Braves vs. Phillies Series Recap
by TonyAlmeyda on Apr 11, 2011 9:00 AM EDT
in Series Previews & Recaps
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PrintThe Braves came home from a 3-4 road trip hoping the home environment would deliver the offense a spark against the Phillies daunting rotation. Unfortunately for them, that didn't turn out as well as expected. Here's the Good, Bad and Ugly from the series.
GOOD
Friday's offense: The Braves continue to have their way with Cliff Lee. With his outing on Friday, Lee has been tagged for 15 runs on 31 hits in 19.1 innings against the Braves.
Alex Gonzalez: Gonzalez was 4 for 11 in the series with three doubles and boosted his average to .250. If he keeps hitting like this, Jason Heyward won't need to...nope, nope...not going there.
Chipper Jones reaching 2,500 hits: It took 2,269 games, but Chipper finally reached the 2,500-hit mark, singling off Antonio Bastardo in the sixth inning Friday. He is still three RBI away from 1,500 and three doubles away from 500. Can he reach 3,000 hits? He'd require 167 hits this year plus the next two years provided he decides to play that long to reach it; he'll be 39 this year.
BAD
Lack of run support for Derek Lowe: Lowe has now had two straight starts with zero runs behind him and carries a 1.45 ERA despite two losses. Since Lowe's win on Opening Day, the offense in his two previous starts sports an anemic 7 for 56 (.125) Yes, he's had Gallardo and Hamels opposing him, but the offense is better than this.
RISP hitting: The offense was 8 for 25 with RISP; that doesn't seem so bad since it's a .320 average, but consider the Braves were 6 for 14 (.429) on Friday and 2 for 11 (.182) since.
4-5-6 hitters: Brian McCann, Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward were a combined 5 for 31 (.161). Everyone else: 18 for 65 (.277); Uggla himself was 0 for 11.
Brandon Beachy: He wasn't as sharp as he was in his Milwaukee start; allowing seven hits and four runs in six innings, and the Phillies have tagged him for all three of his losses in his young career.
UGLY
Saturday's bullpen: Fredi Gonzalez may get his fair share of criticism for his bullpen management in a close game, but it's up to the pitchers themselves to get hitters out and keep the game close if their team is losing. George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink definitely did not do that; they're going to have to pitch better than they did if the Braves intend to hang around with the Phillies all season.
Shane Victorino stealing bases with a five-run lead Saturday: I swear, did he and Nyjer Morgan graduate with honors from the BUsh League Baseball Academy (BULBA)? This only cements my dislike for him.
NEXT OPPONENT
The Braves continue their homestand against the 5-4 Marlins, starting Tuesday.
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Saturday... a tale of two At Bats
Carlos Ruiz and Jason Heyward. It was the best of at-bats; it was the worst of at-bats.
Both up with with the bases loaded.
Ruiz hit a granny.
Jason popped out.
And that’s pretty much the microcosm of the series: the Phillies seemed to take advantage of almost every run-scoring opportunity while [except for Friday] the Braves failed to cluster their hits enough to make serious dents in the scoreboard.
Also, I told my wife just as Sherrill appeared on Saturday – oh boy, there’s 3 runs.
Since Linebrink was also involved, it turned out to be 6.
Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"
Let us not forget Your 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants© beat Lee in the postseason. Twice.
The man is human. His time is nigh.
LIVE EDT
Tape-delayed for the West Coast
I’ve never been terribly impressed with Lee. I don’t think he’s worth the money he got. Halladay may be, but not Lee.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree. The Giants went into the postseason with what was considered an anemic offense that was supposed to present no threat to Philadelphia or Texas. But they vanquished the enemy. If they could do it, the Braves, with a very well-respected lineup, can definitely hold their own.
LIVE EDT
Tape-delayed for the West Coast
I love that picture
if only because it looks like Bastardo is doing the Peanuts shame walk.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
BEST PART is that by him giving up hit #2500 to Chipper...
…the replay of that hit will forever show it happening against a Philly.
"Curve: The loveliest distance between two points." ~ Mae West
Correction.
You get sent down for a 5.15 ERA in a pitching-rich organization…not losing 10 games…
just to stir the hornets nest...
the 4-5-6 hitters are in the bad column… Heyward fills the 5 and 6 spot in that list… Maybe he should be our 8 hitter… :-P Take the pressure off him.
This team is going to be fine. We played a good Phillies team who is performing well out the gate. Kimbrel is proving his worth and Freeman hasn’t bombed. He hasn’t been great but he’s playing magnificent defense and his offense hasn’t killed up.
Uggla on defense has been solid if not great and Prado’s ability to play anywhere on the diamond and perform is admirable. Our starting pitching has been solid and Hanson will bring it together probably as soon as this series.
I will say this, the Marlins are not a BAD team and will play us hard. Hopefully our team isn’t overlooking them thinking they will be a confidence builder because their starting pitching is quite good and the line up can score runs but at the end of the day, we’ve played good teams to start our season and we will bounce back just fine.
I can’t wait for Tuesday so we can get on a winning streak! :-) GO BRAVES.
Victorino
Is a little bitch
"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann
by HansonManCrush on Apr 11, 2011 9:44 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
The Phillies are hitting an MLB best .384 on balls in play, which is clearly not sustainable. I think we saw a lot of bloopers and dribblers that found holes this weekend that can really only be blamed on bad luck.
The Phillies have a .384 BABIP and the Braves have a .261. League avg for ten years is right around .300 so we should see the Braves pick it up.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Let’s not let Fredi off the hook so easily either. Sherrill should never face another right handed hitter in his career and bringing in a reliever that has given up 40 home runs over the past 4 seasons to pitch with the bases loaded (when you have far superior options at your disposal) seems like a fairly dumb idea. While we should hope that major league pitchers will find a way to get hitters out, let’s not act surprised when they fail in situations that they have no business pitching in.
They may have to hospitalize Sid Bream!
-We miss you Skip!
by RaymondBatista on Apr 11, 2011 10:07 AM EDT reply actions
I concur w/ this train of thought...
however, if we’re paying a man to pitch in the MLB, he’d better be worth more than one batter per game. Otherwise, he’s a waste of space and should be sent off to mars or AA w/ another pitcher who can’t buy a win… At least that pitcher has a decent ERA and gives a team a chance…
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Not to pick an argument about a stale topic but…
Why is it that people think KK is in AA because he went 1-10? He’s not in the bigs because he had a 5.15 ERA in 2010 and a no-trade clause…
Only because there’s a lull in my work right now… I will respond to this.
Kawakami does not win games. He is not an Ace or a number 2 or 3 starter… On some MLB teams he could be a 4. On most, he would be a 5 and he would be a decent option.
K/9: 6.1
K/BB: 1.84
WHIP 1.395
Run support: lowest in the league…
Not to be a sympathizer but come on, how frustrating must it be to pitch well enough to win but only have 1 or 2 runs as padding?
The Braves are excellent talent evaluators and know what they are doing but I think they are wrong here. Kawakami could pitch in long relief. He’s better than Linebroke and Sherwon’t. Maybe the bullpen is where he belongs, we’ll never know. Oehara seems to be ok there. Just my thoughts.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
As Derek Lowe said after yesterday's game...
you have to outpitch the other pitcher. You can’t sit in fantasy land (I mean fantasy baseball, not being condescending) and leave after 6 IP giving up only 2 runs on 5 hits and say “but my ERA was only 3 and my FIP was 3.50”…when you left the game with your team down.
Yes, it’s not the pitcher’s fault, and it sucks. KK wasn’t always giving up 1-2 runs a game…although yes he was unlucky sometimes…but no more unlucky than Huddy or Hanson or anyone else. Sometimes KK gave up 3-4 runs on a consistent basis, and ran up high pitch counts that didn’t allow him to complete 6 IP.
Fair enough BUT...
having the lowest run support in the league w/ at worst 5.2 IP/Game is pretty rough. It’s hard to have confidence in your pitching when you’re getting little to no run support. And to say the other pitchers have to deal with it, this is true but not on a consistent basis. He was a victim of this in both of his seasons and I can pull TC articles discussing it.
I am going to put a megafail in here but let’s look at his stats from his time in Japan.
Year Age Team W L SV ERA G IP SO
1998 23 Chunichi Dragons 14 6 0 2.57 26 161.1 124
1999 24 Chunichi Dragons 8 9 1 4.44 29 162.0 102
2000 25 Chunichi Dragons 2 3 0 4.77 14 60.1 24
2001 26 Chunichi Dragons 6 10 0 3.72 26 145.0 127
2002 27 Chunichi Dragons 12 6 0 2.35 27 187.2 149
2003 28 Chunichi Dragons 4 3 0 3.02 8 53.2 37
2004 29 Chunichi Dragons 17 7 0 3.32 27 192.1 176
2005 30 Chunichi Dragons 11 8 0 3.74 25 180.1 138
2006 31 Chunichi Dragons 17 7 0 2.51 29 215.0 194
2007 32 Chunichi Dragons 12 8 0 3.55 26 167.1 145
2008 33 Chunichi Dragons 9 5 0 2.30 20 117.1 112
2009 34 Atlanta Braves 7 12 0 3.86 32 156.1 105
2010 35 Atlanta Braves 1 10 0 5.15 18 87.1 59
First thing I will point out is the fact that he never was a consistent pitcher in Japan. He put up 200 innings once in his entire career. He’s not a work horse. He’s not a strike out pitcher. He’s not an efficient pitcher. We didn’t pay him the money we did for those things… He was an aging pitcher who wanted a shot in the states. He delivered pretty much career norms for us in 2009. Nothing flashy and nothing great. We never should have expected him to be though.
He could win in japan… mostly… But he never went deep into games except for his one GREAT year.. but more and more, that looks like an abberation and what we got was a solid pitcher who could fill our #5 slot for a few years while the younglings caught on… Worse case scenario would be transplanting him in our BP.
I agree w/ you that he’s not beating the other pitcher and that he’s not staying in games very long… but my point is, should we be surprised and did we overvalue him when we brought him over? Because of this, is the FO now f-ing up the handling of this player who could be in our MLB BP over such dead arms as the two who shant be mentioned…
I don’t really think I constructed this rant very well but I’m too lazy to edit it… hopefully something that makes sense has come from it.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Point taken.
He was insurance in case Huddy came back ineffective and moved on/retired…plus the relative youth and inexperience of our younger pitchers at the time. He was not signed to be a savior of Daisuke-level hype.
But look at a guy like Rodrigo Lopez last year, 200+ IP out of the 5 spot there. Yes, he was lit up for over +5.00 ERA…but it was Arizona. He still had the stuff to get guys out despite giving up quite a few runs (and a buttload of HRs).
:-) I like the comparison there... i was looking at him and Barry Zito
but Lopez may be a better comp… just because I’m a bleeding heart, this article was posted less than a year ago but shows the type of guy Kawakami is (at least in media relations)
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/kawakami-i-didnt-come-584964.html
nice chat though. Always love a hearty debate.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
how can you actually think this
like, seriously
by kbertling353 on Apr 11, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Because I don't play fantasy baseball.
There is no consolation for me as a Braves fan to say…“Yeah we lost, but statistically Derek Lowe had a great game”. Sorry. I won’t do it.
I’ll pay attention to his meaningful pitching stats to determine whether he gives our team the best chance to win…sure. Pitching at a rate that requires your offense to score 6 runs per game, however, is the direct opposite of that. I don’t buy the “lack of run support” argument at that point.
(last I’m going to say about this topic on this thread – I didn’t mean to reopen this debate yet again…sorry)
Lowe has given up 3 runs in 18.2 IP, 15K’s and 5 BB, a WHIP of 1.07, and the offense has scored a total of 2 runs in his starts. He has done his job.
"It's like winning a war...you need arms and money." Fredi G
No one said he wasn’t. Just wasn’t good enough yesterday.
by TBuzz on Apr 11, 2011 2:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sherrill is useless on this staff. A one out pitcher with two dominant LHP in the bullpen. I still think he is gone by the All Star break.
Linebrink is scary. 40 HR in 4 seasons as a reliever, oooof. The Braves will most definitely have to shore up the Sherrill/ Linebrink hole later in the season.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Phillies are still the team to beat and the Braves didn’t do anything to proves otherwise. Until Uggla starts raking the way the Braves expect him to, the team isn’t any better than last season.
I will again reiterate, I will be very surprised if Sherrill lasts the season with the organization. He is not a very good pitcher.
It may be bush that Victorino stole the base up 5. But the Phillies were making a point on the basepaths. They are going to be aggressive and make their mark that they are still the team to beat. They were running on McCann Friday like a little league team. They wanted to make a statement, they did, they beat the Braves 2 out of 3 and now the Braves must respond. Like I said, it may be bush, but it’s a signal the Phillies aren’t taking the Braves lightly and they are going to do the little things to get in their head. It’s part of the game.
Grrrr...
I’m not ready to admit the Phils are the team to beat… It’s too early to say that and one series will not change my mind. Understand the logic but the Brave in me has a hard time admitting that and perhaps there’s a meeting for that but I won’t attend. :-P
As far as how the Phils won, they won by playing baseball and beating us and our young manager. They played their style of game and led w/ dominate starting pitching (Lee aside) and a solid if not great offense.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh yeah – i don’t want to admit it. But the Phils took it to the Braves 2/3 without a healthy Utley. But I am not panicking, not at all. We just need to understand the Phils haven’t conceded anything otherwise even w/o Utley and Brown. It’s all good, the Braves have faced 4 Cy Young Caliber pitchers in ten games. Let’s give the O some breathing room and we will see it start to happen.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
4?
I’m only coming up with 3….are you counting Marcum? Or am I forgetting someone?
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably referring to Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Gallardo.
I'm a former CTU agent, so don't f--k with me!
The Braves didn’t face Halladay and Oswalt isn’t really a Cy Young contender…I was counting Hamels over him. That would give Gallardo, Lee and Hamels.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I was actually counting Oswalt, but you are right, he is no longer a real CYA candidate with the depth of talent in the NL. My point was mainly the 4/10 stretch g5 counting marcum) will not be duplicated many times at all through the year.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Until Uggla starts raking the way the Braves expect him to, the team isn’t any better than last season.
How disappointing would that be? I was really looking forward to having more than a 6 game division lead by the all-star break, but I guess I’ll just have to settle with the same old crappy numbers we put up last year.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Reply fail. Oy.
It’s what I get for taking the weekend off.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Yep, I get what you mean. And what I meant was, Uggla was brought in to help the Braves win the division and beyond. With Uggla, this team is set to challenge for a WS. But until he starts doing so, they are no better than a wild card team. So you made the point for me. Appreciate it.
This is not a panic button point, I believe that it’s an objective bias that UNTIL Uggla starts raking it like we know he can and will, the offense isn’t better than last year. And by that, I mean, they aren’t better….YET.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
We were a wild card team
because Chipper, Medlen, EOF, and Glaus got hurt. We were a wild card team because JJ couldn’t ever get over all the time he missed early in the year (deja vu, eh?). We were a wild card team because Heyward played for a month and change with a hurt thumb that he never fully recovered from. We were a wild card team because Nate had a hurt year (in more ways than one – imagine how much help he might’ve been if he hadn’t had to sit out for the concussion, and had more time to figure things out?). We were a wild card team because we were in a division with the team that ended the year with the best record in baseball.
We didn’t advance to the NLCS – not because of our team makeup, but because Prado (arguably our MVP last year) had a season-ending injury (if you don’t believe me, then keep in mind that aside from having his bat in the lineup, we also wouldn’t have had to start Conrad in the infield). It’s also probably worth pointing out that the team we lost to went on to win the whole kit-and-caboodle, so it’s not like we were struggling. We had four 1-run games against the eventual WS champions.
The point I’m making (which, I assure you, is markedly different from yours) is that unless we’re going to be riding the injury train again (which I find dubious), I’d gladly take last year’s performance for this year, because that would mean we’re still making a good push for the division. Anything Uggla can add to that is just gravy. That said, I will add that if you pay any attention whatsoever to Uggla’s career, you’ll note that a poor performance in April is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. He’ll have a hot May, and stay strong through most of the year. That’s just how he performs.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Sorry ma'am
I’m taken. ;)
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Oops
not “best record in baseball” – meant to say “best record in the NL.” Point still applies.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
I know what happened last year, I watched the entire season, it doesnt change my view of the comparison of the two, and last year by all accounts was a great season until the team literally broke down. If you use the injury bug as an excuse then you should look at Philly’s injury bug that bit them all the way into July (when Phil was only 3 games over .500) and when they hit full strength they passed the Braves with ease (winning 40 of their last 57) as the Braves’ limped to the finish. So it works both ways.
I also stated a when not if scenario on Uggla, I know his past statistics and I am confident that once he picks it up, the Braves will do so accordingly. And I am also aware the Braves have faced 4 CYA contenders in ten games and that ratio will not hold either. My confidence is high, but I still believe this Braves team is built to be better than last years team and should perform accordingly all else being equal.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
It does go both ways, but to be fair – I’d much rather lose a couple of key contributors in the middle of the season than lose several players down the stretch (a time, it should be noted, when the Phillies almost always perform well).
I think they are performing just fine, and will improve as the year goes on. Even if we drop 9 in a row, though, we can still be great contenders. It’s April, though, so let’s let them figure it all out before we try to compare the team to any other team, past or present :)
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Didn’t they have like a .700-.800 Win% down the stretch last season? It was ridiculous.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Let's Face it...
9 games in, the Phillies are a much better team! Their starters are better, their hitters are better, their defense is better, their manager is better (knows his team better for now), and I hate to admit it but their bullpen was money and is better!!!!
Hopefully this will change in time…but in time, they will get Utley back!
by Braves12 on Apr 11, 2011 10:20 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
FTFY
Their starters are better facing weaker teams, their hitters are better luckier (just look at the BABIP), their defense is better in no way, shape, or form better than ours, their manager is better (knows his team better for now) has managed his team for more than 9 games, and I hate to admit it but their bullpen was money and is better!!!! had a couple of good outings but is still nowhere near as good as ours.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Hey Duwanis
You missed a couple CRUCIAL statements in my post…
1) 9 games in, the Phillies are a much better team (you can’t argue that, they are playing with confidence, have a better record, and beat us in our park 2 out of 3)
2) Hopefully this will change in time
It’s 9 games. There’s 153 more. Things can change in a hurry. We could win 30 of the next 40, or be dealt injuries and lose 30 of the next 40.
I was responding to the situation at hand in the present…they are better, no way around it. Hopefully when we play the weaker teams (as you say they have…with us being one of them), we will get hot too!?!?
I don't think I missed any statements in your post
I’m saying they haven’t been better, they’ve just won more games. Most of what’s happened so far this year can be attributed to either luck or SSS.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
I was just remarking on that
Their luck has been insane.
I have never seen such a lucky team. Seems like every time their hitter checked his swing, the pitch broke in, struck the bat, and somehow fell for a hit.
by Santaklose11 on Apr 11, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Stating that the Philly bullpen is better is just laughable....
Most baseball people regard the Phillies’ bullpen as being pretty terrible. The Braves have one of the best bullpens in MLB, even accounting for how much Sherrill and Linebrink suck.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Take a pitch
Now I know I am not a major league hitter, but I cannot understand how a hitter(Chiper Jones in the case) will swing at the first pitch when the pitcher is having a hard time with the zone. Freeman did the same thing. And they did not even get a good AB. I know this is really trivial, but SHEESH.
by BraveFanInTennessee on Apr 11, 2011 10:36 AM EDT reply actions
I like aggressive
It’s better to be aggressive with runner’s in scoring position than to be overly patient. The pitcher has to get ahead, so being aggressive early in the count is the best time to hit. Read the post game comments, Chipper said this himself.
Makes sense...
If a pitcher is struggling, they’re going to really want to make sure that first pitch is a strike. In such cases, there’s a smaller chance you’re going to get a first-pitch breaking ball. So you can sit on fastball, and if it isn’t one, don’t swing.
Now, if the pitcher is well-known to have control problems, has had problems locating all day, or has had trouble with consecutive batters, sure, lay off for a pitch or two. I always cringe with first-pitch outs, but it’s not always a bad move to green light the first pitch in those situations.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
Hanson's lost velocity kicks off Marlins series
I think it was Simpson who pointed out in Hanson’s last start that two years ago we used to see a minimum of 92MPH on the gun, and mostly 93’s and 94’s. We just haven’t seen any of those 93’s and 94’s lately. Does anybody have any idea what happened to the hard throwing kid we brought up in ’09?
Is there an echo in here?
A) Hanson’s hit 93 a few times. Dunno about 94 yet.
B) His velocity will come back. It’s normal to see a couple MPH drop off of your speed at the start of a season, and isn’t worth worrying about unless it’s more significant than the drop in speed that Hanson’s exhibited so far.
C) The little drop in speed has had absolutely nothing to do with why he’s been hit so hard. He’s having command issues, and his breaking stuff is being a bit slow coming back.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Does it have to do anything with...
pacing himself for the added breaking pitches he seems to be throwing?
Does what have to do with that?
Are you talking about his speed, his command, or his breaking stuff being a bit off?
From the interviews he’s had, his command is more-or-less back now. The breaking stuff is being troublesome because of how hard he throws it – he’s having trouble keeping his slider a slider, and either throws it too hard (making it more of a cutter) or too soft (making it more of a slurve). This could have something to do with his velocity, but I’d be willing to bet that’s mostly just a “the season just started” kind of issue and we should see it back up to normal in his next start or so.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Was just curious. I noticed last year that Hanson was predominantly fastball/slider with an occasional curve in the first 3-4 innings…adding more curves and changeups as he went on.
Now it seems he’s trying to throw the entire repetoire from the gate…
I don't have any problems with this
although it could explain the difficulties he’s having with the slider.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
It was down almost every start last year, too
More often than not we saw him sitting around 91 rather than 93-94. I’m honestly wondering if it’s a change in approach – is he easing up to improve his command? Is he throwing more 2 seamers?
From what I remember by midseason he was consistently 92-93. Keep in mind in April, with cooler temperatures at game time the arm takes a bit longer to warm up. And some pichers are just slow starters, it takes them awhile to get their arm really flowing. Much like a hitter who takes a month to get his bat timing down, like say, Uggla, right Duwanis???
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember Tommy hitting 97...
on a strikeout last year. I think it was against San Diego in April in his 2nd or 3rd start. Now it could have been that Liberal Southern California radar gun, but maybe not?
yeah, that was April 14. Who knows…I think he’ll get it going.
by CharlotteChop on Apr 11, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Meh - we all know WHY the Phillies took the series.
..as someone (can’t recall who) stated in the OT…
Charlie Manual wore his lucky pink thong.
"Curve: The loveliest distance between two points." ~ Mae West
I'm not worried yet...
If our worst 10-game stretch of the season is 4-6, I’ll be thrilled. Many of the other solid teams in the MLB have had lackluster starts to the season.
Sure, we’ve lost 5 of 6, but our offense can’t be this putrid for long. We have too many good batters. Maybe Fredit should shake-up the batting order to give the team a spark.* Who knows? But it’s too early panic. At all.
*I am trying to get in another debate regarding who needs to bat where; I merely think switching up the order may help. Move McLouth to lead-off, move Uggla to the 7th spot. I don’t care, maybe we need move something around. Or not.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
I think...
1 – Prado
2 – Heyward
3 – Chipper
is the best thing we can do right now…let 4-8 sort itself out…
Isn't there a moratorium on this topic... ugh.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Apparently not, considering
it seems to rear its ugly head in every post I’ve read since ST.
CEO and Founder of the Draft Ryan Mallet bandwagon.
by DolphinNation on Apr 11, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I am NOT trying...
At this point, too many players are not hitting well. I don’t know if a line-up switch would even make a difference.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
WHY???
Why is BROOKS CONRAD on the team still?
There is no way he will see the field ever again after his circus clown imitation in last year’s final games.
But this year he has a slash of .000/.000/.000
Whatever he is being paid is TOO much.
Please cut him and find a RHB for the bench.
Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie!!
Wow... I don't think Books would appreciate this perspective much.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't appreciate this perspective much.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
I would agree that he isn’t very good, but he’s only had 4 AB’s. There’s really no need to post rate stats at this point.
by ducheneaux13 on Apr 11, 2011 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
yes, Brooks Conrad is the reason we lost this series.
Coming soon: winningugly visits Atlanta, takes dump in royhobbs’ Braves hat.
not to mention JFK
CEO and Founder of the Draft Ryan Mallet bandwagon.
by DolphinNation on Apr 11, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m cool with Boscan staying on the roster and Ross being used to PH as the rhb.
Twitter: @Ben_Duronio Stop calling Tommy Hanson "Big Red"
This ^
Ross is too good of a player to be used as a PH once in a great while, and start on Sunday’s.
CEO and Founder of the Draft Ryan Mallet bandwagon.
by DolphinNation on Apr 11, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I would agree that he isn’t very good, but he’s only had 4 AB’s. There’s really no need to post rate stats at this point.
Only thing I'm concerned about so far...
Is our team’s OBP. We were the best team in the leagueat taking a walk last year. Anyone want to take a shot at what our OBP is through 10 games??
How about a robust .287. TWO EIGHTY SEVEN. Obviously, we’ll improve that number, but it’s THE reason that we aren’t scoring a ton of runs right now.
To score runs...
a team must have people on base. Well articulated argument. I concur we will get better. and heck, you didn’t even knock the line-up in your analysis. I like it.
by Klemson Krash on Apr 11, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
This
I’m pretty concerned with our inability to take a walk this year. Last year we didn’t have a great hitting team, but we made up for it with walks. I know we’ve faced some good pitchers this year, but I would at least like to see some longer at bats.
by Chipper Pwns on Apr 11, 2011 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Motion
Everyone needs to put in their signature line “WIHB6” (Why Is Heyward Batting 6) so that no one ever has to say it again.
Also, if/when he does get moved I’m going to hate life too with all the “Why didn’t we do this earlier!?!?” and the “Finally!” posts. I’m sick of it and that hasn’t even happened yet!
Then the first time Heyward bats second and goes 0 for 4, everyone will turn into mastermike.
I'm a former CTU agent, so don't f--k with me!
If it mattered how well anybody was hitting on any given day
half of these lineup discussions wouldn’t have happened.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Heyward is clearly struggling after going 0 for 4....
Maybe he should be benched?
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 11, 2011 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions
ok
I have heard enough,the phillies are simply the better team,make all the excuses you want,thats the bottom line.We went out and proved it!!
ITS OUR YEAR!!
Enjoy that moderator flag
Hope you wear it well.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
+2
CEO and Founder of the Draft Ryan Mallet bandwagon.
by DolphinNation on Apr 11, 2011 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I think I know that girl in your picture...
but I can’t tell because last time it was dark and she wasn’t wearing clothes.
by Chipper Pwns on Apr 11, 2011 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously?
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Apr 11, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
By this, I mean “thats what you arte going with?” not “do you really know her?”
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Apr 11, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Lord knows it's not my best work.
Let’s make this fun. You got anything better?
by Chipper Pwns on Apr 11, 2011 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions
C'mon everyone.
Get your tasers….
"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
by MBL1 on Apr 11, 2011 10:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Since we don’t have Diaz in the outfield anymore, they will probably be necessary.
by Chipper Pwns on Apr 11, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I think I know that girl in your picture...
but I can’t tell because last time it was dark and she wasn’t wearing clothes.
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