A four-game sweep? It’s possible.
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A four-game sweep? It’s possible.
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http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/blog/2009/07/vengeful-baseball-zeros-in-on-jeff-francoeur.html
Good times.
my post from the last thread…
am I one of the few who thinks the Kawakami deal is actually a decent one? I dont think we overpaid on him. Take away his horrid april starts and he’s been very good
April 4GS 7.06ERA 1.62WHIP .286BAA
May 5GS 3.03ERA 1.42WHIP .265BAA
June 6GS 3.33ERA 1.04WHIP .208BAA
July 3GS 3.71ERA 1.41WHIP .242BAA
Id say we can probably expect a 3.75ERA from Kenshin and for the price, I dont think thats overpaying. I think the month of April was his adjusting to the league
Current joke among Mets fans: “If catching the ball is so important, why don’t they show it on the scoreboard?”
CSG, I’m glad you pointed that out. It was easy to feel really nervous about the awful April, but he’s been really solid of late, and basically the guy I hoped we were getting: a solid mid-rotation starter.
Independant of the money spent on Kawakami (and it sure looks like he is a decent signing), isn’t one of the advantages of signing guys from Japan that you don’t lose any draft picks? Lowe cost us money, and a second round pick; Kawakami just cost us the money. I wonder if MLB will try and fix this, as it creates more value for people outside the system.
got JC’d writing my novel.
I think we’re better off trying to make the playoffs with the lineup we’ve got, and then outpitch our opponents in the playoffs. We’ve got an excellent pitching staff right now, one that matches up with any other team. Adding a bat may help us get to the playoffs, but I think we can already get there on our current roster. I think once we make the playoffs, we’re better off with a rotation that has Vazquez in it. He’s our game 1 starter for any playoff series in my opinion. Don’t trade him. The goal is a World Series, not an NLDS showing.
Our lineup is hot right now, but this isn’t their baseline level of production. They’ll cool off, but the quality pitching should likely continue. Hot streak or no, the team as it currently is comprised is MUCH better than it was in the first half of the season.
-Schaffer + McClouth
-Francoeur + Church
– Horrible ACHE + Better ACHE
– Blind McCann + Sighted McCann
-Slumping KJ + Streaking Prado
+Hanson
I expect Prado to come back down to Earth, but I also expect KJ to pick himself up off the mat. The two combined, plus the impending return of Infante, gives us a nice middle infield set up.
If Hudson comes back with anything at all, we’ve got a vastly better team than we started the season with. We don’t need a big shake up, we need to see what this team can do.
In fairness, we’re also minus Infante and plus Norton, but otherwise I’m right there with you. Much much better in a whole lot of places. Plus, Yunel’s hitting like he’s as good as he thinks he is.
I couldn’t resist this from Mets Blog. You almost have to feel sorry for them.
Joe Bacci says:
July 22, 2009 at 2:17 pm
i feel like this team is trying to lose me. I feel like i want to just up and root for another team but i can’t. I bleed blue and orange and players like D. Wright keep me hanging on.
But i need a support group…
“My name is Joe Bacci, and i’m a Mets Fan.”
Alex,
I am not attacking you personally. I simply do not understand why you obsess so much over what ESPN says or does not say about the Braves.
csg,
I was joking with the whole “you heard it here first” bit.
AAR,
That’s hilarious.
Speaking of the Mets, here’s more from Tony Bernazard, Omar Minaya’s right-hand man, who recently ripped off his shirt and challenged an entire AA team to fight:
I LIKE what Alex brings to the forum and am glad he’s BACK. Sometimes I wonder about his RANDOM capitalization and wish he could TAKE things a little lighter THOUGH.
I also got lost in the switch to the new thread. From earlier:
Dix and AR, I’m a bit on the fence as I said before. But I just don’t see this team catching the Phils (esp. if they add impact players). We have a chance to make the WC, just a chance, but have several teams bunched around — any of which could go on a 10 game tear and win the WC. I completely agree that we should not trade SP for a bat mid-season, but would love to see Wren pick up the bat in a salary dump. That may not be realistic, of course, since I have no way of knowing if Libery Media will give Wren the money to do it.
That said, I’d not be surprised at all if Wren did nothing. The streak gives him comfort/cover in sitting tight.
I’m rediscovering the fun of caring about Braves’ scores in late July. Keep up the good work men!
It’s my right, Marc…but you pissed me off because you said I said something I didn’t say which was that the Braves are upset over it. Of course they don’t care. They’re professionals.
As a Braves fan, I have every God given right to call it those phony a–holes at the 4-letter for completely biased coverage.
And I am not the only person on Bravesjournal who feels as such.
Spike,
Look, I do it for effect, the caps thing. I take plenty lightly and I am overall happier about the Braves in comparison to how I’ve been the last 3, depressing seasons.
That being said, I am not going to come in here and not speak my mind. It’s just not in my nature.
So a bit off topic, but … BoSox trade Lugo. Why is it that a team that does nearly everything right can’t find a decent shortstop? It’s not like they haven’t been willing to look in-house and pay for outside talent. Very strange.
@12,
I’d be in favor of trading Vazquez for a bat, but it would have to be a HUGE bat. We’re talking about our ace, #1 starter, top strikeout guy. I’d trade him for Prince Fielder and be satisfied. That would drastically improve our lineup.
I’d take the gamble that Huddy will come back, and with his production, the loss of Vazquez will be much smaller than the gain of Fielder.
#13
That’s the best part…I’d rather be arguing with Marc Schneider than not, because it means we actually have a reason to care again and the team is actually in it.
#17
But as Stu point out the other day (I think it was Stu?), Fielder is a BorA$S client.
Now, we got a deal done with Lowe and we’ve worked with Borass, however, that makes Fielder less appealing than other middle of the order boppers.
@17 – Well, sure, I’d also trade Vazquez (or anybody else who has ever played baseball) for Pujols. But implicit in my posts is the assumption that the Cards aren’t trading Pujols and the Brewers aren’t trading Fielder.
Trading Vazquez would be dumb. What big bat is out there? We don’t really know what Hudson will do when he gets back, so I think we need to relax on the trading Vazquez talk.
Fielder is signed through 2010 (same as Vazquez). It is assumed/hoped that FF will be ready by 2011
For Albert Pujols, YES, 1000 TIMES YES (sorry Spike for the caps) I’d trade Vazquez for Pujols.
He’s by far the best hitter in Baseball. In would throw in Hudson and the top 3 prospects in the organization to get Pujols.
I think we all (meaning us, and the Braves) have to get over Scott Boras. He’s the most influential agent in the game, and represents its best players. Cowering from Boras is not conducive to winning.
While I agree that Boras makes a player less desirable, in this case I don’t think it matters. I wouldn’t want to resign Fielder after 2010.
I’ve been a big proponent of keeping our financial flexibility for the summer after the 2010 season. Fielder won’t age well, and will command a massive contract. I would rather spend that money on replacements for Vazquez/Huddy, and plug a minor leaguer into the 1B spot. 1B is not a hard position to develop a power hitter at. Just about any power hitter can play there.
@20 I didn’t mention Pujols anywhere, because quite obviously, he’s not available. I disagree with you about the Brewers not trading Fielder though.
Like I said, I’d stand pat. But if Vazquez fetches us a bat like Fielder, I’d be willing to risk it.
Conrad optioned. Kelly activated.
16—Lowrie’s their shortstop; he’s just been hurt.
19—It wasn’t me, Alex. I’ve been the one saying it doesn’t matter that he’s a Boras client since he’s signed through 2010 and we likely wouldn’t want him after that, anyway.
Sweet Jesus, Norton is immortal. I think he has videotape.
I don’t think the Braves brass cowers from Boras. I think by-and-large they view most Boras clients as too expensive in the long run. Lowe was an exception — and by the way, might turn out to be too expensive in the long run.
I said he was a Boras client.
Where did you read that PWHjort? I checked all my “sources” and none have that yet.
Edit: Nevermind. I found it on DOB after it took 5 minutes to load
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/07/22/hot-braves-jurrjens-vs-the-freak-lincecum/comment-page-17/#comment-215984
Stu, yeah I know Lowrie’s their SS, but I mean whay can’t they find a DECENT SS? (Kudos to AR for lessening the stigma of ALL CAPS.)
DOB: Kelly activated, Conrad optioned back to Gwinnett.
Lowrie is a good player. You think they should have All-Stars everywhere?
Just because he’s a Boras client doesn’t mean we have to negotiate with him. He’s signed through 2010 and I doubt we’d extend Fielder.
No, it’s just that the Sox have TRIED to have All Star SSs and have made a large number of repeat contract mistakes. Even Epstein has said that they’ve made big mistakes. I guess I’m just suprised that a team that otherwise is very well run keeps screwing this one up.
Norton and Diory are better than Conrad? really?
Has to be a frustrating day for Conrad.
Any word on the lineup today? I’m assuming McCann’s getting the day off. If Chipper is as well does that mean Kelly’s jumping right back in to start at 2nd? (Prado at 3rd.)
Zito’s a lefty so I figure that means Garrett in left and Diaz in right.
Well, allegedly, Diory can play SS and Conrad can’t. The Norton thing is mistifying.
Red Sox will get Hanley back in a few years
@36 – Surpises me too, unless Norton/Diory are minor players in a trade discussion?
Olney offers 8 reasons why the Phillies should go ahead and acquire Doc. I’m no longer an insider. What does he say about the possibilities of the Braves catching them without adding a great arm?
I think the problem with Boras is he has good players, but they usually wind up getting overpaid. That doesn’t mean you have to stay away, but that does mean that you should be smart enough to stick to your guns on the price.
Teams who have Boras clients are rich teams, because they’re the only ones with the financial resources to swallow a possible disappointment. Think over the last few years: how many huge Boras contracts have teams honestly been glad they paid out, after the last year of the deal?
ANyone see this picture?
http://withleather.uproxx.com/2009/07/bees-not-the-bees#comments
So, I’m confused. Did Frenchy flinch because of bees?
I agree that Boras drives up the prices of his players, and that the Braves aren’t a team that can afford any bad contracts, let alone expensive, long term bad contracts.
Honestly, Chipper’s contract is not that good right now, and Derek Lowe’s is probably on the negative side of neutral, but the remainder of the finances are allocated extremely well. Any bad values are on short term deals.
I want us to have a lot of money in the next few years because I want us to be able to afford to lock up Escobar and Jurrjens, before worrying about anything else.
#41, I do not care what Olney says. He is dumb. I don’t use that adjective lightly. I don’t know why anyone would seek out that opinion.
Also, if we were to add “a great arm,” where would we put it? We need bats, not arms. We have more arms than Shiva.
Roster construction: you make the call
Player 1: Has hit in limited playing time and can play the field albeit not very well
Player2: Has not hit in limited playing time and can not play the field at all.
Unless player 2 is really good in the clubhouse (wink, wink, nudge, nudge saynomore) I’d probably have to pick player 1.
If this team could ever get into the post-season, the rotation looks pretty stout.
So, I’m not crazy about dealing Vazquez. He’s been awesome.
@47 – but which positions do these anonymous players play? on which team with what needs? how much are they paid? what are their projections? does one of them have THE PHOTOS?
“We have more arms than Shiva.”
That made me laugh out loud.
I don’t know why people keep talking about trading our ace. Unless we hit a six game losing streak, that’s not going to happen.
Haha. I thought this from Sweetspot was funny.
And this from Circling the Bases:
AAR,
The problem in expectations versus reality with free agents is not just with Boras clients, but with substantially all free agents for a good reason. You are the highest bidder.
Think about it. there are 30 teams. Except when a player takes a lesser contract for a better team or better situation (Maddux in 1993 and that is rare)the “winning team” has valued the player higher than the other 29 teams. And, the collective wisdom of 29 teams is stronger and more accurate than the outlier.
Look at Boston getting J. D. Drew. Drew is a good player, sometimes great, who has injury problems. Everybody knew that. When you look at his disappointing streaks and his injury days, you wonder if that deal has been good for them. And, Boston has a good front office that generally evaluates well. But functionally, the high bidder has to “overpay” (WS compared to cost, say, not compared to revenue) to get a free agent player.
Even cheap free agents look like bad signings more often than expensive ones. I think it was Neyer who did a table last year and determined that the worst free agent signings were not the long term deals, but rather the 1 year contracts. The best deals (WS relatie to cost) were 4 to 5 year contracts. The “really long” deals were bad (Zito, Hampton). But the short term ones were almost universally horrific.
@49
Player 1: IF, major league min., decent backup IF with some power but below average glove
Player 2: DH (in the NL), $800K, fail
On an unrelated note, Coxy is making $3M this year.
#43
What you don’t see in that picture is that the man who is throwing the ball was a “mysterious, bald man from Alabama, wearing a Braves hat…”
#39
csg, that comment is equally true and sad. hence the economic disparity in Baseball.
Which brings the discussion back to Boras. The bottomline is we’re a middling financial team so we can always afford a few expensive Boras players, but unlike the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees and Dodgers, we can’t fill half our roster with those guys.
Thankfully, their are some talented and classy players who are really good and actually choosing other agents these days.
As I said a couple of days ago, Norton was told he’s here until Infante gets back as long as he wants to be. My source is solid. Not that one party couldn’t change their mind but I didn’t buy the norton getting released for Kelly thing.
@53 – Well, that’s easy! Player 2 is trade-bait.
That’s so weird. The most obvious way to improve the team would be to swap out Norton for Conrad or Barbaro.
Once a player breaks into the majors does he get the league minimum or does he get the league minimum * (Days on roster / 162)?
If that is true, that makes sense for sending someone other than Norton down, since he signed a ML contract and will make the $800K regardless.
46—Olney’s hardly dumb. Agree that he’s not worth reading for scoops or predictions, though.
And I’m pretty sure c. shorter meant if the Phillies don’t add a great arm.
I just want to throw more red meat out there for Sam Hutcheson. I need to brighten his day.
Yesterday somebody son this board wrote that they “had it from a reliable source” that Norton had been told that he would be released when Infante was activated. I think the post said by Cox, but not sure.
In any event, Norton was not released at the earlier KJ activation time. Does anybody here reasonably think swithchitter Norton can outdo switchhitter Conrad? Norton certainly is not as important defensively and cannot be a pinch runner. And, I may be wrong, but I just don’t see Wren as letting any sentiment for Norton hold him on the roster.
So, I propose Bobby made Norton a promise and is going to keep it, whether or not it was smart to make it (the real criticism I have with any possible promise) and whether or not it is good for the team to keep the promise (I give Cox or whoever more slack on this because, yes, your word is supposed to be worth something).
And, whoever promised Norton how long he could stay, probably is wondering if Infante may not make it back by September 1 (not hoping that he doesn’t, just thinking that might happen) and then they can hang on to ol’ buddy Norton through the rest of the year.
edit: [It was Dusty!!! Can you, Dusty, tell who made the promise / statement to Norton?}
Absent this recent hot streak, history makes one think this would be Bobby’s last year. In previous years, his contract for the next year was already in place at the beginning of the current spring.
# signed extension through 2007 with Atlanta 3/06
# signed extension through 2008 with Atlanta 4/07 (salary of about $3M)
# signed extension through 2009 with Atlanta 5/23/08 (salary of about $3M)
You would think if they wanted him (or he wanted to stay) it would have happened by now.
I suspect Norton’s $800K salary has more to do with his prolonged presence than anything.
61—Didn’t they already announce that Bobby would be back next year? Or am I confusing that with last year’s announcement about 2009?
Wow…Norton stays? Really feel bad for Conrad, however at least he can work on his 2nd base defense.
So when Infante comes back, if will be KJ, Diaz, Ross, Infante and …..
Not sure if it was Cox or Wren that told him this, but that was my thinking as well that he’s kind of around in case Infante has a setback. Also think he may retire if released.
Because that makes so much sense: “We are paying this guy $800K so we may as well let him drag the team down”
Daniel,
I got criticized on here a couple of months ago for looking at financial effects with respect to who is called up to fill the back end of the bullpen and bench (I think I was comparing why not bring up Charlie Morton versus Medlen). But, I still think $400,000 here and there is enough to be significant.
Conrad was on a minor league contract. Once he was activated he gets the Major League minimum prorated (I think by “season days”, not by games) for the number of days he is on the 25 man roster. Then, if he is optioned (has to be eligible for options which he apprently was) he gets a bonus in that his minor league salary for the remainder of this year (and all of next year if he is able to be held under option and is not released) rises to $150,000, again prorated.
65—I didn’t say it made sense; I just said I suspect it’s a big factor. I understand sunk costs. (I’m sure Frank Wren does, too, FWIW.)
I got 2 tix to today’s game. Anyone with a Lexus wanna come pick me up?
and as to holding Diory,
Until Infante comes back, he is our only line of defense at shortstop.
And, today is a perfect day for Ross to play as he is a 3 year average 860 or so ops against all lefties. Cox needs to be “semi platooning” here and “looking for lefties” as part of scheduling off days for BMac.
#62
I really hope this is it and Bobby hands the reigns already to a younger manager.
I maintain what I’ve said previously about Terry Pendleton: I think he would be a solid Manager and a fine replacement for Cox – and he would be a better manager in comparison to him as a hitting coach.
I like the idea of an even keeled guy like TP in that “overseer” role vs. being in charge of our offense where he’s shown overall to be below average.
Prado to SS, KJ to 2B, Diory to Gwinnett
911: Chipper to SS, Prado to 3B, KJ to 2B, Diory still in Gwinnett
I would also like the Braves to double Rudy Jaramillo’s Rangers’ salary and hire him as the next hitting coach here.
@67
I wasn’t commenting on your understanding of sunk cost. This team obviously has no qualms about fabricating injuries in order to send guys to the minor leagues. Why not give Norton another fake injury if he is just being held for insurance? No hit, no glove players are a dime a dozen, though. Could we really not find any more of this commodity if Infante does have a set back?
The fact that Bobby Cox thinks that Pendleton would make a good manager is enough to convince me otherwise.
Norton is on the roster over sentiment and feelings. It has nothing to do with his production, Conrad’s production, or the ability to replace Norton internally or externally.
Don’t know how accurate Gameday is but its giving this lineup:
McLouth CF
Prado 2nd
Chipper 3rd
Yunel SS
Diaz LF
Ross C
Kotchman 1st
Church RF
Kawakami P
Mr. Swinga at 74,
I won’t criticize that part of Cox’ judgment. I don’t think he should still be the manager. But I do believe when you get past the “positive Bobby” bs (and sometimes that is hard to do) he does have good instincts and skills in evaluating managers and coaches. His “old fashionedness” needs to be balanced out, but otherwise, he has a good perspective there.
Interesting, ACHE getting a day off.
Practically everyone on this blog thinks that Snitker is terrible.
Pendleton is not particularly highly regarded as batting coach.
How does that reflect well on Bobby’s judgement with respect to coaching ability?
In case you missed it in yesterday’s game thread: Yunel Fluff piece.
I like this for two reasons. First, maybe Yunel is growing up. Second, stories about Good-Guy Yunel means that the organization likes him and isn’t looking to get rid of him for personality reasons. Good times.
Hey now. Snitker has an awesome uneven mustache.
Ugh… no more free MLB Extra Innings…
Online stream anyone?
To take that one step further, Ned Yost was run out of town in September with his team leading the pennant race in the Central. I’d just as soon put Ted Turner in the dugout than anyone that Bobby selects.
I can’t believe today, of all days, Anderson gets the day off. He has 70 PA against Zito, enough so the head-to-head isn’t silly to reference, with an .875 OPS. He’s the only guy on the roster who has a good track record against the guy, and it’s enough data in his case to make the claim that he hits the guy well.
I would ordinarily love seeing Church/Diaz/McLouth, as I think it’s usually our best outfield, but not today.
Good point @79.
Why are people still calling Garrett Anderson “ACHE”? It seems very disrespectful and dated now.
The channelsurfing.net one is dead, looks like it was part of the Extra Innings deal.
#85, because “ACHE” has a better ring to it than AFPHE (Anderson Fifth Place Hitter Extraordinaire) and also captures the essence of Anderson’s play in the outfield well.
@85 – Once you get a nickname around here, it seems to be permanent.
Keep watching Chipper in the dugout. He is getting on the job training to become a coach or manager. He knows he only has a couple/few more years left, so he is learning from the best.
It no longer applies (and was outvoted in favor of an inferior option at the time), but I liked Gary Tanderson and Joe Shanderson.
Thanks for the responses @87, @88.
At least somebody does.
They just said Anderson woke up this morning with a stiff hip, so Bobby just gave him the day off. But don’t worry, I’m sure the real reason is still that Bobby is incapable of reading a matchup sheet. Never mind that he keeps one in his pocket every game.
Speaking of ACHE, I was at the dentist the other day and started thumbing through an older copy of Men’s Health. Well low and behold, there’s ACHE in there doing offseason training at some fitness institute Boras set up for his clients. It was a little surprising, as ACHE doesn’t strike me as the workout warrior type, but hey, at least he was trying. The other player featured in that article was Matt Holiday.
@93
I’m sorry, Nick, but the knee has already jerked.
OK, somebody explain the Sandoval Doubles to Shortstop Escobar in gameday? Huh? How did somebody score from first AND he “doubled” to the shortstop and no error was involved?
I was wondering myself how you double to the shortstop.
Sandoval ripped a basehit grounder off of the thirdbase line…
…the ball then banked off of the wall and then the ballboy, who was trying to get out of the way, and kicked back into shallow left field, where Escobar ran out and retrieved it. It seemed like it probably should have been some kind of dead ball, with the runners stopped at 3rd and 2nd. Bobby came out of the dugout briefly after the play, as it wasn’t clear if the Umps noticed the ball hit the ball boy.
hmm..that Explains it perfectly.
Neyer compliments the Braves!
Nine pitches. Way to make him work, guys.
At first I thought Douglass was joking and now I’m not sure…
Douglass got it right, would have been a hit and rbi regardless of it hitting the ball boy.
Way to let their only decent hitter beat you, too.
100 — Neyer with something good to say. Sounds good.
YUNEL!
Escobar is pretty good at baseball.
Escobomb!
Zito!
Yunel doesn’t have to worry about base-running blunders if he keeps hitting the ball out of the park.
Man I have never been so right about player than I was 2 years ago when we were having those heated Yunel vs. KJ arguments.
Team leader in RBI, tied for the lead in homers. Better trade him soon!
MVP!MVP!
We’re not the Pirates Mac.
Yunel, BTW, is third among major league shortstops in RC/27. Actually, he’s behind Hanley and Jeter, so he’s first among people who can actually play shortstop.
Yea but have you seen his hair? It’s worse than Jeter’s!
Tony, I gotta admit, you were right about Yunel. I didn’t see anything in his minor league stats to suggest he had this kind of power.
I’m not in front of my TV, so I’ll ask — why was Diaz running?
One could argue this is why there was no minor league indication:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/03/24/brinfield_0325.html
“After adding 15 pounds of muscle…”
I was right in wanting to get Yunel signed to a long term deal this past offseason.
According to the smart people, Hanley can actually play shortstop this year. When they brought him up, he was so bad he was clearly out of position, but right now he’s acceptably below-average. Yunel’s clearly way better in the field, but Hanley isn’t killing his team up the middle like he used to be.
Obviously, I’m with you on Cap’n Jetes.
@116:
I’m going to assume it’s because Cox wanted to get him in scoring position to take advantage of Kotchman’s one single he’s allotted each game.
Diaz was very safe on that steal attempt.
110—You were right on the money, Tony. And before you, it was Robert who was. I have probably been this wrong about lots of players, but I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong. Yunel is an absolute stud.
Thanks AAR and Stu, at least you were man enough to admit you were inaccurate.
Is anyone concern with McClouth’s recent slide?
KK seems to be getting away with some meatballs to this light hitting Giants team. He’d better start finding some more corners.
Also, is Sandoval the reigning fattest player in MLB?
@116 – Wouldn’t be too upset, Mac. Diaz was 4 for 4 in steal attempts, and he was actually safe on that one too.
I don’t think, by the way, that it’s a surprise that someone coming from Cuba would add muscle upon entering the First World. Not an opening for political discussion.
Sandoval is only 5’11 so he looks huge at 245. CC is 290 but 6’7
OK, people, I’ve refrained from comment (on this subject) long enough.
M-c-L-o-u-t-h. There is no second “c” in Nate’s last name.
And, for the record, there’s only one “t” at the end of ACHE’s first name.
Molina is fatter than Sandoval. Like I said in the first game thread of the series, I think Sandoval-Molina is the fattest 3-4 combination I’ve ever seen. Usually you see the really fat guy teamed with an athlete, like Ruth with Gehrig or Fielder with Gibson or Fryman.
Kawakami is only going to last about 5 innings, given his pitch count already. I hope he has an easy 4th and 5th, so we can at least get 6 out of him today.
Are we going to let Barry Zito stop us from getting a sweep?
This should make Sam (a little bit) happy –
http://www.newsday.com/blogs/sports/watchdog-1.812020/espn-bans-new-york-post-staffers-from-its-outlets-1.1319242
Hadn’t realized Andruw was doing as well as he is for the Rangers (knew he started off hot, but saw his average drop at some point). He’s got as many HRs as McLouth and in 29 less games. Better OPS too. AJ only has a .227 avg, but OPS is .857. It’s not Andruw of old numbers, but it’s nice to see him not “done”.
Why is Travis Ishikawa Albert Pujols against us and Albert Hall against everyone else?
It seems like Ishikawa, Winn and Lewis get about 50% of their yearly hits against the Braves.
Braves at work is better than work at work.
The last 2 called strikeouts have been out of the zone according to gameday (Chipper and Diaz)
3 walks in the inning. Got to make them pay.
Time for the Kotchman hit of the day!
This would be a good time to extend History’s Worst Hitting Streak.
I was about to say it’s a perfect time for the WWHS to be extended.
or, ya know, not.
I prefer Fat Ichiro for Sandoval
http://bloggingaboutbaseball.com/2009/06/17/kung-fu-panda-or-fat-ichiro/
Oh well, there’s always the 7th, with 2 out and nobody on…..
I think that happened because we’ve been making fun of the hitting streak.
The first rule of the hitting streak is not to make fun of the hitting streak. Do not taunt WWHS. If WWHS causes blurry vision, hair loss, sweaty palms, or the condition known as Hot Dog Fingers, discontinue use of WWHS.
Do not anger the streak
Sandoval is only 23. I swear when I first saw him that he was older. Dude can hit.
#123 slumping but still getting on base and defending well.
Take a close look at Andruw’s splits. Texas Stadium or whatever they call it these days is Coors AL version.
Do not stare directly at the WWHS.
Do not taunt happy fun streak.
Two on and nobody out … I smell triple play!
The WWHS is composed of an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.
As if there was a need to “prove” hibernation mode. I just looked up team stats and we lead the NL in BA/Hits in innings 1-6, but are below average in 7+.
This whole inning is an elaborate scheme to keep Zito out in the sun and make him run really hard.
Hang on Kenny!
Whew.
Whew, thank goodness we got out of that mess. Who’s warming up in the bullpen?
How close was that to a HR?
would’ve hit the wall if Church didn’t catch it
KK would have probably been lit up today by a team that can hit. The Gnats popped up a lot of pitches over the heart of the plate. Thank goodness he escaped a couple of dangerous situations. Church has been huge in RF today…really impressive defensively.
Go Diory.
To Gwinnett.
nice AB Diory. KK coulda done that.
Phenomenal hitting
KK is almost at a sub-4.00 ERA, though
Disgusting. Why did Conrad go back before Diory?
@163 – nobody else can play shortstop…
Did O’Flaherty hurt his back or something?
sdp- Somebody has to back up Yunel at short. The real question is why Diory pinch hit before Norton or KJ.
Whew 2.
Medlen comes in and strikes out two. (One was Zito, but still it’s a strikeout.)
Prado/Chipper can backup shortstop
This game is annoying. Let’s break it open.
I’m kind of surprised they let Zito bat there. Oh well, no complaints.
Ha! On the MLB Gamecast from the 4 letter people Prado’s Ball 4 was shown as being right down the middle.
171—He’s only at 82 pitches as I type this.
EDIT: Never mind. For some reason, I read that as surprise that he’s still pitching. Yeah, I would have hit for him, too.
So apparently the first rule of History’s Worst Hitting Streak is you do not talk about the hitting streak. I’m assuming that the second rule of History’s Worst Hitting Streak is that you do not talk about the hitting streak.
Prado walks with 4 pitches, and chipper swings at the first one he sees?, wtf?
One reason the Giants didn’t hit for Zito is that their bullpen is primarily righthanded. Their only lefty is Affeldt, who pitched last night and would be saved for a situation. If you bring in a righty, you unleash McCann/ACHE/KJ.
What just happened?
terrible call. cox will be tossed. f’n insane strikezone.
Caught stealing or botched hit-and-run?
The strike zone given to Zito was far different than the one afforded Kawakami today. Perfectly understandable complaint and ejection.
Deleted
Shoulda been a walk, runners on first & second with one out.
Instead, it’s a strike ’em out/throw ’em out inning-ending DP.
neither. zito’s patented curve ball was thrown around shoulder high and the ump rings escobar up. however, he didnt even signal a strike 3 call and prado was toast at 2nd. really weird play and bobby should have gotten tossed, which hd did. earlier, escobar had a reaction on an obvious ball 4 so it could be a personal vendetta against esco.
so, we are not getting any calls including 2 that have taken us out of potential runs. as i’m typing 2nd base umpire just missed a pickoff, his 2nd blown call of the day.
Nice job, Medlen.
Its time to end Hibernation Mode….
Yeah, Medlen gets out of a jam easily.
Yeesh, a couple bad calls. Awful strike three call followed by what appeared to be a missed call on the pickoff attempt. It looked like Medlen had Winn on the super slow motion of the DVR.
Prado and Chipper can’t play short. Conrad can’t really play short all that well, either, apparently.
Diory can’t either. He also can’t play second, can’t run, and can’t hit.
#183, yeah, that botched tag call was weird. MLB umps are usually spot-on with those.
Chipper began as a shortstop. He can manage a few innings until Diory is called up to help an injured Escobar.
It looks like the umps feel a little sorry for the Giants and are trying to give them this game.
Will Prado play at 1st against lefthanders when Infante gets back?
this umpire is the fail
Which umpire is behind the plate today?
rough day for this umpiring crew. Plate ump has been all over the place, and the 2B has missed 2 calls.
uh-oh. THE STREAK IS IN DANGER.
Chipper was drafted 19 years ago. He should not be considered an option at short, especially considering his injury history. We were lucky he played today.
Mac – is Diory really that bad? He’s seemed decent to me when I’ve seen him play. Looked like a good arm, too.
If Chipper played short, he will out for the next 10 days. So no Chipper can’t play short anymore. Like Jeter and Ripken before, his shortstop days are over.
I really hoped this offense wouldn’t be back for awhile. I expected this against Lincecum.
this is like cy young zito & not wonderfully crappy Zito
This ump has an Eric Greggian strike zone
Stu – I think it’s Jeff Kellogg.
Barry Zito? Really?
Thanks, Weldon.
So Bobby Cox HAS been tossed?
Is that correct?
Gonzo coming in to pitch again?
Sheesh.
I don’t think we should blame our offense here. Zito is getting an amazing strike zone.
Gonzo is going to pitch again??????
He makes me nervous everytime out now….
Bobby got tossed during the commercial break after the strike em out throw em out.
That Gonzo is in right here is evidence that he’s still managing from the clubhouse, though!
Gonzo hurt by line drive???
Says injury delay, right after Gonzalez deflected a ball to Kotchman.
…And he gives up a hit, then leaves the game. Oh, boy.
Who’s injured? (Its saying injury delay)
Never mind it has to be Gonzalez. What happened?
Thanks Weldon.
So how bad did Gonzo get hit?
Gonzo got hit somewhere on his left arm. Either the hand or the elbow. Didn’t look as bad as Mark Prior’s a few years back or anything like that.
Mac, nobody was arguing the Diory should be here. But it is the plain truth that he is the only one on the team right now that can backup shortstop defensively – at least until Infante returns. But Diory really should have no place an ANY major league roster.
Kotch, sheeeesh.
wow….
He should get an error for that. Pathetic.
Prado out for KJ…so it begins
What the hell is going on?
There’s a reason the man plays first. He has that same weird throwing motion when he throws back to the pitcher. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with his arm or if he just throws like a girl, but it’s an issue.
damnit!
Diory got off to a terrible start, usually someone like him gets sent back down, works on his mistakes, and comes back stronger (hopefully). Diory is having to sit on the bench and not get ABs. Let’s not bury his career just yet.
When Infante gets back then Diory goes down. Then Conrad needs to come back up and take Norton’s place, and Norton goes home to retire.
anyone else see those metaphoracal dark clouds rolling in?
Jesus christ. Mac, they just scored a run on three infield hits.
Oh for fecks sake, what the hell are you doing, guys.
KJ already sucking
Was Ross not telling Moylan where to go with the ball there?
I say three infield hits, but it was an infield hit and two bunt attempts.
Gamecast is all mucked up. Can someone enlighten us as to what happened?
prado out? stupid.
I think “being able to play a position” is vastly overrated. Is it worth carrying an absolute zero for an extended period of time so that in case of an emergency we will have a semi comptent back up fielder to bring in? I would say there is more to be gained from carrying a hitter that can stand around at SS for one game if necessary than to carry an otherwise complete waste of a player just because he is an official SS. Any player deemed acceptable at 2B/3B is probably sufficiently good at fielding to play SS in an emergency situation.
This game has really pissed me off.
FWIW, Kotchman was taken out and Prado was moved to first when KJ was brought in on the double-switch.
And why in the hell did he double-switch out Prado? That makes no sense. If you’re double-switching, you take out Church and move Diaz to right.
I just watched a slow motion replay of interference, but there’s no outs, and a run scored on the play, so I have no idea what happened. I can’t have the sound on.
We need another bullpen arm. Who’s got people available? Hm. I wish we could get Green from the Mets.
#235
Unless Bobby was benching Kotchman for making a mental error on the throw to first base?
Also, KJ now leads off the next inning.
Or use Medlin more.
this is a very Francourian inning
Gonzo came in, got hit on his forearm by a hard line drive. That man reached and Gonzo had to leave. Logan came in and Kotchman misplayed a bunt attempt. Two men on.
Logan was pulled, Moylan in. Giants tried to bunt the men over but Moylan hit the runner and the guy scored from second. KJ looked inept covering first, but the runner (Uribe?) should have been called out on interference.
gonzo hit by a line drive on the wrist. gonzo out, logan in.
kotchman fielded a bunt attempt, thought about going to 2nd, then lobs one to first….runner safe. logan out, moylan.
moylan fielded a bunt attempt, thought about going to 3rd, throws off his back foot to first into the runner that was inside the line (although it shouldnt have factored in).
moylan k’s two. hit to right run scores, short hops chipper and another run scores. terrible defense on what has been a good defensive team of late.
Apparently, whatever Uribe did is so complicated that Gameday can’t describe it. They have been stuck on “in play, run(s)” for 6 minutes.
MLB Gameday says Prado is at first and History’s Worst Hitting Streak is over.
This just got horrible.
wow…the May braves are back today
Full-on meltdown inning.
Yep, the wheels have come off the wagon.
Oh, man, it was Chipper. He missed. This sucks.
5-1 for those with broken gameday.
thanks for the play-by-play.
Three straight Giants have tried to drop sacrifice bunts. That’s gotta be a record of some sort.
Of course, given how that worked out, maybe Cox will decide the Braves offense needs “MORE BUNTING!”
Here’s the synopsis for those who aren’t watching:
the Giants have hit 1 ball hard, but the Braves kicking it all over the place have allowed them to score 4 times.
Hard to make this many misplays in an inning.
I effin hate Randy Winn.
Why can’t we get that hippie out?
Oh well, 3 outta 4 from the Giants is nice.
Acosta warming up.
Whatever else happens after this game, I think the Braves seriously need to run some PFP.
My mother said there’d be days like this.
Oh, NOW the 2B ump gets the close one right. Great.
Horrible inning. Glad it’s over.
Oh well, these things happen. Let’s get them all out of our system in one game and start a new winning streak tomorrow.
Prado still in game…
I’m glad I slept through most of this game.
261—See 235.
Any talk of this team being a playoff team should stop.
I’ve brought back “Take the out, stupid” as the tagline. Seemed appropriate.
Moylan and Kotchman the only goats today?
Who else?
@255. Not really, since the Giants swept the Braves is San Francisco.
Welcome back KJ and his bad vibes.
Defense has killed us this inning.
Somehow, all those runs were “earned”. Have I mentioned how stupid that rule is?
kj… good start.
264—Would you be saying the same thing if we’d lost to Lincecum and won today? Chill out. It’s one bad game.
No, not “defense”. Stupidity has killed us this inning.
No, Moylan is awesome…remember?
This is still a playoff team. A lot of really weird stuff happened in one half-inning, much of which I still don’t understand. How was that not interference? Did Chipper misplay a ball or was it the throw?
#265
You might add…”and don’t throw a change up over to first”
There are two innings left, naysayers. One of which we get to face a scrub bullpen member
#274
Church was charged with an error.
Tony…3/4 suits me fine. Baseball ain’t about revenge…just winning series, man.
Braves playing well…I’m not going to let a Bad News Bears inning ruin how much I’ve enjoyed seeing somewhat of a resurgence.
nate…not so great.
Sorry, the last run was “unearned”. That being the only guy who both reached and scored on clean hits.
I’m glad the Braves play like bafoons during day games
so I don’t have to witness it.
geez, Moylan is awful. If this team makes a playoff push they need a couple more arms. This is opening the door for Huddy to the bullpen.
@276: Said scrub bullpen member just coaxed a 4-6-3. Just not our day. It was evident with the horrendously inconsistent strike zone. This one just felt wrong from about the third inning onward … so let’s take a three-of-four win from a fellow wild-card contender and try and get two of three this weekend. Today doesn’t change the fact that this team is playing generally good ball and is in decent position to snatch the wild card.
5 hits 2 errors…atleast we won the series..lets get ready for the next one
C’mon, this game isn’t over yet. Affeldt plus Wilson isn’t exactly Eck + Rivera, and we’ve been good at crooked numbers recently.
I’m telling you guys, CBS Sports Gamecenter blows GameDay away. Go to the mlb link and find the scores and then press the “Live” link. Here’s the link.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gamecenter/live/MLB_20090723_SF@ATL
Well the Phillies play San Diego tonight in Philly…
The Giants gain a game back from the Braves. The Braves lose a half game to the Cubs, Marlins, Astros, Rockies and Brewers.
So no they really needed to finish off the Giants. I swear everytime they have had little streak going, Gonzo/Moylan have been the ones to help end it.
Welcome back KJ….
Looks like Affeldt has yet to surrender a lead this year. Brian Wilson is doing pretty well also, not a great save %, but nice enough numbers. Not really the part of the bullpen that you wait for to start scoring.
Brian Wilson is terrible. He’ll do everything he can to let the opposing team win, you just have to let him.
Okay, I’m looking at the ESPN play-by-play now.
So on the weird play at first, it’s an error charged to Moylan, not interference. That’s the “unearned” run.
On the throw to third, Church was charged an error, but the error only allowed Winn to advance to second. Uribe’s trip to home was “earned.”
There’s no way to understand what a ridiculous inning that was from text on the internet.
As soon as I say that about Gameday, Gamecenter goes haywire. Still, having both links to keep up with the game on your computer is helpful.
264 – Chief!
Nice double play. That was tight.
Well I’m just going to blame everything on KJ and leave it at that.
The game is bad enough–but listening to Chip Caray it getting to me….
#284–Lets hope that the Braves can learn what it is to have a killer instinct….
Haven’t watched Wilson, but he’s striking out over a man per inning, BAA is pretty low, as is the WHIP. Sure, that’s basic, but he’s been a lot better than last year.
NORTON!?
Mark Beurhle is two outs from a perfect game and it’s on ESPN right now.
Conrad would have homered.
One out left.
Thanks, Nick.
SHUN THE NON-BELIEVERS
Perfect game completed
Perfect game by Buehrle.. wow
Quick question: did Moylan throw the ball into left field on the error?
He threw it off of the batter/runner’s head and it ricocheted toward second.
Apparently Dwayne Wise took away a home run for the first out of the ninth inning on that perfect game.
No, Moylan threw to first. He had to hurry his throw because he looked at third. The throw hit Uribe in the neck and KJ was too slow getting to the ball to keep the guy who was advancing to third from scoring.
If we won’t release Norton, can’t we put him on the DL again? A 30 day stint will almost get him to September with expanded rosters. Not that I’m implying that we would ever DL someone for less than stellar reasons!
Funny note. Buehrle’s #1 similarity on baseball-reference.com is Tom Browning, another perfect game thrower. No joke.
stoopid neyer curse
Unusually baroque recap is up.
Karma…
Send down Conrad, replace with the guy who was part of the problem when the team was sucking, and this is the type of game you get. Have a laugh Conrad.
Is anyone worried about McClouth slumping and Chipper BA. 286, now lower than Garrett Anderson’s .287? Just asking…
I just hope Prado doesn’t feel any undo pressure with bad vibe KJ back.