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Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,135 comments Add your comment
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:06 pm
Schafer takes called third strike (low and outside).
Loaf Garret on a blackberry from the dugout
April 18th, 2009
1:07 pm
Schafer strikes again.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:08 pm
Jo Jo walks!
Ray K.
April 18th, 2009
1:08 pm
This Fox blackout nonsense is absolute garbage. I didn’t shell out 200 bucks for the MLB ticket to miss saturday day games. On the other hand, maybe my TV needs a break from all the screaming and yelling this week.
cabravesfan
April 18th, 2009
1:09 pm
Ray K-
Or the Braves just need to play fewer saturday day games
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:09 pm
KJ out to RF.
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:09 pm
12 scoreless innings against a team that doesn’t even know that there are 3 outs in an inning.
bravesfan
April 18th, 2009
1:11 pm
p-Town brave, I agree. MLB thinks they need to make money on everything. I can’t believe they are starting to charge for MLB gameday. I can’t believe anyone would want to pay for that. I just switched to ESPN gamecast. I’m pissed the game isn’t on MLB extra innings in my area.
King521
April 18th, 2009
1:12 pm
My MLB.com Premium is streaming the Mets/Brewers game just fine as we speak….games that start at 1:10 or earlier should not be affected by the FOX blackouts. Don’t know if the TV Extra Innings package is different?
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:12 pm
For those who can’t see, brent is referring to the fact that the Pirates’ pitcher and half the team started off the field after Schafer’s K thinking it was the third out.
David O'Brien
April 18th, 2009
1:13 pm
Here’s something I just filed on Boyer:
By DAVID O’BRIEN
dobrien@ajc.com
Pittsburgh _ Blaine Boyer was designated for assignment by the Braves on Saturday, a move that could end the Marietta pitcher’s nine-year stint with his hometown team.
Boyer, who was out of minor-league options, can be claimed on waivers by any major league team. If he goes unclaimed, the Braves could outright him to Class AAA Gwinnett.
“Sometimes moving on to a different club is good for a guy,” manager Bobby Cox said. “Gets him some fresh air somewhere else.”
The Braves had to make a roster move Saturday to open a spot for left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, who was recalled from Gwinnett to start Saturday afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After struggling during the last two months of the 2008 season, Boyer was off to a rough start in 2009, posting a 40.50 ERA and .429 opponents’ average in three relief appearances.
The hard-throwing right-hander was charged with four runs while recording one out Wednesday against Florida. For the season, he had allowed three hits, six earned runs and three walks in 1-1/3 innings, and also hit a batter.
“You can start putting pounds and pounds of pressure on yourself,” Cox said.
The manager told him of the move early Saturday at PNC Park, and Boyer, 27, packed and left the ballpark before reporters entered the clubhouse.
In 25 appearances since July 26, 2008, Boyer had a 14.73 ERA and .358 opponents’ average. He pitched 18-1/3 innings during that period and was charged with 29 hits (seven homers), 30 earned runs and 10 walks in 18-1/3 innings, while recording 21 strikeouts.
Before his second-half fade, Boyer was one of the Braves’ bullpen stalwarts during the 2008 season, ranking at or near the top among major league leaders in relief appearances while posting a 3.76 ERA and .229 opponents’ average in 54 games through July 25.
The former Walton High three-sport standout was a third-round draft pick by the Braves in 2000, and spent five seasons in the minors before making 43 appearances for Atlanta in 2005. He missed most of the 2006 season after shoulder surgery, and part of the 2007 season after an oblique-muscle strain.
“He’s a great kid, and he’s got enough experience now to get it going,” Cox said. “Roger [McDowell, pitching coach] taught him a slide-step, to keep runners from just circling the bases on him. And Roger taught him a nice, tight slider, what he used to strike out [Florida’s] Cody Ross the other day.
“So he’s learning things, and he just needs to keep developing.”
What he needs to do most is throw strikes consistently. In April 8 game at Philadelphia, Boyer faced two batters with the bases loaded and walked both of them, throwing eight balls in nine pitches before he was replaced.
“That’s No. 1, no matter who you are,” Cox said. “You’ve got to throw strikes.”
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:13 pm
Leadoff strikeout.
The_Superhoo
April 18th, 2009
1:13 pm
what’s the point of these season packages if you dont get the games??
choozer
April 18th, 2009
1:13 pm
Snell must feel like he’s pitching a simulated game
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
Nice tag play by Kotchman on a slow roller.
Disgruntled In Decatur
April 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
Chipper may not be as tough as Kirk Gibson but I bet he beats the snot out of Debbie Gibson.
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
espn and cbssportsline both offer a quality gamecast (and I’m sure I’m missing others).
No sense in paying for that stuff.
Ray K.
April 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
Jordan Schafer has to sit down, folks. I’m sorry, but you can’t have a guy in the line-up who strikes out 60% of the time–even batting 8th. Sure, Andruw Jones struck out 60% of the time, too, but his stellar defense ensured doubles didn’t turn into triples. Schafer is hurting the club. Not ready yet.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:15 pm
Sanchez bounces back to Reyes – good inning.
cabravesfan
April 18th, 2009
1:15 pm
King521-
It is…FOX holds the broadcast rights to every day game on saturdays so they can do their Game of the Week thing. So they black out all of the “regional” stations like SportSouth so people will watch on big FOX…and in doing so screw everyone else in the process
BravesFAN885
April 18th, 2009
1:17 pm
here’s an idea: why don’t the braves play TEE ball against their opponents? maybe that would be easier.
McFann Ô
April 18th, 2009
1:17 pm
jbutler–
Thanks. Guess there was something after all!
Tryin’ to figure out how to do these ImageShack photo galleries. I really do have some good pictures! Bear with me…
Lou Vales
April 18th, 2009
1:18 pm
You guys are complaining about missing the Braves game and here I have the Dish and can’t watch the Marlins. I knew it was a saturday afternoon game so it’s my fault. If I didn’t like it, there are planes flying to DC on a frequent basis.
Tomas
April 18th, 2009
1:18 pm
Braves need some luck. They’re hitting bullets but right at people.
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:18 pm
Don’t like the lineup today. Bobby should group the guys together that are hitting the ball the best. That would mean KJ, then Prado (who lined out twice yesterday with a hit), then Infante, then Frenchy (who had 3 hits yesterday) hitting cleanup, then McCann.
GA is really streaky, as is KJ. They shouldn’t be hitting near each other.
JasonInFL (Formerly ME)
April 18th, 2009
1:19 pm
If we get shutout again by the Pirates, well I won’t do anything drastic, but it will be disgraceful!
P-Town Brave
April 18th, 2009
1:19 pm
Ray-
I tried to explain to others before that batting Jordan 8th would be worse than batting him leadoff…Obviously I have been proven right so far. Once again, the reason the 8-hole is difficult (esp. for a rookie) is that you generally are not going to see many quality pitches w/ the pitcher on deck AND it takes away the ability for an aggressive player like Jordan to be himself at the plate, thus pressing, and then leading to a slump like what he’s in now….If anyone should be batting 8th, it should be Casandra Kotchman.
The_Superhoo
April 18th, 2009
1:20 pm
Lou Vales, what an ABSURD comment to make. “if you cant see your game on tv, fly crosscountry and watch it in person”
right. sure.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:20 pm
Infante and Anderson fly to Morgan.
mbatl
April 18th, 2009
1:20 pm
From DOB’s article on Boyer:
“And Roger taught him a nice, tight slider, what he used to strike out [Florida’s] Cody Ross the other day.“- Bobby Cox
Wow. I won’t go back through the specs, but Boyer used to NEVER throw a hard slider, and did used to throw a slow curve pretty often. This year, a lot of sliders, no curves. And horrible results. Hope his new team lets him throw his second best pitch once in a while.
Mixxo
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
Mac’s fixin’ to go deep!
Ray K.
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
ESPN gamecast just displayed that the chance of scoring 1+ run this inning, with 0 outs and bases empty are 17%. Adjusted for the Braves sans Chipper Jones, you have to move a decimal point to the left to give you 1.7%
choozer
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
The league was hitting .313 against Snell and we’ve got only 1 hit in 4 innings
King521
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
CaBravesFan….
I understand what everyone is saying BUT telling you that as for Saturdays like today, you could be watching the Braves game and three others because they started at 1:10 or earlier. The rules must be different for online. I paid up and love the service. Here is what the online rules state….
Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, live games occurring each Saturday with a scheduled start time after 1:10 PM ET or before 7:05 PM ET
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
B Mc walks.
Mixxo
April 18th, 2009
1:21 pm
Ok, maybe next AB.
ops
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:23 pm
Kotch double to left – McCann to third.
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:23 pm
My reasoning is, this team is gonna have to string together some hits to score, much like they did in spring training. It cannot rely on the long ball, because like so many times last year, this team will go a long time without hitting one. Put the guys who are hitting the best behind KJ, and KJ will get better pitches to hit.
I don’t think GA is scaring anyone right now. The Angel fans here say he is streaky, and we are witnessing. Pitt can essentially pitch tough to KJ, cuz if he gets out and Infante gets on base (our most likely hitter to do so), he’ll be stranded there with GA hitting 3rd.
Group the hot hitters. That’s what I would do right now.
David O'Brien
April 18th, 2009
1:23 pm
Nice little opposite-field double for Kotchman, puts two in scoring position with two out for Francoeur.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:23 pm
Jeff hard line drive out to deep center.
David O'Brien
April 18th, 2009
1:24 pm
Francoeur lines out to CF on first pitch, came VERY close to going over outstretched glove of McLouth, who can really make some plays out there.
McFann Ô
April 18th, 2009
1:25 pm
A walk! There’s a step in the right direction.
Waytago, Frenchy.
cabravesfan
April 18th, 2009
1:25 pm
King521-
my biggest problem with buying online is that I still can’t watch games at work becasue I don;t have sound on my computer there…i’d rather watch on tv, all things being equal (except, of course, on saturdays during the day:D)
P-Town Brave
April 18th, 2009
1:25 pm
Imagine that, we start to get something going w/ 2nd and 3rd after decent AB’s and Francoeur swings at the 1st pitch and flys out…
Honestly, do we have more than 2 players on this team who have a brain and KNOW how to play this game?!
Tomas
April 18th, 2009
1:25 pm
Another bullet but caught by Mclouth
jbutler
April 18th, 2009
1:26 pm
Say what you will about Cox – but one thing he won’t do is kick a player when he’s down. Even when he’s obviously struggling (A.Jones/Frenchy) or may have just lost it (Boyer..) Some could probably learn from that.
JasonInFL (Formerly ME)
April 18th, 2009
1:26 pm
Maybe the A’s will stink and take some of our fringe prospects (like in the Hudson deal) for Holliday in June…
Loaf Garret on a blackberry from LF
April 18th, 2009
1:27 pm
DOB’s facebook page is better than Joe and Boog’s facebook page.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:27 pm
McLouth grounds out.
Ray K.
April 18th, 2009
1:27 pm
P town -
I wasn’t recommending schafer move in the line up: I was recommending he go back to AAA to marinate a bit longer. While it’s true that he might not see as many good pitches hitting in front of the pitcher, he is struggling terribly. He hasn’t driven a ball hard even foul in a week.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:28 pm
Doumit doubles off CF wall.
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:28 pm
So, does Schafer play too shallow, does he get bad jumps, or are these balls just getting torched?
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:29 pm
p-town brave,
I understand your point, and your frustration, but Jeff got the pitch he wanted. Why waste the pitch? He hit the ball hard, what more can you ask for?
N Nine
April 18th, 2009
1:30 pm
Is this a rerun of last night? I can’t tell..
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:30 pm
Adam La walks on a very close 3-2 pitch.
Tomahawkin
April 18th, 2009
1:30 pm
WTF was wrong with that call, The Unpire Sucks…
1995
April 18th, 2009
1:30 pm
I think this years team is even more boring than last year!!! How did this happen in just 2 weeks?
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:31 pm
I’m okay with Jeff’s swing there, too. He hit that ball well.
If he had popped out, or hit a dribbler, then that’s a different story.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:32 pm
Monroe 5-4-3 DP!
mbatl
April 18th, 2009
1:32 pm
Prado is flat pickin’ it at 3B. Good to see.
David O'Brien
April 18th, 2009
1:32 pm
Reyes is giving a very solid performance, impressive. He’s letting the defense work, like he said he would, but which he’s not done in the past. Not just talking the talking now.
Jake W.
April 18th, 2009
1:32 pm
Jojo got screwed on that call. If you’re gonna call it for one pitcher call it for the other. It was a strike.
Tomahawkin
April 18th, 2009
1:33 pm
Nice DP, Attaboy Jo-Jo, Definitely different pitcher as opposed to last year…but it is the offense…
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:33 pm
Nice play.
Schafer coming up this inning. Maybe he’ll double and let Jo-Jo drive him in.
One of his two swings that last AB looked better than most of what I’ve seen out of him over the last week.
He is 0forthis week, right?
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:33 pm
My thoughts on Shafer…
He looks like he swings the bat too hard. Pitchers are trying to jam him high and tight. He needs to lay off those and focus on getting pitches on the outer half and hitting the ball to the LCF gap, which he does really well. It seems like he doesn’t swing nearly as hard when he does that. Maybe those early HR didn’t do him good.
cabravesfan
April 18th, 2009
1:33 pm
sounds like Jo Jo is pitching pretty well
T2daD
April 18th, 2009
1:33 pm
Nicely pitch inning.
Get back, Jo, Jo.
P-Town Brave
April 18th, 2009
1:34 pm
Ray-
And who do you suggest play CF?! I hope its not the Gregor Blanco that is hitting under .200 in Triple-A
BC-
I’m not upset about him hitting it on the screws…I’m upset that he couldn’t take 1-2 pitches off a pitcher who has been struggling for close to a year and tends to have control issues.
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:34 pm
DOB,
That’s a good observation regarding Jo Jo. I remember him talking (I guess it was early last year/spring) about how he didn’t let the defense work during his time up in 2007.
Last year, he didn’t change. Today, other than Doumit’s damage, he’s done well.
DirtyYuni
April 18th, 2009
1:35 pm
Alright nitram. Now let’s get this going.
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:35 pm
Bobby’s Cox . .
I think Schafer has admitted as much. His quote (if you didn’t see it) was that after hitting two bombs, he quit being himself.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
Jake W.
April 18th, 2009
1:36 pm
Jojo is pitching well. Nice to see. Now if the offense can do something with this leadoff guy.
Tomas
April 18th, 2009
1:36 pm
3 things are happening against the pirates. Their a very good fielding team, very Athletic, with outstanding scouting reports, and they’ve been lucky.
Jake W.
April 18th, 2009
1:36 pm
Maube Schafer should bunt for jojo
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:38 pm
Schafer strikes out into a double play! (Prado out stealing).
Jake W.
April 18th, 2009
1:38 pm
Wow, bad spelling. Yeah he should have bunted.
David O'Brien
April 18th, 2009
1:38 pm
Ouch. Schafers gets ahead in count 2-0, strikes out anyway, and Prado thrown out in strike-em-out, throw-em-out DP
brent a.
April 18th, 2009
1:38 pm
Broken record.
I’m out, because I don’t want you to get any sicker of me than you already are.
Enjoy a beautiful week-end.
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:39 pm
P-Town,
Snell, as have most of the Pirates pitchers, have been pitching well so far early this season. Yes, before the Braves even arrived in Pitt. Snell and Maholm say they feel the best they have in a while and it’s showing. Duke’s always had potential, and they finally have the hard throwing righty they’ve wanted in Ohlendorf, who’s got a decent sinker. Their rotation isn’t as bad as you might think.
Tomahawkin
April 18th, 2009
1:39 pm
Man! This team is Garbage when it comes at executing the little things…The AAA Braves of 2008 are back in full effect
1995
April 18th, 2009
1:39 pm
Not wasting my Saturday watching this crap. Later!
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:39 pm
Jo Jo K.
choozer
April 18th, 2009
1:39 pm
This is a gift from Heaven for this lousy Pirates pitcher
TexasBrave
April 18th, 2009
1:41 pm
Is it really smart to put on a hit and run with Jordan striking out as much as he does? Questionable to say the least.
JasonInFL (Formerly ME)
April 18th, 2009
1:42 pm
I don’t even know what to day about this offense. It obviously reinforces that fact that we need a power bat..well, at this point, any bat. This offense is about as I have seen from the Braves since the early 90’s.
DirtyYuni
April 18th, 2009
1:42 pm
It wasn’t a hit and run. It was a swing-miss–get-caught-stealing. The team’s been working on it for two years now.
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:42 pm
Brent,
Thanks. Glad Schafer realizes it…now he just needs to cut down on the swing and focus on making contact.
Good to see Bobby rolling the dice there trying to create something…too bad it was strike em out, throw him out.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:43 pm
One-bouncer to short.
jjrfoster
April 18th, 2009
1:43 pm
Cabravesfan- actually Fox doess hold the rights to all games on Sat with start times from 1pm ET to 7PM ET any games that start before that are fair game. I think with many cities they give 2-3 games to a small network channel that is not capable of being broadcasted over DTV or Indemand Sports. Another theory is that MLB.com is trying carry 3-4 games a year per team that DTV or Indemand dont carry for a sales pitch. Today the only way you can see this game is on MLB.com unless you are in the Pit or Atl viewing area.
P-Town Brave
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
The real problem lies in that we are now seeming to figure out once again ways to lose games…whether it by bullpen, starting pitching, or anemic offense. Its not a good idea so early in the season…we NEEDED to win 6 or 7 of 9 against the Pittsburgh’s, Washington’s, and Cincinnati’s of the MLB if we were trying to prove we’re in the mix. Hopefully we can come back today…
I do agree though that once Chipper and Yunel are back, it would be nice to get Jordan a day or two off (Infante in CF) to regroup and get back to the basics. I also still fully believe Prado needs to be in there on a close to regular basis, whether that be 1b, 2b, or in the OF.
choozer
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
Snell has never pitched a shutout or a cg.
N Nine
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
Looks like JoJO joined Diaz and Mac on the diet program
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
Easy grounder to Kotchman.
mbatl
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
“Is it really smart to put on a hit and run with Jordan striking out as much as he does? ” – TexasBrave
Man, I agree. Worst case, Schafer K’s with a runner at 1st, pitcher bunts him over, and KJ has a chance to drive him in. Didn’t like that call at all.
N Nine
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
How are we sooo powerless, Loaf you have any clue on this…..?
choozer
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
ditto re: Prado, Ptown
Bobby's Cox
April 18th, 2009
1:45 pm
When u hit and run, you force your hitter to make contact. That’s what Schafer needs to do right now. It was a good call if in fact it was called by Bobby. It didnt’ work out, but it was worth the risk at this stage of abysmal.
Smyrna Jim
April 18th, 2009
1:45 pm
Snell grounds to third – 70 pitches in 5 innings for Jo Jo.
ZC Rider
April 18th, 2009
1:45 pm
Smyrna, saying one-bouncer made me giggle like a child. Thank you
P-Town Brave
April 18th, 2009
1:45 pm
BC-
You mean Snell who was 0-2 w/ an 8 ERA coming into this game was pitching well…If thats well, does Boyer’s 40 ERA not seem so bad to you?