The 2011 Atlanta Braves thread...

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

The Braves are 13-15... On this date last year they were 9-14. It's April!

 

So we should be happy this team has underachieved, but is better than last year's overachieving team to this point? There's a lot of baseball to be played, but you don't want to bury yourself in a hole in the spring that you spend the entire summer trying to fight out of.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

The Braves are 13-15... On this date last year they were 9-14. It's April!

 

I tend to agree. It's like being up in arms when your favorite NFL team is 1-2 after Week 3.

[BigD4VT 11]

So we should be happy this team has underachieved, but is better than last year's overachieving team to this point? There's a lot of baseball to be played, but you don't want to bury yourself in a hole in the spring that you spend the entire summer trying to fight out of.

But it's baseball. You would have to have a really bad April to dig a hole you can't get out of. The Braves are only two game under .500. That's good! Most good team hover right around .500 in most months and get hot in one or two. No team is going to domintate from start to finish. It's just the nature of the game.

 

Example: The Texas Rangers were the 2010 American League Champions and played in the World Series. There final record was 90-72 but they played right around .500 most of the year:

 

April - 11-12 (.478)

May - 16-14 (.533)

June - 20-7 (.741)

July - 14-13 (.519)

Aug - 14-14 (.500)

Sep - 15-14 (.517)

Tot - 90-72 (.556)

 

Now for the World Champion San Francisco Giants:

 

April - 13-9 (.591)

May - 14-15 (.483)

June - 13-14 (.481)

July - 27-7 (.750)

Aug - 13-15 (.464)

Sep - 18-10 (.643)

Tot - 92-70 (.568)

 

One or two good months made all the difference for both teams. That's baseball. It's always been that way. The Braves were 13-15 in April this year. Last year they were 20-8 in May and sitting in first place on June 1.

[Lance 228]

I think the early panic is that this years team doesn't look to have the potential to pull it together like last years team did...seems to be a lot of things going on in the background this year...not sure if its just the management change or what...but, doesn't look good so far from what i've seen.

[Lance 228]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/mlb/2011/05/02/050211.verducci_braves.SportsIllustrated/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

[Deleted Account 5,203]

I think the early panic is that this years team doesn't look to have the potential to pull it together like last years team did...seems to be a lot of things going on in the background this year...not sure if its just the management change or what...but, doesn't look good so far from what i've seen.

 

Now .500. We won our Week 4 game. ;)

[vthokies4life 10]

Now .500. We won our Week 4 game. ;)

And today alone, we went 2 games above .500. Huddy threw a one-hitter tonight against Zach Grienke. Looks like the bats are coming together for us as well. Scored 16 runs over two games.

[Lance 228]

And today alone, we went 2 games above .500. Huddy threw a one-hitter tonight against Zach Grienke. Looks like the bats are coming together for us as well. Scored 16 runs over two games.

 

you know the big problem so far has been just putting the ball in play...they are homer or bust.

[VOL61 14]

Nice win last night. Mclouth is tearing it up right now. Hudson was sharp. We need to get on a nice streak here. 9-3 over the last 12. They look like they are coming together....

[hokie07 11]

Mclouth is tearing it up right now.

 

I think McLouth is HUGE to the Braves lineup right now. Not saying he is the best player on the team, or should even be considered in the top half of the best in the lineup, but he has produced great returns thus far this season. He is second on the team in BA (technically third if you include back-up catcher David Ross) and the owns the highest OBP on the team.

 

Heyward is swinging the bat with power and Uggla is starting to shape up too. Chipper has been unbelievable thus far and I hope and pray he can produce like this for an entire season. McCann and Prado are being their usual selves and Gonzalez has played some pretty solid ball too.

 

Like everyone has said already though, it is a long season. I like where the Braves are heading. Though they are still playing for the Wild Card and have been for several years now. I see it that way for at least 2-3 more years. I'd be ecstatic with a Wild Card bid and an upset of Philadelphia in the NLCS. ;)

[VOL61 14]

5 in a row.... Now we got to put it on Lee and the Phils tonight. We hit Lee pretty good earlier in the year. Hopefully we can make some noise up in Philly..... We got Lowe going tonignt.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Huge, huge, huge news!

 

http://www.talkingchop.com/2011/5/6/2157798/majors-top-pitching-prospect-julio-teheran-to-make-his-debut-with-braves

 

Talk about throwing the kid to the wolves; let's get it young buck!

[Canes00 434]

looking forward to watching this kid pitch tomm night I have heard he has electric stuff

[BigD4VT 11]

Why on earth are they bringing up a 20 year old with one month of AAA experience to pitch against the best team in the league? The Braves staff is one of the best in baseball right now. They have no reason whatsoever to rush him. It's stupid! The kid is going to get shelled and then go back to Gwinnett with his confidence shaken.

[bluefieldRocks 14]

Why on earth are they bringing up a 20 year old with one month of AAA experience to pitch against the best team in the league? The Braves staff is one of the best in baseball right now. They have no reason whatsoever to rush him. It's stupid! The kid is going to get shelled and then go back to Gwinnett with his confidence shaken.

 

I can't wait to see him pitch tomorrow.

[Lance 228]

Why on earth are they bringing up a 20 year old with one month of AAA experience to pitch against the best team in the league? The Braves staff is one of the best in baseball right now. They have no reason whatsoever to rush him. It's stupid! The kid is going to get shelled and then go back to Gwinnett with his confidence shaken.

 

to keep everyone on regular rest schedule after a double header.

 

I figure he will be sent back down right away...prob just giving the kid a taste of the show as a reward and also to see what he can do against the best the Braves will have to face later on in the playoffs if they make it...gives him a good chance to pick up some experience against them.

 

Seems harmless to me? he could get injured at AAA ball just as easy...and they will prob let him know he is headed back down regardless of the outcome...so...sure the kid will enjoy it.

 

If his stuff is as good as everyone says it is, he might not get rocked lol.

[vthokies4life 10]

Why on earth are they bringing up a 20 year old with one month of AAA experience to pitch against the best team in the league? The Braves staff is one of the best in baseball right now. They have no reason whatsoever to rush him. It's stupid! The kid is going to get shelled and then go back to Gwinnett with his confidence shaken.

Need to give Hudson and Hanson rest from the double header the other day. Also, from all accounts I've heard, this kid is ready. This really isn't that drastic of a move. Good management, IMO.

[BigD4VT 11]

Yes, I understand why they need to bring someone up to make a spot start. They have Mike Minor and Rodrigo Lopez also at Gwinnett, and Christian Martinez in the bullpen. No 20 year old is going to be ready with only 5 AAA starts under his belt. I don't care how good he is. History is filled with starting pitchers that nobody remembers because they were brought up too young. Baseball is the most psycological game there is. He is going to get rocked and go back to Gwinnett with doubt in his mind.

[Lance 228]

Yes, I understand why they need to bring someone up to make a spot start. They have Mike Minor and Rodrigo Lopez also at Gwinnett, and Christian Martinez in the bullpen. No 20 year old is going to be ready with only 5 AAA starts under his belt. I don't care how good he is. History is filled with starting pitchers that nobody remembers because they were brought up too young. Baseball is the most psycological game there is. He is going to get rocked and go back to Gwinnett with doubt in his mind.

 

have to see how it goes i guess.

 

speaking of which, remember Mark Wholers? Talk about mental breakdown...poor guy ended up in the minors throwing the ball over the backstop.

[BigD4VT 11]

have to see how it goes i guess.

 

speaking of which, remember Mark Wholers? Talk about mental breakdown...poor guy ended up in the minors throwing the ball over the backstop.

Yeah that was sad. He was one of the best in baseball before that.

[Lance 228]

Yeah that was sad. He was one of the best in baseball before that.

 

yeah that was a long and fast fall from fanning Dave Winfield in the Series at 103mph...he was in the group that came up with Chipper and Klesko in the minors...I used to go watch them play in Columbus against the Clippers all the time.

[BigD4VT 11]

I lived in Richmond at the time but I didn't make it to many games when Chipper came through. Can't remember if I saw Wholers in person or not. The Glavine, Smoltz, Avery era was the height of my R-Braves attendance.

[Lance 228]

well...the kid didn't get rocked...not a bad outing, Braves bats didn't help him any...maybe they can score a couple of runs late here and get him off the hook on the "L"...either way...not bad.

 

Side note...he is wearing Wholers old #43.

[BigD4VT 11]

I didn't get to see it since I don't have the extra innings package. He didn't do as bad as I feared he would. The line was 4 2/3 IP, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 BB, one strikeout. 86 pitches, 51 strikes. You aren't going to win many ballgames like that but it could have been worse. He's clearly not ready though. I just hope he goes back down with his confidence intact. Here's what ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted during the game.

 

"When you throw a 2-0 fastball on the inner half of the plate to Ryan Howard... bad things often happen for the pitcher."

 

"Teheran just got an idea of what Howard can do with a 2-0 fastball, deposited it in CF bleachers. Phillies up on #Braves 2-0 now"

 

"Philly hitters just sitting on fastballs and taking huge hacks against Teheran;clear they don't think he can throw secondary pitches for Ks."

[Lance 228]

i watched it...wasn't as bad as they are making it out to be in the tweets. Kid did ok all things considered...i think i liked watching him bat more than anything lol...he took his cuts and was swinging for the fences lol...didn't hit anything, but at least he wasn't standing there with the bat on his shoulder.

 

the pitch that Howard hit is on espn's page...it was inside and Howard turned on it...it was nowhere near the middle of the plate...he should have just stayed down and away or high and tight on Howard...but, if you look at the highlights, that is where the catcher was set up...so, not sure exactly what was going on there or if that pitch was called for that spot or what. As for the walks, a rookie is not going to get many calls...leave it at that.

 

also...side note of sorts...since the Braves brought him up early, it will effect his merch towards the end of the year if they bring him back up for the playoffs. There are certain things that rookies can't have happen until they play their first game in the majors. Bryce Harper is a good example...until he comes up and plays a game, he's limited as far as marketing goes. Not that it is a big deal right now, but could have some benefits later on for the Braves.