Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – May 04, 2011 – ESPN.
You can’t beat a team much worse than that. Tim Hudson threw a complete-game shutout, allowing only one hit (a double in the fourth by Rickie Weeks) and one walk (Weeks again, with two out in the ninth, so he was thatclose to a perfect game). Nate McLouth, hitting-eighth-superstar, outdid the Brewers all by his lonesome, following up a perfect day in the first game of the double-header by going 2-2 with two walks, a two-run homer, and two runs scored. The Braves put up eight runs with Chipper Jones and Brian McCann taking the game off and Jason Heyward going 0-4 with three strikeouts. Heyward was alone having a rough day.
The Braves went up 1-0 in the first when Alex Gonzalez reached on an error and Heyward on a catcher’s interference, followed by an RBI single from Dan Uggla. In the second, Martin Prado singled home McLouth. In the fourth, they brought the thunder; back-to-back doubles by the red-hot David Ross and Eric Hinske, then McLouth’s homer, put it away 5-0. Hinske had a sac-fly RBI in the fifth, and Freddie Freeman singled in Gonzalez and Uggla in the eighth.
The story was Hudson, who pitched about as well as you possibly can, striking out six and working ahead of everyone. Through eight innings, he’d thrown fewer pitches than Brewers starter Zack Greinke had in four (86) and he wound up with just 102 when Weeks worked the walk. When they did get it play, it was a ground-ball, a 15:6 GB/FB ratio. Oh, and the Brewers had to use five relievers to pitch four innings and the Braves didn’t need any, which is good for tomorrow’s game.
JC’ed from the last thread:
The Braves who showed up today were the team that I thought we had coming out of spring training. Now, if we could just play another 130 games like that…
i’m so sad i didn’t turn the game on. this is an awesome thing to see. wow.
Nate McLouth is now hitting .278/.376/.407
The .376 obp would look good leading off.
LOL @ complaining today
@4 Let’s just not mess with Nate.
I just want to say it again, I love Tim Hudson.
McLouth now has the 3rd highest OPS among the regulars, behind only Heyward and Chipper.
yeah, Nate getting on base and driving runs in is nice. Prado is getting some RBI opp’s with him doing well too.
Its especially nice that we got two wins today and Venters/Kimbrel didnt even warm up.
11th (2 up from yesterday) in OPS and 3rd in ERA (1 up from yesterday). Keep playing good baseball boys! Go Braves!
Don’t worry; McLouth will go 0-4 with 2 K’s tomorrow and people will be calling him McSlouth and demanding his release.
Good ole baseball.
Notwithstanding csg’s hilarious comment at #48 in the last thread, Fredi didn’t do anything stupid today, and that’s to be commended.
He even called a hit & run that worked.
@12 That will only encourage him
I’ll just hope the players keep playing better.
What a great morning! Waking up, sun shining, checking the Braves and seeing two great wins. I hope it’s not just a tease but, man, our starting pitching. Man! Ha, Sluggla is warming up.
Fredi from the press conference:
On McLouth
“He feels comfortable down there. He’s swinging the bat, giving us productivity. Why not [keep him there].”
Duuuuh!!
We are only 32 games in the regular season and you all hate Fredi this much already?
More of a great day!
Th Braves ponied up $100K to the Salvation Army for tornado relief!
Go Braves!
No one could have predicted…
Hitting in front of the pitcher is difficult. Clouth has enough speed to make a sacrifice for anyone but Hanson not so hard. He works the count and hits well. No one else wants to bat there, glad Ross hit higher yesterday. Some of the game is mental.
As much as McLouth sucked at the top of the order, I’m glad to keep him at the bottom. Meanwhile, I’d like to focus on ensuring that Uggla’s great game last night is actually a sign of things to come.
Ross is hitting .333/.357/.704
I’ve seen multiple instances of McLouth getting on first, the pitcher moving him over, and Prado dropping in a single to score him easily. Finally, a part of the lineup that works. If you want to “manufacture” runs, that’s the easiest way for this team to do it.
I am waiting for an AAR riff on why the team sucks, such as “ok, they won the first game but Hanson only pitched 6 innings. He sucks. And, damn it, Hudson walked a guy in the 9th inning with an 8 run lead. What’s that all about? When is Heyward going to start hitting like Albert Pujols? And, Wren, why doesn’t he get an outfielder? Fire him.”
I’ll continue to my push of Ross getting spot-starts at 1st. It just makes sense.
anyone see this comment from Fredi?
“He gets on base with either a walk or a base hit. I know just off the top of my head he’s had two or three big RBIs for us,” said Gonzalez, who said he was not considering moving McLouth back to the top of the lineup. He smiled. “No, I’m not going to move him. I don’t want to deal with the bloggers and Tweeters….”
I have so much that I could say to that comment.
The best part of McLouth’s night was the power–a double in the first game and a homer in the night cap. Right now McLouth is still sporting a lower ISO than his career rate, and in order for him to recapture some of that 2008 magic he’ll have to keep hitting for power. As it is, he’s benefiting from something the vast majority of his teammates are not: a high batting average on balls in play. So let’s keep the power coming.
Maybe I should keep bashing Nate so we don’t mess up his current hot streak? I am dumfounded but hey, he’s now a productive hitter in the 8th spot so let’s all leave him alone and hope it stays. Can’t say much more than that.
And talk about a great time for the Braves to heat up, with the Phillies and their aces coming to town. It seems to me that after blowing those two games at home last weekend to the Cardinals, that maybe the late rally comeback Sunday with Conrad pulling some 2010 magic, may have in fact sparked this team forward – GREAT timing.
And if Uggla starts to be the Florida Uggla in the 5th spot, the Braves have the potential to have a top 2 or 3 NL offense, going forward. But a lot depends on Dan Uggla being a real threat again in the 5 hole.
Interesting little article this morning from DOB, comparing Alex Gonzalez and Yunel Escobar, since the trade last July:
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2011/05/03/comparing-gonzalez-escobar-since-ss-trade/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog
Based on the numbers, it’s essentially a push, but again, a win for the Braves (though I assume most of you will disagree with me, sigh) because even if the #’s are essentially even, the clubhouse aspect is a huge advantage for Gonzalez.
As I did last Summer, on THIS trade, I stand by Frank Wren and still feel strongly we did the right thing, dumping Yunel.
@26 “All those tweeters with their sabers and numbers!”
Should we really be that shocked that Nate is hitting well? I mean, he did have 3 straight good years and then 1 really bad year. It’s not like he’s over the hill at 29 years old.
So,how much of DeRosa’s salary do you think the Giants would eat in a trade for Kawakami or R. Lopez?
Which organizations have young MLB-ready or near MLB-ready centerfielders or shortstops they might trade for pitching?
At present, I’m satisfied with Nate and AAG; but Nate will cost more than he’s worth next year, and AAG probably won’t be had for $2.5M again.
If Andrelton (sp?) is for real (.345, wow!), then maybe it’s just a centerfielder and a gap shortstop we’ll need.
Nobody’s going to trade for Rodrigo Lopez. He was an open commodity this winter. Anyone could have had him.
@32
He’s making a lot of errors (9 in 23 games) and his .801OPS is fairly empty. Also, he’s not exactly young for Upper A. He’ll need to prove himself for the full year and then at AA-AAA before he gets any serious thought.
@33
and nobody thought he’d be putting up the numbers he has right now either. He’s pitching extremely well at Gwinnett. I disagree.
COOP,
Some teams with at least near-MLB ready CF depth.
Twins: Denard Span, Ben Revere, Aaron Hicks.
Angels: Vernon Wells (sorta), Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout.
Rockies: Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Charlie Blackmon.
Rangers: Julio Borbon, David Murphy, Engel Beltre, and that Cuban defector they just signed.
There are hardly any teams with MLB-ready SS depth. Solid SS’s are tough to find.
22—That’ll play.
Ross/Freeman Platoon?
34
I disagree on Lopez. His situation seems similar to Resop last year. Resop tor up Triple-A and if memory serves we wanted to trade him for something of value and found no takers. I think he was eventually picked up on waivers by Pittsburgh.
Bill James has an article up that ranks the 1995 Braves as the fifth-greatest team of all time (third greatest if you don’t count multiple editions of basically the same squad) and the top non-Yankee team. The 1998 Yankees are first.
@38
Chris Resop was never a successful Major Leaguer (until this year). Rodrigo Lopez has 1200 MLB innings that equate to a slightly above average 5th starter. Resop had 61 MLB innings as a below average reliever. I don’t think those are similar situations.
@39 – do you have a link to that article?
It’s on Bill James Online, a pay site.
#39
Where does he have the ’75 Reds?
The ’29-’31 A’s?
1. 1998 Yankees
2. 1937 Yankees
3. 1995 Braves
4. 1975 Reds
5. 1907 Cubs
6. 1941 Yankees
7. 1953 Yankees
8. 1930 A’s
9. 1970 Orioles
10. 1944 Cardinals
The 1999 Braves (most of the same core players) are 15th, one of the highest ranks — maybe the highest — for a team that didn’t win the WS. This system gives a fair amount of weight to success over time, unlike Neyer and Epstein’s badly-named book.
I was surprised the late ’50s Milwaukee Braves didn’t get a mention.
That 1957 Braves team was good
No, ’27 Yanks, huh? IMO, their deep pitching bests the ’37 club. (Wilcy Moore was amazing.)
I’ve played those 2 clubs a million times in APBA and, no doubt, that ’37 Yankees team had a relentless offense (DiMaggio & Gehrig—yikes), but the pitching just wasn’t that great. After the 2 terrific workhorses (Ruffing & Gomez), there’s a drop-off.
That ’98 Yankees team had everything, except super-dominant starting pitching. Still, it was very good, and what a lineup, what a bench & what a bullpen. (Ramiro Mendoza was their version of Wilcy Moore.)
And as great as the ’95 Braves obviously were, I always gave the nod to the ’93 & ’98 clubs, mainly for depth, especially in the bullpen. But winning a WS has gotta count for something.
Rodrigo Lopez is 35, and he has exactly 0.3 rWAR since the beginning of the 2005 season. He’s the definition of a replacement player. (He actually has 6.4 fWAR over that period, which strikes me as faintly absurd, but it amounts to effectively the same thing — for the past six years, he’s been worth between 0 and 1 Win Above Replacement. We have him in our minor leagues, just like every team has a guy like that in their minor leagues in case the whole staff catches the flu and they need someone to make a spot start. He doesn’t have trade value.
Lopez has an out in his contract in June, so factor that into the equation as well. While I concede AAR’s larger point about value, Lopez made 33 starts last year – somebody thinks he’s an ML pitcher.
@48
I’m not saying anyone’s going to give us real value for Lopez.
And I disagree entirely that every team has a AAA pitcher that pitched 200 innings of major league baseball last year, that is also pitching quality innings at AAA this year.
I don’t think Lopez has much trade value, but a team such as San Fran whose probably looking to deal DeRosa on a salary dump, and whose 5th starting job is up for grabs, he has some appeal. That’s the only scenario I’ve brought his name into and I don’t think it’s a stretch.
And when discussing 5th starters, they are basically replacement players (or right above). The good ones are well above replacement, the poor ones are below replacement, and the average ones (which is Rodrigo) are minimally above replacement.
That ranking seems sort of weird to me. The Braves had better teams that did not win. I always thought great teams should be able to both hit and pitch; the 1995 Braves couldn’t hit.
I’d like to see some stats about whether they’re closer to “replacement” or “league average.” I honestly have no idea what they are.
Last point on Rodrigo…
Yes, it’s ERA so it’s not that great of a point, but when searching for 2010 ERA leaders in the National League only, at a minimum of 100 innings pitched (figured that factored out the spot starters and relievers) he placed 64th. Many of the pitchers that finished below him are still in rotations.
The multi-year system works against the ’27 Yankees, because they didn’t win in 1929 and were terrible (69-85) in 1925. I think that the 1993 Braves were the best of the run, but they didn’t even win the pennant, and that team wasn’t at its best until they added McGriff.
51 – They had five above average hitters (if you count Klesko), but none of them were fantastic (except Klesko). So, yeah.
But the run prevention was beyond elite.
This place has a “For Rent” sign on it:
#54
If we’re even discussing the ’25 Yankees, then I don’t understand what he’s trying to do. Best 4-/5-year span for any club?
FWIW, I always think of the ’93 Braves post-McGriff. Super-dominant & deep starters, deep bullpen, good bench, power, speed, defense… woulda liked a rematch with Toronto, which had a killer lineup that year.
Because greatness isn’t really about one year. The 1984 Tigers were the most impressive team I saw before the 1998 Yankees, but that team really didn’t do much of anything else. The same players were merely good the rest of the time.
Greatness for one year is still greatness in my book. It’s perfectly alright to define it like that.
And it’s not like the ’26-’28 Yanks were the ’44 Browns.
Hicks starts at shortstop, batting eighth, which is an insult to Beachy.
1. Prado LF, 2. Heyward RF, 3. Jones 3B, 4. McCann C, 5. Uggla 2B, 6. Hinske 1B, 7. McLouth CF, 8. Hicks SS, 9.Beachy
NOOOO! Fredi ruins the one part of the lineup that was working for him.
Don’t worry, Nate is still hitting in front of a pitcher.
Beachy will have to play the role of Prado.
AAG’s 34 — I don’t mind a day off every now and then. Can Hicks catch the ball, at least?
And can McLouth mash anywhere but 8th?
Did anyone else read the Yahoo article stating that Choo’s BAC was at .201? WOW! Medlen, via twitter, stood up for Lowe and said that “He wasn’t even drunk”. (Chip Caray corny quote coming) Maybe he shouldn’t be Medlen in other people’s affairs.
Reminds me of when we decided it would be a good idea to install a breathalyzer at Sons of Italy in Athens way back when. The unintended consequence, in retrospect, should have been obvious — people took it as a challenge. That lasted about a week….
The unintended consequence, in retrospect, should have been obvious — people took it as a challenge.
Hell, I would have been tempted to put one for that reason alone. Nice sales bump…
It wasn’t worth the trouble, behavior-wise — our paychecks were already bouncing all over town, and one of the owners was driving up in his leased Mercedes and stealing entire hams from the walk-in. We just wanted to drink free beer and play out the string in peace.
7Ks already? This kid might be okay…
I might be in love with Brandon Beachy.
The Hell? Morgan was completely in front of the box on that bunt.
He was practically standing on the plate..
CHIPPAH!
Definitely looked like he jumped out of the box on the replay.
Heck of a play there by Chipper.
Pissed about the bunt, but what a play by the old man!
Don’t hit it within falling distance of Chipper.
I can’t believe I’m even asking this, but what happened to Chip Caray? Haven’t heard him in a while.
Ummm, sure?
Beachy makes it look so easy.
@76
I don’t know, but I wish Joe wouldn’t quote him.
That’s okay- another strikeout opportunity for Beachy – let’s get it!
I guess that’s why Beachy has been striking everyone out
What the hell, Hicks?
Brandon Hicks is, and I say this with no hyperbole whatsoever, worse at his job than anyone else in the history of the universe has ever been.
Just got home . . . Beachy has HOW many strikeouts!?
What’s the point of giving a roster spot to Hicks if he can’t even play decent defense?
They are giving the Brewer pitcher everything.
I think it’s fair to say that Hicks is thoroughly overmatched by the game of baseball.
15 combined strikeouts through five. Wow.
Brandon Hicks : Baseball :: Prince Fielder : Atkins Diet
Unfortunate phrasing by Tom Glavine: “You’re playing with fire when you come inside.”
Man. I love the Joe & Tom team.
Man, I love the Jim Powell & anyone team.
I was not expecting Hinske/Beachy to make that play. Wheeew.
Okay offense, time to get some runs to get the kid a win.
Nothing quite like a foul ball to set off a group of douche bags..
Umpire rung up Heyward on a pitch almost in the other box.
Walk McCann to get to Uggla in the middle of the game. Brilliant. Not, like, the ninth inning. The sixth.
Make ’em pay.
Darn. Didn’t make ’em pay.
Nobody fears Doug Uggla. We need Dan back.
Uggla hit the ball hard there – quality contact is pretty much all you can ask for.
Great, Fredi is going to attempt a bunt with our hottest hitter so Hicks and a pinch-hitter can get him in.
Let’s take one of our hottest hitters, and have him stupidly bunt! Brilliant!
Fuuuuuuuuudge.
And Ross to bat next?
Was hoping that juuuuust this once we could pinch hit Ross and ignore potential position issues.
How did Fielder not get tossed there?
You try throwing Fatboy out of the game. It takes like three tosses if you have wind behind you.
NITRAM!
Boom.
may is a good month.
nicely done Chippa
Nitram says “look what I found, a hanging pitch.”
McCann = Bonds?
Chipper might be the most stupid choice ever to play that shift on.
does MIL play a shift on everyone?
Both Uggla and Hinske hit it hard. Tough luck.
114 – This series they have pretty much. Maybe not on pitchers and Brandon Hicks but generally yes.
good Kimbrel is fun to watch
SWEEP!!!
No chance.
You people might have man crushes on Beachy and Hudson. Mine is on Kimbrel.
Rested Kimbrel is pretty awesome. One inning this month before tonight.
Good win. Great pitching. 15 punch outs.
Four game series sweep….this doesn’t come often. This is critical folks.
Recapped.
Woo-hoo! We’re on a roll!