On Friday night the Atlanta Braves won a trip to October-Land. It’s just the best place to be this time of year. It’s where all ballplayers want to go.
And how excited they all were! Some of them misbehaved a little; usually you’re not supposed to play in the fountain or spray wet stuff all over your room. But Snit was so proud of his boys for winning the trip, he didn’t even send anyone to time out (even though he does know how to do that, right, Ronald?). Tom Hanks said there’s no crying in baseball, but he was wrong. Snit is a tough guy, but he cries about baseball. Sometimes grownups cry when they are happy, or when one of their boys gets hit in the face.
But it turns out there isn’t room for everyone to go on the trip to October-Land. Of course Freddie and Ronnie and Ozzie and JD and Mac and Nicky are going. But other guys said “Take me too!” On Saturday, some of the guys who haven’t been around as long said we deserve to go to October-Land. Cisco and Duvie each hit the ball so far even a Giant couldn’t catch it. I’ll bet they both go on the trip. Deiny had two hits, a single and a double, scored two runs and helped two of his friends get to home. (Watch out Dansby—I heard Peanut say that he might get to sit in front of you when you go to October-Land.) Billy hit a double that helped Cisco go home. Unless Ender gets a lot better this week, I think Billy will be going too (especially if Mac, Tyler, and Cisco all go—they are slow, and sometimes they need help getting all the way home).
We already knew that Max would be going on the trip, but he insisted last night that he deserves to sit up front with Mike and Big D and Folty. I think he’s right! But what about Julio? Well, there are only so many seats up front; he might have to follow someone else. Young Kyle was the only guy on Saturday who let one of the Giants get to their home. He will be going to October-Land lots of times, I bet, but not this year.
The trip to October-Land is still about ten days away. Some of the guys are pretty tired, so they need to rest some before the trip. But they won’t all rest every day. Some folks would like to get to 100 before they get to October—that’s a big number! But they will go to October-Land whether they get that number or not. And Ronnie needs to steal 3 more times to reach a number that everyone seems to think is important (I know that stealing is usually a very bad thing, but this is the good kind of stealing—unless you’re ahead by 6 runs, then it is not OK. Why, you ask? Because we say so.)
On Sunday, our guys face these puny Giants one more time, with Big D leading the way. It’s the last time they play in their own playground before the big trip to October-Land. Play hard, but please be careful and don’t get hurt.
So, I’ve also been wondering about Hecheveria starting in place of Dansby for the playoffs. They’ve been trending in opposite directions for the past month or so and it doesn’t look good for Dans.
Tfloyd sums it up! Nicely. And concisely. Thank you.
Baseball is good, clean fun. Just win the last game you play, Braves. Please.
@ #1
You go with the hot hand, so, yes, HechavarrÍa starts at short.
Right now Dansby does appear lost at the plate and Hechavarria is hitting well. But the “hot hand” only lasts until it doesn’t. The odds of Hech remaining hot for a few more weeks are not good. He’s never been a consistently good hitter. Swanson was a very good hitter until July. If he does recover that stroke he is a much better option at short. I’d play him every day the next week and see if he can figure it out.
Remember when Dansby was on pace for 30 homers? Seems like years ago.
Dansby leading off and playing short. Hechavarria batting second, playing second.
Dansby has not been good since returning from his foot injury. In fact, he’s only had 10 hits in 70 ABs, only three extra base hits (none of them clearing the fence).
JC’d
Since becoming Braves:
Hechavarria: .883 OPS
Cervelli: 1.315 OPS
Hamilton: .367 OBP (.713 OPS but that’s a bad way to measure Billy’s skillset).
He might have little to do with it, but we don’t talk about Kevin Seitzer enough.
@7 Agreed. Had just one guy came over and gotten hot, you could maybe say it was just coincidence, or the change of scenery. So many Braves hitters have flourished under Seitzer’s tenure, though.
Did anyone see that Wash in on the list of candidates to replace Andy Green at the helm in SD? Any thoughts on this?
@4 Dansby has only been a good hitter for one stretch of his MLB career.
I wish Wash only the best, but I hope he finds what he wants as a Braves coach.
@10: yes, ma’am.
Our coaching staff seems to be a strong part of the team that’s often overlooked. I know it’s hard to measure these guys, but it’s hard not to see that the wealth of knowledge Weiss and Wash have from their years as managers doesn’t help Snit. Seitzer seems to be having a strong tenure. The jury is out on Kranitz. I think even little things like how EYJ interacts with the young players has value. Losing Washington would be a loss, no doubt about it. And if you’re winning big with a league average payroll and a high percentage of the team is turning in their best years, you gotta be looking at who’s behind the scenes that might be creating wins for the team, and it’s not all the front office and Snit.
@10–true, but that was a very good stretch for three months. That’s a better stretch than Hechavarria has ever had.
If it were close, I’d say there wouldn’t be much of an argument between Dansby and Hech. But in the second half, Dansby has a 48 (!!) wRC+ in 136 PAs, and Hech has a 127 wRC+ in 59 PAs.
1) Huge sample sizes issues. You want to give Hech those PAs in a division series and he turns back into a pumpkin?
2) Hech has a .351 BABIP.
3) Defense, intangibles, all that, goes to Dansby.
Quantify those intangibles, Rob: Dan s has better hair strikes out with more flair, what?
“You want to give Hech those PAs in a division series and he turns back into a pumpkin?”
The answer to that is no. But I look at it somewhat differently. You shouldn’t go into any series *expecting* pumpkinhood. The way Dansby is hitting now (and I grant it could change this week — from my lips to God’s ears) you would slot him in there actually expecting nothing on offense and hoping to be surprised. Hoping Dansby works out his kinks in the playoffs (and in the 8 slot) seems worse to me that the fear that Hech will regress.
Kakes looks smooth out there in LF.
Some time this week, I read somewhere that there may be up to ten manager openings for next season and that Wash will be interesting for almost any team.
Hate to lose him but it seems likely.
On a positive note, I love having Nick the Greek in left field. Joyce looks comfortable in right too.
Nick likely won’t have a problem reading the ball on anything other than left-handed hard liners toward the lines. The tailing action might throw him for a loop.
Good play, both Dansby and Austin.
Billy Hamilton is a hitting fool.
Bobby’s looking good.
Ugh Chip… Nice swing though, Dansby.
@16–I concede it’s a close call, but I think the odds of Swanson rediscovering how to hit in October are better than Hech keeping it up.
@24 I’m not sure I agree with that, but I think they will go with Swanson regardless.
Ok Billy, drive them in!
Chip just said Hamilton struck out looking on a nasty breaking ball. It looked like an extremely hittable hanging curve to me.
I’m at the game today. Easily the quietest crowd I’ve experienced this year. Hard to get too worked up about anything that happens today.
Guess this is a retirement gift for Bochy.
I had read that Keuchel was only going to go five today. I wonder if they left him in for the 6th to see how he handled the third time through the order. Unfortunately the third time through has been as it often is for Dallas.
@29 Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson
Is there a software package available that will count the number of times Chip utters the word “Cubs” during the course of a Braves game? I’ve been trying to keep track, but have run out of fingers and toes. I do know that it is very annoying. Who gives a shit about the Cubs? Those that do should watch their broadcast.
@30 yeah, its obvious to anyone watching. They cannot make the same mistake in the postseason.
And Swanson is riding the bench if he continues to show nothing for the next week. The team wasn’t honest with his situation regarding his injury and he was obviously rushed back for no reason. Now they are paying the price.
@29 Low pitch count before the 6th. And all the shenanigans sort of had him stuck by the time he was into it. The defense did not look good in that inning. DK got screwed.
But, yes, I wish they had quit with him after 5.
Freddie may have gotten a RBI but he is not himself since the bone spur. This team will not be at its best until Freddie starts hitting the ball hard again.
Any lineup the Braves put out there without both Ronald and Ozzie is not gonna hit as a group.
They’ve got Freddie on camera nursing his elbow in the dugout. Cancel the NLDS if he’s hurt.
@34 Freddie is definitely hurt, you could see him in the dugout. They have to give him a lot of days off to see if he can get back on track. This is not good.
Snitker’s body language seemed to say “this is why you need to take days off, you lughead”
Duvall is a keeper for the playoffs, folks.
Dansby wears his glove for no apparent reason.
Tired of Dansby. He’s either hurt or pressing.
Dansby’s either Jeter or Rey Ordoñez.
Count me among those who think you sit Dansby, but I don’t think they will.
@41: cracked me up. Old Rey stuck around a long time.
Appears as if Freddie is going to sit out the KC series, which I think is a good gameplan. I’m concerned about what this might mean moving forward though, both for Freddie and the team’s playoff hopes. Get well soon, Freddie!
Freddie plays 1B, so I would imagine he’ll find a way to put a few good swings on some balls in the playoffs and field his position. I don’t see this keeping him down for too long.
Bronx news.
John Sterling, now in his early eighties, is back on the job after an extended hiatus, good news for Braves fans.
And…the Yanks gave CC Sabathia a really classy farewell ceremony before the game yesterday on his retirement. Lengthy but informal, lots of family, laughs, tears. Something a little more than the usual. Whole squad came out on the field for photo with him. Good on them.
A year ago, in this exact same last week, we were playing out the string, at home, with Nola and the Phillies whom we easily dispatched.
I still retain the exact image of Osuna, a generous smile of bemusement on his face after being struck out for the second time in exactly the same manner by a pitch he had never seen the like of before. Classy, commendatory.
You can guess who made those pitches. A year ago he was still our golden boy. Today his name is ignored and goes unmentioned in all the many frenzied speculations of who will pitch in what game, in what order, in what innings.
He has been hoisted by his own petard as some would see it. Others disagree. In either case his fall these last ten weeks has been precipitous. His career you might fairly say is on the line. His attitude and work this winter will be crucial. We so badly want him back where he was. Touki.
New post.