now you really are just making stuff up. He had the best OBP in the NL, and the 6th OPS. Are you seriously telling me he is SUCH a defensive liability that NO NL team would be better even at his salary? And that NO AL DH spot would be improved even at his salary? I’m not even gonna bother to look up stuff to rebut that. I concede he is not loved – neither was Cobb, or Kent, or Williams, or a thousand other guys who played a long time. The circumstantial evidence is just overwhelming that there is collusion.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pmDrat.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pmSpike,
I just don’t think anyone wants to put up with Bonds. I know I don’t. And there’s no reason to believe he’ll put up those kinds of numbers (’07, I mean) this season. To hell with him.
But, yeah, “4th of July,” that’s a great tune. And yeah, I know all about Zoom & X—probably seen ‘em 8 or 9 times over the years, with 3 different guitar players.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:21 pmIt’s one of the clearest cases of collusion, maybe ever in sports. There’s no way he wouldn’t be better than 2/3 of the DHs in the AL, at 43 years old and fat and off roids, he could walk out of bed and be better than most of them at the plate.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:27 pmAlways a great idea to ask a guy who hasn’t had a sacrifice bunt in his professional career to try and lay one down in the 8th inning of a tie game.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:28 pmI just don’t think anyone wants to put up with Bonds. I know I don’t.
Fine – make that argument. I just don’t buy that every single franchise feels that way. It’s a reasonable debate. Just don’t hand me some guff about him not having the skills to play baseball at a very high level – even if he drops off say 10 percent you get a guy hitting better than 150 OPS plus with 25 HR’s. That’s a starting, all-star DH/LF on just about any club in the league.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:28 pmWell, spike, I’d have to guess that every franchise does feel that way, seeing as he is unemployed.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:31 pmI don’t know, spike. I went to a few games in SF last year, and Bonds was good for no more than six innings, and then Fred Lewis or Rajai Davis would come in for him. He hadn’t broken the record at that point, so maybe they were saving him, but he didn’t get down into the corner very quickly at all.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:32 pmI’ll agree with you that purely from a baseball standpoint, there’s no way Bonds shouldn’t be employed, even in the NL. Nobody can really convince me that he would be worse offensively or defensively than say, Luis Gonzalez. I just think you’re underestimating how big of a PR hit the team would taking employing somebody who could possibly end up in jail/is a jerk and a royal pain in the ass/everybody hates him.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:33 pm/deep sigh
May 30th, 2008 at 8:34 pmWhat a brutal throw.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:35 pmWell, spike, I’d have to guess that every franchise does feel that way, seeing as he is unemployed.
As I said, that’s a defendable position – I just find it unbelievable given the traditional willingness of sports franchises to hire objectionablr characters in order to succeed.
I don’t know, spike. I went to a few games in SF last year, and Bonds was good for no more than six innings, and then Fred Lewis or Rajai Davis would come in for him.
I make no claim that he is playing GG defense – only that his offensive contributions per dollar are still at an extremely attractive level, even after accounting for defense – the Mike Piazza theory.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pmhuge K there
May 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pmWay to clean up your own mess, Manny.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pmWhew. Didn’t look like a very good pitch, but he got away with it.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pmGood job there by Acosta.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pmI have to say, I was shocked Acosta got out Phillips there.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pmManny has been so much better the past few appearances, I hope it isn’t a fluke.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pmBonds hits homers and draws walks. Now, he does both a lot, but that’s all he does. It’s not just that his defense is rotten. His batting average over the last two years (and the year he missed most of before that) was in the .270-range, and a plunge in batting average is one of the clear signs that the end is near. He can’t run the bases at all anymore. And he’s a four-game-a-week player, which nobody has pointed out. He had 493 PA in 2006 and 477 last year.
Look, I’m not saying that some team (the Rays or the DBacks or the Mets) shouldn’t take a chance on him, I’m just saying that I see why nobody has.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:41 pmSeriously, does Francoeur have some sort of memory difficulty? He always looks like the last slider was the first one he ever saw.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:43 pmOdds that Braves lose game (by one run) in bottom of the ninth?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:44 pmNow, why would the Rays, which has made such a big deal of the veteran clubhouse presence of DH Cliff Floyd, take on someone as toxic as Barry Bonds?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pm85%
May 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pmPlease no Acosta vs. Dunn.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pm75%
May 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pmeven money
May 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pmI think I would have used Ring here and then Stockman.
Acosta vs. Dunn scares me.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:46 pmMets bullpen imploding yet again. 5 consecutive hits for Dodgers to start the eighth. LA leads 7-5.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:47 pmFLA getting killed by the Phils we need to win and ge a game back
May 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pma plunge in batting average is one of the clear signs that the end is near.
On what do you base this, considering a player whose OBP and slugging are at elite levels? Your point is well taken, and I think we’ve both made our point here, but you moved the goalposts, and put out a couple of pretty subjective statements that I have a hard time believing you can substantiate, let alone thought much about before claiming as fact.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pmWhose arm is going to fall off first Boyer or Acosta. And is there any other people that can pitch in the bullpen?
May 30th, 2008 at 8:50 pmHey we didn’t lose yet
May 30th, 2008 at 8:50 pmRuns, pretty please.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:51 pmOK, we suck on the road. We awful at one-run games. We’re winless in extras this year.
Turnaround time, boys.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:51 pmhere you go: 1 run games this season
Braves 2-14 (worst in mlb)
Reds 10-4 (best in mlb)
May 30th, 2008 at 8:52 pmFrancisco Cordero against Infanta, Blanco and a pinch hitter.
Not likely to score here.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:53 pmNever mind. Forgot that Blanco was yanked.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:54 pmI’ll probably be laughed at unmercifully but I’ve always thought that the Bonds as a huge jerk thing was somewhat overstated. Sure he’s not a church deacon, but he’s not Satan. He’s a jerk, but not much more of one than hundreds of other great players in MLB history.
I also believe that since so many were on roids that one of the biggest travesties in sports has been that he had to carry the brunt of all that mess.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pmEscobar swinging early and often.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:59 pmOh come on Escobar.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pmgotta try and steal here
May 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pmat least he didnt try it with no outs
May 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pmWould be a good time for a Kelly smash.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pmDamn. We’re gonna lose.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pmYunel, you’re challenging my mancrush.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pmholy crap, I was just hitting enter as he did that. wow.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:03 pmI guess if we can get through the bottom of 10 we have kj then chipper so it’s not all bad.
Ugh. I know people say he’s got baseball smarts, but there is a difference between trying shit like hidden ball tricks and his little extra base stunt and playing smart baseball. You’re in extra innings, two outs, and you try something like that?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:03 pmblergh….
May 30th, 2008 at 9:03 pmBennett again?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:04 pmThat’s a bad move by Yunel. Gotta let KJ hit there.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:04 pmYeah, Blaine needs a night off, b/c Bobby just used him in a 5-RUN GAME.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pmthe way this team cant score runs, I dont mind someone trying to do something. We all love it when it works, he was half a stride away from it working again
May 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pmTo be honest, I’ve got no problem with him doing that.
It worked against the Dbacks last year, it didn’t this time.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pmWhat is the point of Buddy Carlyle, Phil Stockman and Royce Ring in the Braves’ bullpen?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:07 pmnone
May 30th, 2008 at 9:07 pmoh, that paul bako…
May 30th, 2008 at 9:07 pm#202 to give the bullpen catchers some work.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:08 pm4th game in 5 days for Bennett.
Also, 5 out of the last 7.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:08 pmWe live to fight another inning.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:09 pmIve got a feeling Jo Jo might pinch hit in this game if it continues. Is it sad that I’ve got more faith in him with the bat (bunts excluded) than Miller?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:09 pmWell, if Bennett’s arm gets slagged, better him than Boyer.
I’ve been focusing on Stockman, but what’s the deal with Carlyle? Stockman at least got into a game. Carlyle’s been up all week and I don’t know that he’s even warmed up. And Bobby used him seven times in April, so it’s not like they have no confidence in him.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:11 pmYES KELLY!
May 30th, 2008 at 9:12 pmTrap, but a good play. Normally, I’d say play back and don’t let it past you, but at that angle I don’t know if he could have cut it off before KJ made second.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pmKent Mercker still plays??
May 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pmPark one, Mr. Jones.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pmSure would have been nice for that ball to go through
May 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pmOh…. my god…
May 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pmI think Bobby has forgotten that Carlyle got called up.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pm/shakes head in disbelief
May 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pmCrud.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pmWe’re cursed.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:15 pmThe Braves have hit into so many DPs this year. Does anyone know how they rank in the league?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:15 pmWe just lost. Guaranteed
May 30th, 2008 at 9:15 pmI was just going to ask what happened but i’ll guess DP
May 30th, 2008 at 9:16 pmChipper’s 0-5… a major slump..
May 30th, 2008 at 9:16 pmOh yeah…the Braves are so losing this one here.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pmIt was mentioned sometime in the Brewers series that the Braves had hit into the most, though not sure if it was in the majors or just the NL.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pmChipper GIDP. Tex hard hit to 3b diving stop and got him by a couple steps
May 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pmChipper’s average down to .409.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pmWhat is this, the Anti-Chipper?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmIt’s time to bench him.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmPlease come back soon Mike Gonzalez.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmNot gonna win this one guys.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmChipper with his best Roger Dorn impression.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmThis is ridiculous. Again…
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pmA one-run road loss!
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pmHey Chip: wake up.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pm/pukes
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pmthe guys really arent giving Ring a chance to succeed here.
Speaking of that
Chipper missed 3 grounders tonight, 2 in that inning, and went 0-5
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pmI’ve seen this movie before.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pmseriously… F— this team
May 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pmWho even wants to watch this team in the playoffs?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pmBut let’s keep pitching to Jay Bruce!
May 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pm19 consecutive 1-run road losses.
Can’t have a worse inning than Chipper just had there—a GIDP in the top & then he develops a hole in his glove.
I mean, the ball hit by Griffey could’ve been a double play.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pmPlayoffs?! Hilarious.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pmChipper should have two errors in that inning alone. Bobby will view this as Rings fault and will make sure he only goes with the FOUR relievers that he trust from now on
May 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pmWell, that was inevitable.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pmSame exact team 3 years in a row. Lose by 1, lose by 1, win by 12, lose by 1…..
May 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pmBobby’s lack of trust in the back end of the bullpen is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pmthe ball that Griffey hit was nothing compared to the one that Phillips hit that went directly between his legs. Ring gives up a bloop, gets two potential DP grounders, and gets the loss
May 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pmPlayoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I’m just hoping we can win a game, another game.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:26 pmThe playoffs sometimes consist of road games, so I don’t think we’d want any part of that.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pmI don’t blame it on Bobby’s bullpen management as much as I blame it on the offense going into Hibernation Mode 2 out of 3 games every series.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I still do think Bobby stinks and he mismanages the bullpen. F— this team. I don’t think my stomach can take any more of this s—
May 30th, 2008 at 9:30 pmRecap up. Yeah, Chipper had a bad day.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:30 pmMac,
Save yourself some time and copy-paste the recap from one of the previous 1-run road losses. You should at least have a template by now.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:34 pm