Braves 2021 Season Thread

[DannyW]

Yesterday, my son and some of his co-workers got treated by his work with tickets in the Delta Skybox behind home plate. Buffet lunch, free beer, the whole 9 yards of elite treatment.

Then the game was cancelled.

So he got excited that the game was rescheduled to be played October 4...until I informed him that the game would only be made up if it meant something to the playoff race. Bummed again.

Now I think he is rooting for tight playoff race.

 

[biggdogg]

I can't see Ozuna coming back. He's a cancer at this point. Hopefully they can shake his contract.

It's becoming more and more unlikely the Braves will have any recourse at all to get out of Ozuna's contract. The felony charges have already been dropped after it was discover that the arresting officers accounts were highly exaggerated and the the two remaining misdemeanor charges will be dropped as well after he completes the agreed on intervention program. He'll most definitely be suspended by the league somewhere between 30-80 games. The Braves would most likely have to eat the majority of his contract to trade him, so he'll very likely finish out his deal as a Brave.

 

[Duff]

Another brilliant performance from Will Smith.
Braves up 5-4 after a great come back in the top of the ninth and Smith hangs a 2 out, 2 strike slider

 

[1982ace]

We are not going ANYWHERE with him as the closer.

 

[DannyW]

I wouldn't worry too much about the Phillies.

Nah...no worries here. The Braves have a huge 2-game lead in the division and are playing the #1 team in baseball, on the road, while the Phillies are playing a team that's 4 games under .500 and have lost 4 in a row.

Piece of cake.

 

[Dustin Pate]

We are not going ANYWHERE with him as the closer.

With a decent closer the Braves would have won the division already. Sickening the amount of games that have been blown.

 

[treemanjohn]

Braves can't win extra inning games. They've been In a ton and I'll bet they win less than 20%. Snit is killing them

 

[DannyW]

With a decent closer the Braves would have won the division already. Sickening the amount of games that have been blown.

AA has only made two bad player decisions this year, and he corrected one of them at the trade deadline (Duval). Bet he is losing a little sleep over the other one...not resigning Melancon.

 

[DannyW]

Braves can't win extra inning games. They've been In a ton and I'll bet they win less than 20%.

You're not far off the mark...Braves are 4 - 9 in extra inning games (.307).

 

[treemanjohn]

You're not far off the mark...Braves are 4 - 9 in extra inning games (.307).

Last year was goofy, so I'm not sure. The Braves over the past decade have been lousy in extras.

Their game management has been so poor

 

[Resica]

With a decent closer the Braves would have won the division already. Sickening the amount of games that have been blown.

With a decent closer the Phillies would have won the division already. They've blown 32 save opportunities.

 

[biggdogg]

I am by no means a Will Smith fan, but he's only blown one more save than Melancon has this season. It's still nauseating to watch Smith pitch with a one run lead...

Jansen of the Dodgers has also blown six saves. 2021 is definitely not the year of the closer.

 

[BornToHuntAndFish]

Appears the Braves are having a problem scoring runs when they need 'em & giving up runs when they cannot afford 'em to get a win.

 

[mizzippi jb]

I am by no means a Will Smith fan, but he's only blown one more save than Melancon has this season. It's still nauseating to watch Smith pitch with a one run lead...

Jansen of the Dodgers has also blown six saves. 2021 is definitely not the year of the closer.

Yep. If you watch Melancon much he likes to put a lot of baserunners on. In all honesty they are pretty similar. Don't throw overly hard. Primary pitch is an "out of the zone at the end" swing and Miss

 

[harrison jd]

The catcher calls the pitches on most counts and you dont throw the same pitch every pitch. Darnaugh should call a better game in my view.

 

[treemanjohn]

The catcher calls the pitches on most counts and you dont throw the same pitch every pitch. Darnaugh should call a better game in my view.

In theory, but starting catchers aren't working with relief pitchers before they toe the rubber. Theyre flying blind. Multiple consecutive pitches and locations get called all the time. Its the pitchers job to change the speed and hit the spot

 

[BornToHuntAndFish]

Braves looking to end a 4-game losing streak with 3-run 7th-inning including HR's by Duvall & Rosario (4-for-4 today) as they go into the bottom of the 9th while leading 3-0, but Will Smith is trying to close it out without a dirty inning.


EDIT Update below . . .


When posting above, was only browsing live web scoreboard details & had not turned the radio game broadcast yet with end of the game near.

Glad Braves held in there tough for the needed win as Mets beat Phillies.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401229282

Box Score

E. Rosario ATL - LF
4-4, HR, 3B

M. Fried ATL - SP
7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H

WIN
M. Fried(12-7)
7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB

SAVE
W. Smith(33)
1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB

7th - Duvall homered to center (421 feet), Riley scored.

7th - Rosario homered to right (373 feet).

https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/eddie-rosario-hits-for-cycle

Rosario hits for cycle, seeing only 5 pitches

Left fielder becomes 2nd Braves hitter to achieve feat in 2021 during win in SF

September 19th, 2021




https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/atlanta-braves-stat-of-the-day-september-2021

Stat of the Day: 4 at-bats, 5 pitches, 1 cycle

September 19th, 2021

Sept. 19: Braves 3, Giants 0 -- 4 at-bats, 5 pitches, 1 cycle

Eddie Rosario saw only five pitches while hitting for the cycle, the fewest number of pitches needed for a player to achieve the feat since at least 1990

 

[biggdogg]

d'Arnaud can call whatever he wants. But I imagine he has yet to call a hanging slider or a 92 mph fastball down Broadway. Watch any Will Smith meltdown and 9 out of 10 times, he missed the spot by 8-10" and out over the plate. That ain't the catcher.

 

[DannyW]

I've wondered about "hitting the mitt". Seems like these professional pitchers miss a lot. I wonder if sometimes it's a ruse the catcher uses to trick the hitter? He sets up low and away like he would for a slider, and then the pitcher runs a fastball in on his hands.

Anyway, I have ZERO confidence in Will Smith right now because one thing he is not missing is the bat.

 

[BornToHuntAndFish]

Fun having Braves bats come alive with double digit hits & runs led by 7-run 7-hit 35-min. 5th-inning for the win.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401229296

Box Score

A. Riley ATL - 3B
3-5, 3 2B, 3 RBI

F. Freeman ATL - 1B
3-5, 2B, 2 RBI

3rd - Riley doubled to deep left center, Albies scored and Freeman scored.

3rd - Marte doubled to right, Rojas scored on throwing error by right fielder Soler and Vargas scored, Marte out stretching at third.

3rd - Varsho scored on Ynoa wild pitch.

5th - Freeman doubled to right, Soler scored.

5th - Albies singled to right center, Freeman scored, Albies to second.

5th - Riley doubled to deep left center, Albies scored.

5th - Duvall homered to left (483 feet), Riley scored.

5th - Soler grounded into fielder's choice to third, Rosario scored, Fried out at second, Swanson to third.

5th - Freeman reached on infield single to first, Swanson scored on error, Freeman to second, Soler to second, Soler safe at third on throwing error by second baseman Marte.

7th - McCarthy homered to right (369 feet).

9th - Rosario homered to right (421 feet).

9th - Contreras scored on de Geus wild pitch, Heredia to second on wild pitch by de Geus.

Before game below . . .