Freddie Freeman Burns The Marlins In Extras, Braves Win 3-2
by TonyAlmeyda on Jun 8, 2011 11:47 PM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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PrintSurprise! Another extra-inning game for the Braves!
The Braves wasted a great outing by Derek Lowe, but a 10th-inning rally sent the Marlins to their seventh straight loss with a 3-2 victory.
Both Lowe and Ricky Nolasco had mediocre numbers against their respective opponents, but they kept the game to another low-scoring contest. The Braves kicked off the scoring with Brian McCann's two-out double in the first inning to score Jordan Schafer. They would've scored more, but Chris Coghlan robbed Alex Gonzalez of a sure extra-base hit diving toward the outfield wall.
Lowe's performance, meanwhile, was reminiscent of his May 6 start in Philadelphia when he carried a no-hitter for six innings. He retired the side in the first inning and following a leadoff walk in the second, retired 16 straight batters before Greg Dobbs singled with one out in the seventh. Lowe loaded the bases with two outs and was pulled for Eric O'Flaherty. The Marlins countered with pinch-hitting Mike Stanton, but Stanton struck out swinging to end the threat.
Nolasco allowed one more run before being pulled in the eighth. Jordan Schafer tripled with two outs in the fifth and scored on Alex Gonzalez's single to center. The triple was the first of Schafer's career.
Jonny Venters did his job in the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel was brought on to close the door once again in the ninth. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, but walked Logan Morrison and surrendered a double to John Buck to bring up Mike Stanton. He didn't fail this time, driving a single to right to tie the game. The blown save was Kimbrel's fifth of the year.
The Marlins sent former Brave Mike Dunn out in the 10th for his second inning of work after working a scoreless ninth. He struck out Alex Gonzalez leading off and walked Chipper Jones before allowing a sharp single to Brian McCann. Freddie Freeman followed by delivering a base hit up the middle to score Chipper. Lefties had only been 5 for 35 against Dunn before McCann's hit.
Following Kimbrel's outing, the ball was given to Scott Proctor to close the game. He retired the leadoff hitter, but gave up a one-out double to Chris Coghlan, giving him a 22-game hitting streak against the Braves. Proctor was pulled after a walk to Omar Infante in favor of George Sherrill and he struck out Greg Dobbs on three pitches. Another pitching change brought in Scott Linebrink and he struck out Gaby Sanchez looking to end the game. The save was the first for Linebrink since July 3, 2009.
The Braves are now 7-6 in extra innings; the Marlins fall to 4-7 in extras.
Atlanta looks for the sweep on Thursday; Jurrjens vs. Volstad.
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Great to see Schafer have a bounce-back game. Those first 2 runs were all a result of him and his speed. Hopefully he can get at least another 2 weeks to show whether he belongs or not.
Also, Alex Gonzalez is pretty ok.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
Schafer looks like he belongs in the show to me…
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 12:10 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really like the energy and the speed that Schafer brings to the team.
by BravesFaninAZ on Jun 9, 2011 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Also, Alex Gonzalez is pretty ok.
Nate McLouth 2011 – .238 .332 .341 .673
Alex Gonzalez 2011 – .272 .325 .468 .793
They are making outs at nearly an identical rate. Alex has more power, but you get the point.
I find it amusing that you are one of the leading “McLouth sucks!” guys around here, yet McLouth has had successful PAs more often than Alex Gonzalez. But, Alex gets praise from you.
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 Jun 9, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Where's the damn edit button?
I copied the wrong stats for Gonzalez
Let me post them both again, side by side for effect:
Nate McLouth 2011 – .238 .332 .341 .673
Alex Gonzalez 2011 – .263 .294 .390 .684
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 Jun 9, 2011 1:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Well you know, Alex Gonzalez isn’t a -30 UZR fielder. That may have something to do with it.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
I’m not convinced that you were only talking about defense.
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 Jun 9, 2011 9:05 AM EDT up reply actions
And since you just love side-by-side numbers
WAR since the start of 2010
Nate Mclouth = -1.1
Alex Gonzalez = 4.6
Ohhh, man. Pretty close. Mclouth is only off by 5.7 WAR.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
by ATLandUNC on Jun 9, 2011 2:54 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It includes his Toronto half-season, but that’s it. 1.9 with the Braves…not sure what McLouth’s WAR was in 2010 when Sea Bass joined the team.
If we were to assume half of last year’s total, it’s a shift of ~2.5 WAR, but that may be a slightly high estimate because McLouth played better in the second half of last season.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
No he isn’t. Neither is McLouth. Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward are.
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 Jun 9, 2011 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Man, you’re obsessed.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
Obsessed with your obsession.
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 Jun 9, 2011 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
?
You bring Nate Mclouth out of nowhere into a game recap that has absolutely nothing to do with him.
Alrighty then.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
Just to show you that your fanpost that you created about him was a bit hypocritical, considering that he has been better than Alex Gonzalez at the plate, but you praise Alex Gonzalez – and if you were honest with yourself, you were not talking solely about his defense.
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 Jun 9, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Glad I missed out on this gamethread
I’m sure Kimbrel was getting killed again, even though he was clearly getting squeezed at the end of the 9th. First against Logan Morrison, where two of those balls on him rightly should have been called strikes. And then there was Mike Stanton, whom he had struck out, everyone walking to the dugout practically, before giving up the single. It’s not even that the ball was hit that hard, just in the right spot to get through.
Only real mistake that Kimbrel made was the double, and LoMo probably should never have been allowed to walk-certainly not on 6 pitches as he did, anyway. Kimbrel’s actually become the victim of bad luck a bit. Just seems like the only problem is that he throws so hard that when guys make contact, it’s coming back out pretty fast.
My buddy and I just decided that the braves would be set if we could get Matt Kemp, Jose Reyes, and Albert Pujols.
by willlinn on May 17, 2011 2:13 PM EDT
Im not buying what youre selling
Not including tonight, Kimbrel seems to make every game an “adventure” as Joe so aptly put it before an appearance before the Cards. He starts off throwing balls, which puts even more pressure on himself. Venters should have started the year off as closer. We would have 4 more wins if he had.
The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault. -Ty Cobb
that's purely speculative on your part about the 4 more wins
someone would have to pitch in the 8th inning in all these games, likely Kimbrel in your scenario, and you can’t say he would have been perfect like Venters has been.
No we wouldnt. Kimbrel would still be the same pitcher and he would still have to pitch the 8th inning. The current set-up is the best way moving forward.
Shark in the water.
by AvoidTheDolphin on Jun 9, 2011 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, you’re entitled to your opinion. All I will do submit this for your consideration.
Pitch #2 looks awfully like a strike, and pitch #4 is a very borderline call at best. People getting on Kimbrel for walking LoMo should be a bit more upset with Andy Fletcher.
My buddy and I just decided that the braves would be set if we could get Matt Kemp, Jose Reyes, and Albert Pujols.
by willlinn on May 17, 2011 2:13 PM EDT
Everyone who watched this game
Should be upset with Andy Fletcher. He blew it several times in the ninth to send it to extras, then turned around bent “Gaby” over a long for the final out.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Kimbrel is gonna pitch for us somewhere
so the Braves have chosen the closer spot. Venters is fantastic, and perhaps you are right. Who knows how he would respond to the pressure of closing. For right now, we are clearly sticking with Kimbrel. The kid has awesome stuff, and he IS figuring it out. I say let him pitch until he proves he can’t handle it. Tonight does not prove that. Like some other posters said, the ball and strike calling tonight was poorly done. I actually think Kimbrel is getting better as the year progresses.
by BravesFaninAZ on Jun 9, 2011 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions
One thing I’m wondering is how people do against Kimbrel with 2 strikes vs what they do with zero and one strike. I may be deceived by SSS, but it seems a lot of times Kimbrel gets hit when he gets 2 strikes on someone.
One thing I’ve noticed about Kimbrel is that he gets a little rattled when he gets a bum call. Then it seems like he wants to groove a pitch to prove that he can throw a strike. We all know that umps will squeeze a rookie pitcher who hasn’t shown that he can throw strikes consistently. Kimbrel just needs to keep working with it and not give in.
(Related to that: Fredi needs to not just sit on the bench like a dead cat when his pitchers are getting squeezed.)
This
you expect growing pains with any rookie pitcher, but especially one closing. He needs to learn to mix it up more. He tends to want to re-try a pitch over (especially his slider) if he misses or gets a bad call. He never throw the slider more than back to back (at least not for a strike) and never throw more than three fastballs near the zone back to back. He’ll get there.
Agree with you.
Of the Kimbrel blown saves, this one, while annoying, didn’t have the feel of the other games.
Luckily, we aren’t still playing the game. Our arms can’t take many more extra-inning games.
"Insert witty and/or funny quote here" ~ The Person Who Spoketh Said Quote.
Stanton was overmatched, was late on every pitch. The tying single he basically took out of Mac’s glove. It’s gonna happen sometimes with a closer.
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 12:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This one is all on that ass behind homeplate
He nailed the corner on Stanton and everyone knew it.
The only serious mistake Kimbrel made was one that he’s made before, namely falling in love with his slider and throwing it several times in a row to Buck. Mac needs to either not call for it in that pattern or at least make it clear to Craig that it’s not a good idea. You use an offspeed pitch as a change of pace, not to set the pace.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Bad luck indeed
I don’t know how to look it up, but I read that he has an alarmingly high BABIP on ground balls. And it just went up thanks to the Stanton seeing-eye single.
To anyone complaining about Kimbrel, just remember that we have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Don’t worry about Kimbrel, he is still absolutely filthy and he will remain our closer, and one of the best in the game. Instead, worry about Dan Uggla!
CK has the 8th highest reliever BABIP in the NL (.338 before today, and 2-2 on BABIP today). We don’t have enough information to know whether that is bad luck, but it was .281 in 2010 in 20 IP (even lower 2010 post season) and .238 in AAA in 2010. Let’s see where it looks after 30-40 more IP.
My guess is he’s been unlucky. He hasn’t helped himself with walks, which makes his margin for error on BIP much thinner.
It could be approach. One theory I’ve heard is that he gets wild “in the zone” with 2 strikes, making it a little easier for him to get hit. BABIP isn’t entirely a luck stat.
I’m not worried about Kimbrel, but I think this may be something that he needs to make an adjustment on to become an elite closer. Remember it took Wagner a few years to become elite himself.
My point
was not BABIP in general, only on ground balls. The double tonight was a line drive, u dont expect those to be caught. But ground balls shouldnt make it out of the infield at the rate they are against him. I think THAT is where bad luck has played a big factor.
One thing you’d want to look at (and I wish there was some data available) is infield positioning. Kimbrel has been pitching a lot with guys on base, and that effects how the infielders position themselves, such as the 1B having to cover the bag. Or, it could be that the coaching is doing Kimbrel no favors; they aren’t positioning the fielders properly given that it’s Kimbrel pitching to the batter. I’ll have to look at that the next time I watch a game on TV. For instance, it may be that they’re playing a lot of guys to pull, and given Kimbrel’s velocity, you’d think that not too many hitters are going to pull a ball against him. I also think Kimbrel needs to work on his own fielding — some of those seeing-eye grounders have been balls that went right past him.
I recall that the GT wasn’t ready to crucify Kimbrel with the blown save as much as the BLIND UMP that missed a crucial call and cost us run(s).
However, we all did expect a base runner as he took the mound, hoping it wouldn’t happen. He alllllmost got through the inning without one, but like I said, he made the pitch but wasn’t given the call.
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
Good to see EOF back at it again.
"One thing I’ve learned as a Phillies fan is that a lot of people hate our team and its fans."-commenter on The Good Phight
Kibosh on the Scott Proctor sucks talk...
How many guys are going to go down and hit his sinker in the dirt for an XBH?
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 12:09 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Most competent left hand batters.
That’s right on a tee for them.
He’s a bum. You need to face that fact.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Recent experience does.
He blew the Reyes game and did his level best to blow this one. he has a good arm but he has little to no idea how to get major league hitters out.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Before this outing…2.45 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP…upper half on the pitching staff for each. The Reyes hit was a hot player hitting a great pitch located perfectly. Put that on Proctor if you’d like…it’s a bit harsh.
Maybe you’re frustrated that he’s not the same caliber as O’Ventbrel…but we have to pitch other relievers. Or that he’s basically been “given” this bullpen spot without pitching great last year or in ST. Whatever the reason, I suggest giving the guy a fucking chance and ease up repeating the same groupthink themes we hear over and over again no matter what the outcome of the game is.
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 12:26 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes, you're going to pay attention to the numbers
From the…32, 33 total batters he’s now faced this year? Never mind the 7.08 ERA he had in over 34 total INNINGS last year at AAA, plus the over 6 ERA in the majors and the over 6 ERA at high A.
Nevermind that his ERA in 2008, before his Tommy John surgery, was over 6 as well. Nevermind that he’s even walking more guys than he’s striking out in his under 8 innings this year-he’s not giving up runs-in his AMPLE opportunities!!!-so he must be fine now.
It’s not he’s NOT 34 years old, where he might have recently figured out something. He’s been around a long time, and he’s been mediocre for a long time. No new tricks from this guy.
My buddy and I just decided that the braves would be set if we could get Matt Kemp, Jose Reyes, and Albert Pujols.
by willlinn on May 17, 2011 2:13 PM EDT
Right
I’m the groupthink guy.
I’ve got a suggestion to you: read my posts and have some basic idea what I believe before you start speculating on it. Makes you look a lot less stupid.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Not as stupid as suggesting that competent LH hitters can hit a sinker in the dirt like it’s “on a tee”…
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 12:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think you have a different conception of what’s meant by the phrase “in the dirt” than I do.
And my point still stands.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
His last two outing have been awful
ESSS, but undeniable.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
I can understand that he shouldn’t have been the first pitcher out of the pen in NY…but tonight Kimbrel had an awful outing not Proctor.
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 1:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The prototypical LH hitter likes to hit low balls. If you are going to throw a low breaking ball you either have to literally put it in the dirt or on their back foot. You cannot leave the pitch over the inner 2/3 of the plate which Proctor has done in back-to-back outings.
Shark in the water.
by AvoidTheDolphin on Jun 9, 2011 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I see we have a person
Who understands some basic dynamics of the game.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Theres always one person in every game recap thread
that will argue with the other 99.9% for the sake of arguing. Proctor sucks, he’s always sucked, he’ll continue to suck in the future. case closed
A lot of room in right center, if he hits one there we can dance in the streets, the 2-1....
“he” lost us a game a few days ago. other than that, his stuff has looked ok.
"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 Jun 9, 2011 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions
TBuzz, Proctor’s xFIP is 6 and his FIP is 4. His ERA is 2.45. FIP is more predictive of future ERA than ERA, and xFIP is most predictive of all. In short, the stats do bear out that Proctor is a fraud and extremely lucky, and he will get exposed (and cut) over the course of the season.
Fine, I’m done. Funny how people will selectively defend other pitchers with worse FIPs than 4 by saying they’re unlucky or mishandled…but not other guys.
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 1:23 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I haven’t defended anyone else, and the only ATL relievers with a FIP of 4 are in fact our worst relievers: Martinez, Proctor, and Linebrink. Martinez and Linebrink both have a slightly lower xFIP (which is more predictive). That Proctor has such a substantially higher xFIP is a pretty big red flag.
Did this kid not watch the game or did he stare into Maw of Madness (aka Fredo’s face). Proctor got 1 out then served up a double and walked Infante (which is icredibly hard to do). Sherril and Linebrink bailed out Proctor big time. I don’t care much for Linebrink and yet I trust him more than Proctor. Proctor is a turd no matter how much you wash it.
Only issue I have with Proctor was the pitch selection to Coghlan.
He wasn’t catching up to his fastball, so why would you speed his bat up by sending a slower pitch up there?
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
Glad this game didn’t go on forever and that we won it. It should have been over in the 9th but I guess the ump felt he had given us enough close calls for the night.
How about Jordan Schafer? I hope the kid can keep this up.
by drumzalicious on Jun 9, 2011 12:14 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not sure if anyone has seen NCC's fanshot yet
but the Marlins fired their hitting coach after the game
I look upon them with pine green envy
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
so much +1. Maybe Parrish gets too much blame (a big maybe) but he is one of the few things we could actually change and try to get a better offensive philosophy. Parrish had very limited hitting coach experience and I think it shows in how the Braves have no game plans to attack the starting pitchers. The Braves basically wing it every game.
It isn’t even about that. We demoted a guy to give Parrish the position. The guy is on the field every half-inning. Have we seen improvement? No. Have we seen stats and approach that indicates a different philosophy? Parrish is new to the club, and given that he seems to have been brought in to indicate a new regime (I say this due to TP’s current presence on the team) I think that can be cut loose at any time.
The guy is on the field every half-inning.
Maybe Fredi should go to Terry and give him a sub rosa green light to offer hitting advice when guys reach base. It would be funny to see him try to pack it all into the little amount of time he normally has to say “Pick up Snitker and don’t get picked off.”
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
I feel we should follow suit. Where’s Chip’s dad?
by drumzalicious on Jun 9, 2011 12:42 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Big. Series.
lol, and the Marlins fired their hitting coach for a slump…..? Wait….their owner……right.
Heaven forbid your bullpen is outdueled by the Braves, lmpao.
"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 Jun 9, 2011 12:56 AM EDT reply actions
Even if the Braves outduel former Braves. That’s why they let the chump go. Bastards.
Eat it, Florida. I really hate those guys.
"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 Jun 9, 2011 1:00 AM EDT up reply actions
for the triple post...
I am curious to see if the ‘F’ on the Marlins’ hats is going to be replaced with an ‘M’ next year; or if they go for some new, shitty design, instead.
"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 Jun 9, 2011 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re right. In their minds, they are better than the Braves. That’s the way they always play us. It’s almost like it’s unfathomable to them that they would lose. Just my opinion. It’s good to know that the Braves are the ones that pushed them over the edge.
Here’s the thing about the Braves, though…..that I love….(even when we aren’t playing “really good” baseball) ……whomever it is that we are playing, they are playing OUR game. Not the opposite. Everything is seemingly controlled by what the Braves are doing, as crazy as that sounds; when teams play the Braves, they play at whatever pace the Braves designate. It’s hard to put into words, but alot of it is that we continue to be the best team in baseball that nobody really talks about, or groups together with teams like the Yankees/RSox/Phillies, etc. But in all actuality, I have no fear playing those guys any day of the week. ….The Gnats, on the other hand…..
"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 Jun 9, 2011 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions
One simple reason is
pitching rules.
I love good hitting, but pitching is what has sustained the Braves all these years, and what consistently gets us into the playoffs. It tends to set the pace of things.
I sure do wish we could get the bats working better. I really think that with Uggla’s work ethic, he will turn it around. I just hope it is soon.
Man I love Schafer over McLouth. I don’t think McLouth is really all that bad, but I think we have something in Schafer. Speed, OBP, great fielding. this is what we want in CF.
by BravesFaninAZ on Jun 9, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Schafer seems to be able to work a count and see lots of pitches as well.
by TBuzz on Jun 9, 2011 1:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah. McLouth sucks. Keep him as a back-up for Schafer.
I feel much better with Schafer out there. It’s obvious that Nate wants to play elsewhere, at least to me, anyway.
lol, Let him.
"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 Jun 9, 2011 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Top 3 bullpen
"One thing I’ve learned as a Phillies fan is that a lot of people hate our team and its fans."-commenter on The Good Phight
We have the best bullpen in all of baseball. 2nd in ERA, 1st in FIP and xFIP (more predictive than ERA) and 1st in WAR.
I agree
I was just covering my ass in case anyone wanted to start a huge argument about it. They seem to be popping up all over this blog lately.
"One thing I’ve learned as a Phillies fan is that a lot of people hate our team and its fans."-commenter on The Good Phight
probably a dumb question
how did Kimbrel get the W? didnt proctor pitch in extras?
by Texastriplecrown on Jun 9, 2011 1:19 AM EDT reply actions
Proctor pitched after the Braves took the lead. Kimbrel was the last pitcher in the game when the Braves actually took the lead.
Proctor would get a H in this situation.
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 Jun 9, 2011 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Here is the last batter...
They have some beef with the ump on this, however the Braves had plenty earlier.
He never should have been pitched to. The teams should have already been in the showers if the UMP did he job earlier with Kimbrel on the mound. PFFFT that chart.
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
Gonzales
has not been mentioned once in this comment section! He just contributed offensively two games in a row. That is worth some praise. Fortunately, his uncharacteristic errors did not cost us.
I am feeling much more comfortable with Linebrink, one, because he has actually pitched well recently, including tonight, and two, Chipper’s comment about him a few days ago. Proctor, we need to send back to the minors.
I feel the same way about Scott.
He and Sherrill are each earning some cred with me.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
Sherrill has earned his cred with me (and overcame a lot of skepticism)
….but the jury is still out on Linebrink, though I think he may be learning. Earlier in the season when he was blowing games he kept trying to “blow hitters away” with his 92-93mph fastball. It seems he has learned that he is no longer going to be able to beat hitters with his speed (duh!) and is learning to out-think them. Lets see how he does going forward.
while Kimbrel's 5 BS put him among the league leader
I still have plenty of faith in his stuff. I would argue for keeping things the same for the reason that Venter’s much better control is that much more useful when he comes in with runners on base already. I’m not sure Kimbrel can take that job. Kimbrel looks like that he needs that better structure role of being the closer to thrive.
So how about if a high leverage situation with runners on base comes up early, use Venters, otherwise save him for the ninth. Neither has to be THE closer or THE eighth inning guy.
The problem...
Isn’t with Venters at all. He can pitch anywhere in the back-half of the game and be incredibly effective.
The problem is that Kimbrel’s stuff doesn’t translate as well in earlier innings. People will sit and make him throw strikes, because they have a couple innings to score; they can be patient. In the ninth, they don’t have that luxury, mitigating Kimbrel’s wildness to a degree.
I don’t care about whether it’s shrewd management or dumb luck, but the way they have the bullpen set up for the 8th and 9th right now is optimal.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jun 9, 2011 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think that is exactly what people are missing with Kimbrel. He IS a ninth inning pitcher. He doesn’t look good in outings that aren’t save situations, and what you said are the reasons. His stuff is nasty, but he is hittable if you have the luxury of patience. With three outs to a loss, you generally don’t have that luxury.
I can agree with that
And I think he is the only choice for the 9th at this point, even though at the start of the season Fredi said he would be him or Venters. Someone posted yesterday if “everyone was comfortable with Kimbrel now” or something like that. My answer: no. But thats kind of how I have always felt with our closers, with the exceptions of Smoltz when he was healthy and Wagner. I am not comfortable at all when Kimbrel enters the game, and get even more ansty when he gives up a walk or hit. I still think he has outstanding stuff and for a rookie, is doing quite while in a high pressure position. He stays healthy and he is going to have one hell of a career.
Marlins fired their hitting coach after the loss.
I think Parrish should go too. But because we still manage to win, I don’t think he’s going to be let go. We’ve won against a Marlins team that’s also struggling to hit and our pitching is what has kept us in most games. Our hitting needs to improve if we are to stay in contention and I definitely blame this against our hitting coach.
I agree
I think his philosophy is flawed. While it seemed Pendleton may not have been able to help hitters work out mechanical kink, he at least had an intelligent hitting philosophy that worked with our line-up construction.
Larry Parrish does not seem to be able to ingrain either very well…and our team is suffering for it.
I know Parrish cannot hit for the players but his “aggressive philosophy” does not work with our power hitting line-up. Power hitters have to be patient to work counts in their favor to induce pitchers to throw over the plate. Being aggressive as a power hitter results in a hitting like Alex Gonzalez.
nice win, but going a little OT here
woah just noticed it
This guy named Esteban Tresgallo was drafted by the Mariners late in the draft, I played against him while playing with my school, it’s kind of cool to think that the only at bat he got against me ( me being pitcher ) I got him out! as a freshman lol
The PuertoRican Kid
then
why didn’t you get signed too….?
the exponent in the equation is a matter of preference and "fit" it can vary depending on what the user believes to yield the curve that best predicts a team’s ability to win games.
by Ivan the Great on May 20, 2011 12:31 PM VET
Quick...
What did you throw him? The A’s and Angels need to know!
Seriously, keep this anecdote handy. It’ll be even cooler if he reaches The Show.
"Word on the street is that McCann tried to call Posey to apologize, but that Brian Sabean has taken out a contract on McCann’s life.".- Craig Calcaterra on BMac's overtaking of Posey in the ASG voting.
reply fail. :-D
Don’t worry about older women until you turn 22. It’s called the Saltalamacchia.
by bwellnjonesco on May 19, 2011 4:13 PM PDT
by Klemson Krash on Jun 9, 2011 4:25 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't care how many runs we score or how we do it....
A win is a win. At the end of the year, this is just another blip on the win screen… :-) I’m proud we were able to come back on a close game and pick Kimbrel up. Closers aren’t perfect and we shouldn’t expect as much. With an offense like ours, he’s not getting that 3 run cushion alot of guys are getting and he’s able to do his job a great majority of the time.
Where is NCChopper and that darn checklist. I wanna break out the broms today.
Don’t worry about older women until you turn 22. It’s called the Saltalamacchia.
by bwellnjonesco on May 19, 2011 4:13 PM PDT
we can break out the brooms too...
Don’t worry about older women until you turn 22. It’s called the Saltalamacchia.
by bwellnjonesco on May 19, 2011 4:13 PM PDT
by Klemson Krash on Jun 9, 2011 4:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Here ya go :-)
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
I gotta say: SPEED is Sexy!
I almost had a moment watching Schafer run the bases for that TRIPLE.
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
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