SB Nation - Kris Medlen

Filling Out the Braves 2010 Lineup Card

gondeee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:43:33 -0000

Troy Glaus is the final piece of the Atlanta Braves off-season puzzle -- a solidifying force in the middle of the order.

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With the expected signing of Troy Glaus, and the recent trade of Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera, the holes on the roster that the Braves entered the off-season with seem to have been filled. With that in mind, I fill out the lineup and the rest of the 25-man roster:

Lineup
1. Nate McLouth, CF
2. Martin Prado, 2B
3. Chipper Jones, 3B
4. Troy Glaus, 1B
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Yunel Escobar, SS
7. Matt Diaz, RF
8. Melky Cabrera, LF

Rotation
1. Tim Hudson
2. Derek Lowe
3. Jair Jurrjens
4. Tommy Hanson
5. Kenshin Kawakami

Bench
1. David Ross, C
2. Omar Infante, IF
3. Brooks Conrad, IF
4. Brandon Jones, OF
5. Mitch Jones, OF

Bullpen
1. Billy Wagner, LH
2. Takashi Saito, RH
3. Peter Moylan, RH
4. Eric O'Flaherty, LH
5. Kris Medlen, RH
6. Jesse Chavez, RH
7. Mike Dunn, LH

That's a pretty solid lineup with Glaus in the middle. I'm assuming the Braves will take the Tommy Hanson approach with Jason Heyward and let him get some time at triple-A first, but if he does make the team I would expect him to hit 7th between the right-handers Escobar and Diaz. But I think it's more important for Heyward to get a first footing at triple-A before he's promoted to Atlanta. With the lineup above, there's really no reason to rush Heyward. Yes, he would make it stronger, but it's pretty solid the way it is and burying Melky in the 8th spot obscures his underwhelming bat.

The rotation is strong, and of course any of those guys could be swapped around. They're all right-handed, so order is not really that important.

The bench will probably have a lot of competition, and there's still a chance the Braves could sign someone else to fill out a pinch-hitter role. As it stands we would have to rely on young players like Conrad, Jones, and Jones who don't have much experience pinch-hitting. They are also all free swingers and the Braves would probably prefer at least one other pinch-hitter who is more of a contact hitter.

The bullpen is more than solid from top to bottom. Actually, this is likely the best I've felt about our bullpen in years, and there's still some other guys who could sneak into the mix like Luis Valdez, Jeff Lyman, and Lee Hyde. Too many bullpen arms is a good problem to have.

Overall I like our 25-man roster the way it is constructed above. Glaus really solidifies the lineup for me. He was the true missing piece and the right piece to add. Now everyone just needs to stay healthy so we can put that same lineup out there for 120-plus games.

Braves 2009 Season in Review: Middle Relief

gondeee — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:48:31 -0000

More photos » by John Heller - AP

Atlanta Braves reliever Peter Moylan was one of the most valuable members of any team's bullpen last year.

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Middle relief is never a sure thing in baseball. The Atlanta Braves have been lucky in the past to have cobbled together good middle relief corps. They haven't been so lucky the last few years, but last year they did a decent job of assembling good middle relievers while working around some injuries.

The most striking thing about the 2009 middle relief crew was how fast the team was to make a change early in the year. The Braves hadn't broke camp a week when they released Blaine Boyer after two (out of three) disastrous outings. Blaine bounced around the rest of the season, ultimately finding some success (or luck) in Arizona. The Braves were also quick to cut ties with Jeff Bennett after he went kung-fu on the clubhouse wall.

Peter Moylan

Perhaps the rock of the 2009 bullpen, Peter Moylan appeared in 87 games only a year removed from Tommy John surgery. He got off to a rough start, but continued to battle, and posted a 1.00 ERA in the second half of the season. He gave Bobby Cox the luxury of having a second setup man, and his 25 holds led the team and ranked 6th in the NL.

Going back to the 87 games he appeared in, that should raise some alarms, but Moylan insists he likes to pitch that much and many say that his arm angle puts less strain on the elbow than an overhand motion. Those 87 games ranked one game behind the NL leader in appearances for a pitcher, and the Braves had 4 relievers in the top-10 in appearances.

Eric O'Flaherty / Boone Logan

One of those relievers who was in the top-10 in appearances was Eric O'Flaherty. The lefty specialist appeared in 77 games (56.1 innings pitched) and put in his best work as a major leaguer. The Braves got him off the waiver wire from Seattle last off-season, and he beat out Boone Logan in spring training for the LOOGY role. A minor pick up at the time, his good season makes that move look genius -- getting a reliever like that without having to give up anything.

Boone Logan came over as part of the Javier Vazquez trade. He was called up several times in 2009, but had spotty success while being used rather sparingly by Cox.

Here is a breakdown of all the lefty relievers on the Braves in 2009, and how they did versus left and right-handed batters:

Pitcher	BA vs. RH	BA vs. LH
Mike Gonzalez	.218	.194
Eric O'Flaherty	.282	.215
Boone Logan	.364	.231

O'Flaherty was pretty close to Gonzalez in handling lefties, but Logan wasn't that far away either. The big difference between O'Flaherty and Logan comes when they're facing right-handed hitters, with Eric having the clear advantage in that department. The Braves will probably want to keep all the depth they can, but Logan is out of options and arbitration eligible this year, so a non-tender might be in his future.

Kris Medlen

While Medlen posted a respectable 4.26 ERA for a rookie, his ERA as a reliever was even better at 3.47. He struck out more than a batter per inning in relief and gave up less than a hit per inning while keeping his walks in check. He was used inconsistently at times, getting long rests only to pitch on consecutive days. This unfamiliarity with the major league bullpen role caused Medlen to admittedly undergo some growing pains, but his work ethic kept his spirits up and his mind ready for any situation.

He could certainly move into a setup role next year, and may become one of the more indispensable members of the Atlanta pen. With the Atlanta rotation at 120% capacity, there's little chance that he would move back to a starting role, but his familiarity with starting may make him an ideal emergency swing man -- further increasing his value to the bullpen and the team.

Manny Acosta

Here are Acosta's ERAs the last three years:

2007 - 2.28
2008 - 3.57
2009 - 4.34

Meanwhile his FIP has hovered around 4.77, and has never been below 4.25, so that should tell us that Manny is either getting real lucky or he's getting bailed out by other Atlanta relievers -- either way it seems to be catching up to him. He is becoming more and more worthless, and that tells me his spot in the pen is in question.

Others

Jo-Jo Reyes and James Parr could find some time in the bullpen in 2010, though neither is ideal for the role. Luis Valdez is doing well in winter ball, and he could play a prominent role in the pen as well. I wondered why the Braves didn't use him more this year, especially towards the end, but maybe they wanted him to get work in winter ball and not the majors.

As always, there is a lot of work to be done this off-season to bolster the Atlanta bullpen.

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap

gondeee — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:42:27 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Atlanta Braves' starting pitcher Tim Hudson says he wants to in Atlanta, and would give the team a hometown discount on his contract.

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Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on October 18th:

In the Press...

The Braves lost longtime scouting director Roy Clark to the Nationals, then promoted Tony DeMacio as their new director of scouting.
After there was initially a report that Tim Hudson was going to leave the Braves and opt for free agency, he came out and denied that report, saying that he would accept a "hometown discount" to stay with Atlanta.
Kris Medlen pens his own column, and says he's open to either starting or relieving next year, and that he really learned how to be a reliever on the fly at the Major League level.

At Talking Chop...

Our on-going wrapup of the 2009 season continued with reviews of Martin Prado and Yunel Escobar
CB reviewed the top-5 second base prospects and the top-5 shortstop prospects in the Braves organization.
The Arizona Fall League has begun and Matt kicked off our daily recapping of how our prospects are faring out there.
I warned of a possible Baltimoreification of the Braves after the hiring of Tony DeMacio as Braves director of scouting.
The bloggers of TC participated in a round table discussing the second base position for the Braves, as well as a round table for the shortstop position.
Brian McCann will undergo his second Lasik eye surgery.
The Braves shed their roster of four players in some early off-season roster management.

Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

NCChopper shared with us a picture of the swag she got by winning the TBS Hot Corner NAHWAL contest.
Baseball America spotlighted minor league righty Todd Redmond.
mvhsbball shared with us his trip to the Arizona Fall League.
esadb and a bunch of others think Rudy Jamarillo is the solution to everything.
The Keith Lockhart Era is excited, then laments the end of the Furman Bisher Era.

Top-5 Off-Season Questions for the Atlanta Braves: #3

gondeee — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:03:51 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

Should Mike Gonzalez re-assume the closer's role for the Atlanta Braves in 2010?

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

Question Three: Who will be the Braves closer in 2010?

You heard it here first folks, the bullpen has the potential to be the biggest problem for the Braves this off-season. This season we had the luxury of having two closers at the back of our bullpen, and while they had their issues at times it was certainly a whole lot better than trying to get a save on a consistent basis from Jeff Bennett or Tyler Yates or Chris Reitsma. Our bullpen was a luxury, not as much of a luxury as having old 29 back there, but with Peter Moylan, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings we had a much better chance to win ballgames than we have in several years.

As good as they were, there were still some issues and plenty of blown saves, but our bullpen picked up 38 saves and was considered a strength of our club (for the most part). This off-season the two main parts of that pen are free agents, and this is a lean year for free agent closers. Both Soriano and Gonzalez are likely to be type-A free agents, meaning if we offer them arbitration we would get a first round draft pick were they to sign elsewhere. But that also means that other teams may be more hesitant to sign them for fear of losing a first round pick.

I've read some analysis that said baseball folks expect the Braves to offer arbitration to Gonzalez but not to Soriano. There is a danger in offering both of them arbitration as both could accept and re-sign and then we would be stuck with a pretty expensive bullpen next year, perhaps too expensive to afford. This is the reason being given for believing the Braves will let Soriano walk and go hard at Gonzalez. But if both of them leave... that would leave us in quite a predicament.

Would we use our starting pitching surplus to acquire a closer, or would we once again assemble a rag-tag group of spring training invitees hoping for a chance to make the pen (as was quite often done under John Schuerholz)? Hopefully the Braves have learned their lesson about needing a "quality" "proven" closer (I don't think I need to mention any names).

The Braves do have a couple of internal candidates. Craig Kimbrel and his funky delivery will be another one of the prospects in the Arizona Fall League, but he is still likely a year away as needs to sort out his problem with the bases on balls. Peter Moylan is certainly a durable arm and one that can get the strikeout from time to time, he could be an option. Kris Medlen could also close, but he was very inconsistent this year and may not be ready just yet. These aren't very good candidates, which further underscores the need for a proven commodity to close out games in Atlanta.

The only real other proven closer on the free agent market worth a damn is Jose Valverde of Houston. Yes there are others like Rodney and Gregg, but they aren't good. There is Billy Wagner, someone the Braves are rumored to be interested in, but he is coming off of surgery and is getting up there in age, so signing him may be a roll of the dice. All of that leads us back to either Gonzalez or Soriano.

Keep in mind too that the Braves could be well served by getting another setup man or two, since the last two spots in the pen are occupied by guys that Cox doesn't have much faith in. This is even more reason not to try and keep at least one of our 8th and 9th innings pieces around for at least another season.

Gonzalez seems to like Atlanta, and a chance to close here once again could persuade him to re-sign. I'd like to see the team offer arbitration to Soriano and go for that extra draft pick, but I don't think they'll risk it seeing how tight their finances are. Whatever scenario you throw out there it leaves us needing another reliever or two, so look for Atlanta to be very active on that front this off-season.

Coming up later, Question Four: Who will man first base for the Braves in 2010?

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.

Game 134 Recap: Braves 3, Marlins 8, Bobby Cox 0-good-moves

gondeee — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:50:16 -0000

To sum up this game I'm going to ask you to manage at home. Who would you have brought in to relieve Tommy Hanson in the sixth inning? Would it be the guy who hadn't worked in five days, Buddy Carlyle? No. Would it be the well-rested rookie closer who was just called up, Luis Valdez? No. Would it be a lefty reliever who hasn't been used in over a week, Boone Logan? No. The guy Bobby Cox chose to bring in is the same guy who gave up the lead yesterday. The same guy who would be working on his third consecutive day for the first time all year, Kris Medlen. And what did he do? He came in, walked the first guy, then got hit all over the field. Oh, and if you're managing at home, make sure you don't pull Medlen out of the game until he surrenders the lead in the second consecutive game.

Let's keep going with this, shall we. Who would you bring in to relieve Medlen? Any of the above, well rested guys? No. If you said the guy who would be working in his fourth consecutive game, then you're thinking like Bobby Cox. Throw in a couple errors, one each by Matt Diaz and Chipper Jones, and you've got yourself a game in which you had a two-run lead, to a game where you're down by four runs.

In what world is Bobby Cox thinking he can use and abuse these relievers day after day after day (and in Moylan's case, after day)? Maybe we need more bodies down there in the pen, or maybe we need to use the fresh arms when they're fresh. That sixth inning should have had Buddy Carlyle on the mound or Luis Valdez. You could tell that Joe and Boog were beating around the bush trying to criticize Bobby's decision to go with Medlen, without really coming out and openly criticizing him. Maybe Bobby was upset with himself as much as he was with the homeplate umpire when he got himself tossed in the 8th. If Bobby was so worried about the zone, why didn't he get himself run earlier in the game when it might have done some good?

Bad game. Really leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Final - 9.3.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta Braves	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	7	2
Florida Marlins	0	0	1	0	0	6	1	0	X	8	13	2
WP: Ricky Nolasco (10 - 8) LP: Kris Medlen (3 - 5)

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Game 132 Recap: Braves 4, Marlins 3

gondeee — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:57:48 -0000

by Alan Diaz - AP

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The rain delay for this game lasted as long as the game did, but I'm sure the 12 fans who were left in the stands by the time the game started at 10pm enjoyed the game. They were all no doubt there to see the return of the Braves' Tim Hudson to the mound -- and a successful return it was.

Timmy worked his way into trouble in the first inning by allowing back-to-back lead-off doubles, but then he looked like he was going to settle down when he struck out Hanley Ramirez swinging on a nasty change-up. But the next batter fought off an inside pitch for a two-run single up the middle. Hudson would pretty much cruise after that until the sixth when he gave up a double and two walks which loaded the bases with one out. Ground ball specialist Peter Moylan came on to get the rally-killing double play grounder.

I'd like to point out the use of Kris Medlen in this game. He came on to pitch the seventh, as Moylan was used in the sixth, and recorded a baserunnerless frame and two strikeouts. This shows a lot of confidence in Medlen, and seems to give Bobby Cox another shutdown bullpen arm to use in the late innings -- which allows him the luxury of using Moylan or Mike Gonzalez in earlier innings to get out of jams (like he did tonight).

The Braves tied the game in a strange way in the third inning. After Tim Hudson had coaxed a lead-off walk on four straight balls, Matt Diaz singled, and Prado and Chipper made outs. With Brian McCann up to bat, the Marlins pitcher made a move to throw to first, but the first baseman was playing in back of the runner, and the pitcher did not throw the ball and was charged with a balk. Hudson was on third and scored the tying run. McCann then used a 10-pitch at-bat to lace a double to center field to put the Braves ahead.

The Braves used a wild pitch in the eighth inning to help them advance a runner who ended up scoring on a single by Garret Anderson. That was a big add-on run as Rafael Soriano gave up a lead-off solo homerun in the ninth to Dan "man he's" Uggla. After a walk and a strikeout, another double play bailed out the Braves and gave them the victory.

It was a solid return for Hudson. His first innigs struggles could be attributed to the multi-day anticipation of this start, then having to wait around for three hours during the rain delay and think about it even more. This gives the Braves 6 solid options in the rotation -- now the only question is, "what will they do now?"

Final - 9.1.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta Braves	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	9	0
Florida Marlins	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	8	0
WP: Tim Hudson (1 - 0) SV: Rafael Soriano (21) LP: Anibal Sanchez (2 - 6)

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Game 124 Recap: Marlins 5, Braves 7

gondeee — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:14:28 -0000

This game was sort of like three games in one. There was the first game, where Derek Lowe had decent stuff, got some defensive help, and got staked to an early lead thanks to the 3-run homerun by Brian McCann in the first inning. Yes, Lowe, had some trouble in the second, but he looked confident on the mound and looked he might settle in and have a good day.

The first game ended with another fourth inning fail by Lowe, as he allowed three runs and gave up the lead. The second game started with fantastic work from Kris Medlen, who is increasing his value with every outing for Atlanta. Peter Moylan also contributed in that second game, and the good work by the pen allowed the Braves to claw back and tie the game at 5 thanks to a Matt Diaz hustle triple, and a Reid Gorecki sac fly.

The third game was all about the bottom of the eighth inning -- that thing lasted forever. It seemed like every count went 3-and-2, and the Marlins used 3 pitchers. Coming through in the clutch once again was Brian McCann with a 2-run single in that eighth inning. Rafael Soriano closed out that third game and the real game, and looked good doing it -- popping that fastball in there and fooling hitters with the off-speed stuff.

Matt Diaz had a big day with 4 hits. He's on one of those stretches where no one can get him out. Brian McCann also had a big day, tying a career-high with 5 RBI, to go with 3 hits. Another great win for Atlanta after the tough loss on Friday. They bounced back and won the series and that is huge at this point.

In non-Braves game related news, our old pal Jeff Francoeur grounded into an unassisted triple play to end the game in New York -- yikes. It was only the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball history.

Final - 8.23.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida Marlins	0	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	5	11	0
Atlanta Braves	3	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	X	7	11	2
WP: Peter Moylan (6 - 2) SV: Rafael Soriano (20) LP: Kiko Calero (2 - 2)

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Game 111 Recap: Braves 2, Dodgers 1 in 10 innings

gondeee — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:29:14 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Atlanta Braves' Kelly Johnson hits a two-run home run during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles. The Braves won 2-1.

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That was an interesting way to win a ballgame. Kenshin Kawakami matched Clayton Kershaw through seven innings with totally different styles of pitching, but both being equally effective. That guy Kershaw can really shut the Braves down -- reminds me of how poorly we do against Ben Sheets.

Mark Bowman has the nice wrap:

After Kenshin Kawakami delivered what manager Bobby Cox termed "the game of his life," and Kelly Johnson proved he still possesses clutch power, the Braves ended another chapter of what has been a tremendous series with Yunel Escobar producing a breathtaking defensive gem.

Twenty-four hours after delivering the decisive hit in a 12-inning victory, Escobar robbed Matt Kemp of a game-tying RBI single in the 10th inning and prevented Rafael Soriano from marring his team's sensational pitching performance with his second blown save in 48 hours.

Escobar keeps proving his value in so many different ways. Johnson, meanwhile, is not letting anyone forget about him. That homerun could not have come off a nicer pitcher -- I don't think anyone in baseball like Mota.

Solid game, good win, good save, and great middle relief work by Kris Medlen.

Final - 8.8.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Atlanta Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	3	1
Los Angeles Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	6	0
WP: Kris Medlen (3 - 3) SV: Rafael Soriano (17) LP: Guillermo Mota (3 - 3)

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Dodgers Waste Another Kershaw Gem

Eric Stephen — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:29:02 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Clayton Kershaw was magnificent tonight for the Dodgers.

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I don't have much to say about tonight's 2-1 loss to the Braves, other than I was happy to finally see a Clayton Kershaw signature performance in person. I have been to a ton of Randy Wolf and Hiroki Kuroda starts this year, but tonight I was treated to quite a performance. Kershaw was dominant over his seven innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out ten Braves.

But the Dodgers couldn't score for him. Kershaw has received five runs of support in his last four starts, so despite his 1.80 ERA during that time he has zero wins. In Kershaw's three best games this season, including the 13-strikeout game in April and the eight shutout innings in St. Louis last week, Kershaw has pitched a total of 22 innings, given up one run, yet has zero wins to show for it.

Kelly Johnson struck again tonight, with a two-run home run off Guillermo Mota in the 10th inning, just as the Dodger Stadium scoreboards showed his ERA a tick under 3.00. The Dodgers came close in the bottom of the inning, but Yunel Escobar saved the day on Matt Kemp's groundball up the middle, first by saving it from getting to the outfield, and then by somehow throwing out a speeding Bison at first base.

The Dodgers dropped to 17-4 in one-run games at home, and 23-13 overall in one-run games on the season.

I have no idea what to expect for tomorrow, except that Javier Vazquez starts for Atlanta. I know Eric Stults has been announced as the starter tomorrow, even after only two days rest from a 61-pitch effort on Thursday with the Isotopes, but stop me if you've heard this before.

On Friday, Scott Elbert was announced as the starter for Sunday's game, and he proceeded to pitch that night, giving up the game-winning hit and a three-run home run. He is now back in Albquerque.

On Saturday before the game, Jeff Weaver was announced as the starter for Sunday's game, and yet there he was, out of necessity, warming up in the bullpen in the 10th inning.

Call me skeptical, but I'll accept an announced Dodger starter for tomorrow's game when I see it with my own eyes.

WP - Kris Medlen (3-3): 2 IP, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

LP - Guillermo Mota (3-3): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Sv - Rafael Soriano (17): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Box Score