Braves 2021 Season Thread

[DannyW]

I agree. And Freeman's struggles combined with losing d'Arnaud and Soroka right out of the gate and Ynoa to youthful stupidity doesn't help matters.

Yeah...and now they don't even have a team slogan. I haven't seen anyone do the mix-it-up thingy since Marcell was arrested. Between Marcell and all the injuries they have had their share of adversity this season.

I think Freeman's slump is a combination of pressure mixed in with bad luck. Did you see that lineout to first in the first inning yesterday? A couple of feet in either direction and at worst it would have been men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Instead, Puhols stuck out his glove, mostly in self defense, caught the ball and stepped on the bag to double up Acuna.

As the de facto team leader, Freeman probably feels like it's up to him to get the team going. He is pressing instead of letting the game come to him. I'm confident he will figure it out.

 

[BornToHuntAndFish]

Nice win for the Braves to move beyond their losing record to an even 0.500 record, while 1st place NY Mets lose & only 2.5-games ahead of Atlanta.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401227949

Box Score

Braves
29-29, 12-12 AWAY, 17-17 HOME

1st - Riley doubled to deep right center, Albies scored.

3rd - Acuña Jr. homered to left (460 feet).

3rd - Nola sacrificed to pitcher, Bohm scored, Torreyes to second.

4th - Contreras homered to right center (397 feet).

4th - Harper homered to right (410 feet).

5th - Freeman singled to center, Acuña Jr. scored on error, Freeman safe at second on fielding error by center fielder Herrera.

5th - Segura doubled to deep center, L. Williams scored.

6th - Realmuto homered to right (344 feet).

6th - Miller singled to center, Bohm scored, Torreyes to second.

8th - Riley homered to left center (403 feet).

8th - Contreras singled to center, Swanson scored, Almonte to second.

8th - Heredia grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, Almonte scored on error, Contreras safe at second on throwing error by pitcher Coonrod.

8th - Acuña Jr. singled to left, Contreras scored and Heredia scored.

 

[DannyW]

What a disappointing finish to last nights game. I knew the minute the announcer said "the Braves are 25-0 when they lead after 8 innings" that he had jinxed it.

Well they are 25-1 now...thanks a lot Chip Carey.

 

[biggdogg]

The Braves bats had at least a half dozen opportunities to blow the Philthies out long before the Fresh Prince of Bel Air tossed that cement mixer up to the rookie...

 

[DannyW]

And I thought the loss yesterday was painful...

Question: Does the Phillies pitcher, Alvardo, get credit for both a blown save AND a win??? Seems impossible but he did both.

 

[treemanjohn]

And I thought the loss yesterday was painful...

Question: Does the Phillies pitcher, Alvardo, get credit for both a blown save AND a win??? Seems impossible but he did both.

I didn't watch the game, but you can't get both

 

[doenightmare]

This year just as soon as you think the Braves have turned the corner - it's one step forward, 2 steps backwards.

 

[DannyW]

I didn't watch the game, but you can't get both

Thinking back on it, the game was tied 1-1 going into the 10th, so it wasn't a save situation. So no blown save.

AA has to do something with the bullpen. It's a dumpster fire right now.

 

[treemanjohn]

AA has to do something with the bullpen. It's a dumpster fire right now.

AA needs to fire Snitker.

 

[mizzippi jb]

1 guy above 300 on the roster. Riley. Pitching after the starter exits is horrible. Not the team of 2020

 

[Doboy Dawg]

They’re like 1W-10L in extra inning games this year. The blowpen is a disaster.

The starting pitcher can throw a gem of a game, and then the blowpen comes in to give it up, rinse and repeat Bobby Cox V.2

They need to let those pitchers throw more than 100 pitches when they’re on their A game.

 

[Duff]

Painful

 

[biggdogg]

"Fire Snitker". Typical fall back response. And replace him with whom? Maybe bring Buck Showalter or Bobby Valentine out of retirement?

The pen is hot garbage. AA signed em, Snicker has to deal with em. His two best starters are on the shelf, one of which won't pitch at all in '21. Had he left the starter (Anderson, a rookie, yesterday. And Davidson, in his 4th career ML start the day before.) in longer and the starter coughed up the lead, it'd be the same response, "fire Snitker"...

I'm more aggravated that AA threw all his chips in on the Fresh Prince being the closer, while the closer he didn't even attempt to re-sign is leading the majors in saves. For a third of what Smith is making...

 

[Stob]

I am not sure at this point that I understand what is wrong with baseball this year, much less the Braves. Pitching and changes to the ball, homers vs hits, catchers catching on their knees, winning by 10 runs one night and losing by the same margin the next.

I believe that the Braves figure it out and also believe that top teams currently (most with mediocre records) will find themselves in the same spots as the struggling teams come August.

Something is aloof but can't quote put my finger on it. If I had to guess, conditioning.

 

[westcobbdog]

I am not sure at this point that I understand what is wrong with baseball this year, much less the Braves. Pitching and changes to the ball, homers vs hits, catchers catching on their knees, winning by 10 runs one night and losing by the same margin the next.

I believe that the Braves figure it out and also believe that top teams currently (most with mediocre records) will find themselves in the same spots as the struggling teams come August.

Something is aloof but can't quote put my finger on it. If I had to guess, conditioning.

Not conditioning it’s a team lacking quality bats and arms. Letting Melancon go with no real closer lined up hurt. Our starting pitching has been shuffled in and out and mostly injured. Freddie is way off offensively and our power OF bat is gone, too. Thank God Acuna is under contract for a while.

 

[BornToHuntAndFish]

Tough Saturday games are not encouraging for the Braves where 3rd place Atlanta loses 4th game in a row & is now 6-games behind 1st place Mets who just beat the Padres twice & have won 3 straight games, as 2nd place Phillies have also won 3 straight games, while the last place Nats beat the Giants & split a doubleheader with them, & 4th place Marlins are only a game behind the Braves.

 

[DannyW]

Those preseason projections for Braves getting 82-84 wins, which we all scoffed at, are looking rather optimistic right now. Can't hit, can't pitch, and the manager is shrugging his shoulders and saying "I don't know" at the post game press conferences.

During the game the other night, Friday I think, the catcher completely whiffed on two perfectly catchable balls. The ump behind the plate at Braves games needs combat pay.

It's like a 2021 version of the bad news bears.

Snitker needs to sit some people and completely shake up the order after Acuna.

 

[biggdogg]

Two wins in the last week. Both won by Smyly, easily the worst starter on the staff by a wide margin. Go figure...

 

[biggdogg]

Two games in a row scoring 8 runs... and lost both. The bullpen is hot garbage and Minter is the week old chicken guts in the bottom of the bag.

 

[mizzippi jb]

Groundhog day..... Over and over and over.
Everybody above us in the division winning and we're sinking