Capital-bound for July 4th

Great piece Carroll.

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Roman Gal

I was busting McFaan’s chops today and told her if McCann didn’t get a hit tonight I would go vote for Yadier Molina.

Rob, t you are in trouble now. I said something similar yeaterday, not Molina far. To scared to do that. McFann will be out to get you…

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dob or carroll,
a lot of action last night throughout our minor league system. many promotions have been unofficially reported, however one source (talking chop) reports that brooks conrad got the call to atlanta. any word on this and what’s the counter move? brooks conrad is, for most part, a 2-bagger, but plays shortstop some (rather poorly). my guess would be kj going to the dl and rehabbing his hurt pride (because everything else looks healthy) in the minors. thanks for a great blog. let’s continue to see great baseball!

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yay, no DOB JINX!

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Vol_In_Ohio, Good post, however I always thought Vazquez was a good pitcher. When you play on bad teams as he you don’t develope the confidence to get out of tough spots. I like to think that Javy has found himself. It happens. He is only 32-33. Sometimes it can take a few years. I like the fact that he cares. He holds himself accountable when he feels he didn’t do his job. Last night when he left the game, you could see it written on his face that if ATL would have lost; he would have taken full responsibility for the loss. He knew he didn’t have his best stuff, but he fought tooth and nail to give ATL all that he had.

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rodney, i’m not encouraging you to break the law, but i go here on blackouts (which only happen to me on saturday games before 7).

mp2pforum.eu

you have to download tvants. remember, i am not encouraging this behavior!

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Kelly The Fraud hit the ball hard last night. I guess Bobby will have him out there at second tonight.

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Freeman and Heyward will start 2010 (barring an injury) at AAA.

The future is near:)

Jeff looks absolutely finished…I hate having to agree with Coach and Paul Lentz but I will. It’s not even entertaining to call him FRANCINE anymore.

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Supes
Bobby pinch hit for Jeffy last night. Is the end near?

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Supes, I hear ya. I don’t even get mad when he makes an out anymore. Now, I get mad when he lucks into a hot on a blooper. He is more of an automatic out than some of the pitchers. I mean JJ makes more consistent contact than him.

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JPS, one can only hope. And about the pinchitter for Francouer, I liked the fact that BC said we are going for another run. Too many times BC would have just been happy with the lead, and just turn it over to the BP. I can not say enough about the managing job by BC last night. Let’s just hope it was not an abberiation.

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ryanc, I am not seeing where Brooks Conrad has been promoted on talking chop? Where did you see?

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Woodward is 2-6 (.333)

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Two Words: Franceour. Knuckleball.

Somebody should teach him how to throw it.

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I really hope to see McLouth back in Center tonight and Blanco/Diaz in Right. The Willingham for Jeff and a player to be named sounds like a decent deal. He has average defense at best, but his bat would be major improvement over Jeff’s. Also dont forget Willingham came up as a Catcher, which could come in handy. Nats took Lastings who is kinda in same boat as Jeff so we never know.

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Oh, I didnt know Freeman and Heyward got promoted to AA. Thats good, I figured they would sometime during the year. My guess Heyward gets called to Atlanta sometime next June or July and Freeman gets called up next August or September.

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Rock On……..9:22 am … “Bobby has his good moments but if he ever plays KJ again at 2nd then that will be a tip that old donk is back to his old tricks.”

DOB reported a couple of blogs back that Bobby had said that Prado is the starting second baseman. To me, this means that he will as stubbornly defend Prado’s place in the line-up the way he formerly supported KJ.

Probably only see KJ in situations like last night, where KJ comes in late and Prado moves over to third for defensive purposes.

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Abwright your probably right. Only way Kelly starts again is if Chipper gets hurt or Prado needs a day of rest. However, once Omar gets back I dont see anyway Kelly starts again.

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Probably won’t hear anything about Conrad, if it is true, until a little while before game time.

Patience, grasshopper!

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Braves outfield woes would be solved if Cox had just kept Josh Anderson instead of giving him away in favor of keeping up Schafer who had never learned to make solid contact even in the minors. (This was stupid beyond belief when Anderson had already proved himself.) Could now have Josh Anderson, McLouth, and Diaz – a very good outfield – that is if Cox would play Diaz. Cox has no apatituted in making necessary moves and changes. With their Pitching, Braves should now have a comfortable lead in their Division if it were not for Cox’s incompetence. And he has no clue as to teaching, emphasizing, implementing, demanding the first absolue necessity for run production -working the count/ making the opposing pitcher throw a lot of pitches. This enables your hitters to adjust to the pitcher, see what he has, get better pitches to hit, make him make mistakes, tires him out, gets you into their weak middle relief etc. The Braves are next to last in all of baseball in average number of pitches seen per at bat – Typical Cox managed team – This guarantees terrible run production and not being competitive.

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Don, While part of your post is true, I thought they did a great job of working counts last night with the exception of our “professional” hitter, Chipper Jones.

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Great to see Heyward and Freeman up to AA. I’m excited to see how they do, but I think they accomplished all they could in Myrtle Beach. I’m also pleased to see Johnson stay in Myrtle Beach a little longer.

I don’t know if it was mentioned but P Thomas Palica was also promoted.

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Don

As for saying we should have kept, Josh Anderson, have you checked how he’s doing so far this year?

Kinda like saying “I would be rich today, if my mom hadn’t thrown out all my old baseball cards!”

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Sure hope Mr. Wren is not considering pulling off a Tex-type deal with a Hanson, Jurrjens, Heyward, Freeman or Cody Johnson involved. His comments about not wanting to “mortgage the future” UNLESS Braves appear to be definitely in the hunt later this month are confusing.

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“Braves outfield woes would be solved if Cox had just kept Josh Anderson” (Don)

I stopped reading right there. So Cox is both managing the team and swinging trades now? He’s the new Manager/GM figure.

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Brandon Jones is an enigma. A couple of years ago, he had 15-20 HR power, and was drove in 100 runs between AA and AAA. I know that in 2008 he had some sort of nagging injury. I wonder if it could still be affecting his power??

Does anybody know?

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Don, Josh Anderson has this line right now .255/.287/.321/.608. Yes another outfielder with a sub .300 OBP and no power would solve all of our needs. We’re having a hard enough time getting Diaz to play over Jeffrey right now. You probably think Jeff is still a good mlb player also

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cvbraves

I’ve read numerous reports that gave the indication that Frank Wren will not trade the young talent for a bat. Rest assured that Hanson and Heyward will not be traded. Freeman would go on that list unless a 1st baseman became available who was under club control i.e Adrian Gonzalez. And SD has not indicated he is available. I don’t think Cody Johnson is as “untouchable”. Many scouts feel he has to cut down on his strikeouts but has undeniable power.

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Don

Anderson’s stats for the season are below. You tell me how these numbers would have saved the season.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
137 18 35 3 3 0 12 6 16 12 2 .255 .287 .321 .608

Yeah, and Bobby is the one that doesn’t have a clue….right.

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Thanks for the new Blog, Ms. Rogers!

Dutchie–

Yeah, that was a clutch hit–felt good! Maybe that will get him going…?

Jason McCann (sorry McFann) has got to do a better job on his defense.

Don’t apologize…I’m kinda over the, “He’s better than he was last year” thing…at least for now. This past homestand he didn’t look very good with his throwing.

Rob, t you are in trouble now. I said something similar yeaterday, not Molina far. To scared to do that. McFann will be out to get you

Well, he can’t do it now! Voting is closed…ah, boy. BMac didn’t do such a hot job at showing off why he should be the ASG starter last night, did he?

Roman Gal Now McFann and cabravesfan are out to get me and my posts are becoming Marietta Derekesqe.

Do NOT insult yourself like that! Holy cow…you’re not even in the same universe as that guy…

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Doc Holiday, 9:49 am … “You guys think Phillies will regain strength once Ibañez is back?”

Both the Mets and the Phillies started the season with impressive bullpens and good/great hitting. However, the weakness in starting pitching has been wearing on both bullpens.

The Phillies have played four fewer games than the rest of the NL-east. They have played at least 10 fewer games against the NL-central than the rest of the teams in the NL-east have. Although Ibañez’s return will be a lift to the Phillies offense and J-Ro seems to be coming out of his funk, the Phillies are going to have to live with a lot of late blown leads by the bullpen. This will grind them down for the rest of the season. Even if Philly makes some moves in their starting pitching, their bullpen is worn down. My guess is that Philly ends up sub-.500 for this year.

If the Mets get some injured players back, they still have the problem of a worn-out bullpen. Even K-Rod is starting to show the wear-and-tear, especially since he is being used for two innings in critical games. After last year’s work-load with the Angels, his arm must be just about falling off.

Of the Marlins’s starters, Josh Johnson has pitched at most 157 innings (2006), Volstad has pitched 84 innings (2008, he has surpassed that in 2009 already), Miller has pitched 107 (2008), Nolasco pitched 140 (2006), 21 (2007, injury), 212 (2008), and Sean West is their new fifth starter and a rookie.

Nolasco is due for a problem with his 212 innings last year being an 70+ inning jump from his previous high. Volstad, Miller, West, and Johnson have never accumulated close to 200 innings. I don’t see how this entire staff is not going to blow up come September.

Because of pitching fatigue (Mets and Phillies – bullpen, Marlins – starters), late August and September are going to be nightmares for those three clubs.

Even though the Braves are frustrating to watch due to their inconsistent offense, their starters are routinely going into the sixth or seventh inning. Their bullpen may be locally tired due to over-use of Moylan, Gonzalez, and Soriano, but Medlen, Acosta, O’Flaherty, Carlyle (when he returns) should be in good shape for the remainder of the season.

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We also have to remember that John S. made the Teixeira trade and not Frank Wren. I think he has made some great personnel decisions. The only move I was critical of was one we didn’t make and that was the signing of Furcal for that amount of money.

Overall I have complete faith in the direction this team is going in

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Lamar Banks

I do not agree with you based on what the Braves have trotted out on the field. I did not see where either Anderson or Schafer were better than Jones. They did get more playing time and opportunity. The Braves have mediocre outfielders(Mclouth included) who do not make the grade in comparison to the other teams in the league. How many of these guys would be starting for other teams in either division? If the Braves had the Dodgers reserve outfielders, they would be in first place. I think I read somewhere on this blog that the outfield starters should be McLouth, Diaz and Anderson(had he stayed). LMAO!!!!!

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Lamar Banks, I think that fact is often overlooked. I think FW has done a good job this year. The JoJo/JF for Willingham deal would be good, but that’s all I would offer, nothing more.

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Keeping It Real, Your 10:30 post was basicly calling for a platoon in LF. I think that’s what we have now with Loaf and MattyD. I like Brandon Jones, and wish he would get a longer look, but the fact that he has seemed to have lost all his power is why he is not getting that shot.

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Jason,

Are you telling me that the guys playing outfield now have more power and overall ability than Jones? Something is out of whack here.

Frenchy will be all right once he stops pressing.I like his swagger. He is a winner and he is getting his groove back. As far missing three 90 mph fastballs, how many of us arm chair observers could even get the bat off our shoulder to swing.

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Yeah, I honestly wouldn’t look at Willingham as a solution. He’s really bad in the field and constantly injured. But if you can get him for Francoeur/Reyes, I’m all for it.

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Keeping It Real, You are kidding right? I don’t get paid millions of dollars to hit 90 mph fastballs. He does, and he ain’t. So he is basicly getting paid for nothing.
“Frenchy will be all right once he stops pressing.” I tried telling that one to myself for over a year now. It’s not that simple. He is late on fastballs and can’t hit hanging breaking balls. What does that tell you? It’s not like Chipper’s slump that has been going on for a month. This has been going on for 2 1/2 years. Pressing? If he was pressing that much for that long, he would be insane by now. He is just not that good of a player. He has been given time to produce, and he has only produced failure. I am bot talking about him as a person. I am sure he is a fun and likeable guy. He just sucks and really doesn’t have any talent left. I guess he has used it up. He has used up his 15 minutes of fame. He can now just disapear a millionare.

As far as Jones goes, I am with you. I would have liked to see more of an oppurtunity with him. I just don’t see. It’s strange how things work out. I would rather see him in RF now, but I don’t think that will happen.

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I would turn frenchy into a pitcher at this point,he would be a good hitting pitcher

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My son wanted to watch the team get on the bus after the fireworks last night. The only player we did not see get on the bus was KJ. We also saw someone that did look like a player that we did not recognize. Maybe Conrad?

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Keeping it Real
“Also, the biggest mistake that Wren can make is to assume that Hudson can come back and to even consider trading Yunel and Frenchy. You think the Phillies are considering trading Jimmy Rollins?”

Believe me, I am with you on not trading Yunel but are you really throwing Jimmy Rollins in the same category as Frenchie? Rollins has an MVP on the shelf. Frenchie? He has 6 good months on the shelf and 2.5 horrible years. Rollins has built up a little lee-way with his past performance. Frenchie is just plain awful and has been for going on 2 years.

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Wanna read a classic Philadelphia blog post? Check out John Newlin at 7:53 on the Philly Blog.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20090703_Phils_head_home_after_sweep_by_Braves.html

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“I do not agree with you based on what the Braves have trotted out on the field. I did not see where either Anderson or Schafer were better than Jones. They did get more playing time and opportunity. The Braves have mediocre outfielders(Mclouth included) who do not make the grade in comparison to the other teams in the league. How many of these guys would be starting for other teams in either division? If the Braves had the Dodgers reserve outfielders, they would be in first place. I think I read somewhere on this blog that the outfield starters should be McLouth, Diaz and Anderson(had he stayed). LMAO!!!!!” (Keeping it fake)

I don’t get it. Your post, well, it doesn’t make sense. English sense. Like, the sentence and paragraph structure is such that you don’t complete an idea with the post.

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I have a disturbing mental picture of Frenchy after last night’s game. Slumped in corner pouting, turkey-drawers pulled over head.

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HAHAHA Shamus

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I’ve got to outdo Tommy in something.

I love Medlen. How can you not just love him? He’s so adorable!!

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Packerman –

Not sure if you’ll see this flipping over to the new blog, but let me explain why it doesn’t matter about Diaz’s lack of fielding.

Based on data from fangraphs.com, Diaz has actually improved his fielding drastically since his first season in 2004. He has improved from a UZR/150 of -51.1 in 2004 to -33.6 in 2005, 16.5 in 2006, and 20.1 in 2007. In an injury-shortened season last year, it dropped again to -9.6, but this year he is once again above-average at 1.8 through 44 games.

Francoeur’s fielding, on the other hand, has gotten WORSE since 2005, primarily due to a very low Range rating … a rating that is actually lower than Diaz’s Range rating. That stat is not a short-term fluke, either. His ratings from 2007-current, playing virtually every game, have been -0.8, -7.7, and -4.9.

Ok, so now we’ve established that it turns out Diaz actually has more range in the OF than Francoeur. Francoeur’s only defensive value is his arm.

Now, let’s look at offensive runs above average based on wOBA and wRAA from fangraphs.com. This is where it becomes clear that Diaz needs to be playing every day (or else we need to bring in a different OF). Francoeur is currently projected to finish this year -19.1 runs BELOW average, and that is being generous since he is already at -13.1 below average.

On the other hand, Diaz is currently 5.7 runs ABOVE average offensively and is projected to finish 8.7 runs above average.

So, just to review all that data, yes, you read it correctly, Diaz is currently better than Francoeur both offensively AND defensively. Do I really think Diaz is a better fielder than Francoeur? No, I don’t. I think you can tell just by watching them out in the field which one is quicker and should be the better fielder. However, I personally believe that Francoeur’s horrendous offensive struggles have been affecting his performance in the field.

Bottom line, as of now, Diaz needs to be out there every day. Period.

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Nice blog Carrol.. This whole wave of momentum is freaking me out to be honest with you.. We sweep the Phillies, gain 3 games on them in that series alone, now we are heading off on a huge high to take on one of the worst teams in baseball..

That is the part that scares me.. What better time then now to possibly get into first place? If we take care of the Nationals like by all accounts that we should, and the Mets and Phillies continue on a slide, the Braves could very well be in first place.. I am not going to hold my breath though, afterall, these are the same Braves that have let us fans down in recent times..

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Lots of talk about who is better defensively, and whether a good defender is worth it or not……doesn’t matter. Bobby is going to play whoever he feels gives him the best chance to win. If he thinks Jeff in right gives the team a better shot at winning, I suspect he will be right back out there again tonight. (that would be my guess)

Just because you pinch hit for the guy, doesn’t mean he doesn’t start again the next day.

Frenchy is a much better rightfielder than either Diaz or Blanco. Probably better than McLouth by a smaller margin.

Another thing, we can’t trade a guy on the DL (JoJo).

Last thing: I chuckle every time I see a post about trading all our misfits for a bat. I can see it now. The Nats are thinking, geez, we have a lot of outfielders and other marginal players. Let’s trade one of those that has some power (Willingham) to the Braves for all their misfits. That will definitely make us better!!!

Let’s try to keep it real folks.

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WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEE You don’t know the shape I’m in.

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BravesfaninWis, I agree. I don’t necesserally think we need to sweep the Nationals. We need to go in and continue to play good baseball and walk away with 2 of 3.

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I will agree that Diaz looks better in the outfield. There is NO comparison on their arm’s though, and right field has a longer throw to third than left field, so the arm is definitely important.

Doesn’t matter what a fielding bible or a UZI rating says (whatever the heck that is), it’s what Bobby decides that matters.

Love him or hate him, he is the manager. Until he steps down, all this talk about who he plays or doesn’t play is all academic folks.

We are on the crest of the wave today. Let’s just give it a ride, and enjoy it!

This is baseball, meant to be enjoyed, not analyzed to the hilt.

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“there is just too much involved to swap out me for DOB on the days I cover.” Carroll

How about put both of your photos on the banner at the top of the page, and then the readers will HAVE TO read the by-line to see who wrote the blog?

I know. Seems too simple, right?

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WAYNE in UTAH:

On keeping it real – AMEN!!!

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“Dodgers are 1st in pitching + 2nd in hitting…. “ Doc

Just let that sink in a little bit people. As good as our pitching has been. The Dodgers have been better. Add to that, the Dodgers are 2nd in hitting, WITH JUAN FRICKING PIERRE FILLIN IN FOR 50 GAMES instead of Manny Ramirez!!

Scary as hell, that team is, if you ask me.

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UZR factors in Arm runs above average, Double Play runs above average, Error runs above average, and Range runs above average. It stands for Ultimate Zone Rating. This year, Francoeur’s arm has been 5.5 runs better than Diaz’s, but Diaz’s range has been 5.7 runs better than Francoeur’s.

Just sayin’.

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I just read DOB’S post and I still won’t believe Javy will traded until it happens. I think that will hurt this teams chances more than people realize. Yunel on the other hand will be dealt by next season. He and BC seem to have burnt the bridges.

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“Name I keep hearing, because it’s a position of strength for the Braves and he’s so attractive to other teams, is Javier Vazquez.” DOB

Boy oh boy is there going to be a lot of pizzed of homers around these parts if that goes down.

Good for Wren for realizing that we have enough pitching for now and the future, and need another bat. Hopefully, if he makes a move, it will be for a guy that isn’t a rental, even though Schafer and Heyward are on their way.

But, I surely hope that Wren doesn’t stand pat, due to Loaf, Diaz and Prado getting hot. Replacing Jeff and KJ were/are obvious moves UNTIL another bat is acquired. But if Wren is serious about 2009, another bat (or two) is still needed.

Made my day, DOB.

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Don’t suppose hiring our old skipper had anything with the sudden rise of the DODGERS, player considerations aside. Always wondered how the BRAVES would have performed to date with JOE TORRE at the managerial helm. BTW, did JOE’s dad play for the BRAVES?

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Epinephrine, I actually agree that in this case, the UZR stuff isn’t as big of a deal, because anyone watching a game can see that Francoeur should be the better fielder. I’m just trying to point out that the drop-off isn’t as bad as most people seem to think and that the HUGE gain in offensive production is more than worth it.

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DAM

Hey, it might make sense to you or me or about a 1000 bloggers, but if Bobby doesn’t see it, it doesn’t matter.

When a ball is hit to a gap (left or right), I am always more comfortable if Frenchy is going after it, than any of the other 4 OF’ers we currently have roaming the grass.

Bottom line, Bobby Cox is a player’s manager (not going to go into the differences between a tactician and a players manager again). That is why he stuck with KJ for so long, why he will still get him some AB’s until he either gets better, or is gone. Same reason Frenchy still roams right field. It has served him well over the years, but on occasion, it has hurt the team. Given his overall record, I think it has served him well.

When he is retired and in the Hall, and lots of folks on here are bitchin and moaning about whoever the new manager is, I will have a little smile on my face, knowing that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. It rarely is.

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where did you all see that Freeman and Heyward were promoted? They played in last night’s game for the Pelicans

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raves outfield woes would be solved if Cox had just kept Josh Anderson instead of giving him away (DON)

the Josh Anderson with the terrible stat line of .255/.287/321/608? I sincerely hope you are kidding.

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brian, it was in the M-B Sun News Hudson story, at the bottom. Looks like the Braves are really pushing those two aggressively.

Richbrave–those Kimbrel stats you cited include his terrible open to the season at MB. After being re-promoted I believe he’s done much better.

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When a ball is hit to a gap (left or right), I am always more comfortable if Frenchy is going after it, than any of the other 4 OF’ers we currently have roaming the grass.

That’s because he actually throws the freakin’ ball in quickly. I swear, it’s like he and Diaz are the only one’s not afraid to throw the ball.

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N8, I saw an interesting stat lastnight. I don’t know if it was during the game or on ESPN. Anyway, while the Dodgers lead in pitching, they have the third most innings pitched by their BP. Can that mean that as we go further into the season, their BP will wear out due to overuse. Also it says that while their rotation is good, they don’t get deep into games. Alot of young pitchers that are being expected to continue to pitch well with the stress of a pennant race.

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VASQUEZ is the obvious trade-bait de jour. If he equates to a solid replacement for KJ I’ll be happy. KELLY’s done, and appears to know it from his demeanor. FRANCOUER still has possibilities, and should not be traded. Besides who would we be able to get for him? Everybody but ANDREW McCUTCHEON has already been traded by the PIRATES.

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I dont get all those specail defense stats and formula……. McLouth has won a gold glove and has made big plays this year.

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HAHA… “good luck.”

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Quote from Frank Wren’s chat this off-season:

“Thanatos: What is the plan if Jeff Francouer struggles again next year? Will you try to acquire a solid outfielder to back him up?

Wren: We are counting on that not happening. There just aren’t that many solid guys available to start backing up your regulars, but we will have some depth in our outfield.”

May I follow up? Thank you. What the F*** made you think you could count on Francoeur not struggling?!?

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Wayne re: your 11:40 a.m. post

I agree. While I think it’s time for Bobby to step-down from the dugout (I mean, as I’ve said before….even Tommy Lasorda had to finally get step aside from managing the Dodgers) because I think it’s time for some new blood (not for the reasons people like Rob, etc want him gone)……Bobby’s still the manager of the Braves and that’s just fine by me.

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Thanks STEVE for the KIMBRELL update.

And to MacARTHUR for the TORRE info. After I thought some more, I believe it was his older brother I remember playing in a BRAVES uni. You are right.

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Steve,

I’d be shocked if BOTH Escobar and Vazquez are traded before the trade deadline. Then again, I’d also be surprised if both of them are on the Braves come the start of next season.

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Steve–Yah, I know UZR can be skewed by small sample sizes. In my first post on page 1, I listed the UZR/150 since 2005 for both Francoeur and Diaz.

How about this angle, then — for his entire career, Francoeur has a UZR/150 of +33.8 but a wRAA (offensive runs above average) of -35.7. Overall, he has been -1.9 runs below average. Almost all of Francoeur’s defensive benefit is due to his great arm.

Diaz has a career UZR/150 of +8.5 (majority of the time being spent in LF, so the arm factor hasn’t been as important), but his wRAA for his career is +14.2.

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I’m actually not a huge stat guy myself, outside of what concerns me for fantasy baseball purposes. I’m just trying to find any stats that support benching Francoeur. It’s already obvious watching him hit that he’s just terrible.

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N8, While good for you, I am dreading the day Jvy is traded. The good thing is FW said it will only be for a bat that is locked up for a couple of years. So, no rental. With the addition of Yunel with Javy, who do you think we can get? I see one move being all that we need. If we deal Javy and Yunel together we may can get the bat and some middle relief depth.

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rich brave: Why would we get a replacement for KJ? We have Martin Prado. 2nd base is filled. Prado hit over 300. last year and is doing it again this year. He makes the play he is supposed to at 2nd. He is a fundamentally sound player that will keep helping our team. We need to be looking for a right fielder right now.

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It seems that Bobby Cox has rethunk his position a little on his “player favorite” attitude. He finally has the opportunity to part ways with guys like JoJo, Frenchy and Kelly because of the unbelievable starting rotation the Braves have. If Vasques is the potential trade bait then the Braves might force a team that really needs a great starter to accept Kelly and/or Frenchy to dump the salary. Love to get Berkman or cruz.

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I’d like to see Vazquez stay around. But, if the Braves could get a good hitting position player whose under contract for a couple of years, it’s really the thing to do.

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Trading Javy wouldnt be a bad idea. definitly if a pitching hungry team throws a good offer. Should be able to get a good bat, a good minor leaguer, mid prospect. All depends on finaical stuff too Javy makes 11 mil and there hasnt been many bats thrown out there.

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I know my eyes see UZR, but my heart sees UZI.

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The thing is, what separates us from the other flawed teams in this division is our starting pitching. We don’t have the offense to go hit for hit with the Phils, or the Mets when healthy. And we are not one bat away from being able to do that. What we can do, every single time the Braves play, is have a chance to win thanks to our starting pitching. If we get rid of that, we become mediocre on two fronts rather than one. I really hope it doesn’t happen.

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If we trade Vazquez for a cheap bat and the pitching falters, we can always sign Ben Sheets with the money we saved.

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WAYNE in UTAH:

Sure right about that grass. I climbed that fence once, and found the grass wasn’t greener, but it WAS a hell of a lot different. My wife is CUBAN and reminds me occasionally not to wish for things to be different. You just might get your wish. CUBA did in 1959.

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Wayne, I don’t, but I sure as hell wouldn’t feel comfortable with my team were I a Phillies or Mets fan either. I know we’ve got a lot of holes, but so do those teams.

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Last night, I (unfortunately) had to watch the Phillies broadcast rather then the Braves. Phillies broadcasters made a big deal out of Chipper giving one of his bats to Jimmy Rollins who was 0 for 27. Rollins got two hits last night, but they were not a factor, but what if Rollins got a hit to beat the Braves with Chipper’s bat? If I was on the team I would be plenty pissed.

Any thoughts on this?

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Eric from MO

Heyward will be here in September

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KJ+Frenchy=Garbage: Why would we want to trade for a 2nd basemen?

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THE BIRD and INDIAN:

Because KELLY’s played himself onto the bench, and we need another position player to replace him. Not just at 2 B. A multi-dimensional player which he is – well, sort of, who hits, which he doesn’t. I still think it’s all in his head. But a new team will do both parties some good.

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Heyward will be here in September Rob from SC

I’ll bet Carroll’s running shoes that doesn’t happen.

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DAM (July 3rd, 2009 11:18 am): “Packerman –

“Based on data from fangraphs.com, Diaz has actually improved his fielding drastically since his first season in 2004. He has improved from a UZR/150 of -51.1 in 2004 to -33.6 in 2005, 16.5 in 2006, and 20.1 in 2007. In an injury-shortened season last year, it dropped again to -9.6, but this year he is once again above-average at 1.8 through 44 games.”

Thanks for the info.

But what you’ve ably demonstrated in NOT that “it doesn’t matter about Diaz’s lack of fielding”, but that there is no such thing as “it doesn’t matter about Diaz’s lack of fielding”.

It’s just baseless slurs and slams, backed up by nothing but empty opinions which are themselves based on air and unthinking enmity.

Diaz’ defense is not a liability, and his offense should be in there every day for now.

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Also, if you move Javy and or Yunel then either KJ or JF have to be a throw in. If nothing else to rid salary and to give them botha fresh start some where not in Atlanta.

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STEVE:

Which is why I say we MUST win the division to go anywhere. Right now, we’re further out of the wild-card than the division lead. And we’ve got all those teams to climb over to put ourselves in position for a post-season.

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This is not based on any facts that I have or have read but I get the feeling Bobby wants Escobar out and Wren is holding out on shipping him.

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I believe the Yankees will be the team that will take JV.

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N8,

The scary thing about trading JV is that we don’t know what Hudson will be like when he gets back. We just don’t. If we want to win this year (and I do) then that trade is a HUGE gamble. I am not in disagreement with you. JV is our best trade piece. We need a bat. But who fills JV’s spot until Hudson gets back, and then who fills Hudson’s spot if he can’t go? Hell, maybe Glavine will hear his phone ringing this year after all!

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Oh yay, FINALLY a Josh Anderson mention. It has been so long….

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I don’t think we need to waste a trade for an infielder. Prado is easily good enough to start every day. Infante will be back soon. Hernandez can fill in anywhere. If needed even KJ can fill in. I think we need to focus on the RF position if anything. I really just don’t wanna make a move yet. Diaz in right platooning with JF. Blanco platooning with Loaf maybe? I like Blanco in there sometimes leading off. He got on a little streak against the Phills till last night and can work a count well. I’d like to see how that works out till the break and then see if we need to make a deal. PLEASE DON’T TRADE JAVY OR ESCOBAR!

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I can’t see the BRAVES making any moves concerning HEYWARD which could be construed as rushing this prime prospect to ATLANTA. When the roster expansion is made however, it is possible he’ll be here along with the others, just to give him taste of the bigs. I don’t consider that rushing him because he’ll be off the roster in any post-season action, and won’t be relied upon on an everyday basis. It could happen this year. Iffy, but possible. I do believe by the expansion next year that situation is definite.

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Was it my imagination, or was Bobby actually managing last night

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I also wonder if FW may try and trade JV then aquire a servicable starter to get him through the seaosn. Along with a Big Bat. Taking away the best pitcher in the rotation is a gamble. Losing JV would knock our rotation down a couple of spots in the NL. If I am FW, I am looking at a position player.

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The Javy trade noise has been circulating blogdom for a month+ – more so when the Braves are losing especially on shut out days.

Javy is the best pitcher on the staff over all and trading him would be a huge mistake.

KK could very easily do another header into mediocrity, Hudson is a mid to late ETA with no guarantee he will be as effectives as Javy out of the gate.

Hanson looks great but he is a rookie.

Lowie looks pretty bad right now though history says he will battle his way out.

JJ is fine but he did fade last summer and could again this year.

Medlen is long relief at best.

So unless you are trading Javy for Pujols or Fiedler I don’t think it is wise.

The Braves at best may win the division but they will do that on the back of starting pitching even if the get another bat.

Why weaken the one area that has sucked for years – the rotation 1-5. Sure they had years where 1-2 were fine but it has been donkey’s years since 1-5 was as sold as it is today.

If he was movable I would trade KK and prospects for a lessor bat than Javy would command but one that will be worlds better than RF today.

This team can carry on w/o KK but no so much w/o Javy IMHO.

Teams may want Javy but if you look at this club it is not going deep into the playoffs so why toss a guy who can get you right back into the playoff picture in 2010?

In the fall you can release JF, KJ, GA is done, make a decision on Hudson based on some statistically relevant data (Aug/Sept starts) and go from there in terms of getting a Bay, Holliday etc.

By dropping KJ, JF and GA you will save 8-9mm. If you pass on Hudson that saves 12mm. Or if you trade Javy b/c you are sure Hudson is really fixed that saves $11mm.

Bottom line even on July 31st you will not know what you have in Hudson so why take the chance – again for anyone less than Pujols (not happening), Fiedler (maybe but not likely), Adrian Gonzales (they cannot afford Vaz), etc.

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DOB,

I just read on MLBtraderumors that Felipe Lopez would be a good fit in Atlanta. Have you heard his name mentioned at all? Also, if we trade Vazquez, who is the most likely trade partner, and what would we get in return? At this point, you can’t guarantee that Tim Hudson will be near as good as Vazquez has been for us, and it would be a shame to trade a pitcher like that when we are so close to first place..

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I do not want vazquez or Escobar traded. If it happens, I’ll see what the return is, but I’m not sure that would be a smart move in the middle of the pennant race. I’m worried that our starting pitching isn’t as deep as you might think. We have five solid starters now and it’s giving us a real advantage. I don’t want to weaken any spot. You can’t completely rely on Hudson because he’s coming back from major surgery. He might have a setback or be ineffective at the beginning. You have Medlen who may do very well in the rotation, but then again he might not. After that what do you have? Jo Jo Reyes anyone? It all comes down to Huddy. Trade JV now then where are you if Huddy has a setback?

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“By dropping KJ, JF and GA you will save 8-9mm” (Klaus)

Wrong, sir. They signed guaranteed contracts. They’re still going to get paid if you release them.

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I think MATT still has deficiencies in the box, but the manager has used his skills admirably. Now on an everyday basis, I’m not convinced he’s servicable.

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Totally agree that we don’t know what Hudson will be. It doesn’t matter.

We are STILL 4 men deep in the rotation. In no particular order. Hanson, Lowe, JJJ and KK.

That’s deeper than we were most years with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz.

Granted, I’m not sure if there are 3 Cy Young candidates in that foursome. But there is two possible guys in Hanson and JJJ that can anchor a staff for years to come.

If you all think the recent offensive outburst is going to be the norm without making another move, that’s cool. I’m not sure I do. But I’d love to be wrong about it.

Honestly. If Vazquez is traded and Hudson has major set-backs. Is there STILL a team in the division that is four deep in their rotation?

Not being a smartass or snotty with the question. Just asking. I don’t think any other team in the division is as much as three deep in the rotation, much less four.

How could adding a big bat by trading Vazquez not only keep us with the upper hand in the pitching department (not even mentioning the Soriano/Gonzo/Moylan three headed monster in the pen), but also narrow the gap of the offenses as well?

No doubt in my mind that if we are able to get a legit cleanup hitter for Vazquez (by legit, I mean a considerably better option than we currently have), that we become a better team, and the front runner for the division. Lets not forget that we’ve been playing nearly a week without McLouth as well.

Mark it down, if Wren trades Vazquez for a big bat, a series of reactionary moves by Philly and the Mets will soon follow. That alone will tell you what they will think of such a move by the Braves.

Keep your nose to the grind-stone Wren, victory is around the corner.

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Epinephrine

I agree with everything you said. Javy has been one of our top two pitchers this year. If we trade him we get significantly weaker on the pitching front. What if Tim Hudson has a setback or is not fully back. Peter Moylan came back early but he obviously was not himself. We finally have a solid five man rotation and its the only reason we are still in it right now. I don’t think one bat will fix all that ails us. Me personally, I would keep Vazquez and see what Hudson is like when he gets back. If someone gets hurt or goes into a late season swoon Hudson is our backup plan.

And on the Escobar front, I personally feel the Braves would be stupid to trade him right now. If you have to trade him, can you not wait to the offseason. The production we get at his price is just invaluable. We have other positions that we need to upgrade and we don’t need to worry about filling the shortstop position as well. Just makes no sense to me to be thinking about trading the guy right now. Not if you are serious about contending and thinking about trading Vazquez as well.

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wow. there were a lot of people on here bashing a guy for saying that Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Tommy Palica would be called up to mississippi either today or tomorrow……

all three were called up today.

maybe one of them could make it to the show in september…..we’ll see.

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Bubba

Best idea yet for Frenchy: witch doctor!

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Again, I don’t really agree. I see Hanson, KK, JJ, and Lowe, and my blood pressure rises a little bit. Lowe hasn’t been that good. Hanson has been gritty, but let’s face it, extremely lucky. Who knows what the ups and downs of his rookie season will look like? I can tell you this-if his fly ball ratio doesn’t come down, and his strike out ratio doesn’t go up, he is going to start giving up a lot more runs.

KK has been pitching really well recently, but again, we don’t know how long that trend will last. He could turn out to be the guy in April, or he could be the guy we saw in early June and late May. Too soon to say.

Javy and JJ have been the ones that have consistently productive-especially Vazquez. He strikes guys out, he doesn’t have a lot of baserunners, and he eats innings. You take him out of this rotation, and I’m just not that sure it is overly impressive.

Now, if Hudson were to be the Hudson of old, that’d be a completely different story. But we have absolutely no idea what we are going to get from Huddy.

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We simply cannot trade Yuni. We cannot get anyone half as talented as he is to play SS for us. It is absurd to move him just because he has an “attitude” or something. All great athletes have some sort of attitude — it helps make them great. Give the kid another chance!

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good idea Austin but the Jays arnt trying to add payroll there trying to trade big contracts to free up money for a Halladay extension.

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It’s nice to sweep the Phils – [i]really nice[/i]. But I will not be a true believer until we can start winning series against the likes of the Nats, Pirates and Diamondbacks.

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Yeah Rios has great D and can fly, but he hasnt hit a lick…… Jays messed up big time signing Wells too….

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Epinephrine, I agree. JV is the one strike out pitcher we have right now. I just don’t see him being dealt. As I said earlier, I will believe it when I see it. If you deal JV you would have to get 3 things in return. 1) a clean up hitter under control for at least 2-3 years. 2) some middle relief, that is our only sore spot on a fantastic pitching staff.3) Prospects for depth, our fram system is depleted right now. Add to that, if a deal is made with JV and Yunel it would have to require adding either KJ or JF just to rid them of the roster. I think that will be a tough challenge for FW to pull off. But, FW did steal McLouth for us. I will just sit back and take a wait and see approach.

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The Braves need to show their heart and guts IN THIS SERIES AGAINST THE NATS. Previously they’ve played well against the better teams, then lost focus or whatever against the bottom dwellers, i.e. the Nats [especially last year] and other below .500 teams.

I hope Chipper and BC had a talk with them at some point since sweeping the Phils. Hope they said something along the lines of “OK guys, we just swept last year’s World champs, now it’s time to focus for the remainder of the year. We lost focus enough in June and it cost us, so now that you have proven that you can play with the best teams in both leagues, the Red Sox [2-4, but easily could have been 3-3], Yankees and Phillies, it’s time to prove that you are a team deserving of being in the hunt by beating teams that you SHOULD beat. The Nats are 2-8 in their last ten games, so it’s time to step on their necks while they are down. Don’t let that crap happen that has happened before, Don’t let those putrid teams rise up and beat you because your focus is not there, JUST BECAUSE THE OTHER TEAM HAS A BAD RECORD. Pretend they are a good team, or a team that is taking food off of your family’s table, or whatever it takes to want to just MASH these guys. Because that is what GOOD teams do. They don’t let below .500 teams catch them unaware. Good teams focus against EVERYBODY, and not just the better teams. So prove to yourself AND to your fans and others in the baseball world that you are a good team. Prove it, don’t just talk about it.”

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Medlen is hilarious.

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As a Marlins afficianado i went into this sseason with much respect for the NL East. I was wrong. As of today, The Phillies, Mets, Braves and marlins are a combined 2 games over .500. However, the sad thing is the Phillies are 10-2 against the Nats, the Mets 7-2, the Marlins 9-0 and the Braves 4-2. That equates to 30-6, 24 over .500. Do the math and see what the top 4 teams in NL East would be without your Washington Nationals.

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Right wrist? Sound like another Greg Norton DL excuse.

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So, BC went with KJ alot longer than Schaef with the bad wrist. Just kidding. But interesting that KJ has looked alot like Schaefer at the plate. I am guessing a bad wrist does make it hard to hit fastballs.

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Carroll: ” Three game sweep, four wins in a row. Now they’re back in the hunt at only two games back and with three games ahead against the lowly Nationals.”
As I said back in April, that brutal loss in Philly when the Braves blew a 10-2 lead will haunt the Braves. Win that game and they are only 1 back. OUCH.

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The Braves are getting really good at the fake injury DL stint this year

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Yep, whenever it’s time to shelve one of Bobby’s boys, they suddenly develop an ailment that sends them to the DL. Apparently they refused to do this for Jeff Bennett, so he shook hands with a door, thank goodness.

Tonight’s starting lineup (if I had my way)

1. Blanco RF (when you’re hot…)
2. Prado 2B ( duh)
3. C. Jones 3B (hopefully he’ll snap out of it in DC)
4. McCann C (no rest tonight..wait til Sunday)
5. McLouth CF (good power spot)
6. Escobar SS (good spot in the order for him)
7. Diaz LF (best # 7 hitter in the majors)
8. Kotchman 1B * (only because there’s no one else…see below)
9. Pitcher

As for Kotchman, yes I know he hit a big HR last night, but for God’s sake, he’s a drag in this lineup. He’s on pace to hit 6 HRs this year. Someone who’s good at stats, please find out how many teams have gone to the World Series with 6 dingers out of the first base position. Plus he’s the slowest 26-year-old male in sports, and I’m including all NFL tackles and guards. Yep, he makes a nifty play at first occasionally, but that doesn’t make up for his constant grounders to second. Sometimes he’ll beat out a seeing-eye grounder to center-field, but once he’s on first, he’s anchored down. Very little value, the Angels knew what they were doing when they unloaded him.

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Curtis Jones, Nice line up. But I would give BMac a rest tonight. But that’s just me. Anyway, I like Blanco in RF, probably won’t happen though. We will see. ‘OL BC is making some bold moves (for him anyway).

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I don’t care if the KJ/DL is B.S. It needed to be done. Can we DL Francouer tonight?

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I just caught the replay of Fracour’s strike out in the sixth. I was at the game last night and remembered Jeff striking out on three fastballs but what I did not realize was that Haup missed with two fastballs before that. It was almost as if Haup was saying: “I know this guy can’t hit my fastball. I am going to keep throwing it up there.” I am not saying that they should give up on Francour but he may need to go to Mississippi or Gwinnett and get some extensive hitting instruction. Right now he looks like someone who cannot hit a major league fastball.

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Bubba: “I like Frenchy. He’s a good kid, a local kid.”
Dont forget a couple years back how greedy and arrogant he was, turning down 5 years/$25 Mil or so. He practically laughed at the offer, and we should all be glad he did.

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Pete, True and now I am laughing at him…

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Excluding games against MLB’s worst team (da Nats):

Braves: 34-38 .472
muts: 32-37 .464
phils: 29-35 .453
fish: 32-39 .451

Bottom line, the NL East sucks bad. And the phils (12), muts (9), and fish (9) have played more games against the worst of the worst than the Braves (6). Let’s take care of business this weekend and end up with an above .500 record.

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Well, the 40 man is once again……. crammed full, and that’s not even counting Tim Hudson and Jorge Campillo who are both on the 60 day DL. I would say that either Greg Norton’s days as a Brave are numbered or somebody’s gonna get traded.

As far as the All-Star break goes, Chipper Jones would be much better off by not having to play in it and I think he would agree with me on this. McCann should make the All-Star squad if for no other reason than necessity.

Even if the Braves did trade Javier Vasquez, they would still have the best pitching staff in the N.L. East. We do have Kris Medlen and Tim Hudson is on track to pitch again this season. I hate trading pitching but in this unique case, Frank Wren has no choice.

Why are some of us still talking trade?

Because a rational few are not blinded by a little four game winning streak. That’s why.

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Here’s a lineup I’d LOVE to see:

Blanco RF
Prado 2b
Chipper 3b
V. Martinez 1b
BMac C
McLouth CF
Diaz / GA RF
Peralta SS
Pitcher

Trade: Javy, Esco, and CK for Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta. Didn’t look up the years on the contract so if Martinez or Peralta are done after this year it wouldn’t work. But if they are set long term, I’d love this trade.

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Steve McP, And… Is that fact really all that important? He didn’t start, he didn’t cost us the game…. So, did it really matter at all that he pich hit or pinch ran. All I know is he batted once at flew out to RF.

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I’m guessing (hoping) that Francoeur is on his way out…

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Dunn agin as if we needed another LH in this line up, and plus all the other things said about SOs and defense and ….

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“I’m guessing (hoping) that Francoeur is on his way out…” (Steve from OH)

You and me and Bobby McGehee. We’re all hoping.

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Carroll, DOB or anyone else for that matter – What are the prerequisites to putting someone on the DL? Is there someone in MLB that checks to see if the “injuries” are real and not just a need to give someone some time off? I assume one of the teams doctors or trainers have to sign off on it.

I am not against Kelly going to the DL, just wondering if he really has an injury at all.

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bry22—-what makes you think you can ANYTHING of value for a package that includes 3 underperforming players?

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It’s apparent Anderson has value…. as a DH…. I’ll bet many contending AL teams would love to have him for the stretch as he would create no risk of defensive liability…. He’s a much better fit in the AL.

Proposed trade…. Anderson, Brandon Jones, mid-level minor leaguer to Tigers for Ordonez.

Deal would give Tigers a lefty DH to complement Thames.
Ordonez needs a change of scenery.

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Steve McP and Bring Back Andruw are both right (or wrong). He was not brought in to pinch-hit. He was a pinch-runner/defensive replacement. However, we sent so many men to the plate in the 8th that he actually got a plate appearance AFTER he had already pinch-ran.

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“Proposed trade…. Anderson, Brandon Jones, mid-level minor leaguer to Tigers for Ordonez.” (The A Bomb)

Even if Ordonez were a useful MLB player (which he isn’t), the Braves aren’t going anywhere near that awful contract.

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bry22 –

You aren’t getting ANYTHING for those players. IF the Braves really want an impact player, they will HAVE to either trade a bunch of prospects or trade something of quality from the big league club. If you’re trading quality, trade from strength and that’s pitching. Javy is the obvious choice because Huddy is an unknown at this point to everyone outside the Braves and you sure aren’t parting with JJ or Hansen.

And I don’t think anyone will want KK. That only leaves D Lowe and Javy and I just think Javy is the better choice to give up for what teams would be willing to give in return.

And I’d hate to trade Esco, but if they are determined to do so, why not trade him for something really good like V. Martinez??

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Proposed trade…. Anderson, Brandon Jones, mid-level minor leaguer to Tigers for Ordonez. (THE A BOMB)

Great plan, let’s take on that $16 million washed up 35 year old

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The Braves didn’t plan on giving him an AB.

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every trade rumour and every line up and every managing guru is gettin old on this retarded blog

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Pete I agree about that game in Philly giving up a 10-2 lead, actually I think we’d be tied with them now (+1 vs. -1 = 2 game swing).
Curtis I really like your analysis, esp. leaving JF on bench, and batting CK last (I agree we need more production out of 1b).
Regarding the JF problem, I am sure he is a nice person, but the Braves TEAM needs to win some games here. JF doesn’t act like a team player when he is so impatient at the plate (letting the other pitcher off the hook); meanwhile Prado and Blanco are showing guts and grit by making the other pitcher work hard, thus opening up hitting opportunities for other hitters.
The math is simple:
JF in the lineup = automatic out and no runs
JF removed from lineup = dead weight lifted off the team and more runs scored
Maybe JF can come off the bench for a while until it is determined if we can trade for a big 1b or RF bat. I like the idea of an outfield consisting of Mclouth, Diaz, Anderson (platoon only), and Blanco or Infante, w/ some JF starts in RF vs. LHP.
This should be servicable until it is known if a trade can be made at a reasonable cost.

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Heh, KJ to the DL…

MLB really needs to put some restraints on putting players on the DL in my opinion. Sucking should not be a valid reason to be placed on the DL. At least the Braves are inventing injuries though and not putting guys on the list for things like mental stress.

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How bought this trade. Justin Upton (RF) and Mark Reynolds (plays 3rd, but can play anywhere in infield) from Arizona for Javy, Francour, and Yunel. Maybe throw in a prospect and maybe the Braves have to agree to pay Francour’s salary for the rest of the season. This would give us 2 guys with more homers than any brave and both with good averages, and both haven’t even had arbitration yet, so we could have them for 2 or 3 years…Dreaming Right?

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bravos 123, Why not platoon RF the same as LF? Loaf an Blanco in LF and JF and MattyD in RF. Roll with that until if/when an OF bat is dealt for.

It’s going to be interesting when Infante comes back. Having Prado as the everyday 2B. Do you still move Prado around the infield (1B, 3B, 2B) or leave him at second. If so, how do you get Infante ABs outside of rest for Yunel (assuming Yunel is still here)?

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That wrist tendinitus injury sounds SO made up, but whatever it takes to get our unproductive players off the major league roster, I’m all for it.

So what “injury” will Jeff endure in the next week or two? Turkey underwear withdrawal syndrome?

People, stop calling for Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez. It ain’t happening. This isn’t your yahoo or espn fantasy league.

Maggs is over the hill and extremely overpayed. this isn’t the NBA where they trade players ‘with expiring contracts’ to dump payroll.

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How bought this trade. Justin Upton (RF) and Mark Reynolds (plays 3rd, but can play anywhere in infield) from Arizona for Javy, Francour, and Yunel. Maybe throw in a prospect and maybe the Braves have to agree to pay Francour’s salary for the rest of the season. This would give us 2 guys with more homers than any brave and both with good averages, and both haven’t even had arbitration yet, so we could have them for 2 or 3 years…Dreaming Right?

Where is Crazy Trades McGee when you need him. Some people should not be allowed yo post. Arizaona trading their two most productive young players… Wow ! Stupidness….

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DO NOT TRADE VAZQUEZ..

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PWHjort

July 3rd, 2009
11:50 am
Tim Marchman’s NL All-Star

I stopped reading when he chose Geovany Soto as an all-star.

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jj and jason i am not here to read your comments believe you me, i could do just as good reading the comics…the only post that get my attention is the ones that pop up and arelabeled as DOB and Carroll Rogers.

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JJ – what’s wrong with getting Victor? nothing, but its not going to happen. we wont give up what Cle would want for him. a weak hitting 1b, a large contract on a pitcher and a headcase SS that has been benched and injured isnt going to pry him away.

imo it would take a top level prospect (which wren has said that he will not do) + esco

im all for random trade ideas, but this one isnt going to work

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lets sweep the nats!!

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The Braves are 3-0 against the Nationals at Turner Field this season, but 1-2 against them at Nationals Park. They’re 3-9 at Nationals Park over the last two season, including 2-7 last year

The Braves WERE also 0-9 against Philly last season at the Ted. We’re playing good ball. I like our chances.

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My point is that Anderson is the one with trade value NOW for many AL teams. He is a lefthanded DH and IF the Braves were to somehow make the postseason he is the one player who could lose a game with his defense.

I would wager that many AL contenders view Anderson in high regard and now that he’s hitting a bit strike while the iron is hot for a righthanded power hitter.

And by the way, Supes, what did the Braves do with Teixeira last year? Expiring contract, lower payroll. Teams not in contention dump payroll by July 31 every single year.

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cphizzle, Then why comment, just scroll and read Carrol’s and DOB’s posts.

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jason

A little trivia….

Who did McGriff hit the GW HR (or tying HR?) off of in his first game as Brave against St. Louis?

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And by the way, Supes, what did the Braves do with Teixeira last year? Expiring contract, lower payroll. Teams not in contention dump payroll by July 31 every single year.

*******************

Yeah, Tex didn’t have 18 million going to him or whatever Maggs has.

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The A Bomb, The thing with trading Loaf is that yes it is doable, but what do you expect in return. The only thing we could get is a mid level prospect at best or some mid relief/ cast off pitcher.

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Can someone give me a primer on Brooks Conrad?

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cphizzle –

You aren’t on here to read our comments and yet you do, if fact, read our comments and then complain about them. LOL…

Idiot.

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well sorry if i seem a little on the bitter side boys i am at work on the 3rd of July and i am not happy about it

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This manipulation of the DL by Major League teams has become absurd. As a long time union organizer and negotiator, I really wonder how the union looks at this. Perhaps with the economic pressures, they are not going to raise questions, but one has to wonder if this may become a future issue. Every team is doing it, so no one really has standing to criticize except the union.

Of course, it is also arguable that every player in the league has injuries of some degree at this point. The smallest injury can lead to an adjustment that screws up a player’s performance and indeed screws up their mental state and they are definitely nervous about using any meds to overcome their injuries. When you see more and more players get the old DFA, you can be pretty amenable. And when you see statistics showing the downturn in performance by players between ages 32 and 33, you can see more pressures.

So in Kelly’s situation, how long a rehab can they justify? Can they justify playing him in the outfield for a lengthy time in the minors when he is out of options? He can not be traded when he is on the DL, though his trade value is zero in comparison to what it was before the season. This also means he is not one of the subjects in DOB and others’ speculations.

Personally, everyone who has seen my comments knows that I am a defender of Escobar. And I also have always been a fan of Vazquez; once at a big art event in NY when Vazquez was still playing for the Expos and now Marlins owner Lurie (spelling?), who is also a big art dealer, I stopped at his table and jokingly said I would trade a Picasso (if I had one) for Javy. Actually, I would not make that trade, but all should get the point.

However, perhaps for Ryan Braun and JJ Hardy, though it is really hard to imagine a Braun on the block.

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jason

See….that’s how much of a fan I am and have been. I can still remember stuff like that.

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Frank from KS (now living in CO), I knew when I posted it. Crime dog hit the HR to set off the firworks after the original firworks pregame (press box)

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Enter your comments here

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Frank from KS (now living in CO, I am to, but I am getting to the point where the seasons run together…

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remember all those bottom of the 9th comeback wins in 95…i still remember fred mcgriff hitting a hr off rod beck to win a game that year now thats sad aint it

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cphizzle, Its all good. Sucks you are at work for I would be crabby to. I don’y mind all the talk on here, except for the absurb trade rumors like Dunn and V. Martinez. We are just opining on what would work to make our team better. There are some very knowledgable people in here with some good ideas, I just don’t know where they all are at this moment…

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I am sorry, SUPES, but that may be the most idiotic baseball trade analysis I have read on this blog.

You wouldn’t trade Yunel, Javy, and Francoeur for Upton and Reynolds? Really? Not even if the D-Backs called you? Well I have news for you, bud, the D-Backs wouldn’t trade Upton straight up for all those guys, much less with the addition of another high ceiling player in Reynolds.

Upton has arguably the highest ceiling in all of baseball. He is 21 and he is already an absolute monster at the plate. He hits for power, he has wheels, and he is a good defender. And oh did I mention, he is 21? I seriously don’t know any proposal that we could send to Arizona to land Upton. Maybe Heyward, Hanson, and change. I am pretty confident we would get laughed at for making that proposal. Justin Upton screams the next Ken Griffey Jr, and you wouldn’t trade him for 2 years on a pitching contract and a good shortstop with attitude problems. Amazing.

And then you throw in Mark Reynolds. I mean, good gracious, do you guys even watch teams other than the Braves?

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whoops my bad jason didnt see the last post before i went after you again my bad hombre…its all good. if we could somehow figure it all out i guess we would have one of those nice offices with our name on the desk and the GM title at the end of it

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Conrad plays well defensively, and is serviceable at almost every position. I beleive he is a switch hitter, and is a singles/ doubles guy with more power potential than KJ.

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AndyC–

Yeah, this last week probably didn’t help matters any–geez, I mean, what was his prob?

He will be on the team, though, I have no doubts about that.

Roman Gal That just makes me feel so double pitts to chesty special.

You’re welcome.

Jason what’s going on with our guy?

I wish I knew…he went through a bad stretch this time last year (a stretch that included an 0-10 with RSIP), but I don’t recall that his D took such a hit at that time. Let’s not kid ourselves–his D was not so good last year, but I don’t remember there being a particular stretch of games where it was this much exposed. Last year, his D was pretty stinky over the whole year, whereas this year, it was looking pretty good until this week.

I know what you mean about skipping the ASG…but we all know what I wish he would have skipped (Hint: the first word is World…).

He owes me alot of HRs and you of course alot of 2Bs.

RBI doubles at that! Yeah, he’s totally got his work cut out for him!

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I had to work on July 4th one year, and I wasnt unhappy…..of course I was an assistant manager at a strip club…..lol

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cphizzle, What?

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Hey don’t take down the WHOLE blog. We do have some knowledgeable people on here who can talk some good baseball. At the same time I can’t disagree with you on some people.

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Andy K, Conrad has made 15 errors in 73 games compared to Kelly’s 6 in 63 games.

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Brooks Conrad, Boone Logan…we’re big on players with 2 last names.

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For those who asked, I believe Jorge Campillo was recently placed on the 60-day DL, thus that takes him off the 40-man roster, therefore opening up a spot for Mr. Conrad.

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When is Infante due back

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Rough week for KJ. First he gets benched now he’s on the DL. What’s next? His cat going to die?

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Bobby’s Cox, while I agree that LA has the best relief right now, but I have to wonder, with all the innings that they are piling up. Will they wear down? As brian alluded to in an earlier post, Saying that we had to deal JV would it work with LA? Seems they need a starter who can eat innings and save the BP. We need an OF bat with power (Either/ Kemp) What do you think?

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Why does everyone keep clamoring for Matt Holliday? Here’s what Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote about on one scout’s take of Holliday.

“Oh, and one more thing. Holliday’s line since June 6: .250 average, 0 homers, 4 RBIs, a .333 slugging percentage. “He’d be a tough sell for me,” said one scout. “To me, good hitters stay good hitters. Good hitters figure it out. After you change leagues and you change parks, you adjust. You should improve your numbers as time goes on. But he hasn’t given any indication he’s going to do that.”"

So why anyone wants Holliday is beyond me.

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Jason Curtis Jones, Nice line up. But I would give BMac a rest tonight.

Yeah, me, too…doesn’t a 6:30 start count as a DGANG, anyway?

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sounds like coxes dog house could provide fodder for mike vick its so full lo lbut then those are just mind less praattles from frustrated bloggers lol

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So this Conrad guy isn’t going to start at 2B, is he? Just a bench guy, right? Another 29 year old rookie..

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there is a bit of knowledge floating round the ol blog but at the same time so that just leave you scratching your head and then some that you hear so many times that you actually start believing yourself

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McFann, we’ve got day games the next 2 days after today so I’d bet Mac is in tonight and then again Sunday. And I’m sure Chipper will get today or tomorrow off. Just when we get a good lineup cooking they have to go and get off days lol.

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I really hate that we’re thinking about trading Vasquez. You just can’t put too much stock in Hudson this soon after TJ, IMO. But, some teams are desperate for pitching. Texas, maybe the Yanks. I wouldn’t mind having Cruz or Melky in RF…and if Hudson falters, we still have Medlen. We absolutely cannot trade Yunel. We will probably need at least 1 more bullpen arm too. That’s what i see us getting for either KJ or Frenchy.

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Jason, I like your idea at 1:36
Point is BC lots of able parts to choose from now depending on opposing pitcher, batter tendencies, etc. and doesn’t have to rotely put in JF in RF every game.

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jason –

Trade deadline is 7/31 but you can make trades after that. It’s just a lot harder to do. The problem is Huddy isn’t scheduled to be back until mid to late Aug which would mean there would be a gap if a trade was made that involved Javy.

Someone would have to step in as the 5th guy or else try to make do with a 4 man rotation which isn’t really an option.

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although not a big fan of the idea…i could see trading javy seeing as we have an abundance of pitching and i just get the feeling that javy is going to be as reliable as he has been this year

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Let me say that I have never understood the reasoning behind everyone’s obsession with trading Javy Vasquez? The reason we traded for him back in the winter was to solidify our rotation with veteran inning-eating pitchers that would put the team in position to win. Frank Wren’s goal all along with Vasquez and Lowe was to bridge a two year gap between now and the time Hanson becomes our ace. Trading him would be a HUGE mistake.

All that said, Javy may now end up being the guy needed to pull off a major trade for a bat. I don’t think we can do it with Javy alone and we all would agree that we don’t want to part with Freeman, Heyward or Cody Johnson. So…it is so obvious that for us to make a blockbuster it will have to include Javy and Yunel Escobar.

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that is javy is NOT going to be…

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Vazquez has a no-trade clause to AL,NL West. He would have to agree to waive.

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JJ, That’s what I was afraid of. I know once past the deadline player have to clear waivers and all. Medlen would be our only option. I am not to crazy about having both him and Hanson in the rotation in the middle of a pennant chase. And JV is our only strikeout pitcher.

I think BC and FW are discussing the pros and cons of losing JV. I don’t think he will be dealt. I do think that they will have to listen to offers though. And right now, I think if he has to be dealt, the best place would be LA.

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Does anyone look differently upon Hudson after the thing with Dave?? That was a punk a## thing to do and there is something about punk a##es.

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MLB trade rumors reports The Braves are trying to deal Jeff Francoeur everywhere, but no one’s interested. One front-office guy says his team would be interested if Francoeur’s non-tendered.
Officials are divided on whether Yunel Escobar could be dealt, but a trade is unlikely at best.

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Jason,

Javy has a no trade clause to AL & NL west teams. Texas really isn’t on the West Coast, and while LA is, they’re playoff bound unless they totally collapse. Texas also scores a lot of runs, something that’s making him frustrated. And, Texas is in a divisional race like we are. He may waive the clause, for any of those 2 teams, but who knows. Texas being a hitters park, he may not like that, while LA is a pitchers park…Just some factors he may consider, but this is all just speculation anyway.

I think we wait until the trade deadline. That’s when teams are most desperate, plus it gives us more time to further evaluate our team (How Huddy pitches in rehab games, can Medlen continue to pitch well, has this team really turned a corner, etc…) As DOB says, some times these decisions take care of themselves. I would be surprised to see a deal so soon.

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Braveheart – I totally agree. I’d prefer the Braves moved Escobar for a big bat versus Vazquez… but that doesn’t really work either. (1) I love Esco and think he can be an asset for years if he can get his head out of his ass, (2) who replaces him at SS? Diory is not a longterm option.

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I watched the game on the net last night and I’m here at work and can’t stop watching the highlites from last night’s game…Man that was awesome…

And a tip of the caps to the fans who came out in pretty decent numbers all home-stand and who had the chant going during Anderson’s at-bat…that gave me chills, haven’t heard that in a while!

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Does anybody realize Escobar is only making $425,000 this year…why in God’s name to people keep harping on trading him…It’s absolutely insane…

Again $425,000!!!!!!

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Yeah that blurb about Jeff is kinda sad… dude is worth less than a bag of balls

At this point, he’s worth less than his turkey panties.

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Didn’t someone on here post some stats on Javy that suggested this was essentially a career year for him? It was a few weeks ago and I seem to remember the stats being BAA and WHIP and maybe even ERA. Showed that this year was significantly better than his career avgs I believe. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

If not, I would be a little cautious before I penciled him in at his current rates for the rest of this season and beyond. I love the way he’s pitching, but it may be better to sell high rather than hold him if there’s a chance he’ll come back some.

I don’t know, just throwning it out there.

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Cooch, explain what is so deep about the rotation without Vazquez? A pair of rookies starting? A pair of vets with 4+ ERAs? A 34 year old coming off major friggin’ arm surgery? Ayoung good starting pitcher who battled with fatigue in the second half last season, and who is being pushed really hard this season? Knockahoma, puh-leeze.

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Bobby’s Cox, did you see Frenchy’s at bat in the sixth inning last night? We have already blogged extensively about it. The Dude is done, finished.

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Nova Scotia –

I’m not sure ANYONE really WANTS to trade Esco. The talk is coming mostly from the rumors that he doesn’t fit in anymore or get along well(based on the BC way of doing things). I certainly don’t want to trade him. But if it’s a possiblity or even a probability, then I hope that FW gets a kings ransom for him. He’s a heck of a talent, young, and inexpensive. Don’t find many SS like that that are available.

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Salamander, I am curious also.

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If I am FW, I am looking to dump Francine for anything and trade for someone like Willingham or Ross. I really think that if you can find someone that can hit over .270 and provide decent defense then thats better than what we got in RF so far.

If you want to fix it enternally, I suggested sending Francine to the minors and bring up B. Jones to platoon with Anderson and send Diaz to RF. When Infante comes back put him in CF and move MCClouth to RF. then send B. Jones back to the minors and move Diaz back to platoon with Anderson. What yall think.

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I think we have another imposter in the blog. The idiot posting as Braveheart isn’t that guy. The sh!t he’s posting is to stupid to even reply too.

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a643dp

Hudson reacted to the Griffey deal that got botched… supposedly, part of the reason the deal (thankfully) fell through is because DOB posted the story before it was a done deal, and Griffey didn’t like it. I wonder if Griffey (or perhaps his agent) was ever really serious about coming to ATL. By courting the Braves, the Mariners had to give him a better offer.

Anyway, it was during spring training… maybe around early March? Whenever the Griffey debacle went down.

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Baseball Man, 2 lefties in a platoon in LF? JF is untradable. Plus why not platoon Jones in RF with MattyD. Loaf will always be rested by moving Diaz to LF. Also Infante is not an everyday OF, much less a CF. You would be better off keeping Blanco up. We need to go outside of the organization, but who and what deal? Willingham is a defensive liability along the lines of Dunn. Taht’s why they are on the block. Ross, don’t think the fish are going to help us out. I like LA, but what will we have to give for a Kemp or Ethier?

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Why would the Braves try to trade Escobar based on the following:

Runners In Scoring Position (RISP) : AVG. 406
RISP WITH 2 OUTS: AVG. 409

Does not make sense. Also statistically of all MLB shortstops he has been rated # 7 overall. We better get a starter for him. He will be an All star if he leaves the Braves. RISP for Francouer is .262

Here is the latest from mlbrumors.com:

•The Braves are trying to deal Jeff Francoeur everywhere, but no one’s interested. One front-office guy says his team would be interested if Francoeur’s non-tendered.
•Officials are divided on whether Yunel Escobar could be dealt, but a trade is unlikely at best.

Hard to trade Francouer when he is worthless.

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Thanks for the lineup, Ms. Rogers! Wow, they got it up quick today!

Glad to see McLouth back! But Blanco did a very good job filling in for him. (Almost Rossesque, but not quite…)

OK, so my last post is totally insignificant now. Great timing on my part.

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Does anybody realize Escobar is only making $425,000 this year…why in God’s name to people keep harping on trading him…It’s absolutely insane…

Because he’s a young headstrong Latino man and that scares certain people including all of those wanting to trade him. He doesn’t fit the buttoned-down mode and so now he’s a “problem”. Who cares is he can play? Who cares if he is cheap? The mindset id trade him in order to show that “we” can still control “them”. As you read the comments about wanting to trade him you can tell it is political, not sports related. It’s about punishment (as if playing on the Braves is somehow a privilege these days) and so you get goofy trades that make no sense for the team given their current payroll.

Jus sayin…

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Salamander, Excellent post. That’s what I have been saying, plus you will definitely know where you stand in Huddy’s health.

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Coach,

Have you seen my posts about Frenchy the last 2 years? I know he’s done. I’ve over-analyzed that his swing is too slow for the majors on many occasions. I’m just wanting to see how this team plays up until the deadline with Martin playing everyday, Infante coming back, Hudson’s outings in the minors, etc…before we trade a pitcher that has been so important to us like Vasquez.

This Philly series feels and looks different than the 3-7 game stretch teases the braves put us through the past few years. If I’m wrong then I’ll admit it like I always do. But, I’d like to see it play out a little, and although Frenchy’s D & arm is better than Infante & Diaz’s would be in RF, I’d like to see Cox use those options a little more before we trade a guy like Javy. That’s all I’m saying. I wouldn’t mind it either way. I’d be the happiest man alive if we could pull a guy like Cruz from Texas for instance. 2 man crushes starting on the same team…are you kidding me?

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Why is Francine in the lineup tonight?

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Jason–

Yeah…could be another one of “those games” for him…but he does love to prove me wrong, doesn’t he?

I am going to go out on a limb and say McCann sits when Hanson pitches.

He pitches tomorrow, right? Course, I would say that Hanson did good with BMac his last time out, but he’s done good no matter who was catching for him!

[Ross] has not disapointed me at all this year.

……Me neither…

Epinephrine–

Yeah! Why not put Anderson in left, and Matty in right…

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“Not a problem – Wren can move him during the offseason when his value should still be high (assuming Vazquez doesn’t lose it in the 2nd half). That will give Wren time to find a suitable replacement in the rotation.”

Agreed. Javy has another year left on his contract and I think it is comparable to Hudson’s option. It may be better to keep Javy over Huddy or if Hudson comes back strong you have more time to get something for Javy and you will know exactly what needs you have to feel. You will have seen Hanson and Medlen longer and plus you will have seen what Hudson can do.

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Nice Job Bobby Cox….Matty Diaz deserves another start no matter who’s pitching he played extremely well against Philly….And Nice to see McClouth back…Good lookin line-up

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Why is Francine in the lineup tonight?
Bigboi

Cause the braves have to stay consitant no matter how bad he is Bobby is just gonna run him out there everynight…… Bobby believes he can turn things around or he wouldnt put him out there every game. thats all i can think of

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McFann :Ô: Hanson did look good with BMac last Sunday. It must have been that flu bug they had in common.

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How do you guys know there’s a problem in the clubhouse with Yunel…are you there? do you talk to the players? or Bobby Cox?…Yunel made a couple of mental mistakes…it happens…and he got benched for it and yeah the hip MAY have been sore…like seriously have you ever played baseball?…made the wrong play…got caught sleepin…it happens..all the time to everyone…even the professionals…

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Salamander,

that’s what I was hinting at. Javy could get hurt, lose production in the 2nd half (get tired after trying to pitch so perfectly because of no run support), etc…He’s never really pitched this well in his career. It really is another tough decision on Wren’s part. He’s analyzing all this risks i’m sure.

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Why is Francine in the lineup tonight?

I will say again, That I think $4Million is alot to set on the bench…

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2 friggin’ games out and they let it be known they’re thinking hard about trading their best pitcher and their best all around player?

Thank you Braveheart, I thought I was the only one who had that thought. I mean the team has gotten on a little roll and we have people contemplating breaking up the team.

And the answer to your question is that you are likely to find comparable talent.at two critical positions…at that salary level. People seem to think good to very good starting pitching grows on trees. Last season should have taught the Braves and their fans that you should never assume you have too much starting pitching.

Let Escobar be Escobar. Worry about adding talent, not giving it away.

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We can not get anthing for Francouer right now so he has to either sit or go to AAA. We all know that Booby Cox and Wren will not do that either. The only way to trade him would be to pay part of his salary and he would not be the main player in the deal.

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I’m sorry but i’m really gettin tired of this…

Like DOB said last night Diory Hernandex WOULD NOT have made that diving catch up the middle against Utley…which would have led to a run(s)…it makes absolutely no sense to trade Escobar it would make us a lesser team…sometimes you just have to deal with player personalities…sometimes its easy…sometimes its not…

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I thought last night was a sign the Jeff would be on the bench for a while…… put Loaf in LF and Diaz in right for a few nights let Jeff sit his ass on the pine and watch maybe he’ll learn how to play again.

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And while we’re talking about who to move to add the mythical “big bat” – who the hell does Wren trade for?

Holliday? Do we even match up with the A’s? Don’t they want prospects? That’s a lot of money to take on for a guy who looks like a nice (but not elite) player outside of Colorado.

Who else? A lot of teams are looking for bats, and I’m not convinced an elite bat is going to get moved for anything other than high-ceiling prospects.

I want Wren to add a bat, but I don’t see where such a player would come from, and for who without (1) weakening the ML club by moving a starter, or (2) giving up talented (cheap) players.

It almost looks better to stand pat and let this season ride out without adding a bat.

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Nova Scotia –

Don’t get all riled up. The point was that it’s been rumored that he was being shopped around. It was on ESPN today in their rumors section. The rumor happens to be that he doesn’t fit in or is in the ole HOFers doghouse and the Braves are trying to trade him. You act as if the folks talking about it here WANT to trade him. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I certainly don’t. But if it’s a possiblity, why not discuss the value we could get in return? That’s all.

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i agree with Jus Sayin 3:00 post, same was true with David Justice. He still had a lot of life left but we couldn’t let “them” think “they” could act however they wanted to and get away with it.

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Trading Vazquez during this season is just insane. Hudsons already stated that he “feels it more” throwing his off speed stuff. That’s totally normal in this phase of his comeback and I have no doubts he will return to form or better. Just don’t bank on it for the stretch run.

Javy will get you more value in the off season if the Braves can resign a heathy Hudson.

BTW, I believe that the Braves are looking for offense at first base and Kotch would fit better in other lineups. Thats where I believe the upgrade will come as the market for corner OF is thin.

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justice was gone as soon as he made the negative/true comments on atlanta fans

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I really think FW has done a great job thus far, but the truth is he dropped the ball on not getting Derosa.

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How about some people don’t understand the whole “attitude” excuse when you are a team that is in the Braves position. Do you understand the Braves are a middle of the pack team in terms of payroll and they have invested most of their money in staring pitching so letting go of a guy like Escobar who is not only talented but CHEAP would make no sense at all in the grand scheme of things. Besides as an organization the Braves basically comitted themselves to him when they traded Andrus and then Renteria.

I totally agree, but I don’t have a problem with Yunel; BC and some others do. I like Yunel, I don’t want him trade, but he will be. Just a matter of time. If not this season; it will be before next.

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I bet if FW could get Liberty to take on about $5 million extra dollars he could ask Dayton to take Frcanouer for Guillian. Royals save money and Braves get rid of Failcour. Gosh I never imagined this kid would suck so bad.

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Escobar is more important to this team both now and in the future than Bobby Cox. I truly believe Frank Wren understands this. Keeping Escobar might make Bobby Cox retire. I will think positive thoughts.

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They’re not getting Upton, but, yes, I’d trade them Escobar for Upton straight up, and I’d ask them to give me a little something off the pile of the cocaine they’re snorting when they agree to that trade.

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Carroll

Did Campillo have shoulder surgery, of so was it a torn labrum

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If any trade happens soon it will not be spectulated by the media anytime soon. Everyone is gone for the holiday weekend. Most of what you are reading is coming from other days rumors that are being reoposted with today’s date.

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Nova Scotia Steve, I wasn’t talking about him being traded. I was talking about his attitude, being in BC’s doghouse, and other players, officals having problems with him.

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DeRosa wasnt that answer either. Who are we most likely to get rid of, Jeff or Yunel?

Also glad Nate is back in there tonight! And do you guys like Yunel hitting in the 5 hole?

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Why is Francine in the lineup tonight?
Bigboi

She must have her lucky panties on……lol

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Jason–

Hanson looked great with BMac on Sunday!

It must have been that flu bug they had in common.

Haha, yeah…

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Salamander – It would be worth anything to get automatic out Failcour out of the line-up

That is a good counter point, but I think DeRo was still too expensive all things considered.

I’d ask them to give me a little something off the pile of the cocaine they’re snorting when they agree to that trade. Braveheart

Hahahahaha!

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Yunel and Vazquez to the Indians for Asdrubal Cabrera and Victor Martinez.

That would make some sense. The Braves could chip in some money for Vazquez. Wren could turn around and trade Kotchman…or keep him as a good bench bat/late-inning defensive replacement.

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Salamander

Remember when Francoeur got called up a lot of people made the comment that he was more of an athlete than a baseball player. They might have been right. Not one part of his game has improved. All aspects have gotten worse. His route running is worse now than when he first got called up. He can’t make adjustments at the plate. It could be mental, but he really sucks right now

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“I totally agree, but I don’t have a problem with Yunel; BC and some others do. I like Yunel, I don’t want him trade, but he will be. Just a matter of time. If not this season; it will be before next.”

I guess the point that most are trying to make is that for the betterment of the team that both need to find a way to try to get along. Yunel has made some boneheaded plays this year but I do believe he is trying to get better. The guy lived this way all his life, do they really expect him to drop all his bad habits in just 2 years at this level. From reading one of DOB’s earlier post it just sounded like all of this was not on Escobar. There has been a lack of understanding on Bobby’s and some others part too. It just hard for me to take them giving up on this guy so soon when they have been very patient with Frenchy and KJ to the point where I think it has hurt this team. Trading him will only hurt us more. I would question their commitment to winning if they traded him. Esco and the scorers thing was bad, but I think Frenchy’s reaction to being DFA was just as bad. Both were embarassing for the organization.

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The only reason Vazquez may get dealt is cause of Huddy coming back…I don’t think anyone would take Kenshin because of his contract

Nova Scotia Steve, That’s an awfully big IF. I wouldn’t want to take that gamble.

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Coach, your shtick is so tired and trite. Spare us, please. We are on a 4 game winning streak, heading into play the Nats, and all do is get amped up about ripping Bobby Cox’s decision making abilities during the game-which hasn’t even started yet, and following an evening of extremely well-managed baseball. Again, spare us.

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Jake W, I couldn’t agree more.

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Jake W.

Great comment on that baby Francoeur. What he did was worse than what Escobar did. Escobar will get better. I think Chipper is the one with the biggest attitude against Escobar. Chipper plays with no life and is not used to a guy with the amount of energy that Escobar’s energy.

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The Francoeur thing really is a joke. They don’t bench him, platoon him, disable him, demote him, release him, trade him. They can’t think he’s gonna get better by just getting at bats everyday. Dude is too far gone. At the very least, demote him for road trips, and call him back up for homestands so that the legions of Frenchy 7 tees will come out and spend their money

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Its possible the only way for JV to get dealt to for a player with similar contract $$$$ and most teams that would be willing to make that deal are prolly looking to cut payroll not keep the status quo…So yeah Wren is in a tough situation for sure…

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“As good as our pitching has been. The Dodgers have been better”

The Dodgers are also first in the league in bullpen innings pitched. As good as they have been, those arms will be wrags by season end. Joe Torre is wearing them out fast. The Dodgers are getting the third fewest innings per start from their starters in the league. Their second best starter is Randy Wolf. They have been fortunate with the rotation thus far, but methinks defense and a bullpen are helping them out considerably. That and playing against the thunder bats of the NL West (containing three of the bottom four hitting teams in OPS)

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