Game 129: Padres 3, Braves 0
August 28, 2012 at 12:59 am by David Lee under Atlanta Braves
Source: FanGraphs
Game MVP: Yasmani Grandal, .206
Casey Kelly, 68 game score
Least Valuable Padre: Chase Headley, -.049
Most Valuable Brave: Paul Maholm, 54 game score
Least Valuable Brave: Brian McCann, -.099
Big plays:
2nd – (SD) Yasmani Grandal two-run homer for a 2-0 Padres lead, .195
Casey Kelly’s final line was very impressive for a major league debut, pitching six shutout innings on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. It wasn’t as dominating as the line indicates, as he induced six ground balls, five fly balls and four line drives, and benefited from a .200 BABIP, but it was a great outing for Kelly.
Paul Maholm was also hit a little bit, giving up five line drives while allowing eight hits in 6.2 innings. But he again held his strikeout rate well while getting double-digit ground balls and limiting walks.
The Braves offense had a .174 BABIP while producing a 26% line drive rate for the game, which should tell you they ran into some loud outs. Jason Heyward’s double was the only extra base hit for the team.
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Why exactly did the Braves call up Miguel Batista over say Cory Gearrin? Did the Braves ever explain why they decided to call up Batista over Gearrin?
Batista looked horrible on the mound in his Braves debut. I have no clue why this guy is on the team, why he was offered a contract in the first place, or how he has been consistently on big league teams. He must moonlight as a private detective, because–just one example–his career K/BB ratio is a laughable 1.39.
H/9: 10.2, HR/9: 1.0, BB/9: 6.0, K/9: 6.6
Better relief pitchers actually do grow on trees in the minors.
think you can chalk this up to Fredi needing a little ‘veteran presence’ in the bullpen
Yeah without even knowing the minor league pitchers at all I can think of at least 2 with big league experience and better numbers. Gearrin obviously, Moylan comes to mind, any of the prospects would make better relievers. Hell with numbers like that we could probbly put one of our draftees in and get better production.
I felt the game was lost on that 3-2 hit and run by prado that ended in a double play. If prado shoots that through the hole it’s 1st and 3rd with a rookie pitcher and our best hitter at the plate. Ah well thats why everyone loses 60 games a year. The good news is we face a soft lefty tomorrow.
Regarding Batista, the only 41-year-old pitcher who should be on a major-league roster is one who’s been a stud for a long time, like Mariano Rivera.
Frank Wren loves him some Veteran Presents
…. “presence” ?
Pretty sure that was meant to be a play on words.
As soon as I saw Kelly pitch the first inning, I had a feeling that the Braves would struggle against him and his slightly-unorthodox windup and big breaking ball.
In other news, look who’s charging from out of nowhere to get back in the Wild Card race for the second time in as many years. But then again, I’d rather not face the Dodgers in a one-game playoff, so if the Cardinals and Braves have to be those two teams, so be it.
DOB said last night that all 10 runs Maholm has allowed as Brave have come via a homerun. That’s pretty crazy.
Also, it looks like Maholm is the new “no run support” King
I still think that title belongs to Mike Minor.
Yeah I mentioned that after his last start. Although I don’t think anyone had really noticed. As far as run support, he’s probably used to it. He was getting virtually nil while with the Cubbies.
There is another 40 year old pitcher that deserves it. Darren oliver. I saw he has an ERA under 2 and pitched two scoreless innings in the Bronx last night. This game was lost on that double play prado hit into. It felt like the team was about to pounce on the kid with runners on the corners and heyward up. Must win the next two as winning every series is a must for the division crown not too mention if we get the wild card we better host it do chipper can get one final home playoff game.
Ah, Darren Oliver. He has always intrigued me because he was a mostly awful starting pitcher for a decade. His left arm kept him in the bigs though, and when he became a reliever at 35 years old, he figured out how to miss bats and has been extremely effective for 7 years. Nearly doubled his K-rate
If I ever said anything positive about Fredi possibly improving in his in-game strategy decisions (which I will admit I did not long ago referencing sac bunting) I take it back — especially when it comes to the bullpen.
We are within two runs of a not very good team late in a game, but his two calls from the bullpen are Durb and Mig Mac. I guess Fredi’s decisions had been easier up to last week because the Braves were in a stretch of winning games pretty easily. Last night, it looked like he was begging San Diego to score some more runs.
Hopefully Batista’s poor performance (9 balls to 5 strikes, most of which were straight up BP fastballs) wakes up someone in the FO to the fact that it is 2012, not 2002 when Batista was, ummm, an averagish, already veteran, starting pitcher. Ball was absolutely smashed to the wall in center (Bourn saved him) on a 89 mph fastball down the middle. And his third out was on an RBI single that was on an 88 mph fastball down the middle. (Grandal caught trying to advance to second on throw to plate.)
These pitching calls almost made me forget that I was confused as to why Hinske was the PH off the bench in the 8th when there was a better left handed hitter in Francisco available, and a better hitter in Ross (or anyone else not named Tommy Hanson) available.
Fredi seems to have this odd idea that you can’t use your better hitters and pitchers earlier or when you are behind and need to catch up. You have to save them for “special occasions” such as chances to tie the game, or to preserve a lead, but only when the score is within a set amount of runs after a certain point in a game.
If it’s early and we’re up one. Get ready for Durbin, the relief pitcher with the lowest WAR and highest FIP/xFIP of any pitcher in the bullpen (other than the Mig, who I’m not counting with his one inning pitched, if I were to concede that he is actually still a pitcher and not a fossil). But hey, Durb has a good ERA!
Rant over…
Looking forward to a good game tonight with Medlin making Fredi’s job easier!
Someone asked me how I felt about Durbin having a sub-3 ERA. I responded “worried”. I’m worried that, if the Braves make the playoffs (the REAL playoffs; not this abomination MLB has created with the extra Wild Card team), Fredi will go to Durbin in a high leverage situation and Durbin will blow it because this time the hitter didn’t hit it at a defender.
Check out Durbin’s 5.05 FIP.
If any of you guys follow BravesJournal, Mac just was placed in hospice today. Now would be a good time to send any well-wishes to him before it’s too late.
That’s awful news. Damn.
I feel bad for the sap that gives durbin a contract next year because he has an ERA under 3 so he must be a top RH bullpen arm. My guess is the brewers.
Since many of you are saber people, i just wanted to bring up a topic. Dan uggla, despite his miserable last couple months, still is ranked #12 amongst baseball 2nd basemen in WAR (fangraphs). At this point, don’t you think it would be best to just leave him in the lineup and let him try to swing his way out of it?
Honestly… I don’t really think you can relate the two. If there’s a reason to leave him in, it’s that taking him out doesn’t really do the team much of any good whatsoever. To take him out, you’re basically putting Rev in his spot (no help at all) or moving Prado over there and sticking Reed in LF (marginal increase if anything, and that’s no slap against Prado).
His game hasn’t been bad for a couple months. It’s basically been bad his entire stay in Atlanta with the exception of July-September last year. And, as far as WAR, being #12 among your position isn’t much to write home about… it’s basically middle of the road. Fangraphs has him at 2.1 for WAR, but at 1.2 for oWAR (18th at the position). He’s even in the bottom half at the position (14th) in wRC+ at 95.
You can certainly make an argument to let him play everyday with the hopes he’ll swing out of it, but WAR is not the argument to use in his case.
wonder if we could hit dan #2 so he wodul get more fastballs. in the last 30 days, Prado & Uggla’s on base % is the same. i ask last week if Dan was put on waivers; would the Dodgers take him? Prado can alwasy play 2b