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
Braves blow
May 26th, 2012
6:16 pm
Everytime i hear gonzalez voice in thepostgame interviews i start to puke
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:16 pm
is Mike Bobo calling the Braves’ offense?
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
6:16 pm
Kerryb — Wall might’ve jarred his glove, but either way it looked like he didn’t know where wall was, so either way it’s his fault.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:17 pm
current state of Braves: can you say moribund?
Scott
May 26th, 2012
6:20 pm
The team on the field today looks like an average minor league team. I would be shocked if the win one game in this series. Bring on football
Sonny Clusters
May 26th, 2012
6:20 pm
Cream colored uniforms. Hugging. Fanny patting. Flu-like symptoms. They got Davey Johnson and we got Fredi.
Sonny Clusters
May 26th, 2012
6:22 pm
Hmm . . . Bourn and Hinske seem to have gloves with flu-like symptoms.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:23 pm
if Strasburg was on his game this would already be over. its close anyway.
Braves blow
May 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
Cheer up all
After today the braves wii drop to fifth place, one game out of last place!
And we get to play Cards,Yakees,,BlueJays!Orioles and Yanks again!
Things are certainly looking up!!
NationalGuardDawg
May 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
Wow, we have a manager with no clue how to handle pitchers, no emotion, a pitching staff that serves up homeruns like batting practice, and a managment that is clueless. I can’t wait until football season.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
what were Fredi’s credentials other than being a pal of Bobby and Frank?
TURTSNAP
May 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
We aren’t just bad, we suck!
Can the Braves just forfeit the last 2 1/2 innings, so my kids can see the concert and I can go home?
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:25 pm
Jeffrey, can we say that Johnnie is venturing into uncharted waters?
AlanFalcon
May 26th, 2012
6:27 pm
Has anyone seen the braves starters or bullpen, for sure the group that is going out there every game is not the group that we had last year. Maybe Roger, Freddie and Frank thought they needed to change things up ???????????????????????????
Braves in last palce by the all star brake
May 26th, 2012
6:28 pm
HAHAHAHA!! Shultz tell me to meet him at a palce he no he wont be at.
kerryb
May 26th, 2012
6:28 pm
How does a pitcher go from being one of the best relief pitchers in the game to total and complete garbage?
Braves blow
May 26th, 2012
6:29 pm
Time to tip your cap…….and your elbows
Harpie
May 26th, 2012
6:31 pm
Wow, the Braves are playing like it’s the last part of the season…
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:33 pm
I didnt realize that Brooks Conrad was playing first for the Braves.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:34 pm
every Brave is going for the fence now. Game over.
Robert08
May 26th, 2012
6:34 pm
It appears they already have forfeited this one. By the way, how much longer will we have to suffer with Hinske? He can’t hit and now he cannot field. Another pathetic outing …
Caseyatthebat
May 26th, 2012
6:34 pm
Send Minor back to Gwinnett……….and let Venters keep him company.
um
May 26th, 2012
6:38 pm
Everything can be summed up with “face-palm”………
J-Man
May 26th, 2012
6:38 pm
Fredi Burned out Venters out last year
J-Man
May 26th, 2012
6:39 pm
Enter your comments here
oldfart
May 26th, 2012
6:39 pm
These announcers are pure-d homers! These Braves players have no team spirit what-so- ever.
How is it our long gone players are doing a lot better than when they were in Atlanta. Oh yea,
our managers are player’s managers alright. Just do your thing…..
J-Man
May 26th, 2012
6:40 pm
And naturally Schultz has left the building……Because he doesnt want to see people blasting his favorite coach in Fredi Gonzalez
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
6:42 pm
fredi burned out everybody last year. strictly a formula manager.
Minor & fredi
May 26th, 2012
6:44 pm
Dumb ass fredi needs to go. And take Minor, Ventors, Mcdowell and Medlen with him. Wouldn’t it be nice Joe and Chip lost their excuse pages and actually had to call a ballgame like it should be….without all the excuses.
real braves fan
May 26th, 2012
6:47 pm
The last 6 games are the Braves that we should get used to seeing for the rest of the year. No major moves in the offseason and we expected different results?
oldfart
May 26th, 2012
6:52 pm
Did I hear that the Nationals have 10 on DL already and we are missing a 40 year old and some with flu like symptoms. I forgot, we have Fredi Cox. Is Walker on vacation?
Felix
May 26th, 2012
6:53 pm
Today the Braves have performed very poorly in some very important components of baseball—- pitching, throwing and catching.
What has happened to Venters? Tonight he might be on the next bus to Mississippi–which has become Atlanta’s outplacement center for under performing pitchers.
LakeDawg
May 26th, 2012
6:58 pm
Is the Braves whole starting rotation going to be sent down to the minors?
rally
May 26th, 2012
7:00 pm
Well without Chipper were a dead last place team its clear to me at this point. Unless they want to contend for anything it’s up to Chip(Healthy that is) without him and I’m not even sure Freeman, and McCann could pick up much slack. They might have helped today or they might have hurt. Fredi G is just not a good manager at all. They guy didn’t even run out a blatant strike down the middle and sends little errand boy Roger because he’s a puss. Go argue the freaking call Fredi and quit sulking over there on the bench because we don’t have Chipper. God he ticks me off!!!!!
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
7:02 pm
Schultzie must be trying to get the print column done so he can meet Mrs. Schultz at Ruth’s Chris later.
rally
May 26th, 2012
7:03 pm
@todd grantham. I saw you and Ms. Grantham there last night!!!!
ACE
May 26th, 2012
7:06 pm
The not ready for prime time players.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
7:07 pm
rally, you’re very observant. but that wasn’t Mrs. Grantham. heh, heh
rally
May 26th, 2012
7:07 pm
I do swear we will be 15 games out by the time Chipper comes back. That’s awful to think about…..and the slide begins.
rally
May 26th, 2012
7:10 pm
@todd grantham well she sure was smoking hot:) I’d ask you how the steaks were…but I think you guys left a little early. Must have been a red panty party you were headed too…
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
7:11 pm
rally, put it this way. my friend wasn’t worried about how her steak was cooked.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
7:11 pm
Sorry folks, was working on print col. And Todd Grantham, no Ruth’s Chris in the plans (unfortunately).
Denard Span
May 26th, 2012
7:11 pm
Francisico is 3 for 4 today..to bad everyone else didn’t show up.
Roger McDowell needs to go. The pitcher are going backward instead of getting better.
oldfart
May 26th, 2012
7:11 pm
To hear these announcers, it would appear that all our players that are non-starters are high school players.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
7:12 pm
Bourn, coming up, has three strikeouts since his first-inning single.
LakeDawg
May 26th, 2012
7:13 pm
Just think, the Braves were 26-16 with the third best record in baseball. They had beaten the dodgers 2-1 in LA, the Cards 3-0 in St Louis, the Rays 2-1 in Tampa. Have a couple of bad games and completely COLLAPSE! That’s on the manager. Chipper didn’t make that much of a difference.
Jeff Schultz
May 26th, 2012
7:14 pm
Make that 4 strikeouts since his first-inning single.
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
7:14 pm
Michael was born to strike out.
Denard Span
May 26th, 2012
7:15 pm
This is the team Wren said during Spring Training that he liked..we didn’t need anything..Well Wren I hope you like what you got…..
todd grantham
May 26th, 2012
7:16 pm
the Bravos have a great crowd and can’t make any friends with a good performance in front of casual fans.