Canizares gets call — and Andruw’s No. 25
Canizares, the 29-year-old callup
The Braves have a new No. 25 today, and he’s not going to remind anyone at all of former Gold Glove center fielder Andruw Jones.
In fact, newly arrived — he just got here at 12:30 p.m. – Barbaro Canizares might possibly be one of the worst defensive players the Braves have had on their major league roster in quite some time, based on what I’ve heard of the 29-year-old Cuban rookie first baseman
”I heard he can’t run, can’t throw and can’t field, but the sumbitch can hit,” is what one Braves player told me this morning.
The Braves put Greg Norton (and his .098 average) on the disabled list (sore ankle) and called Canizares this morning from Triple-A Gwinnett, where the big dude (6-3, 240) was, indeed, hitting like a man possessed.
He was second in the International League with a .344 average and team-highs of 17 doubles, eight home runs, 37 RBI and a .945 OPS, including a .412 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage.
”We got a healthy body, and a guy who’s known as a good hitter,” manager Bobby Cox said. “The guy can hit. I’ve only seen him a couple of days in spring training. He’s not known for the glove; he’s OK at first.
”I wouldn’t expect Gold Glove performances, but he’s been playing over there” at first base for Gwinnett.
Canizares is batting cleanup today behind Chipper Jones, who wasn’t exactly qualified to give a scouting report on the big fella.
”I wouldn’t know him if he walked up and said, ‘Hey, how ya doing?’” Jones said.
Rookie pitcher Tommy Hanson, who makes his second major league start tomorrow at Baltimore, was a teammate of Canizares in April and May.
”He just goes up there and rakes,” Hanson said. “That’s what he does. He’s a hitter. When I was there he was on a tear.”
I asked Hanson if he thought Canizares would be a “4-A” hitter who tears it up in Triple-A but struggles against major league breaking balls or well-located fastballs, etc.
”He hits everything,” Hanson said. “He tries to set up pitchers. I think he’ll be able to hit here.”
As for his defense, well…. “That’s part of his game that needs work,” Hanson said. “But as far as hitting, he’s a great hitter.”
Canizares split his time pretty equally last season between first base and designated hitter at Triple-A Richmond, where he hit .300 with 28 doubles, 13 homers and 67 RBI in 134 games.
He has played 40 of his 58 games this season at first base, and the timing of his callup will permit the Braves to use him as a DH in interleague games at American League parks in Baltimore and Boston on the nine-game trip that starts tomorrow.
Cox said Norton had been sick since the last trip, and then hurt his ankle two nights ago taking a swing. He said he aggravated it last night while leaping for a line drive at first base.
Norton went 0-for-8 the past two games filling in at first base, his first times playing any position all season. Norton is 4-for-33 as a pinch-hitter.
He’s 2-for-32 (.063) batting left-handed this season, after hitting .289 (39-for-135) from that side last season, when he was one of the top pinch-hitters in baseball.
Martin Prado (strained groin) is day-to-day and starting first baseman Casey Kotchman (calf strain) is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday. It’s not certain if Kotchman will be ready that day, but he’s made progress the past few days.
♣ Driving ‘em in: Yunel Escobar has made a few careless plays in the field like the one last night, but the strong-armed shortstop is having a stellar season at the plate, batting .302 with an .808 OPS, 14 doubles, five homers and 31 RBI in 49 games. (By the way, while I’m thinking about it, did you realize the Braves have two guys from Havana in their infield? Imagine if Brayan Pena, another from Havana, was still the backup catcher (David Ross is catching today in the day game, not Brian McCann. Ross is 6-for-18 with two homers against Pirates lefty Paul Maholm).
Escobar ranks third in the NL with a .414 average (24-for-58) with runners in scoring position, behind only Brad Hawpe (.460) and Joey Votte (.432) and one spot ahead of Chipper Jones (.400, 14-for-35).
Chipper leads the majors in average with runners in scoring position at two outs at .571 (8-for-14).
I found this to be a telling stat: Escobar has come to the plate with 100 runners on base and 70 in scoring position this season, while Casey Kotchman (14 RBI) has come to the plate with 101 runners on base and 71 in scoring position.
Jeff Francoeur (25 RBI) has come to bat with a team-high 120 runners on base and a team-high 84 in scoring position.
♣ No support for J.J.: Here’s how bad it’s been for Jair Jurrjens, whose All-Star bid is probably going to fall short because of lack of run support.
He has a 2.91 ERA in his past 11 starts, but just a 3-4 record in that span. Yes, 3-4 with a 2.91 ERA.
The Braves scored one or no runs while he was in six of those 11 starts.
In his past six home starts, he’s 1-3 with a 3.18 ERA, and the Braves scored one or no runs while he was in four of those starts.
Alright, game’s about to start. Canizares literally arrived at the ballpark 40 minutes before the first pitch (Braves benefited big-time today from the proximity of their Triple-A park to the major league field, since they didn’t make the Norton DL decision until after Norton showed up this morning limping.)
Let’s close with a gem from the late, great Townes Van Zandt, and hope that Steve Earle does this one when we go see Steve tomorrow night here in Atlanta.
“LUNGS” by Townes Van Zandt
Well, won’t you lend your lungs to me?
Mine are collapsing
Plant my feet and bitterly breathe
Up the time that’s passing.
Breath I’ll take and breath I’ll give
Pray the day ain’t poison
Stand among the ones that live
In lonely indecision.
Fingers walk the darkness down
Mind is on the midnight
Gather up the gold you’ve found
You fool, it’s only moonlight.
If you try to take it home
Your hands will turn to butter
You better leave this dream alone
Try to find another.
Salvation sat and crossed herself
Called the devil partner
Wisdom burned upon a shelf
Who’ll kill the raging cancer
Seal the river at its mouth
Take the water prisoner
Fill the sky with screams and cries
Bathe in fiery answers
Jesus was an only son
And love his only concept
Strangers cry in foreign tongues
And dirty up the doorstep
And I for one, and you for two
Ai’nt got the time for outside
Just keep your injured looks to you
We’ll tell the world we tried
1,957 comments Add your comment
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:08 pm
wow
Warhead
June 11th, 2009
1:08 pm
Is the game being streamed online anywhere? I’d like to listen here at work …
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
1:09 pm
We all know that Norton didn’t hurt his ankle so why don’t the Braves just go ahead and DFA him instead of this DL charade?
fleming
June 11th, 2009
1:10 pm
Does anyone know if Norton hurt his ankle playing BINGO when they called 0-98
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:10 pm
12th?
Pennski
June 11th, 2009
1:10 pm
I bet this is the end for Norton, good! He is done
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
1:10 pm
Here it is! I found it!
Thanks, Chief!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
1:10 pm
i dont know why, RHR, but “mugshot” just cracked me up
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:11 pm
It would be nice to have someone who is actually accustomed to DH-ing when this team plays in the A.L. It seems that they have never taken advantage of an extra hitter in the lineup.
Francoeur for MVP!!!!
June 11th, 2009
1:11 pm
Hi – new poster here. With Norton’s power bat out of the lineup for two weeks, do the Braves have a shot at competing? I’m sure Bobby Cox’s genius ability will keep them in games, but can Francoeur carry the team without Norton and Infante? Maybe Garret Anderson? Thanks, I’ll hang up and listen.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
1:11 pm
Can’t run, can’t throw, can’t field? This should be interesting.
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
1:11 pm
Hopefully no balls are hit to Canizares. Vazquez is a fly ball pitcher, so maybe nothing is hit to the guy.
BJones
June 11th, 2009
1:12 pm
Vasquez with a K…
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
1:13 pm
Hopefully Canzares can DH while the Braves play AL teams and maybe Prado will be healthy enough to play 1st.
Please, please, please DFA Norton.
BJones
June 11th, 2009
1:13 pm
Another K for Vasquez…
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
1:13 pm
Javy!
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
1:13 pm
Well I guess we can say they do read the blogs…lol
Piedmont Blues (ex-BFIR)
June 11th, 2009
1:14 pm
c jonze,
Canizares DH’d in the minors (and probably in Cuba, I imagine), so you can say he’s accustomed to it.
BJones
June 11th, 2009
1:14 pm
Vasquez strikes out the side…
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
DOB
Canizares does remind me of Andruw….
”I heard he can’t run, can’t hit and can’t stay on his feet after a swing, but the sumbitch can field,”
Wes
June 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
anyone else realize Javy had the 4th best WHIP in the national league? Ahead of Johan
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
Someone must have told Vazquez about Barbaro’s defense and Francoeur’s offense. His strategy is 27 strike outs this game.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
Sad that the Braves didn’t call up Barbaro until they saw Norton LIMPING. We all saw his LIMP bat and limp average … shouldn’t that have been enough?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
Nice First Inning from Javy…
Now Spot Him Some Early Runs Phu-Leeze…!
I have a feeling that Barbaro will Clown Today, Just a Hunch!!!
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
1:16 pm
I think we’ll be seeing Javy get to 100 K’s today.
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:16 pm
Wait…
So they are NOT retiring #25?!
Slugger www.theweeklyscene.com
June 11th, 2009
1:16 pm
DOB -
Mentioned it on the last blog, but there are two interesting facts about two of the Braves Draft picks:
-Matt Crimm – I think I hit around .500 against him with 2 bombs in college, he’s was still a freshman then sophomore though. good arm.
-Stephen Montgomery – My JUCO roomate’s little brother.
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
1:16 pm
JD And I know that it’s best to rest McCann on day games, but can we space out his off days a little better? This is his 3rd game off in a week I believe.
Counting the rain delay, yeah.
BJones
June 11th, 2009
1:17 pm
McLouth flies out to left…
BJones
June 11th, 2009
1:18 pm
Yunel grounds out…
sri
June 11th, 2009
1:18 pm
Warhead,
You can watch the game online at http://www.sticktv.net.
For anyone interested in cricket, look for channel ’sky_sports’, today it is channel 25.
blueridge
June 11th, 2009
1:18 pm
How about Ben Zobrist? He is a guy that would step right in (like Hawpe) and help this offense. The rays are in desperate need of an everyday catcher, and the braves have Ross who has proven to be more than a back-up. I actually like Zobrist much more than DeRosa. I would love to see a move made soon to sure up the OF/ Offense.
How about Zobrist for Ross, Acosta, and KJ? Pipe-dream?
CLE
June 11th, 2009
1:19 pm
Heehee, DOB misspelled McCann’s first name. Did you notice, McFann?
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
1:20 pm
blueridge-
Braves are not trading Ross. He’s way too valuable
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:20 pm
Don’t think I like hearing comparisons to Barbaro the Horse, seeing as he shattered his leg and was put down… Is it just me?
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:20 pm
How about Zobrist for Francoeur, Norton, and Corky Miller.
The Real Question
June 11th, 2009
1:20 pm
How many pitches have the Braves seen this series and overall this season?
J-X
June 11th, 2009
1:20 pm
online stream please, anybody?
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
1:21 pm
Quick 1st inning.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:21 pm
He Caught it!!!!! Barbaro caught it!!!
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
1:21 pm
Hey, Barbaro caught the ball. So, he can’t be that bad, eh?
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:21 pm
See? Barbaro caught that ball just fine.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:22 pm
The first 7 guys to the plate have not been much of a challenge for the pitchers, eh?
Wes
June 11th, 2009
1:22 pm
Fielding % = 1.000
Soph
June 11th, 2009
1:22 pm
Too funny seeing all of those messages about Barbaro making the play.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:23 pm
myp2p.eu is streaming it (and is legal!)
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
1:23 pm
What did you guys think he was going to do? Stand there and let the ball hit him in the head? LOL!
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
1:23 pm
Don’t think I like hearing comparisons to Barbaro the Horse, seeing as he shattered his leg and was put down… Is it just me?
Not just you…
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
1:24 pm
So were facing Cy Maholm today, great.
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:24 pm
I just noticed that Javy’s only had more Ks than IP once in his career. Is there a reason why he’s getting so many this season? Because he now has 20 more Ks than IP.
Not that I’m complaining, just curious
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
1:24 pm
I wonder if McCann just told Vasquez not to make any quick throws over there?
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:24 pm
I’m sure being in the NL helps.
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
1:25 pm
http://player.cumulusstreaming.com/Audioplay.html?WIFN-FM
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:25 pm
sri…
I couldn’t get that to work
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
1:25 pm
Has Javy thrown a breaking/offspeed pitch yet?
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:26 pm
He’s been in the NL for most of his career I believe.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
1:26 pm
Thanks Josh H!
WestCoastBrave
June 11th, 2009
1:27 pm
Thanks Josh H, wish I didn’t forget my headphones at home. . .
SoWeGa Fanatic
June 11th, 2009
1:28 pm
If Canizares can really hit, Norton’s days are numbered.
Another thing, why does a NL related minor league club use a DH? We don’t call up a lot of DH’s.
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
Was kinda hoping for Urge Overkill’s “Sister Havana” today. Gotta love a band with a drummer named Blackie Onassis.
Tix for Steve Earle’s show in Savannah on Saturday night are $35 a pop at the door.
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
5 Ks already but im dreading the 5th inning meltdown that will most surely come.
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
Efrim:
There’s your 69 mph curve…
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
Wow…5 of the 6 outs recorded by Javy has been by K…what has gotten into this guy? I like it.
Sir Stealth
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
Saw Steve Earle from the front row a few nights back. Not to spoil it, but he will in fact play Lungs, and it will be AWESOME.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
But not recently. I doubt people expect a 25 y/o guy to lead the league in K/9. Well, those without Time Lincecum’s dad.
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:29 pm
If Canizares can really hit, Norton’s days are numbered.
No they’re not. Norton hit a pinch hit homerun last year. That’ll stay in Bobby’s head forever.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
1:30 pm
Canizares is a big dude, no doubt. Coming to plate now, twirling bat like it’s a toy.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:31 pm
Are they pitching around Canizares?
CLE
June 11th, 2009
1:31 pm
Aw, the typo was corrected. Now I just look silly.
MiltonDawg
June 11th, 2009
1:31 pm
anybody have the lineup? i can’t get it to pull up on ajc site.
rammerjammer
June 11th, 2009
1:31 pm
Just imagine how excited Canizares must be. It’s a long way from Havana to Atlanta. A special day for him that he’ll never forget.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
1:32 pm
Braves have a 33-year-old rookie from Japan and a 29-year-old rookie from Cuba… who just got screwed on that call.
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
1:32 pm
Barbaro just got cheated big time.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:32 pm
Javy is a beast, just beware of that one bad inning that he always has. Barbaro is the man, reminds me of Francisco Cabrera a little bit, minus the hair.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
1:32 pm
Heath, what do you mean what has gotten into this guy? Javy is 2nd in the NL with 93 K’s, only 2 behind Tim Lincecum. Actually, I dont think that even counts todays start, so he may be leading the NL now with 5 so far. You act like this guy doesnt strike out a lot of guys.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:33 pm
Barbaro… Had an F’d up call but hey, he Couldn’t Do No Worse Than Naw-ton
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:33 pm
Matt Diaz has the best softball swing in the Major Leagues
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
1:33 pm
Free-swingin Matty!
Fer cryin’ out loud he’s getting old!!!!
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
1:33 pm
Dang, I hope Javy don’t have that one inning meltdown today…they’re pitcher looks tough. Ump sucks too.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:34 pm
Barbaro just struck out. Can we turn against him now, or does the blog wait until the end of the game for that?
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
1:34 pm
Maholm looks tough today…
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:34 pm
Dizam, Cy Maholm looking Nasty…I see More Undisciplined At-Bats again…!
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:34 pm
Jeff was almost thrown out walking down to first.
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
1:34 pm
This umpire wants to go home early. Too hot for him. And perhaps he is anti-Cuban.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
JEFF GOT A HIT! (on an error, but still).
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
Sometimes it looks like Matt is protecting himself from flying baseballs when he’s batting. It’s like swatting at flies up there.
Way to go Frenchy!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
Woo hoo…hit by JF! : )
Turtsnap
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
Hunter’s dad Harry would be disappointed on that K call on Barbaro!!! HOLY CRAP.
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
Each and every time Jeff gets a hit i hear a “maybe that will get him going” type comment from Joe Simpson. Ugh.
Joe Simpson
June 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
Jeff just turned it around.
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
1:36 pm
According to radio announcers, Jeff Francouer stopped running again…
I mean, I really don’t mean to hate on him but, he makes it so easy.
Warhead
June 11th, 2009
1:36 pm
Thanks, SRI and Josh H….
sidslidkid
June 11th, 2009
1:36 pm
I miss Prado, Kotchman and Infante
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
1:36 pm
Following on MLB.com’s Gameday. They put up mugshots for pitchers and batters and for Barbaro, they had Claude Rains! No really, it was Ralph Ellison.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:37 pm
Barbaro just struck out. Can we turn against him now, or does the blog wait until the end of the game for that?
Hey, we’re a compassionate lot. We’ll give him 2 AB’s.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:37 pm
Nasty pitch from Maholm on Rossy!
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
1:37 pm
Ross ain’t much of a hitter lately, is he?
Epinephrine
June 11th, 2009
1:38 pm
Man Jack Wilson is so annoying out there. Even on that he almost took away a base hit from Jeff.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:38 pm
Ross ain’t much of a hitter lately, is he?
See what I mean?
choozer
June 11th, 2009
1:38 pm
Looking at Maholm’s stats, it’s hard to imagine him striking out the side. Especially hard to believe that given that he faced Francouer in that inning and that Frenchy was NOT one of the K’s.
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:39 pm
Ross’ career average is in the .220s. He’s never been much of a hitter…at least not for average.
Mangum
June 11th, 2009
1:39 pm
I have the feeling we will have better luck 2nd time trough the order.
And I know Ross just K’ed, but think God we don’t have Corky Miller anymore. He was the 2nd worst Brave ever, right after Albie Lopez.
Pierson Brave
June 11th, 2009
1:39 pm
Josh H thanks for the link. can’t watch so must listen.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:39 pm
RHR
I’m Not Gonna Bash Barbaro because he will prolly make the league Minimum, if that…I think he’s gonna have a clutch hit…
Francine on the Other hand is in for it if we lose…
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:40 pm
I bet Canizares likes reggae
Pierson Brave
June 11th, 2009
1:41 pm
Hunter is no more than half the ump that his father was.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:41 pm
Both Frenchy and Esco have frequent brain farts, we just criticize Frenchy more becasue of his hitting futility. Esco is young and exciting and is a clutch hitter but, he makes just as many bonehead mistakes in judgement and Frenchy.
Javy is a beast right now! 6K’s
Slugger www.theweeklyscene.com
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
Go Bravos!
(Elon just had the 7th guy on their squad drafted)
Kennessaw State has also had around 6 or 7 guys drafted, guess it helps to get seen when two 1st rounders are drawin’ scouts to your games every week.
Sir Stealth
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
One of the many things I’ll never understand about Francoeur is how someone who supposedly could play a speed position in football and still appears to have at least decent speed could be completely incapable of ever stealing a base. Not that that was necessarily the specific time to try, but I mean, ever.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
Javy is Dealing…99 Ks…gonna be the first to 100 Ks for the NL.
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
Barbaro makes a gold glove play!
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
6 K’s for Vazquez? Are we in the 3rd?
Sheesh.
The Abs Man
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
Elephant-in-the-room Dept: Why isn’t Bobby Cox held fully accountable for Yunel Escobar’s non-stop bonehead plays?
Baserunning mistakes daily….braindead play last night allowing Monroe to score 3rd run….Escobar tosses glove up in the air after fielding lapses like a little leaguer…no questioning Escobar’s awesome skills, but when does Cox pull him aside and say, “kid grow up or sit down.”
More to the point, does Cox even know Escobar more interested in stylin’ (tinted hair) than being a winning MLB shortstop?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
1:42 pm
The Braves look flat-out terrible right now.
I wasn’t too impressed with those first two wins in the series to begin with. We probably wouldn’t have won them if we were playing a number of other teams.
Vasquez as usual is throwing a lot of pitches. The other guy is getting a lot of help what with the lazy fly balls and slow grounders early in the count.
The bullpen is going to have to be ready sooner or later. Bobby’s not going to let him go that far I’m sure.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:43 pm
3 Unassisted for Barbaro. Fundamentally sound with that one. Must have been watching the video endorsed by Fred McGriff!
sidslidkid
June 11th, 2009
1:43 pm
Javy is good
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:43 pm
Another easy inning.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:44 pm
Javy is kinda dealing today, huh?
Looks like the Braves have figured out how to pitch to McCutcheon.
John
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
You people had me skeered to death about Barbaro…but…he looked like “The Big Cat”…on that one…
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
RHR…I mentioned something along those lines yesterday… After that first game, the Braves really have shut down McCutchen and that is absolutely necessary with that guy’s speed.
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
yeah it didnt take them long to figure him McCutcheon out
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
CLE–
Yes…but I didn’t want to say anything…
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
Why isn’t Bobby Cox held fully accountable for Yunel Escobar’s non-stop bonehead plays?
Where have you been? In this blog alone, Cox has been blamed for that, every loss, 9/11, Swine Flu, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
sri
June 11th, 2009
1:45 pm
Heath,
You have to download and install ‘TvAnts player’ (click on the ‘Downloads’ tab, at the top). I think it is virus-free (i installed it a month and so far i havent had issues, my anti-virus program deemed it safe). so install at your own risk.
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
1:46 pm
Pretty nice meal. Grilled Chicken Salad, lovely company, profanity-laced diatribe whispered to me by candlelight. Volume escalated a tad when informed she’d spit food in face… There were veins popping out in her forehead I’d never seen before. Red as a beet too. She even threatened to DELIBERATELY spit food in face. Hell, I got kinda skeered…
Cutting lunch short for Braves didn’t sit very well to say least.
No, I don’t like sports more than her! Yup, that’s what I told her…
GO BRAVES!!!
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
1:46 pm
You people had me skeered to death about Barbaro…but…he looked like “The Big Cat”…on that one…
Stick around long enough, and he’ll also look like the “The Big Catatonic” on one, too, LOL.
JD
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
Was that closeup of Jeff Bennett’s crotch necessary?
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
Kelly sucks!!
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
Boog and Joe are having more fun than usual today. Joe with his praise for our first baseman’s fielding so far and Boog cracking that it was unusual to see NY teams on national TV while plugging Fox Saturday Mets v Yankees
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
Heath (Cleveland)
Yet he won’t get no cred…sigh
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
I think Kelly wants to give Jeff a challenge for the most Ks on the team. Jeez-o-pete.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:47 pm
Abs Man,
Bobby has no other options at SS. Yuni is one of the most talented players on the team. Different rules for the stars! You stifle his fire, you kill the player. Believe me I know, I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. They have no fire!
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
1:48 pm
To clarify, I should say that Javy is pitching very well. There’s no reason why he couldn’t be a number one starter in most rotations.
If we had any offense and consistency and were mentally tough we’d be a darn good team. Unfortunately, we have a great pitching staff and only three or four above average hitters and a solid back end of the bullpen…
Where am I going with this?
I cannot freaking believe Kelly just struck out on that.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:49 pm
Heath,
Shades of Bonifacio, eh?
N8
June 11th, 2009
1:50 pm
You know, you guys making sarcastic comments about the blog “turning on somebody” act as though, Jeff just got called up last week, or that Schafer was “hated” by braves fans.
Jeff and KJ have had PLENTY of time to show “what they can do” on a regular basis. So to say people have turned on them is silly. People are growing TIRED of them.
When a team claims they are going to be a contender, the fans certainly are within their “right” (whatever that is), to bitch and gripe about guys that cause them NOT to win. Like Jeff does. Like KJ’s glove occasionally does. Like G. Anderson’s glove (and bat) does. Like Schafer’s AB’s were (though, he’ll be back and improved, and his glove was fine). Like Chipper’s injuries do.
This “turning” on Jeff has been 2 years in the making. It didn’t happen overnight.
Besides, how can anybody “turn” on Canizares, when he’s replacing a guy that was batting .098? Do you know HOW BAD he’s going to have to be, before the blog “turns on him”? Lets put it this way. Bobby will NEVER give him that many AB’s for it to get that bad.
Other than that. Your sarcasm is very welcome.
Joe Simpson
June 11th, 2009
1:50 pm
I can’t understand the concept of a blogger playing the role of columnist.
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
1:50 pm
i really wish they would just give shelly the take sign. he brings nothing to the plate. literally.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:51 pm
Joe and Boog act the ladies on “The View” LOL!
Scuba Steve
June 11th, 2009
1:51 pm
Is there anybody else having problems seeing the game log on AJC.com?
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
Burdell @ 1:45–
macdwolfpack
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
Joe Simpson is a tool. How does one not question what Ibanez has done at Philly when it’s totally out of character.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
Kelly sucks, and that was a bad strike call on Yuni!
J williams
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
If KJ doesn’t get on one of his hot streaks by the time some of the Braves’ injuried players are back, he’s going to have to take a trip to the DL, just like Norton.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
Yunel needs to learn when to fold ‘em.
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
anothr embarrasser on the way courtesy of the team that doesnt care
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
1:52 pm
Someone doesn’t like Cubans.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Maholm strikes out the side two innings in a row! This from a guy who gets a little over 1K every 2 innings.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
SRI -
Downloaded and run setup of file “TvantsSetup” and still not working. Right file?
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Mangum,
Didya ever see Pepe Frias play, and I use that term in a very loose, broad sense, for the Braves?
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Did Yunel decide not to swing at all in that at bat?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Man, Is It Me Or Has Our Offense Been A snoozefest over the last 2 days…?
Other Than Vazquez, This Game has not been worth watching, Let Alone Paying to go to it…
Turtsnap
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
I feel like I am watching Eric Gregg today! GEEZ
Soph
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Wow. Pitchers duel?
wow
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
wow this ump is awful
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
i really wish they would just give shelly the take sign. he brings nothing to the plate. literally.
Well, I’ve typically seen him bringing his bat to the plate, and occasionally, if the pitcher is having control issues, his helmet as well.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
These two teams are not making the playoffs. Do you know why? Offense. Neither team can score runs. Pitching and defense are good. They can’t put crooked numbers on the board.
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm
Who are the two women in the press box? Is Carroll Rogers the dark haired woman?
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
1:54 pm
Wow, this team can look bad hitting at times. 6 Ks in 3 innings……
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
These are the times that I wish Omar was healthy, Kelly is just too damn streaky. He’s like crackhead up there at the plate. His highs are high, but lows are gutter level.
At least Frenchy is consistently average.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
cannot freaking believe Kelly just struck out on that.
So, it’s easier to believe the Ks by Diaz, Ross, Barbaro, Escobar, Vazquez, or whomever? Or are those just Acts of God, beyond their control?
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
100 ks for Javy
Doofus
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
How bout foosball?
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
If memory serves me correctly, Bobby was also blamed for Boy George’s fall from grace and Michael Jackson’s failed nose-jobs…
RHR
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
Jeff and KJ have had PLENTY of time to show “what they can do” on a regular basis. So to say people have turned on them is silly. People are growing TIRED of them.
No argument from me on those 2. It’s the rips on every guy on the team when he doesn’t get a hit at every at bat or when he goofs in the field. You know, the “Gimpy Jones” comments, etc.
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
Wow…BMac’s baseball-reference.com Game-by-Game log is messed up big time…
sri
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
Heath, yup correct file. I am currently watching the game. It ony works on Internet Explorer, sorry forgot to tell you that.
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
1:55 pm
100 K’s.
joe
June 11th, 2009
1:56 pm
Javy is on fire! Love it when pitchers pour in quality strikes.
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
1:56 pm
i already feel bad for Javy
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
1:56 pm
How on earth is Maholm matching Javy in strikeouts??? Maholm had 42 K’s in 75.1 innings coming into this game. This offense is pathetic, thats how.
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
1:57 pm
Seven Ks through 3 1/3. Might Mr. Wood and Mr. Clemens have to make room atop the 20K summit for Javy?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
1:57 pm
Barbaro looking smoth over there at first!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
1:57 pm
SRI -
Finally came one…big delay…about 2 batters behind…but on.
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
1:57 pm
Now why can’t Javy keep pitching like this through a full 7-8 innings? Fatigue maybe?
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
1:59 pm
If memory serves me correctly, Bobby was also blamed for Boy George’s fall from grace and Michael Jackson’s failed nose-jobs…
…only because Francoeur and Johnson weren’t around then, LOL.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
1:59 pm
It’s sad we have one hit, and it came from Frenchy!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
1:59 pm
Come On Offense…! You Guys Are Boring the Hell Out Of Me!!!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:00 pm
Javy is dealing, this offense is offensive!
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
2:00 pm
LOL scoots
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
Calm down people, it’s the 4th inning.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
I took off of work for this day game, you see where my priorities lie!
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
Do you think they try to find the most redneck people to interview for the “This is my team” commercials?
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
I just tuned into the game, and, damn! is Javy dealing. He’s going to have to have a good game to get the W against Maholm, who has been probably the Pirates’ best pitcher this year.
I see that Francœur has the only hit of the day for the Bravos, and Greg Norton has made the “hang-nail” trip to the DL to clear his BA off the books going into a really tough stretch.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
Boy George? We’re getting Boy George references on the blog? Yikes. Is that my clue to come up with a cheeky David Lee Roth reference?
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:02 pm
54 threw 4. Ever who said bullpen will be in early is a moron. He is pitching great and if you double his pitch count he would have 108 after 8innings.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:02 pm
How do rehab starts work?
If Norton serves his 15 days on the D/L, can he then go to the minors for three or four “rehab” starts to evaluate him before making a move?
CLE
June 11th, 2009
2:03 pm
McFann, you’re so nice. I don’t mean to bust DOB’s chops over something as trivial as a typo in a blog. He does a fantastic job, as you already know.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:04 pm
Chipper is scuffling a bit.
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
2:04 pm
Barbaro seems to get down the line better than Frenchy.. and that’s no joke.
Turtsnap
June 11th, 2009
2:05 pm
Brooklyn Braves – You spelled it wrong… for the Braves, its AWFENSE
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:05 pm
Question that has nothing to do with baseball,
I am expecting my first child here in a bout a month and plan to be there for the delivery. My mother in-law and sister in-law will also be providing support on and around the clock basis. Do I need to be at the hospital all day the next day after the baby is born. I will be there after work, but I don’t want to burn the off-days, especially if there are more Braves day games.
Am I wrong or am I thinking logically?
Thoughts?
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Queue up the circus music on that one.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Just caught this quote by Jeff Schultz about Ken Griffey Jr.
“You’ve got to be pretty bad to make Garret Anderson look good.”
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Burdell, Norton needs closer to three or four HUNDRED “rehab” starts…
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Matty Hustle!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Would be nice if Matty would stop trying to knock the bee hive out of the tree and aim that swing at the little ball flying toward him.
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Good to see Diaz swiping second.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Look at the glove work by Wilson on Diaz’s dribbler. He even tossed it over his back and looked like he was going to try to catch it.
Diaz steals second!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
JD…
“Do you think they try to find the most redneck people to interview for the “This is my team” commercials?”
LMAO!!!
Good SB, Matty-D!!!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
talk about not holding the runner … diaz had that by 10 feet
and it leads directly to a run.
stolen bases are good.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Some wheels for Matty!
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Nice clutch hit by Frenchy.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Francine Finally Comes Through…
Small Ball BABY!!!!
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Wow. That’s some solid baseball. Production from the bottom half of the order.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
I predicted a breakout game from Frenchy today over on Schultz’s blog, and so far so good!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Frenchy with 2 hits, OMG!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Give Frenchy a raise now
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
@ Brooklyn Braves Brawler
Go to the hospital…trust me!!
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Francoeur 2 for 2.
The end is near.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
And Francœur delivers a solid opposite field single to plate Diaz with two outs.
Good job, Mr. Francœur! (See, I’m not a hater.)
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
2:07 pm
Well whaddaya know!
Like it!
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Maybe Frenchy has vision problems, cause if I’m not misatken, doesn’t he seem to hit better during the day?
J williams
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Keeping up with the game on ESPN, but are the pitchers as dominate as the box score would indicate?
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Brawler, you’re thinking logically, but make up a lie as to where you’ll be. TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!!
Spider29
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Way to go, Jeff! Could THAT get him started on a hot streak?
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
I knew Frenchy was stinking, but hes worse than last year….dang
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Frenchy starting to come out of his slump
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Good job Frenchy. Good time to be an opposite-field singles hitter
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
man they are just ignoring the runners.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
but Frenchy did come through..I like that.
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Speed demons
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Wow, what’s gotten into Francoeur today?
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Francœur steals second base without a throw.
What team am I watching?
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
What the heck! Is MLBTV behind?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Francine With The Stolen Base…!
I wish We’d Do this More Often!!!
Soph
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Yay Francouer! Isn’t this usually how it works anyway? Rest of the Braves scuffle, Francouer gets multiple hits.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Take JF out of the game now and sit him all weekend because he just hit his offensive max for the week. No point in wasting his lineup spot the next few days.
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
stolen base for FRENCHY!!
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
Give Frenchy a raise now
I’m an optimist. I say, trade him while he’s hot.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
How can a lefty be so horrible at holding runners close to the bag?
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
RHR-
Francoeur 2 for 2. The end is near.
OK, you know I love Frenchy but that cracked me up
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
He is not coming out of his slump Braves Fan. Sorry
John
June 11th, 2009
2:09 pm
In this world I like to call reality, the Braves are a just simply .500 team, nothing more & nothing less.
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
DOB they must have a scouting report on his move,that he is tipping off.
Sid Bream's Personal Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Jeff Francouer just drove in a run! The pitcher threw a baseball and he hit it! He hit with his bat, as though he meant to do it! Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.
Epinephrine
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Huge.
Pierson Brave
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Is it possible that Chipper and Frenchey have traded places today?!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Will go to the hospital, just will be after work that day. Maybe I am wrong? Just don’t see if I am value added the day after the birth on an all day basis. Must be my military time, like to work smarter not harder!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Wow…some ABC baseball…”I don’t believe what I just saw!”
Come on…where is that from?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Wow, what a strange turn of events.
Well done Braves… another stolen base. We almost kind of look like a good team at the moment.
See what happens when you make contact Matt.
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Why is MLBTV two min behind today? It hasnt been behind all year.
tale of woe
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
Ummm…Brooklyn Braves Brawler – You better be at the hospital, unless you don’t care that your wife will always remind you that you deserted her in her time of need.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
There we go, Turner Field. That Sting song will pump everybody up.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
KJ COME ON!!!
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
Ross has been an excellent back up this season.
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
How can a lefty be so horrible at holding runners close to the bag? – DOB
What I was wondering.
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
What’s up with Kelly’s come to the plate song?
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:11 pm
Kelly will k here for sure
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
Love the stealing of bases. Stealing is not just about speed. So when people say the Braves don’t have the players to steal bases, I think we now know that isn’t true. The Braves need to continue to be aggressive, they obviously can swipe bases and help make up some for a lack of power.
Have to give credit to Bobby for at least not sitting back all the time and waiting for someone to drive the ball.
DirtyDawg
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
The comment about Joe and Boog(er) being like The View is right on. This back and forth crap about the Philly Enquirer’s citing a blogger’s speculation about whether or not Ibanez (or whatever his name is) is ‘juiced’, basically wasted an inning. Don’t know if ‘the booger’ really believes his point, but it would seem to be the same thing as speculating if Boog’s hair style is derived by using the same ‘gel’ as Cameron Diaz in ‘There’s Something About Mary’? I’d put this on their ‘facebook’ but I don’t want to get ‘em started about that lame subject.
tale of woe
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
I saw a great stat yesterday – J.F. has had back-to-back games with an RBI once in the past 85 games…That is just terrible…
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
“You look at most of the good ones, they were pretty good from the start,” said Hudson, who enjoyed the rarity of winning 31 of his first 39 career decisions. “There might have been a little bit of a learning process and some growing pains along the way. But their struggles usually weren’t a two- or three-year deal.”
Read btw the lines…JOJO sucks….lol
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
JD
LOL
I was wondering why they were playing that crap as well…!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
Here comes Captain Anticlutch
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
Ross walks on a very close pitch to the inside of the plate.
KJ gets a chancet to get off the schneid.
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
Chop it up, it’s The Outfield/Your Love from 1985…don’t you know anything?
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
2:12 pm
kirkinga–like the smart baserunnng a LOT.
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
I’ll admit that I am a big fan of Kelly Johnson. Probably a KJ apologist.
Don’t let my loyalty down now…KJ.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
Why is Diaz using his whole body to give signs?
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
Chop it up–the Outfield/Your Love.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
MLBTv Guys- if you’re watching in High Def, its always behind. If you switch to ’standard’ the quality is lower but the delay is miniscule
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
Hey cabraves.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
Nice at bat Kelly
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
KJ…Man Oh Man!!! I’m Speechless!
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
2:14 pm
Vazquez became the first NL pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts in the 4th.
Mangum
June 11th, 2009
2:14 pm
Never hear of Pepe Frias???
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
2:14 pm
Benched Kelly NOW!!!!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:14 pm
I had to turn The TV Off For That Stupid McDonalds Commercial!!!
Pierson Brave
June 11th, 2009
2:14 pm
Candle holders suck!
bravesgrl4life
June 11th, 2009
2:15 pm
Games only been on a hour or so and we’re already almost half through. It’s gonna be a quick one if it keeps goin like this. Good to see French getting some good at bats that end up with hits and an RBI.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:15 pm
OK, so is Javier Vazquez going to continue his trend of having one absolutely horrible inning? He’s looked terrific to this point. 7 K in five innings.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:15 pm
Well, Javy, there’s your run. Go get’em.
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:15 pm
Wes Im not watching in Hidef. Thats why I dont understand why it is behind.
Willy in Philly
June 11th, 2009
2:15 pm
Captain Anticlutch comes through again!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
Going back to his last few games of 2008, Greg Norton is 4-for-46 (.087) in his past 53 games.
WestCoastBrave
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
You think KJ could’ve picked a gayer song to come out to?
Gary
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
Sid Bream’s Personal
Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:10 pm
Jeff Francouer just drove in a run! The pitcher threw a baseball and he hit it! He hit with his bat, as though he meant to do it! Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.
HAHAHA!!! Blog post of the year right there.
Ahab
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
Maholm has thrown 14 more pitches than Vazquez…67 to 53, so maybe Vazquez can stay sharp and get to the 7th or 8th.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
Tomahawkin – it’s not just that….Turner Field’s been playing the same tired, boring songs and sounds for years. And not to mention that extended G chord on the organ at the end of every inning. What conversation is going on in the sound booth?
Guy 1: Braves are down by one in the bottom of the 11th…what should we play?
Guy 2: The Adams Family theme, definitely.
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
@ TnBrian,
Apparently I don’t, but I would venture to say the song is commensurate with Kelly’s ability at the plate.
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
I restarted it and I think it has caught back up. Dont know why it was behind.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
I care about my wife, but bills still need to get paid and food needs to be bought. Hey if the kid is born on a monday @ 7am than I am there all day. My question is do I need to be there all day Tuesday when family is going to be there on the day shift. I’ll be by right after work and probably on my lunch break
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
When Kotchman and Prado are both feeling a little better, I wonder if KJ gets to go on the DL for “gas” or something. Seems to be the modus operandi right now, whoever stinks the most, gets a bogus trip to the DL.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
Rafael Soriano (0.98 ERA) and Norton (.098) have the same numbers.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
Wait, that was Kelly’s coming up to bat music?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
Kelly is in shut-down mode.
He’ll probably hit ten homeruns and thirty rbi’s in september when we’re fifteen games out.
Or we trade him so that doesn’t happen.
If I know anything it’s that one of these days Kelly’s going to hit a homerun, and then he’s going to hit another and then maybe a double or a triple and he will do this for many days and perhaps then he will stop and eventually return to his current state.
I know this will happen, I just don’t know when.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Brawler, you said it’s your first child, right? Maybe you should see how you feel after you become a father, before worrying about your usefulness the day after. You might find that there’s no other place you’d rather be, than right there close by. Just sayin’.
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Why is Diaz using his whole body to give signs? – Burdell
That the set of signs they use with a man on second, to keep ‘em “secret.”
You don’t use your regular set when the other team can see them.
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
WestCoastBrave: I am convinced that song selection is the reason for Kelly’s slump.
For those watching on TV…was it a hard hit ball to 2B or just a weak grounder?
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
I dont know then, man. MLBTv has been quite the pain in the butt all season long……i haven’t had delays in standard though. Send them a nasty email. I did the other night when the Braves/Pirates link switched over and, for like 10 minutes, kept bringin me to the Marlins/Giants game. I got July for free
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Thanks DOB- Do you think we will ever see him again?
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
That song ia a classic, WestCoastBrave.
Yikes. There goes the lead.
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Guess this is his bad inning.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Delwyn’s first homer of the season
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
There’s your run right back atcher. Young home run ties the game.
Turtsnap
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Tie game, go figure…. Javy stays true to form
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Here comes the Javy implosion inning!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
I thought That Homer Was “Too High”!!!
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
To quote the announcer from Major League
“He’d have to have a rocket up his [butt] to catch that one.”
rammerjammer
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Brawler,
Burn a vacation day, pal. It’s your first child. Your objective is to be there for your wife and newborn baby. Nothing else matters.
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
Whoops.
Take him out Bobby!
No? Soon enough I suspect.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:18 pm
That ball carried well.
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
Brooklyn Braves Brawler- what number child is this for you?
Ahab
June 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
I spoke too soon..homerun…tough to win when the Braves aren’t scoring…
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
Did Frenchy get glasses?
He’s not playing like Mr Magoo, what gives?!
bravesgrl4life
June 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
Okay, Javy, don’t melt down in the 5th, please, please, please.
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
Eric– MLB has always been at least one hitter slow for me all season.
Stolen bases against Maholm– Maybe not stolen signs but something McLouth picked up or knew from his time with Pirates
Soph
June 11th, 2009
2:20 pm
5th inning. Come on Javy. No meltdowns today.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:20 pm
Delwyn Young didn’t get cheated. He hit it at least 400 feet. We need this game. Canizares gets his first home run in his next AB….
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
2:20 pm
Delwyn gotta big ‘ole butt, oh yeah! Shaquifa gotta big ‘ole butt, oh yeah! Lonnie Smith gotta a big ‘ole butt, oh yeah!
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
2:20 pm
KJ’s song is by “The Outfield.” Subtle hint by him that he wants to go back there?
Epinephrine
June 11th, 2009
2:20 pm
That’s Javy for you. Cruising, cruising, cruising, then stupid pitch.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
NcScoots, makes sense!
Will play it by ear, Thanks!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
Does anyone else agree that Javy was better for us than peavy would be?
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
Let’s hope JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk never says something of incredible importance in his first 2 words.
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
One big difference between the great pitching staffs of the past and those of recent vintage is giving up runs after the Braves score. I’d love to see a stat about how many times Braves starters have given up runs in the immediate inning after the team scores. I bet it’s too high.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
JD
“Tomahawkin – it’s not just that….Turner Field’s been playing the same tired, boring songs and sounds for years. And not to mention that extended G chord on the organ at the end of every inning. What conversation is going on in the sound booth?”
Co-Sign Bro…!
I usually like watching the road games better because the music they play puts Turner Field to Shame…!
I love the Music They Play in LA, Arizona, And New Yawk, Among other Road Cites…
The Music they play at the Ted Blows!!! Hence the Low attendance Figures!
choozer
June 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
Does Javy always give up his runs IMMEDIATELY after getting the lead?
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
2:22 pm
Rodney it hasnt been slow for me, maybe you watch in HD. However I restarted the window and it is caught up. Im glad, it was annoying knowing what was going to happen.
WestCoastBrave
June 11th, 2009
2:22 pm
I know its a classc RHR, but c’mon, we’re playing sports here. . .
Might as well come out to Like a Virgin by Madonna that wuss. . .
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
8 k through 5
Gary
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
Time to trade Kelly for a bag of balls or some bats. Probably get more hits out of the bats that Kelly himself.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
WestCoastBrave
What is his come to bat music? It is not musice that would get one pumped up , for sure.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
I have no doubt that Norton is nicked up. Pretty much every player at this point of the season is nicked up in some way. While I’m willing to give the Braves the benefit of the doubt that Norton is injured, I would not be surprised if the Braves put him on the disabled list in order to bring up Canizares AND give Norton time to work on his swing in the cage. The thinking could be that if Norton gets his swing turned around, then he can be a valuable pinch hitter later in the season. However, right now, the Braves need SOMEONE who can get a hit playing first base.
Two positions that are known for power (right field and first base) have given the Braves a combined 7 homers all year. That is simply unacceptable. The Braves cannot afford to just give at-bats away.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
Brawler, here’s a word from someone who’s been there: Yes, I understand that bills need to be paid, but she will probably want you there. It doesn’t matter if the whole family is there, she will still want you there. That’s the way women roll. That’s not a bad thing either.
Sid Bream's Personal Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
Brawler — I live in Brooklyn too. For God’s sake, don’t use the Brooklyn Hospital Center in Fort Greene.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
The Music they play at the Ted Blows!!! Hence the Low attendance Figures!
Your taste in music ain’t always everyone else’s taste, cat.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
Vazquez has been Clowning!!! Get This Man Some Runs NOW!!! I swear I’m gonna lose It If We Drop this game to the Hapless AAA pirates!!!
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
2:24 pm
Going back to his last few games of 2008, Greg Norton is 4-for-46 (.087) in his past 53 games.
To be that industrious to look that up, there must be nobody in the press box to talk to today.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:24 pm
TnBrian,
Classic EU right there! LOL! Amazing how Lonnie ever got down the line with that trailer he was pulling behind him. That guy was hamstring pull waiting to happen!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:24 pm
Diaz single was changed to an E6 in the fourth inning, so run is now unearned against Maholm.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:24 pm
I agree Vazquez is better than Peavy right now. I think Peavy is on the verge of elbow surgery.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:24 pm
8 Ks now for Javy… 2 Hits, 0BBs and 1R through 5….very, very good for a #3 pitcher. (ERA down to 3.43 too)
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:25 pm
Tomahawkin – I don’t know if you watch basketball at all, but that Hawks/Cavs series music wise was embarrassing.
The Hawks charge towards their basket with a lonely snare drum playing the same thing 50 times a game. The Cavs have hip hop or hard rock playing.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:25 pm
Oh, they’re having a Brian McCann Spotlight? Why haven’t they told us yet?
Mixxo
June 11th, 2009
2:25 pm
Does Javy always give up his runs IMMEDIATELY after getting the lead? – Choozer
I don’t think it’s just Javy. Seems like a trend lately with everybody.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:25 pm
JD has jokes, mad jokes.
WestCoastBrave
June 11th, 2009
2:26 pm
bravos2249, its Your Love by the Outfield
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
2:26 pm
I restarted it and I think it has caught back up. Dont know why it was behind.
When I first turned SS on via MLBTV today.. The audio/video sync was off. I shut the browser window and restarted. (I also watch without Nextdef due to the delay while “live” blogging.)
DAP
June 11th, 2009
2:26 pm
kelly’s intro music, the outfield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgfSzuFD8rw
Turk 182
June 11th, 2009
2:26 pm
Former Braves draft pick, Delwyn Young….I think.
DirtyDawg
June 11th, 2009
2:26 pm
‘That stupid pitch’, as ‘epineeee’ said, was called by Ross – fastball, down and in – which the guy nailed. Hope they remember that next time up.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:27 pm
Look at Javy! Even he gets angry about swinging at a ball…take notes Frenchy
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:27 pm
Sid’s Mustache Assistant-
From BK, Bedstuy Do or Die! Live in Huntsville, AL currently. Cost of living and Government job made the move a necessity!
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:27 pm
Whoever made the comment about giving away too many at bats is exactly right. First base, right field, second base and left field are outs 75% of the time.
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
2:28 pm
Norton’s ankle injury, scene 1, take 1 …
Cox: Norty, has your ankle?
Norton: It’s OK, skipper.
Cox: You sure?
Norton: Yeah. I’m sure.
Cox: Lemme take a look.
(Cox bends down, reaches behind him for souvenir Mickey Mantle bat he’s had since he was with Yankees).
Cox: How is it now? (as he chokes up on bat and gets Norton’s ankle with the sweet spot)
Norton: Arrgghhh!
Cox: Say, that looks pretty bad. You might want to take a day or two for that.
Norton: (Groaning as he drags now wounded leg behind him back to locker room). OK, Skipper.
Well, hell, it beats how Sylvester Stallone got to be the keeper in “Victory.”
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:28 pm
DOB
sure they change it to an error AFTER the Pirates score a run.T
BJones
June 11th, 2009
2:28 pm
I think KJs intro music is cool…
Sid Bream's Personal Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:28 pm
Brawler — I’m the other way around. I live in Fort Greene but will be moving back to AL shortly. I’m from North Alabama.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:29 pm
Yuni, not happy with last pitch
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
2:29 pm
DOB:
Do you think the Braves will DFA Norton or bring him back from the DL when he is “healed”?
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:29 pm
Another 1 2 3 inning
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:30 pm
Escobar slammed his bat to the ground and broke it in half after that strikeout.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:30 pm
JD
I don’t Watch That Farce Known as the NBA…
Bit Seriously Some of the Music They play at the Ted they have played for 5 years going, come on its time for a Change!
CY Maholm Looking Good Eh…This Offense P…s Me Off more than ditzy women…!
BB FAN
June 11th, 2009
2:30 pm
DOB,
Are you covering the games in Baltimore this weekend? I will be at Saturday night’s game. Hopefully the weather is good enough to play.
I was in Atlanta during the D-Backs series in mid May and I was only able to see the Friday game as Sunday’s was rained out. We were there walking around and praying for it to clear up. That was my son’s first Turner Field experience. He’s only two so he won’t remember it anyway. In fact he fell asleep during the tour because it was during his normal nap time.
I wish all stadiums would be built with a retractable roof. I know it’s expensive but when you’re talking $200-$300 million, what’s the difference? Of course that would be cheap compared to Yankee Stadium costing $1.5 billion.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:30 pm
Okay unless Kelly’s an 80’s freak, there has to be some story behind that…I mean dude was born in 1982.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:31 pm
DOB
Wow…Escobar is strong
Turk 182
June 11th, 2009
2:31 pm
What a game.
DirtyDawg
June 11th, 2009
2:31 pm
Shut the hell up you guys. There’s a game going on…the ump’s making bad calls all over the place and you guys age babbling on about a damn foul ball. You guy’s a getting lamer every day.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:32 pm
Sid’s Mustache Assistant,
Where in North AL? I hate this place but you can’t beat the cost of living and the money I am making. Best thing about this place is that I don’t have to get the MLB package to watch Braves game! Other than that, it’s a wash!
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
2:32 pm
Kelly and Frenchy (and Norton and Garret Anderson and anybody else who happens to be slumping at any given time) could use this song for their ABs.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:33 pm
Boog went out like a real bitch on that foul ball!
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:33 pm
Cy Maholm’s looking better than Cy Cook
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:33 pm
Thank god no walk to the pitcher there
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:34 pm
I know its a classc RHR, but c’mon, we’re playing sports here. . .
Might as well come out to Like a Virgin by Madonna that wuss. . .
:lol True. At least it ain’t Kenny Chessney or Turn Your Swag On
Brawler, dude you gotta be there when your child is born. If you don’t have vacation days or PTO time then just skip out for the birth and go back to work when its over and wife and baby are fine. I know times are hard and bills don’t pay themselves but some moments in life are not to be missed under any circumstance – the birth of your child would be one of those.
Oh, they’re having a Brian McCann Spotlight? And only 2 years after the first (and only) Spotlight: Jeff Francoeur.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:34 pm
KJ sucks right now. I don’t think he would be playing today if Prado were healthier
Greetings
June 11th, 2009
2:34 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI
A song for Bobby and JF…
Puh-leeze
June 11th, 2009
2:34 pm
JD
I don’t Watch That Farce Known as the NBA…
But you will watch the steroid, HGH, amphetamine enhanced MLB? Oh, aren’t you so advanced!
chc4
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
Rain delay coming shortly. Need to get the stinkin’ lead!
Soph
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
What was up with the foul ball? I completely missed it…
BJones
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
Javy’s dealing…
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
9 k’s. keep it up javy
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
CLE–
Ah, thanks.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
Me lovin some Javy
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:36 pm
canizares is handling everything so far. lets see if he can actually hit
Sid Bream's Personal Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:36 pm
I’m from a tiny town over in Dekalb, but I’m moving down to Mobile soon enough. It’s better down there.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:36 pm
Need some runs to take the pressure of javy
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
Another good inning by Vazquez. Braves need to get a second run. Hope they’ve got it in them.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
Great day from Javy so far…9 Ks so far.
JA
June 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
Whats The Score?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
RHR,
Will be there for the birth no question, just maybe not all day on the day after the birth. Got family coming in, in a support role.
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
RHR And only 2 years after the first (and only) Spotlight: Jeff Francoeur.
Ha, yeah…
Hey, that music they play at the beginning of the commercial for Spotlight on BMac reminds me of the guitar music in Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper…
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
2:38 pm
Mobile’s a great town, just fabulous. Lived there for several years and loved every minute.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
2:38 pm
Is this another great outing about to be wasted?
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:38 pm
As bad as the Braves’ offense has been lately, Baltimore’s has been worse.
The Orioles hit .218 with a total of 17 runs in their past 10 games (2-8). They have a 4.64 ERA in that stretch and have hit five homers in those 10 games, including no multi-homer games.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:38 pm
Chipper has fallen off, Whats Going On!!!
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
DOB and Carroll– Whichever of you is going to Baltimore– Great Afghan restaurants just past Washington Monument owned by brother of President Karzai. This is the brother that some observers claim now controls certain substances produced in that country. Also, great seafood, Greek, and Italian restaurants especially in the area where they produced “The Wire” and one other famous cop show, both written by former Baltimore newspaper writer. Also, the Walters Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art are great. Enjoy! Parks for running too.
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
Barbaro comes through!
rob from sc
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
way to go Barbaro
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
lol Barbaro finally gets the “A” on his helmet and he gets a hit
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
Barbaro just picked up his first major league hit.
bravesgrl4life
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
BARABAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not a jack, but hey, it’s the guy’s first big league hit!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
First big-league hit for the old rook. Good show, Barbaro.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
2:39 pm
Chipper still has NEVER hit Maholm.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
And Barbaro gets to celebrate his first hit to “If I Could Escape” by Gwin Stefani…lucky him.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
Gwen*
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
1st hit a nice start to inning
brent a.
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
Barbaro > Norton
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
DOB
with both our our struggles I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 3 are slug fest.
JerseyGil
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
EL CUBANO GIGANTE….I smoking a Cohiba in his honor..First Hit
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:40 pm
H’ville has a lot of people moving in from “up top” like me. Still slow though. Whole state is really! I need the flashing lights of the city!
Way to go, Barbaro! Matty has the most horrible swings. Love Prado!
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
When did Canizares defect from Cuba? And how long has he been in the Braves organization?
brent a.
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Barbaro’s speed intimidated Sanchez.
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Barbaro’s already 1/4 of the way to Greg Norton’s hit total
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
what the hell was KK doing….he looked like a fish out of water
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Go Barbaro! He has Andruw’s physique and looks a bit like AJ without that funny smile
JD
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Chop It Up – he’s been with the Braves since 2006. I don’t know when he defected.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Oh well she’ll be fine with all the family in if you have to leave once the baby is born and everything is ok she won’t care if you make an exit. My ex husband was a doctor and my deliveries were scheduled to fit with his schedule. Delivered both in his hospital and I think I saw him for about 5 minutes after the births. But that was fine..good luck with everything.
Sid Bream’s Mustache Assistant – Hey I’m from Guntersville. Wow, from Dekalb county to Brooklyn? I’m guessing THAT was an adjustment. I love the Mobile area, good choice.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:42 pm
Sanchez baubles the double play ball and only gets Diaz. Barbaro to second.
Francœur has a chancet to really upset his haters if he can get a base hit and an RBI here.
J williams
June 11th, 2009
2:42 pm
DOB
With that tidbit on Baltimore’s hitting, we should expect extra innings in the next three games, because the Braves will probably match them hit for hit.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:42 pm
Frenchy taking pitches like he knows what strikes are
BJones
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
Frenchy draws a walk..
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
Holy Sh!t a 4 pitch walk to Frenchy
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
they threw around Francoeur?
RHR
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
No really. Francoeur walked?
BRB I’m going to confession real quick.
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
It is SO BRUTAL how poor this team hits……
choozer
June 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
LOL! He pitched around Frenchy! The one guy with 2 hits and an RBI today. The world is upside down.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:44 pm
Not gonna say this is a good start to something or anything like that…but…have to admit JF has had a good day today.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
2:44 pm
A looping single in the second, and a low liner to right in the 4th for 2 hits are simply not going to convince me that Franceour has “turned” the corner. If getting punch and Judy hits are cause for celebration, then that is really a sad sad reality for Jeff Franceour. When Chipper and McCann get singles, we clap but are not surprised.
If Franceour were to SHOW me that he can drive the ball and start getting on a run of doubles and homers, then MAYBE I’ll re-evaluate my position. However, I simply do not seeing Francoeur ever getting on that kind of streak.
WOW, a walk for Francoeur! The Apocalypse is upon us. 2-2 with an RBI and a walk. Sign the guy to a 10 year, 160 mil contract extension!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:44 pm
RHR, thanks for the kind words! French with a walk, PRICEless!
Roman Gal
June 11th, 2009
2:44 pm
I don’t know whether to be impressed with the fact that Francoeur walked or depressed that they’re actually pitching around Francoeur because they’re more afraid to pitch to him than anyone else at the bottom of the lineup.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:44 pm
Heath…he sure has
Rodney Derrick
June 11th, 2009
2:45 pm
Pirates are scared of Frenchy. Didn’t they intentially walk him earlier in the series, or was that the Brewers?
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
2:45 pm
Hey guys I got late for the game (blog), so whats the story with Canizares?, I mean, once CK gets back theres still Nortons spot in the roster, so who gets called down? bennett? or will canizares go down to make room for CK=??
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
Cant Canizares play SS and send Yunel down?LOL
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
Wow. Frencky on base three times in one game! When’s the last time that happened?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
Pitching around Frenchy to get to Rossy and Kelly. I’d do it!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
Other than the weak grounder (which should have been ruled a fielders’ choice) to end the game the other night……..when was the last time Ross had a hit?
brent a.
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
LOB
Braves – 6
Pirates – 1
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
Cheese-Whiz This Offense Has Been Garbage Hitting With R.I.S.P. The last 2 days…Are these Guys Hungover or something?
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
2:47 pm
okay does anyone not think Manny should be suspended for at the most 3 more days since he met with the media in the Dodgers clubhouse?
I mean that’s a rule too, and he broke it, but nothing.
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
2:47 pm
BRUTAL. You take Mac out of the lineup, we have 3 decent hitters….
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:47 pm
Paul Lentz…Braves fans learn to take what we can get from Frenchy. 2 hits is a good day, especially for how he’s been playing. you seem less and less like a fan of A-town to me.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:48 pm
This is probley Javy best start of the season so far and we cant get him any runs to help him out. Sad
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
2:48 pm
“the Braves threaten”. seems thats all they ever do. all bark no bite.
Andrew in P-tang
June 11th, 2009
2:48 pm
braves struggle against alot of pitchers…but really do against lefty’s with control and good offspeed stuff
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:48 pm
Like the fact that Javy has no walks, today!
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
I hate hearing Don Sutton say, ‘The Braves were threatening here in the 5th inning but came away empty’ The Braves could have the bases loaded with no outs and that wouldnt be a threat to the other team because they know they can get out of it without giving up any runs. Braves threatening, haha, thats funny right there.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
Thought they got him there
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
Wes, that’s what I’m sayin. Ross is known for a some power, low average tyoe hitter with real good defense. But, we haven’t seen ANYTHING from him at the plate since, really, more than a month.
FU** that guy was OUT!
BossLady
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
Brawler I hate to be the one to jump serious on you or anything. But, it is best to wait and see what happens to decide. Things have been known to go wrong during these times. I and everyone hope that all goes smoothly. Just count on being there until you know in your heart
that it is okay to leave. When you witness your first child’s birth and the dire effort your wife put in for this occasion, you will see
life much more differently that you do now. A life changing experience is coming your way so be in place to take it all in, at once.
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
Escobar strikes again. dreaming about da club.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
Umps killing us today. Good play by Barbaro, though!
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
Doc Holiday:
When CK comes back – I would guess that Blanco goes back to AAA. Braves carrying 5 outfielders right now.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
This is probley Javy best start of the season so far and we cant get him any runs to help him out. Sad
Two sides to that coin…plenty of days that the offense roared for him and he managed to throw a mushroom-cloud inning somewhere.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
awful call there but esco made a terrible through there as well
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
Barbaro just ate that ball he hit……….strong guy, it was not hit hard, but it was a hard hit ball considering he barely hit it, just a scratch and it went to the OF.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
Can’t see the game. Was he really out?
PMC
June 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
SO it’s Romeo y Julieta day at the ballpark?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
Another F’d Up call Again…The Worst Umpiring I have seen in my life this year…! Arrrghhh!!!
This Will be Javy’s Big Inning, “Bank On It!”
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
Does Yunel lead the majors in errors for SS?
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
I hate miscalls(that go against the Braves).
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
Javier Vazquez is pitching very well once again. If Franceour was the kind of power hitter that the Braves counted on, then the Braves wouldnt even have to consider trading Vazquez for a right fielder. Having Vazquez eat up innings, keeping the Braves in the ballgame start after start is an asset any team will have.
And to think that some moron last night suggested that the only way the Braves could trade Vazquez would be if the Braves were to “eat” part of his contract. $11.5 mil this year and next is a BARGAIN for a starter of Vazquez’s caliber. I would hate to get rid of him, however if the Braves are going to get some right handed power, they are going to have to give up quality to get quality.
Even though Escobar should have made a better throw, the umpire totally missed that call. Dude was tagged out. Let’s see how Vazquez pitches around that error.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
Unless Barbaro is really a hitter, and aside from the day time fluke we’re seeing from Francoeur….anytime McCann is out of the lineup, the opposing pitcher legitimately gets 3 free INNINGS worth of outs from our 4-9 hitters. It’s embarassing.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
BossLady!
Thanks for the insight, will make the call and play it by ear
TNScott
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
I wonder when the last time someone pitched around Frenchy? And how many times are we going to get screwed by umpires in this game and this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
The guy was out…bad call.
brent a.
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
Soph,
tagged him on the back before he reached first
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:52 pm
Scared this inning will get away from us
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:53 pm
I have a bad feeling about this inning
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
2:53 pm
here we go…
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:53 pm
Bubba
I think Javy’s Best Start was the Third game of the season against Philly…
He Is Striking out a lot of batters today because its The AAA Pirates! I think he pitched his best the third game of the Season at Citizens Bank Park against that Sick Philly Lineup…!
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:54 pm
I understand that all umps miss calls, and no one is perfect, but when someone blows a call that bad, he should be made to watch the replay.
Rhymenreason
June 11th, 2009
2:54 pm
It looks as though we are on the way to ruining another good outing by one of our starters. Lets just hope Vasquez doesnt throw anymore mistake pitches.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
2:54 pm
Not in the game – I’m not advocating instant replay. I mean after the game just so they know they screwed up.
joe
June 11th, 2009
2:54 pm
So…….who gets the game-winning hit for us today? I predict it will be…McCann off the bench!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:55 pm
Soph
He was really out, by two steps!
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:55 pm
If Escobar doesn’t watch it, he’ll get tossed before the day is over. He is jawing at the umpire at every at bat.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:56 pm
Heath…
This Topic Doesn’t Get Addressed that Much…
But I think The Braves are very Subpar Definsively!
Between The Lack Of Range From Our Outfielders (Loaf, Francine) The Mental Errors and the Physical Errors…
I rank the Braves at 11-12 In the League On Overall Defense!
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:56 pm
Joe, Kelly Johnson gets redeemed and wins the game with a gapper.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:57 pm
A one run lead is getting insumountable for the Braves lineup.
Sid Bream's Personal Mustache Attendant
June 11th, 2009
2:57 pm
Wait, so Frenchy has singled, stole a base, drove in a run, and drew a BB? That’s his entire production for the month of July, folks. He’ll be taking that month off to golf with John Smoltz.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
2:57 pm
Way to pitch around the bad call Javy
abwright
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
Javy pitches around the lead off error with a strike out of the guy who took him deep.
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
wow when was teh last time an error DIDN’T come back to hurt this team. fortunes rising?
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
Tomahawkin, I agree. I would say that Atlanta is below average defensively. I haven’t looked at the fielding percentages and how they stack up against the rest of the league, but they make their share of errors and some boneheaded plays. Escobar’s goof not looking the runner back to third is a great example from last night’s game.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
There We Go Javy!!! Get Some Effing Runs!!!
Offense! Come On!!!! We have Made the AAA pirates Look like a playoff caliber team this series!!!
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
Another great effort for Javy. 10 K’s 0 BB’s.
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
A perfect 10 for Javi
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
Love to see that K there baby!!!!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
The lady in the booth with Boog and Joe is kind Milfy!
Rhymenreason
June 11th, 2009
2:59 pm
Whats going on with KJ this past month and a half? IS it a Terry Pendelton problem that our hitters are so inconsistant?
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
2:59 pm
The LaRoche Boys really screwed that inning up. Adam failed to move the runner over with nobody out, while Andy inexplicably bunted the runner over to second with his AB.
rammerjammer
June 11th, 2009
2:59 pm
102 pitches for Javy. Done for the day? Who pinch hits? Anderson, I guess.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:00 pm
Compared to the Defense Of the 90’s Braves Teams…The 09 Braves are Very Subpar…
I have Seen More Mental errors on this team from the last 3 years than I saw from 93-2003…
Gawd I hate Pitchers Duels!!!
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
3:00 pm
Braves are 11th in the NL and 3rd in the NL East in defensive efficiency.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:00 pm
Does Bobby dare pinch-hit for Javy here?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Loaf lookslike he dosen’t even want to be here in Atlanta. If its not hit directly to him it takes him 10 minutes to get to any basehit or gapper.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Will bobby picth hit for Javy this inning?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
MILF, MILF, MILF!!!
I had To Pull The American Pie Plot!!!
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Joe…………The only reason I do not like to see Franceour have any success is because it only delays further the need for Braves management to get rid of him. Any “glimpse” of success buys Franceour another 2 weeks in the line-up. And 2 weeks from today, get back with me on what Francoeur’s numbers are then. I tell you what, today is June 11, I’ll keep a daily track of Francoeur’s number starting tomorow and on June 25th, I’ll make a reference back to this posting and post what Francoeur’s numbers are since his “breakout” 2 single, one walk, one RBI day so far today, lol. It will be interesting to see what you guys think of how today’s game affected the Braves the next 2 weeks.
If Francoeur could consistently DRIVE the ball for the Braves, then of course I wouldnt be so cynical when he gets a couple of singles.
rob from sc
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
way to call the KJ double
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Bout Time KJ!!! Nice!!!
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Great call on KJ!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
Rare hit for KJ!
rob from sc
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
let Javy bunt
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
3:01 pm
LOL, I thought Boog was going to say a, “rare hit for Kelly.”
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
There’s your gapper…
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
There’s Kelly’s gapper. Now, the question is can the Braves get him home with no outs?
macdwolfpack
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
Does Mike Minor equal a Maholm type pitcher? If so I’d be happy
HOly Cow a hit by Kelly, stop the presses!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
BUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
Clout…game winner here we go!
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
KJ doubles to the left center field gap to lead off the inning.
Javy looks to bunt him over to third, and he makes a great effort. KJ to third with one out.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
Great bunt. Glad cox is leaving him in there
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:02 pm
Javy can lay down a bunt better than anyone on the team.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
Thank you for listening BOBBY!!!!!
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
Javy is a legit baseball player….
Why would we want to trade such a solid contributer?
rob from sc
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
that was ugly
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
LOL. I mighta spoke too soon
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
Can’t say I’ve seen “that” play before! Talk about an attempted foot sweep with the bat.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
Thats one way to try to take the pitcher out
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:03 pm
Nice rip Kelly. Way to DRIVE the ball to the opposite field. I know that Kelly has had his struggles, however he has some pop in his bat.
Meanwhile, Vazquez has pitched 7 innings, 10 strikeouts, one run, and no walks. Way to lay the bunt down Vazquez. I’m glad that I picked Braves pitching for my ESPN fantasy baseball team for today. So far, lol.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Javy with sac bunt! That’s as good as you can do it. Nate way to try and take out Maholm. We can’t hit against him
rob from sc
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
and there we go
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Come on Escobar, use you’re clutch.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
And McLouth strikes out leaving it in Escobar’s hands. Need a hit.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Ninety feet away with no outs! McLouth whiffs. Left to Escobar with two outs.
Brian the Brain
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Extremely hard rain and lightning in Cumming headed towards the Stadium.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Need Esco to make up for the…eh hem… error.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
Is there a worse team at making contact with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:05 pm
Sweep the leg, Nate!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:05 pm
There is where Escobar has been at his best this season
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:05 pm
Tomhawkin, he’s had one hitless game and today since his last two-hit game. Is that really “falling off?” Pujols just had an 0-for-15 before his hit yesterday. It happens.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:05 pm
Come on Esco!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
Crap!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
GAWD THIS OFFENSE SUCKS!!!
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
this team is bad. flat out bad.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
Escobar hits that one deep enough for the sac fly. Too bad there were already two outs. On to the eighth.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
I wish KJ would steal home instead of relying on a timely hit.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
I’m guessing nothing happened? Radio is delayed.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
Lead off double leads to nothing
Coach ( Moon Pie, Anyone?)
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
Dig in boys, we can’t let these filthy cut throats out of town with a split!
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:06 pm
This team blows, McLouth is officially a Brave, anti-clutch and slumping with the rest of the team.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
*Sigh*
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
Left a run out there again. Man, this team has to learn to manufacture runs sometimes. A homerun won’t always happen.
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
Even McLouth gets stained with the abysmla hitting bug…..
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
McCann game winner off the bench in the 9th
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
Yup, nothing happened. What else is new?
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
Tough pitcher. Hope that was his last inning.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
Why couldn’t McLouth have done what Esco just did, fly out, when that’s all we needed to score a run?
Ron Roberts
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
*shakes head.* We are the pop-uppinest team in the bigs, with RISP and 2 outs, I do believe.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:07 pm
I was not serious, by the way. But it seems like our chances today with getting a timely hit and stealing home are about 50/50.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
D.O.B. True About the Comments About Chipper…I was more-of Venting about the offense as a whole on that post…
It seems Like they only hit when he does…!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
Javy deserves better than this.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
I told you this team was no threat, lead off double and nothing to show for it. What the hell Nate, I guess welcome to TP land.
geauxbraves2000
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
BOOOOO!!!
J-Man
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
Whats the score and inning?
TNScott
June 11th, 2009
3:08 pm
Javy recovered in spite of the two errors(Escobar and umpire)but had to throw a lot of unnecessary pitches. You know I wonder if the defensive errors are kept and available to the public who keeps the umpires stats, and what happens if an umpire struggles with calls in season? Also, is there a set number of missed calls before something is done?
geauxbraves2000
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
Doesn’t someone eventually have to be accountable for this offense?
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
c jonze…………it isnt that I “want” to see Vazquez traded. It’s that the Braves NEED right handed power. There is NO way that the Braves are going to make any kind of run with the offense we have now. In order for the Braves to get that elusive big bat, we are going to have to trade something that another team covets (starting pitching). Of all the starters that can bring a big bat, the most likely candidate to be used as bait is Vazquez.
Now if Francoeur was producing in the manner that Braves management “expected” him to, then there would be no need to even discuss trading Vazquez. However, either the Braves keep what we have and give up on this season…or…the Braves explore options on improving our lack of power from the right side of the plate.
Now, if you have any realistic suggestions as to how the Braves can improve their lack of right handed power without giving up a starter of Vazquez’s caliber, then by all means, please post it.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
Man Vazquez Is Clowning!!!
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
Javy is cooking with gas today.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
103 pitches and Javy is in the 8th, this is never a good sign. Hope Bobby pulls him at the first sign of trouble.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
11 k’s and counting
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
No matter the outcome of this game, Javy has been awesome!!
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
Javy back out in the eighth to get the bottom of the Pirates’ order.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
J-Man – 1-1 top of the 8th
Strikeouts
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
11!!!!!!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
Jeff Schultz is spreading some awful rumors about me on his little Twitter thing. I think he told his minions that I had a Brady Bunch CD, or a Partridge Family CD, or something.
Anyway, glad I can be a source of amusement for Twitter boy. The denizens know better.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:10 pm
Wow. Javy’s still in the game? Crazy.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Escobar actully make a good through there
1957 Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Another good pitching performance is being wasted. Pathetic.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Renegator,
You are right, I hope Barbaro stays here for good.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Javy is flat-out dominating today folks.
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Javi nearing 110 pitches, he wants his (well deserved) win!
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
We are the pop-uppinest team in the bigs, with RISP and 2 outs, I do believe.
And, of course, that would be incorrect, as are most voiced perceptions here at any moment of failure.
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Come on Braves, help the pitcher out and score a run or 2
This is a perverted world
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
What’s up with sick-o’s on this blog?
The same guy soliciting comments about what to do when his first baby is born, is making inappopriate comments about Lazer Baker.
This world is sick.
I hope you have a daughter, Brooklyn Brawler. Wait a second. I wish you weren’t having a kid.
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:11 pm
Did I just hear Smoltz will make a start here? Chipper will own him.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:12 pm
Jeff Schultz is spreading some awful rumors about me on his little Twitter thing.
Uh. I hope everyone knows what twitter is.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:12 pm
Moss pinch hitting for Maholm. Braves get to try to win this against the Pirates’ bullpen.
Bill
June 11th, 2009
3:12 pm
Braves blow man on third one out.1and 2 hitters fail.77-85
forget the curveball Ricky
June 11th, 2009
3:12 pm
lawd hab murcy
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
By the way, so much for that majors-leading average with RISP and two outs. Does seem like they pile up a bunch of those hits after they’ve already got some games won, or maybe I’m just being cynical.
Must be Schultz rubbing off on me.
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
12 strikeouts!! Let’s get this man some runs!!
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
12 K’s, No BB’s, 8 innings. Have a day, Javy.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
Javy strikes out Moss to end the inning.
Come on, boys! Get him a run!
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
does anyone know when this team will be completely healthy. when do omar and kotchman come off the dl
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
12 k’s. Mabey chipper will lead off with a hr
Frank from KS
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
I think if from day 1 til now, if the offense hadn’t been so bad….a game here and there where they struggle to score runs wouldn’t be so bad.
As it is….we have seen too much of this struggle as a whole all season to this point.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
Javy looks good enough to finish this game himself.
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
Wow, 12 K’s. Think Javy is liking the NL and Cox better than the AL and Ozzie?
StingerSplash
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
Javy Vazquez=bad a!!
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
Would you left Javy go 9 since he’s only thrown 113 pitches?
forget the curveball Ricky
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
give him the heater!!!
c’mon boys, get one across now
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
DOB, you should never let Schultz rub off on you…
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
Line of rain/t-storms about to hit the park
Coach ( Moon Pie, Anyone?)
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
34 quality starts, 29 wins…. something has to give.
choozer
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
Best outing of the season for Javy, or probably any Braves pitcher … but will he even get the decision?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
Alright We Better Win This Game, Javy Has been Clowning and he could be on the line to lose this one…
There are gonna be some Mad Cats (Like the Firecrackers) on this blog if we drop this game because of the AWFense!!!
Awfense Come On!!!
rammerjammer
June 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
I believe Javy is what they call “manning up.”
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:15 pm
Come on chip
DAP
June 11th, 2009
3:15 pm
i think javy goes one more unless the braves take the lead.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
Chipper gets his first hit of the day, Canizares gets his first RBI of his career and the Braves get the lead.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
Vazquez has thrown 113 pitches through eight, but he looked really strong in that last inning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pitch the ninth if the Braves don’t score a run in this inning.
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
The Braves better win this one for Javy. This is probably one of his best performances in his career.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
Joe: Yes, if all goes as planned, I heard that Smoltz will likely start against the Braves both in Boston (Sunday) and here (Friday or Saturday), which would be his second and third starts. He’s making his last scheduled rehab start tonight.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
with the way both of these teams are hitting, my pitching numbers could EXPLODE if this game goes into extra innings. I picked the Braves pitching for my ESPN fantasy baseball team. I would rather see the Braves score now to win the game. However, if this game is going to go into extra innings, I might as well benefit. Just keep striking them out and walking no one, lol.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
Come on Braves, do somethin!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
I hope they let him finish but doubt he will
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:17 pm
Anyone Wanna Guess Who DH’S in Baltimore…?
I like B-Macc DH’ing and D-Ross Catching…Use Loaf In left and Matty-D in Right
The Only Reason I like Loaf in the Baltimore Series is because he’s played his whole career in the AL…And Add to that The Short Dimensions at Camden Yards!
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:17 pm
Even Chipper sucks today.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:17 pm
Oh, well, so much for guesstimating.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:17 pm
Two consecutive hitless games for Chipper…against the Pirates. Maybe there is more to this pitching staff than we thought?
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:17 pm
Hotdammit!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
Who wants to bet that Cox will insert Moylan?
Or Bennett?
Coach ( Moon Pie, Anyone?)
June 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
Scoring is easy. Trust me, I know these things.
Steal 1st base, sac bunt to second and then third. Steal home and SCOOORRRE!
Frank from KS
June 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
DOB re: part of your 3:10
” I think he told his minions that I had a Brady Bunch CD, or a Partridge Family CD, or something.”
WOW. We had no clue.
Lol
j/k
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
mccann has got to get a pinch hit appearance in this game. need every chance to score a run
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
I’m with Tomahawkin
Gawd this awfense sucks!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
Diaz will win it here for us
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
If we dont score in the bottom of the 8th, which it looks like we wont, then I would throw Vazquez back out in the 9th. He is due to bat 4th in the bottom of the 9th, assuming Diaz makes an out.
tale of woe
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
DOB – Smoltz has asked the Sox that his first start does not come against Atlanta.
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
I hope the Braves light up Smoltz. That would be so sweet.
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
This has been a boring @ss game to watch. Javy has been lights out though, one of the best outings ive ever seen outta him.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:19 pm
Gawd Dammitt!!! This Offense Makes Me Sick!!! They Are Sooo Inconsistant!!!
Can we get a Solo Homer? They Can’t rally so what gives?
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
Frenchy will double off the wall to score Diaz
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
Diaz singles with two outs. Chipper and Barbaro made Mr. Jackson (5+ ERA) look like a champ.
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
could francoeur be the hero?
FaninFaytown
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
This Vasquez character… hes decent eh?
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
Assumed wrong, lol. Nice rip Diaz. If Franceour can hit a double or homer here, then I’ll be impressed and officially call it a “good” day for him.
c jonze
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
Paul Lentz
This team does not have a solid 4th or 5th pitcher, let alone a legit 3rd starter without Vasquez. KK and Tommy are still working it out, and this team’s #1 priority in the offseason was solidifying the starting pitching. I sincerely doubt that this team will trade Javier, and they will most certainly not pay a portion of his salary to do so. I would not even speculate who would be the trade bait, but this team values starting pitching far too much to move Javy this season, unless they start selling because they are so far out of it…
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:20 pm
DOB
so they rather throw Smoltz at us than Wakefield on Sunday?
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
Once again, great to see Diaz swiping a base.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
NecroMancer…
I dunno What It is…?
The AWFense Puts it together for Two games, then we hit like AAA’ers for 2 or 3 straight…!
This AWFense Makes Me Want to listen to Pantera!!!
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
WOW! What is with Diaz today?
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
So does Diaz lead the team in SB now? lol.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
Here we go again. SB then frenchy rbi
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
Diaz steals second.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
There We Go Matty-D!!!
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
For this to happen, Jeff will have to have a perfect afternoon.
Think about that for a minute.
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
cmon jeff
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Get This Mudda-Sucker In!!!
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Go Diaz! Steal them bases.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
2 stolen bases for Diaz today. Another reason why I want to see Diaz play more, especially in right field.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Frenchy 1 and 2..
swing for strike 3
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Thats the failcoeur we all know and hate.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
wrong..but an out anyway…
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Fcking Francine!!!
Coach ( Moon Pie, Anyone?)
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Matt Diaz, lightning jack on the base paths!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Diaz just became first Brave to steal two bases in a game this season.
They’ve got three today, which is half their season total in the first 50-some games.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
Maybe we should put Diaz at the top of the order and just let him go? Man’s got some wheels. : )
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
RHR…that would be like going to heaven
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Dammit. Predictible at bat by frenchy.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Well, at least Bobby is stealing some bases.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Frances…
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
and another reason why he’s not Mr. Clutch….I will say I’ve seen him clutch 2 times…that’s about it.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Meanwhile, back to normal for Francoeur. Reaches out and weakly pulls the ball to the shortstop. There’s Mr. Clutch for you.
billy_buru
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Francoer swings at pitches that are way out of the strike zone-that ball never had a chance.
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
I didn’t know that you could run to another base when the pitcher is pitching?
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Francœur had one of his normal at bats. Swung at some bad pitches to get behind in the count and then pulled an unpullable pitch to ground out to the SS.
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Ay-yi-yi. So frustrating.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
he’s not Mr. Clutch…he’s Mr. Goo!
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
diaz should at least get some more playing time
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
Braves Team Batting song…. Chicago: Hard to Say I’m sorry
chc4
June 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
And people wonder why no one’s going to the games!
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
Leave him in there bobby please
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
Moylan or Bennett anyone?
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
Oh whew! Soriano!
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
be awesome if vazquez goes out and k’s the side
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:24 pm
Soriano gets the call
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
Too bad for Javy but Ralph has been nasty lately
choozer
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
I hope those guys can look themselves in the mirror after wasting back-to-back quality starts, including this priceless gem by Javy.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
MOTHER EFFIN JEFF FRANCOEUR, Gawd I cannot stand this guy. So what he has an RBI and 2 hits today when he cannot do it when it counts. Why the hell was he trying to pull a changeup? You know you are going to ground out to SS when you do that, he should have went with the pitch and hit it over the 2nd basemans head, but no, he tries to pull EVERYTHING!!!!
J williams
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
AndyC
Unless the Braves are invaded by the body snatchers, they’re not going to light up anybody or anything.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
I don’t Like That McCutchen Leading Off, I have a Bad Feeling about this Inning
Gawd I miss Deion!!!
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
Wow, now that was a shocker, Frenchy leaving the winning run in scoring position? man.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
hmmph..
usually when games on the line..Cox will insert one of the “dooky boys.”
not this time…impressive..
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
How long is Wren gonna sit around and watch this crap before he upgrades the offense?
flange1
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
Steve from OH,
I just got back into town, have not had a chance to review the old blogs. I am thinking the denizens did not like the Braves draft? Is Minor like a poor man’s Glavine?
Seems like I saw a KLaw report saying that he thought Minor would not need a lot of time in the minors.
Thoughts?
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
Has Soriano pitched 4 days in a row? Hes been pitching a lot lately
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
Think people on this blog will still say Vasquez is mediocre because he has a below .500 w/l record? I bet they do.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
Hey, he went 2-3, had an RBI and a walk. Did we ever in our wildest dreams imagine that would happen? I bet he’s waiting for DOB with the quotes after the game.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
Of the two, thought we might see Gonzo instead of Soriano here since 3 of the top 4 guys in the lineup here for the Pirates are LH….
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
In his last couple of outing, Soriano has used his slider more than any of his previous apperances.
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
ballgame
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
Can we bring back Brian Jordon to play right field in place of jeff?
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
wow Kelly you could’ve got that…maybe not throw him out but come on
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
McCutchen Trying To Pull Off the Lil Whine (Wayne) Dreads!!!
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
I would have sent Vazquez out for the 9th inning. However, I do understand why Bobby pulled him. Hopefully Soriano will keep these guys in check.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
Tomahawkin
You might be right about that
Ahab
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
Watching Gameday…shows two pitches by Soriano…first a “cutter” at 89 with 6″ brk and 5″ pfx and the second a “slider” at 89 with 6&5…how in the world do they determine those things?
Willlaws
June 11th, 2009
3:27 pm
this will not end well.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
flange, he’s a very similar pitcher to Glavine, at least to me. I don’t think he’ll need much time in the minors myself. The scouting report on him is 86-89FB, good command, plus changeup, and a slider and a curveball. I think the slider could be a + pitch with a little work. Not a bad player at all, but a reach stuff-wise for the seventh pick. He’ll sign for cheap, though.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
McCutchen on second with one out. Watch what speed will do for a team…
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
I hope Yunel is awake.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
Javy’s not mediocre…the rest of the team? That one’s up for debate..
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
get a single its over no one will throw out mccutchen at the plate. guy got wheels
Soph
June 11th, 2009
3:28 pm
Now, let’s see if the Pirates get their guy home from second.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
He could still 3rd here with a right handed batter up
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
Vazquez 12 strikeouts, no walks, two hits … and he’s not going to get a decision.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
typo…my bad.
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
3:26 pm
How long is Wren gonna sit around and watch this crap before he upgrades the offense?
Jesus Christ! He got an all-star outfielder just last week. He is upgrading it, its just takes a little bit when it is this bad.
DAP
June 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
i wouldnt direct all your disgust towards frenchy. remember kelly was at 3rd with one out. mclouth couldnt even make contact and escobar flew out.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:30 pm
In the last 8 days the braves have 8 stolen bases.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:30 pm
Walk losuck to face the other losuck
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:30 pm
I bet Javy and Jair are some frustrated individuals…
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
3:30 pm
I find it kind of ironic that they cut Glavine and then kind of drafted him again a week later…
Eric from MO
June 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
Efrim they will, especially N8.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
Wins- loss record really don’t mean anything. Just look at Javy Vazquez.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
Can’t They Get Jim Cantore To Call the Weather at the Ted?
brian
June 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
maybe shultz is listing out his favorites – Brady Bunch CD, Air Supply, Barry Manilow
Ahab
June 11th, 2009
3:31 pm
Yeah but 22 years younger…
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
Lord, I hope we don’t trade Vasquez….
Damn…I never thought I would say that…
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
Lord, I hope we don’t trade Vasquez….
Damn…I never thought I would say that…
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
2 strikes but surely something bad will happen.
chrisw148
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
DOB It appears the Mclouth move is not enought to help the offense, do you think they have another move that can be made? I really think by July 31 Frenchy is out the door do you agree?
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
Raffy, Come On! Baby, We Need U!
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:32 pm
Capps will get McCanned in the 9th
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:33 pm
yeah…McLouth can’t carry the offense by himself..
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:34 pm
No wild pitches please.
Damn, I hate these kinds of at-bats.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:34 pm
Game Over!!!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:34 pm
Ball game
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:34 pm
WOW
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Oh God
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
I ****ing knew it.
Burdell
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
wow….
Jeff321
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Cox calls for the intentional walk and it comes home to roost.
ONCE AGAIN!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
This offense can’t overcome that..
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Should have left Javy in there
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
holy f**k. this team sucks. sucks. sucks. sucks.
3rd base and less than 1 out.
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Great piece of hitting there by LaRoche. Every right-handed hitter in this game has been getting killed on that outside corner. Gotta tip your cap to the man there.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
I know Soriano hasn’t been bad…but why take Javy out when he’s dealing.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Base hit on a pitch off the plate. Pirates get 2 runs.
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
taking only 2 out of 4 from the pirates?? Sad
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Another quality start…wasted!
Phillip
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Andy LaRoche just showed any Braves hitter that’s interested in how you battle a good pitcher.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
GAWD DAMN THIS TEAM SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Two runs is enough.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Guard the runner for god sake it’s Adam Laroche. It cost the Braves 2 runs.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Guess I wrote about Soriano at the right time (yesterday). Ouch….
Maholm could sing similar hard-luck blues as Vazquez: The lefty now has a 1.67 ERA in four starts against the Braves, and only one win for it. His team has scored one run while he’s been in each of his past three starts against the Braves.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Damn!
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
So I didn’t see it but…how did Adam Laroche get to 2nd without a throw?
That one cost us another run.
Ian Curtis
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Way to walk the man and let him take second base. That didn’t back fire at all…nope. Not at all.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
GAWD DAMMIT!!! I’m Tired Of this Fcking Team Dropping Games To AAA Teams!!!!
We Got Bytch Slapped By The Nats And Have made The Pirates Look Like a Playoff team in every game…
F… This AWFENSE…They lost the last 2 games!!!
Turtsnap
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
We hit, we get bad pitching…. we get good pitching, we don’t hit. Yep, good team we have here. Anyone want to buy the rest of my tix? I’ll go 7/17 just to see Maddux, the rest I’ll flush in the toilet!
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Gonzo gets taken out in games like this why not Soriano..it AINT WORKING
WestPalmDawg
June 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
Why is a DH (Canizares) playing for a NL team if he can’t run or field for crying out loud. Another great signing by Frank and the boys.
Bubba
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Sad to lose two in a row to pitt.
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
very disappointing day, but that’s baseball
ArkyTech
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Why the heck are we intentionally walking a freakin’ .240 hitter!
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
This one’s in the books. It would be too much to expect more than one run from this offense. This is so frustrating. Great pitching and zero hitting.
Dopher
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Soriano is out of his mind now….good pitches to LaR, and a great piece of hitting. But now Soriano wants out of there.
Daniel
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
son of a gun…. that hurts!
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
A couple of dribblers have found some holes this inning.
P-Town Brave
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Slider and f’n slider and another f’n slider
Way to piss this game away boys!
Give me back McCann…at least he can call a freakin fastball!
billy_buru
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Braves are a sub 500 team with this outfield. They’ll win about 76-80 games. The Pirates are just as good as the Braves, and alot cheaper payroll lol
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
You had to know this was coming when McClouth didn’t get the runner in from 3rd. It was the over-used Soriano, but if it wasn’t him, it would have been any of them out of the pen.
Also, the Braves continue to let people steal bases and that will come back to hurt you.
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Typical Braves fashion. We let Adam LaRoche steal second uncontested to put the game out of reach. Just bad managing there.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOO
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
Bravos2249,
I really don’t understand why that always happens. Why does Bobby always do that?
It irritates the hell out me.
Andrew in P-tang
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
cool
Ian Curtis
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
This is a .500 team and nothing more. They’ll do this the rest of the year…win 3 games to get back to .500, and then lose three more.
chc4
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Can’t wait to hear Bobby “tip his hat” to Maholm. What a joke.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
How much time is Wren willing to kill until some more bats are brought in? This is almost inhumane how this offense continously blows!
Oh and BTW…bottom 3rd of order coming up…Game really over..
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
This Game and series for that Matter Feels Like A kick to the Nads!!! Now I’m ready to get Violent…! ARRRGGGGHHH!!!!
The_Superhoo (Montana by way of Virginia)
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Way to blow it Soriano.
Mangum
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
How did a run score from first on a single?
Ron Roberts
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Great… the Pittsburgh effing Pirates come to town fresh off of our ripping their hearts out via the trade for McLouth… and we’re gonna split with them. When the HELL will somebody be held accountable (Terry Pendleton) for this horrendous letdown-after-letdown? We have starting pitching that rivals ANY of the premiere teams in the league, and we’re middling at .500 because “Coach” Terry can’t fix the guys who aren’t hitting. Geez, if it’s LOYALTY, make the blob a bench coach and GET us a hitting coach that, I don’t know, can COACH hitting!!!
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
my guess is that it’ll be an easy 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th.
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Andy Laroche almost did the splits hitting that ball. cant blame soriano there
Jay
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
this team sucks. im done.
Josh H
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Can’t blame Soriano. Everyone is human. But it really should be a one run game, and winnable, in the 9th.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
McLouth, Escobar and Chipper decide to take today off? The bottom of the lineup finally hits and they throw up Goose eggs.
Chop It Up All-star
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
Wow, this one hurts.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
what a f’n joke this team is. could have thrown out Laroche to end teh inning. Pathetic execution. pathetic players. 2 of 4 from the f’n pirates. were no more a major leage club than they are. good luck on the road trip losers.
Turk 182
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
Our pitchers might form their own union and strike against the team for lack of run support. To say it is pathetic is an understatement.
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
1-2-3 bottom of the 9th
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
Ross, Johnson, and the pitcher’s spot to try to get at least two runs. Maybe KJ’s last hit was the start of a torrid streak?
chc4
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
Well look at the bright side… we’ll be out of our misery soon once Boston, NYY and Philly get finished with us. Go Falcons!!!
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
3:39 pm
another game gone by a starting pitcher wasted. one by mr cox . what a pathetic lineup again…. get cox out of town.. and get some stinkin hitters who can score a runner from 3rd base with one out…. 29-30 another step backwards.. and im callin it now the braves lose 2 out of 3 against the orioles…. wow a awesome start WASTED BY VASQUEZ….
chrisw148
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Im done with the braves this year they make a move and its the same thing. This is nothing but a .500 club. When they hit they cant pitch and when they pitch they cant hit. This team is frustrating and embarassing see what the mets and phillies do to pittsburgh. We are nowhere near the class of the phillies and mets both of those teams have passed our team by. Maybe its time we shake up this franchise dare I say do bobby what we have done maddux, glavine and smoltz and tell them its time we move on.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
DAMNIT, its not like you can fault Bobby for bringing in Soriano because he has been lights out lately, but with two outs and first base open, you do not Intentionally walk LaRoche, make him beat you, which, during the series, he was only 2-13 or something like that. PITCH TO ADAM IN THAT SPOT, DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Ian Curtis
June 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
said..This is a .500 team and nothing more. They’ll do this the rest of the year…win 3 games to get back to .500, and then lose three more.
Ya think, Captain Obvious??
geauxbraves2000
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Great pitching, no hitting. Great hitting, no pitching. These, ladies and gentleman, are your 2009 Atlanta Braves.
Time for a few changes.
Maybe tomorrow. You all have a good one.
Geaux Braves!!
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Ball game. It’s too bad this offense can’t score more than 2 runs a game.
FW is going to have his work cut out again this off-season if he thinks this team can contend in 2010. It’s pretty obvious this team isn’t going to contend in 2009.
JeffFranceourIsBradKomminsk
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Ian Curtis, you’re likely right. They get good pitching and no hitting to back them up. They get a game or two over five hundred and slide back to five hundred. I had hoped that good pitching could carry a sub-par offensive team but I don’t think GREAT pitching could carry the little bit of offense they get.
Wren in Doubt
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Can’t throw a shut out every time and that’s what it takes for this team to win. No shame for Javy or Soriano. Starter with under a 3.50 and a reliever with under one.
More and more I am amazed at how many games we won last year with lousy pitching. Even with superb pitching, we are, at best, a .500 club.
billy_buru
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Without a power bat in left or right field, they are doomed to be .500-love McClouth but he won’t be enough
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
capps will own these guys
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
This is astonishing: Vazquez is 2-2 with 2.56 ERA in his past seven starts, with 55 strikeouts and five walks — that’s FIFTY-FIVE STRIKEOUTS and FIVE WALKS in 48-2/3 innings.
team will be 3-4 if it loses today, and that includes four consecutive losses in his last four starts.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
Josh H
The game should still be tied….I don’t care if Adam is left handed…pitch to him
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
It’s not Soriano’s fault. Those were some pretty good pitches on perfect locations, but some good piece of hitting from the Bucs gave them 2 runs.
monty
June 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
What a waste of a great pitching performance. Ross never got Soriano off of that outside corner. I kept waiting for him to throw the slider at Laroche’s shoulder and have it snap across the plate for strike 3. You just can’t stay in one part of the plate over and over. This team is what it is. A .500 team no matter how good the pitching is. Just can’t score.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
OH Blanco Up!!! Booby C. Wants to lose this game on getaway day!!!
Coach ( Moon Pie, Anyone?)
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
God how I love pitch counts.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! GGGGRRRRRRRR!
Bobby Cox is an idiot.
JJ
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
I suppose it would be too much to ask DOB to find out from the ole HOFer why in hell he keeps INT BB the insurance run and then letting him walk into scoring position by not even paying atttention to him? I mean, could you AT LEAST ask Bobby that, DOB??
Heath (Cleveland)
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
The hit off of Andy LaRoche was just lucky hitting guys…can’t really be upset at Soriano for that one… sometimes the other team just gets lucky.
Like yesterday, a loss here falls squarely on the offense…can not be upset at pitching.
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
I knew that would happen. I knew it, I knew it.
Nothing against Soriano but sooner or later you have to give your pitchers something to really pitch for.
The Chophousers are really suffering in the face of another loss.
They can’t be bothered with anything other than getting loaded at 3 in the afternoon.
PMC
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
This team cannot friggin hit to save it’s friggin life and they are about to drop 2 to the Pirates and even that series.
Playoff chances are basically nonexistant , but I’m not sure why this upsets me. We knew what they were before this year started.
I’m not sure how many good pitching performances have been wasted but they can count this one too.
I’m really tired of hearing the excuses for it, we ran into a buzz saw what have you.
This team, the team and farm system and the guys that were brought here by the management cannot friggin hit to save thier friggin lives and it’s painfully sad to watch these guys struggle day in and day out.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
Blanco is more like “Blanko”
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
Blanco pinch hits for Ross. I presume that McCann will pinch hit for the pitcher’s spot.
Pickin' Daisies
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
Are you the same tomahawkin that made the bold prediction that McCann would be sitting today?
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
Easy ground out from Blanco.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
LaRoche is 1 for his last 22 against us and we walk him?
Pathetic. That’s actually a great word for this team: nothing more/nothing less—-PATHETIC
Mark P.
June 11th, 2009
3:41 pm
mccann will need someone on base to give him a chance for two-run homerun
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
I am officially done for the year!
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
A base runner, and Brian McCann a homerun.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Woo..Big Bat…KJ
FloridaBrave
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Pinch-hitting Blanco instead of McCann is the icing on the cake.
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
You’d think Blanco would try to bunt.
You’d also think Kelly would try to bunt.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Don’t Fault Soriano!!!
It Was The Fking AWFENSE who took the last 2 games off against the AAA Pirates!!!
Phillip
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
I truly feel sorry for our pitching staff. Get the job done each day only to see 5 or 6 ballplayers cost you the game each day.
rammerjammer
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
I’m willing to see us lose a few more if it’ll run off the mouth-breathing cussers.
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Ron Roberts:
Sorry, there is no accoutablility in this organization. Don’t hold your breath waiting for any.
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Well, todays loss was a tough one, but the kids are playing really hard. They are playing hard and hitting the ball hard. Problem here is that ball is not finding any holes. But I can tell you something, this group of kids is the hardest working group of kids I have been around ever. Sometimes they get to the stadium at 4am in the morning to work on their swings. Last night JF didnt leave the ballpark after the game. He stayed here up all night, took 6 969 swings in order to be a better hitter, and it is paying off, he has been on base a lot today.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
Vasquez misses Ozzie right about now…
Jay
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
what a joke. i think terry pendleton and willie martinez are sharing notes on getting the most out of players.
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
I meant Nate McLouth, not McClouth.
Folks the Braves are still in the hunt, like it or not, They are what they are. The Pirates match up well with the Braves and have been for the last few seasons. And playing them just days after the trade didn’t help either.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
Kelly is really struggling.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
We make the Pirates look like the Dodgers..
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
How about another two out solo homerun?
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
Once the Braves are done getting clowned by the AL East and the Phillies – they will realize they are sellers AGAIN this year.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
Vazquez is 1-4 with 3.66 ERA in his past seven home starts, with 63 strikeouts and eight walks in 46-2/3 innings.
He has two 12-strikeout games at Turner Field this season, and if the Braves lose this one they will have lost both of them. In those two games, Vazquez had 24 strikeouts and one walk in 14 inings in those two games.
J williams
June 11th, 2009
3:43 pm
It matters most when you get your hits, even if they are singles, and the Braves just can’t get them at the right (clutch) moments.
Their pitching will keep most games close, but until the hit better in clutch situations, they’ll just be a .500 team.
Because the games will always be close, it’s just the law of averages that helps them to remain at .500.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
BULLSHYT!!!!!
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Oh come on…………….
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Are you flying kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Edward
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Help is on the way… Right now though, I don’t think we need to think of ourselves as buyers at the deadline..
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Umpire screws us again!!!
Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
The Braves half team is at it again this afternoon. 1 run on 3 hits against a very mediocre team. Actually they are playing as a less than half team today as McCann is sitting out. We need some hitters…please.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
DAMN GO BOBBY!!!!!!!!!
LT- A Blogger
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Can’t blame Soriano for this. He’s been dominant all year and was bound to give up a run or two sooner or later.
You could have a rotation of Maddox, Smoltz, Glavine (in their prime) with I don’t care….Clemmons and whoever else you think is one of the greatest pitchers of all time and this team would still be a .500 ball club.
I look forward to the day that I don’t have to watch Franceour, KJ, Diaz/Anderson. Maybe we won’t be any better but I’ve seen enough of this- really not much fun at all.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Tie goes to the runner, I thought!
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
About damn time…hahaha.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Booby C. Throw The Unpire Out!!!!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
3:44 pm
Pathetic
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
File a protest, Bobby!
billy_buru
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
Umps really screwing us this year-it’s unreall all the bad calls
Stan
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
I think it is sad that people are so hard on Frenchy…..some batters take 2-4 years to develop….how bad do we look now for being impatient with Dye…..he eventually found his rhythm and is a machine…I took David Ortiz 3 years to develop….and another 3 years to reach a dominant level….Bet Minnesota wishes that they never cut him.
abwright
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
KJ hits a near double down the first base line. Laroche makes a good stop to keep it from going into the outfield. KJ hustles down the line and beats the damn throw. KJ called out anyway.
2nd blown call at first. Bobby gets his first ejection of the year.
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
Cox is an IDIOT. Pathetic.
Ian Curtis
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
Necromancer: Thanks for the nickname, Dick. Unfortunately the future hasn’t happened yet, so it’s not as obvious as one may think. But I’m glad you proved to us how stupid you are. Thank you.
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
This loss is alllllllllllllllllllllll on soriano…………….
That F——-k couldnt drive in a freakin run all day………… what the hell do they pay you Rafael???????
Better start hitting harder or you will get lots of enemies on this blog.
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
We now have a chance to win since Bobby is gone!
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
First ejection of the season for Bobby, deepest he’s gone in a game without getting ejected since 1996, when he got tossed on June 8.
And now a storm is arriving as Hurricane Bobby leaves the field. The heavens are about to open here, rain arriving very soon.
bravesgrl4life
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
did the 1st base fump fubar us today or what?
Canadaian braves fan
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
Westpalmdawg, how can you complain about Canizares it is not his fault, get a grip
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
I don’t care of the call is wrong. This is not why this team sucks.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
Back to back come on.
LuisG
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
Soriano last gave up a run against the Mets, when he blew a save on May 13th. 9 straight scoreless games. It’s unfortunate he gave up those runs today, but he’s been lights out for us so far this season.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
That was what you would call getting one broke off in you two times by the same ump!
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
Come on Brian. Get on base.
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
frank wren needs to accountable for this garbage as much as bobby cox does.. this is a joke.. par 500 team . great pitching NO HITTERS.. good get ejected and get the hec out of town cox u loser.. had enough of this joke of a team.. will get blown out by the redsoxs and yankees cant wait to watch that.. and put wren cox and this sorry hitting team where they belong. basement dwellers.
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:46 pm
What the hell was that ump looking at! he’s looking directly at the feet and the base, so he shouldve seen that easily. what the @#$%. ump blew some big calls in this series
Interested Observer
June 11th, 2009
3:47 pm
I didn’t think it was possible but I believe that Brian Knight just passed Doug Eddings as the worst umpire in baseball.
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
3:47 pm
I hope Brian Knight gets a major slapdown (not that we’ll ever know)! That is pathetic on two plays.
Atticus
June 11th, 2009
3:47 pm
And they wonder why there are SO many seats empty at Turner. It’s called accountability.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:47 pm
DOB
The hurricane is about to erupt on this blog…
Ripped Again
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
The Braves batters suck Chipper included
Atlanta Cowards
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
The Atlanta Braves…..Finding ways to lose games since 2006
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Heap is battling out there
Mangum
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Everytime i get excited by a good stretch for the Brave, they do this crap and come crashing down back to earth.
Football season couldn’t come any quicker.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Hey, at least they didn’t sweep us.
bravesgrl4life
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
game over. big sigh. better luck on the road trip guys.
Ripped Again
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
I’m so sick of this bounch losers
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Count Chocula,
They might handle it to us without even playing it.
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
J williams
I know..but a guy can dream can’t he?
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Don’t they evaluate these umps? Surely that ump has to get a bad Eval..
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
Game Over,
Aight This Is How We are Gonna do this…F- The Firstbase Ump!
F- Francine, And F-Frank Wren For Going Cheap In the Offseason and not getting Us A Bat!!!
Dropping 2 games to the AAA Pirates…F-AWFense…Did I mention That?
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
I think I need to retire, it is my fault we are losing!
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
LuisG
Yeah but in both he blew the game….now don’t get me wrong he’s dominant…and no one csn blsme Ross…Sorinao is old enough to shake him off and call a fastball if he wants to.
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
Time to start (well, continue) drinking.
Tomas
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
That umpire is a Buc fan I bet.
cafleming
June 11th, 2009
3:49 pm
that umpire needs to be fired immediatley…hope he not umpire for all-star game or any playoff games if his evaluation from his superiors is lousy.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Why did Bobby get tossed? I missed some stuff.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
He has two 12-strikeout games at Turner Field this season, and if the Braves lose this one they will have lost both of them. In those two games, Vazquez had 24 strikeouts and one walk in 14 inings in those two games. DOB
What did you mean by ‘IF’?
Phillip
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
On the ump’s call: bang, bang play could’ve gone either way. We are just so desperate for runs that we need every call we can get.
sportsmandh
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Not saying it would make a difference, but if you need 2 runs to just TIE, why the he!! are you pinch hitting Blanco for Ross??? It’s like you’re spotting yourself an out on purpose?? You have Anderson, who just homered off the guy pitching last night, on the bench and McCann. Why not pinch hit Anderson for Ross, hope he or KJ gets on the pinch hit McCann after Johnson for the pitcher?? Cause you know Blanco ain’t getting on.
Moving Forward....
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
You cant blame Francouer 2-3, 2 singles, RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base…
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
And F-Frank Wren For Going Cheap In the Offseason
Wren has absolutely no control over how much money he gets from Liberty to spend. He spent as much as he could. You’re better than that line of BS right there.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Knight was also bad behind the plate the other night soo that was fuel to the fire.
Bobby's Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Nice to see Barbara finally get his shot. The man deserves it. I always thought he should be on the team as a pinch hitter to set him up for a trade to an American League team.
Hopefully he takes advantage of his opportunity
Btw, 3 runs and 11 hits in 2 games? What a joke… Offense looks to be the same as last year and it obviously who has to go when certain players come off the DL.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
That’s it for me guys, will be a win 2, lose 3 team for the rest of the year. Love my Bravos, but you are what your record says you are!
Edward
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Best hitting prospect in the game, arguably the best pitching prospect is here… This team should be better in the next year or two…
WestPalmDawg
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Canadian-it’s not the kid it’s the fact that he’s on an NL and he’s batting 4th.
Plus you’re Canadian.
Turk 182
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Vacant positions
LF, RF, 2B, 1B
joe
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
I miss garoid sheffield
Macon Braves (RIP)
June 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
The Braves offense made the Pirates pitchers look like Cy Young candidates the last two days
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
1-Run On 5 GAWD Damn Hits!!! Ooohhhh F-This Awfense!!!
Wes
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
well the Pirates DO have a very strong pitching staff……….when they play the Braves.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
Quality start after quality start wasted. On days when Chipper or McCann arent playing, it is virtually impossible for the Braves to win. That is why I am so “down” on Franceour. When McCann is resting on a day like today, the Braves need some power from Franceour, not punch and Judy singles.
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
quick 1-2-3 inning. That was an easy call to make. The only thing that’ll make this day even “better” is if Philly wins.
Bold prediction with a sucky offense: only take 1 of 3 from Baltimore.
Gary
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
I’m surprised this team is around .500 with all the holes they have in their lineup. NO production from second base, left field, right field, and center for most of the season. Not to mention the pedestrian prodcution we get out of first.
Bobby's Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
Feelin’ for Javy. Pitched his guts out today and got to run support.
chrisw148
June 11th, 2009
3:51 pm
I think that Wren was so freaked out on how bad the pitching was last year that he didnt notice that without Tex the offense was horrible last year also. He thought we will win games 2-1 not lose them. When you play in this division and look at the lineups I think the Nats have a better lineup then ours. We are the San Francisco Giants all pitching no hitting. OOOPS I forgot we got swept by them so I cant even make that comparison.
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
June 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
“Everytime i get excited by a good stretch for the Brave, they do this crap and come crashing down back to earth.”
Yo Magnum, ditto.
“Football season can’t come any quicker.”
Come on, don’t go there.
This is like the one time of the year where it’s just baseball. Give me another month of no football. That’s all I ask. And no football talk in case that wasn’t clear.
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
Who calls someone cheap who spent a ton on Lowe, KK, and invested money in Vazquez and Chipper. They ain’t cheap, nobody wants to play here…(FA wise) except Lowe.
Doug Markham
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
This team is becoming tediously tiresome and falling further behind despite having a pretty darn good pitching staff and Chipper Jones.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
Shut down by Matt EFFIN Capps in the 9th, this guy is a waste of space and he shut us down. This team is going nowhere. I guess all the people that have faith in this team should just give up now. I mean really, normally I feel like we are going to do it, but lately, I dont feel that way anymore, because as long as TP and his swing at the first pitch you see mentality is the hitting coach, this offense will continue to suck. Thus resulting in a sub .500 year. I bet Derek Lowe wishes he would have signed with the Mets now.
Canadaian braves fan
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
kiss my azz dawg, but there is no other options at 1st right now and we NEED the offense
Ian Curtis
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
Necromancer:
“Surely that ump has to get a bad Eval”
Oh, you think?
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
3:52 pm
Sure wish we had that power hitting #4 bat.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:53 pm
Stop crying KJ……….get a freaking clean hit.
I mean…………he was safe…………..but get your hit………..hit like a man and dont hit groundballs and then cry for mercy……………You are one of our biggest problems……….and yes, I dont like him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then, they will win 9-1 tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MF—ers
Phillip
June 11th, 2009
3:53 pm
Some calling the Pirates AAA. The Braves have a bunch of AAA players on their roster as well.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:53 pm
BrooklyBravesBrawler
It’s called mediocre..
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
3:53 pm
Bobby threw his cap to the ground, RHR.
Jeff
June 11th, 2009
3:53 pm
The Braves need to trade for some more offense and this time don’t go get another .250 hitter.
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Seriously, what’s the big deal? If Soriano gets them out we go to the tenth and maybe the eleventh and just use more of our bullpen.
No need to overwork them if the offence isn’t going to get it done.
PMC
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
It just sucks that we end relevant baseball by July AGAIN this year.
Football practice starts in a month I guess, unfortunately we can pretty much start working on Spring Training in June AGAIN this year.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
You’re better than that line of BS right there.
No, he isn’t. To this guy, every team is “AAA” and the Braves get “clowned”, and there’s no pitch or AB that doesn’t deserve a quick, moronic complaint.
I realize that only makes him similar to the other 3000 dullards we have here, but, still…
flange1
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Thanks Steve!
I am sure some of folks wanted the Braves to pick others who wanted more money. I was hoping they would spend over slot myself.
How did we do in the rest of the draft?
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Glad Wren already got McLouth because we will be sellers at the deadline.
Canadaian braves fan
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
he had 17 doubles and 8 hrs in the minors, do we not need runs?
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Ian Curtis
“Oh, I KNOW!”
Cameron
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Tomahawkin’
It isn’t Frank Wren’s fault for going cheap. He can only sign guys that the owners OK. The owners give him a budget, he has to adhere.
Slugger www.theweeklyscene.com
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Vazquez WHIP down to 1.03.
100+K’s, 16 BB’s. Leads the NL in K’s.
Only guy that’s got it worse than Vazquez is Dan Haren! 0.85 WHIP and he’s 4-4!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
I Agree …
I’m Ready For SEC Football…
I’m Tired of this Team Fcking with My Emotions worse than a woman…
Gary
June 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
The outfield consists of players that aren’t good enough for rookie ball.
WestPalmDawg
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
NEW POLL: What would you rather watch?
-GEICO/PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE COMMERCIALS
-BRAVES BASEBALL
chrisw148
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
I think we are depending too much on Chipper and Mcann and this is the first season without Tex or Andruw Jones to back them up. You cant depend on Chipper at his age and injury prone status and Mcann is a cather and you cant have the wear and tear of your catcher be your sole source of offense.
LuisG
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
bravos2249
I think we won that game at Citi Field.
I had to double-check it, yeah, and we won it in extra innings.
Anyways, let’s just hope we get a good road trip (Baltimore, Cincy, Boston).
Go Braves!
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
JF and KJ not hitting a combined .245—————–get rid of those 2 guys as of yesterday. This team will not go to the playoff until they both leave…………..you can bet on that…………I guarantee that……………. You will see and they I will tell you about it over and over again………….this curse wont be over until they both leave.
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
at the offset of this season, i thought we may have 3 14-15 game winners, but this offense just sux. plain and simple. we couldn’t win with spahn, koufax, ryan, or even cy himself with this bunch of sh!t. it seems like forever since i saw 2-3 hits in the same inning. awful, just awful.
nuff said
PMC
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
96 million dollar pay roll that hits like a 37 million dollar payroll.
Jay
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
as a season ticket holder, im done. seriously. they shouldnt even ask if im renewing. this is the most boring team in baseball. its not worthe the price/traffic for me to go anymore.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
Phillip, more correct you could NOT possibly be. Other than McLouth, Escobar, Chipper and McCann…….there isn’t one other single player that would start for any other team in this lineup. Not a single damn player.
WE NEED POWER
June 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
lets just sign barroid bonds
Greg Norton is batting .098
June 11th, 2009
3:56 pm
Remember…
NORTON rearranged spells: ROTONN.
TNScott
June 11th, 2009
3:56 pm
I guessed my question was answered this inning in my earlier post about how many calls can this years umpires miss in one game. That guy needs a refresher course in first base umpiring. I’ve seen better umpiring in tee ball.
njbraves
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
It’s time to face facts…this team is going nowhere. I usually don’t like to pile on afetr a loss, but the last two nights have been pathetic. You can get all the well pitched games you want, but this offense is a joke. Kj needs to take a seat, he is terrible.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
Ok Cameron,
U wanna Get Technical….
F- Liberty Media!!! For Going Cheap… U happy…
I’m Not Being an A..s To U, Bro…But Man This Team EFFing Slacks Off Against the Jubroni teams of the league and wonder why they get their A..ses Handed to them….
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
Come on Matty Ryan and the Falcons!
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
I will give the braves one thing: At least they’re consistent …. consistently under .500 that is.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
PMC, $37 MILL??? Unless you’re shelling out 35 of that to Chipper and Mac, who are you paying money to in this lineup to hit?
Greg Norton is batting .098
June 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
Norton was diagnosed with the condition subonehundreditis.
It affects the ankle, sure, but it really is a systemic disease. Lots of bed rest is required.
J williams
June 11th, 2009
3:58 pm
Stan,
Frenchy is 127 games into his 4th season. Dye actually had 27 homeruns in his 4th season, and went on to have continued success.
Ortiz is a little different. His change of teams had a lot to do with his success. The pressure of Frenchy playing in his hometown, may be weighing on him to be successful. Maybe a change would be helpful for him.
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
3:58 pm
Disappointing homestand. A chance to put ourselves in the thick of the NL East race and we go 4-5. Just great!!!!
Still need a power bat in the middle. McLouth is good leading off, but something is still missing.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
3:58 pm
Flange, Keith Law and Jason Churchill weren’t impressed with the rest of our draft. In my view, we got a lot of toolsy guys, whether it be power arms or pure burners on the basepaths, in need of some polish. I’m sure the scouting department feels that they can give them the instruction they need, but we didn’t get a lot of very highly ranked players. Based on what little info I’ve got, a player to keep an eye on is SS Matt Weaver, taken in the 9th round. Outside of Minor, they did pick up some very hard throwers, so maybe we’ve got a future crop of relievers at least.
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
3:58 pm
The new Braves baseball:
Relevant in April, May & June
Irrelevant in July, August, and September
What’s sad is that once this team is way out of it (10 games or more) everyone will start to hit because the pressure is off.
This is most mentally un-tough team I have ever seen (3 years and still going).
JerseyGil
June 11th, 2009
3:59 pm
If I’m Javy i ask Thr Braves to be Trade…..ASAP…Wow what a waste….
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
3:59 pm
The good thing about an afternoon loss is that I have six or seven hours to vent my hatred and bitterness towards everyone and everything Braves-related. I’ll get started soon.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
3:59 pm
Oh YEAH…
If You Think That was A Boring A..s Baseball Game?, especially the AWFense!, “Then Give Me A HELL YEAH!!!”
Threadkiller
June 11th, 2009
3:59 pm
At this rate we will be sellers at the deadline! It will be interesting to see who approaches us for Gonzo and Soriano! Teams will be looking hard for closers!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
4:00 pm
Tomahawkin
I couldn’t agree with you more on the cheap azz ownership of Liberty Media…
I’m sure some pundits in here are going to respond with “moron” or “idiot” and “The Rays won with low payroll”
But Liberty, it seems, is trying to run the Braves like a used car lot!
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
4:00 pm
FIRE TP’s sorry butt…NOW!! A team doesn’t have a stat like the 3rd best rotation in the league as far as quality starts and be a BELOW .500 team unless your teams hitting is just plain awful. Our offense is just plain awful! Fire TP!
Greg Norton is batting .098
June 11th, 2009
4:00 pm
If this Braves season were a play, what would the character Greg Norton represent? What would he be a metaphor of?
The futility of all human endeavors? The inevitability of dissolution and decay? Angst and despair?
Or is he a comic figure?
The Lammer
June 11th, 2009
4:01 pm
Franl Wren, the Braves should NOT be buyers at the deadline. Not the way we’re playing right now. It sucks too, because the way our starters have pitched all year, we could EASILY be 10 to 15 games above .500. I think that’s what is so damn aggravating.
We need another bat, that’s obvious. But even if we get a corner OF, we still have either Failcouer in RF or G.Anderson/Diaz in LF and we still have Kelly Johnson at 2B. I mean, for God’s sake, we brought up a career minor leaguer today and put him in the CLEANUP spot in this first game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nfieldr
June 11th, 2009
4:01 pm
If you watch the replay of KJ’s “out” at first in the 9th, you’ll see that Knight has his right fist balled up, really to “punch out” the runner BEFORE either guy is close to the bag. This guy made a rookie umpiring mistake… he anticipated the call instead of letting the play finish developing. I learned not to do that 20 years ago umpiring Little League ball.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:01 pm
Scoots, I guess I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt…there’s only a select few folks who no longer get that benefit from me. I think we both know who they are.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:02 pm
Flange, you can catch some video of Minor here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNSnvS_HvHo
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:02 pm
You guys ever think the team might be playing to the level of its blog?
Didn’t think so.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
4:02 pm
Bobby threw his cap to the ground, RHR.
Ohhhh scary stuff.
flange1
June 11th, 2009
4:03 pm
Just curious here, but can an opposing pitcher ever have a good game against the Braves or is it always that the Braves offense is terrible?
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
4:03 pm
Doc Holiday, this team isnt going to the playoffs regardless of who is in the lineup.
Tommy Hanson is a lard@$$
June 11th, 2009
4:03 pm
I looked through this entire blog and I could not find a single post which addressed the enormous rear end of Tommy Hanson.
Not one!
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
4:03 pm
Heh..Bobby should have flicked a booger on Knight..
TN Jeff
June 11th, 2009
4:04 pm
People listen …
This team has a will to lose and lose they will
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
4:04 pm
Poll Question: In a Game 7 situation, which Brave pitcher would you want to take the mound?
The bigger question is, if the Braves ever do make it to a game 7 situation … how many of those 5 pitchers will still be on the roster?
I doubt they make it to the playoffs in the next 4 years, so Lowe is gone. Vazquez will probably be long traded when/if they make it back to the playoffs. Kawakami is iffy on keeping him long term. So it would have to be either JJ or Hanson.
J williams
June 11th, 2009
4:04 pm
Wren said that the Braves have 6 – 7 players that could hit 20 homeruns, and that was before McLouth was added. If the Braves end up with more than three guys with 20 homers on this current roster, including McLouth, they’ll be playing in the playoffs, otherwise, it’s over after game # 162.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
4:04 pm
I wish we could vote posts up or down, like on The Vent.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:04 pm
Frank Wren,
I here to tell you that you are playing with fire. You keep waiting and waiting thinking this team is good enough to pick up 10 games from the standings once you pick up a slugger. Well, guess what? It just aint. So you better get that hitter for the team right now or all the money you invested on pitching meant nothing………ZERO!!!!!!
AndyC
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
I just had visions of Smoltz shutting the Braves out twice during his starts. So horrible. I don’t think I could stand it.
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
i agree with you jay, not only is this team terrible at the plate, they’re just plain BORING!!!!!! at least throw at somebody or something, get a little juice flowing..
which reminds me, time for some greygoose and oj..maybe redbull wake me up from that game!!
Bobby Cox
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
McLouth sure did blow it today didn’t he? Tough to rip on the new guy, but he sucked today.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
Dont bring any other hitters in here to play for the Braves, not as long as TP is the hitting coach, and if you do, make sure they are deaf and cannot hear the advise that TP gives them. Our luck TP is fluent in sign language and will signal to him to swing at the first pitch.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
Jeff……….you cannot blame Frank Wren on how bad this offense has done. He counted on both Jeff Franceour and Kelly Johnson to produce and they simply have not. Dude revamped the pitching rotation. He fleeced the Pirates in the McLouth trade. He simply needs time to work a trade that will give the Braves that elusive right handed bat.
Personally, I think that he took the right approach. It is much harder to fix a rotation than it is to fix an offense. While the rotation has been a pleasant surprise, the offense has struggled more than expected. Let’s see what Frank Wren can do in the next month or so to get that right handed hitter that we so desperately need.
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
TP should just resign at this point. Obviously, there is no accountability in this organization – but he should feel so bad about the job he is doing – that he should just walk up to Bobby and resign.
Cuck-a-Too
June 11th, 2009
4:05 pm
Kelly Johnson hits something like .145 this month..watch him go .560 in Sept..when he “feels” no pressure…GET RID OF HIM!!! wasnt he the most wanted player the past offseason..TRADE THE GUY…
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
Here’s what will happen on the blog in the next hour. Just a sample:
“Soriano sucks”
“Fire Bobby”
“Fire TP”
“Chipper isn’t a leader”
“Escobar is a dumbass”
“Send Canizares back down”
“The McLouth deal was a bust”
“David Ross sucks”
et cetera. et cetera….
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
scoots,
What do you want? Sober reason?
I get tired of all the instantaneous BS that goes on here (negative or positive), but I’m used to it. It’s never going to change. This is Twitter Nation…and it’s great for business.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
You’re a kind and gentle man, Steve-OH. I aspire to be such my own self, but, this place can certainly put some edge on one’s demeanor.
I can only imagine the horror faced each night at bedtime by some here, knowing that, when they awake in the morning, they’ll still be them.
TN Jeff
June 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
flange 1
Do you EVER listen to the Braves announcers – EVERY pitcher the Braves face just happens to have outstanding stuff for that one game only to such again when he moves on to the next team.
Just bad luck I guess – sure it has nothing to do with the Braves and their consistent choke hitting.
NCScoots Needs A Life
June 11th, 2009
4:06 pm
Somebody tell NC Scoots its okay to leave his mamma’s basement to see what else the world has to offer besides haunting the AJC/MIB blog to toss snarky non-comments and insults at the rest of us. Who ordained THIS guy as the ‘arbitrator’ of expressionism here?
alsim
June 11th, 2009
4:07 pm
Pitch count be damned! Vazquez should’ve stayed out to pitch the ninth.
Time for Bobby to retire.
.
John Smoltz's agent
June 11th, 2009
4:07 pm
From now on, John will only sign 5 day contracts.
He wants to be free to sign with whoever is playing the Braves.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
Good one, scoots.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
PWHjort, you forgot one, its:
“PWHjort will post a dumbass comment predicting what will be written within the next hour”
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
Paul Lentz:
The Braves don’t have a “month or so” to wait around on a bat. They’ll be out of this thing by the end of this month…
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
PWHjort
You forgot “Ownership Sucks”
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
RHR – good postings – the non-sweep, scary stuff and the Vent.
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
4:08 pm
when will liberty media wake up and fire frank wren . mr fat old bobby cox and terry pendelton. this team is a disgrace and a joke. to split a series against the pirates who are on the verge of setting a record with a 17th season with out a winning season, yet atlanta is right behind them going on number 4.. its a shame and awful how no one is held accountable for this crap.. if I was any of the starting 5 pitchers I want out after going 8 innings striking out 12 and makin one mistake and having a manager who backs me up with the worst possible lineup u can put out there. its time for cox wren and the cronnies to go…
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:09 pm
Chop, I don’t know what I want, LOL, it just ain’t this, I guess. Right on one thing, though: lots of comments and page hits and ad views, and the like. Bidness be bidness.
Original Jon
June 11th, 2009
4:09 pm
JEFF, Liberty Media has nothing to do with the hiring and firing of people, dude get a grip.
daleusa40
June 11th, 2009
4:10 pm
JerseyGil ,I could not agree more ,what a shame. I do not know how the Braves can even look JV in the eye. Nice job Vazquez!!!!
PWHjort forgot that thing about Tommy Hanson
June 11th, 2009
4:10 pm
PWHjort: Here’s what will happen on the blog in the next hour. Just a sample:
“Soriano sucks”
“Fire Bobby”
“Fire TP”
“Chipper isn’t a leader”
“Escobar is a dumbass”
“Send Canizares back down”
“The McLouth deal was a bust”
“David Ross sucks”
etc…
Hey – you forgot
“Tommy Hanson is a lard@$$”.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
Yeah, when I first started reading the blog, it seemed a lot more docile. Of course, I read w/o posting for about 2 years, so maybe some of our posters just need more seasoning in the minors….
ranger
June 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
What are the chances I will see the Braves win in Baltimore?
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
come on flange, the guy wasn’t that dang good. neither was the guy yesterday. even so, with kj on 3rd with one out, if the guy is throwing so good, squeeze or something, like i said, at least make it exciting for us.
chrisw148
June 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
TIME FOR FRENCHY TO GO THE WAY OF OLD YELLER
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
PWHjort, you forgot the ever popular “this season is over!”. And I think an hour is cutting it way short. This stuff will continue until the next win and then only for so long.
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
4:12 pm
Necromancer,
I certainly did. Though I was just providing a sample and not an inclusive list.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
4:12 pm
kirknga
Dude, I look to you as an island of stability in this sea of insanity. I truly admire how you hang with it even though things are in a steady decline.
And no..I’m not being sarcastic…
You, sir, are the true fan…
better one than myself..
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
4:12 pm
I’ve never won a Wurlitzer. I’ll keep posting until I get one.
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
4:12 pm
That was a really cruddy way to end the game…and the homestand.
Very. Boring. Game.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:13 pm
Who ordained THIS guy as the ‘arbitrator’ of expressionism here?
Why, that would be me as ordinator. Who else?
Next question.
Piedmont Blues (ex-BFIR)
June 11th, 2009
4:13 pm
So Frenchy has a decent game and the offense can’t score. Go figure.
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:14 pm
needless to say, this team needs a major shakeup. It’s not going to win the way it is now. They can’t hit on a consistent basis to back up the good pitching we get.
This punchless lineup wastes an outstanding performance by Javy Vazquez. This is mildly reminding me of the late 80s.
It’s a shame I’m moving to Georgia in three weeks, I’ll finally be able to watch all of the Braves games, and my favorite team is gonna be out of it.
flange1
June 11th, 2009
4:14 pm
TN Jeff,
Yes, I watch and listen to EVERY Braves game even when I am at the stadium with my season tickets.
Did you read DOB’s comment about Mahlom’s GREAT pitching against the Braves and his poor record? No support from the Pirates for him either.
It seemed to me today like Maholm pitched a great game as did Javy.
The Bucs caught a couple breaks on ground balls.
Sorry, to me that is the nature of the game…
J williams
June 11th, 2009
4:14 pm
flange1,
You do realize that the Braves did not have an earned run against Pitt today. Pitt is already working on their rebuilding plan, and the Braves are splitting 4 games series with them?
Maybe we (Braves’ fans) have a higher expectation of the Braves than we should. We saw the improvements made to the starting pitching, and we thought that that would make the difference this year.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:14 pm
Pitch count be damned! Vazquez should’ve stayed out to pitch the ninth.
Never mind the myriad of work, both in the scientific literature and in baseball analysis that disagrees with that statement, and the fact that it’s never a bad thing to remove a fatiguing pitcher and be able to bring in a reliever that can throw mid-90’s with wicked movement and has had a stellar season so far in the ninth, today’s results be damned. And the fact that it’s a long season, and we’re going to need lots of innings from Javy down the road.
yogi2
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
Norton is gone. we should celebrate. Now if we can get rid of Freaky Franqueor we might be able to contend. Freaky FRenchy is the worst player in the major leagues
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
well, lets go watch daly play in those beautiful pants. gotta be better than what i just saw.
Indiana Jones
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
TIME FOR FRENCHY TO GO THE WAY OF THE NAZIS AT THE END OF RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Bill M.
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
If I were the Braves pitcher, I would tell management to get some hitters or trade me. Can’t expect the pitchers to pitch a shutout every game. They are under alot of pressure. Can’t blame Soriano for this loss. He’s been great. This is one of the worst hitting teams that the Brave have ever had. It looks like they will be sellers come July 31.
Ron Roberts
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
Folks can smirk at the notion of booting Terry Pendleton all they want, but there’s something pretty evident in his (in)ability to get Jeff Francoeur and Andruw Jones to hit better when the Rangers’ hitting coach seemed to do it.
So yeah, I hold him accountable in that regard; but he’s not the guy who assembled this paltry lineup as the season began. Frank Wren shipped off Josh Anderson (and what for, again?) and did snapped up the 2009 version of Raul Mondesi in Garrett Anderson.
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
Doc,
I tend to agree with your 4:04. If Wren doesn’t finish off the team by adding another hitter (or some of the ones we’ve got turn it around against all odds) all the money spent on pitching was essentially wasted. If you’re going to do something (like try to win), do it right and do it 100%. Don’t half-ass it.
Pickin' Daisies
June 11th, 2009
4:16 pm
96.7 Million on the roster. It’s not like we’re slumming it.
justdamn
June 11th, 2009
4:16 pm
4/5/6 did the damage today. We got no hitting from 1-3 and 7-9. That’s a shame, our 11 yr old sons travel team gets better run production than these stiffs.
MattyRoss
June 11th, 2009
4:17 pm
Steve from OH, hate to say it, but “down the road” might not be somewhere we want to be if we keep splitting series with the likes of the Pirates. I mean, if you can’t beat a .500 team after taking their best player and putting him in your lineup…
gooFANN
June 11th, 2009
4:17 pm
The only person who makes any sense on the blog is the GOO GUY.
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
4:17 pm
paul ur talking about a guy who was fired from the baltimore orioles one of the worst teams to ever play in MLB.. they fired him because of what he did to the farm system and organization. he destroyed the team. They finally had enough and workin there way back..they have some good players who can HIT. the new GM got rid of the junk.. and its time for the ownership of this team to get with it get rid of the sickness. Thats ur GM Bobby cox TP, and a whole slew of players who need to be shown the door.. who is frank wren gonna trade to get a solid bat? No one every other Gm and team is seeing what is going on in Atlanta and how there an average team..Not a winning team in my book. this team is done this year. They will not compete with the mets and phillies..
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:18 pm
J Williams, did you watch the game today? Maholm was tough, like it or not. Had command of the fastball, changed speeds, kept his breaking stuff down, and I can’t say I recall him leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate. Do the Braves’ hitters need to do better? Damn right they do. Do we need to hear about it every 5 seconds? Damn right we don’t. Don’t take away from what Maholm did today, he was outstanding from my vantage point. Good pitching always trumps good (or in our case bad) hitting. Next question.
flange1
June 11th, 2009
4:18 pm
Gene G,
To me Maholm pitched a great game. I have always liked this kid and hoped the Braves could snag him last off season.
In terms of the squeeze, that would be fun to watch, but you know how well our guys bunt
Unknown
June 11th, 2009
4:19 pm
This team is done. They need to be big sellers this season. TP & Cox need to be fired asap.
33 year old unemployed fan who still lives with his parents
June 11th, 2009
4:19 pm
How can Canizares wear #25.
I’M WEARING #25.
I even sleep in it!
TP's gotta go
June 11th, 2009
4:20 pm
Let’s face it. Atlanta is where hitters go to die. Can we get a reasonable explaination as to why Terry Pendleton is still the hitting coach? Have any reporters asked Wren? How can you witness such futility and NOT make a move? I like TP and appreciate what he has done for the organization. but, if they aren’t going to stick by Tommy Glavine based on performance issues – then why stick by TP?
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:20 pm
Braves entered a stretch in late May where they had 20 of their next 27 games at home…their damn record 12-13 with two rainouts. This team doesn’t have it.
Tongueless_Talker
June 11th, 2009
4:20 pm
Does your son’s travel team face major league pitching?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
4:21 pm
Somebody seriously needs to explain why this isn’t Terry Pendleton’s fault.
How can anybody say that he shouldn’t be fired? People are like, “well, you can’t really blame him for the lack of offense.”
Why not? And I’m not saying that because I believe it’s entirely his fault and “he’s terrible” and so on but nobody seems to be able to give a reasonable explanation as to why it’s not his fault.
It’s pathetic. And the Pirates need to stop lighting little candles like douche bags because they’ve won five out of their last seven.
J williams
June 11th, 2009
4:21 pm
In the five games that the Braves lost this homestand, they scored a total of 5 runs.
Mr. Whipple
June 11th, 2009
4:21 pm
What’s this I hear about Bobby Cox and TP.
Is Bobby using up all the TP?
Does he have a “problem” like Morton had last night?
Born2Buzz
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
At what point does Bobby get any blame for this teams performance?
wheelz007
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
dayum dayum dayum
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
J Will- I think Wren was misquoted. What he actually said was he has 6-7 guys who have hit 20 homeruns in their CAREER
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
You can win with this team…just not with these coaches
WestPalmDawg
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
I honestly hope Chipper becomes the highest paid hitting coach in the world in about 4 years. Yeah, for the Braves.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:22 pm
MattyRoss, then again, there is something to be said about leaving pitchers in who have had long, durable careers and who have solid mechanics. I wouldn’t have argued against leaving Javy in. But leaving Javy in for 115+ pitches on a regular basis isn’t going to bode well for his arm, or the life on his fastball, etc, etc. Never mind that we can bring in a guy with a 0.98 ERA to relieve him. Not a bad move on Bobby’s part, just bad results, and it’s unfortunate that people have to try to find someone to blame instead of chalking it up to the fact that the Pirates are professionals, too.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:23 pm
I’m So Tired Of This Team Slacking Off Against the Jubroni teams of the League, expecting them to hand the games to them like opposing garbage teams did in the late 90’s…
Our Offense Comes Correct against the Good Pichers (Santana, B. Myers) But We Hit like an AAA team against The Jubroni Pitchers of the league….
Other Than McLouth Who Has come with a fire persona to this team, I Hate This Gawd Damn Awfense
I knew That This Awfense would Get Too Homer Happy after the first 2 games of the Series, and Wholllah!!! They have swung for the fences the last two games and therefore having undisciplined At-Bats Resulting in Garbage Results!!!
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
4:24 pm
bravo to ron roberts Bill M and PWH jort 100% agree man.
RDM
June 11th, 2009
4:24 pm
The Braves can’t win a series against the lowly Pirates even after taking their best player! Pathetic!
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:24 pm
thing is, when a pitcher faces the braves, chances are, he’s gonna have a good game. do like seeing matt do well,(capps that is), childhood friend of mine. man he’s eating good too.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
PWHjort,
We can do like Cox if you like it better………….
“Oh this team will around, they are hard working kids full of potential. LUCK has not been on our side recently, but it will come around. Way too much talent and hard work for us not to win.”
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
Whether or not Terry is actually to “blame” for en anemic offense is almost irrelevant in him keeping a job. It could be the hitting coach’s fault or it could just be an “after the three hitter; we suck” lineup.
The fact is: the POINT of having a hitting coach is to improve your hitting. If the hitting doesn’t improve, the hitting coach drags his @ss on down the road.
Now, I ask you: Has the hitting improved?
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
Necromancer, it’s simple really. First, I love this the Braves, they are my team come hell or high water. Second, I look at the standings and I see that despite all the problems, they are still in the playoff chase.
As a little kid, the Braves were much much worse in the 80’s and I stuck with them then when they didn’t have a chance and know I’ve grown up I don’t intend to ever throw them under the bus..just not my definition of a “fan”. Perhaps, it would best to say that there are levels of “fandom”? I’m ahardcore major-league fan. Who’s managing/coaching and which players are not doing well don’t interest me as much as is the team competitive and healthy because no matter what I think, it’s not going to change reality. So why worry excessively and obsessively about stuff you can’t change?
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:26 pm
Actually, RDM: We took their best player and then beat them 2 in a row to start the series……and THEN we couldn’t win a series against them!
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:26 pm
Whats Gonna P..s Me Off Is What If Hanson Pitches Lights Out His first 5 Starts and have a record of 1-3 or 2-4 because of this Awfense…
That Might Happen seeing that Hanson will be starting against the Red Sox And Bankees over the next 3 weeks…
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:27 pm
Well….
This team had pitching, defense, and stole 3 bases. Now if only they could reach that infamous home plate….
I’m willing to bet that some of these guys don’t even remember what that feels like at this point.
yogi2
June 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
Canizares is a grat call-up. it is a shame that the braves waited so long. They should have brought him up much sooner and should have dumped Shaffers and Norton weeks ago If they are serious about competing. Now they should release Franqueor and Carlyle and trade for a decent outfielder or bring Brandon Jones up
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
With the road trip, then the Red Sox-Yankees-Red Sox-Phillies…….the Braves will be 15 out by the allstar break….and I guarantee that
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
Ha. Pretty funny. You know, Bobby’s very media savvy and I don’t believe he doesn’t chew people out or discuss things with them in private, but I do get pretty sick of his excuses.
Pickin' Daisies
June 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
Damned if you do and Damned if you don’t.
If we were loaded with bats and splitting series with 10-9 and 11-7 loses, the masses would be screaming for more starting pitching and a better closer.
The Braves have always built around pitching and defense (I Know what your thinking), but this team was so far off last year there was no way to fix everything in one off season. This point has probably been made on the blog by many.
We’ve brought in the starting pitching and have a solid rotation locked up not only this year, but the next. Enjoy being competitive and in ball games and the organization will attempt to fix lineup in the off season. I think we can all agree that one bat coming in mid-season will not cure what ails us.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:29 pm
The Braves can’t win a series against the lowly Pirates even after taking their best player! Pathetic! – RDM.
McLouth was not their best player, but I get your point. And please, dont make it harder on us, those type of comments just dont help,
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:29 pm
This team had pitching, defense, and stole 3 bases
We stole three bases? That’s gotta be worth three runs, right? Oh, wait, you actually have to have good hitters for that…
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:29 pm
So why worry excessively and obsessively about stuff you can’t change?
Well, down in the basement, we call that “low-self-esteem sports transference”. I don’t know what they call it here.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:29 pm
Oh Yeah The Braves Offense Are Gonna Go Against A Pitcher whom they’ve had little scouting/experience against tomorrow Night…
We Will Get 2 Runs on 7 Hits Tomorrow Night, “Bank On It!”
wheelz007
June 11th, 2009
4:30 pm
I really don’t know what to say. Very dissappointed.
Yesterday, JJ pitched a GEM; Gave up 2 runs.
Today, Javy pitched a GEM; 12 KS and allowed 1 run.
We lost BOTH games. Coulda/shoulda/woulda won BOTH.
I am now a believer that this team will NOT make a surge towards to the top of the NL East. Instead, we’ll stay within a game or two on either side of .500.
CT in AL
June 11th, 2009
4:30 pm
Man tough sports day. After hearing that the NCAA slapped Alabama with 3 more years of probation, I looked to the Braves for help and they suck it up…again.
Maybe a cookie will ease the pain
CB
June 11th, 2009
4:30 pm
kirkinga you will never get any where on this blog,lol. You sir are a true Braves fan.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:30 pm
GTSteve,
15 games out? So you are implying that we are going to win one game of the 12 we have against those 3 teams? Man does that feels rejuvenating.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:31 pm
Steve from OH,
Everyone was complaining that we don’t steal bases and they lead to runs right? right? they lead to runs? right?
Maybe the umpires will take pity on the Braves and start giving them 1/2 a run for reaching 3rd….
JEFF
June 11th, 2009
4:31 pm
tomahawkin well said bro.. coaches and players need to be held 100% accountable but sadly there is none of the sort. and its sad that this team performs so bad in front of there hometown fans. great message ur sending. come to turner field and give us ur money and watch us lose.. no wonder why the attendance and season ticket holders have all jumped ship..
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:32 pm
Steve From OH
You Are One Of The Most Compassionate Bloggers on here and even you Are Criticizing…
I guess This team has Played With Your Emotions 1 Too Many Times, No…?
RDM
June 11th, 2009
4:32 pm
Sorry Doc, I’m not one for sugar coating things.
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
4:32 pm
Bama isn’t losing any scholarships. Not much of a probation, CT in AL. Coulda been worse.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
BuffaloNY–that’s what I’ve been told by some folks here who assure me that they quite literally know everything about baseball. Huh, a paradox, right?
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
Maybe they should just deal off some of the vets, get some prospects, and let the young players play
AB
June 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
I like Escobar as a hitter, but he sure makes some bone head plays baserunning and in the field that have cost the braves at times
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
Steve From OH,
Look on the bright side… if the Braves game is boring tomorrow, you can switch to game 7.
CB
June 11th, 2009
4:34 pm
scoots for some reason I now picture you as a little old man sitting in your underwear,tv on, typing away with a beer in hand. ugh
The_Superhoo (Montana by way of Virginia)
June 11th, 2009
4:34 pm
I agree that TP needs to go. Dont know who you replace him with though…
Long term, what do y’all say to Chipper (who is renowned for his memory on who pitches what, in what situation) being the hitting coach when he retires?
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:34 pm
This is eerily reminiscent of the late 80s.
CT in AL
June 11th, 2009
4:35 pm
Chop Chop
Could have been a lot worse, really dont care about the vacating wins part, just heaven forbid we get slapped with some more major violations in the next three years and become a repeat offender again.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:35 pm
Man do we need Infante back quick…………….and we need Barbaro to answer our prays.
3.5 weeks back until Infante come back. Thats way too much.
BTW, I found a buyer for JF, some softball team of colleagues are interested if Braves pay 99% of its remaining contract.
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:35 pm
when is infante coming back??? he’s our saviour….isn’t he?
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:36 pm
No–I just think they need to upgrade at the corner OF slots. No emotions involved, it’s the truth. I think putting it on record should be sufficient enough for the board (so as everyone knows where I stand), and once I’ve done so I’ll go back to rooting for the Braves and trying to discuss a few novel topics every now and then. No fault in anyone criticizing, just say it once and be done with it is my schtick I guess.
ncscoots
June 11th, 2009
4:36 pm
CB, I wish…
sportsmandh
June 11th, 2009
4:36 pm
Doc Holiday,
Who’s better on the Pirates than McClouth? Are you freaking kidding? Freddy Sanchez? The LaSux boys?? And don’t say McCuthcheon seeing how he wasn’t even called up until after the trade. Why you think there players were all so P.O.’d?? Give me a break.
FloridaBrave
June 11th, 2009
4:36 pm
Steve,
I understand ripping the Minor pick, but I think Law and Churchill are ripping the Braves’ draft just because it was different than how they usually draft. Yeah, the Braves selected less high schoolers, but I love how the drafted power arms in the middle rounds in Hale, Berryhill, and Woolley- while also adding some versatile, high-upside athletes in Jones, Hefflinger, and Rose. They also improved the lack of middle INF depth in the minors while adding some right-handed pop.
I like how the Braves go JUCO heavy- I think you get some some high-upside athletes who are undervalued just because they don’t get the same exposure. Signability is also not as big of a concern…
I think you saw Wren’s touch on the draft with the Braves adding more speed and athleticism and I like it.
Lastly, 8th Rounder Kyle Rose already said in a video he was signing and when the Braves asked Hale if he’d sign if they took him at #87, he said “Abo-freakin-lutely.” So there’s two guys pretty much wrapped up.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
Steve From OH,
I think we should just throw our hands up and proclaim Robert as the all-knowing baseball mind. We’ll all petition Frank Wren to step down, fire Bobby Cox, and let Robert manage the team as well as GM, and the Braves will go 140-22 every season while winning the world series every year and being known as the best dynasty the sports world has ever seen.
Whats that? I should stop doing drugs? But this fantasy world is fun…..
TnBrian
June 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
I don’t think we’ll be “out of it” come mid/late July. The pitching will keep us in it but the hitting will prevent anything exciting happening like getting to the playoffs.
Chop Chop
June 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
Oh, I’m sure Saint Nick will find a way to cheat and not get caught, CT in AL.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
JEFF
I just Can Stand This Team Playing Their Best baseball against teams like the Mets, Phils, Jays…And Then The AWFense Comes Out Flat against Garbage Teams Like the Rockies, Nats, Pirates…Those Teams Are the ones we need to beat up onj especially before the schedule gets Nasty after the next week and a half…
This Was Not a Tough Loss But A F’d Up Loss!!!
Umpires have Screwed us out of 2 games this year!!!
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:38 pm
BNYBF–that’s where having mlb.tv actually comes in handy–I can watch Hanson and Datsyuk at the same time. Sweeeet…
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:38 pm
brendan harris already as a hit today as the twins lead 3-0
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:39 pm
I can’t stand people who capitalize the first letter of every word they write
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:39 pm
Tomahawkin,
If the current trend holds true, we should win 10 of 13 against the sox, yanks, sox, cubs, phillies and be 4 games up when the tough week is all said and done….
gene garbage
June 11th, 2009
4:39 pm
did you see kj after that double, looking back at the dugout saying “what the hel! just happened, did i really just get a hit?”
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
4:40 pm
I hear ya Doc
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:40 pm
For All the People Who Want Infante Back…And I’m Not Hating On Him…
Sure He’s A Good Hitter and Very Versitile, But he isn’t the Savior of this Offense…
We Weren’t Hitting well befere he got injured so what gives…?
I guess Our AWFense Has been that Bad!!! If People Want Infante…
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
4:40 pm
Steve from OH,
I do that all the time… I love MLB.TV, it almost makes up for the Braves not on TBS, aside from having to actually pay for MLB.TV.
DAP
June 11th, 2009
4:43 pm
the braves could still go on a run a win alot of games….it will take kelly johnson getting on one of his hot streaks. i hope he does, starting tomorrow.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
4:43 pm
FloridaBrave, I don’t disagree at all. I think the scouting department did their due dilligence and got some very toolsy guys that were maybe off the national radar. No argument there. I’m saying that that’s why Law probably ripped it, he didn’t see too many names he was familiar with. They brough a lot of athleticism and upside to their organization yesterday, I think. I don’t think signability in your typical sixth or seventh round talent is nearly as big a deal as it is in the first round, so I do think that they took the players who they considered to be the best at their slots on day 2.
I am a bit leery of the Woolley pick since he didn’t pitch this year (at least that’s what I think I read), but I’m sure that Clark saw something he liked in a workout or something. Like the Berryhill pick a lot, as well as the Hefflinger pick. Like Matt Weaver at first glance, too.
Tomahawkin
June 11th, 2009
4:45 pm
Buffalo NY BravesFan…
After Monday and Tuesday I finally Thought That we were gonna Get a Consistant Winning Week Of Braves Baseball…
But They Have Come Back Down to Earth…
We Should’ve Swept this series if not take 3 of 4 to the AAA pirates…But No… When The Phillies Play them They Will Put that club to shame, “Bank On It”!
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
4:46 pm
TP’s gotta go,
Great minds think alike, no?
You know, it’s funny. I wouldn’t expect anybody to remember all the times I’ve whined about this team living in the past but, well, I have. Many times.
And yet, it only just occurred to me that in two very unavoidable ways the Braves have cut ties with the past in somewhat remorseless fashion.
You get the feeling that Frank Wren thinks that his unemtional, detached dealings are examples of what winning routinely teams do.
So far though it hasn’t made much of a difference so you’d think there’d be every reason to keep at it.
We simply cannot win with Garrett Anderson, Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, Greg Norton, Diory Hernandez, Gregor Blanco, JoJo Reyes, Barbaro whoever the @#$! he is, Matt Diaz and some might say not with TP either.
I’m not saying they all need to be traded, or fired as the case may be, or that some of them aren’t useful but I’ve pretty much lost my emotional attachment to all of them.
We’ve got four all-stars in the field and in line-up… well, mostly in the line-up. We’ve got possibly the best pitching staff in the majors and an above average bullpen. That’s it.
We’re completely lacking in mental toughness and consistency and the kind of confidence we had for so many years is long gone but some drastic changes need to be made.
I don’t know, I’m just glad Vasquez was pitching and not JJ. I can take a guy his age and with as much time in the majors getting short-changed.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
4:46 pm
KirkinGA
Very well said.
You and Wayne in Utah have a calming effect on me.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
4:47 pm
sportsmandh,
Better go look on Sanchez number and Wilsons number…………Wilson has a better career BA and Sanchez has the same slg than Mc. Not to mention that wilson has 211 doubles vs 98 of mc and Sanchez has 170………..of course they are older, but Mc still has to hit them. He was one of the best there, but its not like we took chipper jones out of their lineup and left them with JF and KJ…………..I told you I got your point……….hope you get mine.
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:47 pm
Next up for the Braves…9 game road trip (Bal., Cin, and Bos.), and a killer 9 game homestand (Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies).
We’ll be out of it after these next 18 games.
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
4:47 pm
Wow, I had a meeting. I came back, and ole insanity on the blog has broken loose.
I remember earlier in the offseason when people just wanted to win with pitching and run prevention. Unfortunately, there are two sides to the game and the Braves have a tough time scoring runs. Although you’ve seen flashes from Francoeur and Anderson, the corner outfield spots are the problem with this team. And although I am a fan of Kelly Johnson, he hasn’t been too much better than GA and Frenchy. But I’ve seen good from Kelly Johnson and he is a second baseman as oppose to a left fielder and right fielder, two premium offensive positions. It’s just that he has regressed since 2007 and as his salary goes up, and well, I think you get it…..
Go get em tomorrow, Tommy.
Hands of Steel
June 11th, 2009
4:48 pm
“Canizares is a grat call-up.”
Will you be saying that after he makes 3 errors in a game?
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:48 pm
DAP -
We are tired of waiting for Kelly Johnson to get on this hot streak.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
4:48 pm
Vazquez on being replaced after eight: “They told me, you’re coming out after the eighth. Good game. That’s it,” he said.
I asked him about coming out after 113 pitches, whether he would’ve finished a game like that earlier in his career, before the relatively recent movement for reduced pitch counts.
“I feel strong enough to finish some games,” he said. “I guess it’s part of the game now. I’ve always been against pitch counts. I don’t know who invented the phrase, ‘If you throw 100 pitches you can’t pitch anymore.’
“That’s been [this decade], probably. One hundred pitches is probably the limit. I’m a starter, so I obviously don’t like that.”
“I felt good. What can I say? It’s part of the game.”
DAP
June 11th, 2009
4:50 pm
getmattholliday We are tired of waiting for Kelly Johnson to get on this hot streak.
well holliday doesnt play 2nd, so im not sure what your solution would be instead.
T H I A L
June 11th, 2009
4:51 pm
It’s almost 5pm and Tommy Hanson is STILL a lard@$$.
Wes
June 11th, 2009
4:51 pm
Look at DOB throwing some feul on the fire!!
zmerk13
June 11th, 2009
4:51 pm
Well it looks like we have Cy Lowe, Cy Vasquez and Cy Jurrjens but the Corky Offense has been predominant in those starts….
getmattholliday
June 11th, 2009
4:52 pm
DAP –
What is your solution? Braves have not won because of the inconsistencies of the lineup. Do you think a Kelly Johnson hot streak is the solution?
bigmacattack
June 11th, 2009
4:53 pm
You’re not Smoltz, Glavine, or Chipper Javier. You haven’t made it to that inner circle yet where you can talk you’re way out of being kept in.
Of course the way I see it, Bobby just didn’t trust you enough to be able to pitch a “complete” game (innings 1-9).
sportsmandh
June 11th, 2009
4:53 pm
Doc,
Ask 100 people fairly knowledgable about baseball who they’d rather have, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, or Nate McClouth. 99 out 100 would say McClouth. You can’t twist and cherry pick a few #’s and make a case. For Example, Frenchy has 2nd most RBI total on the Braves (Chip & Esco tied for 1st). Would that mean anyone in their right mind would think Frenchy has been a critical piece of the Braves offense?
Bottom line is the Braves shoulda won 3 of 4 easily against the Bucs, and the fact of the matter is like many of the denizens are realizing is just how many holes the team still has.
monty
June 11th, 2009
4:54 pm
Like it or not this team is just locked in mentally to not score runs. It’s more than just every opposing pitcher being on their A game. Poor hitting in general makes good pitching look great and that is what’s happening to the Braves right now. No matter who pitches against them, no matter what their ERA is, or how they fared their last several outings, none of that matters against the Braves. It is a combination of poor pitch recognition, inablity to work a count, a failure to take what the pitcher is giving you( how many Brave’s hitters have we seen roll over outside pitches because they were trying to pull the ball and got out front of it and hit week rollers right at somebody? All day long.
JF gets a hit and drives in a run by going the other way, does he learn from that? No! The next time up he has an opportunity again, he gets ahead in the count and he will not be selective, he goes fishing at balls barely off the ground trying to pull them. Everyone they face cannot be as good as the BRaves are making them look. It’s mental. You can see confidence in hitters eyes when they are batting, you don’t see confidence in anyone’s eyes on the Braves outside of Chipper, Esco and McCann.
Hey DOB
June 11th, 2009
4:54 pm
Any thoughts about journalists being put on word counts?
After writing about 100 words today’s journalists start to get weary. They don’t have the stamina of the old time journalists.
So after 100 words, what if your editor had, Terence Moore say, come in and finish your post for you?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
4:55 pm
I for one look forward to our upcoming schedule. We’re more than likely to play better against the kind of competition we’ll be facing.
I think the true test of this season will be the first home series against the Phillies. For some reason we play them so much better at Citizen’s Bank. We could have easily won at least three or four of those games last year at home. It’s all about that first game*. If we can win the first game I think it will set the tone and if nothing else it will be our best chance at getting back into the race. That’s the only positive at this point, we have a lot of games left to play against them.
Hmm, suddenly I’m confident about this team again. Explain that. I for one cannot.
*for the record, there is to be no mention of the first home game against the Phillies last year. that is a game that dare not speak its name.
TN Jeff
June 11th, 2009
4:57 pm
Hey DOB 4:54 pm
Good Job – oops did I just finish your blog?
Mitchell
June 11th, 2009
4:59 pm
Wow, Vasquez nailed it.
Why why why can pitchers go longer? That’s what we got him for, for ****’s sake.
That really drives me motherloving crazy. Bobby is frustratingly deferential to pitch counts.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
4:59 pm
“I don’t see how we’re losing these games when [Vazquez] starts, but we are,” Cox said. “We’re just not getting him any runs…. You can’t pitch any better than that. You just can’t.”
“He should be on the All-Star team,” Cox said. “If the All-Star team had scouts, they’d probably pick him No. 1.”
“Maholm pitched a good game, but we’re saying that too much,” Cox said. “We need to find a way to score more runs.”
OLD TIMEY baseball fan
June 11th, 2009
4:59 pm
I SAY “FIRE THE LOT OF THEM”.
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
5:00 pm
I like that one zmerk
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:00 pm
DAP,
If braves got Matt Holliday in order to play 2B, I would take that over KJ any day.
The only time I have seen KJ make a great play at 2B, he ended up making his partner look bad (Yunel last night).
All Star Team Scout
June 11th, 2009
5:01 pm
“He should be on the All-Star team,” Cox said. “If the All-Star team had scouts, they’d probably pick him No. 1.”
No. Matt Cain is #1.
Mr. Enigma
June 11th, 2009
5:01 pm
There sure are a lot of armchair quarterbacks on this blog who think being a GM is so simple.
Where was all this libitinous hatred for John Schuerholz when he sent the Braves out with the worst bullpen in baseball in 2006 (closer: Chris Reitsma)? Or the worst starting rotation in baseball in 2007 (back 3: Mark Redman, Kyle Davies, and Lance Cormier)?
I can only imagine the reaction if Wren was the one who did the Wilson Betemit-for-Danys Baez and Willy Aybar trade at the deadline in 2006.
Frank Wren put together a World Series-caliber team in 2008 that looked a ton more impressive than the last few teams Schuerholz ran out there. Injuries decimated that team. It had nothing to do with the GM.
Wren has put together one of the best pitching staffs in the game right now, both in the rotation and the bullpen. Sure, that included the unpopular decisions of saying goodbye to John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, but it seems commenters on this blog can’t differentiate when to excuse unreliable play due to emotional attachment (Smoltz/Glavine) and when to want a guy gone due to his unreliable play (Jeff Francoeur). Smoltz and Glavine are both in their 40s trying to come back from major surgeries. If you had to choose between the 40-somethings coming back from surgeries and Derek Lowe & Tommy Hanson, which would you seriously choose? Success in minor league rehabs is irrelevant. Daisuke Matsuzaka looked fantastic during his rehab starts. He was re-activated and has gotten shelled in every start since. And he’s only 28.
Wren just pulled off a Schuerholz-esque deal to acquire a cheap Nate McLouth for not all that much in return. Not only that, but he got the Pirates to do it in early-June instead of letting them wrangle to the trade deadline. But it seems no one is interested in discussing that. This is the anonymity of the Internet, so of course it just has to be a constant negativity.
Are you guys really still upset that Wren didn’t get A.J. Burnett? Burnett is having a very mediocre year (4-3, 4.89) while Lowe is dominating. And we’re getting Lowe at $21 million cheaper than Burnett would have cost.
I still don’t understand how anyone can logically blame Wren for the Rafael Furcal fiasco either. Furcal deep down wanted to go back to the Dodgers due to not wanting to move to 2B, and Furcal’s agent pulled some cheap tricks to make it happen. Simple as that.
For those of you still clamoring for Schuerholz, I’ve got news for you. If you believe that Schuerholz has nothing to do with the decisions Wren makes, you’re a fool. Schuerholz did not ride off into the sunset. He is the Team President and likely still has his fingerprints over all the moves that are made. The only difference is that he doesn’t have to deal with the players or the agents anymore.
It’s easy to criticize when you’re not the one actually in charge and can play with an imaginary budget with no sets of rules or consequences.
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
5:01 pm
You tell’em Doc
Frank from KS
June 11th, 2009
5:02 pm
TP’s gotta go re: your 4:20 pm
It’s that double-standard thing again.
I don’t get it either.
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
5:02 pm
GET RID OF THE SO SO GUYS AND PLAY THE YOUNGER PLAYERS SO WHEN BOBBY FINALLY WALKS AWAY THEY WILL ALL HAVE SOME ML EXPERIENCE FOR THE NEW MANAGER. IS THAT DAY EVER COMING?
TRADE……..
ANDERSON
KOTCHMAN
NORTON
FRANCOEUR
BENNETT
David Bowie
June 11th, 2009
5:03 pm
We need cha-cha-changes.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:03 pm
“Think people on this blog will still say Vasquez is mediocre because he has a below .500 w/l record? I bet they do.” Efrim
“Efrim they will, especially N8.” Eric from MO
Oh, get over it already Eric. WHEN was the last time that I’ve had nothing but PRAISE for Vazquez and what he’s done this season? End of April? Beginning of May?
My stance hasn’t changed. We have (and would have without him) enough pitching. If today’s game (and the recent offense – despite what McLouth has brought to the table), doesn’t back up my theory that Vazquez’s 11.5 million dollars could have (and should have) been spent on a better bat for the middle of the order, then I don’t know what more to say to you.
I’m on record right now. Vazquez, JJJ, Lowe, KK and Hanson’s efforts every night will be wasted on a .500 team if Wren doesn’t get a big RH bat for this lineup.
End of discussion. Period.
But stop whining about what I said about Vazquez early in the year. Besides. My argument for how Bobby uses Vazquez is MORE valid than ever today. Why bring in the closer in a tie game? I thought Vazquez was brought to eat innings.
NO REASON to take him out today. AT ALL.
But if you’d like to dwell on him being a .500 pitcher, that seems to be more of a “you” problem, than a N8 problem.
If you were kidding, my apology for getting snippy. Just, please point out (I’ll let you dig through the past blogs), when the last time I ragged on Vazquez? It’s been AT LEAST a month. And like I said, it was NEVER an issue with Vazquez himself. Just that we didn’t need him, IMO.
He’s been nothing short of spectacular, as far as I’m concerned. But I’d just as soon have Medlen starting (even if he gives up 3 or 4 runs per game) and have another bat in the lineup. Perhaps Adam Dunn? Even though he’s not RH, he certainly would help, along with getting Francine out of the lineup.
open up the chute
June 11th, 2009
5:04 pm
“Mr. Enigma” you spelled enema wrong, again.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
5:04 pm
7 GAMES BACK AFTER THE PHILLIES BEAT THE METS TONIGHT!!!!
We haven’t even gotten to the tough part of the schedule yet. Come July 1st this team will be 10 games back. there will still be fools on this blog saying there are still 81 games to go and we can’t sell shop. On Auguest 1st, Wren better have traded Gonzo, Soriano and Vasquez.
hobbit
June 11th, 2009
5:05 pm
Vasquez is a meaty ogre.
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
5:07 pm
Um, perhaps there is some revisioning going on, I dunno? But Adam LaRouche stole a base and scored.The Braves stole bases and it lead to their only run. Now Matt Diaz is not a fast runner, and the guy that knocked in the run…Francoeur… was the weakest hitter in the lineup.
So, we have a not so fast runner+struggling hitter doing what they can to still produce a run vs. well, standing on the base and..waiting and not scoring.
I just wanted to throw that out there as some maybe have forgotten that in this game, stolen bases lead to runs.
The Braves need to remain aggressive.
Hey DOB
June 11th, 2009
5:07 pm
Did you ask Vasquez if he has read the new Elmore Leonard novel “Road Dogs” yet? Or is he waiting for the movie to come out.
Renegator
June 11th, 2009
5:08 pm
I love how Cox says “We need to find a way to score more runs”.
Yeah, no sh*t – that’s what YOUR job is as the manager of this team. Does he think it’s just going to happen on it’s own? If he doesn’t make changes to the line up or construction of this team – guess what? They aren’t going to just magically start scoring more runs.
He ACTUALLY has to do something about it… Sheesh, I’m so sick of Bobby Cox.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:08 pm
Wren better have traded Gonzo, Soriano and Vasquez.
Yes, because trading our top 2 relief pitchers and a great starting arm will make us BETTER!! And for the love of god, people, his name is spelled VAZQUEZ two “Z’s”
Assistant Director, Homefield Security
June 11th, 2009
5:08 pm
The Braves need to remain hypervigilant.
Jake W.
June 11th, 2009
5:09 pm
Agree with so much of your post Monty. A good point on Francoeur’s at bat, but I would say the same thing about KJ. He’s got runners on at 1st and 2nd two outs and he pulls a pitch on the outside corn and turns it into an easy groundout. Next at bat he goes the other way and doesn’t try to pull it and gets a leadoff double. Only person I really saw try to make the adjustment to that outside corner that Maholm was working today was Escobar who for one of the few times was not able to come through with a runner in scoring position. This team is so bad offensively you don’t know when to give credit to the other pitcher for pitching a good game or our hitters for being that bad. The braves aren’t doing the basics when hitting. The hitting coach isn’t to blame when they can’t pull off some of the basics like not trying to pull an outside pitch. Can you teach pitch recognotion are is that something a major league hitter should know by now? Outside of Escobar, Chipper, and McCann and maybe Kotchman when he was in we get nothing consistent. Thank God for our pitchers or we would probably be worse than the Nats. Thats the frustrating thing too. We don’t have to score like the Phillies to win with our pitching. We only have to be a middle of the pact type of offense and we can’t even do that. Here’s to our pitching because they have been great and deserve better, much better.
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
5:09 pm
The only thing that I blame Wren for is that he hasn’t talked Bobby into retiring
Piedmont Blues (ex-BFIR)
June 11th, 2009
5:10 pm
Of interest (maybe)–
A few weeks back, Tom Seaver was on MLB Network and was asked about pitch counts. Did he have to worry about them when he was pitching? Somewhat surprisingly (to me, anyway), he said yes, he and other pitchers had limits, but they varied from one guy to another.
His limit was 135 pitchers, someone else’s (it was either Matlack or Koosman) was 125. He criticized the cookie-cutter notion that every starter should be pulled after 100 pitches. Some guys are stronger than others.
He also said he understands why teams watch pitch counts so closely, however, because minor league starters aren’t expected to throw more than five or six innings. If you’ve never gone deep into a start, he said, you may never learn how to pace yourself properly when you reach the majors.
And every time I hear one of the great workhorses of the past talk about how they stayed healthy over a long career, I keep thinking that Leo had it right: Don’t worry about lifting weights or running or anything more than basic conditioning, but throw. A lot. There’s no substitute for arm strength, and you get it by exercising your arm.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
5:10 pm
kirkinga,
The Braves had a 1/3 success rate today of scoring after a stolen base. 1 out of 3 is not a good ratio. I understand what you are saying… hitting with a runner in scoring position is better than hitting with a runner on 1st… but that would imply that the team actually hits. They can’t even steal, bunt, sac fly correctly.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:10 pm
Hell, at this point, Wren should trade Vazquez for a big bat, and BEG Glavine to come back as the 5th starter. Worst case scenario, if Glavine fails, Medlen can slide back into the rotation. Or perhaps, trade Frenchy for damn Brad Penny and his mediocre ERA for the 5th spot.
Whatever. But this lineup is horrible. Scratch that. There’s signs of life occasionally. Inconsistent. Only way to put it. But I’m sure Shaun will dispute that there’s no such thing as inconsistency. So scratch that too.
This team is fine.
America First
June 11th, 2009
5:10 pm
We can Americanize his name: Vasquez.
Soon he’ll spell it Vastquest.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:11 pm
Wow, 1st time I have read Cox sound that frustrated.
But, if you read between lines, what DOB just quoted there, Cox doesnt have the slightest idea of how to fix these. He sounds totally devastated. He sounds beaten, like someone trying to come up with answers all night, only to come up with the same result.
Problem is he just doesnt have the balls to do what it needs to be done……….shuffle thing up, and I mean a lot.
Let KJ back into the OF………….let prado play 2b and let GA and Diaz play RF. Not everyday, but do it. Take JF out of that comfortable zone he is in. Same goes for yunel. Bench that guy……….problem now is that Infante is not here now, but things need to be done.
Benching JF once a month is same as nothing.
Benching KJ once a month is same as nothing.
At this point, every player but chipper, Mc Cann and McClouth should be on the hot sit……..out of comfortable zones………..make them earn their everyday play.
Say what?
June 11th, 2009
5:11 pm
I’m on record right now. Vazquez, JJJ, Lowe, KK and Hanson’s efforts every night will be wasted on a .500 team N8
There is no way Tommy Hanson deserves to be mentioned with those other guys. Tommy Hanson pitched 3 good innings..that it. He has to earn the right to be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys.
conundrum
June 11th, 2009
5:12 pm
The Braves need to remain alive in the pennant race or else the Marlins will pick their remains.
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
5:12 pm
Mr. Enigma,
I don’t get your post. I mean, it’s correct (except the fact that you stated we have a world series caliber team, which is pure lunacy), but who are you talking to? I don’t think anyone on the blog wanted to keep Glavine around in favor of Hanson. Or blames Wren for the Furcal fiasco. Or wants Burnett in hindsight.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:12 pm
cabravesfan, I don’t think he was suggesting to trade the 3 of them to IMPROVE our chances of competing in 2009. I believe he was suggesting to do it when we’re out of it (which we will be by July 1st with this type of offensive output), as to make 2010 a better team with what we’d get for 3 guys that likely won’t be here anyhow next year, or at least two of them.
PWHjort
June 11th, 2009
5:13 pm
Say What?,
He’s also one of the top young pitchers in the game. Regardless of how successful he was in his debut.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:13 pm
America First-
Javy is from Puerto Rico. He’s an American citizen
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
5:14 pm
Piedmont Blues (ex-BFIR),
I agree with what Seaver says. Nolan Ryan has told the Rangers that he doesn’t want pitch counts on his pitchers, he wants them to go deep into games. Minor leagues and major league combined, all his pitchers will go deep into games.
It seems he is bucking the trend and for whatever reason, it seems to be working. The Rangers pitching has been better this season, and is one of the reasons they are in 1st place.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:14 pm
“There is no way Tommy Hanson deserves to be mentioned with those other guys. Tommy Hanson pitched 3 good innings..that it. He has to earn the right to be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys.”
OK. I’ll wait until he pitches better to conceed that the offense won’t be doing him any favors. I forgot. It’s only 4 out of 5 games that our offense stinks.
Either way. You lose the argument that this offense is good enough to win more than half of the games they play. The 29-30 record is on my sidee.
Tommy Hanson gets mentioned
June 11th, 2009
5:14 pm
“He has to earn the right to be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys.”
No. Here’s how you do it:
Of the Braves pitchers Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrgens, Kenshin Kawakami and Tommy Hanson, it turns out that Hanson is the one with the largest butt.
Jake W.
June 11th, 2009
5:15 pm
“Yes, because trading our top 2 relief pitchers and a great starting arm will make us BETTER!!”
You took the words right out of my mouth. This offseason we will have one major problem and thats fixing our offense. The starting rotation is pretty much set for next season too, and we will have to make some decisions with our bullpen but we really aren’t that bad off as some would make it sound. Obviously we need to sign or trade for some better offensive players, but no let’s create some more holes to make the offseason even more difficult. So what we get back prospects for those guys were not guranteed to be the Florida Marlins and always getting good prospects. We could end up being more pittsburgh pirate like and continually rebuilding.
And actually we will be 6 1/2 back if Phillies beat Mets and 3 or 3 1/2 back in the wild card if it goes the other way.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
5:15 pm
Speaking of nailing it on the head, Chipper did, regarding the Braves’ offense:
“It’s been the story of our season, it’s nothing new,” third baseman Chipper Jones said. “We go two or three games and hit well, and go two or three games where we don’t.
“If Mac [Brian McCann] is not playing and I go 0-for, we’re in trouble. If I’m not playing and Mac goes 0-for, we’re in trouble. Happened today.”
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:16 pm
Can’t even win a series against the Pirates.
Sadly, I don’t need to say anything else. That sentence about sums it up.
McCan't be counted on
June 11th, 2009
5:17 pm
Chipper’s correct. McCann let the team down today.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:17 pm
N8-
Yeah, I know but I cannot wait (actually I can) to see the bitching on the blog if something like that happened and the pen completely collapseddue to inexpierence- because that is what would likely happen with those guys gone, especially Sori & Gonzo (god, can you imagine the reaction to the first blown save? The blog might explode)
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:18 pm
Arent you guys tired of playing the “hopefully game”?
1. Hopefully muts win tonight
2. Hopefully we make it to the wildcard
3. hopefully manny is not back by the time we play the dodgers
4. hopefully big papi stays cold for the next 2 weeks.
Hey, 10 years ago we couldnt care less of what was happeninig around the league, we were the league. Look what this team has become……….. We are down to hopes, prays, luck and playing the “hopefully game”…
Get us a real team, cause the bunch of guys we have right now, cant even be called a team.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
June 11th, 2009
5:18 pm
No one should be surprised that Mac wasn’t in the lineup today. Day game after a night game, he’s going to sit. With no off day tomorrow and a long stretch of games coming up, he needed the day off.
The "fasten seatbelt" sign is on
June 11th, 2009
5:18 pm
The Braves need to remain seated.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:19 pm
Sadly, DOB that sentence from Chipper, is EXACTLY why the Braves should consider moving McCann to 1B before next season. Despite Kotchman’s glove (which is GG caliber), and the fact that when in the lineup, he’s a doubles machine, as long as McCann’s bat is the 2nd most important bat on the roster, he needs to be playing in around 150 or so games. Not 130.
I realize that he’s a good game caller, and the guys like throwing to him. But his bat is just that damn important to this team. No reason to give him “scheduled” days off when the team is trying to win a series.
How about with games in Baltimore this weekend, play him today and let him DH this weekend?
Sometimes Bobby just isn’t thinking, imo.
But you’re right. Chipper nailed it.
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
5:20 pm
Buffalo NY Braves Fan, the point is if they had done nothing, they don’t score as Francoeur’s single get’s Diaz only to 2nd instead of home. The point also, is that they are now being more aggressive and trying to score by putting pressure on the defense.
I’m well aware that there is certain dogma that cautions against such type of play, but a team like the Braves, with little power, poor pre 2-out situational hitting, and mediocre speed has to be more aggressive as they are not scoring runs adequately playing less aggressive. Being aggressive is also a mindset and I like to see that from a baseball team, especially in the post PED era.
Bill Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:21 pm
WHY WHY WHY is McLouth hitting leadoff? Technically he’s leading the team in RBI and HR! How many RBI chances will he get hitting after Franceour, K. Johnson and the pitcher’s spot?!
Chipper, suavey
June 11th, 2009
5:21 pm
“But you’re right. Chipper nailed it.”
Chippers always nailing something or someone.
Not again
June 11th, 2009
5:22 pm
““He should be on the All-Star team,” Cox said. “If the All-Star team had scouts, they’d probably pick him No. 1.”
That’s Bobby telling team you better pay up if you want Javier next month. Our trade bait is shinning! Sucks for Braves fans.
One Damn Good Beer!!!
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:22 pm
cabravesfan, I agree with you. But if you’re “out of it”, your out of it. So, that would be time to think about next year, and get some young guys some playing time.
I’m not saying give up now. We’re not double-digits down in the standings (yet), and regardless of bad this offense is right now, we DO have the pitching to go on a run and erase that deficit. Just so long as it doesn’t get a lot worse (which it will with the offense playing like this – against the upcoming good teams), and Wren gets a bat.
But if this is the lineup Wren plans on having Bobby go to “war” with for the remainder of the season, I’m afraid the results won’t be much different than they have been, since August 1st of 2005. Mediocre.
GTSteve
June 11th, 2009
5:23 pm
Can’t even win a series against the Pirates.
Careful N8, Laroche takes those comments personally
Joseph Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:24 pm
It seems that if a Braves player, like Francoeur, plays badly enough then they become cheap enough to sign to a long term contract. Catch 22.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:25 pm
GTSteve perhaps we walked the wrong LaRoche? LOL!
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
5:25 pm
GTSteve – Wren get Bobby to retire? Ha ha!! That is not his style. He will wait until Christmas right before spring training and fire him. But he will become my favorite GM ever. Notice my name?
PMC
June 11th, 2009
5:25 pm
For the record I think Wren has still done a decent job he wasn’t done any favors by the previous administration.
I’m not sure firing coaches would do any good but a shakeup with the coaches I don’t think would hurt.
They have been extremely patient with thier young players and they simply aren’t up to par. Kelly Johnson and Jeff Francouer are largely just an out virtually every time up. The team OBP is depressing… Runs scored is just awful. Other teams simply have better talent than we do. We struck out from our drafting to our scouting to our coaching to our playing and it’s just going to take a couple of years to rebuild the talent level and get guys that can play every day at a major league level.
Joseph Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:26 pm
The Braves used to be good but then SOMETHING HAPPENED.
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
5:27 pm
We go two or three games and hit well, and go two or three games where we don’t. – Chipper
Try 8 or 9 games of sucking! 2 or 3 would be welcomed right now!
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
5:28 pm
Piedmont, good post. I agree with Seaver on a lot of points, but I do feel that 135 is too many. There’s too much info out there for me to ignore on that point. However, I certainly don’t think 100 pitches should be a hard and fast rule by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t think that you should leave your starters out there (especially the younger ones) for more than 115-120 pitches on a regular basis, however. Especially not when they’ve just thrown 8 innings and have two power arms waiting to go in the bullpen.
I do agree very much with Leo’s assessment, though. Did you ever read his book on pitching and conditioning?
Joseph Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:28 pm
The Braves had some good minor leaguers but I hear that they bombed in New Haven.
Say What?
June 11th, 2009
5:28 pm
PWHjort no he’s not. He’s a guy that gave up 7 runs in his first start. That is what he is. He’s in the major league now and while the other starters have actually won a major league game, he has not.
N8you’re an idiot for wanting to trade Javy, but be that as it may, Hanson has not produced like the other starters, offense or not. We can still measure how good a pitcher is doing independently of the offense. So no, idiot, you don’t have to wait for the offense, you can just look at something other than won-loss records. But hey, you can “win” this argument ok, not a problem you need it more than I do…lol!
PMC
June 11th, 2009
5:29 pm
we aren’t fast, we aren’t power hitters and we don’t hit for average and we don’t walk much either.
Maybe we could lead the league in HBP’s? Lean into a few boys.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
5:30 pm
I don’t, however, agree with Ryan about having no pitch counts. A great way to ruin your young arms, especially the teenage ones in the minors. Just because he had great mechanics and a rubber arm doesn’t mean every pitcher does.
In Vazquez’s or Lowe’s case, I’m not so worried, but in JJ’s case, in Hanson’s case, in KK’s case–yes, the pitches should be monitored much more closely.
Anders
June 11th, 2009
5:30 pm
If Mac [Brian McCann] is not playing and I go 0-for, we’re in trouble. If I’m not playing and Mac goes 0-for, we’re in trouble. Happened today.” (Chipper)
Wow. That’s got “the rest of our offense sucks” written all over it.
Joseph Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:31 pm
Some folks think that Tommy Hanson is GOOD AS GOLD but all I can say is GOD KNOWS.
PMC
June 11th, 2009
5:31 pm
Also, if you are tied to a hard a fast budget number in an uncapped sport…. maybe…you should put the team on the market.
FloridaBrave
June 11th, 2009
5:31 pm
People know we need to acquire a big bat…but with whom? Heyward, Freeman, Hanson are untouchable. Schafer and Medlen probably are, too, and rightfully so. The Braves just traded Locke, Hernandez, and Morton. Jo-Jo’s hurt and hasn’t proven much of anything. And in case you haven’t noticed, our AA and AAA teams are pretty devoid of talent now as most of the Braves’ minor league talent is in A ball.
If the Braves are going to make a deal, they’d have to either make one of those “Big 5″ touchable, or get creative and trade an established big-leaguer.
I think that big-leaguer should be Javier Vazquez. Bloggers only want to trade the Jeff Francoeur’s and Brandon Jones’ of the world to get a big bat. They say “Why would we trade Vazquez when he’s performing so well.”
You have to trade value to gain value.
Vazquez’s trade value has never been higher and the Braves can’t assemble a well-balanced, playoff roster by tying up $12 million to Hudson, $15 million to Lowe, $11.5 million to Vazquez, and $7 million to Kawakami. Especially with two other young starters needing to be in the rotation. Four guys making around $45 and only three rotation spots.
Do the math. One will have to go.
Hudson’s coming off arm surgery, Lowe is the oldest and has the worst contract of the bunch, and Kawakami is still an unproven. That leaves Vazquez with the most trade value.
He’ll get traded this winter at the latest. But doing it now, when he has more trade value, lands us more in return.
I don’t advocate trading him now for a package of prospects while we’re still in contention. We should look to trade Vazquez for a big bat. But if we fall out of contention by the trade deadline, we should trade him for a big bat or prospects.
Joseph Heller
June 11th, 2009
5:32 pm
Doesn’t anyone read books anymore?
Maybe they’re not part of the curricula at Georgia Perimeter College.
Anders
June 11th, 2009
5:33 pm
PMC- Yeah, good time to put the team on the market. How’s your GM stock working out for ya?
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
5:33 pm
Joseph – The Braves used to be good but then SOMETHING HAPPENED.
1. Bobby Cox is still the manager (Liberty Media knows nothing about baseball)
2. Players on this team over the past three years have not been as good. (Liberty Media is cheap)
3. Turner Field turned into a giant advertisement (Liberty Media is greedy)
4. TBS quit carrying Braves games (TBS hates Liberty Media)
So Im thinking Liberty Media has something to do with it.
Our Saviour
June 11th, 2009
5:34 pm
Maybe Richard Branson will buy the Braves. Then things will get interesting.
monty
June 11th, 2009
5:34 pm
I’ll try this for the 3rd time. In their last 10 losses the Braves have averaged a microscopic 1.4 runs per game. The pitchers know if they give up 2 runs chances are high they lose. Only give up 1 run and maybe they can win in extra innings.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
5:34 pm
cabravesfan/N8/and whoever cares-
don’t give me this garbage about Soriano, Gonzo and Vasquez being needed for this teams chances in 2010. If we are out of it by July 31st(AND WE WILL BE), then all of those three guys better be wearing new uniforms. I don’t want to hear about draft pick compensation or Type B positive stuff, draft picks that will be up in 2020? Get out of here. TRADE THEM. Get prospects back that can at least help you in 2011 or maybe one that can help in 2010. Not to mention, do you think the Braves would offer Soriano or Gonzalez arbitration in this economy? You know they won’t. Soriano is making like 6 mill and Gonzo like 4 mill. Their salaries will go up from arb. and they will accept it and Wren will look like a fool as usual. Trade all three of those players and the 2010 version of the Braves will be better for it!!!!!!!
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
5:35 pm
How many of you guys are getting paid to be on here right now at your “job”?
Slackers!! Ha!!
Ander's Mom
June 11th, 2009
5:35 pm
Anders! Didn’t you used to own some stock in Krispy Kreme? How are they doing?
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:35 pm
N8-
Since when has “being out of it” ever stopped the blog from pitching a fit?
Seriously, though, I have no problem with letting (certain) young guys play (read: Not Heyward or Freeman, at least not as of right this second…give them some time) but not at the expense of (certain) vets (read: Javy, Soriono or Gonzo- I imagine at least one will be back next year) unless we can get more then a rental in return (actually I don’t think we should trade Javy at all)- just my opinion though
Say What?-
Not sure if I missed it but I don’t think N8 is advocating trading Vazquez
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:36 pm
Say What?
Nope. The won loss record FOR THE TEAM, is all I need to know about.
We have a surplus of pitching and we need offense. The ONLY way to improve this team NOW, is to trade from surplus and improve the weakness.
or…. just wait for Francouer, G. Anderson, KJ to come around and Schafer to come back.
I’m not out of line saying (thinking) that the TEAM might be better off with one less stellar pitcher in the rotation, and one MORE big bat playing every night.
Most of the 90’s, we had 3 (at best) stellar pitchers. But we had a lineup to die for. This team has 4 really decent pitcher, one that has POTENTIAL to be great, and THREE good hitters. One of which, doesn’t play once every 5 days.
I don’t NEED to win this argument. I’ve just won it. Like I said. The 29-30 record, DESPITE having FANTASTIC starting pitching says I’m right.
Argue away if you must.
Anders
June 11th, 2009
5:36 pm
Our Saviour – Was that a serious thought? I think he would be a very cool owner. The Braves would certainly have the best airliner in the league.
I don't know about anyone else
June 11th, 2009
5:37 pm
The AJC pays me to blog incessantly on here so that DOB looks really popular.
Sometimes I insult him, but he just loves it.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
5:38 pm
don’t be a fool Francis Wren. Trade Soriano to the Yanks. Gonzo to the Tigers. Vasquez to the Dodgers. You can get a ton of good young prospects and the Braves will be a better team in the future(AS LONG AS THEY GET RID OF THE SCRUBS LIKE FRANCOEUR AND JOHNSON).
daleusa40
June 11th, 2009
5:38 pm
Sorry to say most of the Braves bats are not tradable . Teams that trade want to get better not S–K like some of ours guys.
kirkinga
June 11th, 2009
5:38 pm
I can’t believe anyone is seriously proposing we trade Vasquez right now? You don’t create a hole to fill a hole. The Braves do not have a proven replacement for him. Did some here forget how awful the rotation was last season? Well we’ve fixed that now and un-fixing it makes no sense , especially if the idea is to improve the team.
Now, during the offseason, it’s a different story. You have a Hudson coming back and thus, a proven replacement. But if you’re going to trade one of them, wouldn’t Hudson bring a greater return, especially if he comes back to pitch in August or September?
njbraves
June 11th, 2009
5:38 pm
The baseball IQ on this board couldn’t get much lower. Most of you are clueless.
A Serious thought
June 11th, 2009
5:40 pm
What if Greg Norton were really a a seemingly unstoppable cyborg assassin who has been sent back from the year 2029 by a race of artificially intelligent computer-controlled machines bent on the extermination of the Braves.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:41 pm
I read a report that after Chipper told that to reporters, he immediately called Smoltz and asked him if the redsox could use a new DH………..wonder if he was refering about himself.
Wow, like little kids...
June 11th, 2009
5:41 pm
Wow, like little kids…I don’t NEED to win this argument. I’ve just won it...N8. And to think this guy has reproduced! Scary and sad.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:41 pm
The Truth, you’ve misred my posts. I’m FOR trading those three guys (at least two of them), if we’re out of it. I believe that all three WILL NOT be back, but for sure two of them won’t.
cabravesfan, I did say that trading Vazquez might be the best option to acquire a big bat mid-season (unless you’re for trading Medlen, Hanson, Schafer, Freeman or Heyward – I’M NOT). That isn’t to say that I’m DEMANDING they do so.
Just saying, he’s the most tradable commodity we’ve got, that might net us a big bat from another contender that has enough offense, but not enough pitching.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But, YES. If we’re out of it by July 1st, then Wren should certainly start listening to offers for anybody that he thinks could net us youn IMPACT players, and that he doesn’t see as part of the longterm future of this team.
I think Hudson will be in the rotation next year, and Vazquez will be gone. So, since that’s my belief, why on earth would Wren retain him for the remainder of 2009, if we’re out of it? His trade value will be significantly higher July 31st to a contender than it will be in December with only a full seaosn left on the deal.
If he’s (Vazquez) is as good as Eric thinks he is, then surely some other contenders will give us SOMTHING of value for him, right?
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:42 pm
Maybe we could clone of the blogs IQ geniuses. That would do, right?
Professor Plum
June 11th, 2009
5:42 pm
“The baseball IQ on this board couldn’t get much lower. Most of you are clueless.”
Wait. I have two clues. The first is Blaine Boyer. The second is goo found on a dagger left in the drawing room.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:44 pm
The Truth-
You are assuming the Yankees want Soriano (maybe), the Tigers want Gonzo(sure, they can use the pitching) and the Dodgers want Vazquez (not likely- don’t need him), and will give up something worth it in exchange. Meanwhile you leave the Braves without a setup man (do you really trust Moylan in that role? Didn’t think so), without a closer and without your #3 starter…serious question- who would you fill those spots with?
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:45 pm
Chipper forgot to talk about how bad Soriano looked in the batters box…………..he cost us the game today.
monty
June 11th, 2009
5:45 pm
I’ll have to say that I don’t remember having seen Javy pitch before this year but he is a pleasure to watch if you enjoy the art of pitching. He really is a Rembrandt out there. Brings back memories of Maddux. Can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such good pitching go to waste,…oh yes I can, it’s coming back to me, everytime he and JJ pitch.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:45 pm
Wow, like little kids…, oh how nice? Another blogger afraid to post an attack at another blogger, while not using his/her normal moniker. Spoken like a true “little kid”.
You’re missing my point. I’m not saying I need to win the argument. I think what I think either way. It’s my opinion nothing more. HE accused me of needing to wint the argument.
All I’m saying is that it’s an argument that can’t be won based on the RESULTS. I’m saying this team is mediocre. He was saying it’s not. The 29-30 record states that I’m right.
That doesn’t mean I like the result. Nor do I feel better for being right. I’d rather be WRONG and we win more games. But the standings speak for themselves.
Ask Chipper if he thinks this offense is good, results wise?
4 1 1
June 11th, 2009
5:47 pm
N8 b @$$n9
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:49 pm
njbraves,
Acronym Definition
IQ Intelligence Quotient
IQ Indefinite Quantity contract
IQ Iraq (country code, top level domain)
IQ Image Quality
IQ Information Quality
IQ Installation Qualification
IQ Inverse Quantization
IQ Intelligent Question
IQ Inhibitory Quotient
IQ In-phase/Quadrature
IQ Irrelevant Question (polygraphy)
IQ Intervencion Quirurgica (Spanish: Surgical Procedure)
IQ Issue Queue
IQ Indication of Quality (Nortel)
IQ Input Queuing
IQ Indy Quotient (computer game score)
IQ Insufficient Quantity
IQ Initial Qualification Training
IQ Insurquote Systems Inc.
IQ Incremental Quantization
IQ Invoice Query System (Sprint)
IQ United States miscellaneous Pacific Islands Outlying Areas (including Kingman Reef)
“Whatever do you mean?”
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
5:49 pm
N8-
First- totally agree- Medlen, Hanson, Schafer, Freeman & Heyward are untouchable in my book.
Second- maybe last season just made me weary of trading a strong starter but I am leary of giving up Vazquez in the middle of the season without a surefire (meaning someone with major league experience at the very least) back-up plan (and hoping Huddy can pitch stong coming back from Tommy John is putting more pressure on him then I like, out of it or not) even if we are not contending, but I do understand your point and the reasoning. It does make sense to me, even if I don’t particularly like it
dude
June 11th, 2009
5:51 pm
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO WE TRADE VASQUEZ!!!!!!!!! I trade Dlowe before him.
YOu people r nuts!
We have to have pitching to even be in games. How do u think we won 14 straight division titles?
Its called MADDUX,SMOLTZ,GLAVINE
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:52 pm
monty,
What team did Rembrandt pitch for?
Did they use to play baseball in the 17th century?
Wow like little kids...
June 11th, 2009
5:53 pm
Another blogger afraid to post an attack at another blogger, while not using his/her normal moniker. Spoken like a true “little kid”. I don’t have a “name” here. I just type what I feel like typing. I don’t comment regularly enough to have a “name”. I just stop by for laughs and hope to read something interesting from true Braves fans. I have no problem mocking you because every time I read this blog you are against the Braves in some way shape or form. Not only that, every time, and I mean every time, I come here, you are a troublemaker, instigating little twit. So you and the other person’s conversation were both bad.You are just worse because this is your m.o.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
5:53 pm
Renegator……….I totally agree with you. If the Braves wait a month to make a deal for a right handed power bat, they could very well be out of it. The problem is that most teams arent willing to make a deal until the trade deadline at the end of July, particularly when they dont want to give up quality to get quality. The Braves have a legit, inning eating starting pitcher in Javier Vazquez who would nicely help solve any teams starting rotation problems. However, these same teams dont want to give up a bat to get someone like him. If the Braves end up falling out of the race by the end of July, then I would MAKE any team who wanted Vazquez pay a RANSOM in order to get Vazquez. If they didnt, the Braves can easily keep him for next year. After all, there is no sense in trading Vazquez in a “fair” trade in late July if the Braves have fallen out of the race. Right now, it makes sense to make a “fair” trade with another team because the Braves are still in it and need a right handed power bat. However come late July, if the Braves are out of it, then the only way I would trade Vazquez is if some team made an OUTSTANDING offer for him.
If teams dont want to deal with the Braves now, fine, they have that right. However, I would absolutely punish them in any deal for Vazquez in late July if the Braves are out of the race. ABSOLUTELY PUNISH THEM, make them give up a hella lot to get Vazquez, by then, many teams in the race will be begging for the Braves to trade Vazquez to them. While some teams may think that they hold the Braves over the barrel right now due to our offensive struggles……I would hold them over that same barrel come late July if the Braves are out of it.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:53 pm
I would trade moylan before soriano (best of them all) or gonzo (1 of our only 2 lefties)
Johnny Quest
June 11th, 2009
5:54 pm
In case you missed it, here is Frenchy pitching to himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyd6CZEV6Sg&feature=related
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:54 pm
N8 bat 2dollarsigns 9?
I don’t get it.
Kingman Reef
June 11th, 2009
5:55 pm
Kingman Reef was so named after a baseball hit by Dave Kingman, from the Dodgers’ baseball stadium, landed on this formerly unnamed reef.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
5:56 pm
dude,
Trade JoJo would be a better idea. He is our only lefty but we already have 2 youngsters way better than him……….that would we enough until they develop.
N8
June 11th, 2009
5:58 pm
Oh. I see. Another person using the “true fan” definition?
You’ve said enough. Run along now. Be a true fan of a mediocre team somewhere else?
EVERYTIME I’m “aginst” the Braves? Your reading comprehension explains it all.
But just so I’m getting this straight. Eric from MO didn’t instigate today’s first comment from me? Just like you’re first post to me didn’t?
Oh I understand. You’re reading and REALITY comprehension are both to blame.
Don’t bother trying to explain. I’m sure it won’t make any sense either.
John Donne
June 11th, 2009
5:58 pm
“Did they use to play baseball in the 17th century?”
Yes, but it was called “podge balle” back then. And they used mandrake roots for bats.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
June 11th, 2009
5:59 pm
Okay. Enough is enough. The Braves need another bat. Francoeur is worthless and Anderson isn’t much better. At this point I’m for dangling Vasquez to see what they can get. Maybe that won’t be necessary if a guy like Spillboroughs can be acquired. But, something has to change.
I think (I hope) Wren has another move in mind. Maybe it will be Kelly Johnson who will be moved once Infante comes back. I don’t know but I do know that this team won’t win despite the good pitching with this piss poor offense. Hell, KK is taking criticism for not pitching well but he has. He gets no run support. I’m just sick of this!
AZBravoFan
June 11th, 2009
6:02 pm
Bobby took the words right out of my mouth, “Maholm pitched a good game, but we’re saying that too much.” Guys with 5+ ERA’s come in and suddenly pitch a great game against this team. Then they go right back to their 5+ ERA’s in their next starts. When you’re tipping your cap to the opposing pitcher every other game, that’s a worrisome pattern. This is not the playoffs. We’re not seeing #1 and #2 starters every night. Not sure what the answer is short of some radical personnel changes. In retrospect, I probably would have liked to seen the Kawakami money spent on upgrading the offense.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:02 pm
Cant trade JJJ, DL, JV, KK, medlen nor Hanson.
The 1st 4 are our current 1-4 and the last 2 we dont know when will they be ready…………and You want some back up if some of them go down. Plus Medlen can stay in the bullpen the rest of 2009.
We can trade moylan, bennett, acosta, carlyle and nobody else
Soriano, Gonzo and O´Flaherty are untouchbles.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:02 pm
untouchables
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:04 pm
JEFF………..Frank Wren was fired from the Orioles after only one year because the owner of the Orioles, Peter Angelos, likes to fire people for the mistakes that he makes as owner (pushing for Albert Belle to be signed to a fat contract). Look at the Orioles record since 1997. How many play-offs have they been to since 1997? Peter Angelos is like Ted Turner was in the 1983-1985. He makes his GM go after players he think will help the team (only to bomb and cost the team the wrong prospects who go on to be really good players somewhere else). If it was all Frank Wren’s fault, wouldnt it make sense that the Orioles would have been able to rebound since 1999? Ten years later, the Orioles still suck. No matter who runs the team, no matter who the manager is….the Orioles still suck because the owner interferes.
I’m not saying that Frank Wren is the perfect GM. I disagree with him on a number of things. However, since he took over in 2008, he has done an overall EXCELLENT job of fixing the starting rotation. The way things are now, the Braves rotation looks set for the next few years. The fact that Franceour and Johnson have not hit this year isnt his fault. However, he has to fix it. He started the rebuilding of the offense with the McLouth trade. Let’s see what he can do in the next few weeks.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:06 pm
Sad. Not even a rumor on the wings……….we need that bat dear Santa Claus!!!!!!!!!!!!
boratman310
June 11th, 2009
6:07 pm
How do we get all of the opposing pitchers that are so good? Why can we not have a pitcher figured out the second or third time at bat? When the opposing batter hits a home run he has hit a bad pitch but when the opposing pitcher throws the same pitch and a brave strikes out it was a good pitch.{per our announcers). Fact is our braves cannot hit for what ever the reason is. Maybe Cox,Maybe T.P.??? They need to find answers now rather than later. Time is running out.
scottbravesfan
June 11th, 2009
6:11 pm
boratman,
The Braves hitters can’t hit because they just aren’t very good at hitting. You have two holes in right and left field. That’s huge to have zero production coming from both of your corner outfielders. Francouer is not an every day major leaguer. Maybe he can make it as a back up outfielder who plays a couple of times a week but he can’t be getting 155 starts a year and expect the team to make the playoffs. This is the third year in a row that he has struggled and it’s not a slump the guy has holes in his swing and he chases everything. Garrett Anderson is old and should have stayed in the American League.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:11 pm
Did you know………….Orioles have scored more runs than the braves this season………..?
So……….who are we going to DH while on this road trip? Gregor Blanco? What a joke. It will be Garret Anderson. I cant think of a better choice right now. Or maybe leaving Blanco at 1st and DH Barbaro. But I like the 1st choice better. Let Barbaro play, he needs to get comfortable.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:11 pm
I feel that Jeff Franceour will never be a power hitter. He has shown this year that when he tries to pull the ball, the either strikes out, grounds out to short, or pops up. Very rarely does he hit a home run anymore (15 homers in his last 830 at-bats prove that). When he tries to go to right field, he either pops it up or hits a weak grounder to second. He will get the occasional bloop or the low liner to right for a base hit. However he does not drive the ball for doubles or homers anymore. He just doesnt.
Do the Braves want to pay Franceour $7 mil next year to be a singles hitter who hits .250 next year?
BT
June 11th, 2009
6:12 pm
I am not a big Liberty Media fan but the payroll is 96+ million dollars. PMC without checking the Twins who have closer to your 37 million figure might have a higher B.A.
D.OB anyway you could possibly call for a Franceour free blog tomorrow. He did drive in our only run and went two for three. I am not sure what people would have expected.
Someone on the blog was on Chipper’s case. He is playing his heart out, leading the team in almost every meaningful offensive category. No we can’t score but I don’t think it is because we have a “measly” 96 or 97 million dollar payroll.
nolie
June 11th, 2009
6:13 pm
But hey, if the Nats were able to get something like the Yankees 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th draft picks for Strasburg, then it would allow them to have a really deep draft. (EFRIM)
which they probably wouldn’t br able to afford anyway dontcha think?
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
6:15 pm
cabravesfan – you are clearly out of your mind dealing with the Truth in a negative manner – if you look up “the Truth” in the dictionary you would see it means “la veracidad.” Anyone who thinks we can’t decimate our bullpen and still come out okay is clearly living in the bright lights of LA and not the real world (at least, not the Cancun version). Please ground yourself in reality, young lady, or else, start drinking, so you can catch up to me. I have an hour of work to do (yes, I know it’s wrong after three hours of drowning sorrows, but so life goes), but I shall return by eight to continue denouncing you for your heresy (I will admit I felt badly when I heard Canizares was called up after temerity to consider his defensive ability last night). Later, darling.
nolie
June 11th, 2009
6:15 pm
(JD)
I’m gonna give you some props man. We weren’t talking about a DL situation, but they did bring the Can man up. As long as he doesn’t have to play much D he could easily be an improvement over the recent Norton.
Lance Henrickson
June 11th, 2009
6:16 pm
“D.OB anyway you could possibly call for a Franceour free blog tomorrow. He did drive in our only run and went two for three. I am not sure what people would have expected.”
I expect him to first get a pained expression on his face and then lie down while a gruesome newborn alien pops out from his chest amidst a splatter of blood and tissue.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:16 pm
Mr. Enigma…………great posting at 5:01pm. It is nice to see a TRUE Braves fan show an appreciation for the job that Frank Wren has done rebuilding the Braves. He isnt finished by any means. However compared to the debacle of a starting rotation that we had last year, he has worked a minor miracle.
A number of so-called Braves clamored for the Braves to resign Smoltz, Glavine, and Hampton. Unreal, but not surprising.
nolie
June 11th, 2009
6:17 pm
(RHR)
thanks for the titles young lady, I will check them out. I see that Lew chipped in with props for the Burke novels too. I knew that guy was smart.
kjb
June 11th, 2009
6:18 pm
Trade Frenchy now!!!
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
6:19 pm
cabravesfan – I did point out to DOB (don’t know if he noticed) that his girl Neko Case is on Conan tonight. I am in a very musical mode right now – playing my 125 most played I-Tunes Library songs on random order (okay, I’m a prevert (sic) – started with the Amy song).
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:19 pm
I call for a JF free braves team.
Lance Henrickson
June 11th, 2009
6:21 pm
Did you know that I was in both “Alien” AND “Terminator”.
How cool is that?
I’m like the Dave Henderson of actors.
brian
June 11th, 2009
6:21 pm
second the motion doc
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
6:22 pm
Well just got back from Turner Field and DOB I SWAM to the MARTA BUS it was raining so heavily…A good Babtist rain as they used to say.
No hits once again for the offense and have to say it was not pretty. Great time in the Chop House over Chippers banner but outside of Javy not much to be excited about. YUCK! thats all I can say about the bats …gotta go and ring out my clothes as it feels like I spent a day at White Water instead of Turner Field.
Let’s hope things get better in Baltimore.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
6:23 pm
Vinings Jim-
I have no defense for that. I have been blinded by the lights of the big city (or at least the fluorescent lights of my office). I should know better then to argue with the truth. I am hanging my head in shame and sorrow. I will now leave work half an hour early so I can properly drown my embarrassment. Should be interesting- having dinner with the parents tonight.
here here
June 11th, 2009
6:23 pm
I call for an alcohol free Braves manager!
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
6:23 pm
Yes I know we had a few…but not very impressive.
nolie
June 11th, 2009
6:23 pm
My mom has read all 800 of Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta novels, I got bored with those after the 5th one. (RHR)
I didn’t get bored with them, but her writing has gotten almost incoherent. All the critics and many fans have been ripping her for year about how bad they have become. But I do love series. I know what I’m gonna get and develop a tie to the main characters. Too much really bad stuff out there IMO.
RHR
June 11th, 2009
6:23 pm
Anytime, nolie.
DOB’s comments on barbaro made deadspin, in case someone hasnt already mentioned it.
cabravesfan
June 11th, 2009
6:24 pm
Vinings Jim-
Hey, she’s legal and in case you havn’t noticed, not exactly a nun
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
6:24 pm
I’m surprised Bobby said this
Maholm pitched a good game, but we’re saying that too much,” Cox said. “We need to find a way to score more runs.”
kjb
June 11th, 2009
6:26 pm
This lineup is not good enough to win in this league. There are too many left handed hitters in this lineup. I think we should package frenchy, kelly, kotchman,& jo jo for some nice pieces & call it a day. Also please release garret, no energy. We need some excitement around here!!!
Vinings Jim
June 11th, 2009
6:26 pm
cabravesfan – say hi to the parents for me – check in later – I’ll be here.
Bill (SC)
June 11th, 2009
6:27 pm
I really would like to see McCann play day games. We lose his bat too often. Has he played 1B before?
Buckhead Bama
June 11th, 2009
6:27 pm
This is easily the most frustrating Braves team I can remember in a long time. I’m getting the feeling we just don’t have enough guys with “cahonas” to win consistently. We’ve got 3 guys who consistently come through in the clutch, hopefully a 4th with McLouth now. Maybe we should just split them all up in the lineup and sprinkle the Failcouer’s and Kelly Johnson’s betwen them, asking them to bunt every time somebody’s on base in front of them. Just a thought…..
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:27 pm
David O’Brien…………well said posting at 5:15pm. A good team can win games when their 2 best players have an off night. When the Yankees were wining World Series, they had clutch hits from Mike Brosius and Jim Lyreitz. It is unrealistic to expect Chipper and McCann to have 3-4 nights every night. They are going to have stretches where they go 0-4 for 3 or 4 games in a row. When that happens, the Braves HAVE to get help from others in the line-up.
If Francoeur was all that many of you wish he was, then on a day like today, instead of hitting 2 punch and Judy singles…..he would have hit 2 homers with a double like Chipper Jones did on Sunday. With Franceour in line to get a raise to $7 mil next year in salary arbitration, the Braves would be a DAMN FOOL to tender him a contract. Many of you are pressing Braves management to trade Franceour. However, the fact remains that NO team is going to trade for Francoeur. NO TEAM. So the Braves are stuck with either playing him where he kills the offense…..bench him and use him as a defensive replacement like Bobby did on Tuesday…..or send him to the minors. I dont see the Braves cutting him this year, considering he can be sent to the minors.
Hey DOB
June 11th, 2009
6:28 pm
Does Bobby Cox “twitter” during the game or is that just the “DT”s?
WILD BILL
June 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
19….. Is that Escobar’s # or IQ. bet he’s dumb as a Donkey. Good thing he can hit cause he’d forget his name if it wasnt on the back of his jersey. How can you forget about a runner when he just ran in front of you on the way to third??? If not for his brain fart we coulda went to extra innings when Garret homered in the ninth, maybe the smell from when he got his hair highlighted messed his head up! DUMB AZZ DONKEY! HEE HAW
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
Bravos2249 – About time the Skipper said something about our lack of run support for our pitchers. It’s getting embarassing the fact that our guys give us solid outings and we leave them out to hang way to often.
Javy was lights out today, no shocker as he has been pretty much all year. Something has to happen soon or we will find ourselves on the outside looking in this month like last year. I fear that with this road trip and what we have coming up might sink the ship.
Lew
June 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
nolie-Do you read Jonathan Kellerman or the Lincoln Child/Douglas Preston novels? How about John Sanford or Ridley Pearson?
McFann :Ô:
June 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
Bill (SC) Has [McCann] played 1B before?
No…
bravos2249
June 11th, 2009
6:31 pm
“This has been the story of our whole season,” Jones said. “We go two or three games where we hit well and we go two or three games where we don’t hit well. If [Brian McCann] isn’t playing and I go O-fer, we’re in trouble. If I’m not playing and Mac goes O-fer, we’re in trouble.”
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:32 pm
FloridaBrave……….agree with you totally on your posting at 5:31pm. I get a good laugh at bloggers who propose packaging Kelly Johnson for Rick Ankiel, lol. Or Jeff Franceour, Kelly Johnson, and James Parr for Brad Hawpe, lol. Some of these guys are so unreal.
Value for value. Our garbage for their value isnt going to happen. I would hate to see Vazquez go. However I would hate to see this season go to waste even more, especially if the Braves can get a quality right handed power hitter to play right field.
Duke
June 11th, 2009
6:32 pm
Pretty good call out to the rest of the team by Chipper.
K.C. in LA
June 11th, 2009
6:34 pm
Poor Vasquez. This offense is just pitiful.
This is funny: Didn’t know the Braves and American History X had anything in common…
http://tomahawktake.com/
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
6:35 pm
Lew and all who are looking for a good read check out Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s Trilogy. First book is out now called The Strain. It’s a good read and the next books will follow each year.
Also, Brad Thor’s book The Las Patriot is a pretty good one as well.
BT
June 11th, 2009
6:35 pm
We can’t gripe that our “high payroll guys” aren’t producing. Chipper, McCann, Lowe, Vasquez, really have all been great. It’s our mid/low level guys that haven’t come through.
Paul Lentz
June 11th, 2009
6:38 pm
Doc Holiday…………….what do you think the Braves can get for “moylan, bennett, acosta, carlyle”?
No other team wants our garbage, which is what those relief pitchers that you mentioned are. If the Braves are going to get a right handed power hitter who can play right field, the Braves are going to HAVE to give up QUALITY TO GET QUALITY.
Jack G.
June 11th, 2009
6:38 pm
Whu arent the Braves hitting?? Its simple—-BC has a bunch of singles hitters swinging for the fence. Results—-damn poor.
Carpe Diem
June 11th, 2009
6:39 pm
Gwinnett, he has a .988 fielding percentage which is actually better than Kelly Johnson’s .982 FP. (Original Jon)
sigh. you cannot compare defensive percentages between positions dude, everybody who is anybody knows that. Canizares makes a lot of goofs that are not errors on him and has the range of a guy in copncrete blocks. He can hit though and with the AL coming up, if Kotchman comes back soon it might work out.
Lew
June 11th, 2009
6:46 pm
Driver-Saw that Brad Thor book the other day and almost bought it. Next time I think I will.
FloridaBrave
June 11th, 2009
6:46 pm
Absolutely, Paul Lentz. The only thing I disagree with there is Kelly Johnson. He’s been a guy teams ask about every off-season for awhile. So although he’s not playing well, I don’t think he’s garbage. He’s young, cheap, and has an above average bat for his position(although not this year). So yeah, each year that goes by that he goes older, gets more expensive, and doesn’t realize his potential…his trade value goes down.
Should Johnson be made available, too? Maybe. I don’t trust Prado completely, but he wouldn’t be any worse than Kelly at this point. Once Infante comes back healthy and if Hernandez proves capable of holding down a utility role, it’s an option.
Kelly’s a much better player than what he shoes here. But Cox batting him at leadoff for much of the season while at the same time putting him in an on-again, off-again platoon I fear has disrupted his development so much that the Braves might never get the best out of him. It’s a shame, he had the patience and the swing. Pendleton telling him to be more aggressive didn’t help either- he USED to have great on-base skills.
And I wouldn’t do Johnson for Ankiel simply because Ankiel’s contract is up at the end of the year and he’s a Boras client.
If the Braves do choose to dangle Kelly, I think their first call should be to Arizona and see if they’d be interested in some sort of Kelly Johnson- Conor Jackson swap.
So, yeah, I don’t agree Johnson’s garbage. But obviously, we’re in agreement we can’t trade our crap for big bats and that Vazquez is the most logical way to get one.
nolie
June 11th, 2009
6:47 pm
I forgot that they played early today. I still haven’t checked the score cause I see that there are a lot of posts on the new blog already. I’m guessin’ we lost cause that always brings more hits.
Gone Viral
June 11th, 2009
6:50 pm
I dislike Francoeur’s play over the past couple of years as much as anyone, but today isn’t the day to be criticizing him.
Not Again
June 11th, 2009
6:51 pm
ctually, he’s 29. The only reason he hasn’t been up to the show sooner is that it took him a while to defect from Cuba. (KC)
actually KC almost nobody in baseball believes he is 29, the exact figure is unknown for sure but 34 to 36 are the most frequent guesses. How come you don’t know that?
Efrim
June 11th, 2009
6:53 pm
“which they probably wouldn’t br able to afford anyway dontcha think?”
They could sign those other draft picks for slot, or slightly above slot and it probably would still be under the price they pay for Strasburg.
Steve from OH
June 11th, 2009
6:56 pm
nolie, I don’t know if 4 draft picks could surpass the figure Strasburg might get, but that would be a big concern for trading draft picks, I agree.
Doc Holiday
June 11th, 2009
6:57 pm
Paul Lentz,
You Bennett is not garbage, we might fool some scouts, not so horrible numbers. Moylan is a good pitcher.
You can add up JoJo
Lets say……….JoJo + Moylan + Hernandez for a good RF+ A player.
that would be fair.
wiki
June 11th, 2009
6:58 pm
Braves’ pitchers allowed exactly 3 runs five times on the nine game homestand. Their record in those games: 1-4 ’nuff said
BT
June 11th, 2009
6:59 pm
Lew I know you weren’t talking to me about Jonathan Kellerman etc. but I read or have read all of those except for Pearson. J Kelleman’s wife is writes a good book as well. Allison Brennan not so good.
David O'Brien
June 11th, 2009
6:59 pm
That homer by Delwyn Young was his first and the first by any Pirate in 323 plate appearances and more than seven full games. Amazing.
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
7:00 pm
I’ve never wavered in my support for Bobby. He’s meant so much to all of us, even to those who hate him, you just don’t know it yet. After a few Willy Randolphs and Bobby Valentines pass through a bi-yearly revolving door, you’ll appreciate what I’m saying.
I admit now that he should probably go after this season, but no sooner. He’s never shown anything but the utmost respect for the Braves franchise and its fans. He’s as loyal as the day is long, sometimes too loyal when a young man’s career is at stake. He deserves such loyalty in return.
I think/hope he’ll retire after this season.
Gonna be a somber day when it happens, no matter the circumstances. For me anyway.
dude
June 11th, 2009
7:00 pm
This is real question for any experts out there: Why can’t Francouer hit? I mean for real? Is it hand/eye coordination? Can he really not tell the difference in pitches? Or was he just a freak of baseball the 1st yr?
There was a link earlier for youtube of Frenchy commercial for Delta 2 yrs ago. Its hard to believe hes not that guy.
But then I dont no the mechanics of hitting….anybody on here that does? Just trying to understand the woes of #7 and his fans.
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
7:04 pm
Lew – You will like it. A very interesting history/fiction novel and sure to ruffle some feathers with the Muslim and US history topic. Of course its fiction but still a very enjoyable read and me? I like books and writers who are not afraid to rock the boat regarding today’s topics.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
7:04 pm
TRADE SORIANO
TRADE GONZO
TRADE JAVIER VASQUEZ
They aren’t signing Gonzo and Soriano this offseason and Hudson’s option is going to get picked up, so you don’t need Vasquez. Make the deals and this team will be unstoppable once the Heywood’s and Freemont’s are up.
FloridaBrave
June 11th, 2009
7:07 pm
dude,
Why can’t Francouer hit?
1)Poor mechanics
2)Poor ball-strike recognition
3)He’s a wreck mentally
4)Slider bat speed
Shamus Thacker
June 11th, 2009
7:07 pm
Why can’t Francouer hit?
Simple, he’s a mental case who needs non-baseball help.
BosnianBaller
June 11th, 2009
7:12 pm
I can’t believe they won’t retire Andruw Jones jersey.That is crazy,He won 10 Gold Gloves and played 11 seasons one of the best centerfielders of all-time.
Maddux jersey is getting retired in July
Glavine should be retired as should Smoltz and Chipper and Cox
ahmed5456
June 11th, 2009
7:13 pm
YO!!!! If you have ran out of email-addresses for MLB All-Star Voting, use this site http://10minutemail.com/10MinuteMail/error.html. It gives you an e-mail address for 10 minutes, you can renew your time!!!! After 10 minutes, the other email address self destructs, and you can get another e-mail address. Do it folks!!VOTE BRIAN MCCANN AND CHIPPER JONES!!!!!!!!!!
ahmed5456
June 11th, 2009
7:13 pm
YO!!!! If you have ran out of email-addresses for MLB All-Star Voting, use this site http://10minutemail.com/10MinuteMail. It gives you an e-mail address for 10 minutes, you can renew your time!!!! After 10 minutes, the other email address self destructs, and you can get another e-mail address. Do it folks!!VOTE BRIAN MCCANN AND CHIPPER JONES!!!!!!!!!!
dude
June 11th, 2009
7:13 pm
When u say Frenchy is a wreck mentally …thats due to him not hitting and his confidence is shot? Is that right?
Gone Viral
June 11th, 2009
7:15 pm
It would be devastating for this team not to make the playoffs with this pitching staff. We have a dream compilation with overwhelming starts and the type of lefty/righty closer combo that used to get described as Nasty Boys.
Having said that, we really should all be bracing ourselves for Soriano and Gonzalez trade rumors. Those are the pieces we are most likely to deal if we do fall out of it, assuming we don’t wind up in a Will Ohman situation where the offers don’t beat the expected compensation pick…which we didn’t wind up getting for Ohman. But I digress.
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
7:16 pm
I predicted we would be double digits out of first at the end of this homestand. Take away the blown save by the Cubs and two blown saves by the Phils against the Dodgers and we would be 9 out now.
Time to realize this is as good as its going to get so Im just going to watch for baseball and not wins.
TommyP
June 11th, 2009
7:16 pm
I asked Hanson if he thought Canizares would be a “4-A” hitter who tears it up in Triple-A but struggles against major league breaking balls or well-located fastballs, etc.
You didn’t really ask Hanson that. C’mon.
Driver8
June 11th, 2009
7:18 pm
Could it be that our only true trade bait is Javier Vazquez? I know there would be a lot of teams in contention that would love to have that arm in their rotation, but what could we get in return? Probably have to include some others I would think but do you all think that would be worth it seeing how this season is going?
Is it false hope? Or could another bat really make the difference in this team to get us in the Postseason? Food for thought…and I’m hungry.?
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
7:20 pm
So Im thinking Liberty Media has something to do with it.,/i>–No More Bobby
I agree. This actually started when Ted Turner stopped having anything to do with the team. It started with Time Warner, but under Liberty Media, conditions have just further deteriorated.
Sometimes, good corporate ownership will pump millions into a team and make it better and make it more of a fun fan experience at the games.
Liberty Media, on the other hand, is a good example of how corporate ownership can be bad.
Also, one thing to note, Liberty Media has something to do with the distribution of pornography on the “naughty” channels. So,it is sad that this obviously lousy corporate entity has control of the Braves. They also dictate how much money is alotted to the team for spending.
MLB should have let Arthur Blank buy the team. Braves baseball has been a cheap commodity ever since Ted Turner flew the coop. Hopefully, Liberty will sell the team here soon before the only people at the Ted during the games will be vendors, ushers, and press box people.
Necromancer
June 11th, 2009
7:21 pm
Oops, didn’t mean to italicize the whole post.
No More Bobby
June 11th, 2009
7:21 pm
Bobby Cox Twitter? He has no clue what that site is and probably thinks it means some kind of nervous reaction to coffee.
Supes
June 11th, 2009
7:22 pm
Glad to see the FRANCINE nickname return on the blog!
Regarding moving B-Mac to 1B. Here is the deal. You can’t do it now (in the middle of the season). Let’s say you decide to go that way in the off-season, start having B-Mac work at 1B, go through spring training etc. You have David Ross signed to a 2 year deal. He could be your starter for the 2010 season and give you 15 or so HR and hit .250 (which is decent production from the catcher position). He’ll give you above average defense as well. Now you have B-Mac at 1B.
HOWEVER, you have this guy…yeah Freddie Freeman who is projected to be a pretty darn good 1B. You already have Cody Johnson and Jason Heyward projected as corner OF. Nate McLouth is here for 3 more seasons.
You will have to trade Freeman (either or have B-Mac switch positions back to catcher, sort of like Chipper going from 3B to the OF and back to 3B).
The point is, David Ross is a stop gap catcher. He is NOT a franchise catcher. If you move B-Mac to 1B to “get his bat in the lineup” you are creating a hole over at catcher, and we traded the ONE top rated catcher prospect that we had. Unless we develop another in the next 2 years, after 2010 (when Ross is gone) what’s going to happen?
One thing is for sure, B-Mac has stablilized the catcher position for the Braves. It’s much easier to find a power hitting 1B. Top tier hitting catchers are a very rare commodity. If you have one, don’t try and switch him to 1B unless there is an injury or an arm issue (where you are forced to do so).
So long term, I am not in favor of any switch of B-Mac to 1B.
It’s easier to get a power hitting 1B on the team through other means.
Look, unless there are major moves made this off-season, pretty much the Braves are going to be power-less until 2011.
If things go according to plan, you’ll have 3 sluggers (who can hit around 20 or more HR) in Johnson, Freeman and Heyward arriving in your every day lineup in 2011.
It’s the reality of things. Braves are going to have to find other ways to score runs.
The Truth
June 11th, 2009
7:25 pm
Gone Viral –