Blech. We needed a win somewhere in this series. The Braves came into this series with the Cubs six games out of the Wild Card, and left 8.5 games out of the Wild Card. Many people who thought we might have a shot at the Wild Card probably don’t feel as strongly now.
RA Dickey pitched just bad enough to lose: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. But the bullpen gave up another four runs of their own. Cubs scored 8 runs, and Mike Montgomery pitched like the ace he is. And he hit a home run.
We have to play the Dodgers on the road with Freddie Freeman suffering an illness. The Dodgers are 31-4 in their last 35 games. This should be fun.
Watch us take 3 of 4 this weekend. Because…baseball.
Fun? Is this Masochists Journal?
Thanks for the recap, Rob. Let’s win tonight and go from there. At least give me an excuse to stay up past 11:00.
#1 – Ill be shocked if we pull out one win
Combined score of series with Dodgers:
LA 25-30
Braves 8
This series (and the Diamondbacks series) showed where the Braves are right now. They’re good enough to beat a good team, but also bad enough to lose to good teams. And they’re more likely to do the latter than the former. Honestly, that’s more than I expected in 2017. But this isn’t a playoff team. I looked at 2017, and wanted to see one thing – progress by the Braves’ prospects. It’s been a mixed bag on that so far. I’d be a lot happier if more of the pitching prospects were stepping up, so that no one was thinking that trading for a starting pitcher was a good use of resources.
I’m almost convinced we don’t deal Adams. The market is so saturated with corner OF/1B types that the true sellers (like Detroit and Oakland) will get what they can for the Yonder Alonso’s and JD Martinez’s, and the teams that don’t have an expiration on their guys, like the Braves and Rays, will hold onto theirs until a new market opens up, like the offseason or next deadline.
@5
To be fair, imagine a scenario where one more SP prospect has stepped up. You’d have Teheran, Folty, Newcomb, and, say, Wisler. With the top 13 position players and the scarecrow of a bullpen, the Braves might feel like that’s a nucleus that just needs a frontline starter and a true setup guy. They might feel like that team could win 90+, and the only player missing from that equation is Matt Wisler. Weird.
Guys it’s nonsense speculating on what this season means… There’s like 5 guys on the major league roster you could argue will be part of the Next Great Braves Team and even then it’s serious speculation with Swanson and Newcomb. Everyone else is just random filler that happens to be playing over the heads against an easy schedule so far.
Freeman, Folty, Swanson, Newcomb, Inciarte. That’s a start, but not *nearly* enough.
The guy we should trade is, and always has been, Arodys Vizcaino, and the team we should trade him to is, and always has been, the Washington Nationals.
I’m definitely more bullish on the farm system due to the meteoric rise of Acuna, but overall I think it’s massively overrated. But that’s par for the course when it comes to prospect-hype. The guys you hear a lot about turn out to be Byron Buxton more times than not, and the true stars just burst onto the scene out of nowhere.
I think Matt Adams gets moved in the off-season when 25 teams think they have a chance. God I hope so, anyway.
@10
I think I’d feel better about it if it looked like they had any recent track record of success at actually translating a well thought of prospect to a quality major leaguer.
@12, They either rush prospects (suspects) or leave them there too long. I.E. Lucas Sims has proven all he has to prove at the miLB level, IMO.
Do I think he is an answer, nope. But he couldn’t have been worse than Bartolo Colon, etc.
Just remember that a lot of the money we saved by giving Kimbrel away for free went to Bartolo and RA Dickey, when we had a plethora of options like Sims/Newcomb that could have pitched for the minimum. Would they have pitched better? Dunno. But at least we’d find something out.
@14 I think they have honestly tried too hard to just be mediocre when it would have been better to just be terrible and learn about a bunch of guys. Frankly, Atlanta isn’t going to buy tickets even when they are winning.
IMO, trying to be 75-87 is worse than just tanking for sure. Other than actually trying to win. It’s like in the NFL the teams that are around .500 are always just muddling along.
Who’s more likely be pitching in the 9th inning in this series:
Jim Johnson or Nick Markakis?
Aaron Blair scratched from his AAA start tonight.
@16 Nick Markakis at 1:3 odds.
@17 hopefully traded to the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks. And his dad has to move with him.
So what are we going to get for J. Garcia?
Jose Berrios and Dozier.
HA!
Update on another individual who has a non-zero chance (some would say his prospects are possibly even bright) of being a member of some future Braves rotation:
Joey Wentz at Rome– 6 ip, 4 hits, 1 run, 8 k, 1 walk
Chief, Q’s about OOTP. Do you draft, manage payroll, expenses, cash, build stadiums, etc.? I’ve always played Baseball Mogul, and you get to do all that.
OOTP >>>>> Mogul.
Crap. I just bought Mogul for the first time in a couple years. Why is OOTP better than Mogul?
Honestly haven’t played Mogul in several years. When I made the switch to OOTP back in 2011, though, it was because all the numbers/management/player development felt much more realistic. More simulator game, less game game, if that makes sense.
Sounds like a deal will be done tonight. I guess Blair would come up for one start (only because it’s his day to pitch) then the spot would go to Wisler, who has been really good lately.
Andrew Albers has actually been Gwinnett’s best pitcher. But he is a 31 year old soft tosser.
Looks like it’s for one minor leaguer.
MLBTR says Jaime to the Twins for a minor leaguer–yet to be identified–pending medicals.
R.A. Dickey is the last geezer standing.
@12–it’s certainly true that since the rebuild began 2 and a half years ago, the Braves haven’t had success at turning highly thought of prospects into quality major leaguers. Wisler and Blair have had little success so far; Jace has not developed into a quality utility guy; and certainly Swanson’s struggles so far are obvious. It’s way too early as to Newcomb.
But remember that the vast majority of prospects acquired in this time have been teenagers–and most of them are still in their teens. We will know much better in a couple of years once Acuna, Albies, Allard, Soroka, Sims, Wright, Gohara, and Minter have a year or so in the bigs under their belt. And by then we may see maitan, Jackson, Riley, Cumberland, Anderson, Wentz, and Wilson getting a shot.
Of course most of them won’t make it. But if 2 or 3 of the starters turn into stars and 2 or 3 of the position players do, youve got something special like the 1990’s Braves.
Soroka has proved a lot in a short time. I guess Sims would be good too.
@24, you would LOVE OOTP.
It has everything that you mentioned, and more. It is pretty much the best sports management game of all time.
I wish everyone on BJ played it so that we could do an online league… 🙂
@29 it better be a damn decent minor leaguer, then.
Haven’t yet heard who Braves are getting for Garcia. Interesting, isn’t it, that Garcia will replace Colon in Twins rotation.
Guys, I’m honestly shocked you even have to ask who we’re getting for Jaime. It should be obvious<
Kirilloff also fits the bill.
It’s taking longer than usual. They must be giving Sano some extra time to say farewell to his teammates.
Minnesota beat writer says the twins could be getting a low level prospect in return as well…which may mean we’re actually getting a guy with a legit pedigree
Kirilloff would be amazing. I’ll guess Mitch Garver.
I guess Swanson will ride the pine until he plays better. Or something.
Twins beat writer says the Twins are expected to pick up most of Garcia’s remaining salary. That would be annoying.
Jaime and Blair….he’s got no future in ATL so might as well. I’m speculating
That is annoying. I’d rather pay the salary and get a decent prospect back. Reports a couple days ago were that up to 10 teams had interest
Mike Soroka
once pitched winter ball in Boca
in the now largely forgotten Jewish League
there was very little danger of prospect fatigue.
@45 I laughed.
@44, as I have said many many times, until the Braves fix the organization IRT money, not much of this all matters much.
Jonny Venters
an old hero re-enters
but pitching for the Stone Crabs from Tampa
we have to admit is a bit of a damper.
GO JONNY !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 91/93
https://www.draysbay.com/2017/7/14/15958152/atlanta-braves-tampa-bay-rays-jonny-venters-relief-pitching
three TJ’s
we have nothing but praise
same smile
Billy Wag said unhittable sinker- for a while.
@47 in the comments section of that linked article someone has posted he too had three TJ’s and how much he admired Jonny for coming back and already throwing in the nineties. He said he tried to come back also but could not handle the pain of all the necessary workouts. Is it a fair assumption that no one would have had three of these if they had not had a major league career of some length? So I wonder who he might be – rara avis.
Freddie is sick. Hope it’s contagious.
Seems to be.
Freddie is hitting like Zombie Chipper right now.
@32
All the guys you mention that still have potential were acquired before or after the “rebuild”. As in guys like Acuna, Allard, Soroka, Anderson, etc. were draft picks or international signings not related to the decision in 2014 to blow up the team. Remember ostensibly the idea behind blowing up the 2014 team was that they needed to do so in order to jump start the rebuild… Well what have we gotten out of that?
Heyward trade: 1 year of Miller (good), Jenkins (not good), Inciarte (good), Swanson (not good yet, who knows), Blair (not good)
Upton: Jace (not good), D. Peterson (not good), Fried (not good)
Gattis: Folty (good), Ruiz (not good)
Kimbrel: Wisler (not good), Maybin (whatever), Quentin (what?), $45 million in BJ Upton money (used on nothing in 2015-16 and -2.2 WAR of Bartolo Colon in 2017)
Simmons: Newcomb (TBD, but he looks like a reliever), Ellis (nothing), Aybar (bleh)
So out of all that we got Folty who has had success and nothing else in terms of prospects who had no experience in the big leagues (to be fair, getting Inciarte was a steal). In terms of overall strategy all of this meant basically nothing in terms of competitiveness in 2015-17. Newcomb and Swanson could eventually become useful pieces on a big league team but the idea that they had to blow up the 2014 team was and always has been nonsense. They got nothing to jump start anything unless a couple of these guys make big strides but even then they won’t be competitive until 2019-2020 like a lot of us on this board always said.
The Neck is useless.
51—LOL.
I don’t like the way Suzuki calls pitches. He has had some big hits but he calls a terrible game
Folty is over throwing and that was a stupid decision by Ender
@51 Young players require patience. A hell of a lot more patience than you’re evidently willing to show…
Rumors that we are paying less than half of Garcia’s remaining salary…so…yay Liberty Media.
Holy shit…nice play Camargo
One of those big hits I mentioned earlier….way to go Kurt
Perhaps we can get into their pen early? HOOOOOOOPE.
Lol at the boos in Dodger Stadium.
wtf is going on here
Suzuki is a GREAT fastball hitter. Like GREAT.
These clowns don’t want any part of Folty in the NLCS.
OK, when I said the Run Differential this series would be +22, I obviously meant the Braves.
Luis Avilan
there was, to view, somewhat less of the man
apparently the trimming pounds Dodgers
know the secret of rehab for corpulent codgers.
Strange how Ender, of all people, cannot throw a ball straight to the target for now. He’s been persistently awry in the second half. The last one, fielding Utley’s double off the wall, he had no cut off man to worry about and was throwing straight to the base nearest him – only it again wasn’t straight. You have to think there might be something physical going on.
It’s a day ending in Y, so Folty gave up a dinger.
Brandon Phillips was just yanked…. Hmmmmm…
Nevermind. Braves tweeted he left with right hamstring tightness.
Swanson must watch this and wonder.
3 run lead is probably not enough for our pen.
Hey… uh, that kind of looked like the catcher was blocking the plate. No?
Sending him there was hella dumb though.
You could even say he got Snitkered.
I don’t understand the application of the rule in that case. Had he positioned himself exactly the same but the throw was right on the money instead of high, so he didn’t have to jump, would it have not been a clear violation? Does jumping absolve him of that? If so, why?
Maybe it’s like an offensive foul — i.e., he hadn’t planted, he was going for the ball? I don’t really know.
The ball got there before the runner. I think that matters. Maybe. Not sure anyone understands the rule.
How about not sending a slow runner when the LF is coming up throwing before our guy has touched 3rd.
Once you see Swansons back leg flying backwards, it’s all you can notice during his ABs. Shades of Heyward weird hand movement. He probably doesn’t even feel like he’s doing it…but damn.
@79 Yea, I guess he got the ball soon enough since you can block when you have possession. Just confusing because he was seemingly blocking before he had the ball.
Good God! What a catch! And the Dodgers’ “sure sweep” goes up in smoke before it even starts!
That was awesome.
Camargo hilight reel. Holy wow.
@76…exactly
JJ was way off tonight with his control, specifically elevation. I would guess half his pitches were in or near the dirt and very few of them forced the batter to swing – it was not a late movement down.
Great win. Mr Camargo, what are we going to do about you? More specifically, the teammates affected by your defensive talents. You are the best 2nd baseman, short stop, third baseman in the team. Any time soon you will be a consistent .325 hitter, with power. 100K steal. Let’s see Acuna in right very soon.Ozzie at second. We’ll settle for that plus Soroka, back from Boca.
Dansby sure seems to have fallen out of favor with at least Snitker… I dunno.
Let’s see, sdp. In spite of the barrage of statistical analysis that will rain upon me, Dansby neither fields nor hits; but damn, he’s got hype and hair. Oh yeah, for now at least that kid Camargo’s playing much, much better. Maybe that’s what Snit sees.
So Garcia is not going to the Twins?
Never forget the trade rumor mill is strong and often speculation. The Furcal rule is a good one!
Garcia is still listed as Tonight’s starter FWIW
Recapped