Primary Sidebar
Talking Chop 2010 Annual
The Talking Chop 2010 Baseball Annual is now available, and smartly priced at just $12.95. Go here to purchase this first-of-its kind Braves annual from the authors who bring you this website.
The View From Your Seat
Throughout the 2010 season, send me a picture of your seat at a Braves game (Major League or Minor League, any ballpark, as long as the Braves are playing). Don't try to get too fancy, just take a picture once the game starts and email me. It can be a view of the field, the scoreboard, the stands, or whatever strikes your fancy while sitting in your seat at a ballgame. Make sure you include the when and where the picture was taken and what half of the inning it was taken in. Your photo will then be posted on Talking Chop. By sending your photos, you grant Talking Chop full rights to publish and edit them as we see fit. The email address to send these photos to is martingandy at gmail dot com. Every photo will be considered, but not all will be used.
Choposphere
Other places to read my blather:
Follow Talking Chop on Facebook
Follow Talking Chop on Twitter
Braves Tweeters
Jason Heyward
Freddie Freeman
L.V. Ware
Mycal Jones
Matthew Weaver
Tommy Palica
----------------------
David O'Brien
Mark Bowman
Braves Players' Blogs:
Derek's Blog (Derek Lowe)
The Young and the Braves (Matt Young)
L.V. Ware's Blog
Braves Blogs:
Braves Journal
Rowland's Office
When Sid Slid
Mark Bowman
David O'Brien
Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz
Braves Heart
Braves Examiner
Snap Shots
Brave Cave (Videos)
Braves Love
Braves Girl Blog
Jake's Blog (640 WGST)
Braves Blast
Chop-n-Change
The Bravesologist
Section 435
Braves Report
Braves Buzz
Atlanta Baseball Talk
Capitol Avenue Club
Tomahawk Take
Screaming Indian
Braving Baseball
Ace of Braves
Braves Locker
Braves Boards:
Chop Nation
Braves-Nation
Braves Report
Tomahawk Talk
Atl / Ga Sports Blogs:
Dawg Sports
The Falcoholic
From the Rumble Seat
Braves and Birds
Red White Black and Blue
Peachtree Hoops
Bird Watchers Anonymous
Organization Links:
Atlanta Braves
Gwinnett Braves (AAA)
Mississippi Braves (AA)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A+)
Rome Braves (A-)
Danville Braves (R)
Gulf Coast Braves (R)
Four-A... Get the Book
Talking Chop co-blogger C.B. Wilkins has written his first book, Four-A, available here.
"In a story as much about life as baseball, Four-A follows relief pitcher Bry "Hummer" James over the course of a season, as he bounces between the highest levels of professional baseball, stuck in between, at an unofficial level called Four-A."
| Final - 7.29.2010 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Braves
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
|
Washington Nationals
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 7 | 1 |
|
WP:
Scott Olsen
(3 - 2)
SV: Matt Capps (26) LP: Derek Lowe (10 - 9) |
||||||||||||
Are the Braves' Hitters Choking in the Clutch?
Over at SB Nation Atlanta, I take an in-depth look at how the Braves are hitting in high- and low-pressure situations. While it's hard to say with any certainty, the data does seem to at least partially back up the "Braves hitters suck under pressure" claim.
Open Thread 7/29: Braves at Natinals
by mvhsbball on Jul 29, 2010 12:01 PM EDT
1139 comments
A series win in DC would be...well, what we need.
Lineups will be posted in the comments. First pitch is at 12:35EST...and 9:35 for us West Coast guys. Awesome.
Braves Breakdown: Why Tim Hudson Has Avoided a Regression
by BenDuronio on Jul 29, 2010 10:30 AM EDT
in Statistical Analysis
20 comments
The season Tim Hudson has been having is quite odd. Most of us at Talking Chop have discussed, as have the guys over at Fangraphs. An expected regression has been noted by many saber slanted writers. I have agreed, but I also added the regression could be minimal if he started to throw the ball better, meaning striking out more batters and walking less.
Here’s a look at Hudson’s stats on June 1, his stats after June 1, and his career numbers.
June 1 Since June 1 Career
IP 64.1 78.1 2,194.2
ERA 2.24 2.53 3.42
FIP 4.39 3.99 3.82
xFIP 4.52 4.36 3.82
GB% 67.3% 58.9% 49.2%
LD% 10.6% 13.0% 18.0%
K/9 3.78 5.40 6.02
BB/9 3.50 2.76 2.79
BABIP .222 .252 .286
As you can see, his stats are starting to normalize somewhat. His ERA has begun to rise while his FIP and xFIP are coming back down closer to his career numbers. His strikeout rate is getting better as is his walk rate, but his BABIP and ground ball percentage are still abnormally low in comparison to his career, and in comparison to most of the league. Hudson leads the N.L. in both GB% and BABIP.
Now, the task is to find out why hitters are hitting so many ground balls and not getting hits when they make contact.
Braves Defeat Nationals 3-1 Behind Tim Hudson's Dominating Night
Thanks a bunch to TC member sag969 who wrote a nice recap of last night's game. I apologize for not having a front page recap up, and I assure you it won't continue to happen.
GO BRAVES!
Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/28
by cbwilk on Jul 29, 2010 12:55 AM EDT
in Minor League Recaps
9 comments
Gwinnett 3, Rochester 1
Barbaro Canizares may never make an impact in the Major Leagues, but he's been a great AAA player, hitting .305 with a .809 OPS in 1625 at bats over 4 seasons. Scott Diamond allowed 6 earned run in his first AAA start, but since then he's only allowed 1 earned run in 13 innings. Steve Marek hasn't allowed a run in July, tossing 12 scoreless innings over 11 appearances.
Mississippi 0, Huntsville 6
Julio Teheran didn't have much success in his AA debut, as he allowed 12 baserunners in just 4.2 innings. He came back strong with Myrtle Beach after a game where he allowed 8 earned, so hopefully he can do the same for Mississippi.
Myrtle Beach 2, Salem 4
Jordan Kreke continues his hot hitting for the Pelicans, and he's done almost all of it playing at second base for the first stretch in his pro career. He was a solid defender at third, so he has a chance to be a good one at second, and his bat would play much better there. LV Ware is on a hot streak as well, hitting .385 with a 1.102 OPS in his last 10 games. Brett Oberholtzer gave up 8 earned runs in just 4 innings his last time out, but held the Red Sox to just 1 earned in 5 innings tonight.
Rome - Off
Danville 0, Britol 4, Game 1
The D-Braves only got 3 hits in the one, one of them a double by Barrett Kleinknect, who played second base in this game. Tyler Stovall had a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio last season, and he's been close to that this year with 18 strikeouts and 16 walks in 16.2 innings.
Danville 2, Bristol 1, Game 2
The D-Braves only picked up 4 hits in the second game and 3 of those were by Joey Terdoslavich. Over his last 3 starts, Ronan Pacheco had allowed 13 earned runs in 9.1 innings, but he only allowed 1 earned tonight over 5 frames. He nearly doubled his season strikeout total, fanning 13 White Sox hitters.
GCL Braves 0, GCL Blue Jays 4
The Braves only picked up 2 hits in this game and starting pitcher Eduardo Castillo allowed too many baserunners.
DSL Braves - Off
Open Thread 7/28: Braves at Natinals
by mvhsbball on Jul 28, 2010 6:00 PM EDT
1217 comments
Win tonight, or I'm seriously going to start worrying a little bit. It's been a slooow day, so we'll get this thread up nice and early.
The View From Your Seat
by cbwilk on Jul 28, 2010 4:32 PM EDT
in The View From Your Seat
0 comments
Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/27
by cbwilk on Jul 28, 2010 4:18 AM EDT
in Minor League Recaps
83 comments
Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3
Chris Resop probably thought he was done playing for Gwinnett after his June 10th 1-hitter and subsequent promotion to Atlanta, but he picked up right where he left off, holding the Red Wings hitless over 5 innings in his rehab appearance. His rehab performances should leave little doubt that his lone appearance in the Majors this year was a fluke caused by his injury. Brandon Beachy got touched up a little tonight, but he still managed to strike a bunch of guys out and pick up the save. Freddie Freeman drove in 2 runs, giving him more in 92 games this year than he had in 111 last year.
Mississippi - Off
Myrtle Beach 5, Salem 2
Cory Harrilchak rapped out 3 doubles tonight and he's been doing a ton of damage lately, hitting .333 with a .908 OPS in his last 10 games. Dan Nelson has been red hot as well, extending his hitting streak to 7 games, and it was his fourth straight multi-hit game. He's been tearing it up since the All-Star break, hitting .330 with a .942 OPS in 103 at bats. Zeke Spruill finally got himself stretched back out to 5 innings and dominated, shutting out the Red Sox while only walking 1. If you take out his April 16th game, where he allowed 9 earned runs in 3.1 innings, he's actually been pretty good for the Pelicans, with a 3.22 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a 5.3 K/BB rate. Ty'Relle Harris was fantastic tonight, tossing 3 perfect innings and striking out 4 of the 9 batters he faced.
Rome 0, Greenville 4, Game 1
Bobby Rauh singled and stole a base in his Rome debut, which was one of the only real highlights in this one. Brett DeVall was victimized by poor defense, as the team managed to make 4 errors before the sixth batter of the game even came to the plate, including an error by DeVall himself. Strange night and the kind of thing that just happens in the lower Minors.
Rome 8, Greenville 1, Game 2
Things switched around entirely in the second game, as the R-Braves scored 5 unearned runs against the Drive. After hitting .326 with a .852 OPS in 46 at bats for Danville, Jace Whitmer has been oustanding since returning to Rome, hitting .450 with a 1.150 OPS in 20 at bats. Jeff Lorick dominated in his first start of the season, striking out 8 over 4 frames, and he's been oustanding all year, with a 1.04 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 34.2 innings. He's 22, so he's a bit too old to garner much attention as a prospect at this level, but he's also showing the kind of domination you would hope for from an older player.
Danville 0, Bristol 1 - Suspended After 1st
Some might look at Brandon Drury's .223 average and .570 OPS and think he's not having a very impressive season, but once you realize that he's only 17 everything is much more impressive. The Braves plucked him in the 13th round this year, and he definitely has a long way to do, but he's so young that he could spend all of next year back in the GCL and still only be 19 going into the 2012 season. Fernando de los Santos is 20, he he's a little old for the GCL, but he's playing great, with a .311 average and .832 OPS.
DSL Braves 0, DSL Rangers 1
The Braves shut out the Rangers over 11 innings, but were undone in the 12th by a pair of Oriel Cicedo walks. 17 year old Abraham Espinosa continues his domination of the DSL, as does 20 year old Elvin Garcia. Ronald Luna, a 27 year old infielder, gained some attention early in the year when he hit .384 with a .834 OPS in 86 June at bats, but he's falled off of late, hitting just .235 with a .594 OPS in 51 July at bats.
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
About Talking Chop
NL East Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Atlanta
|
58 | 43 | .574 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
Philadelphia
|
56 | 46 | .549 | 2.5 | Won 8 |
|
New York
|
52 | 50 | .509 | 6.5 | Won 1 |
|
Florida
|
51 | 51 | .500 | 7.5 | Won 1 |
|
Washington
|
44 | 58 | .431 | 14.5 | Won 1 |
(updated 7.29.2010 at 10:44 PM EDT)
Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence Rating
Next Game
Atlanta Braves
@
Cincinnati Reds
Friday, Jul 30, 2010, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park
Mostly clear. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
