Braves win, Medlen’s scoreless streak at 28-1/3 inn.
SAN DIEGO – The undersized Braves right-hander who didn’t crack the starting rotation until last month pitched like a bona fide ace again Tuesday night, and there won’t be any debate about his role again for the forseeable future.
Kris Medlen ran his scoreless-innings streak to 28-1/3 and struggling Dan Uggla hit a mammoth home run in a 2-0 win against the Padres at Petco Park, as the Braves snapped San Diego’s eight-game winning streak and gained a game on the suddenly skidding Nationals.
The Braves extended a franchise record to 17 consecutive wins in starts by Medlen dating to 2010, and pulled within four games of the NL East-leading Nationals, who were shut out 9-0 by Miami in their fifth consecutive loss.
“He’s terrific,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Medlen (6-1), who allowed five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts in eight innings. “He does everything you want a starting pitcher to do. Hopefully there’s young players out there watching him pitch. He gets the ball back and fires. He hold runners. He fields his position. He can bunt, hit-and-run. He does a lot of stuff.”
With at least 25 of Medlen’s friends and family members in the crowd, including pregnant wife Nicki, the Southern California native performed brilliantly again, improving to 5-0 with an 0.66 ERA in six starts since moving from the bullpen.Only five Padres reached base, and Medled picked off two with throws to first base.
“I rarely get a chance to pitch in front of my family,” said Medlen, who’s from suburban Los Angeles. “It was special. It was cool.”
It’s the most consecutive wins for any team in one pitcher’s starts since St. Louis won 17 straight Chris Carpenter starts in 2005.
After Medlen threw 100 pitches in eight innings, closer Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth and converted his 32nd save in his first save opportunity since Aug. 3.
In two starts against the Padres in 13 days, Medlen allowed 10 hits and no walks with 15 strikeouts in 17 scoreless innings. His nine strikeouts Tuesday matched his career high. Among Braves starting pitchers, his scoreless-innings streak is the longest since Greg Maddux’s 39-1/3 innings in 2000.
Medlen was asked if he felt any pressure as the scoreless innings total grew.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “We’re winning games. That’s all that really matters. When you start worrying about stuff like that, that’s when you start getting off your plan and off focus. So I just want to stay focused and take it a start at a time, and whatever other cliché I can say. One pitch at a time.”
Chipper Jones’ RBI double in the first inning provided a 1-0 lead, and Uggla led off the fifth with a homer that traveled an estimated 410 feet off Padres rookie Andrew Werner, a left-hander who made his second start. It was the 1,000th career hit for Uggla, who was dropped to eighth in the order for the first time Tuesday after batting .145 in his previous 69 games.
“Yeah, that was cool,” he said of his 1,00th hit being a long home run. “I haven’t gotten into one like that in a while. It felt good… I’m not going to hit .300; 30 [homers] is going to be a stretch. So I’m just concentrating on being that kind of player from here on out and pulling my weight.”
Two runs were more than enough for Medlen who is 4-0 with an 0.30 ERA in his past four starts, with 29 strikeouts and two walks in 30-1/3 innings.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Uggla said. “I remember facing him [when Uggla was a Marlinl] and it wasn’t fun back then, either. He goes out and knows what he has to do, and he executes. He’s got that great change-up and he puts his pitches where he wants them. To have that kind of control, that’s a great tool to have.”
The team is 20-4 in his 24 career starts, and Medlen is 11-2 with a 3.27 ERA in those games.
Medlen last allowed a run in the second inning of his Aug. 11 win against the Mets at New York, four starts ago. He pitched a five-hit shutout against the Padres on Aug. 16, the first complete game of his career, and pitched seven scoreless innings with seven hits and one walk in a 5-1 win at Washington on Wednesday.
After Everth Cabrera hit a one-out single in thee third inning and took a big lead, Medlen whirled and threw to first baseman Freddie Freeman to pick off Cabrera easily. He did the same after Alexi Amarista’s leadoff single in the sixth.
“I’ve got to stay on my toes over there, because Med’s really quick,” Freeman said. “I’ve never seen anybody quicker than Med. And he seems to always put it right where he needs to to give us a chance to get them out. He makes every play over there close….
The Braves are 4-5 on 10-game trip that ends Wednesday, when Tommy Hanson faces Padres lefty Eric Stults in the rubber game of the series.
“It’s a long road trip, long flights and everything like that,” Freeman said. “And the way Med came out and pitched, it gives us a little breather. We can just go out there and play. Chipper and Uggs gave us enough for Med to go out there and go eight strong, and hopefully we’re going to end the road trip on a positive note tomorrow.”
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132 comments Add your comment
mr.tim
August 29th, 2012
12:44 am
great performance
Grandma Giffin
August 29th, 2012
12:45 am
Medlen has been lights out. Just incredible.
N Nine
August 29th, 2012
12:45 am
2013 cy winner
mr.tim
August 29th, 2012
12:50 am
He seems to pitch better as a starter. The temporary move to the starting lineup turned out great for the braves. Only 4 behind the nats!! we have 3 games with them right before the season ends, it could be interesting especially with strausberg getting sidelined soon.
….BTW I commend your quick work, I saw this article as the game ended.
Ken Stallings
August 29th, 2012
12:51 am
Medlen has been nearly flawless for the entire month of August. It is has been beyond impressive. He’s so unflappable and has a truly delightful mannerism during interviews. He delivered once again in a critical need-to-win situation for the Braves. It has been one of the most dominating pitching performances over a full month as I have ever seen.
Ken Stallings
August 29th, 2012
12:55 am
I’d really like to see Fredi’s patience with Uggla rewarded and see Uggla get going hitting in the eight hole. The Braves have good hitters at the top of the order and having someone who can hit homers ahead of the pitcher is a good situation.
mr.tim
August 29th, 2012
1:01 am
Id like to see Uggla would hit anything. He is inpatient and swing for the fences on every pitch. Dan just needs to calm down at the plate. If it were not to continue to gobble up balls or turn doubles at 2nd, he would be on the bench
blackdog
August 29th, 2012
1:03 am
8th
lee maye
August 29th, 2012
1:04 am
Uggla for Roy Oswalt. Would the Rangers be that stupid? Rangers want a righthanded bat, and would like to rid themselves of Oswalt. HR tonight for Uggla and 3 K’s to go with it. 3 K’s for JHey. These Braves simply cannot hit a lefty. In Uggla’s case, he hits lefties better than righties. He can’t hit righties.
Please Wren, go get Oswalt for Sept and put him in rotation for Hanson. Might be enough to catch the Nats with Medlen, Hudson, Oswalt, Minor, and Maholm.
Braves could go with Reed J and Costanza in LF. Rangers Uggla is the bat you need. And, you would him for 3 more years. Go Rangers.
Largo
August 29th, 2012
1:08 am
Medlen has been unbelievable. He’s a great kid as well. We need the others to pitch well if we have any chance of beating these lefty pitchers teams are throwing at us.
lee maye
August 29th, 2012
1:09 am
Rangers reportedly want/need a RH bat and a middle utility infielder. Uggla and Jack Wilson or Uggla and Pastornicky for Roy Oswalt who apparently needs a return to the NL.
Brandon
August 29th, 2012
1:09 am
i’m sorry lee maye, but oswalt sounds like a horrible idea. Might as well keep hanson in the rotation
Brandon
August 29th, 2012
1:18 am
Braves are 4 – 5 on the road trip. Lost 2 of 3 to Nats, split the 4 game series with the Giants, and lost 1 last night.
Medlen’s great, Go Braves!
steve
August 29th, 2012
1:57 am
atlanta braves most overrated team in mlb right now. does not have the good pitching staff and medlen will be a day older
IlliniBrave
August 29th, 2012
2:20 am
With every successive start, I can’t help but think of NickB and so many others who were adamant in insisting that Medlen could not, should not, and would not be part of the starting rotation. Yet another example of bloated blogger ego. Folks here need to realize that sometimes you are not right!
Pale Rider
August 29th, 2012
2:21 am
Take the pain- rid Atlanta from Uggla.
Animus
August 29th, 2012
2:34 am
I saw you included stats for all starts and his last four, here is just the month of August:
0.50 ERA
2 ER
4 BB
37 K’s
27 H
0.87 WHIP
He should be mentioned for pitcher of the month at the very least. 5 starts and 4 wins, I think any team in baseball would take that. I’m just glad the Braves are the team he plays for!!!
Casey
August 29th, 2012
2:47 am
29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, 17 consecutive starts the Braves have won. To anyone who thought Medlen was not a starter: Suck it!
Casey
August 29th, 2012
2:49 am
Frank Wren and Fredi Gonzalez should be fired for not starting Medlen on opening day.
ChipperisGod
August 29th, 2012
2:59 am
Medlen has been brilliant all season. Another stellar performance. We scraped together 2 runs, but must do a better job hitting left handers and situational hitting. At least another two runs we could have scored if we can cash in on the opportunities we had.
Oswalt may be worth the gamble. However, I’d want a star left fielder for Uggla. Of course, I thought we were getting a star 2B with Uggla. Despite the homer tonight, he’s still got a lot of work to do at the plate to even justify the means of him getting paid more than anyone sans Chipper (I think).
Tim
August 29th, 2012
3:29 am
Oswalt? Really. Dude is a has been! Might as well stick with Hanson.
SantaMonicaBraves
August 29th, 2012
4:14 am
Uggla reminds me of bad Andruw Jones (as opposed to good Andruw which lasted about 2 or 3 seasons total). Throw anything breaking away and he’s flailing at it, down to one knee. He hits the ball harder on a line than any hitter on the team, but lately he squares one up about once every 5 days. I hate to mention it, but personal stuff may have something to do with his struggles. These guys are younger than most of us and have family and relationship issues just like all of us, and there’s no way they can block it out 100% of the time. . . . The only saving grace may be that he’s streaky; 30 game+ hit streak last year. We’ve got about 30 games left this year right? Wait about 10 games to get hot, Dan; that way you can hopefully carry us into and through the playoffs. If this Braves team gets hot they can beat anyone (except perhaps Washington!)
HOF 10
August 29th, 2012
4:40 am
He’s Ray Milland, but with real stuff. What a great story. Prado at short? How did he look? I can’t stay up for these late games.
IdahoBravesFan
August 29th, 2012
5:40 am
It is so ironic what Uggla said. He said that “I have not got into one like that in a while.” He hasn’t gotten into much of nothing in a while. I really want to see that guy succeed but boy is he an exercise in futility. To hear Freddie say that we have him for three more years is so painful to my ears. We seem to have one Derek Lowe behind the other but I guess all teams have those.
Big Ron
August 29th, 2012
5:57 am
Hey I thought we were 4.5 out prior to last night the nationals lost last night we won that’s 3.5 did I miss something???
lee maye
August 29th, 2012
6:35 am
Big Ron: We lost Monday while the Nats didn’t play. We were 5 out prior to last night. Now, we are 4, so you did miss something, Monday.
Chas
August 29th, 2012
6:36 am
Worthless Dan Uggla hasn’t pulled his weightfor most of his 2 seasons in Atlanta. If Bozo Fredi (with an “i”) wasn’t manager, Dan Uggla would have been benched long ago. Worthless Dan isn’t “getting hitting fixed”. He’s a headcase. He doesn’t change anything in his approach. Same crap, different day. He’s either unintelligent,, or he’s subborn. Either way Worthless Dan will continue to be Worthless Dan in Atlanta.
Wrecker
August 29th, 2012
6:38 am
We were 4.5 after the Nats lost, 4 after we won.
Johnny Vaught
August 29th, 2012
6:49 am
they are 4-5 on the trip – two losses each at Washington and SF and one at SD … just saying
Johnny Vaught
August 29th, 2012
6:50 am
I think Uggla has bulked up to increase his home run production and it’s screwed him … He should have been sent to the minors in June to work on his swing – $60 million man or not!
Wrecker
August 29th, 2012
6:57 am
After averaging 208 innings per year from 2002-2010, Oswalt has missed time the last two years. Not a good option.
Uggla has a positive offensive WAR (1.2), meaning he is 1.2 wins above an average replacement 2B. Leave the money out of the equation. That money is guaranteed and is already spent. Release Uggla will not happen due to the money and the chance that he will be come around. He is very streaky and could get hot. The real question is whether we have a viable option. Prado and Janish are not 2B. Our best 2B prospects are at least a year or two away.
Uggla is second in HRs, third in RBI, first in BB, second in runs, and fourth in OBP among NL 2B. The second base position is simply not know for power and driving in runs, yet Uggla does it and better than most. Cut the man some slack and stop with the ignorant bashing.
Wrecker
August 29th, 2012
7:00 am
And speculating that he “bulked up,” is just that, speculation. Look at pictures of him when he broke in and when he was in the minor leagues. Those popeye arms have been around for a while.
Fredi Gonzalez
August 29th, 2012
7:06 am
Jair Jurrjens will be rejoining the staff next week. Frank & I think Medlen would be more valuable to us back in middle relief.
Duh.
Runnin
August 29th, 2012
7:12 am
Don’t like the new front page. Too much white and blue. What happened???
Road Scholar
August 29th, 2012
7:14 am
Uggla should be hitting 10th!
WTF
August 29th, 2012
7:21 am
No! Uggla – here’s the way everyone strikes him out (and my niece could do this): throw a strike 1st pitch. Then throw a breaking ball WAY away from the plate – he flails and misses as he can’t resist and thinks (sorta, for him it’s thinking) another strike is coming. Count now 0-2 and pitcher can throw anything else and get him to flail again. He is a stupid hitter. Don’t know the guy personally, and he may not be ’stupid’, but he’s a stupid hitter.
We already have a few like that – Heyward, for example – but the others can hit better when not flailing.
Trade da bum!
BobDawg
August 29th, 2012
7:24 am
Medlen is so “So Cal” it’s not even funny! Dude doesn’t care who is up when or where. He is becoming a Mini-Me Maddux before our eyes. Does anyone know when Andrelton Simmons comes back?? That will create some interesting scenarios at 2nd base…
Chopping Champion
August 29th, 2012
7:27 am
So, we win the game, Uggla provides one of the two runs, and yet all there is on the blog is more Uggla bashing? Getting pretty sad when after a win and a game gained on the Nationals, we get more complaining rather than excitement about the stretch run. Wrecker, I completely agree with you.
Russell Watlington
August 29th, 2012
7:29 am
Medlin is a breath of fresh air for the Braves. He gives us hope for the future and a solid young pitcher for the immediate short term. Hanson and Uggla might be a good trade deal.
David E.
August 29th, 2012
7:37 am
You’ve got to hand it to Uggla for tonight, getting a needed run. However, we need to take him out of the starting lineup. One night doesn’t change the fact he’s become a liability. unfortunately, we won’t be able to trade him because no one will want him. His combination of a big contract and miniscule batting average make a trade impossible.
Sweet Old Buck
August 29th, 2012
7:37 am
OK, Hanson! Your turn.
Trader Jack
August 29th, 2012
7:49 am
Enter your comments here
Wutehvah
August 29th, 2012
7:59 am
Medlen = Money
Go Braves!!
smallmouth6
August 29th, 2012
7:59 am
Wrecker: You have brains. Good job.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE
August 29th, 2012
8:02 am
The Nats have lost 5 in a row…must have watched the Braves’ season-ending games from 2011… OK, Bravos…take charge and finish the season to send a message to the rest of the NL…gotcha!!
reality
August 29th, 2012
8:03 am
The whole Medlin saga with the Braves is Coxonian in nature. Remember that utility player we had… name was Prado I think. By golly Bobby KNEW that guy was no regular and that he was not going to start. Prado sat on the bench, what 2 years before finally getting a chance. Once in the lineup it was only temporary – even after Martin start tearing the cover off the ball Bobby would not commit. I’m quite sure there was some ego there that would not allow the stubborn old mule to admit he was wrong. Same thing with Meds… The Braves brain trust had there mind set: “no rotation for you!” even those many fans could easily see the stupidity of this. No wonder so many bloggers think they are smarter then Fredi and Frank. Because they are. Seeing talent isn’t something you need to collect a Braves paycheck to have. You just need eyes and an open mind.
crm300
August 29th, 2012
8:03 am
How’s that plan to put Medlen back in the bullpen working out, Fredi??
crm300
August 29th, 2012
8:07 am
Very good points about Uggla, Wrecker. Just wish he would take that outside pitch to right once in awhile.
Matt "yiddish" Chernoff
August 29th, 2012
8:10 am
Put Medlin back in the bullpen.
UGA = 2012 National Champions
Jk
August 29th, 2012
8:19 am
Did u guys see the Ken rosenthal article about how medlen had a innings limit this year…frank and fredi were just smarter than those guys in washington abt starting medlen n the bullpen nthan having him start when it matters at the end of the season and in oct…while washington will have their guy on the pine
Bulldawg
August 29th, 2012
8:19 am
reality,
I’m with you on this one. If not for injuries, the Braves best pitcher would still be in long relief out of the bullpen.
ijudgenot
August 29th, 2012
8:19 am
You really have to be wearing rose colored glasses to give Uggla’s stats and say he still should be starting. The guy has started all but about 8 games for the Braves this year. He has been able to hit a pitchers mistake about once every five games like the hanging change up he hit last night. Everyone would love for him to succeed but his approach and mechanics at the plate have not changed one iota from game one of the season despite his struggles. Now that is the best example of insanity (doing same thing over and over and expecting a different result) or he is pathologically stubborn. What are the odds that Fredi will take him out of the eight spot tonight because he is so hot(1-4).
Chipper's ACL
August 29th, 2012
8:22 am
The Braves have their Oswalt, and he’s on the DL. Adding another injury riddled aging pitcher is not going to help the club. Sheets gave the team a boost when it was needed but if he’s the odd man out of the rotation will he complain like Roy? If Hanson is moved to the pen we know he will be in the papers complaining just like he did with his minor league start.
I’ve not been a fan of Wren but I will say the last few roster moves have been positive. The bad part is some of these last resort moves would not have happened if the original moves had actually materialized. If he could just hold back on giving long term contracts the team would be in a better state of affairs. The Uggla deal will haunt this team for a while. And again as I stated when the tradehappened, why trade for a second basement when Prado was an All Star that year at second? I’m sure there were power hitting left fielders that could have been had for half Uggla’s salary. The need was really for a run producing player, not a HR hitter. 80-90 RBI’s a year was the need. Not a 30 homer, 190 strike out guy.
Just to spice things up before I sign off lets bring up the Bourn situation. Resign or not? Sure he’s a great CF and leadoff hitter, minus the strikeouts. He’s 29 years of age, Boras as his agent, and will demand a 6 year deal at around 15m per year. How many 35 year old CF are playing today that depend on speed as their main weapon? Long term I think it’s a bad move. Offer a one year deal, which he will refuse, and take the draft picks. My attention would be on Pagan. Maybe 2 years with an option. Half the money plus he is a switch hitter that has a lesser strikeout rate.
ontheline
August 29th, 2012
8:23 am
Enter your comments here
Negative Creep
August 29th, 2012
8:31 am
Should we be concerned that Fredi did his best to NOT use Medlen in the starting rotation???????? Theres no way to know how he would have pitched if he all season but imagine if he he was. I would say that makes up about 3/4 games.
Hopefully this motivates Hanson because I only see him slipping.
Disbott3000
August 29th, 2012
8:32 am
If Freddi would have only listened to me (and nearly everyone else, quite frankly) months ago and put Medlen in the starting rotation from the get-go, maybe we’d be at the top of the NL East standings already. If he moves him back to the bullpen, I will not watch this team anymore, as it would be a sign of utter stupidity. Go Medlen. Go Braves!
Lt Col Razorback
August 29th, 2012
8:32 am
Is Medlen an emerging Greg Maddux?
- Small stature
- Pin-point accuracy
- Pitches are slow — but on target
- Out thinks the batter?
longtimefan
August 29th, 2012
8:36 am
There is a reason Medlen has not been in the starting rotation all year. The most innings he has ever pitched in a year in the major leagues is 107 in 2010. His minor league high is about the same. This year he is at about 110. He was shut down for 13 months for TJ surgery, all of 2011. If he had been in the starting rotation for all of 2012 and reasonably effective he would be over 200 innings not including post season. A pitcher does not go from pitching 100 to 200 plus innings a year especially the year after TJ surgery. Turns out maybe FG and FW know a little more about their staff than the average blogger calling for their head.
Kyle
August 29th, 2012
8:38 am
Medlin was coming off Tommy John morons. Thats the reason he started the year in the bullpen. Better to have handled the situation like that than how the Nats have handled Strasburg.
DaltonBrave
August 29th, 2012
8:39 am
Medlen is pitching like a stud right now. He’s pitching better than anyone in the major’s right now, in my opinion. Thankfully, Uggla decided to show up last night and made a major contribution to the Braves in a much needed win. Otherwise it was another night of mostly stagnant offense. Two runs in two games isn’t going to cut it and relying on a long ball for runs won’t cut it either. The Braves need to find ways to manufacture more runs. Fortunately due to Medlin’s great pitching, the Padre’s offense struggled more than the Braves last night.
Lt Col Razorback
August 29th, 2012
8:40 am
Brandon,
What paper are you reading? The Braves won last night — NOT lost.
The score was Atlanta 2 — San Diego 0
bravesgawker
August 29th, 2012
8:42 am
Uggla last night: 3 whiffs and a dinger. Sounds about right for a .207 hitter.
They say even a blind hog finds an acorn occasionally.
Tim
August 29th, 2012
8:51 am
What is Joe Simpson’s problem with Medlen? Every time the kid pitches (lights out by the way), he always has to make some qualifying statement when he or Chip complements the kid. Always something like “he pitched great, but…”. With so many high priced failures (Uggla, Hanson, Jurrjens) who he seems to take up for, why pee on a feel good story like Medlen?
Carl Farvman
August 29th, 2012
9:03 am
“Kris Medlen ran his scoreless-innings streak to 28-1/3 and struggling Dan Uggla hit a mammoth home run ….”
We should move Medlen to middle relief and get JJ back in the rotation. Am I wrong?
Hock A Moma
August 29th, 2012
9:04 am
Hey, Is it true David Wright is in his final year on his contract with the Mets? That would be a franchise mover . Trade Uggla, and Hansen.Jurregens.Pay Wright .Prado to 2nd.
.Bourne want resign because he will require to much money I think Pagan is a great idea.
Medlen is the man….
rob
August 29th, 2012
9:06 am
leemaye must be on crack. Trade for roy Oswalt? we need him like JFK needed another hole in his head. Pitching is not our problem. We need consistent hitting. Guys like Omar Infante that we trarded away for the power of Uggla. Our best bet is to use Uggla as a platoon w Prado at second. That’s our best bet this year. when we get to the playoffs, w all the time off for TV, we are going w a three man rotation anyway. That would be Medlin, Huddy and either Sheets if healthy or Malhom if not. This wil put Minor and Hansen in the bullpen. Our average ERA for the bullpen will go up considerably but we will have two extra arms in there for late innings in close games (which with our hitting, we will have plenty of). We are not going to lose this year beacuse of our starters (other than hansen). Lee Maye, we do not want or need Roy Oswalt. Even if he did just clear waivers from the Rangers
Wink
August 29th, 2012
9:06 am
Enter your comments here
longtimefan
August 29th, 2012
9:07 am
For the Uggla bashers please read(or reread) Wrecker’s 6:57 post. Nobody is defendind Uggla’s .207 BA. BUT, there are more important stats than BA. An offensive players primary goals are to drive in runs, score runs and get on base so other players can drive you in. Look at how Uggla fairs against the NL second basemen in these categories. Third in driving in runs. Second in scoring runs. Third in getting on base(OBP). His defense has been serviceable. He always hustles and supposedly is a good “clubhouse guy”. To post about just his BA and SO is shortsighted and following the herd mentality. To comment on his physique(obviously in good condition) and “big arms” is childish. Grow up. Ever see Steve Garvey 1st base LAD?
Wink
August 29th, 2012
9:09 am
Meds in the rotation is lights out right now; Meds in the bullpen, Braves season would be lights out!
Thanks Meds….he gets the ball, he pitches the ball….no mound dancing… same with our Closer….there’s a lesson here????
Carl Farvman
August 29th, 2012
9:12 am
Oswalt? He’s doing the Clemen’s deal now……….wait until June/July and get a pay day. He’s done.
Nurse Ratched [aka Randal Patrick McMurphy]
August 29th, 2012
9:14 am
The fact that there is even any debate taking place whether or not Medlen should be in the starting rotation illustrates the degree of Insanity this teams mgmt continues to suffer from. They win when this kid pitches because the other team doesn’t score (at all, or much)… if one of the other pitchers in the rotation falters a bit, who knows which Braves team shows up for any given game day. Factor in ol’ Havana Fats and the rest of their inept mgmt, stir… and this is whatcha got. It’s a simple principle: Garbage In, Garbage Out…
Rick C
August 29th, 2012
9:19 am
Tim, I’ve never noticed that. I remember Joe Simpson saying earlier this season when Medlen was still in the bullpen that he deserved to be in the rotation.
RBI
August 29th, 2012
9:22 am
Uggla is like the clock that is right twice a day. He just gets lucky and cranks one every once in a while. His batting “habits” are still bad. I noticed the dancing feet again last night. He needs to get back to the basics of hitting, with a good coach.
aceunderwood
August 29th, 2012
9:25 am
What’s the cure to Braves’ ailments? MEDS!
Chipper's ACL
August 29th, 2012
9:26 am
Compair Uggla’s stats to those Prado has put up this season. Who would you rather have at second?
Kubel 26 HR and 80 RBI’s making 7.5m. Ross 19HR and 67 RBI’s for 3m. Willingham 31HR 92 RBI’s for 7m. Reddick 26HR 65 RBI’s for 500k.Just a few productive OF’s that were available this past off season for millions less than the Uggla contract. Money well spent?
Brazilian Braves Fan
August 29th, 2012
9:27 am
The Braves seems to have a surplus of rotation arms for 2013 and beyond.
How would it looks like in 2013?
Hudson-Medlen-Maholm-Beachy(?)- Minor(or Jurjens or Hanson or Delgado or Teheran…)??
And Uggla Strikes Out
August 29th, 2012
9:48 am
Oh, oh……here comes Hanson.
Rick C
August 29th, 2012
9:48 am
Chipper’s ACL, for what it’s worth, Cody Ross said the Braves offered him a multi-year deal but he turned it down for the one year in Boston because he liked the opportunity there more. Pretty stupid on his part IMO.
D man
August 29th, 2012
9:50 am
I love Medlins competitiveness. He is a fighter and a great teammate. Glad he is on our team…
The opposite
August 29th, 2012
9:53 am
Today we will witness the complete opposite of Medlen. Hanson and the runners at 1st base. Just hang a sign up on Tommy’s backside “Padres runners feel free to steal second base”.
DawgNole
August 29th, 2012
9:53 am
Nats are in the midst of a major-league reality check. NOW is the time to take advantage of it and make up some lost ground.
Denny LeMaster
August 29th, 2012
9:54 am
The Padres love to steal, and are second in the NL in stealing bases. Hanson is a stealer’s dream. I’m afraid San Diego will swipe a few tonight.
Joe Adcock
August 29th, 2012
9:59 am
Is there a stat for “coming through with runners in scoring position”? If there is, I don’t think old Uggs would fare too well in that category against the other second basemen.
Braves Fan
August 29th, 2012
9:59 am
Uggla went deep tonight and people are still on here bashing the guy. I think he needs to bat 7th or 8th every night pending if Janish plays. He is having a down year but that would be a good problem to have if your 7th or 8th hitter in the lineup has 16 bombs and 63 RBI. Pitchers have to respect that knowing he can turn on one anytime like he did tonight! LEAVE him in the lineup!!!!
Surf's Up
August 29th, 2012
10:05 am
No one, and I repeat NO ONE, who is batting .207 should be an everyday starter. That’s like leaving the water running in the bathtub, and hoping the water main breaks before the tub overflows.
Vesaversa
August 29th, 2012
10:06 am
Braves are still struggling to score runs.
ryan
August 29th, 2012
10:21 am
Jay Mauer placed on waivers by the Twins any chance the Braves go after him we could use his bat if the Braves are going to make run why not get some power .
Rick C
August 29th, 2012
10:21 am
Joe Adcock, with RISP, Uggla’s 848 OPS is 5th highest among NL 2B and one of the players above him has only 8 ABs in that situation. With RISP and 2 out, he is second with a 1.073 OPS, and the player above him only has 3 ABs.
braveslover
August 29th, 2012
10:23 am
What’s up with the new sports front page format? This is terrible. Back to the drawing board boys to try again or just revert.
Braves Fan
August 29th, 2012
10:24 am
Let’s say the Braves make the playoffs…Question:
1. Who starts in a potential 1 game playoff
2. If we win the playoff game or the division, which 4 starters do you use in the NLDS/NLCS/WS
Scoots
August 29th, 2012
10:27 am
Was Uggla’s HR really only 410 feet or was that a typo? That’s not really a mammoth home run as it is described.
JK
August 29th, 2012
10:30 am
Uggla is the worst player the Braves have ever fielded.
The opposite
August 29th, 2012
10:39 am
JK, you certainly have not forgot about Melky, have you??
bvillebaron
August 29th, 2012
10:41 am
Lee Maye and others:
Trade Uggla for Oswalt and have him replace Hanson in the rotation? Could you come up with a more stupid idea?
P.S. to Scoots: Last I checked the ball Uggla hit went over the fence in a game the Braves won 2-0. Who cares how far it went?
Braves Fan
August 29th, 2012
10:46 am
Surf’s up: Go look at all the box scores from MLB games last night and tell me what 8th hitter you would rather have than Uggla??? Sure all of them have higher BA, but like 6 HR with 28 RBI. Rather have Uggla any day hitting in the 8 hole
Scoots
August 29th, 2012
10:49 am
I’m not cracking on Uggla, I’m just asking if that was the correct distance because it was described as a ‘mammoth HR’ and 410 doesn’t sound mammoth to me. You frickin’ reactionary.
BravesBanter31
August 29th, 2012
10:49 am
BRAVES fans on TWITTER, please add me @BravesBanter31 Love talking Braves baseball during games and all day long! Keep chopping til we catch Washington!!!
reckingball
August 29th, 2012
10:58 am
Braves Fan@9:59am………The hyenas, and the jackals on these AJC blogs, always delight in attacking the players that are down in their performance on the field.
How many of these people were advocating the blowing up(and starting over from scratch) of this entire team, after 4 losses to begin the 2012 season?
Name any player on this team, that a whole lot of these people have not called for their heads, at some point in this season.
Rick C
August 29th, 2012
10:58 am
Scoots, it was only 393 ft per ESPN’s HR tracker. Pretty surprising.
the truth...
August 29th, 2012
10:58 am
@Wrecker
You are delusional………….Uggla weighs this team down with performance AND contract. He is here for one reason and that is he is Fredi’s boy.
Reed Johnson in left and Prado at 2nd and this team is world’s better. Prado scored the winning run last night in the first…..
Uggla simply prolonged our agony with the tease of a homer every week or so separated by endless strikeouts……….
If you think Uggla’s performance helps in bringing success to a franchise you are delusional….he is the reason a franchise fails………..
AGTFan
August 29th, 2012
11:02 am
Do we need to start calling Medlen, Mad Dog? The more he pitches, the more he reminds me of someone.
Brownie
August 29th, 2012
11:05 am
Casey and Reality…..typical negative bloggers. Here’s a good analogy of the Nationals vs the Braves, and how they run their teams. While Strasberg is obviously higher profile in the media, the Nats’ Rizzo went out of his way to announce Strasberg’s innings cap for the year.
The Braves had the same innings cap for Medlen this year, coming off Tommy John…they just didn’t announce it for the world to blather about. I say Wren and Fredi’s strategy was fantastic and carried out flawlessly….they just didn’t share it with all of the armchair managers out there.
They started him in the pen to control/limit his innings, but kept him throwing. Even the move to the minors in July was designed to start the process of making him ready to join the starters. The only reason they placed him back in the pen when he came back us was because Delgado, and especially JJ, were pitching better. the Braves were trying to showcase them for a possible trade.
Med’s innings count will be around 100 or so for the year – and he’ll be fresh AND in mid-season form for the playoffs!! Compare that to the arrogant and stupid strategy employed by the Nats.
Well done Wren, Fredi, and especially Medlen!!
reckingball
August 29th, 2012
11:06 am
Saw Uggla’s HR on the TV, it looked pretty mammoth to me(my opin).
Might be alled mammoth because it probably was hit 410 feet high.
Took a long time(about 20 seconds), for that ball to land.
I wish that Uggla could have rung that big paint can.
reckingball
August 29th, 2012
11:08 am
;might be ‘called’ mammoth
Gary
August 29th, 2012
11:10 am
Uggla hit a home run..but did you see the other three at bats fo him….going to have to pitcha shutout every nite…..to reach playoffs……….
DaltonBrave
August 29th, 2012
11:11 am
“We should move Medlen to middle relief and get JJ back in the rotation. Am I wrong?”……yes, Carl Farvman, you are definitely wrong. Medlen is an ace in the starting rotation at the moment, why take away a starting pitcher that has pitched over 28 innings of scoreless pitching?
1991 braves
August 29th, 2012
11:19 am
Medlen is the best pitcher in braves rotation by far, but what are the chances he would get the start in a one game playoff? You can bet that the mental midgets Fredi&Wren would start Hudson instead. He will give up 4 runs in 1st inning and braves season will be over.
reckingball
August 29th, 2012
11:21 am
Uggla 1 for 4 with a HR, that’s .250, I think.
He did look kind of bad on the 2 SOs that I viewed.
older1
August 29th, 2012
11:27 am
Uggla in the 8th. spot is a great idea u need some pop before the pitcher, Uggla will come around so stop kicking the man when he is down. MED. IS GOING TO MAKE THE OTHER PITCHERS TRY HARDER. MAHOLM pitched well enough to win ,just 2 runs allowed will win most games. and i know this will sound crazy but fresh carrot juice does wonders for eyesight, Fredi make sure all your hitters have 12 ounces before the game,
Venice Jim
August 29th, 2012
11:28 am
ok
Skokie Dog
August 29th, 2012
1:34 pm
So, who gets the prize for understatement of the day here?
Fredi for “He does a lot of stuff” when speaking about Medlen?
Or Uggla for “I’m not going to hit .300″?
Scoots
August 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
Uggla apoligists have been saying he’ll come around all season – how much longer is it going to take? Homeruns are nice, but not when there’s two weeks of strikeouts and pop-ups in between them.
Medlen should be Med Dog, because he stops the bleeding.
BrandonLee49
August 29th, 2012
1:38 pm
This new AJC format totally SUCKS… and Fredi Gonzo’s comment about Medlin (6-1) performance wa”just terrific”. . . NSS… He’s Been Terrific All Year LongWho Woke Gonzo Up anyway, Let him Sleep !!!
And Get Rid of This POS new Format !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BrandonLee49
August 29th, 2012
1:38 pm
This new AJC format totally SUCKS… and Fredi Gonzo’s comment about Medlin (6-1) performance wa”just terrific”. . . NSS… He’s Been Terrific All Year LongWho Woke Gonzo Up anyway, Let him Sleep !!!
And Get Rid of This POS new Format !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DoninAcworth
August 29th, 2012
1:51 pm
crn 300 is right about Uggla. I too believe he needs to make contact with outside pitches and stop trying to hit a home run every pitch no matter where it is pitched. He does remind me of Jones too. If he doesn’t hit that first pitch he’s going fishing on the next two no matter where they are trrown. But what do we know…I couldn’t hit .001 so leave him be and allow his own stats to take care of him. HEY …. it was good to see our closer out there tonight… way to go Kimbrel!
fuzzmeister
August 29th, 2012
2:36 pm
Wrecker– You say Prado is not a second baseman, That’s where he played B-4 Dan the Man got here. Was the starter in the All Star game as well. Prado can play anywhere he’s asked to play and do it pretty darn well too. Prado is THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
August 29th, 2012
2:41 pm
Great game for Medlen, but the Braves aren’t going anywhere scoring one and two runs a game not to mention the shutouts. Our pitchers are going to give up three runs a game as a rule and our hitting and run scoring has got to pick up the slack.
AL
August 29th, 2012
3:00 pm
Rob, The Braves did not use a 3 man playoff rotation when they had Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. They are not going with 3 with this rotation.
Mikey
August 29th, 2012
3:10 pm
Not to change the subject of praising Medlen (Mad-Dog II) or Uggla’s 3 k’s to go along with his massive HR. The Braves need to do something different against L/H pitching. Last night our lefties were 1-14 with 8k’s. Sorry Bourn, Heyward, Freeman and McCann….but that was embarassing last night!
AL
August 29th, 2012
3:23 pm
For those talking about David Wright, the Mets have a club option for 2013 at 16 million.
B
August 29th, 2012
3:40 pm
all of you bashing Fredi for keeping Medlen in the bullpen for too long are missing the point. Medlen just came back from TJ surgery, just like Strasburg… the Braves were SMART enough to limit his innings just like the Nationals are doing, by using him in the pen for the first 1/2 of the season. the difference between us and the Nats is that we just got our stud pitcher for the stretch run, and they are about to shut their guy down… that was the best decision the Braves have made all season…
L.A. Mont
August 29th, 2012
3:47 pm
@Braves Fan: The Braves playoff rotation has to be Hudson, Maholm, Medlen, Minor as your 4 starters. Those four are pitching well. I’d be comfortable with any of them starting a one game playoff. Even if Hanson does decent down the stretch, I wouldn’t start him with his inability to hold runners, and probability of one bad inning that can kill you in the playoffs…….It will be interesting to see what the Braves do next year. With Hudson, Maholm, Medlen, Minor surely in the rotation, Delgado, Tehran will compete for the 5th spot. You have to think Jurrjens and Hanson will be on the trade market for the Braves to get potentially a CF if Bourn leaves, or a 3B if they are not happy with what’s on the farm.
Mikey
August 29th, 2012
3:57 pm
L.A.- Dude- guy named Beachy will be back!
jasons shrinking waist
August 29th, 2012
3:57 pm
what worrys most about the Nats is that they play 21 home games and only 12 road games from here on out…Braves play fifty fifty.
TheOnlyBravesFan
August 29th, 2012
5:38 pm
Braves lineup vs. Stults:
Bourn 1-7 (single) with a K .143/.143/.143/.286
Johnson 3-6 (3 singles) with 1 RBI .500/.500/.500/1.000
Heyward 2-4 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1 K .500/.500/1.250/1.750
Jones 2-7 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .286/.286/.714/1.000
Prado 4-8 (3 singles, 1 triple) with 2 RBI, 1K .500 /.500/.750/1.250
Ross 1-1 (single) 1.000/1.000/1.000/2.000
Uggla 2-12 (1 single, 1 HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .167/.167/.417/.583
Janish 0-5 (0 Ks) .000/.000/.000/.000
Not one Braves player has walked against this guy…
The Braves team is hitting .250/.261/.412/.673 career against Stults, in 69 PAs (17 Hits, 1 triple, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 7 K) . The only hitter on the team yet to face Stults in Juan Fran.
TheOnlyBravesFan
August 29th, 2012
5:39 pm
Braves lineup vs. Stults:
Bourn 1-7 (single) with a K .143/.143/.143/.286
Johnson 3-6 (3 singles) with 1 RBI .500/.500/.500/1.000
Heyward 2-4 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1 K .500/.500/1.250/1.750
Jones 2-7 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .286/.286/.714/1.000
Prado 4-8 (3 singles, 1 triple) with 2 RBI, 1K .500 /.500/.750/1.250
Ross 1-1 (single) 1.000/1.000/1.000/2.000
Uggla 2-12 (1 single, 1 HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .167/.167/.417/.583
Janish 0-5 (0 Ks) .000/.000/.000/.000
Not one Braves player has walked against this guy…
The Braves team is hitting .250/.261/.412/.673 career against Stults, in 69 PAs (17 Hits, 1 triple, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 7 K) . The only hitter on the team yet to face Stults in Juan Fran.
TheOnlyBravesFan
August 29th, 2012
5:41 pm
Braves lineup vs. Stults:
Bourn 1-7 (single) with a K .143/.143/.143/.286
Johnson 3-6 (3 singles) with 1 RBI .500/.500/.500/1.000
Heyward 2-4 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1 K .500/.500/1.250/1.750
Jones 2-7 (single, HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .286/.286/.714/1.000
Prado 4-8 (3 singles, 1 triple) with 2 RBI, 1K .500 /.500/.750/1.250
Ross 1-1 (single) 1.000/1.000/1.000/2.000
Uggla 2-12 (1 single, 1 HR) with 1 RBI, 1K .167/.167/.417/.583
Janish 0-5 (0 Ks) .000/.000/.000/.000
Not one Braves player has walked against this guy…
The Braves team is hitting .250/.261/.412/.673 career against Stults, in 69 PAs (17 Hits, 1 triple, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 7 K) . The only hitter on the team yet to face Stults in Juan Fran.
space monkey
August 29th, 2012
8:05 pm
Can we non-tender Hanson? He’s horrible.
reality
August 29th, 2012
8:42 pm
All you guys saying the Braves management was brilliant in saving Meds for NOW are on crack. Management had decided he was their long relief man from the get go. Not a word was ever said about TJ/innings limit. Isn’t that something you might mention in spring training when the kid also did a great job? Why in the heck did they go get Sheets and Malholm if they PLANNED on Meds in the rotatation now? Just last week they were debating the 6 man rotation – why would they be doing that unless Meds performance forced them to? We are lucky the kid is tough with the yo-yo head games these managers did on him. Bottom line, unless hanson goes DL early August Medlin is still long relief. I say Medlin is in the rotation IN SPITE of management, not because they are brilliant…. brilliant, sheesh,,,
Michael Woody
August 30th, 2012
12:47 am
Uggla needs to work on making contact with the ball. It’s good that he hit a home run, but he also struckout 3 times. If he didn’t try crushing the ball every time he got up, he would get more hits. As for the rest of the team, we make an average pitcher look like an ace against us and that is pathetic. Great pitching by medlen though. He is on fire right now. Go braves!
Davey Sprocket
August 30th, 2012
8:18 am
Agree with “reality” on the Medlin thing – More like managemnt screwed it up,than being smart with him. Jacking him in and out of the rotation, down to the minors and back – but NOT back to do what he was preparing for: to START!
@Brownie – callnig the Nationals brass arrogant and ignoran for their handling of Strasburg just shows how stupid you are. Strasburg is a STARTER. The had him START. He will likely win 16 or 17 games, and played a big role in getting adivision lead of up to 7 games in the loss column – Maybe it was the Braves and FW who were FOOLS for pissing away a chance to lead teh division??
Washington did it very successfully with J. Zimmermann and are replicating that with Strasburg. Works for them – first place, you arrogant ignorant bloger/fan.
local movers
September 8th, 2012
1:04 pm
The right thing to do is for the moving company to take ownership of what happened and help the women spend her remaining time in comfort. Finding the suspect is not really going to do anything for her. A prison sentence, sure, but looking at the big picture….what is this company going to do for her. It would only be good business.