June Hot or Not Braves and Today’s News

The Braves are off today basking in a sweep of the Mariners that included beating a resurgent lefty Erik Bedard (4-6, 3.00, 1.111),  the star of their pitching prospects the superb Michael Pineda (7-5 /2.08/1.029) and last year’s AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez (8-7,3.35. 1.194). No mean feat as the M’s have been playing well of late. June was a good month for the Braves in spite of the loss of Martin Prado for for most it.

The Braves finished the month 47-35 by  going 17-9, that’s a .654 winning % up 50 points from May’s .604 and 200 from the .444 in that April to forget.  If we keep improving at this rate we should have a .677 WP for July, a .680 in August and a .681 in September.  That’s the standard boys, a 25% improvement each month; go get ‘em!

Speaking of setting standards, All Star and our first half MVP (there’s a story about that over at Call to the Pen, take a look) Brian McCann set a high bar in June and tops our list.

Brian McCann: No June swoon for McCann! This month he hit .342 with eight homers, a double, 18 RBI and a stolen base. In the clutch he was hotter. he came off the bench in the ninth to hit a homer that tied the game against Houston then won it with another in the 11th. He hit another homer against Houston in their house to put the Braves ahead for good. In Seattle he took tough lefty Eric Bedard deep to give the Braves an early lead finishing that game with three hits and two runs scored. The next night he got four more hits and two RBI.

Freddie Freeman: Although his May batting average was higher, June – particularly the last two weeks have him hitting the ball with authority and producing in the clutch. For the month Freeman’s line is .287/.330/.489; not bad for a rookie. In the last two weeks it’s .302/.375/.558 with three homers and 9 RBI. Two of those homers were monster shots to dead center field, one at the the notorious homer black hole of Petco and the other in the heavy air at Safeco that provided the winning runs.

Craig Kimbrel: Having his credibility as closer questioned seems to have hardened Kimbrel’s resolve. he saved eight games throwing 14 innings and striking out 25 finishing with a WHIP of 0.857 and an ERA of 1.93.

Back to Normal

Jason Heyward: While not exactly at boiling point, Heyward is returning to form. His .264/.350/.358 puts him almost where he was before the injury sidelined him. In the last week he’s .280/.333/.400 indicating the shoulder is feeling better and he’s starting to find his stroke.

Jordan Schafer: While Schafer’s defense continues to shine he suffered badly at the plate. His line of .214/.260/.316 is way below what we need from a leadoff hitter. His strikeout/walk ratio of 23/6 was also disappointing.

Nate McLouth: Like Schafer, McClouth has sparkled in the field but stumbled at the plate. What he has done well is take his walks, eight in total, with only one K giving him a line of  .191/.400/.308 in 10 games (26 AB)

Dan Uggla: In spite of flashes of power Uggla continues to struggle. He finished with a line of .179/.250/.379, five homers and 12 RBI. It’s not that he’s striking out a lot more than expected, he’s just not hitting the ball well enough when he puts it in play. His BAbip is just marginally better (.185) than his standard BA when it is usually much higher. To put it in perspective, Freddie Freeman hit .287 in June and his Babip was .377.

Chipper Jones: Playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee slowed Chipper down and limited him to 19 games. His .240/.293/.413 in down significantly from his hot start in April. If Martin Prado was fit Chipper would have had his knee scoped and be recovering. Instead he’s playing through it and waiting for Prado. I wish he’d get it done now so he could recover over the All Star break and be ready for a post season push.

Alex Gonzalez: To say Gonzalez is cold would be an understatement.  His June line of .176/.219/.308 is lower than his double play partner’s in ever area. In his last eight games he’s 4-28 with one walk, five Ks and a BAbip of .174.

News Bits From The Net

Mike Cameron: Just a couple of notes that may be of interest.  The Red Sox designated released Mike Cameron today. Cameron has to clear waivers of course but would be available for almost nothing. He was hurt most of last year and though healthy had only 33 at bats this season but his career line is .249/.338/.444 and an average or 23 homers and 81 RBI. He strikes out a bunch of course but can patrol any outfield position very well and is a great clubhouse guy.  He’s the kind of guy the Phillies are looking for…Us too. The decision is yours, do you want Cammy?

David Eckstein: I found the following in an LA Times blog.

David Eckstein is not playing baseball this season, but the scrappy 36-year-old infielder who helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series and won World Series MVP honors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 has not officially retired.

Nor has the game retired him, like it has so many veterans who simply fade away. …

… “I made a decision not to play,” said Eckstein, who was in Angel Stadium on Wednesday to visit his brother, Washington batting coach Rick Eckstein.

Are there any physical reasons? “No,” Eckstein said. . .

In my humble opinion Eckstein has a ton of what the Braves need more of; genuine baseball know how and the desire to give everything, everyday to win. He’s at least as good an infielder as Julio Lugo, a great guy and a winner.  he’s a better hitter (.267/.321/.326 in 2010 and 35 Ks in 442 at bats vs Lugo’s .249/.298/.282 and 50 Ks in 241 at bats)

I’d find out what he wanted and give it to him if I could. Lugo is a no longer a major league caliber player and the intangibles Eckstein brings with him dwarf Lugo’s.

The Cubs?: Yep read on. The Cubs released veteran starter Doug Davis today, just days after he completed his 10th year of major league service. His spot in the rotation will be taken by swingman Rodrigo Lopez. Lopez was tearing up AAA hitters earlier this year before being traded to the Cubs for Ryan Buchter. Since the trade Lopez has appeared in 11 games and started 2. In the 18 1/3 innings he’s thrown for the Cubbies he’s allowed 27 hits, 3 homers, 14 runs and walked 7 for an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.855.  At Lynchburg Butcher has thrown 13.2 innings in 10 games allowing 6 hits (no homers), 3 runs and walked 8 for an ERA of 1.98 and a WHIP of 1.024. That trade worked out well for us.