After a ‘just OK’ first half, the Braves need to get cracking
These two have been very good. Their team? Less good. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Half their season behind them, the Braves awoke Thursday holding third place in the five-team National League East, standing fifth in the wild-card chase. They were six games behind Washington, their biggest deficit of 2012.
(On Thursday night the Braves beat the Cubs to halve the series and the 10-game homestand but gained no ground in the East. First the Mets and then the Nationals rallied to win in the bottom of their respective ninth innings, prompting groans from those Braves players watching in the clubhouse.)
Asked Thursday afternoon to characterize the first 81 games of 2012, manager Fredi Gonzalez said: “Just OK. We have pretty high standards around here. This was just OK.”
Said Frank Wren, the general manager: “I think we’re better than our record. I think everyone — players, staff — would say that.”
At the close of business on the Fourth of July, the Braves were 42-39. At the midpoint last season, they were 46-35. The Braves chose not to make major offseason moves because they believed their September collapse was an aberration, and certainly no month in 2012 has been so epically wretched. Neither has one been outstanding: These Braves were 14-9 in April, 14-15 in May, 13-12 in June.
The Braves rank sixth in the league in team batting average, ninth in ERA. That latter bit flatters to deceive: Their starting pitchers have posted the league’s 12th-best ERA; a year ago, the Braves’ rotation was fifth-best.
Said Chipper Jones, telling no lies: “We haven’t had the same pitching, at least in terms of starters, we did last year. We’ve hit better than last year, but we haven’t always hit consistently.”
There are nights when the Braves’ batting order can seem as potent as an American League club’s — and try finding a better outfield than this — but other times these hitters go hungry. The nightly yield for the Braves in the first three games of their series against the Cubs was one run, then 10 runs, then one again. Quite the pattern, eh?
Wren: “I’ve used the ‘C’ word very consistently — we haven’t been consistent from game to game. I think Chipper said it best the other day: We need to bring it every night.”
Obvious question: Why don’t the Braves bring it every night? (Here we stipulate that, this being baseball and baseball seasons lasting six month, some waxing and waning is inevitable.) Chipper’s suggestion: “When you have young guys, you can get young mistakes and inconsistency.”
That might account for the wobbles of starting pitchers Mike Minor (who’s 24) and Randall Delgado (22), or even first baseman Freddie Freeman (22) and right fielder Jason Heyward (22). But what of second baseman Dan Uggla (32) or catcher Brian McCann (28) — neither of whom was, as of Thursday morning, hitting even .230? What of Jonny Venters and Jair Jurrjens, 2011 All-Stars who have been ordinary or worse in 2012?
Gonzalez: “We could have been better than we’ve played, and I think the reason we haven’t played better is that we haven’t been consistent in starting pitching. I can’t think of many times we’ve gone through five games [or one rotational turn] with quality starts; the best teams do that four or five times.”
So what happens now? Does a team that was good enough to take two of three games at Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay’s yucky place) contrive to miss the postseason yet again? Does an inconsistent team find consistency over Games 82-162? And does Wren make a move before the trade deadline?
“I expect something [meaning a deal],” Chipper said. Then this: “The best cure for an inconsistent team is to heap on the starting pitching. Five lockdown starters can make a team awfully consistent.”
Perhaps the retread signee Ben Sheets, who yielded four earned runs in five innings in his first start in Double-A on Wednesday, can take one sport. Perhaps Zack Greinke, the Milwaukee free-agent-to-be, will arrive on or about July 31. Perhaps a rotation that has hamstrung an otherwise pretty good team will become a second-half juggernaut.
Then again, maybe it’s time to face economic reality. The Braves have the 16th-biggest payroll among big-league clubs, and as of noon Thursday they had the 14th-best record. But that wouldn’t explain the Nationals (20th in payroll) and the Pirates (26th) leading divisions, would it?
Being owned by faceless Liberty Media means this organization will never be profligate, but this remains a sound franchise with a good farm system. There are enough resources in place. To date, the 2012 Braves haven’t maximized theirs. It’s time for everyone involved — this GM, this manager, these players — to implement some halftime adjustments.
By Mark Bradley
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145 comments Add your comment
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
7:38 pm
Kudos Mark for another prescient column
Sean
July 5th, 2012
7:38 pm
I’m sure the Phillies would say they’re better than their record too, but that’s not worth much these days.
Mark Bradley
July 5th, 2012
7:38 pm
I give the kudos around here, I’ll have you know.
But thanks.
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
7:40 pm
Not a problem! do you think Randall Delgado is on the trading block?
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
7:42 pm
Should the Braves have not cut Derrick Lowe loose? (shudder…)
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
7:44 pm
your line reminds me of an old, old Honeymooners joke: Ralph: I wear the pants around this house!!! Alice: And believe me those pants would FIT around this house!!!
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
7:46 pm
it would certainly be nice if a local conglomerate like Coke would buy the Braves. Or UPS. Or Home Depot. Or Delta.
Michael
July 5th, 2012
7:50 pm
Crunching the numbers a bit, the Nats are on pace to win 96 games, which isn’t out of the question with their rotation. The Braves would have to win 2 out of every 3 from here on out just to tie at 96 wins. An awfully tall order.
Dawg Haus
July 5th, 2012
7:51 pm
They didn’t make any moves in the offseason, but it’s time to make some now if this team wants to contend.
Enough Frank
July 5th, 2012
7:52 pm
Wren has to be a man and demand more from his staff and players…consistenly inconsistent. Uggla has to start pulling his weight. Mcann is looking washed up…Depending on twenty somethimgs to anchor the back half of the rotation is a joke…and our record shows it.
Grand
July 5th, 2012
7:53 pm
Anyone else see Chipper giving Fredi pointers before Fredi relays the sign.
Mark Bradley
July 5th, 2012
7:55 pm
I think Randall Delgado could get traded.
Norris
July 5th, 2012
8:07 pm
Mark you cant make statements like that without telling us more. Do you know something?
G
July 5th, 2012
8:14 pm
This team needs more than 1 starting pitcher
SSIgator
July 5th, 2012
8:14 pm
Mark -
Crack may take away the pain, but I doubt it will improve yheir won/loss record.
Norris
July 5th, 2012
8:15 pm
if they are going to get a pitcher it will be pointless unless they actually pursue an upper tier pitcher…
JSS
July 5th, 2012
8:20 pm
Ha ha, bring it every night! Which day off is this for Chipper?
Willy
July 5th, 2012
8:21 pm
I think Jeff Schultz might get traded for Woody Paige.
C U next tuesday
July 5th, 2012
8:22 pm
I got a “C” word for ya, Wren… Sums up your tenure with the team real nicely.
Caseyatthebat
July 5th, 2012
8:23 pm
Fredi is probably a very nice fella but I rarely pay any attention to what he has to say anymore. It becoming increasingly so with Wren also. Wren might think a lot of things but it is what it is. This team is average and, as it’s constituted now, will not achieve any end of season success. Might be time for Wren to stop thinking and act. I think back on Schuerholz promises at the end of last year’s collapse and sometimes wonder what golf course he’s playing on now.
Mark Bradley
July 5th, 2012
8:25 pm
The question was raised: Is Randall Delgado on the trading block? I said I thought he could get traded. That’s not something I’ve been told by anyone within the organization. It’s just my guess.
welikebaseball2
July 5th, 2012
8:31 pm
You hit it on the head Mark. We know the two culprits for the inconsistent starting pitching, but in terms of the schitzo offense…Uggla & McCann. Don’t know what’s up with McCann this year, but Uggla is notoriously streaky & has been that way his whole career. We knew that when we got him. His streakiness hurt us last year & is hurting us again this year…in terms of offensive consistency. Couple his streakiness with McCann’s virtual absence, coupled with two unpredictable rookies in the starting rotation & what do you get? A team than wins five in a row, loses five in a row, etc.
Max Sizemore
July 5th, 2012
8:36 pm
Tampa Bay and its “yucky” stadium is a much better run organization than Atlanta. Wren doesn’t compare to Andrew Friedman and Fredi is not in the same class as Joe Madden. Oh, and Tampa has a smaller payroll. And let’s not even talk about strength of schedule; the NL is WAY inferior to the AL — just look at the interleague numbers the past few years. The Rays play in the toughest division in baseball. The Braves should actually be ashamed to be as bad as they are.
todd grantham
July 5th, 2012
8:36 pm
i think Delgado is trade bait too. but for what in return?
Nativebird
July 5th, 2012
8:37 pm
Wow. Keep talkin like that and your buddy Gonzales won’t let you ride his Harley anymore.
Caseyatthebat
July 5th, 2012
8:46 pm
Minor’s right on schedule, a home run every 4 1/2 innings.
Sonny Clusters
July 5th, 2012
8:48 pm
Well, Chipper has hit the ball pretty well the last couple games but we see he is sitting out tonight. He’s no rah, rah guy. He leads by example. That’s what he says anyway. His example tonight is to miss another game with the break coming up. Oh well, got to rest those knees and thumbs and quads and obliques and ankles and toes and that bad bruise and avoid any flu-like symptoms that may have been introduced during the day since he’s not playing tonight. We are all for putting him in the HOF soon.
Mark Bradley
July 5th, 2012
8:52 pm
Can’t imagine the Braves would trade a starting pitcher without getting one in return
Caseyatthebat
July 5th, 2012
8:56 pm
Sonny……..my friend yours is a fixation on Chipper. Next year you’ll probably criticize him for retiring.
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
8:58 pm
Sonny, classless as usual.
gcs
July 5th, 2012
9:01 pm
Brave #1: “Psst, Delgado is not pitching tonight. It’s okay to score runs. Pass it down.”
Brave #2: “Psst, Delgado is not pitching tonight. It’s okay to score runs. Pass it down…”
…
dawg4u
July 5th, 2012
9:02 pm
Fine column Mark and agree that Delgado may be traded. I just can’t see the Braves making the playoffs without at least one more starter in addition to Sheets (who hasn’t impressed so far). They may not make it even if they do another fairly good starter. The offensive woes really concern me. If there has ever been a streaky team to redefine streaky then the Braves are it. We could score 7 by inning 5 or held to one or less runs. I just don’t have a feeling that this team can make the playoffs. I look at ownership, gm and manager and can’t be overly optimistic. Fredi seems to be in way over his head and FW probably could make some deals but think he is working with one hand tied behind his back with this ownership group. Just a feeling, I must admit but I never see a sense of urgency in mgmt anymore as I did when we were much better in ‘93 and signed McGriff. I hope that I’m wrong but just don’t see any fire in the belly types on this team or management!
Larry
July 5th, 2012
9:04 pm
Mark,
Not a single comment about the poor and uninspiring managing. I thought you were tougher than this…I know you’re smarter than this!
Dissapointed.
Sonny Clusters
July 5th, 2012
9:11 pm
Actually, we have been fed the illusion of championship caliber baseball and intense, dedicated, professional athletes and we was just questioning if that’s really what the Braves are delivering. Now, some of you real fans may think we are mean because we think a leader straps on the leotard and plays when his team needs some production. It’s okay with us if you don’t want to see him play every day – an old timer needs his rest. Some fans probably drove here for the game expecting to see him and instead they get to see Francisco and of course the All-Star at second base hitting .229. Gaze out at the little signs in the outfield and content yourselves with how good they are. We’d expect to see some rah, rah, golly, gee stuff on the DOP blog but not here. The Braves will never be more than what they are now if the fans in this city don’t expect and demand more. The fans go to the park to be entertained and do the wave and don’t seem to care if the baseball is good or the team wins. One more thing, everybody on the team is talking about Minor needing to bear down and nobody seems to be saying the same thing about Uggla and McCann. If they were to bear down maybe the team would be less streaky and they wouldn’t need Chipper in the lineup every night.
Caseyatthebat
July 5th, 2012
9:17 pm
Larry…….This isn’t New Yawk boy! Columnists down here are friendly. Although, Mark, it does seem to me that you applied some pressure on Richt last year.like to see you put on the same glasses and tell us what you think of Gonzalez.
Sonny Clusters
July 5th, 2012
9:17 pm
Well, we must be the most hated man on the blog. Here we are saying the Braves aren’t doing all they can to win and that the players (even Mr. Special) aren’t going to war every night. They lose and they don’t get mad. Prado’s arguing a pitch call right now and he’s showing a little fire. He plays that way, too. How did he get on this team? Oh, that’s right they supposedly tried to trade him over the winter and that didn’t work out. Gotta get somebody passive in his place. How about Fredi? He’s as passive as you’ll find.
Charles
July 5th, 2012
9:19 pm
I don’t know how anyone in his right mind can characterize a just over .500 team as “OK”. If you want to be a perpetual also-ran, maybe that’s “OK” but the Atlanta fans demand better. The problem with this organization, as well as the writers that cover them, is that there is no accountability for stupidity. Sure the pitching has been less than expected, but how do you explain Venters fall from grace, now with an elbow injury that presumably management knew, or should have known, but lied to the media when Venters was clearly not the same stopper of old. Instead of hiding the injury and continuing to send Venters out for more abuse, management could have been honest and perhaps done something different, like bringing on the reliable Medlen instead of using him in useless games. Sure there’s been some injuriies but Medlen has never let us down, but Fredi won’t use him, preferring to rely on the now-injured Venters. The only good thing Fredi has done this year is call Jurgens a “minor league player” — Jair listened, took his hit, and has been making marked improvement. Perhaps a little ass-kicking for Uggly, McFann and other members of this uninspired lot will produce similar results. Don’t think that Zack Greinke is the answer — he’s mediocre outside Miller Park and we’ll trade away the future for a rent-a-player, something the Braves haven’t done very well, i.e., Adam Wainwright for JD Drew; Neftali Feliz, Elvis and some other guys for Teixera, and whatever we gave up for McLouse – your article pointed out the Pirates are in contention, with a mediocre payroll. Or even worse they’ll sign him to a five year $80M extension and we’ll be paying him Lowe wages to play for someone else when they realize he is a one-park pitcher. As others point out, the Rays have done it year in and year out with a miniscule payroll and less than stellar fan base and the worst park in the majors. Stop blaming the team’s troubles on Liberty. The bigger problem is the terrible trades and the stubborn sticking to a management scheme that no longer works. To win you have to have heart and grit and get maximum performance from most of your roster — you can’t afford Ugglys, McFanns, part-time $14M players like Chipper, and inconsistency at the worst time, such as the emotionless Freeman grounding into a DP with one out and the bases loaded against the worst team in baseball in the first inning of yesterdays game. The Braves need some fire and enthusiasm — don’t look for it in a trade — the Greinke race is unlikely to be won and he’s “just OK” outside Miller Park in any event to justify a long terms Lowe-type deal.. When was the last time the Braves made a trade that “turned things around” — the only one that really did that was McGriff, but that was 18 years ago. Since management and the current clubhouse leaders won’t do it, perhaps the local media will start pillorying this team into better performances. I wouldn’t worry about not getting interviews with Fredi and Wren — after all they are either incredibly stupid or incredibly bad liars. This is the management team that told us Pastornicky was the answer as SS, when his minor league (AA) fielding over two years hardly boded well. How many additional games would we have won with Simmons starting at SS with a bat equal to or better than the loser Pastornicky. Let’s take Venters — overworked last year and now down with what sounds like a serious elbow injury — wouldn’t it have been better to use Medlen instead of Venters if he was hurt and clearly not performing well? Those 2 major management screw-ups probably cost the team 5-6 games — the difference between being a sure bet for the wild card and a threat to take the division instead of “just OK”. But real change won’t happen, in part because the DOBs and Mark Bradleys of the world are quick to delude themselves into wishful thinking that the big turnaround is just around the corner. The only way that will occur is a complete rebuilding. For this season, the Braves need to win every game before the All-Star break to stay in contention for the expanded wild card, which if the season ended at the All-Star break would find them out of the running. Time to rebuild, starting with the firing of the field manager and the graceful resignation of the failed Scherholz/Wren team — I would sure like to have half the players who are playing for other teams for their failed rent-a-player experiments. If you find this cynical, don’t listen to me, because accordingly to Fredi and Bradley, everything is “just OK”.
Ron Roberts
July 5th, 2012
9:30 pm
This team SHOULD be, by my estimation, 45-36, just going back to a few weeks’ games that the manager himself has blown. We’d be 2 games back of the Nats, securely in 2nd place and feeling a lot different about this team’s outlook (I’d think).
The Minor vs. Yankees choke job by Venters, et al, was one we should’ve had; the game last week vs. the Nats – tying runner on 2nd w/nobody out and we fail to get him in – another failure to move ‘em over and get ‘em in (and who’s sending the signs out from the bullpen to bunt or swing away?) – at the very least that game should’ve gone extras; the Sunday Blue Jays meltdown (Livan’s swan song) – just another wretched mis-use of the bullpen by Fredi himself.
I’m only going back a few weeks and finding 2-3 “should have” wins. We could probably find a half dozen or more if we really wanted to get serious about it.
I realize “that’s baseball,” but “that’s Fredi Gonzalez’ managerial style,” too, and it’s lax. We don’t put pressure on the other team with runners on base; we don’t put a bunt down (I hear all the time how bad we are at it – uh, coaching?) or hit & run or send runners. Michael Bourn should have 30-40 steals with the numbers he’s putting up at the plate. Pitchers know he’s not moving with Fredi G. in the opposing dugout. We don’t “make things happen.” We sit back and wait for the big hit.
And for that I think we’ve “un-coached” our way out of an additional 3-5 games thus far, at the least.
Coach (2012 Fredi's Beisbol Fandango)
July 5th, 2012
9:35 pm
This team needs more than just pitching. They haven’t addressed their anemic bench play (David Ross notwithstanding). Depth is key for the 162 games grind, our Bravos don’t have enough.
The evidence: Uggla and Bourn have played virtually every game because we have no true utility player to be found on our roster. Some one who can give both of these guys a day off every two weeks and not embarrass himself in the process.
Coach (2012 Fredi's Beisbol Fandango)
July 5th, 2012
9:36 pm
Ron Roberts, agreed and well said.
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
9:40 pm
Raise your hand if you read all of Charles’ 796-word post.
Herschel Talker
July 5th, 2012
9:42 pm
Charles at 9:19:
Stellar rant. Well done.
FIRE FREDI GONZALEZ!!! IT’S TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE!!!
HT
Herschel Talker
July 5th, 2012
9:43 pm
Ekim:
My hand is raised.
HT
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
9:46 pm
I particularly like the part where he calls Braves management liars for hiding Venters’ injury.
Del
July 5th, 2012
9:46 pm
What in the world will it take to bench our AS 2nd baseman? His “performance” is mind blowing! Bench him, put Prado back at second and call up a LF replacement. How long are we going to wait on DU???
Bronkelliott
July 5th, 2012
9:51 pm
Del
I was thinking the same thing. Uggla has tanked, he needs to go clear his head or go to the pony league and learn how to field an hit again!
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
9:53 pm
Andrelton Simmons didn’t look nearly mad enough just now that he grounded out. I would expect him to throw a helmet or jump on Jim Joyce or something. No fire in his belly. Pathetic.
Farnsworthy
July 5th, 2012
9:54 pm
Hey Ugly: Even Franscisco is out hitting you.
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
9:59 pm
What are you laughing at, Kimbrel? Your team is only three games above .500. Think that’s funny?
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
10:01 pm
No fire in Kimbrel’s belly. He smiled.
gcs
July 5th, 2012
10:02 pm
Kimbrell is amazing.
Keep his good health in your prayers. B)
Ekim
July 5th, 2012
10:03 pm
Nobody on this team should be smiling. They should all read Charles’ 796-word diatribe. That’ll wipe the smirk off their faces.
Farnsworthy
July 5th, 2012
10:04 pm
Please Fredi. Please Frank. Bench Ugly’s butt before we fans go nuts!! We are sick of watching his pathetic at bats! Better yet, trade him!
Bronkelliott
July 5th, 2012
10:22 pm
How good is Kimbrel? Both the Giants closer and the Phillies closer blew the games for their teams. Kimbrel is truly an all star for this team!
Caseyatthebat
July 5th, 2012
10:24 pm
I can’t believe you counted 796 words!
Just Because
July 5th, 2012
10:37 pm
Is this article from last year? I’ve seen it before.
Harpie
July 5th, 2012
10:39 pm
Mark, if you think that first half was okay, then you have some low standards…
Harpie
July 5th, 2012
10:44 pm
Whoops, now that I’ve read the article, I see that it was Gonzales who said it was an “okay” half. And, that perfectly illustrates the biggest problem with this team: Gonzales.
Michael
July 5th, 2012
10:52 pm
Anybody that thinks Ben Sheets will be an improvement over Minor or Delgado is as dumb as Wren. How can you expect to be a playoff team when the middle of your batting order can’t even hit their weight. Uggla and Bmac stink. It’s nice to have plenty of pitching but the Braves have pitched well enough to win several more games than they have. And Sonny’s right too about Chipper. He’s been one of the best but damn, how many off days does he need?
Nebrbrave
July 5th, 2012
11:03 pm
Maybe what Chipper should have done is pull a Roger Clemons and show up mid season and then play every game. That apparently would make all happy. I for one am happy that the Braves have his .300 + average, 5 hit games, etc, as much as possible. If it means days off here and there, he has earned it after his long career. That would be like all you others taking a day off in your 45th year at a “normal” job. Yes he gets paid a lot, but he sacrificed pay for several seasons.
ACE
July 5th, 2012
11:05 pm
The best possible move would be to start with Fredi. Get a manager that can motivate these guys in the second half. It would be nice to see ONE reporter question Fredi about these terrible moves he makes. There has to be at least one AJC employee that off season plans doesn’t include riding Harleys with Fredi.
Mr. Dawg
July 5th, 2012
11:11 pm
Chipper, Chipper, Chipper. I love him. He’s a deserving first ballot Hall of Famer. He possesses one of the greatest swings – particularly left handed – in the history of baseball. Not a “rah-rah” guy. But baseball is not much of a “rah-rah” sport. Over a 162 game season Baseball is a “cool man’s game”. As far as I know he avoided steroids when it would have been very easy to elevate his play had he partaken in the drug. At 40 years of age it’s amazing how he can still “bring it” when he suits up. To an extent I get excited when he produces and pads his HOF Stats.
Braves managment made a choice when they signed him to the contract he’s still under As a result 15% of the Braves’ middle of the league payroll watches 40% of the games from the dugout, That’s obviously not a positive stat in this day and age of “Moneyball.”
Earlier this season Brian McCann said that what the team gets from Chipper this season is gravy. Well, that doesn’t appear to make this Braves team good enough to make the post season. I hope I’m wrong. But when I was a kid Hank Aaron was worth the price of admission win or lose. Sorry to say, Chipper isn’t Hank Aaron.
One should’t blame Fredi Gonzalez. One shouldn’t blame Chipper. Simply decide what’s most important to your admission fee. Seeing Chipper’s swan song season or watching a mediocre e team come up short.
Burgess
July 5th, 2012
11:26 pm
Remember a few years ago, when Smoltz called out Chipper for not playing hurt ? Some things never change. You can’t be the “leader” when you only play 110-120 games like Chipper has the last 7 years.
bulldogbubba
July 5th, 2012
11:31 pm
Clusters and Charles are on fire tonight!!!! What other job could you have where mediocre performance is acceptable? Usually you are demoted or fired and replaced.It is a sin to have talent and not use it like some of these guys do. Uggla is pitiful. Maybe the Braves need to hire that psyhcologist that John Smoltz used to help him overcome his problems.Maybe they could show these guys how to hit and get a runner to advance. Keep preaching the truth Mr. Clusters and Bro. Charles. The truth shall set u free!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rollo
July 5th, 2012
11:37 pm
Time to face the music, the Braves weren’t very good last year and aren’t very food this year. Standing pat this past offseason was a strong message that Liberty is not willing to invest more money in the team. It had nothing to do with the BS we were fed. Bottom line is the Braves will be fortunate to make the playoffs and will not make it out of 1st round if they do. Been the same story around here since 2003 if anyone’s willing to be honest with themselves. Our time of dominance was the 90’s when we managed to win 1 WS title. Joint blame goes out to Cox and Schuerputz for this major underachievement.
NorCal Brave
July 5th, 2012
11:59 pm
In the past I might have argued Braves are a better team than their record. With Beachy gone, Hanson is now the most consistent SP. Outside of the phenomenal Kimbrel, the bullpen is average at best. Prado has to be MVP so far on offense, and Heyward and Bourn are fine, though the latter is a bit too streaky for a leadoff hitter, imo. The first half failures of Uggla, McCann, and to a lesser degree Freeman, are really dragging this team down.
STRETCH
July 6th, 2012
12:57 am
I was sittin here watching MLB channel and Mike Trout just stole third and after the bad throw he trotted home to score. See thats the problem with this Braves team, they won tonight cause they hit 4 hrs.
Thats what they expect every night, but in a real world, you dont hit 4 homers every night, But these guys dont have anyone after Bourn that gets on base and has the ability to cause havoc. Heck they sent Constanza down(AGAIN). Then for some reason, they treat Wilson like he is a good luck charm while Pasternicky could turn into a utility player that can hit a little. He needs to be up here.
People, this is on management and the manager. They DONT know what they are doing. This team as currently constructed wont make the post season this year…mark my word.
Lee Maye
July 6th, 2012
1:42 am
This team smiles, hugs, and dances too much. Then, usually don’t hit and strike out in the clutch. Look for Phillies to beat us 2-3 and Lee to get his first win. Chipper will rest Sunday and McCann will need to take at least one game off in Philly too.
Buster brave
July 6th, 2012
1:55 am
FIRE IN DA’ BELLY ? I GOT SOME PEPPERS THAT WILL SATISFY THAT FOR YOU………
clay
July 6th, 2012
3:42 am
Braves should get rid of minor and delgado for grienke even send them pastornicky if they want him too. That’s a fair trade. Pastornicky can be their ss of the future.
Longtimefan
July 6th, 2012
4:13 am
A long time ago, me, Dinky, Pinky and Stinky were passing around a Blizzard we bought at the Dairy Queen with the last 1.99 we found in the backseat cushions. That nite, back in 1996, we wuz feelin kind of down cause Dinky had let one go thru his legs in the bottom of the ninth. We tole him that our hero Chipper had one time made a mistake in a big game, that’s what athletes do sometimes and that made him feel a bit better. Chipper wus our Hero cause he could hit from both sides of the plate, he could hold the biggest chow in his cheek without dribbling down his shirt and like him we also thought Hooters had the best pair of wings. Anyway, we all had our game jerseys and we wuz going to get Chipper to sign them. We figured if we got to the park 3 hours early we could watch Chipper hit them from both sides in practice. At the park that nite we were all excited, holding up our shirts, yelling “Chipper, over here, your our Hero, sign my shirt!!”, but Chipper ignored us. Maybe Chipper was a little scared of these 30 something year olds yellin and waving high school baseball shirts-we had to repeat a few grades-our math figuring wasn’t so good-but he never came over. After that game we made a pact-no more rooting for Chipper. It even made us forget about the ball between Dinky’s legs. And that’s the Real reason I don’t like Larry.
Around The Horn
July 6th, 2012
4:53 am
FREDI’S BLAME GAME
Fredi — from what he’s quoted as saying above — is taking an “I’m OK, but our pitching isn’t OK” approach toward accessing the first half of the season.
Time for a reality check Fredi.
You’re really not OK Fredi, and you’ve hurt the team more than the pitching has — in the way you’ve chosen to use the pitching and in the decisions you’ve made at critical points in a game!
It’s time to take a long hard look in the mirror Fredi!
Try being a stand up guy for once and taking some of the blame yourself!
willieghatelibertymedia
July 6th, 2012
5:31 am
the braves dont play fundamental baseball
willieghatelibertymedia
July 6th, 2012
5:44 am
Enter your comments here fire john scherholtz who hired frank wren fire freddie because frank wren. is stupid release all the players to the minors bring up aa or aaa team let them finish year i will pay to see minors leagers play not millioners who dont give a damn. this team will go to philly and getbeat becsuse they never beat the phillies the braves need to watch the yankees vs boston and see yhe hate and fire and passion in that series because i will be because both those franchises have ownetship that wants to win and they give there team players the best money can buy to play boston has not been they are like atlsn
Atlanta there psyroll is more much more
willieghatelibertymedia
July 6th, 2012
5:51 am
But boston let go there best manager and got another stupid manager in valentine. bring terry to atlanta or joe torre get someone with passion to manage i guarantee i would hsve this team winning more than the clown they have now
We as Okay as two peas in a Pod
July 6th, 2012
5:52 am
whatever said by charles 790 words were so darn right must be a sports writer with balls…Sure wish ajc staff of idiots had Two also…..Now for the double A atlanta braves here it all starts with GM who gave half team to Texas rangers see where they been 2 world series may lost but lets compare to apples and a dozen bag eggs…..One the apples always stay fresh n play like with no worms are holes and rotton….Now take a dozen eggs and try keep fresh you can’t you get cracked and brokein shells which get smelly and No matter How you try to cover up the smell gets worst..That like the atlanta braves cracked staff of coach’s who try cover up there bad ideas with new ideas.And run around all wet and get sports writers to repair it….In words you understand Tampa rays who has lousy Fans sorta like here…..have a team that go’s out and play 100% all times may not win at times..But with strong leaders who shells not cracked are smells they win and make Playoffs ….The End!
willieghatelibertymedia
July 6th, 2012
6:00 am
Hire me to manage this team they would be bunting taking pitches till they get 2 strikes look its simple get 10 hits in an inning score 7 0r more runs but when you get a leadoff double and he is there3 batters later there is aproblem freddie has never played in big leagues sohe does not have feel for game . get s manager that will fight for his players
Steve
July 6th, 2012
6:26 am
Fumbling Frank Wren is the problem. After all, he signed Dan ‘whiff’ Uggla to an albatross of a contract. He signed Fredi to manage. He stayed pat after last year’s failure. He has saddled us with an ineffective bench. Who plays if Uggla is benched? Jack ‘hitless’ Wilson? Move Prado is second and play Diaz in left who is hitting .230? Wren has hamstrung this team with his decisions.
Benny
July 6th, 2012
6:37 am
“We are a better team than that…” They are a .500 team. Their record says “you are what you are.”
Stinger 2
July 6th, 2012
6:54 am
Again last night, Clusters posted three items that were typical of his mentality. He has so much dislike for Chipper and the Braves that he
cannot recognize anything positive. Keep on ranting Clusters. However, you might want to think about this: Sometime people who say nothing are considered smart.
Chipper's ACL
July 6th, 2012
7:31 am
Better than your record Frank? Really?? I beg to differ with you sir. In most team stats this team is middle of the pack. Couple higher, couple lower. That’s not where the top teams rate. The one’s that stand out, and will bite this team again this fall, second to last in quality starts and second most pitches per at bat. What does this tell us? The starters aren’t getting the job done. Seven innings should be the norm for a starter,not five. Granted there are two rookies in the rotation but this was by choice of management. So this tells us the pen will again be burned out this fall. So this issue is part Wren’s, for not addressing this need sooner, and part McDowell’s, for not having the knowledge to build stamina in a starting pitcher. Again Braves management, please decide which direction this team is going. Either embrace a youth movement or dump them all for proven players. This half and half stuff isn’t working and frustrates us fans. We just want a consistant team on the field whether it be good or bad. Playing .500 ball is not accepted in the ATL any more.
And how in the world Uggla gets voted in the ASG is beyond me. The lowest slugging % out of the Braves starters and on pace for 200 k’s. How embarrassing.
DetroitBraves
July 6th, 2012
8:19 am
Ekim, it will take more than belly fire to win this division.
Marvin Mangrum
July 6th, 2012
8:22 am
Sorry, cant help it, and I promised myself I was thru with this. Are they paying John Scuholtz, why? Why is Frank Wren GM? Really what has he ever done? Tell us! I read daily about Charlie, Harry and Bubba being an assistant to somebody, I dont get it! If Scuholtz dont do anything but offer advise, it aint working. Frank Wren has yet to make his first good decision! And why hire a stumbling idiot 18 assistants if he cant do it by himself 444 assistants wont be enuff.Then Fredi G. Worthless. No need to carry on. The pitching coach, yea sure, yea he is really good.. Look here, hire winners. Winners win, thats what they do. You dont got any other than maybe Kimbrel. Quit players folks that are hurt. When Cox was with the Yanks he was hurt every day, but he became a manager and expected you to play. If a guy aint 100% he aint 100%.Look here, I bet 95% of players that went away went away cause they played hurt and never could figure it out. Fire everyone from Wren to Gonzales all the coaches everybody. By God find somebody, dont you reckon theres a few guys that know how to do it? I cant imagine 25k folks going to a game, I wouldnt go if it was free. Thats how bad it is. 3 back, 40 back, whats the difference?
63 year Braves Fan
July 6th, 2012
8:28 am
At least Fredi is not overworking Kimbrel.
2011champs
July 6th, 2012
8:30 am
The Braves are exactly what I thought… a 3rd place team with no leadership, no heart, and no fire. Uggla starting the ASG is an embarrassment to the National League.
Larry
July 6th, 2012
8:43 am
Ron Ronerts: “We don’t “make things happen.” We sit back and wait for the big hit.”
And just who does this remind you of?
Hint: coupled with his first stint as the Braves manager, followed by his stint with Toronto, he has an all time 1-16 (.059) record in the last, deciding game (and series) in the postseason.
Atticus
July 6th, 2012
9:01 am
Mark you mention payroll and the Pirates and Nationals numbers. Those are anomalies the Nationals have the advantage of all the high draft picks and the timing of them coming together. They also made a wise move in getting Gio. We are spending a lot of money on Lowe, Chipper, Uggla and Hudson and they are all overpaid or not even there in Lowe’s case, and even though Chipper does great when he plays. The Pirates are somewhat similar. The rule is mostly the teams with the highest payrolls are the teams that are the most consistently at the top. The Braves don’t need to spend THAT much more but certainly another $20million would help a lot.
This team is not consistent at all.
Too many injuries (which all teams have but we have less depth)
One player that isn’t carrying his weight (Mac) and misses one game a week. Chipper usually misses at least one too.
Starting pitching has been a major. If we hadn’t lost Beachy this could be rectified but now we are left with two pretty good (not great) pitchers in Hudson and Hanson (what happened to his velocity?), one guy we have no idea what he has or why his velocity is so down in Jurjjens and two guys learning on the job. This won’t work. We need at least one more starter.
A manager that is learning on the job. I love his willingness to steal bases but he gives the impression (we don’t see what happens behind closed doors) that players aren’t held accountable at the level they should be. And the way he has handled Medlen is a freaking joke.
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
9:02 am
We was noticing that not everybody on here believes the PR coming out of the Braves’ front office. Some of us don’t believe Dan Uggla is really an All-Star. Heck, some of us don’t think he should be in the lineup with his undisciplined at-bats. We was noticing, too, that the Cubs would go into a shift and confound Freddie Freeman and each time Freddie would hit a ball to Castro and make an out and the announcers would say something like, “There’s that shift again . . . and it worked!” We was thinking the Cubs players and coaches are smarter than the Braves right here. Why would Fredi allow the Cubs to take the bat out of Freddie’s hands because of a shift? How about Freddie making an adjustment and beating the shift? If the Braves played smart baseball it wouldn’t be so easy for the other teams to beat them with shifts and such. Fredi Gonzalez could take that away from them is he was smart like a Clusters. Sadly, he is more like the guy who managed the EPIC Collapse. You fans do remember the EPIC Collapse, don’t you?
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:11 am
You are, what your record says you are.
juice sourcer
July 6th, 2012
9:12 am
Uggla heading towards the Mendoza don’t help.
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
9:13 am
You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone. We was thinking that’s where Fredi is most nights and he’s got some of his players there with him. Uggla must be stuck in a time warp of strikeouts and popups. Freddie can’t adjust to a simple shift. McCann is a shadow of his former self. Prado plays on and plays big. Heyward has emerged and so has Simmons. We are seeing too much of Diaz and Hinske because of day’s off and tender tulips not feeling like playing today. When we was playing ball coach would say, “Clusters, you better get some hits today or we may miss the playoffs and the eventual championship that comes after the playoffs.” That was all it took! We didn’t deer hunt and we always liked to play in the post season. If we’d ever collapsed like that EPIC collapse last year we’d be gone.
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:19 am
The Nationals have drafted high and drafted very well for years. Their manager is doing a really good job with that club, even with injuries
They are getting more production out of thier young players. The Braves have not drafted as well as the Nationals.
Pitching hasn’t been good this year even though the hitting has been slightly better most of the time they still can’t drive in runs regularly and 2 of their highest paid players aren’t pulling thier weight at the plate.
They are a 3rd place team right now, it is what it is. 3rd place management, 3rd place Front Office, 3rd place club.
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:21 am
The Braves depend on guys like Uggla and Mac (we can debate the wisdom of that all day) but the fact of the matter is that they depend on those guys to be run producers.
Uggla and McCann are not producing runs, regularly, so while they may score 7 on a good night, when they slump, they get 0 or 1 or maybe 2.
DawgDad
July 6th, 2012
9:22 am
Sorry, Mr. Wren, but you ARE your record. This is a .500 club right now, they just spent the past two months proving that. Sure they beat the Yankees twice in New York, but what did they do HERE? They just split with the Cubs. They SCREAM .500.
The offense is just as inconsistent as the starting pitching. Chipper wants consistency? He’s the personification of inconsistent, not being able to play every day.
All I can say is it will be interesting to see what they do. In the long run they might be better off selling, going young and taking their chances with the kids this year.
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:23 am
The Fact of the matter is that September showed that they are NOT better than thier record as constituted.
It’s a nice team, a decent ball club, but they aren’t losing on luck. They are losing because they have off weeks at the plate and the mound.
They almost got no hit by Joe Blanton….. seriously.
Jimmyraybillybob
July 6th, 2012
9:32 am
McCann’s will hit and drive in runs, he always has. Every hitter has slumps. Hehas never slumped for prolonged periods. Uggla is streaky. While that’s bad now, we know that should mean that he will go on a tear the 2nd half. It’s all gonna come down to pitching. Hanson and Hudson have been o.k. Not great but pretty good. Losing Beachy really hurts. Venters must have a physical problem b/c he has always had nasty stuff and now its like bp when he’s on the mound. If we don’t get a quality starter I think we should start Medlin and see what he can do. Without better starting pitching we’ll be watching the playoffs.
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
9:40 am
Saying Uggla is streaky and may get hot sounds comforting until you need him to do something basic in baseball like put a ball in play with runners on base. Instead, you get a powerful swipe at a ball that runs in on him above his shoulders. He strikes out or pops up and what have you got? We’d much rather have as our All-Star somebody who has plate discipline and intelligence and knows how to play some team baseball. It’s a lot like Francoeur or Andruw from a few years back who gave you the same thing every at-bat . . . swinging and falling down and failing to advance runners and bring in runs from scoring position. This is not a very smart baseball team. A manager as bad as the one the Cubs appear to have is smart enough to confound and confuse and render the Braves harmless just by going into a shift. That shift works because the Braves can’t/won’t/don’t adjust and take the initiative away from the other dugout. Fredi lacks something and there, too, does the team.
Atticus
July 6th, 2012
9:41 am
Jimmyray, you mean batting .210 for the last 5 months isn’t prolonged? I hope he comes back and it could be likely but he has cost us games and we don’t have the luxury of that when we have a manger training on the job and two young pitchers learning on the job as well.
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
9:45 am
Anticipating a post telling us how we’re a bad fan or not a real fan or something like that because we want to see better baseball . . . when we was watching MLB we saw some of the old Reds teams that was always playing hard and playing hurt and getting dirty and winning and not hugging or fanny-patting or doing sweet things in the dugout. All this sweetness and not playing if it’s too hot or if something is sore is going to put the Braves into another EPIC collapse if they don’t watch out. Better get to the park early, Fredi.
js
July 6th, 2012
9:45 am
I think Chipper is right on , pitchers young but we still need a 3rd baseman that can play every day. We need a rt. handed bat with power . Seems like everybody throws every left hander they have at us.
Game Changer
July 6th, 2012
9:51 am
UGGLA is terrible again, always has been. trade him asap.
30 plus more strikeouts than hits in first half.
And while we are at it, send manager boyfriend with him, NOW
Dwbower
July 6th, 2012
9:54 am
We are all experts on our favorite teams with no authority or power to change the performance of the players or the team.
It behooves the team then to have its “ah-ha” experiences and discover how to play its best baseball play after play within the context of playing against what has to be assumed are equally good. Assuming losing teams are inferior is a serious mistake. Thus, the play by play attitude also has to assume game after game within the context that on any given game the other team might be better.
The Braves have to find ways to play better than the other teams and grasp they are charge of doing so. The opponent does not determine that. The umpires don’t determine that. The fans don’t determine that. The team finds the ways to determine how to play its best baseball.
I am convinced when they get to that place, we will see better baseball from the Braves and would not be surprised to see a World Series Championship.
Here is hoping the Braves as a team have their “ha-ha” and stop accepting being “just OK.”
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:55 am
Uggla plays hard and gives his all every day, I’ve got no issue with him, but I still think the team is better served if Prado is playing 2nd base, and they spend the money for a right handed power hitting left fielder (or you know produced one in the last decade+)
PMC
July 6th, 2012
9:55 am
Just kind of wonder when all the “chemistry” is going to kick in.
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
9:58 am
Dan Uggla is less consistent than Delgado or Minor are.
Blair Rasmussen
July 6th, 2012
10:00 am
The Braves and Freddie are fine with an “ok” first half. He doesn’t need Venters to perform up to last year, just mediocre will be acceptable. Until we overhaul the culture of complacency here, nothing will change. That means Wren, Freddie, even Chipper, etc have to go. Keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. How many years since we won a playoff series? A winning record or first round playoff loss constitutes sucess in this culture. Grienke will not come here, because we won’t pay up. Bourn will leave here for the same reason. Why not keep Bourn and get rid of McCann with his contract up next year. That would make too much sense. We’ll probably trade our future away (see Texiera) for 2 months of Grienke.
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
10:02 am
Trade Uggla for LF and put Prado at 2B.
Atticus
July 6th, 2012
10:04 am
js, we have a RH bat with power. His name is Dan Uggla and he hits 30 HRs and drives in 100 runs every year. The problem is he is very streaky and at times disappears. But that is what you get when you go after power hitters. The only way you improve is go after superstars like Braun or McCutcheon or Zimmerman but we won’t because they will cost too much money. There is always risk, look around there aren’t many RH power hitters in the National league. You either draft them (Stanton, Zimmerman, Braun, McCutcheon or pay them (Beltran, Holliday).
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
10:05 am
Can you believe the NL all star 2b will be 9 for last 85 ?
Atticus
July 6th, 2012
10:07 am
Use Chipper, Lowe and Hudson’s money next year to go after McCutcheon and a big pitcher and re-sign Bourn. Trade Huddy for some young players.
If they let Bourn go I am thru with this management. I realize it will be a lot of money but figure it out!
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
10:09 am
Only reason Uggla is here is because he was a Marlin like Fredi. Ship em both back to Fla.
Atticus
July 6th, 2012
10:13 am
Uggla is here because everyone said go get a RH power hitter and that is what he is, he hits 30 HRs and drives in 100 runs every year. Unless you are willing to pay the most $$ you are going to get a streaky hitter. That is the nature of a power hitter, which by the way everyone is saying we need again now.
bryan
July 6th, 2012
10:34 am
i cannot beleive they waste so much money and time with a non producer like Uggla. and FRedi has shown ,he does not have it as a manager…
PMC
July 6th, 2012
10:44 am
Most were concerned with the offense from a dreadful outfield.
Uggla is here because he was relatively cheap for a RH bat that can put up numbers like he does. Prado I guess can just play everywhere, but he’s still a better infielder.
Uggla’s salary vs a true corner outfield power hitter was significantly less.
So even in that move, they went Big Lots.
We just aren’t getting the production out of the people they are making the most.
Generally that get’s coaches fired.
Bobby Cox
July 6th, 2012
10:46 am
STOP slamming Freddie- he was my handpicked choice to continue on the road to mediocrity! Just as he is loyal to Minor, Hinske, etc- he learned that from me. Don’t you remember how I refused to give up on Greg Norton and Jo Jo Reyes! What about my keeping Prado on the bench while Kelly Johnson hit 220 and played a terrible 2nd base? We will keep things as they’ve always been, as long as I have a say so. Fans, just get on board and accept mediocrity! Firing Freddie would mean I, as well as Wren and John S made a mistake in hiring him- and we CANNOT do that.
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
10:48 am
They don’t seem to have anything for teams that are prepared to play them. They can’t do anything to rob the other manager of his strategy going in. They fall victim to it, instead. Earlier this season Dusty Baker stole a game from Fredi by outsmarting him and his team with some sound baseball strategy. It will happen again and again. Fredi keeps “running them out there” hoping for a different result but he won’t get one because the players don’t respond to challenges and don’t adjust when a team takes something away (like the middle of the infield by shifting Castro when Freddie is at bat). The Braves just hit the ball right to Castro. Why not? Read the baseball cards Fredi and you will see that Uggla is a strikeout with a whole lot of LOBs. If he goes on a streak we hope it’s before they are so far behind they can’t catch up. Can you say, EPIC Collapse?
Sonny Clusters
July 6th, 2012
10:55 am
We have to say it . . . we don’t particularly like Dan Uggla as an Atlatnta Braves player. Used to be, the Braves wouldn’t keep a player that was cavorting with a porn star but that was awhile back. Now, they don’t mind so much if they can afford him. Uggla doesn’t seem like a smart ballplayer to us. Now, he doesn’t have deer tattoos as far as we know but he still looks sort of dumb when he’s standing up there swinging all out at pitches he can’t reach whil runners are stranded and rallies are killed. What’s his reward? The Braves push him for the All-Star team. All-Star! We was thinking an All-Star would have an occasional hit or RBI and might take a little something off his swing with 2 strikes and try to put the ball in play. We had some BobbyBall for a long time and now this must be FrediBall. FrediBall, if anything, is worse. With FrediBall there are no answers for the other dugout. None.
Frank Wren
July 6th, 2012
10:57 am
I’ve heard just about enough of fans wanting change- my answe is NO!!! I’m annoyed with players like Prado and Kimbrell playing hard and consistently. They are ruining or at least offsetting Struggla and McOut. Thank goodness Bourn will be gone next year.I hope whoever our next superstar is, that he will only play two thirds of the time as well.Stop expecting improvement- everything is OK!
Skeezix
July 6th, 2012
10:59 am
Well the good news is we are above .500 at the half way point. Why we are above .500 — Bourn, Prado, Chipper, Jason, Simmons, Kimbrel, O’Flaherty have been outstanding. Huddy, Hanson, Martinez, Durbin and Medlen have been very solid. Minor still shows promise of being very good in the future. J.J. has been very good since returning from Gwinnett. Why we haven’t done better–Uggla, McCann and Freddie (except we understand it has been due to injury which we hear is getting better). Delgado and Minor have been inconsistent and the bullpen lacks depth. If Wren can trade for a quality starter, and get some bullpen help, and Uggla/McCann get their bats going– maybe we can make a run for the playoffs.
A lot of ifs.
At present though, the Nats and Mets really are better than the Braves.
steve whitmire
July 6th, 2012
11:11 am
SHOUTING “we’re just OK!” from the bleachers just doesn’t have the same ring as “we’re number one!” But at least we’re not shouting “we really suck!”
Fansince66
July 6th, 2012
11:14 am
I agree with most of the rants about Uggla. It’s hard to watch a player you depend on for driving in runs basically take half a season off. I have watched him swing at pitches over hi head, in the dirt, or a foot outside with runners on and a 3 ball count. I think Andru Jones and Frenchy had better plate awareness than uggla. He will get hot eventually and that’s when the Braves should trade him. Maybe see if the Marlins will take him for Infante.
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
11:15 am
Ugglas the new Nate McOut.
Sammy Hagar
July 6th, 2012
11:19 am
Last 2 weeks Heyward,Bourn,Prado,Chipper,McCann all have contributed with the bat to wins. Uggla & Hinske have struck out or popped up every at bat. Ok so Uggla has walked a few times. Thats Bourn and Prados job. His job is to drive in runs.
PMC
July 6th, 2012
11:33 am
Somebody call Dead Moon, they should be blasting “It’s Ok” at Turner field.
Joey
July 6th, 2012
11:41 am
“Raise your hand if you read all of Charles’ 796-word post.”
*************************************
Raise your hand if you counted all of Charles 796-words.
You don’t have to raise your hand, Ekim . . .
FATS
July 6th, 2012
11:42 am
With no real offense from Uggla,McCann,Jones or Hiske, Braves are in good shape. Need a litle fire under those 4 and will shold take this THANG
Joey
July 6th, 2012
11:57 am
You just keep on keeping on Clusters. The commenters on here who don’t like Clusters’ words are the ones who wrote on here last September, “Relax. The Braves are fine. There are still a lot of games left.”
The same ones who bought 14 replica, “Division Champions” pennants for their den.
The same ones who think Chipper Jones is “classy.”
Realtycheck
July 6th, 2012
12:02 pm
Uggla trade was a disaster. He’d rather admire his guns in the mirror than make contact, How many runners on 3rd with less than 2 out would Infante have gotten in? He’s so muscle-bound he can’t hit or throw. All-star 2b should have been Hall.
Dan Struggla
July 6th, 2012
12:08 pm
I am offended by you Braves fans! I had 2 decent months earlier this year, and one really good stretch last year. Isn’t that enough. Freddie says its OK with him, just like he used to say in Florida. There is nothing wrong with mediocrity, at least not here in Atlanta.
CC
July 6th, 2012
12:24 pm
Uggla, baby — learn to poke it a bit and you might get some respect…. plus stop your freefall to Mendozaland.
And the pressure is going to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G when you walk onto the field in KC next Tuesday and you just know you’re going to whiff — and all the baseball munchkins are going to collectively wonder: “How the heck is this dude an AllStar??!” And it’ll be written about publicly, not to mention it’ll get good airtime to a national TV audience. And the game now COUNTS for something?
And we’re wondering nightly: “How the heck is this dude even playing ball??!”
He ain’t even smart.
Jean Claude Killy
July 6th, 2012
12:29 pm
They should fire Wren and hire Clusters!
Jack Dennis TN
July 6th, 2012
1:24 pm
pitching, schmitching. STILL need a RH hitter.
Greg Norton
July 6th, 2012
1:49 pm
When Charles started his post he probably could have claimed “FIRST”. But when he got done, he was around 52nd.
Lil' Barry Bailout
July 6th, 2012
2:09 pm
Seems we’ve been watching this movie for about a season and a half. We don’t need adjustments. We need talent.
Hillbilly D
July 6th, 2012
2:40 pm
If you check the splits on Zack Greinke for the last couple of years, he’s a better pitcher in Milwaukee than anywhere else. Not to say he isn’t a good pitcher but it’s something to keep in mind.
bulldogbubba
July 6th, 2012
2:52 pm
Just saw a advertisement for a hunting show featuring Chipper. This should give Mr. Clusters something else to watch after the ballgame.
We need a new.......
July 6th, 2012
3:10 pm
We need a new Manager and a new General Manager for the second half of the season – the current ones have done nothing and have gotten us no where…..FG and FW are about as useless as tits on a boar hog.
We need a new.......
July 6th, 2012
3:12 pm
For the second half of the season – We need a new manager and a new general manager……FG and FW are useless in terms of trying to improve this lackluster ball team.
We need to welcome........
July 6th, 2012
5:12 pm
We need to welcome Fredi’s and Chipper’s departure…..let’s throw a party and see how quickly we can get both of these challenged to high for crutches has been’s run out of town.
SR
July 6th, 2012
7:28 pm
Well done Charles, thoughtful and accurate post. Management has settled for less for quite some time now, the fact that Wren did nothing to improve this bunch after last season’s epic collapse is inexcusable. Wishing and hoping is not a strategy, it is a cowardly, over-cautious, penurious approach at best and akin to gross negligence at worst. This team has defined itself at this point in the season, it is an average team at best, with inconsistent hitting, inconsistent pitching; a team that is poor at playing small ball, makes fundamental mistakes with shocking regularity, is lacking in productive 2 out hitting and strikes out way too often. In short, as presently constructed it is not a playoff bound team.
Gritsfed
July 7th, 2012
2:34 am
Right now I’d say the Braves are an above average team. But above average doesn’t necessarily get you into the playoffs. I think Mike Minor is a AA to AAA pitcher. And the Braves should put Sheets (if her is ready ) Tehran or Medlin in there to replace him. They need to trade for a solid relief pitcher to put into the bull pen.
General Sherman
July 7th, 2012
11:30 pm
It’s tough being a Braves fan. I’m sure the manager is a problem but I have no solutions as i’m a fan not an insider. Does anyone have any good ideas as to who would be a better manager for the Braves?
Brandon Lee
July 8th, 2012
6:56 pm
As evivdenced by Brian McCann’s GameWinning Grand Slam in the Catapult game of this series, The Braves either Live or Die by the Homerun. Statistics that are Excruciatingly Undeniable, with Little or No Managerial Assistance for manufacturing Runs, we have become our own liability.
Don
July 9th, 2012
10:18 am
What could possibly go wrong when almost all of the Braves Starting Pitchers are coming off injureies.
And everyone knows that when a Pitcher is injured, he always returns to his former greatness.
Of course, the Braves do have the great young Pitcher leading the League in ERA. Opps,
he got injured too.
Perhaps they need to change the team name from Atlanta “Braves” to Atlants “Injury Mill”.
At least, no one can say that their Starting Pitchers are not consistant – with almost every one of them ending up being injured.
But why worry – Everyone knows that Pitching is not that important – anyway.
Don
July 9th, 2012
10:43 am
Forgot the Venters injury this year also.