LIVE: Ailing Braves try to end skid against Strasburg
The Braves hope to break out of a slump today but will face Washington's young fireballer, Stephen Strasburg (AP photo).
The Braves are not completely devoid of positive signs these days. It’s just that after starting the season 22-13 and beginning to take the form of a wrecking ball, there has been a market correction.
And the question is: How ugly will this get?
Losers of five straight games and faced with the prospects of missing Chipper Jones for another several games, the Braves face the Washington Nationals today (4 p.m.).
Mike Minor (2-4, 6.96) — who allowed four home runs in his last start and generally has been a mess for the past month — will be opposed by Stephen Strasburg (4-1, 2.21). So much for positive foreshadowing.
It’s only late May. The Braves are two games out of first place, and trail
Mike Minor has allowed 31 runs and 11 homers in his last five starts. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
a team (Nationals) who don’t exactly have a resume of Octobers behind them. So it’s hardly panic time. But yes, there is concern.
The positives: Martin Prado (.333) is on a tear. Michael Bourn (.307 with 13 stolen bases) is still doing his part. Dan Uggla (.256, 6 homers, 25 RBI) is fine.
But overall, the team is struggling to come up with key base hits — they stranded eight base runners in Friday’s 7-4 loss, including six in the first three innings — and the starting pitching has fallen off. Then there are the individuals:
• Jones was put on the 15-day disabled list after Friday’s game, retroactive to his pinch-hitting appearance Wednesday. His contused left calf is still to painful to play on and the Braves needed his roster spot because . . .
• No. 2 catcher David Ross suffered a minor groin strain Friday and will miss at least a few games. The Braves recalled J.C. Boscan, who will start today. Ross was playing because . . .
• Starting catcher Brian McCann is still weak from the flu. He replaced Ross in the game but by late in the evening felt sapped of energy. There’s a chance he could start Sunday night.
• First baseman Freddie Freeman is struggling with blurred vision and is adjusting to new contact lenses. Freeman’s batting average is down to .247, which isn’t much higher than Jason Heyward’s .239. Stating the obvious: The Braves can’t succeed with those two hitting at that level.
The Braves, only 4-8 since that 22-13 start, need a strong effort from Minor, who hasn’t had a quality start since winning at Los Angeles 4-3 April 24 (six innings, three runs, eight hits). In five starts since, he has allowed 31 earned runs, 37 hits and 11 home runs in 26 2/3 innings (10.46 ERA).
Sometimes in sports, teams win games they’re not necessarily expected to win. The Braves better hope that’s the case today.
And now, the cyber floor is yours. We’ll be live blogging from the first pitch.
By Jeff Schultz
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234 comments Add your comment
bronkelliott
May 26th, 2012
5:36 pm
Waffle House does have a bad reputation for that sort of thing!
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:36 pm
There is some Hustle maybe the braves take note.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:37 pm
Heyward compounds error with lackadaisical pick up… Bryce Harper goes to second. Crowd lets Heyward hear it with boos.
Bob from Cobb
May 26th, 2012
5:38 pm
And Minor is still pitching in the MAJORS for WHAT REASON? Mike Minor is so bad,My GRANDMOTHER could beat him. And she’s been dead since 1985! Send him to Gwinnett and let him get his head on straight on YESTERDAY!
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:40 pm
Even the umps hate Minor.
bucket
May 26th, 2012
5:41 pm
In Minor’s defense, he is getting squeezed by the home plate umpire this inning.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:42 pm
Laroche out saves Heyward from costing team a run (or 2).
truth5
May 26th, 2012
5:43 pm
Like usualy, Minors 1 bad inning will cost us the game. Other than that 1 inning, he has looked fine. Boscan really hurt him last inning. 2 men on base with 0 outs, 2-0 count and he pops up ball 3. I dont care if he has previous major league experience or not, the guy is batting .190 in the minors, and this team needs all the offense it can get. Why not bring up the other minor league catcher batting over .300, makes no since. This organization doesn’t care about winning.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:49 pm
Strasburg over 90 pitches.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:49 pm
one bad inning seems to be the story every game lately.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:50 pm
Uggla Uggla Uggla
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:51 pm
Uggggy …. 3-1 pitch just clears wall and leaping Harper in left-center. We’re tied 4-4.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:51 pm
Back to even, now don’t give the runs back next inning
Minor & fredi
May 26th, 2012
5:52 pm
Guess someone talked to fredi the freeloader about trying to show some interest in the ballgame he is SUPPOSED to be managing. At least he’s not sitting in the dugout with this head down. Now, onto Minor. Why do we keep dragging him out to pitch? Anybody can see he needs help. But instead he drowns out there and is as miserable as we are. Is there nobody to pump this this team up or are we starting to be an embarasment all ready?
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:52 pm
Get the pen ready.
bucket
May 26th, 2012
5:53 pm
Thank God Uggla got it done before the rally killer Hinske got to the plate. If you have to play Hinske, why do you bat him 5th? Hinske killed a rally earlier doing the same thing Boscan did. He swung at a 2-0 pitch and hit a weak grounder to third.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:53 pm
Medlen in for Minor.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:53 pm
Minor will get a NO decision.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
5:54 pm
Minor allowed 4 runs, 4 hits, 1 homer in 1st 2 innings, threw 3 shutout innings on 2 hits after.
bronkelliott
May 26th, 2012
5:54 pm
Here comes a hold your breath inning!
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:55 pm
Here we go again.
Bob from Cobb
May 26th, 2012
5:55 pm
And Minor is still pitching in the MAJORS for WHAT REASON? Seriously. Send him to Gwinnett until he can get his head on straight. And while we’re at it,do the same with Randel del Gado. Is J.J. ready to come back,yet?
ACE
May 26th, 2012
5:58 pm
J.J. is far from ready. He will be the highest paid minor leaguer just like KK.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
6:00 pm
Chad Tracy hits double but he’ll be coming out…pulled up lame go to 2nd.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
6:00 pm
looks like MO is back with the Nats.
truth5
May 26th, 2012
6:00 pm
medlen sucks too.Should have ran Minor one more inning, then pinch hit for him.
TURTSNAP
May 26th, 2012
6:01 pm
Well atleast all those crying for Medlen to start can shut up. He hasnt looked good his last 2-3 outings
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:01 pm
Man, what has happened to our pitching?. Offense keeps scoring at least 4 runs a game. That would have been great last year. This year our pitching is giving up more than 5 runs a game.
bronkelliott
May 26th, 2012
6:02 pm
Who would have thought that the Braves pitching would be so awful this year?
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:03 pm
Jeffrey, surely our bad feeling about Mike has been minormized with 3 good innings to end on.
can you say minormized on the blog? i know you can say maximized.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:04 pm
This team can’t win without a 40 year old player in there.
boringasssouth
May 26th, 2012
6:04 pm
can we at least get some exciting and entertaining announcers. These clowns are putting me to sleep every game. No catch phrases, no real insight, nothing, Medicore at its fucin finest. Your Atlanta “Moron Lead” Braves.
truth5
May 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Medlen getting rocked.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Get two Give up two. This team is not ready for Prime Time tomorrow night.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Tell Joe his glove didn’t jar. Bourne just missed it.
boringasssouth
May 26th, 2012
6:06 pm
How the hell did fredi “dumb ass” gonzales get this job again? someone remind me please.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:06 pm
Was going to speculate that Stephen Strasburg got his moxie from his Uncle Lee, but alas, different spelling of the surname.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:07 pm
Now the guy we thought could be a starter sucks like Minor.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
6:07 pm
Andruw Jones would have caught that ball.
Braves blow
May 26th, 2012
6:08 pm
WILL U PLEASE FIRE FATSO GONZALEZ ALREADY!!!
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
6:08 pm
Not sure what they said on TV but that’s a play Bourn has to make. Looked like he didn’t know where wall was.
boringasssouth
May 26th, 2012
6:08 pm
bring him in to face all their lefties why dont u. this is incredible. the announcers never point out fredi flaws. Has sports turned into politics? An honest opinion please. At some point.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:08 pm
Joe said it jarred from his glove when it never touched his glove. He was there, he just missed it.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:10 pm
I thought of Bobby Cox when Freddie waited one too many pitches to take Hudson out last night. He learned a lot from Bobby.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
6:10 pm
Jim Powell and Don said the same thing.
ACE
May 26th, 2012
6:11 pm
Kerryb you are right. The apple didn’t fall from the tree. Just waiting for a ground ball.
Braves blow
May 26th, 2012
6:12 pm
Heyward…overhyped overrated
Minor overhyped
Delgado overhyped
Teheran overhyped
Medlin over hyped overrated
HEY WREN ARE U GETTING THE PICTURE???
ROGER MCDOWELL,AKA G- BASHER, IS RUINING THIS STAFF
ALL HE DOES SIT ON HIS ASS AND WRITE IN HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK…HE AND FATSO ARE LAUREL AND HARDY…ABBOT AND COSTELLO
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:12 pm
Oh no, Johnnie Venters is up in the bullpen. Never thought I would say that like that.
bronkelliott
May 26th, 2012
6:13 pm
Like I said earlier, the Braves will have to score 8 or 9 runs to win this game!
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:14 pm
dang it! wish i knew what was goin on but ma didnt pay emc or dish so i had to take the battery out of the radio to power my pc for the blog.