Braves at Astros Series Preview: Minor in the Majors
by BenDuronio on Aug 9, 2010 5:14 PM EDT
in Series Previews & Recaps
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PrintNote: The auto-tagger isn't working right now. Hopefully it will soon and I'll be able to tag all of the players.
The story of this series is without question Mike Minor making his debut with the big ball club. I'm sure we all wish the circumstances for his debt were different, but he's up now and hopefully, he is up to stay. The Braves beat up a fellow playoff contender in the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, winning three out of four. Although the team has had troubles on the road, you have to assume an away series against the Astros is a good way to solve their road problems.
Pitching Matchups:
Monday, 8:05 EST: Mike Minor (3.44 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 3.17 K/BB in MiLB) vs. Bud Norris (4-7, 5.65 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 2.28 K/BB)
Minor has been great this season in the minors and looks to transition that success into the majors. Jacob wrote a very good article on what to expect from Minor this season, and he really couldn't get introduced into the majors in a better way. The Astros have a putrid offense, so I expect Minor to pitch relatively well tonight. Norris actually hasn't been too bad this year, despite the high ERA. He strikes out more than a batter per inning but he also walks over four batters per nine. If the Braves stay patient like they usually do, they should be able to get enough base runners on to score some runs on Bud.
Tuesday, 8:05 EST: Jair Jurrjens (4-4, 4.48 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.92 K/BB) vs. J.A. Happ (2-1, 4.03 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 0.84 K/BB)
The Braves face a familiar foe in J.A. Happ on Tuesday night. Happ was moved to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal. He has had a good start and a bad start since then, throwing six scoreless innings in his first start followed by a one inning, seven runs allowed performance in his latest outing. He has had some success in his career against the Braves, posting a 2.23 ERA in five starts, but he also has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of just 18-12 against them. Jair battled through his last start, allowing just two runs over six innings despite starting off poorly. This is probably the most evenly matched game of the series.
Wednesday, 2:05 EST: Tommy Hanson (8-8, 3.69 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 3.25 K/BB) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (9-11, 4.34 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 2.32 K/BB)
The curse of Kenshin Kawakami has now hit Tommy Hanson, but I don't see that trend continuing in his next start, even though the Braves are opposing a decent lefty. Hanson's season has been absolutely phenomenal but the Braves haven't been able to score for him lately or play defense. I expect him to dominate the Astro's lineup though, hopefully leading to a victory for him and the team. Rodriguez is a pretty solid, veteran left-handed starter, and that is a combination that usually gives the Braves a bit of trouble (see Moyer, Jamie).
The Astro Lineup:
The Astros don't have much offensively after trading Lance Berkman to the Yankees. Their best hitter right now is probably Chris Johnson, with Hunter Pence being the most dangerous bat overall. Johnson and Jason Michaels are the only hitters with a wOBA over .340 and only Jeff Keppinger and and Pence are in the .330-.340 range. The Braves shouldn't have much trouble pitching to this offense.
The Astro Bullpen:
Brandon Lyon, Matt Lindstrom, and Wilton Lopez have all been good relievers this season. All three have ERA's and FIP's in the low 3's, so getting ahead on the starters would be ideal. All three are righties though, so they don't quite have the flexibility that the Braves 'pen has with the dominant lefties and righties. The back end of their bullpen is definitely their biggest strength, although they are relatively under-the-radar relievers.
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I still can't quite shake the 2005 NLDS off my mind, every time the Braves plays the Astros
Time to snap the road series losing streak
Where's Chris f'ing Burke at these days?
I’m down for a TC fight club. I still can’t believe we lost to that guy.
"Based on stereotypes that are totally untrue and I do not agree with, you would maybe-not be a very good driver..."
"Oh man am I a woman?!"
by Scott Coleman on Aug 9, 2010 5:20 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I can’t believe we signed him to a minor league contract last year. We wouldn’t hire Jim Leyritz as an advance scout, would we? Or Kent Hrbek as a janitor?
Oh, and Mike Minor:
20Ks, baby.
"Based on stereotypes that are totally untrue and I do not agree with, you would maybe-not be a very good driver..."
"Oh man am I a woman?!"
by Scott Coleman on Aug 9, 2010 5:21 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
'The Astros have a putrid offense'
…..but they have averaged over 5 runs a game since the break, for some reason. This worries me…..
Giants offense since the break has been stellar as well, but they didn’t do much against the Braves pitchers.
Twitter: @Ben_Duronio
Oh please
They played the Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Cardinals, and Brewers again. A team of Talking Chopers could score 5 runs a game against that.
"Based on stereotypes that are totally untrue and I do not agree with, you would maybe-not be a very good driver..."
"Oh man am I a woman?!"
by Scott Coleman on Aug 9, 2010 5:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah.....I'm not implying it's a good offense.....
…..just keeping my expectations low, considering…….well, you know……..a guy with under a year of professional baseball under his belt is making his MLB debut today. And I’m factoring the Braves lack of runs against such powerhouse pitchers as Livan Hernandez, Arroyo, and Miguel Bautista recently…..
by Undocorkscrew on Aug 9, 2010 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
risp hits will come
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Aug 9, 2010 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
The Astros have faced only division opponents since the Break until now. Of them, only the Cardinals have a real dominant pitching staff. Their record at home isn’t that stellar, either. I wouldn’t be worried.
The birth of Jason Heyward was God’s punishment for the sins of the people in New York and Philly.
I actually said that today....
Norris’s BAA with RISP is something like .375 or something in a relatively large enough sample size to conclude that he completely folds under pressure.
by Undocorkscrew on Aug 9, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
that’s ridiculous
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Aug 9, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
easy there
one the #6 org in baseball
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Aug 9, 2010 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions
sorry
don’t know how that wound up here
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Aug 9, 2010 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions
HEYWARD HR TODAY
It’s gonna happen. I’m using all my john smoltz psychic skills.
Short porch in left.....
…..it would be a good time for him to break the drought. Really hope he can lay off the low, outside off-speed stuff this series and drive the ball the other way like we all know he can.
by Undocorkscrew on Aug 9, 2010 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Hopefully, we will start calling him by the name “Mike Major” after tonight.
The only time the Mets win is in the offseason.
It is on the road...
but with their offense, and us seemingly putting the better P on there every day (at least every day besides today), I’m really hoping for a sweep. Getting a sweep in Houston would be a huge lift before a day off and the incoming homestand with LA and Washington.
Need to finish my thought..
Post fail! Thus sweeps are harder on the road, even if facing team like the Stros.
Disagree
Looking at both the pitching match-ups, and the offensive comparisons, there is no reason we should not sweep this series. This is an offense and rotation that has been depleted. And although Happ has had some success against us in the past, their offense still need to score runs. Our team ERA is 1.78 in the past 8 games. I will say, that if we do not sweep the series, I will be thoroughly disappointed.
The Mariners fired their manager today
but i think it was their GM Jack Z. plan for pitching and defense that failed miserablely
If Jason Heyward were to hit a home run off of you, you would have to fight the urge to thank him.
It wasn't his plan that failed, exactly.
I think a lot of his individual moves were good (except re-signing Griffey), even if they didn’t all work out this year (like Figgins). The big problem with the Mariners is that they had sky-high expectations with a not-ready-to-contend team. If the expectations had been in line with their actual talent levels, I think Wakamatsu still has a job.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Aug 9, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I don't know why they would fire him
I guess they just wanted someone to blame their troubles on. I think want happened to Griffey and the fight with Figgins probably didn’t help.
If Jason Heyward were to hit a home run off of you, you would have to fight the urge to thank him.
by bravesforever16 on Aug 9, 2010 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
True
Their situation reminds me a lot of the Marlins’ with Fredi Gonzalez. I don’t think either manager did anything wrong, but with a dysfunctional clubhouse and high expectations, they are easy targets.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Aug 9, 2010 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
easy there
on the #6 org in baseball
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Aug 9, 2010 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions
The Astros are hot, and we're playing in Houston
so this isn’t as easy a series as it appears at first glance. Still, you’d think we should be able to win 2/3 without too much trouble as long as Minor doesn’t crap the bed in his first start.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I have to disagree. The Astros have lost four in a row after winning seven in a row, and only two of those seven were against the Cardinals. I don’t think their offense will pose much of a threat to this pitching staff; they have the lowest home BA of any NL team (.251). I think a sweep is a realistic possibility.
The birth of Jason Heyward was God’s punishment for the sins of the people in New York and Philly.
I'm excited to see Minor pitch tonight!
I feel we can win this series. I’m not going to go as far as to say a sweep is in the bag. It seems we often play down to the level of the team we are playing, and play better against good teams that challenge us. I hope they prove me wrong, and get out of town with a sweep, but a series win would be fine to me.
Go Braves!
I know we are past the Giants, but those guys at McCC do NOT mess around. 907 comments in a post-game thread. Jeez.
MUST RECONFIGURE STRIKEZONE PARAMETERS TO ACCOUNT FOR FALLIBLE HUMAN UMPIRE - CyborgHanson48
they
comment quite a lot
"Tony Gwynn made sacrifices. Cal Ripken made sacrifices. I'm not sure Derek Jeter made sacrifices given the ungodly deep pockets the Yankees have." - Chipper Jones
______________
Nothing is worse than the end of the chip bag.
by MBL1 on Aug 9, 2010 6:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
and I thought we comment a lot.
Lebron has the ball, dribbles down the court splitting the lakers defenders with 5 seconds left on the clock with the game on the line in the 2011 nba finals game 7! Lebron pulls up from deep, in kobes face and drains the three pointer! HEAT WIN HEAT WIN!!! 89-88!!!!! BEEP BEEP BEEP then Lebrons alarm goes off and he wakes up and goes downstairs to eat a delicious breakfast made by Lebrons mom and Delonte West.
by Kobe:The Legend on Aug 9, 2010 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Shows we need to be stepping up our game. I consider this a personal challenge.
"Jason Heyward was a Greek philosopher reincarnated as a baseball player." - Don Sutton
Major Minor and Snagglepuss...
MUST RECONFIGURE STRIKEZONE PARAMETERS TO ACCOUNT FOR FALLIBLE HUMAN UMPIRE - CyborgHanson48
So who's Snagglepuss?
"Give him the heater Ricky."
glen hubbard?
don’t know why but it was the first name to come to mind
Mickey Minor
A baseball diamond is, most simply, the intersecting of four 90-foot baselines, and, most powerfully, the intersecting of seemingly random lives.
If he ends up dominating...
then I say we stay modest and call him our Minor Threat.
"If I’m batting behind him (Heyward), I tell the umpire, ‘Will you please check that ball,’" Diaz said. "And he’d be like, ‘It didn’t hit the dirt.’ And I’d go, ‘It might be flat.’ He hits the ball so stinking hard."
bloopers
doesnt matter wheather a blooper or a HR beats you. only thing that happened last night was that the braves got DUSTED. poor team performance. other than the job minor did – no positives whatsoever. the AAA astros beat the veterans. the young ones have something to prove and they did last night. veterans – take note
by llabyug on Aug 10, 2010 11:00 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
There’s still two more games left in this series, Astros fan.
Or are you just bitter that we swept you earlier in the season, to a tune of 21-4??
-C
by cthabeerman on Aug 10, 2010 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
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