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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,465 comments Add your comment
ncscoots
April 14th, 2009
10:27 am
All I know is you would never have heard such mealy-mouthed mewling from John Smoltz
Who cares what a member of the Red Sox would have mewled or not mewled, mealy-mouthed or otherwise?
Renegator
April 14th, 2009
10:28 am
Maybe Bobby has implemented a closer platoon since Gonzalez looks rough so far this year. Maybe we’ll see Soriano closing against rightys and Gonzalez closing against leftys.
Just a thought. It’s also possible that Gonzalez just didn’t feel good that day.
chip off the ol block
April 14th, 2009
10:30 am
Jo Jo has been doing good lately i think he’ll come up and do a good job, 5.2 innings is my prediction for him
he’s good when he’s good, since we’ll be against the pirates he shouldnt have too hard of a time
Moylan is wayyyyy ahead of schedule, so there will be a few troubles but nothing to worry about
Soriano closing was kind of strange but he has great stuff and got the job done so i’m happy with it
NC Braves Fan
April 14th, 2009
10:33 am
Lew: I was thinking the exact same thing. It makes sense to go with JoJo or Charlie for a while to see if they can do the job. Let Hanson get some more innings in at Gwinnett.
MGL
April 14th, 2009
10:33 am
Did you guys see that Nick Swisher pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Yankees to save the BP in their 15 – 5 loss to Tampa last night.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
April 14th, 2009
10:36 am
MGL,
I saw that and I have a feeling he’s going to get drilled tonight after saving the ball from his strikeout.
Also, could Michael Kay be any more annoying? “This is so sad and embarassing, this is just a serious thing. No one should be laughing at this…” etc
Seriously, it was funny, Swisher had a good time with it, who cares.
David O'Brien
April 14th, 2009
10:41 am
Johnny99, terrific post at 3:04 a.m. (love getting the great overnight comments again.)
David O'Brien
April 14th, 2009
10:45 am
Glad to see folks are enjoying those “getting to know your Braves” pieces — those guys put an awful lot of work into planning and preparing those. You have no idea how much time they’ve spent, waiting around to be able to interview this player or that. But once they get them, you can see, the players have been solid. It’s just getting them to sit down to tape it, between all the other commitments the players have, including matters such as BP.
But I’m very pleased to see how well it’s worked out and how good the response has been (I had nothing to do with any phase of it, other than give them a couple of suggested questions to ask players. So I take no credit and deserve zero for that product.)
JJ
April 14th, 2009
10:46 am
Hey, DOB, I just watched the Jurrjens video on the AJC site. I thought it was really funny. Great job, keep it up!! Did he tell you what his secret superstition is?
beekay
April 14th, 2009
10:48 am
Question for you all….if you could choose the Gwinnett Braves rotation or the Nats rotation this year who would you take. I think from 1-5 our minor league rotation is better.
Jim
April 14th, 2009
10:56 am
Donkey in the dugout = Manny Acta?
I watched a couple of innings of the Phillies-Nats game yesterday. With the score tied in the 6th Acta calls on Tavarez to start the inning. He issues a walk to the first batter, but then gets 2 outs with no advance and his ball had good movement. With Rollins up he goes to the pen to bring in a lefty, who gets the third out. The pitcher is 2nd batter of the inning, but no double switch, and he pinch hits for the pitcher. Nats don’t score. Top of the 7th with Victorino, Utley, Howard coming up and Ibanez after the one righthanded hitter, he brings in a righty who promptly hits Victorino and Utley on consecutive pitches and gives up HRs to Howard and Ibanez. Game, set, and match!
Kevin in Chatty
April 14th, 2009
11:00 am
David,
Any chance the Braves are starting Reyes to showcase him as possible trade bait?
TnBrian
April 14th, 2009
11:12 am
Kevin, I wouldn’t doubt it. Reyes is the more obvious choice though, with a good spring and I guess AAA too. Morton should be in the pen just because I still think the guy would fit in there with the two above average pitches. That’s all he would need.
GTSteve
April 14th, 2009
11:12 am
You know I couldnt help but notice that the Tigers have another day game today, is that because there are no jobs left in Detroit, so everybody can go to day games……
All I Know . . .
April 14th, 2009
11:14 am
ncscoots: Seize the subjunctive, hold it in your heart!
mixxo
April 14th, 2009
11:15 am
Jim – Saw that too. Ugly game for the Nats…. again. Minus a couple costly errors, they had that one won.
Piedmont Blues (formerly BravesFan InRockies)
April 14th, 2009
11:21 am
Mornin’ folks –
richbrave, Agreed about JoJo. He may have been rushed to the bigs two years ago, but he’s had ample opportunity to get rid of any jitters. He clearly has the tools to be a major league starter; he hasn’t shown the head for it yet. If he’s going to pitch for Atlanta in the majors, he needs to show some focus and maturity now. And if he doesn’t, then I wouldn’t blame the club at all if they tried to move him elsewhere.
Also, folks, if you watched that game at Citi last night, you can see how the Mets may be in a world of hurt with their OF this year. That place is huge, maybe bigger than Coors. (The ball still may fly out of there, but if you keep it in the yard, the OF territory in Denver is massive.) The prevailing wisdom is Citi will be a pitchers’ ballpark, but that remains to be seen.
Beltan, Murphy and Church may wear out before Memorial Day covering all that ground. Omar’s going to have to find some jackrabbits for the OF. Even if Citi doesn’t give up many HR (and that’s yet to be seen), it can give up plenty of other hits if the OF are unable to reach balls in play.
DAP
April 14th, 2009
11:27 am
piedmont blues
yeah, citi doesnt seem to be a place youd want sheffield playing OF, does it?
flange1
April 14th, 2009
11:30 am
Piedmont Blues,
Agree with you post on Citi Field. HUGE outfield, Church made a game turning error last night and Murphy did the night before. That will be a tough field to play in.
But I will say, I like the Mets bullpen. Folks have been poo pooing their pen all spring, but the 5 they threw out last night looked pretty good…..
Pelfrey did not look so good.
Steve from OH
April 14th, 2009
11:33 am
DAP, there aren’t too many places I’d like Sheffield to be playing OF in…
DAP
April 14th, 2009
11:33 am
flange, murphys error wasnt at citi.
citi looks like it will be a very unique ball park to play in. im looking forward to the braves sending alot of new york fans home disappointed this year.
ncscoots
April 14th, 2009
11:33 am
PB, it’s not just the size, either. Factor in all the angles they built in to the park (obviously, some geometry-crazed ballpark architect consulted), and you have OF running first to the wrong spot, then running to the right one. That ought to be entertaining, until players figure out which angles actually matter.
Sheffield, playing that RF corner especially? Oh, yeah. That might elicit a chortle…maybe even a guffaw. Good one, DAP.
Steve from OH
April 14th, 2009
11:35 am
That said Carlos Beltran can still go and get it…he’s a superb OF.
David O'Brien
April 14th, 2009
11:37 am
Kevin, I think they’re starting Jo-Jo because they believe he’s their best option right now — a guy who’s on the roster (Hanson is not), who’s got experience (Hanson does not), and, as Wren said, Reyes is a guy who pitched very well this spring (Charlie did not, because he was hurt).
Morton has pitched so little this spring, that to give him the start based purely on one performance the other day in a Triple-A game, over Reyes, would make little sense.
flange1
April 14th, 2009
11:37 am
DAP,
thanks for the correction! Last night was the first game at Citi…I am and idiot!!!!
But the point is Murphy is a converted infielder, he might get better in the OF, but he is not who I would want out there. Church is a decent glove man, although the play he made last night looked kind of Matt Diaz….
And Sheffield out there, WOW, talk about Abdullah the Butcher……
bravofan
April 14th, 2009
11:44 am
I’am ready for the Braves to start another title run! How much longer until the Braves come to their senses and bring up Hanson?
Daybed Wagmoe
April 14th, 2009
11:49 am
DOB — To follow up on your 11:37am post: and they’d rather not bring up Hanson a) until he’s had more seasoning in AAA, and b) possibly just for a spot start. Right?
Lew
April 14th, 2009
11:53 am
Flange-That’s why I can’t figure out why the Mets would pick up Sheffield and then claim he’ll play the lion’s share of games in the outfield. Makes no sense at all. Dudes swing has slowed down and he’s only played about 20 games in the field in the past three years, reportedly because his defensive skills have suffered erosion on the sinkhole scale, so Omar picks him up to play defense? Desperation or trying to keep the Phillies from getting him? Probably a ruse by Amaro, Jr. to weaken the Mets.
flange1
April 14th, 2009
11:53 am
bravofan,
I don’t think that you will see Hanson until after the All-Star break. I think they want him to pitch in AAA and get comfortable.
If Glavine can’t go this year, I think they will use JoJo and Morton up until the All-Star break, then MAYBE we will see Hanson.
They don’t want to rush the kid….
Lew
April 14th, 2009
11:54 am
bravofan-If the Braves’ season hinges on an unproven rookie and the fifth spot in the rotation, then we aren’t going to have a title run in 09.
RHR
April 14th, 2009
11:55 am
I hope the weather holds up tonight, heading that way in a few hours. I’ll be checking back for the lineup as soon as we get there. Go Braves!
MFin04
April 14th, 2009
11:55 am
No need to bring up Hanson yet. Has a Braves starter lost yet? Unless Hanson is going to the pen, no need to bring him up. Campillo, Buddy, Jo-Jo are decent options for the 5th spot, just need to score some runs in those games. (P.S. Who is pitching tonight?)
GboroBravo
April 14th, 2009
11:56 am
DOB,
If Glavine can’t go for an extended period of time, why does JoJo or Charlie get the go ahead? Why doesn’t Jorge get a chance? He showed to be more promising that either of those, however I do like that JoJo is a lefty.
bravofan
April 14th, 2009
11:56 am
Lew: did you watch the same Hanson I did in spring training!? I mean give the kid a chance
CB
April 14th, 2009
11:57 am
I hope we are able to get a quick update on the condition of Glavine.I was not a fan of the signing especially after the signing of Lowe,Kawakami and the trade for Javier.It seeemed to be a case of overkill with the other pitchers we have developing.Money may have been better spent on a better outfielder than Anderson.I still am very appreciative of the careers of Glavine and Smoltz but am looking forward to the future stars like Hanson,Morton Reyes and others.To sum it up,youth must be served.
Epinephrine
April 14th, 2009
11:58 am
MFin, Vazquez is going tonight. And it’s a miracle the Braves starters haven’t dropped one yet, because apart from Lowe none of them have exactly been lights out. Teams aren’t going to strand as many runners as the Nats graciously chose to.
Pitching can be a strength for this team, but if so, I think both JJ and Vazquez are going to turn in slightly better performances.
Lew
April 14th, 2009
11:59 am
GboroBravo-Given the shakiness of the pen the first week, I think Jorge is more integral to the bullpen stability than the rotation, especially since there are other starting options waiting in the wings.
Piedmont Blues (formerly BravesFan InRockies)
April 14th, 2009
11:59 am
Lew, others –
Good points about Sheff. He never was a gold glover to begin with, and now he’s going to anchor your OF? And if he takes innings away from Church instead of Murphy, then Beltran better eat his Wheaties.
johnny 99
April 14th, 2009
12:02 pm
DOB, thanks for the kind word, and for the great point made at 11:37. While i think Morton is gonna have a bigger impact long-term, you’re right about recent numbers.
DCBrave
April 14th, 2009
12:03 pm
Despite all MFin04’s dumb comments yesterday about what MLB does in memory of Jackie Robinson , I do agree with him about Schafer. There’s no NEED to change anything ’cause it’s working – for everybody and the team. There may be a need later but not now. That “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy works for anything.
April 13th, 2009
3:25 pm
I think the other thing people overlook is Jordan is very comfortable batting in the 8th spot…why mess it up? It’s not like Esco and KJ and Infante are struggling at the top of the order. JS makes the lineup pretty dangerous even down to the 8th spot.
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Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:03 pm
bravofan-The kid will get his chance and there’s no need to rush him. Yes, I did see him this spring and while he was good against ML hitters (keep in mind many of them were playing in the WBC), he was not completely lights out. He has had zero time above AA ball and needs more experience. He is NOT on the 40 man roster yet and there is no need to start his clock running while we have several other options.
I have been espousing Hanson’s cause before anyone on this blog (except Efrim) and truly believe he will be an Ace in the bigs-just not yet. However, like I said-he has NO Big League experience-the others do. Let him pitch at AAA for a while. He’s only down the road in Gwinnett and he will be called up soon enough.
bravofan
April 14th, 2009
12:04 pm
This will be a tough test for the Braves against the Marlins and will be a good way to measure how good the Braves really are!!! GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
flange1
April 14th, 2009
12:06 pm
Piedmont Blues and Steve from Ohio,
No doubt Beltran is a great defensive player, but he is going to get worn out quick “helping” Sheffield and Murphy..
Epinephrine
April 14th, 2009
12:13 pm
GboroBravo, I’m just curious…what, exactly, was it about Jorge Campillo’s recent performances that made you think he should be given a shot at starting again? Campillo had success last year because people hadn’t seen him and he throws junk. In August and September, once people figured him out, his ERA ballooned over 5.
He is effective at keeping people off balance-perfect for long relief. He was also a nice band-aid on a broken season. But he shouldn’t be starting long term.
Reyes has the stuff to be a capable big league pitcher. Whether he has the mentality is still up for debate. But he, Morton, and Hanson certainly all deserve their shot. Reyes failed at his first attempt, but I think that was a function of being brought up too early. This year could be a make or break season for him.
As for Morton, I’ll reserve judgment because he pitched hurt last year. I think he deserves more credit than he got for pitching through it and not complaining. We all blasted his “lack of confidence”, but I’d like to see anyone feel confident pitching for the first time in the major leagues with a fastball 3-4 MPH slower than usual–especially when you are a fastball pitcher. Tough break.
Those guys deserve their shot. Campillo is better suited to his current role.
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:14 pm
Youth must be served? Seriously? How old do you think this team is? Do you really think that an average age of just over 28 is old?
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:14 pm
And do you seriously think that bringing Hanson up will appreciably lower the age of the team?
Epinephrine
April 14th, 2009
12:15 pm
I also disagree about Schafer long term over the course of the season, though I do think he should hit 8th until at least around May.
By hitting Schafer 8 the Braves effectively rob him of one of his biggest tools–his speed. If he gets on base, it makes no sense to have him steal. In that situation, you have the pitcher bunt him over. But it is a waste of an out for a guy like Jordan, who gets a great first step and who can mess with a pitchers head as a constant threat. Eventually he needs to be in a place in the lineup where he can utilize his speed.
David O'Brien
April 14th, 2009
12:18 pm
If Glavine can’t go for an extended period of time, why does JoJo or Charlie get the go ahead? Why doesn’t Jorge get a chance? — GboroBravo
Who said that was the case? Sounds like you’re assuming that, since Braves haven’t said anything other than Jo-Jo is starting Saturday.
But if Jo-Jo performs, I think they’ll stick with him long as Glavine can’t go. Because Jo-Jo is still a young pitcher/prospect they think highly of, or at least highly enough of to give another chance to show what he can do if he’s in the rotation. Can’t find out if he’s not in there.
They know what they have in Campillo — who did, by the way, go 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA and .320 opponents’ average in his last 10 starts in 2008, with two quality starts in that stretch (and one of the two wins coming when he gave up five runs in 6-1/3 innings and the Braves scored eight while he was in the game)
Epinephrine
April 14th, 2009
12:19 pm
Lew–not to mention that despite Hanson’s dazzling stuff, he still has serious control issues. I mean, how can you strike out 10 (TEN!) batters, yet only last 4 and 1/3 innings? Hanson has the pitches to be completely dominant, but he has to be able to consistently throw strikes. Otherwise, big league hitters will eat him up. They will draw walks, and sit on fastballs down the middle of the plate. That’s why Hanson gives up a relatively high number of home runs already.
He still needs a little polishing. We don’t want to bring him up to batter his confidence and abuse the bullpen. At least wait until he can get past the 6th inning in the minors consistently.
ncscoots
April 14th, 2009
12:21 pm
I have been espousing Hanson’s cause before anyone on this blog (except Efrim)
Yeah, Lew, LOL, I seem to remember you threw a blanket over that whole rookie league staff! Surely I mentioned Hanson in 2006, or am I misremembering?
Jim
April 14th, 2009
12:22 pm
Before we throw away Reyes and Morton for less than value, consider some other pitchers who took some time to develop:
Gavin Floyd — dumped for little in return by Phils, and ace last year for White Sox
Dave Stewart — dumped by Dodgers and Phils, became an ace for A’s
from our own past
Juan Pizzarro and Joey Jay both took a couple of years to develop into consistent major league pitchers, but both became stalwarts of the White Sox and Reds respectively after being dumped for little in return.
In the more recent past we dumped Kyle Davies for a 1/2 year rental, and he may now be turning into the pitcher we had hoped he would be for us.
Patience!!
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:23 pm
As for getting a better outfielder instead of Anderson by not signing Glavine- At this point it looks like we will owe Glav about a mil and probably not much more because he looks like even if he IS able to go, it will take quite some more time, so he won’t hit some of the targets for more $$$$.. Not too sure that extra mil would have garnered a much better outfielder than what we got in Garrett for $2.5 mil.
Rodney Derrick
April 14th, 2009
12:24 pm
For those of you who eagerly wait for Terrence Moore to call for the Braves to sign a Gary Sheffield and other poor choices, note that another Atlanta publication has a list of 70 AJC staffers taking a buyout. Best wishes to all 70, and thank goodness we still have DOB and Carroll.
Carroll Rogers
April 14th, 2009
12:24 pm
new blog should be up momentarily
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
April 14th, 2009
12:25 pm
Jim,
Lets not forget Matt Harrison, who isn’t exactly an ace yet, but has been pitching well for Texas.
Carroll Rogers
April 14th, 2009
12:25 pm
Thanks Rodney. I wish all those 70 best of luck as well. There is some incredible talent in that bunch.
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:26 pm
scoots-No, you were there along with Efrim and Myself. I also thought that Rohrbough, Locke and Teheran were going to be good ones as well. Maybe if Rohrbough can come back from his injury issues and Teheran develops (kind of hard to predict when the subject was what? 17?) like we hope he will, we’ll be right on them, too. That entire rookie league staff looked awesome, didn’t they?
Runnin
April 14th, 2009
12:26 pm
Campillo isn’t being used because if he had a bad outing it could really tax the bullpen. If JoJo starts off bad, Campy and Carlyle will be right there to take over for him. The smart and safe move is to use JoJo.
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:27 pm
scoots-Besides, at my age, it’s all I can do to keep up with what I say, much less anyone else on the blog!!
Lew
April 14th, 2009
12:29 pm
Epinephrine-You make a good point about Hanson’s control. He needs to sharpen it a bit. I’m more than optmistic that he will, but he isn’t there quite yet. There is no need at all to rush him to the big club.
Jim
April 14th, 2009
12:31 pm
I did not include anyone in the Tex trade or Jason Schmidt because we got a quality player in return. Both of those trades included multiple prospects going the other way.
Nick
April 14th, 2009
12:35 pm
New blog is up now, btw: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/04/14/braves-go-fishing/
Jim
April 14th, 2009
12:36 pm
While striking out 10 guys in 4 innings is impressive, it doesn’t necessarily translate into quality outings. The starting pitcher needs to go at least 6 innings on a regullar basis to give the bullpen time off. I think Hanson needs to face situations where he doesn’t have a ton of K’s and learns to get people out by having them put it in play. Holding runners is another facet of his game that is a work in progress.
Eric from MO
April 14th, 2009
12:40 pm
Bravofan the Braves are 5-1. Chill.
CB
April 14th, 2009
12:44 pm
Wow I think we have bloggers who sit back like vultures waiting for something or somebody they can attack.I agree with the decision of bringing up Reyes.Hanson will have his day soon enough. And yes youth will be served1