Joe Boever Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com
Seasons with Braves: 1987-1990
Notable Stats: 4.24 ERA, 70% save percentage
Notable Achievements: I still don’t know what a “palmball” is. Most-similar pitcher is Jim Acker, which seems about right.
Versus:
Manny Acosta Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com
Seasons with Braves: 2007-2009
Notable Stats: .294/.388/.565 allowed in high leverage situations
Notable Achievements: Released by the Yankees as a minor leaguer.
oh, the old palm ball…
Mac,
A palmball is a pitch otherwise thrown like a fastball, but not off the fingers. last point of release is the palm. It produces a straight change up (not that you didn’t already know that, you sly devil).
Can we not get all wound up over a missed call in Colorado? Yeah, it looks like Barmes missed the play but faked it well enough to get the call. That’s the game. I guarantee you that Yunel Escobar or Martin Prado would have tried the same thing, and if they had gotten away with it no one would have been too terribly upset by the “cheating.”
If the Braves want to make the playoffs they need to win the next six games and let the rest of it fall where it may. Clint Barmes is not the focus here.
Schuerholz interview today on Fox Business News- http://tinyurl.com/yculgd3
Is this a team of density? (cue Huey Lewis and the News, Power of Love).
Speaking of Acker, I’m not sure why I didn’t include him. His ERAs are decent, I suppose that’s why, but on the other hand he was 7-27. That’s the worst record of anyone in the period with more than a handful of decisions… I hadn’t realized that Acker was a first-round pick of the Braves whom they lost three years later on a Rule 5 pick. How do you give up on a first-rounder after three years? Then four years later they traded to get him back…
If we still had Kolb or Paronto, or if McCann had worked out a little less this past offseason, then maybe we’d be a team of density.
@3
It doesn’t matter…hope is dead. Much easier that way.
@Sam:
+1
Right now, the Rockies odds of making the playoffs is 72.1%.
If the Rockies win and the Braves lose, the Rockies’ odds shoot up to 92.1%.
But if the Braves win and the Rockies lose tonight, the Rockies’ postseason odds plummet to 47.8%.
&@#$ yeah!
http://tiny.cc/wkSRE
I like this…”Whether it’s pitch selection, mechanics or plain old execution, Marquis is struggling these days. He has a 6.49 ERA in his past six starts, during which the Rockies are 1-5, and has given up five earned runs in four of those”
the next line is even better where it basically says “Marquis OPP BA is .300”
RE: Barmes catch.
Yeah, I slomo’d that like 100 times as it happened and tried to convince my wife he didn’t catch it and it ticked me off that no one mentioned it. LaRussa looked like he was coming out to talk to the home plate ump afterwards, too.
I saw that the ball had transferred to his bare-hand during the roll and was convinced it had to have hit the ground, but the video evidence didn’t back me up.
If only Ned Yost was still managing the Brew Crew, we’d have an ex-Brave leading the way to increase the Brewer insenity against the Rockies.
Looks like Mauer is going to catch 19 innings today.
Dan, that last probability seems a bit low considering that the Rockies would still be a game ahead. Where did you get those numbers?
Go Brewers and Go Astros!
16—My in-the-championship fantasy team thanks him for his commitment.
that last probability seems a bit low considering that the Rockies would still be a game ahead
It’s the Nationals effect.
Yeah, there are two reasons: the Braves’ schedule is easier (and all at home; the Rockies finish at LA), and the Braves’ statistics are better than the Rockies’, especially post-Jeffy.
@ 7 – Don’t forget big Bob Wickman!
Also, in the case of a one-game playoff, the Braves would be the favorites, since they’d host the game and are statistically better.
I sure hope this is a team of density. If not, they’ll just fade into bolivian.
22,
And the match-up, provided neither the Braves or the Rockies alter their rotation, would be Vazquez vs. Jason Hammel (Aaron Cook could conceivably start on short rest).
Free Braves tickets
Actually, isn’t muscle denser than fat? So for the team of density, it’d have to be Ron Gant and… uh… That’s all I got.
Seriously people (in the ATL area.) Off yer asses and downtown!
Gant and Franco – old dude was ripped.
Anyone gets down there and wants to meet, email me at samh then the at sign then the Bellsouth then the dot then the net.
@ 28-
Good call, I guess Brian Jordan would have to count too.
@28,
I haven’t seen it on here, but Julio was managing a Mets lower level farm club (GCL?) and got fired.
I didn’t get anything on the “why”, though.
If I were in the ATL, I’d be there, Sam.
Being as how we are increasingly choking at the bat, that Josh Johnson is starting for the fish and that we presently are more lucky than good on offense …
I am predicting the Braves get no-hit tonight yet win 1-0. Notice no wave or sunami metaphors on this occasion.
#33, Let’s go with a Norton pinch hit sacrifice bunt being thrown into right field to bring home the winning run.
Well, doesn’t look like Tim is missing up, even if that was not an optimal first inning.
I was thinking more along the lines of Uggla being a power hitting Pete Orr and booting 2 in 1 inning.
JUMP ON HIS ASS, BRAVES!
My stomach is churning.
@23 – at least the odds aren’t a brazilian to one any more…
This is Tim Hudson circa 05-06. Too much up in the zone, too many fly balls.
Huddy just needs to settle down. I think the cold temps in Atlanta are adversely affecting his pitching.
Thank you, Matty!
I freakin’ HATE Johnson.
Why didn’t Hudson just throw straight strikes and let Johnson sacrifice bunt? He is giving you an out.
I thought you left Coach?
Well, Freddie Gonzalez definitely out managed Cox by having his pitcher swinging away but the Braves executed a perfect relay throw to home plate, and nailed what would have been the second run of the inning with the tag. The Braves are fortunate to only be down 1-0.
Alas, #34 and I were both wrong (although his scenario was better). We are going to have to work pitch counts like crazy ’cause we ain’t going to hit this big bastard. Fish have soft underbellies and the Marlins’ is their bullpen.
Like Brett Favre, I unretired.
huddy did throw a strike and Josh Johnson hit it. Wow, Escobar just stole second on his own.
Speaking of Josh Johnson, the big 6-7 horse is dealing. Our Braves are in deep doodoo if they can’t keep the score close.
Wow, that was one hell of a throw from B-Mac to nail the runner at 2B trying to steal. His defense behind the plate is getting better everyday.
And Huddy is starting to get his groove on.
Question: is Brian McCann the best position player the Braves’ minor league system has produced since Andruw Jones, or the best player the Braves’ minor league system has produced since Chipper Jones?
Ok, see, when there’s 3 balls you can move out of the way.
Edit: lame.
That is the second time in two nights that Prado has swung at the first pitch when the batter before him has walked.
That was a piss poor AB.
Also, when two of the last 3 guys have been walked, don’t swing at the first pitch.
well damn
Freddie Gonzalez has his pitcher swinging away and they get a run. Cox has his pitcher bunt and we come up empty. Some things never change.
One strategy is aggressive and risky. The other is passive and sound baseball doctrine.
Can you say Dan Uggla, crap!!! I wish he were a Brave.
52, AJ is arguably the best defensive position player I have ever seen in a Braves uniform.
Johnson was bunting until he got two strikes, wasn’t he?
Thank you to Garret for not completely screwing up.
And the Fillies lead 5-1 against Houston, damn their hides.
52,
A chance to be better than Andruw, sure. Remember, though, Andruw, like McCann, played a premium position and was a plus plus defender there.
And Andruw was with us for 10+ years, almost all of them very good to outstanding. McCann’s been an excellent catcher, but he’s got a long way to go to catch up with Andruw’s value.
Oh, crap.
Nggg.
I was about to say, Boog, I’m pretty sure Hudson gave up more than 1 HR in 2008.
Dammit.
4-1 Marlins, ballgame and season likely in the damn tank.
Hope doesn’t get you runs.
Hell, eleven walks barely got us any runs.
The Braves really bombed tonight.
I’d rather have had Kawakami out there tonight.
NPHE is up.
I knew we were doomed when they launched the ‘Believe’ campaign. I was in St. Louis when they did that exact thing for the Rams before the start of the ’07 season. They’ve won all of 5 games since.
Greg Norton reminding us that there is one thing for the hopeless to look forward to after Sunday: no more Greg Norton.
69, ditto.
i see you greg norton. best possible result.
Weren’t we winning when Coach wasn’t here?
uh, don’t we have half the game left?
Chipper needs to go yard here.
Get ’em Brian…
LETS GO BRIAN!!!
Well crap.
That sucked.
Freaking pitiful.
3-1, bases loaded, and we get a popup. Ferchrissake, why can’t we get a big hit tonight?
at least johnson will be gone at the very least. but dang brian…
sigh
Man, Kawakami’s putting it exactly where he wants it.
The Brewers had the bases loaded against Marquis in the first and didn’t score.
Luck’s run out.
Well, here’s KK, an hour and fifty minutes late.
This line up blows.
Hudson blows.
And the Braves blow.
NO HOPE
this hope thing is causing negativity, weve won 15 of 17 and people are saying the Braves suck, unreal
Hey, Brewers tied it.
Norton remains at 1/2 of the Mendoza line as LHB. Plus, his sorry ass has hit the boxscore and he is sitting on the bench. This has been very good for us lately in the karma department. Hang in there KK. We are down, but not out yet. I must admit the bats are choking big time. No one really looks very good. How far from the Ted is Heyward right now?
Adam hasn’t hit a home run in a while.
Let’s get it going! Come on, Bert!
Well here’s ANOTHER chance to get in it…
88,
No one said that.
MATTY DIAZ
DIAZ!
Christ on a freakin’ crutch, can’t we get one “big hit”?
MATTY D!!!!
MATTY!!!!!!!!!
You saved our season, Matt!
Imagine the groans in Denver and Philly when they see this!
Yes!!!
WHOOOO!!!!
88
Meh I dunno. I guess I just had my heart broken by this team too many times as a youth. And whenever I bad mouth them they seem to do better.
woohoo
This is unbelievable. I love this team.
Ask and you get, I guess.
wow.
#94 – read #87
Beautiful!
97,
Careful, I’ve offended a lot of people on here for lesser comments.
Wow. Matty Diaz. Beautiful.
Look how red the pitcher’s face is. I don’t know if it’s always like that, but it fits.
Wow, when Matt Diaz struck out in his last at-bat I thought, “he’ll do something awesome next time, because that’s what he does after doing something pathetic.” Thank you Matt! I love being right!
Diaz is just terrible against Fla
MATHEW FUCKING DIAZ!!!!!!!
MARLINS KILLER!!
108 Right – forgot about the ban on that sort of thing.
Ok, now we have to start another rally.
Ryan Braun has hit 2 ground rule doubles tonight with a man on first. Both times they’d have scored standing up had it stayed in the park and both times Prince Fielder has been IBB’d.
107,
Yep, that’s it. 🙂
MIL has bases loaded with 1 out
brewers load ’em up again. I still have no hope.
Marquis pitching terribly. Walked in a run.
2-1 MIL
Marquis walks in a run. He doesn’t look like he’ll last long in this game.
And then Mike Cameron grounds into a double play.
The Brewers own Marquis
@121 and twice Cameron has squandered the bases loaded.
Well this will all make the inevitable loss tonight that much more soul crushing.
Marquis flat sucks. Letting him off with only 2 runs would be criminal on the Brewer’s part.
better find a way to keep him from scoring
god damnit Mike Cameron
This should be more than 2-1 with how bad Marquis has been struggling
But let’s just win
Marquis has walked 4 and struck out 1 in 3 innings.
Damn it, found a hole.
I had turned off the (internet) radio… I quit on the season once again. Then Matty brought me back.
And now another run surrendered. Argh…
Ah dammit. Well, we’ll just have to get that one back too.
We have the 2-3-4 spots coming up next inning.
I’d ask if the IBBs will come back to haunt us but I already know the answer.
This might be our setup guy next year. I’m okay with that.
Only 9 outs left, we have to SCORE!
Fucking Kawakami.
Prado wasn’t swinging at strikes.
neither was Chipper
That was not a strike. That was in the other batter’s box you idiot umpire.
Good thing McCann bailed you out by walking anyway.
if only Chipper had taken the 3-2 pitch
Damn, damn, damn.
When will we take a pitch?! Horrible approach.
Man, Esco, at least take the first pitch.
I really hate first pitch swinging outs.
I’m angry at Escobar … but if he’d hit a first pitch single we’d all be cheering.
but since he didn’t, Escobar you !@#$
Ok, bottom of the order, let’s get it going.
I smell hope.
I smell choke.
Hope stinks worse than the sickening scent of mint.
Keep hope dead. As I keep texting to my friends who are Rockies fans, “Y’all got this in the bag.” These friends probably want to strap me to the undercarriage of a bison.
seriously…infante? down 1 run with 2 outs and nobody on? conrad? kj? ross? they all have a better chance of tying it…
Better than the Virus.
How many homeruns does Infante have? It’s one or two.
Perhaps Infante can leg one out, steal second and then you never know … oh, wait, that’s hope. Keep hope dead.
Why is Medlen warming up? If you think Soriano’s your best pitcher in the bullpen, you should use him for the ninth no matter what happens. Well, I mean, if we have a seven-run rally, we shouldn’t, but you know what I mean.
McLouth hasn’t homered in a long time, it seems.
Shit. Where’s Kevin Gregg when you need him?
Medlan? Seems Cox has given up hope too.
It’s easy not to have hope, especially when the Brewers have turned to a pitcher who looks suspiciously like Bob Wickman.
It’s actually Kolb in a Wickman mask.
He has a Kolbian command of the strike zone.
Colorado looks like it’s gonna blow that game open.
Chipper, this would be a good time for #19.
Rockies take the lead, 3-2.
Chipper wants to go deep right here.
Cue the Price is Right fail horns.
… but there is no good time for that.
Season over.
ASDFJKLSDAJFLKSADJFLA;
169
Especially given the Yakety Sax routine from the Brewers infield just now.
HOPE!
well, that wasn’t fun.
Nota Bene to the Braves and especially their marketing department:
Stop helping us.
Fun while it lasted
Well, it was a good run while it lasted. After tonight, it should be 3 back with 5 to go…complete Rockies collapse is all we can hope for now. If I had hope, that is.
Some truly awful at bats in key situations tonight. Not all of the pitchers we face are going to walk in runs.
But as I’ve said numerous times before, it’s been fun and I’m impressed we’ve managed to make it this far.
Too many guys swinging like Jeff Francoeur. True pressure did not bring out the best in these guys, sadly.
Recapped. Stupid hopies.