Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves News
Three straight losses to a struggling (really?) Boston Red Sox. I have few comments to make, or at least little actual room to blow off the steam that’s building up in my angry brain. I love the Atlanta Braves, but they sure know how to make it hard to do. It was a bright light on the horizon to see the young Tommy La Stella make his debut last night, and go 2 for 4 on the night, but that joy was over-shadowed again by an overall lackluster performance by the team, at least in terms of getting runners over and getting them in. Timely hitting was lacking again. Check out the box scores from the loss, courtesy of Baseball Reference.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS | Pit | Str | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Heyward RF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .239 | .664 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| B.J. Upton CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .207 | .626 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .304 | .919 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| Justin Upton LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .309 | .992 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Evan Gattis C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .248 | .813 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
| Ryan Doumit DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .214 | .532 | 15 | 10 | ||
| Chris Johnson 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .263 | .630 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Tommy La Stella 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| Ramiro Pena SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .183 | .566 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| Gavin Floyd P | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Alex Wood P | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Anthony Varvaro P | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Team Totals | 36 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .250 | .576 | 135 | 98 | 24 | 10 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | BF | Pit | Str | Ctct | StS | StL | GB | FB | LD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Floyd, L (0-2) | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.37 | 23 | 106 | 64 | 41 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Alex Wood | 2.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3.40 | 14 | 56 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Anthony Varvaro | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.95 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 8 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 3.38 | 39 | 172 | 103 | 57 | 17 | 29 | 15 | 13 | 9 |
Check out Boston.com and their recap of the Atlanta Braves’ loss, and the Boston Red Sox first series win on the year.
With Their First Shutout, Red Sox Beat Braves for Third Straight Win
"When David Ortiz launched a 10th-inning homer over the left-field wall on Oct. 8, 2004, John Lackey watched the ball climb up and out of Fenway Park from the visitor’s perspective. A walk-off shot, it propelled the Red Sox to a sweep of the Angels, and raucously ended the AL Division Series without the Anaheim right-hander getting a chance to pitch."
Tommy La Stella made his major league Debut for the Atlanta Braves in last evening’s loss, and continued to do what he’s been doing well for awhile now – hit the ball! Going 2-for-4 on the night, his prowess with the bat was overshadowed by another Braves’ loss. Still in all, many fans, including myself, have been hollering quite loud for the Braves to go ahead and promote Tommy. It’s about time! Check out thoughts on La Stella from MLB’s Steven Petrella.
Making big league debut, La Stella notches two hits
"BOSTON — Tommy La Stella’s father and sister were in Pawtucket, R.I., to watch him play with the Gwinnett Braves against the Pawtucket Red Sox in International League action Wednesday, but a phone call from manager Brian Snitker changed those plans.The La Stellas instead headed north to watch Tommy make his Major League debut at Fenway Park against the Red Sox Wednesday night, where he batted eighth and played second base after Atlanta optioned Tyler Pastornicky to Triple-A.La Stella went 2-for-4 in his first action with the Braves, lining singles in his second and third at-bats."
Can Mike Minor take the mound for Atlanta, and do what no other pitcher in the last three games has been able to do – make it tough for the Boston Red Sox? Joe Morgan of MLB takes a look at that question.
Minor out to snap Braves’ three-game slide vs. defending champions
"The last time Red Sox starter Jake Peavy threw a quality start, Braves hurler Mike Minor was getting roughed up in his second turn of 2014. Since then, Minor has recorded three straight quality starts while Peavy has struggled."
Walter Bergeson of Rant Sports runs down the top 5 players who love to face the Atlanta Braves. Check out Walter’s slideshow.
5 Current MLB Players Who Love to Face the Atlanta Braves
"Every team faces a few players who always seem to give them problems. The Atlanta Braves are no exception. There are certain pitchers who seem to always have the Atlanta hitters figured out, and there are opposing hitters who elevate their game against the Braves’ pitchers. Here is a list of five current players who love to face the Atlanta Braves."