Philadelphia vs. Atlanta Braves – July 28, 2012
This is another one-sentence recap because I’m on vacation in a place without internet except on my phone but if Mike Minor could be the guy he was in April and July, not the guy he was in May and June, then we’d have something to dream on.
Or maybe I should just keep dreaming.
Blow it up, Ruben!
I can live with Hudson Sheets Hanson Medlen and Minor. So just go get some relief and bench help and call it a day.
Braves are 10-5 since the All-Star Break.
Minor, Venters and Delgardo have improved recently. Coincidence or does someone deserve credit? Sheets has added change up.
Could use a hard throwing late inning RHP and a RHB off the bench.
Interesting thing is how dramatically the Braves have improved on base-stealing this year. Heyward has stolen 14 out of 19 bases this year after stealing 9 out of 11 last year and 11 out of 17 in 2010. Even more dramatic improvement is Prado – he’s stolen 13 out of 14 this year after stealing 13 out of 28 in his career before this year. Who is working with the Braves on stealing this year? I would think he deserves some credit.
#6 – They probably are listening to Bourn.
BTW, Liriano is off the board. White Sox just traded for him.
Was at the game again tonight. Aside from the Utley homer (which happens with Minor), Minor looked to be in total control. If he keeps this up, Hudson-Hanson-Sheets-Minor is not bad for a 4-man rotation. It’s that 5th man that the Braves need to figure out, whether it’s Medlen, JJ, or ???.
Oh, Mikie, you so-and-so.
Medlen > Jurrjens/Delgado
Still holding out hope the Braves acquire someone good.
Medlen to replace Jurrjens in Braves’ rotation.
http://www.wtvm.com/story/19138242/medlen-to-replace-jurrjens-in-braves-rotation
It’s a good move, but Medlen sure pitched some valuable late innings out of the bullpen; innings that will now be filled by iffy-Venters and Durbin.
If Medlen to the rotation is permanent then there will have to be upgrades made to the pen.
Remember, this is the team we spoke of last year as having a what, 10-man rotation? This was before the Lowe trade and the Beachy injury, but the concept remains. The only problem is we don’t know who the best are. But the team is on such a good roll. Season high 12-games over .500, if i’m reading that right. Let’s just see ’em sort it out. Hudson, Hanson, Sheets, Minor, Medlen, Delgado – they’ve all put in a few great performances this year. And there’s still Teheran, maybe catches fire as a September callup? Maybe all is not lost if we don’t go get someone. I kinda trust Wren at this point. I forget if people around here like him or not – i’ve sorta been absent from the boards this year. But he’s made some nice moves. I’m not as stressed about we need to make a move. We’ve still got Bourn from that cracker of a deal last year, and maybe if we’re not chasing some putative ace, we can resign him.
Put another way, what other team could absorb having Jurrjens of first-half 2011 turning into Jurrjens of 2012? We literally can replace him. Go Braves.
Well said, Troy.
I’m a little worried that Medlen will be an upgrade over Jurrjens, but not by enough to get us where we need to go.
But for now, let’s take a second to reflect on what’s going on here: The Braves are eliminating the Phillies. In July. How AWESOME is that? Feels tremendous, if you ask me.
So, goodbye, you eminently detestable team, and good riddance. You thought you could have a run like our fabled playoff streak, but you can’t, because you suck. Your one WS win is the same as ours, and you signed a great deal of your aging core to huge deals and traded away almost all of the wave of younger players that could’ve helped you to stay on top right now — except for the pitcher with the stupid goggles and the stupider name and the top-five-prospect hitter whose development you managed so poorly that he’s still in the INT league at age 25 with 5 HR. Know that when you have to trade Victorino or Pence or — better still — Rollins, over the next few days, I will be cackling with glee. /rant
Looks like the FO saw something in Minor that so many here, fooled by results, missed. Good on them.
Now I look forward to the hysteria that accompanies the coming of the trade deadline.
If anyone here ever gets a chance to hike the Dingle Way, do it. What an incredible experience! Today is the day we blow every trade out of the water and scoop up Reed Johnson, Shawn Camp, and Ryan Dempster for scraps…because that’s what the Cubs do.
Have you guys taken a look at Minor’s stats over his last 4 starts?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=minormi01&year=2012&t=p#total_extra::none
2-1, 1.98 ERA, 27.1 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 26 K, 0.732 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 6.60 K/BB
Dude is pitching out of his mind right now, but he’s not getting lucky. Striking many more than he’s walked. I like what I’m seeing.
Minor has been really impressive. That may have been the near start of his career.
*best. Damn it.
Medlen’s not afraid to be aggressive. I like that.
Wanna brighten your day?
Check out Craig Kimbrel’s 2012 season, so far:
40 G, 40 IP, 30/32 Saves, 0-1, 1.35 ERA
16 H, 67 K, 10 BB, 2 HR, ERA+ 301
I mean, really…
Does Xavier Nady have anything left? Since the Nats officially released him today, would/could he help our bench?
Is Moylan anywhere close to being ready?
Adam R’s rant @16 should be posted permanently at the top of the blog.
Bravo, sir.
Alex – just type the words “chop block” and you’ll flush him out.
Moylan had a setback yesterday, he’s on the seven day DL with shoulder tendinitis, according to the official site.
Link (scroll to the very end):
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120728&content_id=35718034¬ebook_id=35724092&vkey=notebook_atl&c_id=atl
#Braves lineup: Bourn CF, Prado LF, Heyward RF, Jones 3B, Freeman 1B, Uggla 2B, Ross C, Janish SS, Hudson P
Wow. Fredi is dumb.
Even I knew what he meant.
Apparently Fredi lost sleep over that.
You can’t make this sh_t up.
Nothing good can come from Twitter Fredi Gonzalez.
Twitter was supposed to be struck through. Oh well.
Ross vanquishes evil!
Great throw Ross!
Not really the time to run, Shane. But thanks…
Dang, Heyward crushed that.
Ka-boom, fer sure…
Dan! Good time to end a slump, but when isn’t it?
Gah, my player skipped over Dan’s AB, but it’s great to see that he did something.
Swing hard, Hulk smash…
Hah!!! Way to go Ross!
I love Chipper.
Yicketty.
Burn in hell
Please, Phillies, trade this Hawaiian waste of skin to the AL.
He’ll get traded to the Giants, which is a team I am fully prepared to hate more than I already do.
I was thinking he might go to the Dodgers, a team most of us will have a hard time hating more than we already do.
@48, I’ve hated the Giants for years. Melky and Victorino belong there.
The other day an old friend from high school posted something about how the Giants are gonna crush the Dodgers. I mentioned that I’d be nervous as hell about the Dodgers if I were a Giants fan, to which he replied, “You must not watch a lot of baseball. The Giants are dominant.” The score that night was 10-0 Dodgers. It felt good.
Oh well. At least Jimmy Rollins has that surefire HOF induction to look forward to one day.
That Ryan Howard contract is going to be beautiful for the next five years.
Gah.
Johnny Vinturs.
You’ve got to be kidding me, Bravos.
Venters is a loogy now?
As FJM would say, Fuck the Heck? You bring Venters in to face a righty and that’s his only batter? I mean, he’s not a LOOGY anyway but if he’s only going to pitch to one guy, why Pence? Did he get hurt? I am so confused.
Whew.
Stupid broken clock.
@57 – Pence was batting for Nix.
Nice play by Janish. I hope we keep him around as the utility guy when Simmons gets back!
Great job by Durbin.
This ump sucks.
Hah!!!! I like a little bit of luck.
huge run there. beg, borrow or steal… i’ll take it however i can get it.
@63: Gary Cederstrom is usually noted for his Sunday games behind the plate.
Freddie!
Freddie!
Fine piece of hitting, Freddie.
Should have pinch-hit for Janish, with Pastornicky already in the game and the chance to score more runs. Yeah, it’s nitpicking, but still.
Guy walks 2 batters, but Janish decides it’s still wise to swing at the first terrible pitch he sees.
Nice job, Durbin.
Why Papelbon? would he bat and pitch ninth in case of comeback?
They must figure that he needs to get some work in, since the Phillies haven’t won this weekend.
Insert jokes and catcalls as needed.
I wouldn’t bat for Janish with a 4 run lead.
Livan’s helping the Nats get back into the game over at Miller Park. Of course.
Ahhhh, it always feels good to sweep the Phillies.
Sweep? We just ended their season.
See @1.
Dear Phillies,
You are now our bitch.
Sincerely,
The Braves
The out-of-town scoreboard has a major glitch. It says the Mets are winning.
Who died and made Durbin an effective reliever?
Brewers now up 7-3.
“Please, Phillies, trade this Hawaiian waste of skin to the AL.”
That’s getting a bit personal and arguably racist for a baseball player. I have to admit I can’t really understand the hatred expressed for baseball players.
Brewers now up 7-3.
“Please, Phillies, trade this Hawaiian waste of skin to the AL.”
That’s getting a bit personal and arguably racist for a baseball player. I have to admit I can’t really understand the hatred expressed for baseball players.
Recap is up. Yeah, by me.