Here it is, folks. The Braves are 26-28 and are about to go against the 2020 World Series champions. Not only that, but they’ll be facing Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, and Trevor Bauer. Let’s hope there’s magic in the air at Truist for the weekend series.
Braves News
Ty Tice is just the latest in right handed pitching acquisitions that reek of desperation. The list has gotten pretty lengthy: Carl Edwards Jr., Nate Jones, Victor Arano, Jay Flaa, Yoan Lopez, Edgar Santana Tanner Roark.
Here’s what Jays From the Couch had to say about Ty Tice:
His 5-foot-9 frame will no doubt get many stupid descriptors such as diminutive, short, tiny, under-sized, or the ever insulting pint-sized. But make no mistake, Ty Tice has legit major-league fastball which he routinely throws in the mid-90’s. Ty also a nice combination of slider and curves to keep batters off balance.
Jays from the Couch
Shane Greene Back This Weekend?
A few weeks back, we were told that Shane Greene would need 5-6 appearances at AAA before getting called up. It looks like that timeline might’ve accelerated.
Tonight’s Lineup
Get busy, Braves. Times ‘a Wastin’.
Got JC’ed
Tice had really good minor league numbers and got DFA’ed after just a cup of coffee. And he’s just 24. So what’s wrong with him?
Looking further at the Freddie data, there’s a significant element missing from Beaneater “STFU” Buzz’s statistical breakdown — line drive percentage. FF’s LD% from 2013-2020 was 33% — this year it’s 25%. Additionally, his GB/FB% (in which line drives are counted as FBs) has crept up from an established level of 0.57 to 0.67.
OK, what does that mean in terms of cumulative batted ball events? FF has hit 155 balls into fair play so far (not IN play, I’m including HRs). He has 62 ground balls, 39 line drives, and 54 “true” fly balls. Conveniently, we’re 1/3 through the season, so this extrapolates to 186 GBs, 117 LDs, and 162 FBs, versus “expected” totals of 168 GBs, 153 LDs, and 144 FBs. Which would be a net loss of 36 line drives, distributed equally between increases in GBs and FBs.
I will say that I do not know how xwOBA or xBA are calculated. I can guess about max and average exit velocities, as they are just physical measurements compared to the group. But there is a statistic that I believe reflects a real difference in the Freddie of this year versus past years, one that all Buzz’s advanced data obscures, and it’s good old (and routinely overlooked) two-base hits. He has 6, versus an established expected total of 13. If it were someone else, I’d be okay calling this a possible fluke based on the vagaries of ball placement and outfield positioning and play. But Freddie’s doubles are rarely of the speed/hustle variety — they are no-doubters that bang against the outfield wall before the outfielders have a chance to get to them, and he is routinely among the league leaders. Of those missing 12 LDs so far, give him 7 extra doubles and he’s slashing .263/.386/.515 and we’re nowhere near the ledge so many have been on regarding his output.
The fact that he is now near the bottom of the league in doubles rate tells me that, to this point, there has indeed been something wrong. Freddie has not been okay, and people should most definitely not stfu.
@63 from prior thread. I think there’s a potential point buried in there. To me, it seems like ball and strike calls from the umpires have never been worse. Freddie has a great eye for the strike zone. The fact that he’s swinging at fewer strikes could be that umpires are calling more balls to be strikes. Freddie may need to adjust to the new normal. That may be the key to a return to normal production.
A sense of calm comes over me when Anderson pitches.
Dang it, now he can only hit 12 more.
5 – I take it back now, Chief was way off…:)
Freddie just silenced his critics
Riley got screwed on that 3rd strike call. It’s a real shame when our guys get punished for having a good eye.
Ok, the ump just gave it back to us on Bellinger.
Stud.
Not until he hits a double!
Sansho, I agree the man has a doubles problem. May that be the next thing he fixes.
If you’re still buying, Rob, I have no problem with doubles.
Agreed, Rob, I am of course rooting for Freddie to hit .600 with 150 doubles from here on out. I just can’t abide this throwing around of metrics as though they can’t possibly be picked apart.
Following up on the catching discussion from the last thread, if Langeliers continues to mash in the minors, would it be reasonable to trade d’Arnaud as a rental catcher for a rental outfielder? Seems like more teams have decent surplus outfielders than decent catchers. This assumes he’s back in time, of course.
Ian appears to have some, er, something on the back of his cap. Watch him. Every time a new ball comes into play, before the catcher throws him the ball Ian will rub the back of his cap in a spot that is noticeably dirty.
@15–shhhh!
That was a center cut fastball to Lux.
I wish they’d just take their outs. They might’ve gotten out of that with only one run scored.
@18
That’s part of why I hate this year’s edition of the Braves. They do almost all of the little things wrong.
Tice, Tice, Tice!
3 runs on 1 hit ?? 🤔
The Rays are playing Texas, and I just had to watch Charlie Culberson execute a perfect safety squeeze. I don’t know if Charlie could help this year’s team, but it hurt a little.
Newk’s gonna newk
Could an inanimate carbon rod be better than Kranitz at this point? He has a history of diminishing returns at every stop.
@21 Make that 4.
I wish they’d develop pitchers with control rather than velocity.
This team is awful …. why the quick hook on Anderson ..?? Snit probably like that decision back … these guys have no fight .. Freedie looks like he lost his best friend.. this inning has been going for 40 mins … 60 something pitches ..
Bbbbbooooooooooooooooo
I hate this team, oh, about half the time.
The Atlanta Braves are playing with all the coordination and run prevention expertise of a team of mustachioed 19th-century gents who threw underhanded, played without a glove, and spelled it “base ball.”
#26
They gave Anderson the quick hook because he had thrown 98 pitches in four plus innings. The Dodgers were working the count on him.
Anderson also looked like he was tiring; he was no longer reliably commanding the strike zone.
Remember the OG Alex R? Boy…we could use one of his rants right about now.
One hundred percent agree.
Hooo boy this team blows some ass right now.
Everything – with the glaring exception of the Ozuna mess – that has gone wrong was also terribly predicable coming into the season. Look back at this very weblog in February and March and there were plenty of us questioning the bullpen, 6,7,8 hitters, outfield depth, bench, Pache’s readiness, Smyley’s for-realnes, Morton’s age, Soroka’s health, etc.
What a shitshow.
Remember the 2018 NLDS vs the Dodgers when we were all pretty accepting of the Braves getting stomped? Made since at the time. The Dodgers had way more talent and the Braves were just at the start of something big.
Well it’s 3 goddam years later and the talent gap between the teams has gotten BIGGER! Bite me Liberty Media.
The only things this team is missing in its ultimate badness is Chris Johnson at 3B and Bossman Junior Upton in CF.
Whew. It is probably worse than 79-83 bad.
A reminder that Matzek had performance anxiety and this is his first time back in front of crowds.
@24 – yes
@35
When the book is mercifully written looking back on Liberty’s era of real-estate investment disguised as baseball ownership, it will recall that the closest the Braves ever came to a world championship on their watch was in a fluke-filled 60-game season.
@39
100%
Recapped
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2021/06/05/really-good-baseball-team-beats-not-very-good-baseball-team-9-5/