Phillies Hammer Braves Bullpen 10-2
by TonyAlmeyda on Apr 9, 2011 4:08 PM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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PrintThe bullpen was the strength of the 2010 Braves. Not so much in this game. The Phillies beat up on three Atlanta relievers in a 10-2 drubbing.
Once again, the Phillies drew first blood in the first inning. Shane Victorino led off the game with a double, but Brandon Beachy retired the next two batters before issuing an intentional walk to Ryan Howard. Ben Francisco followed the walk with a single to score Victorino.
The Braves broke through against Oswalt in the third. After Alex Gonzalez led off the inning with a double to right, Freddie Freeman drove him in with a single to left to tie the game. After Beachy's sacrifice bunt, Martin Prado singled to right, but Ben Francisco fumbled the ball allowing Freeman to score the go-ahead run.
The lead didn't last long, though. Beachy retired Howard and Francisco in quick fashion but issued a four-pitch walk to Raul Ibanez. Brian Schneider followed by depositing a fastball for a two-run homer to right.
The Braves had a very good scoring opportunity in the sixth. With two outs, Chipper Jones singled to left; Brian McCann and Dan Uggla both walked to load the bases. However, Jason Heyward hit an infield pop-up to squander the threat.
The game turned ugly in the seventh. Beachy was pulled after giving a leadoff single to Raul Ibanez. Fredi Gonzalez opted to bring in George Sherrill; the Phillies countered with John Mayberry and he delivered a single to left. Wilson Valdez followed with a walk to load the bases. When Carlos Ruiz entered as a pinch hitter, Fredi Gonzalez countered with Scott Linebrink. That turned out to be a mistake because Ruiz smacked a grand slam home run to left, the first pinch-hit home run as well as the first grand slam of Ruiz's career. Ryan Howard added an RBI double in the inning.
The Phillies added two more in the eighth: with one out, Michael Martinez singles to center and scores on Ruiz's two-out double. Ruiz then scored on Shane Victorino's fourth hit of the game.
Alex Gonzalez reached a personal milestone: his third-inning double was the 300th of his career.
Atlanta's Bullpen:
3.0 IP, 8 hits, 6 runs
The bullpen was not well-managed in this game, and Fredi Gonzalez will almost certainly be asked about the decision to bring in Linebrink instead of Peter Moylan. Sherrill and Linebrink will certainly need to pitch better than this, especially against a team like the Phillies. It's still early in the season, but it's no less disappointing.
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Today's game was Linebroke.
No worries…we take the series tomorrow.
.
"Curve: The loveliest distance between two points." ~ Mae West
You need to trademark Linebroke™.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
No worries here, Phillies beat our #5 well acutally our lackluster bullpen for today only though. Tomorrow is another day guys and we can still take the series don’t paniac lol.
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Apr 9, 2011 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
This was a demoralizing loss....
Also, I hate George Sherrill.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 4:17 PM EDT reply actions
hold the phone
demoralizing loss….
those are when you’re up by 8 in the 4th and lose.
this just sucks.
by apoxonbothyourhouses on Apr 9, 2011 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Our "veteran presence" in the BP...
is it really necessary? don’t we have Tom Glavine and John Smoltz somewhere in the FO to give our guys some mentorship? Do we really need Linebroke and Sherwon’t in our pen?
Frank Wren knew this club had offense problems, so he got Dan Uggla and declared the offense to have been fixed. Then he decides to screw with the bullpen and brought in two clowns that make Kenshin Kawakami look unhittable. Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrell didn’t need more “mentoring” than they got last season from Billy Wagner and the rest of the bullpen, but he had to get a couple of guys that were just godawful last season as a “veteran presence”. Gah…
I have a great idea
Let’s be like the Philadelphia fans after a loss. It can be our therapy.
Step 1: Insult the fans of the other team, calling them very original terms like ‘stupid’ and ‘inbred.’
Step 2: Make fun of the city, and how terrible it is to live there. While they often will mention that we don’t support our team, we can make fun of their battery throwing and vomiting. Sweet!
Step 3: Discuss a well-publicized scandal (It seems like they like to bring up Bobby Cox. I think Michael Vick should work).
Step 4: Basically go on rants about how superior we are as a team, a city, a population, and anything else we can come up with. Trust me, it will make us feel SO GOOD about ourselves after a loss like this.
I know we’re all a bunch of dumb Southerners (did I spell that correctly?), but I’m sure we can give them a run for their money.
2 words why Atlanta > Philly
Temple University.
"Kill my boss?! Do I dare live out the American dream?" - Homer Simpson
you shut your mouth haha
Besides what does ATL have? Georgia State?
No, Atlanta>Philly because Atlanta isn’t a grimy post-blue collar wasteland where no one actually wants to live.
Say 'Hi' to Bill Cosby for us!
"All told, Philadelphia stadiums house the most monstrous collection of humanity outside of the federal penal system." - GQ
Georgia Tech
is in Atlanta.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
by -InsertWittyNameHere- on Apr 9, 2011 5:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Georgia State? LOL
ATL has georgia tech… one of the top schools in the nation
by LetGMadduxPlayCF2011 on Apr 9, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m guessing in your case Fantasy would have to > Reality…..
Formerly... "You don't have to be sweet, to be good"
by Ed Van Chimp on Apr 9, 2011 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Obviously you must prefer schools...
where the hardest part is getting in, your family fortune is probably the most important factor, and once you’re in do everything in their power for you not to fail. This is the Ivy League system. Emory’s medicine and business schools are both world class and better than anything Penn has to offer.
For those of us who went to difficult schools where the threat of failure surrounded us daily (Georgia Tech)…just saying you’re Ivy League and thats why youre better makes me laugh…
by TBuzz on Apr 10, 2011 9:21 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Don’t forget the fact that we’re all in the KKK, and mvhsbball is the Grand High Wizard.
DON'T GO TO SLEEP EARLY OR JEFF FRANCOEUR WILL HAUNT YOUR DREAMS AND LOWER YOUR OBP. - Scott
SWEET
Am I the first non-white person in the KKK?
What a glorious achievement for my people!
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
No, I don't watch Jerry Springer.
Remember, I’m not white.
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
White people humiliate themselves all the time...
it’s called SEC football.
by TBuzz on Apr 9, 2011 8:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Clayton Bigsby...
the blind racist
Jack Parkman up to the plate, he does that little shimmy that makes the women here in Cleveland puke.
by ChippersMyLifeCoach on Apr 9, 2011 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
The only thing I will give them...
is that there isn’t a show call It’s Always Sunny In Atlanta.
Jack Parkman up to the plate, he does that little shimmy that makes the women here in Cleveland puke.
by ChippersMyLifeCoach on Apr 9, 2011 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
It is ok... tomorrow is a new day.. blah blah blah...
I would promise this is my last dose of happiness but it includes a unicorn and lord knows how cute those little buggars are… I might just blow my load here (and no TWSS) on rainbows…
But… we played hard against a tough pitcher yesterday (Lee) and we didn’t suck against a good one today… Our BP had an off night and while I have commented above about their… short comings, I have a very good feeling about tomorrow. Should be a fantastic game and while I may be in the minority of those who think Minor should stay in the majors (what does that have to do with anything here…)… I love this team and while i’m not brave enough to use the “believe” word again… I will re iterate that…
WE CAN DO IT!!!! allllll niiiiiiiggggghhhhtttt loooonnnnngggggg…
don’t lose hope!
If I had to rank the Braves' bullpen by order of pitcher effectiveness.....
1a. Kimbrel
1b. Venters
2. Moylan
3. EoF
4. Martinez
7a. Linebrink
7z. Sherrill
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 4:40 PM EDT reply actions
EOF above Moylan. EOF didnt give up a run all spring and has been pretty good so far
by PhuckthePhillies on Apr 9, 2011 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I can’t wait for Medlen to come back so we can have some really good middle relief in the bullpen again.
Follow me on Twitter. It's fun. @spamgoddess
Krabs Medallion.....
I miss him so much.
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Only problem is that he isn’t back till August :(
by PhuckthePhillies on Apr 9, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Shh, don’t remind me.
But yes, I know. I’m praying that our starters can pitch through 6 every night so Moylan/EOF can hold down the 7th, Venters in the 8th and Kimbrel in the 9th. It’s the only way I’ll be able to stay sane, I think.
Follow me on Twitter. It's fun. @spamgoddess
So much for the veteran leadership
Watching Linebrink and Sherill out there makes me miss Wagner even more.
Someone needs to make a Braves history class
wow
how times have changed…I remember being happy to have Sherill on my fantasy team picking up saves for Baltimore a few years ago…
K/W Effect: any current lead is equal to or less than the amount of runs surrendered by your closer when effect is active. The way in which these runs are surrendered is the variable and is everchanging.
by Kolb-Wickman Effect on Apr 9, 2011 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
After taking out my frustrations
with Shaun T and Insanity, I’m still mad we lost, or really more about how we lost. Frustrating to go from Heyward up with the bases loaded and a chance to take the lead to the mess that was the bullpen. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and we’re still in position to take the series, so there is that.
Who got shelled in the bullpen? I missed it. (Thankfully.)
"I'll give any teller who gives me a lollipop 4 stars."-Chip Kelly
by TennesseeQuackAttack8 on Apr 9, 2011 5:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sherrill and Linebroke™
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
though the game was already pretty much over by the time he came in…
by Santaklose11 on Apr 10, 2011 1:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Georgia State? LOL
ATL has georgia tech.. one of the top schools in the nation
by LetGMadduxPlayCF2011 on Apr 9, 2011 5:32 PM EDT reply actions
I slept through the game.
Blame me for the loss. I take full responsibility. GD’it. Win the series tomorrow baby!
Missed all the fun
My Fox station would cover Yankee batting practice if they could.
I see that Sherrill threw up in the sandbox again.
"All told, Philadelphia stadiums house the most monstrous collection of humanity outside of the federal penal system." - GQ
JRoll is playing like it’s a contract year.
lol, and I genuinely hate Carlos Ruiz.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 9, 2011 5:51 PM EDT reply actions
Living on a prayer - Braves edition.
Beachy used to work on the mound
Hitters went on strike, he’s down on his luck
It’s tough.
So tough.
Fredi works the dugout all day
Workin’ for the team, he brings home his pay
For love
For love
He says:
We gotta hold on to what we’ve got
It doesn’t make a difference if we win ‘em or not
We got each other and that’s a lot, for love.
We’ll give it a chop!
Ohhh, we’re half-way there
Whooaaa, livin’ on a prayer
Take my glove, we’ll make it I swear
Whooaaa, livin’ on a prayer.
That’s all I got so far (not supposed to mean the Braves are livin’ on a prayer, just got bored :))
"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 9, 2011 6:18 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 4 recs
Rec'd
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Here you go
Minor’s got his gloves and his balls,
Now he’s in Gwinnett
When he used to make starts
It’s tough
So tough
Bobby’s era has gone away,
Fans cry in the nighttime,
And we whisper,
Baby, it’s okay, someday.
We gotta hold on to what we’ve got
It doesn’t make a difference if win ‘em or not
We’ve got Jason and Uggla,
And that’s a lot for love
We’ll give it a chop!
Whoooa, we’re halfway there
Whoooa, livin’ on a prayer
Get your tomawhawks and we’ll make it I swear
Whooa, livin’ on a prayer
LIVIN ON A PRAYER!
(Guitar solo)
We’ve got to hold on, ready or not
You live for the game when that’s all that you’ve got!
Whoa, we’re halfway there
Whoa, livin’ on a prayer
Take my glove and we’ll make it I swear
Whoa, livin on a prayer,
Whoa, we’re halfway there…
(fades out)
"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 9, 2011 7:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
and how is that a bad thing?
"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 9, 2011 7:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You should be
Teaching yourself to pitch so that we don’t have to throw Sherill and Linebrink out there.
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
good idea
Do you think the Braves would sign a teenage girl?
"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 9, 2011 7:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That's perverse.
'There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you'll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment,'- Nick Saban
Have you heard of Freddie Freeman's taste in music?
I think that they might have already signed a teenage girl…
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
Justin... Bieber.
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
maybe its just bc he has big hands which allows for more holding space?
Shark in the water.
by AvoidTheDolphin on Apr 9, 2011 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't come here
to gloat…especially after the 8th game of 162…that is just stupid. I was curious about the move to bring in Linebrink instead of Moylan. I would think with the bases loaded he’d be looking for a potential DP and Chooch is a great candidate for that with a sinkerball pitcher like Moylan….am I missing something?
"Francisco!...that's fun to say!" - Buddy
Honestly.
We’re not sure either.
"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 9, 2011 7:15 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No clue. I was clamoring for Moylan after the Mayberry single.
"I am here to be real and state the things you are all to scared to say because you don’t want to get your feelings hurt or you don’t want to hurt these bloggers feelings. I mean did you read this garbage preview? I mean seriously, it was a pile of crap." - Mastermike
I think the bigger question is
what the heel is Linebroke thinking throwing a waist-high 90mph fastball over the middle of the plate on an 0-2 count…
seriously even little leaguers know better…at least I did when I was in little league
by Santaklose11 on Apr 10, 2011 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Freddie Freeman quietly has a 3 game hit streak
With a run scored in all 3 games.
Just wait until he catches fire like he always does. He will be having multi-hit games out the wazoo.
When he’s hot he can carry the team. He’s going to drop some jaws here soon.
Nathan Richard - Please come home. We all miss you.
And then you’ve got guys like Prado, Chipper and Heyward who routinely have multi-hit games…..
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 9, 2011 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions
True.
If Chipper stays healthy, and McLouths keeps around a .255 avg our lineup will be scary good by mid May when Uggla and Freeman get going.
Shark in the water.
by AvoidTheDolphin on Apr 9, 2011 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions
On the plus side...
I thought it was mildly encouraging that yesterday we showed we could actually hit Lee and today we could hit Oswalt to some extent.
OT: MLB the Show 11
I don’t even want to talk about the game today.
Quick question, gameplay wise, is MLB the Show 11 worth buying if you have last year’s version?
I know there’s a FanPost for the game, but I want to know what y’all think after playing for a bit.
Not as concerned about RTTS mode.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
by Jman781 on Apr 9, 2011 8:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Venters and Kimbrels ratings are a joke.
But they project an A rating. Heyward is a beast in that game. I have been pillaging with him. Gameplay is good enough. You always have to buy the new one!
Fredi G was not on his game!
1) Beachy should have Bern pulled for pinch hitter bottom of 5th with tying run at 2B…result is a Beachy K.
2) Beachy should have NEVER gone out for the7th…he dodged a major bullet escaping the 6th. He couldn’t locate anything of substance and the rookie gave us 6 IP and 3 runs…good effort. But the lead off 2B by Ivanez opened the flood gates!
3) Sherill should not be in after letting 1 guy get on…should have been pulled.
4) Moylan needed to be a part of the 7th, somewhere
5) Linebrink…really?
If Beachy is pulled early, after 6, we could have gone with Moylan, Venters, EO, and used Linebomb and Sherill the terrible in a situational spot.
We need to use our pen to keep a close game close, not let a game get away from us. Our starter didn’t have it today, but competed. Our pen would have sucked in the Sally League today!
by Braves12 on Apr 9, 2011 9:39 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Meh...
Todays game didn’t bother me as much as any of the brewer losses. Tomorrows a new day. Go braves! Take the series tomorrow.
Rubber match tomorrow, which we can take!
But how long will we give McClouth his chance? Shafer isn’t ready yet, but can be wait til July to get a legit CF?
C'mon.
Really? I’m really tired of the McLouth (bolded for a reason) haters everywhere. He’s putting together a tough season so far, and is looking miles better at the plate this year. Give the guy a break; he’s not doing poorly.
"You can't defense that!" -Gary Thorne, after Brian Roberts' go-ahead home run in the 8th inning of an O's game vs. TB
yea im not understanding the hate on him either. Tonight was the first night besides OD in WAS where he didn’t have a hit. Every other game he has gotten a hit and his average has been consistently rising until tonight. Some are jumping on the fact that he has been striking out a little but he is on pace for only 108 Ks.
by drumzalicious on Apr 9, 2011 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course
talking about what you’re on pace for after 9 games is kind of silly.
THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com
Tonight was the first night besides OD in WAS where he didn’t have a hit.
and he still had an RBI. I am not getting the hate either. His power numbers are down thus far but it is early and he is obviously seeing the pitches way better than last year. he is hitting fine thus far…
by Santaklose11 on Apr 10, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions
He’s putting together a tough season so far, and is looking miles better at the plate this year.
Last season – .620 OPS
This season – .515 OPS
I know its extremely SSS, but I’m just sayin. He’s looked “eh, not awful” which, yes is an improvement from last year but still not that good.
Nathan Richard - Please come home. We all miss you.
and its going up every game.
sitting at .575 right now
by drumzalicious on Apr 10, 2011 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
McClouth and Shafer?
Who are they? Did the team make a trade?
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 10, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Disappointing.
I can understand Fredi not going to Moylan since he has started the season kind of rough already and his last outing against the Brewers wasn’t the most impressive. Not to mention he shouldn’t have to depend on only Kimbrel, Venters, EOF, and Moylan to finish games. He should be able to go to Linebrink and Sherrill.
Whats sad is that I get the feeling he already doesn’t trust Linebrink and Sherrill too much as he lately seems to try and squeeze every bit he can out of our starters and we are only in the 2nd week of the season. I was completely surprised when Beachy went back out there. Even Huddy going back out last night was somewhat surprising since the season had just started.
Either way I really hope that Sherrill and Linebrink get it together otherwise we will be seeing Venters everyday again.
Man it would be nice for Wagner to “unretire”
I agree, I miss Wags
I was disappointed not having him for another season. Don’t get me wrong, I have faith in Kimbrel as a closer, but it’s not about that. Kimbrel not having to close means we have an extra dominant arm in the bullpen. That would be amazing, especially over the course of an entire season.
Per some of his post-game comments, Fredi seems very concerned with preserving the bullpen… if this is going to be a trend I seriously hope our offense gets going soon so he has some more flexibility.
What good is preserving the pen if our starters are burnt by July!!! Beachy’s is a rookie, protect his arm and create positive situations for him. Letting him hit in the 5th was pointless…running him out there to start the 7th…idiotic!!!
Huddy went way too far the night before. He wasn’t sharp all night, and he’s a year removed from TJ and is aging…be smart.
There’s a difference between over using the pen and keeping them fresh.
I don’t get it…Huddy was strong on Friday and the pen worked quickly and efficiently. Beachy was gutting it out with limited stuff and went 6…down 3-2…let your pen hold and offense win it. Our ace is going today…go after the win on Saturday!!!
Gonzo and Wren don’t trust Linebomb or Sherill “The Terrible” and they won’t be there long.
by Braves12 on Apr 10, 2011 9:19 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What good is preserving the pen if our starters are burnt by July!!! Beachy’s is a rookie, protect his arm and create positive situations for him. Letting him hit in the 5th was pointless…running him out there to start the 7th…idiotic!!!
Huddy went way too far the night before. He wasn’t sharp all night, and he’s a year removed from TJ and is aging…be smart.
There’s a difference between over using the pen and keeping them fresh.
I don’t get it…Huddy was strong on Friday and the pen worked quickly and efficiently. Beachy was gutting it out with limited stuff and went 6…down 3-2…let your pen hold and offense win it. Our ace is going today…go after the win on Saturday!!!
Gonzo and Wren don’t trust Linebomb or Sherill “The Terrible” and they won’t be there long.
by Braves12 on Apr 10, 2011 9:19 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Double post...
-2 for nonsense
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 10, 2011 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It's just misuse.
There’s nothing wrong with carrying a LOOGY, but when he’s as extreme as Sherrill is, you absolutely have to be strict about his usage. Frankly, I would almost never bring him up in a high-leverage situation; it’s too easy for the opposing manager to do just what Cholly did today. But if you do bring him in and get caught out like that, never should you ever leave him in to face a second right-handed hitter. That was a fuckup of monumental proportions.
And then your solution to what is clearly going to be the highest-leverage pitching opportunity of the day is…Scott Linebrink?? Think about it, Fredi. What do you need here? Ideally, you need someone to come in and strike out the side; don’t even give them a chance to plate a run. That’s Kimbrel. And I know, that’s completely against The Book and an affront to the laws of god and man, but honestly, he is not going to have a damn save opportunity later in the game if you don’t get out of this inning relatively unscathed. Or, if you’re worried that he’ll walk in a couple runs (as you should be), then bring in Venters to hopefully induce a DP grounder. But the thing that managers constantly, amazingly get wrong is that if a high-leverage situation arises before the 7th or 8th inning, they always prefer to lose with the dregs of their bullpen than to hold the line with their best relievers. It’s awful.
For the record.
Go f’n Nate McLouth. I’m in his corner. He’s got a hit in every game but two this season. Including one of the two against Gallardo The braves need him and I believe he’s gonna come through. From every thing I hear he’s one of the good guys in the league and I’m really pulling for him. I hope he makes all the haters eat their words. Go Nate and go Braves!
P.S He’s leading the team in runs scored. I’m sure one of you stat junkies has an advanced statistic showing why that doesn’t matter, but I don’t care. Go Nate!!
Nate's bad.
Well, ok, maybe he’s better than this, but so far he’s been pathetic this season. “A hit in every game but two this season”? What kind of a stupid stat is that? Anti-stats types seem to be the most likely to come up with some cherrypicked obscure, situational stat to prove whatever point it is they’re trying to make; and all the more statistically inclined fans are asking is that people look at the bigger picture.
Here’s the bigger picture on Nate: he’s hitting .250, and it’s about as an empty a .250 as you can get: 1 double out of those 7 hits on the young season. So, if he’s never made it past second on his own so far, and has only even made it that far one time, it’s the guys behind him who should be getting some partial credit for the fact that he has scored one single run more than Freeman, Gonzalez, Prado, and Heyward.
But frankly, this is all idiotic. You’re going to hang your hat on the fact that he has 7 hits in 28 AB, and 5 RS, good for probably a 20-way tie for 18th place in the league? No. You can’t. He’s hitting poorly. What you, my McLouth-loving friend, need to do, is to recognize that we actually can’t know anything about McLouth or anyone else based on results from 30 PA. That’s right: you have to swallow your pride and point out that what we’re looking at here is a meaninglessly small sample size.
Wow
What you don’t recognize is that I’m an old school fan. The gist of of what I was saying is that I am ROOTING for him. You mention that it is a ridiculously small sample size, but you bring up an awful lot of stats from that small sample size. I’m not looking for a fight from any of you guys. A braves fan is a friend of mine. I’ll be the first to admit that TC is loaded with people more intelligent than myself. A lot of people’s knowledge of the statistical side of the game really blows me away when I read this blog. I am 36 years old. Dale Murphy will always be my favorite baseball player. I like the smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs and popcorn. Sid Bream being called safe at the plate was one of the greatest moments of my life. I suffered through the 80’s. I know bad baseball. But I have rooted for every Braves player I’ve ever seen. I’m not gonna give up on Nate till he plays for another team. GO BRAVES!!!
Fair enough.
I should not have been so belligerent. Any Braves fan should be rooting for Nate to put it all together this year, and I know I am. I do think he has gotten off to a slow start, but I would like nothing better than to see him take off and really justify all the hopes that this team has pinned on him.
Agreed!
Here’s to 5 for 5 with 5 HR’s and 12 RBI’s for Nate tomorrow! (Uggla can hit two singles too)
Amen.
I love it. Thanks for being down on Nate, but realizing that we should WANT him to succeed. That’s fair, for Nate has not been the best hitter on the team, but HAS shown improvement, in my opinion. I’ve never understood how some commenters (not you) seem to want certain Braves to fail so that they can come on TC and say, “I told you so.” Whoopie.
How does rooting for failure benefit the team in any way? Sure, I am extremely frustrated with Sherrill and Linebrink right now (and wouldn’t be heartbroken if both were DFA’d); however, the next time each of them is on the mound, I want them to get nothing but outs. I would rather come on TC and post “Man, I was wrong about Sherrill” than “Man, Sherrill is awful and blew another game.”
Here’s to all Braves players having career-best seasons and dominant games!
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
That said...
That Uggla trade was horrendous.
I kid; I kid.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
Excellent
You took the words right out of my mouth. It seems like many here are quick to attack people on this blog. It’s usually the ‘stat’ guys, but like you, I love reading their insight (which I respect very much). I am 39 years old, and like you, I support every Braves player. Not saying that I don’t ever say something negative, but my support never wavers. Here’s hoping Nate has an excellent 2011.
McLouth
His problem is that we have a stud hitter in Heyward that we all know can hit in the 2 hole…so some haters hate him for what we know we can get from someone else and what we are not getting from him.
If Nate wants to hit singles and .250 in the 8 hole, beautiful! I know it’s early, but he needs to get hot. If he hits .280 this year, awesome. However, he could easily drop 30 points the other way and hit .220.
Where’s the bunt game? His biggest asset is speed…why is he not using the drag or push bunt to create offense and pressure? Right now we have a free swinging 2 hitter with no power!
Prove me wrong, Nate. Please!!!
by Braves12 on Apr 10, 2011 9:40 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Something else that's disturbing...
So Boscan was called up to “free up” Ross to hit more. So yesterday, when the tying run was at 2B with 2 outs in bottom of the 5th, why did Beachy still hit?
We had Hinske, Conrad, Young, and Ross at our disposal…and we let a pitcher hit down 3-2…and the pitcher was not on his game!
This is where I feel this game began to unravel.
by Braves12 on Apr 10, 2011 10:00 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
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