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We begin today by emptying a 40-ounce beverage for Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty, two valued, proven commodities cruelly taken before their time by a combination (probably) of bad luck and poor decision-making on the part of their manager.
/pours a little out
No one feels like talking about this at length – except for two people that I’ll link to in the ‘What to read’ section that not-so-subtly eviscerate Fredi Gonzalez for his curious handling of pitchers – so I’ll keep my comments short. «Read the rest of this article»
When the news broke that Jonny Venters was having another Tommy John surgery and would be lost for this year and perhaps most of next, it was met on Twitter with… well, basically a shoulder shrug.
That’s not a knock on Venters, an extremely reliable set-up guy who has been a valuable bullpen piece the last two seasons – I wish him the best in his recovery, because he seems to be a good teammate and a good guy, and because I wouldn’t wish multiple Tommy John surgeries on anyone not named Roger Clemens. It’s just been that kind of season so far. Brian McCann missed the first month. Jason Heyward had emergency appendectomy surgery a couple of weeks ago – those two still haven’t been in the lineup together this season, and it’s the middle of May. Brandon Beachy, who’s actually ahead of schedule from his own Tommy John surgery, will be back in June, probably. Freddie Freeman missed a couple of weeks. And on and on. «Read the rest of this article»
I will not be the one to write the ‘What’s Wrong With Craig Kimbrel?’ piece.
I will not be the one to write the ‘What’s Wrong With Craig Kimbrel?’ piece.
I will not be the one to write the ‘What’s Wrong With Craig Kimbrel?’ piece.
Say it enough and it’s true. Fact: Craig Kimbrel is an elite closer; depending on where your loyalties lie, the only arguments one can really hear for ‘Best Closer in Baseball’ status are Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, running-on-fumes-and-one-leg Mariano Rivera and MAYBE Jonathon Papelbon. Everyone else is ultimately replaceable and Braves fans would do well to remember that. He’s blown three of his last five – two of which came at two of the top hitters parks in the league. «Read the rest of this article»
When your lineup is filled with guys who are the definition of hit-or-miss at the plate – Dan Uggla, B.J. Upton and even Paul Bunyan-esque folk hero Evan Gattis come pretty readily to mind right now – you’re going to have some dry spells. Somebody like Anibal Sanchez might hit 17 strikeouts in eight innings and earn early ‘Performance of the Year’ consideration. You might score one run in two days against your rivals. You might lose nine of 13 and look completely inept in at least four of those losses. All these things might happen.
This year’s Braves, with expectations as they were, aren’t going to be given a ton of slack at the dish. This lineup simply isn’t allowed to score three runs or less, as it has in eight of the last 13 games – although it’s a testament to the pitching staff that it’s allowed three runs or less in seven of those. Slumps happen, people get hurt, guys go through rough patches. Cliché as it is, that seems to be what’s happening here. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville, TN – Nothing provides a shot in the arm for an offense like a trip to Coors Field. Right? Well, hopefully.
This series should be exactly what the Braves needed. Taking two of three from the division-leading Rockies and mashing the snot out of the ball cures a lot of ills. That hasn’t exactly been a harbinger of future success in the past, however. Check out this timeline:
2012: Braves sweep the Rockies in Coors (May 4th-6th), then lose 13 of 23 to close out the month. After finishing the series a half game out of first place, the Braves were four behind the Nationals by June 15th. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville,TN – Who is Paul Maholm?
I know the particulars: a top-10 pick by the snakebitten Pittsburgh Pirates out of Germantown, Tenn., by way of Mississippi State. A crafty lefty (is there any other kind?), Maholm was a .500 pitcher for seven years in Pittsburgh before moving on to another group of hapless losers when he signed with the Cubs prior to 2012. The Braves got him (and Reed Johnson) for Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman at the deadline last year after the Ryan Dempster deal fell through.
All he’s done since then: 7-5, 2.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 79 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched. This season, he’s been particularly masterful, with three wins in as many starts and no earned runs allowed so far. Fewer sliders (13 percent compared to 28 percent last year, according to brooksbaseball.net) have combined with a greater reliance on his curveball, both regular and the super-slow-mo lollipop curve that has fooled a couple of batters this season, to help make his middling fastball look much better. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville, TN – I am not trying to rain on anyone’s parade. Really, I’m not. An 8-1 start is nothing to sneeze at, especially given the struggles of some of the principles involved – Jason Heyward, B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla, to name three. Justin Upton looks to be worth everything and more, Evan Gattis belongs and the pitching has been dynamite from stem to stern. Remember opening last season by getting swept by the Mets? This seems better.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the Miami Marlins are awful, and would have a better-than-decent chance to be the worst team in baseball if not for the on-going schadenfreude experiment that the Houston Astros will put on display 162 times this year. Even Braves fans – who have to be delighted that their Tomahawked Heroes get to play the Fish 19 times this year – have to have some empathy for anyone that’s still willing to be a Marlins fan. That’s a franchise in disarray, and given how horrible the ownership situation has been, I blame no one for refusing to enter Jeffrey Loria’s Carnival Funhouse Stadium Funded By Tax Payer Money. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville, TN – Unless I’m much mistaken (Editor’s Note: This is a distinct possibility), we got to see all the beauty and horror of this particular Braves team on display in the season’s first three games.
Homers. Strikeouts. Tremendous starting pitching. Suspect relief pitching. A phenomenal outfield. Two high-scoring victories, and one close, low-scoring loss.
I think I’m just going to copy that previous paragraph and insert it into most stories this year. As far as base narratives go, this year’s Braves lineup seems to have two options: Home Run City or Strikeout City. Both were available against Philadelphia. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville, TN – Thank God, it’s all about to get started again. The bad memories of last October, the signing and trading to acquire the entire Upton family, Spring Training… finally, the speculation can end and we can just play ball.
Baseball becomes like family in a lot of ways. From April through October if you’re lucky, your team is there day after day, like a family member. While there’s a lot to be said for football, it’s more like the wacky uncle that shows up once a week to drink your dad’s beer, tell dirty jokes and piss off your mom. But that’s enough about my family for now. «Read the rest of this article»
Clarksville, TN -I think we can agree it was a weird offseason, right Braves fans? For a team known for growing its talent from within, hoarding pitchers and never showing its hand regardless of the situation, dealing prospects and inking veterans to big contracts would seem to be change in policy. For good or ill, time will tell.
With that in mind, before next week’s season preview and the beginning of what will be a bizarre post-Chipper year for many, I wanted to run down the offseason moves and assess where we stand with Opening Day a week away.
(Where have I been, you ask? I didn’t know I was still writing for this website when it came under new management. Now I am. What, you thought I didn’t have an opinion on everything that happened, or that I was holding out on you people? Please; I’ll discuss the Braves with winos in the street if they sit still long enough. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s get to it.) «Read the rest of this article»
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