The Atlanta Braves (thread 1)

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#10,976
#10,976
Braves win 4-1 tonight and now have Tim Hudson going for the "SWEEP" on Thursday. The pitching is coming together at just the right time. GO BRAVES! Next up the Marlins for 3 starting on Friday, then Pirates for 3, then Cards for 4 starting on the 9th. Braves then have 3 with the Nats and then a day off with a return series (3) with the Mets in NY on the 17th, then 3 with the Phillies on the 20th. At the point before the games with the Phillies, the Braves need to pick up 3-4 games. That may be tough. I'll feel better if the Braves have a 5-6 game lead prior to playing the Phils.:clapping::yes::crossfingers:
 
#10,978
#10,978
Not sure who said it but I think Chipper going down was the best thing for this team. Infante is more than serviceable batting leadoff. With him and Heyward on base seemingly all the time, Prado and McCann are going to have plenty of RBI opportunities. I know the Braves do not have a ton of power but with Infante setting the table at the top and Hudson, Jair, and Hanson as your top 3 with a lights out bullpen the Braves have as good a chance as anyone at the title...

I do have one question though. I believe I saw Prado drive one to the GAP last night to drive in a few runs. Where the heck did that come from? All I have ever heard was that he is lucky to get it out of the infield and if Greg Norton would pass a physical he would play 3b everyday with Infante at 2nd. What gives?
 
#10,979
#10,979
VOLinthaATL said:
Not sure who said it but I think Chipper going down was the best thing for this team. Infante is more than serviceable batting leadoff. With him and Heyward on base seemingly all the time, Prado and McCann are going to have plenty of RBI opportunities. I know the Braves do not have a ton of power but with Infante setting the table at the top and Hudson, Jair, and Hanson as your top 3 with a lights out bullpen the Braves have as good a chance as anyone at the title...

I do have one question though. I believe I saw Prado drive one to the GAP last night to drive in a few runs. Where the heck did that come from? All I have ever heard was that he is lucky to get it out of the infield and if Greg Norton would pass a physical he would play 3b everyday with Infante at 2nd. What gives?
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Chipper.... it sounds like blasphemy for a Braves fan to say such a thing, but I thought the same thing :whistling:

Not sure where you heard that info about Prado??
 
#10,980
#10,980
This team is definitely better with Infante in the lineup everyday, but Chipper didn't have to go down for that to happen. I said a couple of weeks before Chipper got hurt that the Braves' should play Infante every day in the outfield. It's nonsense to think that the Braves are better off now than they would be with Chipper back in the lineup and Ankiel/Cabrera spending more time watching from the dugout.

Presumably his comment about Prado is a snark aimed at me, but since I've always said that Prado has good gap power, I don't have any idea what he means.
 
#10,982
#10,982
That's on Bobby. LF and CF have both been smoking craters all season while Infante, who can play both positions, has been on the bench. It shouldn't have taken Chipper going down to get him in the lineup every day.

Chipper had been killing the ball for several weeks before his injury. Unless you're going to argue that was a complete fluke, then it's just senseless to think that this team is better with him out of the lineup. Infante's good, but he's not THAT good.
 
#10,984
#10,984
Vercingetorix said:
That's on Bobby. LF and CF have both been smoking craters all season while Infante, who can play both positions, has been on the bench. It shouldn't have taken Chipper going down to get him in the lineup every day.

Chipper had been killing the ball for several weeks before his injury. Unless you're going to argue that was a complete fluke, then it's just senseless to think that this team is better with him out of the lineup. Infante's good, but he's not THAT good.
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Killing the ball might be a tad too strong.
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#10,985
#10,985
VOLinthaATL said:
Not sure who said it but I think Chipper going down was the best thing for this team. Infante is more than serviceable batting leadoff. With him and Heyward on base seemingly all the time, Prado and McCann are going to have plenty of RBI opportunities. I know the Braves do not have a ton of power but with Infante setting the table at the top and Hudson, Jair, and Hanson as your top 3 with a lights out bullpen the Braves have as good a chance as anyone at the title...

I do have one question though. I believe I saw Prado drive one to the GAP last night to drive in a few runs. Where the heck did that come from? All I have ever heard was that he is lucky to get it out of the infield and if Greg Norton would pass a physical he would play 3b everyday with Infante at 2nd. What gives?
Click to expand...

I think that might be sarcasm, but if it's not, he's 4th in NL, and 14th overall in doubles.
 
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#10,986
#10,986
hatvol96 said:
Killing the ball might be a tad too strong.
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Relative to what he had been doing the past 1 1/2 seasons . . . hitting like a decent #3 hitter the last 6 weeks leading up to the injury qualified as killing the ball.
 
#10,987
#10,987
GAVol said:
Relative to what he had been doing the past 1 1/2 seasons . . . hitting like a decent #3 hitter the last 6 weeks leading up to the injury qualified as killing the ball.
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Exactly. Nobody's ever going to know how much of a fluke it was, coming after the last year and a half, but he spent a good month and a half channeling the Chipper that hit .360 with 20 homers just two years ago. Put that version of Chipper back in the lineup and let Infante play CF every day, and the Braves are your NL favorites.
 
#10,989
#10,989
hatvol96 said:
Over a reasonably healthy Philadelphia? Uh, no.
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If you gave me a lineup that included Heyward raking the ball like he's been in the second half, a hypothetical Chipper hitting the way he did of old, McCann behind Jones, Prado on in front of them, and .340-hitting Infante playing every day, and add that to the Braves' pitching, I'd like my chances against anybody in the NL. Unfortunately we'll never know.
 
#10,992
#10,992
golfballs03 said:
Yeah, and they've had everyone back now for 2 weeks and only picked up half a game in that span.
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. . . but you know that eventually they are going to hit. Just a matter or whether they'll get enough out of their 4/5 starters and bullpen.

The Braves have 78 wins and the Phillies 76 with 28 to go. I'm thinking 94 wins gets it done . . . but it's very apparent that it's going to come down to those 2 series in the final 2 weeks. The goal for the Braves has to be to find a way to leave Philadelphia in a couple of weeks with any kind of lead.
 
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#10,993
#10,993
GAVol said:
. . . but you know that eventually they are going to hit. Just a matter or whether they'll get enough out of their 4/5 starters and bullpen.

The Braves have 78 wins and the Phillies 76 with 28 to go. I'm thinking 94 wins gets it done . . . but it's very apparent that it's going to come down to those 2 series in the final 2 weeks. The goal for the Braves has to be to find a way to leave Philadelphia in a couple of weeks with any kind of lead.
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Couldn't agree more...
 
#10,994
#10,994
GAVol said:
Everybody keeps saying that and conveniently ignores the fact that the Braves have resembled a MASH unit this year.
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Remind me what the Braves have done the last two years. Then, compare that with what a healthy Philadelphia has done. If the Phillies are physically sound come October, they'll waltz through the National League playoffs.
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#10,995
#10,995
golfballs03 said:
Yeah, and they've had everyone back now for 2 weeks and only picked up half a game in that span.
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Would Philadelphia be in the playoffs if they started today? Yes. That's all that matters. A division title is only important if that's your only route to the postseason.
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#10,996
#10,996
Vercingetorix said:
Exactly. Nobody's ever going to know how much of a fluke it was, coming after the last year and a half, but he spent a good month and a half channeling the Chipper that hit .360 with 20 homers just two years ago. Put that version of Chipper back in the lineup and let Infante play CF every day, and the Braves are your NL favorites.
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This post is funny because I remember you saying after he went down that he hadn't done anything all year except I think you may have given him credit for 2 weeks. Good stuff bro.
 
#10,997
#10,997
GAVol said:
Everybody keeps saying that and conveniently ignores the fact that the Braves have resembled a MASH unit this year.
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The Braves have lost players the caliber of Utley, Rollins, and Howard for extended stretches? I must have missed that.
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#10,998
#10,998
hatvol96 said:
Would Philadelphia be in the playoffs if they started today? Yes. That's all that matters. A division title is only important if that's your only route to the postseason.
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Right. No, the Phillies are very good, and I really don't want to see them in the playoffs. I haven't seen the latest Vegas odds, but I would be surprised if they aren't the favorites to win the NL.

I'm just saying the Braves aren't garbage either.
 
#11,000
#11,000
hatvol96 said:
The Braves have lost players the caliber of Utley, Rollins, and Howard for extended stretches? I must have missed that.
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I never said they were as good; just that the Braves have had injuries to key members of their lineup as well. At various times, every member of the starting lineup except for Brian McCann has landed on the DL this year. There have been times when basically the entire top half of the lineup was either on the DL or banged up. Everybody has to deal with injuries.
 
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