FightliketheBraves

Chipper remains top of the pack and Smoltz gets a win

2007-09-18T09:23:12Z

Chipper has a big night getting 3 hits on his first 3 at bats and driving in 2 runs. Also raking some RBI's was Jeff Francoeur who topped the 100rbi total on the season with a 3 rbi night. And Andruw Jones's 25th home run of the season in the 5th brought his total to 91. This gives the Braves 3 players with 90 at least 90 rbi.

McCann is on the doorstep of joining that club as he sits at 89. Also last night's game tied a career high in games played for Brian McCann with 130. In comparison to last season McCann's lines are:

2006 130GP .333avg 442AB 61R 147H 342b 24HR 93RBI 41BB 54SO 2SB .388obp .572slg

2007 130GP .271avg 472AB 51R 128H 382b 18HR 89RBI 33BB 71SO 0SB .322obp

On the pitching side of the stat sheet John Smoltz picks up his 14th win of the season and lowers his era to 2.97. In back to back days the Hudson/Smoltz combo has given up 1 run in 15IP.

Jones Back On Top

2007-09-16T20:11:43Z

Sunday, September 16, 2007 brings us a new leader in the NL batting race. Chipper Jones leaps out in front of the dog race with a 2 for 4 day in Washington against the Nationals. Right on his heals is a healthy Edgar Renteria.

Jones, C. .335
Renteria, E. .334
Utley, C. .334
Ramirez, H. .333
Holliday, M. .330

Those 0 for 4 days have to be behind each one of these guys because each one of them holds the ability to bat .350 for the remainder of the season and out the rest.

5 Spot for Hudson.

2007-08-20T19:29:55Z

Tim Hudson took his 6-0 and 1.78 era since the all-star break into Cincinnati. You got to love being spotted 5 runs before throwing your first pitch of the game. All he has to do is toe the rubber for 6 strong innings and he walks away with yet another win.

He just gave up one in the first before stricking out Adam Dunn on a pitch that almost hit the thigh of his back leg. Dunn's rep must have proceeded him.

Other notes: In "ARROYO CALLS OUT PIRATES" a March 08, 2007 post I made, Bronson Arroyo (6-13 4.58 of the Reds called out division rivals the Pirates. Bronson stated that he would try hard to keep the Reds out of second to last place and far away from the Pirates. Since this is the second time in what feels like a few weeks I'll update Mr. Arroyo with the current outcome. The Reds are indeed in 5Th, ahead of the last place Pirates with a 54-69 record. The Pirates only have one more lose than the Reds. I also noticed that I wrote about Mark Bellhorn looking out of place in a Reds uniform. Mark, just called up has 7 AB in 8 games.

Teixiera just made it 8-1 with a 3 run home run in the second. This kid is some kind of monster with the wood since coming to the Braves. 8HR 22 RBI in 65 Ab as a Brave. The ran in coming down hard now. Frenchy adds on another hit to the parade....

...bottom of the second, the Reds have tomorrow night's starting pitcher in the On Deck Circle. What are these Reds up to? They won a tough series against us last time. Bellhorn draws a walk.

Jo Jo Reyes needs a good outing tomorrow.

A Few Stranded Man On Base

2007-08-18T20:17:15Z

A Few Stranded Man On Base

By Luke Veinot

August 18, 2007

How many times do you think a stat like RISP is talked about daily? It comes up during each broadcasted game, contract negotiation, and MVP debate. It’s a number that doesn’t carry much weight over a career but year to year and month to month fans, writers and broadcasters will use this number to deconstruct a struggling ball club. Point blank, if you’re not batting well with runners in scoring position you’re not going to win many games. At the end of any none specific inning you’ll find runners left on base. We all know this as a disappointment but what of those guys who work the counts, get those bleeders through the infield or a ball lined deep in the gap? What about the credit we give to those who steal a base on a two out count only to be left at second. Hits and bases are awarded even if you don’t score. Regardless of the outcome, many players rack up great numbers on losing clubs. So what of these men left behind? Are they the scrappy folks getting their first cup in the bigs or all stars?

With stats taken from games up to August 17, here’s a “mafia style” roster of the league leaders in hits without scoring (HWS).

POS

NAME

TEAM

HWS

MOLINA, B

GIANTS

RODRIGUEZ, I.

TIGERS

YOUNG, D.

NATIONALS

SANCHEZ, F.

PIRATES

LOWELL

, M.

RED SOX

YOUNG, M.

RANGERS

CABRERA, M.

MARLINS

JETER, D.

YANKEES

SUZUKI, I.

MARINERS

FRANCOEUR, J.

BRAVES

HOLLIDAY, M.

ROCKIES

WINN, R.

GIANTS

CRAWFORD, C.

D-RAYS

UTIL

VIDRO, J.

MARINERS

A closer look at Yunel in August

2007-08-18T18:21:07Z

When mark Teixeira was acquired from the Rangers on the trade deadline not only was John Schuerholz sending a message about how he felt in regards to Brian McCann but he was also making a statement about a young Cuba named Yunel Escobar. With the slew of rookies we've seen over the last three seasons there's one who stands out in the crowd without saying a word. Yunel's a soft spoken hardly heard, hard working kid who's done nothing thundering but fit into the club house comfortably and Braves line up all summer. So much so that GM John Schuerholz dealt the clubs top rated middle infield in their minor league system. Elvis Andres was being compared to Derrick Jeter around the all star break by scouts outside of the organization and was heralded as Edgar Renteria's replacement in 2009.

As it goes, Andres was traded, Mark Teixeira became the second coming of Fred McGriff and in the eclipse Edgar Renteria injures his ankle. Out since August 3^rd, his replacement who was platooning at second base, Yunel Escobar stepped into a starting roll with the Braves in the heat of a play off race.

Escobar is hitting .315, 17/54 in 15 games, 6r, 3 2b, 0hr, 8 rbi, 2bb, 15so, 1sb.

Nothing special but he’s consistent, and hasn’t created a void after losing your starting SS due to injury and your top prospect in a trade.

Cy Young Roto Style Update

2007-08-18T17:55:50Z

Updated

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Roy Halladay, Sabathia and Erik Bedard all had the kind of starts you expected from these characters. Halladay pitched a complete game against the Angels on Tuesday giving up one earned run and one walk. The alarming stat from his line was the two strikes. Only two from a pitcher who’s posted a 8.44 K/9. Don’t worry about this cause he’s done this before. On April 13^th against Detroit Roy struck out 2 in 10 innings.

The most unexpected effort of the week came yesterday from Fausto Carmona. His line W, 8.0IP, 1ER, 2 BB, 10K against the Tigers. The outing is so unlike what we’ve come to expect from the young Indians arm. In April Carmona pitched 26.3 innings and struck out only 9 batters. The 10 against the Tigers was a season high coming in a string of 6 great starts out of his last 7. The only blip out of that run was his previous game against the Yankees on August 10^th.

I’ll glace over the Matsuzaka start against the Rays. Evan Dickens said all that needs to be said about the poor outing. Was I the only one who scratched their head when Evan implied that the Red Sox had a pair of rookies who were out performing Matsuzaka? I didn’t come up with Hideki Okajima right away. It was Okajima right?

Out of the 11 starts that were added to the roto stats for NL pitchers only 3 of them were quality starts. If you’re in an NL only weekly or head to head league and started Zambrano and Lilly this week you might as well look towards next week’s games. Both gave up 6 earned runs and Zambrano couldn’t find a weak bat in the Reds lineup. Coincidently, Lilly faced the Reds the next night, lasted 5 innings and giving up 2 HR. On the other side of the diamond Harang picked up the win but gave up 5er in 7IP and gave up 3 HR.

On the flip side Chris Young bounced back from his bad start after returning from the DL. He pitched 6 strong shutout innings against the

Rockies

but the Padres failed to score until he left the game.

My fingers are crossed for Cole Hamels who just took the mound in

Washington

. Cole has given up 25 home runs, only second to Woody Williams in the majors. With the league batting about the same against him as last year his control is much better, posting 1.19 BB/9 and 0.11 WHIP less than his rookie season for the Phillies. Cutting down on the long ball could fetch Hamels the runner up award to Jake Peavy’s Cy Young season.

As for Peavy, who beat those pesky Reds in

Cincinnati

on Sunday, the Cy Young is his to lose.

Luke Veinot

Nova Scotia

CY YOUNG ROTO STYLE

2007-08-13T17:44:56Z

The only Family You'll Ever Need...

If the Cy Young were Roto
Updated Sunday August 12, 2007

AL
These stats might be more volatile week to week, than I first thought. A bad start could allow a leader to drop back to 4th place like our previous leader in Dan Haren. The drop to 4th from 1st might be due more to a great outing on August 11th by Josh Beckett who pitched 8.6 innings allowing 2ER, 0BB and 8Ks.

Chien-Ming Wang pushes himself off the list to make way for Javier Vazquez. Wang’s 8ER in 2.6 IP on August 8th at Toronto did in the ground ball expert. Wang’s low K/9 and strikeout totals plague him fantasy wise in his 3 years as a Yankees. However, with that offense behind him this guy wins games. A career 40-17, 3.82era and 1.29 whip still makes him worth rostering if you can pair him with a strikeout artist. I’d recommend teaming him with Matsuzaka or Vaquez to balance their combined stats.

NL

Jake Peavy remains poised as he run away leader in the NL. His 1A counter part came off the DL for a start on August 9th to face the Cardinals. The outing wasn’t what we came to expect from Chris Young (6ip, 4er, 5BB, 5K) as his first half was a fantasy baseball dream come true for those who drafted him. I didn’t catch the start but I’m sure it was just one of those starts that are due. His season stats so far are a challenge to continue for any pitcher. Like everyone else, I’ll be looking for him to rebound in his next couple of outings.

Last weeks new addition, Ted Lilly is sitting 5th in the race. Much to the irate of “Fantasy 411” co-host Corey Schwartz, Lilly is flirting with fantasy owners yet again, calling them for his acquisition. More than the fantasy implications, the Cubs need him to continue his consistent work as the chase the Brewers for the Central Division crown. The one alarm bell I can find in the numbers is that he gives up the most HR/9. I’d only start him in a pitch or ditch situation.

John Maine needs a quality start this week in order to stay in the CY Young race. His August 9th match up against the Braves’ Tim Hudson caused him to lose a few points. John Maine and the Mets travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates on August 14th.

Luke In Nova Scotia

*********************************************************************************

AL Cy Young

NAME

ERA

WHIP

K/9

B/9

K/B

HR/9

TOTAL

TEAM

BECKETT, J.

11.5

86.5

RED SOX

SABATHIA, C.

INDIANS

BEDARD, E.

3.5

81.5

ORILES

HAREN, D.

7.5

80.5

A'S

SANTANA, J.

3.5

73.5

TWINS

CARMONA, F.

7.5

63.5

INDIANS

LACKEY, J.

11.5

62.5

ANGELS

MATSUZAKA, D.

7.5

2.5

RED SOX

ESCOBAR, K.

3.5

50.5

ANGELS

VERLANDER, J.

3.5

49.5

TIGERS

HALLADAY

7.5

2.5

JAYS

VAZQUEZ, J.

Much love for Tom Glavine. I miss his left arm in our rotation and I miss him even more in our clubhouse. I hope he pitches next year.

If the NL CY YOUNG RACE was a roto league

2007-08-05T14:04:02Z

If the NL CY YOUNG RACE was a roto league

By Luke Veinot

I've often wondered if there was a mathematical way to hand out post season awards. I started thinking about it after Bartolo Colon's 2005 CY Young. To me he never won the award that year. He stole it from Johan Santana. Yes, he was given the award and there was a press conference and everyone in Angel's land was happy but you can't discount the year Johan Santana had that season. If you look up the numbers and threw out wins you'd notice Santana struck out 81 more batters and posted a 0.61 better era. So without further ado this is the NL pitching roto stats as of August 5, 2007.

The 9 categories are wins, win %, era, IP, SO, K/9, BB/9, K/BB ratio, HR/9. At first I had other categories like walks but found that they were redundant because the same scores showed up for similar categories.

NAME

ERA

K/9

B/9

K/B

HR/9

TOTAL

TEAM

PEAVY, J

6.5

10.5

PADRES

HAMELS, C.

8.5

9.5

10.5

70.5

PHILLIES

HUDSON, T.

8.5

10.5

BRAVES

HARANG, A.

3.5

2.5

7.5

63.5

REDS

SMOLTZ, J

3.5

7.5

BRAVES

PENNY, B

5.5

10.5

DODGERS

YOUNG, C

3.5

9.5

5.5

59.5

PADRES

WEBB, B

3.5

54.5

D-BACKS

OSWALT, R.

6.5

2.5

5.5

51.5

ASTROS

ZAMBRANO, Z.

5.5

48.5

CUBS

PEREZ, O.

3.5

First Look At Teixeira in a Braves Uniform

2007-08-01T01:01:17Z

Last Weeks games

2007-08-01T00:53:21Z

So here's a break down of the games I watched last week to give you an idea of what I've watched. I usually flick on the first game that starts and evenings I'm not working I'll put on the last game to finish. I started doing that so I could catch more Dodger games but with the way the schedule works out I'm not getting to see as many games as I want to. What fan can't get enough of Vin Scully. You'll also notice I'm a Yankees fan as well as a Braves fan.

date/Home team/away team/Innings

MON 7/23/2007 INDIANS RED SOX 3

TUE 7/24/2007 INDIANS RED SOX 4

TUE 7/24/2007 MARINERS RANGERS 7

WED 7/25/2007 GIANTS BRAVES 9

WED 7/25/2007 ROYALS YANKEES 4

THU 7/26/2007 GIANTS BRAVES 9

THU 7/26/2007 ROYALS YANKEES 4

THU 7/26/2007 INDIANS RED SOX 2

FRI 7/27/2007 D-BACKS BRAVES 4

SUN 7/29/2007 D-BACKS BRAVES 6

A total of 10 games and 52 innings so about 5.3 Innings per game

Sunday, July 29th

2007-07-30T00:20:14Z

Chipper Jones’ run as the NL batting average leader came to an end after 9 days on Saturday night. He answered back Sunday night along with the rest of the Braves as they beat up on the D-Backs 13-0. Chipper went 1 for 1 with 5 rbi.

NL BATTING LEADERS after July 29h

1. Ramirez, H. SS FLA .342 1st DAY

2. Jones, C. 3B ATL .341

3. Cabrera, M. 3B FLA .337

4. Utley, C. 2B PHI .336

5. Renteria, E. SS ATL .333

6. Holliday, M. OF COL .332

7. Lee, D. 1B CHC. 331

8. Young, D. 1B WSH .330

9. Rowand, A. OF PHI .327

10. Ramirez, A. 3B CHC .321

Saturday, July 28th

2007-07-28T03:15:07Z

Chipper puts up a fat goose egg going 0/5. His first at bat of the game was a 411 fly out.

NL BATTING LEADERS after July 27h

1. Jones, C. 3B ATL .339 -5 8th DAY

2. Ramirez, H. SS FLA .339 +3

3. Utley, C. 2B PHI .336 +2

4. Young, D. 1B WSH .3335 +2

5. Renteria, E. SS ATL .333 -1

6. Lee, D. 1B CHC. 332 -3

7. Cabrera, M. 3B FLA.332 +2

8. Holliday, M. OF COL .330

9. Pence, H. OF HOU .330

10. Rowand, A. OF PHI .328

MY Big Four and Johnson's Herniated Disk (Part 1)

2007-07-28T03:02:32Z

For me and my youth I can recall only 4 pitchers who dominated the game like no other in their prime. They racked up wins, strikeout, Cy Young and World Series rings. One of those big 4 officially ended his season today. Randy Johnson is schedule to under go surgery for a herniated disk. The plan was for Johnson to try to pitch through the injury as he did when he won 17 games and compiled a 5.00 ERA for the Yankees in 2006. But after pitching against the Dodgers on June 28, it became clear that he would not be able to continue.

My lasting memories of Johnson come in many ways. Randy the Mariner. Randy pitching inside in a all star game. Randy destroying a dove as it flew into the path of his 100mph fastball on March24, 2006. Randy's first altercation with a New York camera man in January 2005. Randy's 2001 World Series performance. And Randy's perfect game against the Braves on May 18th, 2004.

I hope this isn't the end of Randy Johnson's career but given the age and injury I'd have to say his chances of returning are less than 50%.

10 time all star.

World Series MVP and ring

5 Cy Young

4 time Era leader

9 time Strikeouts leader.

Career stats

Regular Season 284-150 3855IP 4616K

Post Season 7-9 121IP 132K

Note: the other 3 are Clemens, Maddux and Pedro.

Friday, July 27th

2007-07-27T12:19:37Z

Both Chipper and Renteria had a PH at bat last night and both flew out.

NL BATTING LEADERS after July 25th

1. Jones, C. 3B ATL .344 -2 7th DAY

2. Ramirez, H. SS FLA .336

3. Utley, C. 2B PHI .336 +2

4. Lee, D. 1B CHC. 335

5. Renteria, E. SS ATL .334 -1

6. Young, D. 1B WSH .333 +2

7. Cabrera, M. 3B FLA.330 +4

8. Holliday, M. OF COL .330

9. Pence, H. OF HOU .330

10. Rowand, A. OF PHI .328