Rick Ankiel
Well, he’s famous. A lot more famous than his results dictate. Ankiel was the #1 prospect in baseball at one point, a hard-throwing lefthanded pitcher. He made it up to the majors briefly with the Cardinals as a 19-year-old, and at 20 went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA, 194 strikeouts in 175 innings. And then, he lost it. Leading 6-0 in the first game of the 2000 NLDS against the Braves, Ankiel suffered a sudden and total loss of pitching ability, throwing four walks and five wild pitches in the third inning. And he never recovered. He showed some flashes in the lower levels of the minors, but his control was utterly shot and eventually he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2003. After five games in relief in 2004, the Cardinals threw up their hands and converted him to an outfielder.
He showed some pop, slugging .515 (17 HR/21 2B) in 2005 in A and AA. The Cards planned to bring him up as a spare outfielder in 2006, but he blew out his knee and missed the season. In 2007, he led the PCL in homers with 32, slugging .568, and then hit .285/.328/.535 in a 47-game callup. In 2008, he stayed on the major league roster, hitting 25 homers, but pitchers were starting to figure him out and over the last couple of years his production has faded. He also got caught up in an HGH dragnet; he says that the drug was prescribed to him. He may have even been telling the truth, and, once again, there’s no evidence that HGH does anything to aid athletic performance. The Cards let him go after last season and he was picked up by the Royals. He’s missed much of this season with various injuries, and has really become an all-or-nothing player, a guy with poor on-base skills but some power.
Ankiel’s major league OBP is .311, .315 since he was converted from the mound. He has obvious tools, but lost too much development time as a pitcher to really learn how to hit. He’s a good defensive corner outfielder who can be stretched to center, like most of the Braves’ outfielders. The assumption is that he will play center at least part of the time with the Braves, and can’t really be any worse than Melky.
Rick Ankiel Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com.
Optimism defined.
August 1st, 2010 at 8:49 amToday’s lineup!
1. Conrad 3B, 2. Heyward RF, 3. Infante 2B, 4. McCann C, 5. Hinske 1B, 6. Gonzalez SS, 7. Ankiel CF, 8. Cabrera LF 9. Hanson
Yeah!!
August 1st, 2010 at 8:51 amDamn.
August 1st, 2010 at 8:54 am@2
August 1st, 2010 at 8:57 amscrew that lineup. give matt diaz the bats he deserves.
I hate Melky.
Nice write up of Ankiel. I’m very much looking forward to the Farnz write up.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:05 amWhat an awful lineup. Guess that whole “winning series” thing isn’t as important when you’re in first after the break.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:39 amWilkin Ramirez was a decent prospect not too long ago. Does that mean we should be worried about the PTBNL?
My main concern would be Minor which would be a terrible trade, but would explain why it had to be PTBNL.
I just don’t think the Tigers give away Ramirez for nothing.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:51 amseriously, what the hell is wrong with bobby. i’ve seen some stupid shit in his time, but continuously running melky out there day after day, especially after we pick up a replacement for his chubby ass, is unforgivable.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:51 amI really hope Ankiel and Melky in the outfield on the same day doesn’t become a usual thing.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:00 amResting Glaus against the RHP is a good idea.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:02 amThe lineup isn’t great but no surpise really except for Chipper having his day off. Of course Bobby being Bobby, having Melky in the lineup after his debacle yesterday, i guess…
August 1st, 2010 at 10:03 amI see no one responded to my Minor comment and after waking up a little I realize there’s no way it’s Minor.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:13 am@10
August 1st, 2010 at 10:26 ami agree, but not giving a hot diaz the start, righty or not, is pure madness.
here are diaz’s numbers since coming off of the dl:
August 1st, 2010 at 10:30 am.333 BA
1.079 OPS
6 doubles 5 hr 14 rbi
After watching Diaz’s PA’s against the righty yesterday, I can understand the lack of confidence.
but I agree anyone but Melky.
edit: check out Melky’s splits over at BR. Offensively he has been excellent the last month. 2nd half performance excellent.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:31 am@15
August 1st, 2010 at 10:36 amafter watching diaz for the last 4 years, how can you read into anything concerning his at-bats? even in his good at-bats he looks awful.
Last 28 days
.302/.375/.508 .883
Had to make sure I was looking at the right Cabrera.
I understand what Bobby’s trying to do. Put the best 9 out there even if it hurts the team defensively. But man o man Melky is NOT a cf.
@16 – Good point.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:40 amthat’s the emptiest .800 ops i’ve ever seen. he has 0 hrs, only 2 rbi’s, and 4 runs. i know it’s not a repeatable skill, but he’s been horrendous for us in clutch situations. for the year, he has a .569 ops with RISP and a .282 ops with a runner at 3rd. YIKES!
August 1st, 2010 at 10:42 amMost of Melky’s double are bloopers hit in just the right place. He’s been lucky, that’s all.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:49 amThey need to bring back Diaz’s Captain Caveman nickname, tbqh.
Man I miss Boog. =(
August 1st, 2010 at 10:49 ammight i also add that he’s been intentionally walked 4 times since the all star break.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:54 amI’ve already started hydrating and stretching.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:55 amWilkin Ramirez was DFA’d by the Tigers a few days ago, they aren’t getting anything of value in return.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:07 amJim Bunning thinks Stephen Strasburg is a wimp
As Strasburg started to warm up, he noticed some soreness. The National’s manager, Jim Riggleman, scratched him. The team has made no secret of its desire to coddle their rookie fireballer, who is seen as the core of a future contending team.
Poppycock. That, in a nutshell, is Bunning’s answer to the Nationals’ decision.
The senator told Politico he has seen Strasburg four times (Tuesday was supposed to be Strasburg’s 10th start).
“My arm!” Bunning pretended to cry, clutching his shoulder as he spoke to a reporter in the United States Capitol.
“Five hundred twenty starts, I never refused the ball,” Bunning said. “What a joke!”
The new kid is rapidly losing the respect of the Hall of Famer.
“He was in the top one percentile,” Bunning was quoted as saying, pinching his thumb and index finger together. Now, the senator huffed, he is more like the 50th percentile.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:07 am#19 all looks the same on the scoreboard.
Shows how tight our budget is. Kearns was acquired for cash.
The Cards trade of Ludwick is strange. I get that they wanted a starter but specifically Jake Westbrooke?
August 1st, 2010 at 11:09 am#19 – If the game was like the last 2 you’re gonna run 8 miles.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:14 amI don’t know why everyone is complaining. All Hanson has to do is not give up any fly balls except to right field and he will be fine. That’s easy, isn’t it? I think it’s good they are giving Glaus a day off; he has been awful.
It’s surprising to me that an organization that once brought in Bream and Pendleton specifically to help the defense seems to put so little weight on outfield defense. Melky may be the worst major league CF I have ever seen.
However, to keep things in perspective, the Braves did have a winning record in July (13-11) and did stretch their lead. And the Phillies are struggling on the road as well (lost 13 of 17 on the road). But looking at the Giants, I am worried about the wild card as a safety net. I think the Braves are virtually tied with the Giants in terms of record, so it is no sure thing they would be the wild card if they lost the division. Hopefully, going home will rejuventate them.
Considering Jim Bunning is a crazy man, I don’ think I would put much stock in his comments.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:14 amIf you have Tommy on your fantasy team, are you starting him today?
Answer and I will consider sharing my $35 worth of winnings with you
August 1st, 2010 at 11:35 amI am, but only because I’ve got all the pitching stats locked up for this week except for strikeouts. Even an exceptionally bad game from him doesn’t lose me any of the other stats.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:38 amAnything is better than seeing Hinske next to Melky in the outfield. I really hope to never see that again.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:38 amJerome Jurenovich thinks Ankiel has been in the AL for “a couple of years.”
August 1st, 2010 at 11:54 amMelky can hit righties or lefties, he cant play a defensive position above average. There’s no excuse starting him over anyone.
put Chipper at 3B, Conrad at 2B, and Infante in LF if you have no faith in Diaz against RHP.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:56 amJust saw both ankiel and farnsworth interviewed on pre-game. Neither seemed thrilled to be in Atlanta.
Kinda surprised. To go from the hapless royals to a 1st place team is something I would welcome.
Did Mac’s pessimism get to them too?
August 1st, 2010 at 11:58 am@33: Don’t take those interviews so seriously. They just arrived at the park after being uprooted from their homes and families to go play baseball in a new city. They’re professionals. I wouldn’t expect them to be exactly busting out of their pants about it.
Jerome had to bring up Ankiel’s storied career path. What an idiot. The man’s gotta be sick of it by now.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:11 pmBlanco and Chavez are where they deserve to be (along with many other ex-Braves.) If only Francoeur would hurry up and join them in Royal blue.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:17 pmSdp
Not taking it serious. But they aren’t entirely worthless
As far as being uprooted goes, Farnsworth should be more than used to it.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:19 pmWow. Just catching up and saw the lineup. I’m surprised Ross isn’t hitting clean-up.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:19 pmI love seeing the braves leaving guys at 3rd with 1 out
August 1st, 2010 at 12:21 pmand there you go, a batter too late
August 1st, 2010 at 12:21 pmSIGH.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:21 pmWorld Series calibre teams don’t give up chances like those.
We’re doomed.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:24 pm“We’re doomed.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmZRDUO1wGQ
August 1st, 2010 at 12:26 pm“If you have Tommy on your fantasy team, are you starting him today?”
Sadly, yes, as it’s a weekly and I started him for his two starts. He’s a nightmare to have on your team, too. I see the singles have already started…
August 1st, 2010 at 12:29 pmMy issue with this lineup is that Volquez is wild. The way to get to him is to take pitches. Instead, we’ve run out there the least patient lineup we can field on the one day our ancient corner infielders should both be in there.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:31 pmIronically, according to GameDay, it was Heyward who swung at the pitch furthest outside the strike zone and thus grounded out instead of walking.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:33 pmHanson has been better on the road and I like his chances today.
15 of his 21 starts have been 2ER or less, he’s a safe play almost every week in fantasy
August 1st, 2010 at 12:34 pmare Volquez and Cueto twins?
August 1st, 2010 at 12:34 pmAAG!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmAAG!!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmAAG!!! (That’s a good thing.)
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmA homerun from the starting shortstop?!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmAgony!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmfinally
August 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pmAAAAAAAAAAAG!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:36 pmWho else has Ankiel fever? Just me. OK.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:36 pmAnkiel with the old school knee highs.
Not a fan.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:36 pmReally? I love that look.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:38 pma walk… we are rubbing off already
August 1st, 2010 at 12:38 pmI like the look
August 1st, 2010 at 12:38 pmYES! Take that statistical likelihoods!! It’s Ankiel’s world. We just live in it!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:38 pmVolquez is so wild our lack of patient hitters might not matter.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:39 pm2nd HR from the SS position this yr
August 1st, 2010 at 12:39 pmCareer Walk percentages:
Prado: 7.1%
August 1st, 2010 at 12:40 pmAnkiel: 7.5%
showing my age but the flat brimmed hat thing looks stupid
August 1st, 2010 at 12:40 pmI don’t like the flat brims either.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:42 pmis chad cordero the 1st guy you remember wearing that on the mound? is for me…
August 1st, 2010 at 12:44 pmI don’t like the flat brims either, but I don’t like the extreme bend that Lowe has. Gotta have a happy medium.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:45 pm66 – I think you are right.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:46 pmLoving Volquez’ Jheri curl.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:46 pmat what point does management come in and say “Eddie… can I call you Eddie? .. No? OK. Edinson.. we noticed that each day you look more and more like the Predator. We can’t have that.”
August 1st, 2010 at 12:47 pm3BB thru 2IP…gotta have more runs on the board
August 1st, 2010 at 12:47 pmI like the name Edinson. Original
August 1st, 2010 at 12:48 pmMcCann and now Heyward have struck out on fastballs way out of the zone.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:48 pmBraves’ inability to hit (or even make productive outs) with runners in scoring position has reached and passed the point of ridiculousness. Oy vey.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:49 pmRyan Howard left the Phillies game with an apparent injury to his knee.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:49 pmthe 2 called strikes on Heyward looked kinda low but …
August 1st, 2010 at 12:50 pmOswalt cant cure that, I dont believe
August 1st, 2010 at 12:52 pmdoes anyone throw a screwball anymore?
August 1st, 2010 at 12:52 pmThis team might be susceptible to the high fastball.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:53 pmBethany, run faster!!!
August 1st, 2010 at 12:54 pmLove Joe Simpson talking as if he ever robbed someone of a home run.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:54 pmheyward’s being too patient again.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:54 pmShe needs to pace herself, it’s just the second inning.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pmwow, nasty pitch.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pm#75 darn it.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pmthe slider that got bruce was nastier.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:56 pmHeyward might be pressing to drive in runs with the big guns sitting.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:57 pmAstros just gave Brett Myers an extension
SUNDAY, 12:51am: The Astros and Myers have agreed to an extension that is guaranteed through 2012, per a team release. The contract includes a club option for 2013 that could vest based on Myers’ performance in 2012. The extension guarantees the right-hander at least $21MM, and could earn him up to $29.5MM, including the option and performance incentives
another reason for their fans to be pissed
August 1st, 2010 at 12:58 pmshould omar infante be a regular? say next season prado 3b infante 2b? just asking?
August 1st, 2010 at 12:59 pmOmar the All-Star.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:59 pmI dont know, but Id like to see them add another year or two on his current contract
August 1st, 2010 at 1:00 pmcmon BMac
August 1st, 2010 at 1:00 pmJust logging on now. Why in God’s name is fat, loser, Melky back in the lineup. Good lord. Is Diaz SO hopeless against righties that we couldn’t have sat Melky’s fat, useless ass on the bench today after that embarrassing smirky performance yesterday?
This is what pisses me off so much about Cox. Melky’s fat ass should be glued to the bench.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:01 pmhinske with a very audible “f*ck”.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pmSuspension, please?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pmTommy needs to pay these guys back….Medlen, Jurrjens, and now AAG
August 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pmAttention Braves: Stop swinging at pitches over your head. That is all.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pmNo warning, no ejection.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:05 pmThat’s why I want Rage to be Hinske’s nickname.
And the way Volquez has that hat looks so damn stupid.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:05 pmVolquez doesn’t know where the ball is going. First season back from Tommy John.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:05 pmWow, our newest Braves looks deadly up there. SIGH.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:07 pmso a walk and a K and you’ve made up your mind?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:08 pmalex, you used to not be this negative all the time.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:08 pmSix runners stranded through three innings. Good to see that some things never change.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:09 pmsome others here are rubbing off on him
August 1st, 2010 at 1:09 pmVolquez up this inning. Tommy should drop him.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:09 pmThat HBP wasn’t intentional.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:10 pmI seem to remember things getting pretty hairy the last time someone called out Volquez on his appearance…
http://movieclips.com/watch/predator-1987/what-the-hell-are-you/
August 1st, 2010 at 1:10 pmThe Reds announcers REALLY like the RBI stat.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:11 pmcant walk the pitcher Tommy
August 1st, 2010 at 1:12 pmI really really hate watching Melky throw balls back to the infield
August 1st, 2010 at 1:13 pmThat’s an unsatisfying way to send him to first.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:13 pmHanson making Votto look bad
August 1st, 2010 at 1:16 pm@107 neither was Venters but he got ejected
August 1st, 2010 at 1:17 pmMelky sucks.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:20 pm102 and 103:
I’m negative because Ankiel is an injury prone guy who’s done next to nothing these last 2 seasons. If Ankiel starts to rake, fine, I’ll be mr. happy.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:20 pmyeah sure am glad Diaz doesnt get any of these AB’s over Melky
August 1st, 2010 at 1:21 pmI will gladly take Ankiel in there over Melky and far angrier today to see Mekly back in the lineup. I’m developing a Lockhart-ian type of hatred anytime I see Melky’s fat, stupid face.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:21 pmi dont remember melky ever getting a hit.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:22 pmcsg-
Exactly….Diaz deserves a chance to be in there. Cox is being so rigid by keeping Melky out there.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:22 pm@114
One stupid umpiring decision does not justify another one later. He’s missed in the same spot hi hit AAG 10 times today. The other nine happened to be to LH hitters.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:23 pmcan Matt Young or Willie Cabrera play CF? just wondering
August 1st, 2010 at 1:23 pmbrandon phillips is a human highlight reel.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:24 pmHoward has a sprained left ankle and is going for X-rays.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:26 pmYeah, Phillips is great.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:26 pmI hope he doesn’t lose his speed.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:26 pmsprains can be worse than breaks
August 1st, 2010 at 1:28 pm@121. I didn’t say I thought it was intentional but neither was Venters plunk of big baby Fielder.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:28 pmAnything hit near Phillips is an out.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:28 pmHanson is sharp today.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:30 pmHanson’s really on the ball this afternoon, isn’t he?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pmAnd he’s not nibbling!
August 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pminfante is up to .345 on the year.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:35 pmwashington just tied it up 2-2
August 1st, 2010 at 1:35 pmJurrjens was sharp yesterday. None of it matters if the offense can’t get the runners on base home.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pmMaybe we could, uhhh, give Tommy some runs please?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pmmake him throw a strike
3hits, 5BB and we arent thru 5…only 1 run
August 1st, 2010 at 1:37 pmRight–these moments, with a couple guys on and the pitcher struggling to throw strikes, is where we need to pounce. And we haven’t for awhile.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:39 pmthis is unbelievably bad
August 1st, 2010 at 1:41 pmGood grief we can’t get runners home.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:41 pmWTF Hinske?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:41 pmAt least we’re getting baserunners.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:42 pmeight stranded through four.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:42 pm8 runners stranded. damn
August 1st, 2010 at 1:42 pmAnd Volzquez is not throwing well today. Only 1 run is more a reflection on just how ineffective our offense is. I expect us to lose 3-1 today. This is just depressing.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:43 pmIt’s weird to see Dusty Baker protecting a young pitcher.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:48 pmRoachy has 2 3R HR today
August 1st, 2010 at 1:48 pmHeyward doesnt dive and the run doesnt score
August 1st, 2010 at 1:49 pmTerrible defense.
And more terrible defense.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:49 pmAnd now the lack of run support for Tommy and 8 runners left on base finally catches up with us. A halfway decent lineup right now would be leading 4 or 5-1.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:50 pmWe’re just not hitting with RISP. I tend to subscribe that to luck more than anything. It’s frustrating to watch, but it happens when you have guys avoiding outs.
Volquez looked like an idiot and I don’t think it was a coincidence that the guy he happened to hit was the guy who hit a home run. Edinson needed to be plunked after Meds and JJ.
And, that’s what happens when you waste opportunities.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:50 pmgarbage
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmYunel makes that play.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmGreat defense. Just great.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmWell, that didn’t take long to fall apart, did it?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmrookie mistake.
our defensive ss blows it.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmRafael Ramirez and Andres Thomas make that play. It was amazingly routine.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmUgh.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:51 pmWeldon, Volquez looks like an idiot with the stupid way he wears that hat.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:52 pmEverybody makes that play.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:52 pmVloquez may get the win now
August 1st, 2010 at 1:52 pmGaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!
This series has been so frustrating. And it had to happen against the Reds, who I loathe. Probably a result of living in Kentucky and having to watch two decades of crappy Reds baseball. I might actually hate reds more than Joe McCarthey.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pmlets hold em, maybe we rally
August 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pmHow long until the first-place masquerade is over?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pmOh well, at least the clubhouse chemistry is solid.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pmSoon.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pmWell there ya go….we put tons of runners on base through 5 and get nothing out of it and give the lead away with crap defense.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:54 pmPhillies tied 2-2 in the 5th.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:55 pmWe leave 8 runners on base, and we go after the best defender on the field and the one who homered earlier. Yeah, keep those “chemistry” jokes comin’!
August 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pmHewyard doesnt dive and theres runners at first and third…AAG makes the routine play and we’d be thru 5 up 1-0
August 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pmYunel Lovers Club of Atlanta, UNITE!!!
August 1st, 2010 at 1:57 pmMelky Rules.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:59 pmWow Chief, that’s pithy. Way to go!
August 1st, 2010 at 1:59 pmMelky still sucks.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:59 pmbtw, Yunel 0-3 with an error today
August 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pmHey, at least we didn’t leave any runners on base that inning!
August 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pmMelky haters club, UNITE!! I have a feeling that is a much bigger club than Yunel’s.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pmtd, I would like an officer position in the Melky haters club.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:01 pmI can’t believe Melky is still out there. Also, Heyward’s diving attempt was so stupid–it was the key play in that inning.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:02 pmYeah, we’ve never seen yunel make a mistake on a routine play. He probably would have forgotten how many outs there were and tried to get phillips out at home.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:02 pmI’m disgusted.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:05 pmI want Scott Rolen just so we can call him Rawhide.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:05 pmYou know how Lou Gehrig was the Iron Horse? Melky’s new nickname is the River Horse.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:06 pmThe Hippo.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:08 pmIts not right when the guy who’s been the much, much better starter today (Hanson) is losing heading to inning 7. Volquez deserves to be down 5 runs and instead still in position to get the win. Just HATE our lineup and offense right now.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:09 pmwe go after the best defender on the field and the one who homered earlier. Yeah, keep those “chemistry” jokes comin’!
Yeah. he can hear you out there in Cincinnati, so keep it down you guys.
.255/.321/.373 + Chemistry=Profit!
August 1st, 2010 at 2:14 pmHeyward needs to get a good jump on this pitcher
August 1st, 2010 at 2:14 pmJust HATE our lineup and offense right now.
How is this possible after The Trade That Won The Division(tm)?
August 1st, 2010 at 2:17 pmyeah Yunels numbers were much much better
August 1st, 2010 at 2:17 pmWashington up 4-2 now
August 1st, 2010 at 2:18 pmSo our only chance of scoring in any given inning is by drawing four walks.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:19 pmChipper has been awful from the right side lately….time to change that
August 1st, 2010 at 2:20 pmOur fav Nats, Desmond and Dunn, cross the plate. 4-2 Nats.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:20 pmmissed two fastballs in the middle of the plate
August 1st, 2010 at 2:21 pm@169, As I’ve repeated countless times, it’s when and for whom they traded him. Thinking AAG’s HR’s were going to translate to Turner was lunacy, and inserting a guy with a .296 OBP at the time into the 6 spot in our lineup was even dumber. But since you bring it up, .333/.356/.474 is Yuni’s current line. Wren has managed to take the one thing ATL could do well, get on base, and plug in a couple of guys that are terrible at that skill. The result has been, and will be quite predictable.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:22 pm10 runners on base! This is fun.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:24 pmThis offense is inept.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:24 pmYunel would be Mendoza friendly right now if we hadn’t made that deal. Not that Gonzalez has done much (and right now, his defense is responsible for a loss if this score holds) but Yunel wasn’t doing anything. The trade is a non-factor.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:25 pmits laughable to continue to think that Yunel wouldve done the same in Atl that he’s doing in TOR, but its your opinion
August 1st, 2010 at 2:25 pmSpike, we got it, you don’t like the trade. Are you going to let us know every time Gonzalez does something wrong?
August 1st, 2010 at 2:26 pmFeels like April again to me. If the Braves give up two runs, mark it down in the Loss column…
August 1st, 2010 at 2:28 pmIt’s not inept at all. It’s doing exactly what you would think when you run Conrad, Gonzalez, Ankiel and a pitcher out there. All 3 on the sunny side of thirty, with a clear track record of making lots and lots of outs.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:28 pmI don’t care if Yunel had quit in Atlanta and was boning Frank Wren’s wife, you don’t trade him for Alex freaking Gonzalez and two fringe prospects.
What’s our record since the trade, anyway?
August 1st, 2010 at 2:29 pmTommy has inherited KK’s run support
August 1st, 2010 at 2:30 pmSpike, Yunel wasn’t doing anything and pissing off the entire clubhouse in the process. He wouldn’t have woken up in the 2nd half because if the trade never happens, he’d still be pulling the same crap.
Gonzalez isn’t doing much, but again, the fairest argument is that neither would be worth much at SS in Atlanta. If Chipper was actually still a decent offensive player and we had a good outfield, Infante should now be the everyday SS.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:31 pmAs long as you feel the need to express dismay at impugning our clubhouse chemistry, yes. I really can’t describe how depressed and angry I am at the almost willful effort to make this team worse, at a time when they were on the cusp of really being good. It’s pretty obvious to the dullest observer that as currently constructed, there is very little chance for advancement in the postseason, should it even get that far. If you want happy talk, feel free to scroll on.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:32 pmSpike, you simply can’t argue it made this team worse because Yunel was useless. You do NOT have the #s to back that up.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:33 pm@205, at the risk of repeating myself, I DON”T CARE THAT WE TRADED YUNEL. TRADING HIM AT THE BOTTOM OF HIS VALUE FOR AN OBVIOUS OUT MACHINE IS WHAT WAS SO STUPID.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:34 pmSpike’s point isn’t that Yunel would be doing better (we can’t know that, obviously). It’s that Wren has undermined the strength of the lineup by bringing in guys who can’t get on base. Even amidst his awful season, this year, Yunel had a league-average OBP.
By the way, speaking of Yunel: he just homered.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:35 pmChip and Joe talking stats makes me want to scream.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:35 pmSpike, THEY’RE BOTH OUT MACHINES.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:35 pmAlex R,
August 1st, 2010 at 2:36 pmYunel was worth more than Gonzalez. That’s what this boils down to. The Rays were reportedly very interested in Yunel but the Braves were already enamored with Agony, which is just awful.
‘Infante should now be the everyday SS.’
Well, all the baseball professionals in Atlanta disagree with you.
If we still had Escobar we’d still be struggling offensively. Although when he was good he was really good.
Still no matter how you slice and dice it its just weird for a contender to trade a better player for a lesser one. Maybe it was for Yunel’s safety. Glaus is a big boy. If he wanted to kick Escobars ass it could have gotten ugly.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:36 pmHappy talk me to death please! I need it.
And a waffle house patty melt please.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:37 pmIt’s the same story we’ve seen for the last few years. This team is woefully underpowered. It has coincided with chipper’s decline at a traditional power position.
The problem is that it’s hard to see where they can improve. Heyward might be a legitimate power threat, but he’s still only 20. Freeman, I presume, will be the firstbaseman next year and it is unrealistic to expect him to provide a true power bat as a rookie. That really only leaves left field, and we would need a Ryan Braun or Manny Ramirez type to really help things.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:38 pmNo, the bottomline if Yunel was still a Brave, we’d be forced to make Infante the everyday SS. With Gonzalez, Infante should be the everyday SS when prado returns. I’m not defending Gonzalez. I don’t like either player.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:38 pm@211, so what on earth is the point of acquiring Gonzalez?
August 1st, 2010 at 2:38 pmWoooooo Melky
August 1st, 2010 at 2:38 pmyeah, Diaz has no shot of being better than Melky
August 1st, 2010 at 2:38 pmHopefully Melky will find a good seat on the bench from tomorrow on.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:39 pm@211
Uh, no. For their careers:
Escobar (1907 PAs): .368 OBP
Gonzalez (5180 PAs): .294 OBP
They’re not both out-machines. One of them is. Just for fun, check out Francoeur’s career OBP. Ok fine, I’ll tell you. It’s .309.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:39 pmTommy about to have a complete game loss….second of the season
August 1st, 2010 at 2:39 pmBecause at least Gonzalez was semi productive with some power in half #1 and we’re competing for a shot at the WS. Yunel got on base more but couldn’t hit and was hurting the clubhouse. What’s the point of still having this argument, Spike? You think your way and I disagree. Do I wish we could have gotten a better player? Yes. But I have no beef with trading Yunel. He wasn’t doing anything and pissing off the entire clubhouse in the process. I am glad he’s gone.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:41 pmThe worst part about the Yunel trade is the front office’s apparent belief that Alex Gonzalez and his sub .300 OBP could help the team.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:44 pmPhillies just tied the game.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:44 pmWell, at least Bobby can’t put in Chavez.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:44 pmjust have to get Venters in there today
August 1st, 2010 at 2:44 pmIn that pinch at bat Chipper just looked old. I’m a huge Chipper fan but dang he looked checked out. I know its not true but…
August 1st, 2010 at 2:45 pmPoor Tommy.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:46 pmId have rather seen Diaz in that PH AB
August 1st, 2010 at 2:46 pmMid-market teams can’t afford to mess up the way the Braves did with Escobar. They either need to work it out and hope he gets better, or get more for him in return. It’s that simple. They have too small a margin of error to lose a guy who provided them with 8 wins above replacement over the past two years.
For comparison’s sake, look at the guys who produced at about Escobar’s level last season. Brian McCann, Robinson Cano, Victor Martinez, Joey Votto, Kendry Morales, and so on. You all would flip had your team traded one of these guys for Alex Gonzalez and change. Sure, Escobar wasn’t producing like that this season, but it was one bad half and, again, as a mid-market team the Braves simply can’t afford to punt on a guy who projects to be one of their three or four best position players for the next few years. They sold low, and it will hurt for the next couple years.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:47 pmDiaz will pinch-hit for the pitcher leading off the 9th.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:47 pmid still rather have seen him hitting w/ RISP against the LH over Chipper
August 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm#230 – pinch hit chipper because he is a switch hitter. diaz would have brought in a righty reliever.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pmHopefully Cordero’s arm will fall off today.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:51 pmMatt Diaz 1-8 4K’s vs Cordero
August 1st, 2010 at 2:51 pm#234 – true, good point
August 1st, 2010 at 2:52 pmchip just crapped on himself
August 1st, 2010 at 2:54 pm@231 – you forget 1 thing. We are sitting in first place in the middle of a penant race. You don’t have the luxury of sitting around hoping that he will get over himself and play to expectations. He was given half a year to work things out for crying out loud. Everyone was begging for frenchy to be gone long before then.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:55 pmI cannot believe that we are going to lose this game.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:56 pmJHEY…
August 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pmJayson stop sliding head first
August 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pmDon’t see that everyday.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pmNow we just need Jesus Heyward to steal 3rd and home, so we can lose it in walk-off fashion.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pmTerrible.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:59 pmugh
August 1st, 2010 at 2:59 pmOuch.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:59 pmdammit. how may runners did we leave on?
August 1st, 2010 at 3:00 pmblech
August 1st, 2010 at 3:00 pmwhat a game to lose…
August 1st, 2010 at 3:00 pmits sad…1 defensive miscue can cost this team a game. Offense is weak back to where it was in April
August 1st, 2010 at 3:01 pmWell, I’ll be rooting hard for the Cardinals the rest of the year (when not playing the braves, of course).
August 1st, 2010 at 3:01 pmReds can bite me.
wonder what Bobby sees in Melky
August 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pmBraves hit .190 (16-for-84) w/ RISP while going 3-6 during this trip.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pmBut hey don’t worry guys. We’re in first place so we don’t have to be bothered with how bad we’re playing because we’re in first place.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pmI am glad he’s gone.
You can spend the entire postseason enoying yourself while watching someone else win the WS.
When the boat started taking on water, we grabbed a couple of anvils.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:04 pmThing is, with a collective 5 feet of luck Braves sweep that series.
Bruce’s ground ball just a little more left yesterday gets Jair out of the inning with lead intact.
Heyward’s arm grows by 12 inches and catches the ball today.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:05 pmHeyward doesn’t dive and who knows Braves win 1-0. Its baseball.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:08 pmHorrid display of offensive ineptness!! Just a really crappy road trip.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:09 pmRecapped.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:22 pm