Today, in Denver, it was too cold to go outside. So of course, they played not one, but two baseball games. Well, they’re going to play a second here shortly. It’s 7:30 PM EDT, so we’re just under an hour out of game two’s start time.
In game one, the Braves were who we thought they were. They hit three home runs, scoring four runs, and nearly hit three more. Mike Minor pitched well in Colorado and was backed up by solid outings from Luis Avilan and Eric O’Flaherty. Craig Kimbrel was wild and off of his A-game in the ninth, but got two out so that Bear-Man-Crusher-McGee could add insult to injury by throwing out the opposing catcher trying to steal second to end the game.
Offensively, Justin Upton continues to pound the ever loving hell out of the ball, connecting for his 78th HR in the first. Dan Uggla did that stopped watch twice a day thing he does occasionally and parked another one with a runner on in the second, putting the Braves up 3-0. But then, baseball in Denver happened and the Rox clawed back into it. A walk to Tulowitzki, a double by red hot Michael Cuddyer, a ground out by Wilin Rosario and a single by somebody named Jordan Pacheco pushed two across in the bottom of the second. A triple by Dexter Fowler and an infield single push across a tying run in the bottom of the third. All of a sudden it’s 3-3, Minor is scraping and working hard to find outs, and you’re like, “huh, apparently it’s still arena baseball in Denver even when your breath freezes in front of you when you exhale.†A feeling that only increased in the top of the fourth when Evan Gattis was like, “Oh, hi, did you need this baseball, because there’s a little girl 15 rows up in LF who really looks like she wants a game souvenir dude.â€
Then a really odd thing happened, and no one scored again. The whole game. Minor settled down. The Rox bullpen got in there early and were all “yeah, you’re not going to see Jeff Francis a third time thru, because we’re not idiots man.†And the three aforementioned relievers came in and closed it out for Atlanta in as routine a fashion as you can hope for in Denver-ball.
What we learned from this game is that Justin Upton, Dan Uggla and Evan Gattis have power, that Freddie Freeman is good to have back in the lineup (his first two at bats would have been HRs in any other game conditions but frozen air, and he singled in his third) and that BJ Upton is in a funk and couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. But apparently Reed Johnson can, at least in Denver.
Oh, and Jason Heyward’s on the 15 day DL with a ‘splodey appendix and Jordan Pacheco is neither a mechanical Japanese style upright pinball gambling machine, nor a second tier crewman from the original Star Trek. Rather, he’s apparently the guy that plays Todd Helton’s position in Colorado now. So there’s that, I guess.
Game two starts in t-minus 13 minutes…
Great recap Sam. Nothing needs to be said about the offense. It is what it is. But I can’t say enough about Mike Minor. He has matured into something special…seriously? Short sleeves?!
@1 The Tennessee winters are colder?
Teheran to continue his non winning winning streak
I think we’ll need to give Julio more than our obligatory six runs tonight in order to pull off the sweep.
In the “I don’t really understand math, I just throw it out there” category:
Mets had to put a pitcher just called up into the game (Niese got hit on the leg by a comebacker) and in his first plate appearance he draws a walk upon which the announcer goes “Carson’s on base percentage is now a thousand!”
Damn fine job, Sam.
Go Braves!
Thanks for the recap, Sam. Hope you’re well insulated in Colorado.
The Tennessee winters are colder?
Nah – He had the nerve and he had the blood.
Jesus – BJ is just cursed now. I feel bad for him.
Chip, as Justin walks: “There’s the Braves’ first baserunner.” A man whose memory does not go back one batter.
Breaking news: Chip is a doofus.
Good lord, did Chip just refer to Justin as “the Braves’ first baserunner ” moments after Pena was erased off second following a double?
I’m not usually a Chip hater; I feel kindly toward him just because I loved his dad so much. But come on.
A couple of followup comments about Ralph Garr. I was tied up this afternoon and couldn’t respond.
Garr was a free swinger as a noted, but he didn’t strike out much either, less than 10% of his plate appearances, of which he averaged over 600 / season. His rookie season of 68 K represented his high. Of course he walked about half as often as he struck out.
He epitomizes what happens when speedsters lose that step. He was only 34 when he played his last Major League game (Michael Bourn with a 5-6 year contract; no way).
This is the best Teheran has looked early in a game.
He hit every spot that inning.
Good first inning, Julio.
Nice inning, Julio.
Success!
Now batting an ice cold .500.
Andrelton Simmons: Space Cadet.
I think Simmons might be high.
Jeez, Andrelton.
So apparently it’s Bad Running on the Bases Night.
Cue Bethany: Ahhh, I see she beat me to it.
Also see she beat me to suggesting the appropriate nickname.
Andrelton, please.
Juan bunting cracked me up, however.
Andrelton might have a negative WAR this year solely based on his running.
It’s one thing to get picked off, and it’s another to get picked off from second when the pitcher is at the plate.
The baseball gods return the favor!
No one can run the bases tonight.
It’s contagious.
Guys should just stop leaning off base. Bad mojo today.
Justin should have caught that ball anyways. I think the whole team is high.
Need a new poll. How many times will Andrelton pull a Yunel on the basepaths this year?
Well, you don’t see that everyday.
Well done Julio!
No more clown baseball, guys.
I know I wouldn’t have predicted two scoreless inning to start the game from Teheran.
That Walt Weiss play still gives me chills.
I will always have a special place in my heart for Walt Weiss because of that one play.
Good choice, Julio, quick swing and back in the dugout.
I thought Andrelton had that one. Close.
So. Many. Singles.
Laird sucks so bad. Teheran hit the spot.
But Laird was asking for a four-seamer right in the guy’s wheelhouse.
I demand to see a Teheran-Gattis start.
I am so glad we won this afternoon.
Good enough, hard to guard against dribblers and infield hits.
In JUpton we trust.
Regardless of the outcome, Teheran is pitching well. Get him some runs, Braves.
We’re not even making this guy work. Unless Justin gets into one, I’m not sure we’re going to score.
Jim Powell on Mark Lemke: “He sees things the rest of just don’t see.” Yep, and that’s one of the things we love about the Lemmer! 🙂
I really want Laird to be gone when Bmac returns, but then Gattis wouldn’t ever play.
GET OUT OF HERE BALL
We need to keep Garland in the stretch.
Edit: and that’s why
@47, RDF.
Or maybe Fatjuan!
It’s marvelous! It’s Juanderful.
I’ve been waiting on a FatJuan homer in Coors. TV viewers, was it as impressive as it seems like it ought to be?
46- How about if Juan gets into one? That’ll work!
Whoo!
Boom.
Glad he didn’t bunt.
EL NINO DESTRUCTOR
Hey Juan!
Rally killer
54- He didn’t seem to get nearly all of it, but it still went out. He’s a strong, strong guy.
Bahahahahahhaa, Laird proves his worth.
Really?
Fredi loves him some hit and run plays.
Laird stole second? How? Did the catcher have his leprous arm fall off or something?
Seems like a good time to mention that Garland was cut by Seattle in spring training.
Thy name is Success.
Joe just said the Laird has a good cross-over step. Ha
SUCCESS!!!!!
Run like the wind, Gerald!
Jordan is much better with spot starts
Gerald Laird: base running master.
Well, Laird can run a little, it turns out.
@65
The second baseman fell over backwards fielding the throw.
Julio’s a nice little hitter.
Teheran can hit. That pitching thing is giving him problems, though.
Too bad Success is blocked from more playing time
do Heyward’s replacements have more hits today than he has this year so far?
@78 Yes.
Well, actually Heyward has 7. Feels like less.
Laird used the Jedi skill “force push” on that stolen base.
That was a fun inning.
Will a little Success make us forget Jason? Probably not, but good for him anyway.
@79 Ouch
sad, but true, I don’t know what CAC is talking about how much we’re going to miss him. He needs to get that swing straightened out, it’s not just bad babip luck.
FUS RO DAH
80 — It might just have been the sheer air pressure from Lard running towards second.
Success and Reed will make the decision when McCann returns difficult.
Here’s a fun fact: If you had a starting outfield of Justin, Reed Johnson, and Success (which, let’s face it, may be a likely probability in the next couple weeks), the younger Upton would have the lowest batting average.
@86 If only it could be Laird.
Give Julio the Gold Glove AND the Silver Slugger.
Nice quick inning, preserving the lead. I may have to stop using my Teheran jokes soon.
That was fast.
Who is this kid, and what did they do with Julio?
There is nothing likely about the possibility of those 3 to be playing everyday.
Columbia is even colder than Tennessee. He loves this weather.
Natspos lose again. If Julio wins this, we’re up 5 games.
There’s the BJ we wanted!
Melvin!
Blind hog.
All I had to do is threaten him with Success. See how easy that was?
94- Actually, just 5 (15-5 vs. 10-10).
And there go my Bupkis jokes!
UPTON BACK TO BACK!!!
Hey what now?
Uptons!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Holy fucking Justin Upton.
BJ responds to Success and R Johnson
Oh my!
11 HR and only 15 RBI. We’re wasting a piece of history here because no one in front of him ever gets on base!
Just like last inning, Julio.
I love it that Justin has crossed that mysterious threshold beyond which no recrimination attaches to players who pimp their homers. Because they are just that fucking good.
Imagine if the Braves ever manage to get runners on base for some of these homers…
@107 5 of BJ & JH 18 hits have been HRs
“We’re wasting a piece of history here because no one in front of him ever gets on base!”
To be fair, in this case, that’s only because the batter in front of him also hit a home run.
@109 Well, the homer that wasn’t was the only non crushed homer he hit, and they stole it from him.
Just think. He really should have TWELVE homers.
Nationals fans are experiencing the true glory of an Adam Laroche slow start. They seem to have no idea that this experience typically lasts at least another month.
Bravo Julio!
I don’t know who this guy is in Teheran’s jersey, but I like him.
That will do, Mr. Teheran.
Sorry Bethany, but Braves may not need Beachy so soon.
JK
Just to reiterate, Kevin Towers and Kirk Gibson are idiots.
More success for Success.
Success!
I think Fredi will try the double steal.
Or the bunt. That works too.
Thy name continues to be Success.
Now let him swing away Fredi.
Meanwhile, in AAA Reno, Randall Delgado is 0-2 in four starts with a sweet 10.80 ERA.
That’s a quality bunt.
99% sure I know the answer, but perhaps we should check to see if there are any more Upton’s that can play ball.
Walk Pena to get to BJ
I think we sold high on Delgado and we got Upton on clearance.
Finish him!
I’ll certainly take that from Bossman Jr.
Dexter Fowler has a BB gun for an arm out there. He barely gets it back to the infield.
I take no pleasure in R-Del’s struggles. I salute him as a former Brave in good standing, and hope he asserts himself as a major leaguer and has much success except against Atlanta.
We have 12 more outs to get. We need more runs.
Right you are, John R.
That Towers took Delgado instead of Teheran is almost as boneheaded as his willingness to trade Justin in the first place.
Nice catch there by Success.
Success in a balaclava. Good catch!
I am so happy for Julio. What a great game he’s pitched!
A really encouraging start for Teheran, 73 pitches 59 strikes through 6, almost everything on the ground.
He’s been fantastic and seems to be locating the fastball much better.
Apparently the secret for Teheran is to play the game in 30-degree weather. Wouldn’t have guessed that would’ve worked for a guy from Colombia. Oh well, I suppose we can always have him sit in the walk-in freezer before the game next time he pitches.
Even with the first batter he faced, it was clear that his fastball locating was much better tonight. I wonder if McDowell worked on something with his mechanics. I can’t recall a hard-hit ball tonight.
Outman is a much better name for a pitcher than Balfour or Badenhop.
I can’t think of a better name for a pitcher than “Outman”
Worst name: Bob Walk.
Plus Outman has those awesome stirrups.
Well done, Teheran! Absolutely marvelous.
@147 COL! (Chuckling out loud.)
Jim just said Teheran hasn’t gone to a 3-ball count all night. Geez…
Keep putting on runs please. I don’t want to see Eric and Craig pitching tonight.
It’s hard to say someone “scattered” eight hits through 7ip but he really did. Excellent pitching with runners on and no walks.
To reiterate, NO WALKS!
Julio threw 70 strikes out of 90 pitches. That is really impressive.
Solid Dumb and Dumber reference from Chip. Sort of. Did he say Harry Christmas?
Rewound, he got it right and totally redeemed himself.
Man, Justin Upton sure is good at baseball.
That he be. He must have been confused by seeing a guy standing on one of the bases, but he sure didn’t let that bother him.
See what happens when somebody’s on in front of JUpton? Just a double.
Uptomania!
Things you don’t often hear: “Look at Freeman streak around the bases!”
Platoon doing work today.
The Braves third basemen are OPSing 875 and 980 right now.
Wonderful. If Fredi doesn’t use Walden in the ninth, I don’t know when he would ever use him. Is Walden hurt?
Have you ever played golf in the cold or the rain and found your swing improved with the necessary gear? I wonder if that helped Julio’s mechanics tonight? And I hope he doesn’t get dehydrated in August with all that coldgear on.
I would not be happy if I was a Rockies fan and decided to go to the doubleheader today. Frostbite along with losing by what will most likely be 9 runs in game 2 can’t be pleasant!
Fredi Laird!
163 — Walden was up and getting loose in the bullpen I think.
Ten should be enough. Let’s keep the rest for tomorrow.
Success!!!
For the hockey fans on the board, had to go to our local safeway to pick up a couple jugs of milk. The Jets/Caps game was playing over the PA system. THat was really cool. Goodbye hockey, see you in the fall. I’ll miss you.
@134
Agreed.
That’s enough, Jordan. Let’s get off the field now.
There you go. I’d say let’s play two tomorrow… but then again, let’s not.
Does the crowd sound as… excited on the Braves feed as it does on the Rockies?
Is it just me or does Walden’s weird little leg kick before his release look like it should give him trouble in regards to repeatability?
@174 I hate his delivery. Ugh. It’s so weird how we traded one weird delivery for another. What’s crazy is how his release, which looks like it comes when he’s literally off the ground, actually comes when his front foot has touched the ground on the back end of his delivery. Just…weird.
Is there anything better than sweeping a double-header? It’s always been one of my favorite things in baseball.
What a wonderful day.
Yeah, lots to be happy about today.
A doubleheader sweep, every team in the division lost a game, no Braves got hurt (that we know of). Gonna sleep well tonight. Cheers.
#170
I hear you, bro. As a Devils fan/Ranger hater, I was really rooting for Winnipeg tonight.
The bullpen hasn’t given up a lead or tie all year. That’s pretty amazing.
Our pen’s kicking ass, our rotation’s kicking ass & our bench is kicking ass–not to mention our catcher & LF.
And damn, I shoulda bought a lottery ticket today:
http://tinyurl.com/ayaw2ea
Days like today just make you happy to be alive. So nice to wash out the bad taste from Pittsburgh. Nice to remember we have a good little ball club. Also, if Teheran is our fifth starter this year, our pitching could be straight up nasty.
Had tickets to both games, but missed them because I was violently ill Tuesday morning. (Although apparently not quite as ill as Jason Heyward; had I been, I would have been just down the hall from him, since Rose Hospital, where he underwent surgery, is nearest to my house.) If that’s what it takes for a double-header sweep in which Mike Minor shows how far he’s come since a craptacular game at Coors last May and Julio Teheran finally seems to know where the ball is going when it leaves his hand, I will take it. Great day.
Nice jobs from the back end of the rotation yesterday (although at this point, can Minor said to be the #4 starter?).
@182…and we have Beachy working his way back by mid-season. Wonderful backup plan!!!
In Wren I Trust!
@186. You bet!!! And fredi is improving too!!!
This was just what the doctor ordered after the awfulness it Pittsburg.
Gattis has homered in every MLB park he’s played in.
@187
For the most part Fredi is getting better. However, that whole bunting Success! thing in game one was dumb.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26463823&topic_id=8878972&c_id=atl
Recap of Game 2 is up. New thread.
Talk about pinball stats – team era/era+ – 2.38/168.