What has happened to Braves’ starting pitching?
Derek Lowe has been feeling the heat lately. (Jason Getz/AJC)
So now that the euphoria over the Braves’ acquisition of Michael Bourn has somewhat subsided and we’re back to watching a team that teases you one week and then gets slapped around by the Washington Nationals the next, here’s a question:
What the heck happened to the starting pitching?
Derek Lowe is a mess — an even bigger mess than he was before. In his last five starts (1-4), Lowe has allowed 23 runs (22 earned), 42 hits and nine walks in 26.1 innings, which computes to an earned run average of 7.86. (The Braves were certainly open to moving Lowe at the trade deadline but nobody would touch his annual $15 million salary, nor even a significant part of it.)
Jair Jurrjens, 12-3 with a 1.87 ERA before the All-Star break, is 0-1 with a 6.26 ERA in four starts since.
And this may be the worst of all: In the first half (92 games), Braves starters were 39-25 with a 3.23 ERA and allowed opponents a batting average of .236. In the second half (19 games), starters are 5-8 with a 5.19 ERA and opponents are hitting .281.
One stat that seam heads like to pay attention to is “OPS” (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). Opponents’ OPS against Braves starters in the first half was .643. In the second half, it’s .831.
I’m not a huge numbers guy. But this stinks.
(One addendum: I don’t want to throw Tim Hudson under the bus. He is actually 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA since the All-Star break after going 8-6 with a 3.57 in the first half.)
For as much as the Braves look to have World Series potential on paper, they’re not going anywhere — maybe not even to the postseason — with this kind of pitching.
Unlike the team’s offensive problems for much of this season, the pitching woes can’t partially be attributed to injury problems (at least nothing that has been reported). They’re all healthy.
There’s a lot to like about the Braves’ lineup. But if they need to start winning games 9-7, they’re in trouble.
By Jeff Schultz
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195 comments Add your comment
Matt
August 3rd, 2011
11:42 am
UGLY
KnightInATL
August 3rd, 2011
11:43 am
Stick a fork in Lowe. He’s done. I doubt anyone would pick him up off the waiver wire at this point.
Jamaaliver
August 3rd, 2011
11:43 am
If the question is which version of the Braves pitchers is a more accurate depiction of their abilites, I’ve got faith. The recent woes are an aberration and the first half stats are what we can expect once we get some momentum going.
The real question, why does Rick Ankiel own us all of a sudden?
Matt
August 3rd, 2011
11:44 am
Jeff, I don’t think the Braves could win games 5-3 with this terrible offense (at least without Old Man Chipper and McCann). 9-7 is laughable.
Herschel Talker
August 3rd, 2011
11:46 am
Schultzie:
We should have tried to trade Lowe while we could get something for him. Now he isn’t worth a bag of balls. In all seriousness, we do have a big problem on our hands. If the starters don’t get this fixed, bye bye postseason.
HT
stingembuzz
August 3rd, 2011
11:46 am
It has been ugly since the Break
Matt
August 3rd, 2011
11:47 am
Hindsight is 20/20 and all, but maybe the Braves SHOULD have sold high on some of their starters. Lowe was money in late August and September last year, so we just have to have faith he can turn it around. I’m much more concerned about Jurrjens – he seems gassed, which isn’t surprising – how many innings has he thrown over the years?
Jamaaliver
August 3rd, 2011
11:47 am
Is this all maybe a by-product of such a young, inexperienced staff?
I do believe that D Lowe will step up and give us a similar performance to what we saw last fall down the stretch of the season.
joe
August 3rd, 2011
11:48 am
I think Lowe struggled a lot last summer, then turned it around to be a shut down #1 in Sept. We’ll need that again if we’re going anywhere in the playoffs. JJ needs to watch film of his first half to see what he’s doing wrong mechanically this half…unless he’s getting a tired arm, in which case he needs to go on the DL.
Sid Vicious
August 3rd, 2011
11:48 am
Why do the batters swing at dumb pitches? They always go for the first pitch it seems…Whatever happened to making the opposing pitcher work? They seem to do that to us…hmmm
eastbound and down
August 3rd, 2011
11:49 am
wow. just two days ago, you were writing about how the braves were going to catch the phillies! isn’t it time for another vacation?
SonOfBoh
August 3rd, 2011
11:54 am
Not to mention that Dan Uggla is finally doing something just as everything else is falling apart.
southgabrave
August 3rd, 2011
11:56 am
Hanson and JJ have both lost about 2-3 mph off their fastballs. JJ has lsot a bit of control also, he is missing his targets badly and a lot of it is up. Lowe is not getting the same movement on his sinker and it is staying flat and up.
Thanks for Hudson and Beachy who both have been fairly sharp.
Oh yea remember some of you saying lets trade 2 of our top 4 pitching prospects for Pence. Where would that have left us after this year? That is why you can’t have enough pitching.
extremus
August 3rd, 2011
11:56 am
What we are seeing since the All-Star break is a pitching staff that has pitched at or above reasonable expectations to keep the Braves in low run-scoring contests. They overused O’Flaherty, Kimbrel and especially Venters out of the bullpen, and I’m sure while they kept silent about it the starters were sick and tired of having to be almost perfect to eke out a victory. I think they’ve simply become fatigued as the dog days and extreme heat/humidity really kick in.
Also worth noting is how many injuries the Braves have had recently to their regular position players. When you lose half your starting lineup including the offensive leader on your team (McCann), it HAS to be demoralizing, particularly when you’re watching the scoreboard and watching a healthy Phillies team notch win after win and begin pulling away in the standings.
Perhaps what is ailing the Braves’ pitching staff is both physical fatigue AND psychological fatigue; one half of the team can’t carry the entire load forever.
the truth...
August 3rd, 2011
11:56 am
Vacation indeed !!!
But the ones who need the vacation start with Lowe and Proctor and keep on down the line….Heyward, Gonzalez….and Chipper may be close to his BIG VACATION….long and lots of hunting and fishing.
Brent
August 3rd, 2011
11:57 am
Braves win the East? Maybe Dan Uggla will win the Triple Crown, too.
stevie zero
August 3rd, 2011
11:57 am
whatever happened to khalil green? is he learning about cuba, havin some food?
Football Insider
August 3rd, 2011
11:59 am
My prediction:
Heyward is a bust. Freddy Freeman is the real deal. Braves miss the playoff’s. Michael Bourn is gone next year.
Jimmy
August 3rd, 2011
12:00 pm
Who made the decision to sign Lowe for $15,000,000 per year? It must have been a congressman. What a JOKE! He never had $15,000,000 numbers before he came to the Braves.
As for Jurrjens and Hanson, they have been pitching up in the strike zone and that is why they are getting hit HARD right now. They both used to pitch in the mid90’s per hour too. Has the coaching staff instructed them to back off on the velocity? That’s fine if there not pitching up in the zone.
shlomo
August 3rd, 2011
12:01 pm
Maybe you should have highlighted this instead of the idiocy of how the Braves were going to catch the Phillies.
59bulldawg
August 3rd, 2011
12:09 pm
I lost all patience last night after Freddie let Lowe pitch again in the 5th after having given up 5 runs in the 4th. He promptly gave up 2 more runs and I turned off the tv and went to bed. Good grief!
Philly Guy
August 3rd, 2011
12:12 pm
The Braves will be alright. They’re going through a slump, every team does. They just have to beat out either the Diamondbacks or Giants. Keep the faith Braves fans. It should be a fun race down the stretch.
Carlton
August 3rd, 2011
12:12 pm
Nothing-Derek Lowe’s always been the problem. I can’t tell you how many games (even before this season) I’ve seen where I find myself asking the question “So, when is Lowe going to get out of this bases loaded No or 1-out jam?” He gives up too many baserunners and pitches from behind constantly. Hell, I could do that for $15 million a season. And please, I don’t want to keep hearing about “How well Lowe did last year in the postseason”..umm, didn’t get us past the NLDS did it?
It’s all good. Bravos will get another year or two out of Hudson, ship Derek Lowe out, have Hanson, Beachy, Minor and/or Teheran on minimum contracts by next year. We’ll be fine. Write it down.
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
12:15 pm
Well its pretty safe to say that Lowe is gone in the offseason. I’m thinking we trade him to Yankees to dump his salary, not sure we get much in return though. I’m also thinking this is Chippers last year. With those two names off the books we should be able to sign Bourn long term, along with our young pitchers. Assuming Pastornicky is ready for next year (really just hoping) all we will need is a LF. Willingham and Ludwick are both FA’s I believe and could be very serviceable hitting 6th in our lineup, and will be cheap. I think/hope Heyward will be a better hitter with another year under his belt, and Freeman is good enough at adjusting to avoid the sophomore slump.
Bourn CF
Prado 3B
McCann C
Uggla 2B
Freeman 1B
RH Hitter LF
Heyward RF
Pastornicky SS
Hudson
Hanson
Jurrjens
Beachy
Minor/Teheran
Fsusam
August 3rd, 2011
12:16 pm
Send Lowe down to Mississippi and bring back Kawakami.
swimdawg68
August 3rd, 2011
12:17 pm
Lowe needs to be traded. We will not get to the playoffs with him in the rotation. He seems to tire around the 4th or 5th inning and leaves pitches out over the plate. Last night was just awful, he looked like a batting practice pitcher in the 4th inning, Sadly, that has happened in his last 3 or 4 outings. Every pitcher has a bad outing but good pitchers correct problems, Lowe seems to be unable to correct his problems. He still appears to be out of shape.
One more thing, why did Freddie send Lowe out for the 5th? He promptly gives up a tripple and an HR. then Freddie goes and gets him, big mistake by Freddie everyone knew Lowe was done after the 4th. Notice we only gave up only one run (HR) from the 6th inning on. Same hitters different pitchers, it tells me “stick a fork in Lowe he is done”. Dump him and his big contract and either get someone or bring in one of the young guns from the minors, they could do no worse.
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
12:19 pm
One bright spot is that the only thing that seems to make the Giants legitimate contenders right now is that they won the WS last year.
Bear
August 3rd, 2011
12:20 pm
Everyone calm down. These guys still know how to pitch and will get it done. Probably not catching philly though. i’ll take the wild card and meet philly in the NLCS. Go Braves. Tired of all the warm weather fans.
01HAWK
August 3rd, 2011
12:21 pm
Frank WREN panicked when he missed out on 2-3 other pitchers and DLOWE was left for the SUCKER WREN.
DLOWE………………………..$15 MILLION……………2012 is lastt year
CHIPPER ……………………..$14 MILLION…..Has management by the you know what
McOUT…………………………$7 MILLION…………2012 is last year……………..YIKES
KAWACRUMMY……………..$7.6 MILLION………………Comes off after this year
TOTAL: $43.6 MILLION
TOTAL Atlanta Braves PAYROLL : $87 MILLION
Half of payroll is on unproductive or injured players.
Thanks a lot…………………………………FRANK WREN…………………..BARF
Retired Solider
August 3rd, 2011
12:21 pm
Put Lowe on the disacled list (I’m sure at least his pride is hurting)and put Teheran in as the 5th starter.
Trey
August 3rd, 2011
12:22 pm
Well duh. They are tired and batters have figured out some of their pitches. And perhaps the guy behind the plate isn’t helping either. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone but for some reason, the idiots that work at the ajc don’t see the same trends every year. No you write some inane article about how the braves can catch the phillies. I’ll go on record here and say this team WILL NOT make the playoffs.
Break out the broom
August 3rd, 2011
12:22 pm
A nat sweep is coming!!!
Pappay Smurf
August 3rd, 2011
12:25 pm
Jeff, I’m glad AJC has you blogging. Mark Bradley is not keeping up. One blog per 4 days ? Awful.
Great article about Braves pitching problemos though. Why is Julio Teheran in Gwinnett while Braves starters struggle every game ?
The other part is the awful hitting. I mean, truly only Dan Uggla,Constanza,and Bourn are hitting right now. Freeman is cold again.
Chipper & McCann are handicapping the offense resting on the DL.
Zach
August 3rd, 2011
12:25 pm
And what will be funny is if the braves did win something like 10-2 today and idiots like schultz and bradley would write how they are back!!
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
12:25 pm
McLouth contract up after this year, has a club option for ‘12. I don’t think that is getting picked up.
dean
August 3rd, 2011
12:26 pm
The game this past Sunday against the Marlins pretty much doused my enthusiasm for a playoff run. The last 2 games have only thrown more water on it.
I hope I’m wrong!
meh
August 3rd, 2011
12:27 pm
I think Lowe’s lost his stamina. He’ll be good for a couple of innings, then he gives up 9 doubles in a row and we’re down 6 runs in the blink of an eye. I think they should move Lowe to the bullpen. that way he can take some innings off O’Flaherty/Venters/Kimbrel. they can either move martinez to the rotation or call up Minor or Teheran or whoever.
meh
August 3rd, 2011
12:28 pm
also, why are the Braves the only team the Nats play well against? I’m so freaking sick of the damned Nationals.
braves buff
August 3rd, 2011
12:28 pm
Pretty much if we dont homer we dont win and now with the Starting pitching faulting it could get ugly real fast…Im leary of this series in NY…Mets could put themselves right in the hunt with a sweep or even two of three…..
Pappay Smurf
August 3rd, 2011
12:30 pm
01Hawk, brilliant ! You just told everyone why the Braves are hog-tied money-wise. Chipper sitting on bench eating up $16 million. McOut on bench eating up $6 million. KK fishing in a pond near Atlanta earning $7 million. At least Lowe is TRYING to pitch well and earn his money. The others are just pathetic. If I’m Chipper and I know I’m hurting the team by being hurt all the time then I retire.
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
12:32 pm
I’m not concerned about Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens and Beachy. Even though they are young(except Hudson) I have a lot of confidence in those guys to keep us in games and give us a chance to win. Lowe is another story. I’m not sure he has the stuff anymore. If anything he seems to only have it for a few innings and then implodes. Maybe its the heat. Maybe its more than that. Hopefully Fredi and Frank are having discussions about this.
Steve
August 3rd, 2011
12:33 pm
Use Lowe in the bullpen;opponents batting average is low the first time through and goes through the ceiling the next time. Bring up one of the big four. They can gives us more than Lowe has given us.
Greedy Bastardos
August 3rd, 2011
12:35 pm
Chipper’s like the old guy at the factory waiting another year for the pension to kick in. Just showing up for work but not contributing…
Smoltzie
August 3rd, 2011
12:35 pm
I have said this many times…The Braves hold on to these players like Chipper too long…Should have traded him 2 years ago when you could get something in return for your investment. This team will NEVER win anything with these types of management decisions. Now look at all the money this team will have to eat….Thanks for nothing Frank. Lowe is done…eat that. Chippers contract…eat that. Kawacrappy…eat that too. I don’t know how you can do such a poor job and not get fired? Good ‘ol boys club I guess….Same ‘ol Braves. BOOOOOO
Kim Jun Be ill
August 3rd, 2011
12:36 pm
Chiper’s been on DL more this year than in games. Its time to retire Hoss !
jacketinsc
August 3rd, 2011
12:38 pm
Don’t worry Jeff. The Braves don’t need starting pitching. The schedule says they can catch the Phillies. Right?
Supes
August 3rd, 2011
12:38 pm
McLouth has a club option that has to be bought out so he can be a FA in 2012…sure to happen. Kawakami has been a big failure, 7 million $ AA PITCHER!!! Worst is he didn’t want to get traded to a team in Japan b/c he still thinks he can pitch here in the states…that and the money thing. So 2 big stones we will be FREE of in 2012…but yeah WREN fraked up on both accounts.
Lowe – He must be moved to the pen ASAP…and either Minor or Teheran need to take over that spot in the rotation – He looks finished 2nd and 3rd time through the order teams are smacking him around. However he could be useful out of the pen. Wren needs to swallow his pride and tell Fredi to move Lowe to the pen NOW! Yes it would look bad on Wren’s part but what’s more important…pride or trying to win ballgames. San Fran did it with their “money failure known as Barry Zito”…so why can’t Lowe to moved to the pen? If by some chance we even make it in as the WC winner leave his butt off the starting pitching rotation for sure.
Kim Jun Be ill
August 3rd, 2011
12:38 pm
Chipper’s deal would be like Hulk Hogan in WWE Wrestling. Big name and great but watches from sidelines instead of contributes. Retire dude.
Supes
August 3rd, 2011
12:40 pm
Wren can make up for his failures by unloading Lowe to the AL (Yankees or Sox?) 15 million freed up, and if Chipper retires (that’s more on him though) we will be saving 13 million on top of that.
Jacks O Lakes
August 3rd, 2011
12:41 pm
Any other team that had a Julio Teheran in minors and MLB pitchers struggling would have him here in the rotation in a NY minute… Not the Braves though…
Your Name Here
August 3rd, 2011
12:42 pm
It is simple. Derick Lowe would be a 5-inning per game 20-game winner on an American League men’s baseball team. Jair Jurgins would win 30 per season on a professional men’s team. Even baldy Hudson could go 15-15 with real men behind him. Hanson is somke and mirrors because he throws like a girl, so he is a perfect fit for the Braves all-girl team.
A firstbaseman starts a double play with the bases loaded and throws so high the cather had to act like a great white grabbing a seal to catch it the runner coming in from third had an easy bowling pin hit. No outs, game lose. They have runners on first and second with one out and Derick Lowe bunt hard to the charging firstbaseman and they get a force at third and almost a duble play. The Braves should play with knee socks and skirts. It is pathetic watching them never score runs, always hitting into double plays, when not striking out. They should forfeit the season now, and stop embarassing themselves. The Mets, Nats, and Marlins will all pass the Braves before this season is over. They play a midget in right field because their giant cannot stop trying to pull outside pitches, and the midget lost the playoffs last year and should have been cut. They could count on McCann keeping them from being shutout by hitting a meaningless 1-run homer in the 8th inning, and now he is showing his steroids. That joke at shortstop is reason to never play a Latin player at that position. The roids eat away their brain and they think they can hit curveballs 3 feet outside and in the dirt. I’m sick of seeing Gonzales’ face after he strikes out AGAIN, like some rule was broken and he got cheated out of a fourth strike.
Dawgdad (The Original)
August 3rd, 2011
12:43 pm
We all know that life is a circle, Lowe started in the bullpen and should end his career there. He doesn’t have the stamina to go 7 in this heat and at his age.
At least when Lowe pitches, Everyday Johnny can count on a day off.
Falcon Hardy
August 3rd, 2011
12:43 pm
Frank Wrens doesn’t have a clue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill
August 3rd, 2011
12:44 pm
Could it be that the Braves philosophy of a 3 run homer or nothing has effected the staff psychology? Lately the pitcher knows if he gives up 3 runs he is dead. No clutch batting and very marginal management. Same old braves!!
Jacks O Lakes
August 3rd, 2011
12:45 pm
If the Braves can score 9 runs then Lowe & Proctor will have to be pitching for the other team…
Paul H
August 3rd, 2011
12:46 pm
NO team with a losing record to the Nats will be in he postseason. Chipper said it best long ago – the Phillies sweep the bad and average teams. Braves go .500 against them. Therein lies the difference.
Freddy G
August 3rd, 2011
12:46 pm
I got to tip my cap to D Lowe going back out there in the 5th and giving up the triple and HR to make sure we were out of the game. Drinks are on Lowe after the game!! He’ll even give you a ride home if you need it!
El Bravo
August 3rd, 2011
12:47 pm
Ok, chill pill everyone. These are the proverbial dog days of summer and it is affecting the pitchers. This is nothing new. All of our guys have been healthy and effective all year so the innings are pilling up. Lowe will be fine as the temperature cools down and he regains his form. I feel good about all of our pitchers come September, specially Lowe (just look at his record in September and October).
gcs
August 3rd, 2011
12:50 pm
How bad is Lowe? His last 6 starts he has given up at LEAST 3 earned runs and not pitched more than 6.1 innings.
Twice he gave up 10 hits.
Three times, the opponent ended up scoring 9 or more runs (9, 11, 14)
DATE OPP RESULT IP H ER
07/05/11 COL W 5-3 5.1 5 3
07/10/11 @PHI L 1-14 6 10 4
07/18/11 @COL W 7-4 6.1 8 4
07/23/11 @CIN L 2-11 5 6 4
07/28/11 PIT L 2-5 5 8 3
08/02/11 @WAS L 3-9 4 10 7
What Else is New
August 3rd, 2011
12:53 pm
Even though we squeaked into the play-offs last year, the trend has been the same. Start slow, pick up the pace right before the break, then collaspe after the allstar break. The Braves have out hit almost every team they’ve played since the allstar break. Yet they can’t drive in the runs. Even if we make the play-off who can we beat? It’s so damn frustrating trying to sit and watch this team play. Maybe I’m just spoiled after ouit long run in the 90s.
Daniel
August 3rd, 2011
12:57 pm
Jeff, thanks for the blog. However, these may be the worst comments I have ever read on a blog(and that is saying a lot). Jack O Lakes… your statement is 100% false, you obviously don’t have any idea what you are talking about. Pappy Smurf “Chipper and McCann are resting on the DL”…yeah, sure that is all they doing is resting, pathetic. Then all the rumblings/ramblings about whose contract is hurting the team…so boring, innaccurate and useless.
BTW: this team with its 3/4 hitters on the DL, the usualy strong starting pitching having a 2 week set of struggles, etc. Still has the second best record in the National league. Clearly, Lowe’s value is always measured down the stretch but then again I can see why a 10 year history of that shouldn’t matter to anyone. If you guys can’t come up with something funny please stop trying to talk baseball because you don’t know what you are talking about and you are clearly not fans.
Bravefan for life
August 3rd, 2011
12:57 pm
Whats wrong? Its called OLD. Lowe never was a ACE so he cant act that way for the Braves. Chipper is on the DL more then hes off. Thats a player thats missing all the time. Put that with McCann, Hayward both on the DL and there you have it. Three sluggers off the roster and thats a problem.
Chipper and Lowe should have hung it up long ago. I dont care what Chipper has done in the past, hes hurting this team NOW. Lowe, well I never did want Lowe. He has done nothing to earn his salary and cant wait till hes replaced by a real pitcher.
Daniel
August 3rd, 2011
12:59 pm
El Bravo- you are obviously exempt from my prior comments. you are exactly right.
Jacks O Lakes
August 3rd, 2011
12:59 pm
You’ve never looked truth in the mirror before have you Daniel ? Remember your dad ? He’s not your dad. Your uncle is your dad.
Too tough
August 3rd, 2011
1:00 pm
SO discouraging to see the Braves feeble run scoring, cant get a runner home from 90feet away…on going saga! We need hitters that can produce!
Paully P'Diddy
August 3rd, 2011
1:01 pm
LMAO. Da truff hurt don’t it Jack ?
Jiyack O Lakes
August 3rd, 2011
1:02 pm
It shore do Paully !
Daniel
August 3rd, 2011
1:03 pm
Bravefanforlife: “I don’t care what Chipper has done in the past.” How do you reconcile your screen name with that statement? ‘Cause any “bravefanforlife”[sic] who doesn’t care that the top 2/3 switch hitter of all time, HOFer, played their entire career for the same team is either a liar, an idiot or both. Which one are you?
B-Baller-4real-deal
August 3rd, 2011
1:04 pm
I’m redy for NBA season. They know how to ball !
Jeff Schultz
August 3rd, 2011
1:07 pm
Herschel — Braves wouldn’t expect much at all for Lowe. The problem is no other team will touch his salary.
Daniel
August 3rd, 2011
1:08 pm
Jack/Pauly/Jiyack: making comments to yourself using different names is just sad. Now, I will admit that your insults are a vast improvement over your baseball comments. So, I’m proud of you for that.
Jeff Schultz
August 3rd, 2011
1:08 pm
Pappay — Thanks. (But I think Mark is off this week.) On Teheran: I’m guessing Braves would rather not bring up him or Minor in the middle of a pennant race, unless injuries mandate it.
Dr. Phil
August 3rd, 2011
1:09 pm
Lowe was another of Wren’s disasters, that includes Kawakami, McLouth, and the Texas give away. The Braves can bounce back and limp into the WC, but the show will end there. Fredi has not done too badly for a new manager, but I can’t see why he keeps Lowe and others in the game when they clearly don’t have it.
Jeff Schultz
August 3rd, 2011
1:10 pm
Jacketincsc — Like I wrote, that’s what the schedule says. Schedule doesn’t say you’re going to five up 14 runs to Nationals in 2 games. Damn that schedule.
Grover Gaddis
August 3rd, 2011
1:12 pm
Hey Jeff, ain’t nothing wrong with the Braves. It’s just too hot to play ball lately. This kind of heat will hurt you man.
Dick Tracy
August 3rd, 2011
1:14 pm
Everyone calm down..I’m working on it..we’re check out out all aspect on Lowe and JJ’s arm, leg and body movements and will report back..just need find tuning..we’ll be ok..Love MB and JC..both doing great…Fredi, I don’t know yet about him..kind of funny follow??? Parrish is a wash after this season…? Hope we land Gred Walker hitting Coach from White Sox..one great man and Coach.
Daniel
August 3rd, 2011
1:15 pm
Hey, Jeff don’t beat yourself up too bad for not being able to predict the Nationals acting like the Yankees on us. At least you didn’t upset Brent Grimes wife!!!
Nigel
August 3rd, 2011
1:15 pm
Um… Grover? Really?
Grover Gaddis
August 3rd, 2011
1:17 pm
Nigel, are you a English feller?
Atlanta87
August 3rd, 2011
1:18 pm
@ Bravefan for life I doubt your sn is true. I’ll still support Lowe but man he’s killing us right now.
Nigel
August 3rd, 2011
1:21 pm
Actually, I am. I lived in Wirral, England and moved here around 1990. I love baseball – and the Braves.
DaveM
August 3rd, 2011
1:27 pm
Lowe is killing us. I know we pay him a lot but the quality of his starts continues to get worse. Would it be possible to move him to the bullpen where we need some arms and then bring up one of the young guns from AAA? At this rate he is only damaging us.
jerry
August 3rd, 2011
1:33 pm
01Hawk……….@ Great Post!!! Not money well spent. However, the 87 mil is not a MLB ceiling. It is all Liberty Media has consented to pay for salaries to this point. And considering the info on your post, who could blame them.
henry from TN
August 3rd, 2011
1:36 pm
I keep telling you people the only way they get rid of lowe is to pay at least 10 mil. of his 15 mil.salary next year and probably some of whats left of this year
Miko
August 3rd, 2011
1:39 pm
Daniel @
“Hey, Jeff don’t beat yourself up too bad for not being able to predict the Nationals acting like the Yankees on us. At least you didn’t upset Brent Grimes wife!!!”
The hell he didn’t. I is just too much of a lady to get mixed up in trash talking.
UGA 1999
August 3rd, 2011
1:47 pm
injuries injuries injuries…and once again the braves let the trade deadline pass without making any significant moves and they let the Phillies get stronger with Hunter Pence. Nice job!
Ted M
August 3rd, 2011
1:47 pm
The Braves way too many 3-4 run games in the first half…lets hop they can recover.
Only 1 up in the loss column over AZ…oh my!
Ted M
August 3rd, 2011
1:48 pm
Enter your comments here
ATLER (Ramblin Wreck)
August 3rd, 2011
1:49 pm
I said it once and I’ll say it again. The Braves have no heart. They just fall in line with each other. No one is out spoken on the team to give them a verbal A$$ kicking. They need a David Justice to come in there and fire them up. Hell put Prime Time back on the team. He’ll get em going. Their just a bunch of choir boys out there playing baseball. Winning is an Attitude and we don’t have it.
01HAWK
August 3rd, 2011
1:51 pm
Payroll 2011…………………………….PHILLIES………………………….$172,976,381
BRAVES………………………………………………………………………..$87,003,192
Phillies should be better. We are handicapped by 4 players who are not producing and make big bucks. No need to mention who they are.
Larry
August 3rd, 2011
1:52 pm
It is very simple:
1. Lowe is cooked at 38 years old and his junk isn’t junking anymore.
2. Hanson (topping out at 90-91) and JJ (Topping out at 88-89) have both lost 5-6 MPH off their fastball in recent weeks and are helpless unless their off speed pitches are perfect..they’re not!
Losing this much speed off a fast ball for guys only in their early 20’s is alarming. So which AJC writer has the courage to ask why? DOB won’t because he’s afraid Fruity will not ride bikes with him again.
How about you, Jeff?
Nick n Richmond
August 3rd, 2011
1:52 pm
Braves were stupid to not trade Blowe to the Tigers when it sounded like they really wanted him….prob more of a bone-head move on Wren’s plate then signing him to begin with.
TheAntiMe
August 3rd, 2011
1:53 pm
D. Lowe seems to be an entertainer as he appears to be doing his Kenshin Kawakami impersonation. A little too well, for my liking.
Mitchell
August 3rd, 2011
1:57 pm
What happened to the Braves pitching?
Well, let’s see… Tommy Hanson gave up three runs and lost and Jair Jurrjens have up five runs and lost, so I would say there’s nothing wrong with the pitching.
The end.
WTF?
August 3rd, 2011
1:57 pm
Who freakin’ cares! If you fools spent as much time analyzing the economic and political situation as you did baseball, you would have made a difference in the presidential election, but baseball, american idol and ipods are more important than freedom and a good way of life. Pathetic maggots!
A Hit...
August 3rd, 2011
1:58 pm
Its a wrap! 8 back and fading…..
B-Baller-4real-deal
August 3rd, 2011
1:04 pm
“I’m ready for NBA season.”
You’ll be waiting awhile from what the “chief gangster” said this week……
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
1:59 pm
Maybe the heat is getting to them…it is hot, hot , and hotter…… the heat can wear down a starter.
Anybody who thinks Lowe is going away is silly, unless the Braves send him off and absorb most of his salary.
I really think we are just in a slump, we pitched great first half, but maybe the law of averages is working it’s way out, and we are not as good as projected ?
My biggest concern is right filed, Hayward needs to go work in Gwinnett, and figure out how to be productive, he has become a big hole in the line up when he is in there.
Also why can’t we go back to being patient at the plate …… We are getting ourselves out in important situations by pressing…… With bases loaded or guys in scoring position, isn’t the pitcher in trouble ?
Seems we are letting opposing pitchers off the hook, and how many innings go by with the opposing pitcher throwing 6 to 8 pitches, and then they are cruising ?
Watch a Red Sox or Yankee game….they grind out every at bat all game long, they don’t mind hitting with 2 strikes, and most of them work the count, and wear out the opposing pitcher.
Mitchell
August 3rd, 2011
2:00 pm
The Braves aren’t scoring any f***ing runs!
That’s what’s wrong with the Braves pitching.
They’re having to do everything. We would be nowhere without them.
They are not the problem. If they’re struggling it’s because they get no support.
There’s your answer, Jeff Schultz.
Now get back to your column about why the Braves need to fire their hitting coach.
Oh wait, I was hallucinating there for a second. I get that sometimes.
All better now.
Peter
August 3rd, 2011
2:03 pm
Dr. Phil hit the nail on the head….. Lowe was another of Wren’s disasters, that includes Kawakami, McLouth, and the Texas give away.
Not sure he is really a good GM, a couple of good moves, but a bunch of bad moves for sure……he got run out of Baltimore, and all think he is great here ?
Bernard
August 3rd, 2011
2:06 pm
Derek Kawakami Lowe really bites!!!!….take him OUT of the starting rotation NOW and make him the middle relief person!!!!…if he fails in that role…let him join Kawakami on the trash heap…
jerry
August 3rd, 2011
2:12 pm
A fork is not big enough to hold all the Braves that are done. I’m talking shishkabob, Chipper, Lowe, Nate, KK, and Gonzales on hold. Add Proctor for garnish.
kick some tail....
August 3rd, 2011
2:17 pm
freddi needs to kick some tail and call out the pitchers! it seems like all the sudden the braves start hitting and the pitchers are taking a vacation. get your rears in gear fellas…..it’s what you get paid for!!
JEB
August 3rd, 2011
2:17 pm
Check out the Giants!
With the pitching staff they have
and they have lost 5 games in a row
and 6 out of the last 10.
Doesn’t look like we are
the only ones with problems.
Sonny Clusters
August 3rd, 2011
2:19 pm
We was noticing how hot Constanza is and was wondering if Fredi is going to mess him up with bunt signs? Giving away the out is okay if the runner that moves over isn’t stranded because the next two batters are trying to hit home runs. Oh yeah, Lowe was toast yesterday and Fredi is the only one that didn’t notice. Those last two runs were unnecessary and hard to overcome. This team needs McCann back and that other guy who is too sore to play right now. When we was sore playing ball we’d rub some liniment on and keep playing.
UGA 1999
August 3rd, 2011
2:19 pm
Remove Lowe send him to AAA or to the bullpen and bring up Tehran!
Jon
August 3rd, 2011
2:20 pm
@UGA 1999 , what ever happened to the “other big trade” you insisted the Falcons would make? I believe you said “all of you who don’t believe me have no clue who I am!”
UGA 1999
August 3rd, 2011
2:24 pm
Jon…the fact is that there was a deal on the table with Asomugha that he accepted (but did not sign) on Thursday night. The deal was extended at the same time that the Ray Edwards deal was signed. Philly was no where in the mix until late Friday.
UGA 1999
August 3rd, 2011
2:24 pm
BTW….we are not done making deals yet.
Jon
August 3rd, 2011
2:29 pm
I hope you’re right.
UGA 1999
August 3rd, 2011
2:30 pm
Jon….the Falcons are not scared to make deals unlike the Braves.
Jon
August 3rd, 2011
2:36 pm
I agree with you on that issue. There’s no doubt which ownership and management takes an ultra-conservative approach to spending and improving their team (Braves) – UNFORTUNATELY.
Delbert D.
August 3rd, 2011
2:37 pm
Lowe to long relief, bring up a prospect to start.
Mitchell
August 3rd, 2011
2:38 pm
kick some tail….
August 3rd, 2011
2:17 pm
freddi needs to kick some tail and call out the pitchers! it seems like all the sudden the braves start hitting and the pitchers are taking a vacation. get your rears in gear fellas…..it’s what you get paid for!!
What? All of a sudden the Braves have started hitting? Since when?
Actually, you’re right.
They have started hitting. They just haven’t started scoring.
Either way the starters are still having to do more than their fair share of the work.
They are simply not getting the support that should be coming their way after all this time.
TheAntiMe
August 3rd, 2011
2:40 pm
Dr. Phil hit the nail on the head….. Lowe was another of Wren’s disasters, that includes Kawakami, McLouth, and the Texas give away.
Sorry, Peter, but the so-called Texas give away was on John Schuerholz not Frank Wren. Also, when compared to Wren’s disasters, as you call them, his good moves more than make up for those such as Jurrjens for Renteria, Uggla – who leads the Braves in homers and just hit another three run bomb – for a utility infielder and middle reliever, as well as adding the best leadoff hitter in MLB for next to nothing, Frank Wren has proven to be one of the better GMs around.
Wreckbuzz
August 3rd, 2011
2:42 pm
From where I sit at least one starter is pulling his weight…Brandon Beachy has only given up one run in his last 18 innings. He’s got a shutout thru 5 innings today.
Sam
August 3rd, 2011
2:43 pm
Please get rid of Lowe before he pitches again. Stop the madness! Mike Minor? Anybody!
Wreckbuzz
August 3rd, 2011
2:47 pm
Almost all the trades that Frank Wren has made have been good ones.
1) Edgar Renteria for Jair Jurrjens & Gorkys Hernandez
2) Omar Infante & Mike Dunn for Dan Uggla
3) Jordan Schafer & 3 prospects for Michael Bourn
4) Yunel Escobar & Jo Jo Reyes for Alex Gonzalez & Tyler Pastornicky
I know Escobar is ultimately better than Gonzo, but getting a good defensive SS with some power for two years and a prospect SS who is now hitting over .300 and promoted to AAA who could be the starter next season is a good deal for a guy who wasn’t fitting in.
Uggla is showing his value now, Bourn is showing it already and JJ was a steal.
Native to the ATL
August 3rd, 2011
2:49 pm
HELLO…..we need a right fielder. As mauch grief as we gave Frenchy, it seems hypocritical not be on Heyward. This guy sucks and is full of excuses. Even Chipper had to call this t u r d out.
Native to the ATL
August 3rd, 2011
2:50 pm
much*
chief pitchanono
August 3rd, 2011
2:51 pm
Yeah i’m concerned about Lowe, these numbers are alarming even for him. Jurgen’s I think is fine probably just a few bad starts comeing close together. It happens to all of them even jurgens. Same with Hanson he’s been less than great since the break, but again just part of the season. So Far Hudson and Beachy have been real good lately and hopefully, Hanson, and Jurgens will be joining them soon. Back to Lowe, Roger has gotta take him back to film school and make some adjustments. He has historically been a second half, postseason kinda guy and I believe he can do it again, but right now he’s gotta make some adjustments and quickly. Go Braves!!
Just The Facts
August 3rd, 2011
3:00 pm
Hey Jeffy – Pipe down with the negative press. It’s a long haul. If he gets on a roll like he did last fall you’ll be tooting his horn. Hopefully we’ll get hot as a team at the right time (end of the year) for the first time in a while. You say you are not a numbers guy but you sure like sprinkling them throughtout your article to beat the guy down. Good thing we don’t keep numbers on how often you write something entertaining or positive….your numbers wouldn’t look too good either. Maybe you are in a “writer’s slump” or just jealous you ain’t pulling down the income D-Lowe is. You drive me nuts with the constant negativity.
Casey Stinkle
August 3rd, 2011
3:05 pm
Hey, its very hot out there, and this bone head manager is leaving his starters in there too long. (See Beachy today)
Casey Stinkle
August 3rd, 2011
3:07 pm
Sorry to wreck your buzz, buzz. No more shutout.
Larry
August 3rd, 2011
3:08 pm
Wreckbuzz
August 3rd, 2011
2:42 pm
From where I sit at least one starter is pulling his weight…Brandon Beachy has only given up one run in his last 18 innings. He’s got a shutout thru 5 innings today.
You were saying…?
Casey Stinkle
August 3rd, 2011
3:38 pm
Am I the only one who doesn’t feel too good about this game?
doctorpl
August 3rd, 2011
3:40 pm
Those people on here who think Chipper will walk away from $14M due him for 2012 are dreaming. Sure he has a lot of pride, but it’s $14M and I don’t see him leaving it on the table.
TheAntiMe
August 3rd, 2011
3:48 pm
By the way, Jeff, your colleague, Mr. Ledbetter is showing you up again. He just got another exclusive interview. You need to catch up.
Whopper Dawg
August 3rd, 2011
3:53 pm
Wait a minute, weren’t you just asking if we could catch the Phillies??
Maybe the more pertinent questions is can we finish a nose up in the WC race?
How stupid would the Beltran trade seem now? Young starting pitching for a two moth rental to finish out of the playoffs?
JRob
August 3rd, 2011
4:04 pm
Good teams don’t trade away the faces of their franchise. Ask the Yanks.
Dude was an all star last month.
A Hit...
August 3rd, 2011
4:06 pm
Why AROD?
Born2Buzz
August 3rd, 2011
5:05 pm
Jeff, weren’t we saying the same thing about Lowe last year at this time, then he was unhittable the last month-1/2 of the season.
Check that for me would ya.
Still, pretty sad to lose the last 2 to the Nats. Fortunately Freddie G has been trained by Bobby and will not panic…I hope. Still a long way to go folks. Thank goodness none of you are in the Braves management.
JASon
August 3rd, 2011
5:08 pm
If we’ve learned anything this season, its that if you have 3 unstoppable relief pitchers in your bullpen, it doesn’t serve to help you when you are playing from behind. I just question why it takes that much talent just to hold a lead. Why can’t sherril be the 7th inning guy and O’Flaherty be the rally stopper? Or even mix and match when you use o’flaherty and venters? With the current philosophy, the braves are basically conceding every game that they get down a run or two.
Let NONE in
August 3rd, 2011
5:10 pm
They say it is the best rotation in the league.
GoAwayLowe
August 3rd, 2011
5:14 pm
People, didn’t Mr Bradley say in his article that no one would take Lowe? So why are we beating a dead horse. The man does not have what it takes anymore, but the Braves are stuck with him. There is no way we are going to the NLS, and I have strong doubts they will even make the wild card. They are not consistant, and continue to suck game after game after game after……
Let NONE in
August 3rd, 2011
5:15 pm
Jeff: Unrelated, I heard on the radio Grimes’ g/f wants to kick your arse. Tell her to get in line behind D-Wad and Bruce Levinson.
1eyedJack
August 3rd, 2011
5:32 pm
Jeff, next time you get near Derrick Lowe…see if he smells like a Bud Lite.
1eyedJack
August 3rd, 2011
5:34 pm
I already know the ol’ Chipster smells like jackass linamint.
UGAFAN13
August 3rd, 2011
5:49 pm
Lowe and his crappy performances are rubbing off on the rest of the staff. He should be sent to AA.
Packer Ed
August 3rd, 2011
5:53 pm
Mr. Wren, will you please bring up Mike Minor to the Boig Leagues and send Lowe to the minors?
mowreck
August 3rd, 2011
6:19 pm
Maybe they miss Jordan Shaffer.
benchwarmer
August 3rd, 2011
6:26 pm
Lowe in the bullpen might make sense but you just can’t put a $15 million guy out there can ya? Look for the starters to work regular turns until the call up date unless someone is bombing every turn. I think pitching will be a strength one way or the other going down the stretch.
benchwarmer
August 3rd, 2011
6:29 pm
Bud Lite doesn’t smell,unless water smells. Not enough of anything in it to create a smell or a flavor. That goes for most of the mass market American mades.
AlanFalcon
August 3rd, 2011
6:30 pm
The first of the season until now all the Braves pitchers heard how great they were, I believe they forgot that a solid effort was necessary to carry that handle through the season, instead they have tried to live off of potential, it never works, the bad part about the present is that Freddie and Roger can’t seem to get into their heads, I am a big believer, produce or sit down. I would rather see the young guys come up and learn what it takes to be sucessful than what the preesent staff is doing.
Bob
August 3rd, 2011
6:30 pm
It doesn’t take much to realize that Lowe is tired, done, prone to spot four or five runs, and finished this year as a starter. Maybe they can use him for middle relief. I think JJ and Hansen are trying to pitch too cute, knowing that we’ll only score a run or two…they can change this thinking and become more effective.
Ed
August 3rd, 2011
6:45 pm
Please check the record with Chipper in and with Chipper out. The Braves were doing well until he got hurt and since have floundered.
And please quit saying nonsense like trade Lowe and unload his contract. That would be impossible.
Old Youngman
August 3rd, 2011
9:20 pm
Chipper needs to start playing. Braves need him.
Hillbilly D
August 3rd, 2011
9:25 pm
What has happened to Braves’ starting pitching?
They’re sturggling a little bit. It happens.
Hillbilly D
August 3rd, 2011
9:25 pm
That should say “struggling”.
Lewis Grizzard
August 3rd, 2011
9:29 pm
What happened to the world class reporters at the AJC??? This is more like TMZ.
aj
August 3rd, 2011
9:30 pm
Well, the back half of the Braves’ bullpen should
be well rested.. No way of catching the Phillies.
Wild card may be a challenge if they continue to
lose to bottom teams.
A Hit...
August 3rd, 2011
9:46 pm
Hey Chipper get your arse back in there ya here..
A Hit...
August 3rd, 2011
9:47 pm
hear^^^
Skeezix
August 3rd, 2011
9:52 pm
Where have all the loud mouths gone? Those,who at the beginning of the season, were blasting FG for staying with Kimbrel as our closer?
OldTimer
August 3rd, 2011
10:17 pm
Give JJ and Hanson a couple of weeks off and they’ll be fine.
Lowe on the other hand needs to be taken behind the barn and have his ass handed to him.
jimi
August 3rd, 2011
10:25 pm
You have the braves most valuable player, the catcher hurt. Can there be a correlation ?
I think so. He calls the game, he hits and wins the game. We need him back as soon as
possible.
George R. Malone
August 3rd, 2011
10:51 pm
Lowe is no longer a major league pitcher. Either waive him or send him to the bullpen as a middle inning pitcher. He is killing the team. Chipper no longer earns his money. He needs to retire. 2.60 batting average and hurt all time is killing the team. His salary is a joke as is Lowe’s.
Wright
August 4th, 2011
12:01 am
Its just the curse of loserville, get over it.
walk
August 4th, 2011
12:53 am
lowe isnt a bad pitcher to have as your worst guy though. because he still at least has good games. the problem is that he is getting paid too much.
Bud Wiser
August 4th, 2011
6:20 am
Well, they got a good deal with Bourne, trading off Schaefer (overrated, over-hyped, fast but under skilled – you can’t steal first base you know).
Unfortunately, they won’t be able to get a bag of peanuts and a beer for Lowe now.
NickGranite
August 4th, 2011
6:29 am
The guys who think we should have gotten rid of Chipper a few years back seem to have forgotten he was signed to an extension after he won the national league batting championship at a .364 clip. Now what would Atlanta Braves bloggers on here be saying if we dumped a Brave icon like Chipper after he won the batting championship?
JJC
August 4th, 2011
7:12 am
I think Lowe is hitting the sauce pretty hard. Time to get him some help for that condition before he can help the BRAVES.
wins-by-a-link
August 4th, 2011
7:30 am
Bring up one of the young arms, Put Lowe in BP for use as long relief (mop up) also bring Roy Clark back to run the organization and show FW the highway along with his buddy FG.
phil
August 4th, 2011
8:31 am
It’s this kind of negative reporting that makes me a negative blogger…
I blame jeff.
David
August 4th, 2011
8:45 am
Jeff I know you can’t speak for Mark, but as reporters have you guys actually spoke to any players?
It is incredible how damn lazy you guys are! By the way, that beard does not take away from you being bald.
Ellabell 1
August 4th, 2011
9:20 am
A lot of our pitching problems are not just our pitchers. Bobby Jr. apparently doesn’t know when a pitcher has got it or when he has lost it.
MJC
August 4th, 2011
9:56 am
I think it is about time for Lowe to “discover an injury” and go on the DL for a while so the Braves can bring up Teheran or Minor.
THE BIG R
August 4th, 2011
11:07 am
PITCHING STRUGGKING RIGHT NOW BUT WILL BOUNCE BACK, JUST IN A LITTLE FUNK RIGHT NOW UNLIKE THE YEAR LONG HITTING FUNK . TERRY PENDELTON PROBABLY SHAKING HIS HEAD DOWN AT FIRST BASE
Gatorman
August 4th, 2011
11:13 am
The stress of pitching without runs or pitching behind most of the time takes it toll. I’m surprised our illustrative Mr. Schulz didn’t already know that.
red34
August 4th, 2011
11:16 am
Send Lowe to the bullpen.. send down proctor… and bring up Teheran, or Minor. to start..
Barry
August 4th, 2011
11:27 am
Yea I wasn’t all that excited about the Lowe signing from the start. He’s a washed up vet that doesn’t have much left. Not to say he’s tired but he can’t seem to pitch sharply anymore. I think JJ has hit some bad luck and going through a little pitching slump…he’ll be alright. At least Hudson and Hanson are pitching pretty good or we would be out of the Wildcard lead in a hurry. Arizona is only 2.5 games back now folks. Braves just need to hold on until McCann can get back in the lineup. I’m not really counting on Chipper to contribute much the rest of this year. I mean the guy gets hurt the first game back after coming off his previous stint on the DL!!! I hear talk from radio media about Chipper playing next year. Are you kidding me? He can barely stay on the field and play this year! It’s not a knock against Chipper but it’s obvious age has caught up to him.
Papadawg
August 4th, 2011
11:38 am
First thing I questioin is their stamina and off season training programs then I question the Braves about where the heck is all this fantastic minor league pitchers who we just couldn’t trade.
John
August 4th, 2011
11:40 am
Dropping Lowe down to middle relief may make some sense, but they won’t do it because of his salary and his reputation for pitching well in clutch situations.
DawgDad
August 4th, 2011
11:51 am
Lowe got a shot (cortisone?) in him arm or elbow last year right before his stretch run. I have a sense he’s hanging on until late August and then will take another shot. Take it too early and it’ll wear off before or during the playoffs; too many shots and he risks permanent damage.
I like this team better today than I did before the all-star break. The infusion of Bourn will pay off, as it did yesterday, but nothing has been done to offset the loss of Chipper and McCann and Wren did not add the desperately needed right-handed bat in the middle of the order. Braves lost one game solely because Boscan was playing; Wren should have picked up an MLB-experienced backup catcher.
Hanson and JJ will recover. Early run support would aid the cause. Too early to give up on Heyward; what will we do when Freeman is hitting .223 next August, throw him away, too?
In the end, you have to admire where this team is in the standings while spending oodles of money for precious little value in return from Lowe, Chipper, KK, and McLouth.
JMac12203
August 4th, 2011
11:53 am
I have tried to tell you this was going to happen. Their rotation in general, and JJ in particular, pitched way above their abilities over the first half of the season, and now they are in correction mode. The Braves wasted many well pitched games before the break, and now they cannot get those back. The wildcard spot is fading daily as the Braves continue to lose. They needed to make some big changes before the trade deadline, but FW sat on his hands, or maybe his bosses sat on their money. Regardless, I will be somewhat shocked if this group makes the playoffs this season.
falconfan58
August 4th, 2011
12:17 pm
Pitching has really not been all that good this year. JJ has been inconsistent after the all star break for the last two years. Hansen is just a thrower and not a real pitcher. He handicappes his self with his windup and throwing motion. Sent him to Seattle or Toronto and get a real pitcher. Lowe is just old like Glavin became and not able to produce on a consistent basis–even Maddux retired. Hudson and Beachy are the only two real pitchers in the current starting lineup. BRING UP THE ARMS LIKE THE BRAVES DID BEFORE THE STREAK BEGAN.
Sid
August 4th, 2011
1:03 pm
Can we get anything for Lowe now?
smallmouth6
August 4th, 2011
2:54 pm
Chipper: KEEP PLAYING. The folks who don’t like you didn’t like Uggla either.
Buck Nasty
August 4th, 2011
3:11 pm
What happened to the Braves starting pitching? Nothing. It was overrated to begin with…on the other hand Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Oswalt, and Worley…now THAT’s a pitching staff…and the main reason why the Braves are getting smaller and smaller in the Phillies’ rear view mirror…Auf Wiedersehen, y’all…
Tom
August 4th, 2011
3:40 pm
They let JJ go to long between starts around the all star break. That threw him off. They should have managed that better. Lowe’s time might be up if he can’t turn it around. Rest of the group will be fine.
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
August 4th, 2011
8:36 pm
And people wonder why Frank Wren has hung onto Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Randall Delgado.
Duh!
vermont 39
August 5th, 2011
12:14 am
What negative fans…easy to see why the seats are empty…stop whining and start rooting!!!
Coach13
August 5th, 2011
11:47 am
What really sucks is that Uggla’s hot streak is going to be wasted. Not sure why the starters would be tired, the bullpen has logged the most innings in all of baseaball, and it’s not even close. They aren’t and never were going to pass the Phillies so just win the WC. Bring up some of the younger arms if need be and give some guys some rest.
Big Dude
August 5th, 2011
1:14 pm
Braves had a chance to trade D. Lowe a couple of years ago but succumed to his pouting and kept him. Now they are paying the piper. Boy, am I glad football is here!
BravesFanForever
August 5th, 2011
2:01 pm
I maintain that Lowe’s biggest problem is that he only has one effective pitch and if it is not working or if he doesn’t spot it just right, none of his other pitches work either because of this, and he gets hammered. I’ve said this for years: He needs an off speed pitch. Everything he throws seems like it’s all about the same speed.
Not every pitcher can be on all the time. Not every pitcher has their #1 pitch for every game. That’s why the best pitchers have alternatives whether it’s their #2 pitch or even pitching strictly on guile. Greg Maddux had a huge assortment of pitches, had tremendous control, and had guts. If he lost any one pitch or had a little trouble with command, he could still get by. None of his pitches were best in the league, but he had so much going for him that he could get outs even when he wasn’t at his best.
Clearly there is no comparison with Lowe and Maddux–not by a long shot.
You know as much as people thought that Phil Neikro was strictly a knuckleballer, he won his 300th game throwing everything he had but the knuckleball–that is until the very last batter who he struck out on some mean knuckleballs (it was a complete game shut out).
Lowe does not have much once he loses that sinker ball–it is a good pitch when it’s on–but when it’s off, he gets hammered! You would think that pitchers would know that they are “incomplete”. If I was Lowe I would have spent my entire career trying to come up with alternative pitches that could complement the #1.
BravesFanForever
August 5th, 2011
2:07 pm
There is no such thing as “wasting wins”, “wasting good hitting”, “wasting good pitching”. Whatever happens happens. A team cannot control how players play any more than they can control wins. 162 games is a pretty good barometer of a team’s success. It’s pretty hard to fake a decent season. Maybe the Braves aren’t as good as the Phillies. But you know, all bets are off during the playoffs.
Just making the playoffs is the key. We all know it’s a crapshoot otherwise the team with the best seasonal record would win every time and wild card teams would have no chance. We all know the truth.
The Braves have just as much of a chance to win it all as San Francisco did last year. They were NOT the best team in 2010. In fact, I would say they may have been the weakest team going into the playoffs. They got lucky like just about every team has in the last 20 years. So, just make it to the playoffs, cross your fingers, and hope everything works out.
allan
August 5th, 2011
7:36 pm
Not sure if someone has already mentioned this or not. Our great pitching went south when Coach Gonzalez, started subbing catcher ‘David Ross’, for McCann, and then had to put him in full-time when McCann went on the DL. Why do I think this? Who is the Only pitcher that is pitching and winning his normal amount of games, since the pitching slide? Tim Hudson, who Ross always catches.
Maybe I’m reaching, but it sure seems to fit?
M10
August 6th, 2011
9:33 pm
Hanson sucks its plain and simple we should TRADE him.
Phillies fan
August 7th, 2011
2:55 am
They came back to Earth. You should write another article about the Braves winning the division, Phillies are about 8-0 since you wrote that beauty. Just a tad bit delusional down there in Atlanta.
Anthony
August 7th, 2011
8:34 am
at least you have a good bullpen…hahaha. #Phillies
Jojo
August 7th, 2011
3:02 pm
can Bourn pitch?????
ChillyMutt
August 8th, 2011
10:10 am
Lowe is just throwing batting practice.
KK
August 8th, 2011
4:34 pm
We need KK
Runnin With The Dawgs
August 8th, 2011
10:38 pm
I REALLY like the way Kimbrel is coming along. If he keeps on like he’s been going maybe we’ll see him in the starting rotation next year. I think he’ll hold a starting spot down better than some we’ve got. “GO BRAVES”!
Millermoose
August 8th, 2011
11:20 pm
Yes, the starting pitching is struggling, but the relievers are not helping except for Venters and Kimbrel. Proctor and Sherrill are TERRIBLE and need to go to Gwinnett right away. When the hitters get a big lead, there is no one to close down the opposing team and assure us the game is over.
realistic braves fan
August 9th, 2011
4:50 pm
The awful part is since the all star break braves are 13-10 Phillies are 18-5.
The good part is we are still leading the wildcard race and play Phillies last series of the year. Hopefully they will sit all there starters again so we can get 3 wins in our last 3 games just like last year. Go figure i might be cheering on the Phillies to blow out the National League.