Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Box Score – April 26, 2010 – ESPN.
And so, the losing streak hits six, this time with a game which the Braves led most of the way but lost with a fine example of Hibernation Mode.
The Braves took a 2-0 lead in the third, the first run scoring on a McCann sac fly, the second on a single by Glaus. In the fourth, they got another run on a double by McLouth. And then they took a look around, were satisfied, and took the rest of the night off. They didn’t have a single baserunner in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. They were also in swing-at-everything mode; after needing 92 pitches to get through four, the Cards’ starter needed only sixteen pitches in the fifth and sixth innings combined.
Tim Hudson started strong, but ran out of gas. He gave up a run in the sixth, then allowed a leadoff homer in the seventh, then walked the next guy. Moylan got two outs, then allowed the tying run to score. Saito allowed a run on two hits and a walk in the eighth. The Braves got two infield hits in the ninth, but Hinske hit into a double play between them.
great now we get Lowe vs Carpenter. Im thinking we may hit a double digit losing streak
Fun fact: I heard on the pre-game that Urban Meyer used to be a shortsop in the Braves’ minor league system. He formed a double play combination with Mark Lemke.
Who would believe that Glaus and Melky got 2 hits each, McLouth got a double and Diaz got a hit in his only at bat and we’d still lose? I still think we’ll be a WC contender before it’s over, but this is getting ridiculous. Watch us score 5 runs tonight, have Lowe pitch 6 shutout innings and our bullpen implode on us.
It’s better to have Lowe go tonight. I would hate to waste a good pitcher vs. Carpenter.
It seems to me that the Braves are hitting into a ton of DPs. I am curious to see if they are anywhere approaching a historical pace, but don’t know the best way to look it up.
I am also thinking about it two ways; there is the basic rate stat (X.x number of DPs per game or something), but it also seems to me that as anemic as the offense has been, they have a higher proportion of their scoring threats (due to a dearth of baserunners) end with a DP.
Anybody have a good suggestion for this kind of digging? Also, depending on what the numbers show, I’d be interested to know whether it would seem to normalize over time, or would be likely to continue (due to the players themselves, hitting tendencies, GB/FB rations etc).
Last night was frustrating to watch – I keep wondering how we can have losing streaks like this with this pitching staff…
We can have losing streaks like this with this pitching staff because we’ve been averaging 1.5 runs per game for the past 6 games.
Not going to win (m)any games with that level of ‘offensive’ production.
We’ve hit into 15 double plays in 19 games.
Just sampling around,
Mets – 11
Yankees – 14
Dodgers – 10
Rockies – 21
The Braves had 142 GIDPs in ’09, 143 in ’08, and 137 in ’07. So, 15 in 19/162 games ends up being around 128 for the season, so they’re actually “on pace” for less than the previous three seasons, though it probably evens out. By the numbers, they’re hitting into no more than usual. The magnitude of suck is probably just compounding the appearance of such.
Chipper is taking some bad swings …
It’s the first time that I’ve ever wanted him to retire.
I’m telling ya, Chipper needs to hit right-handed only.
He has indeed hit better as a righty so far this year and all of last, but it’s only 200 plate appearances. Overall, Chipper is not that big of a problem offensively, and his retirement will only open another hole in this underwhelming lineup.
Chipper has an .857 OPS on the season. Which puts him third among the regulars so far. (McCann .871 and Prado .999) I don’t think he’s the problem.
What would it take to get Seth Smith from the Rockies? He’s apparently behind Spillborghs, Hawpe, Carlos Gonzales and Dexter Fowler for playing time. He’s left handed so not exactly what we need but could make a great platoon partner with Diaz. He’s got 4 homeruns in 43 at bats so far this season (compared to the team leader Heyward’s 4 in 77 at bats.) He’s got an .846 OPS this year against righties and an .894 career OPS against righties for his career. Still young and cheap.
Escobar made 2 amazing defensive plays last night—one up the middle & another in the hole. But he also had another baserunning gaffe.
Braves up 3-0, he’s on first with another runner on third and a line-drive is hit to the 3B. You cannot get doubled off first there. But he did. End of inning.
I dont blame Yunel for getting doubled off there, it happens. It was nothing compared to his normal gaffes. Either way, does Wren make a move with the hitting coach if Bobby doesnt?
@6 – level of ‘production’ has definitely been “offensive”
@7 – thanks for the info. Where do you find something like that? I would still be interested in seeing how the # of DPs compares to the number of ‘opportunities’ (ie. baserunners on 1st), as it makes sense that a team with lots & lots of baserunners would hit into DPs more often than a lesser offensive team like this one…
mlb trade rumors has something up regarding what the Howard deal does to players like Pujols and A Gonzo.
Bobby Cox is quoted as saying “Pujols is now worth $50m per season.” They also believe that Adrian Gonzalez will get a larger deal than Howard, which he should, but that should pretty much close the door on our potential trade ideas
I dont blame Yunel for getting doubled off there, it happens. It was nothing compared to his normal gaffes.
I don’t think he gets the benefit of the doubt, given his history on the basepaths.
And, to Robert in the last thread (though I don’t know why I bother), O’Flaherty was good against righties all of last year. He had some rough years in Seattle, but he’s been money against both righties and lefties since coming to us. I’m willing to believe last year’s O’Flaherty was the real one, so I’m comfortable with him against mediocre righties.
@14: Just poke around Baseball-Reference for basic stats. A lot of the advanced stats like that are a little more difficult to come by.
$125MM will buy Ryan Howard enough $5 foot-longs to circle 6/10 of the planet.
This is distressing. I got this from the Capital Ave. Club. We are stuck with Lowe and Chipper clogging the payroll through 2012.
Way to go Wren.
http://capitolavenueclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/FutureDepth.bmp
The Willie Mays-Hayes slide by Escobar on the line out was pretty appropriate for how the braves have been playing.
I’m willing to believe last year’s O’Flaherty was the real one, so I’m comfortable with him against mediocre righties.
So you’ve managed to slice the stats up small enough to find some that fit your preconceived notion. Congratulations.
Fact is that either way would have been an acceptable way to play it. The players have to perform and the Cardinals players did. As happens 49 times out of 50, the players decided the game not the managers. Calling the move “indefensible” as you did is, of course, laughable.
The Willie Mays-Hayes slide by Escobar on the line out was pretty appropriate for how the braves have been playing.
I thought the same thing at the time. That was pretty funny, actually.
21—Sigh. Good ol’ Redondo Bob.
I actually have no problem with last night’s game. Obviously would like to keep that lead, but the Cards are good team playing at home. The Braves actually played like a Major League club last night making several good defensive plays. You are going to lose these kinds of games over the long season and yesterday gave me a lot more confidence in the team going forward.
At the risk of sounding like a coach (or Coach), what Escobar did on the bases last night was the exact opposite of what you’re taught.
What are the worst things that can happen if you’re Escobar on first in that situation? Getting picked off or getting doubled off via the line drive, especially one to the other side of the diamond.
So what you’re taught, if you’re in that situation, is to go back to the bag one step on a liner to the infield.
Your instinct says, “Hey, a hard-hit ball! I’m taking off!” So you’re taught to defeat that instinct by making that one step back.
And the reason I know that is because, as an 11-year-old, I got kicked in the ass by my coach for doing what Escobar did last night. He wanted me to remember that mistake, and I still do. (twitch, twitch)
ububba @ 24,
And to such I respond that I still thought last year that this team would not perform up to its capabilities with Cox in charge. That is 2 “dumb / aggressive bad” baserunning blunders by Escobar within a week.
The whole roster needs an ass kicking. Yes, that is negative and, yes, usually positive is better. But this complacency in the face of the triumph of sub-mediocrity is beyond absurd.
Fun fact: Derek Lowe pitched a no-hitter on this date 8 years ago. Any chance he finds the magic again tonight? (And by magic, I would accept 7 innings, 2 ER).
DOB quotes from a famous Teddy Roosevelt speech as an analogy to the Braves. I could just see Bobby Cox delivering this speech.
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2010/04/27/for-skidding-braves-might-be-time-for-the-speech/
Maybe this period of Braves baseball will forever be known as The Yunel Escobar Era, as in “unique talent, unique flaws.”
For Marc and other lovers of rhetoric, here’s an Auto-Tuned version of Winston Churchill’s “Lift up your hearts” speech.
@29,
Play THAT for the Braves before the game! Who would have thought that T.R. and Winston Churchill would have made great baseball managers? 🙂 Don’t know how Winnie’s bullpen management would have worked out, though.