05 Apr
Opening game thread: April 5, Braves at Mets
Ick, Mets.
I’ll be traveling today, so the recap may be late and new posters may have approval of their posts delayed. Everyone behave themselves.
Ick, Mets.
I’ll be traveling today, so the recap may be late and new posters may have approval of their posts delayed. Everyone behave themselves.
I am excited.
April 5th, 2012 at 9:21 amGo Braves!
April 5th, 2012 at 9:22 amAh, it’s a great day…
April 5th, 2012 at 9:26 amLet’s get off to a good start.
Hanson goes 7, striking out 8, walking 2, giving up 2 runs.
Heyward homers for the third straight year on his first plate appearance.
McCann and Uggla also homer.
Freeman 3-4, with 2 driven in.
Oh, and Wren trades Livan Hernandez to anyone for anything.
April 5th, 2012 at 9:30 amExcited for the new season, havent posted much in the past but followed this blog for a solid three seasons now. hoping to get more active now that im armed with a decent smartphone and mlb.tv….
from NJ so im lookin to get to a few games this weekend.
Good luck all, lets make it a great one.
April 5th, 2012 at 9:42 am“It is a hard thing to live haunted by the ghost of an untrue dream; to see the wide vision of empire fade into real ashes and dirt; to feel the pang of the conquered, and yet know that with all the Bad that fell on one black day, something was vanquished that deserved to live, something killed that in justice had not dared to die; to know that with the Right that triumphed, triumphed something of Wrong, something sordid and mean, something less than the broadest and best. All this is bitter hard; and many a man and city and people have found in it excuse for sulking, and brooding, and listless waiting. 3
April 5th, 2012 at 9:46 amSuch are not men of the sturdier make; they of Atlanta turned resolutely toward the future; and that future held aloft vistas of purple and gold:—Atlanta, Queen of the cotton kingdom; Atlanta, Gateway to the Land of the Sun; Atlanta, the new Lachesis, spinner of web and woof for the world. So the city crowned her hundred hills with factories, and stored her shops with cunning handiwork, and stretched long iron ways to greet the busy Mercury in his coming. And the Nation talked of her striving.”
And so it begins again.
I’m on the LIRR right now about 10min from citi field the only braves fan in a sea of blue and orange…
April 5th, 2012 at 10:32 am@7 I’ll be there Saturday at least…. To my surprise, braves fans usually have a decent showing. I’ve seen a few dozen there before
April 5th, 2012 at 10:37 amI will miss the first several innings because I have a conference call with Firestone Tires at 1 >_<
April 5th, 2012 at 10:41 amLet’s do this.
April 5th, 2012 at 10:45 amGo Braves!! Finally, we are back to baseball….
April 5th, 2012 at 11:01 amAnnnnnnnnd Diaz is batting ahead of Heyward.
Sigh.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:02 amSigh.
Matt Diaz vs Johann Santana, career:
.500/.515/.688 (1.203)
And so it begins.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:09 amI am going to the Earl for some day drinking to celebrate the return of our national pastime.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:28 am1.203 vs. Santana….maybe Diaz can be useful, opening day is here, hope abounds.
I for one am not going to worry about where Heyward is hitting early on. If he hits, he will move up. If he hits/walks like he is capable, he will end up in the 2 hole.
Since it is opening day, my hope extends to Fredi making good decisions.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:38 amAhhhhh … baseball. The world is right again.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:40 amI am going to the Earl for some day drinking to celebrate the return of our national pastime.
I am considering Ormesby’s in this regard.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:44 amWe reserve the right to be upset if we lose to Los Mets
April 5th, 2012 at 11:50 amLove the boos for the mets training staff. Ironically they cheer the massage therapist, who HAPPENS to be a three foot tall Asian dude. Racists…..
April 5th, 2012 at 11:51 amGo Braves!
April 5th, 2012 at 11:56 amIf it wasn’t drizzling here, I would have thrown a couple of brats on the grill and have an ice-cold Coke to celebrate the start of a brand-new, clean-state season.
Lets Go Braves!
April 5th, 2012 at 12:04 pmDoes anyone know how to email/get in touch with the actual offices at Turner Field? Friends of mine here in KS took a tour and brought me one of the cups with the whole season schedule on it and I was hoping the fine folks in Atlanta would send another one.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:06 pmGo Braves!
April 5th, 2012 at 12:08 pmAnd we’re…delayed.
Way to screw it up out of the gate, Mets.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:15 pmI do not like Tommy Hanson in the 80′s.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:31 pm@25, To be fair, he was only three or four in the 80s.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:38 pmSantana looks sharp.
And that MLB The Show commercial is a very sad but effective commercial.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:41 pmJason had to chase after the 2-0 pitch, which was below his knees at about the shin was called a strike. Not a bad AB at all.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:42 pmHanson still shows the ball in his delivery, but his front shoulder doesn’t seem to be flying open as much.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:42 pmThe Pastor, fielding 1.000!
April 5th, 2012 at 12:45 pmIf Uggla and McCann had a child, it would look like Pastornicky.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:47 pmIs anyone else streaming MLB.TV through the XBox for the first time? It’s kinda surreal, though the picture quality isn’t the best…not sure if that’s due to the bright day or technical issues.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:02 pmFUGGLY
April 5th, 2012 at 1:02 pmWay to go Tommy!!!!
April 5th, 2012 at 1:03 pmBig break there as Freeman never touched him.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:03 pmRob, do you have to pay to access the ‘net through your Xbox on top of the MLB.TV charges?
April 5th, 2012 at 1:04 pm@36, You have to have an XBox Gold membership, which I have anyway for gaming.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:05 pm“If Uggla and McCann had a child, it would look like Pastornicky.”
If only home run power was hereditary.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:07 pmSantana looks sharp or the Braves look the same?
April 5th, 2012 at 1:10 pmMRSA said Hanson could throw up to 115 pitches today.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:11 pmSpeaking of looking like Brian McCann.. am I alone in thinking Duda looks a lot like him?
April 5th, 2012 at 1:11 pmJust got back from lunch and snuck into the Break Room to peek in on the tube. Saw McCann and Uggla flailing hopelessly at Santana in the 4th.
NOT the start I wanted for this year. So, after two ABs (which I think is a good enough sample size for this conclusion):
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
April 5th, 2012 at 1:22 pmWay to work him, Tyler.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:26 pmThe first DOOOOOOMED of the regular season.
Just glad to get that out of the way.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:26 pmGod for Rev, there. Flips the lineup.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:27 pmCome on Bourne!!!!!!!!!
Oh god, I just had a realization. Fredi is going to call for a suicide squeeze.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:29 pmOk!
April 5th, 2012 at 1:29 pmBourn needs to make him pay for that.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:29 pmDrat.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:32 pmOnly good thing about that inning: Santana’s at 84 pitches now. He won’t be around long.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:32 pmWell damn.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:33 pm@32 I’m streaming it through my PS3 for the first time, and it’s great. Picture quality is superb, no stuttering.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:33 pmI thought the ringing double to the gap and the two walks from the bottom of the order were good things, too.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:33 pmGotta score, Sam.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:34 pmA double, two free passes and no runs. Braves baseball is back.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:35 pmWonder what it’d take to get Bay and most of his contract paid for. He’s not real popular in NY.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:36 pmMLB.tv is blocking me, of course. Apparently Somerville, Massachusetts is in the viewing area for either the Mets or the Braves.
Apparently this team still sucks at hitting.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:38 pmBay is about 3 more lousy weeks away from being platooned or benched. In ST, he had zero HRs & zero RBI, hitting around .150.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:38 pmYes, a less foolish team would have arranged to hit the double after the two walks….
April 5th, 2012 at 1:38 pmFollowing on my phone.. Is Santana standing on deck?
April 5th, 2012 at 1:40 pm@52, No stuttering for me either, but the picture looks really saturated. I think it might just be the fact it’s a very bright day. I remember the SNY HD looking funny when I lived in NY so I’m not concerned.
@57, It may not be worth it to you, but there’s a VPN service called Hide My Ass (HMA) which could help you get around your blackout problems. It’s something like $11 a month or $70 for a year. The proxies are secure and very fast.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:41 pmIt looks like no runs so far in any of the games being played today. Weird. Someone call Torchwood.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:41 pm@57 I’m getting really tired of the blackout bullcrap. I can put my IP address and zip code into their tolls and it will tell me the only teams I can’t see are the red sox, but it never works out that way.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:43 pmThat curve is really working for Tommy today.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:43 pm@57
April 5th, 2012 at 1:44 pmIf you’re close to a TV, the MLB Extra Innings package is a free preview right now.
Gotta score, Sam.
Yes. But for a board replete with fans of OBP uber alles, I’d think we might note that a couple of walks are good things. Yes, it would have been nice if Bourn had taken the walk or snuck one through, but he didn’t.
Time to go get the bullpen.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:45 pmI might have PH for Diaz there.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:51 pmI’m kind of surprised Diaz is staying in against a righty. I thought they’d use Hinske or something.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:52 pmWhy was Diaz left in to hit against the righty?
April 5th, 2012 at 1:52 pmAs much as delay is annoying, it’s kind of funny to post something happening in the present, then have it show up immediately after a post referring to the same event in the past.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:53 pmThe win probability chart for this game is very boring.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:55 pmNah, two men in scoring position, two out, 6th inning, tie game… Not high leverage enough to use your best bench bat. Gotta save him for the 8th, so he can hit for the pitcher w 2 out and none on.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:56 pmFredi still doesn’t understand the concept of a “high-leverage situation.” Like birds chirping nearby and flowers blooming in my backyard, this is another reassuring sign that Opening Day is here.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:57 pm“The win probability chart for this game is very boring.”
Now it’s exciting.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:59 pmI hate the Mets.
Hey, wasn’t Tommy supposed to be streamlining his delivery so he wasn’t showing the ball as much? Don’t see any evidence that that has happened.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:59 pmFire Fredi.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:02 pmNow Fredi is just messing with us. Seriously?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:03 pmIt’s hard supporting a team whose manager has the brain power of a broccoli stem.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:03 pmLet’s face it: we suck.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:07 pmDiaz has such good numbers against Santana. It’s not unreasonable to expect him to do well against the guy that replaces Santana, right?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:08 pmTo Tom,
April 5th, 2012 at 2:09 pmShut it.
Love,
Braves Journal Bloggers
Way to go, Tyler.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:10 pmT-Pas! Your National League leader in triples!!!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:11 pmWay to go Rev!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:11 pmWow, apparently my delay is terrible. Tyler isn’t even up yet…
April 5th, 2012 at 2:12 pmPastornicky slugging about 1.500 now.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:12 pmFirst Mets injury? I love that team.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:13 pmRoss should pinch-hit, here. Yes, I know there’s no chance it’ll happen.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:14 pmryan, congratulations for being elected to represent the “Braves Journal Bloggers”. You certainly got my vote.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:14 pmTeepee!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:15 pmConstanza is possibly the last non-pitcher on the team I would want in this situation.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:16 pmGuys. Diaz had just doubled…that means he’s “hot”. Plus, he’s a “scrappy gamer”. I’m sure Fredo had a “good” feeling. Sometimes you’ve got to trust your “instincts”/”gut”.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:19 pmTom’s right. We suck.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:19 pmA runner on third with less than two outs didn’t score. I’ve never seen that before.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:19 pmThat’s our Braves.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pmMan on third and one out? Let’s send the worst hitter on the team to the plate as a pinch hitter. Awesome.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pmWe are seven innings in, and I’ve already had my fill of Frediot for the season.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pmThe best part of the MLB Extra Innings preview — and this game itself — is the music played over the “We’ll be right back” graphic. It’s a porn groove.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:22 pmGood thing Wren and Fredi decided to choose Constanza over the switch hitting Sutton for the 25-man. The last 2-3 roster spots have been piss-poorly chosen for years for our Braves.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:23 pmThe difference between watching the Braves hit and watching grass grow is that eventually the grass gets somewhere.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:25 pmA gift from Phil Cuzzi there.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:26 pmWell, the umps are trying to keep us in the game.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:26 pmzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…Huh??? What??? The “Bravo’s” still can’t hit?? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:27 pmSometimes you’ve got to trust your “instincts”/”gut”.
If you’ve got a gut, you gotta use it. Fredi’s got a gut. He uses it.
Damn, that ghost tag of second by T-Pas is about the most egregious I’ve ever seen called out.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:28 pmSo only now I’m seeing the call on the phantom tag. Well, that’s pretty ridiculous. Nice of them to give us a bad call, I’m sure that I’ll be complaining about something else soon enough. Especially with officiating like that.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:31 pmGive the manager a chance to keep useless players on the roster and he sure will find a way to use them.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:38 pmTerrific work by Medlen.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:41 pmAs always.
I think Medlen is my favorite player.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:42 pmI can’t blame this all on Fredi. Bourne has had two opportunities and couldn’t get it done.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:43 pmMikie really burned you with that trade demand, huh, Stu?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:45 pmWhy did we keep Costanza on this roster? Sutton, Pamarraz, Buehler, anybody other than JC.
this team needs a RH OF for situation just like this today. Why Wreniot, and Frediot don’t get that, I will never understand.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:46 pmNot at all. (And what demand?) I root hardest for Minor, for obvious reasons, but Medlen is my favorite player to watch.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:47 pmNow the umpire is squeezing Venters. Great opening day so far.
Edit: then Venters makes Duda look stupid. Nice.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:48 pmI may be misremembering, but I think Minor grabbed Frank Wren by the jowls, brought out a pair of rusty scissors and told him that if he didn’t guarantee him a starting position then he’d better trade him to a playoff contender, “or else.” Then he cut off Frank’s necktie.
That’s what DOB reported, right?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:50 pmFreddie, PH, Heyward. Now’s the time, fellas…
April 5th, 2012 at 2:50 pmIs it too early to call for the hitting coach’s job yet?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:53 pmUgh.
Come on Jason.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:55 pmWell, that felt all too familiar…
April 5th, 2012 at 2:57 pmSeason over!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:57 pmBOOOOOOOO!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:57 pmSo we’re on a 19-inning scoreless streak, going back to last season.
Ah well, I love my Braves!
April 5th, 2012 at 2:57 pmAnd will a run be scored at some point thia year?
April 5th, 2012 at 2:58 pmPitiful first game.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:58 pmImagine how good some of our pitchers could be with a good team behind them.
#116 – Hitting coaches not just yet. Manager …… please
April 5th, 2012 at 2:59 pmGood thing we had Hinske available to bat with no one on in the 9th… Would have been a shame to use him with two on in the sixth.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:00 pmThis one will leave a bad taste in the mouth for a couple of days.
Funny, it is similar to the taste in my mouth dating back to last September.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:01 pmSigh.
I’m keeping a log of Fredi’s dumb game-changing decisions. I feel terrible that this wasn’t started in the offseason.
Particularly if our pitching regresses, we can’t continue with a weak offense and a braindead manager. It’s clear which is the easier problem to fix of the two.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:04 pmHinske does look like he’s carrying about 10 extra kilos.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:11 pmAhem.
I refer you back to post #42.
@127
Adam, if you’re keeping a log of Fredi’s dumb decisions, you’re going to kill an awful lot of electrons.
Anyway, Hanson had a bad inning, Medlen looked tough, Venters put in his usual appearance, and the Braves get shut out, leaving a metric crap-ton of runner on in the latter half of the game.
Picking up where we left off I see.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:16 pmAs an interesting moment of self reflection, I invite everyone to consider their reaction to Jose Constanza, who recorded a single out in this game, to Eric Hinske, who recorded a single out in this game, to Jason Heyward, who recorded 4 outs in this game.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:16 pmNote to self:
1) Pick up pitchers off waivers who have a start against the Braves coming up.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:22 pm2) Win fantasy baseball.
3) Wake up next to Kate Upton.
Let’s see…Tommy barely breaking 90 mph on the 4 seam, the Frediot returning with a vengeance, Uggla with a error, no discernable offense…and we’re off!
April 5th, 2012 at 3:23 pmI didn’t see Heyward throw his bat at the pitcher. I’m sure the “OMG IF HE HOMERS IN HIS FIRST AB IT’S THE GREATEST THING EVAR” narrative didn’t help. But yeah, it wasn’t his best day.
/Edit: We’ll get ‘em tomorrow. Oh wait…
April 5th, 2012 at 3:30 pmIn the interests of full disclosure, I am very annoyed by the fact that Jason has sucked offensively for something like a year and a half straight.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:32 pm“It was the first time since 1996 that Atlanta fielded a lineup on Opening Day without Chipper Jones, and the Braves were punchless at the plate. Coming off a near-record collapse last September that cost the team a playoff spot, Atlanta managed only four hits.” – Thanks ESPN
April 5th, 2012 at 3:33 pmRecap is up. It’s pretty sloppy but I’m on a bad connection, I’ll maybe revise in the morning.
April 5th, 2012 at 3:36 pm