West Coast games are no country for old men. Like cliff yesterday, I could not get a recap up last night at game end. Even though I’m older than cliff, I did stay up to watch the entire game, but writing anything coherent at 2:00 a.m. was beyond me. (There’s no guarantee I can be coherent at 9:00 a.m., either.)
But I’m glad I forced myself to stay up for the entire game! With a solid 7-2 victory over the Angels, our guys put that dreadful 3 game losing streak in the rear-view window. Nine different Braves had hits, and the pitching staff surrendered only two unearned runs on six hits, with 14 strikeouts. I’m being facetious about the losing streak, of course. There is a lot to like about the Braves after the first 12 games of the season. After a 4-2 homestand, they now are .500 on the west coast trip, with a chance to finish the trip with a winning record. The pitching staff leads all of baseball in ERA, and they are fourth in the NL in runs scored. The top four bullpen guys have only given up one run among them. I know, this 12 game sample is far too small to get worked up about (but it’s four times larger than the three game losing streak!).
A lot of people who write and say stuff about the Braves on the internet were pretty critical of the Walt Weiss hire. Those same people were mostly critics of Brian Snitker, and the assumption was that Snit’s long-time bench coach would bring more of the same stuff they didn’t like. I always thought Snit did not get enough credit for a very successful stretch of seasons, but if you were looking for something fresh from the manager, last night provided ample evidence that the new boss is not the same as the old boss.
First, Weiss is using his bullpen with an eye toward matchups and leverage, rather than using relievers based on which inning they were assigned. Last night, in the seventh, with the Braves leading 4-2, Weiss brought in his “8th inning” guy, Robert Suarez. He did that because the top of the order was due, including Mike Trout. Suarez got the job done, striking out two. Then in the 8th, with the Braves up 5-2 (thanks to another Ozzie homer in the top of the inning) having already used Suarez, Lee, and Kinley, he turned to his 5th best reliever, Aaron Bummer. I could hear your voices (if you had been awake), yelling for him not to turn to our favorite whipping boy. I think Bummer is better than he gets credit for, but the rap is that he is not as strong in high leverage situations. I don’t know whether that is true generally, but Bummer did not do the job last night. He hit the first batter and walked the second. The third batter (remember, he was required to face three) hit a sac fly that advanced the runners to second and third. To be fair, the runner on first should not have advanced if MHII had hit the cutoff man. But showing a clear understanding of leverage, Weiss turned to Iglesias with one out in the 8th. Did Snit ever use his closer in the 8th? Iggy promptly struck out the two batter he faced in the 8th, and went on to close out the game in the 9th.
Second, Snit was criticized for sticking with a set lineup and batting order and not giving his regulars rest. Weiss (thanks in large part to a more versatile bench—thanks, AA!) is showing more flexibility with the lineup. Harris got the night off last night, after Riley had a couple of games ago, and Ronald DH’ed over the weekend. When the situation calls for it, Weiss plays the matchup. With a righty in the game, Yaz and Harris were both brought in to pinch hit. Dubon’s ability to play anywhere on the field makes all that easier.
Third, perhaps the most common criticism of Snit was that he was too passive. No one who saw the bottom of the 5th inning could call Weiss passive. The most memorable thing about last night’s game, and the aspect that I’m sure is the lede for every other story about the game, was the bench clearing brawl in the 5th. You’ve got to watch the video if you haven’t already. Yes, that really is Walt Weiss charging out of the dugout and tackling Jorge Soler, preventing him from further pummeling Reynaldo Lopez. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Y’all realize how big and strong Soler is, right? And he was as angry as a raging bull. And then Weiss was shown holding onto Soler and talking him down. It was clear that despite the takedown, Soler respected Weiss and listened to him. Pretty amazing sequence. It’s fair to say Snit wouldn’t have done that, but it would be unfair to expect that of Snit or any other manager.
Riley had two hits on the night, both of them well stroked, the first to right and the other to left. The announcers always say that once Riley starts hitting the ball with authority the other way, he is coming around. I choose to believe that. I predict Austin is about to go on a tear. If he does, I’ll come back to remind you that I was right. If he doesn’t, you’ll never remember that I said this.
Grant Holmes takes the mound today in a 4:10 eastern start.
I was going to ask if anyone saw Rileys hits, thanks for mentioning them.
Weiss manages like no other Brave manager has in forever(ever?) and its a breath of fresh air.
CJ seemed sure that Lopez was not throwing at Soler. He knows more about these things than I do, so no doubt he’s right. But seeing the replays I could see why Soler was upset.
If I remember, Soler owns Lopez (14-23?) with a few homers including one earlier in the night. I wouldn’t be sure that Lopez wasn’t, and in the old days, Lopez would have done so on general principle (the game’s changed, I know). Last year, Grant Holmes, and Braves relievers, kept pitching to Suarez allowing him to rack up 4 dingers in the game. I think Lopez was not on board with that happening again.
I take CJ’s point that (a) it would have been a terrible time to hit him; and (b) the pitch, while high and inside, wasn’t really that close. I would call it more of a message, or a suggestion that leaning out over the plate would be a bad idea.
And I agree with you, tfloyd, that Weiss’ lineup management has been a breath of fresh air. As I noted, where he thought it gave him an advantage last week, he sacrificed the DH. I cannot recall a single instance where Snit or Fredi would have done so. This of course leads one to guess about Weiss’ discretion as Snit’s bench coach. Now that we see him manage, it seems clear that his role in advising Snit was constrained by the sorts of things Snit wanted to do.
In addition to being owned by Jorge, Lopez had actually hit Soler earlier in the game. Of course, from the delayed reaction it might not have escalated if certain words hadn’t been exchanged. We don’t know what they were.
I love Snit, but no way Snit makes an impressive open field tackle like that. He gets pantsed for 6 all day. Easy touchdown for Soler.
In fairness, Snit is old enough to be collecting Social Security. He would have been wise to leave that to the younger guys. Not much excuse for Riley whiffing like that, however. Wasn’t he a football player in high school?
I’ve seen some snarky remarks that Jonah Heim was nowhere to be found defending his pitcher.
No doubt Walt merged from all this with his stature enhanced with the fanbase. His calming words were clearly having an effect on Jorge.
Riley was a punter, so I wouldn’t count him as much of a football player.
Snit turned 70 last year and no doubt is drawing social security. But Weiss is also eligible for social security! He turned 62 last fall. He’s as fit a 62 year old you’ll find.
If there were any detractors of Weiss left, there aren’t any now. And I’m sure the team will run through a wall for him now.
Small sample, but Weiss has already shown more game management acumen in 2 weeks than any Braves manager of my lifetime. Snitker was on par with Cox who was a step above Fredi.
He’s a soft-spoken guy who is a bit hesitant in public speaking, not going to wow you with his words. He’s not as emphatic and confident in speech as Snit. But based on the stuff that matters to game outcomes, so far I’m a big fan.
Very well put, Stampton.
https://x.com/og_yungdilly/status/2041924641736823203?s=20
Smith-Shawver is throwing off a mound. I count 10 guys who might have a viable claim to a rotation spot by July: Sale, Strider, Schwellenbach, Lopez, Holmes, Elder, Fuentes, Ritchie, Waldrep, and Smith-Shawver. Of course, these things tend to work themselves out, but that’s still 10 solid names. For people that were insistent that we needed another starter, look at how bad Chris Bassett is now, Giolito remains unsigned, and we have one of, if not the best, pitching staffs in baseball 11 games in.
With that said, I was indeed there briefly before I felt like I’d rather play it like 2021 and have more money to spend at the deadline. I pretty much default to this position every offseason when there’s an unsigned free agent no one else wants that our fans think we should sign. The Dodgers have turned this into a 6-week sport, and deadline acquisitions give you a puncher’s chance in that 6-week tournament.
As to the intent behind the pitch that triggered the melee, I don’t believe that Lopez was trying to hit Soler in the ear. But he clearly was trying to “send a message” by buzzing the cap bill. As JonathanF reminds us, such a pitch serves a legitimate purpose in keeping a batter from leaning over the plate. I suspect it was mainly just because Soler had so dominated Lopez in his career. But in my view the risk of actually hitting him in the face or ear with a 95 mph fastball is enough to say that a pitcher should not aim that close to the face.
My views are colored by the way that the Marlins under Mattingly used to throw at or near RAJ’s head, just because Ronald hit so many homers against them. I hated that then and still do.
I’ve been really impressed with Weiss’s bullpen management so far. Bringing Robert Suarez in to face the best hitters in the opposing lineup, rather than strictly limiting him to 8th inning “setup” work, is particularly encouraging. With all due respect to Snit, I’m glad the Braves now have a manager who effectively uses leverage, handedness, and opponent quality to drive his decision making.
Speaking of the Marlins and RAJ, the comments about Weiss reminded me of how Snitker went apeshit over the umpires not ejecting the Marlins pitcher who hit RAJ on the first pitch of the game (with the hardest pitch he had thrown in his MLB career, when RAJ was getting close to Mattingly’s record for most consecutive games with a homer…). A Sports Illustrated profile of Snitker later highlighted that reaction as solidifying some of the younger players’ respect for him.
Here’s the video. Well, that just got me white hot with rage all over again like it just happened. I vividly remember it like it was yesterday, and that’s where I think Snitker started to cement himself as one of the game’s best managers and Mattingly confirmed to everyone that he was a joke of a manager. He completely blows his lid around the 3:30 mark in the video.
It’s crazy to think what has happened since that day:
-The Braves won the division that year for the first time in 5 years and won the division 6 straight years.
-The Braves would win a World Series 3 years later.
-Brian Snitker would manage for the team he served faithfully for 45 years and was allowed to manage for essentially as long as he wanted even when it was prrrrretty clear he was a little over the hill.
-Don Mattingly would only make the playoffs one time in his managerial career, losing to Brian Snitker and the Braves in his only playoff appearance and never getting a manager job after his time with the Marlins was complete.
-Jose Urena, ::kids, earmuffs:: a noted punk ass bitch, would accumulate 1.9 career bWAR and appears to be out of baseball.
-Ronald Acuna, on the other hand, would win the Rookie of the Year that year, the MVP in 2023, said World Series in 2021, accumulate 28.3 bWAR by age 28, and have the only 70 steal, 40 home run season in history.
Hey Urena and Mattingly, “Did that go the way you thought it would? Nope.” –The Other Guys
Here’s also the interview after the game, which really communicated Snit’s leadership.
But he got old, he slowed down, and Walt Weiss has been brought in to bring energy. And, well, he brought it last night. Lol.
Rob, I enjoyed that takedown as much as anything I’ve read lately. Excellent!
Having now watched the video, and acknowledging that I would be far worse even, Lopez doesn’t look like he’s ever been in a fight. Just slapped Soler weakly while constantly backing away (which may have been practical self-preservation, but in that case he shouldn’t have been running his mouth). Not to mention that trying to hit him on the helmet with his pitching hand while holding a ball doesn’t seem particularly wise. Soler, on the other hand, might have a career in MMA after baseball if he wants.
Hey the Pirates just paid $140 million to some guy with a .535 career OPS
OK, so the assignment for Walt Weiss is to educate our players about proper use of challenges. We are bottom 20% in intelligent use of challenges. Acuna challenging a 1-1 pitch that was down the middle when nobody was on base in the third inning was ridiculous. Sure, you’d rather be 2-1, but the upside just wasn’t there. Maybe start with a simple rule like no challenges before the 9th inning unless it’s on strike 3 and you’re 90% sure.
It wouldn’t be hard to employ an AI bot to come up with some challenging game theory based on typical success rates and WPA. You could greenlight individual batters to challenge in specific situations if you want and use a bot to tell you when.
Exactly! Like have we not had any ABS strategy talks at all? Maybe don’t challenge with a 1-1 count leading off the 3rd inning. And the pitch was easily a strike! The Angels had a great challenge (for them) – full count, bases loaded – turned a strikeout into a walk and a run. Save the challenges for big spots or late in the game, unless you’re absolutely sure.
ububba recaps:
I have seen Acuña challenge like 3 times so far and he’s 0 for 3.