Kansas City Royals vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – June 20, 2010 – ESPN.
Oh, those bases on balls. I love ’em. The Braves were outhit 11-9, but drew eleven walks. Five of the runs were scored by runners who had reached base via the walk.
Kenshin Kawakami will never win another game, and really, it’s his own damned fault. He didn’t retire a man in the third inning and wound up being charged with five runs, four of them “earned” while the other reached on Kawakami’s own error. The Braves had staked him to a four-run lead in the first on a pair of two-run doubles off of Kyle Davies, one by Chipper and one by Infante (back in the lineup, giving Yunel the day off). But Kawakami allowed two runs in the second, then three straight singles in the third, after which Bobby put in the Lisp. Martinez allowed two of Kawakami’s runs to score, giving the Royals the lead, but started seven innings of shutout baseball by the bullpen.
The Braves had several chances to add runs against Davies, but didn’t, but did tie the game up in the sixth off of Kyle Farnsworth, another member of the Braves touring company that is the Kansas City Royals. Heyward hit a hustle double with one out, and Chipper followed with his second double of the game, then stole third (!) but was stranded.
In the top of the eighth, Kimbrel walked the leadoff man, then committed an error on what should have been a double play ball, then walked the next guy. And then he struck out the next two and got a popup to preserve the tie. He picked up a win when with two outin the bottom of the inning, Chipper and Glaus walked, both coming home on a double by Hinske. Melky singled in the pinch-runner Hicks, and it was 8-5. Wagner allowed a one-out single in the ninth, but struck out two and got a grounder to end it. It wasn’t NATIONAL LEAGUE BASEBALL, but I’ll take the win.
In the top of the eighth, Kimbrel walked the leadoff man, then committed an error on what should have been a double play ball, then walked the next guy
He’s got a shiny ERA but this stuff is unlikely get him much high leverage work in the future. He’s a heart attack waiting to happen.
I’m glad Venters got the day off.
Braves are killers at The Ted, 24-7.
Man, 11 walks…
Kyle Farnsworth, another member of the Braves touring company that is the Kansas City Royals.
lol
First place.
Best record in league.
.600 record.
best run differential in league by 10, in division by 26.
1st in league in scoring.
All in all, pretty good.
“Lisp” should be added to the glossary. One could also make an argument for “The Prado” (as opposed to “a Prado”).
I don’t know the numbers, but Melky seems to be picking it up of late. I think McClouth has lost his job.
Chipper had a great serise.
I declare us American League Champs!
Glaus is fine, only had a cramp, according to Jurenovich.
Other suggestions for additions to the glossary:
“Zombie Chipper” should probably be in there, but how about “Kannot Winagamey” or “Cantwin Anygamey”?
The Braves’ Touring Company would be a good glossary addition if the Royals were in the NL. Although I think they’re more like a cover band, playing inferior versions of the original.
Okay, I added “The Lisp” and “Zombie Chipper”.
The last three years, it seemed like the Braves could hardly ever win 3 games in a row. This season, it’s at least the third or so 5-game win streak…
“It wasn’t NATIONAL LEAGUE BASEBALL, but I’ll take the win.”
That was ATLANTA BRAVES BASEBALL!
@ Robert #1
Kimbrel is only 22. When he manages to throw his fastball for strikes consistently (well better than at a 16BB/9 clip anyway), he’ll be nasty. Right now his H/9 is 4.7 and his K/9 is 16, that’s rather impressive.
Braves have the second-best first place margin in baseball (2.5).
And they’ve still played eight more games on the road than at home.
Frank Wren sure does take some heat from various parties on here, but look at how quickly he appears to have built a contender with staying power. Kudos to him. We’re in good hands.
Trouble is Kimbrel will not get to pitch much unless we get behind big early or other releivers are tired. He last win was the comeback against Reds. Should he get more work in minors or stay here and pitch every 5-7 games when Saito comes back.
I think the Braves either need to commit to getting Kimbrel in more than once a week or send him down. He needs to throw regularly in game situations.
Also, great win! 5-game winning streak with a winnable 3-game road series coming.
DOB indicated that the Lisp is up for the duration and the demotion will be between Kimbrel and Chavez.
Welcome back to earth Mets fans!!!
Chavez! Chavez! Chavez!
This may be from being disappointed the last however many years, but a part of me is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Could this team really be this good?
Mac- That sounds ominous…. The duration of what?
Kawakami is like Hideki Irabu with a better attitude. And higher metabolism. Less amphibious.
@20: Solid starting pitching, outstanding bullpen, fewer outs in the lineup, MVP caliber seasons from multiple players, and a little bit of luck. That’s the general recipe.
😀
If I had a nickle for every braves journal blogger that at the beginning of the season wanted to:
trade Troy Glaus or bench him
was critical of Frank Wren for trading away (name one of KJ, Rochy, Vazquez)
trade/bench/demote Melky Cabrera (I was one of them) who btw last 28 days has this slash line .329/.345./.439 which isn’t great but he is contributing.
I’d at least be able to buy an Ipad.
In Frank I trust. I’m pretty sure that we shouldn’t be out on the market for a bat as we close in on the trade deadline. It doesn’t make sense to add a marginal bat when scoring runs seems not to be a problem and it makes less sense to trade any of our top minor league pitching for an impact bat. I know there are exceptions. Say if he Brewers offered Braun for Delgado but even though tinstaapp I’d even have to think first on that one.
I’m losing the cautiousness in my cautious optimism, and moving towards just being optimistic.
I was talking to a Mets fan last night, and we got to talking Heyward vs. Francoeur (if there is any comparison). Francoeur has a better batting average and less strikeouts, but regardless of their age, walks, defense, arm, and power, this guy was firming in the Francoeur camp.
“If I had to pick one of the two, I would definitely take Francoeur.”
“Good. You can have him.”
He didn’t like that.
Ububba, you said you were heading to the Detroit games this weekend. I’d like to meet you, if I could. How do we do that?
I’d trade Delgado and Teheran for Braun.
“Say if he Brewers offered Braun for Delgado but even though tinstaapp I’d even have to think first on that one.”
I’m not sure what you’d be thinking about. If, for some bizarre reason–because Milwaukee would sooner relocate or dissolve the franchise before trading Braun–Doug Melvin called Frank Wren to say he would consider sending Braun to the Braves for Delgado and a few others, Wren would accept the deal no sooner than the words were out of Melvin’s mouth. And then, after hanging up, Wren would laugh tears knowing that he had locked up executive of the year for at least the next two seasons. Like Stu, for Braun I’d offer Teheran and Delgado. Of course, to get him, that would be a baseline offer and wouldn’t come close to getting the job done.
What one Braves player *wouldn’t* you trade for Braun?
Heyward.
Editto add: From the farm system, I wouldn’t trade Teheran. Anybody else, I would consider.
Considering Braun’s impending free agency and certain player’s cost-controlled situations, I wouldn’t trade Heyward or Hanson. I would do a Jurrjens for Braun straight-up, but I doubt they would.
Rob,
email me: djtimes at testa dot com.
@25 – One of my buddies still thinks the Oliver Perez deal is better than the Derek Lowe deal. Mets fans can be delusional.
Braun’s contract after this year:
2011: $4 mil
2012: $6 mil
2013: $8.5 mil
2014: $10 mil
2015: $12 mil
That is some kind of team-friendly contract.
For me, it depends on what I could nail down Hanson or Heyward for. But certainly, they are the only players in the discussion, and I could see myself dealing either of the two for Braun.
(I did trade Braun for Tommy two weeks before Tommy’s call-up in a keeper fantasy league.)
Heyward’s the only player I wouldn’t trade for Braun.
#15 – We’ll see about the staying power but I’ll give him credit for giving Bobby one last good team. Some of the win now stuff with Glaus and Wagner has worked out very well.
This team will look pretty different next season.
@ Robert #1
Kimbrel is only 22. When he manages to throw his fastball for strikes consistently (well better than at a 16BB/9 clip anyway), he’ll be nasty.
Oh, and I agree with this except I would change ‘when’ to ‘if’. And he probably needs to be somewhere where he will get to regularly work on his control and I’m not sure the major league level is the best fit.
Has anyone done P90X? I did the chest and shoulders today, and it was REALLY tough. I thought I was a reasonably athletic, reasonably strong 23 year old man, but after doing that, I realize I’m a little boy. I’m gonna go play with blocks.
Getting out of that jam was a display of character by both Kimbrel and Cox
I hate this f’in team. We can’t even blow out the Royals??? Pretty much the worst team in baseball??? Three run wins just won’t cut it against a good team. Our offense can’t drive in runners in scoring position, Glaus and Chipper should pretty much just retire already, and Heyward is an injury-prone prima donna who should either get healthy or get DL’ed already. Oh, and our bullpen’s a mess.
Retire, Bobby! Go home, Frank Wren!
Chino Cadahia 2011
The other thing about this sweep is, the Royals are not one of the worst 3 teams in the AL.
Okay, sure, they’re probably 4th or 5th, but a lot of that is a miserable start, and they’ve been playing okay lately. Real nice sweep by the Braves. What I want to see now is another solid start out of Lowe.
Dang, I knew I’d be flamed. Sure if the Brewers want one or even two of our pitching prospects for Ryan Braun we say yes, but not before thinking about it. Especially when you see that team friendly contract.
@31, ububba, i emailed you about the july 10 game at citi field….
@39 not only that, but we didn’t have a single baserunner reach in the 9th inning today. In fact, our offense didn’t even show up for the 9th, they were already on their way to chicago. we don’t finish games.
Oh and we made 24 outs today! 24! Against the Royals. Could you imagine how much we would have scored if those 24 guys knew how to get on instead of making outs??
@26 You are crazy. But I would trade Delgado and Arodys in that case though. No way in hell I am trading away Teheran.
@39, 44 I love the attitude. We should all be adopting it.
I’ve said before that I’m not a huge Terry Pendleton fan, but I’ve got to at least give him some credit for the Braves success. This is the most patient team I’ve seen the Braves have in a long time and it’s definitely paying off. I know that much of it is just veteran hitters doing what they’ve done most of their careers, but those that blamed TP for Atlanta’s losing streak should at least give him some credit for what they’ve done lately. Good job TP! Let’s keep it up.
@22,
Not to mention much less pus…
@47 TP has been here forever and this is the first time we have such a patient lineup. I really don’t know how much of this has to do with TP. Actually the other way is true too, I don’t think much of the struggles should be blamed on TP either. A hitting coach really does not make much difference.
It’s really too bad because I can see KJ being very successful if he plays in this lineup.
@24
If we’re being realistic, you would probably only have like five bucks at the most. But hey, I’ll take five bucks and a first place team over an Ipad on most days… I think. They are pretty cool though.
If I was Frank Wren, I would probably trade McLouth for an Ipad. Surely there is an app out there that could at least hover above the Mendoza Line.
I am glad we gave up on Davies. He is still the same old Kyle.
As of now, I don’t really care if they make a deal. The team is good and in a good position to make the playoffs. IMO, you just want to get there. We of all people know the best team doesn’t always win the WS.
If there becomes a problem, I could see looking into it, but replacing KK with JJ and having Saito and Diaz return should help a team that already looks pretty good in the standings.
45—I wish you were the Brewers’ GM.
@51:
I am glad we gave up on Pena. He is still the same old Brayan.
I am glad we gave up on Betemit. He is still the same old Wilson.
I am glad we gave up on Lerew. He is still the same old Anthony.
I am glad we gave up on Yost. He is still the same old Ned.
I am glad we gave up on $lastname. He is still the same old $firstname.
God bless the Royals.
I think leading the league in walks has more to do with having Heyward, Glaus, and to an extent, Melky in the lineup than anything TP has done.
The White Sox have a longer winning streak than the Braves. Both streaks are over five games long. This could be a good series.
whether you like dob or not, he’s getting some good quotes from braves players. here’s wagner on kimbrel:
“I’m trying to tell him you cannot create your own save, especially in a tie game, he just ain’t getting it yet. I keep listening to Don (Sutton) and them on the radio telling it’s the vintage Wagner but I don’t remember doing all that. As long as you get out of that…The kid’s on the right track, and he’s head and shoulders above where I was at that age. He competes and that’s all you can ask for.”
@57 I love Wag.
@55 That’s what I think too.
@54 JoeyT’s humor at his best!
@49 and 55 – I agree that a hitting coach probably doesn’t make a huge difference. I’m just saying that a lot of people wanted TP booted when the Braves were struggling. Now that the Braves are hitting well those same people are quiet. I don’t think you can have it both ways. While he may not be the biggest factor in the Braves’ rejuvenated hitting, it at least appears that he’s having a positive influence.
@59 – I was one of the TP critics and I said that I would eat some crow.
I had turned against him but it appears I was wrong.
I want Adam Dunn. I’ve wanted him for 2 years. If we got Adam Dunn I’d go ahead and buy World Series tickets.
@59 – The same people wanted McDowell fired when our rotation looked like JJ-Carlyle-Reyes-Campillo-Morton. So…let’s never listen to those people again.
@62 There is no way we can fit Dunn into our payroll unless Chipper retires.
@63 That was one horrible…horrible…rotation…did we actually see that happened at some point?
I wanted him gone after the nine-game slide. Can I have some honey barbecue sauce with my crow?
I can’t keep my eyes off the standing. It is just so beautiful to read. Somebody please call a doctor for me please, something is really wrong with my brain!!!
One name that could be available that I haven’t seen mentioned as a CF replacement on here would be BJ Upton. I get the feeling that the Rays have lost patience/given up/decided its Desmond Jennings time. Do you think a change of scenery would help him ? What are everybody’s thoughts on acquiring him if it wasn’t too expensive. I’m thinking purely of buying low on him. You could always non-tender him after the year if things didn’t work out.
@67 Do we need another Nate?
@64 – Pretty sure that was the rotation between Hudson’s injury and Hampton’s return during the second half of 2008.
If the Rays wanted to give Upton away, sure. He’s better than Melky…
Weldon, I guess that’s my point, if a trade for a guy like Willingham isn’t going to happen, and the LF platoon is going to be Diaz/Hinske, then I’d rather have Upton than Melky playing in CF everyday. It’s just a thought, I don’t have any idea what the Rays would even want for Upton, but as I said earlier I think they’re getting close to cutting the cord.
67- I think Upton’s better than Melky/Nate and Matt Joyce’s success in AAA might make him expendable when Crawford leaves next year.
On the other hand, the Rays seem to be a bitch to deal with. The one guy I could see them being interested in is Freeman, but I don’t know if I’d pull that trigger if I’m the Braves.
How are you feeling about the Pac-12 JJ?
Ethan, I have very mixed emotions. I think in the long run it will be good for CU, because they have a ton of alumni in California, so it should be easier to raise money, and recruit California now that they will be playing there much more often. However, I don’t think it’s going to be as big of a slam dunk financially as some people do. The Pac 16 would have been a huge financial windfall for CU, but the Pac 12 all depends on what kind of a TV deal they end up with. I personally don’t think being in a division with USC, UCLA, ASU, U of A, and Utah is going to make them any more competitive in football anytime soon, unless it gives them more money to pay for a new coach like Patterson from TCU after Hawkins gets fired after the season. The part that is bittersweet for me is I know you probably hate Nebraska as much as I do, and I will miss playing them every year, and that basically is only going to happen now in the Rose Bowl. I know your ties are with Mizzou, but you have to admit that CU helped (not as much as Nebraska and Oklahoma obviously) put the Big 8 in a position to become the Big 12, so in that regard it’s hard leaving something that you feel like you helped create.
You have to be breathing a sigh of relief that the Pac 16 didn’t happen after not getting the invite from the Big 10, right ? I mean, I would have enjoyed watching Mizzou on the Mountain West Network at all. Also, tell your dumbass governor who was happy that CU and Nebraska are leaving because ‘they were the two worst basketball teams’ that since the inception of the Big 12, the fewest number of victories all are teams from Texas (Baylor, obviously, A&M and Texas Tech.)
I notice Kawakami and Lowe’s stats.
Kawakami : 0-9 4.78 , Lowe : 9-5 4.77
The Braves haven’t supported Kawakami or he is unlucky? I can’t get it at this point. Addintionally his salary is over $7M. That’s not the sort of record the Braves of him though I didn’t search his last stat.
Prado is the most hot guy in the Braves until now. Super!
Yeah I can’t remember exactly who was…Just try to remember…Mac had mostly criticised him severely. Right? Please accept my apologies if it’s not true.
By the way there are lots of former braves since I have missed a whole bunch of games. You know Kyle Davis, his era is quite high. It’s what I expected.
I feel like watching the Braves first time in my life. Whew!!!!!!!!!!!
@69 “Hampton’s return”
HA!
@37
Yes, and it is awesome and humbling.
#37 I had a guy here at work try P90X. Wore his ass out. He offered to let me try it but I’m way too old for that stuff.
Ok if I had a nickel for everyone that wanted to fire Terry Pendelton I’d have enough pesos for an Ipad. I know thats true.
I think Teheran is untouchable. Just my opinion.
Jeff Francoeur Signature Frenchy Met’s Jersey
Comes with matching Turkey underwear. I wouldn’t wear this if you paid me $120.
JEFF’S BLOG
June 10, 2010
Hi Guys,
I wanted to check in and share some news. Yesterday, along with Jason Bay and Jose Reyes, I helped the MLBPA unveil the 2010 Players Choice Signature Series line. The three of us, plus Santana and Beltran, sat down with a few designers from MLBPA licensees during Spring Training this year to come up with our own “creative” designs for jerseys, t-shirts, and hats. It was pretty fun because we were able to put our own personal style and interests into the designs. The Signature Series gear will be available at New York area Modell’s stores, at Citi Field, and at MLB.com.
The jersey I designed has my nickname on the back, “Frenchy,” and has little blue paw prints to resemble my favorite college team as well as my alma mater high school (Clemson and Parkview). I also got my love for the beach tied into my t-shirt design. The back of the t-shirt shows me catching a fly ball but with a beach scene background. The designs you’ll see on all of our gear is like nothing else you’ve ever seen at the Mets clubhouse store before, that’s for sure. You can check everything out at the link below…enjoy!
“The back of the t-shirt shows me catching a fly ball but with a beach scene background. . . . enjoy!”
Contrast with the description from JC’s link:
“by Majestic Athletic
Nicknamed Frenchy, Francoeur chose to loosely show his collegiate heritage, using the colorways and pawprints of his Alma mater (Clemson). The front LC Logo and back name and number are printed twill.”
Yeah, like Jeffy Franchise ever went to college.
Corrected:
“Frenchy, Francoeur chose to loosely show his high school heritage, using the colorways and pawprints of his Alma mater (Parkview). The front LC Logo and back name and number are printed twill.”
That is one ugly piece of fabric.
#37 – P90X is an incredible workout. I made it through the first 30 days, but quit for soem reason after that. Im 29 and hit the gym hard everyday, but those are better workouts than what I get at the gym. I just hate working out at home
The Insanity workouts will break you also. Try those
I think Teheran and Delgado are both untouchable. Vizcaino, Minor, Masters, and others are not
Nobody is untouchable.
That is a hideous jersey, but my pride costs less. If you paid me $120, I’d wear it. (Once, alone, in my apartment, with no witnesses or evidence.)
FYI,
As I look at the National’s schedule, it looks like Strasburg will pitch in Atlanta in the Monday game. Could be interesting because he has not faced any teams with patient hitters so far. (Although being patient against that kind of movement would be tough for anyone.) Fortunately, he will then pitch against the Mets here in Washington (unfortunately, it looks like I will miss him by one day).
@86,
I’ll throw a dollar into the pot as long as there’s a webcam involved.
First day of summer
Braves in first place
La dolce vita
Hey, do we play the Dodgers again this year? Maybe at the Ted? If so, I’m thinking you could use this vid for the game thread, Mac.
Not gonna happen, billy-jay.
@90 – Aug 13 – 17 in Atlanta
@91:
$2?
Also, I found a vid for the Mets.
@63 – I never wanted McDowell fired. I gave him credit for getting what he did out of the rotation when Smoltz and Hudson went down. Now, I still want Snitker fired.
And, of course, Chipper Jones’ 2010 anthem:
http://tinyurl.com/nrfrsj
Oh, look. It’s Kevin Gryboski and Ryan Langerhans.
I figure Chipper would be more partial to the Cranberries, but since’s he’s undead, who knows?
Thanks, ububba. Added to favorites.
19 ks in 47 plate appearances for stanton.
sdp,
If you follow the link to the cat Chipper Jones watching the Braves on TV, you can find this comment:
I’m pretty sure it’s lawful to shoot anyone bringing a vuvuzela to a baseball game.
This past week, I was at the Phils/Yanks game where they ejected someone who broke out a vuvuzela. Stadium security told him either they confiscate the piece or he has to leave. He chose the latter.
billy-jay,
Can’t dance to The Cranberries. Fela, that’s another story.
ububba,
I can’t dance to anything. I’m just not coordinated enough.
I’m actually under orders from my boss to not dance.
I REALLY hope the vuvuzela doesn’t catch on in baseball.
#103 – not even after 12 beers?
I thought Mac did a pretty good Irish jig in the Hampton video.
And stay metal, billy-jay.
For the most part we as fans misunderstand the role of the hitting coach. Pendleton’s job isn’t to ingrain OBP vs BA strategy in the players. His job is to help them adjust on a day-to-day basis to what pitchers are doing to them at the plate. His job is to help them see their own swings on video, make counter-adjustments and improve/maintain mechanics in the box.
The general offensive approach is set at a higher level in the franchise than TP. He has duties to relay and convey the message, but he doesn’t make the rules per se. Since 1990 at least, the Braves’ organizational philosophy for hitting has been “stay aggressive.” Good players, like Chipper Jones, understand that means “when you get a pitch you can hit, crush it.” Bad players, like Jeff Francoeur, understood that to mean “go up there and swing at everything.” The key to a good offense is getting more good players than bad players, not tweaking the message for batting approaches for each player.
The reason the Braves’ offense is so much better now than over the last two years is because general management cut bait on really bad players and acquired relatively good players to replace them.
the braves are now 3rd in the nl in ops.
Cormier still has soft spot for Tuscaloosa | TideSports.com.
I don’t give TP much credit for the patience the team has shown at the plate. I seem to remember him urging everyone to be more aggressive early in the season. I’ve never heard him say anything other than “He needs to be more aggressive”.
Well, yeah, but that’s partly because the organization’s philosophy about talking to reporters is “be aggressively boring.”
Terry might be giving all the guys brilliant advice, but we’d never know it, because everyone has the hoary cliches so thoroughly ingrained.
Also, the Florida Marlins were recently giving out vuvuzelas to fans during a Marlins-Rays game. Joe Maddon, who I like more and more, described the vuvuzelas thusly: “They’re annoying. I mean, there’s cool things and there’s very non-cool things. That’s a non-cool thing.”
how about my boy Graeme McDowell?
BP’s (no, not them) updated Postseason Odds.
Speaking of which, Chinese media reported that up to 90 percent of the vuvuzelas sold in South Africa during the World Cup were made in China.
I think Sam has it right. Hitting coaches generally exist to work with what they have, although, in some cases, such as Charlie Lau, they do install in a particular approach in hitters such as George Brett. In general, players have to “be aggressive” to get to this level. I mean, really, how can you be a hitter and not want to hit rather than walk? I don’t think any middle of the order type hitter goes up with the attitude of trying to draw a walk. Walks are a function of the hitter’s willingness to pass up pitches in order to get a better pitch to hit later in the at-bat. Mickey Mantle had a very high OBP despite the fact that he was very aggressive and struck out a lot. Walks are also a function of the hitter’s ability to wait a split second longer to swing; this, in turn, depends, I assume, on the hitter’s bat speed. The quicker your bat, the longer you can wait, the less you get fooled and swing at bad pitches.
Whether the Braves have actually recognized this or just happened to gather a collection of players that are able to work the pitcher is an interesting question.
how about a package deal with KC…DeJesus/Gordon for Schafer/+ what
I’m listening to Yankee fans on the radio pining for a versatile player, someone like… Eric Hinske! Amusing.
Of course, my dream is another Braves/Yankees WS, with the outcome mirroring 1957. So with that, a quick scouting report from inside the Evil Empire:
The Yanks are feeling a little bit what the Braves have experienced—the older “everyday” guys can’t go to the post every day.
Jeter’s had a season full of nagging injuries—he sat out the Saturday game with a bruised heel & limped his way thru Sunday. A-Rod is playing the field about 3 times a week (hip & groin). Posada’s in a similiar situation.
Granderson (who’s not that old) recently came back from an extended injury hiatus & Nick Johnson, on cue, got hurt before Memorial Day. Until recently, Tex has just plain sucked.
As a team, they have a .360 OBP, and Cano, Swisher & Gardner (WTF?) have really kept that engine moving. And Francisco Cervelli, Posada’s “backup,” has insane clutch numbers this year: 17 for 40 (425/480/525) with RISP, 25 for 71 (352/430/408) with runners on base.
Pettitte seems to have found the fountain of youth (ahem) and Phil Hughes seems to have regained his confidence. Sabathia is still an inning-eating beast. Burnett remains hot & cold & Javy Vazquez looks like he’s survived his own crisis of confidence.
Joba’s overall numbers aren’t that great, but, outing for outing, he’s been way more good than bad. When he’s bad, though, he’s horrid.
And Mariano Rivera has retired his last 21 consecutive hitters. That’s 7 straight 1-2-3 9th innings. Our guy’s been great, but he’s still the best.
Nonetheless, Braves in 7…
Any word on Glaus and why he left in the ninth? I haven’t found any quotes so I’m assuming its pretty minor.
Cramp, apparently.
The Braves were playing so well, Troy had a full-body orglausm and had to leave the field.
@120 I think it was just a cramp.
I found this while doing research for my baseball project this morning, from the 2004 book “Brushback’s and Knockdowns”. I think he’s looking over the all star roster for that year and critiquing it.
“Glaus can’t hit for average (his career average hovers around .250), can’t hit for consistent contact (he strikes out 27 % of the time), and though he’s not a bad fielder, at age 26 and weighing 245 pounds, he’s not going to get any better. In four years he’ll be in left field, and in seven he’ll be DHing. I know a lot of knowledgeable baseball people who insist Glaus is on the verge of super stardom, but I’ve never seen a right handed hitting superstar who, after more than 800 major league games, had to sometimes be platooned against right handers.”
Funny how things work out, eh?
The guy also goes on to declare Nomar a future HOFer and criticizes Andruw for only having 2 200+ RBI seasons.
@123 Bethany, for your project-
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/
They have finish 5th of 5, 6th of 6, 7th of 7(!), and 10th of 10.
That’s got to mean something.
Haha, thanks Kevin. It’s going to be hard to say nice things about a few teams.. I bet I can slide a few barbs in without my professors noticing.
For all their money, both New York teams basically would have been sunk if not for Brett Gardner and Angel Pagan. Those two have gone about a hundred miles beyond the call of duty.
Both teams’ pitching has been good, too.
RA Dickey is turning into a folk hero.
Brett Gardner – College of Charleston alum! I think he is the only Cougar to have ever made MLB.
Are Yankees fans wishing they’d just held onto Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy (gopheritis notwithstanding)?
Not really. They’d rather have Johnny Damon & keep Gardner in CF.
Kennedy was not only disappointing when he came up to the big club, but he apparently had a bit of an attitude/entitlement problem. Wrong club for that.
I think most Yankee fans are surprised that Jackson has done so well.
I think most Yankee fans are surprised that Jackson has done so well.
A very hot start and a quick decline for Mr. Jackson means they may be right –
April/March .364 .422 .495 .917
May .297 .336 .396 .732
June .220 .235 .280 .515
Phillies fan eats it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCo7IEjYRBE
Braves top Power Rankings – http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/06/21/mlb-power-rankings-brave-new-world/
Ouch. Rough year for Phillies fans.
Braves hitting for the month of June. Looks like we might have found the right lineup finally.
Brian McCann .254 average/ .353 on base/ .407 slugging / .760 OPS
David Ross .267/.389/.400/.789
Troy Glaus .294/.410/.647/1.057
Martin Prado .383/.414/.531/.945
Chipper Jones .250/.354/.400/.754
Yunel Escobar .328/.453/.393/.847
Omar Infante .340/.385/.383/.768
Eric Hinske .283/.356/.455/.809
Nate McLouth .158/.273/.211/.483
Jason Heyward .205/.326/.282/.608
Melky Cabrera .302/.333/.413/.746
Never would have thought I’d would see Melky out OPS Heyward for any given month. (Or see him drop to second from the regular players).
Still, all together, that’s not bad if I didn’t just jinx them.
Posnanski has some interesting observations on the 31-0 record when we score 5 runs. My thought: keep doing it.
jj, I agree. The Big 8 schools have have grown together for over 50 years now and it’s definitely unsettling to see all that tradtion suddenly turn into history. And yeah, not to get political, but the Missouri govenor looks like an ass when he begs to go to the Big 10, can’t pull it off, and then lashes out.
As for Mizzou though, we’re still right between the number 21 and 32 national TV markets in a state with no other BCS schools and have top 25 football and basketball classes coming in next year. We’ll be all right.
MLB trade rumors suggests we look at DeJesus and Luke Scott. What do you guys think?
I like Scott, but he’s basically a platoon LF, and we’ve already got Hinske and the returning Diaz.
And yeah, the 5-run thing is interesting. There is no doubt in my mind that we’ll wind up losing a few of these, but I think it really hides a more mundane truth: when you win a lot of games with a relatively low offensive cutoff — 5 runs — it means that your bullpen is pretty much shutting the door on late-inning scoring, and your starting pitchers aren’t getting blown out. And, of course, the team he mentions with all the 5-run wins — the 1990 Reds — were mostly famous for their bullpen.
Thus far, we’ve had quite good starting pitching, and despite everything, quite good bullpen work. (Saito was great before he went down, Moylan has still had a pretty good season all told, Venters has been great, and Wagner has just been disgusting.) When Saito gets back, our bullpen will look even better.
As much as it’s an offensive measure, I think this is actually a backhanded compliment for our fine pitching staff.
DDJ – Wrong handed, liable to turn back into pumpkin, don’t buy at the top of the market. But if you were convinced McClouth is toast, it makes sense.
Luke Scott – Upside is Eric Hinske, whom we already own. Redundant.
That’s some expensive toast.
No kidding. But Melky is no defensive CFer. DDJ, apparently is, and is on a hitting tear to boot. I look at this team as an assemblage of Pretty Goods, as opposed to a few Greats and several Just Okays. It explains the RS, the OBP, ability to come back, all sorts of things because lately, 8 batters out of 9 most nights are above average. A guy like DDJ (or Pretty Good McClouth) is essential to keeping the train going, lengthening the bench, and doing their part in run prevention. If we don’t have a Pretty Good Nate anymore, we will be missing him shortly.
And if Nate IS toast, the money is already spent anyway.
138-
Solid points. I’d prefer the team to just sit with what they have; the only helpful move I could see would be to go all in on a 4 win CF or SP if you’re convinced the juice is worth the squeeze. Anything else seems superfluous. If Diaz is healthy, he and Hinske’ll combine into a very solid LF.
Off-days are hell. How do we survive the winter?
I pretend like I’m interested in football.
-143
At least we know Bobby can’t pitch Wagner today.
gulf coast league started today and we showed some heavy offense. lipka played shortstop.
http://tinyurl.com/2b94nzh
Miley Cyrus = hot.
sdp=bad taste
miley cyrus=horse mouth
So, SDP, are you like, really bummed by Amanda Bynes’ retirement from acting?
She wouldn’t look out of place in a pair of orange overalls, but that doesn’t mean she’s hot, sdp.
Amanda Bynes is 24, she might be too old for sdp.
I’m 22. 😀
I’m only bummed about Bynes because she really “filled out” late and now is going to be out of the public eye. Her retirement from acting itself isn’t much of a shame.
I dunno if Miley has a horse mouth. I know Hillary Duff did/does, though.
I can’t be tamed.
I am officially grossed out, sdp.
Uh oh. 🙁
I tend to weasel myself into such situations. Sorry, Bethany.
Miley Cyrus talk wasn’t exactly what I anticipated reading on here this evening.
That post by JoePo is why he is my favorite baseball writer. That however, is not my favorite reading of the day. Since I haven’t seen it mentioned on here, if you don’t know, I’m obligated to tell you that it appears Manute Bol was the one who coined the phrase ‘my bad.’
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/06/manute_bol_and_my_bad.html
How funny is that ?
Nice story, but we said “my bad” on my Little League team. That was, like, 1976.
ububba, don’t piss on my parade. Next you’re going to tell me there’s no Santa Claus.
I have watched that Phillies fan falling on his ass no less than 15 times and it’s still funny to me.
I want to mail something to Chip Caray. Any (legal) suggestions?
miley = annoying. She cant go away soon enough
#158 – a tape of Skip and how its suppose to be done
Yeah, “my bad” has been around. I heard it (and said it) a lot growing up. However, since Manute had to say it so often (please forgive me, Manute) the phrase did become associated with him.
It’s ludicrous to claim Manute Bol was the first person to string two such basic words together, but the prevalence of the phrase can absolutely be traced back to him. I remember those stories when they were written — and they were written by every NBA beat writer in the country, because when the Bullets came to your city in 1985-86, you were absolutely writing the Manute Bol story. The newly formed national sports media was all over it, too.
“My bad” distilled the story to its essence — the strangeness of his attempt to learn basketball while playing at the highest level, his rudimentary English skill at the time, and the fruitlessness of getting mad at him when he screwed up.
I missed that Diory Hernandez was back at Gwinnett. He has already played 4 games. I thought he was probably out for the year.
Also, Spanjer-Furstenberg was in the GCL game yesterday. I take it that is a “post injury rehab at a lower level.”
Any news on Milligan?
Jason Heyward’s OPS for June is a bit depressing. Hopefully, he will get back on form.
This is a very interesting article about Brian Bannister and his attempt to use pitching metrics to stay in MLB. It’s not detailed enough to be a great article, but Bannister’s approach is unique, and very self aware. I will be rooting for the guy from now on.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/royals/2010-06-21-bannister-ahead-of-tech-curve_N.htm
I’ve been on the road, but anybody going to be going to the 28th game against the Nats? Strasburg is supposedly scheduled to pitch it. My family is out of town so I’m thinking I might get a $6 upper deck ticket and go by myself.
Kawakami seems resigned to bullpen move | Atlanta Braves.
I’d really like to go to the Braevs game before Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones retire. Interleague is only solution in my situation. Unfortunately no schedules in this season. Have no idea about next season. Let me go, please.
@167 – They can’t possibly send Medlen back to the pen when Jurrjens comes back, can they? I watched the Rays and Royals starts for KK, and he is obviously tipping pitches or just not making adjustments. The Rays hit everything hard, even the outs.
@168 – Where do you live?
KK has been a good citizen during his time here, and he’s pitched decently as a back-of-the-rotation starter. It sounds like JJ’s return will go smoothly.
Bannister is definitely one of the most fascinating people in the game. He’s basically the test tube for a lot of the sabermetric cutting edge: is it possible for a person armed with knowledge to consciously improve their results? When it comes to performance on the field, what do all these numbers mean? He also seems like a genuine guy, and I appreciate his willingness to give interviews about what he’s trying to do. I love rooting for him. Can you believe the Mets gave him up for Ambiorix Burgos?
That’s crazy even if they threw in Obelix.
/obscure?
@172… yeah, probably obscure, but I got it (I always wanted some of those Asterix PEZ dispensers they only make for the European market).
Ummmm, this is ummm, Sam…..
I am supposed to stay in UK though I’m not a British. My passport which will expire in 2016 has been allowed to go everywhere without e-passport other than America. I need to get an e-passport for visiting Amercica shortly since late 2008. It’s impossible to get an e-passport at this point because a visa for UK has been issued on my current passport which will be able to renew after 2013. To make matters worse, I plan to extend the visa 2 years or more to stay in UK since 2013. You know the only team is Toronto Blue Jays belongs to Canada. Toronto is the only solution. I really miss the Expos at the moment.
It’s a shame about KK. He hasn’t really pitched any worse than Lowe but has had no luck; at worse, he could easily have 3 or 4 wins. I agree he pretty much has to be the one to go, but I think he is a more than serviceable starter. Lowe must be living right or something.
I won’t be at the game, but I am looking forward to seeing Strasburg face Francouer here in DC on July 3. A duel for the ages.
@175 – the prop bet on whether there will be 4+ pitches in any of Frenchy’s ABs will be exciting all by itself.
Infante CAN!
If (and only if) we could use Yunel to get a final piece (Cliff Lee, Oswalt, or a legit CF), I say we do it because …
Infante CAN!
Man, with the latest update it’s really looking like Heyward is going to start in the All-Star game this year. McCann has a legit shot at passing Molina, and Chipper is inexplicably close at third.
Concerning the Posnanski piece, I remember a time in his career when Greg Maddux was, like, 150-1 or something when getting five or more runs. I doubt that he has lost more than ten games in his career with five-plus runs of support. What is 31-0 compared to that?
there is no way Yadier should be the starting NL catcher.
Yadier Molina – 245/324/316/640
OPS each month – .718 .647 .502
Brian McCann – 258/379/418/796
OPS each month – .769 .851 .760
@177, I would only do that if could acquire the Met’s first round draft pick as well, which would give us a Lee-Harvey-Oswalt rotation. It would be deadly if we had to face the Rangers in the WS, although the Senators would probably be ready for us in the LCS.
As long as the fans can stuff the ballots, I’ll remain uninterested in which players they elect to the all-star team.
spike wins.
Dude …
Good grief, Venus looks like Baby Huey in that outfit.
#181
Well played, sir.
And, of course, the grassy knoll is now in Houston.
Is Aubrey Huff really in the top 5 in OPS?
I wonder if oswalt has ever picked Kennedy off first in Washington
Spike just dominated this thread. I’m laughing really hard at 187 and I’m not sure I should be.
Game thread.
I concur. Spike at 181 and 187 has been incredible — though I gotta give credit it where it’s due to justhank for the Baby Huey reference, of which there are not nearly enough.
Plus, France got eliminated from the World Cup today. It’s a good day to be a Francophobe!
Fear of France?