Beachy (elbow) exits, Braves get one hit in 5-0 loss to O’s
After Brandon Beachy left the game for recurring soreness in his pitching elbow, the Braves could only hope that Saturday night’s losses weren’t a lot worse than merely a 5-0 defeat against the Baltimore Orioles.
Beachy, the major league leader in ERA among starting pitchers, left with two outs in the fourth inning of a then-scoreless game. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Beachy would have an MRI on Sunday or Monday, as soon as they can get him in for the exam that will reveal if there is damage to the ligament or other soft tissue.
“We’re going to get the MRI and hope,” Beachy said. “Hope for the best.”
The 25-year-old pitched on three extra days’ rest after having what he and the Braves described as minor soreness in his previous start June 8 against Toronto. Beachy said there was some discomfort in the early innings Saturday, “but nothing serious.”
He retired the first 11 batters he faced, including five strikeouts, before walking Chris Davis with two out in the fourth inning. He threw two early curveballs in the dirt against Davis, and Beachy’s fastball velocity was only 86 for another pitch against Davis.
“When I stopped Davis off with those curveballs, I felt it,” he said. “I knew. I knew it was different than it had been before, so we needed to stop.”
After walking Davis on six pitches, Beachy signaled to catcher Brian McCann to come to the mound. He said the discomfort was worse this time than during his previous start.
“I would have kept pitching if it wasn’t,” he said.
Gonzalez saw Beachy signal to McCann and the manager immediately went with a Braves trainer to the mound. Beachy didn’t throw another pitch.
“I thought he looked great until the last batter,” Gonzalez said. “When he walked Davis his velocity went straight down. He was throwing pretty good and all of a sudden that velocity, the last pitch he threw was 88, 89… He brought Mac out. Mac looked in the dugout and I said something was wrong. There was no sense at that point to even try to throw another pitch.”
Braves center fielder Michael Bourn said, “His health comes first. He needs to take it easy. He’s too good to try to be pushing it out there if it’s still hurting him. All of us, all 24 other guys want him out there, but he’s got to be healthy first.”
Reliever Anthony Varvaro walked the next two batters and gave up a two-run single to Mark Reynolds before getting out of the inning. The first run was charged to Beachy, who also took the loss after the Braves failed to score in their fifth loss in six games.
The Braves didn’t even get a hit until the seventh inning against Orioles starter Jason Hammel (7-2), who threw a complete game in 103 pitches. Jason Heyward’s two-out single was their only hit of the night.
“All in all, honestly we want to win ballgames; that’s what we set out to do,” Heyward said. “But to lose your starting pitcher, to lose Beach tonight … it’s really unfortunate.”
If Beachy’s injury forces him to miss significant time, the Braves have Kris Medlen available to replace him in the starting rotation. However, Gonzalez indicated that if Beachy only misses a start or two Medlen might remain in the bullpen and another starter could fill in.
Medlen just got back from a two-week stint at Triple-A Gwinnett, after being pulled from the Braves’ bullpen in order to get “stretched out” and ready to start.
The Braves had two young pitchers struggling at the time that Medlen was sent to Gwinnett, and both Mike Minor and Randall Delgado improved significantly in recent starts, leading team officials to put Medlen back in the bullpen this week after recalling him from Gwinnett.
The Braves on Friday designated for assignment veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez, who struggled mightily as a reliever this season after a long career as a starter. That move was made to open a spot for Medlen in the bullpen.
The Braves can ill afford to lose Beachy, whose performance this season has been far greater than his record (5-5) indicates. He has been one of the top starting pitchers in the National League.
“Any time you lose a pitcher who’s leading the league in ERA, that’s tough,” McCann said.
The former undrafted free agent began Saturday as the major league ERA leader (1.98) among starters and was second in opponents’ average (.178), third in opponents’ slugging percentage (.269) and second in the National League in opponents’ on-base percentage (.255).
Beach is 0-4 with a 3.33 ERA in his past five starts, after going 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his previous seven. The reversal of fortunes began after his five-hit shutout in career-high 122 pitches at Miami on May 17.
He’s pitched five innings or fewer in three of five starts since then, after pitching six or more in each of the previous seven starts including seven or more innings in four.
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118 comments Add your comment
IowaBravesFan
June 16th, 2012
9:45 pm
……Ladies and Gentlemen The Atlanta Braves……
lolbraves
June 16th, 2012
9:47 pm
Beachy didn’t give up a hit and lost the game. Putting Medlen in the rotation is only going to further deplete the already struggling bullpen seems like a bad idea. Why not give Teheran another shot he pitched well up until Fredi pulled him at the first sign of trouble.
man and dog
June 16th, 2012
9:49 pm
I love the Braves. It’s just the dumba*% manager I can’t stand.
Bro
June 16th, 2012
9:50 pm
One of the real issues is the WEAK bench this team has. Hinske, Francisco, & Wilson are awwwwwwwwful. Any game in which they start is a HUGE offensive reduction. Tonight, the Braves were playing against the Orioles with only 6 MLB batters in the starting lineup. A shutout is not surprising.
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
9:50 pm
Fredi is not that smart.
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 16th, 2012
9:51 pm
Hope Beachy will be okay.
Bro
June 16th, 2012
9:52 pm
I thought Wilson was on the team because Fredi wanted a defensive closer for Rev. Now, Rev’s gone. So why keep limp-wristed Wilson around?
Ranger
June 16th, 2012
9:53 pm
A truely wimpy performane– 6 big leaguers or not–any real word on Beachy
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
9:53 pm
@TheOnlyBravesFan I do to,but it does not look good.
shorty
June 16th, 2012
9:56 pm
Fire Fredi he has no clue how to set a line up…Francisco is worthless and Hinski is best suited off the bench. There are players in Gwinette who can do better than these two.
This is trouble
June 16th, 2012
9:57 pm
This is obviously a really bad sign. Unfortunately it sounds like a visit to Birmingham is in his near future. Braves are FUBAR’d…
JRW7
June 16th, 2012
9:59 pm
BRAVES are on the way down. WAY DOWN! This BRAVES team is not very good!
kuhndog
June 16th, 2012
10:05 pm
Dokey, we might be back to the old days with TBS I kinda liked that not so much sensationalism with the team.I guess all baseball and all sports are sensationalized these days it kind of took the fun out of it.
Veritas
June 16th, 2012
10:09 pm
The whole team is one big bandaid patched up all offseason.
RWill
June 16th, 2012
10:10 pm
Once again, I called it. Very likely Beachy is done for the year. TJ surgery, here he comes… Same mechanical flaws that led to Medlen’s needing surgery. It sucks, but entirely predictable. I’ve mentioned it on a few of these blogs since Spring Training. We’re also likely on borrowed time with Tommy Hanson still, too.
This isn’t McDowell’s fault, either. Unless you want to completely revamp a proven major league pitcher’s entire delivery, certain pitchers are just much more likely to get injured. It’s encouraging that he worked with Hanson to alter his a little, unfortunately it doesn’t look like it made a huge difference.
drew
June 16th, 2012
10:11 pm
LOVE IT !!!
The only thing worse than the Braves are their so-called ‘fans’….
Atlanta sucks all the way around – get used to it folks.
flacco5
June 16th, 2012
10:11 pm
What a game from Hammel. This is what we’ve seen from him all year. Watched him a lot with Colo, he never had this velocity or sinker. What a steal that trade was and many called it the worst of the offseason
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
10:11 pm
The Braves scouts are looking through other teams junk yards for pitching help..they got one today McCurry. Braves like to run re-caps on thier tires*..they’re easlier to change. Same old Braves.
* players
bob didier
June 16th, 2012
10:12 pm
Don’t want to say I told you so, but I told them so. Should have put Beachy and O’Flathery on the DL until they were 100 percent. Braves have had an abnormal number of injuries to their pitchers. Something is bad wrong.
farmer
June 16th, 2012
10:13 pm
it’s Tommy John for Beachy.. I sincerely hope not, but knowing this team, I wouldn’t doubt it. plainly put, this team is worthless up and down. I hate the way they are playing and so does everyone else.. one damn hit? that is ridiculous.. the manager is a useless piece of crap, our bench is crap, hell this whole team is crap.
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
10:13 pm
No McDowell is the greatest thing since Obama.
Ace
June 16th, 2012
10:14 pm
Well that’s about as bad as a night can get. Paging Ben Sheets…
Preston Hannitized
June 16th, 2012
10:15 pm
Is this city jinxed? On the same day, Beachy goes down and Sund comes back. We are doomed to mediocrity.
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
10:17 pm
sund back..o’hell!
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
10:19 pm
@hiway61 I saw just a little bit ago that fW was tring to acquire Saunders from Arizona. Another reject. Good old FW. Fire FW and FG Now!!!
pcola braves fan
June 16th, 2012
10:21 pm
Definite problems here. We’re getting ready to go to American league parks. It looks like Chipper is the DH..who do we use off the bench?? No power on the bench. We lack depth and need to get some. Don’t we have someone better in Gwinnett. I don’t need to even mention about our pitching problems. I’m hoping we get it all worked out. GO BRAVES!!
wins-by-a-link
June 16th, 2012
10:22 pm
I think this braves team is indictative of the Organization as a whole, Poor scouting, Poor coaching and no support from ownership, Pitching which was the strong point of this team is now a minus, Hitting which has depended on Chipper for so long is probably near the bottom of the league with no prospects of improving in the near future, Frankly I don’t see any hitting prospects anywhere in the Organization, I don’t think this team is capable of competing for a championship and I suspect the owners don’t care. Look for this team to finish below 500.
mpimentel
June 16th, 2012
10:25 pm
Another pitcher the baves will send to 5r.james andrew’s office…vizcaino,medlen,now beachy, soon to be hanson, geez, it’s awesome that nobody in this crapy organitation doesn’t realice that our pitching coach is an arm destroyer…fire him before the entire pitching roster get surgycla reparied…I’m serius, the braves needs to walk in another direction without fredi, wren and very sure without mcdowell
double
June 16th, 2012
10:26 pm
Errors made & Excuses will come later.Sure hope nothing serious with BB.We are in enough problems in the pitching dept.I suspect Orioles using those Amish made bats tonight.
stew
June 16th, 2012
10:29 pm
Fruti has got no clue.
gmoney13
June 16th, 2012
10:30 pm
Hinske is a good bench player but this year he has showed he shouldnt be starting. Maybe we should give the Meija or Durango a shot at helping out the bench some.
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
10:31 pm
Agree..Whiskey River
Braves didn’t have all these injuries when Leo was Rocking the bench.
stew
June 16th, 2012
10:31 pm
Neither has McDowell. Bring back Leo.
Ranger
June 16th, 2012
10:32 pm
Folks we all know the ownership is the problem. Who is Liberty Media. Did I see him out sailing his boat? did I see him builidng a media empire? Did I see him bopping around with Jane? The answer is bring back Ted turner or another owner like arthur Blank who care about the results the fans are looking for.
mpimentel
June 16th, 2012
10:32 pm
I’m feel bad about beachy…geez mcdowell learn some baseball dude, you have never realize that our pitching craft, it’ headed to james andrews…the braves have at least 1 or 2 pitchers with elbow’s soreness year after year, season after season…I’m sick of it…
sid
June 16th, 2012
10:35 pm
don’t worry Braves fans you can enjoy the rest of the Chipper windup tour……with lots of nice parting gifts. That’s about all you have really.
wolf
June 16th, 2012
10:37 pm
During Beachy’s prior start, I noticed that something seemed to be wrong, and, sure enough, a day later, the elbow soreness was announced. Why not be as SURE as possible about what is wrong before sending the guy out there? Why not have Dr. Andrews do an exam rather than rely on the incompetent Braves’ medical staff for recommendations? Competent team management would have taken all possible measures to check out the “elbow soreness” for the league’s ERA leader and a young pitcher with great potential. Maybe the elbow was already as bad as it was going to get and the extra pitches tonight did not matter. But maybe NOT. Over many years, I have seen more and more reason to have questions about the competence of the Atlanta medical staff,
jojo
June 16th, 2012
10:37 pm
think “Rocking Leo” would come back??
mpimentel
June 16th, 2012
10:41 pm
I think it’s better to save time and send the whole pitching staf to dr.james andrew’s office and get readdy to next season…are you happy mcDowell???….did anyboddy here know how manny timesmaddux, glavinne and even smoltzy hit the DL under leo mazz regime??? Well I think we don’ even have to make the same Qs about the mcDowell tenure with us…I hope that none of the guys ends like mark prior!!
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
10:42 pm
@mpimentel Hi, Where you been? OK lets go over this one more time for all the believers, #1 Fire FW. #2 FireFG. #3 Release Francisco,Bench Chipper. Bring back Constanza. Hire Cox as GM Hire Terry Francona as Manager. Bring back Mazzone.Release Hinske and Wilsun. Bring up Pastor and Parraz. Lets play some baseball instead of checkers.
FG who??
June 16th, 2012
10:43 pm
Fredi G is a dweeb. He wouldn’t know how to manage a team if someone put directions on a silver platter for him. All the Braves owners care about is not spending any money. They won’t get a decent manager or good pitchers.
Bronke
June 16th, 2012
10:47 pm
Boy what a promising year looking real sour right now. At least we know that Fredi G will be gone by next year and maybe without Chipper the Braves can get some real players. This team is too frail. They lack mental toughness and break down too easy! The mcCann Chipper era will soon be past and the Simmons Freeman era will soon begin. I am hoping that they will have better examples of leadership to follow and leave behind the prima Donna attitude allowed by this current team!
Coach (2012 Fredi's Beisbol Fandango)
June 16th, 2012
10:50 pm
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah……same children, different day.
Ralph
June 16th, 2012
10:51 pm
I was just checking on Teheran’s game at Gwinette, I noticed something interesting, they took him out of the game after only pitching 4 innings, he wasn’t pitching all that bad, he gave up 1 run in the 3rd and 1 in the 4th then replaced him starting the 5th inning. All this happened about the same time as Beachy left the game?????????????????????
FG who??
June 16th, 2012
10:52 pm
I hope you have true inside info, Bronke. I just don’t think they will fire fredi the freeloader
cowdogit
June 16th, 2012
10:54 pm
Mazzone won fourteen division titles because his workout program had the pitchers in shape to pitch . Of the hundred or so pitchers he trained , I can think of only two that had arm problems . After last Septembers pitiful performance I would think the CEO would have everybody in the braves organization on a short lease .
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
10:54 pm
@Ralph Maybe just coincidence. BTW What is my name again? Its not Andy.
MLS
June 16th, 2012
10:56 pm
I just don’t know about Freddie??? I question some of his moves. I guess that is why he is the coach and i’m not.
FG who??
June 16th, 2012
10:58 pm
MLS…I bet you could do a better job than fredi is
durrtydogg
June 16th, 2012
10:59 pm
Im not a regular or one of the “homeboys” who post on here thirty times a day but I have said time and time again that our bench suuuucks!!! Prado should have stayed at first or at least play third tonight. Hinske is the worse. When he comes up to the plate, I know its gonna be a quick out. I dont care about what someone has done against a person in the past. Hinske has lost whatever little bit he had left. Dont get me started on Francisco and Wilson. If you can offer some guy 30 million and cant get some decent backups, I mean come on. This team does enough to keep you interested only to fold in the end. Come on guys! Play with heart. Its not getting any easier.
Ralph
June 16th, 2012
11:01 pm
Whiskey River
Andy I don’t think it was coincidence, they don’t just pull a pitcher after 4 innings to start an inning for no reason.
MLS
June 16th, 2012
11:01 pm
Fire Freddie,,,, He is just not smart enough to get the job done.
extremus
June 16th, 2012
11:01 pm
If Beachy ends up being lost for any significant amount of time, the Braves’ chances of even competing for a playoff spot will take a massive hit; there’s nobody at any level of their organization remotely able to step in and replace him, especially at the quality he’s been pitching.
I can’t help but agree with what many previous posters have already said; the Braves bench is atrocious right now. Hinske and Francisco are automatic outs, Matt Diaz is hit and miss, and even Ross has lost a step offensively. That’s not to say their “A Team” is faring much better, with Chipper constantly out of the lineup and Freeman now hurt by not one but two freak issues (eyes and wrist). Heyward shows just enough flashes of brilliance to frustrate you even more when he returns to normal, and McCann is fighting just to get his average above .250. I love Bourn’s production but we’re going to lose him come the end of the season as he’s a Scott Boras client, and along with Prado he’s about the only real bright spot in our whole offense (is it just me or does it seem an eternity since any of our “big bats” other than McCann have hit a home run, particularly in a clutch situation?).
Add to this Johnny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty going rapidly downhill health and performance-wise, and you have a team full of reasons to doubt whether they are going to sniff .500 come the end of the year, let alone the playoffs.
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
11:03 pm
Its lights out time at the big A. So Long Good nite.
Kentavo
June 16th, 2012
11:04 pm
Looks like we’ll be seeing Mr. Teheran again soon…
P.T. Barnum
June 16th, 2012
11:04 pm
Now perhaps Beachy, I hope not. I’m waiting for Hanson, his dlivery is odd. Maybe mcdowell has taken him under his wing so he will need surgery. Is mcdowell growing a beard as a diguise? Can’t believe the team has not made any changes, year in year out. The same coaching staff except we have two hitting coaches now to coach a team that gets only one hit in the game. Did the braves hire Hernandez because Freddi managed hin in the minors? questions questions any answers? What is mcdowell still doing here? Remember the old saying from the circus days, There’s a sucker born every minute, and I guess it’s the braves fans getting suckered.
LakeDawg
June 16th, 2012
11:05 pm
Can somebody explain two things to me? 1)Why is Beachy pitching on 3 days rest AFTER he feels a twinge in his arm? And 2) Why is a reliever straight out of the minors brought in during a pitchers duel? I am sometimes dumbstruck by Fredi’s moves, but what do I know? Once the O’s scored two runs I turned the channel, because I knew the Braves would quit. BTW Is there a worst fielding 1st baseman than Hinske?
NickB
June 16th, 2012
11:06 pm
What worries me , is that if Beachy has to visit Dr Andrews, the team may feel forced into making a move for a guy like Saunders or Dempster. When I would honestly rather just call up Teheran and let the kids pitch and take their whoopin’s now and think about 2013 and beyond.
That wouldn’t even be throwing in the towel,as the Braves may still win with them pitching, but I’d hate to trade good pieces away for a league avg rental pitcher who won’t make much difference between any of our other 3 guys for 2012.
I agree that the teams focus should be on improving the Bench strength, I’d get rid of Hinske, Francisco and Wilson, and try to make a move for Jack Cust, pickup Marlon Byrd and maybe just callup the Rev to fill the middle infield bench role.
Faux Positive
June 16th, 2012
11:07 pm
Now perhaps Beachy, I hope not. I’m waiting for Hanson, his dlivery is odd. Maybe mcdowell has taken him under his wing so he will need surgery. Is mcdowell growing a beard as a diguise? Can’t believe the team has not made any changes, year in year out. The same coaching staff except we have two hitting coaches now to coach a team that gets only one hit in the game. Did the braves hire Hernandez because Freddi managed hin in the minors? questions questions any answers? What is mcdowell still doing here? Remember the old saying from the circus days, There’s a sucker born every minute, and I guess it’s the braves fans getting suckered.
LakeDawg
June 16th, 2012
11:07 pm
Is Chipper retired? I thought he decided to play another season.
Whiskey River
June 16th, 2012
11:08 pm
@Ralph MY first name happens to be Cristian Monroe S, but you can call me what ever you want. It makes no difference, Andy happens to be a woman. I am not but if that is what you want OK
RWill
June 16th, 2012
11:10 pm
@mpimentel: Mazzone was gift-wrapped two hall of famers with two of the most mechanically sound deliveries in the game. You want to use Smoltz in your argument? He was injured plenty under Mazzone. Mazzone didn’t get him to alter his delivery to save his arm any more than McDowell is with this group. By the way, the same mechanical flaws that caused all of Smoltz’s arm injuries? The same reasons behind Medlen, Beachy, and Arodys Vizcaino’s arm troubles. It’s also the same thing that bit Adam Wainwright last year, Stephen Strasburg, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, the list goes on and on… Guarantee you that in the next few years, Matt Cain of the Giants and Gio Gonzalez will be two more big time starters to need TJ surgery. It’s not hard to predict. It’s also not McDowell’s fault. The mechanical flaws these pitchers have were developed long before they were being coached by McDowell.
wayn-o
June 16th, 2012
11:10 pm
WARNING… this is the time to sell Bourn high!
This team isn’t going to pull it together, time to sell.
Need Bullpen
June 16th, 2012
11:13 pm
Teheran should fill in the spot. Medlen needs to be in the ‘pen, he is just as shut down as Kimbrel. We all just need to prey that our Cy Young candidate stays healthy.
Ralph
June 16th, 2012
11:13 pm
Kentavo
June 16th, 2012
11:04 pm
Looks like we’ll be seeing Mr. Teheran again soon…
I would bet money that tomorrow or Monday they will place Beachy on the DL and recall Teheran, they don’t have anybody else. The question though is do they use Teheran as a starter or Medlen, my guess is they would start Teheran because Medlen has proven to be too valuable in the bullpen. Anyway it doesn’t make much difference who you start because you arent going to win many games with Zero runs.
Ebenezer Snerdberg
June 16th, 2012
11:15 pm
If Havana Fats sez, “you just gotta tip your cap”…I’M GONNA BAZOOKA BARF!
Ralph
June 16th, 2012
11:18 pm
NickB
I agree with everything you said
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
11:21 pm
Those two HOF’er were young kids except Mad dog..Smoltz injuries came late in career.They didn’t like Leo because he made them keep their arms in shape.
If McDowell don’t do anything to correct delivery then its his damn fault and you no damn expert are you’d be working for ML team. I’m not either but it don’t take a Holy Joe to know that. Whatever RWill.
Mister Frisky
June 16th, 2012
11:23 pm
The Braves offensive juggernaut has returned.Frank Wrens chickens have come home to roost.
Ralph
June 16th, 2012
11:24 pm
Are the Quotes out yet, it should be getting close to Cap Tipping time?
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
11:28 pm
agree with Ralph..Beachy going on DL..he said something different happen this time.. hurting. Maybe out for year.
The Braves need to score..they out hit Yankees but lost..they got to score.
hiway61
June 16th, 2012
11:30 pm
TV said all the locker room talk was about Beachey..pray he is ok.
Sending Chip out in style 2012
June 16th, 2012
11:36 pm
Lake, it seems you don’t know too much since Beachy got an EXTRA 3 days rest. Not 3 days rest.. On a different note I hope it’s not something serious since the kid has been lights out and he’s a gamer. Agree that McDowell should absolutely be out the door ASAP he’s done nothing but stunt the pitchers’ development and worse apparantly he doesn’t have them conditioned well. All the doom and gloom from these commenters is off base the braves aren’t far from the division leaders and I fully expect Wren to make a move(s) by the deadline to shore some things up. Season isn’t even halfway yet and the talent is there I’d rather they struggle now than later. Ex: St. Louis world champs last year with a hot run at the end of the season and no Wainwright. Support your team “braves fans” go the the stadium and give em a homefield advantage, shouldn’t have a better road record than at home. Shows the type of support you so-called fans have for ur team..
jim
June 16th, 2012
11:37 pm
Pitchers who had arm problems under Leo: (partial list)
Mike Stanton,
Juan Berenguer,
Pedro Borbon Jr.,
Steve Avery,
Nate McGlinchey,
John Smoltz,
Mike Hampton
Peanut gallery
June 16th, 2012
11:39 pm
Do people even know what they are talking about?
If Beachy has a UCL injury (aka Tommy John) it’s not something that is going to go away with “rest”. Even if he had a partial tear when he first felt the twinge, conservative treatment is 2-3 months. There is no guarantee after the rest that he wouldn’t tear the UCL completely when he started to throw at full strength.
Hopefully it’s not the dreaded ligament tear and just some muscular strain. Watching the game and the sudden drop in velocity it doesn’t look good.
Teharan has pathetic control. Just look at his K/BB line. He can barely go 5 innings in AAA.
jim
June 16th, 2012
11:58 pm
This is why you beef up your lineup in spring training. We got a discount team, and now we’re paying for it. That includes a discount manager( Not a proven winner) Wake up atlanta!! The corporate scumbags who own this team only want to make money. Primarily by cutting payroll,
A real owner is needed.
Brandon
June 17th, 2012
12:02 am
Thank you Jim! and i agree @RWill… mazzone did nothing in baltimore, maddux was already a cy young winner before mazzone was in the pitcher, and glavine was a finesse pitcher. Thats the reason he and maddux stayed healthy for so long. The new braves have drafted a lot of strikeout power pitchers: Of course they’ll see more injuries. Look at cory luebke, stephen strasburg, danny duffy, michael pineda, neftali felix…it has always been more common for power pitchers to suffer injuries, like kerry wood for example. or steve avery during mazzone’s tenure.
People seem to also give credit to him for guys like neagle and ortiz, etc. but those guys were already good when he got them.
JR1967
June 17th, 2012
12:02 am
The biggest fear for many taxpayers is the IRS, while the biggest fear for many Braves Fans is Atlanta having to play the American League.
Brandon
June 17th, 2012
12:03 am
…before mazzone was in the picture ^^^^ my last statement
least of the east
June 17th, 2012
12:07 am
it’s only mid June and the team already has a bunch of injuries. with no bench, the end result is 1 hit vs a decent (but not top) starter.
as was said earlier, it’s time to trade Bourn who isn’t staying. the team isn’t making the playoffs with him anyway.
on their website earlier today, they only show that their #1 pick was signed. meanwhile, Baseball America, who gets their info from the teams, has 25 draft picks signed. if they can’t afford to pay a data entry clerk to update their website, do you expect them to play for players ? pathetic .
Rafael
June 17th, 2012
12:09 am
Another great AB for Matt Diaz (”he rakes lefthanders you know”).
Frank Wren NEEDS to be ARRESTED for IMPERSONATING a GM!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT does Wren do to earn his salary?????!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously our Braves NEED help (both offense and pitching) and Wren does NOTHING. My sources tell me Frank spends ALOT of time at the local strip clubs when he SHOULD be “working the phones” to get the Braves MUCH NEEDED help.
Instead of hanging out at the CHEETAH Gentleman’s Club, Wren should be TRYING to extend Michael Bourn’s contract. We all KNOW that’s not going to happen with Liberty CHEAPIA at the helm. Wren will give us Mike Cameron or Fredi’s nephew Matt Diaz as our starting CF in 2013. Why you ask, BECAUSE both are described by Frank Wren’s FAVORITE term… “AFFORDABLE.”
“Gotta love the fans”
mrknowitall
June 17th, 2012
12:22 am
Time to get Dempsey in here.
Brandon
June 17th, 2012
12:26 am
yeah rafael…in 2009 when chipper got injured, wren immediately got derrek lee…then they needed a power bat in the offseason, wren acquired uggla…at the deadline last season they needed a cf, wren acquired bourn. Its obvious that wren does work. you may not like his moves, but he does what he can under his budget restraints. Judging from his track record, he will do something before the deadline
Sending Chip out in style 2012
June 17th, 2012
12:30 am
Rafael you realize wren has a budget and spends up to it every year. The braves budget is kind of middle of the road league wide. Sure Liberty Media probably doesn’t care if they win or lose, just turning a profit, it is a business, and they’ll spend relative to income. Most of you need to do less moaning and more watching (actually in a stadium) once in awhile. Really don’t see why any of you are braves fans if you can only speak negative when they lose and say nothing and support nothing when they’re going good. Support the team for a change…
Alaska Braves Fan
June 17th, 2012
12:37 am
Sending Chip out in style 2012: I second that. I’m weary of the complaining from people who know little of the game and are proud enough of that to display it with every comment they submit.
ABF
LakeDawg
June 17th, 2012
12:55 am
Sending Chip out in style 2012
Thanks for clearing that up for me. I’m a fair weather fan of the Braves and haven’t kept close watch on them lately. Thought I heard the commentators say he was working on 3 days rest. Obviously I was wrong.
Mr. Obvious
June 17th, 2012
1:13 am
Brandon Beachy:
Another Tommy John Candidate from the Braves Staff
*Brought to You By: Roger McDowell*
kirkinga
June 17th, 2012
1:42 am
Time to bring up JJ. He wants to feel needed and the loss of Berachy would certainly seem like such a time. If he could come back and pitch well then he would be as good or better than anyone available in a trade.
Also, if he doesn’t pitch well, it gives Tehran more time to develop before returning to Atlanta.
HOF 10
June 17th, 2012
4:45 am
Maddux and Glavine were basically fastball-changeup pitchers with perfect control. Easy deliveries. No arm trouble. Avery was headed for the HOF when arm injuries derailed his career. Smoltz was a freak who just kept throwing 97 as long as he had a thread connecting his elbow to his forearm, and some years that’s about all he had. This is not about Leo or Roger. Throwing a Big League assortment of pitches just ain’t a natural thing for the human arm to do.
Way to go Frank!!!
June 17th, 2012
7:09 am
I read all winter the Braves needed no tweaking / my family of 4 dropped $350 @ the Wed Yankess game to watch mediocre baseball once again. Bad product getting worse before better!!!
MikeY
June 17th, 2012
7:29 am
Maybe Beachy should have had an MRI BEFORE Saturday’s start…
74bravesjersey
June 17th, 2012
7:33 am
The atlanta fanbase, these bloggers are sick & tired of being sick & tired of the sicko braves brass runnin’ this organization like some have already said as a discount dollar store, & being let down. @jim,Brandon,I agree totally 100%! Can all the mighty Bloggers voices be heard? Hey Braves Brass, what gives? Why have you made our Baseball team so Lame? Why can’t we for once make adjustments, changes necessary to bring respectability to this team, which would make this city thrive! Full of pride about winning. Cut this junk out man! Get rid of the dead weight. We still got a little more Lard to shed.
74bravesjersey
June 17th, 2012
7:43 am
Not far from the Coca-cola bottle, up at the top tier in left field, does anyone want to tip the funny lookin’ chick-fil-a cow over? Mabey since that things been mounted up there, that’s been curse’n the team. Does Havana fats love tippin’ his cap to the black spotted image up there. Somebody tip that!
74bravesjersey
June 17th, 2012
7:49 am
Liberty media; Go piss off man, sick of ya’ll. Bunch of Lame Brains. You’ve held our team hostage. Wish someone would put some spotted cows climbing the side of there building. & the big fruiti one on top of there’s.
74bravesjersey
June 17th, 2012
7:58 am
@Cowdogit, agreed, so many arm ailments, more in the last 3 years, probably in comparison, our pitchers are not in condition(arm wise) because mazzone at least had them going during offseason programs, workout regiments, etc. for strengthening, conditioning at least. I think if McDowell was wise, or at least to hope to have a job, he should drop his pride to seek wise council from the old guru(mazzone) himself. Seek all avenues.
Screwball
June 17th, 2012
8:01 am
I hope it’s a short term thing but that’s probably pollyanish given that he left the way he did. I feel for the kid who was having a breakout season. Losing Beachy for the season would be a serious blow. Probably would mean dropping from an 85 to a 78 win team. No playoff chances. But worse, it would give the incompetent Mr. Wren a built in excuse. Just as with the Hawks, “Well, we lost Horford for the year.” Then they can sell another season with the same sorry “core,” minus Bourn of course. Under the same doofus management.
IsFreemanaWussie
June 17th, 2012
8:10 am
team needs someone to step up.
Sons of Rick Matula
June 17th, 2012
8:10 am
Leo Mazzone ain’t walking thru that door. That said, McDowell has not impressed during his stint here. He’s gone.
As this season trends toward unraveling, I am for giving Terry Pendleton a chance to manage this club. It would be popular in the city. Sure, as a hitting coach, he was better than Larry Parrish. But as a feisty gamer for the first of the good 90’s Braves teams, he might be the kind of lift the team needs from the bench.
Fredi is a cypher. Don’t you miss Bobby’s chirping from the dugout, “Let’s go, kid!” Did that win games? No. But Bobby had their back. Fredi just puts on a blank face and breathes thru his mouth. This team has no life, no personality, no hope under the current management troika of Wren, Fredi and McDowell.
cloudodust
June 17th, 2012
8:12 am
74bravesjersey : It’s morning now. Get some sleep.
SmittyATL
June 17th, 2012
8:13 am
Is there an article on the actual game somewhere? The injury to Beachy is huge news and should obviously be covered. But what about the game? There is barely mention of the stellar performance by Baltimore’s Jason Hammel, and the writer doesn’t bother to mention how & when the third, fourth, and fifth runs were scored. Can we get some baseball coverage here?