Kevin Pate
I’m sure that no one wants to relive the Atlanta Braves poor showing tonight. Fredi Gonzalez was none too pleased and had this to say after the game, courtesy of David O’Brien‘s twitter account:

This was #Braves manager’s postgame presser: “He was pretty good, and we weren’t. And that’s about it, boys. That’s all I’ve got for you.”

— David O’Brien (@ajcbraves) April 27, 2013

» Continue reading “Atlanta Braves: The Good, the Mad, and the Double Bag UGLY…”

Kevin Pate helps us look for Atlanta’s hide and seek offense.

The Braves just dropped three of four games to the Pittsburgh Pirates, owners of 21 consecutive losing seasons. In those four losses, they managed to score just four runs. Is it time to worry about the offense? Not quite.

The Braves, recently, have been the recipients of bad luck. The biggest receiver of this unfortunate luck has been Jason Heyward, who has a BABIP (batting average of balls in play) of .114. Considering that Heyward’s career BABIP is around .300, it’s safe to assume that you should expect Heyward to gain about .200 higher in average, and expect a few more of those flyouts to turn into homeruns.

The Braves walk into Monday’s game with a BABIP of .275, which is good for 23rd in the league. Despite that statistic, » Continue reading “Where is the Braves Offense?”

Did you know that three of the five Braves starting pitchers have higher batting averages than Jason Heyward? Did you realize that Heyward is 4 for 39 for an .103 average, but he has seven walks and seven runs? Did you also realize that Heyward, B.J. Upton, and Dan Uggla have more strike outs than hits, and they are all batting under.175? » Continue reading “The Hits Keep Coming…For Some of the Braves”

There’s just something about Opening Day.

Here it is, Opening Day! The new Braves take the field versus National League East nemesis Philadelphia. Ready or not, Braves fans will have an infield without Chipper Jones, someone other than Brian McCann behind the plate, and no daily game of “Where on the Field is Martin Prado”.

What is the same is the old reliable Tim Hudson on the mound. At 37 years old, you can count on Hudson commanding the cutter, just as you can count on the “War Eagle” for the former Auburn star. Hudson has lead by example since joining the Braves in 2005. Do not mistake his laid back nature and often comical interviews for lack of killer instinct. Anyone that has watched the veteran compete knows that while he may have us laughing of the field, on the field there are no laughing matters. (Well, there was that time he fell off the mound versus Baltimore. As someone who frequently embarrasses myself in similar manners, if you cannot laugh at yourself, you are the only one not laughing.) » Continue reading “Braves Opening Day- Something Old, Something New”

All season we have watched a 40 year old play like he is a teenager all the while wondering, “is this the last home run,” “is this the last…” Sunday was a definitive last- Larry Wayne Jones played his last regular season home game for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta has at least four more games, three in Pittsburgh in the regular season, and at least one playoff game.

Oddly enough, during Chipper Jones weekend, it was not Chipper Jones carrying the Braves. For some fans, this was surely disappointing, but honestly, it should be relieving. All season, those of us covering the team have told you it is not a good thing for the best player on your team to be the guy who will not be here next year. Finally, Atlanta does not need Chipper as their spark- at least not this weekend. Martin Prado, Kris Medlen, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Mike Minor were the stories on the field. Atlanta won a record 23 games in which Kris Medlen started on Sunday, Minor’s win on Saturday further highlighted his incredible second half turnaround. Prado, Freeman, and Heyward each stepped up with key RBI to give both pitchers enough run support to get the wins. All of this while Chipper went one for the weekend.

I understand you wanted the Chipper Jones heroics you have become used to over the last 19 years, but your happiness should be in that the Braves can win without him. This was something that I myself was skeptical of at several points during the season. The faces of the Braves as Chipper announced his retirement showed sadness and even doubt. Maybe, just maybe, this was something that this team was not certain of themselves, but now that they are, you may be for a Hall of Fame ending to a first ballot Hall of Fame career.

Photo courtesy of MLB. Click for this and more photos of Chipper Jones weekend.

Braves fans may finally be able to take a breath and enjoy the rest of the season thanks to the guy that ended a horrific September and in return the season in 2011. Freddie Freeman not only clinched at least one playoff game for the Braves with his two run walk off home run, he also brought a glimmer of hope of a division title.

That’s right folks the team that had the most colossal collapse in team history, could make just as shocking of a come the next year. With eight games remaining, Atlanta finds itself only four games back of the NL East leading Washington Nationals, a team that has shut down their ace when they need him most. More than the loss of Starburg’s arm, Washington misses the continuity in the clubhouse. The message sent to the Nationals and their fans is that winning is not important. On top of the fact they they have proven to the world their inability to manage a pitching staff.

Freeman’s moment of glory may have taken away from two milestones: Chipper Jones tied Robbie Alomar in career hits, and Kris Medlen tied Whitey Ford for the longest games started team winning streak. In the 22 games Kris Medlen has started, even if he has gotten a no decision, the Braves have won. You cannot really blame Freddie though, it could have more to do with the fact that we are just accustomed to Medlen and Chipper carrying the team.

Kris Medlen is indeed strong medicine for the Braves, and can even be credited for keeping Atlanta together when the team hit the skids. Medlen also had Tommy John surgery at the exact same time as Stephen Strasberg, and like it or not, you have to give Fredi Gonzalez and Roger McDowell credit for how they have managed his innings this season.

When Braves country was screaming for Medlen to get back to the rotation, Gonzalez and McDowell were making sure the young pitcher was ready for the role. Had he started the year as a starter, who knows how his arm would have held up. Managing innings wisely is the key, not shutting down your number one at playoff time.

The Braves are sitting with the Wild Card lead and the hottest starter in MLB, instead of embroiled in controversy because your star in on the bench. It is this management that just may earn Fredi Gonzalez Manager of the Year.

Seth Everett stopped by The Opening Drive to discuss how insane the Nationals shutdown of Stephen Strasburg, but to a Braves fan, it could seem pretty brilliant!