Today is the day we found out what happens when the Sunday-est of Sunday lineups meets the Colorado-est of Colorado baseball. The 6-7-8-9 combination of Eli White, Jonah Heim, Jorge Mateo, and Jose Azocar combined to go 6 for 15, with 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. (It was also the day that I found out that there is a Jose Azocar on the team.) Heim and Mateo led the way, with Heim going 2 – 4 with his first home run of the season and 5 RBIs, and Mateo going 2 for 5 with his 2nd home run of the season and 2 RBIs. Both home runs came in the bottom of the 2nd.
Azocar was playing because Ronald Acuna Jr. was placed on the 10-day IL with a grade 1 hamstring strain, and Mateo was playing because Michael Harris II continues to be day to day with tight quadriceps, with Mauricio Dubon moving from shortstop to center field. Heim was playing to allow Drake Baldwin to DH and get a day off from behind the plate, and Eli White was playing because, well, we don’t have anyone better.
Spencer Strider left after 87 pitches and 3 1/3 innings, not eating enough innings to get to the back part of the bullpen. Strider gave up 4 hits, walked 5, and struck out 6. He left with a 3 – 2 lead, but Aaron Bummer allowed a 2-run homer to Mickey Moniak, saddling Strider with a 3rd earned run. Didier Fuentes returned the favor in the 5th in a gentler way, a sacrifice fly added a 2nd earned run to Bummer’s ledger. Moniak’s 11th home run of the season in the 8th off Tyler Kinley concluded the Rockies scoring.
Baldwin, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson added 2 more hits apiece, and Ozzie scored 3 runs. Mike Yastrzemski came on for Azocar and added 1 – 3 and an additional run for the 9 spot.
JonathanF wrote in Saturday’s recap how the Braves once again rewarded a good multi-inning relief pitching performance with a trip to Gwinnett. I’ve commented on this practice multiple times; I accept if everyone is tired of hearing about it from me. It’s not that I don’t understand why they do it. I just think it’s emblematic of the devolution of the game that a Major League team carrying 13 pitchers feels like it can’t survive for 2 days without Carlos Carrasco. Young pitchers with options know their fate is to go back to the minors no matter how good they WHIP it, and I don’t think it’s a great culture. So far, AA has not appeared to be moved by the repeated suggestions of internet randos.
The Braves sweep the series, move to 25 – 10 on the season and 13 – 4 on the road. They’ve won 8 of their last 10 and opened up an 8.5 game lead over the 2nd place Marlins. In Seattle on Monday; JR Ritchie and Logan Gilbert scheduled at 9:40 Eastern.
It ain’t my money, but the Braves have about $210 million committed to Riley and Strider. I bet Alex wants those two decisions back.
I am a long way from giving up on Riley or Strider. Strider’s pitches were breaking a lot – just so much he couldn’t control them. Pitchers are going to get injured and I can still see him being effective before long. Riley had a bad year last year, but injury apparently had a lot to do with that. He’s gotten off to a bad start this year but has shown signs of breaking out of it. If we are having the same discussion at this point next year, I will fully agree. Right now it’s much too early to tell imo.
I thought extending Riley was a no-brainer; I’m not sure I’d ever extend a pitcher. I was also skeptical of the Olson and Murphy extensions for age related reasons, so I’m probably about as smart as a coin toss.
And don’t forget that today’s winning pitcher was… Aaron Bummer.
The win is a very underrated pitching stat, I hear.
Overrated. And Bummer sure did not deserve it.
Aaron Bummer makes one long for the salad days of Oscar Villarreal.
But good Lord is it ever satisfying to come to Coors and see the bats just unloose. This is the most fun we’ve gotten to have around here in a while!
It is fun! The best record after 35 games in franchise history. There will be bumps ahead but it’s worth savoring while this lasts.
OK, so because I didn’t want to jinx this beloved franchise, I haven’t been posting…
And since I am too southern and genteel, I won’t promote my book here again, but since I know that some folks here bought it, I’d only ask that if you indeed did, and have finished reading it, to please leave a review on Amazon. Unless you hated it and then if so, carry on.
Go Braves.
(We’re DAM* good)
Thanks, Chief. I will post a review—and it will be positive! I highly recommend chief’s book to this list. It’s a powerful evocation of a time and place—rural Alabama in the 1920’s to 1940’s—and the fraught relationships and systems at the center. And it’s based pretty directly on his own father and grandfather’s stories of their lives and that time.
If you click on Chief Nocahoma in my username here, there is a link to *mazon.
If you have read the book, please consider leaving a review because until you have 50 reviews, you don’t have a book on *mazon, to them, you have a hobby…
Thanks to all…
Thanks so much! That means a lot.
What is the book again Chief? I’d like get a copy of it.
The Weight of the Light, on Amazon. Comment system won’t let me post a link.
John Sterling, RIP. Listening to radio tributes here in NY. As someone whose debt to Skip Caray is very, very deep, I understand the idiosyncrasy of fan devotion to a radio voice. And of course Sterling had a career in Atlanta before moving to The Bronx. And he was not my cup of tea in either city. But de gustibus non est disputandem, and John and Skip now have time to discuss the finer points of announcing and fan engagement.
When the Yankees win, the last thing I want to hear is someone happy that the Yankees won. But I will always give him credit for being the only known person to entertain the possibility that Rick Camp might hit a home run. RIP.
Yeah, a somewhat complicated legacy for me, as well. Was never much of a fan when he called the Braves or Hawks in the 70s/80s. (I, too, was a Skip guy.) And when I moved to NYC in 1990, I flipped on a Yankee game on the radio, heard Sterling & thought: “OMG, he followed me up here…”
I will say this: There were a few times when he pinch-hit on WFAN, taking calls from fans (some especially loony ones) & I thought he was terrific. He was smart, quick, kept the show rolling & didn’t full-on insult people (even the ones who probably deserved it the most.) I found out from his obit today that he’d done exactly that in another city before becoming a play-by-play guy, and well before sports radio became a thing. Figures, he was great at it.
And I did often chuckle whenever he’d say to booth partner Suzyn Waldman: “Well… that’s baseball, Suzyn — you can’t predict baseball.” Yep, indeed.
Was at the Yanks game vs. Baltimore this past Sunday afternoon & my pal & I were discussing Yankee radio.
He told me how he was driving to the Poconos recently, listening to a Yanks game & was straining to hear announcer Dave Sims’ understated voice describing the action. “I kept turning up the radio. Sims is like a jazz DJ, too smooth — I miss Sterling. He had a great radio voice.”
I said, “I thought you hated Sterling…”
“Well… yeah, but even when he was f-ing up calls, at least you could hear him.”
Skubal falls prey to the ole loose bodies……
Got it ordered thanks! Looking forward to reading it!
Heim was DFA to make room for Murphy. The team couldn’t justify carrying a 3rd catcher with Harris still DTD and Dom Smith unable to play any position other than 1b.
In honor of Garret Anderson, cleanup hitter extraordinaire (ACHE), Mauricio Dubon is hitting 4th tonight. And Baldwin is leading off.
The result is still slightly controversial, but the sabermetric finding is that as long as the manager doesn’t do anything too crazy, batting orders don’t matter. And even a crazy lineup wouldn’t cost a team more than couple of games a year. Neither Baldwin leading off nor Dubón hitting cleanup are anywhere near crazy.
As to Heim, I repeat: if Colorado has anything we need, Heim’s audition yesterday ought to be able to secure it.
Heim and Yaz for Moniak. Done and done. JonF, as a player ever been DFA within 24 hours of a 5 RBI game?
A 950 PM start time might as well be the 3 AM for this codger. Pull em through fellas! I will watch on MLB.TV replay tomorrow
No, CJ, that WASN’T a good challenge from Murphy. It was piss-poor, because he challenged the wrong pitch. He should have challenged the pitch that caught the top of the zone earlier in the count.
And Murphy burned his challenges in the first inning. Idiot.
Welp, I’ll just have to hope to read about a comeback in the morning. Hopefully the offense can make up for Ritchie being left in too long.
Heim to the A’s where he can back up Langeliers.
After Murphy’s performance tonight, I almost wonder if it’s too late to get him back. I know, I know.
7 walks so far. How can you expect to win?? 3 walks in the 6th made for three runs. Ritchie was OK except for the walks. He spent the whole evening on a tightrope.
Jonah Heim was the glue.
recapped.