Look. Let’s be honest. There is no way in, around, nor under hell that I’m going to stay up for a west coast night game. It’s just not going to happen. The start time of 10:10 is technically past my Old Man Bedtime, and there’s just nothing that a June 5 tilt against the Pads brings to the party to induce me to stay up late. So, ya know; true story bruh. It’s 4:11 in the afternoon and I am just not gonna.
Someone will win. Someone will lose. Unless there was rain. Or an earthquake. Or aliens. I don’t know. Future is future, and I’m going to be asleep anyway. Sean Newcomb toes the rubber for the good guys. Something called a Jordan Lyles throws for San Diego. He was in the pen into May, but has apparently helped “stabilize the Padres rotation” if MLB.com’s to be believed. You kids have fun, ‘kay?
In other news, if you have to tell someone your commentary is insightful, it’s probably not. And if you have to explain a joke, it’s almost certainly not funny. Similarly, if your first instinct is to tell people something bad is not your fault…
Samuel Hutch
you have to admire him so much
he will scuttle off to bed
when he spots a downright doozy ahead
Insightful pre-cap.
I guess I can write a recap tonight (if I don’t fall asleep) or tomorrow?
The Braves just took a guy named Graffanino in the 8th round, and yeah, he’s Tony Graffanino’s kid. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-huskies/washingtons-a-j-graffanino-hopes-to-follow-major-league-father-in-pursuit-of-baseball-dream/
Hutch
Does clutch.
But Pads and such?
Not so much.
This BravesJournal bunch
sure lives by their hunch
That these Braves are closer to bad.
Give up on happiness and just be sad.
I tip my cap to the pre-cap.
Teheran to DL. Luke Jackson up. I guess they see Soroka taking his spot.
Gohara indeed deserves a pass.
I agree. He hasn’t pitched in 2 weeks, of course he’s not gonna be up to speed. Maybe they should have optioned him for Fried.
Guess they are hoping a short rest somehow rejuvenates Teheran. I find it unlikely.
Latest on the Mets bullpen.
@11 Well, what do you have to lose?
How does the UCL work? Does it damage and then tear? Does it just tear? When it indeed tears, are you just flat-out done? I wonder if they have plans for Allard, Touki, Fried, and Gohara for, say, July, and they’re just telling Teheran to do what he needs to do to bridge the gap to those guys, and then he can go under the knife.
Things look imminently better in July assuming just Teheran is on the fritz. There are three months left. Gohara is hopefully stretched out, and by that time, they’re comfortable with letting his inning total creep up. Fried is in the same boat. Allard may be ready for a call up, and after pitching 150 IP last year, he’s only at 63 IP so far. Soroka threw 153 IP, and he’ll get a chance to inch up. Gohara had a big jump last year, but maybe they’ll let him at least match his 150 IP last year. Touki threw 145 IP; maybe he earns a call-up. Shoot, would even Wisler be a marked downgrade from Teheran at this point? ::ducks again:: ::tires from ducking::
They could throw a lot of arms at the problem and come out good on the other side.
Julio was DL’d due to a bruised thumb that he got swinging the bat in the 4th inning last night. The bruise was why he came out and Gohara came in on negative 73 sky-miles days rest.
Again, this is just speculative, but with Teheran I bet it’s a frayed (not completely torn but maybe a small tear or partial tear) UCL. With a complete tear he would be unable to pitch.
Not a doctor, and they would have to take an MRI to see, but I’ve watched a ton of baseball and seen a ton of pitchers get hurt.
Greg Maddux pitched for years with a frayed UCL. His control and movement were good enough to offset the lack of velocity.
14 — That’s just what they are saying publicly. He didn’t bruise the thumb until his last AB, and his velocity has been way down all year. The trainer went out to check on him in the 2nd inning before that happened.
Ok, back at the Petco Park of Horrors (TM Pending). Tonight Will be better.
Right?
Ok, so This just happened, and is point number 18 that Ozzie is a fun loving kid.
Got a local school choir out in short center waiting to sing the anthem, and he rolls a ball into them. One of the kids picks it up and looks over at him. Ozzie immediately points at Carmago to blame him.
Then when she rolled it back he grabbed it and rolled it back again.
He is a hoot.
Freddie just snuck that over the 396 sign.
Charlie’s stealing bases now. Maybe he’s not replacement level after all.
Dansby with an 11 pitch at bat that resulted with a single up the middle. That combination is the epitome of Joe’s baseball happy place.
Yes, may the time in which it occurred not diminish that it was a great at bat.
Want to circle back from last thread and thank Hap for the rundown on YouTube TV. We spend an absurd amount of money on TV, and if I could figure out how to get Braves baseball, some sort of baseball highlights (like MLB Network), and Gator football in St. Pete, FL, I would be a very happy man. Maybe YouTube TV is a step towards.
I would also like to apologize for using “circle back” and “rundown” like I’m Bill Lumberg or something.
Really encouraged by Newcomb. Doesn’t have his best stuff, and some unsightly BB’s, but is battling through it.
The Simmons trade is still looks pretty bad, but Newk might keep it from being an all-timer.
When the bottom of the order contributes, the team is indeed magical.
Suck it, Friars
How about Danslie Swansberson?
Good morning, Dansby. This is better to wake up to.
Dansby! Good night!
That Dansby dinger was belted, deep to left, as Chip probably said.
Good game. Dansby, at bat and afield.
I’m leaving it with y’all. Don’t blow it.
Villanueva is a butcher.
Excellent use by Sam of the precap, by the way.
The Dans Dans Revolution has begun.
Freddie has 4 hits by the 5th inning.
Three double plays have really helped Newk out.
@35- Record is 7.
Who would have thought Newk would continue his run of limiting home runs at Pecto? Kidding.
I wish we’d see Bourjos in CF, Tucker in RF, Camargo at SS, Flaherty at 3B, and Flowers at 1B. Why can’t we get any guys some rest?
Is a 13 run lead safe enough for Like Jackson? We’re going to find out.
Padres putting Spangenberg in to pitch the 9th, instead of burning another reliever.
Baseball Reference values Swanson more than Albies mainly due to defense. It really likes Swanson’s defense…at the level on par with Simmons. Interesting…
@18 Seat Painter
Glad to hear you got to see a real, fun game. Your story on Ozzie and the kids and the ball rolling to and fro I loved.
When the Nats were in town last week it occurred to me to write something comparing him and Trea Turner not in ability but in the image they project on the field and in the dugout. Does it matter to the committed viewer, of course it does.
It also tells you a great deal about the individuals involved. Turner is thin faced, pallid even, surly. Check out his interaction when that kid in left field imposed on his playing space. When Dans did it to Oz he drew a line in the sand. Fun, his smile is infectious. Does it make a difference to our viewing pleasure every night – you bet it does. Warm and fuzzy, ozzy.
Two others get honorable mentions. One, incredibly, is a Nat. The guy we drafted but wouldn’t pay $750K to get. Warm smile, big fan of Freddie’s. FF himself i would nominate as the most sociable and, yes, ‘nicest’ player in the league which does nothing to cool his competitive fires. Love watching his one on ones with the opposition.
Ozzie
because he
makes us smile.
Trea
no way
glad to see the back of him for a while.
Catch of the season so far by one of our guys?
Why?
Because of the ‘when’.
see clue above.
@38
I suspecto, no one!
Rob. Your point on tiredness and rest and substitutions is an excellent one, much needed.
Here’s a thought. Is this an area where the GM should step in and dictate- you think? Snit’s passivity in general suggests yes.
Carter Stewart
hardly the finished product but few art.
an amiable and somewhat goofy grin
but within a year his handle resonates, The Mighty Quinn.
It’s nice to see one of the fringe guys come in and do a good job. It has been rare that any or our 26th men have done so. Credit to Luke last night for allowing the bullpen a full day of rest before tonight’s game.
Interesting that the Braves took only two college seniors (on whom teams save hundreds of thousands of dollars in signing-bonus money) in their first 9 picks. I think they’re probably saving a good bit on Stewart’s bonus, although I think they’ll have to pay Beck at least double his slot value.
Can’t wait to see whom they’ve targeted in the 11th.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1auJaHME_enCTHWnMHj7g-dJKCkR-OVmqFSgtUBbTP6E/edit#gid=163198164
“It’s nice to see one of the fringe guys come in and do a good job.”
That’s just what I was thinking when I read Sam’s pre-cap.
Seriously think Dansby Swanson doesn’t get enough love in Braves Country.
I would try to explain my insightful humor to you, but then I realize even that would be lost on you proles. Pearls before swine, I tell ya.
Apparently the key to all this is that we just can’t watch.
Dansby has almost a .800 OPS now with good defense at a premium position for the league minimum. He also seems to be recognized as a clubhouse leader. I just don’t know what more people could possibly want for both what we gave up for him and his salary.
Stu, what’s your overall feeling on the draft?
Interesting that our Round 7 guy is from Stetson University — it’s in DeLand, and Chipper Jones has extensive ties there. Chipper’s godfather Pete Dunn was the baseball coach there until he retired in 2016, and Chipper’s dad was a coach there for a long time. So it stands to reason that they’d scout Stetson guys more thoroughly than just about anybody.
Anyone else on the board know anything about any of our other draftees? We’ve got guys who played at Tennessee, UNC Greensboro, and Texas Tech.
(Of course, everything I just said about heavily scouting Stetson SHOULD have applied to Chris Johnson! So take it all with a grain of salt.
http://bravesjournal.us/2013/01/26/chris-johnson/)
@ 49 – I can’t imagine they’ll get much of a discount on Jenista or Wiley either. It’ll be interesting to see how much of a haircut Stewart takes.
On the college seniors…they did the same thing last year. After the 4th, I think they took all college seniors…though that was due to Wright’s asking price more than anything else.
Still, even w/out the 3rd, I’m impressed with the marginal value they’re getting on where they’re picking vs. the industry consensus of the talent.
I can’t imagine they’ll have much money left for the 11th, but maybe they’ll pull a rabbit…
@53
Hey! Some of us were watching.
Beck seems to be the biggest wild card with the most upside in the draft. If his back heals the way Allard’s did with seemingly the same injury, he’s a steal. Stewart is great, but he could be Adam Wainwright or he could be Macay McBride, Dan Meyer, Beau Jones, or Lucas Sims, all 1st round picks.
Meyer was a disappointment, but not for us — he brought us Tim Hudson! As long as we can get a guy to the high minors with prospect status intact, they’re valuable assets.
@54 agree completely.
57—No, my point is that they *didn’t* take as many seniors as last year. Only two. So, not as much savings. I know they don’t have a Kyle Wright to whom they’ve promised a 1-1 bonus this year, but I’m still surprised they spent more money in the back half of those first 10 picks.
55—Feeling good. First four picks are dynamite. Better than I expected, given the lack of picks and maneuverability.
The guys that really follow the draft are raving about our later round picks on Twitter. Sometimes they can really fall in love with prospects, both amateur and professional, so sometimes it’s hard to get a good read.
I know I’m excited about Beck.
I mean this in the best way possible…but I’m looking forward to not worrying much about prospects.
I’ve already begun to worry less about prospects. We might be staring at a couple of very good starting pitchers in this rotation with more on the way.
It’s good for the fanbase to be familiar with the farm for a couple reasons:
1) Shows organizational health, which a fan enjoys
2) Puts in perspective the ramifications of selling the farm on a deadline deal
A Rebuild(TM) can act as an educator for the average fan that if you gut the farm, you’re going to run out of steam one day. If there wasn’t a meltdown from the fans every time The Big Deal wasn’t made at the deadline, it’d be easier for the FO to make the decisions for the best short- and long-term.
If the Braves consistently want to be occupying a spot in the rotation for reclamation projects like Harangutan or Anibal or Ben Sheets to dump for a live arm every year, that’d be fine with me. If they constantly have so much talent in the low minors they will trade a walk year guy like McCarthy at the deadline, I could live with that too. I see no other route for a team with our payroll and TV deal to stay competitive every single year.
My current worry about prospects is that we have no OF ready to take over RF (or LF, if you move Acuna across) next year. Which means either you break the bank on Bryce Harper (and hope he signs) or you stop gap another year or two with Neck 2: Electric Markakaloo, or The Tail End of The Adam Jones Experience, or something.
Pache has not adopted the Acuna bullet train path to the bigs *at all* this year. Dustin Peterson is putting up pedestrian 700+ OPS’s at Gwinnett, as is Austin Riley (at 3B) after his brutally hot start. Only OF with any good numbers this year is Drew Waters, and that dude’s the CF in high-A Rome.
Low-A, but yes, the position player depth in the system is quite low after graduating Acuna, Albies, and Dansby.
Is there really not another FA option that lives somewhere between Harper and Neck?
The Braves are going to spend money in the offseason. I think that’s a fair expectation.
What wouldn’t be a good look is crowning an unproven rookie as the starting outfielder before spring training (ie. the plan for that spot is to see who wins it). I won’t be cool with that if that’s the company line.
I understand if Bryce Harper signs elsewhere. There’s bound to be other options.
When you get past Harper, the field drops to Adam Jones, Neck, and Nelson Cruz.
Just trade for (and throw all the money at) Manny Machado and tell Camargo he’s playing RF next year.
I’ll try and stay awake for this game, but I make no promises….
Considering the game 12:40 local time, and about to start, I would say you will probably make it JF.
@67 Michael Reed was smokin’ hot at AA and is now doing well at AAA.
@69 Pollock, Puig, Brantley, Gardner, Marwin Gonzalez, Leonys Martin – all serviceable and Pollock being the best option after Bryce
You have great faith in me, Seat Painter.
And just like that, 1 to 0, Bravos.
JF, I’ll let you in on the secret to Friday night recaps, which would probably work for any day – the next morning.
Damn. There is a huge difference between the stuff Folty is throwing and even Newk last night. He just made Hosmer look really bad.
I’m in London this week, so this is the only one this week I should be able to follow live. Even so, I may well be asleep before it’s over.
As to outfielders, we’ve known for a couple of years that would be a need for 2019. Pache’s development this year has actually been pretty good, but he is still a long way away and there is no guarantee he’ll ever hit enough to stick in the bigs. Waters has been the best OF in the system but still far away. So they will need to sign or trade for a corner OF.
That free agent crop is uninspiring. Who might be available in trade?
100 on the gun. Sheesh.
Hey Folty, remember when we got into a pissing match over 100k in arbitration? Our bad, let’s just forget about that, okay?
Stuff is great, but I sure wish Stuffy would stop messing around this inning.
Ugly inning, but only gave up two. It could have been worse.
I think a Peterson / Tucker platoon in left could carry 3 WAR. So, to me, the issue would be to only go after a predictably 4 WAR (or better) corner outfielder. After Harper, maybe Puig.
I’ll go ahead and say I’ll be shocked to high heaven if the Braves go after Yasiel Puig.
Harper or bust then. He was made for WFF anyway.
I like Puig. He’s entertaining, but I’d rather he be someone else’s sideshow.
Footy was an inch away from being in a 1 – 1 tie. Think Huddle is throwing in the pen.
Trying to steal with the pitcher in the batter’s box is one strategy…
I can’t stand Bryce Harper or the thought of the Braves signing him. Don’t care how many homers he would hit or whatever. Just don’t want to root for him.
I want to root for Bryce Harper in a Braves uni…
Dansby hitting second … woof
Hard to win when the 1 through 3 hitters go 2 for 12.
Aside from Albies’ double, that inning was really ugly. It’s not often both Freddie and Nick look lost.
Umpires have an early flight out, it seems.
The only way we can keep Brad Hand from beating us is trading for him. Let’s do it.
Hard to win when the 1 through 9 hitters go 4 for 30.
Recapped