LIVE BLOG: Braves still waiting for bats to wake up
Brian McCann actually hasn't been a problem for the Braves' offense this season but this strikeout Friday night typified their frustration in a 5-1 loss to Cincinnati. (AP photo)
There’s a baseball adage that you don’t look at the standings until after Memorial Day. If that same philosophy applies to statistics, the Braves hope their bats wake up sometime during this holiday weekend.
After Friday’s 5-1 loss to Cincinnati, the Braves go into tonight’s second game of the series with a .242 batting average and having scored two runs or fewer in 18 games this season (4-14 in those games) and three or fewer in 26 (7-19). It’s actually remarkable that they still have a winning record (28-24), given that they rank in the bottom 10 in the majors in batting average, runs scored and on-base percentage.
Dan Uggla, who was expected to be one of their biggest run producers, is hitting only .183 (just 50 points ahead of tonight’s starting pitcher, Derek Lowe at .133). Chipper Jones, who has battled knee and hamstring injuries, has seen his average drop from. 291. to .259 in 15 games. In the month of May, Jason Heyward has had more MRIs on his shoulder (two) than he has RBIs (zero).
Manager Fredi Gonzalez held court with the media a little while ago. He says he is not worried. He’s convinced that eventually, “The water will rise to its level,” or something like that.
Certainly, the resumes of the players on the roster suggest things will turn at some point. But 52 games into the season, concern is growing.
Let me just add this: If this was a year ago, many fans would be screaming for the firing of former hitting coach Terry Pendleton (who’s now the first base coach). I’m not assigning blame to his replacement, Larry Parrish. Rather, this just reaffirms what players will tell you: Hitting coaches can only do so much.
Tonight’s Reds starter is Bronson Arroyo, who was rocked in his last outing at Philadelphia for nine runs, 10 hits and two home runs in only 2.2 innings. In his previous start, he allowed five runs, seven hits and two homers in seven innings to Pittsburgh. So this would seem like a good chance for the Braves’ offense to get well.
Then again, Arroyo might view this is a chance for him to turn his season around.
I’ll be blogging live from the first pitch on. Until then, do you think the end of the Braves’ slump is near?
By Jeff Schultz
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196 comments Add your comment
J-Man
May 28th, 2011
8:55 pm
You have a 5-0 lead you should not lose this game………….NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill
May 28th, 2011
8:56 pm
Chipper still the man!!!!!
G
May 28th, 2011
8:57 pm
Jeff… In your opinion is this Braves team a playoff team? I see too many holes.
iTiSi
May 28th, 2011
8:57 pm
Bill, just maybe those DLo jokes and comments wouldn’t even pop up if a member of the AJC sports staff would “grow a pair” and step up and be a man and write about this constant cover-up of major leaguers, especially baseball. I predicted the outcome the day it happened.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
8:58 pm
On the way to a four-hour game, as the Reds take a 6-5 lead.
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
9:00 pm
The Braves are Freaking Killing Me.
5 runs are not enuff if the Braves were playing the Marist JV baseball team.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:01 pm
G — I still think they’re a playoff team but they’re not playing like it now. Phils not running away with anything yet but obviously way ahead of Braves right now (13 over .500 starting day).
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:03 pm
iTiSI — If you’ve got some evidence of something, anybody at the AJC would be happy to write it. You can’t just throw stuff against the wall without some proof, at least not since the last time I checked.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:05 pm
McCann, the one constant — 3 for 3 tonight with 2 homers.
Skoal
May 28th, 2011
9:06 pm
Yep I sure smell like alkihall. Riiiiight.
Ralph
May 28th, 2011
9:08 pm
Stick a fork in the braves, 3 of our elite starters can no longer pitch, 1 is on the DL, we don’t have a closer. If we could pitch JJ every nite and had only Venters in the bullpen we’d be ok pitching wise, offence is non-existant.
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
9:09 pm
Skoal
Hey he is one of the few people that got away with a DUI scott free. except for the lawyer fees.
Never Never Blow in the machine. Don’t give them evidence.
FSUFalcon
May 28th, 2011
9:10 pm
all you can do is tip your cap…lol
Bill
May 28th, 2011
9:11 pm
I never tip my cap…thats little league.
Bill
May 28th, 2011
9:26 pm
good job Rameriz…
Skoal
May 28th, 2011
9:28 pm
Lowe is lucky he wasn’t arrested by the GSP. These athletes who are multi millionaires who get duis are the dumbest morons on the planet when a $30 cab ride is all that it costs or use safe ride home for a whopping $100. That’s like a guy making 40k a year having to shell out $2.50 for the same thing.
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
9:29 pm
Can we get this run in?
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
9:30 pm
Fly ball needed when less than 2 outs. Hard Grounder is better with 2 outs to try to get the run in.
Skoal
May 28th, 2011
9:35 pm
Actually it;s like having to spend .50-1.00 if the guy makes 4-8 million a year.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:39 pm
Sorry had to disappear folks. Had to write early print column. (Print: That’s the newspaper. It’s thrown on lawns, and stuff.)
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:43 pm
A Sportscenter highlight catch by Jordan Schafer.
Mr Charlie
May 28th, 2011
9:45 pm
Lets just say math ain’t the strong point on this board.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:46 pm
Have no idea what McCann could’ve been thinking on that.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:48 pm
Oooff … can’t make that mistake.
I cut the cheese Uh Huh Uh Huh
May 28th, 2011
9:49 pm
I bet Haywood get dmoted 2 the minors before the All Star brake.
iTiSi
May 28th, 2011
9:50 pm
JS, that’s the problem with writers today, they want John Q. Public to do all the work and investigative reporting for them. Most (there are a few left who still do it the old-fashioned way) sit on their lazy butts and just write the easy stuff. Do some digging and see what you can come up with. You may just surprise yourself. Furman Bisher would “barf” at what the sportswriters do today.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:50 pm
That base running gaffe notwithstanding, it’s McCann’s sixth career four-hit game.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:53 pm
And Scott Rolen ties McCann for dumb baserunning. Why do that with 2 outs? and a runner on third?
NorCal Brave
May 28th, 2011
9:54 pm
Was this or wasn’t this what we all expected? We finally put some runs on the board early and the pitching goes into the dumpster. D. Lowe’s trade value is sinking as quickly as his ERA is rising.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:57 pm
Looked out from here. Did he miss tag?
Royale w Cheese
May 28th, 2011
9:58 pm
Urp
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
9:59 pm
Uggla now 0-for-4 and 5 for 53 in last 15 games.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:02 pm
Good replay.
Jeff Stucker
May 28th, 2011
10:11 pm
I’d like to hear some comment from Larry Parrish. How about an interview? What’s he doing to change the hitting patterns thus far? The RISP numbers look poor. Are Braves hitters anxious at the plate? Too many strikeouts tells me they aren’t seeing the pitches the way they should.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:12 pm
Looking ahead of bottom of ninth: Top of the order coming up for Braves. Schafer, Prado, Chipper.
Virginia Ranger
May 28th, 2011
10:14 pm
First post of the year. Things starting to fall apart. Beat Phillie but sucking up against the sucky teams
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:14 pm
Jeff — Spoke to Parrish before the game. He’s trying to help out hitters but crux of it there’s only so much he can do. This was argument I’ve made last few years for Pendleton. Hitters struggle. Coaches can point out flaws but can’t hit for them.
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
10:17 pm
Get the ROACH
Roach we got SLOPES in the wire.
You hear-um?
Yea
You need a Flair?
They close
They Real close
J-Man
May 28th, 2011
10:23 pm
Venters is the best reliever in baseball……..and I’m including Riveria
Tu
May 28th, 2011
10:23 pm
Another extra inning loss
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:24 pm
Braves have been shut out on 3 hits since McCann led off the fifth with his second homer.
Virginia Ranger
May 28th, 2011
10:25 pm
Got to hit the showers Handle it
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:28 pm
Chipper takes it to the dirt but a long out. We’re going extras.
Bill
May 28th, 2011
10:28 pm
That was easy picking….1-2-3 .. chipper did make him work.
KLT
May 28th, 2011
10:28 pm
chipper said some dirty words after that out
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:30 pm
Braves are 5-5 in extra inning games, Reds are 4-1.
Jeff Schultz
May 28th, 2011
10:34 pm
McCann (two homers, 2 singles) leads it off for the Braves.
the truth...
May 28th, 2011
10:34 pm
…….Kimbrel again? Back to back in non-save situations?….and of course gives them a base runner….
Freddie….don’t you remember last night?
5150 UOAD
May 28th, 2011
10:35 pm
I am switching back and forth between the Braves and Apocalypse Now. At this point I can’t tell the difference.
J-Man
May 28th, 2011
10:35 pm
look at the stats and tell me that Venters is not the best reliever in baseball. He should be the closer but he is so versitile in his current role. The funny thing is before he made it to the majors he was a starting pitcher..