Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers – Box Score – June 06, 2010 – ESPN.
One day we’ll find out what Bobby’s obsession with using Jesse Chavez in close games is. I really don’t understand why this guy is in the major leagues, much less why you’d use him in a tie game if you had any choice in the matter. The only other pitchers left in the eleventh were Kimbrel and the Lisp, plus Wagner (who was being saved for a potential save situation) but I’d use a position player before Chavez. He’s awful. He walked the leadoff man, was given an out on a bunt, then allowed a game-losing single to the .222-hitting backup catcher, because Jesse Chavez sucks. Gregor Blanco made a terrible, terrible throw on the play, and the runner should have been out at the plate, but I don’t think that excuses Chavez.
Tim Hudson, meanwhile, showed that if you keep letting them put the ball in play, you will eventually get burned. After the Braves took a 4-1 lead in the fifth with a pair of homers, one by Prado and one by McCann, he gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. Furcal hit a solo homer, then the next man reached on an Infante error (which easily could have been scored an infield single), Ethier doubled, and Loney singled to tie it.
The Braves had a lot of opportunities to retake the lead, most notably in the ninth, when Conrad led off with a double. Prado struck, out, then Conrad stole third, then Infante and Heyward struck out too. In the tenth, Melky struck out on a 3-2 pitch at his feet. After two innings of insanely good work by Venters (six up, six down, four by strikeout) the Braves had a plane to catch so Bobby brought in Chavez.
“I’d use a position player before Chavez.”
Gold.
I hate Bobby’s dumbass decisions. Chavez is all we could get for Rafael Soriano? God.
I stay up late at night (it’s 2am) because I haven’t seen the Braves in a while (stupid 10pm games), and I’m rewarded with… Jesse Chavez? Bobby has no respect for the international fanbase!
I say let’s cut Chavez loose and see what Resop’s got.
I had all but forgotten Chavez was the Braves’ return for Rafael Soriano. What a joke.
@3: Agreed. Why the hell is Lisp on this team if Bobby isn’t going to use him?
The dumb move was pinch hitting for Venters with McLouth, who couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag. Or Infante swinging for the fences in the ninth with a man on third.
Blech.
Chavez is a head-scratching move. I agree with Avery that Hudson should have started the seventh, and I like the bullpen use up to that point. Why have both Chavez and that guy with the stupid first name if you’re supposedly high on Resop and he’s available in AAA?
I used to think that Chavez was at least something for Soriano, who was going to be non-tendered. Now that he’s a net negative for our team, we’re better off releasing him. I’d play with 24 on the roster instead of having this guy.
Do we have a day off tomorrow? We could really use it. With all things considered, however, I will take a split in LA. At least we’re catching Arizona when KJ is in his old fashioned ice cold slump.
I wonder this:
When DeWitt bunted back to Chavez, there could have been a very close play at second.
If the runner advancing to second is the only runner that matters, isn’t it worth TRYING to get him, considering the bunt wasn’t good, Martin isn’t a blazing runner, and it looked like you had a shot?
Don’t you ALWAYS take the out at first because of the chance to ‘prevent the big inning.’ If the chance for the big inning is already prevented, doesn’t that turn the risk-reward proposition around a little bit?
KJ reached base five times on Saturday and three times today. His slump is over.
@9
Because you’re still missing an out at first if you don’t get him on the turn. It may come back to bite you, say, if a fly out to the outfield would have been a third out, instead it’s a sac fly to end the game. What happens if you throw the ball into center field, and then you have a runner on third with no outs? After all, most relief pitchers can’t field anyway.
@10
Crap.
KJ’s last ten games: .289 / .474 / .395. Not sure about “ice cold.”
The problem was more using three pitchers to get through the 8th, no? That’s always been my biggest complaint about Cox’s use of pitchers. He never seems to see the potential for extra innings, even when it’s, say, the bottom of the 8th and tied. And then when extras come around, it’s always like, “well, wish I hadn’t used that pitcher for just one batter when I might’ve just left the guy who was in keep going since I was about to pinch hit for him anyway. Oh well, it’s Chavez time!”
My disgust is solely with Prado and Infante…regardless of what they did offensively early on, it makes me sick when players either don’t get runners over to third after a leadoff double (Conrad sure picked up Prado there) or don’t get them in from 3rd with less than two out. Inexcusable.
Also, not using Wagner because your “saving” him for a save situation is such a ridiculous strategy. We deserved to lose for that one as well.
Are we really about to re-live Soriano’s Arbitration-Gate scandal again? Or are we content to to skip the reality-check and just revise our history to allow us to blame another one on Frank Wren?
Just like throwing money at that washed up Troy Glaus instead of resigning Rochy…
@14
broxton has 37 ks to 3bb. dont be too upset with prado and infante.
I’ve just noticed that KJ has had 12 HRs for quite a while now. Without looking it up, I just assumed that his power outage meant he was in one of his bad slumps.
I don’t think we’re revisiting the Soriano situation; we’re just talking about what to do going forward. Soriano is gone and Chavez is who we got, but we sure as heck don’t have to keep him.
COX: “Our bullpen was just outstanding until the very last inning…. The bullpen, everybody except the last inning, were outstanding.”
Go ahead and say it, Bobby!
I hate it when the 11th inning issues leadoff walks to struggling hitters and serves up fat sliders to third string catchers. But that’s just what the 11th inning does.
Just like everybody else, I’m frustrated with loss because it felt like the Braves were so close to winning (and winning the series). But the Dodgers are a good team, and a split is about what I expected. Thing is, we have to do business in AZ, because that series with the Twins is going to be a bear.
@16
I don’t think it’s that simple. Broxton throws hard, sure. But there’s no reason to help him out by swinging at balls (I’m sure Prado with agree with that, judging by his reaction). I thought Infante had one of the worst moments in the game in that critical Broxton AB, when he had a man at 3rd and failed to get him in. He had 3-1 and 3-2 counts and looked as if he were trying to hit the ball to Pasadena. His swings were long when he should have shortened up and put the ball in play with the infield in.
Chavez is just God awful. He, like McLouth, has basically done nothing for over 3 months now and does not need to be here. He has one major league pitch, a fastball that he leaves over the plate. He also has a breaking ball that is a “get over” at best, and he decided to throw that twice to the backup catcher with the game on the line.
Tough loss today, but the team went blow for blow with a pretty good Dodgers team in their building.
I don’t think Bobby was wrong bringing in Chavez. A scrub AAAA pitcher (which Chavez is) should get though Martin/DeWitt/Ellis most of the time. I guess Kimbrel would have been a somewhat better choice though.
Somewhat related note: How do you guys think the Resop saga will end?
The All-Star roster will go three-deep at at least three and possibly four positions. If Prado is still doing his Rod Carew impression, I think he’ll get in.
It would also help if Hanley Ramirez would please pass Jimmy Rollins in the voting….
Infante nearly came out of his shoes swinging at that 3-2 pitch. Very Francoueresque.
Great. Pendleton says Heyward’s thumb is hurting him.
Not specifically knocking Cox, because a lot of people do it, but how do you lose an 11 inning game, and your best reliever never gets in the game?
I don’t understand the logic of saying “I don’t want to use my best pitcher when 1 run LOSES the game, I want to use him when 1 run ties the game. So, I’m going to use the worst guy I have when 1 run loses the game. Then when we get ahead, I’m going to use my best pitcher.” Drives me crazy.
Bama beats Stupid Tech 8-1, rubber match tomorrow night.
Breathe. Still 2.0 games up.
Overrated Brian McCann had maybe the worst at-bat I’ve ever seen by an MLB player.
Fat and slow, he leads off an inning by trying to pull a low outside (hell, off the plate) fastball on the FIRST PITCH. Amazingly, he grounds out weakly – barely making it halfway up the line.
Which influences the next hitter (current MVP candidate Troy Glaus) to not swing at the first pitch he sees. This is unfortunate because it’s the same pitch he’s been depositing in those incongruous yellow seats in MannyWood (spare me).
Stupid loss. Avoidable loss. Unbelievably incompetent at bats by Prado and Infante.
And more Hall of Fame managing: McLouth? Chavez? Both of them need to be sent down, not inserted in clutch situations. Aaaargh!!!!
i’m awaiting the news that we’ve dfa’d chavez.
I’m holding out for the news that we threw him out of the plane on the way to Arizona.
I hope they forced McLouth and Chavez to do a tandem skydive over the Grand Canyon.
there’s no way that chavez should be in the majors when we have vladimir nunez at AAA.
We don’t need to DFA Chavez. He still has options left I think.
Nunez has only pitched in ten games; I believe he didn’t make it into the country until after spring training.
29,
Yeah, it’s McCann’s fault Troy Glaus didn’t hit a homer.
So we have people in this thread blaming Prado and McCann: the two guys that hit homeruns that accounted for three of the Braves’ four runs.
2-2 with the Dodgers isnt awful…these are the two best NL teams at the moment. Jesse Chavez is awful and I dont know who should replace him right now, maybe Mike Dunn or John Smoltz?
Is Dan Kolb still playing?
@39 He is a new name in Chris Resop!
I’m really tired of Chipper Jones and his injury du jour.
@41 Only now? I admire your patience!
For a while–but we’re legitimate contenders this year and when you need him healthy he can’t meet you there. It’s irritating and frustrating to know that things can really start going downwards because a guy can’t keep himself healthy enough to swing a piece of wood (that’s what she said). He’s an integral part of this lineup, even when he’s playing below his career averages. I feel like a lot of this rides on his ability to stay healthy or the Braves’ ability to find a suitable replacement.
I think it’s also that time of year were non-working parts start getting exchanged and shipped out (Chavez, McLouth, etc.). McLouth’s contract situation is what is screwing us, but the money should be irrelevant at this point if you’re trying to win.
Gosh, one series, and people are back to doom and gloom. Tired of Chipper’s injuries. McCann is overrated. Cox handles his bullpen strangely. Prado is not quite awesome enough. Wren gave away Soriano. Mostly crazy stuff.
This team is still very awesome. After a nine game losing streak, this team leads the division. A division with the Phillies, who are still a pretty destructive team. Going into the season, I only really expected the Wild Card, and that was with my Braves-shaded lenses. I had truly given up the season after the Nine. Everything now is just a super surprise bonus.
This was a series split, too, not a loss. I really have no complaints about this team right now. The only position on the field underproducing (CF) is filled by a guy who’s been good for years before this.
Also, we have two key returns coming up, Jurrjens and Diaz, who will only make this team better. Suddenly Kawakami is a mopup long reliever, which is pretty silly awesome.
Really, other than McLouth, what’s wrong with this team? The pen? Most teams would love to have Moylan-Saito-Wagner finishing off division opponents.
Bobby’s tactics have always been suspect, but we all know the arguments after twenty years. Everything else about this team is really, really great. Losses happen.
Between Heyward’s rare 20-year-old year and coming from a nine game losing streak to lead the division, we’re looking at a very special season. I find it difficult to make complaints.
With jet lag, across the country, we split an away series with one of the better teams in the league. I’m impressed.
What does it say that we independently sat down to write posts after that debacle and we made the same joke about preferring position players to Chavez?
I spent about five minutes imagining the reaction if Bobby just walked up to the home plate ump and said “we’ve had enough.”
That loss sucked, no doubt. I think maybe we should temper our anger a little bit by realizing that that was the first game we lost that we should have won in a very long time. It happens occasionally.
Chavez sucks, but you really wanted Cristhian Martinez in this game? I honestly forgot he was on the team. I assure you he would’ve fared no better.
Also, our pinch hitting choices at the time of McLouth’s AB were Chipper (who couldn’t play) and Ross (the backup catcher). We really had no choice but to bat McLouth. Also, if we’re going to be wantonly and ridiculously blaming people for the loss, no one has mentioned Jason Heyward yet. He flat-out sucked in this series, and those two late at-bats were 20 kinds of terrible. But no one dared mention that. Let’s go after Prado and Infante instead! (Not that we really should be blaming anybody but Chavez.)
why blame just the offense? Hudson blew a 3 run lead also. Geez people, some here act like this team should win 150 games per season and nothing should ever go wrong. We split a series with the best team in the NL and with no Chipper. Chill out
meanwhile, are any of the AA relievers close to being ready?
@44 Chipper’s injuries have been ongoing for years. He is becoming another Mike Hampton sadly. I love the guy, but is there still hope in him?
@46 Any loss would suck. We had a chance to win, but I don’t quite find this loss any tougher to take than the others.
Did he (McCann) or did he not have a terrible at bat?
Should we or should we not have won this game?
Hell, I can always find positives for my Travel Team to build on, but these guys are paid amazingly well in this abomination of an economy to perform.
As is often said about a baseball season: you’ll win 60, you’ll lose 60 – it’s what you do with the other 60 that determines whether you’re successful or not.
This is yet another winnable game we’ve pissed away. Doesn’t look like much right now, but we’re currently on a hot streak so we feel bulletproof. This will change.
Winners win games like this. Teams that just miss the playoffs lose them.
¿Quién me ama?
Aren’t we still in first place?
Thought so…
#49 – winners also come from 7 behind in the 9th, score the most runs in the majors for certain months, lead the league in last at bat wins….you wont find 1 team that wins every game that they are suppose to win
@49 Yes, winners win this kind of games, but they don’t win every one of these.
“Gosh, one series, and people are back to doom and gloom. Tired of Chipper’s injuries. McCann is overrated. Cox handles his bullpen strangely. Prado is not quite awesome enough. Wren gave away Soriano. Mostly crazy stuff.”
There are always ways to minimize the import of someone’s criticism: the team is losing and he’s just being “fair weathered,” or the team is winning and she’s just being “whiny.” Individually, that may be true. But one can also criticize something while keeping an eye on the bigger picture, like the fact that the Braves are a good team, Cox is a good manager, and the series was overall ok. None of that changes the fact that the Braves blew it today, Cox made a serious mistake with his bullpen management, and the series could have been much more successful. Pointing that out is exactly the purpose of this forum, and it never ceases to amaze me how some folks turn such observations into something bigger. They’re not. And it’s a red herring to say that the sky is not falling when so few are claiming it is.
This game is not indicative of anything bigger. It’s a loss, a tough one. But you move on from it & try to beat up the Diamondbacks.
And I’m not bringing in Billy Wagner to pitch 2 innings, sorry.
@46 – McLouth was the only one left to pinch hit, this is true. I just wouldn’t have pinch hit. Venters’ arm should still be stretched out enough to throw 3-4 innings, especially considering how few pitches he had thrown so far. If you’re going to punt an at bat (and let’s face it, there’s a small chance McLouth draws a walk but nearly no chance he hits) then you may as well punt and keep a decent pitcher in the game.
It’s all in the past now, anyway.
@56: Venters had 23 pitches. I was also for him returning instead of Chavez.
JoeyT with the post of the day at #44.
Gosh, some people need to calm down. They lost a tough one. As for the “you win 60, you lose 60, yadda yadda”, that still leaves 60 to win or lose. If you won all 60 of those, you’d win 120. Raise your hand if you expect ANY team to win 120. It’s not going to happen because sometimes tough losses happen. If we lost 20 of those games, we’d still win 100. I’ll take it.
Would a team with a rotation of Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Josh Johnson, and Stephen Strasburg win 120 games?
Mark Teixeira is really waiting late to “heat up” this year. He’s currently sporting a .215/.328/.370 line. OBP is okay, that SLG is atrocious for him.
@59 With Royals’ offense?
@60: With a team of Jeff Francoeurs.
Chavez has allowed 20 hits (five homers), 18 earned runs and 7 walks in 14 innings in a span of 11 appearances began on April 29. The Braves are 3-8 in those games.
Rob @58:
Yeah, but those 100 wins would be in a 180 game season.
Overrated Brian McCann had maybe the worst at-bat I’ve ever seen by an MLB player.
Why exactly is Brian McCann “overrated”?? WHO “overrates” him? Show some respect, man. He is a great guy and a great ballplayer.
And if his AB was the worst you have ever seen, then where were you when Loney struck out and landed on the ground on a pitch that almost hit him in THIS VERY GAME? And where were you during the Frenchy era?
@64 He hasn’t seen any Frenchy at-bat in his life.
I forget who made the original comment, but I think they nailed it on the head when they said we are in the midst of 20games in a row. The Lisp is up to fetch water and clean spikes but Chavez is actually a member of the bullpen. You can’t criticize Bobby for only trusting 3 guys in the bullpen and for using more than 3 guys in the bullpen.
Bobby has to see what he’s got down there. As we’ve seen Bobby do numerous times he gives players the chance to prove themselves. I would guess this was Bobby giving Chavez a chance to prove why he is in MLB (apparently he had no answer). I remember him doing the same thing with Jorge Sosa in a game with St. Louis. Sosa blew it, and he hasn’t worn a tomahawk since. I think this is why players like playing for Bobby.
Please prove me right Bobby and send Chavez packing.
How much input does a pitching coach have on who Bobby calls out of the pen?
I have an actual unverified rumor regarding the Braves. “A source in the Rays organization” (i.e. a guy I sometimes see in bars) said this weekend that the Rays’ best guess for the Braves is Reggie Golden. This came up because they were looking at him for their second pick, since the Astros, Braves, and Jays have five picks before their next, and all of them have given him looks. He doesn’t think the Rays will take Golden at #31, and, apparently in some meeting with Friedman, “the other people in the room” guessed him for the Braves.
He was drunk, though, and he was kind of rambling. Also, I had had a couple, so my memory might not be perfect. Still, it doesn’t sound unreasonable, and we hardly know each other, so he didn’t have any reason to exaggerate and sound like a big shot.
You can talk about losing games they should win, but you also need to talk about winning games they should have lost–and the Braves have won a number of games like that. Fact is, every team, no matter the record, has games they could have or should have won. I know there were lots of games with Greg Maddux pitching that the Braves should have won.
Having said that, I have never understood the philosophy of not using your best pitcher in an extra-inning game because you are saving him for a save situation. If you lose the game before then, what have you gained? Conversely, it’s not as if other pitchers are prohibited from getting three outs with less than a four run lead. I don’t think you should ever lose a game like this by saving your best pitcher. This just drives me nuts.
I think the offense is more of a concern than pitching. If Heyward is hurt, he needs to rest and get healed because, even at 20, he is too important to the offense. (Granted, the Braves have been scoring runs without Heyward hitting much but that’s not going to last unless some of these other guys get going.) You can blame Chavez, but the fact is the Braves went scoreless for the last 7 or 8 innings.
Meanwhile, Jeff Francouer is making his push for MVP. I was at the Nats game when I saw the Mets tied the game; I had this horrible feeling it was Frenchy that hit a home run. I don’t like it when the world gets so out of whack that he looks like a good player; I expect a black hole to swallow the universe anytime now.
I do think you need to keep things in perspective. The NL East is pretty even and teams are going to have ups and downs depending, in part, on the schedule. If the Braves are still in first place after the road trip, that will be a significant accomplishment.
I think Bobby’s comments about yesterdays game, especially about the bullpen, will be about as close as you will every hear Bobby call someone out. He’s just such a “players” manager that this was his way of saying “Chavez Sucked”
BTW, my speech has returned, my wife is very happy /end sarcasm
I am not saying that I necessarily agree in the Braves case from yesterday, but there is a reason to not go to your best reliever as the road team. That is, if say Wagner holds LA for an inning you can’t win unless you can at least hold LA again for the next inning. So, Wagner in the 9th, hold them to 0, you still can’t win unless you also successfully pitch the 10th. So, why not let the guy who was going to have to successfully pitch the 10th anyway pitch in the 9th? The only opposing thing is what if you as the road team explode in the next top half. then you can use your crap reliever.
This logic does not apply to home games. if you are tied at home entering 9, the next time you score (unless the other guy scores first) you win.
Chavez and Christian Martinez both need to go somewhere. I hate the thought of Resop, but maybe with Saito and Kawakami around he can keep his mystic focus and be a different pitcher. His AAA numbers say he can help (and say he is probably a better pitcher than the last time he came thorugh ATL).
Behind him, Dunn has really looked good. He is already on the 40 man roster. I am not sure anyone else is really ready, although Nunez would be better than the 2 current dufi (plural of dufus).
My thought when Martinez came up was that after he finished his brief stint he would be taken off the 40 man roster so we could add someone else (Resop). I still think that will be the case, although I was expecting him to get a few more chances.
Gotta beat up on the D’Backs.
Soon, the NL East right fielders will be:
Jason Heyward
Michael Stanton
Bryce Harper
Domonic Brown (If you don’t know, you will soon: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=CF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=502126)
…and, hopefully, Jeff Francoeur
td, i think you are right. Resop will be called up real soon as they need some arms and Martinez will go bye bye.
JJ will be back soon too and he could go to the bullpen t build up arm strength and then flip KK back to the pen or something like that.
we need another OF though.
wonder what the cost on DeJesus might be…he’d probably be a nice upgrade over Melky/Nate, but he’s been mostly playing LF
DeJesus is who McLouth and Melky are supposed to be, a defensive and offensive tweener who doesn’t do anything really well but doesn’t do anything really terribly. He basically has a corner outfield glove and a center field bat. He isn’t the answer to anything; if anything, he’s an incremental upgrade.
Except that he looks like a substantial upgrade when Nate McLouth is hitting like Mario Mendoza.
Andruw Jones? Alex Rios?
csg, you know how much Rios is making?
No to Andruw. Seen his current slash line? Plummeting back to Earth.
Rios? Isn’t he like, good? Why would the Chi Sox trade him? He makes 10+ million per year?
We are going to have to be patient on a trade. And its not the good old days when you could count on someone doing a salary dump AND us having the money to pay.
I find it generally helpful to remember that the other team is trying, too.
Also, while the bumbling Cox had a pitcher with a 7 ERA in the game, the genius Torre was countering with a pitcher whose ERA was almost 6. These are the types of pitchers who see work in extra inning games.
@71,
Cliff,
I’m not sure I understand your point. My argument was directed against not using the closer (presumably your best relief pitcher)in extra innings on the road because you are saving him for the save. My position is what’s the point in saving the closer if you are going to lose earlier by bringing in an inferior pitcher. By the same token, once you get the lead, it doesn’t mean that a non-closer can’t get three outs. Maybe you use three pitchers to get each out; maybe you are facing the bottom of the order and it’s a relatively easy save. The point is, the save situation is not necessarily a higher leverage situation than maintaining the tie and I submit it’s ridiculous to lose the game with your best relief pitcher not getting in. If you blow the save, you blow the save, but at least you have the chance to win.
I don’t disagree that it might make sense to bring Wagner in earlier and have him pitch two innings. I just think it makes no sense not to use him at all for fear of not having him available to protect the lead.
Marc,
I wasn’t agreeing with the logic. Only explaining it.
Absolutely the highest leverage occurs earlier once you are in extra innings on the road. Usually, the highest leverage in a game occurs in the 7th or 8th inning, not the 9th, so the whole Closer TM thing doesn’t fit to most appropriate and highest leverage anyway.
The possibly more sensible compromise version would be to use the Closer TM against the heart of the order on the road (whatever the inning) and hope the other guys can beat the dregs. Chavez couldn’t even beat the dregs yesterday, so that wouldn’t have helped either.
For example, if I were managing in Phillie and we were going to the ninth inning tied, I would probably pencil in Wagner for the Utley / Howard / Ibanez inning. That creates the lowest probability of losing in that inning. Then, if lesser pitchers can hold off the lesser lights, you have several innings until you face the monsters again.
So Haren’s having a rough year because he’s leading the majors in homers allowed. But he’s still Dan Haren, and Lowe is still Derek Lowe. Anyone think we have a chance tonight?
I think we have a great chance tonite, we have a much better bullpen.
Let’s see, we’re 8-4 in Lowe starts, and he hasn’t had a bad start in over a month — I’ll go out on a limb and say yes, we have a chance!
Alex Rios is both expensive and playing very well right now but –
1. The White Sox are considering a sell-off according to Buster Olney
2. Rios is having a season far better than any other, so Chicago would be selling at a very good time, and the odds of his staying at this level are not that great.
3. He makes a LOT of money going forward:
# 7 years/$69.835M (2008-14), plus 2015 club option
* signed extension with Toronto 4/4/08, re-working 2008 deal signed 2/5/08 ($3.5M signing bonus remains, 2008 salary reduced from $1.335M to $0.735M)
* 08:$0.735M, 09:$5.9M, 10:$9.7M, 11:$12M, 12:$12M, 13:$12.5M, 14:$12.5M, 15:$13.5M club option ($1M buyout)
* may block trades to 6 clubs beginning in 2009
* if traded between beginning of 2011 season and Spring Training 2014, future salaries increase by $0.5M each
I don’t know if that’s where I’d go, but I bet he is available.
Could this team use some hand exercising equipment like rubber balls and spring grips? Chipper, Prado, Heyward. Whose next?
How bout some of those packing peanuts, they are alot of fun.
forgot that Rios got that big of a deal, I just heard they would be selling soon and those are the only two players I could see helping. Actually Konerko would help and we could move Glaus to 3rd while Chipper tends to his cuticles
First groin injuries, then hand injuries. Frankly, I’m getting a disturbing picture here.
LOL! – You’d think with the high volume of groupies these guys attract ……
Did I just hear Chipper to the DL?
Oh, and please excuse last night’s grumpiness. Chavez and a little too much Maker’s is not a good combination.
seriously…in a straight platoon, andruw could help. and i think the braves could get him by paying melky’s salary and sending his melky ass on to the sox. although inflated by the ridiculous start at the first of the season, andruw’s numbers against lhp are quite impressive.
vs LHP as RHB .243avg .364 obp .568slg .931ops
get it done, wren.
Am I the only one who thinks we give Blanco a try in CF? I’m sorry. I really like McLouth, but he needs a trip to Gwinnett if only to get regrounded.
Why is Bryce Harper playing right field? I thought he was a catcher.
i’m obviously not an expert, but has anyone else noticed that mclouth takes almost every pitch middle-inside? can one not simply adjust a stance and slide away from the plate 3-5 inches?
Nobody seems to think Harper will stick at catcher or that he has the tools for third base, so with his arm right field is the best you’ll get.
The Stanton call-up is going to be interesting. He could be striking out 40% of his ABs and still end the year with 15+ HRs.
BTW, it’s Roberto Petagine’s Birthday, which is of course a sabermetric national holiday.
Draft day is here! I hope that the Braves get the chance to take Yordy Cabrera, but they are nicely unpredicable–especially with #35 pick.
Assuming that Cabrera is not available–here is one way they might go in the first 6 rounds: #35—Chevez Clarke; #53-DeAndre Smelter; #70-Drew Cisco; #101—Andrelton Simmons;#134—Tony Thompson; #164-Jimmy Nelson; #194—Ralston Cash; #224—Corey Dickerson-#254–Jeff Shields
Odds are against the Braves drafting more than one of these players, but it would be a good draft if they did….
@101
I hope your #224 pick comes true — we’re extremely thin at running back, and he sounds like a good one.
One problem with Smelter: if he comes up to the majors and can’t hit, what can we possibly nickname him?
How is it that the Accuscore still has the Phils w/ a 60% chance of winning the division when they’re not even leading it now, nor trending towards the lead? Our BA & ERAs as teams are pretty danged close… is it that we don’t have a good record on the road or against the NL East?
From various sources the Braves are being connected for the second pick to a pitcher from Texas named Noah Syndergaard….It would be our best name since Spooneybarger….
@105 – only if Syndergaard threw to Spanjer-Furstenburg to pick off Spillborghs.
Or Saltalamacchia.
Even with the hyphenated name (in effect a double) Spanjer-
Furstenburg is still 2 sylables shy of Saltalamachia.
Jesus Sucre — don’t forget Sweet Jesus.
Game thread.