What, us worry?
Hard to believe that just a couple of days ago, the Braves couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat; today, basically everyone just did the same boringly good job. Only two ohfers in the regular lineup, Travis d’Arnaud and Guillermo Heredia, and Heredia contributed to the cause by drawing one of the team’s four walks on the day.
The Braves’ five RBIs were spread five ways, as Dansby had three hits, Ozzie contributed two doubles, Riley added another double, Kung Fu Panda contributed another pinch RBI — his eighth RBI off the bench in a single month — and Ronald momentarily stopped time with a home run so majestic that words fail.
.@NASA, please be advised: @ronaldacunajr24 just launched a baseball into orbit ?#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/CAkDFoo5Ib
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 28, 2021
It ain’t landed yet.
Not sure we’re entirely out of the woods — we’re not above .500 yet, any rate. About the only other negative to point out is that Ozuna went 1-for-5 and his swings are still looking more awkward than not.
On the plus side, we only used three pitchers, as Everyday A.J. Minter twirled a perfect frame with two K’s, and Jacob Webb struck out the side in the ninth to lower his ERA to 5.40.
But the story of the evening was Jethro Anderson, who in his last couple of starts appears to be shouldering the burden that Max Fried took on last year: a young pitcher, pressed into an unexpectedly important role on the staff by a spate of injuries, coming into his own.
Okay, yes: his second and third start weren’t terrific, and we were a little worried about a sophomore slump, but never mind: his last start was great, and this one was simply terrific, ranking right up there with the best start of his career last September 12, when he one-hit the Nationals over seven innings, collecting nine strikeouts and three walks.
Today, he punched out eight men and didn’t walk a soul.
Our little baby’s all growns up!
Jethro will be a mainstay of our pitching attack tull hell freezes over. Thank you, Alex.
‘He looked good, (looked good)
looked fine, (looked fine)
he looked good, looked fine
till we nearly lost our mind
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do.’
Anderson, oh Anderson
they will guess your slider’s falling
from the umpire’s raucous calling
yet you’re barely twenty one
we want more Anderson.
Gonna have to update that verse soon – his 23rd is next week!
Thank you, Alex. Check Blazon’s posts’ time stamps. G&t in the afternoon, Blazon, but what fuels your early morning muse?
That’s blazon’s youthful vigor and enthusiasm
If the Cubs are sellers at the deadline, I wouldn’t mind going to get Winkler again. Went to bed early and missed that Webb struck out the side.
I forgot to buy tickets for this Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. The cost went up a little, but the original price was going to be $175 after fees for two tickets, plus parking. Don’t get me wrong, I love baseball and I know good entertainment costs money. But doesn’t it seem a little ridiculous to pay close to $200 for 2 tickets to watch a MLB game in April in a spring training stadium against a non-rival?
That’s insane. I don’t know how they sell regular season tickets in a spring training stadium, but are those flat rate tickets to sit anywhere? I know ST stadiums don’t exactly have nosebleed seats…
Those are outfield seats. So certainly not nosebleeds, which do not exist. Small stadium + reduced capacity = big prices.
I told my wife that I’d rather go to a high end sports bar, eat a nice meal, and watch it on the big big screen. We have some friends going to the Nationals game tonight. $140 after fees for two tickets! Whaaaa? On a Wednesday? For the Nationals and Blue Jays? In a spring training stadium?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting old.
@7 Those seats had better be inside the dugout at that price in that venue! LOL
Frankly, as badly as I want to make it to one Braves game, hopefully this year, I have a lot more fun at minor league games.
@9, that plan sounds exactly right to me. If I’m going to the ballyard, I’d like to go with buddies and I’d like us to sit somewhere up the first or third base line in a seat that costs about $30.
For me, going to a game isn’t about sitting in the most expensive seats. It’s about eating chicken wings, listening to metallica, drinking Keystone Light, and wanting to get into the stadium to scream as loud as you can.
Rob is getting old. I’ve heard he despaired of growing up.
@1 everyone get the ‘tul’ pun? I liked it of course.
@4 anything for a rhyme, you know me.
@ 5/6 bladder wakes, rhymes form from the game a few hours old, must get them down., then sleep again.
@2 my favorite. didn’t change anything, words and meter were perfect, by the Manfred.
@3 Galveston. One of my very favorite songs.
It all seemed to fit Jethro. What a performance.
GENTLEMEN AND LADY.
IF YOU WONDER WHAT’S THE POINT OF ALL THIS HERE FROM TIME TO TIME, HEED THIS PLEASE, READ IT TO YOURSELF. every word, you might be surprised. Try that now on the Manfred @2, written by a pro, not me. It’s perfect. Glance at it and it does nothing. Lazy!
SCHOOL BELL RINGS. I Promise no more lessons.
A win tonight could push the Braves into 1st place. The NL East as a whole is struggling. If some “baseball happens” for the Braves, they could easily pull away if everyone else remains mired in problems.
#9
Yeah, it’s just supply & demand… (Are there any Jays fans down there? Snowbird types?)
I don’t have a lotta tolerance for high-priced, regular-season games either. When the Braves come to Flushing, I will very occasionally buy a mid-week game in the $50/$60 range via StubHub (200 level is nice there), but usually it’s just uppers with the fellow plebes.
Unless the Mets are really hot at that particular moment (their fans are notoriously fickle), last-minute tickets in the uppers for mid-week games on StubHub can be really cheap – like less than $10 sometimes. But weekends/holidays can get pricey.
In YankeeLand, I have a 20-game package with a couple guys & our upper-level seats behind home plate are $34. It’s been raising a buck or two every year, but to me, when you compare to the ticket prices in other pro sports here, it’s one of the best entertainment values in NYC. And, to be honest, the club definitely makes more money off us via concessions, esp. the Guinness stand.
But, alas, they do not serve Keystone Light at Yankee Stadium.
BTW, Truist Park goes to 100% capacity on 5/9.
That actually seems quite reasonable. Especially given that the stadium’s new!
Are the tickets in the Bronx cheaper than the tickets in Queens?
Generally speaking, good seats cost more in The Bronx.
I mean, you can spend $100 just sitting by the foul pole. But there are a lot of reasonably priced seats, too, if you don’t mind sitting upstairs or in the bleachers. (Also, keep in mind that Yankee Stadium has about 12,000 more seats than Citi Field.)
And, of course, some of the seat prices at Yankee Stadium are downright obscene. Legends Suite seats, which run up to the field and are separated by a “moat” from the rest of the stadium, run from $375 to $925 a game. Lotsa perks, of course, but… it’s really for banker/hedge-fund types, etc., trying to impress clients & not necessarily into the game. The Yanks try to make it like a Knicks sideline seat — doesn’t really work for baseball. Those seats are very often empty during the regular season.
But right now, it’s all-weird with the “pod seating” & 20% capacity. Still, I’m just happy to get out & be at a game at all, no matter the restrictions.
Quad A at it again.
I think I know the solution to all the Braves’ offensive problems. Hendricks needs to be traded to every team just before we play them.
Just so we’re clear, the Braves are only playing well because we started posting the DOOOOMED meme and Phil Collins videos. I think this was really our finest hour.
AJax has 9 strikeouts in 19 PAs with just 1 single and 1 walk. Small sample, but one really has to wonder if he can hit any MLB pitching at all.
I think Marisnick was supposed to have plus defense. That was vaudeville.
Christ…Acuna scored from 1st and even hesitated a bit as he came into 2nd AND 3rd. Unreal!
Jake Marisnick looked like Timmy Lupus out there.
A lot of people were saying Ynoa was bullpen material at best. He has been a very pleasant development so far. Getting a lot of whiffs and the guy can hit as well.
@20 – it’s science.
I do hope Ynoa can find a way to be more economical with the pitch count or he will be done after 5.
Dansby has hit the ball hard twice with nothing to show.
A 14 pitch inning will help.
@ #25
So true!
Lol, way to make me look good with that HR, Ynoa
@25, that was me, and, you’re all welcome!
Ynoa can hit.
At the moment, Ynoa has a lower ERA and a higher OPS than Ohtani.
If this continues, having Jackson be Ynoa’s personal catcher seems like a good idea – Ynoa is certainly pitching well to Jackson, and if he can hit a little, that partly makes up for Jackson’s struggles.
Why is Jackson in the game with the game on the line again???????
@18 Noted Quad A player has a .812 OPS. We could use more Quad A guys.
It’s pronounced Froderick!
I know about the unwritten rules and all, but c’mon Freddie and Ozuna, that was embarrassing (but funny).
If someone could be so kind and find out what Austin Riley has done since Chief called him Quad-A, I’d greatly appreciate it.
My goodness, I did not expect a four-hit night from Austin, and I owe that man a Coke.
(New thread. https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2021/04/28/first-place-braves-10-last-place-cubs-0/)