Recitation game thread: July 10, Braves at Mets

Living as I do in a southern college town, virtually every day I run across stereotypically effete British intellectuals. Often, they ask, “So, Mac, old bean, what about this Francoeur chap you’re always talking about? What if he somehow became Oxford Professor of Modern Poetry? How would that all work out?”

I think it would go a little something… like this:

149 thoughts on “Recitation game thread: July 10, Braves at Mets”

  3. from the mets blog, amazin’ avenue:

    “One year ago today, Ryan Church was shipped to the Braves in return for Jeff Francoeur. The trade that inspired 1,000 blog posts. The smile which saved the Mets’ clubhouse chemistry. The $5 million throwing arm.

    Frenchy isn’t having a good season but he has certainly made the conversation more lively over the past 365 days. And for that I am grateful. Hopefully the Mets commemorate this special anniversary on the scoreboard.”

  4. Escobar is a clown, but he’s a very good player to have on your team when you’ve got Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson pitching 2/5ths of the time.

  7. 4- I pretty much agree. On his non-hungover days, you can’t beat his defense at short. You’d like to think he’d remember how to hit at some point, but even if he doesn’t, the SS market is so shitty, it’s hard to envision scenarios where you’d find someone better.

  8. All I’m saying is it’s all fun and games until he gets somebody important seriously injured with his BS. That almost happened last night. He also cost us a game or two with it earlier in the year. I’m just wondering at what point Bobby says, “You should probably trade this guy, because I’m not gonna play him anymore.”

  9. Mac, that’s a reach for an intro. But hey, your house, your rules.

    @2 – No matter how silly Escobar’s hair may become, it will never be the flopping mess that is Jose Reyes’ head.

  10. ok, I’m tired of hearing about Yunel’s defense. the guy is slugging 285. his SLG is lower than his OBP. no amount of good defense is going to cover that up.

  11. He destroyed his knee playing the OF

    He tore his ACL running to first in spring training, as I recall.

  13. I don’t recall anyone wanting to keep Lil’ Tony Pena around for his defense, let alone start him everyday. And his defense was revelatory, frankly. World-class. Everyone agreed that he might actually be the best defensive shortstop in baseball at the time. He was certainly better defensively than Yunel Escobar is. And he didn’t every now and then attempt to play hungover and nearly lay waste to the entire team. And everyone hated him and we shipped him out…and rightfully so, really.

    So remind me why we’re making excuses for Yunel Escobar again?

  15. Nick.. Yunel is my least favorite Brave.. But he pretty obviously has more offensive upside than Tony Pena did, as demonstrated by the fact that he’s been a valuable baseball player as recently as last season.

    He can hit. He isn’t hitting.

    That said, I’d love to move him in the right deal. I just don’t see any shortstops available.

    I think your best chance is to upgrade CF, so you can stick Yunel in the 8 hole until he turns it around.

  16. If we trade Escobar, who are we going to replace him with? Hicks? Infante? What happens when Infante regresses to where Yunel is now offensively while providing worse defense? Hicks is basically a white version of Escobar, only he’s NEVER hit, unlike Escobar who hit well the past two seasons while providing his stellar defense. Despite how lackadaisical may appear in the field at times, he’s STILL ranked among the top SSs in the NL defensively – posting a positive WAR based almost on his defense alone.

    Am I making excuses for Escobar’s behavior? No I’m not. Of course I wish he would grow up and get his head in the game. But unless you’re getting a Tulowitzki or Stephen Drew in return, trading Escobar at this point only hurts the team. Bench him and start Infante at SS for a few games, sure, but let’s not be hasty with the trade gun just because the guy’s a little annoying now and then.

    He’s certainly not the worst player in the game today when it comes to dogging it or being a diva.

  18. 1. Prado 2B, 2. Cabrera CF, 3. Chipper 3B, 4. McCann C, 5. Glaus 1B, 6. Hinske LF, 7, Infante RF, 8. Escobar SS, 9. Hudson RH

    And Esco gets the start. Not sure why Diaz isn’t in right today, but whatever. It’s not like benchings have helped Yunel a whole lot in the past.

  20. Chipper hurt his ACL playing LF against the Yankees in a spring training game.
    Was it sliding in the OF or sliding into home? I am second guessing myself how he did it.

  21. Yunel, even now, has more walks than strikeouts and a .337 OBP which is about league average.

    Comparing him to Tony Pena is like comparing Heyward to Wankcoeur.

  23. Chipper hurt his knee hitting the bag at first base. He was going to be the left fielder at the time, but it was irrelevant to the injury.

  24. @20, I would have bet you it was running to first – I can see the play like it was yesterday. But I can’t find a description of the injury anywhere.

  25. Spkie, i was just checking myself. I get the same blank answer that he hurt it in spring training.

    I would still never complain about Chippers drive compared to Yunels.

    I thought it was making a play on the line but my memory is not what it used to be. Parenthood seems to burn up that section of the brain.

  26. @3

    So should we celebrate today as a holiday? What should we call it? Ryan Church Day?

    The day a young man named Church came to town to save us from the evil bat waving fool.

    HAPPY RYAN CHURCH DAY!

  28. “One year ago today, Ryan Church was shipped to the Braves in return for Jeff Francoeur. The trade that inspired 1,000 blog posts. The smile which saved the Mets’ clubhouse chemistry. The $5 million throwing arm. Frenchy isn’t having a good season but he has certainly made the conversation more lively over the past 365 days. And for that I am grateful. Hopefully the Mets commemorate this special anniversary on the scoreboard.”

    The one with or without OBP on it?

  32. I remember the firestorm last year after Escobar took a pitch with a hit and run call on, then he went on a tear (offensively and defensively) immediately after that.

    And, on cue, a solid single to center.

  34. At least we’re making Pelfrey work hard.

    And there’s the Francoeur we know too well, striking out on 3 pitches.

  40. Escobar is having a rough go so far this year, but it seems a bit absurd to trade him at this point. We are talking about a guy who hit .300 last year while leading the majors (for the better part of the year) in hitting with RISP? Not to mention he’s great defensively. I mean how clutch was he for us last year?

    He’s got an attitude problem, and plays with a lot of “latin flair”, which doesn’t quite jive with some members of this team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the fact that the team elders, namely Chipper and Bobby aren’t fans is messing with his head a bit.

  43. Since V-F Day, the NL East standings are:

    Braves 96-67
    Phillies 93-71 (3.5 GB)
    Marlins 83-78 (12 GB)
    Mets 77-87 (19.5 GB)
    Nationals 73-92 (24 GB)

  44. I still hate Hinske. He’s worthless until the last 3 innings for whatever reason.

  56. You have to try to not score a run with the line the Braves have.

    Gameday has it at 14 LOB through 4 innings. Six go to Melky.

  65. Until it gets a healthy, productive Heyward back, I’ve got the feeling this lineup’s living on borrowed time.

  69. We’ve won three straight on the road against two divisional rivals. I wouldn’t get too down on the offense.

  73. @67

    Right, I’d rather Pelfrey have a no-hitter going with our lineup showing zero signs of life..

  77. Love it when (some of) the crowd goes “ooohhh” when Jeffrey hits the ball and it barely gets out of the infield.

  84. @75

    Gotcha. Was worried that frustration was clouding rationality.

    And, there we go. Finally a breakthrough. RBI for Troy.

  86. I wonder if anyone (other than Pete Rose) has made eight straight all-star games (Straw also made the team his first year with the Dods) and not made the Hall of Fame.

  97. That was a disappointing run. Better than all the game’s disappointing not-runs.

    Edit: And Hudson gets the hardest hit of the inning.

  100. Millar is now saying that Pelfrey — who gave up twelve hits and is only going to get charged with four runs — “didn’t throw that badly” and “had bad luck”.

  104. It’s pretty clear that Yunel’s highlights have been missing all year; it’s only just now that we’ve noticed it.

  105. Good one, Nick :)

    Though I do think some people noticed he was never on any highlights.

  106. Two years ago if I had said, “Dessens gives up a Grybo on a double by the pitcher over Francoeur’s head”, I’d have turned the game off.

  119. Pagan’s average is ten points higher than Francoeur’s OBP. They can’t really bench him for Jeff when Beltran comes back, right? RIGHT?

  121. It’s always good fun hearing the announcers trying to justify even thinking about benching Pagan over Jeffrey, “… he brings leadership and… uhm… he has a cannon for an arm in right”.

  127. Jeff Francoeur sucks. Not sure if you guys remembered that, but he’s really, really bad.

  128. Bill Hohn is apparently dehydrated from clubbing with Melky the last couple of nights.

  129. Minus the ‘stache and with the benefit of his voice (being mic’d for Fox today) it is apparent: Bill Hohn is George Costanza.

  134. Millar is obviously drunk….what was that Ken Rosenthal? Was he reading? That was horrible…

  136. Pagan’s average is ten points higher than Francoeur’s OBP. They can’t really bench him for Jeff when Beltran comes back, right? RIGHT?

    Of course they can. We saw it plenty with Bobby Cox. It’s the amazing Jeff Francoeur.

    A manager risks the wrath of a lot of 18-25 year old blonde girls in pink Francoeur jerseys sitting in seats around right field if said manager benches Jeffy.

  137. How many games does Fox have going right now? This announcing team really really have to be far down the list.

  139. I hate Fox. I can’t even watch the game online because of their blackout restrictions. At least y’all have the game! (and frankly, everywhere I’ve looked they’re talking about Millar, which makes me curious)

  140. how far does one have to fall to platoon with Frenchy? Beltran is a better hitter from both sides of the plate

    Im starting to think Yunel hates hitting now

  143. Venters and Wagner are so overpowering it is hardly necessary to use defensive replacements

  144. The 1st time all year I get to watch 3 braves games in a row….with TBS having the game tomorrow.

  147. 15 hits and 5 walks probably should result in more than 4 runs, but a win is a win.

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