It’s time for the Braves to start hitting the mark. And the ball
This ground-rule double by Freddie Freeman drove in Jordan Schafer in the seventh. (AP photo)
Enough with this we’re-better-than-we’ve-played stuff. It’s time for the Braves to play better. They’re getting healthy. (Well, except for Tommy Hanson.) The schedule between here and the All-Star break isn’t oppressive. If there’s an upward move in this club — and surely there is — this would seem the moment.
The Braves have positioned themselves to make the playoffs — they’re tied for the wild-card lead — despite playing nearly half a season with one hand tied behind their backs. This was built to be a good-hit, good-pitch team. It has become a great-pitch, seldom-hit assemblage. It shouldn’t have happened, but it has.
It’s time for it to stop happening. It’s time for the guys who are paid to hit to … you know, hit. It’s time to see if this club can indeed give the regal Phillies a run for the National League East.
Said Chipper Jones, who missed the weekend series against Texas with a strained adductor muscle: “The offense is going to have to get better, one way or another, if we’re going to hold off the teams who will get hot the second half.”
Does “one way or another” mean that, if the sluggish status quo holds, the Braves will require a big bat by way of trade? Said Jones: “I think the pieces are here already. We just need more cohesive production.”
The Braves beat Texas 4-2 Sunday, but it was the accustomed struggle. They mustered seven hits, six of them singles. They were essentially gifted two runs by Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who tipped Jordan Schafer’s bat and thereby allowed the Brave to reach on interference and who ran into first baseman Michael Young to allow Alex Gonzalez’s pop to fall 10 feet in front of the plate.
It was a good victory in the sense that it was, coming as it did after a week in which the Braves had lost five of six, needed. Less good was how hard the Braves’ pitchers — they used six — had to work for it. But that has been the story of these first 73 games: Great pitching has propped up a team that has a batting average of .238.
Toward that end: Fredi Gonzalez and his staff must realize this team might never be the homer-bashing crew they thought they’d have. Chipper isn’t going to hit 30 homers. Dan Uggla would have to get as hot as he has been cold to reach that number. It’s time for the Braves to stop waiting for the home runs that haven’t yet come and starting to work harder with the singles that do.
And here we come to a reason for guarded optimism: Jordan Schafer is only hitting .226 in 23 games since being summoned from Gwinnett, but it has been an effective .226. He has eight of the team’s 21 stolen bases, and he showed Sunday that he grasps the concept of batting leadoff in a way no other Brave does.
First at-bat: Schafer induced Alexi Ogando to throw 10 pitches on a hot day. “He’s given us a big lift,” Jones said. “I’m thinking he himself saw 30 pitches today — that’s big.”
Said Schafer: “I’m just trying to do my job. I’m taking pitches so the guys behind me can see everything he throws. If I swing at the first pitch, I’m not doing my job.”
Said Fredi Gonzalez: “He makes stuff happen. He creates great hitting situations for the guys around him.”
Those hitters have yet to take full advantage, but the Braves are better suited to play small-ball with Schafer playing center field and leading off than by stacking a bunch of free swingers end to end. Nate McLouth, who returned from the disabled list Sunday and played left (and made a nice sliding catch), is probably best suited to being a fourth outfielder. Stick with Schafer in center until/unless he proves he can’t do it.
Jones is correct in saying there are enough hitters on this roster to score enough runs, but some of those hitters — Uggla, to name the most obvious — might have to change their approach. Freddie Freeman, who had three hits Sunday, might need to remain higher in the lineup even after Jones and Martin Prado return. (Freeman is third among Braves in RBIs.)
Said Jones: “I just don’t feel we’ve played consistently enough to get to the top of the East.” And they haven’t. But they could — provided the hitters hit.
By Mark Bradley
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107 comments Add your comment
It’s time for the Braves to start hitting the mark. And the ball – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | US News
June 19th, 2011
6:32 pm
[...] It's time for the Braves to start hitting the mark. And the ballAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)The schedule between here and the All-Star break isn't oppressive. If there's an upward move in this club — and surely there is — this would seem the moment. The Braves have positioned themselves to make the playoffs — they're tied for the wild-card … [...]
Tom
June 19th, 2011
6:43 pm
first?
Tom
June 19th, 2011
6:45 pm
uggla needs to get help
John Galt
June 19th, 2011
6:46 pm
You are right about Schafer- if you aren’t watching the games, you don’t realize how valuable he is-
John Galt
June 19th, 2011
6:47 pm
I’d like to see Larry Jones Sr. spend some time with Uggla-
Tailback U
June 19th, 2011
6:49 pm
While I realize this lineup has the potential to be much better I think
Wren needs to do a great job identifying the best possible option
and targeted in trade talks. Even if this remedy is a just someone
who can platoon with one of our atarting 8 to give Gonzalez more options.
... to the ballgame
June 19th, 2011
6:53 pm
Just a bunch of spoiled, overpaid prima donnas. That’s what’s wrong with baseball and the other major league sports today.
Sonny Clusters
June 19th, 2011
6:57 pm
Fredi said it was the baseball gods. It could be. When a manager says, “that’s baseball” he should also say, “that’s bad baseball.” No need to tip your cap to the other team when you play so badly. Cap tipping should be reserved for superior play. When we was playing ball some folks tipped their caps to us but we’d just wave back and say, “hi’.
Sioux Brave
June 19th, 2011
6:58 pm
I thought Jason Heyward was going to be a .240 lifetime hitter, now I’m looking at .220 at best for his career
Sioux Brave
June 19th, 2011
7:02 pm
Speaking of which, I wonder what Y, Escobar batting average is with the Blue Jays.
atl_cracker_1955
June 19th, 2011
7:14 pm
if 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, what is 1 out 3?
Josh
June 19th, 2011
7:21 pm
Need a right handed dynamic player. Either a power hitter or another speed threat to give this team an identity. Left field seems to be the obvious place to look but I can’t get excited about guys like Willingham (Pence, definitely). Prado could be used ala Michael Young with Texas and still get 500 ab’s, a little first, a little second, third, lf, and rf.
bigstack
June 19th, 2011
7:36 pm
We are three months into the season and nobody is making any adjustments and if that is obvious to a yeoman like me then why isn’t it obvious to the professionals who are paid to figure this stuff out? Alex Gonzalez still swings at anything low and away. Freddie Freeman still is having trouble with breaking balls and still swings at pitches that aren’t close. Chipper has lost all ability to hit from the left side. Schafer should smack the ball down on the ground and use his speed instead of being a line drive pull hitter. Heyward looks out of sorts and has also been swinging at some bad pitches and taking good ones. Uggla looks lost. Even Hinske is struggling now. Prado is on the D.L. There are no adjustments being made by anyone. My fear is that if they trade for Pence they will suck the life out of him and he will hit .220 here.
1991Braves
June 19th, 2011
7:39 pm
Where are all these hitters on this team everyone keeps speaking of? The only proven hitter that really isn’t hitting is Uggla. Chipper is past his prime, and he plays a couple of games a week, so he is no help. All you have left is Freeman, Heyward, Gonzo, Schafer, and Nate, and none of them has a history of being good hitters. This team is one of the worst hitting teams in baseball, and their is no-one on this team other than Uggla that has the potential to help turn this offense around. Unless Wren has a major acquisition in the works, this team is what it is. Decent starting pitching, great bullpen, terrible hitting team, decent defensive team, and one of the worst managed teams in baseball. Be thankful they won one game out of the six on homestand. Any time they face decent pitching that is what is going to happen to this team. No imagination on how to produce runs, just sit back and hope someone hits a h.r. Which isn’t happening against quality competition.
Not Don Waddell
June 19th, 2011
7:44 pm
Seems pretty obvious, we have too many starting pitchers and not enough bats. Go get Bourne and/or Pence and see if they can help get the offense going. Schaeffer is playing well, but Bourne would still be an upgrade. Houston is about the only guaranteed seller out there, so pickings are slim.
Macon Braves Fan
June 19th, 2011
8:00 pm
What bothers me about this team is its lackadaisical effort. The other night they had the runner doubled off 2nd and Gonzales makes little effort to catch the ball to get the runner, Hayward doesn’t run out a grounder and kills a rally. At least Uggla looks like he is trying. Too much of the time there just seems to be little spark.
Navigator
June 19th, 2011
8:03 pm
I got it, just tell all the players that aren’t playing well for all the teams to play better. What a post Mark, everyone knows these guys need to hit better, but lack of talent and age sometimes keeps that from happening.
reckingball
June 19th, 2011
8:09 pm
wow
Driver 8
June 19th, 2011
8:09 pm
The Braves couldn’t afford a bunch of injuries with their mid-market resources. They really don’t have plan B. The Phillies are out of their league in terms of offense and resources. Better play for the WC
TruthSeeker
June 19th, 2011
8:13 pm
We don’t necessarily need to go out and get a big basher at the deadline, but we do need to find two or three professional hitters who can spot-start. Other than Uggla’s struggles, what has killed our offense more than anything, in my opinion, is that our fill-ins are absolutely horrid. Guys like Hicks, Mather, Young, and Hernandez bring nothing to the table offensively. We need more Eric Hinskes; versatile guys with solid sticks who you can feel good about putting in the lineup when the inevitable injuries occur. It’s especially important for us when you consider that Chipper and McCann have so many scheduled days off.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 19th, 2011
8:19 pm
Sorry folks, I don’t see any SS, LF /CF’s that fix this team this year in a trade. What we need is health.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 19th, 2011
8:20 pm
…and HEALTH, might be enough.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2011
8:28 pm
While the Blue Jays are in town, can we give them Alex Gonzalez back?
Cliff Lee
June 19th, 2011
8:33 pm
Your team needs more than health to catch us.
Gman
June 19th, 2011
8:33 pm
Watch Escobar lead the Jays to 2-3 wins in the latest installment of trades that bite back
VinceVanGo
June 19th, 2011
8:38 pm
I don’t know how long he is under contract and I don’t want another one year rental player(Texeria), but maybe Wren could get together a package(such as Kawakami, McClouth, Delgado & another youngster) and call the Dodgers and see if they will trade Kemp, or inquire what it would take if they”ll entertains offers. He’s flirting with the triple crown and they probably can’t afford him for long. He would bring so much to the Braves and an outfield of Kemp/Heyward/Schafer seems very imposing. Prado can play all over the place until Chipper realizes that if he plays one more year he may be jeopardizing a career .300 average and finally pack up his spikes at the end of the year and head to Texas.
Larry
June 19th, 2011
8:55 pm
“Fredi Gonzalez and his staff must realize this team might never be the homer-bashing crew they thought they’d have. Chipper isn’t going to hit 30 homers. Dan Uggla would have to get as hot as he has been cold to reach that number. It’s time for the Braves to stop waiting for the home runs that haven’t yet come and starting to work harder with the singles that do.”
You nailed it Mark, and there is a whole lot more in your message about the Braves flawed offensive style and philosophy!
The new era is speed, contact, situational hitters paired with great pitching…the Braves have pitching in abundance but they are severely lacking in the right kind of hitters.
Phil
June 19th, 2011
9:03 pm
Go team…hall of famer Heyward leading the charge to the title.
Bruce
June 19th, 2011
9:28 pm
MatT Kemp for garbage? Not happening
NorCalBrave
June 19th, 2011
9:36 pm
It’s crazy. We lose Prado on a successful steal. Our second best right handed bat sits most nights because he’s the backup catcher. There are no miracles waiting to happen. Heyward, Uggla, and Freeman either start producing the way we envisioned, or we can forget the playoffs, let alone a division title.
JJ
June 19th, 2011
9:53 pm
Well mark you said their pitching was the best. What a moronic statement.
Chas
June 19th, 2011
9:56 pm
Braves teams do well when Chipper is hitting and slump when he isn’t. We need to get Prado back soon and keep Heyward healthy. I think the bats will come alive soon, but remember that the pitchers rule in 2011. We will get going soon.
Oregon Brave
June 19th, 2011
10:12 pm
Did Larry Parish help Freddy today or was it the Fathers Day phone call to Freddy’s dad? Is A-Gon having a major league tantrum? He looks to me like he is striking out and popping out with pride ever since the team came off the road. Perhaps with his old home boys in town, he’ll snap out of it.
bostonbravo
June 19th, 2011
10:15 pm
hey Fredi!!! job opening in FLA…please apply NOW!
bravesfan4ever
June 19th, 2011
10:33 pm
cant we just package a few decent prospects like minor and co. to trade for hunter pence? the astros are in rebuilding phase now and that begins with pitching……we could use pence’s bat in the middle of our lineup.
rally
June 19th, 2011
10:38 pm
LOL at Braves Fan Forever. So your saying that the whole offense is doomed because we have gay queer pioneers on the team. ROFL. I don’t think so…Roger McDowell probably made sure of that when
we got Uggla….he probably showed a bat to him too. LOL!!!
Bill
June 19th, 2011
10:56 pm
Great post mark..agree. Whats the Braves next move..any guess?
Dan Thuggla
June 19th, 2011
11:01 pm
I groan whenever we have a rally started and I suddenly realize our 2nd Baseman is the on-deck hitter.
Send Uggla to Mississippi.
Send Larry Parrish to the Mets.
Send the AJC your cancellation notice.
Get Bobby Cox OR Joe Torre to come out of retirement.
Rick
June 19th, 2011
11:19 pm
“Fredi Gonzalez and his staff must realize this team might never be the homer-bashing crew they thought they’d have.”
FYI the Braves have the 3rd most homers in the league with 75. Brewers and D-Backs are tied with 82.
P. Bull Terrier
June 19th, 2011
11:28 pm
I really like the idea of trading a bunch of players we don’t want for Matt Kemp. If Frank Wren can’t make that happen, I say we fire him and hire VinceVanGo as the new GM. (I’m pretty sure Vince plays in my fantasy league. I can’t count the number of times I have been offered similar packages of players for Kemp.)
If Uggla doesn’t turn things around in the next week to ten days, it may be time to put him on the DL with some kind of mystery injury to take some of the pressure off and hope he can come back after the all-star game with a fresh approach.
PMC
June 19th, 2011
11:29 pm
yeah the pieces in the outfield could still be upgraded massively, the question is just… is the right player out there for the price?
NO JOSH WILLINGHAM
June 19th, 2011
11:38 pm
Everybody stop with the Josh Willingham trade rumors. If we pick up another guy who is having a horrible year I will no longer be a Braves fan. I could get excited over Hunter Pence but we really need a Michael Bourn or Coco Crisp.
Who Me?
June 19th, 2011
11:42 pm
Enter your comments here
Grantdawg
June 19th, 2011
11:42 pm
Braves need to hit more. Also in the news, water is wet. The sky is blue.
rob
June 20th, 2011
12:03 am
if you look at shafer’s box every game, you would think wow this kid sucks. but he has scored SO MANY runs. he makes the other team so nervous. they committ erros or walk him. i actually think dan uggla can pull out of his slump hitting behind shafer. more fastballs and better pitches.
benchwarmer
June 20th, 2011
12:05 am
Jason Heyward is a bust it seems. Since the latter part of last season into all of this he has failed to live up to even an adequate right fielder. The kid tries to hard to be a mighty pull hitter and the league has his number now. For that matter it seems that to many Braves are giving away part of the plate or reaching for too much of the plate. Worst bunch of hackers I’ve seen for awhile. No body other than Shaefer remembers how to work a count and that includes management. Yes this team should be better and I go on record now to say it won’t happen until thay have a better manager. Freddi has led them into a hole.
Joe
June 20th, 2011
12:11 am
Duh!!!!!!! An earth shattering observation….and they pay you for these articles. Wow!!!! Hitting at all costs must happen to win.
extremus
June 20th, 2011
12:25 am
While I don’t think Fredi Gonzalez’s job is in any immediate danger (the Braves are probably headed for an unspectacular winning record and likely a first-round exit should they make the playoffs and have to face a good pitching staff), there is simply too much that’s consistently wrong/missing for there not to be some serious questions fielded at coaching and management here. We all realize that most of the lineup isn’t hitting, but what gets me is how consistently they’re getting the same type of outs (Ks to the low outside corner, roll-overs to 2nd Base, can’t get the stupid bunt down for anything, etc…). Nobody is seeing much if any improvement for going on three months now at the plate, and however much we might lampoon Uggla, Heyward, Alex Gonzalez, or whomever as players for failing to do their jobs, we shouldn’t forget that even (especially) at the MLB level it takes great coaching and direction from management to rise to and maintain championship expectations and performance.
The Braves, in this “smooth transition” from Bobby Cox, have seen little of that. Sometimes I almost wonder if Fredi is just a little too hesitant to take some players to task about improving their approach, whether he learned too much “player loyalty” from Cox when he was with the Braves, or whether he is just simply not up to snuff for taking this team back to the World Series. I see those hitters go up to the plate and I could swear sometimes they look mentally defeated even before the third strike is called; no passion or fire is exuding from these players.
The team needs a shake-up in a positive sense, even if initially some unpleasantness has to erupt in the clubhouse for it to happen. Everyone is just going through the motions, and that’s why the Braves aren’t winning as consistently as we want to believe they can. And that’s squarely on the management and coaching staff. Hey, managers have been fired while in FIRST PLACE before; if something fundamental and basic is holding your team back, do a Barney Fife and nip it in the bud!
MM
June 20th, 2011
12:27 am
Terry Pendleton will have Uggla hitting the ball.
Mike
June 20th, 2011
1:07 am
extremus…
I couldnt agree more. I would give Larry Parrish the axe and let it be known that Fredi doesnt have the leeway that Cox did. He needs to get some fire and passion back into this team or he will have a short Braves career.
Train Wreck Bystander
June 20th, 2011
1:08 am
I’ll put on the Captain Obvious cape too…
It’s not time… it’s WAY PAST TIME (if I knew how to make boldface posts in WordPress, I’d have done that instead of all caps).
It’s heartening to see Schafer and his small-ball approach. You don’t have to swing for the fences to help the team.
FACTS
June 20th, 2011
1:18 am
Mark this has 2 B 1 of the dumbest articles of all time …..the Braves needs 2 start hitting, c’mon Mark U can do better than that!!!!
WarmerBenches
June 20th, 2011
1:38 am
benchwarmer- “Jason Heyward is a bust it seems” are you insane? Heyward is far, far from a bust.. He’s barely old enough to drink. Sure Buster Posey beat him out for ROY, but Posey is older and about 2 years more mature than Heyward. Heyward will mature into one of the best players the game will see in the next 10-20 years, its a well known fact just be patient and let him grow as a young star instead of trying to beat him down with words. I had a good feeling about Pujols and Ichiro and that was the last time I had a strong feeling about anyone til Heyward came along.. Why are ATL fans so hard on the ‘kid? He’s got a basic skill set that nobody and I mean nobody since Pujols ever displayed and he was called up to play in the MLB at age 20. He’s still getting his feet wet, and sometimes he suprises like that 2 run single earlier today. Once in awhile he’ll disappoint like when he’ll bobble a ball or make a bad throw, but thats why its called Learning the Game and he’s doing a dang fine job so far if you ask me. As hard as it may be for you to imagine, he’s doing alot more now than you ever did at age 21 and he’ll be fine in Atlanta or wherever else he may play during his long career. He’s had a bit of bad luck and a couple minor injuries but its time for him to shine now.. watch him.
Brother John
June 20th, 2011
3:22 am
I’m watching. This team needs a major shake up whether it be a new manager, a block buster trade, or whatever. This status quo equals mediocrity. Wren has got, for better or for worse, to shake this team up. Get something, anything done here. Roll the dice. Maybe you’ll be a winner.
HATinGA
June 20th, 2011
5:03 am
All the people on here who keep saying Chipper needs to retire, he has been along with BM the only offence the braves have had this year, without him in the lineup there 7games below .500.
Lil' Barry Bailout
June 20th, 2011
6:40 am
The Braves will not contend for the division with the Phillies. The Phillies have a big-boy offense.
Lil' Barry Bailout
June 20th, 2011
6:43 am
WarmerBenches: [Heyward's] had a bit of bad luck and a couple minor injuries
——————
Young players who are injured as often as Heyward don’t have10-20 year careers.
GT71
June 20th, 2011
6:44 am
Come on, guys. Bradley writes this kinda fish-wrapper filler most of the time. In the case of the Braves, we got a hack writing about a bunch of journeymen hackers. Bradley has trouble with words; the Braves have trouble with pitching.
Evens out.
And remember that the AJC is considered the worst paper in any city in America of its size.
You guys are expecting too much – they are delivering what they have. I’ll dance with what brung me, but I’ll leave early.
MitchC
June 20th, 2011
7:19 am
I had said at the beginning of the season that I didnt think the Braves have enough to win the East. They realistically dont. The pitching staff in Philly might be as good as Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz in their prime, not to mention that they can have a pretty good lineup as well.
The wild card, however, is another story. There is no reason we cant challenge for, and win.. that. As we know, Uggla has been a huge disappointment.. but.. hopefully he can get hot at some point.
There’s still more than half a season left. This team can still win 90 plus games and the Wild Card. They do have to start hitting more.. to continue to stay with the other wild card contenders over the long haul.
sportzfan
June 20th, 2011
7:26 am
The college world series is in full swing and prime time on ESPN, butr not one word mentioned in the AJC…..what’s up?
slidezz
June 20th, 2011
7:30 am
Venters is the man but he’s not superman…………way too many innings not enough days off
John3:3
June 20th, 2011
7:34 am
If they can get healthy, the Braves will make a run.
Atticus
June 20th, 2011
7:52 am
Mark, good article. The only problem is they don’t have a superstar in terms of a big time hitter. Prado and Mac are really good hitters and all stars but they don’t compare with the big-time hitters on other teams over the duration of the season. Take each playoff contender… Reds (Votto & Bruce), Phillies (Ryan Howard and Chase Utley), Cards (Pujols, Berkman and Holliday), Dodgers (Kemp and Ethier), Rocks (Cargo and Tulowitski), Brewers (Braun and FIelder)…they all have big time hitters that either drive in 120+ runs and/or hit .320. The Braves have neither. Prado is close but you can’t put him in the category with the above. Chipper was that hitter a few years ago but we should’ve moved on from him and used his and Lowe’s salary to go after Holliday, Braun or Zimmerman, not Uggla or Adam Dunn. Hewyward could be that guy 2 or 3 years from now but not yet.
The Braves have a bunch of very mediocre hitters and that is why they don’t score runs, and yes Schafer has been pretty good but over time a .220 hitter isn’t enough and you will realize that.
Glenn
June 20th, 2011
7:54 am
Can anyone say Don Baylor; Hitting Coach?
Furman Bitcher
June 20th, 2011
7:59 am
Sorry Atticus I will take Prado over Utley but you are right we dont have a true “Banger”
Furman Bitcher
June 20th, 2011
8:02 am
I agree we need to change hitting coaches. Other teams have already but we are usually slower tto react
bvillebaron
June 20th, 2011
8:16 am
There’s no reason why Schafer has to be the only guy on the team to not swing at bad pitches and make the pitcher work. The team did that successfully last year. Too many others are getting themselves out due to their lack of patience.
Grantland Rice
June 20th, 2011
8:36 am
Sure wasn’t expecting 8 errors this weekend either.
NickGranite
June 20th, 2011
8:39 am
If the team is healthy we’ll be good. Shafer, Prado, Chipper, McCann, Freeman, Heyward, Uggla, Gonzo. All we can hope in the 7 and 8 holes is they pop one once in awhile because any higher in the line-up just doesn’t work. Uggla is a disaster and Gonzo too streaky. Sometimes Gonzo can carry you for a game or two but more often than not he’s a rally killer. I realize there are a lot of lefties in a row in this line-up but we have to string our best hitters together back to back and hope we can get some runs. As for Shafer, 19 runs scored in his 23 games including two yesterday with no hits. Low batting avg so far but the kid has a talent for the basepaths and getting home.
All I'm Saying Is....
June 20th, 2011
8:41 am
Braves need to start hitting. By the way, it’s hot in Atlanta in the summer. The leaves turn brown in the late fall. During winter in Atlanta, the temperature drops to below 40 degrees often. Tomorrow, the sun will rise. Today, the sun will set. Night typically follows day, in case you missed it. I have nothing more obvious to share at this time. I would give you some insight and actual original reporting but I have this blogging requirement that forces me to type when I should actually think.
LET’S GO BRAVES!
The Alpha Male
June 20th, 2011
8:44 am
Glad to see Jordan Shafer grow up and become a legit big leaguer…. the sky’s the limit for the kid now that his head’s on straight.
Atticus
June 20th, 2011
8:50 am
Hitting coaches are irrelevant. As far as Utley, I might agree with you since his injury but Prado isn’t ever going to hit .330 with 20+ HRs and 100 RBIs. He had 100 RBIs 4 straight years. I love Prado though so it’s splitting hairs but yes, we need a banger and not one that is hitting .172
Tom B.
June 20th, 2011
9:10 am
as much as i hate mark Cuban, he needs to buy the Braves, drop these idiots who are running the club (manager, hitting coach,etc) , tell Chipper to get off his — and play or get traded, and spend money for some players who are willing to play, and a manager with some fire.
jerry
June 20th, 2011
9:15 am
1 (number of World Series won) ÷ 45 (number of years in Atlanta) = 0.022 x 100 = 2.22% (odds of doing it again). Wake up.
Sonny Clusters
June 20th, 2011
9:16 am
We have a theory that the Braves may have gotten the wrong Uggla. Instead of Dan Uggla, they may have gotten Vern Uggla, a Popeye movie double. We can’t see Dan Uggla batting .175 but we’re pretty sure that’s what Vern Uggla would bat if he got the chance.
Atticus
June 20th, 2011
9:28 am
Also keep in mind given the salary constraints, this team is built for 2 years from now. Lowe and Chipper will be gone. Hanson, Jurjjens, Beachy, Medlen, Minor, Teheren, Venters, Kimbrell etc…will be in their prime, Freeman and Heyward will have a few years under their belt. Prado at 3rd, Mac still in his prime. Then they use Lowe, Chipper and Huddy salary money to get a big time LF and either develop a CF and SS. You have to hope Uggla rebounds because we are stuck with him regardless and he is still young.
Jack G.
June 20th, 2011
9:29 am
Fredi’s problem, is he is trying to be like Bobby. You have to be like yourself, not like Someone else.
Cronyism holds true with coaches. Our hitting coach was apparently hired because he was an old buddy who needed a job. He is not a hitting coach. Some say that a hitting coach can only do so much and cant help these guys in a slump. If this is true, why have a hitting coach.
Bag-o Bats
June 20th, 2011
9:34 am
Way too many “IFs”! If Hayward was Hank, he’d give a damn and start hitting the ball. If Freddi Freeman was Freddie McGriff, he’d be an all star first baseman and hit way more consistentantly than he has been. If Uggla would attempt to make some changes at the plate as have been prescribed, he would begin ripping the ball. If Schafer (and it goes on and on and on). If Freddie Gonzalas (and on and on and on). If we could remove all of these “IFs” we’d all be managing a major league team somewhere and winning every game. These guys are paid very well to do the job they’ve trained for throughout the years and they just don’t seem to get it. They need to man up, play the game the way it’s supposed to be played rather than continue carrying a chip on their shoulder for whatever reason and become the team players they are paid to be. News at 11:00……………………………………….
Bernard
June 20th, 2011
9:50 am
Now is the time for all “good” ballplayers to come to the aid of their team….PPPPPPLEASE!!!!!!
old timer
June 20th, 2011
9:50 am
The Braves are not as good as the Phils this year, but they are plenty good enough to get the wild card again, and then anything can happen. If Chipper was as good as he used to be, this team would be as good as Philly. But he is at the age where you expect the decline we are seeing. Schaffer isn’t even hitting all that well yet and he is still valuable in the lineup and in center. He has to stay out there when Prado comes back. McLouth can fill in when Chipper rests and he can spell the outfielders and pinch hit and pinch run. That will improve the bench, which really needs improving. The starting pitching is excellent and the bullpen is awesome.
bruce mac
June 20th, 2011
9:56 am
MB, you do realize this is a home run hitting team. Even with all the ineffectiveness they are third in Homeruns in NL. The timing of these homeruns is not great but they are still coming and will continue to come. We can only hope they start coming with runners on base.
Mark Bradley
June 20th, 2011
10:12 am
I do realize this team was built to hit home runs. But that’s about all it hits.
Bill
June 20th, 2011
10:16 am
GT71..mark is not a homer for the ajc and Braves…he tells it like it is. Better than others……..
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
June 20th, 2011
10:18 am
Well here we are, seventy-three games into it and fast approaching the half way mark.
And I for one am sick to my stomach, disgusted and finally fed up with Dan Uggla. His antics in the batters box have worn my patience down to a frazzle. Dude is nothing but a dead pull hitter who tries to yank every single pitch he see’s right between short stop and third base.
To illustrate why he’s batting a measly .177 in 73 games played, well here it is:
Uggla has 48 hits total, 26 have been to left field, 19 more to center field and just 3 to right. Yep, you read it right. THREE HITS to right field in 73 games. THREE and if you were wondering about those nine dingers……. seven have gone over the left field wall and two to center field. ZERO bombs to right.
Uggla has his head up his butt, period. He’s killing our offense and somebody needs to yank the lunkhead out behind the barn and give him the what for. I’ll nominate Chipper for the task because watching a six year ML veteran as he uses just one third of the diamond to swing at is inexcusable. The boy needs an attitude adjustment lest he kills the rest of this season.
Dan Uggla
June 20th, 2011
10:30 am
You guys can complain about me all you want, but you try hitting a 95 mph fastball when you are in my position. I have found that it is hard to see a baseball when you have your head up your butt.
Don Poyner
June 20th, 2011
10:35 am
Outfield production of .240/226 (McLouth and Schaffer) and .216 Heyward will not get the job done.
On so many teams – when young players come up or when young players are acquired from other teams, the continue to improve – improve significantly as hitters at the major leage level. With the Braves, this does not seem to be true – in fact just the opposite.
dean
June 20th, 2011
10:36 am
11 days left in June. Will the Braves swoon, break even, or get their act together?
9-7 so far. They should be 11-8 after Toronto leaves. You would hope they would be 13-9 after leaving SD. Then up to Seattle, who is 2 over .500 and just this weekend only allow the Phillies 7 runs over 3 games, including a shutout yesterday. (They are 2nd in AL team pitching and dead last in team batting.)
My prediction for the month: 14-11 Not exactly a June Swoon, but nothing spectacular either.
Have a Great Day.
Frank Wren
June 20th, 2011
10:40 am
Braves fans: What do you guys think about the Uggla trade now? — I know you weren’t real happy with how K.K. worked out, but you should feel better knowing that we have him under development now in Mississippi. Minor has been struggling, should I bring K.K. back now?
J.S. wrote in my last perfomance evaluation that I have a knack for signing disasters (I wonder if he meant that as a compliment?)
Robert
June 20th, 2011
10:42 am
“Said Chipper Jones, who missed the weekend series against Texas with a strained adductor muscle: “The offense is going to have to get better, one way or another”
I guess guys are just gonna have to start playing even when they are not 100 percent.
Right Chipper?
Kinda like you got on Heyward about?
CLARENCE
June 20th, 2011
10:48 am
I am at the unemployment commission office. I told my boss I couldn’t do my job cause of a strained oblique and needed to go on the DL.
Robert
June 20th, 2011
10:53 am
“All the people on here who keep saying Chipper needs to retire, he has been along with BM the only offence the braves have had this year, without him in the lineup there 7games below .500.”
Actually – without him in the lineup they have been 6-4
Ted M
June 20th, 2011
10:54 am
Uggla needs to start focusing on OBP.
So how’s Prado doing? What kind of treatments is he receiving? Is he losing weight?
Bill
June 20th, 2011
10:55 am
Clarence u would be one of the 53% getting free tax payers money for not working, so please work hurt. I can’t stand anymore taxes.
Skeezix
June 20th, 2011
11:03 am
Mark: You are so right in your analysis. Went to the coast on vacation so I missed the Mutts and Rangers series and I’m glad I did. I enjoy our pitchers who work their butts off for this team, but have found it tedious watching weak/futile at bats game after game for weeks on end, especially the struggles of Uggla…… It was a nice break.
And, have I said lately how much I hate losing to the Mutts?
Blackberry Cobbler
June 20th, 2011
11:14 am
Chipper’s meger stats and his tendency to spend injured time on the bench are 2 reasons why the team is no better than it is. Chipper should just shut up and play better himself.
Anjelica
June 20th, 2011
11:31 am
Why do you want the Braves to start hitting you, Mr. Bradley?
Have you been bad?
If not, would you like to be?
Realist
June 20th, 2011
11:31 am
And this is what it has come to. We have to praise a CF hitting .226 for hitting “an effective .226.” Schafer is the 25th or 26th best CF in baseball right now. If that is really worth praising, this team is in trouble.
Kentavo
June 20th, 2011
11:38 am
Well, it’s obvious, but if Uggla was even hitting .250 then things would be rolling much smoother.
I’m usually a glass-half empty kind of guy, but it is amazing that the Braves are still very much in this thing (Wild Card) considering Prado is on the shelf, Chip is hurt again, the entire OF went on the DL, EOF is hurt, Hanson and Beachy DL’d, and Hudson and Lowe ineffective. So…if everybody can come back healthy, Uggla gets his head out of his azz, and….
I don’t see any blockbuster deals, but we know Wren is going to make trades – look at his track record – he will not sit on his hands.
I’m echoing someone else on here’s sentiment, but if we went out and got a couple of versatile “professional” contact/type hitter types, it would do wonder as we wouldn’t have to rely on the Youngs, Hicks, Hernandezes, Mathers of the world – I’m thinking how we did in ‘95 with Mike Devereaux and Luis Polonia – those guys really were the difference.
Joycee Banicheck
June 20th, 2011
11:39 am
Bag-o-bats, dumb post all around.
McGriff hit .247 in his rookie season, Feeman is at .271
Uggla has probably been trying too many different things, and he has been ripping the ball, just right at guys when he isn’t popping up a mile high.
MattNAustin
June 20th, 2011
11:44 am
I think we should wait til we have our entire team on the field (you know about 2 weeks). That will give us the first part of July to see if we can make some improvements, and if not, we gotta get some help or continue to suffer mediocrity. I agree that the Braves are set to win in a couple of years, but there is no reason why we can’t win now also.
I think a lineup (once Prado returns) such as:
Schafer – CF
Prado – LF
Heyward – RF
Chipper – 3B
McCann – C
Uggla – 2B
Freeman – 1B
Gonzales – SS
could be a pretty potent line-up. It gives us the allows us to not have 2 or 3 lefties batting consecutively, and you have Prado and Schafer at the top who have good at bats (plus having your top 2 batter who will bat the most causing the starter to have to throw a ton of pitches is smart baseball for obvious reasons), then Heyward hitting in front of Chipper would give J-Hey some protection. McCann hits after Chipper because he’s clutch with runners on, and then you have Freeman (who if he can continue to improve) will provide some protection for Uggla which will hopefully allow him to get some better pitches (don’t know if he’ll actually see them the way he pulls off and away from everything, but the pitches should be there), and then we have a #8 hitter who most of the time will give you what you expect from the #8 spot, and sometimes he will win a few games, which from the #8 spot, that is good news.
Just my thoughts, I’m anxious to hear what everyone thinks.
DawgDad
June 20th, 2011
11:48 am
“Jason Heyward is a bust it seems.” Wow. Tough crowd.
Can David Ross play third base? Can he channel Craig Biggio for a week or two and play some second base? Man, we need a right-handed bat in the middle of the order something terrible.
Robert
June 20th, 2011
11:56 am
So, according to DOB, apparently Donk is about to set off on another cruise
You know, they have these extended around the world cruises
http://www.worldcruisecentral.com/world-cruises-2012.html
Many leave in Janaury (nice because it’s just before spring training starts)
Book Cox on two of these back to back every year and we’d have no worries
Mark (another one)
June 20th, 2011
12:54 pm
I keep seeing the suggestion of trading KK or McLouth but who is going to be on the other end of that deal? I bet anyone that calls Wren seeking either of these players, Wren listens. I also bet this takes 0% of his time. Both will be with the Braves through the end of the season unless the Braves waive them or agree to send enough cash that the other teams is getting them for free.
Teams do not trade young (non-arbitration eligible) stars easily. For example, if the Dodgers are willing to trade Kemp, it will be for four or five potential stars, not Delgado, KK and McLouth. That is effectively Kemp for Delgado, and they won’t do it.
bobby
June 20th, 2011
1:10 pm
When your starting outfield averages around .230 and someone thinks they are doing a good job, something is badly wrong. .I will still take Chipper over anyone they can put in there except maybe Prado. Everyone will see what he means to the Braves when he is gone.
Paul
June 20th, 2011
1:38 pm
I don’t understand why anyone thinks the Braves aren’t hitting for enough power. Even with struggling Uggla they are 3rd in the NL in HRs (as someone already mentioned). The problem is the awful OBP and the fact that previous to this year, the Braves were a team that would walk a ton and manufacture runs. That approach can be very advantageous in late inning/close game situations. This year they are actually relying on the HR which can be problematic down the stretch. I think the hitting coach situation needs to be looked at hard.
Also, the idea that 2 afterthoughts and one or two prospects could land Matt Kemp is ridiculous.
Mark's for the Braves
June 20th, 2011
1:45 pm
Funny Prado still leads the team in hits even though he’s been out a while now.
Go for 2
June 20th, 2011
3:41 pm
Mark:
I have been critical of several of your columns but have to agree with you on this one. In a larger sense, the Braves need to move past the old Scheurholz/Bobby Cox model of playing for the big inning and 3 run homer. For all the success in the 90’s, those two essentially frown at the notion of money ball and it has cost the team dearly-Fredi Gonzalez appears to be a rubber stamp of their failing approach. I’d like to see the Braves revamp their approach to development of field players in a way that matches the Twins organization where players DO NOT ADVANCE in the system without proven fundamentals (defense, plate discipline, bunting skills, ability to move runners along).
The Braves are not a big $$$ team but they do have tremendous pitching and it is a shame that it is being squandered.
Sadly, I believe the old influence (namely John Schuerholz) drives the organization and anticipate more wasted efforts to get tons of value out of older signings (Wally Joyner, Raul Mondesi, Glaus, etc) with no marked mprovement in the Braves’ ability to manufacturer runs.
Why can’t the Braves play like the late 70’s early 80’s Astros? The Ted IS a pitcher’s park.
Please hold management’s feet to the fire on this MB.
Thanks,
GF2