BRAVES NEWS
Braves lose three out of four in Pittsburgh after 8-2 loss
Mike Foltynewicz was unable to make it three consecutive good starts in a row, as the Pittsburgh Pirates battered him early and often in this one. He only made it through three innings, and gave up five runs in the first two innings. Gregory Polanco's second inning home run made it 5-0, and that was the point in which the game was basically over because the Braves were only able to muster up two runs the entire night due to a great start from Jeff Locke.
Erick Aybar missed Thursday's game due to chicken bone incident
Meanwhile, Erick Aybar was a late scratch for Thursday night's game because he got a chicken bone stuck in his throat. Yes, you did not make that fantastical story up in your head -- it actually happened. At this point, you really have to feel for Erick Aybar because this is just the cap on what's already been a miserable season for the shortstop.
When will the Braves decide to call up Ozzie Albies?
Ozzie Albies has been playing pretty well for the G-Braves, and that's wild when you consider that at this time last year he was playing Low-A ball. With his performance at the AAA level and the under-performance of the major leaguers at his position, it's naturally got people thinking that an Albies call-up to the big leagues could be coming very soon. However, Braves President John Hart is preaching patience -- even as the big league club continues to take some major lumps.
"The two young kids that we have -- Albies and (Dansby) Swanson -- which I've seen both of them play several times this year, promoted both of those guys quickly ... they're playing great," Hart said. "It would be easy to say 'OK, let's bring these guys up.' They're just not ready. I think it would be a disservice at this particular stage to bring them up. We hope to see them at some point in 2016, but right now it's just not the right time."
The question, though, is with the Braves off to a 9-29 start, worse than the 1962 Mets (who were 12-26 at this point in setting the modern-day record with 120 losses), when is the right time?
Braves are currently "1962 Mets" bad
Speaking of the 1962 Mets, that's the level that the Braves are currently playing at. The 2016 Braves are currently on pace to finish 2 games behind that woefully-bad '62 Mets squad, and they won 40 games. While the fanbase can take solace in the fact that it'll be extremely unlikely for the Braves to keep up this awful pace of losing, you know that things are currently in a dire state when this comparison is starting to show up.
MLB NEWS
Giants complete sweep of eight-game road trip
Hey look, it's a year that ends in an even number, which means that the San Francisco Giants are good again. They're currently 25-18 and 3.5 games ahead of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, and they've just finished dusting off a sweep of an eight-game road trip by beating the Padres 3-1 last night. This was their best road trip since 1913, and Grant Brisbee put it in hilarious context.
The Giants swept a road trip of seven games or more for the first time since the 1913 Giants, who finished the season 101-51. Maybe you're not so good at putting 103 years into context. Here, this will help. The last time the Giants swept a road trip of seven games or more, these were some of the first names on the team.
- Bunny
- Doc
- Rube
- Hooks
- Rube (another one)
- Moose
- Ferdie
Jim Thorpe was on the team. Christy Mathewson threw 306 innings. It was a long, long time ago in a city far, far away. Teams just don't sweep long road trips like this.
Angels sign Tim Lincecum to $2.5 million contract
At long last, free agent pitcher Tim Lincecum has found an employer for the 2016 season, and he'll be going to Orange County. The Angels have decided to sign Tim Lincecum to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million, with an extra $1.7 million available in incentives. We'll probably see Lincecum make his return to the bigs in about a month, and considering the Angels' starting rotation woes right now, that moment can't come any sooner.