No, that isn’t weird at all.
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No, that isn’t weird at all.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
I would have the lineup like this
Infante
Prado
Lee
Manny
Mac
AAG
Heyward
Melky
Pitcher
(Melky is a regular in my Manny world)
Mac, that’s great. I love the Twilight Zone. I think that intro is from 1959/1960. (It changed slightly over the years.)
What would really be Twilight Zone-like would be if the Braves actually scored runs before the sixth inning.
Smitty, id flip AAG and Heyward
EOF activated today?
its amazing that we lead the league in ERA in August with this clown on the team
DOB – Farnsworth has 7.07 ERA and .304 opp avg in past 15 app for KC and #Braves, including 10.80 ERA and .333 opp avg in past 8 apps…..
cant we just bring Kimbrel back up and release him?
Does anyone still believe Heyward has 30-HR power?
Yes. Does anyone not?
@5,
Are you serious? He clearly has the power; he also, to me, has sort of a whiplash swing that seemingly would create a lot of backspin. Obviously, he hasn’t been driving the ball, probably due to injuries and mechanical issues, but he certainly has the power to hit home runs.
#5 – why wouldnt he be able to? 20yr old rookies dont hit 30hr’s
@3
Just trying to avoid back to back lefties.
sdp,
Nope. I think he has 40 HR potential. He takes a lot of pitches that he could flat out murder. Eventually he will see that, and that is when the MVP’s start rolling in.
I also think he has killed some pitched of late that have been right at people. (Wow, that sounded like something Bobby would say)
Once again Kimbrel demonstrated that his problems from command are far from over….
I’m not worried about Heyward.
With as many times as I’ve looked at them, Greg Maddux stats always blow my mind (MLBTR mentioned that two years ago he was traded so I got sucked into his stats). His 96 & 97 with only 9/11 HRs allowed and 20/28 BBs just blow my mind.
Halladay has a shot at a sub-30 walk season this year (he’s at 22), and Cliff Lee only has 10 so far all season between his two teams. Josh Johnson & Jubaldo have a shot at sub 10 HRs allowed seasons this year (they sit at 7 each right now).
Re: Heyward… yes, as everybody else has stated, he’s got the power it’s just a matter of health and age.
Uhh, guys? Has ever HIT 30 home runs? NO! Stands to reason he never will. It’s fucking logic.
#11 – true, but he’s demonstrated that he’s capable of missing a LOT of bats, which of course, is something Farnsworth cant accomplish
Woo. I incensed people!
:'(
I posed the question in the wrong way. Maybe I should have phrased it differently.
I’m not sure how you were trying to ask it, unless you were trying to ask if anyone still thinks he’ll hit 30 HR this year. The answer to that would clearly be no.
Looking ahead at the Col series the matchups look pretty good:
Hudson vs. Hammel
Lowe vs. DeLaRosa
Jurrjens vs. Rogers
CarGo is our with a knee contusion but may be back before our series.
I’ll be thrilled with a 4-2 roadtrip but 5-1 is not impossible.
o’flaherty activated and dunn’s done…back to AAA. weird move to me, but i’m not the gm.
Happened to be watching a recent Rockies game. Every time Tulowitzki came up, the announcers turned on the orgasmatron. Struck out weakly each time.
NL Leaders in Ground Ball/Fly Ball Ratio:
1 Skip Schumaker StL 3.22 ( 174/54 )
2 Ryan Theriot LAD 2.54 ( 216/85 )
3 Michael Bourn Hou 2.40 ( 192/80 )
4 Chris Coghlan Fla 2.38 ( 143/60 )
5 Nyjer Morgan Was 2.34 ( 164/70 )
6 Yadier Molina StL 2.18 ( 170/78 )
7 Jason Heyward Atl 1.97 ( 152/77 )
8 Russell Martin LAD 1.93 ( 141/73 )
9 Marlon Byrd ChC 1.85 ( 202/109 )
10 Hanley Ramirez Fla 1.85 ( 203/110 )
Until Jason makes it off this list, he’s not going to have elite power numbers. Obviously he can still be a valuable player, but his swing is going to have to evolve somewhat to be the prototypical corner power bat.
Aside: And you can see why Hanley has lost 100 points of SLG this season.
Call me dim, what does that Ground ball/Fly Ball ratio tell us?
Here’s the inverse list for reference, FlyBall/Ground Ball Ratio:
1 Aramis Ramirez ChC 66.67 ( 156/234 )
2 Mark Reynolds Ari 63.86 ( 129/202 )
3 Jonny Gomes Cin 63.11 ( 142/225 )
4 Alfonso Soriano ChC 62.39 ( 146/234 )
5 Clint Barmes Col 59.65 ( 136/228 )
6 Josh Willingham Was 59.13 ( 136/230 )
7 Ryan Ludwick SD 58.45 ( 121/207 )
8 Adam Dunn Was 58.37 ( 136/233 )
9 Chris Young Ari 57.00 ( 167/293 )
10 Colby Rasmus StL 56.68 ( 106/187 )
Obviously more power hitters, although it’s probably best not to be on either Top 10 list. Chipper is 13th on the flyball list, Glaus is 20th.
#24 – a lot of strikeout guys on that list
Fun fact:
Derrek Lee needs only 5 RBI for 1000 in his career. Here’s hoping he makes it today.
and wagner only needs 3k’s to be the all time strikeout leader as a lh’r
@24
Hey look, Barmes. Count me out on Clint — the margin by which he’s “better” than Diory or Hicks would be overwhelmed by the increased likelihood of his actually playing.
AND we’ll be playing in Chicago where Glavine got his 300th win playing for a different team… so Lee & Wagner hitting their big milestones while playing for their “non-historical” team seems a PERFECT way for things to go this weekend
Honestly that is what bummed me out most about Chipper’s injury he was 9 RBI from 1500 and 10 hits from 2500. Was looking forward to him reaching those.
I just talked to my evil twin in an alternate dimension, and HIS Atlanta Braves just got Manny Ramirez. Unfortunately, he thinks they’re about to get nuked by the Soviets on the moon.
So things could be worse.
csg, what are you referring to? K leader as a reliever?
Robert, is there a month to month source on that stat? I am curious if his numbers changed with the thumb injury.
@31
Alex, please check with AAAR to see if Jeffy is still the most beloved Brave.
AAAR tells me that Jeff Francoeur suffered a tragic career-ending injury after running into the wall at Evil Wrigley Field. He’s now a well-regarded scout and roving hitting instructor in the Braves organization, considered by many to be the logical heir apparent to the Braves’ manager, Jon Schuerholz Jr.
Wouldn’t it be ARAAR? (Alternate Reality Another Alex R)… or if Jeffy is a hitting instructor and the Soviets are on the moon threatening to nuke maybe SARAAR (Shitty Alternate Reality Another Alex R).
Just so long as we’re clear that it’s the alternate reality that’s shitty, rather than the Alternate Alex R.
With some of the decisions I’ve made my alternate reality must be awesome.
yeah, lefty relievers
Robert, is there a month to month source on that stat? I am curious if his numbers changed with the thumb injury.
It’s probably out there, but I can’t easily find it.
Bobby’s offering for today:
Infante 4
Heyward 9
Prado 5
Lee 3
McCann 2
Weeping, Gnashing of Teeth 6
Melk 7
Ankiel 8
JJ 1
gotcha, thanks guys.
What about an alternate reality where Jeff is POTUS? (Mac had him being an engineer and so forth, but what about this? With his looks and smile, that would be all he needs. After all, he has the presidential face.)
Heyward’s GB/FB ratio per month
April: 1.13
May: 1.33
June: 0.94
July: 1.61
August: 1.56
Total: 1.26 (154/122)
Those are from ESPN, but doesn’t match Robert’s numbers, so I’m not sure if they count stuff differently.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/sort/groundToFlyRatio/type/sabermetric
Those are from ESPN, but doesn’t match Robert’s numbers, so I’m not sure if they count stuff differently.
I’m sure they do. Every site out there does it a little differently.
It does look like the injury might have a role in Heyward’s groundball tendencies. Which is good in that the issue might correct itself eventually.
Back from Atlantic City…
Highlight of the Trip: Watching Melky’s walk-off single (on the MLB iPhone app) at the bar of The Casbah club with a Mets fan & a Phillies fan. Watching the on-field celebration, I was overcome with a somewhat perverse notion, so I said, “Drinks on me!”
Of course, I made them both join me in a toast for… Melky Cabrera.
I got disgusted looks & shaking heads, but they did it, then they downed their drinks.
Thanks, Melky.
I envy people not in the giagntic blackout zone who can watch Braves games on the phone. It’s been pretty common this season for me to miss most of the game then catch it later on my laptop/phone/Roku. If I could use my phone live, like for any non-Braves game on the planet, I’d be a lot happier.
Sometimes I opt for the radio feed, but it really isn’t as good as watching it live. No Chip on the radio, though, in the times I’ve listened, which is a plus.
Did that graphic just say “Coming up Tim McCarver talks baseball”? I appreciate the warning at least, I can find something else to do for a few minutes.
46 — Yeah, I just turned on the tv and saw Chip and Tim. Yikes.
Chip and McCarver together? Good thing I skipped lunch.
Vacationing in Myrtle Beach this week. Too bad the Pelicans have been out of town all week. I think they’re just getting back into town tonight. Don’t think I’ll make it…
Chip Caray and Tim McCarver… looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
Nice shot of a pre-game Bobby Cox yawn there. I usually don’t start do that until our offense gets involved.
So much for not bunting with J-Hey in the 2 spot.
Hey! A ground ball out from Heyward. Thanks for sticking to my narrative Jason.
-Yawn-
Lee sucks. FIRE WREN!
Damn I thought he nailed that one,
spoiling lead off doubles, there’s nothing like it
We need to quit hitting leadoff doubles.
Nifty DP there. Prado plays a nice 3B.
I’m kind of excited to see Martin play 3rd for the rest of the year. It’s his best position, defensively, from what I’ve seen.
Way to make him work, guys!
url,
BTW, “Southern Rock Opera” remains my favorite road-trip record. Thanks for that.
Francouer would have made that play…
That didn’t work. Bobby is not amused by the slug bunt.
Who does Bobby think Jurrjens is, Martin Prado?
Wow, Ankiel got on base… annnnd double play. Awesome.
what happened there?
Nice work O!
All-Star Omar Infante!
OMAR SAVES THE DAY!
All-Star
at least Infante is a beast!
Too bad there weren’t, oh, what do you call them, runners on base.
what happened there?
JJ squared to bunt, then pulled it back and did the slug bunt. Tapper right back to the mound for an easy DP. Bobby looks upset like JJ did that on his own.
Yeah, JJ probably shouldn’t have tried to be fancy.
Skippy doesn’t make that play.
Just logged on to say: We’re bunting with Prado and swinging away, playing for the big inning, with Jair? OK…
I venture to say Francoeur doesn’t make that one.
All-Star defense by Jason!
The outfielder wins that argument New Guy.
Wow… Melky and AAG just bumped into one another. They weren’t going fast, but boy did they look surprised. Thank goodness Alex held on.
3IP – 32 pitches for JJ
3IP – 32 pitches for Dempster
Powell’s description of the collision is pretty great. Powell’s description of everything is pretty great. He just switched off play-by-play to Sutton, and I am sad.
Somebody ask Bobby why he didn’t bunt!
ububba, Thanks. I tried my best to capture that magical moment in time.
Ronny Paulino suspended for use of performance-enhancing drugs. That was enhanced?
AAAAAAAG!
gamecast just showed AAG’s ground rule double going about 30 rows deep over the fence
ankiel is 7 for his last 16. time to lay off for a bit.
Joey, agreed. Powell’s a very decent play-by-play guy. I still like Sutton as a color commentator, even though he recycles himself way too much. But he’s not much good at describing play-by-play. Powell’s actually good at the descriptions, and then he says remarkable things like, “I like sabermetrics.”
Thanks for explaining to Chip how odd numbers work Joe. Just don’t expect him to remember it tomorrow.
AAG!!! I HATE YOU AND YOUR EXTRA BASE HITS!
oopsie
So, does anyone want to trade Derek Lowe for Aramis Ramirez now?
Sutton barely mentions the action on the field while he’s reliving old war stories. When he goes beyond what I can read on mlb.com, it’s typically a cliche that could mean a hundred different things.
He’s not terrible as a color guy, though, and Powell’s pretty special at play-by-play. Powell’s also pretty good about cutting Sutton off when something on the field happens.
I know nothing about this last homer besides the fact that it didn’t stay in the park. I can’t wait for them to switch back.
jurrjens is forgetting how to win
Talk about an awesome radio guy. They were talking about something in the stadium, a billboard about Bobby Cox. Powell took a picture of it and put it on his twitter.
Tweets by Jim_Powell
He has such a gun.
Way to go, Rick!
Woah. Ankiel made a defensive play that helped the team.
I can be converted.
Derrek has hit the ball pretty hard twice, even if he has been hitting it right at people.
How close did that one come to going out?
gamecast showed BMac’s fly ball over the fence, was it close?
It wasn’t that close. The guy went to the lip of the warning track and took a half-step in to haul it in. It was sort of a pop fly that the wind pushed a little bit, but not nearly enough.
Melky appears to be channeling his inner Garret Anderson.
This is the worst I can remember Jair looking since coming off the DL. Which says a lot about how awesome he’s been.
well this pretty much sucks
Jurrjens isn’t quite as sharp today.
Off the topic of today’s game:
I was just offered tickets to the Braves game on August 28th. According to Ticketmaster, the game is starting at 4:10. ESPN.com and AtlantaBraves.com have it starting at 7:10. Does anyone have any insight as to the correct starting time?
It’s a night game. Fox was going to show it but they changed their minds.
I believe it was changed just yesterday.
Thanks, Mac.
Dempster threw 5 balls to AGony there — and struck him out.
Not much better from Melky.
This would be a good time for Ankiel’s first Braves homer.
gamecast = Chip
Wow.
I predict Bobby leaves in Jair too long.
Chip can sing on pitch. I’m shocked.
Kudos to Chip for saying “Bravos” instead of “Cubbies” in leading “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
Who else thought he was gonna say “Cubbies”?
I was sure he was going to say Cubbies.
Chicago hates Chip.
so does ATL
Did I hear him say “it’s one, two, three, four strikes you’re safe”?
Melky, LOL.
I tune in and the first thing I see is Melky running from the ball.
I think Melky was just an intentional dick to the Cubs’ bleacher fans.
I love it.
This is pathetic.
We have been taking some awful swings the past few innings. Not looking good.
Considering Philadelphia has Halladay pitching tonight against Washington and Zombie Jason Marquis, we need this one.
That wasn’t even close to being a strike.
Don’t hold your breath–not on the road, anyway.
did he just pull another pitch
I heard that on the radio they mentioned Marquis wasn’t starting and Washington had called someone up. Can anyone confirm this, ESPN still lists Marquis.
does Lee bunt Prado over if he gets on?
It would make more sense than having Prado bunt yesterday did.
bunt, bunt, bunt
I fully expect two walks and three strikeouts this inning.
D-Lee, swinging through belt-high fastballs, Glaus-style!
shouldve bunted
Not quite Glaus-style, he wasn’t 3 seconds late.
He wasn’t on time either.
I thought his cuts looked pretty good, he just missed. Those balls were moving.
What are the chances that AGony doesn’t strike out here? -14%?
Prado and McCann are everything that’s right with this team this season. Take the base.
@138 You’re right on track so far.
I say pinch hit Ross for Gonzalez. He has to come into the game anyway, and Hernandez is already in the game.
Is Gonzalez going to take the base, too? That would be awesome.
What are the chances that Melky doesn’t hit into a first-pitch DP? -14%?
I’m not on track anymore. None of those pitches were close to Gonzalez, but McCann’s fourth ball was… close.
marmol is my favorite cubby.
swinging at the 1st pitch again, were any of those strikes?
Now the Melkman is going to swing at the first pitch
melky is my least favorite brave.
Melky with some more late-inning heroics? Not quite
Honestly, Melky didn’t look like a major leaguer on that at bat. That was horrendous.
HAHAHA.. Awesome
FUCK GUYS!
3 balls to ankiel…yet it’s 1-2.
He’s got sick stuff if he keeps it around the plate.
Melky/Ankiel/Pitcher’s Spot = Really Bad.
Gonzalez – four lay offs – four balls.
Melky – three swings – three strikes.
I take it back!
That’s what I’m talking about!!!
BOOM!
Go Ankiel. He just won the game.
All three of the pitches to Melky were borderline, according to Gamecast.
I LOVE HIM!!! I WILL LOVE HIM FOREVER!!!
EDIT: No, seriously. If anyone ever bad-mouths Rick Ankiel on this blog, they will have to contend with me.
ANKIEL ANKIEL ANKIEL THAT’S MY BOY!
YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!
Pretty good for a pitcher.
Three-run triple and an outfield assist — I f’in hate Ankiel!
Saaaweeeeet!
IRKAK ANKIEL!! ~~! !!!! ~! ~!~!!#!#!##!
ricky!!!!
The former redbird circles the nest.
LMAO
Just this once I’m happy to hear Chip’s uber excitement.
Yahoo scared me for a second by claiming that Ankiel struck out
seriuosly, can you guys officially lay off ankiel?
This is what I feared–a team that just got wiped out would pull themselves together (with their best pitcher). And the Braves just cannot hit, especially on the road.
lol, sdp. I’m tempted to start calling him Irkak now.
With Glaus DL’d, is Hinske the new corpse?
@171, you had to sit on that line an awful long time.
I’m thinking Ankiel gets a one-week pass guys. At least.
marc, ankiel just hit a double to take the lead. shove off.
It says on Yahoo that Ankiel struck out swinging…what happened because I can’t watch it from overseas…
Chip described Marmol as being “greeted with a standing boo.” Heh.
180—lolwat?
Have Ankiel pitch the 9th!!!! He’s got the mojo.
Not a Ankiel fan, but Good AB, and some good hustle today.
Props to Rick
HUMAN TEAMMATE ANKIEL RICK DEMONSTRATES MEANING OF HUMAN CLICHE:HEART
Chip is still horrific.
Braves have been killing my fantasy closers lately. I guess I can overlook it.
3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 3 runs. Reminds me of Nuke Laloosh.
why wouldnt Bobby use Ross instead of Hinske there? Bobby had already pulled Bmac for Diory, right?
Whichever gametracker the AJC uses said Ankiel struck out too. Between seeing that and reading the responses here I didn’t know what the hell was going on.
@186
-Bases clearing triple by Ankiel. And, uh, although I’m not the most frequent poster, I’ve been “Ben” here for a few years now.
The Phillies MLB message board is hilarious right now.
ankiel with a bases clearing triple to take the lead 5-3. is that you davey?
“Darwin Barney”? Are we sure the Cubs aren’t making fun of us?
@192, you really shouldn’t be putting those closers in your lineup when they play the Braves. Well, unless they play the Pirates the same week.
WTF IS A DARWIN BARNEY?
Hmm. C’mon, Billy, please don’t give Marc any additional ammo!
Ryan:
I have to stay under the radar…
DG
You do realize that the reason he got that double was because I badmouthed the team, don’t you? 🙂
chip: “AND ANKIEL THE FORMER REDBIRD HAS *PAUSE* CIRCLED THE NEST.”
Marc, your pessimism is like lucky underwear.
Nady looked like Melky right there.
202—The weird thing is that you posted a minute or two after he got the hit (a triple).
It’s like breathing through your eye-lids.
The Cubs have sent three hitters to the plate this inning: Darwin, Xavier, and Koyie. I’m pretty sure “Irkak” can’t be far behind.
one more K and Wagner is your all time LH reliever K guy
I may start posting as me again…I made a fool of myself about 4 or 5 years ago on here because I was partial to wins as a good pitching stat….not anymore. Damn Yahoo still shows the Braves down 3-2 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. FYI, I’m in Kuwait and using refresh on Yahoo and Braves Journal just to keep up with the game. Yahoo kept it as Ankiel striking out and the end of the top half, but then Hinske came up again.
has anyone mentioned how resilient this team is?
Wagner > Marmol
Now there’s a victory! Thank you, Carlos Marmol!
Ballgame!
I am fired up. I’m gonna go print out and kiss a picture of Rick Ankiel.
can we get Blanco back now?
This team is absurd.
@200 a purple dinosaur
Three walks became three runs in the ninth. Melky needs to learn from these guys.
@199 – Truthfully I didn’t even think about Marmol facing the Braves this weekend. I should have known though. He either gets a three strikeout save, or he has a day like today where he can’t do anything. Nothing in between.
As I have said before, Billy Wagner is an elite closer and this is a hell of a hitting team! 🙂
Now, all we need is for Jason Marquis to beat Roy Halladay. It could happen.
They showed a replay of that Ankiel throw–just, wow. Damn what a cannon.
As for Marmol, when they quoted his strikeout and innings pitched numbers I thought it was a mistake, so I went and looked it up. His K/9 is 16.3. 16.3! That’s insane. Nobody has ever struck out more than 15 per 9 innings before.
I listened to the game on radio. Did a giant purple Galápagos tortoise reach base in the 9th for the cubs? If so, advancing to second on a pitch was impressive.
Chip: “Rick Ankiel used to frustrate those of us with plays like that who worked for the Cubs!”
Um, Chip, Ankiel hadn’t made the big leagues as an outfielder yet before you left WGN.
@224, ouch. Nice one.
224—Yeah, I wondered about that. Sigh. He’s just so awful.
Cubs 3, Braves 2. WP Moylan, LP Marmol, SV Wagner.
Looks great Yahoo, don’t change a thing.
@224: wtf I can’t even decipher that.
Chip said that Ankiel frustrated Cubs employees like Chip with hits like that when he played for the Cards. Chip never worked for the Cubs when Ankiel was a hitter.
Recapped.