SB Nation - Brooks Conrad

Top-5 Off-Season Questions for the Atlanta Braves: #5

gondeee — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:42:03 -0000

Ryan Church and Kelly Johnson may not find themselves in the Atlanta Braves plans for 2010.

We conclude our look at the top-5 questions facing the Atlanta Braves this off-season.

Question Five: To Tender or Non-Tender

One of the repeated questions I was asked on blog-talk radio shows this season was how long Jeff Francoeur was going to be in a Braves uniform. My repeated answer, and one that I put in post after post on this blog, was that he would not be in a Braves uniform through the end of the season, but that the Braves were unlikely to just release him. The logic followed that the Braves had built this guy up too much to just "waive" him goodbye, they had to get a warm body for him. Enter the Ryan Church trade. Church gives the Braves a player that they can cut ties with without the big media frenzy and the fairweather fans screaming, "but not Francooerrr." By trading him during the season, at least there was the distraction of games to be played to misdirect attention.

So there you have it, the Braves will release Ryan Church this off-season. Church is a third-year arbitration case who made $2.8 million last year, and would likely get a raise to over $3 million next year regardless of his 2009 numbers. That's way too much for an oft-injured fourth outfielder.

The Braves will also release Kelly Johnson this off-seaosn.

Wow, I really said it. This is a very similar situation to the Marcus Giles situation several years ago (which actually was the impetus for moving Kelly to second base). Giles was coming off a poor season in which the Braves had a tight payroll and through arbitration he was due a big raise. The Braves tried and tried to trade him, but every other GM knew that the Braves couldn't afford him, and they didn't want to give up players and more money by trading for him. This is exactly the situation we find ourselves in with KJ. Yes, Cox came out and gave Kelly a vote of confidence, but I bet you can find a similar quote from Cox at the end of the 2006 season about Giles, and Marcus had a much better year that season than Kelly did this year.

As much as many Braves fans like Kelly, the fact is he just hasn't lived up to his promise, and the Braves can't pay him many millions just to see if he finally will next year. Yes, the Braves will try and trade him, and we'll hear plenty of rumors, but that ain't happening, and the Braves will release him.

Brooks Conrad will also be non-tendered. As good as he was for a few weeks during his mid-year call-up, he was only 1-for-18 as a pinch hitter -- that one hit was a three-run game-winning homerun in his first at bat as a Brave. The Braves may offer him a minor league contract and another invite to spring training, but not a major league contract or a guaranteed spot on the 40-man roster.

Brian Barton, gone. Greg Norton, mercifully gone. Buddy Carlyle will probably get released, but with an eye towards a minor league contract and an invite to spring training. Ditto for Jorge Campillo.

Eric O'Flaherty, he'll be back, as he was a pleasant surprise. I can't see the Braves parting ways with any other pitchers, other than the ones listed above and the annual parting of the ways with Vladimir Nunez. I get this feeling that there will be a lot of new faces added to our bullpen or potential bullpen mix this off-season. Bobby Cox needs more relievers he has confidence in, and I feel there will be a lot of auditions going on in spring training.

Matt Diaz will be offered a contract, and will get a hefty raise -- this is one of the reasons I think he'll be a prime trade candidate. He's good, but the Braves covet a power bat, and they may be able to match up with a team who would prefer the Diaz approach to hitting. I would rather keep him, but as I said in the first post today (question one), I don't see how he fits in the outfield with Heyward and a power bat that would presumably play left.

That's all for the top-5 questions, I hope you enjoyed them. I initially thought these five questions would be just one post, but they sort of spiraled out of control, so thanks for reading (if you've gotten this far).

Washington Nationals Win Season Finale In 15 Innings, Sweep Atlanta Braves To Finish 2009 59-103.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:23:55 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Elijah Dukes takes his base with a smile after being walked by Atlanta Braves' Boone Logan during the 15th inning of their baseball game Sunday Oct. 4, 2009, in Atlanta. Dukes later scored on a hit by Alberto Gonzalez to win 2-1. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!!!!!!!

Game 162 of 2009 took 4 hours, 18 minutes and 15 innings to finish and when it was over the Washington Nationals had completed a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves for their seventh-straight win (and second-straight sweep) to end a 2009 season they started 0-7 before recording their first win...And, yes, that is the first time that's ever happened...DC starter J.D. Martin allows just one-run on 6 hits in 6.0 IP, giving up Nate McLouth's solo HR to leadoff the sixth and put Atlanta ahead 1-0. Braves' righty Tim Hudson gives up just 4 hits through 6.0 IP, but three-straight singles from Alberto Gonzalez, Jorge Padilla and pinch hitter Adam Dunn bring in the tying run in the seventh and it remains tied through fourteen before Elijah Dukes takes a one-out walk and Wil Nieves and Alberto Gonzalez hit back to back two-out singles to score Dukes for the winning run...

Nationals win, 2-1 final.

Miss The Game?

• The DC Faithful Were Watching!!! (634 comments) vs The Talking Chop Open Thread (718 comments)

• "Game 162: Finally, some history we can call our own!" - Doghouse.

• BACKPAGE: Dunn Doesn't Reach 40 - J.D. Martin Finishes Strong - Strasburg To Pitch Tomorrow.

• For The Completist, Full (and I mean FULL) Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals finish 2009 59-103.

BACKPAGE:

• Dunn Doesn't Reach 40...Adam Dunn hit his 38th HR of 2009 on September 22nd against Los Angeles, leaving the Nationals' big left-handed hitting slugger with 10 games to hit the 39th and 40th HR's of 2009. Had he reached 40 HR's for the sixth-straight season, Dunn would've been one of only four players in MLB history (along with Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa and Babe Ruth) to hit 40+ HR's in six-straight seasons, leaving him just one behind Ruth's industry standard of seven-straight 40 HR seasons. Dunn, however, managed just 3 hits in his next 36 at bats (2 of them doubles, but no HR's) heading into today's game, and when he wasn't in the starting lineup, the DC Faithful knew it was over. Having failed to reach 40 HR's for the first time in six seasons didn't seem to upset Dunn too much. The Big Walky, Big Opposite Field, The Big First Baseman, singled in one of Washington's two runs in a pinch hit appearance this afternoon to finish the season with a .267 AVG, 29 doubles, 38 HR's and 105 RBI's.

• J.D. Martin Finishes Strong...With no-decisions in his last 4 starts, J.D. Martin finishes the 2009 campaign (5-4) with a 4.44 ERA, one of only two Nationals' pitchers to finish the season with a record above .500. (Shairon Martis finished (5-3), though he was sent down in mid-June and didn't return). In his final start of 2009, Martin throws 73 pitches, 50 for strikes in 6.0 IP, allowing just 6 hits and 1 ER. The Nationals' 26-year-old right-hander, who was (8-3) with a 2.66 ERA in 15 starts, 1 relief appearance and 88.0 IP with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs before making his MLB debut on July 20th, 2009, might just have pitched his way onto the 20-10 roster.

• Strasburg To Pitch Tomorrow...I know it's a cliche to say that the 2010 season starts the second the final out of 2009 is recorded, but with MLB.com's Bill Ladson writing this afternoon that '09 #1 overall pick, Stephen Strasburg would be making his first appearance as a National tomorrow afternoon in an instructional league game against Detroit, it is actually accurate. Instructional League, The Arizona Fall League, the Dominican Winter League, baseball never really stops, and neither do we...see you...tomorrow.

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At Atlanta Braves. Game 162 Of 162.

Justin Maxwell vs Tim Hudson to start the last game of the season, and a brutal two-strike bender gets J-Max swinging for the first out of the day. Ian Desmond takes a 2-2 fastball on the low outside corner for a called strike three. Pete Orr smokes a single through second for a two-out hit in front of Elijah Dukes. Dukes rolls the third out to first to end the opening frame...Jorge Padilla bounces off the wall as he closes the glove on a fly ball out from Nate McLouth. Pete Orr dives toward the third base line but can’t get to Omar Infante’s line drive double. Martin Prado pops out to second. Garrett Anderson grounds out to first, inning over.

Mike Morse grounds weakly to third to start the second. Josh Bard likes the first pitch he sees and he grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez flies to right to end the Nationals’ half...Adam LaRoche flies out to right field. Yunel Escobar gives Dukes more work. Kelly Johnson grounds to Morse at first to end the second.

Jorge Padilla swings wildly over a full-count sinker. J.D. Martin stares strike three all the way in. Justin Maxwell walks with two down. Ian Desmond hits a high chopper that dies in the grass halfway to third, refusing to go foul. Pete Orr grounds to LaRoche at first and it’s 0-0 in the third...Clint Sammons skies one to right for Elijah Dukes to get under. Tim Hudson lines a one-out single to center and the oh-oh-oh-ing starts in Atlanta. Nate McLouth takes a 2-2 slider on the outside edge. Omar Infante flies out to left.

Elijah Dukes takes a low full-count slider but Tim Hudson gets the call. Mike Morse flies out to right. Josh Bard slips a hard-hit grounder by first and hustles his way to second. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to end the Nationals’ fourth...Martin Prado flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Garrett Anderson pops out over short, and J.D. Martin gets a fly ball from Adam LaRoche to end the fourth scoreless.

Jorge Padilla hits a fly ball out to Nate McLouth in center field for Atlanta. J.D. Martin can’t handle what Hudson’s throwing, but Justin Maxwell just takes and takes and walks, then tries to take more but gets caught trying to steal second, no score after four and a half...Yunel Escobar takes strike three and has few choice bi-lingual words for the Ump. Kelly Johnson singles through second with one down. Clint Sammons flies out to Justin Maxwell in center.

Ian Desmond grounds out to third. Pete Orr pops out to third. Elijah Dukes hits a two-out single to left field, but Mike Morse’s infield pop ends the top of the sixth...J.D. Martin gives up a long fly ball to right on an 0-1 change to Nate McLouth, who puts it over the wall for a 1-0 lead. Jorge Padilla sprints to the corner to catch the first out off of Omar Infante’s bat. Martin Prado drives a single by a lunging Ian Desmond at second. Garrett Anderson lines out to Jorge Padilla in left for out No. 2. Adam LaRoche lines to left field, Jorge Padilla comes up throwing and nails Prado trying for third.

Josh Bard leads off the seventh against Tim Hudson. Bard grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez singles to center and Jorge Padilla follows with a second-straight single and Adam Dunn gets a PH chance. Dunn lines a hanging bender to right to score Gonzalez from second for a 1-1 tie!!! Justin Maxwell K’s/fails swinging through an 0-2 fastball upstairs and inside. Ian Desmond grounds out to first to strand two. 1-1 in the seventh...Yunel Escobar sends the first pitch from Tyler Clippard soaring into center field for Justin Maxwell. Kelly Johnson K’s swinging through a two-strike change. Clint Sammons K’s looking at a fastball inside.

Pete Orr grounds out to second to start the Nationals’ eighth. Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan walks Elijah Dukes with one down. Mike Morse grounds to Yunel Escobar to Kelly Johnson to Adam LaRoche at first, double play...Chipper Jones guides a high outside heater through short for a single. Nate McLouth gets a sac bunt down and gets tagged out by Clippard as Chipper moves up. Pete Orr looks Chipper back to second and throws out Omar Infante on a weak grounder. Martin Prado flies to deep center, but Justin Maxwell gets there, no problem.

Josh Bard pops up a 2-1 pitch from Rafael Soriano. Alberto Gonzalez takes a one-out walk in front of pinch hitter Josh Willingham. The Hammer K’s swinging through a high heater. Cristian Guzman grounds out to end the Nationals’ ninth...Ron Villone gets a groundout to third from Garrett Anderson. Adam LaRoche K’s swinging through a 2-2 bender upstairs. Yunel Escobar keeps hope alive for Atlanta with a two-out single through second. Kelly Johnson hits a broken bat blooper to second and the last game will take more than nine innings to decide.

Kris Medlen gets Justin Maxwell swinging to start the tenth. Ian Desmond rrrrips a grounder by third base and into the corner for a one-out double to left. Pete Orr pops out to short center. Elijah Dukes grounds out to second to end the top of the tenth...Ron Villone’s back in the tenth against Clint Sammons, who flies out to left. Pinch hitter Greg Norton takes a one-out walk. Nate McLouth K’s swinging through a looping bender over the middle. Jason Bergmann on for Villone against Omar Infante. Infante battles, but K’s swinging through a full-count slider!!

Kenshin Kawakami vs Mike Morse in the eleventh. Morse sends a dribbler by Adam LaRoche at first and Omar Infante misplays it to give Morse second. Wil Nieves tries the sac bunt and hits it too hard, Morse cut down at third. Alberto Gonzalez grounds to Yunel Escobar to Kelly Johnson to Adam LaRoche, double play...Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera pops up Martin Prado. Reid Garecki K’s swinging through a high fastball. Adam LaRoche grounds to first to end the eleventh.

Josh Willingham singles to left and takes second on a sac bunt from Saul Rivera. Justin Maxwell vs Kenshin Kawakami. Maxwell can’t hold up and he K’s swinging at a low fastball for the second out. Ian Desmond up when a wild pitch from Kawakami gets by Clint Sammons. Hammer to third. Ian Desmond lines to left and it’s...caught, Omar Infante makes a shoestring catch to rob Desmond...Saul Rivera gets a weak grounder from Yunel Escobar for the first out. Kelly Johnson rips one to first, Mike Morse knocks it down and tosses to Rivera covering. Clint Sammons shatters his bat but singles with two down. Pinch hitter Brian McCann grounds back to the mound and it’s on to the thirteenth.

Eric O’Flaherty takes over on the mound for Atlanta in the thirteenth. Pete Orr grounds out to second. Elijah Dukes flies out to center. Mike Morse K’s swinging...Nate McLouth flies out to the track in center field for Justin Maxwell. Omar Infante lines a double on one hop and over the wall in center with one down. Saul Rivera walks Martin Prado in front of Brooks Conrad, who flies out harmlessly to center. Adam LaRoche grounds out to first, and it’s on to the fourteenth...

Manny Acosta takes over against Wil Nieves, who walks to start the frame. Alberto Gonzalez flies out unproductively to center field. Josh Willingham can’t hold up on a low two-strike heater. Pinch hitter Ryan Zimmerman drives a double to center, McLouth cuts it off and Nieves stops at second. Justin Maxwell walks to load the bases for Ian Desmond...Logan Kensing’s on for DC. Yunel Escobar starts the Braves’ half with a line drive single to left. Kelly Johnson grounds to second, Alberto Gonzalez to Ian Desmond to Mike Morse, double play. Clint Sammons grounds back to the mound.

Pete Orr K’s looking to start the fifteenth. Boone Logan, the Braves’ right-hander, walks Elijah Dukes with one down. Mike Morse flies out unproductively to left. Wil Nieves singles to short right to move Dukes up. Alberto Gonzalez lines an RBI single to the left-center gap!! Dukes scores, 2-1 Nationals!!! Josh Willingham K’s looking to end the top of the frame...Logan Kensing vs Javier Vazquez. Vazquez grounds one off Logan Kensing’s pitching hand, Ian Desmond picks it up and throws out the pinch hitting pitcher. Nate McLouth K’s swinging over a sinker. Omar Infante singles up the middle with two down. Martin Prado drills an 0-2 pitch to left center, second and third with two down. Brooks Conrad K’s trying to check his swing and it’s over. Nationals win, 2-1 final.

Nationals finish season 59-103.

Washington Nationals Win Sixth-Straight, 6-4 Over Atlanta Braves.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:08:46 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Justin Maxwell is congratulated in the dugout after his winning two run homer against the Atlanta Braves during the eleventh inning of their baseball game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009, in Atlanta. Washington won 6-4. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Ryan Zimmerman hits an RBI single in the first to score Willie Harris from second for the first run of the game and Ian Desmond leads off the fourth with a HR to left off Braves’ right-hander Jair Jurrjens as the left side of the 20-10 Nationals’ infield gives Washington a 2-0 lead that Ross Detwiler preserves through five innings on the mound. Saul Rivera takes over for DC in the sixth and gets two outs, but leaves two on for left-hander Ron Villone, who’ll have to face Brian McCann, representing the tying run at the plate. McCann singles through short and it’s tied at 2-2 after six...

The exciting conclusion...AFTER THE JUMP....

• Miss The Game?:

• The DC Faithful In The GameThread (452 comments) vs The Talking Chop OpenThread (216 comments).

(cont.)...

• (ed. note - "I’d love to go into more detail about what happened, but FOX decided to finally broadcast a game involving the Nationals when they thought (early this week) that the Braves might still be in contention, and therefore I’m FOX’d out of the next-to-last game of 2009 since they’re showing the Royals and Twins on the northeastern market's broadcast...Just want to thank, FOX! Thanks...thanks for that...")

• DC lefty Ross Detwiler goes just 5.0 innings in his last ‘09 outing, allowing 1 hit and 4 walks, but no runs. Detwiler's replaced on the mound by Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera. Rivera gets two outs, but gives up a walk and a single and is lifted for Ron Villone, who comes on to face left-hander Brian McCann, and surrenders a two-run single that ties the game at 2-2. Villone gets out of the sixth, throws a scoreless seventh and comes back out for the eight, striking out Brooks Conrad and then hanging a slider to Nate McLouth that's lifted to center for a double. Jason Bergmann's called upon with a runner on second and one down and he strikes out Martin Prado and Chipper Jones to end the eighth!! Don't Make Bergmann Angry!!!!

• Braves’ backstop Brian McCann singles to start the bottom of the ninth, and Yunel Escobar’s sac bunt puts McCann in scoring position. Still tied at 2-2. Jason Bergmann walks Garrett Anderson to set up the DP and Omar Infante plays along, grounding to second, Pete Orr to Ian Desmond to Adam Dunn, double play!!! Extras. Nationals' 10th, Ryan Zimmerman doubles with two down, Adam Dunn gets the intentionals and Cristian Guzman shocks THE WORLD! with a two-run double to right that sets DC up to win its sixth-straight in the next-to-last game of '09...

• DC Manager Jim Riggleman...calls upon Zack Segovia to get the save. Leadoff single by Adam LaRoche and a pinch hit double by Kelly Johnson, NO NO NO!!! LaRoche scores on Johnson's hit. 4-3 DC. Nate McLouth flies out, Martin Prado pops out, Chipper Jones gets the intentionals to bring up pinch hitter Greg Norton, (ed. note - "Heck, worked for the Nationals last inning, right?")...Norton rips a line drive single to center, Kelly Johnson crosses, 4-4 after ten.

• Mike Morse grounds out, Pete Orr singles, Justin Maxwell steps to the plate, and it'll have to be another Braves' comeback, Justin Maxwell goes yard to make up for two questionable plays in the outfield, and the Washington Nationals are once again ahead by two, 6-4 courtesy of Maxwell's 4th HR in 85 AB's with DC...Logan Kensing will pitch the Braves' 11th...NO NO N...I mean GO Logan!!! Garrett Anderson grounds out, Omar Infante pops out, and Adam LaRoche K's swinging!! Kensing gets his first save since June 6th 2006...and the Washington Nationals win their 58th game of 2009...

Nationals now 58-103.

(ed. note - "LAST GAME OF THE SEASON TOMORROW!! STOP BY, SAY HI, OR GOODBYE TIL NEXT YEAR!!! LURKERS? You're part of the DC Faithful too, stop in and say hi in tomorrow's GameThread, and see how much we like new folks in the GameThread!!! ONE MORE GAME LEFT...Make it a good one...")

Atlanta Braves Sweep Washington Nationals, DC Bullpen Gives It Away In Extras, 6-3.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:54:22 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, left, circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe, right, in the first inning of a baseball game in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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• Ryan Zimmerman and Josh WIllingham go back to back off ATL right-hander Derek Lowe with two down in the first. Zimmerman’s 32nd of 2009, gives him 8 more than his previous season high of 24 which he hit in 162 games in 2007, and there are eight innings left today and seven more games on the 2009 schedule to be played this week. The Hammer hits his second HR and collects just the second RBI in his last 62 at bats. So far in September, Willingham's hit in just 12 of 71 at bats, for a .169 AVG, a .272 OBP and a .324 SLG. Derek Lowe gives up two HR's in the same game for the first time all season.

• A fan interferes with a leadoff line drive by Martin Prado, who gets second, and Chipper Jones reaches on an infield single off Livan Hernandez in the fourth. Livan gets a harmless fly out of Brian McCann, but Josh Willingham catches it while backpedaling and throws it in weakly off his back heel allowing Prado to take third, and then score easily on Garrett Anderson’s groundout. 2-1 DC. Yunel Escobar hits a two-out triple to score Chipper and it’s tied at 2-2 after four.

• Mike Morse hits the third HR of the game off Lowe to give DC a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Morse hits his second HR in two days, for the 4th and 5th HR’s of his 132-game MLB career. Before yesterday's HR, Morse hadn't gone deep in a major league game since August 15th 2005 when he hit a two-run HR as a Seattle Mariner for the 3rd HR of his rookie campaign.

TRIVIA: The last time Derek Lowe gave up 3 HR’s in a game? August 27, 2007, against the Washington Nationals...Q: Who hit the HR's off Lowe? There were three different players...? A: Dmitri Young, Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Zimmerman in a 5-4 loss to Los Angeles.

• After grounding out with two on and two out in the sixth, Livan Hernandez walks Yunel Escobar to start the seventh and then gives up an RBI double off the base of the out-of-town scoreboard to Adam LaRoche, which scores Escobar from first ahead of the cut throw home. 3-3 ballgame. Hernandez out after 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB and 2 K's. Tyler Clippard replaces Livan, and strands Adam LaRoche at third in a tie game. Then the Nationals do the same...

Continued after the JUMP...

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

• Check Out The SB Nation's Atlanta Braves Blog: Talking Chop.

• "Game 155: Our team is terrible." - Doghouse.

Full Game Report After The JUMP...

• The Worst Kind Of FAIL...How To Strand A Leadoff Triple: Willie Harris starts the Nationals’ seventh with leadoff triple off Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan. Ian Desmond grounds to first, Adam LaRoche fields and looks Harris back to third. The Braves walk Ryan Zimmerman. First and third, one out. Josh Willingham K's taking a 1-2 slider inside for a called strike three. Elijah Dukes takes an 0-2 slider low and outside and that's a strike too, Willie Harris is left standing on third...

• Extra Innings...For the second-straight day, Mike MacDougal comes on in a non-save situation. Yesterday, MacDougal allowed a single, a sac bunt and an RBI double before he was lifted for Ron Villone who gave up a two-run HR, with one run belonging to the DC closer. Today, MacDougal starts the tenth with the game still tied at 3-3, and gets the first out on a groundout by pinch hitter Brooks Conrad, then it all falls apart. One-out walk to Nate McLouth. MacDougal hits Martin Prado. Chipper Jones hits a dribbler toward first, McDougal can't make the play, everyone is safe. Brian McCann grounds out to score the go-ahead run. 4-3 Braves. Pinch hitter Omar Infante hits a bloop single to center, two more score. 6-3 Atlanta. Ballgame.

Nationals now 52-103.

Atlanta Braves At Washington Nationals. Game 155 Of 162.

Livan Hernandez gets a two-seam fastball to break back inside for a called strike three on Nate McLouth. Martin Prado grounds weakly to short, and Chipper Jones flies out to left center where Willie Harris’ catch ends a quick top of the first...Willie Harris flies out to Garrett Anderson in left field. Chipper Jones makes a quick toss to first on a groundout by Ian Desmond. Two down for Braves’ righty Derek Lowe. Ryan Zimmerman goes over the out-of-town scoreboard with a two-out solo HR to right. Josh Willingham gets a first-pitch fastball and he destroys it, line drive to left and GONE!! HR for the Hammer, 2-0 DC. Elijah Dukes K’s swinging over a sinker, 2-0 Nationals after one.

Brian McCann gets a 1-2 fastball up high that he drives to center for a single. Brian McCann takes second when Garrett Anderson grounds out to Mike Morse at first. Yunel Escobar skies a 2-0 pitch to right. Livan Hernandez likes working with the lead, and he strikes Adam LaRoche out to preserve it...Mike Morse grounds weakly to short after Lowe jams him with a fastball inside. Jamie Burke’s not expecting a curve, and he’s fooled so bad he throws his bat five feet in front of home. Alberto Gonzalez rolls one to Chipper Jones who barehands it and throws to first, in time.

Matt Diaz grounds back to the mound. Derek Lowe’s slow chopper’s handled by Ryan Zimmerman. Willie Harris covers his eyes and catches the third out of the Braves’ third off Nate McLouth's bat...Lowe gets an equally weak grounder out of Livan. Willie Harris’ single to center puts one on for Ian Desmond. Desmond walks, Zimm’s up for the second time with two runners on. Zimmerman flies out to center. Harris takes third. Willingham walks to load the bases, but Elijah Dukes’ pop-up ends the third.

Martin Prado doubles by third and a fan inteferes to hold Prado at second. (And get him/herself ejected.) Chipper Jones grounds to Desmond deep in the hole at short. Desmond backhands but holds it. Two on for McCann. Josh Willingham’s backing up when he catches Brian McCann’s fly ball, but he throws off his back heel and it comes in late at third. Garrett Anderson grounds to short to score Prado. 2-1 Nationals. Livan Hernandez gives up a two-out, RBI triple to Yunel Escobar, who splits the gap in left center to tie it at 2-2. Adam LaRoche flies out to the track to end the top of the fourth...Derek Lowe hangs a curve to Mike Morse that ends up in the first row in the left field stands, 3-2 DC. Jamie Burke rolls the first out to third. Matt Diaz slides in to catch a short fly off Alberto Gonzalez’s bat. Livan Hernandez grounds out to Yunel Escobar to end the fourth.

Ian Desmond charges and fires to first to get Matt Diaz to start the sixth. Derek Lowe’s dribbler’s so slow Zimmerman can’t throw out the pitcher. Alberto Gonzalez can’t stab a sharp grounder from Nate McLouth and there are two on again. Martin Prado singl--Alberto Gonzalez gets there makes a slick underarm toss to second, Desmond spins around the bag and throws to first, double play...Willie Harris singles to start the fifth. Ian Desmond grounds out to first to move Willie Harris into scoring position. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to deep center. Harris stays put. Josh Willingham grounds out to short to end the fifth.

Chipper Jones flies out to Josh Willingham in straight left. Brian McCann grounds out to Alberto Gonzalez at second. Willie Harris catches the third out off Garrett Anderson’s bat on the curly-W in the outfield grass...Elijah Dukes pops a first-pitch fastball up over first for LaRoche to catch. Mike Morse K’s swinging through a 1-2 fastball. Jamie Burke rips a single over second with two down. Alberto Gonzalez hits the second straight two-out single. Livan Hernandez grounds to short to end the threat.

Livan Hernandez vs Yunel Escobar. Livan misses with a high inside full-count fastball. Adam LaRoche doubles off the base of the out-of-town scoreboard, and Escobar beats the relayed throw home, 3-3 ballgame. Tyler Clippard takes over for Livan Hernandez. Mike Morse fields a grounder from pinch hitter from Greg Norton and steps on first, holding LaRoche at third. Tyler Clippard walks McLouth with two down. Martin Prado K’s swinging through a high-heater from Clippard...WIllie Harris triples to off the right field wall to start the eighth off the Braves’ sidewinder, Peter Moylan. Ian Desmond grounds unproductively to first. Ryan Zimmerman gets the intentionals to set up the DP. Willingham takes a two-strike fastball "inside" for a called strike three. Elijah Dukes takes a low slider outside for another backwards K.

Tyler Clippard vs Chipper Jones. Larrrr-eee grounds out to first. Ryan Zimmerman catches a foul pop off Brian McCann’s bat. Elijah Dukes sprints to catch up to a sharp liner to right by Garrett Anderson. Clippard with a scoreless frame...Mike Morse grounds weakly to short for the first out of DC’s eighth. Jamie Burke chases a slider outside for a swinging strike three. Alberto Gonzalez is completely fooled as he K’s.

Yunel Escobar singles through Ryan Zimmerman’s glove for a leadoff single. Adam LaRoche pops out to center unproductively. Matt Diaz grounds to short, Desmond to Gonzalez to Morse, double play!!!!...The Guzzz, Cristian Guzman sends a blooper to right for a leadoff single. Justin Maxwell runs for Guzman. Willie Harris lines a bunt back to Mike Gonzalez on the mound. Ian Desmond pops out to the infield. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging over a nasty two-strike slider.

Mike MacDougal gets a groundout to second from Brooks Conrad. MacDougal walks Nate McLouth with one down and then hits Martin Prado with Chipper Jones due up. C. Jones grounds weakly to first and MacDougal misses it. Bases loaded. Brian McCann’s weak grounder to the mound scores the walk, McLouth. 4-3 Braves. Pinch hitter Omar Infante places a single in the short center grass to score two, 6-3 Atlanta. Yunel Escobar grounds to first to end the inning...Rafael Soriano’s going to close this out. Willingham pops out on the first pitch. Elijah Dukes grounds out to first. Mike Morse K’s on a check swing to end it. Braves win, 6-3 final.

Nationals now 52-103.

Braves Ripple Effect Minor League Promotions

cbwilk — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:22:27 -0000

After 2 outstanding years in AA, Matt Young will finally get a shot at AAA.

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With the promotions of Brooks Conrad, Clint Sammons, and Luis Valdez to Atlanta, it was inevitable that some other players in the system would be promoted to fill the gaps. Here's who's been moved up:

Gwinnett will add C Benji Johnson, OF Matt Young, and P Jeff Lyman. Lyman, who started 2 games for Gwinnett this season, has thrived mostly as a reliever, combining for a 5-9 record and a 3.46 ERA in 35 games between AA and AAA. Young, who was just named the Southern League's Hustle Player of the Year, followed up last year's Mississippi MVP season with another fine campaign, hitting .289 with a .827 OPS and a team record 42 SB. Johnson will now have played for Myrtle Beach, Mississippi, and Gwinnnett, combining for a .216 average and a .667 OBP in 69 games between AA and AAA.

OF Cody Johnson will join AA Misssissippi, hoping to insert some power into their lineup for the final week of the season. Though an oblique injury has slowed him during the month of August, the slugger managed to hit .242 with a .861 OPS for Myrtle Beach this year, becoming the first player in the Carolina League to hit more than 30 home runs since 1997, as he slugged out a team record 32.

The legend of OF Adam Miligan continues to grow, as he moves up to Myrtle Beach after playing for both Danville and Rome this season. In 61 games for those 2 teams, the first year player hit .361 with an astounding 1.029 OPS that included 12 home runs and 43 RBI.

Moving up from the GCL team to help out Danville in their championship series are C Jace Whitmer, 1B Alberto Odreman, and OF Kyle Rose. Whitmer had previously played for Danville, hitting .220 in 35 games between the D-Braves and the GCL this year. In 55 games in the GCL Odreman his .251 with a .720 OPS that included 9 home runs and 29 RBIs. Rose had a fine season as well, hitting .282 with a .736 OPS along with 26 SB in 47 games.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 8/31

cbwilk — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:10:07 -0000

Gwinnett 8, Durham 6

G. Blanco 5-6, 2 R
W. Timmons 3-5, 2B, R
B. Conrad 2-4, RBI
B. Canizares 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI
C. Burke 2-5, 2 2B, RBI
B. Barton 3-5, RBI
T. Redmond 5 IP, 5 R, 6 K

The offense ran wild in this game, racking up 18 hits, including 5, good for 2 runs, off former Brave Jeff Bennett. Brooks Conrad manged a few hits and an RBI in his final game with Gwinnett this year, as he'll join Atlanta tomorrow along with Clint Sammons and Luis Valdez. Brian Barton followed up yesterday's 2 hit game with 3 tonight and August was his second best month of the season.

Mississippi 2, West Tennessee 1

W. Cabrera 1-4, HR (8), RBI
K Kirkland 2-4, 2B
T. Jones 3-3, 2 2B, RBI
R. Reynoso 7 IP, 1 R, 2 K 5 BB

Willie Cabrera and Travis Jones continue their fine work of late, accounting for both M-Brave runs. Since the All-Star break Cabrera has hit .356 with a .922 OPS while Jones has hit .311 with a .860 OPS. Both are only 23 (though Jones turns 24 in November) and they've done a lot in the second half to retain their marginal prospect status. Ryne Reynoso puts up another solid start in a season where he's reaffirmed and perhaps increased his prospect status.

Wilmington 3, Myrtle Beach 0

C. Fuller 2-3
E. Cordier 4 IP, 3 R, 5 K, 4 BB
C. Rodgers 2 IP, 3 K

The Pelicans eeked out only 3 hits and struck out 16 times. In addition to their poor offense, they had Chris Shehan playing center field and Cole Miles playing short stop, so I'm sure the defense wasn't very pretty either. Chad Rodgers pitches in his 2nd game for Myrtle Beach and just 5th of the season after missing most of the year with elbow problems. He's been one of the Braves better prospects, so hopefully he'll be able to return to Myrtle Beach next year and post a successful, injury-free season.

Rome 2, Charleston 0

Y. Campusano 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
L. Sumoza 2-4
R. Barba 1-3, 2B
D. Delgado 7 IP, 0R, 7 K, 3 BB

Rome made the most of their hits in support of an outstanding outing by Dimaster Delgado. The 20 year old has had a very fine season for the R-Braves since joining the team in June, posting sub 3 ERAs in both June and August. 24 year old Ryan Barba, the second oldest player on the team and full time short stop, get a hit to nudge himself over the Mendoza Line.

Kingsport 12, Danville 2

C. Harrilchak 2-3
R. Spanjer-Furstenburg 1-3, HR (8), RBI
C. Bethancourt 1-3, HR (2), RBI
M. Crim 1 IP, 2 R

Matt Crim must have liked losing so much he thought he'd try it again. The Appy League Pitcher of the Year didn't really get a full start in though, and I'd assume it's so he can pitch in one of the league championship games later in the week. League MVP RSF slugs out yet another homer, as does my favorite teenage prospect, catcher Christian Bethancourt.

GCL Braves 5, GCL Yankees 3

D. Falcon 2-4, HR (3), RBI
K. Farrell 3 IP, 1 R, 3 K, BB

The Orlando Braves finish out their season with a win, finishing out their season 26-34, dead last in their division and 5th worst in the league. I guess the Braves save all their short season wins for Danville. I sort of remember Daniel Falcon playing 3B for the DSL team last year, but he played LF in this one. Either way, the 20 year old had a so-so season, definitely a disappointment compared to last year.

Braves Batting Positional Ranks

gondeee — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:39:22 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Atlanta Braves' Brian McCann leads the best offensive catching unit in the National League.

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Here is a look at where the Atlanta Braves rank by position compared to the rest of the National League.

Catcher: The Braves, and Brian McCann, are 1st in OPS by almost 80 points over second place. The Braves hold a dominant offensive edge is the NL at the catching position. This is also helped greatly by a more-than-capable backup in David Ross.

First Base: On the season our first baseman rank 11th in OPS, but that has obviously been greatly improved as of late since Adam LaRoche has posted a 1.186 OPS since joining the Braves. The fact that he has been so good lately, and we're still only 11th, underscores how pitiful Casey Kotchman was when compared against the offense that the rest of the league is getting out of their first basemen.

Second Base: Even with the early season struggles of Kelly Johnson, Atlanta second basemen are 4th in the NL in OPS with a .782. Again, this illustrates how valuable Martin Prado has been, since Kelly has a .683 OPS on the year, and Prado an .815 (see note below). Good work from Omar Infante while playing second and Brooks Conrad also contribute to the good overall number.

Third Base: This is mainly Chipper Jones, but the number is brought down by some bad offense when Prado and Infante play third. Atlanta ranks 6th in the NL, but if it were just Chipper, they would probably rank somewhere around 3rd or 4th.

A Note here about Prado and Infante: As a second baseman, Prado has a .922 OPS, Infante a .926, but as third basemen Prado stinks it up with a .578 OPS and Infante a .511. Both of them have combined for 110 plate appearances at third, so that is no small number or lack of offense. Strange that their fortunes at the plate turn out so different when they man the hot corner.

Shortstop: Atlanta ranks 5th here with a .759 OPS, which is clearly a result of way too much playing time going to Diory Hernandez and his .410 OPS. Yunel Escobar's .816 OPS should be good enough for 3rd in the league.

Left Field: Here comes the pitiful. Atlanta's left fielders lead the Atlanta outfield contingent with a .769 OPS which actually ranks 7th in the league.

Center Field: Jordan Schafer is still pulling down this rank, all the way to 14th in the league with a combined .667 OPS, ahead of only Arizona and Cincinnati.

Right Field: A .717 OPS and 15th in the league (next to last, ahead of only San Diego), and believe me, that has improved lately because Jeff Francoeur had a .634 OPS as a member of the Braves this season.

If you want to look at where the problem is with the Braves offense this season, it's in the traditional power positions of first base and the outfield. We seem to have solved first base, and now McLouth, Church, and Diaz should at least get on base and hit for sub-homerun power in the outfield. The problem is that for far too many games we relied on offense from center field, right field, and first base which never materialized. We may be winning games now, but if we don't make the post season, we can point to the first two-thirds of the season where our inept offense from those positions likely cost us the necessary wins to be in contention.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/28

yondaime4 — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:43:59 -0000

I wasn't even going to post tonight, but then I saw a couple performances that really merited a post. So here you go.

Lehigh Valley 2, Gwinnett 7

C. Burke 3-5 K
B. Conrad 3-3 2B, HR(10), 2 RBI
T. Hudson 4IP 4H 0R 0BB 2K

Tim Hudson is moving right along on his rehab assignment and I am impressed with the amount of control he had in this start. He threw 41 pitches of which 27 were strikes and as you can see he issued no walks. Brooks Conrad appears to have brought his experience from Atlanta with him

West Tenn @ Mississippi - RAIN

The Southern League summons the gods of rain in order to keep Heyward off the field.

Myrtle Beach 9, Potomac 14

R. Gress 2-5 2B, 2 RBI
G. Rodriguez 3-5 2B, RBI
C. Shehan 2-5 2 2B, 2K

The sad thing here is that this game wasn't nearly as close as the scoreboard says. The Pelicans scored 8 of their runs after the start of the 8th inning (6 in the 9th). They didn't hit until the last 2 innings, they committed 4 errors and obviously the pitching was incredibly weak. This team has not been playing well in their past few games. On the bright side Cory Gearrin has been lights out and Gerry Rodriguez has been the best hitter on the club since his promotion.

Rome 7, Kannapolis 2

M. Kennelly 1-3 2B, BB, K
A. Milligan 2-3 HR(5), 3 RBI, K
R. Delgado 6IP 4H 2R 2BB 10K

These are the games that make you think Randall Delgado could be our best pitching prospect. Neither of the runs that he allowed were earned which helped improve his ERA to 3.00 for the month, which makes July his best all around month this season (though the walks could still use some work). Adam Milligan is hitting .472 in his last 10 games with all 5 of his HRs coming in the last 6 games. His K% at this point is actually only 21% in 81 ABs for Rome which is just fine for a young slugger his age. Milligan was a two sport guy in high school who started to develop quickly when he began to focus solely on baseball and now that he is getting game experience he could really take off.

Burlington 1, Danville 2

M. Jones 1-4 2B, K
R. Hefflinger 1-3 2B, K
B. Oberholtzer 3.2IP 3H 0R 1BB 4K

Mycal Jones doubled with one out in the 9th inning, advanced on a ground out and then scored the walk off run on a wild pitch. I think that is the second time in the last week in which one of the rookie teams pulled this off. Brett Oberholtzer has been the best all around pitcher on this team so far (regards to Tyler Stovall and Julio Teheran).

GCL Braves @ GCL Yankees - RAIN

Rockies End 1st Half in Dramatic Fashion, Defeat Braves 8-7

Jabberwocky — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:39:44 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Brad Hawpe made an All-Star play to win the Rockies the ballgame.

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WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

What a win for the Rockies to end the first half of the season!

Brad Hawpe was the hero today, as his two-out, bottom of the ninth double off of Atlanta reliever Luis Valdez (making his major league debut) drove in late inning monster Seth Smith to win the game in walk-off fashion. Huston Street (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth and took the win as the Rockies climbed back from two separate four-run deficits (5-1 & 7-3).

After GIDPing twice, Smith redeemed himself in a big way, first launching a two-run shot (7) in the seventh inning, then singling and scoring the winning run. Hawpe also homered (14), as did Troy Tulowitzki (16). In addition, the much-maligned Clint Barmes had himself a great offensive day, going 2-3 with two runs scored.

The game was looking to be in doubt early on, as starter Jason Hammel was, to put it frankly, horrible. He lasted only three innings, giving up five runs on nine hits. After that, the bullpen settled down and shut down the Braves reasonably well, (though JDLR did allow a two run homer to Brooks Conrad in the fifth).

Similarly, the Rockies offense was looking pretty anti-clutch at the game's beginning, grounding into four double plays and executing poorly with men on base. However, Colorado was patient, working seven walks, making the Braves work through traffic nearly every inning--consistently putting pressure on Atlanta's pitching staff--and Colorado finally broke through in the seventh.

Down 7-3, Dexter Fowler walked with one out, followed by a Barmes single and a comedy of errors by Atlanta to allow Dex to score and Barmes to go to third. Smith wasted little time whacking a HR and the score was 7-6.

Ryan Spilborghs was another offensive hero for the Rockies. In the eighth Spilly pinch hit with two on and one out, launching a double into right-center, plating Ian Stewart with the tying run--though Chris Iannetta was gunned down at the plate, setting up Hawpe's dramatic double in the ninth.

All in all, it was a fantastic win for the Rockies, taking them to a first half record of 47-41. With the Giants' loss today, the Rockies are within two of the Wild Card lead.

47 - 41

Games Back: 9

Streak: Won 1

Games Left: 74

via www.fangraphs.com

WPA Heroes

Hawpe (.463), Barmes (.193), Spilborghs (.182)

WPA Goats

Hammel (-.310), Atkins (-.121), De La Rosa (-.115)

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Game 87 Recap: Braves 4, Rockies 3

gondeee — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:44:51 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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That ended up being a close one, but you know that 4 runs is rarely enough to win in Coors Field. The Braves once again got out in front early against the Rockies, scoring 2 runs with the help of Brooks Conrad and Jair Jurrjens, who went 2-for-3 helping his own cause.

Ryan Church pullen an 0-for-4, but was robbed of at least one extra base hit with the bases loaded.

The Rockies finally got to Jurrjens in the seventh innings as Troy Tulowitzki homered to lead off the inning. After a double, Peter Moylan -- the most used and abused reliever in baseball -- came on for his major league leading 48th appearance. After striking out the first guy he faced, he allowed a couple of singles, before two groundouts finished the frame and cut short the Colorado rally.

In the eighth inning, another used and abused reliever, Eric O'Flaherty got into some trouble, only to be bailed out by Manny Acosta. Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth, allowed a bloop single, and then put on his war face to strike out the next three batters on 10 total pitches to notch his 12th save.

The Braves are now one game away from a .500 record. That would be a nice place to be at the All-Star break, considering how tough this season has been.

Final - 7.11.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta Braves	0	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	4	8	0
Colorado Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	9	0

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