Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves News
With two wins in a row, the Atlanta Braves are once again back atop the NL East by a mere two games. We’ll take it! Check out the box scores from last night’s win, courtesy of Baseball Reference.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS | Pit | Str | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Heyward RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .246 | .696 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| B.J. Upton CF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .216 | .636 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .298 | .908 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 1 |
| Justin Upton LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .301 | .955 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Johnson 3B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .256 | .610 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| Andrelton Simmons SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .266 | .692 | 20 | 13 | 2 | 4 |
| Tommy La Stella 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .333 | .762 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| Anthony Varvaro P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Luis Avilan P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| David Carpenter P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Shae Simmons P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ryan Doumit PH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .217 | .542 | 5 | 1 | ||
| David Hale P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Craig Kimbrel P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Gerald Laird C | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .234 | .601 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 1 |
| Ervin Santana P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .250 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramiro Pena 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .205 | .604 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Team Totals | 37 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | .324 | .808 | 168 | 102 | 27 | 14 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | BF | Pit | Str | Ctct | StS | StL | GB | FB | LD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ervin Santana, W (5-2) | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4.10 | 23 | 87 | 51 | 29 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Anthony Varvaro, H (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.79 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Luis Avilan, H (3) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| David Carpenter | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.91 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Shae Simmons, H (1) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Hale | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.38 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Craig Kimbrel, S (15) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.77 | 3 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 5.00 | 40 | 152 | 92 | 55 | 16 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 9 |
Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel recaps last night’s Atlanta Braves victory, and talks about how the Miami Marlins park mojo seems to be fading. Read more from Juan…
Marlins Park mojo fading as Braves clinch series
"MIAMI – With his best hitter in a 0-for-28 skid against the Marlins, Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez resorted to a little TLC before Saturday’s game.“I gave him a hug,” Gonzalez said, of his interaction with Freddie Freeman. “I don’t like giving him hugs…but I did give him a hug today, said ‘If you don’t get them today, you’ll get them tomorrow.'”Freeman got the Marlins Saturday, leaving Jacob Turner in need of a comforting embrace. Freeman’s third-inning double snapped his 0-for-29 off Marlins’ pitching and accounted for two of the five runs the Braves scored off Turner in a 9-5 series-clinching victory."
I imagine John Smoltz had a corny joke at the ready for when Craig Kimbrel tied his all-time save record last night, but we may have to wait until his next session in the Turner Field broadcast booth to hear it. Mark Bowman of MLB shares the story…
Kimbrel ties Smoltz atop Braves’ all-time saves list
"MIAMI — As he was raised in Alabama, Craig Kimbrel was among the countless Braves fans who used to love watching John Smoltz close games. Kimbrel now has the honor of knowing he has saved as many games as Smoltz did during his stint as Atlanta’s closer.Kimbrel matched Smoltz’s franchise record of 154 saves when he closed out Saturday afternoon’s 9-5 win at Marlins Park. It appeared he would have to wait at least one more day to reach this mark. But he was summoned out of the Braves’ bullpen after the Marlins put two on with one out in the ninth."
David Miller of Rant Sports shares his thoughts on how Shae Simmons could be just what the doctor ordered for the Atlanta Braves. I’ve said for awhile that Shae could replace Craig Kimbrel in a pinch, and while not everyone agrees with me, Shae is an amazing athlete, with great stuff, and his prowess in his debut didn’t surprise me at all. Earlier in the year, Shae was set as Tomahawk Take’s 16th prospect. That probably needs a tweaking! Read David thought’s on Shae Simmons.
Shae Simmons Could be Just What the Doctor Ordered for Atlanta Braves
"Not so long ago, it was suggested by some that the Atlanta Braves‘ bullpen could use some change. Before Saturday’s game against the Miami Marlins, change is exactly what they got. Ian Thomas was sent to triple-A and the closer from double-A was called up to the Braves ‘pen. To say it is early is an understatement but the first returns look very good for this team that is in dire need of clutch bullpen arms."