Live from Braves-Bucs: There’s good and better news
Good news: The Braves are playing really, really well. They’ve won 14 of 18. They’re a whisker out of first place, and not long ago they were last. They’ve raised their team batting average to .253, and a month ago they were under .230.
Better news: They’ve still got one game remaining against Pittsburgh, which isn’t the worst team in baseball but is looking like it.
Best news: They don’t have to face Roy Halladay when Philadelphia arrives this week.
It being (almost) Memorial Day, I’m tempted to make of the (in)famous Bradley milepost predictions: You know, like the one from two years ago where I said the Braves would be in first place by the Fourth and pulling away by Labor Day. I’m not going to do it this time, for a basic reason: I’m not yet sure how good these Braves are.
They had a rugged schedule in April. They had a soft slate for most of May. They look good at the moment. I’d like to wait and see how they look a few weeks hence. In other words, I’m resisting the urge — for maybe the first time ever — to pass judgment.
But certainly you’re free to express your sentiments as we proceed through the day, and I suspect we’ll be here awhile. Rain is surely coming, though the field is uncovered as of 12:55 p.m. (The ground grew is standing in the outfield. Ominous sign.) Still, that’s the beauty of baseball: You can tell me how wrong I am about the Braves — even though I’m kind of fence-sitting at the moment — at length.
As ever, I welcome your company. As ever, I say thanks in advance.
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424 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:20 pm
I think the Braves are waiting to do any sort of deal. They’re playing well, guys are getting healthy … and there’s still Schafer as a fallback.
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:20 pm
Let’s see – Escobar botches an easy play, while Prado goes all out and
makes the tough play. Clear to me who the real ball player is….
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:20 pm
Mets have bases loaded nobody out in the 1st. Let’s see how they handle it.
Today's first bad pun
May 30th, 2010
2:21 pm
Future post game press conference:
AJC: Why did you bat McClouth 8th?
Cox: Because the umpire wouldn’t let me bat him 12th.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:21 pm
Kawakami strikes out McCutchen. The resistible force might have found a movable object today.
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:22 pm
It’s not really a PUN. Just a bad joke.
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:22 pm
Why is Hinske sitting watching McLousy play ?
Joey
May 30th, 2010
2:22 pm
McLouth has no trade value….none. How much longer are the Braves on the hook for his contract/salary?
"Chef" Tim Dix
May 30th, 2010
2:22 pm
Bobby to Esco: I knew Aundrew Jones and you sir are no Aundrew Jones…
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:23 pm
Marty, there’s an interview with Wren where he says he’ll make a move if struggling players continue to struggle.
Today's first bad pun
May 30th, 2010
2:23 pm
The original one was a pun, hence the name. The rest are just bad jokes.
Dayman
May 30th, 2010
2:23 pm
I switch to my alter ego Nightman sometimes. It’s an epic internal battle, i try and fight him but sometimes he still comes inside me.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:24 pm
TFBP, NICE!
gcs
May 30th, 2010
2:25 pm
Mark,
Will you please ask Bobby why he keeps starting McLouth? He is tied for third with Heyward at 43. Only Prado & Glaus have more.
Melky can play center and Infante & Hinske (both hitting over .300) can play left.
.
SK
May 30th, 2010
2:26 pm
Gonna start raining there in about 40 minutes.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:26 pm
That’s the thing, Joey. One of the reasons the Braves traded for McLouth is that he’s under contract through 2011, with a team option for 2012.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:27 pm
Glaus with a homer.
"Chef" Tim Dix
May 30th, 2010
2:27 pm
Troy = POW!
Today's first bad pun
May 30th, 2010
2:27 pm
Mark, I’ve sent your last post to the Department of Redundancy Department for further review.
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:27 pm
GLAUS !!!
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:28 pm
For a moment we had three guys in the lineup all hitting over .300…
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:28 pm
Maybe it’ll be an official game by the time the rain gets here.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:28 pm
GLAUSSY! The radio feed must be a little behind.
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:28 pm
And Yunel is 2 for 2!
Today's first bad pun
May 30th, 2010
2:29 pm
And as you can see, they removed the post. Which of course allowed Glaus the peace of mind to go yard.
Funny how these things work out.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:29 pm
There’s a significant lag on both Internet and satellite radio, I’ve noticed.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:30 pm
Yunel, 2 pitches, 2 hits. I guess whatever works. Yunel’s approach to hitting is the exact opposite of Julio Franco’s.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:30 pm
Escobar two hits. Melky two hits.
With rain coming, they need to start making outs. Good news, though. Guess who’ll be next to hit?
Joey
May 30th, 2010
2:31 pm
He’ll be a Brave through 2011 then and out of professional baseball in 2012. His hitting mechanics are awful and apparently it’s mostly mental with him these days at the plate.
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:31 pm
McLousy looming to end the inning…
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:32 pm
Maybe this weekend was Bobby’s audition for CF between Melky and McOut. I hope so.
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:32 pm
By the way, the METS got one run on a David Wright sac fly off of their bases-loaded-no-outs in the first.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:32 pm
On the internet feeds David Ross is still batting…
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:33 pm
In real life he just walked.
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:34 pm
Bases loaded for McClouth AGAIN!?
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
McLouth gets fooled. Makes an out.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
Hah, I see. Maybe not that behind after all. Do you he is pitching around Ross to get to our pitchers?
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
I did get that impression, #22 = MANBEAST.
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
No way I would challenge Ross with 2 outs following
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:36 pm
At lease it wasn’t a K
MitchC
May 30th, 2010
2:36 pm
I’m very proud of the way the Braves are playing lately. After looking like the Bad News Bears during much of their long losing streak, this team actually looks like a good major league baseball team again.
After this homestand, as we know, the Braves have another long, tough road trip, not only to the West Coast, but also to Minnesota. Hopefully they will hold their own.
My prediction will remain the same as it has been since day one. I don’t know if the Braves will win the NL East, but I do think they can and will snare the wild card. They will win close to 90 games, and appear in October for the first time in five years.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:36 pm
The Pirates might be awful, but they can pitch around people with the best of them.
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:36 pm
According to Jim on the radio, McOut is now 6 for 32 with RISP… Right around his batting average, huh.
DZ
May 30th, 2010
2:36 pm
Why does Bobby fall in love with terrible players? I thought we got rid of Greg Norton but he is playing centerfield.
.
Adam
May 30th, 2010
2:37 pm
Of course I am not watching…because I live in NY and all we get id the damn Yankees and Mets…so he might have looked just as bad as a strikeout.
Mark Bradley
May 30th, 2010
2:37 pm
I’m not sure Cox is infatuated with McLouth. I’m just not sure what the options are.
Joey
May 30th, 2010
2:38 pm
McLouth swinging at everything offered…..tell tale sign of a hitter that is desperate and/or has no clue which end is up. He looks totally lost.
Cornfuzed
May 30th, 2010
2:40 pm
I don’t understand why McLout is playing and Hinske is sitting- especially after he’s already sat most of this week. They are both hit left, and Melky could play CF today with Hinske in LF. Basically Bobby is leaving his best hitter (for average) on the bench and playing an automatic out (and not even a productive out).
SRF
May 30th, 2010
2:41 pm
Cornfuzed – I am wondering the same thing…
#22=MANBEAST
May 30th, 2010
2:41 pm
Joey, Sutton was saying last night that it appears McOut has no idea where the inside and outside corners of the strike zone are, which doesn’t sound like a good predicament for a hitter.