Ok…who’s responsible for bringing the Voodoo magic? I think we need a thread of Phil Collins up in this place. As the Braves are living in a land of confusion, let’s take a look at the Braves pitchers and their successes, or lack thereof.
Braves Pitching Stats
When we want to look at the bright side of crappy pitching results, there’s likely a stat that can help us with that: FIP. For those not in the know, here’s a breakdown of how FIP is calculated:
It’s no secret that the Braves pitching have been less than good (and yes, the offense too), but is there a silver lining? I’ll let you decide.
- Charlie Morton: 3.91 ERA vs. 3.05 FIP
- Tyler Matzek: 3.00 ERA vs. 1.76 FIP
- Will Smith: 4.00 ERA vs. 2.32 FIP
- Josh Tomlin: 4.66 ERA vs. 1.96 FIP
- Ian Anderson: 3.27 ERA vs. 4.28 FIP
- Huascar Ynoa: 3.68 ERA vs. 4.32 FIP
- A.J. Minter: 4.82 ERA vs. 3.20 FIP
- Sean Newcomb: 1.69 ERA vs. 1.21 FIP
- Chris Martin: 5.40 ERA vs. 3.70 FIP
- Luke Jackson: 1.29 ERA vs. 4.38 FIP
- Grant Dayton: 7.94 ERA vs. 5.04 FIP
- Jesse Biddle: 15.43 ERA vs. 7.81 FIP
- Jacob Webb: 6.35 ERA vs. 6.10 FIP
- Kyle Wright: 4.15 ERA vs. 7.94 ERA
- Max Fried: 11.45 ERA vs. 6.28 FIP
- Drew Smyly: 7.20 ERA vs. 6.90 FIP
- Nate Jones: 2.35 ERA vs. 7.27 FIP
- Bryse Wilson: 5.00 ERA vs. 8.76 FIP
Breakdown: It’s a teeny sample, but of the 18 pitchers listed, 12 have higher ERAs than FIPs, which is likely a good sign that 2/3 of the pitchers will show improvement through the rest of the season (I mean, some have nowhere to go but up….here’s looking at you Smyly, Fried, and Dayton). Unfortunately, guys like Luke Jackson, and Nate Jones have such shocking discrepancies that it kind of evens out things. Still…there’s a little bit of hope here.
Braves Lineup
Now shower us with Phil, Braves Journalers.
There are many who ridicule Phil Collins — rightly so. Yet even the harshest Philophobes would have to admit that “In the Air Tonight” is, in the modern vernacular, a banger. Phil surely knows this, and (perhaps having heard all the dimissive taunts in the intervening years) emerged not too long ago on the Tonight Show to remind everyone what the fuss was all about. Not content to be a legacy act, he updated his look to accentuate the timelessness of his finest work, and to appeal to a younger generation who may not have known him. And what says “Hello, fellow kids!” more than….a popped-collar Polo???
The Braves Offense Problems is Simple stop swinging on the first pitch see what the opposing pitcher’s Stuff. When this is done You get a better idea of what he has pitches. During the 2019 and 2020 shortened season when Freddy Freman did this he raised his batting average, Home Runs, runs Batted in . His OPS. Etc. The same applied to Marcel Ozuna As a result Freddy Freman won The NL M.V.P. This year its in reverse. The Offense and Pitching lacks motivation and Purpose..as of Today Monday April 26th, 2021 The Braves Are 1.5 Games Behind the Mets. The Braves can overcome this if They apply themselves. This time in Both 2019 and 2020 They were a top of the NL East .next Hire Leo Mazonne back . Too many Relief Pitchers are not performing up to expected Standards.
Mike Saroka needs work. With a Great Pitching Coach like Leo Maazzone Mike Siroka Would be Ready by Now. As a matter of Fact Leo Mazonne Starts his Winter Work outs Before spring training that’s why His pitcher’s Have won 5 Cy Young awards in 1992 – 2000 . Another words Rehire Rocking Leo . If he isn’t available then offer Tommy Glaven or the Other 2 Cy young award winners the Position. The Currrnt Pitching coach is Not a good Fit because the the Relief staff is having too many issues. The Starting Pitching is not fairing too well . Have A Team powwow and fix the Offense Positions 2-7 . Before the team gets buried ..loosing a double header is an example and Allowing the Miami Marlins to man handle them.is unsatisfactory.
Bill Edwards Sports Editor of The Palm Coast Tribune in Boyton Beach FLORIDA. ⛱
I will say that I also think the Braves in general other than Freddie and even RAJr are way too impatient and swing at the first pitch way too often. I think their approaches are way too aggressive, often.
If Bill is the editor then who’s editing Bill?
@5 Don’t blaspheme our eternal editor, Bill. No one edits Bill, for He is the editor of all that we see, hear, and know, for out of chaos, Bill edited.
Is the Palm Coast Tribune even a thing?
@7 Don’t know, but I was hoping you would at least chuckle at @6. You’re a mostly serious type, aren’t you?
I just chalked it up to a failed Joycean experiment.
I certainly agree that Saroka needs work. Orthographic work. There’s something pretty great about spelling someone’s name two wrong different ways in two sentences.
@DS
Me? Dear god, no. I’m a big kid. A responsible one, but always down for a a laugh and a beer.
Listen to 2 minutes of our podcast and you’ll see.
And yes, I did laugh!
If he misspells his own “name,” what can one say? The joke’s on us…
I just thought it was another Mr. Bill. But it’s good for a laugh when I actually read the stuff.
Now back to the team…I say the Cubs are good for what ails us. Let’s get this crap back in order!
The wake-up call has been answered…
Let’s get some predictions on end of season batting averages. I’ll go first.
Ronald .300
Freddie .295
Marcell .275
Ozzie .280
Travis .250
Dansby .275
Austin .240
Welp…
Can’t anybody in what’s left of this bloody rotation pitch?
It’s early…yeah I get it. But this team is awful….in every aspect.
They can’t play from behind or with a lead
This team isn’t winning squat. It’s abysmal.
Nice answer, Dansby…
In fairness to Morton, he struck the lead off hitter out and got hosed on the call
And Ozuna’s crappy arm just cost us a run again
Good at bats by Heredia and Acuna. And Freddie!!! MVFree!
DOOOOOOOMED!
So maybe we need another right hander in the pen? I mean, how many lefties is too many?
Oh good…Nate Jones
I think I played a role in establishing the Phil Collins slumpbuster back in 2006 or 2007. Sorry everyone.
Who is the reliever we used to call “the towel”? Wasn’t there a “white flag” too?
Nate Jones, may in fact, be throwing in the 2021 towel.
Tonight was Matzek’s 11th appearance in 22 games. I mean, was this unexpected in his 2nd inning of work? Geez…
Kyle!
This is my tradition. Forgive me. It’s Phil’s son Simon.
This team hates us.
Jones thought that was gone…so did I
Nate Jones hates us. Apparently AA hates us. Why the F is this jackass still here?
Well, that was just the way they drew it up.
Braves Jones Power Rankings
1) Chipper
2) Andruw
3) Mack
4) Brandon
5) People not named Jones
6) Nate
Undoomed (well, for today at least).
Minter and Smith better be ready, they’re going to be relied upon alot this season. I have some faith in those two, but not anyone else in the bullpen.
I suppose it wouldn’t do much good to tell everybody to relax. I saw words like “abysmal” and “awful” used to describe this team today so, like…that seems a little much.
@37: 1 1/2 games back and we’re not out of April. A little soon to be sellers….
We’re still three weeks away from our first games against the Mets…. Talk to me after the first two Mets series, which conveniently lines up with Memorial Day, a typical assessment point.
@37, 38 Agreed.
I still have good hope in the starting rotation. I’m sure we’ll hit, I just feel nervous about our bullpen. But plenty of time to turn this around, and bullpens, ostensibly, are easier to fix.
@33 Would you rather have him or Jackson?
I was convinced we would blow the lead, and I even went to bed after the top of the 8th. The bullpen isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly not a strength. We’re short a couple guys, and I don’t know if we are going to land those guys at the deadline. One of them could be Nate Jones as a selectively-used 6th inning guy.
@40 Good question. As much as I hate to say it, probably Jackson, only because he seems to give up far less hard contact. I feel like Jones gets squared up by nearly every hitter. Jackson is frustrating for sure (obviously) , but I don’t feel like he gets hit very hard.
I don’t feel like this team is anywhere close to doomed. As long as I’m looking at the lineup and most of it is still hitting close to .200, I know that this team is still playing below its level — that’s not likely to last. Injuries are one thing, but guys like Albies and Ozuna playing .700 OPS baseball is just the lull before a storm. Their production will arrive, and when it does the Braves will be on a tear.
The pitching has to be a concern, obviously. The rotation may not be anywhere as good as it could be if Soroka misses most of the season due to the shoulder non-injury. The way I look at it, Morton is supposed to be the #3 and Smyly the #5. Unless Fried comes back looking poised and sharp, we run the risk of Morton #1, Anderson #2, and so forth.
That’s not a rotation particularly geared to succeed in the playoffs, and then there’s the bullpen. It’s somehow worse off than the rotation.
It may not be our year.
Charlie Morton is getting paid $15M, and he’s accumulated 0.3 bWAR in 5 starts. If he can give you 30 starts and pitch a hairbetter, he’ll be worth his contract and then some. Of the veteran non-core players being paid true market value (d’Arnaud, Ozuna, Smyly, Morton, and Smith), I think they’ll all be worth their contracts. It’s more about whether all the young players reach their potential, which is been what this 6 1/2 year-long ordeal has all been about.
Yesterdays bat by Bryant was just the baseball gods evening out things for the Cubs. They had a sub .100 batting average with runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Baseball happened. Luckily the Braves overcame it.
@44 I wasn’t going to pick on this, but 1.8 bWAR for $15M seems about worth the contract as it gets. You’d obviously like to get more, but this is the bare minimum of WAR per dollar at ~$8M/war. I’m not even sold on the dollar value of WAR as it’s not exactly universally agreed upon. $15M for that seems steep to me considering no one in their right mind would want to pay $24M for 3 WAR.
I just paid 38M per for Lucas Giolito in my solo OOTP 22 White Sox dynasty, AMA. He’s put up 8.0+ WAR though in back to back seasons and missed like 2 starts so I felt good about it.
It was either that or watch him go to the Yankees or Dodgers and I wasn’t having that.
I’m guessing our recapper is not available today. I’ll do a game thread later today and add a short recap to last night’s game.
@45 I like that. “Baseball happened.” Some things are like an act of god in the sport. There’s a bunch of baseball about to happen with the Braves’ lineup, I think.
Recap and Game thread all in on. I’m a multi-tasker, people!
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2021/04/27/cubs-braves-recap-and-game-thread/