’scoots, of course what I really mean is that you put into words what was a faint glimmer somewhere on the horizon of my feeble mind… I knew that there was a logical approach to the answer, just like I know a human being can run a 4 minute mile. But alas, it won’t be this human being.
As to the Marlins and loading the bases, seems to me that they’re way overdue for a correction. I believe, statistically, the best approach would be to walk the first three hitters for a couple of innings and let regression work its magic.
Am I mistaken? Didn’t Prado have the big grandslam last year that kick-started the amazing run we had? What? Against the Brew Crew or was that Brooksie?
monty, you’re actually right either way. Prado hit that slam in Milwaukee on May 10th last year and the Braves won 8-2. That started a stretch where they won 20 of their next 25 which included the Brooks Conrad grand slam winner on May 20th.
See jeffrey d, there’s more to the desk drawer calendar than just injury dates.
Oh, Hillbilly, your “tip the cap theory” makes perfect sense to me. They’re doing it just to irritate the hell out of Mitchell but we’re onto them now.
Crazy – Been wondering that myself. About time we just appreciated the fact that we had three guys at the end of the pitching staff that could close games successfully. It’s an embarrassment of riches and most act as if we’re in the poorhouse.
Shaun,
I feel bad for you, man, honestly. You may be smart – very smart, knowledgeable, but if you cannot have a pleasant communication, or argument, with people here, why staying on the board? Don’t you have enough problems, as most of us do, in life already anyway? We, at least I, come to the board to have some fun and to relieve some of the stress we get from other parts of life. The amazing thing is that all the years I’ve been on the board, albeit not every hour, not even every day, I’ve not seen many of your arguments with others ended well. I’ve noticed that DOB used to somewhat admire your stubbornness, but even he is pissed off from time to time from your on-and-on-and-on repeating your points. Come on man, you’ve got to soften yourself a bit. Otherwise life will not be fun. You don’t need to respond to my post as I will not dear to start a war with you.
Kind of funny about Mitchell and the Sky is Falling thing. I kind of always had a picture of Mitchell being like the Dude in Doonesbury who always wore a helmet of one kind or another.
I made possibly the greatest discovery of 2011 last night while driving home from work…
My car stereo has an iPod interface. Plug in my iPhone, listen to music and control it via my steering wheel controls. When the Braves play I turn off my stereo and listen to the game via my iPhone speakers. It’s hard to hear, but it works.
Well, on a whim I plugged it in last night and, what do you know, it plays over my car speakers!!!
I still wished the Braves had replaced Wagner and Saito with pitchers as good as or better than they were. Since they chose to replace Wagner and Saito with Venters and Kimbrel then they should have now replaced Venters and Kimbrel with pitchers as good as or better than Venters and Kimbrel and so on and so on. They weakened the bullpen by adding Sherrill and Linebrink
Braves have hands down the best pair of LH relievers in baseball. No one else even comes close to Venters/O’Flaherty.
Imagine if we still had Mike Dunn, who’s doing a great job for Florida (walks are a little high, but he’s just about unhittable). Would look awesome in the George Sherrill role (not complaining about the trade, just sayin’).
Imagine if we still had Mike Dunn, who’s doing a great job for Florida
Maybe the Braves could get one of those KC minor league lefties, LOL. Nobody should have that many young lefties; goes against the natural order of things.
Lew – that blog-time displacement has been happening quite a bit during the past week – cab has had a few of those prescient answers to seemingly later questions…
I still wished the Braves had replaced Wagner and Saito with pitchers as good as or better than Wagner and Saito. Since they chose to replace Wagner and Saito with Venters and Kimbrel then they should have now replaced Venters and Kimbrel with pitchers as good as or better than Venters and Kimbrel and so on and so on. They weakened the bullpen by adding Sherrill and Linebrink
Murph, you’re in Austin? One of my all-time favorite towns. Say hi to Rick Barnes for me, tell him I still have the tape recordings, and he can still never recruit on the East Coast again.
Speaking of the sky falling, lastnight we had one major storm move through. It lasted all of an hour but dropped nearly 5 inches of rain. Our neighborhood road was completely covered with water and over flowing the curbs into the yards. I’ve got oversized gutters on my house and they were overflowing and my downspouts looked like an opened fire hydrant. It was amazing to see. The town over from us got hail the size of baseballs that was blowing out car windshields. A barge broke loose on the Arkansas river here and had the bridges shut down making it an interesting morning to work since there’s only 3 bridges over the river and at one point all 3 were closed.
It’s about time someone figured out Linebrink – dont’ have the stats but seems like he has given up the lead and been a major contributor to a loss in every appearance. If he is good for talking to the bullpen pitchers, make him a coach – but please dont’ put him in any more games.
BTW – speaking of pitching failures – what is kawakami doing? have not seen him in a game though he seemed to have a decent spring.
AT, I think we had that same storm yesterday morning. It was nasty. Had to take shelter under an overpass to keep my baby from getting beat up by the hail.
My issues with the bullpen and Linebrink and Sherrill is that neither has been particularly effective. Certainly, they have been inconsistent.
However, what are you going to replace them with? The other options in AAA seem to be just as limited in use and inconsistent.
The Braves “problem” is that they’re not getting blown out … just about ever. That’s when you normally use a Linebrink. You’re down 10-0 with no hope of coming back. Throw some gasoline out there on that fire.
So It hasnt been mentioned whose place Scott Proctor will take on Sunday. Does it mean that Linebrink does not make eye contact with Fredi for the next two days? Or do we assume it will be Gearrin.
ncscoots, it is conclusive that giving up a run on the road in a tied game in the bottom of the 9th or bottom of the 10th or bottom of the 11th or later will lose the game. If the opposing team’s best hitters are coming up and your best reliever is well rested, why do many managers avoid using the best reliever there?
And in a 7th inning in a tie game with the opponents best hitters coming up, sure, a later inning could prove more conclusive when all is said and done. But if the opposing team blows the game wide open in the 7th or even scores a couple of runs, that makes worrying about the later innings pretty pointless. That’s really the whole issue here.
Of course you can’t look back in hindsight to determine which is the high-leverage inning of the game. But if you allow your opponents a chance to beat you in the 6th or 7th or 8th because your worried about the high-leverage situation coming later, you run the risk of not getting to those high-leverage later innings.
Question, are the White Sox paying the major portion of Linebrink’s salary? That likely would be the difference maker between sending down/releasing/DNA Linebrink vs being able to send down Gearrin who has lots of options.
Shaun, you’ve typed that exact same post 10 or 11 times now. Move on man. I don’t care if you’re right or wrong, I’m just sick of having to scroll past you 10 times a page.
I hate goodbyes, so just go. Go. Don’t look back. Be free, man. You don’t need this place. Go. Run with the deer. Frolic in the meadows. Just go.
Payne, one last time. I disagree with your premise here. I think this statement and characterization of the events is fundamentally flawed, hence I will not answer it. I think this statement exposes your total lack of understanding of the alternate point of view.
TennesseePaul, all I’m asking you to do is tell me if you think it’s a good idea, in a tied, extra-inning road game, with the opponents’ best hitters due up and your best reliever well rested, to use the best reliever in that instance. Would you agree that that situation calls for the best reliever? Wouldn’t you agree that many managers wouldn’t use the best relievers in that situation, instead saving him for a later inning in hopes that he can protect a lead?
Murph, Yeah it was the same system. Monster thunder storm, no tornados though.. thankfully. Even when we were getting all that rain that’s causing all of the floods down the Mississippi only dropped a foot over about 2 weeks. That individual storm dropped 5 inches.
Crazy stuff AT. We only got 2 inches of rain here… still a lot for us since we’re in the midst of a complete drought. The lakes around town are almost empty.
AT, we had a homeless guy cooking eggs a couple of weeks ago start a fire that took out an entire neighborhood in about an hour. Now he’s got 30 or 40 homeless families hanging out with him thanks to one small campfire that got into the dry brush and spread like… well, like wildfire.
It’s crazy to hear about all the people being flooded when we hadn’t had rain in 3 months before yesterday.
Before Prado’s Banger, I felt we were really hurting. But to look at Game one McLouth catches the ball..different outcome.. If I guy doesn’t hit a 98 p/h fastball for a single kimbrell has a different outcome… sometimes you get lucky ….. sometimes not now lets go get the phillies
Parks & Rec. is hilarious every week, but last night’s episode raised the bar. Laughed my arse off watching it at 2 a.m. last night after getting back from the game.
“What is in Snake Juice? Demerol?”
“I ran 5K this morning?”
“Really?”
“No, I threw up in the shower.”
Do you wanna win ballgames or not? Venters has proven to be arguably the most dominant relief pitcher in the NL if not all of MLB. Kimbrell, while loaded with potential and a blazing FB doesn’t seem quite ready to take on the CL role. It shouldn’t be a tough decision. Put Kimbrell in the 7th, O’Flaherty in the 8th and Venters in the 9th. He’s still getting late inning work in a close game at the ML level.
Hurt his confidence??? What do you think is going to happen to his confidence if you keep running him out there to close games and he continues to blow them???
Shaun – OK, let’s suppose I accept your premis (which I do TO A POINT) Who, then, IS our best bullpen pitcher? EOF? Venters? Kimbrel? Moylan, when healthy? Do you allow anything for match-ups? Just wondering. Please clarify.
Personally, I’d like to see more starting pitchers go nine – if they’re pitching well. The complete games category used to mean something; now it’s something of a joke.
What do you think is going to happen to his confidence if you keep running him out there to close games and he continues to blow them???
Well, he completely overmatched three guys last night in his inning, so that would lead me to believe that “continues to blow them” is probably not operative.
I’m moving on….Someone brought up trading for Beltran. I actually thought about this this morning when I saw the highlights of Beltran’s 3-homer game. I’m not sure if he could play center any better than McLouth or if the Mets would take cents on the dollar for him. But it would be nice if he could somehow fall into the Braves’ lap at some point.
Agreed, DOB. Parks and Rec is probably the funniest show on TV right now, though Community is a close second. The two-part paintball episode that ended the season was amazing. Too bad almost no one is watching these shows…
Carlos Beltran (who I’ve always liked) is making $18.5 million this year and can’t play center field anymore. Plus, we’d have to give up too much for a rental. No thanks.
I think that it’s already apparent that O’Flaherty has taken over Moylan;s 7th inning and Gearrin will take the spots where a RH is called for. I just don’t see a huge role for Proctor (or Linebrink), though I really would mind seeing Linebrink on the road to elsewhere.
beltran will probably end up playing in the bronx before the season is over. remember the spree they went on last year at the deadline? they got about half of the available players. i just hope the phillies dont find a way to make a play for him. they are maxed out on $$$, but we have thought that before.
Personally, I’d like to see more starting pitchers go nine
I guess the irony is that I’m one of those guys, too, and don’t particularly care for the idea of bullpen roles (even if I understand the thinking behind such a thing).
But with the way the game is played today and 600 bullpen innings a year and stuff, what are you going to do? Middle relievers are always going to be sucky and have a low dependability, which means that the few guys you actually can count on are going to get run out there 60+ times a year. Can’t just bring one guy in there to pitch three innings and not have him available for two days after, so what’s the alternative? Run ‘em all out there for short stints and multiple days, I guess. BP arms are cheaper than starters, so you pamper the starters and bleed the bully.
McLouth is doing fine, IMO. I doubt that the Mets would unload Beltran and eat a good bit of his salary. And I don’t think Wren wants to add salary – even short term, though if the team really needs a push into the post season, he might pull the trigger.
Off season, I don’t expect the Braves to add salary, but shed salary, where possible. Liberty Media is putting a “For Sale” sign on the Braves in December, in all likelihood. I’m doubting that Braves’ management will add payroll until there’s a better idea about a team sale.
raleighbravefan, I’m not talking about the Braves specifically. I like the fact that Venters is not tied to the tallying-saves role. I think Venters is the Braves best reliever right now, slightly ahead of Kimbrel because of Venters has better control.
What prompted this was Joe Simpson questioning Riggleman about using Storen in the 10th in a tie game Wednesday night. There was absolutely no reason to question the move on the basis of the Nats saving Storen for the save. If you are questioning the move, question it because they didn’t save him to face Chiper, McCann and Uggla.
Regarding the roles of Braves relievers, of course you factor in match-ups, rest, who needs work, etc. If all that lines up right, Venters is the guy I would generally bring in when the other team’s best hitters are due up late in a close game. And I’d work the rest of the bullpen around that.
i just dont think beltran is the type of player the braves are likely to pickup mid season. we dont really have holes that beltran fills.
middle relief, like the farnsworth trade last year, is one area we might see some action. the other place will be bench roles. someone who can play multiple positions, and who has a chance to catch lighting in a bottle.
Jeff R, I think the Braves are grooming Schafer for the centerfield job next season. They are going to give him every opportunity. I think that’s a big reason he didn’t make the team out of spring training. They want him to play centerfield everyday but don’t think he’s quite ready to do it in the majors.
ncscoots… Pitching strategies and tactics have changed to the point that the game has watered down the starting pitcher. I don’t know if that’s good. You look back at the numbers starting pitchers used to post prior to the rise of the reliever and you can’t help but be impressed. More than a few pitchers were 15 complete game guys, 250-275 innings… something impressive about pitchers built to rack up those types of numbers (or better) over a season. Today, starting pitchers are sprinters more than marathon runners. A different game today.
I think the Braves are grooming Schafer for the centerfield job next season. They are going to give him every opportunity.
If I am right, he is out of options. So they can bring him up this year and see if he’s got anything to offer. Else after next spring, he either comes north or is released.
Sherrill gets no love. He’s allowed earned runs in one of 13 appearances (2 runs, on April 9 in a blowout loss), and has allowed one of 8 inherited runners to score.
Walk rate is high, but even that’s been okay since his first 4 or 5 appearances. Just 2 walks in his last 9 appearances.
He’s not our bullpen ace, but really not part of the problem. He’s doing just what he was brought in to do.
Barry Larkin gives Sea Bass standing ovation as best defensive SS in baseball.
Larkin — Alex Gonzalez, Braves: “I just marvel at this guy. When we’d play against him, I would come out and watch him take groundballs at shortstop and you could see him turn the double play. Strong arm. His thing has been health. A great, great glove man.”
ncscoots and Jeff R, Here’s another topic that is probably going to cause people to call me arrogant, smug, etc.: I’m for the four-man rotation. I’m no medical expert but it seems to me that throwing a lot is not what causes injuries but throwing when you’re arm is tired.
So if teams are going to be tied to pitch counts and limiting starters’ innings (something I support, for the most part), I think teams should utilize four-man rotations. That way you maximize innings of your best starter(s).
Today, starting pitchers are sprinters more than marathon runners. A different game today.
Agreed. It’s about the money. Such a large investment in SP, I guess the natural instinct is to preserve the capital as much as possible. Is the ROI better on three games impacted at six innings each, or two at nine innings? Add in the tactical implication of hitters not seeing the starter for a fourth time, situational specialists in the bullpen, two-pitch flamethrowers, and all that sutff…
Shaun, I don’t think that’s arrogant. The late, great Johnny Sain (Braves’ pitching great and a longtime pitching coach, for those who don’t know) was a big believer that pitchers should throw a lot; Sain would likely not have been a strict pitch-count guy. I would agree that’s not a good idea if a pitcher’s fatigued.
1,719 comments Add your comment
MikeInFl
May 13th, 2011
11:21 am
’scoots, of course what I really mean is that you put into words what was a faint glimmer somewhere on the horizon of my feeble mind… I knew that there was a logical approach to the answer, just like I know a human being can run a 4 minute mile. But alas, it won’t be this human being.
As to the Marlins and loading the bases, seems to me that they’re way overdue for a correction. I believe, statistically, the best approach would be to walk the first three hitters for a couple of innings and let regression work its magic.
CB
May 13th, 2011
11:21 am
Soph, I love it! Comes in handy around here.
Hillbilly
May 13th, 2011
11:23 am
Am I mistaken? Didn’t Prado have the big grandslam last year that kick-started the amazing run we had? What? Against the Brew Crew or was that Brooksie?
monty, you’re actually right either way. Prado hit that slam in Milwaukee on May 10th last year and the Braves won 8-2. That started a stretch where they won 20 of their next 25 which included the Brooks Conrad grand slam winner on May 20th.
See jeffrey d, there’s more to the desk drawer calendar than just injury dates.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:23 am
That’s strange – The comment I made in reference of another post just appeared ahead of the post I was referencing.
CrαZy
May 13th, 2011
11:24 am
Why the Hell does it matter what inning you use your best RP when you have 3 guys that could qualify as the best RP.
Sopheee
May 13th, 2011
11:25 am
Oh, Hillbilly, your “tip the cap theory” makes perfect sense to me. They’re doing it just to irritate the hell out of Mitchell but we’re onto them now.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:25 am
Crazy – Been wondering that myself. About time we just appreciated the fact that we had three guys at the end of the pitching staff that could close games successfully. It’s an embarrassment of riches and most act as if we’re in the poorhouse.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:26 am
Soph – You mean, don’t tip your cap, the sky is falling?
DCBrave
May 13th, 2011
11:26 am
Shaun,
I feel bad for you, man, honestly. You may be smart – very smart, knowledgeable, but if you cannot have a pleasant communication, or argument, with people here, why staying on the board? Don’t you have enough problems, as most of us do, in life already anyway? We, at least I, come to the board to have some fun and to relieve some of the stress we get from other parts of life. The amazing thing is that all the years I’ve been on the board, albeit not every hour, not even every day, I’ve not seen many of your arguments with others ended well. I’ve noticed that DOB used to somewhat admire your stubbornness, but even he is pissed off from time to time from your on-and-on-and-on repeating your points. Come on man, you’ve got to soften yourself a bit. Otherwise life will not be fun. You don’t need to respond to my post as I will not dear to start a war with you.
CBeeee
May 13th, 2011
11:26 am
In honor of Soph’s brick wall and Marteen.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:28 am
Kind of funny about Mitchell and the Sky is Falling thing. I kind of always had a picture of Mitchell being like the Dude in Doonesbury who always wore a helmet of one kind or another.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
11:29 am
I made possibly the greatest discovery of 2011 last night while driving home from work…
My car stereo has an iPod interface. Plug in my iPhone, listen to music and control it via my steering wheel controls. When the Braves play I turn off my stereo and listen to the game via my iPhone speakers. It’s hard to hear, but it works.
Well, on a whim I plugged it in last night and, what do you know, it plays over my car speakers!!!
I know, you’re all very happy for me. Thanks.
Tommy T
May 13th, 2011
11:30 am
Lew @ 11:23
Perhaps you’re a Jedi.
Tommy T
May 13th, 2011
11:31 am
Way to go Murph!!!
Billy
May 13th, 2011
11:32 am
I still wished the Braves had replaced Wagner and Saito with pitchers as good as or better than they were. Since they chose to replace Wagner and Saito with Venters and Kimbrel then they should have now replaced Venters and Kimbrel with pitchers as good as or better than Venters and Kimbrel and so on and so on. They weakened the bullpen by adding Sherrill and Linebrink
MikeInFl
May 13th, 2011
11:32 am
Braves have hands down the best pair of LH relievers in baseball. No one else even comes close to Venters/O’Flaherty.
Imagine if we still had Mike Dunn, who’s doing a great job for Florida (walks are a little high, but he’s just about unhittable). Would look awesome in the George Sherrill role (not complaining about the trade, just sayin’).
Sopheee
May 13th, 2011
11:32 am
Nah, Lew. Sky falls, regardless.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:33 am
TommyT- Yes, The Force is strong within me, Young Skywlaker.
Sopheee
May 13th, 2011
11:33 am
Woo hoo, CB – you’re awesomeeeeee.
Hillbilly
May 13th, 2011
11:34 am
Props to Murph for steering wheel Ipod control.
MikeInFl
May 13th, 2011
11:35 am
Murph, I do that all the time when I’m driving at night, using my Blackberry and MLB At Bat radio. Was thrilled to find that it works…
Lew
May 13th, 2011
11:35 am
Soph – True, but at least with an untipped cap, some protection is provided. Not like sliding head first.
Hillbilly
May 13th, 2011
11:36 am
Lew, so you’re saying NEVER tip your hard hat.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Thank you, thank you all very much. Your props mean a lot to me.
I know it’s a little thing, but being able to hear the Braves over the car speakers while stuck in Austin traffic really helps the commute.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Imagine if we still had Mike Dunn, who’s doing a great job for Florida
Maybe the Braves could get one of those KC minor league lefties, LOL. Nobody should have that many young lefties; goes against the natural order of things.
Venice Jim
May 13th, 2011
11:40 am
Lew – that blog-time displacement has been happening quite a bit during the past week – cab has had a few of those prescient answers to seemingly later questions…
Billy
May 13th, 2011
11:41 am
I still wished the Braves had replaced Wagner and Saito with pitchers as good as or better than Wagner and Saito. Since they chose to replace Wagner and Saito with Venters and Kimbrel then they should have now replaced Venters and Kimbrel with pitchers as good as or better than Venters and Kimbrel and so on and so on. They weakened the bullpen by adding Sherrill and Linebrink
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
11:41 am
Murph, you’re in Austin? One of my all-time favorite towns. Say hi to Rick Barnes for me, tell him I still have the tape recordings, and he can still never recruit on the East Coast again.
Arkansas Transplant
May 13th, 2011
11:41 am
Speaking of the sky falling, lastnight we had one major storm move through. It lasted all of an hour but dropped nearly 5 inches of rain. Our neighborhood road was completely covered with water and over flowing the curbs into the yards. I’ve got oversized gutters on my house and they were overflowing and my downspouts looked like an opened fire hydrant. It was amazing to see. The town over from us got hail the size of baseballs that was blowing out car windshields. A barge broke loose on the Arkansas river here and had the bridges shut down making it an interesting morning to work since there’s only 3 bridges over the river and at one point all 3 were closed.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
11:42 am
Will do scoots. Come hang out!
Tommy T
May 13th, 2011
11:42 am
ncscoots @ 11:37
Is that a political post???
BravesSince57
May 13th, 2011
11:42 am
It’s about time someone figured out Linebrink – dont’ have the stats but seems like he has given up the lead and been a major contributor to a loss in every appearance. If he is good for talking to the bullpen pitchers, make him a coach – but please dont’ put him in any more games.
BTW – speaking of pitching failures – what is kawakami doing? have not seen him in a game though he seemed to have a decent spring.
Arkansas Transplant
May 13th, 2011
11:42 am
plus we had several fires started by lightning, one house burned to the ground because of it.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
11:46 am
AT, I think we had that same storm yesterday morning. It was nasty. Had to take shelter under an overpass to keep my baby from getting beat up by the hail.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
11:46 am
Tommy, guess that it did sound a little political, huh? But, no.
Besides, I’m a gun-totin’ liberal and would have posited just the opposite, were I inclined to do so. Which I am not.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
11:49 am
AT, geez louise, with that weather. Mercy. I might start looking for riders on horseback, if that stuff keeps up.
Snotboogie
May 13th, 2011
11:51 am
monty
You can always go with SB or just Snot. It’ll get to me.
abwright
May 13th, 2011
11:53 am
My issues with the bullpen and Linebrink and Sherrill is that neither has been particularly effective. Certainly, they have been inconsistent.
However, what are you going to replace them with? The other options in AAA seem to be just as limited in use and inconsistent.
The Braves “problem” is that they’re not getting blown out … just about ever. That’s when you normally use a Linebrink. You’re down 10-0 with no hope of coming back. Throw some gasoline out there on that fire.
Snotboogie
May 13th, 2011
11:53 am
So It hasnt been mentioned whose place Scott Proctor will take on Sunday. Does it mean that Linebrink does not make eye contact with Fredi for the next two days? Or do we assume it will be Gearrin.
CrαZy
May 13th, 2011
11:58 am
Not so much earlier this year but lately Sherrill has been very effective.
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
11:58 am
ncscoots, it is conclusive that giving up a run on the road in a tied game in the bottom of the 9th or bottom of the 10th or bottom of the 11th or later will lose the game. If the opposing team’s best hitters are coming up and your best reliever is well rested, why do many managers avoid using the best reliever there?
And in a 7th inning in a tie game with the opponents best hitters coming up, sure, a later inning could prove more conclusive when all is said and done. But if the opposing team blows the game wide open in the 7th or even scores a couple of runs, that makes worrying about the later innings pretty pointless. That’s really the whole issue here.
Of course you can’t look back in hindsight to determine which is the high-leverage inning of the game. But if you allow your opponents a chance to beat you in the 6th or 7th or 8th because your worried about the high-leverage situation coming later, you run the risk of not getting to those high-leverage later innings.
Gil In Mechanicsville
May 13th, 2011
12:00 pm
Question, are the White Sox paying the major portion of Linebrink’s salary? That likely would be the difference maker between sending down/releasing/DNA Linebrink vs being able to send down Gearrin who has lots of options.
One-Eyed Mac
May 13th, 2011
12:02 pm
Very sad news….Harmon Killebrew has decided to end his fight against cancer and enter hospice care.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
12:04 pm
Shaun, you’ve typed that exact same post 10 or 11 times now. Move on man. I don’t care if you’re right or wrong, I’m just sick of having to scroll past you 10 times a page.
I hate goodbyes, so just go. Go. Don’t look back. Be free, man. You don’t need this place. Go. Run with the deer. Frolic in the meadows. Just go.
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
12:04 pm
Payne, one last time. I disagree with your premise here. I think this statement and characterization of the events is fundamentally flawed, hence I will not answer it. I think this statement exposes your total lack of understanding of the alternate point of view.
TennesseePaul, all I’m asking you to do is tell me if you think it’s a good idea, in a tied, extra-inning road game, with the opponents’ best hitters due up and your best reliever well rested, to use the best reliever in that instance. Would you agree that that situation calls for the best reliever? Wouldn’t you agree that many managers wouldn’t use the best relievers in that situation, instead saving him for a later inning in hopes that he can protect a lead?
Gil In Mechanicsville
May 13th, 2011
12:05 pm
And George Sherril still reminds me of Max Patkin ….
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2008/06/17/18bygone_t300.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/2008/jun/17/62053/&h=423&w=300&sz=39&tbnid=-ajdHMogHVTywM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=89&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmax%2Bpatkin%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=max+patkin&usg=__OQ1vx53WLlqbdSAF1-Z-lwxpabA=&sa=X&ei=0lbNTefdEsjj0QHXrd2UDg&ved=0CC4Q9QEwAw
LTBF
May 13th, 2011
12:05 pm
On cap tipping
I don’t mind cap tipping if we have just beaten the guy we are tipping to. Overwise forget it Fredi!
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:07 pm
Ha! Love the brick wall, Soph. I don’t think I’ve seen it before.
Arkansas Transplant
May 13th, 2011
12:09 pm
Murph, Yeah it was the same system. Monster thunder storm, no tornados though.. thankfully. Even when we were getting all that rain that’s causing all of the floods down the Mississippi only dropped a foot over about 2 weeks. That individual storm dropped 5 inches.
LTBF
May 13th, 2011
12:10 pm
I am sorry I try not to attact posters, but Shaun drives me completely BONKERS.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
12:11 pm
Crazy stuff AT. We only got 2 inches of rain here… still a lot for us since we’re in the midst of a complete drought. The lakes around town are almost empty.
Arkansas Transplant
May 13th, 2011
12:13 pm
I heard that you guys were in a major drought.
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:14 pm
As regards relievers……………… ah, forget it!
DAP
May 13th, 2011
12:16 pm
gil in mechanicsvilleare the White Sox paying the major portion of Linebrink’s salary?
no, but they did send a nice chunk of ash with him, so its kinda like they are.
Murph
May 13th, 2011
12:16 pm
AT, we had a homeless guy cooking eggs a couple of weeks ago start a fire that took out an entire neighborhood in about an hour. Now he’s got 30 or 40 homeless families hanging out with him thanks to one small campfire that got into the dry brush and spread like… well, like wildfire.
It’s crazy to hear about all the people being flooded when we hadn’t had rain in 3 months before yesterday.
Bobby's chaffeur
May 13th, 2011
12:17 pm
Before Prado’s Banger, I felt we were really hurting. But to look at Game one McLouth catches the ball..different outcome.. If I guy doesn’t hit a 98 p/h fastball for a single kimbrell has a different outcome… sometimes you get lucky ….. sometimes not now lets go get the phillies
DAP
May 13th, 2011
12:19 pm
they did send a nice chunk of ash
chunk of cash. *sigh* im terrible at this.
David O'Brien
May 13th, 2011
12:20 pm
Parks & Rec. is hilarious every week, but last night’s episode raised the bar. Laughed my arse off watching it at 2 a.m. last night after getting back from the game.
“What is in Snake Juice? Demerol?”
“I ran 5K this morning?”
“Really?”
“No, I threw up in the shower.”
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:20 pm
“George Sherril still reminds me of Max Patkin…” — Gil In Mechanicsville
There is a resemblance.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
12:20 pm
I’m with Jeff, LOL.
Coach13
May 13th, 2011
12:21 pm
Do you wanna win ballgames or not? Venters has proven to be arguably the most dominant relief pitcher in the NL if not all of MLB. Kimbrell, while loaded with potential and a blazing FB doesn’t seem quite ready to take on the CL role. It shouldn’t be a tough decision. Put Kimbrell in the 7th, O’Flaherty in the 8th and Venters in the 9th. He’s still getting late inning work in a close game at the ML level.
Hurt his confidence??? What do you think is going to happen to his confidence if you keep running him out there to close games and he continues to blow them???
Lew
May 13th, 2011
12:21 pm
Hillbilly – Only if you’re Doom and Gloomer. I’m pretty proficient at ducking falling sky pieces and a helmet would just make more hair fall out.
monty
May 13th, 2011
12:21 pm
“Or do we assume it will be Gearrin”-Snotboogie
Horrors! I hope not.
raleighbravefan
May 13th, 2011
12:22 pm
Shaun – OK, let’s suppose I accept your premis (which I do TO A POINT) Who, then, IS our best bullpen pitcher? EOF? Venters? Kimbrel? Moylan, when healthy? Do you allow anything for match-ups? Just wondering. Please clarify.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
12:22 pm
Coach 13 – Uh, you did see him strike out the side in pretty dominant fashion last night?
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:22 pm
Personally, I’d like to see more starting pitchers go nine – if they’re pitching well. The complete games category used to mean something; now it’s something of a joke.
Sopheee
May 13th, 2011
12:23 pm
Thanks, jeffrey. I’ll have to make you one too. It can be my house-warming gift.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
12:24 pm
What do you think is going to happen to his confidence if you keep running him out there to close games and he continues to blow them???
Well, he completely overmatched three guys last night in his inning, so that would lead me to believe that “continues to blow them” is probably not operative.
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
12:25 pm
I’m moving on….Someone brought up trading for Beltran. I actually thought about this this morning when I saw the highlights of Beltran’s 3-homer game. I’m not sure if he could play center any better than McLouth or if the Mets would take cents on the dollar for him. But it would be nice if he could somehow fall into the Braves’ lap at some point.
BG fsu
May 13th, 2011
12:25 pm
Agreed, DOB. Parks and Rec is probably the funniest show on TV right now, though Community is a close second. The two-part paintball episode that ended the season was amazing. Too bad almost no one is watching these shows…
cabravesfan
May 13th, 2011
12:27 pm
Carlos Beltran (who I’ve always liked) is making $18.5 million this year and can’t play center field anymore. Plus, we’d have to give up too much for a rental. No thanks.
Lew
May 13th, 2011
12:28 pm
I think that it’s already apparent that O’Flaherty has taken over Moylan;s 7th inning and Gearrin will take the spots where a RH is called for. I just don’t see a huge role for Proctor (or Linebrink), though I really would mind seeing Linebrink on the road to elsewhere.
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:29 pm
I’ll have to make you one too. It can be my house-warming gift.
I’d rather get a living room set…
Lew
May 13th, 2011
12:29 pm
woiuld not mind seeing him down the road. I
Sopheee
May 13th, 2011
12:31 pm
I can make one of those too, jeffrey.
DAP
May 13th, 2011
12:32 pm
beltran will probably end up playing in the bronx before the season is over. remember the spree they went on last year at the deadline? they got about half of the available players. i just hope the phillies dont find a way to make a play for him. they are maxed out on $$$, but we have thought that before.
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
12:34 pm
Personally, I’d like to see more starting pitchers go nine
I guess the irony is that I’m one of those guys, too, and don’t particularly care for the idea of bullpen roles (even if I understand the thinking behind such a thing).
But with the way the game is played today and 600 bullpen innings a year and stuff, what are you going to do? Middle relievers are always going to be sucky and have a low dependability, which means that the few guys you actually can count on are going to get run out there 60+ times a year. Can’t just bring one guy in there to pitch three innings and not have him available for two days after, so what’s the alternative? Run ‘em all out there for short stints and multiple days, I guess. BP arms are cheaper than starters, so you pamper the starters and bleed the bully.
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:35 pm
McLouth is doing fine, IMO. I doubt that the Mets would unload Beltran and eat a good bit of his salary. And I don’t think Wren wants to add salary – even short term, though if the team really needs a push into the post season, he might pull the trigger.
Off season, I don’t expect the Braves to add salary, but shed salary, where possible. Liberty Media is putting a “For Sale” sign on the Braves in December, in all likelihood. I’m doubting that Braves’ management will add payroll until there’s a better idea about a team sale.
Gil In Mechanicsville
May 13th, 2011
12:35 pm
For you folks, who like myself do not get Fox Sports South, here is a link to the after game interviews…
http://www.foxsportssouth.com/pages/video?PID=5OJhHpd3hjVad47GIQlYczPD6A4hW4ag
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
12:36 pm
raleighbravefan, I’m not talking about the Braves specifically. I like the fact that Venters is not tied to the tallying-saves role. I think Venters is the Braves best reliever right now, slightly ahead of Kimbrel because of Venters has better control.
What prompted this was Joe Simpson questioning Riggleman about using Storen in the 10th in a tie game Wednesday night. There was absolutely no reason to question the move on the basis of the Nats saving Storen for the save. If you are questioning the move, question it because they didn’t save him to face Chiper, McCann and Uggla.
Regarding the roles of Braves relievers, of course you factor in match-ups, rest, who needs work, etc. If all that lines up right, Venters is the guy I would generally bring in when the other team’s best hitters are due up late in a close game. And I’d work the rest of the bullpen around that.
Gil In Mechanicsville
May 13th, 2011
12:39 pm
At some point, I would like to see Freddi give McLouth another go at hitting lead off and moving Prado down into the two hole.
DAP
May 13th, 2011
12:40 pm
i just dont think beltran is the type of player the braves are likely to pickup mid season. we dont really have holes that beltran fills.
middle relief, like the farnsworth trade last year, is one area we might see some action. the other place will be bench roles. someone who can play multiple positions, and who has a chance to catch lighting in a bottle.
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
12:41 pm
Jeff R, I think the Braves are grooming Schafer for the centerfield job next season. They are going to give him every opportunity. I think that’s a big reason he didn’t make the team out of spring training. They want him to play centerfield everyday but don’t think he’s quite ready to do it in the majors.
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:42 pm
ncscoots… Pitching strategies and tactics have changed to the point that the game has watered down the starting pitcher. I don’t know if that’s good. You look back at the numbers starting pitchers used to post prior to the rise of the reliever and you can’t help but be impressed. More than a few pitchers were 15 complete game guys, 250-275 innings… something impressive about pitchers built to rack up those types of numbers (or better) over a season. Today, starting pitchers are sprinters more than marathon runners. A different game today.
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:42 pm
I can make one of those too, jeffrey.
Tangible?
Snotboogie
May 13th, 2011
12:43 pm
I call fake on this video. But here goes anyway.
Evan Longoria catch
Snotboogie
May 13th, 2011
12:44 pm
I think the Braves are grooming Schafer for the centerfield job next season. They are going to give him every opportunity.
If I am right, he is out of options. So they can bring him up this year and see if he’s got anything to offer. Else after next spring, he either comes north or is released.
Brian from SC
May 13th, 2011
12:44 pm
Boy, Snotboogie, you’re a real Sherlock Holmes with that fake call.
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:45 pm
Shaun, yes, Schafer is the leading candidate for the CF job next season. We’ll see how he finishes at Gwinnett this season, though.
Snotboogie
May 13th, 2011
12:45 pm
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:47 pm
Why would they have an interview just a few feet from batting practice?
David O'Brien
May 13th, 2011
12:47 pm
i just dont think beltran is the type of player the braves are likely to pickup mid season. we dont really have holes that beltran fills. — DAP
Especially since Beltran will be owed more than $8 million for the rest of the season before he becomes a free agent.
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:48 pm
The Braves should make a video where Heyward saves a reporter from an 18-wheeler, and they’re doing the interview on I-85.
MikeInFl
May 13th, 2011
12:49 pm
Sherrill gets no love. He’s allowed earned runs in one of 13 appearances (2 runs, on April 9 in a blowout loss), and has allowed one of 8 inherited runners to score.
Walk rate is high, but even that’s been okay since his first 4 or 5 appearances. Just 2 walks in his last 9 appearances.
He’s not our bullpen ace, but really not part of the problem. He’s doing just what he was brought in to do.
T for Texas
May 13th, 2011
12:50 pm
Barry Larkin gives Sea Bass standing ovation as best defensive SS in baseball.
Larkin — Alex Gonzalez, Braves: “I just marvel at this guy. When we’d play against him, I would come out and watch him take groundballs at shortstop and you could see him turn the double play. Strong arm. His thing has been health. A great, great glove man.”
Shaun
May 13th, 2011
12:51 pm
ncscoots and Jeff R, Here’s another topic that is probably going to cause people to call me arrogant, smug, etc.: I’m for the four-man rotation. I’m no medical expert but it seems to me that throwing a lot is not what causes injuries but throwing when you’re arm is tired.
So if teams are going to be tied to pitch counts and limiting starters’ innings (something I support, for the most part), I think teams should utilize four-man rotations. That way you maximize innings of your best starter(s).
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:52 pm
“Sherrill gets no love.” — MikeInFl
Jorge is getting more love these days than Scotty Linebrink!
ncscoots
May 13th, 2011
12:52 pm
Today, starting pitchers are sprinters more than marathon runners. A different game today.
Agreed. It’s about the money. Such a large investment in SP, I guess the natural instinct is to preserve the capital as much as possible. Is the ROI better on three games impacted at six innings each, or two at nine innings? Add in the tactical implication of hitters not seeing the starter for a fourth time, situational specialists in the bullpen, two-pitch flamethrowers, and all that sutff…
jeffrey d
May 13th, 2011
12:54 pm
Here’s another topic that is probably going to cause people to call me arrogant, smug, etc.: I’m for the four-man rotation
It’s not your topics of conversation, it’s how you present them and how you talk down to anyone who opposes your views.
Jeff R
May 13th, 2011
12:55 pm
Shaun, I don’t think that’s arrogant. The late, great Johnny Sain (Braves’ pitching great and a longtime pitching coach, for those who don’t know) was a big believer that pitchers should throw a lot; Sain would likely not have been a strict pitch-count guy. I would agree that’s not a good idea if a pitcher’s fatigued.