Waiting on some runs, and Huddy

first

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Thanks for the updates on Huddy, Carroll. I think we’ve underestimated how much this team misses him. We could’ve saved a lot of money (KK) and maybe signed a better bat if he was healthy.

Huddy won a few awards for hitting at Auburn. Do you think we could get him in the cage and then send him to right field? That’d be awesome!

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From DOB: “Jeff Francoeur is in a full-out slump. On May 9 in Philadelphia, he had hit in his 10th game in a row, was batting .283 in his first 30 games and had four doubles, two triples,…….”
With 1 (half) of his triples being a pop fly to right that was lost in the sun.

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For my money, the worst stat we’ve got going right now is this:

16

That’s the number of homers we’ve hit in 31 games away from Citizens Bank Park. We have one more series left in Philly this season (Aug. 28-30).

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Is it just me, or anyone else agree these former Angels are rats……
Seen more than enough of Kotchman, awful in the clutch, you could draft a large army with men he leaves on base.
Yes his defense above average, but overall a “soft” player, no asset.

Anderson gets more time, respect for resume, but first impression he is washed up. You hold your breath when a fly ball goes his way.

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From previous blog. Either put Infante in the line-up for a week and see if he can sustain his current pace or if we must play KJ, flip flop him with Escobar which would at least give him a hole on the right side when Esco is on base – which is often.

We will not stay close much longer with two regulars averaging .220 between them.

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Sorry Carrol, assumed it was DOB doing the blog. You are “allowed” to answer my questions as well.

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JJ, I like most of that lineup. Mine would look more like this:

OI RF
YE SS
CJ 3B
BMc C
CK 1B
Prado/KJ LF/2B
KJ/GA 2B/LF
JS CF

Waive – Francoeur, Norton, Diaz
Call Up – Barton, B Jones, Diory Hernandez

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Anyone else noticed that we have 2 to 3 innings a game that we get 3 straight automatic outs with Schafer, Frenchy, and the pitchers spot (which should be hitting 7th in the lineup currently because our pitchers are out hitting those two).

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Great post/question and observation chris from md. You might be on to something there.

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At this point in time there is no reason to try and play Infante, Prado, Diaz, Norton or Ross. Could be in random positions. LF is already a nightmare so we could put anyone out there. RF and CF there is no production, couldn’t hurt to have someone random out there, we can’t score runs we can’t win. 1B and 2B would be positions we could get Prado into. And Ross and Norton could play 1B.

It’s about time to start trying some ridiculous lineup to score runs, because this same old lineup ain’t scoring runs.

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DOB.. since Ross was going to catch the game that got rained out, does that mean he wont play until the date that his next scheduled start would have been? Any word, or guess, on when his next start is?

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When was the last time one of our starters pitched 8 innings strong and still lost…? I think it’s been awhile since that has happened…

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monty

About Dye’s fielding ability.

Granted Jeff has played 49 more games in RF. But Jermaine’s fielding % is .989 since 2006 to Jeff’s .983. Francouer also has twice as many errors 18, to Dye’s 9 since 2006. While Jeff definately can play everyday and throw out more runners, Dye is not a liability in RF.

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Hey DOB — just curious ———-

Of the players you mentioned that were struggling, have you seen or noticed any of them
putting in extra work, more so than normal, to break out. I know I’ve seen guys on some
of my teams that did the only mandatory stuff but the guys who were willing to do all sorts
of extra stuff were the ones you wanted in the lineup day in and out.

Just curious if you are seeing any of that. Thanks.

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First things first. DOB and CR, we are lucky to have both of you. Access is king in the internet jungle, and you two provide us with great access to our favorite team. True thanks from this Braves fan.

Great news about Huddy, and I would suspect that any semblance of success triggers his option. Also pretty cool to hear a guy say that no matter what, he will go wherever the team needs him when he comes back this year. Refreshing.

Oh, the bats. Ummm, I got nothing. JJ, I wonder if having Omar in RF is not a bad option. But how much is that really worth? Over the course of the year, one win, maybe two? Granted its going to be a tight race and two wins is nothing to sneeze at. We may have to face reality, we are not a team built on power or speed, and hitting slumps by multiple regulars will severely cut into our run production. This just feels like a team that needs to pitch well all year, hope to get mutliple guys hot, maybe get one of those 20 game runs where Chipper carries us, and sneak into the playoffs, where anything goes. That seems like a best case scenario to me.

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Why not try playing Norton, Prado, Infante, Diaz, or Ross, couldnt hurt right? So what if they strike out, don’t get hits, don’t score any runs, commit errors in the infield/outfield, the rest of the “starter Braves” already have that stuff down.

2 runs in the last 24 innings and Bobby still won’t shake up the lineup? What are we waiting for? How bad could Ross do at first or left field? He might actually hit a homer or a double or score a run. I mean try something crazy!?

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Chris from MD, I don’t have anything against Frenchy aside from baseball. Problem is, this is a baseball blog and right now (and for over a year now) he pretty well sucks at baseball. So he gets what he gets on here.

On a side note, how long will Cox and Wren keep playing the games handicapped? I mean 6 on 8 offensively isn’t much of a fair fight. Heck, with KJ struggling it’s actually more like 5 on 8 most nights. Not going to win much if your 7,8,9 and 1 hitters are all easy outs. And ours are right now.

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Francouer has been in a slump for 3 years. At some point it isnt a slump. Its who you are.

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Thanks for the new Blog, Ms. Rogers! Great news on Timmy! I really hope we hang on to him.

Really, i think some of those things Jeff has mentioned are games he plays in his mind to keep the confidence up. I used to do that too. If I get 100 on this test, it’ll pull my average up to a B.

I do that kinda stuff with BMac’s stats all the time…

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“Francouer has been in a slump for 3 years. At some point it isnt a slump. Its who you are.” Shane

Exactly. I said it before, when guys try and stick up for Frenchy and KJ saying that “Chipper and McCann have slumps too”, that it’s not even comparable.

IMO, Chipper and McCann are great hitters that occasionally have slumps. All good hitters do.

Francoeur and KJ are average (at best hitters) who happen to occasionally show signs of life with some “hot streaks”.

It’s that simple. Francoeur and KJ are just not as good as many of us thought (or hoped) they are. As soon as Wren and Bobby figure it out, the better off the team will be.

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line up-1.G.ANDERSON 2.FRENCHY 3.B-MAC 4.HOSS 5.ESCOBAR 6.K JOHNSON 7.KOTCHMAN 8.SCHAFER

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Thanks kirkinga. I usualy treat 24 like the Braves seasons. I’m pumped at the begining, get hooked with some early excitement, usually have a few “episodes” in the middle of the year that lull me to sleep, followed by a stretch where I wonder why I even bother watching, which is then followed by some re-newed “hope” that it might turn around (think trade deadline), which is followed by me wondered when the pain and suffering is going to end, and then a big sigh of relief that it’s over and I can move on with my life.

Only to start it all over again the next season.

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If the Braves are considering getting rid of Bobby, they should stop. He has brought too much to the franchise, and should let him go out on his own terms. He’ll probably end up retiring after this season.

That being said, when Bobby Cox decides to hang em up, we need a manager who is the opposite of Bobby Cox.

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Carroll — thanks for that. I guess what would be a better question is have you seen anybody who is struggling doing anything different in an effort to break out of it?? I know some players have their preferred practice habits and sometimes they are encouraged to change it up a little in an effort to obtain different results.

Like I said, I’m just curious from a players viewpoint. The one thing I miss the most from my playing days was the time spent with the team just practicing. Sometimes the input from a teammate is just the thing to cure whatever is ailing in your game.

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Thanks Carroll, I will read Bradley’s column. Thanks for the heads up.

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Not to take lightly Ms: Rogers comments. I’m sure she wanted to pass along that the guys are working hard. I believe that.

On the other hand, I can go work just as hard as those guys if they will pay me and let me in the clubhouse! I promise I’ll be the first one to get there and the last one to leave! I’ll be sweating and have blisters on my hands from swinging in the cage! Then someone can report that I’m the hardest worker on the team and in the clubhouse!

But the fact is that ain’t gonna make me an effective hitter! It may earn me some respect for my work ethic but at the end of the day the fans and the other guys in the clubhouse are gonna say, “what a worker! But he ain’t no ballplayer!” You need ability, knowledge and coaching. I think some of the guys have the ability but lack knowledge and the coaching is nothing less than bush league quality.

I can butt my head against the wall and be praised for my dedication to that task. But at the end of the day the wall is still there and all I have is a bloody head.

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I don’t know why Escobar isn’t leading off. Didn’t do too bad over there a few years ago and he won’t hit into so many double plays batting there as well.

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I love all these supposed quick fixes for the Braves troubles. Yeah, KJ, Frenchie, and Schafer are struggling, but none of them have been consistent enough that you get the feeling that playing them would be the answer. Chipper is not the Chipper of last season. Brian is ok, but he’s had his issues too. Hitting is contagious and so are slumps. This team is going to have to man up. Either that or the pen is going to have to get much much better and we’re going to have to go back to the days of winning 2-1, 3-2,4-3 type games. The Braves offense is what it has always been under Bobby Cox except these guys don’t have as much power, or hit well situationally. They are more talented at some positions but the results don’t match that talent. The more I watch, the more I think it’s a head and heart problem. These guys are mostly wussies and the few that aren’t are wussified by the others. So you can trade whoever, but if you don’t get rid of enough wussies …players and pitchers…it’s not going to matter who you bring in.

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Trade not Made –

Agree completely with your first paragraph. Out of Omar, KJ, and JF, if you can only play two, you HAVE to think the best two are Omar and KJ. Put them in the lineup and see what happens. It’s not like the current lineup is working well. Mix it up and see if you stumble into something good.

Heck, I’d even be in favor of batting KJ 2nd since Esco GIDP too much. Move Esco down to 3 and Chipper 4 and see if that works? I don’t know. But I’ve about decided that for me, JF in RF ain’t gonna cut it unless this team is resigned to winning 70 games or so.

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From the last blog:
“There is no way the Indians trade DeRosa for that package. Marek has gotten off to a horrendous start this season. Reyes has been a bust at the MLB level and Valdez is a longman type pitcher at best.”

Well, that’s about what the Indians gave up for DeRosa (they gave up 3 minor league relievers that all have a very outside shot at ever even making it to the show). And if they’re out of contention and nobody is going to offer more, why not? Like I said, may not be enough, but it’s probably pretty close.

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Annd the worst part about Joe Simpson’s excuse-making for the poor play at home is that he prefaces it w/ “I’m not making excuses for the Braves”. I like Joe but it’s so irritating b/c it makes absolutely no sense.

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Shane,

Best post and analysis regarding Jeff on the entire blog. You’ve summarized it perfectly sir with a simple statement. Now let all the Jeff apologists get to work and rebuddle that one!

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You’re right N8, it’s always a roller coaster ride with that show, but it would be hard to maintain that type of intensity every episode especially on network tv. I’ve always wonder what the show would have been like if it was on FX, or HBO.

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Follow up, to (mis)quote Dennis Green, “We are exactly what we think we are.”

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Where would the Braves play Mark DeRosa? LF? RF? He’s always been a better infielder by trade.

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Concur on the Shane comment.

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JasoninAtl –

I don’t disagree that we need a lot of breaks to go our way. That’s why this is particularly frustrating because it feels like instead of getting a few breaks, we are actually handicapping ourselves by sticking with 7,8,9,1 of JF,JS,Pitcher,and KJ.

I’m one that thinks KJ can really hit when he’s comfortable and I just don’t think he’s comfortable leading off. But unless and until JS can do it effectively, you really have no other choice unless Omar is in there. So JF is the odd man out in my mind.

Of course, I’m not the allknowing HOF manager.

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MFin-

where exactly do you plan on playing David Ross? I hope you aren’t suggesting sitting Mac, and Ross (as much as I like his hitting) would be a huge liability at 1st…and that’s assuming he has ever even played there and knows what he’s doing

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You can comment all you want too on the lack of offense, but the root of the problem is TP and BC. There will be no solution to the offense until both are gone.

And since Carroll hides her face, I can only assume she is as ugly as a mud fence

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I’m not sure where to play Ross, LF or 1B are probably the only realistic solutions, that or we move McCann to 1B. LF is already a darn nightmare, and GA is slow as crap and doesnt get to any routine balls.

My real point is that we have a bunch of bench guys rotting on the bench, when we have Schafer, KJ, and Frenchy rotting on the field, doesnt make sense. They are consistently easy outs.

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Does the hitting coach bear any responsibility?

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JJ – Norton has some pop in his bat, Casey K doesn’t This team needs power at all costs, singles with RISP often don’t score runs for this team. Chipper, GA, McCann, and Kotchman all can’t score from second on a single. They really can’t and haven’t consistently. We need power. Norton atleast has some power. The notion is half-hearted since we have others that can play first like Prado…but we need to try SOMETHING…somewhere.

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I think Joe is much better when Boog is his play by play guy. Chip’s stupidity must rub off on him when they are in the booth together.

I think it’s pretty obvious that Joe doesn’t like working with Chip. Whenever Chip says something stupid, you can tell Joe wants to smack him or tell him to leave. I don’t particularly like Joe as a commentator, but he’s better than Chip and he’s better when he works with someone else. I thought he did fine with Mark Fein the other night. Now, whether the snoozefest was a product of the game or the commentary is up for debate.

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Lineup:

Escobar, SS
Schafer, CF
Chipper, 3B
Infante, RF
BMac, C
Prado, 1B (or Kotchman vs. RH)
Kelly, 2B
Diaz, LF (or Anderson vs. RH)

Bench: Ross, Francouer, Norton plus either Prado or Kotchman and either Diaz or Anderson.

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MFin –

Ok, I see now. And I agree with you that we need to do something ANYTHING to try and jump start the offense. But the only realistic place I could see Norton playing is 1b and I doubt you’d sit CK and his Gold Glove Defense for more power. And I disagree about KJ. I think if he’s hitting lower in the order (or even in the 2 hole) he’d be more comfortable and would be a good hitter. He just looks very uncomfortable in the leadoff role.

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Carroll…..I think I Love You.

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Frenchy, Schafer, Pitcher, KJ is a BLACK HOLE in the lineup, it has got to be changed up.

The only spot in the lineup where we score runs is Esco, Chipper, GA, McCann
(Unless you count Casey K grounding into bases loaded 0-out double plays, as scoring runs, I don’t)

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lineup:

1) Schaefer/Infante cf platoon
2) Esco ss
3) Chipper 3b
4) Mac c (Anderson when Ross catches)
5) Anderson lf (Diaz when Dias plays)
6) Kotchman (KJ when Ross catches)
7) Frenchy rf
KJ 2b (Ross when he catches)
9) P

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Many people here and elsewhere like to blame Cox, but honestly, even though Cox has made mistakes with the way he has handled the bullpen and lineup this year, the ugly truth is plain to see at this point:

The Braves (18-19), and the everyday players on this team are simply mediocre.

The starting pitching is solid, and after some adjustments have been made in the bullpen, I think the relief core will improve.

HOWEVER, this lineup is just not very good. I agree with Mark Bradley’s recent column: other than Chipper, McCann, and Esco – I have little faith in the rest of the lineup to drive in runs on a consistent basis.

The Braves need hitters with plate discipline. Talent-laden prospects are great and everything, but we have all seen how Jeff F. is turning out 4 years after his debut. My fear is that Schafer follows a path similar to Jeff and becomes a free-swinging, defensive outfielder with low OBP.

I’m going to hold off ripping “the usual suspects” just yet, but if they don’t improve, I think the Braves have to seriously consider trading them (after the season) for whatever they can get.

This team is not going anywhere with this lineup. Period. I’m not saying this season is definitely lost (only 2.5 games out with most of the season to go), but I am confident that this lineup is a lost cause, and that Wren is going to have to make big changes – much like he did to rebuild the rotation.

Historically many teams have scuffled in the first half and had torrid stretches after the break to get into the playoffs, but based on what I’ve seen from this team so far, I’m not optimistic about this team’s chances.

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Will Huddy’s arm be strong enough to shave that Pontiac logo off his chin?

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Here’s a link to the attendance figures.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance?sort=home_avg&year=2009&seasonType=2

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cabravesfan – say it with me. 2 runs in 24 innings! TWOOOOO!

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Macon Braves, I agree. I can’t think of one good thing about Chip’s announcing…wait, his Skip impersonations are pretty good. Maybe he should do the entire broadcast like that, impersonating his dad. Maybe then he’d be tolerable. I miss the professor…

Pete!! Come back!!

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BAT ESCOBAR LEADOFF!!!

Agree. Been thinking for a while now move the whole order up and drop KJ down towards the bottom.

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Since no one on this team really waits for pitches or draws walks, we should probably just bat Esco lead off, and Infante 2nd. KJ can hit lower in the order. GA is a liability in LF, play Infante there.

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My bad- Omar has played a total of 6 games (actually not even that- 13 innings) in right field. And in 8 years, a total of 132 games in the outfield. I like Omar quite a bit but…probably not the best option to throw out there on a regular basis

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Say what you will about the economic times…but I guarantee you Braves officials are alarmed by the attendance figures so far…the team has been in the middle of the pack and 14th in average attendance the past THREE SEASONS. Now they have fallen to 20th and are averaging 24,000 compared to 31,000 last season! START WINNING!!!

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Couch Tater – Great link. I’ve been looking for something like that.

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Actually it is a video game. It’s called MLB The Show.

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I know fantasizing about trades feels good, but think about guys, this is the worse time to trade any of these guys. Their value is low right now and the best we could hope for without getting totally fleeced is to take on someone else’s problem. You know, trade disappointment for disappointment. Kirkinga

Couldn’t agree more – this lineup probably won’t improve until the offseason.

~.500 ball is likely for the rest of the season.

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I understand but throwing guys in random spots could cause major defensive liabilities that end up costing us more runs then scoring us more (Cabravesfan)

Apparently you’ve been watching my Mets the last two games!

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I’ll take Infante’s RF defense and bat over Francoeur’s RF defense and bat 7 days a week.

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French has had guys going from 1st to 3rd on straight singles all year. Ship him away. Get a nice bat rack for him if possible

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Why isn’t anyone here talking about Jordan Schafer? Why isn’t anyone talking about sending him down to Gwinnett. He wasn’t ready and he’s proven that. I get the point that sending him down might hurt his confidence, but letting him struggle for months can’t be helping his confidence either. How has Blanco been doing? Does anybody know?

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For those calling for Norton to play more: if I recall, his numbers were much better as a pinch-hitter last year than when he was in the lineup regularly.

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Carroll: Quick attendance question. How’s the attendance for the G Braves? Maybe having such an uninspired team playing at Turner while Tommy Hanson (our most exciting player) labors a few miles away is not good for attendance.

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Shafer is young, gotta give him a chance. He plays a hell of a center field. Now, he’s finally starting to put the ball into play. I think he could pull a .270- .280 this year. Mix that with solid CF play, that would be a god send for this team.

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Cabravesfan – Yeah, two of the errors were by the third string SS who flew in from Buffalo and got to the park 15 minutes before game time. One was by Jeremy Reed playing first, I believe for the first time. Another was caused by Pagan and Beltran getting there signals crossed in Pagan’s first start.

I think this absolutely backs up your point about just moving guys around. It’s not that easy in the bigs.

I said over the weekend that I didn’t think the Mets were playing nearly tight enough defensively. Certainly I didn’t expect this but I do see it as an achilles heel right now.

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“I’ll take Infante’s RF defense and bat over Francoeur’s RF defense and bat 7 days a week.” Wes

Well stated. Yet, I have a feeling regardless of which one of those two is in RF, that this team would only win 3.5 of those games.

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Efrim, it’s not close. The people lumping Kelly in with Francoeur are idiots. Nothin’ you can do about that, man.

I do not think Schafer is a leadoff hitter. I see him in the second or seventh spots. He strikes out too much. He has not been on base enough to evaluate his base running abilities. I would like to see him take some walks and steal a few bases. I am not sure that his ego will allow this.

This is possibly the worst post of the night, which was pretty bad considering we had Robert and the negativity crew out in full force last night. I would break out some stats, but you’d ignore them and come up with a new bogus argument, so I’ll leave it at this–you are quite thick. The end.

As for Robert, all I’ve got to say to you is that you bring NOTHING to the conversation. You post literally 5 times every 10 minutes and it is the same exact thing over and over. Pardon me for playing Freud here, but if you’re a 40 year old guy and you’re posting the same exact thing with that frequency, you’ve got problems. I’m sorry. And the sad thing is that you seem like a pretty intelligent guy, and you could bring a lot to the board….but you’re a braying donkey, singing the same song. I’m sorry, but you have not a single shred of credibility left with any of the regular posters.

In other rants, have any of you tried watching an entire game without posting every 5 seconds? I dunno, maybe try watching one inning at a time w/o posting? It’s frustrating to watch the seemingly 5000 bipolar blog reversals every game. Kids, take note–watch the entire game, and then make a post afterwards summarizing what you thought, good or bad. You’d gain a lot more cred as opposed to posting “Francoeur struck out. Cut him he bahlows!” followed 5 minutes later by “Frenchy homered. He’s back! Hooray!” Please, for all of our sakes.

Keep in mind that I’m pretty tired of seeing Frenchy trot out there every day, and I never thought signing GA was a good idea, and it still wasn’t after seeing him play up to this point. But ya know what? I’ve got more to say than just that, and I’m not going to bore the folks that actually come here looking for good baseball talk with it. I feel I can bring more substance to the blog than that.

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Nate–As it has been discussed on here quite a bit the last few weeks, Blanco is Sucking at Gwinnett (hitting .211 currently). Schafer has appeared overmatched just about every at bat this season, but I think his defense has been quite good (since he’s still learning the parks it hasn’t been seemless, but he’s been good nonetheless.) Give the kid some time, he’s just over 100 AB’s above AA ball.

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MFin-

we should worry about it <because our offense isn’t scoring…If we are going to score 2 or 3 runs a game (or less) we can’t let the defense give up free runs to the other teams. As you pointed out, the regulars have made some costly mistakes already- and you would be ok with putting guys in unfamiliar positions in the hopes they will score more runs then they give up? Sorry, dude, gotta disagree with yo here.

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How has Blanco been doing? Does anybody know?

worse than schafer. theres nobody better than schafer the braves can call up. the braves sure did put alot of eggs in schafer’s basket when they traded anderson…

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Take a seat, Steve.

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Anders-

never thought I’d get backed by a mets fan, but you’re right- that kinda highlights the point I am trying to make. Thanks (i think)

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Macon Braves – the argument is whether Prado and Infante and others should play despite the fact that they may cost the Braves runs. With the starters already costing the team runs/games, there really isn’t a reason not to play them. Especially when you CANNOT win a game by scoring 0-runs. And it is darn near impossible to win scoring 1-run.

Give Infante, Prado, others, a shot, it would most definitely help the offense, and I don’t think they are little leaguers when it comes to defense.

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Frenchy continues his decline, has slipped backed into his old habits and now has a confidence problem. Cox has been patient long enough. I vote for Omar at second leading off, Kelly to the outfield batting seventh, and Francouer to Gwinnett to work on that swing.

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DAP_But so many would not have it any other way than to throw Schafer into the fray (ready or not) and would have nothing but dumping Josh. Be careful what you ask for-it-you migt just get it-right?

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Efrim

Kelly struck out more times than Francoeur did last year, and we all know how bad he stunk.

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JJ, that post at 2:30…I can’t beat that. There is no better lineup right now at least, than the one you put out. I like Infante in RF and benching Stenchy for awhile. Dude is death to rallies…he really is. I still like KJ but very much lower in the order. If Bobby does that, watch KJ take off. Bobby has his agenda and it might just be against everything he’s ever done to bench Stenchy because he “holds so much promise”. Promise my a**! More like holds runners on the damn bases game after game!

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Carroll: “I’ve never really seen where struggling guys don’t give a rip and don’t work as hard as they should to get right. that’s not something I’ve seen much of in the Braves clubhouse over the years”

Was this seen when Andruw Jones was here last??? Not to kick the guy or anything, but I remember all the talk from fans about how lazy he appeared. I always wondered if that was just an appearance or something carrying over…

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Ron Roberts – By asking two batters in a row to get hits, the first being a bunt hit by Shafer, you are dropping the odds of scoring that runner you just sacrificed over to 2nd dramatically.

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Here’s my solution to this weak offense. Send Schafer back to the minors, release Garrett, trade KJ & Francouer. Call up Barton, B. Jones, & Hernandez as someone else mentioned. Lineup:

2B – Prado
SS – Escobar
3B – Chipper
C – McCann
RF – Infante
LF – Diaz
1B – Kotchman
CF – Barton

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Starting pitching.

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Efrim – Yes, nice job by your Pens. I have to say I got annoyed when Satan scored and Versus immediately cut to Crosby high fiving guys on the bench rather than showing the on ice celebration. For us non – Penguin fans, the Crosbyization of the NHL is almost too much to bare.

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Efrim: Interesting way of looking at KJ and Francoeur; since the beginning of 2007. Francoeur has steadily trended down. and KJ’s cold streaks are getting longer. KJ reminds me more of a LaRoche than anything. The type of player that does nothing most of the year then something clicks, he goes on fire and ends the season with what appear to be nice numbers. Unfortunately he’s a ghost when he isn’t hot.

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Isn’t GA a “black hole” in the middle of that second group? His defense in LF has contributed mightily to two of the last 3 losses. Both the Church hit that set up the 2-run 8th for the Mets and the Fowler hit in the 6th last night should have been caught. Ryan Braun was put in LF last year by the Brewers because of his lack of defense at 3B. Did anyone see the two web-gems he turned in last night? I think putting Infante in LF would not hurt our current LF defense and within weeks would drastically improve it.
I too like the idea of having Infante and KJ together in the lineup. The only thing keeping JF in the lineup is the lack of an adequate replacement in RF, and only his arm is a real plus there.

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Brian Barton-

.202, 21 H (3 extra base), 53 K’s, 15 walks (also, not a center fielder)

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Anders, I hear ya. I wish he was a little less of a square, too. Kinda like your boy at third base.

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Pens almost lost/tied that game 2 or 3 times in the last minute. Glad that they could hold on. It was the craziest last 90 seconds of hockey, wow.

Schafer batting leadoff makes sense in some ways. KJ isn’t doing any better than Schafer would. Atleast Schafer could bunt for a hit, maybe walk, but once he is on the bases he would be a real threat to score with Esco, Chipper, and McCann behind him. It would also break up the automatic 3-out inning of Frenchy and Schafer and the Pitcher.

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bravesaredone

smoltz still hasnt pitched in 2009, so how exactly would resigning him improved the braves’ product?

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Macon – even with the offense as bad as it is. If Esco, Chipper, GA, McCann can’t score one run in the 9th…then this season is truly doomed.

Yes, the offense is bad, but the relief group/defense can’t turn every single 2-1 game into a 5-1 game. We had atleast had a chance to tie it 2-2.

This team needs all the CHANCES it can get.

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Ron Roberts 2:49 Post

I don’t buy that Frenchy’s defense is good in addition to his poor hitting.

I’m not joking when I say they should play Frenchy at or near the warning track because he can’t run back and catch anything anymore. Tired of watching Jordan run back into right to chase down Frenchy’s balls. Frenchy never seems to get a good jump on a hard hit ball and take away a single or hold a runner to only one base on a potential double. Also, he makes VERY erratic throws to the plate and throws to third seem to 2 or 3 hop the cut-off man.

He just seems SLOW in every aspect.

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Steve from OH agree with your post. There is so much negativity on the board that I literally scroll when I see certain names. I love baseball and the Braves but I have problems understanding the screaming. Nothing is accomplished by the Robert,JoeBrave crowd except ranting.

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Roman Gal, Macon Braves–

Then there was the comment about biscuits for breakfast back when they were playing the Mets at home…

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Jim 3:20 Post

See my post on Frenchy at 3:28 – don’t buy Frenchy’s arm is any good anymore

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Smyrna Jim-

which one? The one that I made the mistake in or the one that I made the mistake in trying to correct my mistake?

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TnBrian – I hate to burst your bubble but I do think the Mets are a better team than the Braves. Maybe not as superior as I thought back in ST but I still think they’re better.

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MFin04–Not sure I understand what your saying about IF they couldn’t score a run in the ninth? Ummmm, they DIDN’T score A RUN in the ninth, so what the heck does it matter if it was 5-1 or 2-1. Are you saying they gave up, just went up to the plate trying to get the game over with in the bottom of the ninth? If that’s the case, then yeah, the season is over if our LEADERS are giving up because it’s a 4 run deficit instead of a 1 run deficit.

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Seeing as though the rest of the teams in our division aren’t pulling away with the division, I think its time for the Braves FO to seriously consider trading for a big bat.. Francouer just isn’t getting it done, and Schafer is hitting a rookie wall.. We need more power and production in this lineup..

Secondly, if Hudson does indeed come back stronger, I hope that the Braves extend him for a few years.. That will take care of the 12 million option that they have currently on him..

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Steve from OH – You are my hero man…Your 3:05 post was/is the blogging equivalent of Mozart to my ears. I get to actually watch so few game on TV that I would not even think about blogging during a game…But anyway thanks, hopefully some others will be humbled by your words.

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Anders, have you SEEN our lineup, and its output, of late? Putting Shafer at leadoff gives us SOME options with him, as opposed to the none we have now; and with his speed, bunting him on-base, whether leading off a game, or with RISP, puts the ball in play, which he’s NOT doing enough of now. Put the ball in play, and the odds are INFINITELY better than when he (frequently) strikes out. Make THEIR defense throw a speedy guy out, and they’ll either A. (rarely) succeed, B. not throw him out, or C. rush the throw, make an error, and lo and behold, we DO score. Two of those three options keep the rally going.

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Anders, it’s scary. They are like the same person. Both amazing talents, but wow, I understand why fans of other teams dislike Crosby. I don’t think Wright gets the same amount of heat from opposing team’s fans. Of course, he isn’t hitting the ice everytime he is checked, slashed or hooked. Oh well….

Still love my boy Geno Malkin.

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Anders-Yeah, you keep telling yourself they’ll keep winning (not that they’ve been that great to this point) with several players playing out of position, Reyes not EVEN playing anywhere near his potential (never really has, has he?), DelGado down for six to eight weeks, an iffy rotation after Johan and Putz with a sore arm. Yeah, you do that and I’ll sit here and pretend Francoeur is fine and we have a functioning offense.

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Well, I’m headed to the Ted tonight. I’m gonna buy me a Francoeur tee. I should probably wait about a month until he’s gone and it’s half off at the discount rack, but I won’t. I still fully believe in his talent, but not in the results, and it’s getting about time to move the hell on.

Unlike everyone else though, I don’t believe his problems are about a lack of plate discipline. Rather, it’s a lack of mechanical discipline that’s killing the fella. But I’ve felt that way about him from the beginning, and hardly anyone’s listened to me. They’d rather rant like morons about plate discipline instead of understanding that you can have all the plate discipline in the world and it won’t matter if there isn’t any mechanical discipline. On the other hand, a mechanically disciplined player can get away with an almost complete lack of plate discipline if he wants. Mechanical discipline allows you to see and drive the ball better. Mechanical discpline creates plate discipline and pitch recognition, not the other way around. But Francouer is just about the most mechanically undisciplined player at the plate that I’ve ever seen.

He developed some decent mechanics over the winter with Jamarillo, but, for whatever reason, he’s completely abandoned it, even though he had some decent results with it for the first 20 or so games. Mind boggling. It’s to be expected that a tall, long limbed fella like Frenchy is gonna have mechanical issues with their swings (just like how tall, long limbed pitchers often have a harder time than others with mechanical and wildness problems due to coordinating their mechanics around their gawky limbs). It’s inexcusable however that when he does get taught proper mechanics over the winter, and he seems to do fine with for a decent stretch of time, that he wilfully or negligently abandons it and isn’t disciplined enough to demonstrate a sufficient level of retention and application of what he’s been taught. Completely inexcusable.

Well, anyways, still gonna buy me a Frenchy tee tonight. Hopefully, it’ll reverse his fortunes (as if the tee has the power to prevent him from backing his arse up while he swings). Most likely it won’t, and it’ll just become an instant throwback tee in about a month or so.

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Anders,

I didn’t want to give the Mets props because, well, I can’t stand ‘em. But they’ve won while making plenty of boneheaded plays (and while sustaining some injuries, too). You’re also fortunate that the Phils’ pitching is worse than expected, the Braves’ offense is pretty puny, and the Marlins are young and it shows.

The Davey Johnson clubs were pretty awful defensively (what was it Bill James said about Wally Backman, “plays second base about as well as Tip O’Neill”), but Davey put a solid offense and great pitching on the field and closed his eyes when the other team made contact. (Kevin Mitchell and HoJo and Lenny Dykstra and Rafael Santana? Yikes.)

This year’s version may look a lot like those clubs.

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As mediocre as the 24 finale was last night, I fear the finale to the Braves’ season is going to be MUCH worse. Jack gets put into a coma induced by morphine, while we get put into a coma induced by Francine and the rest of the Braves’ hapless offense.

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Macon – all I’m saying is that if the game was 2-1 in the 9th we had a shot at scoring one run. 5-1….yes the team did roll over and die. I watched that inning a couple times. No heart at all. Two lazy flyouts to the outfield and a weak grounder to the infield. Looked like they had somewhere else to be.

Chipper has a tendency to give up ABs when he thinks the game or inning is over. He has done it numerous times this year. Just not very good leadership.

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Efrim: ” but it really isn’t that easy of a position to fill. Not many guys can hit there”

Well, the team currently has a converted short-stop turned converted left-fielder playing second, so I think the horizon is a little larger than simply looking for a straight up secondsacker.

I still think KJ should hit lower in the line up. In the top 3 spots he hits .250/.335/.413, in spots 5-8 he hits .326/.396/.497. Obviously the leadoff spot isn’t working for him. His hottest streaks are lower in the order. Put some one else up top and put KJ down in the order. Putting him behind Francoeur might help the entire game plan. GA, Mac, Francoeur, KJ as 4,5,6,7 or switch GA and Mac up…

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Follow up on the Schafer talk. I don’t think I would send him to the minors quite yet, for the following reasons:

1. The strikeouts are worrisome, I agree. However, it’s not like he is chasing horrible pitches all the time, as is evidenced by his 25 walks this year. I would like to see him get some time in the big leagues to make the adjustment to the inside pitch that is the bane of his existence right now.
2. His defense has value, maybe even more so if we are going to rely on our pitching for success this year.
3. Who is going to replace him. The reason he started the season in the bigs is because he was deemed as the best option. Maybe that is not the case anymore, but the replacement options aren’t very impressive.

On a positive note overall, I like the direction the team is headed, despite the uneven results early on. The starting pitching has been, on the whole, a pleasant revelation, one that stands to improve as some of the young guys get called up and we get some veterans back. I know the hitting is a mess right now, and I don’t think there is a panacea in sight, but all-in-all, I am enjoying this team more than last year.

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For those in favor of moving Esco to lead off, why would you want to put your worst base runner at leadoff? Esco is doing good in the 2 hole, he is an ideal #2 hitter, why move him, there’s no problem there. I stand by my lineup I posted earlier. Only move around spots where there are problems. The 2 and 3 hole are the only spots with no problems.

It should be obvious to everyone that McCann should be batting cleanup. In fact, to start the year when they looked so good the first few games, he was batting cleanup. So I’m not sure why Cox has flipped him and Anderson unless it’s due to Cox thinking McCann is worse off with his eye condition. I say leave heap at clean up regardless, that way you have your 3 best hitters batting 2, 3, and 4.

I will stand behind saying give Schaefer a shot at lead off. It won’t hurt. How could it, seeing how he has more walks, better speed, and a better on base % than KJ? Don’t give me the ‘he bats 8th in front of the pitcher so he gets walked some’ arguement or that he strikes out too much. Give the kid a shot, it won’t hurt, strikeouts be d@mned.

Put KJ in the 8th hole and leave him, don’t move him around (unless McCann is sitting). KJ will excel in the 8th spot.

Put Frenchy 7th and don’t move him. This does nothing positive other than busting up all the left hand hitters being in a row.

Put Anderson or Kotch 5th and 6th, whichever order you want. Put Prado or Diaz in these same spots when they play, but keep those combinations at 5th and 6th.

Let Omar bat leadoff every 3rd or 4th game like he is now and play centerfield to spell Schaefer, especially against touch lefties. He is good enough to play center every few games, especially at the Ted. He will get other AB’s when he is spelling Chipper or KJ, and when he spells someone he just takes there position in the order, either 3 or 8.

If we have to continue to roll with the roster we have, which is probably the most probable outcome,these changes will stabilize the lineup and get some repeatability. It will let the guys get in a groove.

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Steve from OH

Nope I was serious. I would have elaborated but I’m kinda tired of typing right now…lol. There was no need to add fuel to the fire. Just pointing out that little fact some people may not know.

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Efrim- I have no problem with Crosby at all. It’s the NHL and how they just shove him down our throats continuosly.

Malkin is really something. That was great with his parents last night. Hockey parents are a different breed. I can say that because I am one.

I’d say your boys win easy but the Canes are doing this with mirrors somehow. You think they’re dead and all of a sudden the series is tied. Weren’t they in like 10th place around Christmas?

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This should be our lineup period!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Infante LF*
2. Prado 2nd
3. C.Jones 3rd
4. B.McCann C
5. Escobar SS
6. Kotchman 1st
7. Johnson RF*
8. Schafer CF
9. ———-

*started 26 game at LF in 08 1 error/10 games in the OF 2007 no errors
**started 73 games in LF 2005 no errors/ also started 180 games in the outfield in the minors.

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Lew: “Pete-Re: Francoeur-isn’t there enough about his performance to complain about without having to go after the hits he actually HAD?”
Well when the hit is described as a triple (which officially it was), Im pointing out there is significant difference between a triple in the gap, vs. a pop up lost in the sun.

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Anders, I think the Pens win in six. Although it wouldn’t shock me if it went to seven, and you just never know when you get there.

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sportsmandh So I’m not sure why Cox has flipped him and Anderson unless it’s due to Cox thinking McCann is worse off with his eye condition.

Maybe that’s it…

Although, I’ve always liked BMac as a #5 hitter. But he’s a better cleanup hitter than Anderson.

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Efrim: No one on this team is a tick faster than anything –with the exception of Schafer, but he is struggling now. I wouldn’t be opposed to moving Schafer up top once Chipper thinks he has his swing down. They will throw him strikes up there with Yunel and Chipper behind him. As long as he plugs the hole in his swing he should start hitting. And he has shown an ability to size up the strike zone so he will still get walks. I’d be interested to see what Kotchman would do up top, slow or not.

This team could use a power bat for sure, but a guy who can comfortably hit in the leadoff spot might be a less expensive way of improving the offense.

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N8

I totally understand where you (and others) are coming from in terms of wanting Cox to retire, and letting new blood lead the way. Personally, I’m on the fence with Cox, but I admit that I’m leaning towards a future where he is gone, and a younger guy can inject some fire into this team.

On the other hand, Cox historically has done an amazing job with the talent provided to him, as such, it seems likely that a big part of the problem is simply that this Braves team is lacking power, plate discipline, speed and strong middle relief, and no manager is able to conjure those talents out of thin air.

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My lineup:

Ryan
Stanley
Jim
Dwight
Michael
Oscar
Creed
Kevin
Daryl

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Can’t believe folks are still talking about Andrus and Saltalamacchia. Look, neither one was going to play much in Atlanta, at least not in their primary position behind Esco and McCann. Ergo, their primary value to the organization was as trade bait. At the time the deal was made, we needed power from first base, and that’s what we got. I still can hear folks talking about it being a great trade when Texeira was on his tear after getting here. So PLEASE let go of Andrus and Salty, they’re Rangers now, good luck to em.

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Hudson is a great teamate & a bulldog of a pitcher, they need to keep him next year if hes able to come back, Trading Vazquez??? Are you nuts, thats a no no brainer. Get rid of JoJo, Charlie, let Glavine go off into the sunset retirement home & the jury is still out on Duece K. so next year your starting 5 are Lowe, JJ, Javy V., Hudson, & either Hanson or K.K. if we dont send him back to Japan. Infante needs to be starting somewhere, center or second, Schafer needs to go to the minors, hes overmatched right now, like they say You cant steal first base! Go Bravos

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Macon,
Escobar’s not the only guy that’s been grounding into double plays. And on the days when Infante plays, he’s done good at leadoff. So why not bat him leadoff when he plays since he’s proven he can do it?

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Who are 3 guys with absolutely deplorable plate dicipline and a desperate need to learn how to hit at a major league level in the minor leagues?

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And of course we have no idea if Infante has even taken fly balls in RF. It’s asking a bit much for a player to take up a completely new position during a season. That’s why it’s ridiculous to expect Kelly to grab a glove and learn to play right field in the middle of a major league campaign.

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Anybody see the Dodgers run differential after 40 games? +71. That’s almost two runs a game. I’d like to see where it is before and after the Manny suspension.

BTW- The Mets lead our division with a +24. They also have the lowest runs against in the division at 167. Not bad for a team with only one viable starter.

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my lineup –

Bree Van DeKamp
Lynette Scavo
Gabrielle Solis
Susan Mayer
Edie Britt Williams
Mrs. McCluskey
Katherine Mayfair
Betty Applewhite
Pitcher

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Is it still early in the season?

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Frenchy is a singles hitter with a low on base percentage, Schafer isn’t ready for the bigs and KJ can’t lead off. The manager ought to know these things but we are all afraid to go there. Don’t even want to comment on relief pitching this year and last. Adam Dunn, yeah he wouldn’t fit – whatttt? Lets trade 5 more prospects for a future Yankee-thanks big John. Management no longer knows what they are doing, period, and the fans are responding in kind – staying home.

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getnathan, the Pens have a bit more of an offensive attack than the Bruins or Devils. You may be right, because anything can happen when it gets to game seven, but I still like my Penguins in six games.

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sportsmandh–

Oh yeah. Mac’s a better choice to hit cleanup than Anderson, IMHO. I totally see your point.

He hasn’t done too bad since his return.

That’s for sure. He’s gotten at least one hit in every start he’s made since he returned. (OK, now if he goes 0 fer tonight, blame it on me!)

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Francoeur Sucks.

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Choppinmamma – Interesting take in your 4:12 post.Seeing that the Mets are the only team in the NL East with a winning record at home I guess we can assume they are the only guys in the division who are keeping mama happy at home? Yeah baby.

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Efrim – Carolina is a very patient team. They do not panic and have a lot of Stanley Cup experience on that bench. And don’t forget a Vezina Trophy (equivalent to Stanley Cup MVP) winning goaltender in Cam Ward.

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Pens in 5. Don’t forget they have 2 of the top 3 players in the Galaxy.

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Still would like to see the Braves get more power in the lineup by moving McCann to 1B and putting Ross behind the plate. Also inserting Prado at 2B and moving Jonhson and Infante to the OF appears to make more sense than staying with the current options.

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King521: “Say what you will about the economic times…but I guarantee you Braves officials are alarmed by the attendance figures so far…”
Agree with you 100%. But in this case its not all about winning, because Im sure the Gwinnett Braves are siphoning off a significant amount of fans. Not sure if Braves officials fully understood that, or maybe they did and it doesnt matter, or whatever. I for one would rather go to a minor league game (Rome or Gwinnett) at half the cost for tics and food/drinks, rather than have the hassles of getting to the Ted.

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Good*, sorry

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Yeah ANDERS they are, right now. But you’ve got to admit while MINAYA improved the overall strength of the METS, the BRAVES’ improvement was somewhat more dramatic. Of course, we had a lot further to go than you did from last year to this. We’ll be seeing you on truely equal terms once we get one lead-off hitter, or a #4 batter. Either will do the trick I think. Without one new bat, or having FRANCOUER, JOHNSON, or ANDERSON make a miraculous recovery in the hitting department, you’ll be one notch ahead for the rest of this year.

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Jack Bauer….

You create some great lineups…sadly your 5,6,7 and 9 hole hitters are all no longer with us. Don’t think that bodes well for production. Actually reminds me of a lineup fielded by our hometown MLB team!

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Who want’s to bet that Bobby C. runs out the same lineup as last night…?

If he does my call on the score will be 3-2 Colorado winning…If he switches it up then 4-2 Atlanta…

Not gonna be very many runs scored tonight with a 15MPH breeze blowing in and cool, dry air to go with that…

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Defense wins Championships (and goaltending). If Carolina plays the Pens the way they did in the 2nd and 3rd periods, Carolina will win the series.

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You know the braves have played like crap when Hockey Playoff discussions are in full effect mode (No Offense)…I haven’t watched a hockey game in my life…

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If this is the line-up tonight:
1. KJ
2. Escobar
3. Chipper
4. Anderson
5. McCann
6. Kotchman
7. Francoeur
8. Schafer

Then I’m going to sh!# myself.

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I can talk about the Braves, Hurricanes, NFL, Desperate Housewives, Weeds, etc. etc. (except 24 and House and Breaking Bad)

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Buffalo NY Braves fan, I hope you were joking with that. How in the world could Crosby not be considered one of the best three players in the NHL?

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Well forget it.

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I swear, the Braves could lose tonight 20-0 and the Mets game would still overshadow it.

Vin Scully was laughing at the Mets at the end of that game last night. You can’t put a price on that.

Obviously I would care if we lost. I sure as hell hope we don’t. Is there any chance we can get some runs for JJ? Does he have to throw a no-hitter? He might still not win if that happened.

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“On the other hand, Cox historically has done an amazing job with the talent provided to him”

Truly? Never has anyone done so little with so much as Cox. Give me Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz in the primes of their careers and I daresay I’ll give you more than one WS ring

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DAP,

Turner Field holds a lot more people than Gwinett’s stadium and the ticket/parking/concession revenues are a lot higher in Atlanta than Gwinnett. Another 10K fans in Turner would generate a heck of a lot more money than an overflowing AAA ballpark.

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richbrave – I have DOB personally screening all comments to me so as to not waste my time with trivial matters. Perhaps he squashed you query?

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Braves right-handed reliever Rafael Soriano has recovered from the sore groin muscle that made him unavailable this past weekend.

WHAT!

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Macon,
I’d still bat Esco 2nd, still don’t think he’s the problem. If Schaefer was given a shot to lead off, then he’s a threat to steal 2nd. That could cut down on some of the double play opportunities. Also, I’m definately not in favor of batting Kelly in the 2 hole. I’m not in favor of moving Escobar to 5th or 6th, unless Frenchy is yanked out of the lineup. Then I might could go for Escobar batting 6th.

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trade frenchy & Brandon Jones for a proven hitter for right field.

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Lineup I’d like to see tonight…
1.Schafer CF
2.Infante LF
3.Jones 3B
4.McCann C
5.Escobar SS
6.Johnson 2B
7.Kotchman 1B
8.Frenchy RF

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If a team could lose -1 to 0 it would be this team, I agree.

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Here’s an idea:

Keep doing what you have been doing for the past four seasons, e.g., keep running out Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francouer, Matt Diaz and now we have the added bonus of the human whiff factory, Jordan Schaefer. After all, why change what has worked so well these last few seasons in transforming this formerly compelling franchise into a pathetic, wretched, maudlin, gutless, coma-inducing, under-achieving, who would pay to see this crap team?

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It’s time for some Motörhead.

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Piedmont Blues, true Turner Field can generate a lot more income.

But suffice it to say, I’m guessing the Gwinnett payroll is a tiny bit smaller than 96 million.

So from a pure business “profit & loss” standpoint, it’s not that far out there to think that if Gwinnett has great season with good prospects to watch, and the Atlanta version of the Braves continues to under-achieve, the AAA club could “make” more money.

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my lineup for tonight (wont happen but what I would do)
1.Escobar SS
2.McCann C
3.Jones 3B
4.Anderson, LF
5.Kotchman 1B
6.Schafer CF
7.Johnson 2B
8.Frenchy RF

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Is the Kelly Johnson problem hard to fix? No. Bench him. Let Pardo start. Wren and Cox need to park their preferences and go with the guy who can hit and play solid defense. Prado is it right now.

Schafer is a very talented kid. He’ll make a fine CF. But he’s not cutting it now. Spell him by playing Infante, who is hitting and who plays a credible CF.

Frenchy? Slumping. Bench him. Give Brandon Jones and Diaz more playing time.

Does that solve the team’s hitting woes in the interim? Don’t know, but can it hurt?

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What’s weird about Escobar is that he has a great swing. He’s swings through the ball well. Problem is he always kind of chops down at the ball, which is great for line drives when you hit the center of the ball and great at hitting hard grounders when you hit the top of the ball. Unfortunatly, he seems to always hit the ball right at someone or hit too high on the ball (which where all of his choppers come from and all his DP’s) He really does have a nice swing though and when he is hitting the ball on a line its a thing of beauty, he just hits too many five or six hoppers at the SS and Second Baseman.

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Seeing so many people putting Schafer in the top two spots in the order is completely boneheaded….the guy is a strikeout machine and is not getting on base like he was. Until he learns to hit the inside fastball and ANY breaking pitch, he should be buried in the EIGHT HOLE!

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I put in for a transfer in 2006, and it has finally gone through. I have a new domain, the Texas Rangers. They have a real hitting coach, a good park and league to hit in, and the talent (some thanks to the Braves) is very deep. I will convert many non-believers into believers. I may be back when the Braves outfield is Gorkys H. in left, Jordan S. in center, and Jason H. in right.

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I keep hearing about trading Vasquez at the deadline. He’ll still have about $5 mil due this year and he’s gonna make $11.5 mil next year and he’s basically an innings eating .500 pitcher. I wouldn’t expect much of a market for that. Unless the Braves would be willing to eat some of his salary – Blasphemy!

The Braves basically cut Hudson’s $12 mil option loose last offseason when they bought Lowe and Kawakami and traded for Vasquez. Total $33 mil in 2010. Told you that at the time. They still need to sign a closer for next year. Plus pay Chipper his $14 mil.

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Zach Parise is NOT at the same level as Crosby.

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I like how on the day jiar is supposed to pitch(yesterday) we dont give Lowe run support… IT must be a 5 day cycle

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Main problem with Frenchy is, as someone said earlier (sorry I can’t remember who), he’s not in a SLUMP. He’s been hitting like this over a year now, that’s not a slump, it’s more like what he is at this point. He’s just not a good player and hasn’t been for about two years now. Great guy and all, but he’s got a LONG way to go to be an effective Major League player right now.

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DAP, this is from wikipedia:

“Each league affiliated with Minor League Baseball comprises teams that generally are independently owned and operated, but always, with the exception of the Mexican League, directly affiliated with (and occasionally named after) one major league team through a standardized Player Development Contract (PDC).”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_League_Baseball

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Here’s what I see on evaluating our position players:

C- McCann is one of our only consistent players; Ross did a great job while holding the position warm (job certainly NOT in jeopardy)

1b- Kotchman is starting to be more consistent and does not strike out much so he could hit 2/7/8 BUT he can not be in the middle of the order as he is just not a run producer; Norton has seen his good days pass him by and he’s into his usual bad 2nd year routine w/ a team (should be given his release)

2b- Johnson would be a fairly serviceable player IF he weren’t at 2b where he fields below average and IF he weren’t asked to bat leadoff when he should be in the middle to lower 1/3 of the order. IF the Braves don’t make a move for an OF power bat, he should be moved back out to the OF; Prado is a solid bat/glove off the bench, however, we will never know what he’s made of until he gets a shot to play as a full-time starter for a few weeks; Infante is a great super utility guy that can be used in a starting role at multiple positions from time to time. A good breather guy is what I would call him, however, he in fact has been our best leadoff option this season (even though the Braves have only used Johnson, Infante, and Schafer (once) leading off).

SS- Escobar has been fairly solid most of the season, minus the base running. Certainly a player that has solidified his spot in the lineup, whether that be at leadoff, 2, or somewhere else.

3b- Why even talk about Chipper…we all know what he brings…the question here is whether he will choose to bring it on a daily basis and whether he can.

LF- Anderson has not shown me much and I don’t quite know what to do w/ him; Diaz has shown me enough to know that he is not a starter and can not be that for more than 2-3 days in a row, otherwise his weaknesses become exposed. He should be used as a PH mainly against LHP.

CF- Schafer has had a really rough start, BUT I would like to move him to the 2-hole in the order in front of Chipper because I believe nothing would help his confidence more than getting some quality pitches to hit. His speed will also help on the bases in front of Chipper. IF Schafer continues to struggle, I really hope Gorkys is next as Gregor Blanco is certainly NOT the answer!

RF- Francoeur, I think its about time to cut him loose either through trade or waivers. I just am not seeing any scenario in which he gets better in Atlanta. So my theory would be to make a trade to get Dye or (insert name) and then if Garret Anderson doesn’t pan out by ASB, move Kelly Johnson permanently to LF.

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Efrim:

You could make the argument about Zetterburg. Did you happen to notice who won the games that Malkin took off? Oh yeah, the Caps did.

When Malkin plays to his ability and decides he wants to dominate, the Pens win.

MFin:

Crosby has scored a lot of his points on the power play and he played a lot with Malkin in the Philly and Caps series.

They are both incredible players, but I refuse to buy into the hype. He’s good, but he’s not in the same league as Alex the Great and Malkin.

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The Truth,

Put Parise on the Pens, and Crosby on the Devils…. I don’t think you’ll see Parise’s numbers go up, but I’m willing to bet that Crosby’s will go down.

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I’d rather the team eat Kawakami’s salary. Talk about being over-rated. I’ll be surprised if he rights himself. If his shoulder is fatiguing this early in the season, and he doesn’t pitch out of the fifth inning every five days, and sometimes doesn’t even make it into the fifth, what’s the point of retaining his services?

Medlen’s up. Hanson should be next. Expensive, but put Kawakami into middle relief. He may possibly be able to pitch a couple of good innings every few days. (No kidding)

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Buffalo – You put Gretzky on the Devils in his day and his numbers would go down. The Devils are the most succesful boring franchise that no one outside of the hockey circles know about.

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Shop with the BRAVOS

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090519&content_id=4813250&vkey=pr_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl

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Carroll, I like that lineup. Thanks for the update.

I loved your piece on Brian Barton, btw. I look forward to your next one.

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Anders,

That’s what my point is about Parise. He’s good, and no one watches him enough to know it.

Gretzky is a cherry picker anyways….

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CR-

Are you sure you didn’t wait till Bobby fell asleep and made out the lineup for him?

Or did he throw names into a hat?

It just seems too logical to be a Bobby Cox made lineup.

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I’d wager that Wren will pack off Francoeur to KC by deadline, if not before. For the right price, Dayton Moore would take Frenchy in a heart beat. A fresh start might be the best thing for Francoeur.

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Look, its plain and this simple. Jeff francour sucks. He’s not the great white hope the braves organization was hoping for. He will never get it done on a consistent basis because he doesnt have the TALENT. KJ however does have the ability to be a good player, but Bobby needs to help him out by moving him down in the order. Schaffer will get it together after realizing he has the ability to play at this level. They better make a decision on Francour or the season will be over before the end of this month.

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Nice call on the Motorhead, Chop Chop.

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OK, y’ll got what you wanted…let’s hope it works

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Wow… Kelly’s batting in the sixth spot, where his 0-4 won’t be so conspicuous. Smart move.

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Bobby just cant sit the white boys down ha. what a disgrace. How long must we watch them aide the other team in victory. Typical good ole boy organization.

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Here’s what I would do to fix the offense:
1)Cut Garrett Anderson- He’s not producing as expected in the middle of the order and his defense has killed the Brave just as much. He’s far from the worst problem on this team, but the Braves can get just as much production out of Infante, Prado, or a Jones/Diaz platoon.
2)Start Infante in LF and bat him leadoff- As I said, Kelly Johnson can be a valuable run-producer for this team batting lower in the lineup. But Infante, being the best leadoff option we have right now, needs to get in the lineup. Therefore, he replaces Anderson in LF and becomes the everyday leadoff hitter(at least until he comes back down to earth)
3)Call up Brandon Jones- Albeit not hitting for any power in Gwinnett, he’s hitting for a high average and getting on-base at a high clip. The Braves would need another true OFer to replace Anderson and in a few more weeks if Francoeur’s still not hitting, a Jones/Diaz platoon replaces him.
4)Give Prado more AB’s- The Braves should be using Prado like DeRosa was used prior to becoming a starter. He should be playing practically every day, but not at a set position- playing at 1B, 2B, 3B, LF.
5)Be patient with Schafer- He shouldn’t go anywhere and Bobby’s making the right call trotting him out there everyday. He’s been playing plus defense, has been getting on-base at a respectable rate, and brings speed to the table. The Braves made a commitment to him and should stand by it- this is part of developing young players. The hitting will come.

I think these moves can improve the offense slightly, but the problem isn’t the lineup as much as the lack of talent. The Braves need to start looking into guys like Jermaine Dye, Mark DeRosa, Brad Hawpe, Marlon Byrd, etc. now before it’s too late.

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Carroll, I thought Turner looked as empty as I’d ever seen it last night. It reminded me a bit of Fulton County Stadium in the mid to late 80s.

As for Hudson: The only way I see the Braves picking up his option is if they trade Javy Vaquez. Otherwise, economically, it is a large question mark to do so. Two problems here: One, Javy is pitching very well, and two, we dont know how Hudson will be when he comes back.

You mentioned putting Hudson in the pen when he returns from TJ surgery. That has to make me wonder what happens if we do pick up his option. Is he then our closer? I’d never thought of Tim Hudson as a closer, but then again, we probably didnt think Smoltz would be either, until he actually did it.

The other question for the Braves with Hudson is this: We have Vazquez locked up for three years, and we know he’s a solid pitcher, and hopefully healthy. Hudson, who wouldnt have pitched in over a year, might be with us for a year, and a small part of another one. Do we take that risk, and let a solid pitcher, in Vazquez go, to do so? Since money is always an issue with this team, Tom Glavine’s retirement. and the trade of Morton wouldnt likely be enough to keep both Javy and Tim. Since Javy and Tim make about the same amount, one would have to think you would have to let one go to keep the other. I’d assumed that Frank W signed Javy this offseason, with the intent of letting Hudson go at the end of this year.

I hope we can find a way to afford both Hudson and Javy. If we could do that, we would have a very solid rotation come next year. Lowe, Hudson, Vazquez and Jair. That’s an excellent one through four.

I look forward to Hudson’s return, but I have to wonder what else is going to happen when he does.

Mitch

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Anders,

I’m saying he puts up similar numbers on a team that has the offensive philosophy of “score 2 goals and trap.”

So, yes I’m saying he’s in the same league as Crosby. Care to tell me why he’s not? Other than he doesn’t have 12 different commercials running back to back to back?

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WOW. Where is Tennesee Paul? BC must of heard our convo about the lineups!

I must say, I am really happy to see this change made.

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Also, your blog is written with Dave O’ Brien’s picture above it. I found that interesting.

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Now how bizarre would it be to trade Vasquez and keep Kawakmi?

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You stick with Anderson and Francoeur because they both have been much better than this. And you trust your baseball people to know if they’ve lost it. Infante and Prado, while talented, have never achieved the heights of Anderson and Francoeur. Not even close. They are not the answer. Neither is Diaz. Nor is Brandon Jones (ZERO homers at Gwinnett).

If your staff believes GA and JF have, in fact, lost it, then you eat Anderson’s contract, send Francoeur down, and trade a Morton and/or Medlen and another kid for an established OF bat. But, at 2.5 games out of first place, that’s not necessary right now.

Carroll, thanks for the lineup. Given what he has to work with, that’s probably the best combination Bobby can put out there.

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N8-

your 5:13 actually cracked me up Ok, so maybe not all of you got what you wanted…

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Ok fellas, its time to trade “fan”cure, KJ remains inconsistent and has had ample time to develope into a hitting 2nd baseman, NOT!Centerfielder Shaf, back to the minors, let him remember the A leagues a bit…..and , maybe, BC may be ready for the office?? I tell ya what, I am a supporter, but, cant hardly watch the feeble hitting, Braves are choke dogs still, cant get a sac fly, move a runner, so discouraging for us fans….come on BRAVES! GET IT GOING!

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I think the braves are due for a good home winstreak, last year it was nearly impossible to lose at home!!! This is not a BAD problem to have in my opinion

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BNYBF–If so, it’ll probably be the Blackhawks. Osgood…is..he’s mediocre on a great day…

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Heavens, the Braves have trained fans to expect to give up at least three good prospects to get one decent major leaguer. That’s mess up.

El Fan-O says lets trade, Morton, and Medlin and … and … and … to get … PLEASE, NO!!!!!

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It makes me sick to see people talk about race on here. Like Cox is not playing guys because of color. What a joke.

Braveshater get a life. Im sure you are a Mets fan.

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DOB, how can you talk about KJ, Frenchy, and Schafer but fail to mention the statue in LF of Garret Anderson? He cant get to a routine fly ball and cant hit for any power. Hell he’s almost as bad as frenchy. Schafer at least can play defense, that something that neither of our corner OF’s can do either. Its like the Mondesi/Jordan era all over again

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Buzzmeat,
I like your style, It is good to say we have been down right horrible at home and are only 2.5 games out of first. THE TIDE is bound to turn. RTR, WHO DAT, GO BRAVES

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cabravesfan, it was a joke obviously. But I’m glad you liked it.

Like I said in the previous post, I can’t expect Bobby to make too many major changes at once. So if this is the 8 man collection of everyday players he’s going to use, this is by far (based on current and recent results of their AB’s), the best lineup for right now.

I just think the lineup should be more fluid than it normally is. Players need to understand that if they’re struggling, it’s hurting the team (I’ll assume they do), and not take it personally if the manager (the guy in charge of getting the “most” out of his 25 guys), has to change things up now and then.

Play the hot hands, and put them in the right spots in the order. That’s all I ask. Bobby apparently, finally looked at the recent trends and stats and realized that without any team speed in general, Kotchman can’t do any damage cloggin up the basebaths in front of the slow dogs (Chipper and McCann), so those guys might as well have two good hitters (Escobar and Kotchman) ahead of them.

Unfortunately, it now leaves a HUGE drop off at the bottom of the order. But still, this was the right thing to do.

On a side note: Did anybody here the audio clip of George Brett GOING OFF on the KC media for questioning Trey Hillman? Gott love George Brett. Too funny.

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Steve,

You could say that about either teams goalie.

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Garret Anderson was meant to be bridge to ‘10. Heyward may very well be ready to make the jump to the bigs then. He’s serviceable, at best, at this stage in his career. He does need to be spelled routinely.

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Hail whitey!

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ChrisfromSacramento,CA

You’ve never read a Terrence Moore column, have you?

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Mitch –

Not sure where you’re getting the idea for Vazquez under contract for three years. He’s signed until 2010, meaning this year and next year, both at $11.5M.

Anyway, if we do exercise Huddy option for 2010 at $12M, then we have to get rid of Vazquez. You can’t trade Kawakami (PR problem with future signings in Japan + if he is really bad, he has no trade value at all) and you still have to make room for Tommy Hanson, if the Braves do really as they have stated numerously, believe he’s an untouchable prospect.

So, when Huddy comes back in August and shows he has some stuff, the Braves will probably keep him and trade Vazquez for a marginal prospect. I think it’s obvious that JV is ok, but not good. All the things said about him, i.e., “he’ll pitch lights out for 5 innings and give up 5 runs in one inning” or “he has great peripheral numbers, but there is a reason his ERA is what it is,” have all come true this season. So, unless Huddy just stinks big time, we’ll probably say goodbye to JV.

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Efrim-Damus

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Kawa-crummy is the Japanese version of Mark Redman.

And, really. If the Japanese are that sensitive when one of their “star” players can’t cut it in MLB, well, that’s life. I wouldn’t hang onto Kawa-crummy just to curry favor with Japanese league players.

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Buddy is good when he needs to be, he gave up a grand slam after we were losing 8-0, COME ON NOW!!!! you know we were not coming back!!!! People quit bitching.

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Efrim, the Braves DO have speed to put on the basepaths; its just that Shafer rarely gets on and Yunel’s not a smart base-runner. Again, coaching is the short-coming…

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McFann :Ô:

May 19th, 2009
5:32 pm
Thanks for the lineup, Ms. Rogers! Wow…that’s something! Really hope it works.

Hey, with Escobar batting leadoff, he can’t hit into as many DPs, now cann he?

….nope, only every time he bats except the first.

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Buffalo- Both Crosby and Parise came to the NHL in 2005-2006. Crosby’s played 290 games amd Parise’s played 326. Crosby averages 1.37 points per game to Parise’s .77. That’s almost 2:1. Even in the Devils system that is quite a disparity.

Parise had a great year this season, let’s see how he does next season now that he’ll be a marked man. Say what we will about Crosby but he’s been a target since he stepped on the NHL ice. He’s had to fight through quite a bit.

Oh yeah, Crosby is only 21 which is 3 years younger than Parise.

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For all of you putting Schafer in the 1st or 2nd spot in the order, he’s going to see the same pitches that he sees from the 8th spot in the order.

There’s no need to change what pitches are thrown to him until he starts to hit them on a regular bases. If you’re Braves’ fans, you should remeber A. Jones.

Did moving him to a different spot in the order change what the pitchers threw. If you can get a strike out, why chance allowing a player to put the ball in play where many things can happen?

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http://markbowman.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/05/time_for_francoeur_to_find_a_g.html

Bowman’s blog, discussing Francoeur.

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Mark Twine

May 19th, 2009
5:34 pm
i really like kotchman in #2 b/c he can do the little things like getting the run over and is a great fastball hitter ahead of chip. Chip will go yard tonight twice.

…Can he bunt, or beat out a double play (don’t think so)?

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cvbraves-

Prado over Casey at 1st base? Really? His defensive liability (lord, that must be about the 15th time I’ve typed that today) is not worth marginal difference in offensive numbers

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Schafer for ROY – Trade Lowe? Nobody will touch that deal on the backend. Those last two years were the price the Braves had to pay to get him to Atlanta rather than the Mets. Now you think someone else will step up and take the last $45 mil when he’s pushing 40. Sorry, imo he’s yours for the duration I’m afraid.

(BTW- You might want to think about changing your moniker as it looks like that ship has sailed)

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cvbraves,
valid points, but he has a higher baseball IQ than yunel and kelly. Thats what kotchman was known for with the angels… little things

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Anders: It won’t last, believe me. But, yeah, you Mutts have a happy dugout these days!

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cabravesfan

May 19th, 2009
5:38 pm
cvbraves-

Prado over Casey at 1st base? Really? His defensive liability (lord, that must be about the 15th time I’ve typed that today) is not worth marginal difference in offensive numbers

…maybe you are right…Prado does have one error at 1b this year while Casey has none!

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Mutts fans Nice of your mgr to throw his player under the bus for a base running blunder in public! Rip him in private and take care of it in house! Funny how mutts fans disappear after a loss.

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That lineup is bad-ace, I know from experience, dude.

No you don’t.

Well, not me personally, but a guy I know. Him and that lineup “got it on”. Wooo-eeee!

That’s what Farley would say about the lineup. No yelling on the bus!

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cvbraves-

Casey’s also had 305 chances… Martin has 35
In 3219 career chances at 1st, Casey has made exactly 8 errors (that’s a 99.8% fielding percentage)

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Great. We trade one terrible leadoff hitter for another. Escobar is a terrible leadoff man. Just as bad as Johnson. Slow, undisciplined, and not willing to take a walk to help the ball club. This could be just as bad tonight as last night. The only move that makes sense in this new lineup is McCann clean up. That’s his spot.

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I sure can, DWW. Man, I wish that dude was still around. We were laughing in a meeting today about the “fat guy in a little coat” bit.

Not sure if Farley’s humor would be as funny today, but wish we had the chance to find out.

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THIS JUST IN…Frenchy put on McCann’s new glasses and for the first time saw that, he really does suck.

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Just listening to the Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio…he’s going to have McCann on tomorrow for his show, if anyone’s interested. Not sure what time exactly, but the show is from 4pm-7pm.

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How about a trade for Grady Sizemore. Does anybody think Cleveland would trade him?

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Carroll, that potent line up tonight will put fans in the seats…Of their own living rooms.

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So now we’ve got Prado at 1st (possibly his worst position) and Infante in RF, where he’s never played a game before? Interesting to say the least… (CVBraves)

the old fantasy baseball approach which so many on here don’t realize doesn’t apply to real life baseball.. Play ‘em anywhere!!! Sigh

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cabravesfan

May 19th, 2009
6:07 pm
cvbraves-

YES! Victory is MINE! No, I actually am not a big fan of batting Casey in the #2 hole either, but also am not sold on Martin as an everyday player (I do like him, but I like him much more in his current role)

…Like your style. Okay, you win again, we’ll leave Martin on the bench. Can you find a place for Infante in your lineup?

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Great lineup. Ive been pushing for Kotch to get in the two hole all year. Dig it

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the old fantasy baseball approach which so many on here don’t realize doesn’t apply to real life baseball.. Play ‘em anywhere!!! Sigh

What are you talking about, nolie!?!? Infante is soooo awesome! He can play anywhere!

[rolls eyes]

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But here’s the thing. At least with me, my “Bobby bashing” has more to do with so many people saying how damn great he is, rather than my actual opinion of how bad he is. (N8)

the only time I ever see posters on here supporting Bobby as great is after others have already bashed him, so it’s probably an overreaction to that bashing. There is no way in h@ll that the positive posts one here rival the negative ones in either quantity or vehemence. I’m call BS on that one Nate.

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I’m a KJ believer and I fully admit in his 100-something at-bats he has been bad.

The difference between him and Francoeur is simple:

1. Kelly Johnson has a track record of success and was the second best offensive second baseman in 2007 and the fourth best in the NL in 2008. Francoeur wishes he could put up a season like Johnson did in 2007.

2. Kelly Johnson is being benched often, whereas Francoeur has played in every game this season and has started every game but one.

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nolie

May 19th, 2009
6:10 pm
So now we’ve got Prado at 1st (possibly his worst position) and Infante in RF, where he’s never played a game before? Interesting to say the least… (CVBraves)

…believe you are one of the best baseball folks on the blog…I was just trying to find a place for better bats…what would be your lineup given the players we have?

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Boo, thank you. Unfortunately for many here, a track record means nothing. Can you say “what have you done for me lately?”

I’ll admit Kelly has been bad, but give me the rest of the season of Kelly vs. the same of Infante, Kelly will outperform him every time. There really isn’t any debate there…

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Carroll if Bobby read this blog he would be as screwed up as Robert and Joebrave.

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cvbraves-

Dude, I know I’ve got you on my side now, but are you trying to steal my posts?

So now we’ve got Prado at 1st (possibly his worst position) and Infante in RF, where he’s never played a game before? Interesting to say the least… My comment, buddy (not that I particularly care but…)

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Seriously…..Free Prado!

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cvbraves-

less afraid of trotting Omar out to left but overall, not a huge fan of playing him in the outifeld

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oh and cvbraves,

I much prefer KJ lower in the line up…just seems more comfortable and puts way less pressure on himself

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I noticed when Schaefer was batting last night that he drops his left shoulder. When eas the last time he has hit the ball hard somewhere. I don’t know if by dropping the shoulder he’s trying to get quicker on the inside fastball or what. Think about his approach at the plate. He is a patient hitter who will not swing at a alot of bad balls. He is swinging under good solid strikes. Even when he makes contact, he pops up to the oppisite field.

It’s weird, KJ does the same thing alot. And what to say about Francouer. He is back to his old self. He is not striking out as much, but he doesn’t make good solid contact. He hits everything off the end of the bat it seems. Even pitches buried inside. I think playing in Atlanta is not good for him. He needs to be traded. Only question is does he have any value left?

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Lineup looks great. This should be permanent from now on. Lets hope we actually have people show up for the game. 15,000 last night?? no wonder the players show no motivation at home. get rid of the cow, bring back the teepee or are we still in the PC mode?

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I’m really liking this lineup! Kotchman is an ideal 2 hole hitter.. And even the studly Escobar will have a hard time GIDP in the #1 spot.

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Wow. I like the look of tonight’s lineup. Here’s hoping it works.

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cvbraves

Mathematically speaking unless Jurrjens gets on base. He is for sure not going to hit into a DP with those bottom 4 in the lineup.

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I also don’t see why it’s unfathomable to bat Ross 4th when he plays…I mean he has as many homers as Jeff and Kelly and when was the last time he played.

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Bravos2249 I mean he has as many homers as Jeff and Kelly and when was the last time [Ross] played?

Wednesday…

Hey, he’s got as many homers as BMac, too.

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which is not bad at all, but still!! we had personality in the 90’s and early 00’s, but now we’re just boring.

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P-Town-

yeah, that’s kinda a good point

Smyrna Jim

As you may recall, looking at my post, I never promised to proof what I wrote, just that is serves me right that I made a mistake because I didn’t proof it…if I had promised to proof it, I (probably) would have and then I would not have made the 2nd mistake in the first place! (did you get all that?)

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N8

Where’d was that audio of my boy (George Brett) calling out the media in K.C. for trashing Trey Hillman?

I’ve watch some of the TV news sportscasters from the K.C. market also trashing Hillman and some of his moves.

The Royals are headed in the right direction under Dayton Moore. They’re playing some good ball for the first time in a long damn time….and it’s actually been nice to see them win a game here…..win a game there.

I said this before….the Royals are playing this season like the Braves SHOULD be playing.

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Trade Francuer? you would have to pay someone to take him. trade Francuer , Shafer and Norton for a dozen used base balls. at least you would have the balls and save on meal money. If Shafer is a 5 tool player. it would be in Tee ball. What a JOKE

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