We’re live, and Braves are alive: Do you think it’s for real?
Jason Heyward has a team leading 29 RBI after a game-winning double against Cincinnati Wednesday night. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
So are you feeling a little more comfortable today, or are you still nervous about this Braves’ team?
I’ll be heading out to the stadium later for the finale of a seven-game home stand that has seen the Braves go 4-2. They are back to .500 (20-20) after a nine-game losing streak had dropped them to 8-14 and general manager Frank Wren had angry torch-carrying villagers climbing the hill to his front gates.
If we divide the season into 10-game increments — and yes, I know the season is 162 games, not 160 — here’s how things break down:
♦ Games 1-10: 6-4 record, 56 runs scored, 47 against (plus-9)
♦ Games 11-20: 2-8 record, 21 scored, 38 against (minus-17)
♦ Games 21-30: 5-5 record, 41 scored, 43 against (minus-2)
♦ Games 30-40: 7-3 record, 61 scored, 38 against (plus-23)
What jumps out obviously are the runs scored. The Braves scored 40 more runs in the last 10 games than they did in the second 10. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider three key members of their lineup — Chipper Jones (.234), Yunel Escobar (.198) and Brian McCann (.261) — are still miles from their average levels of production. Nobody expected the top four RBI men in the lineup to this point of the season would be Jason Heyward (29), Troy Glaus (27), Martin Prado (18) and Eric Hinske (18).
Heyward (29) has driven in nearly as many runs as Jones (11), Escobar (8) and McCann (14) combined (33).
About Prado. I love stories like this. Kid spends most of seven years in the minors and developmental leagues (going back to 2001) and he eventually wins the starting second base job because he just keeps getting better — and also Kelly Johnson implodes. He’s hitting .321 this season and his career major league average is now .309.
It doesn’t matter where Bobby Cox sticks him in the order: Prado is hitting .381 (8 for 21) as a leadoff hitter, .309 (42 for 136) second and .400 (2 for 5) third.
Prado vs. lefthanders: .313.
Prado vs. righthanders: .325.
OK, I’m going to hit the road here. When I get to the park, I’ll check back in and then blog live during the game against Cincinnati. Are you feeling comfortable, nervous or somewhere in between?
♦
Earlier post
Fredi Gonzalez should top Braves’ list to replace Cox
♦
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354 comments Add your comment
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:05 pm
Jeff,
Based on what you have seen so far this season, what would be your predictions in the NL as far as division winners, the wild card winner, and the NL champion?
C. Tampa Ironworse
May 20th, 2010
12:08 pm
Escobar needs to GO, JS! Frenchy simply didn’t have the skill at this level. Escobar is different. He doesn’t get it or even CARES to get it. He’s in that mold of Hanley and Reyes. Super talented Latin players that just don’t get the MLB way of doing things. They play a brash style to get the attention of scouts and that’s awesome when it works…but is the WROST when it goes wrong. Because is not a talent issue, it’s a “look at me” issue.
Real UT
May 20th, 2010
12:10 pm
I’m staying cautiously optimistic with all my teams, especially the Braves. The Braves June schedule is BRUTAL. They need to be crushing teams these last 2 weeks of May while they have an easier schedule. They shouldn’t lose a series before June. I know the Marlins are heating up and the Reds are hot right now, but in June we play the Twins, Rays, Tigers, Phillies, Dodgers, and white Sox. I don’t know that we have an easy series until the all-Star break after Pittsburgh. Time to heat up!
Blackberry Cobbler
May 20th, 2010
12:11 pm
Braves are going nowhere as long as Booby Cox is the manager. Bottom of the 8th last night is just the latest case in point. Regardless of player talent or the lack of it, the Braves will be better off when Booby is gone.
mike @ calibre lake
May 20th, 2010
12:11 pm
excited. i’ve been a braves fan for as long as i can remember but the fact of the matter is will they eventually break my heart? Over the past few seasons that has been the case…build us up to knock us down. Forbes magazine got it right.
BravesAreDone
May 20th, 2010
12:12 pm
Hate to admit it but yes they’d be better without Chipper.
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:13 pm
“Blackberry Cobbler” you must be a moron. The Braves are going nowhere with him? Who was the manager when they won 14 division titles in a row? I am sure you would do a MUCH better job then Bobby right? The Braves have been on a tear since that 9 game losing streak. A few nights ago Bobby decided to play Melky instead of red hot Hinsky. Bad move right? Did you see who got the winning hit?
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:15 pm
Hinske, typo.
Keith
May 20th, 2010
12:17 pm
Great game last night! But realistically, Reds have a better team overall than the braves. Offense for bravos is sadly lacking even though they will win alot of games this year. In september, they will be in third or probably fourth place. Reason-everybody else in division has improved more than the bravos. Sorry.
C. Tampa Ironworse
May 20th, 2010
12:20 pm
Steve…the Braves won games with Phil Niekro and Dale Murphy. Wanna bring them back? Chipper’s getting OLD, bro! It has noting to do with the titles in the past.
wawel78
May 20th, 2010
12:22 pm
I think they’re a 500 team. so far this year they soundly beat sub-par 500 teams and lose heavily to the above 500 teams.
Yunel will be fine. If you watch him rather than looking at stats, he’s hitting ropes. They just happen to be right at people. he will be fine.
Casey
May 20th, 2010
12:22 pm
I like Heyward and Chipper being right beside one another in the line-up at 2 and 3. Plus, it helps my fantasy team seeing as I have both of them and gather all their RBI’s and Runs together. They accent each other very well and have a lot of pop in their bats, so anything can happen with that top part of the line-up. Prado as a lead off seems to be a wonderful answer as well. Throw your best three out there and see what they can do. I like moving Hinske up to 5th and McCann back to 6th. Just my thoughts.
DCBrave
May 20th, 2010
12:23 pm
I feel good about the team. Chipper may end up a .250 or .260 guy this year, but he’ll keep the OBP at .400….McCann is coming around. I am hoping he can play today, even though it is a day game after a night game. He sees better during the day and he seems to be on the verge of really getting hot. D Lowe has looked better…the first part of fixing a problem is admitting you have one, and he seems to have turned that corner.
wawel78
May 20th, 2010
12:24 pm
I don’t have an issue with Chipper either. His swing is coming around and his OBP is great. One thing I am optimistic about is we have had about the worst hitting starting out a season I have ever seen and we are staring at 500.
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:25 pm
C. Tampa where did I say anything about Chipper? He has been hot lately and I still like him in the line0up but think he is retiring after this year. I don’t see him playing for another manager.
TommyJack
May 20th, 2010
12:25 pm
Wasting a ton of good starting pitching. Need more knocks.
AlternateReality
May 20th, 2010
12:26 pm
FYI to the Escobar bashers, TP was on 680 this morning talking about how hard he (Escobar) has been working in batting practice, how he’s actually had to tell him to ease up a little.
Blackberry Cobbler
May 20th, 2010
12:28 pm
Yea Steve, I do. Anybody could.
Last night, McCann doubles. Man on 2nd with no outs. Does Booby try to get that run in? Nope.
Get than run in and the Braves have a 2 run lead going to the 9th.
A 20-yr old rookie baled Booby out with a winning hit in the bottom of the 9th.
He’s a moron, plain and simple. Yea, 14 division titles but only 1 WC to show for it. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, Steve.
Jeff Schultz
May 20th, 2010
12:28 pm
Steve — Division winners: Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers (not sure on that one). Wild card: Close race between 4-5 teams but Braves get it (not sure on that one either). … Pennant: Phillies.
Phil
May 20th, 2010
12:29 pm
“A few nights ago Bobby decided to play Melky instead of red hot Hinsky. Bad move right? Did you see who got the winning hit?”
This is funny. You talking about that rope of an infield chopper to 3rd base and the bad throw to 1st? Yea, that was brilliant.
You people kill me defending that clown.
robdawg08
May 20th, 2010
12:31 pm
I can’t understand why CF is not addressed. i mean Nate is above average defensively but can’t hit at all. Either call up Schafer and see what he can do or trade for a CF that can hit and play defense.
Chipper & mcCann were expected to provide the power (hr’s) in the offense and have a mere 6 combined so far. Amazing what coming off HGH can do to players…
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:32 pm
Phil I bet you could do a much better job.
.
May 20th, 2010
12:35 pm
Wait till next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
myra
May 20th, 2010
12:35 pm
food for thought: just got done voting for all stars at mlb.com. they have made it very easy to use a repeat ballot and to revote 25 times. hope u all do same .J-Hey,Prad,and others deserve our votes and should not get left out. (how many fans know of Prado outside atl?). took me maybe 10mins.
chop chop!
robdawg08
May 20th, 2010
12:36 pm
Jeff, Giants,Reds,and Nats all have a better shot than Braves at Wild Card. Remember last year when 5 teams were battling for the Wild Card ? Braves finished 5th of the 5 as expected. We fans only want the Braves to win and for the best players to be on the field. Infante should be at SS starting,Schafer should be in CF. Everything else looks pretty good to me if Chipper & McCann can contribute a lot more on offense. i mean why keep guys struggling hitting 3rd & 4th ? Move Glaus and Hinske in to 3 & 4 holes. Go with who is hot. Leave reputations out of it. Reputations lose games and hot players win games…
Hubert
May 20th, 2010
12:40 pm
“Throw out the 9-game losing streak”??? That’s like saying “Throw out the fact that he killed his wife, and O.J. is actually a quality human being.” The 9-game losing streak is very much a part of who this team is. Expect more of the same.
Phil
May 20th, 2010
12:41 pm
Yes I could Steve.
I wouldn’t pull Hanson out of a 1 hitter like he did against Houston last year and bring in Soriano. That had disaster written all over it, and sure enough he loses the game.
Or when he left Lowe in against the Mets last year in that 10 run innning.
Or when he kept using Norton over and over and over again last year in critical situations.
And it continues this year with Melky, leaving Chipper in the 3rd spot, etc..
The list is so long, this blog couldn’t hold it.
The man is a buffoon.
Space Monkey
May 20th, 2010
12:43 pm
I’m just hoping last night wasn’t just a case of bad pitching by the Reds.
Fire Frank Wren
May 20th, 2010
12:45 pm
So the Braves don’t play good fundemental baseball and they are paying $23 Million to two starters on pace to lose 40 games (they have lost 10 games as of now). At the end of the day no team can overcome these two things not to mention any other short comings. They do not make the playoffs which makes it five years in a row.
Casey
May 20th, 2010
12:50 pm
Phil, you’re a complete moron. Bobby Cox is twice the baseball mind you are. That’s why his head will be enshrined in bronze for all sports fans now and future to see, while yours is probably stuck in the toilet at some cheap peep show joint. How many games have you won? How many has Bobby Cox won? Sure, you can pick a few here and there that were botched, but remember that coaching is part of the game, that precision and execution are the other parts. Precision and execution is responsibility of the players, which are well known for their abilities to be major league athletes, except Mike Gonzalez who sucks.
Steve
May 20th, 2010
12:51 pm
I love all of the negativity on a team who has won 7 of 9 games, is 2 1/2 out of the wild card spot and 4 1/2 out of first place. Also doing that without Jair. I am sure Kenshin will be moved to the bullpen when Jair comes back and Medlen will take Kenshin’s spot. Pretty darn good rotation.
Josh
May 20th, 2010
12:54 pm
Jeff, do you worry that Heyward’s rapid ascension is problematic? At the beginning of the season, he was a phenom, and everyone said he was the future of Atlanta. Now, he’s not the future. He’s being asked to be the present. At some point, doesn’t it have to get in his head, “I’m 20, but I’m much better than these other guys. Not in the future. Right now.” Or even if that is the case, is that not a problem?
Phil
May 20th, 2010
12:56 pm
Casey,
My points will be made next year, without Cox we will be a much improved team and probably back in the playoffs.
Dr. Warren
May 20th, 2010
12:59 pm
Josh–the great ones don’t think too much. The just do it. Ask Nike.
Casey
May 20th, 2010
12:59 pm
Ok, we’ll just look forward to next year then. Throwing the book in on this year. Hope you’re right Phil.
Jeff Schultz
May 20th, 2010
1:03 pm
Josh — There’s nothing problematic about Heyward’s rapid ascension for this reason: When he goes into a slump — and trust me, he will go into a slump because everybody does — he’ll handle it well. Anybody who has spent time with the the kid knows how stable and mature he is. He’ll ride things out. My bigger concern is not Heyward but rather the Braves DEPENDING on Heyward. To a large degree, he’s carrying things right now from a run-producing standpoint and that’s a dangerous game.
Tweets that mention We're live, and Braves are alive: Do you think it's for real? | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
May 20th, 2010
1:03 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJC , Joel Kight. Joel Kight said: RT @ajc: When I'm named Bobby Cox's successor next season, my first decision will be to play J-Hey. Pure genius. http://bit.ly/aNbUG9 [...]
THE TONE
May 20th, 2010
1:04 pm
The braves have me nervouse but i think they will take the wild card and then get hot and sweep the saints in the world series or something like that saints or yankees not much of a difference .
Sandy Lyle
May 20th, 2010
1:04 pm
How can anyone sit there and call a man with more division titles than anyone in the history of the game a “clown”?
Look at all the managers who have had tons of talent and never done anything with it. Bobby Cox (with help from JS – and the minor-league director; i forget his name) turned this franchise from the laughingstock of baseball into a model that all teams wanted to follow.
You want to disagree with specific decisions, fine, but show some respect.
Steve
May 20th, 2010
1:05 pm
Jeff,
How is the crowd on this beautiful afternoon? Sure does suck to be behind a desk.
Phil
May 20th, 2010
1:09 pm
“How can anyone sit there and call a man with more division titles than anyone in the history of the game a “clown”?”
You talking about the same man who has LOST more post season games than any other manager in history?
Sandy Lyle
May 20th, 2010
1:09 pm
Yo, Phil — you ever hear of protecting a young pitcher? you want him to be dusty baker and let him ruin people like he did kerry wood?
Sure, they lost that game. Ten years from now when Hanson’s still pitching, somneone needs to remember to thank bobby.
You, sir, are a moron.
KM
May 20th, 2010
1:10 pm
Steve, Casey, and all other BC defenders – you call other morons but you are the ones who need to wise up. You are correct that BC will be enshrined and he does have a high number of career wins. But let’s face facts – his real success came when he managed a team loaded with talent (and still managed to fall short at crunch time) and his stats are also helped by simply having managed for years and years under ownership that was too timid to replace him. When BC is replaced after this season with a skilled, experienced manager who can effectively manage a team without top-tier talent and is a better in-game tactician, the Braves will improve. Not sure if we will be the elite of the league again but, at least, we as fans will know that the maximum results are being extracted from whatever team the GM puts together.
Sandy Lyle
May 20th, 2010
1:10 pm
Well, duh — he’s lost more because he’s been there more than anyone else.
He’s also in the top 5 for post season wins.
get a clue, dr. phil
Steve
May 20th, 2010
1:11 pm
Phil, why are you here? Why are you a Braves fan? We don’t need people like you. Now go outside and play in the sandbox or something.
GTSteve
May 20th, 2010
1:11 pm
Can’t we all just get along
BravesWin!
May 20th, 2010
1:13 pm
I hesitate to say that all my fears about run production are allayed because of one good stretch…but I feel a lot better now than I did two weeks ago. It is obvious that, top to bottom, we are not as good a team as the Phillies…but this is a wild card team if everyone stays healthy and performs to historical standards…and, of course, if Heyward remains on course for ROY. Chipper looks very un-Chipper-like of late however, and we need his bat badly…
THE TONE
May 20th, 2010
1:14 pm
I agree with Bobby cox being a great manager a hall of famer and all that but people can get away with complaining bout his lack of world series wins 1 is great but the number should have been closer to 4 . still I wouldn’t trade all those winning years in a row for anything
oh yeah and Bobby goes out with his second world championship this year
its going to happen
J dubb
May 20th, 2010
1:15 pm
Schultzie,
I think we’re going to make a good run here…..maybe win one lose two, sweep a few series and go 20-10 over the next 30. But only IF KK, Medlen and Lowe can keep us in games without having the big inning against. I think with Glaus and Chipper heating up, and Bobby finally playing Hinske in stead of Melky, our lineup has some serious pop. Just hoping Prado or Heyward don’t go into an extended slump before McCann and Esco can hit like they’re expected to.
It really baffles me that Mac has vision problems again DURING the season. Can you not hit simulated pitching in the offseason to make sure you don’t still have blurry vision??? Its ‘mindbottling’ to think this only crops up when each season starts….wtf?
Go Hanson!
dude
May 20th, 2010
1:20 pm
i hate it when my mind gets bottled
just a terrible thing to happen