Lord, where to start?
Madison Bumgarner pitched a no-hitter; ought to get that out of the way. Zac Gallen pitched a one-hitter. That does a lot of work. What else?
The story coming in on Drew Smyly was that his ERA didn’t reflect his WHIP. He fixed that.
Pavin Smith hit the first pitch of Game 2 into the right field seats, and David Peralta added a 2-run homer as part of a 5 run 1st. Eduardo Escobar added a homer in the 3rd, as Smyly gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 5 earned runs in 4 innings. Drew smiley, erased it, drew poop emoji.
In the opener, Bryse Wilson allowed homers to Stephen Vogt and Kole Calhoun among the 4 hits and 3 runs he allowed in 4 innings. Calhoun and Bumgarner held the Braves to 1 hit in 14 innings, but Bumgarner won’t be officially credited with a no-hitter under current rules. I know what I saw.
Only in tennis is “love” associated with the Braves today. Still, it remains April, and after 3 weeks, what can you say about a team that’s not the team? With Max Fried, Mike Soroka, Chris Martin, Sean Newcomb, Touki Toussaint, and Ender Inciarte on the disabled list, and Cristian Pache on a “rehab” assignment, the only thing we can really assess about the current product, is the depth. It’s a long way to October.
Jesse Biddle struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings, and Jacob Webb stuck out 2 in a scoreless inning. Freddie Freeman got the hit.
Thc Cubs come to town on Monday; Charlie Morton and Zach Davies scheduled for 7:00 EDT.
Glad I went to the mtns and didn’t stay home to watch 1 hit in a double header … what is happening with the hitting .. is Chipper adding his 2 cents … ?? Why you need like 3 hitting coaches..
Rusty…
A post mortem conducted with much sensitivity, and speed, that likely you will never have to do again. Thank you.
Which leads us to Johnathan F and the obvious questions…pre Covid, when every innings worth its salt totaled nine, how many times has a team failed to score in a double header? And only totaled one hit in both?
Which begs the ultimate thought that would take us into the history books – no runs no hits, two no hitters?
How many? None, I’ll answer that without any need to look it up. We would all have acquired that piece of history over a baseball lifetime when it would have long since become generational common lore.
Agreed, JF? I know it must hurt, the willful sweeping claim backed by no midnight oil, but this time I think I win! Cheers and thanks for all your phantasmagoric specificites that brook no such argument.
I believe I read that the record for least hits in a double header was by CLE vs BOS in 1992, with 2 total hits.
We beat that record unoficially, since we had 4 less innings to hit.
blazon: On April 12, 1992, the Red Sox went to Cleveland held the Indians to two hits in two 9 inning games. Amazingly, though, Cleveland won the game in which they were no-hit and lost the nightcap in which they had two hits. In the first game Matt Young gave up two runs on no hits https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199204121.shtml while in the nightcap Clemens held the Indians scoreless on two hits https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199204122.shtml
[Sorry… while I was running my database programs, Carl beat me to it…]
I realized those games don’t quite answer your question, because Cleveland scored in that doubleheader. Before 2020, the fewest hits by a team which was shut out in both games in a doubleheader was 3. This record was set by the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on September 21, 1934, when they were shutout on 3 hits by Dizzy Dean in the first game and no-hit and shut out by his brother Paul in the nightcap. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO193409212.shtml and https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO193409211.shtml
@6 The great story to come out of that doubleheader was Dizzy Dean’s quote (Dizzy being nearly as good as Yogi with his quotes). My memory of what he said was “If I’d have known Paul was gonna throw a no-hitter, I’d have thrown me one too.”
I think maybe we need to get rid of either Chipper or Seitzer.
@6
Most generous, should have known better, still boggles the mind that we did what we did, twice.
What I find interesting is that we are actually missing Ender
@7 I’ve never known how much credit or blame should go to a hitting coach, and I don’t know if anyone really does. But it must be said that the team hit better before Chipper assumed his expanded role.
@6 Paul Dean, aka “Daffy”, aka “the Dean brother whose baseball card I could afford as a kid”.
(From the 1940 Play Ball set)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vpXeyTpcL.SY445_QL70.jpg
Okay, make the other Zach (Davies) pay tonight. Go Braves!
It’s going to be a long year of Ozuna doesn’t come around to at least his career norms.
Well, that certainly sucked.
I spent part of game 2 listening to the MLB app in a bookstore. What’s worse than dropping a DH & just hoping to get one scratch single to save some face?
Anyway, I saw JonathanF’s players named-after-Ohio-towns spiel & found an interesting book on Grover Cleveland Alexander, so I bought it.
It’s called “The Best Team Over There: The Untold Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander & The Great War.” A sad story no doubt, but a unique angle for a baseball book — WW1 & an all-time great’s PTSD descent. Also, bought a book on Mickey Lolich, which I’m sure will be less dire.
Bring on the Cubs, I suppose, and get the stench of Sunday off us.
@13 After seeing a ball signed by the 1968 Detroit Tigers yesterday, I read about Mickey Lolich throwing 3 complete games in that World Series. Two players (McClain and Lolich) won a World Series almost by themselves. I wonder if there was ever a more dominant performance by two people. Even Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling didn’t pitch as many innings as McClain and Lolich.
@12 Agreed. He is the one we “paid” for and we need some type of production from him. If he can’t protect Freddie the lengthy lineup we used to have is awfully short.
That was ugly!
I was actually more excited about the Smyly signing than the Ozuna signing this offseason, if you can believe it. I just kept my concern over Ozuna to myself. Ozuna has a career near-.800 OPS (.796). It’s not going to be difficult for Ozuna to match that in 4 years with the team and be worth his contract. But that’s not the problem. The problem is that fans expect him to be a middle-of-the-order bat, and he’s not. I could tell that people were excited about re-signing Ozuna because they think he can come close to his 2020 production, and that’s just not going to happen. And he wasn’t paid to be.
I think Smyly will be fine. He’s being paid to be a 5th starter, nothing more.I think they didn’t pull Smyly after his putrid first inning because he desperately needs to get innings and get in a groove, and he did. I think he’ll be worth his contract, and that’s also not the problem either. The guys we penciled into 3-8 of our lineup, in order of their spot in the lineup, have the following OPS+: 44, 46, 65, 45, 94, and -4. You’re not winning anything with that performance. And even with a glaring lack of depth, our bench has somehow been SIGNIFICANTLY better than our regulars. Adrianza, Heredia, and Panda have a combined 7 home runs. Our projected 3-8 have 9.
This is a terrible set of circumstances. We’ve had catastrophic injuries coupled with terrible production from players we are relying on. This shall pass.
‘Beat the Drum slowly’
Some acknowledgment must be made of what happened yesterday.
@ #14
Lolich could hit too!
A condensed summary of Rob’s novel:
Ozuna is not #3 or #4 hitter and isn’t paid like one. He’ll come around to his career norms and will be worth his contract.
Smyly is paid to be a 5th starter and will be worth his pay in innings pitched.
The offense is terrible in large part because everyone in the lineup not named Acuna, Fredman, or Riley has a combined OPS+ (196) less than Acuna (221).
My thoughts: A team can only dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge so many injuries to the rotation. Thankfully, we bought 2 units of starting pitching in Morton and Smyly, and both are pitching. Riley appears to be coming around with the bat, and we paid to retain Ozuna. What is afflicting the rest of the lineup only the clubhouse may know — I hope it’s not a difference in philosophies between Chipper and Seitzer, because last year’s offense is what we need more than we need Chipper.
‘Wasted, weak propitiatory flowers’
Strew them, attempt to soften the horror.
@20
I need you to editorialize my comments more often. Much more succinct. Nice work.
The rotation really hasn’t been that bad, considering the injuries.
I like Bauer.
We need someone who practices witchcraft. Quick, who can make a Cubs voodoo doll and stick it with a bunch of pins?
@ #24
As Rob will surely tell you, voodoo priests and priestesses, like shamans, command a high price this time of year.
@5 Booked out for months at a time too. Good luck, Ryan.
In case you need to rub salt in the wounds:
#27
Ouch.
#14
Well, it was Lolich who was really dominant in the ’68 WS. He went 3-0 and beat Bob Gibson in Game 7.
McLain secured a crucial Game 6 win, but got touched up & tagged for losses in his first 2 WS starts — he opposed Gibson in both games, including the legendary 17-K Game 1.
In Game 6 (with Tigers down 3 games to 2), McLain was staked to a 12-0 lead by the 3rd inning & he cruised to a 13-1 CG win.
I was too young to recall the ’68 season, so I only really remember McLain as this bloated/scandal-ridden has-been who got passed around & even did a stint with the Southern League Birmingham A’s at one point. (In addition to gambling, apparently, McLain was completely addicted to Pepsi Cola.)
Lolich, I recall as this portly wonder who was still a very effective pitcher in the early ’70s. Here’s a stat for you: In 1971, Lolich went 25-14 with a 2.92 ERA (124 ERA+) and threw 376 innings, then he followed that up with 3 consecutive seasons over 300 IP.
@27 Surely agree with that post. Ultimately, what it says is that we broke up last year’s great team to be what we are this year. Signing Morton to replace Hamels and signing those three instead of Smyly would have kept last year’s team together and enhanced it (Morton). I banged the drum for O’Day all year last year; I believe he will be another Jesse Orosco and pitch successfully into his 40s because he doesn’t rely on velocity but deception. He would be capable of being a late inning set up guy but was never used like that by Snit last year. And we need him this year.
I was also a fan of Duvall even when he had his horrible streak in 2018. But there was no place for him without the DH for Ozuna as long as we had Pache/Inciarte. NOW, he could be Heredia but playing RF with Acuna in CF.
I think, based upon past salary, that the Braves gave up on Melancon before even trying to keep him. Personally, I think Smith is fine. We need more reliable righties whether that be O’Day/Melancon or Greene. But that will only be an issue if we ever get another hit.
Lolich’s 1971 is maybe my favorite pitcher season of all time. 45 starts meant he started basically every fourth calendar day, and was the most by any pitcher since Pete Alexander 55 years earlier. 376 innings comes to 8 1/3 per start.
@30 – For comparison, Mike Soroka and Julio Teheran combined to lead the Braves in 2019 with 175 innings.
Fortunately we had Chad Sobotka, Shane Greene, Dan Winkler, Mark Melancon, Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright, Chris Martin, Wes Parsons, Grant Dayton, Jesse Biddle, Jeremy Walker, Shane Carle, Darren O’Day, Jonny Venters, Arodys Vizcaino, Huascar Ynoa, and Charlie Culberson to pick up the slack, combining for about 210 innings.
Sorry…had to do it. It’s Phil time.
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2021/04/26/game-thread-and-braves-pitching-stats/