Uggla is knock, knock, knocking on 30’s door
(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)
So it’s August 21 and Dan Uggla has 29 home runs. Pretty amazing when you consider the season he’s had. Not only has Uggla done a remarkable job of picking himself up and dusting himself off to get in this 30-homer conversation again, he might just go on and set a career-high. He hit 33 last year for the Marlins. He’s got 35 more games to work with, including one on this homestand, when he’s hit five – five – in nine games.
Remember how this homestand started? When Uggla brought his hitting streak into the weekend series against the Cubs and hit two homers in one game on the night Bobby Cox had his No. 6 retired (the number Uggla had to give up wearing when he came to Atlanta?) Then he extended his streak to 33 games the next night with a single off Randy Wells, followed by a home run in his next at-bat.
He got a little quiet, there for a while, after his streak ended on Sunday against the Cubs. Uggla went 3-for-21 with one RBI and eight strikeouts over the next five games. But he came back last night against the Diamondbacks with abandon, hitting home runs Nos. 28 and 29. He and Freddie Freeman went back-to-back for the second time this homestand. They also did it that Friday night against the Cubs.
Afterward Uggla talked about being right back where he usually is.
“That’s why you play the full season, whether it’s going bad or it’s going good,” Uggla said. “You’ve got to stay humble, stay positive and keep going in the right direction. And stick with your routine. I think more times than not if you stay strong mentally, you’re going to be able to battle back and help your team out.”
Not only has Uggla benefitted from following his own advice, but it’s pretty clear he’s made a huge impression on his teammates in that regard. (Do I sound like Tom Glavine? I always think of him saying “in that regard.”)
They saw Uggla was the same every day, regardless of how bad it got – and this was the guy hitting .173 when his hitting streak started July 5, having just been traded to the Braves and signed a five-year, $62 million extension. Not only did that make Ugglathe kind of guy they enjoy being around, he’s been a model for how players should handle themselves when things get really dire. Both Derek Lowe and Jason Heyward have mentioned independently how they’ve tried to pattern themselves after Uggla as they endure their own struggles.
Back to the numbers for a second: Uggla is already the first second baseman in history to hit 30 or more homers in four seasons, and he did it consecutively. Four other second basemen had three seasons of 30 or more homers: My great, great grandfather Rogers Hornsby (1922, 1925, 1929), Jeff Kent (1998, 2000, 2002), Alfonso Soriano (2002, 2003, 2005) and Chase Utley (2006, 2008, 2009). (OK, fine, I’m kidding about the great grandfather part.)
So when Uggla gets to 30 he’ll be breathing some more of his own rarified air.
Patch for Ernie Johnson
I’m told the Braves will debut the patches today in honor of legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr., ones they’ll wear for the rest of the season. I got a sneak peek, and I think they’re terrific. It’s not simply his initials. It spells out “Ernie” and includes a graphic of a microphone within a
Braves patch in honor of Ernie Johnson Sr.
baseball glove, to recognize Johnson’s work as both a broadcaster and a major league player. (He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s, including three appearances in relief in the 1957 World Series.)
I think that is a really special touch the Braves are doing to honor Johnson, who passed away at 87 the night this homestand opened against the Cubs.
Other business:
Some other numbers from last night to mention. With his 17th home run of the year, Freeman tied Washington Nationals’ second baseman Danny Espinosa for the NL rookie lead.
With his win last night, Brandon Beachy is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA in his past six starts, dating back to a July 19 at Colorado. He has 39 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 36 1/3 innings over that time.)
Chipper Jones is scheduled to get the day off today, day game after a night game. Something tells me he’ll pinch hit though. He’s been one of the Braves’ hottest hitters, with three straight multi-hit games, while going 6-for-11 with a double, two homers and three RBIs.
Today the Braves go for the sweep of Arizona with Tim Hudson taking on Josh Collmenter, who is 7-7 but with a 3.47 ERA. The Braves faced Collmenter and his whacky straight over-the-top delivery in Arizona on May 19. He shut them out for six innings that night on two hits, and beat Jair Jurrjens 2-1.
This is his first time to face them in Turner Field, and you might want to sit on your tomahawks, just this one game. Get this, I just read that Collmenter thinks he developed his over-the-top delivery from throwing tomahawks at tree stumps when he was younger, something he did with his brothers. Maybe chopping and chanting today will only inspire him?
Hudson is 8-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 13 starts since that loss in New York June 5. He’s got a streak of eight straight starts of seven or more innings. He’s allowed no more than three earned runs in any of those eight.
Pretty impressive starting pitcher for the Braves, pretty impressive stretch for the team, having already won five of six against the Giants and D-backs in these key back-to-back series.
Fittingly, then, we’ll close it out with a quote from Uggla: “This is the run we’ve been looking for. The offense has been rolling. We’re getting good starts out of our pitchers. The whole team is doing what we need to be doing in order to win games.”
OK wanted to go ahead and post tonight from home. My laptop issues aren’t yet fully resolved and I wouldn’t want you guys to miss out on a blog one more instant (smile).
More from the ballpark in the morning.
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1,743 comments Add your comment
Trollgaze
August 21st, 2011
1:28 am
U MAD?
Felix Millan
August 21st, 2011
1:30 am
Who will be in our rotation for the playoffs? Hudson, Hanson, BEachy and Jurrjens?
noliee
August 21st, 2011
1:32 am
thank you Carroll
Blog comments are retarded
August 21st, 2011
1:38 am
You’re up late! Thanks Carroll for feeding the night owls!
tiger297
August 21st, 2011
1:39 am
of course I had to stay up to read this…
tiger297
August 21st, 2011
1:40 am
when its sleepy time down south…
for real this time unless she posts another blog
tiger297
August 21st, 2011
1:40 am
oh yeah and nite nolie
Alaska Braves Fan
August 21st, 2011
1:44 am
Carol!! The joke about Rogers Hornsby almost killed me. I was so impressed and eager to hear more, and then the big letdown. Oh, how, how could you do that!?
On the other hand, your comments about Ernie and Uggla were spot on. Thanks!
ABF
uga-brave
August 21st, 2011
1:45 am
not even fredo can screw this up now. right?
uga-brave
August 21st, 2011
1:51 am
tom?
Who Me?
August 21st, 2011
1:53 am
nice work CR. good to see the midnight oil is lit. Always time for decent bloggage, thanks for the post…
What’s being done with JHey? Anyone over at the ballpark working with him while Constanza is still playing out of his mind?
Gotta like this lineup right now, even with AGon’s bat still out in the weeds, he’s is the man at the 6-hole.
Felix Millan
August 21st, 2011
1:54 am
uga-brave _ just curious. do you (and the other fredi bashers) think the Braves would have a better record with another manager?
noliee
August 21st, 2011
1:59 am
didn’t Philly once blow a 7 game lead with 12 to play or something like that back in the ’60s?
T for Texas
August 21st, 2011
2:00 am
Thanks for the new post, Carroll. It’s a good one.
uga-brave
August 21st, 2011
2:02 am
felix, maybe. but he aint a great manager. anyone that hits agon in the two hole 20 games deserves grief.
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:04 am
Hello my friends! Great night for Freeman,and For Uggla! We now have a 7 game lead in the wild card!Also great catch by the Bourn!!!!!!!!
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:06 am
I knew Uggla would bounce back! He has a great second half through out his career!
Peter
August 21st, 2011
2:08 am
1995 Braves: World Series Champs
1996 Braves: Lose to Yankees in 6 games
1997 Braves: Lose in NLCS in 6 games
1998 Braves: Lose in NLCS in 6 games
2008 Phillies: World Series Champs
2009 Phillies: Lose to Yankees in 6 games
2010 Phillies: Lose in NLCS in 6 games
2011 Phillies: ????????????????????
Notice a trend?
noliee
August 21st, 2011
2:09 am
I notice a coincidence
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:11 am
Peter: What’s your point? Do we really care about what you compared?Who cares?????????
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:12 am
Focused on the Braves now!Cheap way to bring out a point!
Peter
August 21st, 2011
2:13 am
I just thought it was interesting. Obviously it has no bearing on what will happen this year.
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:14 am
Peter: We don’t need to wake up the Phillie Fans!!!!!!
Peter
August 21st, 2011
2:18 am
Ward: Who cares? What are they gonna do? Talk? They do that anyway.
Just shows no matter how dominant a team looks in the regular season, in a seven game series they are beatable, that’s all.
Peter
August 21st, 2011
2:21 am
Well I’m going to bed. Goodnight Braves Country!
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:21 am
Well, it’s been great so far,and we just hold on to the wild card,and take on who ever is in the post-season!
noliee
August 21st, 2011
2:25 am
Yup. 1964 Phils had a 6.5 game lead with 12 to play and lost the title.
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:26 am
Thats the Past,and this is now.Phillies should not have won that World Series.Called short do to rain,and then picked up from the mid game the next day! Cheap way to win one isn’t it? Nothing at all like our Braves!
noliee
August 21st, 2011
2:26 am
Just shows no matter how dominant a team looks in the regular season, in a seven game series they are beatable,…Peter
a valid point no doubt
noliee
August 21st, 2011
2:27 am
won what world series ward?
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:28 am
noliee: I really think your going to see a Phillie choke again. My prediction…….
Uggla is knock, knock, knocking on 30’s door | Raw Sports - Atlanta Braves
August 21st, 2011
2:28 am
[...] Atlanta Braves [...]
Ward
August 21st, 2011
2:30 am
The one against Tampa Bay! I think it was that cheap one!2008
David O'Brien
August 21st, 2011
2:33 am
My Morning Jacket during encore at epic show tonight in ATL. Crowd did Braves tomahawk chop and war chant before encore.
http://twitpic.com/69crgi
uga-brave
August 21st, 2011
2:34 am
well the phills are us and we are the marlins. not hard to compehend.
the phills are us and we are the padres. remember kevin brown?
point is in a short series?
then again we might have to face gallardo, and grienke.
David O'Brien
August 21st, 2011
2:37 am
Ms. Neko Case and My Morning Jacket covering Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks’ “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” during encore at Saturday show.
http://twitpic.com/699gc9
uga-brave
August 21st, 2011
2:40 am
good show i gather.
Stinger2
August 21st, 2011
3:41 am
Obviously, so far, the Braves have done well (except against the Cubs) during this homestand. They need to bear down and not let up today before the roadtrip. Maybe Hudson can keep up his hot streak. Hope Hinske gets in the lineup today since Chipper will sit out.
The Book
August 21st, 2011
5:06 am
THE BOOK SAYS CHIPPER’S IN THE WRONG LINEUP SPOT
(Note: This Sky Kalkman article was posted on another blog by mistake, so I’ll repost it here.)
Is Fredi batting Chipper the right spot in the lineup (6th)? The Book says he isn’t.
What’s The Book?
In order to put the best lineup together possible, Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman, and Andy Dolphin conducted some extensive research and wrote a book called The Book on this subject (and other baseball related subjects).
Here’s an article by baseball writer, Sky Kalkman, on basics of lineup construction from The Book:
Optimizing Your Lineup By The Book
by Sky Kalkman
“As teams begin to pare down their rosters towards the magical 25 number, spring training conversation will shift to debating each team’s ideal batting order. … By lineup position:
Lead-Off
The old-school book says to put a speedy guy up top. Power isn’t important, and OBP is nice, but comes second to speed.
The Book says OBP is king. The lead-off hitter comes to bat only 36% of the time with a runner on base, versus 44% of the time for the next lowest spot in the lineup, so why waste homeruns? The lead-off hitter also comes to the plate the most times per game, so why give away outs? As for speed, stealing bases is most valuable in front of singles hitters, and since the top of the order is going to be full of power hitters, they’re not as important. The lead-off hitter is one of the best three hitters on the team, the guy without homerun power. Speed is nice, as this batter will have plenty of chances to run the bases with good hitters behind him.
The Two Hole
The old-school book says to put a bat-control guy here. Not a great hitter, but someone who can move the lead-off hitter over for one of the next two hitters to drive in.
The Book says the #2 hitter comes to bat in situations about as important as the #3 hitter, but more often. That means the #2 hitter should be better than the #3 guy, and one of the best three hitters overall. And since he bats with the bases empty more often than the hitters behind him, he should be a high-OBP player. Doesn’t sound like someone who should be sacrificing, does it?
The Third Spot
The old-school book says to put your best high-average hitter here. The lead-off hitter should already be in scoring position and a hit drives him in. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
The Book says the #3 hitter comes to the plate with, on average, fewer runners on base than the #4 or #5 hitters. So why focus on putting a guy who can knock in runs in the #3 spot, when the two spots after him can benefit from it more? Surprisingly, because he comes to bat so often with two outs and no runners on base, the #3 hitter isn’t nearly as important as we think. This is a spot to fill after more important spots are taken care of.
Cleanup
The old-school book says to put your big power bat here, probably a guy with a low batting average, who will hit the big multi-run home runs.
The Book says the #4 hitter comes to bat in the most important situations out of all nine spots, but is equal in importance to the #2 hole once you consider the #2 guy receives more plate appearances. The cleanup hitter is the best hitter on the team with power.
The Number Five Guy
The old-school book says the number five guy is a wannabe cleanup hitter.
The Book says the #5 guy can provide more value than the #3 guy with singles, doubles, triples, and walks, and avoiding outs, although the #3 guy holds an advantage with homeruns. After positions #1, #2, and #4 are filled, put your next best hitter here, unless he lives and dies with the long ball.
Spots Six Through Nine
The old-school book says the rest of the lineup should be written in based on decreasing talent. Hitting ninth is an insult.
The Book basically agrees, with a caveat. Stolen bases are most valuable ahead of high-contact singles hitters, who are more likely to hit at the bottom of the lineup. So a base-stealing threat who doesn’t deserve a spot higher in the lineup is optimized in the #6 hole, followed by the singles hitters.
That Whole Hitting The Pitcher Eighth Thing
The Cardinals and Brewers have hit the pitcher eighth in the past, and it’s actually a smart, albeit insignificant, strategy. Yes, giving an awful hitter more plate appearances by hitting him higher in the lineup is costly, but the benefit of having a better number nine hitter interacting with the top of the lineup is worth the trade-off, by about two runs per season. By putting a decent hitter at the bottom of the order, the top spots in the lineup will have more runners on base to advance with walks and hits and drive in with hits.
This strategy isn’t as worthwhile in the American League, because even the worst position player will be on base significantly more often than a pitcher when the top of the order comes around. Only bat the worst hitter eighth when he’s significantly worse than anybody else — maybe someone like Adam Everett or Tony Pena Jr.
Final Thoughts
Another way to look at things is to order the batting slots by the leveraged value of the out. In plain English (sort of), we want to know how costly making an out is by each lineup position, based on the base-out situations they most often find themselves in, and then weighted by how often each lineup spot comes to the plate. Here’s how the lineup spots rank in the importance of avoiding outs:
#1, #4, #2, #5, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9
So, you want your best three hitters to hit in the #1, #4, and #2 spots. Distribute them so OBP is higher in the order and SLG is lower. Then place your fourth and fifth best hitters, with the #5 spot usually seeing the better hitter, unless he’s a high-homerun guy. Then place your four remaining hitters in decreasing order of overall hitting ability, with basestealers ahead of singles hitters. Finally, stop talking like the lineup is a make-or-break decision.
For all the nitty gritty details, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of The Book, which goes into even greater detail about the strategy of lineup construction, including platoons, separating lefties in the lineup, strikeouts, avoiding GIDPs, and preventing the pitcher from hitting.” – End article.
Based on what The Book says, where would you bat Chipper in the Braves lineup? And what would the rest of your Atlanta lineup look like?
noliee
August 21st, 2011
5:35 am
Shaun’s Bible
coach joe
August 21st, 2011
5:36 am
you writers must never sleep.
what a great week… 5-1 against the best in the west with one to go.
we rolling. go braves
Remarkable
August 21st, 2011
6:09 am
THE BOOK Sounds like to me you’ve proven that Chipper should hit in the six spot.
Bourn
Prado
Freeman
McCann
Uggla
Jones
Constanza
Gonzalez
Smiling Jack
August 21st, 2011
6:19 am
I don’t want any one to know that I’m up this early!!!!Great game last night! Go Braves!
Couch Tater
August 21st, 2011
6:37 am
FYI…
TD Ameritrade currently has an opening for a General Manager in one of our Chicago offices. Qualified candidates must possesss a general knowledge of baseball, the term “lovable losers”, and an exceptional knowledge of contract negotiation. Candidates must also present a portfolio of comments made to Fangraphs, Baseball America, and formulate the statistical likelihood of acquiring this high profile position.
TD Ameritrade is an equal opportunity employer. However, former protege’s of Dave Dombrowski, Mark Cuban, Sam Zell, Gussie Busch or Andy MacPhail will most likely have their portfolio siht canned without a form letter response.
Thank you for your interest.
Mitch McConnell's Chins
August 21st, 2011
7:08 am
Uggla is having a Dave Kingman type year. We’ll certainly take it. He’s the right-handed bat we’ve been looking for.
No more Chipper bashing. This is an iconic Brave, among the elite few all-time beneath Henry Aaron. If he isn’t worth $14 mil now, he was worth a lot more than he was getting the first dozen years of his HOF career. The team has plenty of weapons and desite some bad trades involving young guys who are now starring on other teams, we still have it set up to where older players contracts run out in time to sign up the younger ones we want to keep, which is what kept the team winning division titles 14 straight seasons.
Bruce
August 21st, 2011
7:15 am
Thanks Carroll!
collegeballfan
August 21st, 2011
7:48 am
Freeman. How is he doing compared to Chipper and Heyward in their rookie seasons?
Here are the numbers, Freeman for 123 games only.
C.Jones – AB 524, R 87, H 139, HR 23, RBI 86, BB 73, OBP .353, AVG .265
Heyward – AB 520, R 83, H 144, HR 18, RBI 72, BB 91, OBP .393, AVG .277
Freeman – AB 454, R 58, H 133, HR 17, RBI 62, BB 41, OBP .355, AVG .293
Looks like a keeper.
Braves Fan before they were good
August 21st, 2011
8:00 am
It’s probably bad karma, but I think Cristhian Martinez is a secret weapon that no one mentions. He could be a 4th starter for most teams, and he is still young. I was convinced that when he was sent down before the All-Star Break that he was going to be traded (he was being showcased and pitched very well at Gwinnett). As he wasn’t traded, will he ever be mentioned as a starter option for us? Maybe I am missing something…but he makes me feel good whenever he comes in the game.
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
August 21st, 2011
8:01 am
Up eight games in the wild card and hitting on all cylinders, headed toward the playoffs.
35 left to play. So sit back and enjoy the ride Braves fans
JackDennis
August 21st, 2011
8:04 am
Memo to “The Book”: Leo Tolstoy not needed here.
richbrave
August 21st, 2011
8:05 am
Knock, knock, knocking on 30’s door? Anyway, now that I can’t get the music out of my head here’s……..
DOWN ON THE FARM
GWINNETT
Drubbed 8-5 yesterday. STEVE, SHELL’d and eaten once again.
ERIC CORDIER [5.21 ERA] 1.0 IP, zeros, 1 SO. Short line. Need to find out why.
STEVE SHELL [2-4, 4.50 ERA] 3.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, and what I meant by shelled……..4 frickin’ HR’s. Ugly, ugly effort.
DUSTY RICHARDSON [6.31 ERA] 3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, and NO homers.
CORY GEARRIN [1.74 ERA] 1.0 IP, zeros, 1 BB, 2 SO.
DH WES HELMS [.500 BA] 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO. Great to have you back WES. Nice start.
3B DIORY HERNANDEZ [.200 BA] 2-4, 1 RBI [24], 1 SO.
2B RUBEN GOTAY [.251 BA] 1-3, 1 RBI [21], 1 BB, 1 SO.
C J.C. BOSCAN [.198 BA] 1-4, 1 2B [8], 3 SO. HAT TRICK! Some things never change.
1B ‘45′ GOMEZ [.277 BA] 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B [28], 2 SO.
Lead-off CF MATT YOUNG [.263 BA] 1-5, 1 R, 1 3B [3], 2 SO.
RF STEF GARTRELL [.261 BA] 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO.
LF WILKIN CASTILLO [.272 BA] 1-5, 1 RBI [30], 1 SO.
SS ‘Skip’ HICKS [.261 BA] 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI [42], GOLDEN SOMBRERO, ouch-ee mama!
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:12 am
Remarkable…the article on “The Book” does not prove that Chipper should be batting in the 6-hole. Not at all.
Furman Bitcher
August 21st, 2011
8:16 am
Can anyone on here tell me what our offense has been ranked since the all-star break?
Below is the whole season but I am wondering.
RUNS
530
14th
Overall
BATTING AVERAGE
.248
20th
Overall
ON BASE PERCENTAGE
.313
22nd
Overall
SLUGGING PCT
.396
16th
Overall
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:17 am
Love the trade for Bourn and happy for Schafer. Jordan goes 5-5 last night for Okl City. Think we see him in Houston very soon.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:20 am
I am not saying I subscribe to all of the theoris in The Book article, but playing along; I think this lineup fits the bill as described:
Bourn
Chipper
Prado
Mac
Freddie
Constanza
Uggla
A-Gon
Pitcher
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:21 am
Frankie, that’s good to hear about Jordan. I just don’t think he was going to reach his potential here. The good ‘ol change of scenery may do him good. I hope so.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:21 am
…and I love Bourn. I hope we can sign him long term. Man, how spoiled were we to have a young Andruw for all of those years? Man, Andruw in his prime was head and shoulders above any CF in the game today. I really believe that.
Furman Bitcher
August 21st, 2011
8:24 am
Jason I have been saying Chipper should be in the 2 whole all year. i agree 100%
richbrave
August 21st, 2011
8:25 am
MISSISSIPPI
JOSE LUGO [1-4, 3.31 ERA] 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. Excelente!!!!
BILLY BULLOCK [SV 10, 4.93 ERA] 1.0, perfecto, 1 SO.
CF MYC JONES [.247 BA] 2-3, 1 BB, 1 SO.
1B ERNESTO MEJIA [.299 BA] 1-4, 1 2B [32], 1 SO.
RF CORY HARRILCHAK [.254 BA] 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B [21].
C MATT KENNALLY [.257 BA] 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B [9], 1 RBI [24], 1 SO.
2B JORDAN KREKE [.225 BA] 3-3, 2 RBI [28].
P JOSE LUGO [.231 BA] 1-3, 1 2B [1].
DSL
No more reports from the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC this season as the final two games are cancelled by rain. The BRAVES finish second in their division one game under .500. They went out with a whimper rather than a roar, losing five of their last six, and going 6-9 in the month of August.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:27 am
Furman, I advocated for Chipper in the 2-hole earlier in the season as well. I was just trying to see if I had any reading comprehension and put a lineup together based on the article that was posted. But, Chipper in the 2-hole is a great idea, IMO. But, Fredit is old school and thinks the guy in the 2-hole needs to be able to bunt. Of course, Martin isn’t the best at it…
Bob the Blogger
August 21st, 2011
8:32 am
Where did all of the “trade / bench / demote Uggla” mongers go?
richbrave
August 21st, 2011
8:32 am
JASONINFL:
Dang it. I installed a windows update last night and now I can’t find a toolbar. No copy and paste. Wanted to agree regarding ANDRUW JONES. Told my grandson yesterday that I wished I could get him with AJ for pointers. His eyes grew wider as he readily agreed.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:33 am
I have never been one of them, Bob. I love me some Uggla!
richbrave
August 21st, 2011
8:35 am
Bob the Blogger:
Still here. We should cut the bum and eat his salary. He’ll never hit 20 HR’s this season.
Mike from the coast
August 21st, 2011
8:37 am
I should know this but I don’t. Teheran, Delgado, etc. have pitched on the Big team this year. Are they playoff eligible? Or do they actually have to be on the 25 man roster September 1st? I would love to see Linebrink DFA’d and have Delgado and/or Teheran on the roster for the playoffs. Not as starters but out of the bullpen. Delgado in particular with the last start looks like he could have a lot to offer.
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:38 am
I agree Jason. Like I said, hopefully one of those trades that benefit both teams. I really love what Bourn brings to this team. He has been exactly as advertised so far.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:41 am
Richbrave, that would be something!
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:43 am
Wes Helm two knocks. We need a RH bat off the bench for the playoffs. Are they going to call this guy up next week?
Josh Willingham is heating up but don’t see how we get him. We need to address the RH bat issue soon me thinks.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
8:47 am
Frankie, I agree. I thought your namesake would have made a move already for a RH bat. Haven’t heard any rumblings lately. I think the bullpen is less of a priority now that Viz has been called up and hopefully Moylan can come back and contribute.
bravesivy
August 21st, 2011
8:48 am
where are all the Uggla Hater now. We have to stop on this blog like such bandwagon jumpers, if you are a fan be a fan and even when the Braves have McClouth leading off and seemed like they lacked energy I was still a fan. Baseball is a humbling game and even when Uggla was struggling the man was still hitting homers and this is what the braves were badly missing last year. We have to take the good with bad because everybody can’t be Babe Ruth or Willie Mays
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:49 am
Jason, I am sure FW is working on something. He has been pulling the right strings so far, so I am betting he cashes in on something soon.
richbrave
August 21st, 2011
8:51 am
LYNCHBURG
HILLCATS lose 10-6
C SHAWN McGILL [.262 BA] 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B [10], 1 RBI [16], 1 BB, 1 SO.
SS AL SIMMONS [.305 BA] 1-5, 1 2B [29].
1B JOE TERDOSLAVICH [.280 BA] 1-4, 1 R.
3B JOE LEONARD [.264 BA] 3-5, 1 R, , 1 SO.
DH GERARDO RODRIGUEZ [.212 BA] 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR [9], 1 RBI [42], 1 BB, 1 SO.
DAVID HALE [3-6, 4.50 ERA] 4.1 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, and two stinkin’ HR’s. Ugh!
‘David Lee’ ROTH [5.79 ERA] 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 3 SO and ANOTHER HR!
ELIECER CARDENAS [0.88 ERA] 1.0, pristine with a strike-out. He IS da’ man!
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:52 am
I have to agree with Uggla bashing. Hopefully not offending anyone present here but the idea to send Uggla down to Gwinnett was mindless. Baseball is a 6 month long season. I was surprised he struggled come all the way through June but still. What he has done the last two months has been awesome to watch.
Frankie Wren
August 21st, 2011
8:52 am
Got to roll. Go Braves!
Bill James again
August 21st, 2011
8:54 am
Lovin’ the numbers. Redemption is at hand.
However the joke about “great, great grandfather”, taste aside, is not credible from a numbers perspective and I immediately smelled a rat. Assuming from your picture you are 30-something, I would say you should have wisely chosen great grandfather.
bravesivy
August 21st, 2011
8:55 am
And everybody is crying for the Giants injuries did anyone cry last year when The Braves made the playoffs with no Chipper and were without Prado and Sorry Brooks Conrad but those errors he committed were just horrible but being a fan I felt bad for the guy and happy he is still around. Our pitching has to man up now though because if Jair is giving up hard hit balls from everybody lately imagine what will happen against the Brewers your locationg has to be on point with those guys. Let’s get healthy bravos and keep winning. I could not go to sleep that night before we got bourn and said we had to get him and Thank goodnes we got hime
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:06 am
35 games to play, 8 game lead in the wild card. If the Braves go 18-17 in their last 35 games, they will finish at 93-69. Giants would have to go 26-9 to force a one game playoff. The Cardinals would have to go 27-9 to force a one game playoff.
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:10 am
Boy, A.J. Burnett is really struggling. I would say he’s as good as gone this offseason, but I’m not sure what sort of swap they could make.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:11 am
What about a Lowe for A.J. swap?
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:11 am
Braves are 12-4 in their past 16 games. Very exciting brand of baseball they are playing. Just need to get Jurrjens on track and Hanson back.
Good time to be a Braves fan.
Braveheart
August 21st, 2011
9:13 am
where are all the Uggla Hater now.
Oh, gimme a break. Dude was hitting .173 on the Fourth of July. He deserved the hating. I was shocked the boobirds weren’t in full force and effect. He got way too much leeway from the fans, probably because he is a good guy who everyone knows cares and works hard. What he’s doing now ain’t exactly an in your face to those who were booing him at the time. If an above-average hitter is merely performing average, and he has haters, then that is mostly unreasonable hatred. But if an above-average hitter is performing like the worst hitter in the league, then it’s perfectly reasonable to hate on him.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:14 am
Yeah, if JJ and Hanson return to their 1st half form, we are going to be very, very dangerous. I don’t know if people realize how good Huddy has been lately. He has gone 5-1 in his last 8 starts and has gone at least 7 innings in all of them.
That trend continues today.
henry from TN
August 21st, 2011
9:16 am
I hope uggla hits 40 before season is over and freeman 20 if freeman gets 20 that will assure him the rookie of the year….
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:17 am
Jason, I actually thought about that. And I think A.J. would be good in the National League and away from the big lights of NYC. But it’s just not a need for the Braves. Burnett is owed 33 million over 2012-2013. I can’t see a Zambrano/Burnett swap. Could you imagine Big Z in a Yankee uni? Yikes.
longtimefan
August 21st, 2011
9:18 am
As I wrote months ago, Uggla was going to turn around his season at some time- “regression to the mean”. More than half the bloggers were calling for his benching, demotion,trading or outright release! The last suggestion was so idiotic on so many levels as to not deserve comment. When are you former Uggla HATERS going to publicly eat crow? Some of you eternal pessimists have moved onto a new target-Heyward. Once again you are wrong; the baseball experts still recognize him as the 5 tool player he was last year and he will emerge from his slump just as Uggla did. It is amazing to me that so-called Braves fans can constantly rag on a team that, for the majority of the year, has had one of the very best records in baseball with probably the best young talent in the game. Do some of you expect perfection from all the players and managers all the time? Questioning Fredi Gonzalez decisions after you know the outcome is pretty easy. Try making the right move on the fly every time-not so easy.
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:18 am
Amen. Good post at 9:13, BH.
timboy6
August 21st, 2011
9:18 am
You need a good long reliever. Martinez fits the bill nicely. I wouldn’t think of putting him in the rotation.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:22 am
Wow, I didn’t realize the year that Stanton is having for the Fish. 29 HRs and a .892 OPS. He has a higher OPS than Pujols. Wow.
clay
August 21st, 2011
9:24 am
Things are looking good right now in Braves Country. You can tell they have that swagger and expect to win every game. They are heating up at the right time with a little over a month to play. Costanza and Bourne are the best thing this team has had since the otis nixon and ron gant years. Speed kills and it gives this team such a different look than they have had in about 20 years. We now have speed and power to go along with the pitching. This team can go a long way this year and the next 5 to 10 with all the young guns we have. GO BRAVES!!!
longtimefan
August 21st, 2011
9:24 am
Braveheart
You must be from Philly. Kinda sounds like the logic their “fans” use.
Efrim
August 21st, 2011
9:25 am
Beachy has a 25/4 K/BB ratio in his last three starts(18 innings).
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:25 am
Efrim, true. Braves really don’t need AJ. But, I do agree that he would be much better away from the Big Rotten Apple. He had a couple of really good years in Toronto. I thought he would have been dominant had he come to the Braves instead of the Yanks. How times change.
Bravos need to do something with Lowe, but there isn’t anyone that is going to take that contract. The Braves might get a bite or two if he goes on to have another Sept like he did last year.
If Tommy is healthy, and due to the fact that it won’t be easy to trade Lowe; I still wouldn’t be surprised to see JJ dealt at the winter meetings.
Lew
August 21st, 2011
9:27 am
And why did the book need to be re-written? Did teams quit winning ballgames?
Lew
August 21st, 2011
9:31 am
Braveheart – Hate? When is hate ever acceptable as a reaction against poor performance?
Boo to voice your displeasure, but hate? Haven’t we seen more than enough of that to last a lifetime?
braveslifer
August 21st, 2011
9:32 am
Enter your comments here
TennesseePaul
August 21st, 2011
9:32 am
Thanks for the work CR!
GO BRAVES!
braveslifer
August 21st, 2011
9:33 am
Book answer?
Bourn
Freeman
Uggla
Mac
Chipper
Prado
Heyward
Pitcher
SeaBass
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:38 am
…and what a pickup Bermkan has been for the Cards.
Felix Millan
August 21st, 2011
9:44 am
Lew -
Very well said @ 9.31.
So-called “fans” on the blog who launch vicious personal attacks against a player who is slumping (or is just not very good) are the lowest form of human beings. I don’t even want ‘em rooting for my team.
And everyone of them, given a chance to meet Uggla or McLouth or whomever in person, would have nary a negative peep.
JasonInFL
August 21st, 2011
9:45 am
What the heck happened to Huddy in ‘06? What an anomaly that year was.