Kurt Suzuki led off the top of the 12th with his 2nd home run of the game, leading the Braves to the series sweep at Oakland’s sun cussed park.
Julio Teheran threw 6 scoreless innings, but in the 7th, he could not hold the 2 runs he was given to play with, as a Khris Davis solo home run preceded a routine pop up lost in the sun by Brandon Phillips. What should have been the 2nd out eventually came around to score the run that forced extra innings.
The Braves took the lead in the top of the 11th on a 2 out Nick Markakis walk and a Matt Kemp double, but Jim Johnson was not sharp in his 3rd appearance in 3 days. Â A couple of walks and a single off the RF wall tied the score, but Johnson was able to battle out of a 1 out, bases loaded situation to force the 12th. Â Arodys Vizcaino gave up a 2 out single and walk before nailing down the save.
The Braves finish the West Coast trip at 4 – 2, and stand at the halfway mark as essentially a .500 team. Most encouraging is the 20 – 21 road record, as the Braves can look to improve their 20 – 20 home record in the 2nd half and see where it takes them. Â Freddie Freeman and Sean Rodriguez look to be returning soon, at worst giving the Braves a quality bench. Â Sean Newcomb is here and Bartolo Colon is not.
Off Monday, then Houston comes to SunTrust Park on Tuesday.
The funniest thing I ever heard about Oakland:  Steve McCatty upon hearing of Charlie Finley’s heart surgery: “It took eight hours – seven and a half to find the heart.â€
In games started by Bartolo Colon, we went 5-8 with a +3 run differential (imagine that).
Having Bonifacio has our top bench bat for a month is really big right now
@2, ouch, yes.
40-41 having EOF as our loogy, Colon as our 5th-best starter, and Bonifacio (and even Jace) as first bats off the bench. We also had the worst player in baseball at SS for about a month and a half too. In the second half, we should see improvements at the 3rd, 4th, and 5th-best SP spots, and maybe even at all 5. We should see an overall improvement at SS and 3B, though we should see regression at C and 1B. The pen should also see improvement, especially at closer (I doubt they’ll let JJ continue to blow saves) and at the lefty reliever spot. The bench should definitely be improved as 3 spots will be improved when Freddie gets back. Backup catcher should regress as Suzuki has the best OPS of his career currently.
Rob, my memory issues…who was this SS who was so awful for 6 weeks? And i think there’s a big change coming at 2nd very soon…Phillips looked worn out this trip, there is no chance he will replicate his first haf Ozzie is prime…trouble in comparing though is BP had a very productive first half…could you foresee Ozzie replicating or bettering that in the second? Certainly defensively he would, and on the bases.And what about Kemp, when will we offload him, or can we? He certainly needs a 10 day DL very soon. Acuna? Do we have a LHP coming up in the high minors to replace Krol and supplement Sam?
If Rodriguez gets back soon we will have a bench of Suzuki, Santana, Rodriguez and Camargo. Lane Adams, Peterson, and eventually Garcia will be odd men out. I wonder if we try to go back to a 5 man bench. Whatever the case, that is light years better than the bench of Suzuki, D’Arnaud, Bonifacio, Peterson, and Recker which we started with at the beginning ot the year.
Is it time to… hope?!
@7
We need to take the series against the Nats this weekend
two halves
may follow separate paths
let’s start strong
only then will we find we were wrong.
Yadier Molina making the All-Star team is a joke.
kevin maitan
a cold? a homesickness pang?
does he really exist?
produce him, or is he usually pissed?
@5 – If Swanson and Colon are any examples, when Phillips, etc. go, it won’t be because he had a bad week.
Coppy saw my barber for a shave today. The following is on the table:
ATL Gets: Sonny Gray and Santiago Casilla
OAK Gets: Justus Sheffield, Randy Ventura, Derian Cruz, Braxton Davidson and Wisler
NYY Gets: Brandon Phillips
@13, Oakland hangs up first. And then cusses into the phone.
@13
I would trade low minors up-the-middle position players all day long. Pache, Cruz, Waters, and Ventura’s timelines line up with Swanson, Albies, Inciarte, Acuna, and Maitan all still being cost-controlled. There’s so much low minors position player depth that if a team valued it, that’d be where you’d trade from, IMO.
It’d be hard for me to think that you could trade 4 non-elite young players to get someone like Sonny Gray and a middle reliever, but it’s also hard to evaluate how much some of these players are worth considering their rankings don’t line up with other team’s rankings because of the depth of our system. Pache would be a top 10 in most other systems, Cruz a top 15, Davidson and Ventura would probably be somewhere in the top 20-25. Think of it this way: Weigel would be a top 10 in almost every system, but he was in AAA, maybe 5-10 starts from the big leagues, and most fans didn’t even care that he went down with TJ.
I think the trick would be pulling Sheffield from the Yankees. That is a high level prospect. Wisler has been strong of late. Braxton Davidson is the perfect A’s player.
Oh, right, my bad. The Sheffield for Phillips part gets something for Phillips and sends another pitching prospect to Oakland. Then, yeah, that would definitely strengthen the offer.
I knew Houston was good, but I didn’t realize they’re 56-27. We might get the hell beat out of us.
Kurt Susushi
the power of raw fish – the first, was it cushy?
the second? hell no
fresh fruits of the sea, all with homers to go.
@16/17
i like that deal…Now!
@11
you may have known this but i did not!
Kevin Maitan has debuted!!!
First AB …walk
Second AB…singled
Just as i forecast…batting 1000, clearly huge power potential, single likely knocked the third baseman out for the count.
He does exist!
Maitan
that was as of 2 hours ago…updates anyone?
@18
All of those warm and fuzzies right near will probably be gone very soon. Next 6 games between Houston and Washington. Then we go into the break, then 3 vs. D-backs, 3 vs. Cubs, 4 @ Dodgers, 3 @ D-backs. And by that point, the deadline will be 3 days away with no doubt who we are or aren’t.
he was taken out after those two ABs
@23…thanks…booo…cotton wool
I saw Alex Wood was listed as a top all-star snub at. 9-0 with a 1.86 ERA. Then I remembered I watched Hector Olivera play for the sugarland skeeters in the indie league last week and cried myself to sleep.
nice righty swing there…he’s got a pretty big leg kick from either side, TFlo would approve.
@22 – That’s ok, we’ve got Lieutenant Dans.
Going to see M-Braves at Mobile on Wednesday – Mike Soroka is scheduled to pitch. I’ll give a firsthand account afterwards!
Kevin Maitan
coddled as though he wasn’t a man
(Joe Nuxall, sixteen)
expose him, September, and time in between.
five thirty eight
they will tell you, your hero, his most likely fate
a self fulfilling prophecy
decreed the mighty Coppy in his office, he.
Brian McCann
you know there will be a mutual pang
El Oso Blanco
wave your hanko, just say thanko.
4th of July
you will excuse me if I have to wear a black tie
if only We were still in command
I’d be managing the Braves, I had it all planned.
HAPPY FOURTH YOU GUYS…ENJOY YOURSELVES!
@18 – Could you imagine if they had let Colon start one of the games
Minter promoted to AAA. It’s coming.
Wow. Freeman has been activated. He starts at 3B tonight.
wow indeed
True story. This is the first time in two seasons I’ve made point of finding the game’s start time and making plans to watch.
@34, “I don’t know about that, Daaavey” – Goliath
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a Braves 3rd baseman in the three hole of a lineup card.
Sean Rodriguez is starting rehab as well. A team with Matt Adams, Sean Rodriguez and Johan Carmago is significantly better than a team with Boneface and Danny Santana.
Santana has not been bad lately. On another note, in small sample size theater Chase d’Arnaud batted .375 for us, 1.000 for the Red Sox and is now batting. 143 for the Padres. I don’t think losing him was a big blow.
@36
Sam, this is wonderful news, happy for you. May we expect to hear later your reaction to your first well ordered evening of Braves baseball in 2 years?
‘It is not for us to wonder why
he wears that rather odd school tie.’ ……John Betjeman
@39
I will say, Bonifacio must have pictures of a quality not seen since the early 2000’s Keith Lockhart days
Livan (live an’ let die) Soto
has thrown for a thousand put outs in toto
his throwing arm is thus the longer
annoyingly it’s the other that’s stronger.
Today in baseball history, a little something to ponder on the Fourth of July.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19803965
@40 – Chase was DFA’d by the Padres today. That makes the third this season for him.
God bless Freeman
This is pretty insane. Freddie back and playing 3B. Sean Rodriguez playing at Rome. AJ Minter promoted to AAA, as mentioned. Days like today tell me that the best roster of 2017 is not yet here.
Small sample size alert – Freddie looked good on his first chance.
Ok, let’s work with real numbers here. How many games of Freddie at 3B playing at least average defense until you just consider it normal? I’m willing to say as little as 5 games. 5 games, he’s our 3B and it’s biz as usual.
Goodness, Springer is good and the RF wall is short
That’s an ugly move to first.
Having been to STP three times and watching many more at home, I’m convinced it’s Launching Pad II. That homer by Springer would have been a flyout at Turner Field.
Also, the M.A.S.H. theme song for Correa is pretty good stuff by the organist.
Brandon Phillips delenda est.
Edit: Houston’s pretty good.
This Astros team is really good.
Gonna be a short night for Newcomb. He’s struggling with his command quite a bit.
Welcome to the big leagues, Sean
Phillips has played defense tonight like he’s under the influence.
Can Freddie play second?
George Springer is hella good. I’d take him over anyone not named Trout.
Tough opponent, Newk. You ain’t the first they’ve whacked.
Your 2017 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros…
The UTD match was much more fun.
I don’t think i’ve ever seen a game where one offense has so totally outclassed the other…a totally different quality of contact,all the way through the order…hope Newk isn’t blown away by it, he carried himself well.
Freddie has done himself no favors at third so far..but there again everything hit at him has been a rocket…
And Adams needs to start producing again – otherwise this whole thing will be short lived..Kemp must be put on the DL now, bring up Acuna for a look.
Ozzie for Phillips please…now.
This could get to twenty tonight! Feel sorry for Sam, first proper look in 2 years!
On the shift for McCann Freddie Freeman played SS.
Andruw catches that easy.
Josh Reddick is not JJ Reddick. Noted.
Just looked up the Angel Hernandez story after Chip n’ Joe brought it up. I had absolutely no clue what Hernandez’s heritage was until today. I just knew he was a terrible umpire and I would more often than not turn the game off when the Braves have the misfortune of being in one of his games. If his alligations hold any water I hope other minority umpires start speaking up about it, because I can’t take seriously a terrible ump griping about bad reviews and not being allowed to ump on the biggest stage in baseball.
@64
eagle eyes…
Chip and Joe on the Angel Hernandez lawsuit was about what you’d expect.
Joe grouchy about what he perceives to be a cultural environment that fosters entitlement and a lack of personal accountability.
Chip bizarrely theorizing that the lawsuit could cause Hernandez to throw MLB into chaos by ignoring/disregarding the rules of the game…though I would posit MLB has endured him for 20+ years and somehow survived.
FWIW, my opinion is that, past anything else, Angel Hernandez is an awful umpire. He calls a terrible strike zone and actively escalates potential conflicts instead of diffusing them. He should be grateful he has a job. If he wants to argue racism in MLB and unprofessionalism by Joe Torre, fine; entertain that on the merits, but using yourself as the poster-boy is a stupid way to make the case.
A point awarded!
I think the suit mentions Laz Diaz and CB Buckner too. That said, it’s a crap claim that will go nowhere. The suit itself undermines any judgement for discrimination.
Nice aggressive base running…oh wait, you’re down 9 runs?
Does an alligator make alligations?
This is so Atlanta.
I would normally be sympathetic towards a claim like Hernandez’s, but I’ve seen him screw up so many times that it’s obvious the man just thinks he is better than he actually is. He and CB Bucknor are lucky to still be employed.
The lack of minority umpires is a legitimate concern IMO, but I won’t discuss that topic any further in fear that this might turn into a political discussion.
Yes. We’d hate to upset John.
The no politics rule is Mac’s, not mine. It’s up to you, Sam, whether you honor it, and it’s up to admins whether they enforce it. I do appreciate that this place is not like the YouTube comment boards, but if that’s what you guys want, I can’t stop you. As we used to say in GA, have at it!
I had a nightmare last night…line drives being used as part of the fireworks show…scoreboard couldn’t keep up…
Off to the doughnut shop downtown…there has to be some self indulgence, surely?
I guess I was right
http://bravesjournal.us/2017/07/02/braves-4-athletics-3-12/#comment-2128568
Tonight is Peanut Free Day at STP — however, it’s not really peanut-free. http://m.mlb.com/braves/tickets/info/peanut-free
New thread.