Beachy has partial ligament tear, will see Dr. Andrews (UPDATED)
NEW YORK –Brandon Beachy has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, an injury that usually required ligament-transplant surgery and a rehabilitation period of 12-14 months.
Beachy will see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on Wednesday, after Braves orthopedic surgeon Xavier Duralde examined the the pitcher and an MRI of his right elbow on Monday.
“I guess my optimism was for nothing,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, who had said Sunday and again Monday afternoon that he hoped Beachy had nothing worse than bone spurs and that he wouldn’t be sidelined for any extended period.
That notion was quashed when the report came in later Monday from Duralde, who examined Beachy late in the day after the doctor had completed several surgeries.
Even before the bad news came, Braves general manager Frank Wren had sounded as if he’d been down this road enough times with pitchers to know better than set his hopes high.
Beachy left his Saturday start in the fourth inning after feeling pain in the elbow when he threw a couple of curveballs in the dirt. He was pitching on three days’ extra rest after feeling what he said was mild elbow soreness after his previous start.
Beachy (5-5, 2.00 ERA) was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, and Jair Jurrjens will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill in for the major league ERA leader in Friday’s series-opening start at Boston.
A torn is a serious but common injury among pitchers. It usually necessitates ligament-transplant surgery — aka “Tommy John” surgery — and a full year or more of rehab.
Gonzalez had said earlier Monday that his optimism was rooted in nothing more than his “glass half-full” nature.
Wren was asked whether he shared that optimism.
“Not necessarily,” the GM said before getting the report on Beach. “Until you get a firm idea, I think we just have to wait and see. These things, you kind of have a sense of it when they happen, what the likelihood is of it being serious. It’s kind of hard to be real optimistic.”
Beachy retired all 11 batters he faced before a fourth-inning walk against Chris Davis, whom he walked Davis on six pitches, including an 86 mph fastball that was an alarming 6 to 7 mph below his typical velocity.
The Braves had bumped him back when he’d reported some soreness following his previous outing. The team did not have him undergo an MRI at that time, apparently because Beachy characterized the soreness after the previous start as nothing more than the day-after soreness pitchers get sometimes during the season.
Beachy has had occasional soreness from bone spurs in the past.
“We have guys who have bone spurs for seven or eight years and they never give them any problem at all,” Wren said before the partial-ligament tear diagnosis was announced. “So it’s an indicator that the elbow has had some wear and tear, but it’s not an indicator that anything bad is going to happen immediately.”
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200 comments Add your comment
@billsbravesfan
June 18th, 2012
7:00 pm
TUESDAYY??? Its only Monday!
MD Braves fan
June 18th, 2012
7:02 pm
So what bunker was Wren found in??
74bravesjersey
June 18th, 2012
7:04 pm
“waiting becomes too late”
bruce
June 18th, 2012
7:10 pm
Thanks for the update!
tvsportscaster
June 18th, 2012
7:16 pm
DOB, you;ve got your days mixed up. Today is Monday.
BravesfaninWis
June 18th, 2012
7:28 pm
Braves fans: “Hard to be real optimistic” waiting for this team to actually play consistent baseball.
LostCasue
June 18th, 2012
7:48 pm
One of those days, huh?
least of the east
June 18th, 2012
8:17 pm
very hard to be optimistic with a combo of Liberty Media, Wren and Fredi G.
only question is which of the three is the biggest problem. a tough call.
sounds like the Braves md is almost too busy to check Beachy. must have private practice on the side.
for Beachy’s sake, hope the damage is minimal. braves aren’t winning with or without him. lots of other problems besides his health.
BraveinMemphis
June 18th, 2012
8:53 pm
Wren is easily the biggest problem, followed by Liberty Media. I really wish Arthur Blank could buy the team.
BravesFanForever
June 18th, 2012
8:58 pm
UGH!!! Yeah, lack of funds is the big Braves killer. It’s rare when a team doesn’t lose at least one key player that a trade wouldn’t fix.
McCmann_AquaHoss
June 18th, 2012
9:08 pm
So does this mean Glavine’s credibility takes a shot? I doubt his kid still wants to learn Beachy’s “clean” delivery.
NitroTwinkie
June 18th, 2012
10:06 pm
DOB’s capable of predicting the future! Seems like he’d use that gift in another occupation over journalism…
Reality check
June 18th, 2012
10:07 pm
All team docs are physicians in private practice that happen to work with the team. 25 guys can’t keep them busy for a full year.
pcola braves fan
June 18th, 2012
10:11 pm
the way our team is getting injured maybe he can.
wolf
June 18th, 2012
10:41 pm
“Partial” ligament tear for Beachy. Seeing Doctor Andrews. TJ surgery almost certainly required. Question: IF your league-leading ERA pitcher says he has “elbow soreness,” why not do an MRI BEFORE you send him out to pitch again? Wouldn’t it be smart to know WHAT is wrong before putting the guy out there again? Yes, maybe the damage was already done before Saturday’s game, but maybe not. And with Freeman–why put the guy back in to play almost right after the injury to his finger and THEN have to sit him down for several more days because he was NOT ready? The Atlanta Braves medical team has GOT to be about the worst in baseball, consistently, year after year. Can’t they afford some competent doctors. When you have multimillion dollar players, get the best medical care for them, not some marginally competent semi-quacks.
NotARabbit
June 18th, 2012
10:53 pm
I know its june. But the light i see at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train..
Zac in Tempe
June 18th, 2012
10:55 pm
wolf, I get your thinking, but I wouldn’t have made a difference.
Largo
June 18th, 2012
11:00 pm
Just what the Braves needed to hear.
Oddibe McDowell
June 18th, 2012
11:01 pm
Did pitchers under Leo’s watch ever experience this many injuries? Blame Roger. Fire Fredi.
Ralph
June 18th, 2012
11:03 pm
This team is done, with or without Beachy, even Maddox, Smoltz and Glavin in their prime couldn.t help this bunch.
Keith
June 18th, 2012
11:07 pm
I’m not normally a knee-jerk kind of guy…but…
unless JJ can return himself to his early form of last year…then this team may be done as they are already inconsistent as it is.
slingblade
June 18th, 2012
11:08 pm
uuuuuuuummmmmmuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmm. Tip your cap to Dr. Andrews as another one bites the dust. Tough luck Beachy. See you next season, uuuuuummmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm.
Keith
June 18th, 2012
11:08 pm
Might have just taken away our ace.
not a good sign at all.
Ralph
June 18th, 2012
11:11 pm
Closest thing we have to an Ace is Delgado.
Ralph
June 18th, 2012
11:12 pm
Time for a Fire Sale!
Ralph
June 18th, 2012
11:14 pm
Isn’t it about time for the Quotes, I could use a good laugh about now.
JRW7
June 18th, 2012
11:16 pm
Turn out the lights, BRAVES 2012 season is over, will have to battle the PHILLIES for last place! This is so sad!
Ralph
June 18th, 2012
11:18 pm
Yep the quotes are out, I got my laugh, they were funny as hell, nite all.
The Citizen
June 18th, 2012
11:19 pm
Looks like the Braves can’t go one season without a pitcher needing TJ surgery.
CaliChopper
June 18th, 2012
11:27 pm
Huddy,
Moylan,
Medlen,
Vizciano in his first full big league spring training,
Beachy,
What’s the one constant for all of them? Rodger. Not sure Leo was all that great, he did have some pretty good talent to work with and not certain they didn’t make him and not vise versa. That being said, either somethings not being done with pitchers that needs to be, or somethings being done that harmful and whatever it is it needs to be changed
NickB
June 18th, 2012
11:30 pm
watching you tiddy babies try to blame somebody is amusing to me!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Pitchers get hurt on every team, it’s all because of sliders, cutters and how hard pitchers throw now (that and I think excessive weight lifting is to blame)
Maddux and Glavine didn’t get hurt cuz they didn’t throw hard, Smoltz was hurt a fair bit there for awhile….. and it wasn’t cuz Leo left.
Look, I hate Fredi and Liberty Media as much as anybody (I have always asserted that Wren is a good GM though and nobody can give me any evidence to the contrary, not when you take the limited budgets into account) but blaming pitcher arm injuries on the team is silly, it would make sense if it was Kimbrel and Venters from over use last season or something, but it’s Beachy. and it’s Vizcaino , guys have TJ surgery now, it’s so common, I’m surprised that anyone is surprised.
atm0623
June 18th, 2012
11:32 pm
Nothing gets truly fixed until Liberty sells the team. A new GM would work within the same budget as Wren does. Every other problem with the team is secondary to the one at the top. Ask Cubs and old-school Yankee fans, who put up with the Tribune Company and CBS, respectively, Team ownership by corporate media conglomerates simply does not work.
hoho
June 18th, 2012
11:37 pm
Sorry for Beachy, but he couldn’t have pitched everyday for the floundering Braves anyway. And I fully agree with wolf: the handling of Beachy’s initial concern over his arm soreness was completely botched by the team’s medical staff.
CaliChopper
June 18th, 2012
11:40 pm
Really? Who hired Fredi? Nuff said
Fredi Will Screw It Up Somehow
June 18th, 2012
11:40 pm
Told ya! The man brings nothing but bad karma.
Alaska Braves Fan
June 18th, 2012
11:45 pm
The approach to Beachy’s elbow problem was appropriate. If a ligament is torn, even slightly, it will not heal and be OK for pitching no matter how long it’s rested. Instead, when the pitcher goes back out to the mound, it soon will be torn enough to require surgery. It may sound harsh, but as soon as that ligament began to deteriorate, Beachy was surgery bound. In fact, for both this young man and for the team, the sooner he has the elbow repaired, the better. It hurts to see him out for the next 12 or 14 months, but we have seen many pitchers go through this and come out as good as new. John Smoltz was one of many.
I wish Beachy the best of surgeries and the best of recoveries. Next June he’ll be back on the mound and doing well.
ABF
Alaska Braves Fan
June 18th, 2012
11:48 pm
I would absolutely LOVE to see some of you chicken-littles out there trying to manage a big-league baseball team. All your criticisms of FG would soon be forgotten amidst the belly-laughs we all were having at your ignorant efforts.
ABF
Larry
June 18th, 2012
11:50 pm
A good young man with a bright future, sorry that he will miss a good year getting over it but he should have a lot of good years to follow.
Otis Nixon's Hellbent Redemption
June 19th, 2012
12:08 am
We need to get Ryan Dempster from the Cubs
hdhd
June 19th, 2012
12:10 am
Elbow soreness=James Andrews=Tommy John surgery. Seriously, I even knew it was coming.
taylor
June 19th, 2012
12:15 am
Otis, Demptster is on the DL as well.
taylor
June 19th, 2012
12:16 am
*Dempster
Wake Up Call
June 19th, 2012
12:16 am
Sorry, but Liberty Media selling the team will NOT solve any problems. At least not for the next 25 yrs.
yes, TWENTY-FIVER YEARS!
The Braves ownership group signed the worst television contract in the history of MLB. Just look at this chart:
http://media-cache6.pinterest.com/upload/84864774198351680_eKhlLtIs_c.jpg
Atlanta has the 2nd largest group of TV subscribers in the East, but their contract generates less than 20% of the revenue per subscriber that the average of all other teams in their region make.
The Braves will be broke for a very long time regardless of who owns the team.
Stunningly horrible deal for the team.
this quote just about sums it up:
– “When striking up long term, fixed term, deals, you look at where the risk is going if the deal turns out bad. The Braves took almost 100% of that risk, with no way to mitigate it, for a really, really long time. Then, on top of that, the market for sports shifted away from gate revenues to TV revenues, and that shift doesn’t look like its going to reverse any time soon. Especially not in an area where the fan base is so spread out geographically and transportation costs (ie gas) continue to rise.”
wayn-o
June 19th, 2012
12:17 am
We were so pitcher rich… Hanson of all guys seems to be the only reliable one. Even with keeping all our pitching prospects we still don’t have a decent starting staff.
Hudson – nagging injuries
Jurrjens – forgetting how to pitch
Minor & Delgado – massive inconsistency
Medlin – debacle because the pen has fallen apart
Sorry Chipper, but the offense isn’t good enough to carry this team to any sort of swan song.
Fire Sale.
Gene
June 19th, 2012
12:18 am
I was sure that Ted Turner was using the Braves as a tax writeoff in the 1980’s, and he was perfectly happy for them to be the jokes of the NL. Liberty Media appears to be doing the same. Fredi and Wren must go for this team to return to playing motivated baseball, and that is going to take a number of years. Prado, Bourn, and Uggla would be better off elsewhere.
Who Me?
June 19th, 2012
12:26 am
Too much Flexaril and Demeral in the clubhouse, this over-the-hill patchwork team should seriously get consideration for major overhaul. Jettison Chipper/McCann sometime in the coming 4 weeks, move Ross into starting role and bring Gattis up for backup/education purposes. Finish the season out in the middle of the pack, miss the playoffs and seriouisly re-tool. Get some more stud pitching by trading McCann now instead of the end of the season. With Chipper and Bourn gone you’ll have bucks to use for staff augmentation – find some guys that flat out wear the ball out and go sign ‘em.
Hopeful
June 19th, 2012
12:35 am
But Dr. Andrews can’t perform the surgery…
http://www.sportspickle.com/news/5732/yankees-sign-dr-james-andrews-to-exclusive-deal
NickB
June 19th, 2012
12:55 am
Ok, number one YOU CAN’T TRADE CHIPPER!!! He has 10/5 rights and can reject any trade, and you don’t release a start player in his retirement year. That’s a stupid ,video game selfish thing to say.
I say, bring up JJ and hope he can regain some sort of value and then move him, then bring up Teheran and let the kids learn at the big league level.
NickB
June 19th, 2012
12:56 am
@PB ORR
I think that sliders and cutters and the modern love of 95+ fastballs has done it. (I’m also convinced the 5 man rotation doesn’t help)
Steve
June 19th, 2012
12:56 am
Don’t blame Roger for this. Look, I am not sure he is a great pitching coach, or even a good one .. but comparing him to Leo on this is outrageous.
The Braves under Leo continually drafted change-up pitchers, which is not tough on the arm. Most of the guys going down cann throw a change, but most of them throw breaking pitches much more often than the likes of Glavine and Maddux.
And oh .. by the way .. under Leo, here is a partial list of pitchers with arm problems.
Smoltz – twice
Avery
Mercker
Schmidt – though his hit the year after he left the teaching principles were there already
Rocker
Byrd
Remlinger
Ligtenburg
Seanez
That’s just hitting the big names and covering 2000 to 2005 on the lesser. If I went all the way back in his reign who knows how many there would be.
It’s not Roger. It’s not Leo. It’s the game and in my opinion it’s Freddi G and Bobby C. Under these two managers, pitchers know they are expected to go 6 innings and they go out and overthrow half their pitches and put FAR too much torque on their arms. It’s the system the Braves coach. They don’t teach pitchers to to go at 90% because the entire game has changed.
All these bloated old pitchers don’t seem to understand how much things have changed. Even since Glavine it has changed. Six and seven man bullpens are becoming the norm with starters being gassed after six because they are coached to get thru six. Since many teams are following this pattern it means you can’t pitch at 90% until in danger like old schoolers did. You have to go all out because you will be behind if you give up more than 2 runs thru six (3 thru 6 means a 4.50 ERA by the way).
It is the philosophy that the steroid age brought on. The only way to keep ERA’s low was to go all-out for a shorter stint. You have to make eveyr pitch count. This is why steroids and the offensive boom were so bad for baseball as a whole. It completely changed the way pitching coaches and managers have to manage. It’s why you see so few complete games and shutouts.
Sutton doesn’t get it. Glavine has moments where the lightbulb goes off. And quite frankly, most old school fans on these boards don’t get it.
MikeY
June 19th, 2012
1:08 am
Just as a precaution, I think the Braves should do an MRI on every pitcher’s elbow every year at spring training. Just as a precaution, and just to have a baseline.
chem
June 19th, 2012
1:17 am
There’s no reason to take an MRI if a person is healthy. It’s a waste of time/resources. and there’s no such thing as a “baseline” MRI. Either there’s structural damage or not.
BRANCHY BEACHDON
June 19th, 2012
1:23 am
THE SEASON IT’S NOT OVER YET….. the braves still have 3 1/2 months for comeback and win a playoff spot …. yes Beachy was the MLB era leader for 2 months or something but with this offense he only won 5 games and lost other 5 … soooo …
WE NEED ANOTHER BAT AND ONE OR MAYBE TWO RELIEVERS
Sure Jurrjens or Medlen or whatever who gonna take the spot in braves rotation for Beachy could win the games ONLY with OTHER BAT AND OTHER GOOD ARM IN THE PEN….
so MR WREN MOVE THE LAZY ASS AND LOOK FOR HELP IN THE TRADE MARKET
MR FRREN WANK
June 19th, 2012
1:39 am
THERE IT IS MY NEXT MOVES FANS :
BRAVES SEND Cory Gearrin and Cash considerations TO THE DBACKS for Joe Saunders
BRAVES SEND Todd Redmond,Joe Terdoslavich and player to be named TO THE PADRES for Carlos Quentin and cash…
BRAVES SEND DOWN Jack Wilson and Eric Hinske to AAA and Recall Tyler Pastornicky and Jose Constanza..
BRAVES call up Jair Jurrjens from Gwinnett and optioned MIKE MINOR to AAA
BRAVES TRADE JUAN FRANCISCO to A’s in exchange for Grant Balfour
NEW ROTATION : HUDSON HANSON SAUNDERS JURRJENS DELGADO
NEW BULLPEN: MARTINEZ MEDLEN DURBIN BALFOUR O’FLAHERTY VENTERS KIMBREL
LINEUP: BOURN PRADO QUENTIN UGGLA MCCANN JONES FREEMAN SIMMONS
BENCH: ROSS HEYWARD DIAZ CONSTANZA PASTORNICKY
LINEUP VS LH >> DIAZ LF PRADO 3B QUENTIN RF JONES BENCH
LINEUP VS RH>> PRADO LF QUENTIN RF JONES 3B
QUENTIN OR PRADO DAYOFF : HEYWARD RF AND QUENTIN LF or PRADO LF J-HEY RF
FIRST PINCH HITTER: PASTORNICKY
CLOSE AND LATE SITUATIONS PINCH HITTER: HEYWARD VS RH DIAZ VS LH
PINCH RUNNER : CONSTANZA and sometimes HEWYARD
THE BRAVES FIRE MANAGER FREDI GONZALEZ AND REPLACE HIM WITH THE BULLPEN COACH EDDIE PEREZ
THE BRAVES HIRE FREDI GONZALEZ IN CLEAN-SPIKES JOB
MR METS GM
June 19th, 2012
1:43 am
THE METS ANNOUNCES THE NEXT DEAL:
THE BRAVES SEND JUAN FRANCISCO, JACK WILSON, BRIAN SNITKER AND TERRY PENDLETON TO THE METS FOR R.A. DICKEY , DAVID WRIGHT AND DANIEL MURPHY
Steve From Dalton
June 19th, 2012
2:28 am
Tommy John should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Without him taking a risk, many a ballplayer would never pitch agian.
jeffrey d
June 19th, 2012
2:58 am
Geeze, guys…way to hold it together.
NickB
June 19th, 2012
4:22 am
@ Mr Frren Wrank
that is the dumbest thing I have seen in awhile!!
Number one, we don’t want Joe Friggin Saunders
Number 2, it will take more than a career AAA guy and Terdo to get Quentin, it will take one of Minor or Delgado and a low level guy to get him
Number 3, Quentin’s bat may be an improvement over Heyward right now, but his butchery in the field would send that improvement into the toilet, Heyward is a more valuable player than Quentin, and not to mention Quentin has been on the DL for extended periods nearly every season, no thank you
Number 4: Billy Beane would not take Francisco for Balfour…. that’s silly
Number 5: you can’t “send down” Hinske and Wilson to AAA you have to DFA them and they can say no, then we pay their salaries as they go play somewhere else, so no, you might could move Hinske to an AL team somewhere, you just cut Wilson
Number 6: what makes you think JJ is going to be any better than Minor has been?
Chipper is a slut
June 19th, 2012
4:38 am
Happy Hooters
Fredi Will Screw It Up Somehow
June 19th, 2012
5:54 am
“I would absolutely LOVE to see some of you chicken-littles out there trying to manage a big-league baseball team. All your criticisms of FG would soon be forgotten amidst the belly-laughs we all were having at your ignorant efforts.”
You brag about those division title flags in the outfield too, I bet.
WTF
June 19th, 2012
6:05 am
Well, that tears it.
Packer Ed
June 19th, 2012
6:09 am
If we are not sellers at the trade dealine we should be.
Most of all we should be selling the franchise to a new owner who has 2 things:
1. strongest desire to win it all
2. American cash
Gritz
June 19th, 2012
6:17 am
This is the first year of my life that I decided before the season started that I wasn’t going to watch or attend any Braves games. When I saw the way the organization basically stood pat over the winter I knew that there weren’t really seriously dedicated to improving this team. If the owners and front office don’t really care why should I?
Cap: Where's My Tip
June 19th, 2012
6:47 am
eh, not surprising. A+B=C (elbow, soreness, Tommy John).
Just unfortunate for Beachy considering the good start he was having. I guess that means the Braves will be getting a top of the line starting pitcher before next year’s trade deadline is over (at least that’s how I choose to look at them possibly getting Beachy back middle of next season)
MikeY
June 19th, 2012
6:47 am
@chem, my point is that if their is some damage, there are treatments that do not require surgery. So it may be possible to catch issues early, rather than have damage continue to build up.
Fire Roger and Frank and Freddie
June 19th, 2012
6:50 am
I don’t remember us having this many or even close to this many bad arm injuries when LEO was our pitching coach. Never have liked Roger M. His arm conditioning is way different that Leo’s was.
I hold Roger responsible for all our pitchers injuries. Think about all that have required T John surgery. But Fran Wren has no clue…….
Hmmmm
June 19th, 2012
6:54 am
“I would absolutely LOVE to see some of you chicken-littles out there trying to manage a big-league baseball team. All your criticisms of FG would soon be forgotten amidst the belly-laughs we all were having at your ignorant efforts”
these statements are always hilarious, there’s zero logic in them. Of course most people are going to look foolish, you’re putting a inexperienced person up against someone who at least has some managing experience! Why not make it fair game and let a … “chicken-little” was it? get some managing experience first like FG was able to do and then let them manage a big league baseball team and see what happens?
bad brad
June 19th, 2012
7:05 am
And when he comes back straight to middle relief…a la Kris Medlen. Explanation for that one is there werer younger better arms. When Medlen went down Braves had won 13 of his 14 starts. But now they messed up his head. Way to go Freddi G.
tweet
June 19th, 2012
7:26 am
Once Frediot told everyone there was no reason to be concerned for Beach, you knew it was over
That man has NO CLUE
fsubravo
June 19th, 2012
7:29 am
this team will lose 90-100 games this season…the best player is now out for a year plus..not good
NickGranite
June 19th, 2012
7:35 am
@Wakeupcall. Wow. I had heard our TV contract was bad but 4-6 times LESS per subscriber than the other teams. Sheesh. Sounds like the federal government negotiated that deal instead of a private business entity. Thanks for the graph.
GONNA MISS CHIP
June 19th, 2012
7:37 am
man, i hope we dont end up sellers.
Larry A
June 19th, 2012
7:38 am
So what is wrong with the Braves pitching regimen?? We are running about two pitchers a year needed ligament replacement – something is a miss here…
urban redneck
June 19th, 2012
7:39 am
why is tommy john surgery so much more prevalent than it was a decade ago? medlen, vizcaino and beachy in about 18-20 months or so.
now a lot of our eggs are in the JJ basket (depending on the extent of teheran’s injury). insert f-bomb here. go bravos.
SMOLTZ 29
June 19th, 2012
7:39 am
SEASON………..OVER
SMOLTZ 29
June 19th, 2012
7:40 am
McDowell and Fredi have to get on the next express train out of town! MERCY
Bravefan10
June 19th, 2012
7:41 am
Braves – will you bring Beachy back and put him in the bullpen like you Medlen? Great decision. P.S. Braves need a coach.
dean
June 19th, 2012
7:49 am
Ugh. Again, this just sucks.
alex
June 19th, 2012
7:50 am
Braves doc,s are extremely good as an Andrews resident does the actual surgery.
After the last weeks hitting exhibition and fg’s managerial skills indicate: put a fork in this team and avoid the $6 hot dogs—–
Ebenezer Snerdberg
June 19th, 2012
7:50 am
It just keeps gettin’ better an’ better!
Fire Havana Fats!
BravesfaninWis
June 19th, 2012
7:56 am
It is what it is. Feel bad for Beachy, but its not like he is going to help this train wreck of a team. Better that he gets himself right. I am at the point that I am done with this team this year. I don’t watch sports to watch my favorite team choke game after game, and year after year. I am not supporting Fredi Gonzalez any longer, I am not supporting Frank Wren any longer, and if the Braves don’t move in a completely different direction next season, I am taking a full year off next year. Why support a team when you know they won’t do anything? They should get in return what they give us, nothing.
mark
June 19th, 2012
7:57 am
Bring up the kids and get them some big league experience. Stop fooling ourselves. We are going nowhere fast this year.
bravesgrl4life
June 19th, 2012
8:00 am
Take care, Beachy. Will miss seeing you on the mound every 5 days. But, I’ve got your pic as my screen photo on my laptop, so I’ll get through.
Homer the Brave
June 19th, 2012
8:01 am
We need a starting pitcher who can eat up some innings. I hear that Livan Hernandez is a free agent. Oh wait.
steve
June 19th, 2012
8:05 am
Without a big trade for a top tier starter this team’s season is over.
Noah Webster, Jr.
June 19th, 2012
8:11 am
“Beachy retired all 11 batters he faced before a fourth-inning walk against Chris Davis, whom he walked Davis on six pitches, including an 86 mph fastball that was an alarming 6 to 7 mph below his typical velocity.”
My goodness, dear readers. Someone set off a grammar grenade in that sentence!
BravesFan
June 19th, 2012
8:18 am
Negative Nancey’s post your comments here:
- How many idiots out there believe this is all Fredi G and Bobby C’s fault? Half of you.
- Bummer on Beachy. He has such a smooth easy delivery, wouldn’t have seen this coming with him.
- I blame all the TJ injury’s on cutters and sliders. They are arm killers.
WeBurn
June 19th, 2012
8:22 am
WHY did we pitch Beachy on three days rest in his last start??????????? Makes NOOOO sense!!! Someone needs to lose their job over this.
Mary-Lu
June 19th, 2012
8:25 am
Goodbye to the hottest guy on the team! I will miss you Beachy! Best wishes for a successful surgery and rehab!
BravesFan
June 19th, 2012
8:25 am
@WeBurn – it was 7 days rest.
usnavyvolfaninva
June 19th, 2012
8:25 am
And the good news just keeps on coming! Man, hope for the best for Beachy.
Disbott3000
June 19th, 2012
8:27 am
You’re all crazy. If anyone is a problem, it is Liberty Media. Sure, they don’t stick us with a rock-bottom payroll, but they also don’t give us nearly enough payroll to compete with the big boys either. Give Wren another 30 to 50 million to play with and I bet he could look a lot smarter. I do have my reservations about Gonzalez after last years collapse and our streakiness this year, but I don’t think you can make a full analysis this soon, especially considering the myriad injuries that he has managed through so far.
The Braves are going to miss Beachy for sure. We’ll all be praying for a quick recovery, Brandon.
Oh, and guys, we’re not out of it yet, so stop calling for this to be a youth movement education season, ok? Maybe JJ has figured it out up in Gwinnett. Maybe Medlen will finally get his chance to pitch in the rotation and prove he deserves to be there. It’s way to early to fold the tents just yet.
Tbyrd
June 19th, 2012
8:31 am
Hate to see a guy like Beachy go down with such a serious injury……best wishes for a quick recovery. Maybe this is a chance to see what Medlin has to offer as a member of the rotation.
Wow….who would have thought at the beginning of the season we would have all this turmoil on our pitching staff…..my biggest worry back then was when was Moylan coming back?
Hang in there Braves…..keep fighting!
Rick
June 19th, 2012
8:34 am
WeBurn, what are you talking about? They gave Beachy extra days rest before his last start.
Wes
June 19th, 2012
8:34 am
Well…..at least we’ll have a good draft pick next year.
A.S.
June 19th, 2012
8:39 am
Fredi is clueless. If you haven’t realized it by now then you straight up dont understand baseball. He runs his mouth and is wrong 9 out of 10 times. I’m sick of him. He has been the manager for about 1.5 years and has completely ruined this team. From poorly managing Freddie Freeman and his injury to this. Time to get rid of him!
gcs
June 19th, 2012
8:41 am
Season: over
Screwball
June 19th, 2012
8:42 am
Bourn for prospects & cash looks more likely today.
Before we give Wren a pat on the old back, remember, he said we didn’t need to make any changes, just get everybody healthy and forget the great collapse. That wasn’t a plan, that was a bankrupt hope.
Fredi and Wren cannot survive a (more likely minus Beachy) 4th place finish.
Blaze
June 19th, 2012
8:44 am
At Steve………DON’T PANIC……our young starting pitchers still have a ton of UPSIDE! Smoltz in 1991 went 12-2 after the All-Star break. This could be happening now. We have Delgado and Minor who could still turn out to be solid starters. Please don’t trade either one for Dempster. I’d love to have Dempster; however, you would have to sign him before I’d trade for him. Beachy was my favorite and this certainly is a big blow but injuries can be a positive for somebody else to bloom as a young gun! Go Braves!
Blaze
June 19th, 2012
8:48 am
We need to utilize our assets. Let’s get Smoltzie to offer advice to Delgado and let’s get Glavine to offer advice to Minor. Why not? These two guys are proven winners and our pitching coach does show me that he could use some help.
bill
June 19th, 2012
8:49 am
Do you speak Cub? Wait til next year.
BravesFan
June 19th, 2012
8:50 am
@Disbott3000 – Cant raise payroll until we start filling seats! Simply business 101. Got to make money to spend money.
Sons of Rick Matula
June 19th, 2012
8:51 am
The Beachy injury is one of those terrible things that happen in modern baseball. You just have to tip your cap to Tommy John. I hope he can recover and be a solid pitcher in 2014.
The down side is it will give the excuse makers and defenders of Wren & Fredi what they need. Look how it worked for the Hawks.
Atlanta sports organizations tolerate mediocrity. How long was Don Waddell allowed to cripple the Thrashers? Pete Babcock/Billy Knight with the Hawks. Remember how Schuerholtz was so different? Well, his fanboy, Frank Wren is no Schuerholtz. We can thank Arthur Blank who has lit the fire under Mike Smith’s hot seat.
Local owner v. absentee tightwads like Liberty Media.
Brave Hokie
June 19th, 2012
8:51 am
The Braves are what happens when born(e) LOSERS meet adversity.
I can only wish the worse for every last one of them including that fat pit faced manager.
Welcome to LOSERVILLE, edition 46.
Rafael
June 19th, 2012
8:52 am
Our great GM Frank Wren will make trades to improve the struggling Braves… NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again Liberty CHEAPIA.
Ted Abernathy
June 19th, 2012
8:54 am
Over half the pitching staff has had arm surgery, something’s not right about teaching these guys to throw 95mph sinkers and sliders. Maddux and Spahn never had arm surgery. R.A. Dickey has two one-hitters in a row, he doesn’t try to throw 100mph.
I made a living just throwing submarine after the Senators realized I couldn’t strike out anyone the other way.
Whiskey River
June 19th, 2012
9:03 am
You guys crack me up. Talking pitching. If your pitcher throws shutout you still lose. Fire Walker and get some offense. As long as you got old man on team , you are done. All he wants is Glory. Have you seen any RBI’S from him? Answer NO
Why?
June 19th, 2012
9:05 am
The only thing that can make this worse is Fredi being saved because of this injury.
BulldogBen
June 19th, 2012
9:06 am
And the hits (or lack thereof) just keep on coming.
Stick a fork in this team and the franchise.
BLECH. Guess they’ll start hyping the Rathbun’s Steak sandwich more now?
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
9:09 am
Fredi sounds like the Black Night from Monty Python after his arms have been chopped off. “Tis only a scratch I say”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eMkth8FWno
bananajacket
June 19th, 2012
9:09 am
ABF Great post! With all these great baseball minds on here posting, I just can’t understand why most of them are in the profession they are in now. It appears that most of them could instantly take the jobs of most professional managers, coaches, front office personnel and even players!
kwajbraves
June 19th, 2012
9:14 am
Sellers!
Braves rooter
June 19th, 2012
9:16 am
Prayers for Beachy but it won’t matter for this team. The hitters are as cold as they were last year and they added nobody to help. Well nobody with an average above 200 anyway.
It takes both hitting and pitching to win and we don’t have either one. Only a matter of time before they slam into last place. I would say maybe next year but not with this ownership and not with these players.
BravesFan99
June 19th, 2012
9:21 am
The Braves are punchless, there is no excitement at the ball park. You go and sit and nothing happens. They want to fill seats but why should the fans go when you know whats going to happen. THESE PLAYERS ARE BORING! THE TEAM IS BORING AND THE GAMES ARE BORING. Tell me why I should go. Oh and the food is OUTRAGEOUS.
BravesFan99
June 19th, 2012
9:21 am
The Braves are punchless, there is no excitement at the ball park. You go and sit and nothing happens. They want to fill seats but why should the fans go when you know whats going to happen. THESE PLAYERS ARE BORING! THE TEAM IS BORING AND THE GAMES ARE BORING. Tell me why I should go. Oh and the food is OUTRAGEOUS.
Why?
June 19th, 2012
9:21 am
@BulldogBen …Those sandwiches are worth it though!
Why?
June 19th, 2012
9:21 am
@BulldogBen …Those sandwiches are worth it though!
kwajbraves
June 19th, 2012
9:24 am
Time to dismantle this team and restock our minor league system that is pretty shallow now.
Brave Hokie
June 19th, 2012
9:25 am
Maybe when Dr Andrews looks him over, he should check and see if Beachy has a heart…
or if ANY of the Braves do for that matter.
See ‘ya next Fall, Brandon.
Don
June 19th, 2012
9:28 am
This is ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE – ABSOLUTELY ABSURD
With the LARGE number of different Starting Pitchers the Braves have had in the SIX or seven years SINCE LEO LEFT as Pitching Coach, almost ALL OF THEM have ended up being INJURED.
FOUR of the FIVE Starters from last season were COMMING OFF INJURIES.
And NOW BEACHY – and they say that MINOR may be having arm problems.
This has DESTROYED and is DESTROYING the Braves chances of being a CHAMPIONSHIP team FOR YEARS TO COME.
This is probably the most SIGNIFICANT THING in the HISTORY of the BRAVES or for any major league team.
Sure, every team has some injuries to starting pitchers over a Six or Seven year period – BUT almost ALL OF THEM ——— UNBELIEVABLE.
And they just IGNORE the SITUATION – PRETEND IT DOESN’T EXIST.
And even MORE UNBELIEVABLE – the WRITERS REFUSE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM??????????????????
Brownie
June 19th, 2012
9:29 am
Lots of panicing going on here. First of all, EVERY pitcher has soreness and occasional arm fatigue between starts. If you think the team will stop and do an MRI every time a player complains, you’re nuts.
The game has changed dramatically in just the last few years, and no position has been more affected than starters. The teams’ abilities to prepare for a starter is better than ever, the stategies of utilizing bullpens has altered the managers’ tactics of using their starters. Very few starters go past 7 innings anymore.
The primary reason for this is the introduction of QuesTec into the game. The strike zone is smaller than ever, and pitchers know they have to extremely precise unless they pitch to contact (which most do not). The result is they nibble and go deep into counts with nearly every batter.
Case in point: Glavine won over 300 games with little more than a mediocre fast ball and a good change-up. He did it mostly by living about 8″ off the plate, and the umpires gave him the strikes because he was “hitting his spots”. You just don’t see that anymore, and in today’s game, Glavine would resemble Mike Minor to a large extent (although he certainly was stronger mentally).
The Braves are a slightly above average team for two primary reasons: Liberty Media is not engaged at all. Their CEO’s W-2 exceeded the Braves’ payroll. McGuirk also says they have no limitiations placed by LB on their operations – that’s crap! I would like to see the Braves come out and say they intend to spend $120M to be more competitive and then we’ll watch LB clamp down.
The other huge problem is the horribly deficient TV contact negotiated during AOL’s reign (thanks again McGuirk and Schuerholz for not being more forward-looking). The Braves just simply won’t be competitive in their revenue stream for years regardless of who owns them. They need to pay the penalties necessary to break or rework that contract- they will likely break even or come out ahead within 5 years or so.
Stop blaming Fredi and Wren. I would agree that the book is still out on FG, but Wren has done an exceptional job while being severely handcuffed. Bottom line: there were NO great outfield big bats to acquire in the off-season – certainly not worth trading young pitching talent for. Look at them now, and you’ll see how much depth we need in the pitching staff.
wayn-o
June 19th, 2012
9:31 am
99 problems but a Beachy ain’t 1… what about his elbow… dammit, nevermind.
Peter
June 19th, 2012
9:31 am
Really ? (I have always asserted that Wren is a good GM though and nobody can give me any evidence to the contrary,
Tell us the pluses and minuses of his time in Atlanta GA….. The big acquisitions at a great deal, and the busts that were just OK..Please.
Kharma
June 19th, 2012
9:31 am
And so it goes
This is by far the easiest pitching injury to prevent. If every pitcher went to the Braves doctor and complained of the same symptoms then every pitcher would get the same diagnosis. Why? Because every pitcher has a partially torn UCL.
How’s that pitch count thing working out?
Peter
June 19th, 2012
9:33 am
THESE PLAYERS ARE BORING! THE TEAM IS BORING AND THE GAMES ARE BORING.
Yup if you were there in Saturday evening, you would have had that feeling… left early and wow not interested in going back any time soon.
pat
June 19th, 2012
9:39 am
I knew it the second he came off the mound the other day. I actually said, he’s done, Tommy John’s… I hate being right. With Liberty as our owners and Gonzoles as the coach, we may be done. How many 1-8 streaks can you survive? One, not two or three….
When we’re good we’re really good, when we’re bad we’re really bad. This coach doesn’t have what it takes to over come…Bring in Francona.
bobby
June 19th, 2012
9:44 am
Why did the old time players who pitched 9 innings every other day not have to have elbow surgery?
Hooters!
June 19th, 2012
9:47 am
I wish the Yankees could play the Braves 162 times per year.
Matt the Brave
June 19th, 2012
9:56 am
I said this a while back, but I wish the Braves would take elbow discomfort much more seriously when it begins to show. Beachy’s on the DL because they didn’t let him rest that elbow. Wonder if O’Flaherty’s elbow is busted, too…
Pat
June 19th, 2012
9:57 am
Well, Go DAWGS!
biscuit
June 19th, 2012
10:01 am
I had the feeling this was going to happen. I mean it’s become a pattern. Tommy John is not so much a possibility anymore as it is a probability. Part of the game more and more. Beachy’s too young though. Tough luck.
Tumbledown
June 19th, 2012
10:09 am
Get well Beachy. Anyway, it is time to become sellers. With our ugly TV contract, the Braves need to basically start over and collect young talent. Fire FG and FW. We are in for some lean years, but anything is better than a team that constantly teases us only to fall flat at the end. I am ready for the rebuilding process, and hopefully will still be alive when and if the Braves make another true run at the World Series.
Dirty Dawg
June 19th, 2012
10:14 am
Sign seen at a recent Braves game…I (love/heart) you Chipper…marry me NEXT! Actually I haven’t really seen one, but now I’m looking forward to it.
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
10:14 am
Pitchers fall into 1 of 2 categories:
1) those who have had TJ surgery
2) those who will have TJ surgery
Some fall into both.
Brave New World
June 19th, 2012
10:16 am
Bad news. Get well, Brandon!
Tommy
June 19th, 2012
10:19 am
A few things:
–There were arm injuries–lots of them–when Mazzone was the pitching coach. Smoltz missed a year and ended up as a closer, Avery’s career was cut short, Wohlers got hurt, Stanton got hurt, lots of bullpen arms were one and done. Maddux and Glavine’s durability makes us forget a lot of this.
–HUGE mistake not to give Beachy an MRI before his last start. Someone needs to staple “hope for the best, plan for the worst” to Gonzalez’ forehead.
–Losing Beachy is a blow, but I think a lot of us knew deep down that this team was going to have problems this year. Chipper and Lowe’s contract eat up $25 million of a $90 million payroll. We can’t contend with that going on. This team will not go to another World Series until Chipper retires. Too much salary and too little leadership. He’s our A-rod.
Dirty Dawg
June 19th, 2012
10:19 am
If as you say the Braves’ TV contract is a bad one, it makes you wonder if Liberty Media is paying any attention at all. You’d think that if anybody knew about broadcast contracts a ‘media’ company would. Then again, maybe they’ve got a piece of the stations included in the ‘Braves Network’ and the deal suits them just fine, thank you.
OldFan
June 19th, 2012
10:20 am
Come on now. The Braves have done us a favor. No late season collapse to ruin our winter. They’re getting there early this year, so we’ll have plenty of time to get rid of the bad taste by football season. This is a manic/depressive team that’s settled into a dark funk. The games are boring. The players look deflated and distracted. The managers and coaches seem bewildered at their bad luck. We had that manic rush of wins a while ago, and the AJC writers said this team was special and could win the WS. They were right: this team is special. They’re also right that they’ll be battling the Phillies. Unfortunately, it’s for the basement. Best we can hope for is to use this season as a building block for the younger talent and aim for next year. Thank goodness there’s next year.
JK
June 19th, 2012
10:23 am
No matter how frugal Liberty Media is, they should know that this is the time to open up the wallet for a pitcher, maybe two. People will stop buying tickets if we have to play out the rest of the season with this pitching staff.
Aubrey
June 19th, 2012
10:27 am
Healthy or not, the Braves have been inconsistent for a decade.
Vel Crow
June 19th, 2012
10:29 am
Well, now that Beachy is hurt, ole Fredi can look at the glass as half empty instead of half full. Another tip of the cap for FREDI.
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
10:31 am
dawg, I think the TV contract was in place before Liberty purchased team. Certainly someone will correct me if that is not the case. Thus I suspect they would use the value of the TV contract to negotiate the purchase price down. Even Ted Turner, Mark Cuban, or Arthur Blank would be stuck with it which partially could explain why they are not walking through the door anytime soon.
BrandonLee49
June 19th, 2012
10:45 am
Is Anybody In Charge ??? Maybe FG didn’t order an MRI when Brandon initially reported soreness was for financial reasons…. aka: MRI can cost around 11,000 bucks… maybe they (MGMT) did’nt want to get hit with such a Bill, for only a Questionable Issue, WhoWouldaknown it was Actually More Serious than FG Thought… It’s Bad for a Guy like Brandon whose Been The ONLY CONSISTENT BRIGHT SPOT on the TEAM, Leading the League in ANYTHING is uncharacteristic for ANy Brave, since the Maddox, Glavine SMoltz era… Yes Beachy was indeed Someone the Braves could Count-On, now we wish him the Best, this type surgery isn’t a simple procedure, nor is the Recovery.. He Deserved Better, as does Most Atl Pitchers… They Deserve Somebody Who Can INTELLIGENTLY MONITOR the Pitchers in their Progress or in their struggles, Physical or otherwise, and Currently have No one Capable of such.
Braves in last palce by the all star brake
June 19th, 2012
10:48 am
I done told U all.
RoyOswalt
June 19th, 2012
10:49 am
Hey i just signed with the Rangers recently for 1 year 4 million if i make the team by july 1st…..
nick p.
June 19th, 2012
10:58 am
although he is a great pitcher and will be missed, we have eight starting pitchers and its not a weak point of the team, matter of fact until last night starting pitching has not really been the problem so much, it has more to do with this hot/cold hitting line up, i like bourne and prado, but freeman has become like a high maintenance girl friend that you cant rely on being in line up day in and day out, he has the weirdest problems as well, McCann is the poster boy of this teams issues of being constantly hot/cold, he only works in small stretches, i have noew begun to understand why many around baseball (outside of atlanta) call mccann a bit over-rated, Uggla who is what he is at best a .260 hitter who swings for the fences, 30 HR comes with a lot of let downs, Chipper who you cant really blame, he is 40 and we all know his health history well which has been over stated, Heyward who reminds of francoeur 2.0, unfortunately big hoopla braves never really work out, and the one bright sport simmons who looks awesome, he single handedly puts a smile on my face, now if he can be a 280 to 300 hitter that would make him our cornerstone for next 10 to 12 years that is if we value him and give him the money which braves really dont anymore! to me the offense has been the jeckyl and hyde problem, not really the starting pitching, we’ll just go with medlin, therean, jurrjens etc… but line up, a constant worry!
PMC
June 19th, 2012
10:59 am
This is the reason they kept all the young pitchers. Time for someone else to step up.
Time for the LINEUP to step up.
PMC
June 19th, 2012
11:03 am
One furtur optimistic caveat. Teams need not be better than solid or good for most of the year too make the playoffs.
The Braves are a pretty good team, just above average. They have a great shot at making the playoffs.
Once you get in all you need to do is get the bats hot and pitch well enough. The Braves can do that they just need to get there.
Average teams can win the World Series in this league now. San Fran did it and St Louis did last year.
PMC
June 19th, 2012
11:03 am
*Further
Don
June 19th, 2012
11:16 am
Heisenberg, you are right — In the last 6 or 7 years with this Pitching Coach, the Braves have basically had two kinds of Starting Pitchers – (1) Those who have already been seriously injured, and (2) Those who will be seriously injured. Granted, it could possibly be the fault of the manager instead of the pitching coach – his decisions or lack thereof.
Tumbledown
June 19th, 2012
11:18 am
PMC: What you say is a fair assessment of the Braves and an objective view of a normal team’s playoff chances. However, we are talking about the Braves who play in the city of Atlanta. The Braves were in the playoffs for fourteen straight years and only won one World Series. Since the lone World Series title, the Braves have been in eleven post seasons and have flamed out every single time. You would think objectively that a team would have a chance once it reaches the playoffs. Not the Braves. Not the Braves who are owned by Liberty, run by Frank Wren, and coached by a Bobby Cox imitator.
The Braves are in Atlanta, and Atlanta teams are pathetic underperformers, underachieverers, and plain chokers come late season and playoff time. Where is the evidence to suggest otherwise? I want to see it.
Fly on the Wall
June 19th, 2012
11:24 am
Is Simmons OK….he looked like he was hurting after the DP and then again when he layed out on that one through the hole.
If he is hurt…it would put the icing on the cake.
BrandonLee49
June 19th, 2012
11:33 am
Hence no one seems to even mention the difference between “Tommy John” Surgery, of the Shoulder, with it’s mostly Successful results VS.Elbow Surgery, Major difference. Not to be pessimistic, but Realistic, this is a Very Serious development, not in Beachy’s Favor to Recover anywhere Near what his performance has been thus far… Success Rates Vary, depending on the magnitude of the Tear, the Patients resolve and resiliency, but also to the expertise of the Surgeon… Many Variables are interwoven into such an Injury.. and The Question Remains…. Why did Either Pitching Coach, or MGR Not see the improtance of Evaluating Beachy from Bullpen Throws, instead of subjecting him to a Rigorous Assignement of Starting, with Known Elbow Pain, and NOT Taking ANY PRECAUTIONARY STEPS Whatsoever. That is Inexcusable.
Can Of Corn
June 19th, 2012
11:40 am
FOR NOTHING FREDI
Fredi on Beachy’s ligament tear: “I guess my optimism was for nothing.”
No Fredi, this pretty much characterizes all that you say and do.
It’s all “FOR NOTHING” — mindless for nothings!
jek
June 19th, 2012
11:42 am
Here we go again–September collapse, only in June this year. Triple A pitching in the major leagues again. If they can find some quality pitching somewhere they need to spend the bucks–ha ha – ha. FFF!!
JK
June 19th, 2012
11:44 am
…and Tehran does not look llike he is going to be a front line starter as advertised.
brave warren
June 19th, 2012
11:45 am
i look at it this way.jurrjens can come back and pitch like an all star, huddy and hanson have been pitching well, delgado is rounding into form and minor has not been all that bad in his last 5 starts. that being said, someone needs to step up and take the ranes! this can happen on either offense or pitching. the nfield is set with simmons and uggla and freeman. chipper is a big piece. he needs to remain healthy for the remainder of the season to be helpful. our bench is not as good as it was last year. we need to get better bench players. hinske is overused, ross is never used. and the rest kinda suck!!! prado and bourn are awsome, after that there is not much going on offensively. i hope they get it together and find some offense. pitching isnt the issue, its been the inconsistant offense.
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
11:46 am
BrandonLee49, I think you are off the mark suggesting a coach watching him in warmup prior to the Saturday start was going to make any difference. The damage was done in the previous start and there was no indication prior to that of anything wrong. He is leading the majors in ERA and being dominent up to that point. Up to the time there was a SUDDEN drop-off in velocity in the middle of an inning, there was every reason to believe he was fine. At that point whether he skipped a turn or went on 60 day DL, his fate was sealed.
Wutehvah
June 19th, 2012
11:46 am
How did Simmons get beat out by Pastornicky @ SS in the spring??!! Simmons can flat out play!!
If I was in Charge of the Braves for One Day
June 19th, 2012
11:46 am
Fire Wren, fire Fredi, Prado to third permanently, Constanza to left, Chipper becomes pinch hitter and back up to Prado and bring up Teheran.
Brian
June 19th, 2012
11:47 am
The ATL sport gods are at it again! The good news in this town never ends……..
TechRon
June 19th, 2012
11:49 am
It will not get better until Fredi and company go elsewhere. The Beachy thing is not his fault, certainly, but he still sucks. This team needs a real manager and coaches. McDowell will not do either. Walker doesn’t look quite so good right now, does he? I remember everyone raving about the great at bats the Braves were getting about a month ago. Not so hot now. They are stinking with the bats. They’ve been shut out SEVEN times. Utterly amazing. That doesn’t count the games were they got a run or two but really never threatened. These guys decide all at once that they are going to lose a particular game and then they just go out and mail it in. There is no accountability at all Fredi demands nothing of the players. Wren demands nothing of Fredi. What is consistent with the Braves is one thing: They can always count on the radio and TV announcers to “keep it positive” and talk about whatever good thing they can dredge up. From Chip Carey all the way down to Buck Belue, they make me sick. Tell the truth!
Felix
June 19th, 2012
11:50 am
Now Beachy’s out. Our ace has Tommy John elbow.
Great! Just great!
TechRon
June 19th, 2012
11:51 am
Oh, and BTW, Simmons looks like the Braves MVP this year. Whatta ballplayer.
Brave Hokie
June 19th, 2012
11:52 am
LOSER + VILLE = Atlanta
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
11:53 am
brave warren, I would agree there is enough pitching depth to make up for this. With the exception of Minor. I could see it in his face in the 5th inning last night. He has Jo Jo Reyes syndrome. As soon as there is even a tiny bit of adversity he crumbles like dried out cornbread. It is not the “stuff” or physical abilities Minor is lacking, it is the mental toughness. I do not see it. He may get it someday but he does not have it now. If Meds is so valuable in the bullpen, put Redmen out there in place of Minor.
Felix
June 19th, 2012
11:57 am
Yeah! And it is time the TV announcers quit being such rah rah apple polishers for Wren & company. Call it like it is from the booth. What do they think we are a bunch of saps? When the team sucks, call them out. Skip was always a straight shooter. When a player or the team was lousy, he called it like it was and usually did it using his mischievous, wry, and dry sense of humor.
Rick
June 19th, 2012
12:03 pm
Wutehvah, Simmons’ production declined as ST went on and then he got sidelined due to an oblique injury. I think it was a good decision that they let him develop a little longer in AA anyway.
Kentavo
June 19th, 2012
12:04 pm
I think you can see the disconnect between Frankie and Fredi again on this one – sure hoping so, then Frankie can make Fredi the scapegoat and fire him.
Heisenberg
June 19th, 2012
12:06 pm
Rick, in addition to the extra development in AA, Braves also delayed the Arb/FA clock from starting on Simmons by a year.
Jay Dubu
June 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
Wake Up Call
The Braves started out way ahead of the game when Ted was the owner. They were on TBS, and attracted a fan base country wide. Whoever thought that moving them off of TBS had no vision for where the sports industry was moving. Too much focus was placed on trying to get TBS access to other baseball markets.
The Yankees saw what Ted had with the Braves and TBS, and took it to another level. They will always sork to be competitive because they have a network for which they are a large part of the programming.
The Braves are turning into the Oakland A’s. There is nothing wrong with developing talent, but if you’re depending on all of your success to come from young talent, you’d better have a very good and very impressive scouting department, and a structure in place to develop your young talent.
I find it hard to believe that the Braves have people in their front office that were this short-sited, and lack of vision. At the very least, they should have hired consultants to evaluate the TV market for baseball before jumping into a 25 year deal without an escape clause. They must have very poor legal representatives as well.
jo killa
June 19th, 2012
1:02 pm
it sucks not having beachy but the season isnt over if the braves can hit a little bit better we will be fine it all comes down to the offense in my opinion i thought minor pitched ok we cant give up on him hes a talented guy if the braves can hit and score some runs we will be fine
John in Wichita
June 19th, 2012
1:18 pm
I feel bad for Brandon. Seems like a good guy. I heard the interview with him on the radio after Sunday’s game, and it seemed to me he pretty much knew what he was in for. Hopefully the hard work he puts in during recovery will be worth the effort in a couple years.
Game 67: Yankees 6, Braves 2 | MLB.Fans-Talk.com
June 19th, 2012
1:45 pm
[...] was reported following the game that Brandon Beachy has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right [...]
Kane337
June 19th, 2012
1:45 pm
Doom and Gloom time
kwajbraves
June 19th, 2012
1:50 pm
How did Simmons get beat out by Pastornicky @ SS in the spring??!!
That was FW decision. FG and most the coaches wanted Simmons to start.
Wes
June 19th, 2012
2:05 pm
I think it’s pretty obvious the hitting coach(es) are not what’s affecting the offense. Been the same for years no matter who’s been on the bench.
You can shine a piece of crap up. But in the end, if you have mediocre talent, it’s still a piece of crap.
Oy vey.
June 19th, 2012
2:06 pm
Move Medlen to starter.
kerryb
June 19th, 2012
2:08 pm
Could this year get any worse? Now our best starter so far is gone. Oh well, it will be football season soon.
kerryb
June 19th, 2012
2:12 pm
If the Braves try to make a trade for a proven starter we are no longer in a position of strength so teams will want at least 2 of our top young starters now. Maybe should have made that deal for Oswalt, who has always wanted to be a Brave, when they could.
MikeBrave
June 19th, 2012
2:22 pm
If Beachy is done for the year, this might actually motivate the guys to pick it up a notch….Medlen should get a chance to start now. Please!
BraveinNE
June 19th, 2012
2:23 pm
Folks, Oswalt has been floundering in Triple A trying to get in shape. the KC farm team in Omaha lit him up and at last check he has a 5+ era in 3 minor league starts. Is he really the answer?
Jim Tavegia
June 19th, 2012
2:44 pm
Tough break for BB who seems like a great guy and has worked hard to get to the show. He’ll be back. Medlin should be a big help to him emotionally. I know JJ was disappointed about being sent down, but now is his chance to prove the FO that he deserves to be here.
bostonbravo
June 19th, 2012
2:46 pm
my wife always liked it when I watched Braves games. she works long hours & Braves put her straight to sleep these days. unfortunately, they now have the same effect on me,
OK…don’t fire Fredi..watching him squirm & screw up IS BEST PART OF THE GAME.
alanfalcon
June 19th, 2012
3:24 pm
June 19, 2012 and we are already at WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MikeBrave
June 19th, 2012
3:39 pm
The Braves don’t have money to spend because of its owner: Liberty Media. Please Liberty Media, sell the Braves to someone who wants to win…
NickB
June 19th, 2012
5:00 pm
I really wish this board would follow statistics a bit more….. anyway:
medlen belongs in the pen where he has the most value, if you look at his stats as a starter he gets overexposed over time and becomes very hittable,but he’s a great multi inning reliever
The recent offensive slump can be traced down to one important thing, pitches per AB, when the Braves were scoring a ton of runs they were taking more pitches and garnering more walks (8.7% BB rate in April, 9.1 walk rate in May but a 7.2% walk rate in June) our slugging has fallen off as well (.409 in April, .402 in May, .377 in June)
so they are taking less pitches and are thus getting on base and hitting less extra base hits.
They need to get back to being patient at the plate like they were the first 6 weeks of the year
Brooks Conrad
June 19th, 2012
5:18 pm
Hi Guys,I just got released by the Brewers and I am ready to come back to the Braves.Please sign me.Frank,I am waiting you have my phone number.
keylargo
June 19th, 2012
5:33 pm
The world may very well end as predicted on Dec 21.
http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120619&content_id=33556622&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
Flyin South
June 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
WHY in the HELL would they not give Beachy the MRI at the first sign of soreness? The Medical – Coaching staff for the Braves are RIDICULOUS. Bone Spurs my ASS – this comment ONLY makes Frank Wren a bigger D than already assumed. Bet me Beachy’s elbow was doped with cortizone – thus the reason the did not feel the infamous ‘POP”.
Flyin South
June 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
AND…the remaining pitching staff will be expected to pitch no hitter’s for 8 1/2 innings while the BATS sit MUTE. I am so disgusted.
tomahawk in tn
June 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
Wren more likely to get something out of the dumpster than Dempster. But he does work within the budget provided.
fg stinx
June 19th, 2012
7:30 pm
Bet trying to sell Braves tickets is a very lonely job right now.
MR FRREN WANK
June 19th, 2012
7:39 pm
@nickb:
number one: Minor is so inconsistent and DIVA actitude he needs to grow up
number two: YOU DONT NEED DFA ANY BASTARD IF YOU WANT YOU CAN SEND DOWN YOUR PLAYERS AHHAHAHA OR WHAT WILSON AND HINSKE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN JURRJENS
number three: A’s are done so sure Beane dont care veteran Balfour and maybe yes a 24-years old Francisco.
number four: Heyward it’s a JOKE …. he only had a good april’s after that he sucks ,,,maybe Quentin dont have a good speed or good glove but at least he have more contact and power and sure he can knock some sac flies when the team needs runs.. Heyward a groundout specialist and Strikeout king
number five: the braves dont go to any place with fredi gonzalez here , without new manager the braves dont gonna win nothing
and NUMBER SIX : YOU ARE SO STUPID… lol
atlanta clowns
June 19th, 2012
7:50 pm
hehehehee there it is
…. the loser actitude is contagious now Hudson it’s pitching like Jo-Jo Reyes hahaahah wow the braves ace it’s pitching garbage.. what’s the next?? Kimbrel blowing saves? wowwww
new name: atlanta clowns
stadium: circus field
no more tomahawk chop only the circus song: tan tan tan tan ta ra ta ra ra ra
no more MVP AWARD now MRC: MOST RIDICULOUS CLOWN
the winner is FREDI GONZALEZ
wadafuc
June 19th, 2012
7:53 pm
I am a patient Braves Fan. I know how these things can turn around, but is there anyone else Fredi can put in the lineup other than Hinski? This guy is 5 for his last 55 with 1 rbi! I would rather see a young fellow up from the minors than watch this guy!
Brad Lidge
June 19th, 2012
8:05 pm
Hi Frank,Sign me,I will help the bullpen and I will sign cheap,I want to show the other teams that I still have it and want to be a closer again,give me a chance to help the bullpen.
mpimentel
June 19th, 2012
8:20 pm
Well is because of this I assumed that wren didn’t make any trade involving ours pitchers…our so called surplus of pitching have to rise up NOW
Amber
June 19th, 2012
8:54 pm
Shoot me now.
Tom
June 20th, 2012
9:03 pm
Nothing here on this, yet.
NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves pitcher Brandon Beachy is going to have reconstructive surgery on his right elbow Thursday, and will miss the rest of the season.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez made the announcement after the Braves beat the New York Yankees on Wednesday, hours after Beachy received a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.
The 25-year-old Beachy was put on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, a day after leaving a start early. He is tied for the major league lead with a 2.00 ERA and is 5-5 in 13 starts.
Andrews has performed many of the ligament replacement operations known as Tommy John surgery. Recovery time for the injury normally takes 12-18 months.
Jair Jurrjens will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Friday in Boston.