|
Post by wncbravesfan on Apr 15, 2018 15:54:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by wncbravesfan on Apr 15, 2018 15:55:55 GMT -5
Acuna unlikely to be called until play improves CHICAGO -- Though the Braves recognize that Ronald Acuna Jr. is one of the best prospects baseball has seen over the past decade, they are not going to provide him any special privileges nor ignore signs that he could benefit from a little more time at the Minor League level. When the season began, there was reason to project Acuna would make his much-anticipated Major League debut either during the just-completed series against the Cubs or on Monday, when the Braves begin a seven-game homestand. The Braves were open to these possibilities, until Acuna struggled at Triple-A Gwinnett. The 20-year-old outfielder went 1-for-4 and stuck out two more times during Saturday night's loss to Rochester. He entered Sunday hitting .152 (5-for-33) with one extra-base hit and 12 strikeouts. MLB Pipeline regards Acuna to be the game's best prospect after Angels rookie phenom Shohei Ohtani, who has solidified his status as the favorite to be named the American League Rookie of the Year. If Acuna were to get hot over the next few days, there is a chance the Braves could bring him to the Majors before this next homestand ends on Sunday. But there are no current plans regarding the young outfielder, who has gone 3-for-18 with seven strikeouts since recording his only multi-hit game of the year, on Tuesday. Acuna's slow start could be influenced by the down time Minor Leaguers had between the end of this year's Spring Training and the start of their respective seasons. This was a product of Major League teams starting a week earlier this year. Nine days elapsed Acuna's final preseason appearence -- in the March 27 Braves Future Stars Game at SunTrust Park -- and Gwinnett's season opener. In the interim, the young outfielder faced live pitching from teammates during simulated games and live batting practice sessions. But slow starts are not anything new to Acuna, who started this year's Grapefruit League season 1-for-11, and then proceeded to hit .432 (19-for-44) with four homers and a 1.246 OPS. Acuna hit .209 with a .610 OPS through his first 11 games of last season with Class A Advanced Florida and then batted .335 with a .920 OPS over the remainder of that season, including 57 games with Double-A Mississippi and 54 games for Gwinnett. www.mlb.com/news/acuna-wont-make-mlb-debut-until-play-improves/c-272321636
|
|
|
Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 15, 2018 16:47:49 GMT -5
I'd really like to see us win at least two games in this series so we can feel like we're back on track.
|
|
|
Post by wncbravesfan on Apr 15, 2018 20:05:50 GMT -5
I'd really like to see us win at least two games in this series so we can feel like we're back on track. Me too
|
|
|
Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 15, 2018 21:03:12 GMT -5
I'd really like to see us win at least two games in this series so we can feel like we're back on track. Me too If we lose 2 or 3 to the Faillies at this point I'm gonna punch somebody's grandma.
|
|
|
Post by PABraveFan on Apr 16, 2018 10:25:22 GMT -5
Some early season tidbits:
Phillies are 1-4 (1-2 vs. Braves and 0-2 vs. Mets) against teams with a winning record. They are taking care of business 8-1 against teams with losing records. Braves are 4-2 (2-1 vs. Phillies and 2-1 vs. Rockies) against teams with a winning record. 3-3 against teams(Nats) with a losing record and 1-1 against .500 teams (Cubs).
Braves have played 11 games(6-5) against playoff teams from last year. Phillies have played 0 games against playoff teams from last year.
|
|
|
Post by littlebeast1 on Apr 16, 2018 10:40:03 GMT -5
I would just like to see the Braves take these two series at home before they play 17 of the following 20 on the road. Fortunately, 10 will be against the Reds, Rays and Marlins, but it's still going to be a tough stretch.
To have any kind of success though, the starters are going to have to start going deeper in games. They are averaging 5 IP a game and that's not helping the pen at all. I think they all have good enough stuff to do more attacking and less nibbling. If we don't see some improvement soon in this area, it may be time to move on from Hernandez as pitching coach.
|
|
|
Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Apr 16, 2018 13:15:40 GMT -5
I think we're dreaming if we expect the starters to go much deeper. It's how our guys are taught to pitch and it wont change. Hernandez won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
|
|
|
Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 16, 2018 13:18:21 GMT -5
Five innings out of the starter is becoming pretty normal all around baseball. I don't think it's a good idea, the bullpens are going to be over worked.
|
|
|
Post by littlebeast1 on Apr 16, 2018 13:59:51 GMT -5
I guess pretty soon we'll see teams carry like 8 starters and 4 relievers. Starter A goes 3-4 innings, Starter B 3-4 innings, and the bullpen the last 1-2. That way you rarely have a starter go through a lineup more than twice.
Miss the good old days when guys like Maddux would throw complete games with 90 pitches. Now, most starters seem to hit that around the 4th or 5th inning.
|
|
|
Post by wncbravesfan on Apr 16, 2018 14:12:10 GMT -5
Todd Zolecki @toddzolecki Phillies lineup tonight in Atlanta:
Kingery 4 Santana 3 Herrera 8 Hoskins 7 Altherr 9 Crawford 6 Franco 5 Alfaro 2 Nola 1
|
|
|
Post by wncbravesfan on Apr 16, 2018 14:54:38 GMT -5
#Braves vs. #Phillies (7:35 PM):
Ender Inciarte (CF) Ozzie Albies (2B) Freddie Freeman (1B) Nick Markakis (RF) Kurt Suzuki (C) Preston Tucker (LF) Dansby Swanson (SS) Ryan Flaherty (3B) Julio Teherán (P)
|
|
|
Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Apr 16, 2018 15:44:25 GMT -5
Five innings out of the starter is becoming pretty normal all around baseball. I don't think it's a good idea, the bullpens are going to be over worked. Then it's time to have 28 man rosters.
|
|
|
Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 16, 2018 16:49:29 GMT -5
Five innings out of the starter is becoming pretty normal all around baseball. I don't think it's a good idea, the bullpens are going to be over worked. Then it's time to have 28 man rosters. That's one way to look at it, and then you can also say why did the 25 man roster work ok for so long and now suddenly it's not enough? I tie it to that video I posted yesterday, the guy made the point that pitchers are just simply trying to throw too hard now for too many pitches. The human arm isn't made for it. Why don't we just get guy to throw 90-95 and save their arms? Funny how rare Tommy John surgery was until everybody started trying to throw 95-100. What about pitchers arms before Tommy John even came along? They used to have insane pitch counts in the old days, but they never had arm problems. I just see the whole thing as having gotten out of hand. If we expand to 28 man rosters, how long before it has to be a 30 or 32 man roster because of other human ability limiting factors? What about guys pulling oblique muscles when swinging at pitches? I had never heard of that until the last ten years. Probably happening because the pitchers are throwing so hard. Batters have less time to react and are probably reacting so quickly they're pulling their obliques. We're trying to push beyond the limits of the human body.
|
|
|
Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Apr 16, 2018 16:59:12 GMT -5
I think a lot of it has to do with players over-training.
The 28 man things would just about have to mandate a minimum number of pitchers.. probably 14 to deal with the innings not being thrown by starters.
I am generally a no-change guy, but that ship has sailed. Soon the NL will have a DH... we now have wild cards..Change is inevitable.
Eh... I dunno.. I bet they will expand the rosters in the next few years.
|
|