After looking just a little shaky his last time out, Jair Jurrjens was back in Maddux Mode tonight, and how. He even added in a few nifty defensive plays, just like the master. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to knock down the one-out single up the middle in the seventh that was the Orioles’ only hit. As it was, he settled for a one-hit, one-walk (he was actually perfect through five), eight-strikeout complete game shutout. It will do.
The Braves needed it, because for most of the night they didn’t do much more with the bats than the Orioles. In fact, when the perfect game was broken up by a leadoff walk in the sixth, the Braves had had just two baserunners of their own; Brian McCann, the best catcher in baseball, with a two-out walk in the first, and Alex Gonzalez with a two-out single in the second.
But in the sixth, Jordan Schafer singled with one out. And Jason Heyward, finally, unloaded on one, hitting a no-doubt homer to center to make it 2-0. In the seventh, Freddie Freeman led off with a walk, but Fredi Freakazoid decided, yet again, to send Freeman on a 3-2 count with Uggla at the plate, and Uggla of course struck out, something he did all four times he came to the plate tonight. And then AAG doubled down the line, Nate McLouth was walked, and Jurrjens struck out.
But in the eighth, Schafer led off with another single, and Heyward followed with one of his own to make it first-and-third. The LOOGY they brought in then (why not to start the inning?) got McCann after a battle, but Chipper singled in Schafer to make it first and second. Freeman hit a grounder to first, and Derrek Lee, who at this point in his career really should know to take the out, stupid, tried to turn the impossible double play. Instead, he bounced the throw off of Chipper’s helmet, allowing Heyward to score and make it second and third, one out. Fortunately for the Orioles, old Automatic Strikeout Dan was there to prevent further damage, and AAG also struck out.
That was a long inning, over twenty minutes, and Kimbrel was warming up, but Fredi sent Jurrjens out to finish it anyway. Maybe he was feeling nostalgic. Anyway, it worked out great, and Jurrjens finished things up in a hurry, needing, I think, only eleven pitches; he threw 112 on the day, 77 of them for strikes. A masterpiece.
Let’s not trade him!
Waaah! Why’d we trade Andy mAAArte for Edgar Renteria? Joe Sheenan said we were dumb!
Game score of 92 (unless I’m doin’ it wrong). Maddux only had 4 over 90 in his career. Cy Young had a 90 once.
@2
I don’t know what to make of that. Were you responding to me in some way?
It’s Yankees 5, Mets 1 in the 9th and 1) Rivera’s pitching and 2) Reyes is hitting right-handed against him.
Great game!
A no-hitter wouldn’t have been truly Maddux, so there’s that too.
@3, yeah, when’s the last time a Braves pitcher had a game score of 90 or more?
Oh, right. May.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=310504315
JJ had two more strikeouts.
Your move, Hanson. Time to join the cool kids’ 90+ club.
Bethany, in response to your question of the last thread, 1st, take the job 2nd, ask them when they would like you to start. depending on what you have already told them about your current employer, they might get worried about an employee who leaves their previous job with no notice, especially if they are accustomed to treating people fairly.
bottom line, loyalty is a human trait, not a corporate one. do what is best for you and yours in the long run.
and good for you for moving on from a brutal experience. cheers
Bethany be professional. and what kruger said.
liking this team. Brian McCann, best catcher in baseball. good to see heyward hit something besides a single.
Did anyone see video of our old friends Matty D. and Frosty the Tips?
http://atmlb.com/jagCRG
It would really warm my heart to watch Heyward go on a power tear and get his ops back up in the 800s. I could really use that right now. Looks good so far.
@Bethany – If the new place is worth its salt, they’ll have no problem giving you time to finish things up at the old hell hole, and I’d be worried about the implications for future personal freedoms if they did.
@4- Yeah I went back last thread to see who D.N. Nation was trying ridicule.
I don’t see what trading Andy Marte has to do with trading Jair.
Marte for Renteria and next Renteria for JJ. Bit obtuse
Bethany,
Run, don’t walk, to the new job. I’ve seen your situation a thousand times and you’re being used as an art-slave.
Big-hearted creatives are easy marks. I suspect you fit that description. Don’t put up with it. Ever.
Bethany, I’ve been a working designer for 11 years now. I’ve switched jobs twice in that span and tried to give proper notice each time because I wanted to keep the door open should I ever want to return. They were professional corporate environments, not at all like your current situation. I’ve also known designers who have up and quit on a moment’s notice because their portfolios were strong enough that they knew they could get away with it. In other words, their portfolios say everything about them that any AD would want to know. My advice would just be to make sure Job A gives you all the money you’re owed before you jet off to Job B.
@11, I gotta side with Escobar on that one. Diaz’s previous slide was kind of a dick move, then he really tried to karate kick him the 2nd time.
Full disclosure, I’ve never been a fan of the whole take-out slide deal. Just because I can get my pinkie on the bag doesn’t make trying to destroy a guy’s knee any more just. And then you have guys like Victorino who will gun for your legs while not even being in the same area code as the bag. I remember Ryan Freel doing that a bunch too. Umps never seem to call it though.
@15- Yeah, I, thought of that. But what’s the take-away? Trade everyone because the guy coming back might throw a one-hitter someday?
The best I can come up with is, if we weren’t willing to trade Marte, Jair wouldn’t be here.
But Marte was an unproven prospect, traded for a veteran who was established, and making a little coin, but less coin than the departing Furcal.
Then Renteria became an almost-done and still expensive vet, and one we had a league minimum replacement for, that we traded for a prospect.
Neither of those trades has anything to do with trading Jair. This is a young established star, just entering arbitration, and isn’t making any coin; exactly the kind of player you want to collect. The kind of player you HOPE Teheran will BECOME.
He’s neither unproven, nor expensive. Marte and Renteria are terrible comps.
@18 Completely disagree. Diaz’s first slide was perfectly fine, he kept the cleats away and didn’t hit him hard, just obstructed a bit. What Escobar did, on the other hand, was an incredible dick move that had NO baseball justification whatsoever. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite that blatantly absurd.
But good on Diaz for being classy enough not to sock him in the mouth like he deserved and just trot off the field like a true professional.
Thank you all for your advice regarding the job. The new gig is actually a month-long freelance thing, the half I’m getting up front is more than I’d make in my remaining time at the current job.
The question isn’t so much on whether or not I could continue for the two weeks and then start the new job, it’s if I can stand to walk through the door again. I wouldn’t ever want to ask them for a reference after my experience, and they’ve so poorly mismanaged their clients so far that I’m not sure a reference would mean much anyways. They’ve already managed to run off the (unpaid!) design intern. Seeing as they’ve been unable to keep a schedule with my paychecks and I had to beg for my check today, there’s no way I’ll get paid for the past 5 days of work. I would have to show up with someone from the BBB.
I would be leaving them in a huge lurch but after everything that’s happened I’m struggling to care. I do not want to repay bad treatment with more bad treatment, however, so I’m conflicted.
“At Will” employment works both ways
Diaz’s slide was a complete dick move. If more SS or 2bs did what Escobar did maybe people would stop trying to pull of ridiculous take out slides like that. Diaz was doing nothing close to trying to get to the bag with his slide, his sole goal was to kick Escobar.
I always thought JJ would become a poor version of Maddux, but this is too good to be true.
Well, a poor version of Maddux can still be pretty good. JJ has certainly turned in a CY caliber season so far. Who would have expected that?
Huh. Well, the totality of what I meant to express was…we’ve talked about trading him, but he sure is good and I enjoy watching him, so let’s not. I see now that my language was murky, likely to mask an ancient and incoherent agenda, and for that I apologize.
I love me some Prado!
“Meanwhile, Prado had some good news to share: his mother has been granted a 10-year permit — he didn’t know what the legal, technical term was — to join him in the United States whenever he is here. Prado has been extremely worried about the safety of his mother in his native Venezuela. To the point that, in 2009, he missed most of August with what was diagnosed then as exertional headaches. He had a CT scan and saw a neurosurgeon. No one thought it was related to his mother until she was allowed to join him in Atlanta. And then the headaches stopped.”
Hmmm … are there any indications that this year’s staph infection has anything to do with this issue?
Glad that’s off his mind. Now he can go out and play at an All-Star level. Oh, wait …
OK, I’ll weight in: What Diaz did was fine. That Yunel got pissed is fine. But I’d guess that Yunel’s teammates would’ve preferred that he try to complete the DP, instead of settling a score.
Onward & upward to .600 ball…
Here’s a thought that must haunt Tigers fans these days: a Verlander-Jurrjens top-of-the-rotation.
I speculate that when they were Braves, Matt Diaz played a role in trying to whip Yunel into a respectable ballplayer, and that’s where Yunel’s resentment starts.
Diaz’s first slide was borderline but the punch on the second slide should have earned an ejection or a plunking.
Re last thread on Fredi’s managing–many of the comments rightly focused on pitching and pen usage. Then there is the matter of all the wasted outs on bunts and steals. An offense this bad needs all 27.
@26- I understood what you were talking about. And I don’t want to trade Jurrjens. I was confused as to why D.N. Nation would compare a scenario of trading Jair to when we traded Marte. If that’s what he was doing. I don’t know.
Ah, Jurrjens is just lucky.
@ 21
I seldom post here but felt compelled to weigh in because I have been in similar situations. I am a firm believer in treating others as I would want to be treated…but the conflict would come from the fact that I would never treat an employee as you have been treated. I’ve quit jobs with a four week notice, two week notice, and a immediate notice (in writing, not kicking stuff over while walking out the door or anything). I definitely think that submitting a written statement that you will be leaving is acceptable even if your timetable is under two weeks. If I’m you and my boss decided to take a month long motorcycle sabbatical but cant pay my checks, they have forfeited the courtesy of my working out a final two weeks. Treating them as I would want to be treated still applies, because if I am ever that selfish and treat an employee that poorly I don’t deserve the privilege of being in charge of people. They already had an intern leave, and if that isn’t a wake up call then maybe your departure will be. They’ll either adapt and improve or continue to operate like this way and will eventually fail completely.
Seeing Gonzalez finally get a hit in the last game in Seattle, followed by 2 more last night, I hope he might be heating up again.
It’s hard to remember, because he’s been so bad lately, but Gonzalez actually had a 40 game stretch, from April 25 to June 10 where he hit .297 (47/158.)
Really, if you broke that stretch down, he had 2 15 or so game stretches where he hit .330, separated by 2 or 3 0’fers and a 1 for 5.
It’d be nice to get that production at the bottom of the order for a couple weeks again.
@35 Thank you, Jp, for the words of wisdom. I greatly appreciate your perspective and advice.
I’m glad to hear Prado’s mother will be able to come over to the U.S. I remember reading an article during ST that Prado was very unhappy after his trip back to Venezuala during the offseason, and that people were jealous of his success and it was affecting his family:
http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2011/03/02/braves-prado-sees-success-lead-to-problems-in-venezuela/
I hope that having her here reduces his stress and brings him a lot of joy.
Heyward looked like his May-self in the first few games after returning from the should injury, but in the last 10 or 11 games he has hit .300 with some power. Meanwhile, the team has averaged more than 4 runs per game in that span as well–and won all but twice. The two trends are related, methinks.
1 – I don’t want to trade him either, at least not during the 2011 season, but his sub-2 ERA won’t last–the LOB percentage and BABIP will each regress, obviously.
That said, I think Jurrjens should remain sub-3 ERA pitcher for the remainder of the season. I’m very heartened to see the k-rate inching upwards, and believe he’ll maintain his top-of-the-rotation results so long as his control stays elite.
Yeah, since the last game of the Texas series, Heyward is 13 for 42, .309, plus 5 walks.
Anyone see the Rays get royally screwed last night? Awful umpiring at its finest.
JJ’s fastball was under 90 most of the night, but he was (obviously) very effective.
Another Maddux move – trade speed for movement unless you can consistently approach 100. Even then …
Still wish Kimbrell had a changeup.
Any of you legal eagles know what happened to the IMF head case? (That may actually be a quadruple entendre.)
I think we should trade JJ and maybe get Mike Cameron!
@43 – I heard they released him without bail, but froze his passport so he can’t the U.S. He will still be tried.
It is looking doubtful that there will be a trial. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504943_162-20076032-10391715.html
@33 – I think he was mocking the critics of the Marte trade, since it indirectly led to acquiring Jurrjens. It’s not like anyone anticipated Jurrjens when they made the Marte deal, but it is worth remembering whenever a trade is made for a veteran that there might be some future value to be extracted at the end of the veteran’s contract.
@47 agree I like JJ’s approach, changes speed, location and effective curve, sinker and fastball. The key was location, location, location. Happy for pen to get 2 days off in a row.
@47, Marte turned into a bust, despite a tremendous minor league career. Renteria recovered from 2 straight poor seasons to have the 3rd and 4th best seasons of his career. JS chased an inside straight – I am happy he made it, but it’s no indicator of some inner genius.
The Renteria for JJ trade however, full marks to JS, but it’s actually a lot more defensible for the Tigers than many here remember. Renteria was fully back to form, and played a premium position. The Tigers had a lot of good looking young pitching in Verlander, Bonderman and Galarraga, and it let them move Guillen to 3rd, and have a lineup with Sheffield, Ordonez, Cabrera, Guillen, I-Rod, Edgar, and Polanco. Not a bad bet for them – it didn’t pan out, but it is a cautionary tale of acquiring power hitting poor defending middle infielders over 30 – apparently one that was lost on the current regime.
And at least the Tigers mitigated their loss on the deal by not signing Edgar to an extension.
Ehhhm.. Edgar when the Tigers acquired him and Uggla when the Braves acquired him… not really apples to apples there.
2 hours 19 minutes game last night, quickest in majors. Half the games were 3 hours+. Makes it more enjoyable
Lisp down, Gearrin up. I don’t really get it…Gearrin should definitely be here, but he should be taking Procter’s place, not Martinez’s.