If something extraordinary doesn’t happen today, maybe Marie LaVeau’s charm has expired. I GOT TO WATCH THIS ONE. Eyes on screen. I saw a lot of last night’s thread griping about A-Rod, but that would be like T. E. Lawrence reaching Cairo from Aqaba and complaining about an off taste in the water.
In the 2019 NLDS, this emerging Braves powerhouse was undone by the voodoo magic one more time. Yesterday, Maximus threw his 9.00 ERA from that series and slammed it against the Cardinals dugout wall so hard we may never see that again. A shut out. Not Max Fried’s best, but really good.
First inning the Cardinals tried. Goldschmidt hit a strong looping liner to right center and I believe Acuna got a bad jump and tried to make it up with speed. His glove was within inches, but this wasn’t either horseshoes, hand grenades, nor nuclear weapons, so, once again, close didn’t count. But that was if for the voodoo for that inning.
Miles Mikolas was very effective for 4 innings, and then, not so much. The big blows were back to back jacks by Marcel Ozuna and Eddie Rosario. That is the kind of night that makes you wonder which battery operator gave Marcel the beer joint.
We may hear more, but even though Max was not quite as effective in the 6th, he was pulled at 82 pitches. It was hot. It is a long season. But the pen had 5 innings Monday and 4 yesterday and there is an early game today and no off days until JULY 18!!!!
O’Day was on and effective for an inning. Jesse Chavez was about as ineffective as a pitcher can be for an inning and yet allow no runs. The Ravine got 2 quick strikeouts, then walk, single, walk. Then, double play ground out. That is just how Snit had it drawn up.
Minter was not his frequently annihilating self (he did give up a single), but with that following a strike out and preceding a double play ball, it worked fine.
Meanwhile, the Reds almost beat the Mets, but ended up letting the Mets tie in 9 and win in extras. Always pull for extra innings for the teams you are competing with in the division.
Today Spencer Strider gets another shot. Just win, baby.
Thanks Cliff. Love it.
In regards to Fried, I am re-posting the Strider video.
Just jump to 38:50 Spencer talking about Fried’s ability to change pitches on the go. Fascinating.
Another typically stellar recap, Cliff. Go get them, Snidely.
No early game today. 7:20 first pitch.
Great recap. Love beating the Cards.
Players generally over a full season achieve normalcy.
Haiku version of @4:
Players generally
over full season achieve
normal rates of stats
Alternative version:
Regression to mean
comes to all who play, but still
breeds disappointment
Well if Chavez had to get TWO strikeouts, followed by a bases loaded DP to get out of his inning, it’s no wonder he’s having some struggles
😵💫
Just curious. Not yellow
What rating is given to the Braves trainers and strength personnel?
Scrubbed
What constitutes politics? Can I tout a conservative author?
Agreed that #8 should not be allowed here.
@8 leave it for the other site
@9, 10, and 11: EdK is a troll. They’re everywhere, you know.
Maybe CJ Abrams? Very talented Padre?
Thanks in advance to snowshine who will be assuming my duties tonight. Treat him better than EdK treats me.
Good to see Muller pitching well. I’d leave him down there for the whole season ala Wright, and give him a shot in 2023.
Fun with arbitrary endpoints:
Since May 29, Ozuna is hitting .238/.302/.492 for a .794 OPS.
Since June 13, he is hitting .247/.322 /.546 for a .867 OPS.
Still would like him to walk some more, but he is starting to hit like he was expected to.
@ 16 – Maybe we can stash Muller in AAA all year and put him on the playoff roster and he will make an incredibly key start in the World Series to help us win and give him confidence for next year. Nah, too far fetched.
I expect that out if Ozuna, not Acuna
Strider didn’t seem too happy either when he came off the field
Acuna continues to not be particularly great in the outfield, gingerly running around not wanting to do anything for fear of something happening to that knee I’m assuming.
@20 probably right.
Another baserunning blunder by Duvall. No way Arcia gets thrown out on that play if Duvall doesn’t run
Duvall may be the worst baserunner in the major leagues today. I don’t know how you’d quantify that kind of thing (though I’m sure there’s some stat that already does it that I’m unaware of), but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Through 2 innings, 27 of Strider’s 36 pitches have been 4 seam fastballs. 4 of those have been 96mph. 9 have been 97.
The other 14 have been 98- 99.
Honestly, is there a dumber baserunner than Duvall? One is a fluke, 2 could be a coincidence, but this is a pattern. What the heck, man?
Hey Chip- he struck out the first eight hitters except for the hit and the walk he gave up…but the first 9 outs were k’s
I’m looking for the man what shot my Paw.
9 Ks in 3 innings is phenomenal, but Chip keeps calling it 9 strikeouts in a row, which is not the same thing. Byrd kept trying to correct him but he kept messing it up.
Wonder if Jonathan can tell us what the record is for most consecutive outs by strikeout to open a game is?
Strider gonna make some coin in this game.
@ #26
True Grit?
@30 – I’ve only heard it as what a dog said after he limped into a saloon, but it’s just some random thought that makes me think of Spencer Strider.
Man, not scoring there is going to bite us in the butt.
Duval …come on …Rosario could have done that .. swing at one in dirt .. well crap …. that was a waste
FWIW, I looked up all 5 box scores from the 20 strikeout games, 2 by Clemens, one each by Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer and none of them opened with 9 whiff outs. But I’d think it’s been done a few times.
Nice play by Arcia.
Fried, Strider, Wright and Morton (who is getting back to normal) is a damn good top 4 of the rotation.
Pablo Lopez struck out the first 9 batters of the game, just last year against the Braves! That’s the record for consecutive batters struck out to start a game.
If you allow baserunners and just say consecutive outs via strikeout to start a game, obviously he and Strider both have 9. Not sure if anyone has more.
Come on boys … reward the kid .. pitched his butt off .. he deserves about 4 runs here ..
Jordan Hicks sitting at 102-103 and just hit 104.
If Lars Nootbaar doesn’t go into the energy/protein/granola bar business after baseball, he’s missed his calling.
Ok, looks like the record for most outs via strikeout to start a game is 10, by Aaron Nola, last year. Spencer was so close.
Overall (not to start a game), 10 is also the record for consecutive strikeouts (Burnes, Nola, Seaver). The record for consecutive outs via strikeout is 13, by Randy Johnson.
Why the hell Duval so shallow … also Snit you gotta pinch hit Rosario for Duvall last inning .. wth .. use your brain .. I knew the 2nd and 3rd no out fiasco would come back and haunt us
Will Smith proving he can hurt the team in any inning
Gives up a seed to the corpse of Pujols and is late backing up home and gives the runner second.
Worst FIP on the roster (minimum 15 innings) brought in for the seventh inning of a tie game.
Hancock, the human gas can.
What kind of devil magic did he conjure up last October?
@45 and he continues to get opportunities based on the performance of last October which must have been some sort of shell game
Jeez Louise, Will Smith sucks.
I have seen the future, and his name is Michael Harris II.
Michael Harris II doesn’t suck.
Attaway, kid!
Acuña is in a skid right now.
That Dansby at bat was very April like
Harris took 94 up and away to dead center. Elite skill. Real deal.
Sometimes it seems like Snit is just trying to see what he can get away with by going to Smith followed by O’Day.
Great job by Lee
54 — I like to think he’s making a point to AA asking for some relief help.
Guessing Chavez and Matzek are unavailable tonight.
Rosario ?????????
Strange timing for a pitching change. 2 outs, one on and a same handed matchup.
@56
I don’t think he wants to put Matzek in a late-and-close situation yet.
.245 and dropping
3.27 and climbing
Get rid of both
You are either part of the solution or part of the problem.
How bout a run?!
59 — I would say he’s likely unavailable too. Don’t think he pitched back to back days on his rehab assignment.
Walking Arcia to leadoff an inning is asking for it.
Our base running is embarrassing
That’s some Duvall-level baserunning.
Ronnie looks really bad right now.
Gosselin got greedy trying to score from 1st on an extra base hit. Legitimately great play by Carlson, though.
Well, I guess Matzek is available.
The good news is that Snitker can’t use Will Smith in the 10th.
At least Acuña won’t bat in the 10th….wait what?
Yeah, he has been bad for over 2 weeks now.
That baserunning….
What a play .
.gotta tip hat ….but you can’t be past 2nd base on that … Acuna needs his eyes worked on too … he is missing balls down the gut
Acuna’s slump is deep and wide. He’s showing a lot of frustration in the dugout.
At least Acuna will make a good Manfred-Man.
This game is just one of those you knew you were gonna loose ….just that feel whole game
Acuña is a good man to have as the Manfred Man.
Dansby killed that ball but hit it right at him.
Olson!
Cards won this game with the glove .. oh wait a min
The road team scoring the Manfred Man is par, not a sign that they’re about to win. Make a note, folks.
I hate not getting the runs with a man on 3rd and less than two outs. This is April performance not July.
Ugh, this team can be so good but so infuriating at times.
Awesome gosselin sub, Snit
Hello fuzzy .. we don’t want this game .. gotta get thru top 11 .. darnaud just couldn’t hold up on 100 .. understandable
Gosselin isn’t helping us at all tonight
Is McHugh unavailable? Why would Matzek go out for another inning? That’s really stretching him.
He only threw seven pitches in the 10th.
80 — I get that, but this is his first time pitching back to back days.
Starting to worry that Matzek emptied the tank last year…
Still waiting for Chip to mention this is a great game. Oh wait…
Offense is definitely to blame if they lose, not Matzek.
That’s two scoreless innings without the Manfred Man. Unless I’m mistaken, in fact, he hasn’t allowed a non-Manfred Man to score since he’s been back.
Matzek did ok. His control was good but I don’t think he threw any breaking balls.
Not a game to remember for Gosselin.
They should honestly intentionally walk Harris and pitch to Acuna. Or not.
That was certainly an April-ish offensive performance tonight with the number of runners left on base
1/15 with runners in scoring position. That is the story of the night. 28 runners left on base.
Like I said the game was one that figured ending up loosing .. with the catches they made and out inability to get that last little hit to win .. was a matter of time ..
Braves still suck at Manfred ball. So many winnable games lost due to bullpen implosions or offensive futility. I know you can’t win em all, but sometimes it’s like they don’t even try.
What was that today, like 1-15 with RISP?
Gosselin is a AA player…we have to improve our RH bat off bench …
We’re 26-8 in our last 34 games. I’d love for you to explain to me how it seems like we’re not trying to win.
Offense was asleep. Shake it off and play another one tomorrow.
Greetings from Virginia Beach…
In our last 2 losses, the starting pitchers threw 13 scoreless innings, gave up 3 hits/2 BBs & struck out 22.
Tough loss, but we took 3 of 4 & now it’s time to beat up on the Nats again.
@93 should be 29-5 if not for tonight and a couple of Jansen implosions.
I guess it’s a good problem to have that even the losses were winnable games.
The offensive problem is mostly the situational hitting, very evident with the Manfred ball struggles. Defense and baserunning has been subpar as well, not sure who gets the blame there.
Can’t wait for the Mets series
I’m sure they’ll shake every tree at the deadline but I’d probably focus on a RH platoon partner for Eddie. I hate to cut a World Series hero loose but Duvall is not bringing much to the table right now offensively or on the basepaths.
Tough loss. You’re gonna lose some but our starting pitching is pretty unreal right now. I just wish RAJ would take the All Star break off and get some rest.
@98 – I was thinking the same.
OTOH, for an extrovert like him, maybe getting some time around some other stars will boost him. He’s obviously slumping, but just seems like he’s having zero fun. No smiling or joy right now.
@97 Duval hit 8 HR’s in June with an OPS of .864.
This blog has taken on a different feel this year.
@100 perspective, eh? Starting to feel more like twitter here.
Gosselin will be gone when Ozzie comes back. In fact, I wonder if that’s a reason that Acuna is having less fun – lack of Ozzie. With Ozzie at 2nd and Acuna in RF, I think they are always pushing each other. The team is playing great overall, but there seems to be a little less “joy” without Ozzie.
What do you guys think about Whit Merrifield from Kansas City if he’s available? He has taken a huge nosedive this year, but he should turn it around at least some before the end of the year. His hard hit percentage is the best it’s been since 2019. He’s averaged 3.1 WAR per 162 games for his career and seems like a reasonable stopgap.
Yeah, in-games around here are pretty rough. It’s just a flurry of bashing everyone and everything, despite the fact that this team has lost fewer than 10 games in their last 35. And when that success is pointed out, it’s like, Well, we’d have been even better if our manager weren’t an idiot and half our roster weren’t decrepit. Yeah, great…
Funny how perspective works…. the Negative Nancy types should hear the fear in Mets fans’ voices where I live.
They’ve seen this movie before, too.
I think I would be a Negative Nancy if I was a Mets fan.
@103–Agreed, and thanks for saying it. I love this blog, but it’s gotten to the point that I hardly follow the in game threads.
Dooooooooooom! has been a long running joke for as long as I can remember, so I don’t think it’s entirely new. When people are passionate about something it can be hard to look past the day’s game or the last at bat. But it’s a long way to October, as they say.
When even the games that are lost are ones that got away, you’ve got to conclude you’re doing pretty well.
Offense and bullpen-pathetic
@108: Displaying your uncanny ability to read the room, per usual.
In defense of frustrated folks, it’s difficult to accept some losses and failures when we know how tricky it is to win a World Series.
Seeing Duvall’s running or Ozuna’s fielding cost us runs matters because those things make a difference, especially in the playoffs.
I’m not necessarily frustrated as much by a strikeout or failing to drive in a runner from third with less than two outs. That’s baseball. That’s the other team’s players doing their job.
But bad choices are fair game, I think.
And while I agree that it’s important to keep perspective about the overall record and injuries, it’s not unfair to say that, aside from the 14 game streak, this team has struggled to maintain its consistency.
Here’s a positive thing to end on, though. Part of my frustration is that we’ve wasted some excellent starting pitching. This rotation is outstanding. When’s the last time we heard the phrase “bullpen game”?
The Braves are fine and will have another run towards the postseason. The Mets are pretty good this year and I think they will be in until the end. I don’t mind the negative vibes sometimes. Part of losing. Overall the Braves have been doing really well and there are so many great things to watch them: Spencer freakin Strider. Great pitcher and awesome dude. Max Fried – our first real ace since… I don’t even remember. Morton has turned it around and man, how about Wright?! Other than Anderson, who will turn it up in the playoffs, our pitching has been such a pleasure to watch. We are in literally every game. We will continue to lose 3 or 4 out of 10 the rest of the way. And that will be perfectly fine by me. Go Braves!
@111 No way, buddy. I demand perfection from my baseball team.
But seriously, Strider and Wright have been invaluable. Where would the team be if they hadn’t stepped up?
@110
I really don’t think this team has struggled to maintain its consistency at any point since the start of June. Unless your idea of consistency is to never lose a game, which is very unrealistic. Single games here or there or an individual player slumping are not the team struggling to maintain its consistency.
And we learned different lessons from last year if yours is that mistakes made in July portend ill in the playoffs. Hell, one of my lessons from last year is that even mistakes made in the playoffs don’t necessarily portend ill in the playoffs.
But at the end of the day, it’s not really complaining about Duvall’s idiotic baserunning that’s my issue so much as things like complaining about whichever reliever comes into the game no matter who it is.
@113 fair enough!
Let’s see, though. After winning 14, they went 7-6 at the end of June. So far in July, they’re 5-2. So they definitely deserve credit for this month and their overall record. And again, almost every game has been within reach.
The main lesson I learned last year was to never think AA is gonna settle. When Acuña went down last year, I thought we were done.
Question for everyone: which is worse from a fan perspective – a blowout loss or one like last night?
I think I dismiss the in-game negativity for the following reasons:
1) There’s less of it here than there is in other places (Talking Chop is full of that shit).
2) Emotions run high in important games, and every game is important right now. I get too happy about the big moments and too mad about the bad moments.
3) These games are really important. We dug a huge hole, we’re 3.5 games back, the Mets are really good, and they’re getting deGrom and Scherzer back.
So I guess I understand why some folks are treating it like Game 7 of the World Series.
Ed sucks though.
I don’t think the tone is any different around here than previous years. In game frustration has always been a thing. The creator of this blog was notable for doing it himself.
162-0. Anything less is regular season failure. (It’s really a question of how often you fail.)
Same with batters. Watching Acuña fail 73 percent of the time! Why does he even bother?
PS: The recap from yesterday from snowshine is sitting in the queue waiting for Ryan….
@116 Thought about Mac as well when I read the comments about the tone today. Back then, he often felt negative to me even in wins in a way that actually made me understand the game better if that makes sense. Braves Journal continues to be by far the best thing on the web. And thanks to Ryan, the recappers and regular posters it will continue to be. I miss Mac’s Mike Hampton videos.
We have always had our share of pessimism and negativity on this blog, but my problem comes when it seems like some are pulling for the Braves to fail so they can throw in a rant about something that they don’t seem to know much about. I personally miss Chief. He could be extremely critical, but he knows the game. I played in high school but the game has changed a lot since that time. I continue to learn from JonathanF, Rob, Ububba, Cliff, Alex and others on a regular basis.
Sorry for the late recap. Snowshine had it ready but I’ve been hiking with the fam all day
New thread!
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2022/07/08/the-operation-was-a-success-moreover-the-patient-died/