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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,237 comments Add your comment
Tom O'Hawke
May 15th, 2010
3:17 am
I guess the only other question I would have about McCann (ha, I just typed McFann), is how much can you blame on his vision?
uga-brave
May 15th, 2010
3:24 am
tom, love the banter, till tmmrw? gotta go.
Tom O'Hawke
May 15th, 2010
3:28 am
Good Night, buddy! Talk to you later.
Bobby's Cox
May 15th, 2010
5:38 am
I love Marteeeeeen Prado.
Bobby's Cox
May 15th, 2010
5:40 am
Soph,
Did you tell everyone about your Marteeeeeeeeeen shirt?
Saw a post tonight saying u should get it autographed.
Bobby's Cox
May 15th, 2010
5:57 am
Seriously,
Marteeeeen is the S****. I love how Qualls walked off the mound like he couldn’t believe marteeeeen beat him hitting that ball off the plate to RF.
Believe it Qualls. Walk in the tying run next time cuz Marteeeeeen is the man.
Bobby's Cox
May 15th, 2010
5:59 am
4 straight wins.
Infante and Hinske are also “the man” (if that makes sense – do I say “the man” or “the men”…IDK).
gonna be interesting when Esco returns. Maybe he’s trade bait at this point. Infante is muy impressive….almost like Marteeeeeeeen.
Chris from the Rock
May 15th, 2010
7:51 am
Albie Lopez is on the hill tonight? I thought he was long gone.
richbrave
May 15th, 2010
8:13 am
DOWN ON THE FARM:
RANDALL DELGADO and the PELICANS are beaten last night 2-8. RANDALL’s ERA climbs to 2.98 as he gives up five hits, two earned in 4.2 IP with two BB, and six SO’s. Good enough to win, but the defense allows two more unearned runs. while the weak offense continues to struggle only generating two runs Two reliefers are touched for four more runs. Not as pretty sight.
1B GERARDO RODRIGUEZ has a long fly in a 1-3 evening and accounts for two RBI’s raising his average to .246. Only three other hitters get singles. Not nearly enough to win.
Dwayne
May 15th, 2010
8:18 am
Time for Chipper to to bow out gracefully, call a press confrence and announce his retirement retroactive to opening day of 2009 and wipe out all the stats from now back to then.
Dwayne
May 15th, 2010
8:18 am
oh yeah, 2101rst
Patrick30643
May 15th, 2010
8:32 am
lets put kamilazi as a closer and go get a real starter
cs95
May 15th, 2010
8:40 am
way late on this, carroll, but I was the one who asked about schafer.. thanks for the info. and thanks to you and DOB for helping fill the craving that is braves baseball on this blog!
Louie
May 15th, 2010
8:43 am
Well, where do I start.
Been away for a while.
Bravos played better when Crapper was sitting on his kidneys.
Lucky to pull it out last night.
jackhammer, you out there??
Boobie Cocks
May 15th, 2010
8:49 am
I’m pickin us to win.And my nose.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
9:20 am
First off, I would like to say: LOVE this quote:
“They laid off a lot of good pitches, that’s why his pitch count was up,” McCann said. “He kept us in there. I didn’t help him at all tonight throwing the ball. I could have thrown two runners out easily and didn’t get the job done. I thought he pitched way better than the result.”
Love it. Take responsibility for your own actions. Go BMac!
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
9:22 am
DCBrave McCann is about to go on a tear. That will lead to Chipper finally waking up. Next 2 weeks will be fun.
Heck yeah! Let’s get this show on the road! (Well, technically at home…but I only meant it as a figure of speech anyway…)
RHR
May 15th, 2010
9:28 am
Adding to the late night discussion….I’m with ugabrave on this. Y’all really think Chipper Jones hasn’t thought of using a lighter bat? I know he has because I read quotes from him trying lighter bats last season. Looked quickly to see if I could find those quotes and didnt but found this on first try:
Chipper Jones recently spoke at a clinic at the ABCA Convention in Atlanta. He was told as a rookie to “swing the heaviest bat you can get around on a 90-mph pitch,” so Chipper practiced in the off-season with a 39 oz. bat. In games, though, he uses a 33 oz. bat, unless he’s facing Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown, or someone else who brings it in the high 90s. Then he drops an ounce and maybe even an inch.
I mean, good lord. give the guy some credit. He didn’t become Chipper Jones by not knowing more about hitting than the couch players on the blog.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
9:31 am
Uga-Brave mac is what 25?
26.
when and if he takes conditioning serious he might become a good reciever.
Oh, he a fine receiver…it’s just letting the ball go that he tends to have trouble with. Besides, he’s still 7-23 in throwing out base-runners–that’s good for 30%. And he still has NO passed-balls. He’s been blocking pitches very well this year, thank you. (Sure as I say this, he’ll get his first PB tonight. Never fails…)
And I love it how he made some HORRID throws and people come on here, “He’s the worst catcher ever!” “He’s a big fat fatty!” “Lazy butt! Move him to first!” But when he does good behind the plate, has a string of good games, blocks pitches well, throws out runners…nobody says anything.
RHR
May 15th, 2010
9:36 am
lets put kamilazi as a closer and go get a real starter
Who? You mean Kawakami? Of the ‘I need 3 innings to settle in’ Kawakamis? Closer?
Lets not.
Mixxo
May 15th, 2010
9:39 am
Just so ya know…..my posting of the “Sukiyaki” video last night after Saito’s big inning-ending K had absolutely NO racial connotation whatsoever. I was honoring Takashi.
I’ve loved that tune since I was a little-leaguer in the 60’s. Reminds me of my all-star days. A classic tune.
Great win!
Mixxo
May 15th, 2010
9:44 am
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô; – …nobody says anything.
C’mon now girl, you know that’s not true. That throw to third the other night was huge. I didn’t dish out any props because I wasn’t on at the time.
I’ll be the first to praise him (ok, second) when he does well. Sweet homer last night huh?
RHR
May 15th, 2010
9:50 am
Some of y’all act like Mac is prince fielder size or something. Tom, you should know not to put much stock in bloggers quips about a player’s condition. Mac being “fat” is just the easy, go to insult the fringe trots out when he doesn’t live up to their fantasy player expectations every single time he bats or makes a play. You know, like Chipper being “old” and “fragile” and Yunel’s “attitude problem”.
In person, at a game, which many of the people commenting here have never been to, Mac isn’t skinny, by any means, but he isn’t much bigger than Chipper, in terms of girth.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
9:56 am
Mixxo I didn’t dish out any props because I wasn’t on at the time.
Sure, sure…
I’ll be the first to praise him (ok, second) when he does well.
OK! I’ll see you tonight, then.
Sweet homer last night huh?
Sure was! Like Soph said, the Icees are on me!
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
9:59 am
RHR–
THANK YOU!!!
Mac being “fat” is just the easy, go to insult the fringe trots out when he doesn’t live up to their fantasy player expectations every single time he bats or makes a play.
EXACTLY! They’re just so stuck on that; they can’t let it go. The only time he was really “fat” was in ‘08 when he was up near 250. Ha, and that was one of his better years in terms of hitting.
So LAY OFF, people!
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
10:00 am
Ha! But McCann would pretty much have to be Tim Hudson before these people would leave him alone.
Mixxo
May 15th, 2010
10:01 am
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
Thanks!!
Dang those look good!
Danga
May 15th, 2010
10:03 am
Love it when the ladies of the blog take over and start putting people in their places.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
10:03 am
Mixxo–
You’re welcome!
Don’t they, though?
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
10:03 am
Danga–
Thanks.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
10:05 am
Oh, and hey, what’s with this? Did they recall 2 of BMac’s RBI and forget to tell me? FROM THE “OFFICIAL SITE”:
Braves catcher Brian McCann needs one RBI for 400 in his career.
He’s got 401 already! I mean…I thought he did…BR has him with 401…
Lew
May 15th, 2010
10:24 am
RHR-At Spring Training this year, I was two feet away from Mac while he signed autographs. Nothing whatsover fat about the Dude. In fact, The Grinch and I were commenting that he looked like he had kept the 20 pounds off he lost the year before.
Hell, even after over 50 pounds weight loss, I’m still fat. Mac? Not so much. But why should we expect people to start having a clue about what they say? They never have before.
Steve from OH
May 15th, 2010
10:26 am
Lew–thanks for the discs, my man. So much music, so little time. Can’t wait to dig in!
Lew
May 15th, 2010
10:34 am
Steve-Hope you enjoy them. Lots of different stuff there for sure. Kind of a grab bag covering 35 or so years, but all good bands.
Steve from OH
May 15th, 2010
10:39 am
Lew–you a fan of T-Ride? Funky stuff, but a lot of talent in that band…
Long time Braves fan
May 15th, 2010
10:40 am
Eevem if Escobar is back tonight, please keep him on the bench at least one more game, You can’t sit a guy after a 4 for 4 game. Keep Omar at SS till he cools off.
NEW CARS
May 15th, 2010
10:43 am
I was just curious at the reactions of everyone after watching the game, so I read the blog from the first inning when I came to work this morning….I had to send out for some dramamine because I was suddenly struck with vertigo after all those ups and downs….I think that we learned last night that our bullpen will keep us in a lot of games..That is going to be an advantage we have over just about all of our rivals…If guys will just hit to their previous standards (and I’ll take Chipper at 75-85% as long as he’s not striking out a bunch) then we will continue to get better offensively…My biggest concern is the back end of the rotation…If Lowe and KK (or Medlen down the rode) can just give us 7 innings every once in a while we should be in good shape….
Lew
May 15th, 2010
10:45 am
Steve-No, not familiar with them. You want some good funk, listen to the Glenn HUghes – some really good funky hard rock there with JJ Marsh on guitar. I really got into that Soulfully Live in The City of Angels. It’s a hard to find cd/dvd set, but I got lucky and found a used copy. Great stuff and a show I wish I could have attended.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
10:45 am
I would never pretend to tell Chipper how to hit, but I can tell you one thing. Something ain’t right.
He is either hurt, too old, or not doing something right.
Bottom line is he needs to either adapt, or he is going to have a darned long season.
As for McCann, well there are a lot of players over the years whose games have suffered due to poor conditioning. Andruw comes to mind immediately. McCann will need to watch his conditioning/weight as the years come and go, or suffer the consequences. I don’t know if he is at an ideal playing weight or not, but an extra 10-20 pounds over the course of 5-10 years can really wear out a back and legs.
Let’s hope Yunel comes back raring (or is it rearing) to go!
Lew
May 15th, 2010
10:48 am
Wayne-With Yunel, it may be roaring – and at inappropriate times.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
10:50 am
NEW CARS
Yeah, how can you sit a guy with that kind of a night? And you can’t sit Prado at this point, can you?
Maybe Chipper sits for a day, or Infante plays CF. But then again, McLouth had a big night too!
Well maybe Infante in LF……..but then again, Hinske has been playing well! How about Heyward? Nah.
Maybe Glaus will have to sit out a game. It will be interesting to see what Bobby does.
Decisions, decisions……
Lew
May 15th, 2010
10:56 am
Wayne-I was really happy to see the Nate HR – no doubt we needed it. However, after watching him strike out, looking pretty damned lost the first two AB’s, I’m not quite ready to think that he’s gotten his swing together, yet. I’d like to see a few more games with the hitting part still there and the strike out part not in evidence before I’m convinced.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
10:57 am
Lew
Let’s hope not. After each of his episodes, I keep thinking that maybe this time he will learn and turn things around. Then a couple of months goes by and boom………
In the past I have thought he needed to be dealt, and maybe someday he will be; but I am not so confident in Infante’s glove to pull off such a bold move mid season.
Terry Pendleton
I could be wrong, but hasn’t he turned down opportunties to interview for other managing jobs in the past? Was he doing that because he loves living in Atlanta? Or does he think he is the heir apparent?
If I were an odds maker, I would give him 2-1 odds to replace Bobby next year, though I am not so certain that he is Frank’s man.
Long time Braves fan
May 15th, 2010
11:00 am
Great win last night, but Chipper looked awful in his ABs, something is wrong with him. He has been a great player for many years, lets Pray he has something left for the rest of this season.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
11:00 am
Lew
Since I don’t “see” the games, I can’t tell. Is Nate doing something wrong, like pulling off the ball? Just don’t know.
He has never been a great hitter, but he was never this bad before.
Just doesn’t seem logical that McLouth, Escobar, Mac and Cabrera can go much longer at their current paces. Gotta get back closer to career norms.
As for Chipper, who knows. nolie made a good point last night….the longer it goes, the more likely it could be “terminal”.
MikeInFL
May 15th, 2010
11:01 am
Congratulate the backup Infante on a great job, and put your starting shortstop on the field as soon as he’s ready. And probably Hinske in LF against the righty…
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
11:03 am
Maybe Chipper is just too dinged up. If that is indeed the case, I think it would be wise to DL him for 2 weeks, and then let him get a few rehab AB’s in Gwinnett, then see if some of the old magic can return.
I think it is Hanson tonight and Hudson on Sunday. I like our chances for a sweep here!
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
11:05 am
LeBron, Dwyane, Bosch, Stoudamire, and Boozer…….the summer is going to be interesting to see who lands where in the NBA.
Moe Berg
May 15th, 2010
11:07 am
“I think it is Hanson tonight and Hudson on Sunday. I like our chances for a sweep here!”
With a sweep, we will finish the series above .500. Would be very nice.
Chuck James was Solid until the 6th!!!
May 15th, 2010
11:10 am
I think it’s time to DL Chipper, move Prado to 3rd and ride Infante’s hot streak at 2B. Let Chipper get his strength back and let his groin heal. He is obviously playing at 70% at best. He is hurting more than he is helping at this point, especially with Infante going as well as he is.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
11:20 am
I like how, when McCann crossed the plate after his homer, the thing at the bottom says it was his 6th double of the year.
Now they’re just messin’ with us…
Jerald Holcombe
May 15th, 2010
11:33 am
Wayne in Utah:
Morning Wayne, just wanted to clear the air a little with you and everyone else here so that maybe we can understand each other a bit better. I pick you because you’ve been a Braves fan so as long as I have. I became a fan of these boys when they moved here in 1966 and I’ve followed them all this time through some of the worst years. Anyway, I never expect a player to get a hit every time up. I expect a little consistency. Chipper is a great example. he is a career .300 hitter, but over the last two years, something very wrong has taken place. He has lost his power stroke. I’ve seen him hit the ball a ton, only to see it die before it reaches the warning track. I know the guy is getting older, but to lose his stroke so suddenly after he has a career year just doesn’t jive. And I know he cares when he does bad, but I’m the kinda person that wants to see an outward sign that you are pissed. That’s just me. I know I get on these blogs and take the pessimistic approach a lot of the time, but that is no more than a coping mechanism. In the end, I am still a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves, but I still expect certain things from my team. This is not a youth team. These guys make a lot of money and should be held to a higher standard.
I guess all that I’m trying to say is that I respect you and everyone here for your opinions, but when some of these guys call or allude to someone of a differing opinion being an idiot, that’s not right. So, can we just get along, even if we disagree from time to time?
Lunatic Fringe
May 15th, 2010
11:35 am
Wayne,
Don’t forget Joe Johnson from ATL—he won’t be staying here—looks like Miami is his destination.
Rambo
May 15th, 2010
11:36 am
Go bravos !!! oh, also, lets support the laws of the land, unlike the illegals
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
May 15th, 2010
11:37 am
Dang…Mauer hit a solo home run last night, too. Was only his 2nd, though. But that little imp has 9 doubles already!
Ah well…McCann’s gonna start crankin’ out those doubles again…RBI doubles…
Ozzie
May 15th, 2010
11:39 am
By Howard Megdal [May 14 at 10:30am CST]
Was a better bargain than Andruw Jones signed this winter? The White Sox added him on a one-year deal worth $500K, and all he’s given them so far is a batting line of .260/.360/.604. Meanwhile, the man patrolling his old Atlanta center field home, Nate McLouth, checks in at .167/.302/.271, and Gary Matthews Jr., who will make twice what Jones does from the Mets this year (and next year!), is hitting .152/.235/.196.
The problem is, this hasn’t allowed the White Sox to move into contention. Thanks to a 14-20 start, combined with Minnesota’s 22-12 beginning, Chicago is already eight games out, with Memorial Day still weeks away. So it may well be that the White Sox can, and should flip Jones to a contending team down the stretch. And that reasonable short-term deal means some of the smaller-market contenders are likely to be in the Jones sweepstakes.
What are some possible destinations?
* Washington could be a good fit. Willie Harris is hitting just .182/.313/.418, and with Willy Taveras also getting outfield at-bats, so Jones could be a good fit for regular corner outfield time. The Nationals have several pitchers set to join the big league team, but little in the way of outfield prospects at the top of their system. For now, the Nationals say they’re content with Harris and Roger Bernadina.
* Cincinnati has seen Drew Stubbs struggle in center field so far; he’s hitting just .196/.283/.321. It shouldn’t be hard to convince Dusty Baker to play the veteran Jones over Stubbs, either. It’s not clear that Jones is still an every day center fielder, but Chicago has already played him there four times in 2010.
* The Padres have Kyle Blanks in left field, Tony Gwynn Jr. in center field, and Will Venable in right field. Of the three, only Blanks profiles as a top prospect, so the other two could be vulnerable to a Jones acquisition, should San Diego remain in the race.
* With Eric Chavez and Jake Fox struggling, and Rajai Davis reverting to form, the Athletics could use Jones in either center field or at designated hitter to support an imposing starting rotation. The move sounds a lot like acquiring Frank Thomas, doesn’t it?
* And don’t fall asleep on Seattle, either. Currently 6.5 games out, the Mariners have the talent to climb back into the race, but their DHs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney, simply aren’t hitting. Jones could also slot into left field.
One thing’s for sure: those who believed Andruw Jones’ career was over- a sad thing for anyone who saw him dominate baseball in his 20s- appear to have been premature.
Mark
May 15th, 2010
11:42 am
Chipper isn’t ‘dinged up’…The last thing he needs to hear is that he is hurt and needs to go on the DL…He has NO problem announcing little nagging injuries he gets every two weeks…Chipper has been one of my favorites for a long time, and he has almost always been a class act, but I think the thing for him to do now is tell Bobby that he wants to move down in the line-up for the good of the team, or at least until he can, if ever, get things worked back out…The pressure on him to produce in the 3 spot will just become greater and greater as the year goes on, and I think he makes things a lot easier on himself if he swallows his pride and moves down.
I still think Chipper has the ability to contribute and get on base…Just look at his OBP to see that…He just does not seem to be the power hitting, run producer that he used to be…Whatever this team accomplishes this year, he deserves to be a part of it…Those of you saying he should retire and just leave are ridiculous, and I would hope a real Braves fan could respect a player enough who has done so much for the organization not to say something stupid like that…I would, however, like to see Chipper ask to be dropped in the line-up and get some of that pressure off of himself because there is no way Bobby is going to move him until he suggests it…I’m afraid he won’t though because the hitting 4th behind Sheffield experiment didn’t go well for him a few years ago…
Braveheart
May 15th, 2010
11:43 am
I hope Chipper figures something out, ’cause getting smoked like that by Ian Kennedy made me sick to my stomach. I hate seeing someone of Chipper’s caliber get to the point where he’s getting bullied by the likes of an Ian Kennedy 91 mph fastball at the letters. It’s one thing if Kennedy is painting corners, and making you swing at pitcher’s pitches. It’s quite another when the likes of Kennedy is estimating correctly that why am I bothering to paint, dude can’t catch up to anything over 90 mph above the waist.
How ’bout that Heyward double last night? G’lord, that was viciously hit. Reminded me alot of the old back in the day wicked Dave Winfield line drives he would hit. I don’t recall Winfield quite going the opposite way like Heyward does with those things though. Winfield always seemed to smoke those things to center and left center.
ccjacket
May 15th, 2010
11:47 am
Ozzie..
check back with us on Andruw in August….
GboroBravo
May 15th, 2010
11:49 am
so with Yunel returning tonight do you put Hinske or Infante in LF?
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
11:51 am
Mark
I could be wrong, but I respectfully disagree. I think he is hurt. Just my guess. If he is not hurt, then it could be worse.
Jerald
I appreciate your words. A lot of time, the term “your and idiot” is thrown around on the blog as more of a bloggism than anything else. It is grammatically incorrect, but it has been with us for years.
As for Chipper showing some emotion, when has he EVER shown any real emotion. Escobar shows emotion. Chipper is not overly emotional in his play. You might be wishing for something that will never happen.
I remember when Kevin Mitchell was with the Giants in the late 80’s (I lived out there for 15 years). When he would strike out in a critical situation, sometimes he would snap his bat in half in frustration. Don’t expect to see Chipper slamming his bat or anything of the sort. I don’t think it is going to happen.
Jinx
May 15th, 2010
11:51 am
Turns out, Salty can’t throw the ball back to the pitcher. http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5189899
Mark
May 15th, 2010
11:52 am
Infante
Jeremy
May 15th, 2010
11:53 am
Homeboy earlier pretty much said it all, illegal is illegal..Go Braves.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
11:53 am
WW
Is he hurt, or is he just over the hill? He seemed to start the season off OK, but when he got hurt the first time, it’s been down hill since.
Mark
May 15th, 2010
11:56 am
Wayne–I think it is the worse that you are talking about that is the problem with Chipper…He’s just on the very backside of his career and it’s hard for players that have had such great careers, that they are getting close to the end…
Jinx
May 15th, 2010
11:59 am
use Promo code BRBAND for half price tickets to the game tonight. Do Will Call and avoid the mammoth line to buy walk up tix.
T for Texas
May 15th, 2010
11:59 am
WIth Yunel coming back to the team I wonder if it is time to consider giving Omar a shot in CF. He has played about 15-20 games a year in the outfield with about 1/4 of those starts coming in CF. I know he doesn’t play there much, but as I remember he doesn’t look ridiculous out there–And despite the homer last night Nate doesn’t look any better in the box than he has all year. Also Nate’s defense is good but not stellar.
Wendy
May 15th, 2010
12:00 pm
If I had a bullhorn I would protest the protest. The Capital is across the streets, go complain on those steps and not the steps of Turner Field. Keep politics out of baseball!
fastasballs
May 15th, 2010
12:00 pm
Great win last night. The bullpen has been great & will keep the Braves in a lot of games this year, as proven by the quite a few walk off/come from behind wins. Coming from 4-0 to tie in the 7th & once again in the bottom of the 9th has to give then a lot of confidence going forward.
The offense is coming around & others besides Prado/Heyward are making key contibutions. If Escobar/McCann/McLouth start swinging the bat it will cover up the lack of production the team is getting from Chipper.
I’m like the rest of you, something is very wrong with Chipper. It’s not a two week or even month long skid, more like a year or so. At the least he needs to be moved out of the 3 hole & at the most DL’d. With Escobar coming back & Infante swinging a hot stick I think a stint on the DL at this point could do nothing but help the guy & team.
With Chipper having been such a great hitter & student of the game I’m sure using a lighter bat has come up. If we are just thinking of it I’m sure him or his dad thought of it long before now. Maybe the guy is done, I don’t know. Murphy tailed off very quickly, but I recall back in the early 80’s guys that knew the game said that when Murphy started to decline it would be very quickly because of his long swing. They were correct.
I think if Cox/Braves are going to stick with him he needs to be in the two hole with Heyward batting third & Prado leading off. That would maximize good pitches to hit because right now nobody is scared of McCann. Maybe that changes as he adjusts to his glasses, but Chipper’s 25 walks suggest he’s not getting a ton of good pitches to hit & he’s seeing the ball well, granted he had some bad AB’s last night.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:02 pm
T for Texas
As I remember, with Infante’s D in the outfield, we should use him out there sparingly. He doesn’t take good routes, and sometimes looks way overmatched. He does OK on routine fly balls, but on balls hit in the gaps or over his head, it can be ugly.
I don’t think it will happen, but I would love to see him at second, and Prado moved over to third tonight.
T for Texas
May 15th, 2010
12:06 pm
Wayine in Utah:
I don’t hink he is the best defensive option in CF for sure. I’m just looking for a place to get him in the lineup and CF is really it. We are not going to rotate Chipper out of the lineup and move Prado to third, Infante to 2nd. So taking over for Nate in CF or platooning with Hinske in LF are the most likely places I see Omar getting regular PT.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:06 pm
fastasballs
I think I proposed the same lineup last night. With his good eye, and if he can not worry about trying to drive the ball as much, Chipper might be a decent two slot hitter.
I know when I was playing major league ball (not quite the hall of fame caliber of Joe Morgan, grant you), when I reached the age of 38, it was pretty much all down hill from there.
Long time Braves fan
May 15th, 2010
12:07 pm
great post Mark about Chipper
T for Texas
May 15th, 2010
12:09 pm
“Keep politics out of baseball!” -Wendy
You are gald you weren’t on the blog yesterday afternoon. Insanity.
shmoe
May 15th, 2010
12:11 pm
If some of the bloggers here made Simpson’s call of Prado’s hit last night, would’ve gone like this: “And lined…down the right field line! Tie game! BALLGAME!”
T for Texas
May 15th, 2010
12:12 pm
Wayne-
2nd is the ideal spot for Chipper in the lineup now. Heyward 3rd, Glaus, Mac, Yunel, Hinske, Omar(?)or Nate, Pitcher
Braveheart
May 15th, 2010
12:13 pm
Mark, I don’t think Chipper getting dropped in the lineup makes too much sense because of what his remaining value appears to be as a hitter at the present time. Things could turn around with his bat, but for now he’s getting on base, but he’s not hitting for average or for power. That kind of profile fits better at the very top or very bottom of the order. If you drop him down to 4, 5, or 6, the OBP, while always valuable, becomes somewhat discounted, because he’s still gonna need to hit and slug in those lineup slots to drive runs in, and also because he’d only be getting on base for the 7, 8, 9 hitters who aren’t as likely to drive him in as the 3, 4, 5, and 6 hitters would. And Chipper ain’t gonna get dropped to 7 or 8 this early in the season. Especially not by Bobby, and most likely not by any manager (unless that manager is Joe Torre or Billy Martin and that manager wants to humiliate someone like Arod or Reggie Jackson).
His OBP can still be very valuable batting second or third. If Heyward and Chipper are gonna bat 2, 3, I’d probably switch the two of them ’cause while they are both as likely to set each other up by getting on base at a good rate, Heyward seems to be more able right now to drive Chipper in or over than Chipper is to drive Heyward in or over. And, hey, Chipper has made alot of folks look a heckuva lot better than they are during the course of his career by having them bat directly in front of him. Giles, Andruw in 2000, Renteria, Sheff in 2003, Drew in 2004, and so on. Chipper has had no one behind him that scares anyone over the last year or so. Maybe Chipper can’t fly solo anymore with or without protection like he once could. Maybe it’s time to see how differently he gets pitched if the big 20 year old is standing behind Chipper in the on deck circle. Whether that means Chipper bats second or third, and Heyward bats third or fourth doesn’t matter to me.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:13 pm
I think it is spelled schmoe?
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:17 pm
WW
Excellent point. I like the idea of him in the 2 slot, unless Nate catches fire, then I would still be OK with him in the 3, as long as the kid is hitting behind him.
I think Heyward being behind Glaus has been a big help to him the past couple of weeks.
Mixxo
May 15th, 2010
12:19 pm
Long time Braves fan
May 15th, 2010
12:07 pm
great post Mark about Chipper
I wholeheartedly agree.
Carroll Rogers
May 15th, 2010
12:19 pm
Well thought-out post, Mark, at 11:42….You know I think Chipper knows that his hold on the 3-hole is not the same as it was. He half-kidded last year that Bobby should have dropped him in the order. And this spring, he talked about how he would be helping Jason Heyward transition into being the Braves No. 3 hitter of the future. Now, whether he’s read for that now, I don’t know, but he’s thought about it. …is all I’m saying.
Jinx
May 15th, 2010
12:19 pm
Remember when Nate was in the 3 hole last year? LOL
shmoe
May 15th, 2010
12:22 pm
Wayne in Utah,
haha are you trying to tell me how to spell my non-name? maybe i should change to schmuck? what about schlmiel? i only changed my name because all of a sudden last year, many people showed up using my name
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:26 pm
Carroll
Would Chipper go to Bobby, or vice versa?
Also, didn’t I read somewhere last year that McLouth was more comfortable in the 2 or 3 slot with Pittsburg before coming to Atlanta? I still think if he gets back to his career norms, Nate would be our best leadoff hitter.
I think Braveheart is right though. If Chipper is not driving the ball, move him up to the 2 instead of dropping him to 4 or 5.
Would Prado hit OK in the 3 slot?
McLouth, Chipper, Prado, Heyward, McCann, Glaus, Hinske, Escobar….
If McLouth is hitting…………probably never happen.
Braveheart
May 15th, 2010
12:28 pm
I’m not sure Wayne, but at some point, every sheriff gets old, and needs a deputy to stand behind him and protect him. I hope all Chipper needs to do is to deputize Heyward and have him stand behind him in the on deck circle protecting him
It could be that he is injured, but I dunno. He seemed to do better in 2005, 2006, and 2007 when he came off the DL in those years. If I remember correctly his performance in those seasons was better after coming off a DL stint than how he had been doing prior to going on the DL. I think it was counterproductive last year to play as much as he did, and especially to try to play through some of the nagging, chronic stuff that slows down fast twitch reflexes. Maybe in two or so weeks, I’d put him on the DL for 2 or 3 weeks as sort of a rest stop kind of thing so that he can refresh and tune up his body, mind, and mechanics. Maybe Roger Clemens was on to something when he would skip out on the first two months of the season late in his career.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:28 pm
shmoe
Would never propose to intervene! Carry on.
shmoe
May 15th, 2010
12:30 pm
The Mets are coming back down to Earth. Wright is nearly leading the league in strikeouts and Oliver Perez is nothing but a AAA pitcher now. This is very nice to see.
The Nats have to come back down to below .500 don’t they? Sure, they have a good offense, but do they really have the talent to make a sustained run. There’s hardly anyone on the team that knows anything about what it’s like at the top.
Marlins are scrappy and have a really talented team and I see them being trouble the whole season.
The Phillies have bullpen problems once again with Madson out for a long time and not knowing what to expect from Lidge.
If the Braves can sweep the D-backs, we could be in good shape. At the very least, with 3 sweeps since the 9 game slide we would have negated the effects of that somewhat. We need to figure out a way to beat our division rivals head to head. So far, we are proving that we’re better at beating the teams we should beat than we were last year. And the Braves are pretty magical at home.
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:31 pm
WW
Chipper or Infante’s bat today??? I’d say if he needs to rest and recoup, do it now while Infante is hitting well.
Mark
May 15th, 2010
12:33 pm
Is that protest supposed to be today or tomorrow?
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:35 pm
shmoe
I don’t think there is that much of a difference up and down the entire NL East. All teams have their achilles heel. Phillies pen…….Nat’s pitching, Marlins hitting, Braves hitting, and Mets everything.
If we don’t get into the playoffs, at least I hope we mop up on the Mets and make it exciting in September.
Carroll Rogers
May 15th, 2010
12:36 pm
nolie, you were right about that second comment last night. I should have just let it ride….Just back away from the keyboard!!
Jerald Holcombe
May 15th, 2010
12:38 pm
Carroll: Thanks for that info o Chipper in regards to the #3 slot in the lineup. I wasn’t even aware that he’s even mentioned moving in the lineup.
Right now the discussion has to do with Chipper getting outta the #3 slot, and he absolutely needs to be moved and I would agree with that, but that still puts him in the field defensively. In the past, I’ve never had a problem with Chipper’s defense. He used to make that bare-handed pickup and throw as well as anyone in the game. But, when you see him now, he looks so old trying to field his position. It’s sad. I really just think it’s over for him. When he was talking the other day about his OBP was good, he sounded like he was just making excuses for staying in the lineup. I agree that he should be DLed to see if that helps, but I don’t think it will help. I know he had just had a career year, but the FO jumped too quickly at extending his contract. Now we are stuck with his and Lowe’s salaries. You can’t hire big guns when you are paying these guys that kind of money, and you damn sure can’t find a club that will take them.
shmoe
May 15th, 2010
12:39 pm
Wayne in Utah,
Obviously, hitting and defense has been bad at times for the Braves so far. I don’t think this will continue unabated throughout the entire season though. I continue to believe that we have a lineup full of very capable hitters and they will gel soon. I guess I’m an optimist.
ncgary
May 15th, 2010
12:41 pm
the nats look like they are for real
and if wang comes back strong from injury midseason
and strassburg comes up soon,
they might be the team everyone else is chasing
Mark
May 15th, 2010
12:41 pm
Carroll-
I know the guy that was messing with you last night, and he was doing just that, so don’t take it personal…You do a good job, we just love DOB…
Wayne in Utah
May 15th, 2010
12:42 pm
An optimistic s(c)hmoe! Priceless.
shmoe
May 15th, 2010
12:45 pm
wayne,
u kno dat’s right
Brooks Latta
May 15th, 2010
12:46 pm
No hard feelings Carroll, I was just joking around last night. You do a great job. Thanks for providing us an inside look and giving a place to voice opinions concerning the Braves. Looking forward to today’s Blog!
Mixxo
May 15th, 2010
12:47 pm
shmoe – “…So far, we are proving that we’re better at beating the teams we should beat than we were last year…”
…and this is big IMO.