Game time: 4:05. Bryse Wilson vs. Nick Pivetta.
Snowshine got our predictions going, and 86 wins was the average of the (realistic) win predictions.
High total: 93 wins (Snowshine
Low total: 77 (Dusty)
Pitcher wins were all over the place, rightfully so. Most votes: Folty, then Fried.
Pitcher losses was overwhelming Julio, which makes sense since he’s the worst pitcher to still most likely stay in the rotation all year.
Most home runs was overwhelmingly Acuna. Donaldson only got one vote. Interesting.
Earliest Date Riley Appears: May 20th (Smitty). Latest: September 19th (timo). Honorable mention of “Who cares?” to Dusty.
Earliest for Pache: September 2nd (Snowhine). Latest: July 2020 (Smitty). Honorable mention of “Not soon enough” to Dusty.
Winner based on my unscientific evaluation wins a copy of “Ballplayer” by Chipper Jones and Carroll Rogers Walton. May need some tiebreakers, so feel free to predict these things:
Who makes the most stats: Fried, Wright, Touki, Wilson, Soroka
Do the Braves make the playoffs, and if so, to what round will they advance?
Also, feel free to amend your answers or chime in if not done so already!
Also, it would be great if we could get a recapper for Tuesday games. That is the only day left uncovered. Just need 3, maybe 4, paragraphs about the Tuesday game. It doesn’t need to be overly sophisticated, and just feel free to highlight a key performer, a goat, or the important inning/event in the game. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can include the date and time of the next game and any announced starting pitchers, but that’s certainly not required.
If you don’t have an account, I’ll create one. WordPress is really easy to use.
To all recappers (and anyone interested in knowing about the direction of the site): I’ll also be covering someone’s recap once a week, and this year I’ll be doing either an audio or video podcast with about 5-10 minutes of content about what’s going on in the season, so that may take the place of one of the recaps week-to-week anyway. Hoping to maybe land some interesting interviews, share the spotlight with someone else in Braves Country, etc. And if it’s a smoldering dumpster fire, then I’ll get rid of it. I’m hoping it can give me the confidence and comfort of doing something similar for my line of work, though I don’t love real estate nearly as much as I love the Braves, so we shall see.
@1–Rob–I’ll be happy to switch from Thursdays to Tuesdays if that helps recruit a volunteer. Thursday has several off days and therefore fewer games to recap than Tuesdays.
@2 Means a lot. Thank you. Let’s see if someone has a preference on days.
The Orioles seem to be playing Rio Ruiz as their everyday 3b.
Bless their hearts.
Well, they are a minor league team, so that tracks.
Apparently Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer were the ones who lobbied Padres ownership into starting the year with Fernando Tatis, Jr and Chris Paddack on the major league team instead of playing games with their service time. Imagine that; solidarity among the players even between the high earners who have gotten theirs and the minor leaguers.
Unrealistic? Moi? Ok. I’ll amend to 161-1.
Just as a thought exercise, I was hoping Ruiz, Wisler, Blair, Jace, and any other failed prospects of yesteryear would find a spot on rebuilding teams and get to play a full load. But Cincy ruined it with Wisler by going and contending.
@8 Aaron Blair is pretty terrible, even if it’d hypothetically be as an innings eater on a ML team. I’m not sure any amount of big league time would help him to improve.
I keep tabs on Jace. He had a really nice Spring for the Orioles. I’m surprised he didn’t make their ML club, in some ways. I guess he just got squeezed, since their best player mans 2B, and they have a slew of young OFs they’re looking at.
Any thoughts on today’s game from anyone? Wilson has a tough assignment, for a rookie, being on the road, against that order, to kick things off. Hopefully the Braves can get to Pivetta? This has the feel of a 1-2 type series to start the year, though.
Go Ender. Nice to see him get a hit early.
For what it’s worth, Rio is starting off pretty well – 2B and run scored today against Yanks.
Wilson is sitting at 91-92. I thought he threw harder than that.
Bryse not throwing very hard. 92 tops.
Never make the first or third out at 3rd.
What a tag by Donaldson. He might break the string of replays not going our way.
Note: Bryse did finally hit 94.
I’ll take it, but that seems like a blown call from where I sit.
Wilson’s scouting report has him sitting low-90s most of the time.
woo! not screwed by replay
That’s rather average.
I mean, a lot of outlets pegged Wilson as a future reliever. He’s never had otherworldly stuff on his resume.
Chip and Jeffy talking about FIP as if it’s a new stat. Well, I guess it’s new that they know what it means and are talking about it.
Wilson was sitting at 95 during his debut last season. I guess that was adrenaline-aided.
They never would have been discussing FIP with Uncle Joe in the booth–or if they did, it would have been with scorn.
Dansby’s wrist looks pretty healthy to me
LT. DANS with a BOMB!!!!
Not to mention that that was a strong swing. No hesitation; no defensiveness.
Just imagine Dansby starting to hit…
Maybe there’s something to Dansby after all.
His ABs have looked miles better than Ozzie’s so far, which I never would have predicted.
sweet
He crushed that ball. Why anyone ever pitches him inside is beyond me.
Edit: Pivetta missed his spot.
@16 Replay showed that Donaldson totally blocked the base and Segura never touched it.
This is not gonna be a low scoring game today with the wind blowing out so hard.
Phillies are doing a lot of Bryse’s work for him today.
FWIW Swanson hit 20 HRs for me in 2019 in OOTP 20.
Just saying.
Bryse’s command is his strong suit, although not so much today. He’s been falling behind hitters, but we should expect some nerves from a 21 year old rookie in the second game of the season. He does look composed out there, doesn’t he?.
His command is shaky but IMO he is effectively wild. He is a little more talented than I thought. He’s a pitcher not a thrower.
He has walked 3 in 3 innings so far. His velo has gone up a couple of ticks and is now sitting at 93-94 as the game has progressed. He has decent movement on his 2 seamer and his slider looks pretty good.
I do not approve of Ozzie’s gold chains.
I want Ozzie to have a good season just so I can see him run the bases a lot.
I hope they didn’t call bunt on that 2-1 to Dansby. Hate that call, if so.
Snit loves him some small ball.
@36 I don’t think the gold chains will slow him down.
It was a suicide squeeze; Albies broke for the plate.
It ended up being strike 2 on the foul ball and he struck out on the next pitch.
I’m not fond of that play either when he homered last time.
…So is the plan really for Max Fried to pitch every single game?
Woof.
Well, that went south in a hurry.
welp, ballgame
Failed squeeze sucked the life out of everyone wearing blue.
At his best, Bryse is a savvy pitcher with pretty good stuff and excellent command. Walking Herrera twice shows his command was way off. That guy never walks.
To be fair, Bryse Wilson is a 21-year old 4th round pick serving as a spot starter with 19 starts above A-ball for one start until Kevin Gausman, a 3-WAR pitcher, returns.
Wilson goes 3 1/3, bullpen game from here on out, yet i feel a sense of optimism.
Still waiting for Donaldson to do something. I wonder if swapping Donaldson and Acuna might be better.
Hope Parsons gets another inning or two.
They’re pulling the starting pitcher so he doesn’t face Nick Markakis. That’s intimidation money can’t buy.
three liners for Acuna today, all caught 🙁
Man, Kakes hits almost everything on the screws. That looked like a easy base hit.
OT but is Dale Murphy with child?
I mean I’m not Charles Atlas but damn.
I hope Wes Parsons is for real. How cool would that be?
@55 — Nope.
Also, check out that overrated player.
That Realmuto guy seems pretty good. Wish we got him.
This is going to be a bad team. Sorry.
58- maybe this will cause BATRA stock to fall and we can all profit later?
Classic Chief there. Just a wee bit premature to declare this a bad team. But I will agree that the bullpen is a huge question mark–and for now a real weakness..
because the fphillies can hit little league hrs? ok
It may not matter in the end today, but I’m still frustrated with the suicide squeeze attempt. In this bandbox with the wind blowing out, (and with our questionable pen), why play for one run?
5 walks doesn’t help.
I don’t think Dansby ever touched the base.
Hmm, well, maybe….
Wow, that’s two in one day.
Looked like Dansby beat that.
The walks thing is incredibly frustrating. It’s not like it’s a new problem.
@58 It’s a good team, with an awful bullpen. They’re scoring runs, and the SP will be solid with some improved health. My big concern is that losing some of these bullpen games will bite them come September, in a tight race.
Folty will throw 80 pitches for Gwinnett on Thursday. Peanut saying Folty and Minter might be activated for the April 9th series with the Marlins. Gausman probably makes this Friday’s start for Atlanta.
https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/mike-foltynewicz-a-j-minter-ahead-of-schedule
So on April 10th, our rotation is probably back to Folty, Gausman, Newcomb, Teheran, and Wright/Fried. And the pen will have Minter, Vizzy (who apparently can’t pitch two out of three days, according to Peanut), Venters, Biddle, Parsons, Tomlin, Sobotka, and Carle? So Jackson gets DFA’ed, I hope, Wilson and one of Wright/Fried go down? I’m just trying to balance their desire to play the options game while still trying to field the best roster. So Jackson gets DFA’ed and Tomlin does not (unless he shows he’s terrible between now and then).
Vizcaino said his shoulder is bothering him again.
68 — He also said they don’t know if he can pitch back to back days.
@68 There is only one answer. Kimbrel….
robot umps when?
this guy is getting worse the farther along we get
I feel myself sympathizing with Chief. Barring any changes or upgrades, this pitching staff will not be adequate.
Why are we pulling Donaldson down by 3?
@70 Yes!!!
Charlie Clutch!
I wonder if we’ll play the options game and option Parsons to bring up Winkler with Wright pitching tomorrow with a slightly depleted pen.
Braves bullpen: 10 ER in 6 IP, all on homers.
Christian Yelich already has three homers.
Well, that game sucked.
Oh, and @77, Tomlin’s run was not on a HR.
@79 Good point!
I was thinking the bullpen could use Kimbrel to move everyone down in the pecking order and he would make it a good bullpen. From what I’m seeing so far, I think we need at least 2 to 3 bullpen arms even when/ if Minter and Vizzy return.
Liberty, Liberty, Liberty….Media sucks.
I think this offense is one of the better ones in the last 10 years the Braves have had. Two games in, I get it – – but looking at things on paper here.
And I get you don’t want to block the huge farm of arms that you’ve accumulated OR pay overrated free agents.
But day-um…the current roster of arms, even getting Folty, Gausman and Minter back – – it’s gonna need some serious help to contend.
Meanwhile, the Braves had a record revenue year in 2018 of $442M.
one sane voice in the wilderness rings the recap bell…