Braves 2011

[wilson]

Another win for the good guys, and another really fun night at Turner Field.
Only 2.5 games back now...it's a race!

[wilson]

WOW, what a finish. I enjoyed this one from lovely leftfield with the one and only, world-famous EarlJam.
Now if the Cards will take care of business against the Fillies tonight, the race will be getting really tight.

[JasonEvans]

WOW, what a finish. I enjoyed this one from lovely leftfield with the one and only, world-famous EarlJam.
Now if the Cards will take care of business against the Fillies tonight, the race will be getting really tight.

Great game to attend! Homerun in the 9th (2 outs, 2 strikes) to tie it and then a dinger by the same player in the 11th to win it. This might be the greatest day of Brian McCann's career.

-Jason "Lowe was light's out!" Evans

[wilson]

Great game to attend!

-Jason "Lowe was light's out!" Evans

Indeed, it was. In fact, this was the fourth straight day I've been at Turner Field, so any thanks y'all might wish to issue for the current win streak may be directed to me.

[Jarhead]

Indeed, it was. In fact, this was the fourth straight day I've been at Turner Field, so any thanks y'all might wish to issue for the current win streak may be directed to me.

Maybe someone should get up a collection to get you some season tickets. How much better does it get than a double play in the top of the 11th, and McCann's walk off home run in the bottom. Must be your karma.

[Matches]

Indeed, it was. In fact, this was the fourth straight day I've been at Turner Field, so any thanks y'all might wish to issue for the current win streak may be directed to me.

Congrats to you! Also congrats to Brian McCann for his lesser role in the victories!

[Duvall]

Well, at least tonight's loss was a game the Braves deserved to lose.

[Duvall]

The team is just broken right now in every sense of the word.

[Matches]

Anyone available to play the outfield?

Anyone?

[Duvall]

Hear me out: Hinske to LF, Schaefer to CF, Mather to RF, Prado to 2B, Uggla to Gwinnett.

[Jarhead]

Hear me out: Hinske to LF, Schaefer to CF, Mather to RF, Prado to 2B, Uggla to Gwinnett.

Ugh, the Gwinnettians won't like that.
But, what's the beef? It's early in the year, and for the month of May, so far, they are playing at a .636 pace. That's a play off pace, and a he11 of a lot better than their .443 pace in April.

[wilson]

Uggla is obviously scuffling, but he ain't going to Gwinnett, ever. So we can just perish that thought.
Solid win today, in spite of late-inning defensive adventures.

[devildeac]

Uggla is obviously scuffling, but he ain't going to Gwinnett, ever. So we can just perish that thought.
Solid win today, in spite of late-inning defensive adventures.

With his line in today's game and stats for the year, "scuffling" is being kind. Very kind.
Hitters AB R H RBI BB SO #P AVG OBP SLG
D Uggla 2B 5 0 0 0 0 3 22 .180 .250 .335

(I know he's not going to Gwinnett. Just quoting some facts. Some depressing, sub-Mendoza type facts.)

[JasonEvans]

Ahh, nothing like the Pirates to make your team feel better about itself, eh?

Well, that may be a bit insulting to them, but still, the Braves needed an easy opponent, I think and they got one.

Still, the offense remains incredibly anemic. In the last 10 games, they have scored more than 4 runs one time... and it took a 12 inning game for them to do it. With the pitching staff this team has, if they can average even 4 runs per game, they will win 60% of their games.

-Jason "I can't see the Marlins continuing at this pace... but they have been darn good so far" Evans

[JasonEvans]

It is hard to put into words how bad Dan Uggla has been at the plate lately. I happened to look over his recent stats... terrifying.

He batted .202 in the month of April with an OPS of .653. Anemic numbers for a position player.

It has gotten much worse in May. His batting average in May is .173. His OPS is .560. Those numbers are barely acceptable for a pitcher. If you take out one shining, glorious day against Milwaukee on May 4th, when he went 3 for 4, he is 11 for 77 in May, a batting average of...

.142

He's 1 for his last 22 at bats (.045, I'm serious)... 2 for his last 33 (.060).

He has hit 7 homers on the season through 51 games played. Most seasons he plays in about 155 games. So, he is roughly 1/3rd of the way through his season. He projects for 21 homeruns and 45 RBI with 60 runs scored. This from a guy who has averaged 30+ homers, 90+ RBI, and 100 runs over his first 5 season in the bigs.

Uggla is 31 -- this should be one of his most productive years of his career.

Wow... just wow.

-Jason "Uggla is now saying the big contract he signed in the off-season is weighing on him" Evans

[devildeac]

Pitching has been pretty good.

[devildeac]

Holy moley! Another 0-fer in the books for the multi-multi million $$ man who is now batting .178. Is there another sub-sub Mendoza standard to which he can be held? At least they squeaked out another late inning W. Nice job by the 'pen over the last 7 innings.

[Olympic Fan]

Holy moley! Another 0-fer in the books for the multi-multi million $$ man who is now batting .178. Is there another sub-sub Mendoza standard to which he can be held? At least they squeaked out another late inning W. Nice job by the 'pen over the last 7 innings.

And great to see Chipper deliver the walk-off hit in the 12th! Another notch in his HOF resume.

[Jarhead]

It's been a week and a half since anyone posted in this thread, and has anyone noticed that Heyward hasn't played for a while? Chipper spoke out about it today, saying basically that Heyward playing at 80% is better than some in the batting order playing at 100%. In the meantime the Braves have been hanging in there with some help from the their pitching staff and the Marlins, and are firmly at second place in their division, three games behind the Phillies. I remain hopeful.

[devildeac]

It's been a week and a half since anyone posted in this thread, and has anyone noticed that Heyward hasn't played for a while? Chipper spoke out about it today, saying basically that Heyward playing at 80% is better than some in the batting order playing at 100%. In the meantime the Braves have been hanging in there with some help from the their pitching staff and the Marlins, and are firmly at second place in their division, three games behind the Phillies. I remain hopeful.

And Lowe pitched very well last PM, Kimbrell "earned" another BS but managed to pick up the W in the 10th and Uggla has the lowest BA in the NL. You are correct though that they keep hanging in there at 3 GB after last night's victory and the Phils' L.