The only thing better than beating inferior teams is not having to even play the full game. Rain shortened this one as Max Fried had come out to begin the 7th inning. He had only thrown 76 pitches, so he had plenty more in him, but it’s nice to limit his pitches and innings any way you can.
Fried has had 3 stretches to this season. His first 12 appearances, 10 of them starts, amounted to 56.1 IP, 51 K, 13 BB, 50 H, and a 2.88 ERA. When you start the year like that, people start referring to as a potential All-Star. Then the next stretch: 42.1 IP, 60 H, 16 BB, 46 K, 6.17 ERA.
But hopefully he’s starting a new stretch. His last three starts have spanned 16.1 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 15 K for a 2.76 ERA. With no starting pitching acquisition at the deadline, the pressure’s on someone like Fried to step up.
As for the rest of the game, Freddie Freeman provided the big blow, a 3-run homer in the first. And then Adam Duvall hit yet another homer to finish off the scoring. That 1.582 OPS is working just fine for us.
Tonight is Alex Wood vs. Kevin Gausman tonight at 7:20.
With the Braves not getting any starters at the deadline, this is a tremendous opportunity for our young pitchers to take a step forward. The talent’s there.
Nice game for Max. Nice recap for Rob.
Gausman, huh? We may get to see our new pen pieces tonight, plus a rerun of two. Make me apologize, Kevin.
Gausman’s gonna step up tonight. I have this feeling!
I think this is Gausman’s last shot. If he sucks, gotta think Folty gets his next turn.
If we can get one of Gausman or Folty to step up, we have a legit shot to win the whole thing. Right now if Dallas, Sobatka and good Julio and Mad Max show up, we are in good shape.
@ 4 Soroka?
I feel like after their baseball careers are over, and Sororka’s in the HoF, he and Chad should start a pro wrestling tag team- the SoKa Connection!
Their finishing move could be called “The Grounder”.
I think Gausman tosses a quality start tonight:
6IP 3ER 9H and most importantly a W!
Roger @37 from previous:
There’s a guy I talk baseball with who is friends with a few scouts around the league. He doesn’t breach confidentiality, but I get a lot of discussions around what didn’t happen.
Folty to the Rangers: He says there was a lot of conversation between Braves and Rangers on the day of the deadline involving Folty for an outfielder and a starter. He didn’t hear any names and doesn’t know why the talks broke down.
This guy has earned my trust because enough of his stories of deals “after they didn’t happen” have lined up over time. I like to share those details here because I think it will keep conversations interesting. I don’t figure I’ll ever get a real “scoop” and that’s fine with me. It’s news to me the Braves are really truly shopping Folty.
@8 That’s interesting. I’d think the OF would’ve had to been Mazara, right?
So Folty’s already pegged as a “change of scenery” player?
@10 I think some orgs are more willing to work with players through mental blocks than others. I don’t see that as one of Snit’s specialities. The few times I’ve seen him go at players, it’s been pitchers when he has the sentiment “the stuff is there, it’s just all in their head.”
I mean, Gausman was the victim of an inconsistent strike zone against a quality lineup last time. And first couple times through the order he’s been fine. Plus it’s at home and vs. a lesser lineup, so there’s a lot of reason to believe he’ll be decent.
Two questions:
1. Is Folty eligible for arbitration again, or was 2019 his last time through that wringer? I think (always a mistake) he was a super two.
2. Does he have options left after the current one?
Sobotka, Soroka, pretty much the same pitcher.
@ 13,
According to Cot’s yesterday, Folty has 2 more arb years.
Don’t know about “options” but I doubt he has any more. Max is 3.
Folty being banished to AAA for a month, while other starters have been ineffective, kinda shows you what the Braves think. In the span of a year we’ve gone from “looks like a staff ace” to “probably won’t be in the org”. Kinda crazy.
@ 16,
But, until you saw 3 or 4 good starts in a row, what would be the point in bringing Folty up?
I could see where the Rangers might have thought getting Folty and Wright (say) for Minor and Mazara might be a win. They only had Minor for 1 more year and if Folty goes through arb with his bad numbers he is probably at 6 or 8 million and what FA pitcher could they sign for that? Then, if he rebounds, you have an extra year and then can possibly make a QO. And if Wright sticks, you win the trade.
Thank you, cliff.
@8 That makes so much sense. It would have been the perfect trade and I’m sure Folty was not the only player involved from the Braves’ side. My guess is that it would have required either Pache or Waters to complete the deal – e.g. Pache/Waters and Folty for Mazara and Minor. Braves probably would have thrown in Parsons like they threw in Winkler to balance the 40-man. I’m guessing the Braves would have given any other OF but Pache or Waters, maybe Inciarte or Duvall (would not have required Parsons). Deal was probably scuttled when Markakis went down.
For anyone thinking that Gausman has “one more chance” or something like that. Forget it. We have Gausman for all of August. There are no starters that can be moved right now except Soroka or Fried. The bullpen similarly has no possible movement in it. Without an injury, there is a 0% chance Folty is brought up before Sept 1st. No Dayton or Webb either. The only bullpen guy with options is Newcomb and I’m sure no one wants Blevins to be our only lefty. When Dansby comes back, Riley goes down and doesn’t come back until Sept 1st.
With no August waiver trades, this is where we are. We now have real “dog days”. The only moves involve losing players.
@15 Folty has one more option. He less ML experience than Gausman so can be forced to Gwinnett while Gausman couldn’t be.
Mazara has 3 options left. He is a change of scenery candidate whose prospect star was at least as big as Pache or Waters. I’m guessing the Braves and Rangers come back to this over the winter.
I could definitely see the Braves as not eager to entertain headcases. I’m sure they know more about Folty than we do.
head cases
what lies behind those faces?
a desire to star
but also a dread that the fall is far.
@21 If your guess is correct, I hope they don’t revisit those talks ever again. Mazara’s not a bad player, but I wouldn’t want to see the Braves deal one of two guys (Pache & Waters) who could become what Mazara hasn’t yet. Even if you expand the deal to include Minor (and I’m not sure of his contract status), to me it’s still not a deal where you include a Pache or Waters.
At any rate, I’d honestly like to see them resign JD for 3B again (2 years, ideally, but 3 is fine) while continuing to play Riley in the OF. If good Riley returns, you move Ender. If slumping Riley is the norm, he at least bridges the gap until Pache comes up.
Based on what AA delivered last off-season and at the trade deadline, I cede my GM authority to him. I would like a bellcow starter however.
If you read our friend Roger @20 right the way through, a couple of times, you can come to the inescapable conclusion he is headed for management at you know where.
His grasp of detail, his vision and his obvious passion cannot be satisfied in any other way. He has morphed from a tentative new arrival here to a beneficent monster, a finger in every pie, a memory recall that astounds, an energy that shames the rest of us.
Roger, when you get there please don’t forget the rest of us. Perhaps an annual get together in the VIP section of the Chop House to listen to your speech on the accomplishments of your staff the last 12 months.
I kid, but you knew that. Your contribution to this board is immeasurable.
@9 Yep, that was his guess on the OF.
This is a really sharp crowd. Y’all have pretty much pieced together what I believe the thinking is or was. I believe Roger is on the money with what made Folty potentially expendable at the deadline with him not being able to come up plus his struggles and reputation. This deal could have cleared a space and brought in a replacement for Gausman in the rotation. It could have been a big win.
But I would hope that none of Waters, Pache, or Anderson would be in a deal for Minor and Mazara. I wouldn’t even want to include Wright. I’d rather the Wright’s and Wilson’s of the world be bundled together in a deal for a legit TOR. That’s the dream anyway. 🙂
AA on High Heat right now: No innings limit on any of the young starters.
It hasn’t worked well for him to shut young guys down, they got hurt anyway.
@27 Donny, fascinating insight. Thanks for sharing.
You mentioned Folty’s reputation. What’s that about exactly?
28 – Yes I know AA has said that before, good to hear he is sticking with that thinking as there is no evidence that the Verducci effect is legit.
So who was it who said we need to include a catcher in one of our trade deadline packages? There are times when apparent benign ignorance leaves the mind open and uncluttered to see the obvious which has sadly escaped the attention of our frazzled bookworms.
Yes!
@29 I’m just referring to his reputation as a head-case when he’s on the mound. I’ve never heard anything bad about his personality or club house presence.
Braves release Luiz Gohara… he also cleared waivers.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/08/braves-release-luiz-gohara.html
Luiz was my pick to click pre=season. I’m nothing if not consistent. I had high hopes for that big old lefty.
New post.
Jason Heyward hitting lead off against the Brewers for the Cubs this afternoon, Castellanos second. Jason hitting .277 so i guess we were all too ready to write him off but goodness it took a long time. If it hadn’t been for that untradable contract he would be long gone.
Hiura looking more and more a right handed Yelich, now hitting third next to him.