BBTF's Game Chatter Discussion :: RedSox (46-28) @ Braves (34-40), Sunday, June 28, 2009, 1:30pm

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1. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 04:43 PM (#3235772)

What must Diaz do to get a start? Pathetic.

And I see that Escobar's hip/attitude has kept him on the bench again. I'd bet my student loan money that the Braves have an entirely new double play combo in 2010. And they get about 70 cents on the dollar for Yuni/KJ.

2. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: June 28, 2009 at 05:30 PM (#3235801)

Anyone else see the end of the pregame show on NESN where the kid on the little league team turned and wiggled his butt at the camera? That kid is ready for the big leagues!

3. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:10 PM (#3235819)

Diaz not playing for a few days over Francoeur is an abomination. Francoeur vs righties is a joke. I guess with that homer off Joba he bought himself more time.

KJ/Esco had started looking like a flashy double play combo. Hopefully we don't see a fulltime Infante/Prado combo...

4. Darren

Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:12 PM (#3235821)

I've got Hanson on the bench and Penny in, so I expect a 10-0 Braves win.

Hey, you Braves guys, I've followed KJ the last couple years just through fantasy stuff. What's the deal with him? Why is he always being platooned benched or dropped in the order? Would they be better off putting him in there and letting him go for 150 games?

5. Darren

Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:15 PM (#3235823)

Looking good, Brad.

6. Darren

Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:17 PM (#3235824)

nobody?

7. Dan Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:23 PM (#3235826)

8. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:25 PM (#3235828)

He would be better off playing everyday in a fixed spot in the lineup, but Bobby seems to be fed up with the prolonged slumps.

What makes it more weird is that he has been great against lefties and horrendous vs righties, especially this year. But with Bobby not heeding anything logical at all, he likes to put Prado or Infante (when healthy) in vs lefties. KJ is inconsistent, but it doesn't help that he is shuffled in and out of the lineup and throughout the order. Ideally, he would have got a shot this year, but as Ignatius pointed out, he's probably gone after this year.

9. Dan Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:37 PM (#3235836)

That's what, 8 fly outs through 3.2 innings now?

10. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:37 PM (#3235837)

I don't have any information to support this, but I'm guessing Pendleton messed up Kelly's approach by prompting him to be more aggressive. Moreover, he's been somewhat unlucky this year. I'm confident he'll break out of this slump if given consistent ABs although I've already resigned myself to seeing him dealt this offseason.

The long and the short of Kelly is that he'll provide an .800 OPS (streaky) while playing average defense (that's improved this year).

11. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:39 PM (#3235839)

Tommy is a pretty extreme fly-ball pitcher. Nice to see him throwing strikes, but I'm wondering where the K's are.

12. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:45 PM (#3235841)

I wouldn't attribute Johnson's struggles to Pendleton (yet.) KJ is one of the streakiest hitters in the game. The problem, this year, is that he hasn't had a "super-Kelly" streak. He's been "blah-Kelly" for a bit but "holy-crap-he's-in-a-funk-Kelly" for the majority of the season. To Darren's question, the reason he gets pushed and pulled around so often is because that 1) he's extraordinarily streaky and when he gets in a funk, you are better served playing Omar Infante for a while and 2) the Braves don't have a deep enough lineup to give him a settled position. In a perfect world you'd have good-Kelly batting second behind a high-OBP leadoff hitter. The Braves have not lived in a perfect world for a few seasons, unfortunately. This season Johnson has been Francoeur-esque while Prado and Infante have been posting 800+ OPS. He will not play often if that continues.

13. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:48 PM (#3235842)

That was a strike in every league ever invented. Call the goddamned game, blue.

14. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:49 PM (#3235844)

Hanson's gotta get better at finishing off hitters. I wouldn't think that'd be a problem with a couple plus breaking pitches. My biggest concern with him coming to the majors was gopher balls.

15. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:53 PM (#3235848)

He's been getting a little lucky; Swisher bailed him out a few times in the Yanks game, and again with Ellsbury. Hopefully it gives him some confidence cuz he's gotta finish off these guys.

16. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:56 PM (#3235850)

Deeeeee ayyyytch Deeeeee ayyyytch Deeeeee ayyyytch

17. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 06:58 PM (#3235851)

Maybe Nate McLouth has been teaching his new teammates cues to look for to run on.

18. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:02 PM (#3235853)

No one can save Francoeur.

19. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:03 PM (#3235854)

Francoeur just cost the team a run.

20. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:04 PM (#3235856)

That Francoeur baserunning is gonna cost them.

21. Darren

Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:14 PM (#3235867)

That's an error? We're in bizzaro official scoring this year. Add this to the Swisher reversal and the error on Okajima the other night.

22. Darren

Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:16 PM (#3235870)

Damn Pedroia!

23. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:16 PM (#3235871)

That helps the kid out.

24. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:17 PM (#3235872)

This is the most stupid/sloppy Braves team I can remember.

25. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:27 PM (#3235875)

I wonder what they'll get for Yunel. 'Cause all signs point to a trade.

26. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:28 PM (#3235877)

Where the hell was that!?!

27. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:29 PM (#3235880)

Just because it's Kevin Youkilis doesn't mean you have to give him "balls" on curves that split the damned plate.

28. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:29 PM (#3235881)

Youk's real good at fouling off strike four.

29. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:30 PM (#3235882)

Five pitches that Hanson shouldn't have had to throw.

30. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:30 PM (#3235883)

Just inspired work from the umps.

31. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:33 PM (#3235886)

How many pitches should Tommy have? 80ish...

32. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:35 PM (#3235887)

Given BC's recent history I'm guessing we see Tommy for the 7th. I'd prefer to see EOF.

33. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:36 PM (#3235888)

I approve of that, Reilly. O'Flaherty shall now be called "End Of File."

34. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:38 PM (#3235891)

They just called down to the pen. If they don't get to Hanson's spot this inning he'll probably start the 7th.

35. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:47 PM (#3235894)

End of File in. Hopefully, the Jurrjens debacle on Friday knocked some sense into BC.

36. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:49 PM (#3235896)

EOF's been a nice find for the Braves. He throws strikes and is relatively tough on lefties. All you can ask for from a LOOGYish-type.

37. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:49 PM (#3235897)

Hey Jeffy. Try backing up the play.

38. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:51 PM (#3235900)

Hey Darren. I'd advise you to bench KJ for the Phillies series.

39. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:54 PM (#3235903)

Bobby isn't the best tactical manager, but if the team continues with sloppy baserunning and mental errors in the field someone needs to be held accountable.

40. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:55 PM (#3235905)

Ok Moylan, contine your comeback.

41. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:56 PM (#3235907)

As you ask, so shall Peter do.

42. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:57 PM (#3235909)

I'm almost to the point where I want Bobby to pull the "play nothing but defensive specialists" lineup and see how many games you can win on pitching and defense.

43. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 07:59 PM (#3235910)

Who are these defensive specialists you speak of?

44. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:01 PM (#3235912)

FSSN just showed a reel of Jason Heyward highlights (he's in the Futures game.) Dude is going to be monstrous.

296/372/538. IN MYRTLE BEACH.

45. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:02 PM (#3235913)

Blanco in CF, McLouth in LF, Francoeur in RF. Diory Hernandez at SS.

46. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:05 PM (#3235915)

Isn't that battling a couple nagging injuries, as well?

I'm looking forward to July 2010 and having an OF of McLouth, Schafer, and Heyward from left to right. Also, it'd be nice if Freddy Freeman could spare us from having to watch Kotchman "hit."

47. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:06 PM (#3235919)

Despite Escobar's brain farts I still think he's a superior defender to Hernandez. At least as much range with a much better arm.

48. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:08 PM (#3235922)

Freemam, also at Myrtle Beach: 315/403/472. The power numbers should improve once he gets out of that abyss of a park.

49. Barry Gibb Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:08 PM (#3235923)

Hopefully KJ can get back to that patient approach. It proved well for him in 2007-08...

50. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:23 PM (#3235931)

Oh, THAT's a strike. ##########.

51. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:26 PM (#3235936)

Wow. Cody Johnson is crushing the ball in MB as well. Two OF's and 1B. How soon can they get here?

52. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:32 PM (#3235940)

Wow, why didn't Johnson just make the throw to second, easy 4-6-3 if he does that.

53. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:33 PM (#3235941)

That's on Kotchman, right? He has to run the guy back to the bag.

54. Carl Gonzales Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:34 PM (#3235942)

Johnson should have flipped it to 2nd for the 4-6-3

55. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:36 PM (#3235945)

Yeah, on the replay he had plenty of time. KJ is all out of whack.

56. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:37 PM (#3235946)

That's a Red Sox fan delaying the game.

57. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:39 PM (#3235949)

KJ won't see the light of day once the golden boy, Infante, returns.

58. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:41 PM (#3235952)

Call me a grumpy old man, Reilly, but if Infante returns at the level he was performing before getting hit I would start him and Prado every day in some combination of 2B and RF. I'm as big a fan as you'll find of Kelly Johnson, but he's played himself onto the bench.

59. Mattbert Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:43 PM (#3235954)

No pinch-hitter for Tacoby there, with Baldelli and Lowell available off the bench? Curious.

60. Ignatius J. Reilly Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:46 PM (#3235957)

That's the thing though, isn't it? Infante will not continue to hit 350 and he doesn't bring anything to the table in terms of power or walks. However, a three-man rotation of Infante, Prado, and KJ in 2B/RF is probably the way to go. Too bad it'll never happen.

KJ just needs to be allowed to hit himself outta this slump, I don't see any other options for the Braves.

61. Sam Hutcheson is the Rickey Henderson of... Posted: June 28, 2009 at 08:53 PM (#3235962)

Jordan Schafer is 2-4 with a stolen base in his first game off the DL in Gwinnett.

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