Braves 8, Phillies 2
ESPN – Braves vs. Phillies – Box Score – July 25, 2008
It was closer than the score indicated.
For eight innings, the only run came on a Brian McCann solo homer in the fourth. The Braves were doing their left-on-base thing, twice leaving the bases loaded, with twelve total for the game. Jair Jurrjens, however, was doing great, and getting great defense, in particular from Infante (playing third with Chipper sitting it out). Jurrjens went eight innings, throwing 100 pitches (62 strikes) and giving up just three hits and one walk, striking out six.
Bobby hit Norton for him in the ninth, and Norton doubled leading off. Blanco bunted for a single, and Escobar was walked. Teixeira lined a single, scoring Norton. McCann had been walked (once intentionally) in his last two PA, but there was nowhere to put him this time. They would have been better off walking him, as he hit his second homer of the night to make it 6-0. Even Francoeur got involved with a one-out hit, and KJ doubled him home. Norton finished the scoring with an RBI groundout.
Will Ohman is apparently the current holder of the Bobby Cox Is Trying To Kill Him Chair, and was out there relieving again. He gave up a two-run homer to Howard to make it 8-2, but that was all… The Braves had fourteen hits, and everyone but Escobar had at least one.
So Hampton’s supposed to pitch tomorrow? Let’s hear some predictions about how he’ll manage to injure himself in these remaining hours before the game
July 25th, 2008 at 9:29 pmCheck the last thread, Catz. There’s plenty. haha
Speaking of Hampton, I have a question. When the ESPN Bottom Line and other similar things show that a player is returning from injury, it’ll still give you the injured body part in parentheses. Like if Chipper was due back Saturday, it would say, “Chipper Jones (hamstring) will start Saturday against Philadelphia” or whatever. What would you put for Hampton? “Mike Hampton (body) will start Saturday against Philadelphia”?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:35 pmOh, and I just saw the highlights of the game. Man, the Braves were slinging the leather tonight! Escobar had a sick DP, Omar came up big a couple times, Teixera made a good play in the middle of a seizure, and Jair rebounded nicely after some liners had his number. Man, those were fun to watch from our end.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:37 pm“Blanco bunted for a single”
July 25th, 2008 at 9:37 pmMac, that’s a little understated, Blanco was waiting for a pitch to get the sac down and still beat out the throw. Maybe it’s because I am so slow, but I just love guys who can run and do.
Oops. perhaps i should read the game threads (that i don’t participate in) for once
July 25th, 2008 at 9:37 pmGame threads are tough to read through after the fact, man. I’m a fan of the mid-day banter between guys like Stu, ububba, AAR, etc. Those guys usually come up with something entertaining.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:40 pmPhuck the Phillies. I hate those bastards. They’ve kicked our ass all season…if not but for one game, it was nice to stick them in the eye for a game. But I wish we could’ve hit the slam vs JC farkin Romero. I hate that SOB.
We still may very well be “sellers”. In fact, in all likelihood, we most certainly are. But I’d love to kick the Phils in the nuts one good time.
Their suckage of the last 150 years is already lifting up my left foot.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:42 pmI’m just surprised we managed to lead 1-0 for 8 innings
July 25th, 2008 at 9:43 pmWren’s one big winner in the off season, obtaining Jair Jurrjens. I’d love for us to sweep these guys but again does that prolong the agony or put us into buy mode?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:48 pmAccordint to CNNSi’s Heyman, the Braves management is split as to buying and selling…with Bobby Cox leading the charge to buy.
If that is accurate…and IF the Braves were to even WIN the series vs the Phils…and IF Hampton and Glavine are predicted to come back soon…then I think Bobby wins the argument and the Braves are buying.
However, now the the Bucs have parted ways with Nady…there’s no way the Braves get Bay. So what other OF can they get to boost the offense?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:54 pmI heard Barry Bonds is available.
In all seriousness, Raul Ibanez is not a bad option.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:00 pmMac,
No pressure or anything, but here’s hoping for a Hampton-related special tomorrow. Even a reprise of “greatest hits.”
I’m rooting for Hampton and all, but for anyone to get too bent out of shape over blogger videos is silly.
I mean, if Mel Brooks can do “Hitler on Ice,” I’m not sure how folks can lose it over this.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:26 pmI don’t really have anything new ready. I’ll re-post something.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm“If that is accurate…and IF the Braves were to even WIN the series vs the Phils…and IF Hampton and Glavine are predicted to come back soon…then I think Bobby wins the argument and the Braves are buying.”
not necessarily, the Braves could sweep here and still be 6.5 back in the division. The goal is to make up ground and when your 4th in your division its hard to do so. Sell, Sell, Sell
July 25th, 2008 at 10:36 pmAtlanta Braves Top 20 Prospects in Review – Minor League Ball
July 25th, 2008 at 10:38 pmFreeman is the obvious omission from the list; Rome pitchers have looked so-so.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:49 pmLike he said, it’s a review. Nobody had Freeman in the top twenty going in.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:50 pmwillie cabrera is another guy who is putting up some solid numbers in the low minors. he’s a lf. i bet he breaks the top 20 next year. http://tinyurl.com/6q8bnx
July 25th, 2008 at 11:06 pmMac, I think, off the top of my head, that Baseball America had Freeman 16th. Props to them, because other than those guys, he was completely off the radar. The Braves have a very deep farm system. If they trade off Ohman and Teixeira, they could have the best in the game.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:13 pmthis gives some hope. buyers or sellers, this would be a good trade. i wonder which players for the braves think this deal is going down.
http://tinyurl.com/6j6uzr
July 25th, 2008 at 11:14 pmWhat would the trade be? I agree that adding Bay would be a good thing, but it all depends on what we give up.
Also, I would have to disagree with Johnny above; Wren had two big winners this off-season, the other being the Ascanio deal. What a steal that’s turned out to be! I was mostly indifferent on the deal at the time (I think thought it was basically fair), but it’s turned out to be a huge win for the Braves, whether they move Ohman for a couple of pitching prospects at the deadline or not. But yeah. At this point, the Aybar deal is the only one that looks even remotely like a stinker at this point. And in fairness regarding that one, Ridgway’s FIP numbers in Richmond is way better than his ERA.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:29 pmI can’t believe nobody other than my real-life buddy appreciated my joke in the last thread. I was hoping to come home from Step Brothers—legitimately hilarious from start to almost-finish, BTW—to find at least a couple of LOLs.
I’ll try again tomorrow.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:29 pmtrading for Bay makes sense for next year. Trading Tex could make sense for next year. Just think that if we could get Bay and move Tex/Ohman for Conor Jackson + then our lineup is still better than present. Im kind of glad that Nady wasnt the bat that we acquired, he’s been great, but has multiple injuries. If we get Bay, I think it really makes Kotsay expendable and Blanco would give us enough production from CF.
Blanco
Yunel
Chipper
Bmac
Bay
Jackson
KJ
Frenchy
yeah, I’d take that right now
July 25th, 2008 at 11:29 pmAgreed re: the Ascanio deal, mraver. (Although I should proudly note that I was very high on it even at the time it was made.)
Also agree with your Bay sentiments. I’d love to get him, even if we’re “selling” this season, but as always, it depends on what we’d be giving up.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:31 pmRaul Ibanez is not a good option. He is a terrible fielder. A terrible, terrible fielder.
http://tiny.cc/ipnSt
That page is a discussion of how good Ibanez is. Halfway down, there is a set of links to film of Ibanez ‘fielding’ his position. We do not want Ibanez unless we are moving to the AL.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:35 pmI laughed at the flatline Stu, if that’s any consolation. Lots of gallows funny going on around here lately. As the man said, when you got nothin’, you got nothing to lose.
‘Bridge + B-Jones for Bay? Do it… Now… Do it.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:49 pmre: his 9th inning homerun.
It’s almost not fair for a lineup like the Rangers to have a Chris Davis come up at a position of need in the middle of the year. He’s batting 8th for christ sake.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:50 pmOhman was warming up alongside Gonzo before the Braves exploded in the 9th, so I guess that’s why he came in to pitch.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:51 pmugh, Stu I like reading your posts but please stop with the Conor Jackson stuff. Why would the DBacks trade their best hitter and then have no place to play their
July 26th, 2008 at 12:23 amthird/fourth best hitter, Chad Tracy. C’mon now. Nobody in this forum would be happier if the Braves got Conor Jackson, but it’s not going to happen. As I have said many times, if the Braves trade Tex to the DBacks it will most certainly not include CoJack, unfortunately.
If Hampton pitches well…. Trade him in a minute.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:10 amHe has a no-trade clause.
I wonder who the Braves will send down to make room for Hampton. I would say probably Morton, but it could also be Carlyle since he’s struggled lately, or Tavarez could be DFAd.
I think the most likely trading scenario with the Diamondbacks would involve getting Tracy and some other toys in return rather than CoJack.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:18 amDid everyone see the good news? Chris Resop has been sold to the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese League!
July 26th, 2008 at 7:23 amWell, we can’t send down a starter in case the guy who’s technically starting today falls down in a heap.
July 26th, 2008 at 8:08 amAnd again, we likely won’t trade Lillibridge back to the Pirates.
My thoughts on Freeman.
I’m happy that Freeman is playing well, but I don’t get excited about anyone until high-A ball. I’ve been doing some work on trying to predict major league careers from minor league performance, and anything below A+ ball predicts nothing. His performance isn’t worthless, certainly good performance is a good sign, but I won’t be shocked if he posts a sub-.700 OPS in Myrtle Beach either. I wonder what scouts think of him.
Freeman has got a lot tied up in his batting average. I’d like to seem him maintain that and hold onto his power.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:00 amThe Braves win a couple of games, Frenchy (who sucks) gets a couple of hits, and suddenly he is predicting that the Braves will at least win the series and maybe sweep. It doesn’t take much to get him excited. I’m glad to see the Braves win but I would much rather see the Phillies win the division than the Mets–if for no other reason, I hate to see Rob Neyer be right. And the Braves still left 12 guys on base. But I think the Phillies are going into collapse mode so I wouldn’t be shocked if the Braves at least win one more game.
I would lay money that if they win the series, Teixera will not be traded even if they are still 6 games back. Maybe even if they don’t. If Bobby’s against selling, I don’t think it will happen.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:30 amTempered expectations are appropriate with Freeman, especially since he’s extremely low on the defensive spectrum, but he’s got two things going for him right now: terrific performance, and terrific age-relative-to-league.
Each of these is good, and fantastic players can come out of either of them — Uggla didn’t ever really have the age relative to league, but he hit the hell out of the ball in the minors and keeps doing it in the majors, and Hanley Ramirez never hit nearly as well in the minors as he has in the majors, but he was always extremely young for the competition.
And either of them can bust — Brett Tomko tore up the minors and yet was a well-below-average pitcher almost his entire career, and for some reason Andy Marte has an allergy to the major leagues.
The combination of both is powerful, and having two guys like that at the same age on the same team is a wonderful hedge against the possibility (however unthinkable) that one of them starts treading water. It’s a long way to the majors, but these boys have been doing about as well as they can so far.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:33 amugh, Stu I like reading your posts but please stop with the Conor Jackson stuff.
I didn’t say anything about Conor Jackson. Not since I linked to that article yesterday (or was it the day before?), anyway.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:39 am“Freeman has got a lot tied up in his batting average. I’d like to seem him maintain that and hold onto his power.”
jc, call me ignorant, but i’ve never understood this statement. his obp is .380 which puts an extra 60 points onto his average, which is not a walk machine, but it’s still pretty decent. i dont understand.
also, i would be interested to know what you think about willie cabrera and jon owings who are both putting up good numbers at myrtle beach yet havent received much recognition.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:45 amFreeman has 49 XB hits this year; Heyward has 31. That is an enormous difference. Yes, Freeman could flame out at MB or Mississippi, but on the basis of the numbers in front of us only, you would have to like his chances to succeed more than you would like Heyward’s (and I think/hope Heyward will make it to MLB).
July 26th, 2008 at 9:53 amHe’s hitting .312. If he is a true .312 hitter then I like that he’s got a .900 OPS. If he is a .280 hitter, then he’s got an OPS in the mid-.800s, which doesn’t excite me much. It’s good, but not Uber-prospect good. He walks OK and his power is good, but not fantastic. Batting average fluctuates quite a bit, so I don’t know if I can trust it until I’ve seen him hit .300 consistently. Jeffy batting .327 in Rookie ball, but he’s no .300 hitter.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:55 amryan c,
July 26th, 2008 at 9:56 amFrom a cursory glance, Owings is old for his level (but I know he’s someone the organization keeps an eye on—very toolsy), while Cabrera’s numbers are solid, but nothing eye-popping.
Heyward’s performance in Rome doesn’t excite me. The fact that his performance is decent and scouts love him gives makes me like him more the Freeman. However, he is still a long way from the majors, and I want to see him up his walks and power like McCann did. If Freeman makes to the majors and Heyward doesn’t, I won’t be shocked.
I should say that my main point is that it’s just really too early for me to get excited about any of these guys. At the same point in his career, McCann did not look so hot: .290/.328 /.462. Right now, he’s on a HOF career path…speaking of premature forecasts.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:06 amI don’t recall seeing the G&G thing, but it’s not impossible that I did.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:51 amThis isn’t exactly a “win” for Wren since it was obviously going to happen, but having Andruw Jones leave was a big win for the Braves. I was watching the Nats game in LA last night and the fans are booing Andruw not only when he hits but whenever a fly ball is hit to centerfield. He is at .166 with 2 home runs. I feel bad for him but given what he is making it’s easy to understand. His hitting has completely collapsed; he nearly falls down when he swings. Can you imagine an outfield with Frenchy AND Andruw?
July 26th, 2008 at 11:56 am