The Official Site of The Atlanta Braves: News: Chipper impressive in losing effort
It’s his groin, they say. He plans to make his next start. We’ll see. I think the man is made out of papier-mache.
The most important outcome might have been that Brandon Jones got a hit. With Josh Anderson hitting .389 and of course the horrifying doubles production of Joe Borchard (who didn’t get into the game today), he better get going if he wants to avoid Richmond.
Sammons backed up McCann today, but didn’t do anything. Backup Catcher Derby:
Pena 3-10, 0 BB 0 XBH
Javy 2-10 1 BB 1 HR
Miller 0-5 0 BB 1 RBI
Sammons 0-5 0 BB
It’s not exactly a rousing battle so far.
It doesn’t really matter who gets the backup catcher job because all of them are significant downgrades from the starter *shrugs*
great headline –
Is Blanco out of options? I would rather see him as the 4th OF’r over Anderson or Jones, just to see what he can do
Anyone know if DeSalvo has any options left? Seemed to have another decent outing today.
Also hope this means breyan pena finally makes the team. Think Jones is starting in Richmond anyhow if the team mouothpieces ( DOB and Peanut ) are to be believed.
I would have to think that Jones will start in Richmond, myself.
To think that there were “overexuberant” Braves Journalers that pencilled Hampton in for 10 wins… I mock their exuberance.
I dont know why there is sooo much concern as for backup catchers. Their only purpose is to give the regular a day off. McCann doesnt need teaching anymore
I still put Hampton in the 10 win column. Count it!
Maybe playing bridge.
I think bridge might be a little to strenuous for Hampton to get to the 10 win mark before blowing out a finger.
if you had to pick one for this season who would it be
Hampton, Wood, Prior, Colon, or Clement
that would be some kind of a starting rotation hugh?
This just in: water is still wet.
i guess since it’s still spring his injury is irrelevant… i’ll take worthless rookie cards for $800 alex.
I drafted Jair Jurrjens in my fantasy team. Hooray.
I’m going to be at the Braves games on Sunday and Monday. anybody else going to be there???
I just pray Hampton can live a normal life after this…..
(Seriously, you have to feel for the guy, trying to come back and play and not just ride off into the sunset with 15 million more bucks. But anyone who is counting on his body holding up needs to have their head examined.)
Didn’t Hampton get hurt his first year in 2003 with the Braves before the season started? I believe he was hurt on the tredmill pulling his hamstring. I think he started that season on the DL.
I meant the treadmill. Too many body slams off the top rope. Wooo!!!
Sun, still hot.
Joe Borchard (who didn’t get into the game today)
No wonder we lost. We were just a three run double away from, well, a tie. Which is better than losing I guess. Or it would be if these things mattered at all.
I always think Prior is gonna make an awesome comeback. So of those 5, I’d take Prior.
Of course Hampton’s planning to make his next start. He just didn’t say when it would be, or in what league.
So why does the collage of pics on the opening page include..Scott Thorman?
Won’t KJ be a better choice?
#5- Actually Pete during the game today said that the Braves were also hoping for 10 wins out of Hampton this season.
if James and Hampton start the year on the DL and Moylan and Soriano have elbow soreness, we are in trouble. Did Bennett become the #5 guy or is it Carlyle? Who closes?
What is that top 10 commentors thing, number of comments? How long has it been counting?
forgot about Reyes
I would guess it would be a committee with Yates as chairman.
I would guess it would be a committee with Yates as chairman.
If your goal was to make me feel sick…mission accomplished.
Wahoo! I’m in the top 10! Suck on that society! I am successful!
One of the articles I read said that Moylan experienced the same soreness in spring training in 2007 and he was just fine then.
Man, I’m gonna have to step it up if I want get in the top ten. Gotta spend my time better during class/work.
I get most of my posts in during class. You can do it Mike!
Does it count your name or IP Address? Cause I use two different computers, one thats mine and my work computer.
just wanna let anyone that’s in bravesjournal3 on yahoo fantasy baseball, i haven’t forgotten or died. i’m just in switzerland getting drunk. ill be back to america on the 18th to get the thing rollin.
An interesting update on a blast from Braes past, Mr. Brad Komminsk.
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080220&content_id=349884&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp
Sir,
You slander our fine product in suggesting that it is no more durable than than a pitcher who has not been functional for over two years. Over that time our product has performed admirably for kindergartners all over the world with out having the eggshell fragility of assorted groin, hamstring, elbow … injuries.
I am actually Mike Hamptons personal MRI, it is true, he is in fact made of paper mache
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080307&content_id=2410626&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
Is it just me, or is Carlyle about eighth on the depth chart (below Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, Hampton, Jurrjens, James and Reyes, but above Bennett)? If he’s in the starting rotation to start the season, something has gone wrong.
I guess he could be in the bullpen as the long relief pitcher and spot starter over Bennett, as Bowman suggests. I wouldn’t have any real problem with that.
I dont care who our 5th starter is as long as they can get the job done. If its Carlyle and he gives us stretches like this, he went 6-1 with a 3.21 ERA in the eight starts he made for the Braves from June 26-Aug. 7 of last year, then let him stay on board.
I don’t think Carlyle is someone to be worried about. He won’t pitch many meaningful innings for us unless a couple injuries occur. Carlyle’s a lot better than Mark Redman though.
Our 5th starter may end up being a multi-headed monster of Bennett, Carlyle and (Insert Rookie or Journeyman Name Here), that is unless one of the above can become a Mike Bilecki or a John Burkett…
Komminsk looked great coming up. I can remember the optimism that the Braves had about Komminsk and Gerald Perry…I think that the former is a good reminder not to carried away projecting minor leaguers.
Carlyle certainly deserves a shot and I think that it is possible that he will be on the Opening Day roster…Hope really comes with Spring Training…
“Carlyle’s a lot better than Mark Redman though.”
Nope. Redman pitched 22 horrible innings for the Braves last year, no doubt about that. But his 95 ERA+ over 1200 career IP is much more impressive than Carlyle’s 71 ERA+ in just 162 IP. More importantly, Redman’s terrible 2006 was no worse than Carlyle’s 2007, which was Buddy’s best season by far.
I say this not to defend Redman, who is a bad bad pitcher. I say this rather to point out that Carlyle, a 30 year-old guy who’s not gonna top his 82 ERA+ ever again, should be nowhere near a starting rotation. At least, he should be nowhere near the rotation of a team with delusions of being good.
Remember how I said that walks are rare in spring training? Well, Joseph Reyes has walked five Astros in two innings today. I think reports that he’s solved his control issues may have been exaggerated.
Buddy Carlyle would be an acceptable 5th starter, actually.
Pretty remarkable he only allowed 1 run in those 2 innings.
Carlyle went 3 innings with no walks and 3 Ks, but allowed 4 runs.
So bizarre, all the hype on Komminsk when he came up to the bigs.
Coming off the disastrous end to the ’83 season—Braves blew an August lead to LA when Horner broke his wrist—I suppose Braves fans were somewhat desperate for a new hero.
We wanted to love this guy; then we saw him play. Even the way he threw the ball, he looked like he was posing for a photo shoot. Nothing looked natural.
I remember first seeing his hopelessly mechanical swing & thinking, “This guy is the future? Uh-oh…”
The Braves’ defense continues to be horrible. In one inning in today’s game, you’ve had a dropped pop fly (Kelly Johnson), a bad pick-off throw (Royce Ring) and a booted ground ball (Yunel Escobar).
That’s on top of the other defensive problems earlier in the game today and the all the ones in the previous spring training games.
I haven’t checked, but I expect that spring infields aren’t all that great, and that can cause defensive problems. Pop flies, now.
BA loved Komminsk, and his minor league stats are excellent. He hit .322 .458 .606 in Durham at age 20, and .334 .433 .596 in Richmond at 22. He had over 100 minor league homers before he was called up. It’s very rare for a player who’s this good in the minors to not make it.
All Braves fans knew that Komminsk tore up the minors, but, I swear, you only had to look at him play once to be suspicious.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2008_03_08_atlmlb_cinmlb_1
Carlyle and Bennett were horrible today. Reyes wasn’t really any better either with the five walks. Quite a race for that fifth starter slot.
And for the most suprising news of the day…
Borchard got a hit, but it wasn’t a double!
Bobby might nibble on the Borchard bait but he won’t swallow it, that’s for sure. He’s seen too many like him. James Jurries comes to recent mind.