Maybe we can actually get some momentum game thread: May 14, D-Backs at Braves

Of course, Kawakami is going, so I’m not too optimistic. For what it’s worth, the record for most losses in a season without a win is 13.

195 thoughts on “Maybe we can actually get some momentum game thread: May 14, D-Backs at Braves”

  1. Well, time for KK to pick up his first win then. I thought he pitched better than his results lately. Go KK!!

  2. No doubt. And if we can score a ton of runs for Lowe, I think we should put some up for KK, too.

  3. If the Kawakami who pitched the 4th through 7th last Sunday shows up, I feel confident. If the Kawakami who pitched the first three innings last Sunday shows up, all bets are off.

  5. Kawakami has struggled, but his lack of wins is more a function of the Braves offensive struggles than his pitching.

  6. I have Ian Kennedy and Kelly Johnson in my fantasy league. I hate when this happens.

    Put me down for winning 1-0 when McCann homers off Gutierrez in the ninth. Kennedy should go 8 IP and strike out 10. KJ should double four times, steal four bases and not score.

    *Ducks tomatoes*

  9. Is it just me, or do the Braves seem more solid with Infante in and Escobar out.

    Hard (or impossible) to quantify, but we just seem smoother out there. Less disturbance in the force. I dunno, just … something.

  11. 9—I think it may be just you. I’ve pulled out less of my hair, but the Braves are worse without Yunel.

  12. “the Braves are worse without Yunel”

    Agreed–when he’s playing up to his potential, which has not been doing so far this season.

  13. @10
    Great Mac!
    I tried my favorite, palindrome, but didn’t get rewarded.

    Go Braves!
    Bombard a drab mob!

  16. from carrol roger’s new blog. what in the world can possibly get accomplished in atlanta at a baseball game? really strange….

    Political rally on Saturday

    Well, this is something we haven’t had much of since the John Rocker days, and the tomahawk demonstrations of the early 1990s, but apparently a rally has been organized for Saturday for people to demonstrate against the new Arizona immigration law.

    The press release I got about it actually says “Braves fans to protest Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field.” That seems a little unfair to me. Not sure what the Arizona Diamondbacks had to do with passing any laws, but hey, I’m just a messenger. And here’s the message:

    The release is calling this a “unique pep rally, calling for the Braves to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Major League Baseball commissioner to pull the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona.” It will be held at the front gates of Turner Field Saturday night at 6:45 p.m.

    Organizations behind it include the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, the US Human Rights Network, Building Locally to Organize for Community Safety, etc.

    Hey, for those of us who expect to be inside the gates during that time, let us know on the blog or via twitter what you see happening out there.

  17. If anyone’s hair should be pulled out when Yunel does something wrong, it should be Yunel’s.

  19. #16 – pretty much whats wrong with the world today. Hey lets boycott a baseball team that has nothing to do with an Ariz law. Lets not discuss the law here either

  20. For the record, I agree with the law in Arizona, along with the majority of other Americans. Now back to baseball.

    Good to see Yunel coming back. I am wondering what sort of offseason workout plan do JJ and Yunel have?

  22. Thanks, Tony, for breaking and then re-enforcing the rule.

    Refugee is one of my favorite songs ever. I shifted from Top 40 tastes to “Album Rock” tastes in 1980, and looked forward to cuts from “Damn The Torpedoes” almost as much as anything from “The Wall”.

  23. For the record, it is inappropriate to post your support or opposition to said law. I have a pretty strong opinion (one way or the other) myself, but I have a stronger opinion that this place is awesome and I’d like to see it stay that way.

  25. #16
    It’s about their owner. Look it up & please discuss elsewhere.

    Fave “Damn the Torpedos” song: “Even the Losers.”

  27. #26 – true, but last year it was different..sub 4 era and a 7-11 record just isnt right. Im sure with a little run support its possible that his ERA could be better. He’s never got a lead to pitch with, maybe tonight he’ll get one

  29. There will also be the first season ticket holder’s “state of the team” address from Frank Wren this Saturday before the game. I’m interested to hear what the management’s take on the year so far is. Plus the free eats will probably be ok ;-)

  30. I bet we could all co-write the state of the team address. Wish it would have been mentioned earlier — could have been a good off-day activity.

  31. I agree with billy-jay and what Tony did is equivalent to having a pitcher hit a batter and then having the umpires warn both teams so no one can retaliate. You can’t respond to Tony now without re-breaking the rule.

    And, thanks, Tony for telling us what the “majority of Americans” think. Now, back to baseball.

  32. I won’t offer an opinion on the law, but will ask a question. I live in Nevada and go to college in Utah, which means that there is a 30-mile stretch through Arizona every time I drive (which is often enough). I’m a Green Card holder. I don’t want to carry it with me; should I make a copy of it and keep it in my car? Or is my DL enough? Or my passport?

  33. desert – That’s a question you should take up with a lawyer who is versed in Arizona state law. Any opinion on here will be from a non-lawyer (and possibly a violation of Az. law itself). Do you REALLY want to rely on some anonymous advice from a baseball blog on an issue that is this important to you?

    BTW – I’m an attorney in NC, and *I* am not going to advise you, because:

    a) I don’t know the Az. law, and
    b) I’m not going to risk giving you bad advice and getting you in trouble if I’m wrong.

  34. Seat Painter,

    Thanks, and don’t worry about (b). I’m in India right now (place of my birth, and incidentally the first visit in ten years- takes a while to receive a Green Card!). I’ll call an attorney’s office as I get back in the States. I’ve heard that the law isn’t supposed to go into place until July 29th anyway, but I’m not too worried- I am brown, but I speak (in the opinion of my friends) English without an accent and have both a Braves and BYU sticker on my car.

  35. My apologies to the board for stating my opinion on the illegal immigration law in Arizona.

    Will keep it baseball only. I promise.

  36. DOB pointed out on twitter earlier that KK and Lowe have the same ERA right now… one is 0-6 and the other 5-3 (KK has a lower WHIP too)

  37. KK seems to do the same thing every time out. Lowe has had 3 alright starts, but all the others still smell.

  38. @16
    i wasnt throwing that out for discussion on the political view of the immigration law in arizona. i just thought it was weird that there was a rally in atlanta when we play arizona. political view aside, it seems very odd.

    sorry for the can of worms.

  41. @desert: According to federal law you should be carrying the card at all times anyway. All the Arizona law did was copy and paste federal code to the state code. Here’s the relevant passage from the UCIS website:

    Do I need to carry my Permanent Resident Card with me at all times?

    Yes. The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent resident status in the U.S. The card must be in your possession at all times. This means that you are not only required to have a currently valid card at all times, but also that you carry your currently valid card with you at all times. The card is only valid up to the expiration date and should be renewed before it expires.

  42. Good point in the deadspin article. I had heard about Salty’s problem, but it never occurred to me that a catcher could play in the bigs without ever throwing the ball back to the pitcher. I guess it’s an unusual problem to be able to throw to an infielder but not the pitcher.

    Fortunately, he’s on an AL team, so if something went terribly wrong neurologically, and he just can’t make a throw in a certain distance range, he can still DH if he can hit. Also, he’s played first base in the past.

    The deadspin guy has a point, though. Just walk it back or roll it.

  43. Deadspin says it was ‘shoulder surgery.’ I had read that he had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which resulted in numbness in his arm, hand, and fingers, and that they removed a rib for this thing.

    Also heard he was throwing to bases fine, though.

    Hope it is in his head and he gets it right. Hope it isn’t related to lost feeling in his fingers.

  44. Salty’s issues, throwing aside, are a lifetime 82 OPS+ in 800 AB’s. I too wish him well and he’s still young, but if he doesn’t start hitting, throwing will be immaterial (not that the two couldn’t have the same root cause)

  45. Lineup: 1. Prado 2B, 2. Heyward RF, 3. Jones 3B, 4. McCann C, 5. Glaus 1B, 6. Hinske LF, 7. Infante SS, 8. McLouth CF, 9. Kawakami P

  46. bad news via dob…
    “At least 3 more weeks for Jurrjens then maybe rehab after that. MRI showed blood in his muscle, he said, but no tear.”

  47. well that may be good may be bad…..I hear a broken ankle heals better than a sprained one. I wonder how the hammy heals?

  48. 46

    Not so sure that is bad news. Gives JJ a chance to rest the arm and Medlen will get a longer look to prove himself as a starter. Medlen’s a better pitcher stuffwise anyway.

  50. I think Medlen is good enough that we can survive without JJ for a couple more weeks. I think you have to admit that it’s a step down. As good as Medlen MIGHT be, or might become, Jurrjens has done it before.

  51. The protest thing isn’t new to Atlanta. It started in Chicago, I think. Obviously any business related to Arizona is free game for protestors of the law there. It was the same deal when AZ refused to acknowledge MLK Day.

    @desert – Not sure what your legal options are, but if I were you I might just floor it and do 100 MPH until crossing the border back into America.

    I don’t think Kelly Johnson is quite the same power threat in Turner Field as he is in the BOB.

  52. ya know, if mcouth can just give us a .700 ops for the rest of the season, we’ll be cooking.

  54. Id still move Chipper ahead of Heyward. Heyward drives people in and Chipper is basically just a good OBP person now.

  55. @46 – Sounds like pretty good news to me. It’s not a tear, and Joseph Reyes will not be filling in. It’s a win all around.

  56. well Carlos Zambrano sucks in the bullpen also. McCutchen, btw, 4-4 day, 2 more SB

    just think where we’d be with swapping Nate and McCutchen in that trade. Then also taking Morales instead of Kotchman in the Tex trade….Im sure this list could continue

  57. Yeah, but the Pirates only traded McLouth because they had McCutchen.

    The same could probably be said for Krotchman-Morales.

  58. I don’t think the Pirates were going to trade McCutcheon. They traded us McLouth to make room for him.

  59. The point isn’t that it was ever reasonable to actually acquire McCutchen or Morales. The point is to create as many bombs to throw at Frank Wren, out of whole cloth, as necessary to feel smug and self-righteous.

  60. Re: Jurrjens v. Medlen

    I think it’s painfully obvious that when Jurrjens is healthy again, they should both stay in the rotation and KK should become the long reliever/spot starter. I know Medlen is nice in that LR spot, but I’d rather see him in the rotation if he stays consistent.

  61. the idea that starting Medlen might reduce the need for a long reliever should get some traction when JJ comes back

  62. #59 – what?? are you saying I was throwing a bomb at Wren? I was saying that our team would be better with those two players, nothing more. As for being smug and self righteous, you can take that crap elsewhere, Im about as big of a Wren supporter as there is here.

  63. ever heard the song “piss up a rope”. that’s what i tell people when i’m upset, csg.

  66. I’m guessing the reason the Braves are skipping Medlen this time through is because they do intend to keep Medlen in the rotation when Jurrjens returns and skipping him now does something to prepare him for an extended stint in the rotation and limit his innings. I doubt they let him go many more than ~150 innings. His career high is ~120 and he only pitched ~105 last year.

  67. Zambrano really is on an odyssey of suck.

    Nothing funnier than reading Cubs fan commentary on the internet: “Like the House of Blues, Wrigley is the House of Lose.”

  68. Fun lineup tonight, I like our chances. Bobby has done a nice job of figuring this team out. I think we’ll be rewarded with a nice stretch of baseball closing out the May schedule.

  69. 68 — I particularly like that he is staying with Hinske’s hot bat in LF.

  70. @64 – Touching without being soporific, honest without being overly judgmental or feeling sorry for oneself. We should all have a Dad like that in our lives.

  71. Nowadays we know how spoiled we were with the Braves on TBS with Pete and Skip.

  73. In warm-ups, Ken’s using the old wind-up, going over his head with his hands..

  83. Well, I was hoping the Braves would cancel his position in the rotation, but that might not be necessary if he agrees to repeal the Kenshin Sucks Act of 2010.

  85. Johnson always batted great against left-handers. Usually I believe better than against righties. And yet Cox would platoon him; having him sitting against the lefties he hit better.

  87. Mark Grace does color for the Dbacks. Maybe he can line McLouth up with the best slumpbuster in Atlanta.

  94. Geez, Kawakami has to throw too many pitches. He’s already at 70 and we don’t have an out in the fourth!

  97. Kawakami seems to be pitching better out of the stretch. Maybe he should go back to the delivery that he was experimenting with.

  98. I am so sick of McCann’s inability to complete a throw to second.

    This team never does anything right when KK pitches.

  99. It’s said all too often, but it’s so true: Bonehead moves on the bases by major-league players are just impossible to take.

    And with Heyward hitting, it borders on criminal.

  107. I havent been watching but how has Kenshin been bad? His stat line is 4IP 3H 1ER 7K

  109. Sorry, Kenshin. The rest of us are just going to keep making outs on the bases. Argh. (It would be nice to have a runner on 3rd with 1 out, but…)

  111. Kenshin is better than Lowe, but we play like crap behind him and great behind Lowe. Very bizarre.

  119. Another sleep walking effort by the Braves so far tonight. Very sloppy all around. I thought the guys said they like to play for BC? Seems like more sloppy play and poor fundamentals this year than I can remember in years past.

  120. Nothing like watching your favorite hockey team be on the wrong end of making history.

  122. Jeez, Chipper…. He and McCann are going to have to get it together if we’re going to beat anyone outside of the Central.

  123. 3-1 count and Kennedy just challenged Chipper with 3 straight fastballs. Very telling.

  124. Nice inning from Medlen. Very nice, actually. He gave up one hard-hit ball, but was always ahead in the count. The K of Upton was nasty.

  131. I take back 15, maybe even 20 percent of the nasty things I’ve said about McLouth.

  135. MLB.TV has been on “Commercial Break” since the pitching change. Is there a rain delay or what?

    ETA: Thanks for nothing, MLBTV. Why can’t you just show the damn streams from the cable station including their commercials so that way I don’t have to rely on some moron pushing a button to turn the game back on after every inning/pitching change?

  137. Wow, I knew that was going to happen. As soon as mlb.tv decided it didn’t need to come back until the 8th, the Braves would inevitably score. It’s just easier when we’re not watching.

  139. mraver
    It could be worse. I’m not even getting commercial break. I’m getting “an error has occured”

  140. I’m having trouble with mlb.tv too. They’re having technical difficulties processing my request. That’s totally cool, mlbtv, it wasn’t an exciting part of the game anyway.

  142. Nice job, Saito-san. Now let’s win this thing.

    Just gotta make mention of the epic NHL comeback tonight. Flyers get down 3-0 in games to the Bruins, then win the next 3 to force Game 7 in Boston.

    Philly gets down 3-0 in Game 7 tonight, then roars back to win 4-3. Two mega-gags in one series. Sucks to be a Bruins fan tonight.

  144. I would hate to be a Boston fan. Of course they can just watch any of their other dominating teams

  146. I hope that Mac’s song of choice isn’t going to lose us a Heartbreaker tonight.

  150. Gameday audio is down too. Kind of annoying, was looking forward to listening to the game during lunch.

  167. Well, if there is one thing Melky does well at the plate, it is not striking out…and that’s the biggest thing we can’t have here.

  175. I can’t decide which is dumber – PH’ing Melky or giving him an IBB to pitch to Prado.

  188. Ealking Melky is one of the classic blunders. Tomorrow, the D’Backs will start a land war in Asia.

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