Game 135: Braves 6, Rockies 1
September 3, 2012 at 4:04 pm by David Lee under Atlanta Braves
Source: FanGraphs
Game MVP: Kris Medlen, 87 game score
Least Valuable Brave: Jason Heyward, -.042
Most Valuable Rockie: Josh Rutledge, .014
Least Valuable Rockie: Tyler Chatwood, 30 game score
Big plays:
1st – (ATL) Michael Bourn scored on wild pitch for 1-0 Braves lead, .092
1st – (ATL) Error scored run for 2-0 Braves lead, .109
Kris Medlen makes this pitching thing look easy. Medlen pitched his second complete game by allowing one unearned run on five hits with no walks and a career-high 12 strikeouts. His 87 game score is also a career high, and his past four starts have been game scores of 83, 69, 81, 87. That’s pretty difficult to do.
Medlen induced 10 ground balls, six fly balls and three line drives, recording a .263 BABIP. He threw 26 balls and 85 strikes over 111 pitches.
The Braves announced after the game that Julio Teheran and Cory Gearrin will get called up Tuesday. Randall Delgado was also called up today as bullpen insurance. Medlen didn’t need it.
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A lovely tribute from Joe Posnanski today which I’m sure will be appreciated by everyone here:
http://joeposnanski.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/mac-and-braves-journal.html#more
Absolutely awesome to see him throw 111 pitches. How in the world did this kid go from being in the bullpen to being the staff’s ace?? I mean, is there any question who the starting pitcher should be in a potential one-game playoff??
Congrats Kris… you’ve earned all this success.
Unless Hudson becomes an unstoppable juggernaut of pitching between now and the end of the season Medlen has to be the guy you go to in a one game playoff.
As much as I agree with you, I highly doubt Fredi would not pitch Huddy in the one game playoff.
If Medlen throws the rest of the year like this, Fredi will go with him. How could you not?
Medlen certainly deserves it. But who honestly thinks anybody other than Huddy is going to get it (unless he gets hurt between now and the end of the month)?
I just can’t wait for next year after we get Beachy back, and Medlen all season… That’s a pretty nice YOUNG 1-2 punch…
At the game today. Being a outfielder in my days, I usually get excited to see Heyward, Chip, etc. swing the bats. But after I realized Medlen had his best stuff today, I couldn’t wait for the defense to come back out every inning just to watch him mow down the 2nd best offense in the NL. Bravo Kris. Can’t wait to see you start Game 1 of the NLDS!!!! (Knocks on wood).
Two nits: adjusting for their park, the Rockies are actually the fifth-best offense in the league. (Not to knock Medlen, of course. His work, today and since he’s been in the rotation, has been phenomenal.) Second, Kris would almost certainly be slated to start Game 3 at this point after pitching in the one-game playoff.
Good point about the Rockies.
As I mentioned above, I doubt Fredi would go against pitching Huddy in the one game playoff. Of course we all know Medlen has been the better pitcher, but Fredi will likely go with “experience and gut” and all that jazz.
We’ll see, but I am hopeful that the statement Kris has made these last two weeks has just been too strong. I think Fredi has shown by benching Uggla that he’s willing to let performance dictate the roles of even his veteran players.
Damn, I hope you’re right. Although, if he threw Huddy out there in the playoff game, I wouldn’t be angry (unless Huddy does terrible these next few games).
Is the scoreless streak still intact considering it was unearned?
Everyone seems to be thinking that the Braves will have a choice for who pitches in the 1 game playoff. The Braves might be fighting for a WC spot until the last day of the season. If that happens then they won’t have any chance to set up their rotation to put Huddy/Meds/whoever in the 1 game playoff.
Good point. And right now, factoring in off days, Medlen would hafta pitch on 4-days’ rest if he started the 1-game playoff. But I believe the 1-game WC playoff would be pushed back a day if there are any division 1-game tiebreakers to be played. Currently Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Oakland, and the Dodgers are all within 5 games of the division lead so we might get lucky. Otherwise, Medlen would be ready for Game 1 of a potential divisional series.
At this point, the Braves should be setting up their rotation so that the one-game playoff will fall on Medlen’s turn.
Exactly. This isn’t rocket science. They have, by my count, three more off days this season. Any manager who can’t use that to set up Medlen for the play-in game lacks even a basic understanding of baseball. (I know, I know–but I firmly believe this is not a matter of “can’t,” contra LioneeR upthread.)
Before people start throwing out ridiculous nicknames for Kris Medlen (this actually happens more on Talking Chop though) how about the bulldog? Short, sweet, and to the point.
Love seeing under the radar guys like Medlen succeed. Maybe we can stop talking about how “valuable” he is out of the pen.
Wasn’t that Hampton’s nickname?
I think a lot of people are looking way too far forward. Instead of questioning who the potential 1 game playoff starter will be…lets look at who we will be sending to the mound when the Nats come to town. Right now its looking like Medlen, Hanson and Minor. Although the bread is delightful, it still looks like a $hit sandwhich….looking at you Tommy
Ha… Dan the albatross got benched for constanza… And got out played by george today!
DOB is reporting that Uggla is no longer starting until further notice. All I can think about is Peter’s criticism of the contract extension.
Three more years to go.
After thinking back on today’s game I feel sorry for that Centerfielder Ross hit that curve ball to. I played Outfield for a few years in highschool and never saw a ball change zones like that, he played the ball perfectly if it was normal and got burned bad.
Yeah, what was that? Spin? Knuckled?
I think it was a by-product of his tucked in swing drawing the bat closer to his chest giving it a bit of spin, the same way you hit a draw in golf but with larger pieces.
That was absurd. I’ve never seen a baseball move like that. I’m inclined to say it was more of a knuckle, because it first moved to CF’s left, then switched directions mid-air. I think Ross thought he was an out. You could read his lips when he pulled into 2nd base, ‘I didn’t see it.’
Also, that CF was Dexter Fowler, an Atlanta native and really nice guy. Would love to see him in a Braves jersey one day. Would probably make for a young version of Bourn. If he weren’t having a breakout season, the Rockies may be a little more willing to shop him.
http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/9/4/3291181/ye-olde-english