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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,389 comments Add your comment
Brian from SC
September 3rd, 2012
2:26 pm
Storm’s about to render my DirecTV useless here in Columbia.
Tomahawk Mafia
September 3rd, 2012
2:27 pm
Answer to the trivia question is Andres Galarraga with 150 RBI in 1996.
Brian from SC
September 3rd, 2012
2:27 pm
And….it’s gone. Still got internet.
GermanBravesFan
September 3rd, 2012
2:28 pm
I guess with all those high salaries nowadays, manager feel obligated to let those guys play. Don’t really want a $15 million investment warm the bench for you…Maybe that’s why it took Fredi so long to finally say “Enough!” and bench Uggla.
TNScott
September 3rd, 2012
2:28 pm
Today’s attendance may have been affected by (1) Most people probably figured that Chipper would not play on a day game which was essentially after a night game and (2) our record this season on Monday’s. No excuse for it though.
Dum-Bass
September 3rd, 2012
2:28 pm
Here’s what my girlfriend says about Medlen. “I love his ‘AW SHUCKS’ attitude”. I thought that summed it up pretty good. She comes up with a good one every now and then.
Brava
September 3rd, 2012
2:32 pm
WOW! Freddie!
MIBravesFan
September 3rd, 2012
2:32 pm
Great catch Freddie!!!
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
2:32 pm
Wow! Freddy’s flashing the “rich Corinthian leather!”
Birdhair
September 3rd, 2012
2:33 pm
Nolie,
How about put together a counter argument? You’ll have a very difficult time outlining Wren successes. Heck, I’ll help you. EOF, Ross, 1 season from Bourn, Infante, Jair before he burned out. Vazquez for 1 season. The Hudson extension was a no-brainer. Maholm a neutral move. Reed Johnson good move. The negative , detrimental moves far outweigh the good. We should be much, much stronger than we are. We are winning because of JS holdovers.
Yeh, the bird nest on CRM certainly is thinning. I think he’s lost focus because of it. I hope he doesn’t cancel practice to go find lose twigs to help re-build the nest.
ray k
September 3rd, 2012
2:34 pm
DOB: “Hope everyone’s enjoying a day off. Hopefully we can avoid rain the rest of the day here, though forecast was terrible earlier. So far, not a drop.”
I thought DOB was going to write, “Hope everyone’s enjoying a day off (except Uggla, of course)…”
That might have been too snarky.
I give Fredi credit for the move. Uggla has been abysmal this year and I can’t help but think this is the beginning of the end of Uggla’s tenure in Atlanta. Before reading this, I figured we had this albatross for at least another year. Now, I think there’s a decent chance they move him in the off season and eat a good chunk of his laughably unjustified contract.
Plus, Uggla wants to wrap a 45 lb. bar around Fredi’s neck.
abeeeewright
September 3rd, 2012
2:35 pm
Official game.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:36 pm
Uggla was upset, and told Gonzalez during their meeting. As Uggla put it, “He knows exactly how I feel.”
Whatever Uggla feels, he wasn’t producing. Uggla needs to get past his ego. This is about giving the Braves the best lineup to get to the post season.
If Uggla has issues with that this winter, he should approach the Braves about voiding his contract so that he can test the free agent waters.
Yeah. Right. And Lowe and Hampton will return all the money they made off the Braves!
Tomahawk Mafia
September 3rd, 2012
2:37 pm
Medlen is so much fun to watch. It makes me dread watching Tommy Hanson and his poor command, nibbling, and 100 pitches through four innings tomorrow.
count_schemula
September 3rd, 2012
2:37 pm
Freeman’s not a very good 1b. On my charts and using a 20 sided die to create a hash, I have Freeman at -12.8 for ability to move laterally overcoming inertia and and barometric pressure.
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
2:37 pm
The Rockies hitters aren’t missing anything Medlen is giving them. A sharp double to right-centerfield, and it was on the first pitch Medlen’s thrown all night that missed the target. The ball was at the knees, but drifted from the target on the outside corner to the middle of the plate. Medlen stranded the runner on a lazy fly to right.
But, Medlen’s performance today isn’t coming courtesy bad hitting by the Rockies. They came to the game with a good plan. They are hitting to opposite field and have earned all three of their hits. Medlen hasn’t walked anyone, so he’s making the Rockies work hard for everything.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:39 pm
Wow. The Braves have only two hits going into the bottom of the fifth. Glad they’re winning, though. But not a good sign.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
2:39 pm
I think Wren and Manno now realize that if you take a clutch Hall of Famer out of this lineup you need to keep/fill with the best available players and that with a limited (but opening) payroll there’s no room for error.
Even eating $8-10 million on Uggla would free up Bourn money.
I hope that is the case.
GermanBravesFan
September 3rd, 2012
2:40 pm
@ ray k: why would the Braves eat another salary just to get rid of a player? With their low budget, the Braves cannot afford to do that. D. Lowe at least only had one year left on his contract… Uggla, however, has four years left (or three?)… That would be a lot of money to “eat”!
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:41 pm
Uggla is signed through 2015.
GermanBravesFan
September 3rd, 2012
2:43 pm
@ A Bomb: eat $ 8-10 million of Uggla’s contract? each of the next three years?
Furman Bitcher
September 3rd, 2012
2:43 pm
Whatever you think of Fredi, Bobby Cox would have NEVER sat Uggla he would have rode him all the way to losing the Wild Card. Uggla right now is nothing but a 8th and 9th inning pinch hitter you are begging to get a bomb out of.
Brava
September 3rd, 2012
2:43 pm
Lol, count. You sound like some of the kias on here.
Furman Bitcher
September 3rd, 2012
2:44 pm
Braves bats are sad right now. last night we needed walks and errors just to get Chipper in there
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
2:45 pm
they prolly wish they had started this guy
Ekim
September 3rd, 2012
2:45 pm
@Jeff R: I disagree that it’s a bad sign the Braves don’t have a bunch of hits. There are lots of ways to win ballgames. Scoring five runs off walks with your pitcher throwing a shutout is one of them. (So far.)
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
2:45 pm
Hey, here’s a blast from the past. Remember shortstop Walt Weiss who played for the Braves for a bit? Well, he played for the Rockies a number of years also and they just had a snippet on him on the Root Network. Walt is the head coach for Jesuit High School’s baseball team — a high school in the Denver area!
Pretty cool!
Jerry
September 3rd, 2012
2:45 pm
As a side note, the TLC show “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo” doesn’t exactly dispel the stereotype that a lot of people have about people from down south. What an unbelievable dumb show with pure trailer trash for stars.
Disgusted
September 3rd, 2012
2:46 pm
I really want it to work with Uggla even if we have to give it another shot for next year.
Fredi is doing what he has to do & its all understandable.
Uggla has given it 100 pct but it has not worked since June.
No bad guys here, just a decision that is best for the post season run for now.
Eating $$$$$$$$ accomplishes nothing for this team & I am not convinced that Dan;s skills are eroded like Lowe. Lowe was a different thing in that there was only one yr left and we had to make room for other guys. Lowe’s skills have eroded too.
Three Strikes They Are Out
September 3rd, 2012
2:46 pm
Ric Flair to Right has some valid points, but here’s where it gets hairy.
There is this unwritten baseball rule that if you get nailed with a fastball to the ribs, you ain’t supposed to rub it. If you get hurt, you’re supposed to be tough and rub some dirt on it and go on.
In the fantasy world, this is great, but injury does and should matter.
Take Uggla. Is he hurt? Is he gimpy or dealing with physical issues? If not, sit him down!
What about Mac? We know he’s hurting. We know his health is affecting his performance. What should they do? Sit him down no matter how mad he gets! That’s the problem I have with Mac. He gets mad when he doesn’t play but the fact is he IS NOT very valuable right now. He needs to be sitting. The difference between he and Uggla is that if Mac gets some R&R for that shoulder, he may revert back to July numbers. If not, he may whimper on the rest of the season.
So Mac, just shut up and sit down for a few days or a week! You can be more valuable healing up! Get well then rake.
Uggla, just shut up. You ain’t hurt, you’re just pitiful.
Brian from SC
September 3rd, 2012
2:46 pm
Longest Braves’ scoreless innings streaks since 1918:
1. Maddux, 39.2 (2000)
2. Kimbrel, 39 (2011)
3. Medlen, 33.1 (2012)
4. Burdette, 33 (1960)
5. Smoltz, 30 (1992)
Disgusted
September 3rd, 2012
2:47 pm
As a side note, the TLC show “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo” doesn’t exactly dispel the stereotype that a lot of people have about people from down south. What an unbelievable dumb show with pure trailer trash for stars.
Jerry — That is an unfortunate show. Hope the ratings tank. Mostly for the well being of the kid.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:48 pm
@Jeff R: I disagree that it’s a bad sign the Braves don’t have a bunch of hits. There are lots of ways to win ballgames. Scoring five runs off walks with your pitcher throwing a shutout is one of them. (So far.)
Low hit totals usually mean low run totals. Doesn’t translate perfectly, but I believe that’s a general rule, huh?
Moving forward, the Braves need to be generating hits and runs. Can’t always expect Medlen-like performances from the other starting pitchers.
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
2:49 pm
Meds is a real estate pitcher. location,location,location
brian
September 3rd, 2012
2:50 pm
Brian from SC – did the same to me in NC. I would rather watch the Braves than the DirecTV logo bounce around the screen!
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
2:50 pm
It has not worked for Uggla except for a 6-week period.
He no longer projects as that righthanded bomber to separate Heyward and Freeman. He refuses to make adjustments. He has played decent defensively but he SUCKS going up the middle — way too built up to be an athletic middle infielder.
If this was a product you paid a lot of money for and it constantly broke down, you’d be upset — even to the point of wanting your money back. Yeah — good teammate — but he’s assumed that since Gonzalez is the skipper he’d get a pass.
Finally — yesterday — Gonzalez told this guy someone else was his dad.
tony austin
September 3rd, 2012
2:51 pm
Jeff Samardjia pitching is probably the only chance the Cubs have of winning a game vs the Nats these next four games, bu he trails 1-0 in the 6th.
WTFredi???
September 3rd, 2012
2:51 pm
Man, I would not even consider pinch hitting with Uggla in a critical run-producing situation right now. The best thing would be for Uggla to “strain a pectoral” and go on the DL for the rest of the season to keep both Costanza (speed) and Baker (right-handed pinch hitter) up, then try to move him in the offseason by paying 75% of his salary to a stupid AL team like the Royals or Blue Jays.
Brian from SC
September 3rd, 2012
2:51 pm
16 pitches that inning. Really labored.
MIBravesFan
September 3rd, 2012
2:52 pm
Another good inning, Kris!
Brava
September 3rd, 2012
2:52 pm
Wow, what can you say about Medlen? Amazing!
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
2:52 pm
Somewhere in Las Vegas, I wonder if a certain legendary hurler is watching….
David O'Brien
September 3rd, 2012
2:53 pm
Medlen at 34-1/3 scoreless innings and counting.
And has thrown 51 strikes in 67 pitches through six innings today.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
September 3rd, 2012
2:53 pm
Yeah, that sounds like a plan…give another team nearly 10 mil a year for the next three just to get rid of Uggla.
Tomahawk Mafia
September 3rd, 2012
2:54 pm
Medlen is dealing. How about 6 more runs just for the fun of it?
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:54 pm
I can’t imagine the Braves not giving Uggla another go next season unless there’s genuine bad blood developing here between Uggla and management.
The Braves are stuck with Uggla, anyway. Which team would take Uggla off the Braves’ hands without the Braves eating a substantial portion of Uggla’s remaining contract? And forget about what the Braves would get for Uggla – next to nothing, at this point.
So, no big salary dump and likely no quality talent in return for Uggla. The Braves are stuck and have to hope that Uggla rebounds.
brian
September 3rd, 2012
2:54 pm
Chipper’s home run last night obviously was a big momentum builder but the Braves had to cash in on the momentum. How huge is it for the Braves that Medlen is pitching today?
The Braves feed off of Chipper and also seem to feed off of Medlen being on the mound. People can debate on what kind of stuff Medlen has (#2-#4 starter for example) but he has nothing but ace between his ears.There is a lot more to being a #1 starter than simple physical ability and MPH on your fastball. Medlen has that mental aspect.
Braveone
September 3rd, 2012
2:56 pm
From the previous blog which had 1,458 comments, TheOnlyBravesFan led the way with 107 posts. There were 190 different poster names. Here are the Top 25:
Rank Poster Frequency
1 TheOnlyBravesFan 107
2 Brava 99
3 nolie 77
4 CaptainMudd 47
5 vitriol spewer (phil) 45
6 The A Bomb 41
7 Tomahawk Mafia 41
8 George_George 39
9 ACE 37
10 count_schemula 37
11 jeffrey d 34
12 Disgusted 28
13 Mark 28
14 Venice Jim 27
15 David O’Brien 23
16 ChattTownBrian 21
17 Lew 19
18 MIBravesFan 19
19 njbraves 18
20 Lee in S GA 17
21 ray k 17
22 richbrave 17
23 Bay Area Steve 16
24 N8 15
25 VaBravesFan 15
karen
September 3rd, 2012
2:56 pm
Fredi G is the worst manager.. he needs to go back to the Marlins….. He sits on the bench and looks clueless… Wont pull pitchers out early cuz he dont want to use up his bullpen… itsnt that what they are there for… he would rather lose a game and have a fresh bullpen.. He is WORTHLESS~!~! And why did he put “little eyes” Lyle Stefan Overbay into bat sunday night!! just another way that he uses BAD DECISIONS!!!
Trey
September 3rd, 2012
2:56 pm
brian, I think that Medlen can become as good, if not better than Maddux, in the long run. For a youngin’, he has remarkable stuff, that will hopefully get better.
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
2:57 pm
hitters look kinda flat like they often doafter a huge dramatic comeback. Rox have given us a ton of help, good time for a game like this
Ric Flair to Right
September 3rd, 2012
2:57 pm
Im telling you right know this staff has a chance to be really really good with the addition of a bonifide ace. Meds,Huddy,Beach and mohalm are a very good 2345. Hell if you look at the back end you can say that either Hanson,Delgado,terehan will be a fith starter once Huddy is gone. Like it or not anson delgado are the best 5th starter in eaither league
Brian from SC
September 3rd, 2012
2:57 pm
Out of the last 135 hitters Medlen has faced, he has gotten to a 3-ball count on nine of them.
Ekim
September 3rd, 2012
2:57 pm
Braves are fourth in the league in scoring runs, fifth in OBP. You’re not going to hit your way to every win. I stand by my statement that there are lots of ways to win games, and this is one of them.
count_schemula
September 3rd, 2012
2:58 pm
This team is going to need Uggla to do something, should it come down to post-season play.
Just a rough stretch with McCann, Uggla, Janish and the pitcher.
Hopefully with some rest McCann and Uggla can get a little reset even if they just become platoon parts.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
2:58 pm
Agreed totally nolie — pointed out that 1980 game last night.
Medlen has a ton to do with this.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
2:58 pm
Fredi G is the worst manager.
Who do you recommend the Braves hire, Karen? Just asking.
Disgusted
September 3rd, 2012
2:59 pm
I will not be surprised if Uggla is able to make some adjustments, bounce back in 2013 & be the right handed bomber to separate Heyward and Freeman.
He is not terribly old, has good legs and has been playing good D and taking his walks.
Now, I do agree with Fredi’s decision for now. But any idea of us eating a bunch of the $$$$$$$ right now is not something that is going to produce much value to us. At least not for now or this off season.
Now, if another teams picks up three quarters of the $$$$$$$$ than you can think of it.
If you cannot dump at least 3/4 of the $$$$$$$$$ to someone, than its worthwhile to see if it can work with Uggla for next yr and hopefully to the end of this contract.
We cannot afford to be eating multiple yrs of players’ large $$$$ contract. If there were one yr left you might think of it.
Three Strikes They Are Out
September 3rd, 2012
3:00 pm
There is a school of thought that says sometimes you have to break something or someone down to build them up. I’m sure its not happening now because the emotions are running high, but maybe Uggla will realize that if he is going to be a valid major league player again he is going to have to rebuild his approach at the plate. He’s going to have to realize that he is better off canning that uppercut and learning how to hit line drives. He’s strong enough that he can breathe on a ball and get it out of the park. If he stops worrying about tearing seats out and start worrying about making contact he may be salvageable.
The bottom line is the only one who can fix it is Uggla. That being said he’s going to have to admit that he’s broke and needs to be fixed.
I hate streaky players! Give me the boring, steady, dependable guy.
FSUBrave
September 3rd, 2012
3:00 pm
Nobody could predict that uggla would tank, but Wren has sure signed some serious duds the last 5 years…he’s been a dissapointment as well
Growler
September 3rd, 2012
3:01 pm
I know this is thinking ahead and presuming: But if the Braves make it to the one-game Wild Card playoff, is Medlen or Hudson starting? I realize that answer might also be predicated on how much meaning the Pirates series has…
FSUBrave
September 3rd, 2012
3:01 pm
I actually think Fredi is a decent manager..he’s a winner…
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:01 pm
Disgusted is right at 2:59 pm.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
3:03 pm
The value is getting to keep Bourn.
Let’s say the Giants DON’T sign him — and Pagan is not available?
Who then? Upton? Yuck.
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
3:03 pm
David,
Have not heard, but did Kris Medlen win NL Pitcher of the Month for August? He should have — cannot think of anyone else more deserving.
Would love to see Medlen earn a complete game shutout today!
WTFredi???
September 3rd, 2012
3:03 pm
Hugo, happens all the time in the bigs, just not on the same scale. But if Uggla is going to be a black hole, wouldn’t you rather he a black hole in someone else’s lineup and you could at least put $5 million a year to use on a few productive players?
brian
September 3rd, 2012
3:03 pm
and no Uggla will not be traded unless the Braves take a bad contract in return. Soriano – no thank you. Vernon Wells – absolutely no way. Heath Bell may be the best – can hopefully help the bullpen and only has 2 more years at $9 million/year. Maybe he could regain some form here. Nats could still use a 2B and maybe Uggla regains some form there.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:05 pm
The bottom line is the only one who can fix it is Uggla. That being said he’s going to have to admit that he’s broke and needs to be fixed.
You’d hope Uggla would go back to the drawing board this winter. Right now, because Uggla’s ego is bruised, he’s falling back on the “I could start hitting any day” mantra.
CaptainMudd
September 3rd, 2012
3:05 pm
Wil’in “Nelson” Rosario
brian
September 3rd, 2012
3:05 pm
Trey – if Medlen can just become a poor man’s Maddux they have found themselves a top notch pitcher
Tomahawk Mafia
September 3rd, 2012
3:06 pm
That bloop probably should have been caught.
brian
September 3rd, 2012
3:06 pm
about time to lock up Medlen this offseason for 5 years??
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:06 pm
and no Uggla will not be traded unless the Braves take a bad contract in return.
Possible, but I’m not thinking it’s likely.
brian
September 3rd, 2012
3:06 pm
I will not fault an OF for taking a step back when CGon hits the ball
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
3:07 pm
Medlen got his first 3-2 count (or any other count of three balls) than threw a nasty hook to record the strikeout!
Hugo Z Hackenbush
September 3rd, 2012
3:07 pm
Uggla’s salary is 13 mil, and the “savings” would be 3.25 mil. Sounds like you’d be shopping at the Family Dollar, not Nordstrom’s, for your players.
Disgusted
September 3rd, 2012
3:07 pm
Uggla for Soriano is something I would give a thought to.
I have to check on this but I think that Soriano’s deal is up at the end of ‘14 (might be wrong, it could be 15).
Bad contract for bad contract???? Soriano has had a decent yr this yr.
Jay Dubu
September 3rd, 2012
3:07 pm
The Braves have not hit well today, but they have been productive. THey have only 2 hits today!
tony austin
September 3rd, 2012
3:08 pm
I’m glad the Braves are winning and I feel tacky for saying this but the bats are still cold. I was hoping last night may have woken the sleeping bats but so far I guess not.
But I digress, bottom line it to win the game no matter how.
Disgusted
September 3rd, 2012
3:09 pm
Brian — The Braves do not need Heath Bell, what we have in the org right now is better than Bell right now.
And Bell does not close for us.
truth5
September 3rd, 2012
3:10 pm
good taste in music DOB, Jamey Johnson is the real deal. New album should be really good as well. As far as Uggla, I hate it for him, but if you don’t perform what do you expect?
CaptainMudd
September 3rd, 2012
3:10 pm
Given his apparent nature, a good teamate and person–Uggla is apt to go back to work on his swing and approach….once he is convinced that emerging as a ‘changed player’ is what he truly desires.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:11 pm
Soriano’s signed through 2014 and having a much better season than Uggla. Why would the Cubs make such a deal – Soriano for Uggla?
The Cubs are starting to rebuild, too. They’d want Uggla around for three seasons, perhaps not producing?
Brava
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
Oh no. Janish.
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
BOOOOO!!!
CaptainMudd
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
Now I thought the circus was closed today
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
Cruddy way for Medlen to lose his consecutive innings of shutout baseball — Janish threw the ball away for a two-base error!
J.J.M.
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
freeman is so slow
stizz
September 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
Pitt losing again. Not good. Out of STL/LA/PIT, I know who I’d want to face in a one off.
T-Dawg
September 3rd, 2012
3:13 pm
Costly error but what can you do? That’s only two. Can’t wait for Simmons to be back.
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
3:13 pm
I was hoping last night may have woken the sleeping bats but so far I guess not…Tony
that kinda game often has the opposite effect
David O'Brien
September 3rd, 2012
3:13 pm
Medlen’s scoreless-innings streak stopped at 34-2/3 innings. only 2nd error for Janish.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
That’s the biggest issue. Uggla doesn’t really fit anywhere. Too bad we bit because we already had a 2B — make that two.
Ken Stallings
September 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
Official scorer called it a base hit and two base error on the advance to third and home. But, in looking at the replay, an accurate throw records the out at second by a good margin. In my view, it should be ruled a three base error.
keyLargo
September 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
When the Braves show some consistency, and not just a big win here and there, the crowds will increase.
They’ve also got Uggla, Jones and McCann on the bench today. Lots of families come to see their favorite player (the stars) and the players on our team that make big money play about 4 or 5 times a week.
Tomahawk Mafia
September 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
bummer. It all started with a ball Constanza should have caught.
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
Unfortunate that Medlen’s streak had to end with a rock.
nolie
September 3rd, 2012
3:15 pm
got lucky on that call
Jeff R
September 3rd, 2012
3:16 pm
In fairness to Janish, he’s been close to outstanding defensively in Simmons’ absence.
T-Dawg
September 3rd, 2012
3:16 pm
Dude, Medlen is the man. Of course, I may be cursing him next year.