8/31/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Expos - 08/31/2002

Hey, a winning streak! Of course, winning two against the Expos isn't very impressive right now. They look like zombies to me -- just going through the motions. The Braves won 5-3. Jason Marquis was decent enough, five innings, three runs allowed, and Javier Vazquez was a little worse. Chris Hammond pitched relief and wound up with the win, John Smoltz with his 48th save.

Andruw homered for the first time in two weeks, and Mark DeRosa for only the second time this year. Both were solo shots to break ties, with Andruw's holding up. Hopefully he's coming out of his slump. He seems to have a pretty good idea about the strike zone right now, but he simply can't swing properly. DeRosa played short for the second consecutive night. Rafael Furcal doesn't seem to be hurt, just resting. Marcus Giles played second but looked lost at the plate.

One more with the Expos, one the Braves should win since Millwood is pitching. No word on any acquisitions -- not even any rumors -- and I assume this is the team we're going to get. There should be some callups from Richmond soon, but I don't know if they'll arrive before the team returns to Atlanta.

I hadn't noticed this before, but I understand that teams will no longer be compensated with draft picks for free agents lost. (I'm not sure if that kicks in immediately or after the first season of the new agreement.) This is a huge consequence of the new CBA. I would think that if it is immediate, any team out of the race is desperately trying to get anything they can for players about to leave via FA. This is the last day for players to be eligible for postseason -- will the Braves make a move?

8/30/2002

Bravenet Counter Stats

Hey, I just got my 10,000th hit!

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Expos - 08/30/2002

So we're playing baseball again, and the Braves won 4-2. I like to think they played poorly for the last couple of weeks because of the impending strike. Hey, you can't prove that's not the case. The Good Damian Moss showed up tonight, pitching eight innings, the first seven in shutout fashion. He allowed one run in the eighth, and John Smoltz allowed one in the ninth but still got his 47th save.

Darren Bragg was the hitting hero. He drove in Moss in the fifth with a double, then later scored on a passed ball. He scored another run in the seventh, and Chipper then scored on another passed ball. The Expos really were sloppy.

Jason Marquis pitches tomorrow against Javier Vazquez. The Expos really should win that; Jason hasn't had anything of late. After the game rosters expand. I don't know how many players the Braves will call up, but they're playing with only three outfielders right how and they desperately need at least one more. Sept. 1 will mark the last game of this long road trip, then the Braves return home.

washingtonpost.com: Agreement Reached, Games to Continue

According to this, the luxtax threshold will be $117 million the first year, $120 the second, and to possibly rise after that. I don't know, however, if that's just player salaries or total compensation, and if the whole 40-man roster or the whole organization is involved, or just major leaguers. I tend to think it's closer to the latter, since the story indicates that the players "held the line" on the luxury tax. As it is, it would appear that the Braves would be able to re-sign both Maddux and Glavine, and offer an extension to Sheffield, without going over the tax level. Lord Knows if AOL will actually shell out the money, but they wouldn't have that excuse.

ESPN.com: MLB - No strike: Players, MLB agree on deal

I wish it went longer than to 2006. But for the first time since the Free Agency Era began -- actually for the first time since 1970, wich was before free agency -- a collective bargaining agreement was reached without a work stoppage.

I don't know the luxury tax threshold yet. If it's where I think it will be, the Braves should be well below it. And I don't know how much revenue they'll have to share. Most of the Braves' revenue is hidden by their relationship with TBS.

ajc.com | Sports | Players, owners may be near an agreement

Strike, not a strike? Who knows? At any event, unless the owners go nuts and backtrack to get more out of the settlement, I don't think it will last very long. At any event, if there is a strike I'll have something here to fill in the time. I had a couple of ideas about what to do in the offseason, and I'll use them in case of an offseason during the season.

I wish Tom Glavine hadn't pitched yesterday, I'll tell you that. He seems to be the most sensible person on either side, and he's one of the few real stars among the player reps these days. If he'd been in New York the last couple of days, we might have a settlement already.

8/29/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Pirates - 08/29/2002

I think the Braves' hitters are already on strike. Tom Glavine pitched well enough to win, if not as well as Greg Maddux did last night. Same result, though, a 4-1 loss, and the one run was unearned. The Braves did have eight hits and fourteen total baserunners. Generally I figure if you have that many people on base you'll score some runs eventually, but they're testing my faith.

Still no Sheffield, but no Vinny either! Marcus Giles finally got to play against his brother, playing third base. He had a hit and a walk, but I just know that it won't matter whenever they play again and Vinny (who did pinch-"hit") will be back at third. After all, the Braves used Marcus, and they didn't win, so they might as well go back to the Sucking Vortex again.

I didn't watch the game (I have to work sometimes!) but apparently (according to W Diehl in the comments) Skip and Joe asked whether there had ever been a more diminutive third baseman. That's a woeful grasp of baseball history. Third base has never been the dominion of giants anyway, and a lot of third basemen have been shorter, lighter, or both than Marcus (listed at 5-8, 180 -- he might be an inch shorter, but he's probably a little heavier than that). John McGraw is in the Hall of Fame for his managing, but he was a heck of a player too, really the first great player at the position. He's listed at 5-7, 155. The first Hall of Fame third baseman to get in as a player was Jimmy Collins. Collins is listed at basically Marcus' size, 5-9, 178. Marcus' current hitting coach was a 5-9, 180 lb (at least when he came up!) third baseman.

Height really isn't a big deal at third base. Agility is more important. You're a lot better off with a little guy who's a good athlete than some sort of hulk who can't get out of his own way.

This must be a typo

ESPN says that Marcus is playing third base!

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Pirates - 08/28/2002

So Greg Maddux goes out there and has probably his best start of the season, going nine innings without giving up a run. But the Braves can't score a run themselves, looking totally helpless against Brian Meadows, of all people. And then their best reliever, Mike Remlinger, loses the game in the tenth. Really pathetic.

Gary Sheffield is in Atlanta to get his thumb checked on. I wouldn't be surprised to see him head on over to Birmingham afterward to see Dr. Andrews. He needed surgery on the same thumb back in '95. From what I can tell, he's likely to need to rest it for about two weeks. Since everyone might get the next few weeks off... If there isn't a strike, he'd probably have to go on the DL. I don't know who the Braves would call up. Bo Porter is probably Richmond's best outfielder, but he doesn't have a corner outfielder's power.

Vinny still sucks, but you knew that. He was 0-4 with a strikeout. Rafael Furcal was the goat, though, striking out with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth, on a 3-2 pitch after being ahead in the count, capping off an 0-5 day. But I'm going to blame Vinny for that anyway, because it feels good... Keith Lockhart, who is getting way too little abuse around here because of Vinny's general awfulness, had a hit but also made -- I say this without hyperbole -- the worst throw in the history of baseball. Luckily it was only a one-base error... Henry Blanco is back from the DL, and I never thought I'd say this, but thank God. Blanco isn't much, but at least he does a convincing impression of a professional baseball player, something Steve Torrealba was never able to do.

There are three possibilities for what happens after today's game:

1. Strike at midnight.
2. No settlement but the strike is put off for another week.
3. Settlement.

I think there will be a strike, and it will last 7-10 days, with all games made up at the end of the season. That's a guess, but it follows what most of the experts seem to think. The two sides really aren't that far apart. The Braves could use a week off, as I've said.

8/27/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Pirates - 08/27/2002

They just have to make it interesting, don't they? The Braves led most of the way and took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. And then Kerry Ligtenberg couldn't get the first two runners and Bobby turned to John Smoltz. John was wild and allowed a double, a walk, and a bloop single (while getting two outs) to take it 5-4 with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first. But he got a fly ball to get out of it and get his 46th save. Hey, maybe they're trying to maximize his save opportunities! He's getting pretty close to set up for the NL record, barring an extended strike.

Matt Franco was huge, driving in four runs with a solo homer and a bases-loaded triple. He also singled, but never got a chance to hit for the cycle -- he was lifted for Julio Franco and his spot didn't come up again anyway. Good thing he doesn't get to play every day or we might get tired of the .370 hitter.

Gary Sheffield has a hurting left thumb and took the day off. Darren Bragg started and (typical for Bobby) hit in Gary's third spot in the order. He did drive in Matt Franco to score the other run, the one that made the difference in the end. Vinny actually had a hit and scored a run, amazingly enough.

Not that it matters, but the Phillies have moved into second place, 18 games back, with a victory over the Expos. Anyway, the magic number is now the combination of Braves victories and Phillies losses.

ESPNMAG.com - Infield of dreams

A little story on how Andruw likes to play infield (and even catch) in batting practice. I don't think that's going to happen in a game though. Maybe that's why Bobby keeps the outfield shorthanded and keeps so many infielders, so Andruw won't get a chance.

On Andruw's shoulder, he played on Sunday, drawing a walk and hitting a double. My understanding is still that he will need offseason surgery, but he shouldn't be in danger of injuring it any worse by normal play. Of course, with Andruw you see lots of abnormal plays where he dives for the ball, which is how he re-injured his shoulder a few days ago.

Offensively, it might hamper his power... but could be good for his all-around game. I think the injured front shoulder will tend to keep him from pulling every pitch. It might also keep him more patient, though he's been walking quite a bit lately. It wouldn't be unusual for a player to hit better with this kind of injury. It's similar to the injury Furcal had last year, and he actually hit better when it was worse -- until he had to be shut down.

Andruw is also the cover story in ESPN Magazine.

8/26/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Dodgers - 08/25/2002

Wow, a win. The Braves didn't make it easy. They scored five runs in the first inning, but then let the Dodgers right back in it. It was 5-4 after two, then 7-4, then 7-5 after three innings. And it stayed that way the rest of the game. The Braves threatened, but were't able to score any more runs. Chipper and Javy homered in the first inning. Mark DeRosa, playing second base against a lefty, had three hits.

Damian Moss managed to get through 5 1/3 innings and got the win. It's roughly the 100,000th example of the problems of judging a starting pitcher by his won-lost record; Moss was much worse than Maddux or Glavine in the previous games of the series, but the former got a no-decision and the other a loss. The Hammond-Remlinger-Smoltz axis pitched the last 3 2/3 innings.

Bobby finally took a little action against Vinny. He didn't bench him, of course. But he did swap him with Javy Lopez, moving Vinny to the seventh spot in the order. Javy hit a first inning homer then didn't do anything the rest of the way. As dreadful as he's been, Javy's still better than Vinny... Though Mark DeRosa played second base, Marcus Giles did later pinch-hit.

8/24/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Dodgers - 08/24/2002

Castilla wasn't alone, of course. Rafael Furcal was 0-5, as well. And Gary Sheffield, despite a good offensive day, made a key misplay leading to a Dodgers rally. But Castilla not only went 0-5, he stranded seven baserunners, committed an error that led to two unearned runs, and grounded into a double play to end the game. I put it to you that if he were being paid by the Dodgers he couldn't have hurt the Braves' cause more. That the Braves' leadership continues to insist that this waste of protein is a valuable ballplayer calls into question not only their baseball judgment but their very sanity.

Tom Glavine got the loss, 4-3. The Braves fell behind early (Shawn Green is evil, by the way -- he just kills us) but came back to lead 3-2 before Sheffield's misplay of a fly ball opened the floodgates. The Braves played without Andruw again (he is resting his shoulder for now -- he will probably play through the injury but will need surgery in the offseason) and the outfield just isn't the same without him.

At least Mike Remlinger is back from the DL. Kevin Gryboski was sent to AAA. Assuming there's no strike (really, a week off would be great right now, but I don't think there will be a strike), he'll probably be back Sept. 3 when he's eligible.

The Braves will try to salvage one win in the series with Damian Moss going tomorrow night. Then they head to Pittsburgh, which I guess is good news.

ESPN.com - MLB - Box Score

5 0 0 0 0 0 7

That is Vinny Castilla's line for the day. It is technically impossible for one hitter to lose a game singlehanded to a greater degree than he just did. He must die.

ESPN.com - MLB - Game Log

How do you have five out of six consecutive hitters reach base, one on a double, and not score a run? Well, a lot of it is the presence of a Sucking Vortex of Doom in the middle of the lineup.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Dodgers - 08/23/2002

I think this is officially a slump. The Braves lost 4-3 to the Dodgers. At least it wasn't a depressing loss, at least until the end. Greg Maddux gave up three runs in the first but then settled down and was basically Greg Maddux, and the Braves came back to tie. The game stayed tied to the bottom of the ninth, when Darren Holmes completely unraveled.

Holmes walked the leadoff runner, then intentionally walked Shawn Green after a stolen base. He had one out when he tried to pick off the baserunner at second and threw the ball into centerfield rather than throw a 3-2 pitch allowing each runner to move up 90 feet. And then Bobby, brilliantly, had him walk the batter to load the bases and then brought in Kevin Gryboski. Who promptly hit the next batter to force in a run. Line for the inning: 1/3 IP, 0 H, 3 BB (2 IBB), 1 HBP, 1 R. I don't know who should be most ashamed of that, but I say Bobby.

Andruw Jones didn't play, resting his shoulder. The Braves collectively didn't hit much, getting only five hits, two walks. Without Andruw, the offense relies even more heavily on Sheffield and Chipper, and they were both 0-4.

8/23/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Padres - 08/22/2002

I'm disgusted. First the Braves needed a miracle to just pull off a split at home against the Rockies. Now they've lost a series on the road -- where they'd won 16 series in a row. Yesterday, the Padres won 9-2, pulling away in the late innings in a game they led from the first. Jason Marquis only made it to the third before getting hit by a line drive and leaving the game, and Andruw Jones hurt his shoulder again. Frankly, the Braves could use a short strike right about now.

Rafael Furcal had four hits, but didn't score a run. When your leadoff man does that, you're probably not going to win. Vinny Castilla was 2-4, so I'm going to pick on Javy Lopez instead, who was 0-4 again and right now couldn't buy a hit. Which is a shame, since he's paid enough... Albie Lopez actually threw two innings. And he was pretty good, and at one time (when the Braves seemed like they might rally) was actually in position to get a win. I wouldn't bet on him continuing to pitch well, though.

8/22/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Rob Neyer Page

Neyer rips the Human Out Machine & the Braves' front office:

Thursday, August 22
Has anybody in the Braves' front office noticed that Vinny Castilla's putting together a historically bad season?

Batting average? Castilla's hitting .231.

Power? Castilla's got nine home runs, and none since June 11.

Patience? Castilla's drawn 17 walks all season.

It doesn't really matter how good his defense is; you couldn't justify playing Brooks Robinson with these stats.

And we've seen this before, haven't we?

Braves pile up regular-season victories, thanks to great pitching. Braves disappoint fans in October, thanks to lousy hitting.

And with Vinny Castilla in the lineup, we may see it again.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Padres - 08/21/2002

The Braves started off sloppy and letting opportunities get away again. But fortunately, Gary Sheffield was there to bail them out. Sheff had two homers -- a first inning solo shot and a three-run job in the fifth -- and later added a run-scoring double in the ninth. The Braves won 6-3, with Sheffield's five RBI the only ones (the other run scored on an error). He also had two walks for a perfect night.

Kevin Millwood pitched and was pretty good. He gave up a two-run homer in the fourth, and a single run that really shouldn't have scored (he got a double play ball but Mark DeRosa, starting at second base, blew the pivot) in the sixth. Millwood went eight, striking out seven. It wasn't his best outing, but that only goes to show how good he's been lately.

Vinny Castilla actually had a hit and a walk! He still sucks and he's still hitting only .231. Javy Lopez hit after him and had a particularly helpless 0-4. He was the only Braves starter not to reach base and is also hitting .231... Jason Marquis will get a rare normal-rest start today. If he doesn't do well in this one, I expect he'll move to the bullpen. He might move anyway once September rolls around, assuming September does roll around. He's not going to start in postseason, and the Braves might want to see how he does in relief.

The Mets are in last place, 23 games out, two games behind the Phillies for fourth. Ha-ha! Joe Sheehan is a genius.

8/21/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Padres - 08/20/2002

The Braves lost 6-2, as they seem to most of the time the last week or so. Ron Gant -- of all peoplle! -- hit two home runs for the Padres, including a first-inning two-run homer that made it 3-0 and might as well have ended the game right there. I believe Ron is still angry. Damian Moss just didn't have it last night, and the defense didn't help. He gave up all six runs -- three of them unearned.

Offensively, the Braves had seven hits, two walks, and left a number of baserunners on early. Late, they couldn't do anything to Brett Tomko, who pitched a complete game. They're just not playing very well offensively or defensively right now, and I think they've lost their concentration for whatever reason.

8/20/2002

YACCS: Commenting made simple.

Looks like YACCS is slow today. Oh, well, and YGWYPF and all that. Email is always appreciated if you can't get in and have something to say.

August 20, 2002 - Greatest Living Pitcher: Running the Numbers to Settle the Argument

And then running the numbers again and again to make sure the answer is neither "Greg Maddux" or "Warren Spahn". Not that I'm charging bias, but there seems to be some sort of sabermetric imperative to prove that Clemens is/was greater than Maddux, and I think they're just too close to call.

8/19/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Rockies at Braves - 08/19/2002

I was all ready for a tirade about how the Braves were dogging it with a big lead and a possible strike, that they were going to lose three in a row to a bad Rockies team that's especially bad on the road. That they weren't trying and making dumb mistakes -- a runner scoring after he should have been out in a rundown, another runner scoring when Javy Lopez couldn't handle a throw that would have gotten him. Throw in the usual inability to drive in runners, and it was just sorry baseball, and the Braves were trailing 5-2 going to the bottom of the eighth.

And then they woke up. Chipper hit a solo homer. Castilla got on board the only way he could, on an error. Javy atoned a little with a double, and Marcus Giles singled him home, getting to second on the throw with one out. [CLARIFICATION: Marcus singled home two: Castilla and also Darren Bragg, who ran for Javy. Hits-Like-A-Girl entered the game to catch in the top of the ninth. Thanks to Creg for pointing out my confused language here.] The Braves couldn't take a lead, but they were tied going to the ninth. But then Smoltz gave up a two-out double to fall behind 6-5, and I was working on a tirade about Bobby switching out Marcus the hitting hero in favor of Lockhart the hitting zero -- for no readily apparent reason -- and then Sheffield homered to tie it. And then Chipper hit his second homer in as many innings. 7-6 Braves to salvage a split.

Tom Glavine pitched and was... okay. Five runs, but only three earned, eight baserunners (all on hits) in seven innings, three strikeouts. The Rockies didn't walk at all for the second straight game; I'm going to risk my sabermetricians union card by pointing out that they were still pretty effective offensively doing that. But I doubt they can keep that up. As long as the Braves hold them to singles they'll be okay.

Glenn Hubbard Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

It's not up yet, but I have sponsored Glenn's page. I think you'll appreciate the note when it appears. I'll probably do a couple of others eventually, but for now I want to see what happens.

Ten bucks for Biff Pocoroba?

Sponsorships: General Information - Baseball-Reference.com

I'm going to buy me a text ad on Baseball Reference. It's a good cause and could get me a few more hits. I love enlightened self-interest.

Anyway, I am throwing it out to the readers: what player should I sponsor? Obviously it should be a Brave. And it can't be Maddux or Glavine or Chipper, someone like that, because that will cost extra and I'm cheap. I am leaning toward Glenn Hubbard.

8/18/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Rockies at Braves - 08/18/2002

Another bad game, 6-3 Rockies. It was 2-2 going to the middle innings, both pitchers (Maddux for the Braves, Jason Jennings for the Rockies) walking a tightrope. The Braves really should have broken the game open in the second, but a Jennings more or less accidently caught a Chipper liner with the bases loaded and two outs, and the Braves would score only one more run. Larry Walker homered twice.

The game shows, I think, one of the points I like to make periodically; you can't win with singles. Both teams had a lot of hits in the early innings; the Rockies had 11 off Maddux through five. But they had only two runs, because they had no extra-base hits and no walks. They only took control when they got some homers; they last four runs came via the longball.

Marcus Giles pinch-hit in the seventh and had a home run. I don't know if he'll get any more playing time... The Braves got six hits combined from Furcal and M. Franco in the 1-2 spots and a hit and two walks from Gary Sheffield, but nothing from the rest of the lineup. The Joneses were both 0-4, and Vinny was of course 0-3, though he was luckily hit by another pitch. Unfortunately it didn't seem to hurt him... Steve Torrealba, who really does hit like a girl, started at catcher, because he's not Javy Lopez and Maddux was pitching.

One more game with the Rockies, then a long road trip. The length is as yet undetermined because the strike date falls within it. I don't think the players really will strike on August 30, but it's possible.

8/17/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Rockies at Braves - 08/17/2002

Ugh. Jason Marquis, as I feared, didn't have his best stuff, and gave up five first inning runs. Then it started raining, but that didn't save the Braves, who eventually lost 10-3. There haven't been many losses like that this year.

Bobby and Leo apparently have made it their mission to destroy Jason's arm in order to save it, or something. If you recall, earlier this season they left him out to get pummelled by the Marlins in order to save the precious seven-man bullpen. Today, they sent him back out there to throw five more innings after a hour and twenty minute rain delay. Considering that nobody in the pen but Smoltz worked last night, having Marquis throw 102 pitches, many of them with a cold arm, was inexplicable... Since it was a blowout, Albie Lopez pitched one inning, the ninth, giving up a hit. I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up starting the next time the fifth spot comes up, but he still stinks, and I'd like to see Marquis get a start on normal rest for once.

Andruw had two hits, one of them a homer, but if he'd gotten his hits in the first and third innings -- when the Braves had the bases loaded -- we might have had a game. Instead, he struck out both times, and Vinny (of course) finished the innings with his usual aplomb. Vinny then had three hits after the game was already decided. The Braves had 11 hits, the same number as the Rockies, and one more walk, but had only two extra-base hits while Colorado had six. Marcus Giles started but was the only Braves position player to not get a hit. Judging from Bobby's usage patterns at second and third, that means he should be in the lineup for a week.

8/16/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Rockies at Braves - 08/16/2002

In case you missed it, Kevin Millwood is Back. He gave up a run in the first then pitched seven shutout innings. The Braves tied the game in the bottom of the inning, then got a run on a Furcal single in the fifth and a two-run homer by Chipper in the sixth. John Smoltz loaded the bases with two out in the ninth but then got out of it with a strikeout, and the Braves won 4-1. I would have let Millwood (who threw 97 pitches, 66 strikes) try to get the complete game, but Bobby decided to hit for him and then go with his closer. It worked out in the end, so I can't argue.

Javy Lopez started the game coming off the DL; Henry Blanco went on the DL. Javy did his best Steve Torrealba impression, going 0-4 and not coming close to getting a hit. He was the only Brave position player to not reach base. Vinny was 0-3 and was hit on the wrist by a pitch in the eighth. Unfortunately, it looks like he wasn't seriously hurt.

Jason Marquis will start tomorrow, a night game. He'll be on six days' rest; he isn't starting on regular rest very often. I don't think irregular work is good for young arms. His only good start in recent games was on four days' rest... Wes Helms will be out for 4-6 weeks, but won't need surgery. I don't know that it matters, but maybe there won't be a prolonged strike.

SportingNews.com - Baseball : Atlanta's postseason flops are not just slip-ups

This story blames the Braves' postseason "failures" (gosh, they have a winning record overall and in series) on the lack of a Closer™. Now, it's not completely bogus. If the Braves had had someone like Mariano Rivera, they probably would have won in 1992 and in 1996. But the bullpen was just fine most other years. Even in 1996 it was more the middle relief that failed -- remember, Leyritz's home run off Wohlers came in the eighth inning, and Wohlers was probably pacing himself to go two innings, because the only decent middle reliever the Braves had was Mike Bielecki.

But really, the biggest problem the Braves have had was simple. They simply didn't score enough runs. Sound familiar?

But anyone who thinks that the Braves are going to lose this postseason -- if there is a postseason -- because of their bullpen generally or their closer specifically... Well, he's a moron. And that he's employed by a major paper and republished by the Bible of Baseball only proves yet again how low sports journalism has fallen in this country.

Tie game thanks to Chipper

He singled in two runs in the bottom of the ninth, then was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Two Giants hit in the tenth, then the umpires finally stopped play. It was already raining some in the ninth, but in the tenth it was a deluge and I would have stopped it long before. The game might be replayed if the Giants need it for playoff reasons.

Since the game didn't happen, I only have a couple of notes. The game was tied largely because Rafael Furcal and Gary Sheffield had moved up from first and second to second and third on what was called "fielder indifference" a couple of pitches before Chipper's hit. It was a terrible scoring decision; the pitcher forgot about the baserunners, and they stole bases. Fielder indifference is for when a game is out of reach; when the tying run moves into scoring position it should be a stolen base.

Also, Vinny still sucks. 0-3 with a walk. The Braves walked nine times last night, but only had five hits. I know I go on and one about drawing walks, and they're important. But you have to get some hits. If the Braves had had nine hits and five walks, they would have won.

8/15/2002

August 15, 2002 - The Zumsteg Plan

Here's another Baseball Prospectus article, this one with a revenue sharing plan that has "no chance". At any rate, I like it. Interestingly, the Braves are one of only two teams (with the Marlins) which wouldn't wind up paying money or getting paid money. Let's just say that the NL East would be even more imbalanced if this happened. Which is fine by me!

Braves Journal

Set up a new poll of sorts.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Giants at Braves - 08/14/2002

Stop me if you've heard this before -- the Braves took an early lead, the offense shut down, and the pitchers held on for dear life. Last night, it was 1-0 from the bottom of the first on, Tom Glavine pitching seven shutout innings and John Smoltz coming on with one out in the eighth after Tim Spooneybarger let two runners one and finishing the game. The Giants had a number of chances to tie it but couldn't get the hit, and stranded Livan Hernandez at third after he tripled (he was out at third, but the umpire missed the call) leading off the sixth.

The only run came after a Furcal double leading off the game. He moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Sheffield single; Sheffield later added two more hits and is now at .300 for the season. And that was it. The Braves had eight hits but Furcal's was the only extra-base hit and they grounded into three double plays. The 4-6 hitters were hitless, though Chipper walked (intentionally) once and Andruw (unintentionally) twice. Vinny, of course, was 0-4. The Braves 6-8 hitters (Castilla, Lockhart, and Torrealba) are so bad that they simply can't afford to have the Joneses have a hitless night. What, Vinny is going to drive them in?

The Braves now lead the Expos by 19, the Mets by 20, and the other two teams by 21. In a way, if the Braves didn't exist there'd be a heck of a race going on, except all those teams stink... One more with the Giants tonight, then the Rockies come to town. Former Brave Jason Schmidt pitches for SF tonight against Damian Moss.

8/14/2002

August 14, 2002 - Transaction Analysis

Creg suggested, and it's a good one, I post the BP Transaction Analysis published today, which touches heavily on the Giles/Castilla/DeRosa/Lockhart situation. Chris Kahrl finishes:

The problem Castilla presents Bobby Cox is that Castilla is a famous ex-good player, so he isn't going to be pulled late in the game in a high-leverage situation for a better hitter.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Giants at Braves - 08/13/2002

I can't talk long, and frankly I don't feel like it. The Braves lost 7-2 to the Giants even though they held Barry Bonds in check, Jeff Kent hitting two homers to pick up the slack. Greg Maddux gave up four of those runs in six innings. It wasn't a good performance, but it's not like he got shelled. But you know the standards for Maddux. He still leads the league in ERA by a tenth of a run per game over Randy Johnson.

Vinny Castilla had two of the Braves six hits and scored a run. He still sucks. Keith Lockhart started at second and drove Vinny in; he still sucks too and Marcus Giles should be playing... Tonight, Tom Glavine faces our old friend Livan Hernandez; Livan isn't having a great year but that doesn't mean I'm eager to see him.

8/12/2002

John Lauck's Astroday Archives

I figured I'd post a link to this story from Astros Daily on yesterday's game. Unfortunately, John doesn't have permalinks, but it's nice to see the Braves from another angle every so often. Here's a bit about Bobby:

I'm sure Bobby Cox takes heat in Atlanta for managerial moves that don't work out, [NO! -- MT] just like all managers do, but I promise you, this guy is like Houdini with his ability to manuver his team out of unfavorable situations. He doesn't always succeed, but he does a great deal of the time, and I think the world of his abilities, precisely because he's got a good team and knows how to use them. True, the Astros had them down, but Cox was, even now, doing all he could to keep Atlanta close, in case the atmosphere of the game should change. It did.

8/11/2002

ajc.com | Braves | Ouch: Braves hurting

Injury update... Wes Helms might need surgery on his swollen thumb; the Braves are afraid it might be a torn ligament. If so, he'll be out for the season. Henry Blanco has a muscle strain and had a cortisone shot. He might need to go on the DL, in which case the Braves will need to clear space on the 40-man roster for a catcher; none of the Braves' minor league catchers are on it.

The good news is that Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield, who both left the game, suffered only minor injuries and should play Tuesday.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Astros - 08/11/2002

That's more like it. The Astros this time jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, then the Braves came back to make it 3-2 in the second. And 8-2 in the third. And 10-2 in the fourth. They coasted from there, as you might expect. Every Braves starter had at least one hit and reached base at least twice, including Kevin Millwood who was 2-3 with three RBI and a run scored. The final score was 13-3 and the Braves won yet another series.

Millwood only went the minimum five innings to get his win, pitching okay but not brilliantly after giving the two first-inning runs; the back of the bullpen (minus Albie Lopez) filled in from there, with John Foster going two innings. Offensively, the Braves had 20 hits, led by Chipper Jones, who was 5-5 with a walk and two doubles, coming back from his hamstring injury. Gary Sheffield and Rafael Furcal each hit two-run homers.

It wasn't all great, though. Andruw Jones left the game in the fifth after fouling a ball off his leg. There's no word yet on the severity of the injury. Henry Blanco later left the game as well. I've no idea what the Braves will do for a catcher if he has to go on the DL. (Steve Torrealba, by the way, has in his appearances this year looked no more like a hitter than he does a ballerina, perhaps slightly less.)

After Monday off to hopefully recuperate, the Braves will host the Giants for three, followed by the Rockies for four. After that will come the last extended roadtrip of the season... The Braves' magic number is 28, pending a Mets night game.

ESPN.com - News Wire

The Braves put Wes Helms on the DL and called up Marcus Giles. They thought about calling up Jesse Garcia instead, because they're dumb. Marcus isn't free yet, since Keith Lockhart is in the lineup today. It's more like a halfway house. Well, at least he's getting major league meal money.

8/10/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Astros - 08/10/2002

As one commenter has said, Albie Lopez sucks. The Braves lost to the Astros, 8-5, and while Lopez wasn't the losing pitcher or the sole reason for the loss, he played a major role. Jason Marquis started and probably was still feeling ill; he went three-plus innings and gave up four runs, leaving with a runner on, nobody out, in the fourth with the Braves trailing 4-2. And Albie Lopez came on to not only allow the runner to score but to contribute three runs of his own to the Astros' cause. By the end of the inning it was 8-2. Since the Braves scored three runs in the sixth, those four runs Albie allowed to score (one charged to Marquis) were the difference in the game. Four million dollars for this?

Except for Albie, the game followed a lot of last night's script; the Braves got the game's first run but blew other scoring chances, the starting pitcher didn't have it, and the non-Albie relievers (Holmes and Ligtenberg in this instance) pitched well. The big play of the game might actually have come in the first, when with nobody out, runners on the corners, and one run already in. Andruw hit a smash that was almost a double, but instead was caught on the fly by the third baseman. If that's a little higher or a little to either side, two runs might have scored and the Braves might have gotten a big lead early. It's a game of inches. Andruw did get a homer and a single, as well as being hit by a pitch. He does seem to be hitting better lately.

Vinny Castilla started, and was 0-4. I'm going to set a macro for that to save having to type it every day. He's down to .229, but at least he doesn't make errors, right? Keith Lockhart started as well, and he had a two-run double; Mark DeRosa later hit for him, so I guess he's okay. Darren Bragg played left field for Chipper, who was able to pinch-hit later. I'm guessing he'll be able to play tomorrow, but with a day off Monday Bobby might want to hold him off to get a long rest.

The Braves have what on paper looks like a big pitching edge tomorrow, Kevin Millwood versus Dave Mlicki, whose ERA is about a run higher. Despite the score, five Astros relievers pitched today, including both top relievers working an inning for the second day in a row. So tomorrow looks pretty good for the Braves. They still have to play the game, though.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Astros - 08/09/2002

All I can say is, "How did he do that?" With the Braves leading 6-5 in the thirteenth on a Gary Sheffield solo homer, John Smoltz got two quick outs. But Craig Biggio reached on a single and was headed home to tie the game on a subsequent double. Wes Helms, playing left field, hit the cutoff man, Rafael Furcal... but Furcal was about to fall down. On his way down, he made this throw... A perfect strike to nail Biggio at the plate. It wasn't even close. I still don't know how he did it, and I've seen it a number of times and thought about it overnight.

It was a weird game all along. It started off like too many other Braves games. The Braves got a run in the second and one in the third to take a two-run lead, but blew numerous chances to stretch the lead. Sure enough, the Astros came back, scoring two runs to tie, then three to take a 5-2 lead. And the Braves kept stranding baserunners. Until the ninth, when they managed to score three runs off Billy Wagner to tie it. Then they left two more baserunners with a chance to take the lead. Incidentally, they were also out of position players. Tim Spooneybarger (who incidentally got his first major league win) had to hit for himself; at one stage Greg Maddux was going to pinch-hit but the inning ended before he could.

Injuries... Jason Marquis was supposed to start but had "flu-like symptoms" and Damian Moss took his place. Jason might start today. Chipper Jones left the game with a hamstring pull; Vinny Castilla wound up taking his place in the lineup. Helms had started at third before shifting to left. Albie Lopez pitched one inning, his first appearance in I don't know how long. Mark DeRosa (who started against a righthander) was nailed in the wrist with a pitch in extra innings, after the Braves had run out of position players. I don't know what the Braves would have done if he'd been unable to continue. Helms to third, Castilla to second, and Smoltz in the outfield, perhaps.

The Braves' magic number is 30.

8/09/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Diamondbacks - 08/08/2002

The Braves won the rubber game of the series with the Diamondbacks, 4-1, behind terrific pitching from Glavine -- easily his best since his blister problem surfaced -- and the hitting of righthanded platoon players, DeRosa and Julio Franco. DeRosa hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth, to break up a scoreless tie. Later in the inning, Julio hit a two-run shot. Later, Franco doubled home Furcal to make it 4-0. Some people have been critical of Bobby's platooning, but I like it. I'd rather Marcus Giles were playing second base everyday, but the first base platoon has been great.

Glavine took a shutout into the ninth, having not given up a hit since the third, when he gave up a solo homer to Junior Spivey. He came out of the game and John Smoltz entered, and John recorded three outs to set the team save record. He also became the fastest man to 40 saves in a season, and keeps his shot at the single-season record of 57. I don't think he'll get it, though. The Braves are 18 games up with 48 to go; if he has 51 or 52 saves when the Braves clinch, will Bobby keep sending him out there or will he move to a spring-type schedule of pitching every few days just to keep sharp? This assumes we even play out the season.

Back to the game... Every Braves starter got a hit except Sheffield, who was 0-5. Wes Helms had two hits and is up to .246/.290/.419, which is lousy but a lot better than Vinny Castilla's .230/.263/.352. The Braves are still saying that when Castilla is healthy he will play third base, but that's just nuts. If they are really saying you can't lose your job to injury, why don't they tell that to Marcus Giles? At any event, Castilla should have been benched for Helms before he got hurt.

The Braves will play three games with Houston, then take a day before hosting the Giants. Presumably Barry Bonds will have hit his 600th home run by then, but if he doesn't we'll at least be spared TBS cutting away from the game to see him hit.

8/08/2002

Okay, I have to ask... Is there a rumor out there about a Braves player's sexuality that I haven't heard? In the last two weeks, I've gotten at least four hits, that I know of, along the lines of [player name] + gay. Always the same player.

ajc.com | Braves | Diamondbacks top Braves 6-3

The AJC wrapup of the game reports that Mike Remlinger will head to the DL for two weeks. The Braves will call up a lefty, either John Foster (who should have made the team in spring training) or Ray Beasley (who has pitched better for Richmond). I'd guess Hammond will move to the top setup role, though Spooneybarger is a possibility. Hopefully Remlinger will be fine when he gets back.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Diamondbacks - 08/07/2002

Well, nothing's perfect, not even the Braves' bullpen, which allowed five runs. Two were off Tim Spooneybarger in the seventh; the others off Mike Remlinger and Darren Holmes in the eighth to lose the game, 6-3. Greg Maddux threw four good innings, then hurt his leg again and had to leave after the fifth, in which he gave up his only run; he had thrown only 63 pitches and normally would have been good for a couple of more innings. Remlinger also left with a pulled groin after facing one batter; he very likely could have pitched around the eighth inning trouble, or at least he had a better chance than Holmes. It was just that kind of starcrossed night. Maddux says he doesn't think it's a big deal, but these pulled muscles are getting annoying.

Okay, let's talk about the umpires and the strike zone. The umpires ejected both Bobby and Leo last night for arguing balls and strikes. Chipper complains in the game story that the Braves didn't really get beat, more than implying that the umpires were responsible. It's hard to see it in the statistics (again, I couldn't see the game because I need my sleep) since only two walks were issued the whole game, both by the Braves. At any rate, this sort of complaining isn't worthy of the team with the best record in baseball. It's what I'd expect of the Mets.

Glavine versus Brian Anderson today, at a decent hour for one, 6 PM/5 PM CT. Then the Braves go to Houston, where hopefully they can leave Vinny Castilla behind on a team he can hit for. Castilla didn't play again last night; Helms had a hit and two strikeouts.

8/07/2002

Major League Standings -- By League

The Braves are now five and a half games ahead of the D-Backs for the best record in the NL. (4 1/2 ahead of the Yankees for the best in the majors.) This isn't just a weak division the Braves are beating up on, here. The Diamondbacks are an excellent team, on a 99-win pace, and they're falling farther back. The Giants are on a 90-win pace and they're 12 back. This is one heck of a run the Braves are putting on here -- they're on a 107-win pace. If they play .500 baseball the rest of the way, they would finish 99-63.

I just hope they can keep it up. And they play out the season.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Diamondbacks - 08/06/2002

Oh, well. The Smoltzometer could have run to zero, and the Braves could have beat Curt Schilling, but Smoltz couldn't hold a two-run lead in the ninth and the game went to extra innings. The Braves won anyway, 4-3, as Andruw Jones (who I guess didn't need a cortisone shot after all) hit a home run in the 13th and the rest of the bullpen was strong. Kerry Ligtenberg pitched two innings for the win; Darren Holmes and the invisible Albie Lopez were the only relievers who didn't pitch.

Vinny Castilla is still out. Wes Helms had his first bad game at the plate as his replacement, and it was a doozy -- 0-6 with three strikeouts. Matt Franco had two hits and three RBI, and Rafael Furcal had four hits... Kevin Millwood started and was pretty good. He gave up only one run, but was lucky to do that well. He allowed ten baserunners (six hits, four walks) but most of the hits were singles.

Normally after a game like that, where the bullpen has to throw seven innings, you'll try to stretch out the next game's starting pitcher. But Greg Maddux is starting today, and the Braves have been extra-cautious with him all year. (Also, the Diamondbacks hit him -- his career ERA against them is 5.32.) And the big three of Hammond, Remlinger, and Smoltz all threw only one inning, so should be available. We'll see.

8/06/2002

According to the good people at YACCS, comments will be down until approximately midnight. Sorry for any inconvenience, but you get what you pay for, I suppose. You can always email me.

Notes on an Off-Day

According to the AJC notebook, Andruw Jones is thinking about getting a cortisone shot in his left shoulder. Vinny Castilla has already gotten one in his wrist, but it didn't seem to work. If they're both out, at least to start the series against Arizona, the Braves will face the World Champs with that 22-man roster again. If Castilla's wrist doesn't come around, the Braves might have no choice but to disable him. If they do, Freeing Marcus Giles would seem the obvious move, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Jesse Garcia's return instead. Alternatively, if Andruw is still limited they could call up an outfielder, perhaps Bo Porter, who is hitting .297/.383/.420 in Richmond. But I don't think Porter, or any of the R-Braves outfielders, is on the 40-man roster. If it's not Marcus, the player would have to be someone of only borderline utility, like Garcia or maybe Travis Wilson.

Albie Lopez hasn't pitched since July 28. In a couple of days they could disable him, making it retroactive, and only have him unavailable for a short while. He's useless anyway... Chipper Jones was the NL player of the week. Hard to argue; he hit .526 with four homers... The Mets' loss to the Diamondbacks yesterday moves the entire division, except for the Braves, to below .500. The Mets, Marlins, and Expos are all 55-56, eighteen games back. The Braves' magic number is 34, but three teams make that kind of complex. The Phillies are two games behind those three teams.

ESPN.com: MLB - Rocker apologizes for anti-gay remarks

Man, am I glad he's not our problem anymore.

8/05/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Cardinals at Braves - 08/04/2002

You gotta love it when you sweep a first place team, as the Braves did the Cardinals. Damian Moss went eight (a season high),giving up only one hit, but was about to take the loss after giving up an unearned run in the third. But the Braves rallied with single runs in the eighth and ninth, ending with Gary Sheffield's walk-off homer. Just another day at the office for Moss, who threw seven no-hit innings against the Cards earlier this year. He got a no-decision then, too. John Smoltz pitched the ninth and got the win this time.

The unearned run came courtesy of a Wes Helms error at third base. That's bad news, because it encourages Bobby to put Vinny (who has been injured) back in there... The Braves won the game despite playing with essentially a 22-man roster. In addition to Vinny, Andruw was out to rest his shoulder, and Albie Lopez is still unavailable. Of course, a team with Albie on the roster is playing with 24 men anyway. As it was, Jason Marquis scored the tying run as a pinch-runner, (what, Andruw's shoulder meant he couldn't pinch-run?) and Mark DeRosa was the only healthy Brave position player not to play.

If it still matters, the Braves now lead the Mets, who have fallen to .500, by seventeen and a half games; the Marlins and Expos are eighteen back. The Braves' magic number (I've been waiting to do this!) is 35. If the Braves were to go 25-26 in their remaining games, the Mets would have to go 43-9 just to tie... On to Arizona.

8/03/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Cardinals at Braves - 08/03/2002

Okay, I think we can safely say that Chipper has found his home run stroke. He hit two two-run homers today -- against Matt Morris, no less -- giving him five in the last seven games. The Braves won 6-1. Jason Marquis, who has been skipped recently with several off-days, started and got the win, pitching six innings. He wasn't great -- five hits, three walks, only two strikeouts -- but he did only give up the one run. Hammond, Remlinger, and Smoltz all pitched an inning with a big lead again, but they haven't gotten a lot of work lately.

Wes Helms started again at third base, and maybe is going to play at least semi-regularly. He didn't hurt his cause any with two more hits and a run scored. Andruw Jones didn't start in an attempt to rest his sore right shoulder, but came in late for defense anyway, and got a hit in his one plate appearance.

One more with the Cardinals, a Sunday Night game. Then a day off before a road trip to Arizona and Houston.

8/02/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Cardinals at Braves - 08/02/2002

See what happens when you bench Vinny Castilla? Wes Helms started at third base and hit a first-inning grand slam, and the Braves scored nine runs in the first two innings. If they're going to get runs early and then hang on, holding a 9-1 lead after two is a lot more comfortable. Tom Glavine only went five -- there was a rain delay -- but was generally sharp, and got his fourteenth win.

Every Braves starting position player reached base, all but Lockhart via a hit. Chipper Jones had another big game, three hits and a walk, one of the hits a three-run homer that moved him past Joe Adcock into fourth place on the franchise's all-time list. If he really has found his power stroke -- he's hit three homers in the last six games -- then the Braves are in a lot better shape. And maybe Helms will get more playing time at third, which not only would keep Vinny on the bench, it would keep at least one Franco in the lineup.

As said below, Javy Lopez went on the disabled list and Steve Torrealba was called up to back up Henry Blanco. Torrealba isn't much of a hitter, and the Braves' catching situation continues its years-long decline. At this rate, the Braves' starting catcher in 2005 will be a hamster.

FanHome.com Baseball - Steve Torrealba Called up

So says Jason the RBravesman. No word yet on who will make room for him; either Javy or Albie Lopez will presumably go on the DL to make room for Torrealba, yet another light-hitting catcher.

UPDATE: Javy Lopez was put on the DL.

8/01/2002

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Brewers at Braves - 08/01/2002

The Braves won 4-0 to sweep the Brewers, which would be more impressive if the Brewers weren't such a terrible team. Greg Maddux got the win, and once again was removed after only six innings. I'm really not sure why. He'd thrown 95 pitches, and somehow Bobby's got the idea Greg can't go past 100. All in all, he wasn't absolutely at his best, but anytime you don't give up a run it's pretty satisfying. As it is, Bobby wound up using his three best relievers (Hammond, Remlinger, and Smoltz) an inning apiece with a four-run lead against a bad team. I don't get it.

Chipper Jones was perfect at the plate, three hits and a walk. I'm still not sure where his power stroke is, but he's got a .415 on-base percentage. Maybe he should hit leadoff. Andruw had two hits, breaking a mild slump, and Gary Sheffield had two as well.

Then there's Vinny Castilla, whom I am coming to hate. He was 0-4 and hit into a pair of double plays, one with the bases loaded and no one out. He's just a terrible, terrible player, and I don't know what it will take to get him benched. I'm hardly a Wes Helms fan, but Wes' stats for the season are far superior, 89 points of OPS. Even Lockhart has better numbers.