Welcome!

Hi. Welcome to the TRobb Braves blog for the 2009 season. Glad you’re here. Looking forward to the season. I’ll be with you on braveshomeplate.com keeping you current on happenings, rumors, contracts, trades and news from the Braves.

I’m shooting for an informed fan’s perspective. I think DOB does a great job with ajc.com and Bowman’s pretty good with mlb.com, but there’s certainly room for an informed discussion among fans – and that’s what I’m going to engage and encourage.

If there are “statheads” and “scoutheads”, I’m a ‘tweener – I value some stats (OBP, OPS, RF) but have no desire to live in Statland; but if you value your eyes to the exclusion of the underlying numbers, you can fall in love with a player and miss the fact that he sucks (see Kyle Farnsworth). So let’s plunge ahead, shall we?

Braves Myths

Reading through the tripe written by national media members and misinformed posters and bloggers, I think it’s important that we address some popular Braves myths that have no grounding in reality.

1. 1. Kelly Johnson is lousy defensively. Actually, he’s not. If you try and get to the essence of defensive second base play, you’re looking for a guy with sure hands, who is accurate, who has range and who turns the pivot.Looking at range factor (2^nd in NL in 2008), fielding percentage (8^th) and double plays/9 (2^nd), it’s clear that Kelly has very good range, middle-of-the-pack hands and turns a nice pivot.

   I think this myth is borne of his very visible dropped pop-up that cost the Phillies game last July. That didn’t mean he sucked; it meant he dropped a pop-up.

   One thing he doesn’t do well is range to his right to make the backhand play. Hopefully, he’s been smoothing that rough edge with tutor Glenn Hubbard in the offseason. Remember, last year was KJ’s second year at 2B.

   Remember, too, that Bill James says in order to optimize your offense, you want to play guys at the toughest defensive position they can handle. KJ’s bat at 2B is far more valuable than KJ in LF. So let’s have a little faith and see if he doesn’t develop a bit more this year.
   
   

2. 2. Chipper can’t run. Chipper is fast. Chipper makes me hold my breath as he goes from first to third on a hit to right field, waiting for him to pop a hamstring or tear a quad or roll an ankle, but Chipper moves very well for a 6’4” guy.
   
   
3. 3. This rotation is nothing special. The last five Braves games (last September) were started by Jair Jurrjens, James Parr, Jose Campillo, JoJo Reyes and Charlie Morton (OK, I might have missed a tomato can in there). All but Jurrjens should have been in Richmond (yes, Campillo had a nice four months).This season, in our first five we’ll start Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jurrjens, Kenshin Kawakami, and (probably) Tom Glavine. That’s a huge upgrade. In fact, it’s the main reason why you should just throw 2008 out when evaluating the 2009 Braves. Three of them will pitch 200 innings; all could surpass 180.

   We go from a team that doesn’t know what it’s going to get from its starters four out of five days to a team that has a chance to win every day. Not only does that benefit the ballclub from a pitching standpoint, now the hitters aren’t pressing and the atmosphere isn’t depressing. This team can compete – especially if it gets some help in LF.
   
   

4. 4. Chipper can’t play defense. The guy is money. Good reflexes still, accurate arm, makes the barehand play on a bunt or dribbler as well as anyone. Ever, maybe. He’s not going to first anytime soon because he’s a plus defensive player. Well, that and the fact that the Braves have no decent third basemen on the farm.
   
   
5. 5. The bullpen is a mess. Huh? Mike Gonzalez (“The Cobra”) was lights out, even a few klicks short on the radar gun (14/16 saves, 44 Ks in 33 IP). Soriano’s nerve transposition surgery seems to have taken care of his elbow. Blaine Boyer was great ‘til he ran out of gas (3.78 ERA as late as July 23^rd). Buddy Carlyle was as underrated and unappreciated as any reliever in the league last year (62 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 3.59 ERA and 59 Ks in ’08).And they’ve got about nine guys (Bennett, Campillo, Ridgway, O’Flaherty, Acosta, Marek, Logan, Moylan, Stockman) who could win those last three spots on the staff. Gwinnett could go 100-40 with the pitching they’re going to have this year.
   
   
6. 6. The Braves farm is depleted (In the wake of the five prospects going to Texas in the Teixeira deal). In fact, the farm is robust with a number of nice-looking prospects – Tommy Hanson, Gorkys Hernandez, Jordan Schafer, Cole Rohrbaugh, Kris Medlen, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman. In fact Baseball America has us rated fourth in MLB. Of course, Texas is first, but still…

Those are the myths that bug me the most. How about you?

The Atlanta Braves put a damper on the Philadelphia Phillies playoff hopes as they hammered them by the score of 10-4 on Wednesday night. The Braves had a huge fifth inning where they scored six runs and blew the game wide open. The Bravs played the spolier role that is for sure as they took two out of three games against the Phillies in the series.

Chipper Jones pitch hit in the fifth inning and delivered a big three-run home run as the Braves blew the game wide open. Martin Prado and Casey Kotchman both had two rbi in the game as well for the Braves. To finish up the scoring, Brian McCann and Brandon Jones both had one rbi.

Starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes had a tough time as he was roughed up for five hits and three runs in 3 1/3 innings. Reyes got the no decision in the game as Buddy Carlyle got he victory. Carlyle only pitched 2/3’s of an inning to get the win. Julian Tavarez did give up one run in relief that I should mention as well.

Good win for the Braves and they will now be off on Thursday before playing the final series against the Houston Astros starting on Friday.

Braves Blog

Mark Kotsay and Jeff Francoeur had big nights at the plate for the Atlanta Braves on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs but it still wasn’t enough as the Cubs beat the Braves 11-7. It seemed like everytime the Braves would score, the Cubs would come right back and score again and just kept the pressure on the Braves the entire game. With the loss, the Braves were swept in the three game series.

Tom Glavine only lasted four innings as he gave up seven hits and seven runs. Glavine wasn’t getting some of the calls he usually gets from umps and walked four batters while giving up two home runs. He is now 2-4 on the year. Buddy Carlyle and Blaine Boyer both gave up two runs each as well out of the bullpen.

Kotsay led the Braves at the plate by hitting for the cycle and finishing the game with two rbi as he went 5-5. Jeff Francoeur hit a three run home run that got the team back in the game but it still wasn’t enough to catch the high powered Cubs offense. Martin Prado and Chipper Jones both added single rbi’s as well in the game.

It was definately not the way the Braves wanted to play the series. Hopefully they can play better this weekend against the San Francisco Giants.

Braves Baseball Blog

The Atlanta Braves scored three runs in the eighth inning but their rally still fell short as they lost to teh Philadelphia Phillies by the score of 8-3.  The Braves were down 5-0 after just three innings and then held the Phillies down while they attempted to come back.

The Braves got three runs in the eighth as two runs scored on a Greg Norton double and then they got another run on a Mark Teixeira rbi ground out.  It’s too bad that those were the only runs that the Braves were able to score because they should have scored more then that in the game.

Charlie Morton was roughed up in only two innings of action as he took the loss to drop his record to 1-2 on the season.  Morton gave up eight hits and five runs in just those two innings of action.  Home runs by Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino really hurt Morton.

The Braves bullpen was probably the highlight of the night for the Braves.  Well I should say up until the ninth inning they were.  Four pitches combined to throw seven innings finish up the game.  Buddy Carlyle tossed three innings, Manny Acosta two innings, Will Ohman pitched the eighth inning and Blaine Boyer started the ninth inning before being pulled for Royce Ring.  Boyer gave up three runs in the ninth inning before Ring came in and recorded the final out. 

Braves will try to get em on Wednesday I guess.  Who knows what Braves team will show up.

Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves had plenty of problems with Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night as they lost 4-1.  Sheets dominated the Braves as he tossed a complete game and the Braves were only able to record four hits and one run in the game.  The Braves are now 38-40 on the season after taking the loss.

Jo-Jo Reyes had a terrible game as he only lasted 2 1/3 innings after giving up six hits and four runs.  Reyes gave up a two run home run to Mike Cameron in the second inning, and then two one-run doubles in the third inning before he was pulled from the game.  Reyes feel to 3-5 with the loss.

The Braves bullpen did a wonderful job after Reyes was pulled from the game however.  Buddy Carlyle tossed 4 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball and then Royce Ring recorded one out before Jeff Bennett pitched the final two innings of the game.

The Braves only run came in the fouth inning when Brian McCann grounded into a double play and Kelly Johnson scored.  The entire Braves lineup besides Johnson stunk it up at the plate as they couldn’t figure out Sheets at all.

Hopefully the bats will come around and the Braves can put together some hits and score some runs on Tusday as they will battle the Brewers once again.

Braves Blog

Matt Diaz picked a good time to get his only hit of the game as he singled in Yunel Escobar in the ninth inning as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Thursday afternoon.  The Braves scored four runs in the the final four innings to complete the comeback.

Manny Acosta improved to 1-1 on the season as he picked up the win.  Starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes only lasted 2 2/3 innings as he gave up five hits and two runs.  Reyes had to leave the game in the third inning with a blister on his left hand.

Buddy Carlyle left the game in the fifth inning but not before he gave up one run.  Jorge Campillo pitched 1 1/3 innings as he gave up run as well.  After that the Braves bullpen locked down and held the Padres scoreless.

Greg Norton led the Braves with two rbi in the game.  Mark Teixeira and Diaz both had one rbi in the game for the Bravs.

It was a great come back rally for the Braves who improved to 18-15 with the win.  Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves got a win on Monday over the Washington Nationals by the score of 7-3 putting the Braves at 10-9 for the season.  It was a unified battlefront with great pitching and batting from the Atlanta bullpen and lineup.

Brian McCann got his fifth home run of the year in the 2nd inning off of Matt Chico giving him his 12th RBI of the season.  Tim Hudson had a pair of RBIs with Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, and Jeff Francoeur all getting an RBI as well.

Hudson was the starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves throwing for 6.2 innings giving up 10 hits and two runs but was able to pick up the win putting him at 3-1 for the season.  Royce Ring, Buddy Carlyle, and Manny Acosta were brought in the finish out the last 2.1 innings of the game.  Carlyle was the only reliver to give up a run.

Tonight the Atlanta Braves battle the Washington Nationals in the second game of the two game series.

Braves Blog

The Atlanta Braves destroyed the Flordia Marlins by the score of 8-0 on Thursday night.  Chipper Jones hit two home runs, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann also hit home runs for the Braves.  Jones, Teixeira, and McCann went back-to-back-to-back in the fifth inning to blow the game wide open.

John Smoltz pitched five innings and only allowed three hits to pick up the win.  Will Ohman, Chris Resop, Manny Acosta, and Buddy Carlyle pitched the final four innings of the game without giving up a hit.   Great job by all the pitchers to limit the Marlins to only three hits on the night.

Braves Blog