I’m not going to say the word (it is typically spelled with a lot of o’s, around these parts) but I daresay some of us have been thinking it. There was a moment last night, after the bottom of the first, when Drake hit the longest homer anyone’s hit this year and the Braves went up 2-1, that it seemed like our offense was starting to click into gear, and offense is contagious.
But the rains just kept coming, and our offense fell asleep for about 24 hours, which was a shame because Robbie Ray greeted our sleepy bats with five no-hit innings, while Dylan Dodd gave up back-to-back solo shots to Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee.
There was just a lot of that. The Giants hit six home runs in two games – even Luis Arraez hit one!! – while the Braves had a number of balls die on the track.
In tonight’s nightcap, Walt Weiss decided to empty the bench in the late innings, and it sort of worked: Matt Olson moved to right field as there literally was no one left on the bench, but the Braves scored three runs in the ninth to cut a 7-2 lead to 7-5, bringing Austin Riley to the plate as the potential tying run. He grounded out, but he had three hits on the day, and it was just the second time this week that the team scored five runs.
I’m not going to dwell on this, and I’m not going to say the word. It’s a bad week. We’ve had a ton of good weeks so far this year. We’re in first place. There are worse places to be!
Every team will go through rough patches. With pitching injuries and Acuna getting hurt, it is not surprising that we are struggling. It looks like Riley is starting to break out if it (I’ve said that before) and thank God that Baldwin is back – the black hole at catcher was getting seriously bad. As far as Kim goes, is there any way we can send him down to straighten things out?(I’m pretty sure the answer is no). We really can’t afford him in the lineup at this point.
I think we’ll see how good of a manager Weiss really is over the next few weeks.
I would also note that the second game was winnable with another timely hit or a small bit of better defensive play. During real slumps you begin to doubt whether or not you’ll ever win another game. We aren’t quite there yet.
Every time we think Riley is breaking out, he goes on a 2-30 slump. I won’t believe Riley is hot until he at least has a few days of XBHs, not just one day with a few singles.
Bowman thinks Acuna will be out for at least a few weeks. Whatever, just get healthy, dude.
For Kim, I really wish he would accept an assignment and get right in AAA.
Acuna is making the decision to let him walk after 2028 fairly easy. That deal he signed is starting to look really smart for him.
It’s starting to look like fair value for both parties, methinks.
It’s not at all clear that Ronald’s original deal was good for him. Imagine the counterfactual in which he never signed it but went through arb each year. Juan Soto is a remarkably close comp for what he might have gotten. They were each rookies in 2018, finishing 1-2 in the ROY race. Soto got substantially more in those arb years than Ronald did under his contract, getting 23 million for 2023 and 31 million in the final year, 2024. 2021 and 2022 were essentially lost for Ronald due to the first ACL tears. But 2023 was a monster year for Ronald, 3 bWAR better than Soto. So it’s a good bet in Ronald’s final arb year of 2024 he would have garnered at least the 31 million that Soto did. If they had each been eligible to enter free agency going into 2024, Ronald’s contract probably would have equaled Soto’s. (Teams probably would have assumed Ronald’s injury was behind him.) But of course they weren’t eligible for free agency until after 2024, and in 2024 Ronald had his second ACL injury. If he were a free agent going into 2025 along with Soto, he would be going into it while rehabbing his left knee. He would not have gotten nearly what Soto did. But I would imagine some team may have offered him some period of years for north of 25 million per year. As it stands, he is earning 17 mill in 2025 and 2026, and almost certainly 17 mill in 2027 and 2028 (club will exercise that option).
I think it’s pretty clear Ronald would have earned more through 2028 had he not signed the deal. That’s not to say he should not have signed it. He’s earned enough never to have to work again. As a 20 year old, you take that deal to insure against the possibility of career ending injury in the next year or two.
You know you’re not young anymore when you read some X rando say “Let’s trade for Webb!” and your first thought is a guy who pitched 20 years ago. (Brandon Webb)
Or if you see Bo Bichette play and wonder if his dad Dante retired yet
Fun fact:
According to B-Ref, Dante earned $42.8M in his entire career (1988-2001).
Bo is due $42M from Steve Cohen… this season.
Dante definitely played in the right era, because he wouldn’t make anything near that if he played today. Teams are analytically smart enough to realize he wasn’t very good other than hitting Coors Field home runs.
The Braves game tonight has already been postponed. The way we’re playing, maybe that’s for the best.
Hopefully we don’t get no-hit by Miz on Friday.
Just need a couple of walks and a couple of errors and we’ll be right back in the game!
We are now officially at the point of the season where Walt has decided that it is better to have Matt Olson play right field that it is to let Ha-Seong Kim bat.
Braves traded the recently DFA’ed Hunter Stratton to Pittsburgh for C Joey Bart, and DFA’ed Leon. Bart is currently on the IL though.
Edit: MLBTR says Bart is finishing up a rehab assignment so he should be activated for tomorrow. Pretty good deal for us. Bart has some upside and isn’t an offensive zero.
This seems like a nice little pickup. Bart’s currently on a rehab assignment. Seems like a good bet to provide more offense than Wynns, let alone Leon.
Not sure if I understand why Pittsburgh would give us Bart for Stratton, but I like it. Even at his worst, Bart should be more than adequate as a backup and 10 times better than the Leon/ Tromp tandem. It sounds like Leon should be picked up as a coach somewhere in the Braves organization. Unfortunately his ability to hit major league pitching seems to have passed him by.
I think Bart got squeezed off their roster because they had 2 catchers they liked better, and Bart coming back from the IL had no spot on their roster.
Yes, and he was worth a couple million bucks to them, so the MLBTR news item suggests we effectively bought the player. Lord knows we can use him.
Jonah Heim has been pretty good for Sacramento. I know AA would like to have that move back when he was choosing between him and Farmer.
Some serious life on that heater & the guy’s like JR Richard in that he’s already halfway to home plate when he releases the ball.
Oh heck, the Braves have already lost. Again, 2nd and 3rd with two outs and no runs. MIL gets 2nd and 3rd with two outs and gets a run on an IF hit. And the Braves just hit more warning track flies.
Freezing cold take
Man, I love to watch Martin Perez this year. His command is outstanding—really paints the outside corner.
He’s definitely a throwback.
In line with comments earlier in this thread, I see Vaughn on that jersey and I think Greg.
Regression, thy name is Raisel.
Eli White showing his defensive tools this game.
unbelievable – so many chances to lose or blow it and they survived with a win. 3 runs is not usually gonna cut it. And we always need a 2-run lead with Raisel.
Recapped
AAR, you still got it!
This is Kevin Lee from back in the day when we about went nuts waiting for Jeff Francoer to do something. Anything!
The level of wit and expertise rivals most of the days Mac kept us in stitches.
Not as much poetry!
This team has old acquaintances asking about “my Braves” again.
These are the good old days.
Go Braves!