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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,898 comments Add your comment
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:11 pm
nolie
I don’t want them to trade Reyes because he has zero trade value. I don’t want him to be a closer, but I do think he can be more than a LOOGY. My best hope for his is a Mike Remlinger type of reliever. Remlinger was used against RH and LH. Had a great offspeed pitch. I would love for Reyes to forget trying to throw the slider/curve/change and focus on perfecting just one of them to go with learning to spot his fastball better.
The Braves didn’t do him any favors by sending him to minor league camp midway through ST. Hopefully when his hamstring heals the Braves use him out of the pen at Gwinnett. If he goes baack into the starting rotation then we know he is trade bait
StingerSplash
June 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
DOB,
Who is going in this year into the writer’s wing of the HOF?
Jerry Holcombe
June 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
Just in case any of you are interested, Ichecked to see how we are doing in regards to last year. It turns out that the division today is exactly where it was a year ago at this time. Phillie was 5 games over .500 just as they are now. The Marlins are in 2nd just as they were last year. The Braves were in 4th place last year and 4 outta first place and 3 games under .500. The team is doing worse this year than they did last year and they wound up 18 games under .500 at the end of the season. The point I’m trying to make is that with the team currently as it is with no hope for improvement on the near horizon, we should be looking to deal at least two of our starters (Lowe, Vazquez, Kawakami) in order to restock the minors and also to recoup some the money for a later date when hopefully it will serve the team better. This team we have now will lose at least 90 games this year. To sit back and do nothing is foolish. We don’t have the resources to make this team better without giving our best prospects away, so there’s only one way this can go.
Javier Vazquez
June 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
I was told i got traded for Jason Werth HELL YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. I can start winning some games for a change. See ya later under .500
Doc Holiday
June 29th, 2009
11:13 pm
PWHjort,
What we need is an IDIOT filter, it might help us get rid of some new character.
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:14 pm
Rob from SC, I like that idea and agree with nolie as well. Maybe he should work on develpoing one off speed pitch. He could pitch forever. We all know how valuable LH relievers are.
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:14 pm
I am a huge supporter of Frank Wren and I hope he is serious about playing for 2011. There is no way we are trading with the Phillies.
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:15 pm
Doc Holiday, All we can do is ignore asses like that. I screwd up by responding to one of them.
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:16 pm
jason
The only thing that concerns me about Reyes is that he has trouble commanding his fastball. I would to see him work on pitching from the stretch because he has pitched horrible when not using the windup. He has trouble getting the fastball far enough against right handed batters. He has a lot of work to do in order to be trusted. He does have the skill though.
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:18 pm
Jason and Nolie
Barring anything drastic, there will be plenty of openings in the bullpen come Spring Training.
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:18 pm
Rob from SC, I have noticed that from a couple of our starters. I don’t know why, but it seems to take a pitch or two. Maybe even through the first batter to get comfortable.
N8
June 29th, 2009
11:18 pm
This guy can’t be for real, is he? Come on.
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:20 pm
Jason
I have heard a lot of people talk about how some pitchers hide the ball well using the windup, but can’t create the same deception from the stretch.
Wayne in Utah
June 29th, 2009
11:20 pm
I would trade with the Phillies if 2 things were evident. One, if we for sure had no chance whatsoever. And, two, if we thought the Mets were going to win the division, then I might help the Phillies to make sure the Mets did NOT win it!
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:21 pm
Rob from SC, Just saying if things stay the same, and I know that’s a mighty big “IF”, there will be at least 2-3 right now. How many players cover the BP 6 or 7? You have Gonzo, Soriano, Moylan, O’Flaherty, and Medlen. That’s 5 and to me I would say 4. I would rather have Medlen pitching at Gwinnett and starting rather than wasting away in the BP as a mop up man.
jed
June 29th, 2009
11:23 pm
N8–i’d guess wren is going to try and win, so i think we’ll be buyers, but it’s an interesting point you raise, and i’d say that i could much more easily support trading vazquez if we were ’selling’ and acquiring big prospects. if we’re ‘buying,’ i say keep vazquez. in general, i’m not sure whether we should buy or sell at this point, and can see both sides of that argument completely. my usual take on it is if you can win in a season, go for it. and yeah, the braves can win with this staff. but there’s something i dont trust about this team–like if you make a big acquisition, they’ll still find a way to screw it up:
“a “Braves official” stated that Francoeur has looked better at the plate in the last two weeks than he has in the last two years.”
uh oh, for certain.
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:23 pm
Rob from SC, I am not that good on pitching setups and mechanics, might have to refer that one to nolie, or another knowledgable blogger in here.
Rob from SC
June 29th, 2009
11:24 pm
jason
I figure the Braves will re-sign Mike Gonzalez. I would count Moylan and O’Flaherty as locks. If Medlen is not traded he should slide into one of those spots. 3 open.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 29th, 2009
11:26 pm
Jason Werth for Vasquez? Yea right and I’m gonna sell my Harley for a motor scooter.
Next lie……. please!
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:27 pm
“Braves official” stated that Francoeur has looked better at the plate in the last two weeks than he has in the last two years.”
Does that mean less DPs with RISP and more fly outs?
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:29 pm
Rob from SC, I agree with Gonzo. I hold out hope that we could resign Soriano as well, but relief pitchers are like mercanaries. They go to the highest bidder.
ON medlen, I would love to see him as a starter. I wouldn’t mind him working out of the BP for one season, if just to build confidence. But he has to have a more important role than “mop up guy”.
jason
June 29th, 2009
11:32 pm
jed, I am with you. I can not figure out if we can win this thing or not. I think that’s where FW is also. I don’t see a move right now. I think it will be right up to the trading deadline before anything could happen. I think that’s how far FW is going to go to find out whether or not this team can contend. We have the pitching, but just what can we do offensively, and what can FW get to help?
bravos2249
June 29th, 2009
11:37 pm
Chris Perez hit 2 consecutive batters…and threw a WP in his debut with the Indians……and they wouldn’t take anything we got…..lol
By the way he hit Ramirez in the head and Dye in the arm/on the hand.
cabravesfan
June 29th, 2009
11:37 pm
VJ-
there is no way you should ever be gone that long
and spiders…Never OK (that’s what men are for
)
N8
June 29th, 2009
11:38 pm
GASP! Jerry Holcombe, how dare you speak such blasphemy!? Zip it. We want none of that.
This team is just about ready to take off. After all…..
It’s still early, right?
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 29th, 2009
11:44 pm
Keep Soriono and dump Gonzo, there ya go!
N8
June 29th, 2009
11:46 pm
Totally agree jed, contrary to popular belief, I’m not opposed to winning this year. Just don’t see it happening.
I have the same gut feeling you do. This core finds a way to lose, not win, and I’m afraid they will suck the life out of anybody pulled into their tractor beam….er…. acquired in a trade.
But no doubt, this staff is as good top to bottom as any we’ve had. Then add Hudson (possibly) into that mix? Damn!
But I’m with you. If Wren wants to win this year (and even wants to go for it again next year) and keeps Vazquez around, then by all means, try and patch this titanic up and see what happens. Provided that whoever we add, doesn’t cost us Heyward, Schafer or Freeman. I’d rather give up Vazquez than one of those guys. Or risk losing one of them, I guess.
But if Wren chooses to give up on this season, and is going to wait for sure that Heyward and Freeman are up before making a serious push, then Vazquez, Soriano and Gonzo might as well be moved as well.
It’s going to be interesting the next few weeks, that’s for sure. Either way, should be fun to watch the guys make a push, if Wren gives them the proverbial thumbs up by acquiring help, or equally as fun watching the kids get a chance to play a bit, and see what some of these guys are made of.
Might as well let guys like Prado and Infante (when he returns) play “full time” to see what they can do when given the chance. Because we all know what KJ and Jeff can do.
Change is good, from where I stand. Because the old stand by just isn’t cutting it at this point.
bravos2249
June 29th, 2009
11:49 pm
Another Braves minor league manager went bizerk!
The Rome manager.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 29th, 2009
11:49 pm
N8, the one thing we decipher in the next 30 days or so…..is whether Frank Wren is a GM or an idiot by what he does.
If he starts selling off parts for young talent, the man has a pulse.
Anything else and Wren is the biggest damn fool GM in the business.
Salamander
June 29th, 2009
11:53 pm
Jerry Holcombe
I’m inclined to agree with you in principal, but Phillies’ pitching is worse this season versus last year, the Mets are injured and lifeless at the moment, and the Marlins have been streaky all damn year.
I still think that as we get closer to the trade deadline, it will become apparent that the Braves are sellers who need to focus on the future (not 2010, but 2011 and beyond).
However, they do have an outside shot at the division this year. Granted, the Braves are still ‘in it’ simply because everyone else sucks, and if the Braves can get hot (such a big if considering they have yet to have any consistency as a team), they could pull into first.
I don’t like their chances of success this season, but if I’m Wren, I have to wait for a few weeks to see if my team can get hot before deciding to sell (fill in the blank) players. Right now, the NL East is weak as hell – only the nationals are bad enough to be considered totally out of the running.
jed
June 29th, 2009
11:54 pm
cant help wondering why it’s such a big freakin’ deal for the braves to send a player to the minors to straighten himself out. it’s always interpreted as some sort of kick in the gut, as somehow punitive, when in fact it’s sometimes the best way possible to give a guy a chance to turn it around–to reinvest in a guy. last i heard, ian snell requested a stint in the minors to pull his game together. but we all remember the drama last year when wren sent JF down. fact remains, JF should never have been recalled. if he’d have stayed down, maybe he wouldnt be killing us again this year.
same goes, obviously, for kelly. both KJ & JF need to be in the minors–not for punishment, but for rehabbing their swings. it beats the hell out of the alternatives. namely, illogically running them out their every day like cox has been doing and killing the team in the process. or trying to trade kelly when his value is this low and his potential (arguably) fairly high.
point being, if we’d sent those guys down at the start of june after it was plain to see they were lost at the plate, they may have turned it around by august. what’s the harm in that? so what if it bruises an ego? it may save their career. but the braves act like sending a player down is the end of the road for whoever they send down. i just find that crazy. why not sit the guy down and let him know you still believe in him and are sending him down so that you can bring him back when he can contribute? that’s not so horrible.
Salamander
June 29th, 2009
11:56 pm
damn it – I meant principle not principal.
David O'Brien
June 29th, 2009
11:56 pm
StingerSplash: Nick Peters, aka “The Greek,” the venerable Giants beat writer, is going into the Hall of Fame this year as the 2008 Spink Award winner.
AndyC, the current BBWAA president gets to introduce the Spink winner each year.
Bobby's Cox
June 29th, 2009
11:57 pm
One remark on the Dye talk….
If you are sick of GA’s defense, wait until we get Dye. Have you guys seen him in the outfield lately? He also plays in a park that isn’t as deep in right-center than the Ted is. Imagine our outfield defense if we have Dye in RF and Anderson in LF….
Really, Vazquez for Dye? I like what Wren’s done, but that would be a HUGE mistake. Vasquez’s value has never been higher, I’d think he could get a younger hitter with pop than Dye. We could probably get Nelson at this point, as he’s in a huge slump and Texas is realizing the importance of pitching and have Hamilton coming back soon.
Seriously, ya’ll are out of touch about getting Dye back. I think we go after DeRosa in the offseason.
There aren’t too many outfield free agents this next year. Bay, Holliday Matsui, Crawford (club option), Giles, Vlad, Ordonez (club option), Nady (TJ), Ankiel. We’ll have to make a trade, but it won’t be this year unless we’re ready to call it a season. Having a rotation without Vasquez pretty much says we’re out of it. Hudson is coming back, but most pitchers who have TJ don’t get the velocity back until at least 14 months after the surgery, meaning Hudson won’t be that good until next year. Dye is a quick fix with bad D, and he’s not certainly worth Vasquez, nor trading the alternative, a younger Medlen, who I think we absolutely should not trade.
jeffrey d
June 29th, 2009
11:57 pm
If only Coach was our GM. He always has the answers.
Doc Holiday
June 29th, 2009
11:59 pm
Coach (2010 or Bust),
I would also trade gonzo if that was going to bring a bat to hotlanta
Mixxo
June 30th, 2009
12:00 am
Good lord we need a new blog. This one has completely degenerated. -PWHjort
Wait!
I’m just gettin’ warmed up!
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 30th, 2009
12:05 am
If only Coach was our GM. He always has the answers.
NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE TRUTH.
I have opinions but not the answers. I suggested blowing this team up four years ago and got shouted down by everyone including DOB. They still need to blow it up and right now.
Gonzo, Anderson, Francoeur, Johnson, Vasquez, Diaz, Norton and Bennett need to go, for different reasons. Gonzo and Vasquez have immense value. The rest should be given away in a ten cent yard sale.
jeffrey d
June 30th, 2009
12:09 am
You sure proved me wrong
David O'Brien
June 30th, 2009
12:26 am
Lincecum and Oswalt both threw 2-hitters tonight. Lincecum just looked ridiculously good against the Cards and Albert….
By the way, appropos of nothing, as good as the most recent Kings of Leon CD is, Aha Shake Heartbreak is better. Just thinking about that as I was loading it into my laptop/Ipod tonight ( hundreds of songs got zapped when I got a new laptop the other day, so I’m putting new ones in, which ain’t so bad anyway because I can put a bunch of different stuff in).
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 30th, 2009
12:30 am
Did the blog die or what?
jed
June 30th, 2009
12:30 am
jason & N8–
we’re definitely coming up on a crossroads moment. wren will spend the next 3 weeks watching and trying to figure out what’s the smart thing to do–charge or retreat. he put together an incredible rotation this off-season and hasnt received anywhere near the credit owed him for those moves, so i think ego will drive him to acquire a bat and make a go of it. however, i dont think he’ll mortgage the future to do it. ie, nobody’s touching heyward, freeman, medlen etc.
wren’s a smart guy–i think his plan this offseason was to prioritize pitching, then do things one step at a time during the season. mclouth was the first manifestation of that, and i think he took a wait-and-see approach to JF, which means he’ll make a trade before the deadline. i’m not expecting a fred mcgriff-like acquisition though. something that improves the team without hurting us too bad down the road.
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:32 am
Go Braves.
Oh, they’re not playing.
joe
June 30th, 2009
12:33 am
Have y’all read… http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/baseball/flb/outOfTheBox?page=ootb090629
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:36 am
I was listening to Blackbird (Beatle fan here) on my iPizzle (iPod) as I played along on guitar (I’m more than merely a Braves blogger as cool as that is), then I tried to reverse back a few seconds and now it won’t play a damn thing.
I haven’t done s*** to that thing and I’ve only had it a year and it’s breaking down on me. Bunch of crap.
Fred
June 30th, 2009
12:39 am
Anyone just see Steve Earle on Letterman? Pretty darn good performance. I may just need to pick up that album.
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:41 am
So are we going to win tomorrow or what?
D-Lowe needs to get his ace on.
If I had to rank our pitchers right now he would not be very high on the list.
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:44 am
So some Giants writer is going in the Hall of Fame?
What about DOB? When are the powers that be going to get their heads out of their asses and put Skip and Pete in the HOF?
joe
June 30th, 2009
12:46 am
I predicted (hoped) for a 8-2 homestand. Gotta tell ya, my foot tastes like parmesan cheese. But since there is room for one more foot in my mouth, I’ll go ahead and predict a sweep of the red-hot road-monster World Champs.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 30th, 2009
12:49 am
O I can prove something alright. Speaking of Tim Lincecum and the Giants……
Did you know, our Braves putrid offense has OUT HOMERED, OUTHIT and OUTSCORED that of the San Francisco Giants. So why are they six games better in the win / loss column?
The answer isn’t so simple.
Their pitching is the best in the big leagues, bar none. But our pitching is in the top five too. That’s not it.
They have 44 stolen bases to our 28. Not enough of an impact in this department to cause such a disparity in team win / losses.
Their offense is ranked 16th, ours is 19th. Again, no real visible separation.
The Giants D is ranked 10th overall in the big leagues. Ours is ranked 20th overall. And this ladies and germs is where we go AHHHAAAA ! Eureka! They are in the top 10. We are next to the bottom third of all thirty teams.
And that is the answer. It’s not the offense as we have been led to believe by the AJC pin heads. It’s the defense and that is an organizational problem. That is a COACHING problem. That is a MANAGEMENT problem. Ir can’t be fixed either. Not as long as Bobby Cox and his cronies are around.
You wanted answers! I got answers! But the truth is so stinking horrible and putrid to the point my my miserable existence speaks directly to heart of what no one wants to hear. Your damn right I would order this team blown up, however much some may hate me. There it is, I’m guilty as charged!
Ed
June 30th, 2009
12:52 am
Fox Sports MLB rankings has the Braves 24th with this comment attached
Gosh, where would Atlanta be without Tommy Hanson? … Now and for the next five years.
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:54 am
Joe,
I predicted the Braves would end up over .500 at the end of this homestand but nobody paid any attention to me.
Mark Bradley said I deserved the Optimist of the Year Award. I want that award, I was robbed of it by Yunel and D-Lowe and Chipper’s prodigious slump.
I commented that I thought six or more players on this team deserve to make the all-star game and I’m ridiculed. Actually I was misunderstood but as for my prediction of this homestand, it went unnoticed.
Poor me. It’s not my fault though, nor is it yours.
joe
June 30th, 2009
12:56 am
Coach, that is absurd. It is a combination of pitching, hitting and defense and the untimeliness of it all that has led to the discrepancy in the standings.
Mitchell
June 30th, 2009
12:57 am
Coach,
Come back from the ledge. You’re talkin’ crazy talk.
It’s alright. It’s okay man,
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 30th, 2009
1:02 am
Coach, that is absurd. It is a combination of pitching, hitting and defense and the untimeliness of it all that has led to the discrepancy in the standings.
THAT MY FRIEND IS JUST ANOTHER CONVENIENT EXCUSE. That’s all it is.
joe
June 30th, 2009
1:05 am
When we get great pitching, we can’t get good enough hitting. When our hitting is amazing in a stretch, we get lousy pitching. When we get both hitting and pitching, we get lousy defense. It’s just been like that, like a nightmare merry go around.
Things have to click sooner or later, right?
joe
June 30th, 2009
1:08 am
Coach, nobody is trying to make convenient excuses, at least not me. In fact, it wasn’t an excuse at all. your post was more of an excuse, blaming it solely on defense and the Hof to be Cox. I am blaming it on the whole team, nobody is exempt here. You stop making excuses to prove your jaded little points.
Mixxo
June 30th, 2009
1:15 am
Mitchell
I was listening to Blackbird (Beatle fan here) on my iPizzle (iPod) as I played along on guitar (I’m more than merely a Braves blogger as cool as that is), then I tried to reverse back a few seconds and now it won’t play a damn thing.
I haven’t done s*** to that thing and I’ve only had it a year and it’s breaking down on me. Bunch of crap.
Beatles fan here too Mitch. Can’t help ya on the ipod though, never owned one. I stick to my trusty Sony minidisc portable. Better fidelity and hasn’t let me down yet.
Adam
June 30th, 2009
1:18 am
Defense is absolutely adequate.
Stat I’d like to see. . .
How many runners have we left on 2nd or 3rd when they’ve been there with LESS THAN 2 OUTS.
We have stranded so many runners in scoring position because we’re not even making the right kind of productive outs.
jed
June 30th, 2009
1:31 am
just went back and read the reactions when kelly screwed up the DP in the 9th inning. some of them are hilarious. i had to tape the game and watched it later but could NOT believe he threw to first base. still unbelievable! truly amazing cox and the braves are so forgiving of the guy. i’m telling you…this is what happens when you DONT send a player to the minors when they’re slumping this bad. other aspects of their game are affected and soon it’s just a psychological meltdown and free-fall. the smart, and merciful, thing to do with kelly is to send him to the minors. it’s a real failure on management’s part (cox obviously, but wren’s as well) that he hasnt been sent down.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
June 30th, 2009
1:39 am
One last post and I’ll shut the hell up.
The Giants have scored 305 runs and given up 282 while committing 37 errors leading to 15 unearned runs.
San Francisco is 41-34.
Our Braves have scored 308 runs and given up 329 while committing 50 errors leading to 37 unearned runs.
We are 35-40.
The two teams are extremely comparable when it comes to offense and pitching. It’s the defense that leads to the disparity by just six little games in the win / loss column.
N8
June 30th, 2009
1:39 am
Coach, I’m not sure that I’d say “anything else”, and then blame him for that.
If he were to trade Vazquez for a 1 year rental bat to make a push this year, I think that’s silly. If he chooses NOT to replace Francoeur and soon, THAT would be silly. Hell, at this point, I’d settle for Barton out there. How could it be worse?
I agree with some of the others. There is a chance of making a few minor moves and see what happens. But imo, I’d do that NOW. That way if it backfires, there is still time to sell if he so chose to do that.
I’m not opposed to Vazquez being here next year. But IF he is going to get moved, why not do it mid-seaosn if we’re out of it? His stock won’t be as high this winter as it will be in a month, imo.
If he actually thinks there is a good shot at retaining one of Soriano and Gonzo… lock em up with a fair offer now. But they are both not going to stay. That I’m sure of.
If he’s really good, he can swing some deals that set us up nicely for the future AND give us a better shot at winning more than we lose from here on out. But standing pat, and then failing to make the playoffs? That would be a huge mistake.
We’ll soon find out.
nolie
June 30th, 2009
2:03 am
You wanted answers! I got answers! But the truth is so stinking horrible and putrid to the point my my miserable existence speaks directly to heart of what no one wants to hear. Your damn right I would order this team blown up, however much some may hate me. There it is, I’m guilty as charged! (Coach)
I hope you get as big a laugh out of posting stuff like that as I do reading it.
BRATTY GA GIRL
June 30th, 2009
2:30 am
Just let me have CHIPPER for a long WEEKEND, and he would be better than new
~ I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE HIM OUT OF THE SLUMP!!!
scottbravesfan
June 30th, 2009
2:56 am
Traded Vazquez would be a bad idea now. I’m not sure how good Hudson will be when he comes back in August and i might be September before he is close to his usual self.
scottbravesfan
June 30th, 2009
3:25 am
DOB,
I just listened to this interview you did up with one of the New England radio stations where you talk about the Braves player’s intro music. Good stuff. Pretty Noose by Soundgarden would be a bad ass intro song. Awesome guitar intro to that song.
Sadtoseeitthisway
June 30th, 2009
4:31 am
Both the Braves and Red Sox have large Japanese media forces following their teams because of the presence of 3 pitchers for the Red Sox and Kawakami for the Braves. When they see David Ortiz`s name listed and to their dismay playing in the field. They find him not at DH, but playing 1B. They say ooooooh Big Papi!. When he can`t move to make a play. “He no Big Papi”.
jj
June 30th, 2009
4:53 am
I agree with Salamander’s post at 11.53pm.I am hard on Bobby Cox,but I truely believe that if the Braves make the right move as far as getting a bat and not trading Vasquez,I believe we are the TEAM to beat.If BC put the right lineup on the field and forget about his favorites the Bravos could have an heck of second half.When people talk about trading pitchers,I hope they would cosider Hudson.Ihope he comes back and pitches well,but with his surgery,size,and salary,to me he and Lowe would be the two starters I would consider trading during off season.Another factor would be their age.Ibelieve that the Braves could package Garrett Anderson and some of their young pieces and trade them to an American League team before the trading deadline because GA would be perfect as a DH because the Man can hit.Ibelieve that Wren has a BIG DEAL up his sleve and it’s going to allow The Braves to steal this thing.With Infante coming back and Prado getting healthy along with the new BAT,I see BC bringing this TEAM home first.
Vinings Jim
June 30th, 2009
7:35 am
Wow, very quiet morning – no one ranting to themselves, even. For those of you not in Atlanta, it is the most beautiful morning we’ve had in weeks – maybe that’s a good omen with the slightly important series starting tonight. I wish I could sit here and enjoy it, but I’m off to teach a GRE class at Spelman College. Have a good morning, all!
Baba O'Riley
June 30th, 2009
7:35 am
jed- That was the right play for Kelly to throw to first to start the DP. The runner had stopped and if he doesn’t throw to first, the Braves have ZERO chance of turning the DP. The problem was that his second throw to first was too high. Maybe if Kotch had gotten out of the way…..
Nate the GR8
June 30th, 2009
7:57 am
Baba,
You are wrong. He had Big Papi running. He turns throws to second and they easily turn the DP. He is lucky they didnt give up the game. If so he would have been ridiculed 3 times as bad as he is now.
jason
June 30th, 2009
8:01 am
N8 and jed, The hard part is that if we wait until 2011, it’s going to be even harder to make a push. Lowe will be 38-39 yrs. Not sure if Javy will even be here. You have JJ and Hanson, hopefully healthy Huddy, and KK. It’s easy to say plug Medlen in the rotation, but we don’t really know what Medlen has. He shows flashes but he doesn’t one show that he can pitch out of sticky situationd, 2, he is easily rattled, and 3) most important he doesn’t show any sort of an out pitch. Now all of this could change just by expierence and maturity. Also the BP will be completely overhauled by then. Who do you think could possibly be in the BPin 2 years. You know how BPs just turn over. On offense you will have no Chipper, KJ, Francouer,Loaf, Probably no Escobar. These rookies, Freeman, Heyward, and Schaefer you speak of will help, but can you expect to compete with so many young players? You will be looking at a worse situation in point of view. McCann and McLouth will lead your offense. We will still be in a tough situation.
I think the time to win is between 2010-2011. We have the pitching in place. If FW does this smart he can win the next 2 years and bridge the gap to 2012 and beyond. This season is hard to figure. We could win the east by default whinch would not be a bad thing. But you can’t trade Jav, not even for prospects. He is a vital part of the team’s success this year and the offseason. If you trade Javy this year, you are giving up this year. That does not mean that you can’t contend next year, though. I think next year is the year to go for it all because either Huddy or Javy is going to get you the bat you need. I guess what I am trying to say is that if we wait until 2011-2012, how much of a core will we have to actually contend for a WS? we will have to replace a lot of players. our rotation will no longer be entact, and that is the #1 reason for what success we have had this year. I know Hanson and JJ will keep steady improvement, KK should get better, but he will be pushing like 36. Lowe will be old and either Huddy or Javy will be left. Can we contend for a WS with that rotation? We will be going from 5 strong to ??? We can’t rely on Freeman and Heyward both busting out. That is usually a rare feat for such an occurence. Look at Francouer and MCCann for such a reference. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but I wouldn’t bank my offense on it.
That’s why I have said to hold fast this year. Not to sell or buy. Try to resign both Gonzo and Soriano. Go into the off season knowing what Huddy can provide you for next year. You will know whether to trade Javy for that #1 bat and prospects, or to not pick up Huddy’s option. Next year will be the best oppurtunity for ATL to win it all. The biggest problem for ATL outside of Defense is production from RF and 2B. That has been well documented. Plug those 2 holes and with this pitching staff we could very well win it next year.
jason
June 30th, 2009
8:05 am
Baba O’Riley, disagree on that opinion. The two runners (ortiz and Youkillis) don’t exactly strike fear in you with their speed. KJ had plenty of time to to Hernandez at second and then back to first. I was not that upset with the error. Kj has been decent at 2B this year especially when compared to SS and 3B. His lack of offense is why everyone was so upset with that mental gaff. KJ has played good at 2B this year and everyone is allowed to make at least one “boneheaded” play. Hope that is KJ’s for the rest of the year.
jason
June 30th, 2009
8:09 am
jj, while I see your point. ATL will go nowhere until 2B and RF can be fixed. If we could find a good RF bat without giving up Javy at the deadline, we would be the most dangerous team coming down the wire. If we get a good enough OF then between Prado and Infante we will be alright at 2B. we also have to have Chipper and Escobar pick it up in the field.
Vinings Jim
June 30th, 2009
8:18 am
cabravesfan – interesting irony concerning my previous post this morning
PWHjort
June 30th, 2009
8:20 am
Doc Holliday,
Yes. That’s a more permanant solution.
PWHjort
June 30th, 2009
8:35 am
The 2B situation will likely correct itself. Statistical analysis suggests Kelly is getting very unlucky and will regress back towards the mean (aka get hot if you want a dumbed down explanation). And if not, when Infante returns him and Prado can fill in at 2B. What we need is a right fielder who isn’t a completely worthless waste of space. Francoeur is finished. He can’t move in the outfield anymore and his bat speed has degenerated so much that he has opened his stance and either a) has to start his swing so early that he has no idea what he’s swinging at or b) can only generate enough bat speed to hit slap singles to right field. In order to avoid striking out so much he’s tried to take the latter approach. And he’s so scared of hitting the ball he tries to go the other way on crushable pitches that a right-handed Gregor Blanco could hit out of the ballpark. Once again, he’s finished. A completely useless player. And as soon as the organization decides they want to run it themselves and not let sponsors/Francoeur run it and send Francoeur packing (I don’t care if it’s to the minors, Royals, or out of baseball, but Francoeur does not belong on a major league roster), the better this team will be.
getsomewins
June 30th, 2009
8:38 am
Giants scouts checking out Jermaine Dye
0 Comment June 30 Chicago Tribune “With the non-waiver trade deadline one month away, teams are expected to increase their evaluations and discussions.
And even after White Sox general manager Ken Williams said last week he intends to remain a buyer, it won’t stop other teams, such as the San Francisco Giants, from scouting Sox players who can help them for their own playoff runs.
The Giants, who lead the National League wild-card race, sent one of their top scouts to Cleveland on Monday to watch right fielder Jermaine Dye.
The Giants also were believed to be looking at Cleveland’s Victor Martinez, according to a source.
Dye, 35, presents a unique case. He has been one of the Sox’s most productive hitters and most respected players in the clubhouse.”
Hmmm. So what do the Braves do? Since Giants and Braves are so comparable. If Giants have interest in these players, I’m sure we do, too (as I said we should).
TommyP
June 30th, 2009
8:51 am
getsomewins: I think Dye’s contract eliminates us.
I think Josh Willingham would be more feasible. (though his lowest road batting average in his career is at Turner)
GLB
June 30th, 2009
9:03 am
Coach, can you learn to spell Vazquez correctly? It’s not Vasquez.
jason
June 30th, 2009
9:18 am
GLB, I am not coach, but I was misspelling it also…OOps my bad.
PWHjort, I agree on 2B correcting its self. KJ will go on one of his tears. But When? He will probably hit at a .500 rate for 2 weeks, but will it be to late? Also as I mentioned earlier, if we can find the ellusive RF bat with out tradin Javy, we will be fine at 2B with either Infante or Prado. As good of situatioinal hitters that those two are, I understand why BC keeps running KJ out there. KJ provides more pop, at leats before this year. With a team with so little power, BC is going with KJ because of his ability to drive the ball. He was on e of the 7 that was capable of hitting 20 HRs. Now, I am not saying that is the right thing to do, just saying that I know what he is thinking , I guess… LOL !!!
jason
June 30th, 2009
9:21 am
TommyP, I don’t think Willinham is the answer either. To me he is no more than a platoon player. He has back issues, and not sure about the defense. The reason Washington are looking to move him and Dunn is because they absolutely suck defensively. Can we really afford to do that to McLouth. McLouth would be run slap out of town trying to basicly play all three OF spots defensively.
coach smith
June 30th, 2009
9:27 am
mlbtraderumors.com
says that the Nationals have concluded that DUNN and Whillingham are not outfielders of the future and they are now looking for “young defensive outfielders who are cost controlled” The article also says SCHAFER is a target for the NATS
Solution: Let’s trade Schafer, Brandon Jones, and Medlen for DUNN and WHILLINGHAM
what do you think?
Willy Wally
June 30th, 2009
9:32 am
Solution: Let’s trade Schafer, Brandon Jones, and Medlen for DUNN and WHILLINGHAM what do you think? (COACH SMITH)
WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO! That’s what I think! WOO-HOO! This trade will take my fantasy baseball team straight to the top!!!!!!
Nate the GR8
June 30th, 2009
9:33 am
How bout we dont trade our future CF!
o-me
June 30th, 2009
9:33 am
C Smith, that adds 15 million to pay-roll.
Willy Wally
June 30th, 2009
9:33 am
Here’s my lineup:
Ah, screw it, no one reads other people’s lineups even though they’re posted every 3 seconds on here, so why am I gonna bother posting one?
o-me
June 30th, 2009
9:35 am
I hate line ups.
Willy Wally
June 30th, 2009
9:36 am
Solution: Let’s trade Schafer, Brandon Jones, and Medlen for DUNN and WHILLINGHAM what do you think? (COACH SMITH)
I just tried to put this trade through my XBOX 360. It wouldn’t let me do it, so I cheated, and forced the trade anyway ’cause it just has to happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomahawk Talk
June 30th, 2009
9:36 am
no way we get dunn he is too expensive and too much of a defensive liability to go along with GA
Tomahawk Talk
June 30th, 2009
9:36 am
Ludwick is the way to go. keep after him
jj
June 30th, 2009
9:40 am
I believe if the Braves make a trade and get a Bat in LF,Frenchie will be ok.Like I said in a previous post if Infante and Prado come back healthy and we add a Bat for GA the Braves will be fine.As far as Frenchie,this new lineup will take pressure off him to produce and he will relax and he and our firstbaseman would be asked to do less.We just have to keep the starting rotation as is.Bobby is the KEY.
Nate the GR8
June 30th, 2009
9:41 am
Ludwick is not the way to go he will be hurt all the time. Brad Hawpe is the way to go.
timthebrave
June 30th, 2009
9:41 am
I think that it is still too early to do a fire sale and give up on this year. Only 5 out and we have been playing against a very tough american league east. Lucky we aren’t in that division. I think we should take a wait and see approach to see if we are buyers or sellers. Go Braves!
PWHjort
June 30th, 2009
9:42 am
LINEUP TIME:
1. Jordan Schafer CF
2. Yunel Escobar SS
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Freddie Freeman 1B
5. Jason Heyward RF
6. Brian McCann C
7. Nate McLouth LF
8. Brandon Hicks 2B
9. Zeke Spruill RHP
Willy Wally
June 30th, 2009
9:43 am
Yes, Ludwick is the way to go. Let’s replace a one year wonder with another one year wonder. Let’s replace a guy with a sub .300 OBP with another guy with a sub .300 OBP!@!!!! That’s a plan, daddy-o!!! Let’s do it! LUUUUUUDWICK, BABY!! LUUUUUUUDWICK!!!!!
Lew
June 30th, 2009
9:43 am
What;s this I saw in the overnights? Coach Moon Pie and Robert are a couple, brought together by their lack of Idiocy? Oh. The Humanity. Or lack thereof.
Willy Wally
June 30th, 2009
9:44 am
LINEUP TIME:
1. Jordan Schafer CF
2. Yunel Escobar SS
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Freddie Freeman 1B
5. Jason Heyward RF
6. Brian McCann C
7. Nate McLouth LF
8. Brandon Hicks 2B
9. Zeke Spruill RHP
I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL WE’RE SICK AND TIRED OF SEEING THAT LOSER COLLECTION OF A LINEUP SOMETIMES IN 2015!!!!!!!!!
Jeff R
June 30th, 2009
9:45 am
One power bat isn’t fixing the Bravos. Everyone is looking for a silver bullet. The line up is slumping up and down the order. Slumping, to repeat. It’s not about the pitch selection that Braves’ batters are seeing.
This is shades of the Tex talk a couple of seasons back. Remember? Tex was supposed to catapult the Bravos into the post season. “Super” Tex.
Well, nope. And nope, again, this season. There isn’t a “super” hitter who’s going to magically turn this team into a contender.
PWHjort
June 30th, 2009
9:45 am
jj,
Francoeur is worthless. Garret is a lazy bum and can’t play defense, but he’s 100 times more useful than Francoeur.