Braves collapse, and the shine just came off Fredi Gonzalez
Fredi Gonzalez watched as the Braves blew an 8½-game wild-card lead in 23 days. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Fredi Gonzalez was quietly handed the Braves’ managerial job before Bobby Cox ever stepped out the door in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge deal, and nobody really had a problem with it.
He had the resume and the personality. Everybody liked and respected him. He knew the players, the organization and the city. The Braves weren’t making over the manager’s office as much as they were changing a light bulb.
Something went wrong.
This is not a “Fire Fredi Gonzalez” column. But we’ve just witnessed one of the worst collapses in sports history, and the Braves can’t just assume that a few roster tweaks are going to fix the problem. When a team goes 10-20 down the stretch — including 0-9 against their two biggest competitors (Philadelphia and St. Louis) — and loses three consecutive series to the division’s flotsam (Mets, Marlins, Nationals), this isn’t about just injuries or a few guys going into a slump.
The vibe was missing this season. That’s on Gonzalez. The team fell apart when it needed to come together, blowing an 8½-game lead in 23 days. That’s on Gonzalez. The Braves seemed tight and meek and borderline frightened, as if waiting, hoping, white-knuckle-praying for a playoff spot to just fall into their lap. They didn’t just take it, and didn’t play like they felt they deserved it.
That’s certainly on Gonzalez. The shine just came off the perfect replacement.
I understand this isn’t football. Managers make in-game decisions, but they aren’t calling plays. They change the lineup and the batting order. Gonzalez did that. He pulled Chipper Jones out of the No. 3 spot. He benched Jason Heyward.
Ultimately, the question is whether a manager is making a team better, making it believe. The Braves clearly weren’t, therefore Gonzalez clearly didn’t.
Even with injuries, this was twice the team that reached the postseason last year and lost three one-run games to the eventual World Series champions in San Francisco.
Gonzalez doesn’t need to go. But he needs to change. Or maybe someone. Gonzalez said Thursday that all of his coaches are coming back. But for all the screams from the cheap seats about former hitting coach Terry Pendleton, his replacement, Larry Parrish, didn’t bring anything to the table.
Maybe Gonzalez just needs to change himself. Maybe he came in and, consciously or subconsciously, didn’t want to disrupt things too much in the first season after Bobby Cox retired. It was such a feel-good season last year, that would be understandable. But if that was the strategy, it backfired.
When asked about the collapse following Wednesday’s final loss, Chipper Jones said, “It’s cruel, because probably nobody in Atlanta sports is probably under as much scrutiny as he is filling in for Bobby Cox. To have it slip away in late September, it’s cruel. It’s really cruel. It’s not indicative of the way this team played, the way he managed, and what we deserved in this situation.”
Not sure about the “deserved” part of that quote. The Braves just played 162 games. That’s enough time.
They blew it. They blew it like no team in Atlanta sports history. That blew it like few teams in all of sports history. The only people who aren’t saying today that they blew it live in Boston — because they have their own problems.
What just happened is mind-numbing. But even before the collapse, the Braves seemed to have chemistry issues. They never quite came together like most anticipated. This was a team that figured to challenge Philadelphia in the National League East and possibly for a World Series.
There aren’t a lot of tangible things we can pin on Gonzalez. He certainly stuck with Derek Lowe too long, and the decision to start him Tuesday over rookie Julio Teheran blew up in the manager’s face. He made the bold decision to go with Jose Constanza over the struggling Heyward in right field for several starts, which seemed to ignite the lineup. But then he switched back to Heyward, who is the better player, but still seemed to be a mess.
But it never should have come down to that decision, or to a few starts by Lowe. When a team goes 10-20 to close the season and gets swept at home in the last three games, the issues are bigger than that.
Implosions like this are on the manager. He didn’t make the team better. The Braves underachieved. And Gonzalez just lost the benefit of the doubt.
By Jeff Schultz
•
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
845 comments Add your comment
Cards Rule
September 29th, 2011
10:34 am
Freddi was in over his head. His overuse of Venters and Kimbrell spelled doom back in July. He quite often was unprepared for moves during games involving the bullpen for match-ups; always a step behind.
One example; during this collapse he allowed Minor to bat while trailing by one run with runners on base and two outs; then pulled him after facing 1 batter the next inning. Total moronic move (of which he had several).
As a Cardinal fan, I hope he stays in Atlanta a long time!!
Boston
September 29th, 2011
10:34 am
at least the boston choke was worse than the braves choke.
Bring Back Bobby!
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
Bobby Cox can take the team back to the top—bring back bobby with a new contract!
deb
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
I still think Chipper deserves to get NL Comeback Player of the year. He still performed more than most on the team most nights even in pain.
CRO-MAGNON MAN
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
SCULTZIE:
DON’T BE SO QUICK TO PLACE THE BLAME ON THE MANAGER…HE DOESN’T PITCH, PLAY THE FIELD, OR HIT….HE HAS DONE A RESPECTABLE JOB WITH A TEAM WHO LOST ALL THEIR PITCHERS EXCEPT HUDSON TO INJURIES…YOUR NOT GONNA BEAT THE PHILLIES WITH ROOKIE PITCHERS….YOU HAVE DONE THIS WITH COACH RICHT AT GEORGIA….YOU SHOULD GET IN THE ARENA AND TEST YOUR MEDDLE…IT IS EASY TO SIT ON THE SIDES AND CRITICIZE, BECAUSE AFTER ITS ALL OVER EVERYONE’S HINDSIGHT IS 20/20….WAS IT HIS MOTIVATIONAL PROWESS??? WHO NEEDS TO MOTIVATE GUYS WHO ARE MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO MOTIVATE THEM…THOUGHT EVERYBODY PLAYED HARD, AND WITHOUT THE PITCHERS WHO ARE HURT WE COULDN’T WIN A SERIES ANYWAY….PHILLIES ARE THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL, WILL THEY WIN IT,I DON’T KNOW….IF THEY DON’T IT WILL BE THE MANAGER’S FAULT, I AM SURE….THE BIGGEST PROBLEM LAST NIGHT WAS WHEN FREDDIE GONZALEZ CAME IN IN THE 9TH INNING AND WALKED THOSE 3 BATTERS…..THE CLOSER WHO HAS BEEN GREAT BLEW THE GAME AND YOU BLAME FREDDIE LIKE HE WALKED THOSE GUYS….COME ON, SCULTZIE…..
Gary Roberson
September 29th, 2011
10:36 am
Really Jeff? In the words of Roy Hobbs to Scotty Carson in The Natural: “Tell me, Jeff, did you ever play baseball?”
Lamar Cook
September 29th, 2011
10:36 am
Bring Bobby Cox back!
duronimo
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
I think the Braves deserve credit for even playing in a meaningful last game. It was a year of disruptive injuries and wild fluctuations in the performance of a number of batters. I think the questions should be about those two issues. The price of failure is not that high however. They still make millions win or lose.
not surprised
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
no common thread to tie the city into the team, the team into the players, and the fan into the game. Going to a Braves game is as exciting as going to the mall.
eastbound and down
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
I really can’t think of a reason why Fredi shouldn’t be fired. Why wait or expect him to change anything? He hasn’t acknowledged he has done anything wrong or made any mistakes. Let him learn how to manage with a team like the Astros that rebuilding. they can learn together. DO NOT REWARD FAILURE!
DetroitBraves
September 29th, 2011
10:38 am
@oldbaldy, awesome song. Very fitting.
John
September 29th, 2011
10:38 am
Parrish was miserable this season. The team’s OBP fell drastically. They never walked. Also, while managing a game on Playstation I would know to walk Pence to get to Martinez. Ridiculous. Losing Jurrjens and Hanson hurt big time, but for the most part, aside from Lowe, the pitching was at least average. They could not score runs and it seemed like they found new ways to lose every night. I feel like I wasted my entire summer watching this team and looking forward to the playoffs. I will be back next year though.
Kevin Burke
September 29th, 2011
10:38 am
Hate to get personal, but Brian Jordan had it right….Chipper does not have the health/work habits, especially in the off-season, to be able to make it through a full season without a huge drop-off during September. Sitting in a deer stand half the winter while chewing tobacco is not the needed cardio/weight training regimen for a soon-to-be 40-yr old preparing for a 162-game season. And as for Derek Lowe and his propensity for hard drinking….ditto the above for health/work habits!
We can beat those Cheese Steaks!
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Fredi, Delta is flying to Cuba starting next month..
They’ll be ready for ya BUSTER!!!! Bags packed?
Abner Doubleplay
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Oh, and one more thing. I don’t spend a lot of time listening to “sports talk radio”, but in early September, perhaps even late August, I was listening to Leo M on the Fan and he was somewhat surprised by the comments of a current, well known Brave named Larry “Chipper” Jones, who reportedly confessed that at 9 or 10 games up in the wild card; the Braves could “take it easy” in preparation for the post season. Again, I’ll take Kimbrel as my closer and Chipper as my team leader/respected vet, and I’ll take Uggla through a gut-wrenching Mendoza territory slump, and I’ll take Heyward, etc., AND I’ll take Fredi as my manager. It’s only baseball, folks.
Nut Job
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Last night’s game was tough to watch. I just had the feeling like I was waiting for something bad to happen. The one thing I have a problem with…(someone already mentioned it before) why the H_LL are we pitching to Hunter Pence with a base open and a sub .200 hitter on deck? Makes absolutley no sense. Pence has slapped us around all year and we just keep throwing 92 right over the plate to him.
I would love to hear the rationale behind this move. Anyone have anything?
61 year Braves Fan
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Fredi Gonzalez and his staff should be fired today. Pitch to Pence with Martinez on deck another of
his major managerial blunders. Start Lowe, bring in Linebrink, it went on and on.
Incidentily, Scott Proctor gave up homer which put Devil Rays in playoffs last night. Should we sign him up for next year?
NY rules
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Almost as bad as the Mets a couple years ago; I think most of their mgmt and players are gone now. They are in a rebuild phase they call it. Heyward is a star, benching him was a colossal mistake.
He’ll be on the Yankees in a couple of years anyway once he reaches free agency.
Prediction : Yanks beat Philly in 6 games in the World Series.
Bud
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
The Good:
1. The Braves stole bases! Can you imagine? Even traded to get a guy to do that.
2. Very few pitchers were left in too long. For the most part, if there was no control that day, Fredi pulled him.
The Bad:
1. Streaky hitting. Bubbye, Mr. Parish!
2. No REAL time leader. If Chipper was a true leader, why not make him the team captain?
3. No emotion on the bench. Oh sure, they stood up and high-fived, but in between those moments, the bench resembled an old ladies’ sewing circle.
4. Has anyone seen the REAL Jason Heyward. The guy there now ain’t him!
The Ugly:
1. September.
Dan
September 29th, 2011
10:40 am
I am truly heartbroken, but not shocked. Told my wife 3 weeks ago this team does not deserve to be World Champions. I started feeling that way when Dan Uggla was hitting less than .190 through the first half of the season, yet Fredi Gonzalez kept starting him. Game after game after game, he failed to contribute anything to the team, yet blind loyalty allowed him to stay in each lineup. There was ample talent on this team. My God, what teams would not give anything for Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman, Martin Prado and so many others. Why not Joe Simpson as manager in 2012? I like Fredi Gonzalez but do not feel he deserves another season as manager of the team I love so dearly.
Older, not necessarily wiser
September 29th, 2011
10:40 am
I place much of the blame on the inability of Derek Lowe. It seems every game he started, he got behind and could not catch up. Yet, Gonzalez kept starting him. My goodness, can’t he see that if someone who watches from afar on TV see it? Heyward is another situation. Constanza and his speed were so much better.
The most obvious improvement on this team is Bourne. The Braves cannot afford to lose him. Chipper – well here is someone that seems to have great respect from his teammates, yet I see him as half hearted effort at bat and in the field. In my opinion, he is here only for the contract of millions. He should not only be one the bench, but should have left when he was on top. Now he is pathetic. Prado did better at third when he subbed. The rest of the infield is solid IMO. Lots of young arms with promise.
Fredi is a big disappointment, like last night with the call at third when Bourne was clearly safe. I did not have to see the replay to know he was safe, not did the fans in the stands. Yet, here comes Fredi, no fire, no real objection. Cox would have been tossed.
Maybe that is the problem, no fire in Fredi!
hoho
September 29th, 2011
10:41 am
‘This is not a “Fire Fredi Gonzalez” column.’
Why not? It takes a special kind of ineptitude to accomplish the failure that Fredi Gonzalez just did. This team gave up 3 weeks ago, lacking any kind of motivation or focus & if that doesn’t lie upon the manager then who should be responsible? Actually that idiotic look on Fredi’s face in the picture above says it all. I hope he is fired TODAY.
We can beat those Cheese Steaks!
September 29th, 2011
10:43 am
“Hate to get personal, but Brian Jordan had it right….Chipper does not have the health/work habits, especially in the off-season, to be able to make it through a full season without a huge drop-off during September. Sitting in a deer stand half the winter while chewing tobacco is not the needed cardio/weight training regimen for a soon-to-be 40-yr old preparing for a 162-game season. And as for Derek Lowe and his propensity for hard drinking….ditto the above for health/work habits!”
Good Job Brian JORDAN calling out that tobacco chewing CAPTAIN CHOKER..
THIS BUSTER GOT SWEPT IN TWO WORLD SERIES…HAS THE NERVE TO TALK SMACK ABOUT THE ONLY CLUB THAT CAN BEAT PHILLY? WHAT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dugout Steps
September 29th, 2011
10:43 am
The Braves players were not on the dugout steps encouraging their team mates to step it up and fight. I saw just about every Braves player sitting down with a glaze on their face. Fredi should have told them to get up and start cheering. That’s what I saw in the Cardinals dugout. Did that make a difference? I think so…
Older, not necessarily wiser
September 29th, 2011
10:43 am
Sorry for the typos. Should have proof read it!
DHD
September 29th, 2011
10:43 am
3 out of the 5 pitchers were rookies and the other was Lowe in the last month. They were lucky to be in the hunt.
heymmered
September 29th, 2011
10:45 am
I agree that there was just no fire in this team. It was like they could have cared less the last week or two. I blame that on the manager for not lighting a fire. If you watched the cardinals games, players were on the top step cheering and yelling. The braves just sat there defeated.
Donsy
September 29th, 2011
10:45 am
Most embarrassing choke in history of Atlanta sports. In fairness, they didn’t have the horses to go much further, plus they were short of pitchers. Actually, my beef is with Manuels. Proving he’ll never be a Bobby Cox, there was nothing to be gained by bringing in a starter to relieve early. Why was it so important to him to shutdown The Braves? Was this something personal against the Braves? Hats off anyway to the Phillie’s team. These guys know how to hit and you don’t see a lot of them watching call strike threes or their pitchers giving up hits on 0-2 counts. Unless the Braves make lots of changes, not sure I’m looking forward to 2012.
tdc
September 29th, 2011
10:45 am
Great acticle Jeff. I couldn’t agree with you more.
reebok
September 29th, 2011
10:45 am
the braves played such uninspired, gutless baseball when it mattered, i would have sworn bobby cox never left.
Invincer
September 29th, 2011
10:45 am
This collapse has the feeling of being much worse than simply missing the playoffs for one year. I dare say this could potentially have the same effect on Attendance going forward in Atlanta that the Strike did back in the 90’s to all of Baseball. In Boston, the fans will be back, they know the team will spend oodoodles of money to try and right the ship; plus the fans are diehard. Not so much in Atlanta, the fans here will feel quite jilted, like “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”. Is there anyone here that can say a 5 or 10 game lead for a wildcard with a month to play will ever make you feel confident again?
I think the only thing that will be able to save this team is being very proactive in the offseason and make some Yankee-esque or Boston type big moves to show a real seriousness to right the ship. Otherwise the Braves scores will be seen on the news rather than at the stadium by fans next year…
We can beat those Cheese Steaks!
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
FIRE FREDI TODAY!!!
HE HAS THE DEER IN HEADLIGHTS SYNDROME!
benchwarmer
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
Basically the mistake is Freddi. Not at all what a good manager needs to be. Seemed to always be behind on whatever trend was develping with his team. Spent to much time waiting for the big inning instead of creating a big inning. Bourn showed in the 1st last night what can be done with speed. Need some more of that. Heyward could provide some of that if he can be taught. I think ther are good players on this team who are not being used correctly. Do you get the feeling when watching the Braves that you are constantly waiting for something to happen. I believe that some of the players feel that way too. Watch the Phillies, Diamondbacks etc.., they are in the game, not waiting for the homerun hero to arrive. While Chipper is a great talent I will be glad when his style era is past. Maybe he will be too. Dump Freddi, get a manager who believes in complete baseball and uses it to pressure the opponent for nine complete innings.
mgm
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
It would be nice to see Fredi show some fire like engaging the umps the way Bobby did. He rarely shows any emotion and that is reflected by the players. Larry Parish was a major flop. We can’t afford another season with him tutoring the hitters.
tdc
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
Dozer
September 29th, 2011
9:30 am
There is a culture of acceptance that reeks thru this franchise. everyone is up in arms now, but after a couple of weeks everything will revert back to the way its always been – media included. there’s never any real pressure to perform with this franchise.
Co-sign!
B'dawg
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
Go Braves!!!!!! And take the Falcons with you!!!!!!
Bobby Cox
September 29th, 2011
10:46 am
I think Chipper looks really old, especially last night! He is selfish to come back for another year! He eats up way too much payroll that prevents us from going out & signing other young & more talented players! Can we find a team dumb enough to take Derek Lowe & his $15M salary off our hands? Just sayin!
Ghostrider
September 29th, 2011
10:47 am
@spoon divy
Couldn’t agree with you more.
ME TOO
September 29th, 2011
10:47 am
FG needs to go. I quit watching the games when I saw the stupidity. The one thing that got me was replacing our great hitting All Star second baseman with a player who only cared about home runs. It took most of the season for him to break out of his SLUMP.
Billy
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
The Braves haven’t been truly competitive since the 1990s; the corporate owners who took over from Ted Turner don’t care who wins. As long as they can sell $15 hotdogs, (which taste like 5 cent hotdogs), they couldn’t care less.
Not a fan of Ted but he was certainly a better owner than the bean counters that own it now. Freddy did let us down, but talent is a helpful ingredient. Ted, buy ‘em back!
Terry McGuirk
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
I’m so glad that Gonzalez is our manager and not Ozzie Guillen or Joe Maddon. I love sitting back and waiting on the home run.
Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine.
growing older, but not up
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
Freddy never showed me he has any “fire”. Bobby was laid back, but when it was game time, he could light somebody up – mostly umps. . .
benchwarmer
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
I co-sign that 9:30 post too. Well said!
Great blog, full of idiots
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
First, why would you NOT start Diaz? He’s 30-50 points better hitter than Heyward and he hustles all-of-the-time. I defy anyone to truthfully claim that of Jason. The troubles started with Constanza disappearing in favor of Mr Heyward after ‘Georgie’ jumpstarted our offense, along with Bourn, during the months of July and August. Constanza hustles, period. Heyward hustles, when it suits him.
Also, Jeff I disgree with your premise that this isn’t about injuries or a ‘few guys being in a slump’. That’s exactly what it’s about. When we were reasonably healthy, we had the second best record in the NL. We lost two fifths of our starters for the last six weeks or so, and lost D Lowe for most of the season to ineffectiveness, Moylan all year ( and probably next year as well) to injury, Medlen, the probable fifth starter was gone almost all year, Alex didn’t hit all year, Uggla hitting .230 is considered miraculous after his horrid first three months, Heyward, well…enough said on him. Prado hit 25 pts lower than normal, McCann..same.
Not making excuses, the collapse was colossal and historic, painful to watch, and I grew up watching the Braves since they came to ATL. I’ve seen enough horrible baseball to last a lifetime.
Lots of fixes come to mind for next year, but to blow past the injuries and slumps is to minimize the effect that good pitching and hitting has in the first place.
My concern is that Frank Wren, who in spite of the histrionic bloggers, has done a good job of building a team despite being severely hamstrung by budgetary concerns, will find the fixes hard to come by on the Liberty Media dime store budget. We simply don’t have the dollars to fix all of the problems during the offseason, and during the season when injuries occur we can’t sign the band aids to get us though the season.
27 million would help immensely (Chip, Lowe, are you listening) but it won’t happen.
We can beat those Cheese Steaks!
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
Get FREDI AND CAPTAIN CHOKER OUTTA TOWN THE BUSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!
joop
September 29th, 2011
10:49 am
I thought the same thing last night. Last year ended with a good team, and this year we watched it slowly unravel.
Dave
September 29th, 2011
10:49 am
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but let’s not get too hasty. There were a number of factors that contributed to this collapse, and they were NOT all the Braves’ fault.
1) They lost BOTH their #1 AND #2 starters in Jurggens and Hanson. Minor showed flashes of brilliance, as did Delgado, but if Jurggens and Hanson pitch in September, the Braves would have clinched two weeks ago.
2) The Cardinals had a MUCH easier schedule than the Braves. They got to play 45 games against the Astros, the Pirates and the Cubs, while the Braves got to play 54 games against the Marlins, the Nationals and the Mets. While the Mets are not that good, BOTH the Nationals and the Marlins are good, young clubs with a solid foundation of position players and good pitching.
This is no great revelation. Jim Powell, the Braves’ radio announcer, pointed this situation out back in late August and PREDICTED that either the Reds or the Cardinals would take advantage of that weak schedule to catch the Braves in September, and THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!
The Braves as an organization need to work to get MLB to institute a balanced schedule so that the Central (and, to a lesser extent, the West) Divisions do not get a weak schedule that allows them to back their way into the playoffs.
3) McCann got injured (oblique strain). When he returned, he simply was NOT the same hitter as he was before the injury. Also, as in past years, he got worn down catching every day. The solution to that is to do with Hudson and David Ross what Bobby Cox did with Greg Maddux and whoever was the backup catcher during the 14 season run: Ross becomes Hudson’s personal catcher, guaranteeing McCann every fifth start OFF.
Now let’s look at the GOOD things from this season:
1) We should have a perennial All-Star at first base. Freddie Freeman did everything the Braves asked of him, and more. 20+ home runs, almost a .300 batting average, Gold Glove fielding. The Braves should sign him to a long-term contract similar to what they gave McCann and lock him in as the first baseman for the next ten years.
2) Uggla delivered. It would have been nice if he hit better than .240, but 36 home runs is a career high, and he nearly won the game for the Braves last night.
3) Except for Lowe, the pitching is set for a great five-year run. Next year, it will be Hudson, Jurrgens, Hanson, Beachy and Minor, with Medlen standing ready to step in as needed. The bullpen will be Kimbrel, Venters, O’Flarerty, Varvaro, Viscaino, Moylan (assuming he recovers from his surgery), and Teheran, with Martinez and Gearrin waiting in the minors as needed. Wren should try REAL HARD to get someone to take Lowe off the Braves’ hands. While I recognize that Lowe was the reason the Braves made the playoffs in 2010, he clearly is NOT the same pitcher. If Wren cannot trade him, then, in spring training, Lowe will have to EARN their way onto the team, and, if he does not show any improvement, the Braves will need to release him and cut their losses.
There ARE problems. Go to the Braves Team website for ESPN, link below:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-braves
22nd in RUNS
26th in BATTING AVERAGE
26th in ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
21st in SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
My God, no wonder the relief pitching got worn down. The pitching was the ONLY THING that was winning the games for the Braves. They need to get another hitter, preferably in left field. While I love Matt Diaz, he is NOT a starter. The ideal would be to sign Jose Reyes and make Gonzalez the backup shortstop, but I doubt the Braves can spend that kind of money.
I believe the Braves have already begun the transition from being a team that relies on the 3-run home run to one that wants to rely on speed and small ball. They will need to sign Michael Bourn to a long-term contract, and get that extra hitter in the lineup, but they should be okay next year IF:
- Chipper comes back and provides the leadership that is needed.
- Freddie learns to use the ENTIRE bullpen and not just the big three in the 7th, 8th and 9th inning.
- Jason Heyward re-learns the plate discipline and swing he had as a rookie.
- Uggla plays the ENTIRE season like he played in July and August.
Just my humble opinion…
Mike
September 29th, 2011
10:49 am
When was the last great hitting team the Braves had? I thought so. Too much stress on the bullpen over 162 games. Lots of extra inning games also. Again, mostly because of no offensive production.
jj
September 29th, 2011
10:49 am
a high school coach wouldn’t have pitched to Pence in that situation, it was beyond the realm that he allowed that to happen. the guy on deck is a .190 hitter.
Terry McGuirk
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
I co-sign on Dozer’s comment too. That’s the way we like it. If you don’t like it, take a hike.