“I’m going to trust the consistency and the past performance of these guys. They’re going to hit. They’re not going to not hit. It’s three games in April. They’re going to hit.â€
Brian Snitker, April 4, The Athletic
The Braves came into this game with just 12 hits and three runs on the year, and they got seven hits and five runs, four of ’em off Max Scherzer. (Four solo shots: Acuña twice, Freeman and Swanson once each.) That’s good!
The Braves came into this game with a 2.81 team ERA; today, the Braves gave up six runs (four of them “earned”) in eight innings. That’s bad.
I was thinking of trying to recap this game further, but a) I didn’t watch it because I’m in the blackout zone, and b) the Braves lost again so I figure you won’t mind if I change the subject.
I bet the weather’s nice in Georgia right now. April in Atlanta’s so beautiful, unless you’re allergic to pollen, in which case it’s harder to enjoy the beautiful weather through itchy eyes and a stuffed nose. I was just playing Fortnite with a couple of high school friends a week ago or so, and one of them was apologizing for having to go to sleep early because the pollen has been giving him headaches. Here in Washington, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous, too.
It feels so well-earned, after that Arctic cold weather snap we had a couple of months ago, and a long winter after the shortest summer of our lives. It’s been a long time. But we’re nearly there. Hug someone you love and keep the faith. The Braves are gonna win a bunch of ’em starting tomorrow.
Well, I guess you’re lucky to not get the MASN feed. I say it all the time and I’ll say it again, I hate F.P. Santangelo.
The bullpen didn’t give up a boatload of runs but they were all terrible (except Tomlin). None of them threw strikes – Matzek, Minter, Smith. They made it easy for the Nats. And the lack of effective RH relievers was extremely evident.
I think it is time to call Shane Greene. We need another righty in the pen
@2 or maybe Webb? He couldn’t be worse
Who will be removed from the pen to make room for Webb whenever they call him back up? I’m not seeing an easy candidate to get rid with such a small sample size.
We get a lot of baseball today, and I am nowhere close to being worried about this team. I’m still in the honeymoon period of having 162-game season baseball back.
Alex, this has got to be the worst pollen season since I developed a pollen allergy at age 30. I don’t know if it’s affected Georgia as much as it’s affected Florida, but man, it’s really bad this year. Hope everyone with a pollen allergy is stocked up on fluticasone or whatever they use.
Webb will be the 27th man today for the DH. Ender starting over Pache (ugh).
This will serve as today’s game thread. A few updates:
And….
Regardless of 158 games remaining, you never like to see your team lose a very winnable game. It’s going to happen, though. Every team is going to lose at least 54, probably… we’ve got 4 of them out of the way.
@5
The pollen count in Atlanta today is a robust 4397! I will say that mask-wearing has been a huge relief last spring and this. Now that it’s socially acceptable, I can do my neighborhood walks (wearing goggles, too…I look ridiculous) without fear of having an attack.
It’s still probably too early, but I’ll go from bemused to concerned if we don’t win at least one of these games today. You’ve gotta stop saying “it’ll come” and actually start winning games at some point.
@9,5
I agree that the mask-wearing has actually helped somewhat. The pollen in Atlanta is just absurd, though. Anything over 100 on the pollen count is considered high, and Atlanta regularly has days in the spring where the pollen count is 50 times that…which is to say that the pollen in Atlanta is so bad that the metric used to measure it is pretty much completely useless to describe it in any meaningful sense.
Yeah. I have two oak trees in the back and I’m in a valley…I have a perverse fascination in what the count might be in my little microclimate….
I grew up in Atlanta, and now live in Macon. So far in my 65 years I have never developed an allergy to pollen. I know I’m one of the fortunate few in that regard.
Pollen notwithstanding, there is no more wonderful place than Atlanta in April as the dogwoods and azaleas are blooming and the humidity is well below 50% many days.
Ties in with the performance of the Braves bullpen yesterday…simply appollen.
This said, the Gods acknowledged, they will permit us at least one win today.
This team is a complete shit show. Serves them right for conducting an offseason the width they did
Okay, time to start the auto-IBB for Dark Lord Treace Utley.
Texas Leaguers dropping in all over the place, an inability to capitalize in the top of the first … it’s time for Phil.
Max Fried is going to need to dig this one out and pitch 5. It’s what a good pitcher does.
This team smacks of one that read too many press clippings.
Eh, crap happens. Let’s hold them to 4-5 runs. Fried needs to figure it out and go 6 innings if he’s worth his weight in salt. We should be able to climb back into this one.
@19 agreed. The spark and fire that they previously played with seems gone. They look uninterested
Seriously how much more with Ozzie in the 2 hole? At some point you need a dude to get a hit.
Can we fire Fredi Gonzalez again?
Time to see if Ender’s up to the task of getting 2 outs with one swing…
We’ll take 2 bases with one swing. That’s better than the kind of double I thought Ender had in him!
Finally a few balls dropping in for us as well.
d’Arnaud is not missing a beat. 2 rbi double. 6-4 Braves.
Well, my morale has improved somewhat
That stat was good: we’re 29th in BABIP but 6th in exit velocity.
Ender’s was the key hit there that made those 5 runs happen. Be careful what you don’t wish for.
Acuna is consummate. A level or more higher than what went before.
Trea, Trea go away.
We needed Varsity and we are getting JV
Something is definitely up between Fried and these gNats. They have just been teeing off on his strikes today. I wonder if he is tipping some of his pitches…
I have about seen enough of Camargo.
I hate to admit it, but it’s probably best for Fried to go figure it out in the clubhouse today. Would have preferred for him to show some veteran resolve, but it’s early, the Braves still have a lead, and this team desperately needs at least one win today.
I really do not want to ever see Camargo play ever again, his at bats are just terrible.
I find it counter productive for a team in the Braves’ position to continue to anchor themselves to talent like Inciarte and Camargo. But money. Money makes sports teams do a lot of stuff that is impedes winning.
Freeman strikes out on 3 balls called strikes. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen 3 in a row that were all 3 balls called strikes like that.
Not sure I get the point about the Braves being tied to Camargo for money reasons — can you explain?
@38 Camargo remains a part of the Braves’ plans because the funds are not there to field a better 3B option should Riley not take the next step.
Just about everybody knows that it’s a gamble to count on Austin Riley as a full time 3B this year.
Ah gotcha. Yeah — Ender is on the team because he’s a sunk cost. Camargo’s on the team because we have zero 3B depth.
@39 At first I read your comment as beginning “Camargo’s remains are a part of the Braves’ plans”, which made sense to be given how his baseball skills seem to have died a tragic early death. Sad that he’s taken such a step backwards from ’18 to ’19 to ’20. He was worth 3.3 fWAR at age 24, and -0.7 since, and at age 27 looks pretty much washed up. Kinda baffling, honestly.
Suddenly, when it matters, our bats have gone quiet. And to two young arms we knew not. Makes you jealous, we could use them.
@42 Simultaneously, the departure of Fried has subsequently silenced the Nationals lumber, as though they no longer have any advanced notion of what’s coming to them across the plate.
@41 Tragic is an excellent way to describe Camargo’s career trajectory. Where did his potential go? Peaked early. Never thought he would be this bad though…
Last year, I bet d’Arnaud’s double leaves the yard.
Maybe this 7-inning DH thing might work out for us today…
Oh, crap, I forgot this was only 7 innings. Super good for us.
Seen about enough of Will Smith in high leverage situations
Beginning to feel like Will Smith is not the guy we thought he was.
We expected Will Smith; we got DJ Jazzy Jeff
Is Alfonso Ribeiro available?
Will Smith is not making AA look smart.
Survey says… double play, please
#50
No, so far, we got DJ Paulie D…
This team is going to be the 2018 Nationals. This piece-of-crap bullpen is going to ensure mediocrity, even when the offense and rotation normalize.
Double play delivered!
Let’s get that second win today.
Danke schoen
Phew. W!
I’d rather win ugly than lose purty.
@50 That’s my first time reading that, and that’s a good one.
Tomlin did earn that win. Now wait for Luke to win game 2.
Well, per my post @10, I’m not concerned and will not be no matter what happens in Game 2. I certainly remain bemused, though.
From reading some of the posts today it sounds like the Braves are the 2019 Orioles. Glad some of you guys aren’t managing or we would be in rebuild mode for 2024 after 5 games. I’m with Nick that I’m a little bemused but overall I think we’ll be okay.
@62, post of the day for me.
New thread–sort of a recap, but more of a new game thread