The Braves designated Remlinger for assignment, as you probably know. I hope he hangs it up. He got by there for a little while with junk, but he’s a fastball pitcher who lost his fastball. I’ll try to remember him the way he was, not the way he is.
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Following the Douglas Adams theme:
Ford Prefect: Six pints of bitter, please. And quickly, the world’s about to end.
Barman: Oh yes, sir? Nice weather for it. Going to watch the game this afternoon then?
Ford: No, no point.
Barman: What’s that, forgone conclusion then you reckon? Braves without a chance?
Ford: No no, it’s just that the world’s about to end.
Barman: Oh yes sir, so you said. Lucky escape for the Braves if it did.
Today’s lineups:
M. Giles 2b
E. Renteria dh
C. Jones 3b
A. Jones cf
J. Francoeur rf
M. Diaz lf
W. Betemit ss
A. LaRoche 1b
T. Pratt c
J. Lugo ss
C. Crawford lf
J. Cantu 2b
A. Huff 3b
J. Gomes dh
T. Wigginton 1b
D. Hollins cf
J. Paul c
T. Perez rf
Nicely said Mac, it’s too bad he had to go out this way, but he had a good and memorable run while it lasted. Thanks MR.
Right on K-uger. You still need to fix your sign :).
But yeah, Remlinger was one of my favorite Braves relievers ever, and it’s unfortunate that he’s gone out like this. I wanna say ’99 was his best season, and of course it was as a Brave. 10 wins as a reliever is pretty nice, especially when he wasn’t a vulture.
’99 was his best season (2.37 ERA), probably followed by 2002 (1.99 ERA in fewer innings). He had his four best seasons, really, in Atlanta from 1999-2002 because of how he was used. He really flourished as a set-up man, and not as a swingman (Cincy/ SF) or a lefty-killer (Cubs/ Bos/ Atl ’06).
I like Alex’s ‘Ten Little Indians’ reference on the other thread. The way I see it, our ’10 Little Braves’ are Cormier, Paronto, Remlinger, Reitsma, Yates, Sosa, Pratt, Jordan, LaRoche, and Orr.
Reitsma and Jordan have both been DL’d and, for the most part, sent packing. Remlinger has just been reassigned.
And then there were Seven.
Just how hard it is to move Marcus out of that leadoff spot? I mean, is it obvious that the experiment has failed?
I didn’t realize this until TBS brought it up, but the Braves have totally overhauled their bullpen. Now, some people are in the rotation temporarily/pemanently and some are on the DL, but the Vulture is the only one left from opening day.
oh…I guess we are facing Santana again today…
I am not watching the Yankees series. Any of it.
It’s funny watching James pitches…it’s like he is throwing batting practice…sort of like Liebraint…
Why Jenny? How worse can it be comparing to the Red Sox series?
I also want to sound a note of caution about moving guys around, out of position. Baseball players, it seems, are a fragile lot. They’re superstitious and obsessed with routine. They avoid stepping on lines, eat the same dinner every night before games, and like both their spots in the order and positions they play. I once read LaRussa refused to move Renteria and Rolen from their lineup spots – when Pujols injured his arm early in 2002 – and ended up working out a system so that Pujols could flip any ball he fielded to Edmonds, who could then throw it for him. Now, LaRussa is crazy and that was a foolish thing to do, but the point, beyond his dire need to have Pujols anchor that lineup, was that ballplayers like to hit in those spots where they are most comfortable.
The same goes for moving guys out of their familiar positions, with the possible exception of middle infielders who already know how to play both positions. One of the lessons from this year, in my opinion – and obviously on top of the lesson ‘You get what you pay for’ – is that messing with lineups and player positions is not only not a longterm solution, but can do more harm than good. We’ve got a #2 hitter leading off and suddenly hitting like crap. We had an aging left fielder who, playing first base, hurt us with both his bat AND glove. We have a third baseman who has never been the same since he moved to left field. And most famously, we had a career spot starter/setup man, one who was passable last season BEFORE they moved him to closer, trying to finish off games; now he’s Mark Wohlers with less talent.
Brian’s comment about mis-using Remlinger made me think of this. I’m not sure moving Renteria would help that much, and his offense could be hurt (that guy, for one, is clearly sensitive to change). I think the solution, and one that JS should look into for the next couple years, would be to find a Left Fielder who can lead off; or if we move Giles, find a Second Baseman who can lead off and a left fielder who can hit with consistency and power. If Chipper can be moved in the offseason, if he’s willing, then perhaps it should be tried – but I’m skeptical.
We’ve got a lot of pitchers who look like they’re throwing batting practive. Chuck merely stands out in that he isn’t actually throwing batting practice.
To be honest Adam, your reasoning is why I would prefer trading away Renteria than Marcus, but I guess Marcus is more marketable…
Boy, I thought there is only one Santana in the American League…how come I feel like I am seeing Santana pitching against the Braves everyday? I wonder why…
I won’t watch, kc, because I absolutely hate the Yankees with every fiber of my being and I go ape every time they even get a hit. I can stand to watch the Red Sox beat us, because we suck, and every time they win puts them ahead of the Yankees. But watching the Yankees beat us, which they will? Not happening. I’ll have a stroke. Especially since it’s in Yankee Stadium.
That’s a good reason, Jenny. You’re excused. The Yankees- rooting for them is like rooting for Microsoft.
I know it’s in the rules, but we needed to use the DH to hit for Pratt.
Of course, I will probably succumb and watch anyway, because I have no willpower, but if I disappear for 3 days, that’s where I went. I LOVE watching the Yankees lose even more than I hate watching them win, so I just have to calculate the odds so I can figure the risk of the potential return on an upset win versus my reaction to a loss. I don’t think that’ll come out well.
Jenny, when you have low expectation, there will usually be the surprises.
Why did I just lose the TBS feed? Why are they running a commercial in the middle of an inning?
The FCC called. Showing this much of the Braves violates obscentiy statutes.
have the Braves gotten Lugo out this series?
Marc Fein says the power went out. Nice.
in the entire city of Tampa? what the hell is that?
You mean the power at the stadium?
I can’t find it on the internet either
Lugo is now 7-9 in this series with three walks.
Power issues at Tropicana Field. Don’t these teams have enough issues?
Yeah, MLB.TV’s not working. Are they still playing or is the whole stadium/city in a power failure?
“the lights on the catwalks went out” from Chip Caray on the radio
they’re delayed.
Chip on radio says that they have partial power at the ballpark but the lights on the catwalks are out. And that they don’t know when they’ll be back on.
Jenny – to your point I was actually rooting for the Red Sox to beat the Braves simply so they would get further ahead of the Yankees! But only because our season is a complete write off
This is normal, folks. The Tampa area is something like the second-most frequently hit place by lightning. I go to school in Clearwater, about 30 minutes away, and you constantly lose power… and get hit by hurricanes.
john, I actually was, as well, under the philosophy that if we completely tank maybe something will get done to fix the holes in this team that have been growing for years now (getting by on luck doesn’t work), and if we’re going to tank, we might as well hurt the Yankees in the process by letting the Red Sox win handily. We got their offense back on track!
Game on, and so is Chuck James.
Braves haven’t had power all month, not sure why that stopped the game, really.
jenny, just imagine how great it will feel if we beat the “damn yankees ” that would be worth it
It would. But it’s the odds of that happening that I’m worried about. I feel like it’s almost a certain sweep. Is that pessimism or realism?
Either Simpson or Sutton: “Wigginton was in the deal that brought Kris and Anna Benson to the Mets.”
HAHA!
I think we found our new ace
The record for one-run losses in a season was 44 by the Chicago White Sox in 1968. The Braves, with 20 now, are on pace to equal that record.
They won 30 one-run games that year. Imagine- almost every other game decided by one run.
Eh. Most of my friends are annoying and bitter Red Sox fans, so it’s impossible for me to root for the Sox ever. Every time Renteria makes an error, I invariably get a text msg – “Oh great play by your star shortstop.” or today for example – “Why is your star shortstop DH-ing.” Yankee fans are in a class by themself, but Sox fans aren’t exactly tolerable.
Winning the World Series was the worst thing that ever happened to them. They’re no longer plucky underdogs struggling against the odds; they’re just another overrated, overcovered Northeastern team.
lol, why is Pratt in this game? I don’t care if McCann can’t hit against lefties his defense is still better than Pratt and Pratt hasn’t been hitting for shit! Bobby needs to be put out to pasture, time to retire.
I think Cox is playing Pratt hoping he’ll hurt himself, like Jordan and Reitsma.
Macabre thought: Any way we can sign J.T. Smith? He should still be only 26…
McCann has to rest sometimes. Now, Pratt over Pena is the real problem.
Is it time to consider the possibility Chipper used roids?
chuckie does look good, but let’s see how the rest of the game goes
McCann has to rest? He’s 23 years old! He’s not some old Barry Bonds that needs days off to rest his drugged up reconstructed body.
But Pratt over Pena is another reason Bobby should be put out to pasture.
Nice, how many K’s does Chucky have now? Stupid Drays announcers haven’t said.
I have got to be honest – you have got to think that the Yankees are going to sweep us. Even though their pitching is terrible. James looks useful though – but will need to show his ability against better hitters
I was listneing on XM to the game. When the lights went out the Rasy announcers brought on this Pirate for an interview. It was hillarious!
It doesn’t make sense to grind your catcher down by playing him every day, so I can accept that McCann needs rest. (Why not play him at 1B on some of his days not behind the plate, though?)
I can also see not bringing up Brayan Pena because you want to play him every day- even though, unless Salty craps out, he has no future in Atlanta.
But Pratt is even worse than our Crash Davis types in Richmond is Carlos Mendez (295/304/387) and Dax Norris (259/286/321), and Ray Serrano in Mississippi (299/308/390).
If McCann plays every day, his knees will be such a mess by the time he’s 26 that he’ll need a walker. You can’t play catchers every day, regardless of age. It’s not good for them.
Well, you can almost guarantee Bobby won’t have McCann in the lineup tomorrow against Randy Johnson.
Although, Bobby probably doesn’t even realize Johnson is starting tomorrow. We know he doesn’t read a stat sheet, I can’t imagine him looking ahead to probable pitching matchups.
That makes no sense unless Bobby wants to see if Randy’s got another perfect game in him, but I’m sure you’re right.
Seven pitch inning for Chuck. I thought only opposing pitchers could do that.
A rare dp from Diaz
…… Hitter hits into DP and next batter gets a hit. I really like our MO.
Pratt at bat, gg.
TODD!
I just choked on my tortilla chips.
lol wtf just happened? Hell froze over…..
OMg, I just realized this is only going to encourage Bobby to use Pratt
Tomorrow’s AJC headline: “Blind Squirrel Finds Nut”
I just tuned back in… that buys Pratt another month, at least.
Who adopted Pratt? I want to buy them a beer.
That should raise that 520 OPS a little!
I
I heart chucky
No, no, no Bad News Bears now, please!
Oh wow, yea lets screw over the best outting by a starting pitcher we’ve had in months. Love it. God we suck
I am really not enjoying this whole Betemit in the field thing. He has the dropsies.
How many K’s does James have now?
That was K number 7.
How in the hell can you score that a hit? Hello, the guy dropped the ball. Idiot.
Thanks Brian
They scored that a hit? WTF, that’s just wrong.
maybe now the heart of the order can get James’ some (sure-to-be-needed) insurance… and maybe now the Jones boys can begin playing this season.
Three things are certain in this life: Death, taxes, and Jeff Francoeur popping up on the first pitch with men on base.
It’s simply remarkable that he’s still swinging at the first pitch. It’s just remarkable.
Well with all the first pitch strikes Hendrickson was throwing today I can’t blame him.
Does anyone know what kind of pitch counts James had during his past few starts in the minors?
8 k’s, Chucky is looking fantastic.
Nope, but they said the longest he went was 7 innings, I believe.
Think they just said 100 pitches.
Not to change the subject, but there’s a very good piece on Dayton Moore in today’s New York Times.
Moore on dealing Andy Marte:
“It was very difficult to give up Andy,” he said. “I called to tell him we made the deal and he was very upset and sad. There were a lot of tears.”
Here’s the link.
Sosa is coming in to save it.
Nice article. From the department of things that make you go hmmm:
“He [JS] wanted J. D. Drew and said it was up to us to make it work,” Moore said, recalling a 2003 trade.
So who’s really been doing the work here? That trade worked out really well and it turns out Dayton Moore set it up? Exactly what did we lose here?
Also, I wonder who JS tried to trade to him a few weeks ago.
Jeremy, interesting stuff.
A smooth save. A well-pitched game. Winning a series.
Once we took these things for granted. Let us never do so again.
Wow, we actually won a series didn’t we?
Must have been a fluke.
Maybe that’s what the point of this is. To make us (and by that I also mean the FO and the players) stop taking winning for granted.
Agreed, Brian. The Yankees are playing two today, so we may have the upperhand tomorrow.
Anyone else out there who can’t watch the game in Central Florida because TBS has been blacked out for the ‘local’ FSN ‘cast, which of course Brighthouse does not carry – beyond stupid.
That game was great. It was the way Braves baseball is supposed to be: great starting pitching, a 3 run homer, and good relief work. The only down side is Todd Pratt winning himself a few more weeks (months?) as a backup catcher with his homerun. But I can’t get too upset about that right now seeing as the Braves have won their first series this month.