Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets – Box Score – August 11, 2012 – ESPN.
IWOTM, but Kris Medlen had another impressive start that suffered only from brevity and makes it more and more likely that he’s going to stay in the rotation for the forseeable future. And again, IWOTM, but the Braves put up nine runs in the first two innings, handing Johan Santana the worst start of his career.
The Braves put up two runs in the first, when Freddie Freeman picked up Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones (who had both struck out with two men on) with a double, scoring Michael Bourn and Reed Johnson. A good start, but only an appetizer for the main dish in the second.
Dan Uggla led off with a walk. Paul Janish singled softly to center, and then Medlen helped himself with a single to score Uggla. Bourn hit the third straight single to score Janish before Johnson’s foulout gave Santana the last out he would get. Back to the singles: Heyward to score Medlen, Chipper to score Bourn, and that was it for Santana. (Game Score: 7. I thought it might have wound up negative.) The singles then ceased, as Freddie hit a three-run homer off the reliever to make it 9-0 before Brian McCann and Uggla were retired.
Medlen allowed three singles of his own in the second to score a run, but he allowed only two hits — both of them, of course, singles — the rest of the 6 1/3 innings he pitched. He struck out seven and walked only one, throwing 88 pitches, 56 strikes.
After a one-out hit in the seventh, Fredi brought in Luis Avilan, who struck out the next two Mets. But with one out in the eighth he allowed a walk and a double to make it 9-2. With two out Fredi went with Cory Gearrin to face David Wright, the Mets’ good player, who singled to make it 9-3. Gearrin did get the lefthanded-hitting Ike Davis, who grounded into a fielder’s choice. In the ninth, he had two strikeouts then allowed a triple before ending the game with a groundout
Brian McCann was 0-5; everyone else had at least one hit and scored at least one run. The thing about this offense when it’s clicking is its balance; there are no reasonable MVP candidates, though any of the first four hitters in the usual batting order could make an argument. But there are no holes but Janish, and he’s not a total zero at a position where these days few teams are getting very much.
Deadspin: It Sounds Like Braves Broadcaster Joe Simpson Wants To Beat Up Someone On Twitter
http://tinyurl.com/br2hvzv
JC’d:
How good has Medlen been as a starter? “The Braves are 16-1 in Medlen’s 17 starts this season and in 2010, including 14 consecutive wins.” (ajc).
It would be a crime to put him back into the bullpen.
“Singled Softly to Center” by Janish sounds like a contemporary jazz chart-topper.
1. Agree with ububba re humidity last night
2. Blowouts better than losses, but not as good as tight games that we win. Still nice to finish my attendance season with a win even if IWOTM.
3. Jason Bay is a psychologically devastated and physically worthless ballplayer. It must require extreme fortitude to be booed that badly when you come to the plate and then look that bad there.
4. Expensive seats are fun, and the well-heeled who razz their own team are fun, but despicable.
6. Oh. And Citifield is a really nice park that doesn’t smell like urine….yet.
And if people like you fail to take the opportunity to urinate on it, Jonathan, it never will!
Never underestimate the fine people of Queens, Sansho.
I like the new praise for Janish:
“Not a total zero.”
@8 that goes back to something somebody said last week. It’s hard to find players who don’t hurt you out there. Zero ain’t that bad.
Is Simmons still possible to return on August 19th?
@1 – wow – hadn’t seen the handle before.
USA strategy: shoot 3 pointer. Repeat
@1
If you had to fight Joe Simpson, wouldn’t you try to hit him the other way?
Good to see IWOTM in the Glossary where it belongs. I’m also partial to “The New York Mehs.”
Jonathan, glad you has a good time at the park. And yes, the Mets faithful (oxymoron?) are pretty despicable. I had to stop wearing my Braves gear at one point.
Good grief, we’re playing .800 baseball and losing ground.
So, the Yankees sign Lowe, and we’re linked to Damon or any other left-handed pinch hitter, and no one on here is talking about it. I take that to mean it’s a beautiful Sunday and we are all out enjoying it.
Dan last I saw Simmons is still about 3Weeks away
@13 – Well played,sir.
It was a Joey T who posted it. Was it Bravesjournal’s Joey T.?
Too bad it wasn’t @the_ironsheik, or they would have had to settle it inside the squared circle.
DOB:
Gonzalez said Hanson uttered an obscenity at him and pitching coach Roger McDowell after they told him the plan [to go on a rehab start at Gwinnett].
“Which is good,” said Gonzalez, who laughed upon mentioning the incident to reporters. “He wants to get back in there. That’s why he was grumpy.”
After meeting with Gonzalez and McDowell, Hanson told reporters, “I’m not in a good mood,” then changed from his workout gear and left the clubhouse to go catch a flight back for the Monday game at Gwinnett.
@mlbbowman
Hanson will likely join the ATL rotation next weekend. Braves have not decided whether to stick w/ 5-man or go to a 6-man until 8/29
SO GROSS FREDI.
Arizona failed to blow a 5-run lead in the 9th, so the Nats go down 7-4.
#Braves Hanson allowed 3 hits, 2 walks w/ 5 strikeouts in five scoreless innings of his Triple-A rehab start, 78 pitches/48 strikes
#Braves lineup: Bourn cf, Prado lf, Heyward rf, Chipper 3b, Freeman 1b, Uggla 2b, McCann c, Janish ss, Sheets p
That Rajai Davis catch today reminded me an awful lot of Otis Nixon.
The 6-man rotation thing has gotten a life of it’s own. The idea is only for the duration of the 19-games in 19-days stretch (with 16-in-16 remaining.) So if you bring Hanson in on Friday, which would be normal rest after pitching today, we’d have a 6-man rotation for maximum 3 turns in the dog days of August. That gives you 3 looks to evaluate if Medlen goes back to the pen, Minor goes to Gwinnett, or Hanson goes back on the DL.
Michael Bourn being Michael Bourn.
Terrible AB by Jason.
Bleagh.
Ugh, Chipper.
Great, Bravos. Way to go.
Wake up, guys. Just because the Nats lost doesn’t mean you write this one off.
I wondered what happened to the clowns. Jeez Louise.
It’s fair to wonder if we’ve already extracted all that was left in Ben Sheets.
Maybe Freddie will name his first-born “Citi.”
God bless Freddie Freeman.
Freddie cracks me up. I love that kid.
If Freddie keeps his Mets bashing going like this it won’t take that long until he’ll hear some “Freh-deh-rick” chants or something.
Jeez Atlanta. We always play like crap when we are on ESPN.
Of course we will lose tonight. Didn’t the Nats lose today as well? That’s how it always works lately.
It’s still OTM. Don’t give them any more, and I like our chances.
Hopefully this is just a dead arm period, because Sheets doesn’t have much right now.
I believe we’ve got some runs coming our way.
Better, Ben. Get some runs, boys.
Runs, please.
Hold ’em, Ben.
This won’t do. Stop it now.
These getaway-day hacktastic at-bats are tiresome.
Not Sheets’ night. When he’s not getting swinging strikes on his curveball it looks like he’s going to have some issues. Someone above said maybe he’s just got a little bit of a dead arm; who knows, but if that’s what the Braves think is the case I could see that as an argument for going to the six-man rotation for a little while.
I’d like to see Pastornicky start hitting for Janish when trailing late.
Pretty cool that Brian May took time off from signing the stamp act to perform at closing ceremonies.
Fine at bat by Juan.
Great plate appearance by Francisco.
Francisco burned a hole in my gut with that PA.
LolMets strike again.
Tejada approaches: “strk plz”
Next pitch, strike.
The other four pitches, balls.
MARTIN!!
Remember when McCann said anyone who thought Prado wouldn’t bounce back didn’t know anything about baseball?
Yeah.
Prado gets a double for that? Now it looks like Bourn didn’t score on a double instead of it being a single where Prado advances on the throw. Good job, official scorer.
I don’t need a tease. C’mon, JHey, get it done.
okay, thanks, Joey, because I could not understand how Bourn did not score.
Swung at ball 3, swung at ball 4.
Oh, I want Chipper up there so badly.
Dammit, Jason… why’d you have to swing at that?
Nertz.
I hate the Mets.
If Heyward could have beaten that, Bourn scores.
Interesting little note, medlen has walked 4 batters in his 3 starts. Hanson has walked 14 in his last 3. Going to be difficult moving Med back to the 6th inning role.
Sheets might be fading, though. The rotation is a fluid situation, as it usually is.
Lol Mets:
Got to remember that counting the two minor league outings, this is just Sheets’ eighth (ninth?) start in the last two years, so some fatigue shouldn’t be a surprise. Maybe skipping his next start wouldn’t be a bad idea to give him some extra rest.
A “six-man rotation” would be interesting if it meant that one guy just got his turn skipped — he could be available for bullpen use on his normal day or whatever — in each trip through the rotation.
Something like:
Minor
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Hanson
Minor
Hudson
Maholm
Hanson
Sheets
Minor
Hudson
Hanson
Medlen
Sheets
Minor
Hanson
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
Hanson
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
Minor
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
…over the next thirty games. That would give everyone a little extra rest and buy some more time to figure out what you wanna do.
Hmmm …
Best “six-man rotation” concept I’ve seen. You even get the biorhythms right by telling the sitting starter to be ready as he is the first guy in if it goes bad early.
I could be looking at it wrong but Hanson would be pitching on 3 days rest quite a lot with that formula. I dont think his shoulder/body could handle it.
Yeah, it obviously couldn’t be exactly that over the next 30 games. But I think something close could be worked out.
OK, reworked, with the guy coming off his rest period going into the spot of the guy starting his rest period:
Minor
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Hanson
Minor
Hudson
Maholm
Sheets
Hanson
Minor
Hudson
Medlen
Sheets
Hanson
Minor
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
Hanson
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
Hanson
Hudson
Maholm
Medlen
Sheets
Minor
Much better.
Depends on off days in the schedule also.
#77 – Yep, I agree. That could work.
I think Stu’s idea could work.
I would put Hanson or Minor into Medlen’s old role.
Recapped.