In one of their most getaway-day-iest performances of a very long season, the Braves got four-hit, Aaron Blair gave up six runs in the fifth inning, and that was very much that.
Madison Bumgarner struck out eleven men. It almost looked like we might be able to get to him in the first inning, after a single by Chase d’Arnaud — who is currently hitting .351/.431/.474, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — and a ground-rule double by Freddie Freeman. But Bumgarner struck out cleanup hitter Jeff Francoeur, whom we should probably call FCHE, and then he struck out Adonis Garcia to end the inning. That was the last time the Braves would have two men reach safely until the 8th inning, when a walk, a wild pitch, and a rare Brandon Crawford error put men on first and second. But consecutive groundouts ended the threat.
It didn’t help that Blair, who opened the game with four scoreless innings, can’t get swings and misses. On the year, he has 16 strikeouts and 18 walks, and that’s not a ratio that bodes well. Entering the game, his swinging strike rate was just 6.8%, significantly below the league average of 9.9%. If he can’t get swings and misses, he’s not long for the league. He got thoroughly outclassed.
Now, Madison Bumgarner is a good pitcher. He’s really good! He’s been an All-Star in each of the past three seasons, and he’s only 26. He destroyed us in this game all by himself. It’s hard to ask Blair to outpitch him.
But the fifth inning may have been his ticket back to Gwinnett. San Francisco’s eighth-place hitter, Gregor Blanco, led off and got a walk. The ninth-place hitter, Bumgarner, hit a two-run homer. Then the leadoff man, Denard Span, walked. The second-place hitter, Joe Panik, followed that with a two-run homer. Then the third-place hitter, Matt Duffy, got hit by a pitch. Then the cleanup hitter, Buster Posey, hit a two-run homer.
Now, Madison Bumgarner is a good hitter. He’s really good! For his career, he has a .180/.220/.306 batting line, which is very similar to Warren Spahn’s career line of .194/.234/.287. And there’s this:
Babe Ruth career
Innings pitched: 1,221â…“
HR hit as a pitcher: 13Madison Bumgarner career
Innings pitched: 1,251
HR hit as a pitcher: 13— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) June 2, 2016
For the Braves to be good again, we’re going to need some of the guys in our farm system to turn into players as good as Bumgarner. Who will they be?
One more try:
Aaron Blair
Swings and misses rare
Six runs none the richer
With a longball by the Ruthian pitcher
If we put Bumgarner in LF he’d immediately be one of the best hitters on our team. I love that guy. A true all-around baseball player, a breed that’s becoming extinct with the onslaught of specialization.
So far, the Shelby Miller trade is heavily dependent on how Dansby Swanson turns out.
I won’t ever be critical of that trade even if Swanson turns out to be just a fringe player, if you look at it as a year of Heyward for the number one pick (who so far looks like he’s at least very capable). That’s not a bad deal by itself, even if you ignore the other parts that we got in return.
There’s plenty of other weird stuff they’ve done that is hard to wrap my head around, but this is probably the best thing we’ve done since the demolition started.
Speaking of head scratchers…there’s a Bowman tweet about Jenkins moving to the pen at Gwinnett.
If the DH comes to the NL and puts a guy like Bumgarner on the bench on offense, it would be a tragedy for him and a travesty for the game.
I also like this one:
Ace of MLB Stats
@theaceofspaeder
#Nationals Bryce Harper
Last 190 PA: 11 HR
#Angels Mike Trout
Last 190 PA: 11 HR
#SFGiants Madison Bumgarner
Last 190 PA: 11 HR
“Now, Madison Bumgarner is a good hitter. He’s really good! For his career, he has a .180/.220/.306”
Erick Aybar – .182/.225/.209
Let’s trade for Bumgarner and move him to SS.
I know this a family blog, but if he bats 4th he’ll always be Francouer, Ultimate Clean-up King to me.
@6
the essence of our game, all in, well said. The antithesis of football.
I did enjoy that clip from last year i believe when he had homered off Kershaw who with a classy, wry smile raised his arm in acknowledgment as Bumgarner rounded third. Ole!
Aaron Blair.
There seemed to be something missing from his fastball last night.
The worst time ever we saw his pace.
Brandon Snyder…
he can’t play short stop so why is he here?
Thanks Alex. I really liked this line:
In one of their most getaway-day-iest performances of a very long season
I think I know how to pronounce the acronym FCHE and I think it fits. But beege may have it better.
Alex: well-written recap. Nothing new to report there. Thank you.
blazon @11: cute. My old folks drugs work best at morning. Yours have the old synapses popping today. Kudos.
Athletes making local TV ads never gets old.
Well, with regard to the last line in the recap:
They sure didn’t show up last night for the High-A Carolina Mudcats. I took Seat Painter, Jr. over to Winston-Salem to see Max Povse start. He was awful, giving up 5 runs and getting thoroughly outpitched by the W-S Dash starter, Matt Cooper. But, the position players I saw are ready for the Bigs right now. They were shut out on three hits (All by Ryan Gebhardt) 8-0. So, at least they are hitting as well as the big leaguers.
Nobody looked good for the Baby Braves last night either. But, at least I got to hang with The Progeny, the rain held off, and I got to watch a baseball game with about 623 of my closest friends, so it wasn’t all bad.
Call ’em up!
I think it is a little soon to give up on Aaron Blair.
@5
I think his ticket is in the pen. But if we were going to trade him, that hurts his value.
Tyrell Jenkins
Has amassed a stack of Lincolns
How much more could he fetch
If he only pitched from the stretch?
#11
Roberta Flack?
Apparently we may kick the tires on Greg Holland
Braves signed a 26-year old lefty, Jed Bradley, who was the 15th pick in 2012 and a former top-100 prospect and Georgia Tech player. I suppose sprinkling enough pixie dust on Georgia Tech players will eventually work like with Beckham.
It didn’t seem like Jenkins profiled as a reliever. Am I missing something?
@21
Yes indeed, i should have known the pro would get it.
and…our present run of misery reminds me often of something you wrote during the second half of last season. A remedy, an outlet for frustration while watching another wretched performance. The kitchen sink, go scrub it. Perfect.
Max Povse
we did not know his name was pronounced Posey
for that matter neither did Buster
rather unkindly adding it adds very little luster.
I drove a manual transmission for 20 years, but I haven’t used one in the last 15. Last night I dreamed I volunteered to drive a group from work, and when we got to the vehicle, I found out it was a manual. But, at least I didn’t dream about the Braves.
By the way, any idea why Jace Peterson wasn’t called back up to fill one of the infield spots?
28 — Because he is hitting about as poorly at Gwinnett as he was hitting in Atlanta.
Povse had been pitching really well this year so hopefully that’s just one bad outing.
24 — Agree. Seems a little strange considering that Blair hasn’t shown much in the 5th spot in the rotation. I guess they think that he will strike more guys out if he can go max effort for an inning.
From the looks of his statistics, Jed Bradley throws batting practice.
WORST BRAVES DRAFT BUSTS FOR A FLACCID FRIDAY.
AJ Zapp
was so bad he now has his own app
a cautionary tale
for those who would venture with talent for sale.
Josh Burrus
after the fact there was nothing he could do forrus
still only twenty six
he reportedly belonged to one of Fredi’s cliques.
Tyler Houston
drafted second, we were seduced in
career 0.3WAR
we can only say we’ve heard this shit before.
Brett DeVall
his family motto was ‘Up and over the Wall’
but he was a pitcher
so is leaving the sport only marginally richer.
MLBTR says some teams have called about Markakis and KJ but that neither are worth a whole lot. (Duh)
Aybar bumping Albies to 2B in Gwinnett? Maybe he’s useful after all.
Would you rather the Braves keep Julio and get Lewis in the draft or trade Julio for a big prospect bat and sign Groome?
Other fun Braves 1st round picks since Chipper:
1992: Jamie Arnold -1.6 WAR
1994: Jacob Shumate
1995: Chad Huthinson, the QB (-0.5 WAR, not for the Braves)
1997: Troy Cameron
2000: Scott Thorman -0.9 WAR (was so bad that it led to the disastrous Teixiera trade)
2001: Richard Lewis
2003: Luis Atilano -0.9 WAR
2005: Joey Devine (gave up the season ending home run in the playoffs that year, never amounted to much for the Braves)
2005: Beau Jones
2010: Matt Lipka
2011: Sean Gilmartin, traded for Ryan Doumit’s year of toast
2013: Jason Hursh
Francoeur and Cory Rasmus were also 1st round picks, but were not included due to some marginal MLB success. 2014 1st rounder Braxton Davidson isn’t looking so good but there is still time for him.
(Posts inspired by the TC article today).
Some more that I missed:
2000: Aaron Herr
2001: Macay McBride -0.2 WAR
2002: Dan Meyer -0.8 WAR, but was a well regarded prospect who was the centerpiece of the Tim Hudson trade
2006: Steve Evarts
36 — I hope the Braves load up on bats this year in the draft as opposed to the pitching they normally do.
@28 because he’s no good, never has been, and never will be.
#41
Jace did one thing really well… hit with the bases loaded.
He was 10 for 19 (6 XBH) with 25 RBI.
But other than that…
@6
Bumgarner could always be the DH, right?
All this talk of first round busts and nobody mentions Mike Kelly? (Head spins)
I have to admit, I’ve always been fascinated with Mike Kelly’s bust. He was as sure a thing as they come for a few reasons. I’ve been thinking of doing a write-up. Is there any interest?
Please do, JWDB. I’d love reading it.
44 — He was prominently mentioned in the TC article so I left him out.
@29, @41, Thanks, he must be doing pretty terribly to have dropped behind what we called up.
@36, Keep Julio, draft Lewis.
The first round misses are sobering, but we haven’t been at the top of the draft very often. These next couple of drafts are high-pressure.
A lesson in Greek mythology from Vin Scully. I’m gonna miss him!
The Braves have scored two innings in a row. Isn’t that against the rules?
Folty has bone chips in his elbow. Great.
Whoever is in charge of defensive positioning needs to play our outfielders higher.
@53 Too high!
Jim Johnson is toast, and I severely doubt any team is going to be fooled into trading for him this season. Personally, I’d rather see the Braves cut Johnson and audition some other guys for the bullpen.
So B.J. completes a straight steal of home, and Bethancourt pitches in a major league game, all in the same week. Why don’t cool things like that happen while players are on the Braves? Life is not fair.
Muhammad Ali, in my lifetime there was never a sportsman who meant as much.
When I was a kid I used to keep his Sports Illustrated covers in a separate stack from the rest. I never missed a bout on TV and, if it was a closed-circuit match (remember those?) like the Foreman bout, I listened on the radio. And when he won the title back the 1st time, I remember sitting on the floor of my den, raising my arms.
For anyone not from that era, it’s hard to explain his impact. The times were just so different, the stakes were so much higher. He stood for something that wasn’t popular, but history tells us that his stance transcended his ring abilities. Is there another sportsman who ever did that? Is there another sportsman who would do that?
I grew up an Army brat surrounded by adults who truly hated him. When Frazier beat him in ’71, they crowed loudly, and certainly not because they loved Joe Frazier. But when I began to understand what he stood for, it knocked me out. But that’s what he did. He was the greatest in the ring, but he also challenged you with ideas.
RIP, Champ.
@57
So well said. Same in Britain. Exactly. And the butterfly and the bee, an image a 5 y. old kid could grasp for and understand in an instant. He was idolized there, for what he stood for.
‘What’s my name?’
http://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000003216440/muhammad-ali-whats-my-name.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Dang, just when Folty was looking good and confident he is going to miss stretch.
Well, time for another prospect to show he can do something,