We’re LIVE from Braves (who beat up the bottom feeders)
Don't know why -- I just felt like posting a picture of the Brooks Conrad, grand slam, postgame celebration again. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
If we still can’t be certain how good the Braves are this season, at least this much seems clear: They know how to bank victories against the teams they’re supposed to.
Just did a little calculating before tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. The Braves are 15-4 against the bottom six teams in the National League. That includes the Pirates (3-1), Florida (2-1), Chicago (2-1), Milwaukee (3-0)., Arizona (2-1) and Houston (3-0).
Against the others? Not so great.
Just subtract 15-4 from the Braves’ overall record of 26-22 and you’re left with an 11-18 record against the other teams. This is noteworthy because after finishing this series against Pittsburgh, the Braves play 14 of their next 17 games against Philadelphia (27-20), Los Angeles (27-21), Minnesota (28-20) and Tampa Bay (33-16).
In short, we will get a much better feel for the Braves’ postseason chances by mid-June when that difficult run is complete. This is likely to be central to an expanded column that I work on later.
General manager Frank Wren said he believes the 11-18 record is overstated because of the Braves’ early offensive problems during a nine-game losing streak. But he doesn’t completely discount it.
“I think part of that is skewed because when we were going through that nine-game losing streak we were playing the best teams,” he said. “We were just not playing very good baseball. But I think we match up well with teams. If we’re going to have a good season, we’re going to have to play well against those teams as well, and I think we will.”
Moving Martin Prado to leadoff and Jason Heyward to the two hole obviously has helped the lineup. In the last nine games, the team has scored 54 runs, an average of 6.0 per game. They shouldn’t take a step back tonight. Pirates starter Brian Burres has an earned run average of 5.40. In his last three starts, he has lasted only a combined 13 2/3 innings, allowing 14 runs (12 earned) and 19 hits.
So how do you feel about the Braves right now? Are you comfortable with their lineup as it stands?
I’ll be blogging live if you’re not too busy grilling to ask questions.
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178 comments Add your comment
Chipper Jones
May 29th, 2010
10:00 pm
tough crowd! tough crowd! the last time i went to the doctor he asked me squeeze HIM!!
todd grantham
May 29th, 2010
10:01 pm
Jeff, I bet not, because our reservations at Ruth’s Chris at are 11.
Stratocaster
May 29th, 2010
10:02 pm
Favorite Braves memory…me and a buddy at The Launching Pad during a meaningless game in Sept 1978 (lots of them back then
. After a 2 hour rain delay, there couldn’t have been 100 fans left. We moved right down to the front row and could literally hear the players talking to each other and joking around.
eric
May 29th, 2010
10:04 pm
Jeff: Are you still there? What’s the weather forecast?
todd grantham
May 29th, 2010
10:04 pm
said Jeffrey
at the Ted its now pouring
which makes things ever so boring
i’ll get home so late
it wont be a date
and i’ve got no chance of scoring
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:04 pm
Correction: That should read Spaulding, as in the famous Spaulding sporting goods
Albert Spaulding fact: (Hey, it’s a rain delay!) Spaulding quit pitching and moved to first base, not because he lost his effectiveness as a pitcher, but because he wanted to sell more baseball gloves, which were not popular at the time as they were considered unmanly. He thought if a star of his caliber adopted the use of the glove, others would follow.
Good business move it turned out.
Jeff Schultz
May 29th, 2010
10:06 pm
Eric — yes, still here. rain starting to let up now.
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:10 pm
LOL Chipper! At least he didn’t ask you to make a double switch.
I don’t even know what I just said.
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:16 pm
Only 150 some odd posts suring a game, Mr. Schultz? You might want to rethink your headlines, the point of view in your editorials, and get hip to the term “hater.”
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:23 pm
Hater, generally refers to a person who criticizes for no other reason than the fact that anyone can find faut with anything. Like my spelling the word “during” incorrect in my last post. I am such a jackass. See–I am “hating” on myself.
Jeff Schultz
May 29th, 2010
10:24 pm
T for Texas — Right. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Saturday nights of holiday weekends are notoriously low page views time frames. Actually, I’m comforted by 150 comments. But we can go with your theory if it makes you feel better.
Jeff Schultz
May 29th, 2010
10:25 pm
Game over. That was fast. Bless you Billy Wagner.
Gomer Pyle
May 29th, 2010
10:25 pm
You spelled fault wrong T for Texas! You spelled fault wrong!
Citizen’s arrest! Citizen’s arrest!
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:26 pm
Be right back with a stat, sir. Afterall we are basebal fans, yes?
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:27 pm
Come on Jeff, I practically carry you through the rain delay with a fascinating tidbit on Albert Spaulding, and I can’t get no respect?
Tough crowd, tough crowd!
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:28 pm
Gomer Pyle:
“Citizens arrest” very funny stuuf, in-character. Fault.
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:28 pm
stuff, dang!
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:28 pm
T for Texas — Right. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Saturday nights of holiday weekends are notoriously low page views time frames.
Thanks for pointing that out Jeff; as if my self esteem wasn’t low enough!
DC Braves Fan
May 29th, 2010
10:29 pm
To be honest, winning games against teams the Braves should beat is a welcome change from the last few years (and even going back to the good old days when the mighty Braves could win the division going away, but not beat the Marlins, etc).
Didnt we lose the season series (including an at home sweep the last three games of the year) to the Nats last year? And they lost 100+ games.
Anyway, when thinking about the Braves so far, I think you need to think a couple of things. First, the team has gotten much better in May than it was in April. Bobby has figured out what he has and what he doesnt and the results are improving because of it. Jeff, you note the Braves are 11- 18 against the top 2/3 of teams in the NL, which is underwhelming, but 9 of their 22 loses (41%) were compiled in that miserable stretch between Heyward’s walk off against the Phillies and the trip to Milwaukee. Those losses were to the Phillies, Mets, and Cardinals. So, 9 of the 18 losses against good teams were in that tough 10 – days in April. Those losses count, but they may not be fully representative of who the Braves are and who they are going to be.
That the Braves revival has come against some pretty average to bad teams is probably not a coincidence, but it doesnt mean the Braves arent ready to compete at the highest level of the NL. It just means they are beating the teams they should, which isnt a thing to be criticized. We will see what happens on the 11 game trip. Come back from that in good shape in the division and one would have to be encouraged.
Go Braves.
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:33 pm
Actually, no stat Mr. Schultz. It’s not a fair one. I just wish I could convey the idea that baseball is by nature a sport in which failure predominates, and we marvel at the individual who only fails 7 out of 10 times. To continually write about this game in the context of criticizing those failures, is disrespectful to the game. I am not saying be a pushover. I am saying appreciate the beauty of the limited success every now and again. Take care.
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:35 pm
Did everybody leave to go watch the UFC pay-per-view?
observor
May 29th, 2010
10:35 pm
DC, you are exactly right. The reason the Braves have missed the post season the last couple of seasons is precisely due to the fact that they couldn’t beat the bottom feeders. We should all be encouraged by the Braves beating up on the teams they are “suppose to beat”. Basic baseball logic says that if you can play around .500 baseball against the good teams, and beat up on the bad teams, you will make the playoffs most years.
T for Texas
May 29th, 2010
10:35 pm
Thanks for pointing that out Jeff; as if my self esteem wasn’t low enough!
Made me laugh, CN Facts.
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:38 pm
Apparently our host was not as amused. Is he busy typing up his post game report, or has he just completely forsaken us without the courtesy of thanking us for our patronage?
DaveinNEPA
May 29th, 2010
10:40 pm
DC Braves Fan….keep in mind the Braves also have a pretty putrid record against division rivals.
That has to change…starting with the upcoming series with the Phils….or else whatever they do against the rest of the league won’t matter very much.
Tom
May 29th, 2010
10:48 pm
Brooks Conrad can be our backup middle infielder, why not look at Omar Infanti in CF, I bet he’s athletic enough to play the position. If not Jordan Shafer(Gwinnett Braves) could perform better than we are getting now at the CF position!! Bobby, quit being stubborn, by putting McLouth out there in CF every game! Do not wait until season’s end to make a change?
Chuck Norris facts
May 29th, 2010
10:51 pm
Does our host really just leave his live blog at the end of the game without thanking the bloggers for their patronage?
Not very fan friendly if that’s the case. Is it customary to create a new post game blog, or are we just being cast aside like so much flotsam?
DC Braves Fan
May 29th, 2010
11:01 pm
Dave,
Roger that and fair ‘nough. The Bravos will need to start standing up in the NL East. Its turned into a tough division with the Mets and Nats playing good ball.
Lots of press tonight on Halladay, as there should be. 20th perfecto in a century plus. Good on ya. That said, their win counts the exact same as ours. Looking forward to the next few games.