Braves 2019 Season

[smootness]

To be fair, his defense is much improved, and he's at 1.3 fWAR.

Depends on where you look. On BR, he's been a below average defensive player and is at 0.4 WAR. That seems more accurate to me.

[MetEdDawg]

Just keep ender. We are screwed right now if acuna gets hurt... no backup cf

We could always pull Pache if we needed to

[msstate7]

Depends on where you look. On BR, he's been a below average defensive player and is at 0.4 WAR. That seems more accurate to me.

Perhaps so. I haven't watched them a lot, but I was pretty surprised when fangraphs had him a positive defender

[smootness]

We could always pull Pache if we needed to

That would not help his development at all.

Ender isn't likely to hold much value in a trade, so I agree it makes sense to keep him around...give guys a rest, defensive sub, etc.

[KOdawg1]

Brandon Woodruff is currently shutting the Braves down. Stinks to see the Braves losing, but it's awesome to see Woody having a productive MLB career so far.

As I type this, Freddie just hit a bomb to tie it up

[parabrave]

One thing we forget about Ender is that he has been a 2nd half producer.

[shoeless joe]

I sure wish the Braves would hurry up and find that any ol joe blow on the cheap to close out games....

With a competent closer this team is in first place by a pretty good margin. The front office is going to waist away this season to save a few bucks and a draft pick. Damn shame

[msstate7]

Luke Jackson has had terrible luck the last 2 outings. Snit should've gone to Newcomb though once panda was announced as ph... that made it 2 lefties in a row. Snit doesn't have a good pen, so he can't treat Jackson like a normal closer

[MetEdDawg]

Luke Jackson has had terrible luck the last 2 outings. Snit should've gone to Newcomb though once panda was announced as ph... that made it 2 lefties in a row. Snit doesn't have a good pen, so he can't treat Jackson like a normal closer

If we get to the middle of June and are still only a few games out, I think we make a move. Bullpen is too bad and they don't have enough juice in high leverage situations. I could see us going after Kimbrel because that's the only chance we've got. Lineup is going to score enough most nights. We can't have Luke Jackson in high leverage spots. We will have to make a move.

[MaroonFlounder]

Pirates teeing off on Gausman. Austin Riley is phenomenal. Has knocked in the only run so far. Not helping himself in LF though.

And the damn Cubs just signed Kimbrell.

[MetEdDawg]

Pirates teeing off on Gausman. Austin Riley is phenomenal. Has knocked in the only run so far. Not helping himself in LF though.

And the damn Cubs just signed Kimbrell.

3 years close to $45 million for Kimbrel. I know we need help but that's too rich for my blood considering one of those years is a half year. That's about $18 million a year and he's not worth that. We've got 8 other inning to worry about.

[msstate7]

Folty and Gausman have me crossing my fingers on Dallas K now.

[Tbonewannabe]

Folty and Gausman have me crossing my fingers on Dallas K now.

If you get Dallas, who do you shift to the pen?

[shoeless joe]

If you get Dallas, who do you shift to the pen?

I think footy or Gausman would make a decent closer depending on if either could throw multiple innings per week

[msstate7]

Sign Dallas, and determine who is the least flammable of folty and Gausman.... keep that one, and do whatever with the other

[msstate7]

Looks like Dallas is a brave

[parabrave]

Looks like Dallas is a brave

Dam I've been saying all year gotta get DK because Folty and Gausman were not the answers that we needed. We still need one more starter.

[Really Clark?]

$13 MIL for the rest of the season, just a 1 year deal. I like it.

[msstate7]

Dallas starting in Gwinnett Saturday night. Hopefully he's ready soon. This time through the rotation could be interesting bc there's someone will most likely be replaced soon. Wouldn't surprise me if folty, gausman, fried, or soroka get an IL visit. Folty and Gausman would be performance based; fried and Soroka to keep innings down

[msstate7]

So, AA supposedly almost got Dallas and Kimbrel. We still have money left then. Time to go get us a reliever or 2 then... will smith and tony Watson would make us the 2nd best NL team behind the dodgers

[MetEdDawg]

Don't look now cool kids but we are only 1 game back of the Phillies now with a 10 game home stand against the Pirates, Phillies and Mets upcoming.

I would think our plan with Ender would unfold during that time and would hope to potentially add another bullpen arm (rumors of Will Smith) or starter given both Gausman and Folty's issues.

I would also not be surprised to hear Donaldson rumors pop up over the next month. He's underproducing at the plate and our 3B of the future is ready now. Can we find someone to eat 8-10 million of his salary and upgrade the OF or bench so Camargo can play every day?

A lot to be decided but things are looking up for sure. Biggest surprise has been Julio. He's pitching extremely well right now.

[Really Clark?]

Don't look now cool kids but we are only 1 game back of the Phillies now with a 10 game home stand against the Pirates, Phillies and Mets upcoming.

I would think our plan with Ender would unfold during that time and would hope to potentially add another bullpen arm (rumors of Will Smith) or starter given both Gausman and Folty's issues.

I would also not be surprised to hear Donaldson rumors pop up over the next month. He's underproducing at the plate and our 3B of the future is ready now. Can we find someone to eat 8-10 million of his salary and upgrade the OF or bench so Camargo can play every day?

A lot to be decided but things are looking up for sure. Biggest surprise has been Julio. He's pitching extremely well right now.

If you are thinking that Donaldson is not pulling his weight, why trade him to play Camargo who’s hitting .222? That’s a downgrade in the lineup by a large margin. If there is someone on the bench you want to play more, it’s definitely Culberson over Camargo but losing a 1.5 war for a -.4 is not wise.

[MetEdDawg]

If you are thinking that Donaldson is not pulling his weight, why trade him to play Camargo who’s hitting .222? That’s a downgrade in the lineup by a large margin. If there is someone on the bench you want to play more, it’s definitely Culberson over Camargo but losing a 1.5 war for a -.4 is not wise.

Camargo has been playing sparingly. I think he's proven his value as an every day guy. And he costs way the hell less than Donaldson. Dump some Donaldson salary and role with Camargo.

If dumping 8 million of Donaldson's salary allowed us to secure Will Smith or another closer, would you do it? I sure as hell would.

[Really Clark?]

Camargo has been playing sparingly. I think he's proven his value as an every day guy. And he costs way the hell less than Donaldson. Dump some Donaldson salary and role with Camargo.

If dumping 8 million of Donaldson's salary allowed us to secure Will Smith or another closer, would you do it? I sure as hell would.

No way I would make that trade unless it’s an elite closer who is going to match or eclipse Donaldson WAR. Will Smith is at .8 and Donaldson is 1.5. And you want to play a -.4 Camargo so you are giving up 1.1 WAR betting Camargo will hit better (he has not swung the bat nearly as well this year, giving him everyday at bats doesn’t mean he will hit better this season it’s just a guess). You also weakened the bench so you have to make another move. You now have Ender and his -.1 WAR playing everyday again. He normally turns in a much better second half but at this point your move costs us 1.2 WAR at least at this point. And why do that when it’s possible to get Smith for prospects and not have to give up a position starter? To dump salary that comes off the books in the offseason while we are in the playoff hunt? No way

[MetEdDawg]

No way I would make that trade unless it?s an elite closer who is going to match or eclipse Donaldson WAR. Will Smith is at .8 and Donaldson is 1.5. And you want to play a -.4 Camargo so you are giving up 1.1 WAR betting Camargo will hit better (he has not swung the bat nearly as well this year, giving him everyday at bats doesn?t mean he will hit better this season it?s just a guess). You also weakened the bench so you have to make another move. You now have Ender and his -.1 WAR playing everyday again. He normally turns in a much better second half but at this point your move costs us 1.2 WAR at least at this point. And why do that when it?s possible to get Smith for prospects and not have to give up a position starter? To dump salary that comes off the books in the offseason while we are in the playoff hunt? No way

Ender won't be playing. Ender will be gone. And yes I would do that every day. Trade Ender for a bench bat or reliever. Trade Donaldson and get someone to take 8 million of his salary for some piece like a closer or a #2/3 starter.

Camargo goes to LF, Riley goes to 3B, and use your remaining cash to get another piece. Can you upgrade at catcher? Can you get another reliever? Can you get a top line starter at the deadline?

I think it's something we should at least be considering

[Really Clark?]

Ender won't be playing. Ender will be gone. And yes I would do that every day. Trade Ender for a bench bat or reliever. Trade Donaldson and get someone to take 8 million of his salary for some piece like a closer or a #2/3 starter.

Camargo goes to LF, Riley goes to 3B, and use your remaining cash to get another piece. Can you upgrade at catcher? Can you get another reliever? Can you get a top line starter at the deadline?

I think it's something we should at least be considering

Your making no sense and no body will be making that trade. You are handing away wins to play a struggling Camargo for a guy at half the WAR for Donaldson. Then you have to get rid of Ender while he is down, so that would be a suck bench piece. So you have made our line up, defense (Donaldson is a much better defender as well) and bench a lot weaker. They are not considering getting rid of Donaldson, not for your scenario. Not even close.

[MetEdDawg]

Your making no sense and no body will be making that trade. You are handing away wins to play a struggling Camargo for a guy at half the WAR for Donaldson. Then you have to get rid of Ender while he is down, so that would be a suck bench piece. So you have made our line up, defense (Donaldson is a much better defender as well) and bench a lot weaker. They are not considering getting rid of Donaldson, not for your scenario. Not even close.

Are you really using a closer's WAR as defense for why we shouldn't get him? That makes no sense. Dude is a legit closer and is from the state of Georgia, so he has very good potential to be resigned.

If you said right now we lose Donaldson, put Camargo at LF, Riley at 3B, and get Will Smith, I would take that every day of the week.

Infatuation with WAR, especially as it relates to someone like Camargo who hasn't played enough to have a meaningful WAR, makes no sense.

[Really Clark?]

Are you really using a closer's WAR as defense for why we shouldn't get him? That makes no sense. Dude is a legit closer and is from the state of Georgia, so he has very good potential to be resigned.

If you said right now we lose Donaldson, put Camargo at LF, Riley at 3B, and get Will Smith, I would take that every day of the week.

Infatuation with WAR, especially as it relates to someone like Camargo who hasn't played enough to have a meaningful WAR, makes no sense.

You absolutely have to look at his WAR and overall numbers when you are making all of these position player changes. You are nuts if you don’t think it wouldn’t be factored in this type of decision. And they would not consider that move ever. Give away more WAR from an everyday player, to put in a negative WAR position player (that is a negative 2 WAR change at a min because Donaldson is a Top 40 defender in all of MLB). And you never ever give away wins thinking a struggling player will turn it around with more at bats. His swing is off period. He is not even getting as many PH at bats lately over other guys because of his struggles but you want to play him everyday? No way

Nothing about what you are posting matches up in a trade scenario. Not close. Keep thinking what you want but the club won’t and is not think of doing this. It doesn’t work by the metrics, salary and the Giants won’t do it either. There is no sense in this

[msstate7]

We're 7 games over .500 and just signed a solid starting pitcher... I wouldn't trade anyone. I'd just add a reliever or 2.

[MetEdDawg]

You absolutely have to look at his WAR and overall numbers when you are making all of these position player changes. You are nuts if you don’t think it wouldn’t be factored in this type of decision. And they would not consider that move ever. Give away more WAR from an everyday player, to put in a negative WAR position player (that is a negative 2 WAR change at a min because Donaldson is a Top 40 defender in all of MLB). And you never ever give away wins thinking a struggling player will turn it around with more at bats. His swing is off period. He is not even getting as many PH at bats lately over other guys because of his struggles but you want to play him everyday? No way

Nothing about what you are posting matches up in a trade scenario. Not close. Keep thinking what you want but the club won’t and is not think of doing this. It doesn’t work by the metrics, salary and the Giants won’t do it either. There is no sense in this

Camargo 3-4 tonight with 2 runs and an RBI. Now has a higher batting average than Donaldson. 3 hits changed Camargo's batting average by 18 points. Not fair to judge him when he's not had the opportunities to get consistent plate appearances. I think the last 2 years he's shown he can be a solid contributor.

We may not trade Donaldson, but if he can't hit higher than .237, he can't hit 4th in this lineup.

Also, the Phillies are 6 outs away from us being tied with them in the division.

[Really Clark?]

Camargo 3-4 tonight with 2 runs and an RBI. Now has a higher batting average than Donaldson. 3 hits changed Camargo's batting average by 18 points. Not fair to judge him when he's not had the opportunities to get consistent plate appearances. I think the last 2 years he's shown he can be a solid contributor.

We may not trade Donaldson, but if he can't hit higher than .237, he can't hit 4th in this lineup.

Also, the Phillies are 6 outs away from us being tied with them in the division.

And an error on defense and had 2 good hits the third was not. He had a good night on offense (so did most of our guys vs early relievers after the ejection with all of them 8- to nearly 10 ERA’s, let’s not go crazy against BP pitching) and he still is not touching the wins you get with Donaldson. But yeah let’s make multiple changes when we about to tie up the division and drop our win potential

[Really Clark?]

Look I know you want Will Smith. Ok, he will be only owed about $1.35-2.5 MIL depending on when he is traded. You don’t need some big salary dump just for him and why would the Giants take on salary? Makes no sense. Get him for 2 prospects in Top 10-30 range. He is a rental so you don’t have give up 2 Top 10 pieces.

You are assuming some things that you have no facts to base it on. You assume Riley can handle every day at 3rd defensively and offensively. (Snit didn’t do that today after Donaldson ejection). Donaldson is a Top 40 defender in wins in all of baseball at this point. That’s a negative in considering this move. Big negative. Also, Riley is a rookie and hitting .158 for June. Getting a lot of sliders and while he has hit at every level, he has also had to adjust and it takes a while. Is he just in a little slump? I hope so and think he will hit again but not close to the way he started. Hope he does but he definitely doesn’t have the track record to say he will. Went 0-4 today against meat pitchers

Secondly, Donaldson is on pace to match Camargo’s best year, last year, in wins. With a better defense. And you want to talk track record? Donaldson smokes Camargo. Heck he was as good in an injury year last year (1.2 WAR) than Camargo in 2017. His track record is much better.

Donaldson has also slumped this month but prior to that he was on 4-5 win pace. But even if he doesn’t you still project him to hit .250 and 20+ HR’s and turning in very good defense. He at MINIMUM matches Camargo’s best year and has the higher ceiling.

[starkvegasdawg]

Don't look now but there's a new leader in the NL East.

[MetEdDawg]

Look I know you want Will Smith. Ok, he will be only owed about $1.35-2.5 MIL depending on when he is traded. You don?t need some big salary dump just for him and why would the Giants take on salary? Makes no sense. Get him for 2 prospects in Top 10-30 range. He is a rental so you don?t have give up 2 Top 10 pieces.

You are assuming some things that you have no facts to base it on. You assume Riley can handle every day at 3rd defensively and offensively. (Snit didn?t do that today after Donaldson ejection). Donaldson is a Top 40 defender in wins in all of baseball at this point. That?s a negative in considering this move. Big negative. Also, Riley is a rookie and hitting .158 for June. Getting a lot of sliders and while he has hit at every level, he has also had to adjust and it takes a while. Is he just in a little slump? I hope so and think he will hit again but not close to the way he started. Hope he does but he definitely doesn?t have the track record to say he will. Went 0-4 today against meat pitchers

Secondly, Donaldson is on pace to match Camargo?s best year, last year, in wins. With a better defense. And you want to talk track record? Donaldson smokes Camargo. Heck he was as good in an injury year last year (1.2 WAR) than Camargo in 2017. His track record is much better.

Donaldson has also slumped this month but prior to that he was on 4-5 win pace. But even if he doesn?t you still project him to hit .250 and 20+ HR?s and turning in very good defense. He at MINIMUM matches Camargo?s best year and has the higher ceiling.

Fangraphs has Donaldson with a -.7 defensive WAR and a .9 WAR right now. Let's not act like he's supremely better because right now he's just not. .236 batting average. Yes he's got a fairly high OBP because he will walk a lot. But he's only putting a ball in play around 1 every 2 at bats. Need to be higher than that considering his BABIP is over .300

Either way we are in sole possession of first place and look pretty good. Getting that timely hitting again.

[Really Clark?]

Fangraphs has Donaldson with a -.7 defensive WAR and a .9 WAR right now. Let's not act like he's supremely better because right now he's just not. .236 batting average. Yes he's got a fairly high OBP because he will walk a lot. But he's only putting a ball in play around 1 every 2 at bats. Need to be higher than that considering his BABIP is over .300

Either way we are in sole possession of first place and look pretty good. Getting that timely hitting again.

And MLB metrics has him at .5 defensive WAR (ranked 38th of all position players in the league). Don’t act like he isn’t one of the better defenders in all of baseball just because Fangraphs has a different rating on him. They have a weird very positive DRS for Donaldson but a negative UZR. In fact he is the only player in all of baseball (this was at end of May) with a strong +4 DRS but a negative UZR. Fangraphs actually have several Braves players like this and it’s the same for the team as a whole. Creating a very weird stat for them (And the Brewers are the other team like this). So their metrics are in competition right now with each other making the metrics off.

[MetEdDawg]

And MLB metrics has him at .5 defensive WAR (ranked 38th of all position players in the league). Don’t act like he isn’t one of the better defenders in all of baseball just because Fangraphs has a different rating on him. They have a weird very positive DRS for Donaldson but a negative UZR. In fact he is the only player in all of baseball (this was at end of May) with a strong +4 DRS but a negative UZR. Fangraphs actually have several Braves players like this and it’s the same for the team as a whole. Creating a very weird stat for them (And the Brewers are the other team like this). So their metrics are in competition right now with each other making the metrics off.

You are making this way too deep in advanced metrics. Those try to paint way too deep a picture and go well beyond reasonable things that front offices discuss. Here's a new metric for you. His oSUCKp (Offensive SUCK Potential) is very high right now. He's striking out too much and not putting the ball in play but 50% of the time.

Plain and simple. His value does not correlate with his salary. Period. There's no metric that can tell me his statistical value matches what we are paying him. He's about to go below .230 in his batting average. His slugging is lower than only Teheran's in the lineup today. His OBP is 5th in today's lineup.

[Really Clark?]

You are making this way too deep in advanced metrics. Those try to paint way too deep a picture and go well beyond reasonable things that front offices discuss. Here's a new metric for you. His oSUCKp (Offensive SUCK Potential) is very high right now. He's striking out too much and not putting the ball in play but 50% of the time.

Plain and simple. His value does not correlate with his salary. Period. There's no metric that can tell me his statistical value matches what we are paying him. He's about to go below .230 in his batting average. His slugging is lower than only Teheran's in the lineup today. His OBP is 5th in today's lineup.

His BABIP is .312 which is around his career average (actually above his career .301). That tells you his average is lower than it should be. When he has had BABIP over .300 his average has been over .280 every full season. His ISO and OBP is down but should come up with his average as well when that BABIP starts clearing up. He is striking out too much, walking more but not enough to compensate his higher than normal K rate. If every thing stays where it is percentage wise and BABIP adjusts normally, then a .260-.270 hitter with 20-30 HR’s with his defense, it’s probably a 4-5 WAR player.

Where did I argue about salary? I didn’t. Other than to point out that the Giants sure wouldn’t be adding that salary just so you can dump. Nobody is doing that. That’s why you never made sense. And for Will Smith? You don’t even have to. If the other front offices thinks it’s a bad contract, you are not going to get to dump to have extra money, you will have to take back a bad contract. He is more valuable than you think, $23 MIL was too much to start but that’s done and over with. It was a gamble that can still payoff, it just hadn’t matched that salary yet but we are not half way through the season either.

[smootness]

His BABIP is .312 which is around his career average (actually above his career .301). That tells you his average is lower than it should be. When he has had BABIP over .300 his average has been over .280 every full season. His ISO and OBP is down but should come up with his average as well when that BABIP starts clearing up. He is striking out too much, walking more but not enough to compensate his higher than normal K rate. If every thing stays where it is percentage wise and BABIP adjusts normally, then a .260-.270 hitter with 20-30 HR’s with his defense, it’s probably a 4-5 WAR player.

That's...not how BABIP works. The fact that his BABIP is around his career average, and actually slightly higher right now, is a bad sign for his BA. It means his higher K rate is killing his BA. Your BABIP plays into your current BA, not your future one. It's not like as long as he stays where he is in BABIP, his BA will improve. It's his K rate that needs to improve to get his BA up. If everything stays where it is, he will continue to hit around .235.

[msstate7]

7 in a row! Braves have a 1.5 game lead. 22 games till break and 18 of those are division games. Huge stretch.

[Really Clark?]

That's...not how BABIP works. The fact that his BABIP is around his career average, and actually slightly higher right now, is a bad sign for his BA. It means his higher K rate is killing his BA. Your BABIP plays into your current BA, not your future one. It's not like as long as he stays where he is in BABIP, his BA will improve. It's his K rate that needs to improve to get his BA up. If everything stays where it is, he will continue to hit around .235.


What? I said he is striking out too much. Where did I say it doesn’t matter? But he is also losing on his average some from BABIP as well. And it is used to help figure positive or negative trends. If it was all from strike outs I would said his AVG should go up to .275-295 and he would be 25-30 HRs. I didn’t, knocked off of both in general because it’s not just his K rate. He is losing hits on balls in play as well, when you eliminate the K’s.

[Really Clark?]

7 in a row! Braves have a 1.5 game lead. 22 games till break and 18 of those are division games. Huge stretch.


Yep. Big series this weekend

[msstate7]

Braves with an unbelievable win

[Liverpooldawg]

THAT was fun!

[Really Clark?]

Absolutely blasted the Phils today to take the series. Hate that we couldn’t close it last night

[MetEdDawg]

Absolutely blasted the Phils today to take the series. Hate that we couldn’t close it last night

Donaldson looks a lot better. He's staying inside the baseball more and that's been key to him being successful. If he can continue doing that he's gonna be fine and I'll eat the hell out of that crow.

Any time Acuna has 4 hits from the leadoff we will be virtually impossible to beat. Great day up and down the lineup and other than the walks, a great day from Folty

[msstate7]

Folty to AAA. Hopefully he can get right there.

The braves now have a 5.5 game lead and the 2nd best record in the NL. If we can figure out the 5th starter and get a couple pen pieces, watch out... this lineup is scary good

[MetEdDawg]

Folty to AAA. Hopefully he can get right there.

The braves now have a 5.5 game lead and the 2nd best record in the NL. If we can figure out the 5th starter and get a couple pen pieces, watch out... this lineup is scary good

Folty has looked awful. He's got to go down. I really hope we start hearing rumblings of moves we are trying to make over the next couple weeks. Like you said, we've got to get a starter and we need some bullpen help, especially a closer.

Phillies have too many weapons fornus to discount them but boy they sure look like garbage right now.

[MaroonFlounder]

It's time for DH in the National League.

Soroka just took a fastball to the forearm.

[msstate7]

IF they stay healthy, yes. You left off that part. deGrom was the best pitcher on earth last year and he wasn't even the best pitcher on his team after the all star break. That would be Zach Wheeler, who is coming into a contract year. Plus Syndergaard. Vargas was very good in the second half last year and Matz is the wild card, but he's as good as anyone the Braves have in their rotation.

Haven't heard much from Bubb Rubb lately. How the Mets doing? Lol

BTW... this was his response to me questioning his "Mets will run away with the east" comment

[smootness]

What? I said he is striking out too much. Where did I say it doesn’t matter? But he is also losing on his average some from BABIP as well. And it is used to help figure positive or negative trends. If it was all from strike outs I would said his AVG should go up to .275-295 and he would be 25-30 HRs. I didn’t, knocked off of both in general because it’s not just his K rate. He is losing hits on balls in play as well, when you eliminate the K’s.

I'm telling you, that's now how BABIP works. He is not losing on his average from BABIP. If his BABIP was low, that would signify he was unlucky and it should increase. As it increases, so does your BA. As it was, his BABIP was normal and possibly even a tad high, meaning it would be expected to stay where it is or even come down. So his BA wouldn't improve unless he cut his K's down.

He was not losing any hits on balls in play. That's what BABIP is.

[Really Clark?]

I'm telling you, that's now how BABIP works. He is not losing on his average from BABIP. If his BABIP was low, that would signify he was unlucky and it should increase. As it increases, so does your BA. As it was, his BABIP was normal and possibly even a tad high, meaning it would be expected to stay where it is or even come down. So his BA wouldn't improve unless he cut his K's down.

He was not losing any hits on balls in play. That's what BABIP is.

It was not all from strike outs. That was what I was saying. The numbers when broken down were stating that while his K’s were too high creating some of his average issues, there was actual balls in play where he was a some what unlucky. He was at the time missing some balls as well. But the actual breakdown had him at .250-.255 adjusted average. But exactly what I said at the time when he was at .236 in average is what has occurred since. He has cut his K’s down but his balls in play has risen. In fact it’s a big shift to his .263 average today (.027 average increase) with a .322 BABIP (it’s gone up .010 points since that post) while his K numbers have regressed. He has gone from 27.3% K rate to 25.9% K rate since that post. According to you his BABIP should have gone down not up if it’s solely dependent on K’s. It’s not and while I agree it was an issue, the outlining numbers were saying his average was off from other factors as well. Add in a better solid contact rate and here we are, .263 average, .322 BABIP with less 1.4% K rate.

[smootness]

It was not all from strike outs. That was what I was saying. The numbers when broken down were stating that while his K’s were too high creating some of his average issues, there was actual balls in play where he was a some what unlucky. He was at the time missing some balls as well. But the actual breakdown had him at .250-.255 adjusted average. But exactly what I said at the time when he was at .236 in average is what has occurred since. He has cut his K’s down but his balls in play has risen. In fact it’s a big shift to his .263 average today (.027 average increase) with a .322 BABIP (it’s gone up .010 points since that post) while his K numbers have regressed. He has gone from 27.3% K rate to 25.9% K rate since that post. According to you his BABIP should have gone down not up if it’s solely dependent on K’s. It’s not and while I agree it was an issue, the outlining numbers were saying his average was off from other factors as well. Add in a better solid contact rate and here we are, .263 average, .322 BABIP with less 1.4% K rate.

BABIP has nothing to do with K's. It is your batting average on balls in play, that's all it is. When you strike out, you obviously don't put the ball in play, so K's don't play a part in BABIP at all.

All I'm saying is that you don't understand exactly what BABIP is. It's not an advanced metric that gives you a glimpse of what your BA should be, it is simply a measure of how many balls you put in play have become hits. Because most players regress toward a BABIP around .300, it can be somewhat predictive and explain how lucky you've been, but you're understanding that wrong. His BABIP of .312 showed that he either was where he should have been or was actually somewhat lucky, not unlucky. Just because it has gone up since doesn't mean much; his BABIP is due to regress down toward .300 at some point based on his career norms.

Your BA is the number of times you get a hit divided by your AB. Your BABIP is the number of times you got a hit on a ball in play (not a HR) divided by the number of times you put a ball in play (AB that was not a HR, BB, or SF). Think of it this way - there are 3 main components to your BA: AB's that end in a K (BA of .000), AB's that end in a HR (1.000) and AB's that end with you putting the ball in the field of play somewhere (unknown BA, which is your BABIP). As your BABIP goes up, so does your BA. As your BABIP goes down, so does your BA. It is just one component of your BA. The more HR your hit (meaning the greater % of AB's in which you bat 1.000) and the fewer K's you have (meaning the lesser % of AB's in which you bat .000), your BA will improve. Those are the primary things that make hitters produce better or worse BA's. BABIP is much less in a player's control, which is why there is a general standard to which most players will regress (about .300). Some players can sustain higher BABIPs and some will sustain lower BABIPs, but generally it is out of a player's control.

So again, BABIP is just one factor in your BA. It isn't an advanced metric and it doesn't really predict anything. It states what has already happened.

[Really Clark?]

“BABIP has nothing to do with K's. It is your batting average on balls in play, that's all it is. When you strike out, you obviously don't put the ball in play, so K's don't play a part in BABIP at all.”

BABIP = (H - HR)/(AB - HR - K + SF) K’s has nothing to do with BABIP?

ETA. I didn’t say it’s an advanced metric. But when you have an average well off BABIP by 60-70 points, then there are other things going on and combined with other stats and what was happening his average was off by .010-.015 points not related to his high K rate. Now whether it would have corrected (like it’s done and I thought would happen) that’s was hard to predict but there was enough stats to say he should have an uptick in production. He has. His K rate right now is below his normal standard so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some regression but if his hit and ISO maintain for the near future, he should be around the .255-.260 average mark even with the K’s coming back up slightly to his norm

[smootness]

“BABIP has nothing to do with K's. It is your batting average on balls in play, that's all it is. When you strike out, you obviously don't put the ball in play, so K's don't play a part in BABIP at all.”

BABIP = (H - HR)/(AB - HR - K + SF) K’s has nothing to do with BABIP?

ETA. I didn’t say it’s an advanced metric. But when you have an average well off BABIP by 60-70 points, then there are other things going on and combined with other stats and what was happening his average was off by .010-.015 points not related to his high K rate. Now whether it would have corrected (like it’s done and I thought would happen) that’s was hard to predict but there was enough stats to say he should have an uptick in production. He has. His K rate right now is below his normal standard so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some regression but if his hit and ISO maintain for the near future, he should be around the .255-.260 average mark even with the K’s coming back up slightly to his norm

Correct, it has nothing to do with K's. Just like it has nothing to do with HR's or SF's. The reason they're in the equation is because you are removing them from AB's...meaning they are not factored in.

When there is a large gap between BA and BABIP, it is a combination of K's and HR's...meaning a lot of K's and a relative lack in HR. That's it. Because K and HR are factored into BA but not BABIP. Every other aspect of BA is also factored into BABIP.

[msstate7]

Another big week... 4 games with the cubs who are probably the competition for the 2-seed in the NL, and then a chance to really put the screws on the Mets. A 4-3 week is my goal

[MetEdDawg]

Another big week... 4 games with the cubs who are probably the competition for the 2-seed in the NL, and then a chance to really put the screws on the Mets. A 4-3 week is my goal

We are 4 games away from the halfway point and we have a 6.5 game lead. I didn't see any scenario where that would happen. Phillies look awful right now.

Right now the lineup has no holes. The bullpen needs work and Folty and Gausman shouldn't be counted on for anything this year. So the Keuchel move was smart.

Question now is who will be the 5th starter? Newcomb doesn't seem to be the guy according to Snit. Will we make a move to trade for a starter? Do we roll with a Wright or Wilson for a while and see what happens?

[msstate7]

We are 4 games away from the halfway point and we have a 6.5 game lead. I didn't see any scenario where that would happen. Phillies look awful right now.

Right now the lineup has no holes. The bullpen needs work and Folty and Gausman shouldn't be counted on for anything this year. So the Keuchel move was smart.

Question now is who will be the 5th starter? Newcomb doesn't seem to be the guy according to Snit. Will we make a move to trade for a starter? Do we roll with a Wright or Wilson for a while and see what happens?

Not sure what you mean by the first paragraph. I'm prematurely locking us in a east winner and looking at the NL seeding. You pretty much seem to be saying the same thing, but disagreeing at the same time.

[smootness]

I don't know how often it has to happen before people realize that hyping the team who paid a ton of money and made a bunch of moves in one offseason is almost always destined to fall flat. That's just not how good baseball teams are built.

You can certainly use trades and free agency to improve your roster and improve your team, but to essentially build an entire team in such a short timeframe...it just never seems to work.

The Phillies are done.

[MetEdDawg]

Not sure what you mean by the first paragraph. I'm prematurely locking us in a east winner and looking at the NL seeding. You pretty much seem to be saying the same thing, but disagreeing at the same time.

I'm just making a statement. All I said was I couldn't imagine a scenario before the season where I would have seen us having a 6.5 game lead. I'm shocked

[msstate7]

I don't know how often it has to happen before people realize that hyping the team who paid a ton of money and made a bunch of moves in one offseason is almost always destined to fall flat. That's just not how good baseball teams are built.

You can certainly use trades and free agency to improve your roster and improve your team, but to essentially build an entire team in such a short timeframe...it just never seems to work.

The Phillies are done.

I'm sure they'll double down soon by selling even more future assets or taking on bad contracts

[MetEdDawg]

Braves win again in extras. Luke Jackson still scaring the shit out of people.

Nats in 2nd place 6 games back. Phillies now 8.5 back, are only 3 games above .500, and have a negative run differential. If they can't get any closer than 7 or 8 games by the trade deadline they might be done. They don't have any money left to spend.

Hopefully we can still go out and get a closer. Luke needs to not be a closer. Swarzak has been great and is a solid 8th inning option right now. Newk came out throwing some damn bullets tonight and looks sharp.

Lineup is damn good. If we can find one more starter and a closer we have a chance to go all the way this year. And Donaldson is on fire (I'll gladly eat crow on that one) and is really pushing the team.

[msstate7]

Division wise, yeah, Phillies nearing life support. They just 1/2 game out of WC though. It's pretty possible 3 NL east teams make playoffs.

Speaking of playoffs, if they started today, we wouldn't be starting with the dodgers; we need to keep it that way

[MetEdDawg]

Division wise, yeah, Phillies nearing life support. They just 1/2 game out of WC though. It's pretty possible 3 NL east teams make playoffs.

Speaking of playoffs, if they started today, we wouldn't be starting with the dodgers; we need to keep it that way

Yeah it would be huge for us to get out of the first round and not have to try and get through the Dodgers to do that. Good thing is that the Cubs are 6.5 games back of us for 2nd in the NL. We are closer to the Dodgers (4.5 games back) than the Cubs are to us. So they are a ways off and hopefully like you said we can keep it that way.

We've got to stop giving up runs. We have allowed 33 runs more than the next closest division leader in all 6 divisions. Folks seem to think we may in on Stroman but I'm not sure that happens. Honestly I haven't heard much rumblings as far as trades go. Hopefully over the next 2 weeks we start to hear some movement.

[KOdawg1]

The team has been really fun to watch for the last month and a half. We're finding ways to win series. I can't remember the last series we lost. Pittsburgh maybe?

Still need a closer in the worst way. Luke Jackson seems to get it done, but he scares the shit out of everyone the moment he steps on the mound. He's got good stuff, but I think he'd be better off as an ordinary reliever.

[MetEdDawg]

Snitker says Inciarte will be coming up to the big league club during the next home stand which starts on Thursday and goes through Wednesday and includes 4 with the Nats and 2 with the Royals.

I think this is the setup for him to get traded. Bryce pitches tomorrow. I think after his start we send him down to the minors Wednesday or Thursday and bring up Ender. Riley and Acu?a will both probably get days off on the home stand against the Nats and Ender will get some turns in CF. May DH once in the Royals series and come in as a defensive sub.

Then after the Royals series, we get a pitcher in a trade, either a starter or a closer/reliever, and Ender is part of the deal.

[smootness]

We do not need to be trading Ender right now. Riley was amazing in May, ok in June, and has been terrible so far in July. We can't be sold he's the answer quite yet.

[msstate7]

If you trade ender, you still gotta go get a backup CF. Acuna hasn't had a day off since ender injury bc we have no one to give him a day off

I'd keep ender. Might even see an ender/Riley platoon... ender plays cf when he plays though

[MetEdDawg]

Better hitter: Ender or Riley?

My question is what does Ender add at this point other than defense? We are winning at an insane rate right now and someone has to get benched and sent down in order for Ender to stay on the big league club. Who do you get rid of?

Do you carry one less bullpen arm? Do you trade Camargo, Culberson, or Joyce? Acu?a is 21. He's strong and healthy. He's not in need of a day off nearly as much as Markakis or some others. But that $5 million Ender is making could be used to parlay ourselves into another arm that might actually make a difference.

The thing for me is that Ender doesn't improve us in an area enough to play him routinely because his presence doesn't win us any games. Riley is struggling yes. He's working through typical rookie slumps where pitchers are adjusting to him. But his bat has won us games and that will be there with his power. And when rosters expand we can let Acu?a sit a couple games here and there to keep him fresh.

But if we are going to make a World Series, I don't see Ender adding enough to really be worth anything. For as much of a slump as Riley has been in, Ender still went on the IL with a BA 40 points lower than what Riley has now. Other than improved defense, which is not a weakness on our team right now, he doesn't add anything.

[smootness]

Better hitter: Ender or Riley?

My question is what does Ender add at this point other than defense? We are winning at an insane rate right now and someone has to get benched and sent down in order for Ender to stay on the big league club. Who do you get rid of?

Do you carry one less bullpen arm? Do you trade Camargo, Culberson, or Joyce? Acu?a is 21. He's strong and healthy. He's not in need of a day off nearly as much as Markakis or some others. But that $5 million Ender is making could be used to parlay ourselves into another arm that might actually make a difference.

The thing for me is that Ender doesn't improve us in an area enough to play him routinely because his presence doesn't win us any games. Riley is struggling yes. He's working through typical rookie slumps where pitchers are adjusting to him. But his bat has won us games and that will be there with his power. And when rosters expand we can let Acu?a sit a couple games here and there to keep him fresh.

But if we are going to make a World Series, I don't see Ender adding enough to really be worth anything. For as much of a slump as Riley has been in, Ender still went on the IL with a BA 40 points lower than what Riley has now. Other than improved defense, which is not a weakness on our team right now, he doesn't add anything.

Riley is almost certainly the better hitter, though that isn't a given yet. Ender was having a bad year when he was put on the IL, and Riley started out as on fire as anybody...but recently, Riley has been bad, and Ender has typically been a better hitter than he showed early this year.

But yes, we can say Riley is probably the better hitter from here on out. But 'what does Ender give you other than defense?' is a strange question, as defense is a huge part of the game. Riley hasn't been terrible in LF, but the difference in Acuna/Riley in CF/LF and Ender/Acuna in CF/LF defensively may make up for the difference in Riley and Ender offensively.

And who you get rid of is not a hard question. To me, it's Joyce right now, and then if Riley continues to struggle you may even send him back down to AAA. But to 7's point, you have to have someone who can back up CF, so if it's not Ender it will be somebody else, and you still have the same 'problem' of who to move off the roster to make room.

[shoeless joe]

Better hitter: Ender or Riley?

My question is what does Ender add at this point other than defense? We are winning at an insane rate right now and someone has to get benched and sent down in order for Ender to stay on the big league club. Who do you get rid of?

Do you carry one less bullpen arm? Do you trade Camargo, Culberson, or Joyce? Acu?a is 21. He's strong and healthy. He's not in need of a day off nearly as much as Markakis or some others. But that $5 million Ender is making could be used to parlay ourselves into another arm that might actually make a difference.

The thing for me is that Ender doesn't improve us in an area enough to play him routinely because his presence doesn't win us any games. Riley is struggling yes. He's working through typical rookie slumps where pitchers are adjusting to him. But his bat has won us games and that will be there with his power. And when rosters expand we can let Acu?a sit a couple games here and there to keep him fresh.

But if we are going to make a World Series, I don't see Ender adding enough to really be worth anything. For as much of a slump as Riley has been in, Ender still went on the IL with a BA 40 points lower than what Riley has now. Other than improved defense, which is not a weakness on our team right now, he doesn't add anything.

Ender is light years ahead of acuna defensively in center. If Riley doesn’t start hitting u platoon he and Ender and use Ender as the late game defensive sub rather than Culbertson. The poor defense and late inning pitching WILL cost the Braves when it counts so do what’s necessary to improve both.

If they somehow pull smith and madbum they may be the favorites for the pennant.

[MetEdDawg]

Riley is almost certainly the better hitter, though that isn't a given yet. Ender was having a bad year when he was put on the IL, and Riley started out as on fire as anybody...but recently, Riley has been bad, and Ender has typically been a better hitter than he showed early this year.

But yes, we can say Riley is probably the better hitter from here on out. But 'what does Ender give you other than defense?' is a strange question, as defense is a huge part of the game. Riley hasn't been terrible in LF, but the difference in Acuna/Riley in CF/LF and Ender/Acuna in CF/LF defensively may make up for the difference in Riley and Ender offensively.

And who you get rid of is not a hard question. To me, it's Joyce right now, and then if Riley continues to struggle you may even send him back down to AAA. But to 7's point, you have to have someone who can back up CF, so if it's not Ender it will be somebody else, and you still have the same 'problem' of who to move off the roster to make room.

If we keep Ender and get rid of Joyce I'm probably ok with that. Camargo and Culberson can play corner OF. I guess end of game scenarios we would bench Riley, move Acu?a to LF and put Ender in CF. I guess for me I just don't see him as part of this team in 2020 so I want to see what we can parlay him into right now to help us.

We aren't that far behind the Dodgers in my mind. Their 1-2-3 in their rotation is better than ours but our lineup is deeper. Their bullpen is better but a couple moves would make us pretty close. If we could use Ender as a piece to get a closer I would do that because a closer gets us to a championship possibly. Ender to me doesn't. We will avoid the Dodgers in the 1st round which means we've got a great chance to get to the NLCS. I think his trade value helps us get there more than his presence on the field does.

[smootness]

Ender is light years ahead of acuna defensively in center. If Riley doesn?t start hitting u platoon he and Ender and use Ender as the late game defensive sub rather than Culbertson. The poor defense and late inning pitching WILL cost the Braves when it counts so do what?s necessary to improve both.

If they somehow pull smith and madbum they may be the favorites for the pennant.

I definitely still don't think that makes us favorites. Bumgarner isn't what he once was. He would likely be in our playoff rotation, but he's not much better than Teheran right now.

The Dodgers clearly have a better rotation. We likely can't make any move that would put us over them. Doesn't mean we can't beat them, but they'll be the favorite.

[Tbonewannabe]

I definitely still don't think that makes us favorites. Bumgarner isn't what he once was. He would likely be in our playoff rotation, but he's not much better than Teheran right now.

The Dodgers clearly have a better rotation. We likely can't make any move that would put us over them. Doesn't mean we can't beat them, but they'll be the favorite.

I like the idea of getting a veteran who has pitched in the WS before especially having the younger guys like Soroka and Fried in the rotation.

[smootness]

I like the idea of getting a veteran who has pitched in the WS before especially having the younger guys like Soroka and Fried in the rotation.

I would be fine getting him, just saying it won't make us favorites.

[MetEdDawg]

I would be fine getting him, just saying it won't make us favorites.

Won't make us favorites but if I had the choice between Fried, Teheran, and MadBum in a playoff series, I'm taking MadBum every time. He will definitely give us a leg up

[MetEdDawg]

Ender starts tonight. Ynoa went down in his place. Wright comes up, Bryce goes down, and Wright on the bump tonight

[msstate7]

I hate to give up on a kid so early, but the hell with Kyle Wright. This kid is a major disappointment. So long

[KOdawg1]

3 game losing streak. Not good.

[MetEdDawg]

I hate to give up on a kid so early, but the hell with Kyle Wright. This kid is a major disappointment. So long

He's still only 23 and has only been in pro ball 2 years. He's got another year or two before we give up on him.

He's got maturing to do. He let Acu?a and Ender dictate the rest of that inning. He's got MLB stuff for days. But he doesn't have an MLB mind yet.

Now if you want to convince me on Touki I'm all in. He's also 23 but he's been in pro ball 5 years. Since he was 18. I don't think he's got it and we've got a ton more data points on him and his stuff isn't nearly as good as Wright's.

[msstate7]

Still a SSS, but Kyle has now pitched in 8 mlb games and has a 7.7 bb9. That's freaking awful

[MaroonFlounder]

Still a SSS, but Kyle has now pitched in 8 mlb games and has a 7.7 bb9. That's freaking awful

Bryse, Blevins, Wright all have been shelled this week. Anyone else? What are they trying to prove with these pitchers?

[MetEdDawg]

Bryse, Blevins, Wright all have been shelled this week. Anyone else? What are they trying to prove with these pitchers?

That we have 5 starters. Which we currently don't.

Keuchel and Soroka are fine. But our staff had to figure we could make 3 reasonable starters out of Folty, Gausman, Wright, Teheran, Wilson, and Fried.

We have to find another starter via trade because we can't even throw a 5 man rotation right now that can win us games.

[MetEdDawg]

Pache not in the lineup tonight. Some thinking a trade may be imminent. Rumor is going nuts but the past 24 hours has seen the rumor mill heat up with us being potential suitors for Syndergaard.

Very interested to see what the next 72 hours holds.

[msstate7]

Pache not in the lineup tonight. Some thinking a trade may be imminent. Rumor is going nuts but the past 24 hours has seen the rumor mill heat up with us being potential suitors for Syndergaard.

Very interested to see what the next 72 hours holds.

I'll be sick if they trade pache

[MetEdDawg]

I'll be sick if they trade pache

I won't be if we get a legit starter back. We've still got Waters in the system and I would assume Donaldson signs elsewhere which frees us up to get an OF next year. Waters probably ready by 2021 and Markakis back for 2020 so we would have Waters, Acu?a, and whoever we get in free agency. That's solid.

Castellanos and Ozuna will both be available in free agency, but we could also go the 3B route and keep Riley in the OF. Rendon will be available and although expensive could be an option.

[MaroonFlounder]

Markakis injured. That is a kick in the nads.

[msstate7]

Markakis injured. That is a kick in the nads.

And Swanson. Duvall and fried up in their place

[MetEdDawg]

Markakis injured. That is a kick in the nads.

Looks like September return is best case scenario.

If we can get someone good for cheap I'm fine making a move to get an OF as well if Duvall doesn't pan out. I wouldn't change our plan of attack though. We need a starter and a closer and potentially another bullpen arm. If we can fold a serviceable rental OF in there without having to give up prospects we need to try. But I'm not concerned about that unless Duvall blows his chance over the next 3-4 days.

[BoomBoom]

I won't be if we get a legit starter back. We've still got Waters in the system and I would assume Donaldson signs elsewhere which frees us up to get an OF next year. Waters probably ready by 2021 and Markakis back for 2020 so we would have Waters, Acu?a, and whoever we get in free agency. That's solid.

Castellanos and Ozuna will both be available in free agency, but we could also go the 3B route and keep Riley in the OF. Rendon will be available and although expensive could be an option.

You realize Pache os basically the next Acuna right? Would you have been ok with trading Acuna for a starter rental?

Waters is much less a sure thing than Pache. He has holes in has swing to work on, which he may never figure out.

[MetEdDawg]

You realize Pache os basically the next Acuna right? Would you have been ok with trading Acuna for a starter rental?

Waters is much less a sure thing than Pache. He has holes in has swing to work on, which he may never figure out.

It would have to be a controllable starter for sure plus another piece. I wouldn't dare mention Pache in a trade for someone unless they are controllable long term like Thor. If we got Syndegaard and Diaz for Pache you have to at least consider that deal if you are AA. Pache is great, but he's not the limiting factor to us being able to win consistently. Starting pitching and our bullpen is.

We have the core. Freeman, Acu?a, Ozzie, Swanson and Riley are legit. The other 3 positions can be filled outside the organization or by a guy like Waters in 2021. But we don't have the top line starting pitching or the bullpen to be in a World Series. We HAVE to address that. If Pache is the piece to get us a top of the line starter and a legit bullpen piece we have to consider that. Pache is not limiting us from getting to the top. Pitching is and even if Wright and one more guy develops, that's still not enough for the next 3-5 years to contend legitimately

[KOdawg1]

We have the core. Freeman, Acu?a, Ozzie, Swanson and Riley are legit. The other 3 positions can be filled outside the organization or by a guy like Waters in 2021. But we don't have the top line starting pitching or the bullpen to be in a World Series. We HAVE to address that. If Pache is the piece to get us a top of the line starter and a legit bullpen piece we have to consider that. Pache is not limiting us from getting to the top. Pitching is and even if Wright and one more guy develops, that's still not enough for the next 3-5 years to contend legitimately
I wouldn't put Riley in the "legit" category. Teams have figured him out. He came out blazing hot, but the guy is up there guessing most of the time with a slow bat speed, and he strikes out entirely too much. If I had to place Riley in a category, it would be in "solid."

[MetEdDawg]

I wouldn't put Riley in the "legit" category. Teams have figured him out. He came out blazing hot, but the guy is up there guessing most of the time with a slow bat speed, and he strikes out entirely too much. If I had to place Riley in a category, it would be in "solid."

He's legit. Kid is 22 years old and has been in the majors only a couple months. He's legit and he's gonna adjust because he's really really good. With that group he is most definitely an asset you can count on.

[KOdawg1]

He's legit. Kid is 22 years old and has been in the majors only a couple months. He's legit and he's gonna adjust because he's really really good. With that group he is most definitely an asset you can count on.

We'll see. Hope you're right. Most advanced analytics have him projected as a .250 hitter, 20-30 HRs, .750-.800 OPS and a ton of strikeouts. Solid player.

[MetEdDawg]

We'll see. Hope you're right. Most advanced analytics have him projected as a .250 hitter, 20-30 HRs, and a ton of strikeouts. Solid player.

I would say I think that number of homers for the next 5-7 years is probably closer to 30, especially if he gets back to his more natural defensive position of 3B and doesn't have to learn a new defensive position while trying to adjust to the MLB.

If we can get him to be .270 with 25+ homers and keep his strikeouts under 150 I'll be happy. We need his OBP around .340 too. He's got to take more walks and get more balls in play because his strength will get him more hits if he just makes contact with the ball.

[KOdawg1]

I would say I think that number of homers for the next 5-7 years is probably closer to 30, especially if he gets back to his more natural defensive position of 3B and doesn't have to learn a new defensive position while trying to adjust to the MLB.

If we can get him to be .270 with 25+ homers and keep his strikeouts under 150 I'll be happy. We need his OBP around .340 too. He's got to take more walks and get more balls in play because his strength will get him more hits if he just makes contact with the ball.

Yeah, his O-Swing% (swing % on pitches out of the zone) is currently 43%, which is pretty terrible. That will have to improve, and like you said, he needs draw more walks. He's still young, so hopefully he can improve.

[BoomBoom]

It would have to be a controllable starter for sure plus another piece. I wouldn't dare mention Pache in a trade for someone unless they are controllable long term like Thor. If we got Syndegaard and Diaz for Pache you have to at least consider that deal if you are AA. Pache is great, but he's not the limiting factor to us being able to win consistently. Starting pitching and our bullpen is.

We have the core. Freeman, Acu?a, Ozzie, Swanson and Riley are legit. The other 3 positions can be filled outside the organization or by a guy like Waters in 2021. But we don't have the top line starting pitching or the bullpen to be in a World Series. We HAVE to address that. If Pache is the piece to get us a top of the line starter and a legit bullpen piece we have to consider that. Pache is not limiting us from getting to the top. Pitching is and even if Wright and one more guy develops, that's still not enough for the next 3-5 years to contend legitimately

The problem is it wouldnt just be Pache.

The other problem is there is no such thing as "getting over the top". The playoffs are a crapshoot no matter how good you are. The way to win is to he consistently good so you have many shots. Get better at the deadline by getting overpaid players or aging vets for marginal prospects, not by giving up stars.

[msstate7]

You guys think we get thor?

[MetEdDawg]

You guys think we get thor?

I'm going to stick by the fact I don't think AA makes a substantial move. I think he keeps our prospects and we lose in the second round.

Problem I have is that with no Keuchel next year (unless we resign him)!and no guarantee Gausman or Folty become dominant, we look like a worse team next year. Soroka is great. But we have to bank on Teheran being good enough with his 4.5 ERA, Fried getting much better, Wright and Wilson working out, and Gausman or Folty being dominant. Plus potentially no Donaldson and we need Riley to step in immediately and be better.

With no moves best case scenario is Soroka, Fried, Teheran, Folty, Gausman. And that's not winning us a playoff series against the Dodgers. They are the measuring stick and yes anything can happen in the playoffs, but they were better than us last year and it showed. We've got a real chance to win it this year I think. A controllable starter and closer give us that chance for multiple years I think.

[shoeless joe]

I'm going to stick by the fact I don't think AA makes a substantial move. I think he keeps our prospects and we lose in the second round.

Problem I have is that with no Keuchel next year (unless we resign him)!and no guarantee Gausman or Folty become dominant, we look like a worse team next year. Soroka is great. But we have to bank on Teheran being good enough with his 4.5 ERA, Fried getting much better, Wright and Wilson working out, and Gausman or Folty being dominant. Plus potentially no Donaldson and we need Riley to step in immediately and be better.

With no moves best case scenario is Soroka, Fried, Teheran, Folty, Gausman. And that's not winning us a playoff series against the Dodgers. They are the measuring stick and yes anything can happen in the playoffs, but they were better than us last year and it showed. We've got a real chance to win it this year I think. A controllable starter and closer give us that chance for multiple years I think.

If folly doesn’t come back and pitch well this season I think you’ll see him get a shot at closer next yr. I also think Newcombe will end up a solid starter. These young guys have a long way to go before it’s all sorted out.

[KOdawg1]

You guys think we get thor?
Nah. I'd actually be surprised if we make a big move at all. We always seem to go conservative

[Tbonewannabe]

Nah. I'd actually be surprised if we make a big move at all. We always seem to go conservative

Since Liberty tightened the purse strings we haven't really made a big move. We got Donaldson purely because he needed a year to prove himself and the Braves is his team growing up. Even then a lot of people questioned the move thinking he was over the hill because of his injuries.

We need a true Ace. Keuchel can be that guy and Soroka is so young that you just hope he doesn't hit the rookie wall that a lot of guys go through. We have a lot of good young talent but no one that has shown true Ace potential outside of Soroka. Who do you want on the mound going against Ryu and Kershaw? Both of those guys would be the Ace of our staff.

[msstate7]

Since Liberty tightened the purse strings we haven't really made a big move. We got Donaldson purely because he needed a year to prove himself and the Braves is his team growing up. Even then a lot of people questioned the move thinking he was over the hill because of his injuries.

We need a true Ace. Keuchel can be that guy and Soroka is so young that you just hope he doesn't hit the rookie wall that a lot of guys go through. We have a lot of good young talent but no one that has shown true Ace potential outside of Soroka. Who do you want on the mound going against Ryu and Kershaw? Both of those guys would be the Ace of our staff.

Dallas was a pretty big mid season move.

[Tbonewannabe]

Dallas was a pretty big mid season move.

Yeah, he has proven to be a big pick up. I wish we could have gotten Kimbrel also.

[msstate7]

Yeah, he has proven to be a big pick up. I wish we could have gotten Kimbrel also.

I don't know... Kimbrel has been awful so far

[KOdawg1]

It's trade deadline day.. We traded Allard for Chris Martin last night. I like the move, even if Martin is a rental bc I don't think Allard will be an MLB pitcher. High K/BB ratio and can close if need be.

I'd like the Braves to make one of (or a combination of these moves) before 3 ct today:

-A solid SP. I've given up on a top line ace, but a #2-3ish type starter would boost our rotation.

-Another reliever. I don't trust Minter, Sobotka, or Tomlin when the postseason gets here. A LH reliever would be welcomed by me.

-A corner OF. Riley needs to go back to AAA like ASAP, and I'm not sure how long a Duvall/Joyce platoon would last.

-A RH catcher. Tyler Flowers is a waste imo. Passed balls left and right, and his bat doesn't make up for it. I'm ready to cut ties. Either bring someone else in or call up Alex Jackson.

[Really Clark?]

Looks like we are getting a good bullpen piece and closer, so far

[msstate7]

Braves pen bout to look much different. Melancon, Greene, and Martin

[msstate7]

Trying to get will smith too.

[msstate7]

Trying to get will smith too.

^^^ fake news

[KOdawg1]

Wow. We just boosted our pen big time while giving up very little.

We get Greene, Martin, and Melancon, and the best player we give away is Joey Wentz. That's some damn good stuff by AA. Still would've liked to have seen us get a SP, but as we saw today, improving the BP was far more important. Folty looks to be turning it around in Gwinnett, so hopefully he can help the rotation soon.

[Tbonewannabe]

Greene > Kimbrel. It ended up working out pretty good. Astros got Greinke which makes them the favorite out of the American League.

[msstate7]

Greene > Kimbrel. It ended up working out pretty good. Astros got Greinke which makes them the favorite out of the American League.

They paid dearly for greinke

[MetEdDawg]

I'm pumped with what we did. Our 7th, 8th, and 9th inning are light years ahead of where they were 3 hours ago trying to close out this game against the Nats. And the best part is the best rated prospect we gave up was Allard. We still have all of our great prospects and got 3 guys who will pitch the 7th through the 9th.

We have 2 starters for the playoffs. Keuchel and Soroka. Can someone else grab that 3rd spot and really solidify us? I hope so. Fried or Teheran (who has arguably been a Top 5 starter in all of baseball the past month). Plus Duvall is smashing right now and Ender is looking pretty good.

I don't know that we can win the World Series. But now I think we can get there. Bullpen is now much more reliable. Our lineup is still very stout. Team finally is doing things and making moves that winners make. Donaldson, Keuchel, Greene, Melancon. Those are good pieces. I think we have a chance to make a real run this time.

[No BS Dawg]

Great gets today, for sure. Love the aggressiveness of the front office and how they didn't give up too much to make it happen. Chop on!

[shoeless joe]

I'm pumped with what we did. Our 7th, 8th, and 9th inning are light years ahead of where they were 3 hours ago trying to close out this game against the Nats. And the best part is the best rated prospect we gave up was Allard. We still have all of our great prospects and got 3 guys who will pitch the 7th through the 9th.

We have 2 starters for the playoffs. Keuchel and Soroka. Can someone else grab that 3rd spot and really solidify us? I hope so. Fried or Teheran (who has arguably been a Top 5 starter in all of baseball the past month). Plus Duvall is smashing right now and Ender is looking pretty good.

I don't know that we can win the World Series. But now I think we can get there. Bullpen is now much more reliable. Our lineup is still very stout. Team finally is doing things and making moves that winners make. Donaldson, Keuchel, Greene, Melancon. Those are good pieces. I think we have a chance to make a real run this time.

If folty comes back and hits his potential as a starter then I’d agree with u about making the World Series

[KOdawg1]

Woah, we owe Melancon $14 mil next year? I didn't know that. That takes away some of the value in the trade. It's a good haul for this season because it'll boost our BP for the playoffs, but $14 million is a big chunk of change to pay a 35 year old next year who is good but not great. I like the Shane Greene trade though.

[MaroonFlounder]

Gausman sucks.

[MetEdDawg]

Gausman sucks.

Looks like it's gonna be either Teheran or Fried as the #3 starter and if we had to pick today it would be Teheran.

[BuckyIsAB****]

What happened to Austin Riley?

[KOdawg1]

What happened to Austin Riley?

MLB pitching figured him out. Throw it out of the zone

[msstate7]

MLB pitching figured him out. Throw it out of the zone

I think he'll adjust. No one will sustain the level he started at. I think he'll be a good player, but he clearly needs to make adjustments

[shoeless joe]

Dish losing FSN sucks. If not back on by end of week I’ll be making a switch

[msstate7]

Dish losing FSN sucks. If not back on by end of week I’ll be making a switch

Who knows if this is just negotiation tactic or something, but...

https://adage.com/article/media/dish-network-may-cut-ties-regional-sports-networks/2188301

[shoeless joe]

Who knows if this is just negotiation tactic or something, but...

https://adage.com/article/media/dish-network-may-cut-ties-regional-sports-networks/2188301

Interesting...and obviously 180 degrees from what their phone operators are saying

[BuckyIsAB****]

Can Acuna really not speak english or is it just something that pro players do. I notice he isnt the only one who doesnt speak english in his interviews, yet I have heard him on some of those mic'd up videos of him speaking it

[KOdawg1]

Can Acuna really not speak english or is it just something that pro players do. I notice he isnt the only one who doesnt speak english in his interviews, yet I have heard him on some of those mic'd up videos of him speaking it

I think he can, but he's not comfortable enough with it to go live after a game

[msstate7]

50 games to go with a 7-game lead. Of the 50 remaining games left, 26 are vs teams with losing records. Braves are in a good spot.

[KOdawg1]

50 games to go with a 7-game lead. Of the 50 remaining games left, 26 are vs teams with losing records. Braves are in a good spot.
To me, the goal this year is to win the division, win the divisional series, and put up a fight in the NLCS. The Dodgers will be tough to beat. Next year is when we win it all.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I think he can, but he's not comfortable enough with it to go live after a game

Oh ok. I was just wondering bc it seemed strange to me. He is not the only one I've seen do it though

[msstate7]

Pache to AAA

[KOdawg1]

Pache to AAA
Is he a better defensive OF than Acuna? Just wondering who will be CF and who will slide over to LF

[msstate7]

Is he a better defensive OF than Acuna? Just wondering who will be CF and who will slide over to LF

Pache is considered a stud defender

[msstate7]

Poster on chopcountry says Davidson, waters, and Anderson headed to AAA too. We might see waters or pache in Atlanta this year

[BoomBoom]

Is he a better defensive OF than Acuna? Just wondering who will be CF and who will slide over to LF

Absolutely. Better than Ender too. Andruw Jones/Andrelton level defender.

Whoever on here that said a year ago that Acuna takes bad routes was dead on. I pooh poohed it then, but he was right.

[smootness]

Pache is our future CF. I doubt we see him this year, but I guess anything is possible.

And I agree that the goal should be to win a playoff series. It's been way too long.

[msstate7]

Pache is our future CF. I doubt we see him this year, but I guess anything is possible.

And I agree that the goal should be to win a playoff series. It's been way too long.

I don't think it's as long a shot as most mainly bc I expect duvall to pull a Riley soon, Riley won't turn it around this season, and markakis won't be ready in time. If I'm correct and waters or pache perform well, I think we could see one. Hopefully I'm wrong on the duvall, Riley, and markakis though

[KOdawg1]

I don't think it's as long a shot as most mainly bc I expect duvall to pull a Riley soon, Riley won't turn it around this season, and markakis won't be ready in time. If I'm correct and waters or pache perform well, I think we could see one. Hopefully I'm wrong on the duvall, Riley, and markakis though

We need Dansby to come back soon. Camargo has been terrible.

[KOdawg1]

So ideally, our OF of the future will consist of..

Acuna- LF
Pache- CF
Waters- RF

Or is Waters a trade piece this offseason?
If not, that's a hell of a team

C- address this offseason
1B- Freddie
2B- Ozzie
SS- Dansby
3B- hopefully Riley if he turns it around. I would love to resign Donaldson, but that'll be expensive
LF- Acuna
CF- Pache
RF- Waters

That's a world series line up

[MetEdDawg]

Reds claim Gausman off waivers today. Folty coming up to start tomorrow.

[msstate7]

Or is Waters a trade piece this offseason?

Wash your mouth out! Never say that again

Haha

I love waters

[KOdawg1]

Reds claim Gausman off waivers today. Folty coming up to start tomorrow.

I hope good Folty shows up. He's the key to this team's playoff success this year. I'd like to get Anderson's feet wet in AAA for a few weeks, and call him up to see if he could help in the postseason. That may be too much to ask for though

[shoeless joe]

We need Dansby to come back soon. Camargo has been terrible.

Camargo has pouted all year about his loss of playing time. It is painfully obvious and I will be shocked if he is on the team next year unless he has an every day role. I’m sure it’s been addressed and nothing has visibly changed on his end.

[msstate7]

Bubb Rubb's Mets are back from the dead. They're 1.5 out the WC. After the marlins today, they have a huge 6-game stretch with nats and braves.

[KOdawg1]

Bubb Rubb's Mets are back from the dead. They're 1.5 out the WC. After the marlins today, they have a huge 6-game stretch with nats and braves.

Keeping Syndergaard and Wheeler and getting Stroman is looking like a smart move now.

[smootness]

Keeping Syndergaard and Wheeler and getting Stroman is looking like a smart move now.

We'll see. They're a decent team but I'll still be surprised if they make the postseason and shocked if they won the WC and actually challenged to win a playoff series.

[MetEdDawg]

We'll see. They're a decent team but I'll still be surprised if they make the postseason and shocked if they won the WC and actually challenged to win a playoff series.

Mets are 1 game out of the Wild Card. I wouldn't be shocked at all if they made the playoffs. The have the best starting 4 in baseball and the second best starting 3 in all of baseball.

They score enough runs with those starters to make it all the way to the World Series. And I'm a Braves fan saying that. I'll be very interested to see how their next 6 against the Phillies and Braves goes.

They are very much in the playoff race.

[KOdawg1]

Braves pick up a big series win vs. another playoff team in Minnesota. The bats really came alive in our wins. Our bullpen still sucks though.

[Bubb Rubb]

Bubb Rubb's Mets are back from the dead. They're 1.5 out the WC. After the marlins today, they have a huge 6-game stretch with nats and braves.

Meh, one of the things I said early on is that they needed to avoid the injury bug and their bullpen needed to perform. Neither of those things have happened.

Offensively they are fine. Alonso will be ROY, McNeil is leading MLB in hitting, Conforto is red hot, and Rosario is having a career year. Even Todd Frazier and Wilson Ramos have resurfaced. JD Davis has been a revelation and it took that idiot Mickey Calloway half a year to realize that the guy should be playing every day.

Nobody wants to play the Mets in a short series because of their pitching. But the bullpen is too unreliable and the bench is too weak for them to be a realistic threat at this point.

[smootness]

Mets are 1 game out of the Wild Card. I wouldn't be shocked at all if they made the playoffs. The have the best starting 4 in baseball and the second best starting 3 in all of baseball.

They score enough runs with those starters to make it all the way to the World Series. And I'm a Braves fan saying that. I'll be very interested to see how their next 6 against the Phillies and Braves goes.

They are very much in the playoff race.

I didn't say they're not in the race, I know where they stand. I'll still be surprised if they make the postseason. They have been on an unreal tear where they've won 6 in a row, 13 of 14, and 19 of 24....and still sit outside the WC slot as of now.

They are only 0.5 game back of that 2nd WC spot, but there are two teams ahead of them and one other team tied with them in the chase for that spot, and one more just 1 game back. My guess is that they're due for a downswing soon since they've been so insanely red hot, and if that downswing comes, their playoff chances likely go with it.

9 of their 13 wins in this recent stretch have come against Miami and Pittsburgh, the two worst teams in the NL, and the other 4 came against San Diego and CWS, two teams that are also not very good. 24 of their next 27 games will be against teams with better records than they have - Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and the Cubs - and their only games left against subpar teams are 3 @ KC, 3 @ Colorado, 3 @ Cincy, and 4 against Miami. I just don't see them making the playoffs.

[msstate7]

I didn't say they're not in the race, I know where they stand. I'll still be surprised if they make the postseason. They have been on an unreal tear where they've won 6 in a row, 13 of 14, and 19 of 24....and still sit outside the WC slot as of now.

They are only 0.5 game back of that 2nd WC spot, but there are two teams ahead of them and one other team tied with them in the chase for that spot, and one more just 1 game back. My guess is that they're due for a downswing soon since they've been so insanely red hot, and if that downswing comes, their playoff chances likely go with it.

9 of their 13 wins in this recent stretch have come against Miami and Pittsburgh, the two worst teams in the NL, and the other 4 came against San Diego and CWS, two teams that are also not very good. 24 of their next 27 games will be against teams with better records than they have - Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and the Cubs - and their only games left against subpar teams are 3 @ KC, 3 @ Colorado, 3 @ Cincy, and 4 against Miami. I just don't see them making the playoffs.

I agree. Interestingly enough, fangraphs disagrees with us both. Right now they have braves strong favorite to win east, 82.9%. Here's the top odds for NL playoffs among non-division leaders at the moment...

Nats - 80.4%
Mets - 40.8
Cards - 29.0
Brewers - 28.6
Phillies - 15.0

Lol @ Phillies

[Dawg2003]

Well, Riley is on the IL with some kind of knee injury.

[Bubb Rubb]

Well, Riley is on the IL with some kind of knee injury.

Torn LCL. Will see James Andrews to determine if surgery is necessary. If not, he will be out 4-6 weeks more than likely. If so, he will be done for the year.

[msstate7]

Torn LCL. Will see James Andrews to determine if surgery is necessary. If not, he will be out 4-6 weeks more than likely. If so, he will be done for the year.

I think Riley has been done for the year for a few weeks now. Had markakis not gotten hurt, he'd most likely be in AAA right now. I think the Duda signing is for him to be a LH DH, and you'll see Joyce/Duvall platoon soon. Obviously this is just my guess

[smootness]

I agree. Interestingly enough, fangraphs disagrees with us both. Right now they have braves strong favorite to win east, 82.9%. Here's the top odds for NL playoffs among non-division leaders at the moment...

Nats - 80.4%
Mets - 40.8
Cards - 29.0
Brewers - 28.6
Phillies - 15.0

Lol @ Phillies

That is interesting. It looks like FG may be using RD quite heavily in these projections, which makes sense. And the Mets' RD does indicate their record is about where it should be, while the Brewers and Phillies both have a negative RD. What I don't fully understand is why the D-Backs are below all those teams with their +76 RD.

[Tbonewannabe]

We really need Swanson back. When we are healthy then we have a punchers chance against anyone. I wouldn't mind Culberson playing more outfield when Swanson gets back. Does Riley and Markakis being out speed up Pache or Waters or do they try to get to the expanded roster when guys normally come up at the end of the year?

[BoomBoom]

We really need Swanson back. When we are healthy then we have a punchers chance against anyone. I wouldn't mind Culberson playing more outfield when Swanson gets back. Does Riley and Markakis being out speed up Pache or Waters or do they try to get to the expanded roster when guys normally come up at the end of the year?

Maybe? The problem with calling Pache up right now is that it doesn't make a ton of sense to play both him and Ender at the same time. And you don't want him riding the bench.as emergency backup instead of getting swings in AAA. And Waters has too much swing and miss in his game right now. I would think they would be fine with Duvall and Culberson right now, but that's without looking at handedness. Once the AAA season is done, they at least call up Pache.

[MetEdDawg]

Don't look now but Teheran with another quality start. ERA down to 3.35. He's been rock solid since late June. And Ozzie is playing out of his mind right now. Acu?a, Ozzie, and Freeman all hitting above .295 right now. That's a tough 1-2-3 to get through without getting in trouble.

[dantheman4248]

Upcoming Mets-Braves series will be fun. My guys been on a wild tear lately (admittedly against not the best competition, but still 14 of 15 is impressive against anyone in baseball.) Adding Stroman really makes the rotation nasty as all get out. If we win the wildcard berth and game or somehow the division... short rotation of deGrom, Thor, Stroman, Matz/Wheeler (with one or both going to the pen depending). Whew.

[msstate7]

Upcoming Mets-Braves series will be fun. My guys been on a wild tear lately (admittedly against not the best competition, but still 14 of 15 is impressive against anyone in baseball.) Adding Stroman really makes the rotation nasty as all get out. If we win the wildcard berth and game or somehow the division... short rotation of deGrom, Thor, Stroman, Matz/Wheeler (with one or both going to the pen depending). Whew.

No division, get real (haha). If you're a WC, you'll have to use degrom in that most likely, so you'll have to win 1 vs dodgers to see degrom again. I'll be pulling for you though bc the dodgers own the braves like Bama owns us (Mullen)

[dantheman4248]

No division, get real (haha). If you're a WC, you'll have to use degrom in that most likely, so you'll have to win 1 vs dodgers to see degrom again. I'll be pulling for you though bc the dodgers own the braves like Bama owns us (Mullen)

Still have 6 games left versus each other and we're only 8 out after being back 14 at one point. This week goes a long way in determining if we have any shot of the division. If we lose that series then I think it's safe to say it's over, but I've seen the Mets themselves have worse collapses. 7 game lead with 17 to go smh.

[MetEdDawg]

Bullpen blows a 4 run lead in the 9th. Now in extras. Our bullpen acquisitions have been garbage thus far.

[VandelayIndustries]

Bullpen is a disaster. Downfall of the team

[MaroonFlounder]

Bullpen sucks.

And about every 3 or 4 starts for both Tehran and Keukel results in a stinker of an outing.

[msstate7]

The pen has had a rocky road lately for sure, but I think they've been pretty unlucky at the same time. I don't think they're gonna remind of the old Kimbrel, EOF, and venters days over the rest of the season, but I do think they'll be decent.

[msstate7]

Stolen from chop country...

"BABIP w/ Braves

Greene- .636
Melancon- .500
Martin- .400

I've never seen anything like this."

...
This is insane bad luck

[Tbonewannabe]

Stolen from chop country...

"BABIP w/ Braves

Greene- .636
Melancon- .500
Martin- .400

I've never seen anything like this."

...
This is insane bad luck

Those guys should at the least be servicable.

[msstate7]

Stolen for chop country...

"Just playing around with some numbers....if the Braves play their final 41 games at 1 game under .500, they would finish with 91 wins....The rest of the teams in the division would need the following win percentage to finish with 92 wins (gNats, Phillies, and Mets have 43 games remaining)

gNats: currently 6 GB: would need to play .651 (win 65% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves....that equates to 28 wins out of 43 games
Phillies: currently 9 GB: would need to play .721 (win 72% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves....that equates to 31 wins out of 43 games
Mets: currently 9 GB: would need to play .721 (win 72% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves...that equates to 31 wins out of 43 games"

[Tbonewannabe]

Stolen for chop country...

"Just playing around with some numbers....if the Braves play their final 41 games at 1 game under .500, they would finish with 91 wins....The rest of the teams in the division would need the following win percentage to finish with 92 wins (gNats, Phillies, and Mets have 43 games remaining)

gNats: currently 6 GB: would need to play .651 (win 65% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves....that equates to 28 wins out of 43 games
Phillies: currently 9 GB: would need to play .721 (win 72% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves....that equates to 31 wins out of 43 games
Mets: currently 9 GB: would need to play .721 (win 72% of their remaining games) to overtake the Braves...that equates to 31 wins out of 43 games"

I feel pretty good about winning the Division but beating the Dodgers is going to take some luck. And as far as the World Series, the Astros have the best overall lineup in baseball with their starting pitching.

[shoeless joe]

I feel pretty good about winning the Division but beating the Dodgers is going to take some luck. And as far as the World Series, the Astros have the best overall lineup in baseball with their starting pitching.

The offense is there to win it all. If Swanson makes it back then the defense is there. And I’m going out on a limb and saying with folty back like we’ve seen the starting pitching is actually there too. But unless something changes with the pen the Braves won’t make it outta the LDS

[msstate7]

God hates the braves. Ender hurt

[msstate7]

23 games over .500, 6-game lead, 35 games to go. 23 games over is the best the braves have been since 2013. Dansby and Riley are expected to start rehab assignments this week.

[Tbonewannabe]

So do you think the new pitching coach this year is an upgrade? If we can get our bullpen consistent then we definitely have a shot at the World Series. We have the hitters to get us there.

[Liverpooldawg]

McCann went down last night. He had to come out of the game due to knee discomfort. No word on what it is yet.

[msstate7]

McCann went down last night. He had to come out of the game due to knee discomfort. No word on what it is yet.

Jackson expected to be called up

[Tbonewannabe]

McCann went down last night. He had to come out of the game due to knee discomfort. No word on what it is yet.

Worst possible position for us to lose somebody. I hope Jackson is ready to be at least servicable. We need Flowers to start hitting like he did a few years ago and actually play good defense.

[MetEdDawg]

So do you think the new pitching coach this year is an upgrade? If we can get our bullpen consistent then we definitely have a shot at the World Series. We have the hitters to get us there.

Right now I would say no he's not. We need to upgrade that spot on our staff because it's the clear weak link, especially when you look at the impact Weiss, EY, and Wash have on the team. We need to make a change there because our rotation and bullpen should look extremely similar to this year.

Our younger guys need someone better than the guy the Phillies canned at the end of last year. Got to upgrade there.

[shoeless joe]

Right now I would say no he's not. We need to upgrade that spot on our staff because it's the clear weak link, especially when you look at the impact Weiss, EY, and Wash have on the team. We need to make a change there because our rotation and bullpen should look extremely similar to this year.

Our younger guys need someone better than the guy the Phillies canned at the end of last year. Got to upgrade there.

I’m going to disagree here. A lot of improvement has occurred under kranitz this yr. the guys who didn’t improve were always on the borderline anyway.

That said...getting rid of mcdowell was the biggest mistake during the current rebuild and run.

[msstate7]

DOB:

#Braves? Dansby Swanson will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Single-A Rome, will DH first and then work his way up with increasing innings in the field for a few games, could be activated after that. Riley will follow similar schedule beginning with DH?ing Friday at Rome.

Here it is: Darren O?Day is scheduled to pitch in a Gulf Coast Rookie League game Saturday and could be added to #Braves? expanded roster in September. Has been out all season with forearm injury after hamstring surgery in 2018

[Tbonewannabe]

I saw a little blurb about Mookie Betts for Pache and Anderson. Anyone else see anything? Would that be a good move? Betts has 1 year left on his contract so the Braves would be stupid to trade unless they locked him up long term. Even then, does the Red Sox actually make that trade?

It could be complete bullshit but who knows.

[MetEdDawg]

I saw a little blurb about Mookie Betts for Pache and Anderson. Anyone else see anything? Would that be a good move? Betts has 1 year left on his contract so the Braves would be stupid to trade unless they locked him up long term. Even then, does the Red Sox actually make that trade?

It could be complete bullshit but who knows.

Red Sox aren't gonna make the playoffs. That would be a massive pull for them to retool their contract structures. Get two guys who will start for multiple years at way below market value and free up that money to upgrade at other positions to become competitive. I would go as far as saying that trade would give them the freedom to make multiple threats at a World Series.

Betts would make around $25 million or more next year in arbitration. You free up north of $20 million AND get Pache and Anderson? That's a big win for them.

[Tbonewannabe]

Red Sox aren't gonna make the playoffs. That would be a massive pull for them to retool their contract structures. Get two guys who will start for multiple years at way below market value and free up that money to upgrade at other positions to become competitive. I would go as far as saying that trade would give them the freedom to make multiple threats at a World Series.

Betts would make around $25 million or more next year in arbitration. You free up north of $20 million AND get Pache and Anderson? That's a big win for them.

Interesting thought for sure. You lose the MVP from last season but gain 2 guys who have All Star potential. Betts is also from Nashville so maybe you could get a long term contract from a kid from the south who went to UT.

[MetEdDawg]

Interesting thought for sure. You lose the MVP from last season but gain 2 guys who have All Star potential. Betts is also from Nashville so maybe you could get a long term contract from a kid from the south who went to UT.

My concern is his contract will be massive. I'm guessing at least $30 million per year because he will be 27 at contract time. And it would probably be a 6-8 year contract. Those typically aren't contract we do.

But a Betts, Acu?a, Waters OF is certainly intriguing. Those 3 plus Ozzie, Freddie, Swanson, and Riley make a nasty 1-7.

Fix starting pitching in a few areas and a bullpen piece or two and that team is equal with the Dodgers.

[smootness]

My concern is his contract will be massive. I'm guessing at least $30 million per year because he will be 27 at contract time.

Oh, he'll get well north of that.

[smootness]

If it makes sense for Boston to shop Betts, then it makes no sense for the Braves to go after him.

He has one more year under contract, and the Braves are never really in a position to give up cheap future value for a big win-now move. It's the opposite of the kind of moves we need to make.

Signing him long-term doesn't impact the value of a trade. He's said he won't sign before hitting the open market, and he's going to be expensive. We almost surely won't go after him in FA, so it makes no sense to trade for him hoping you might be able to then sign him as a FA.

[Tbonewannabe]

If it makes sense for Boston to shop Betts, then it makes no sense for the Braves to go after him.

He has one more year under contract, and the Braves are never really in a position to give up cheap future value for a big win-now move. It's the opposite of the kind of moves we need to make.

Signing him long-term doesn't impact the value of a trade. He's said he won't sign before hitting the open market, and he's going to be expensive. We almost surely won't go after him in FA, so it makes no sense to trade for him hoping you might be able to then sign him as a FA.

I didn't think so either but saw a mention of it. I think Anderson is going to be good and Pache has a chance to be good also. With Acuna and Albies locked up for the future, we have time to make a run. I wouldn't see Betts staying long term in Atlanta.

[dantheman4248]

Jacob deGrom is the best overall player in baseball and you can’t really argue otherwise. Dude has to be his own run support way too often smh. We needs this game more than y’all tonight. But been hell of a game so far.

[msstate7]

Jacob deGrom is the best overall player in baseball and you can’t really argue otherwise. Dude has to be his own run support way too often smh. We needs this game more than y’all tonight. But been hell of a game so far.

Trout, brah

[dantheman4248]

Trout, brah

Trout doesn’t affect over half the game at minimum...

[dantheman4248]

Trout doesn’t affect over half the game at minimum...

Yea i'm still inebriated and can tell this was a bad take. Oh well. **** it I'll stand by it. I'd rather have an ace pitcher that can hit homeruns than the best positional player since bonds any day of the week.

Extras... because of course.

[msstate7]

Yea i'm still inebriated and can tell this was a bad take. Oh well. **** it I'll stand by it. I'd rather have an ace pitcher that can hit homeruns than the best positional player since bonds any day of the week.

Extras... because of course.

deGrom is one hell of a player. I think he and scherzer are equal, but below trout

[dantheman4248]

deGrom is one hell of a player. I think he and scherzer are equal, but below trout

If I was an Angels fan I'd have a much different opinion of course lol.

[msstate7]

32 games to go... 6 game lead on nats. Trail dodgers by 7 for home field

[MetEdDawg]

32 games to go... 6 game lead on nats. Trail dodgers by 7 for home field

Nats are 8-2 in their last 10 and haven't gained a single game on us. We've really played solid baseball while the Nats have been surging and we've done it with no Swanson, Kakes, Riley, Ender, and now B Mac out.

I really hope we can put pressure on the Dodgers. They have been coasting for a while. They are playing the Yankees the next 2 games. Would be nice to win these next few against the Mets, get some help from the Yankees, and start making the Dodgers play meaningful games.

[shoeless joe]

Nats are 8-2 in their last 10 and haven't gained a single game on us. We've really played solid baseball while the Nats have been surging and we've done it with no Swanson, Kakes, Riley, Ender, and now B Mac out.

I really hope we can put pressure on the Dodgers. They have been coasting for a while. They are playing the Yankees the next 2 games. Would be nice to win these next few against the Mets, get some help from the Yankees, and start making the Dodgers play meaningful games.

Based somewhat on what you’ve mentioned I fully expect the nats to beat LA in the LDS

[dantheman4248]

Hell of a game. If the Mets make it to the postseason a series with the braves would be absolutely wild.

[msstate7]

8 in a row for braves. Swanson expected to start vs Colorado tomorrow

[dantheman4248]

Tough series to lose two 1-run games in. Got a month to keep it moving in the right direction.

[msstate7]

Saw this on braves' board...

"Since July 25, the Mets are 1-5 against the Braves and 20-3 against everyone else."

[MetEdDawg]

And don't look now but we are only 6 games back of the Dodgers now.

Have gained some ground on them and can put the pressure on them to make them play some meaningful September baseball. We are the only team that can make them play for anything at this point because they are 20 games up in their division.

Team has been not playing its best but continues finding ways to win while not at 100%. Dansby supposed to play in Colorado and Riley has been playing in A ball and should be coming back soon as well. Excited to see what the last month holds as we make the final push.

[KOdawg1]

It's hilarious that the nationals have gone on this tear, but it's for nothing lol

[shoeless joe]

And don't look now but we are only 6 games back of the Dodgers now.

Have gained some ground on them and can put the pressure on them to make them play some meaningful September baseball. We are the only team that can make them play for anything at this point because they are 20 games up in their division.

Team has been not playing its best but continues finding ways to win while not at 100%. Dansby supposed to play in Colorado and Riley has been playing in A ball and should be coming back soon as well. Excited to see what the last month holds as we make the final push.

The team that wins the wild card will prolly come in hotter than whoever wins the central. Let the dodgers get home field and the hafta beat the Nats. 2nd best record and the cards/cubs/brewers is the better draw rite now

[dantheman4248]

The team that wins the wild card will prolly come in hotter than whoever wins the central. Let the dodgers get home field and the hafta beat the Nats. 2nd best record and the cards/cubs/brewers is the better draw rite now

The Nats would be my favorite team to play in the postseason because they still have never won a series. (Unless you want to count the expos history, but it's pretty silly to count history for a team that isn't in the same nation as the Nationals)

As 7 said. Mets 20-3 against non-Braves teams. I'd so much rather play the Dodgers than the Braves if the Mets can win the wild card.

[msstate7]

Yeah, the braves are really good. 31 games over .500, and can win 100 if they finish 15-8. Markakis should be ready soon. O'day is pitching well on his assignment. Got to find a way to snap Acuna out of his funk. 14 of next 15 vs Phillies and Nats though, so not out the woods yet.

[msstate7]

Magic number at 3. Might be 2nd year we clinch against Phillies. Disappointed I won't be there this year to see it in person. 1st round opponent race is heating up... cards, brewers, and cubs all playing well at the moment

[shoeless joe]

Magic number at 3. Might be 2nd year we clinch against Phillies. Disappointed I won't be there this year to see it in person. 1st round opponent race is heating up... cards, brewers, and cubs all playing well at the moment

Need to be pulling hard for the Nats to come out of the wildcard card and play the dodgers. They have the starting rotation to win that series and I’d much rather play Nats for the pennant instead of the dodgers

[Really Clark?]

Glad we didn’t try and get Vasquez from the Pirates. Shocking story