7/2 Game Thread: Braves vs. Phillies
Tonight the Braves (40-44) take on the Phillies (45-39) in the second game of a three-game series. After last night’s disappointing performance by the Braves, I think we’re all hoping to see a very different team on the field tonight.
Pitching for the Braves tonight is right-hander, Jorge Campillo. With a 3-2 record and 2.54 ERA, Campillo’s time with the big league club has shown that he could be a solid part of our rotation. Campillo has faced the Phillies twice this season. First, he appeared as a reliever in Philadelphia on May 15th, where he pitched three scoreless innings. His next appearance against the Phillies was back on June 8th in Atlanta where he got no decision. Campillo left that game after 7.1 innings pitched (and a career-high 105 pitches thrown) with the game tied 3-3.
The Phillies will match Adam Eaton against Campillo. Eaton is 2-6 this year with a 4.86 ERA. This year has been a struggle for Eaton, as he didn’t receive his first decision until after his sixth start. The road hasn’t been kind to Eaton either, as he’s 0-4 this year with a 4.29 ERA. Braves fans are going to like this next stat, too: the Phillies have scored only three runs over Eaton’s last three starts.
Speaking of run support (or lack thereof), Campillo has suffered at the hands of his teammates as well. The Braves have averaged fewer runs scored per game while Campillo is pitching (3.9) than any other starting pitcher with the exception of Jeff Bennett (3.3).
The key tonight is going to be getting some runs on the board. Gregor Blanco should be one of the men who can make that happen. He’s hit safely in his last five games, boosting his average from .242 to .274. In the past seven days, he’s 12-for-21 (.571) with three runs and three RBIs. While Tex wasn’t the man last night, he could be tonight. He has posted 11 homeruns and 32 RBIs in the past 31 days to lead the majors in RBIs and tie for second in homeruns during that time period. Hopefully he can contribute tonight against Adam Eaton.
If hitting is our Achilles’ heel these days, the pitching staff is our golden shield. I think it’s important to point out what an excellent job the Braves pitching staff has done this year, despite the swinging door that seems to have existed between the pitching staff and the DL. The Braves lead the National League in team ERA (3.74) and opponents’ batting average (.247). The bullpen is second in the majors with a .228 opponents’ batting average and eighth in the majors with a 3.42 ERA. I think we’ve all been a little frustrated with how over-worked the bullpen has been this year, but the numbers don’t lie - pitching isn’t the problem.
Here’s to taking the next two from the Phils!
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26 Responses to “7/2 Game Thread: Braves vs. Phillies”
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
With Escobar back, will Blanco still be leading off?
What about the idea of batting Blanco 9th behind the pitcher? That kind of order has worked well for the Cardinals, maybe it will be the kind of shake up that the Braves need. Frenchy can bat 7th in front of the pitcher until he figures out how to hit again.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
With Blanco hot right now and Escobar just returning from injury, I think we should stick with Blanco leading off.
I like the idea of shaking things up by batting the pitcher 8th. What about putting Escobar in the 9 hole and leaving Blanco as leadoff?
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I agree about the lineup except Frenchy should not be batting 7th, 8th, 9th or anywhere. He should be on the bench. I think its reached the point where we need to make up an injury just to get him out of there for a few days. I think it would raise team morale to get that black hole out of our lineup. I’m not trying to pick on Jeff, because he tries hard and has a good attitude. But he is so bad right now that there is no reason he should still play. It’s not like he has a whole bunch of MVP caliber seasons behind him that he could magically return to. The guy was average to below average for the last few years and now he’s simply awful. There is no reason to continue playing him.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I agree. Perhaps some time off could do him (and the team) some good. When Andruw was the black hole in the lineup he wasn’t benched because he was superior out in the field. That’s not the case with Frenchy. While he’s a solid left fielder and has a great arm, he’s not irreplaceable. Sitting him a little couldn’t hurt.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Francoeur shouldn’t even be playing, period. Except that we can thank the mindset of Bobby Cox for putting this team at a disadvantage by keeping Frenchy in the lineup.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Looks like Blanco is leading off with Escobar batting behind him.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Why McCann WHY!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
WOW, are the Phillies that much better than us? Hopefully we can start scoring some runs.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Great hit by Gotay!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
No one is commenting on here tonight. Does that mean everyone is fed up and has quit watching?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Exactly, Kristi !
After Ryan Howard’s three run bomb in the third inning, I flipped the channel and watched the Yankees pound Texas 18-7.
It’s just the same old tired song and dance from the Braves. Until Bobby Cox retires or is fired, this team is going nowhere fast.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
BC is not the problem.
This is a .500 team. The sooner you get used to that, the happier and more positive you can become. BC needs our support just like any of the players.
It is too easy to sit back and criticize anyone until you walk in their shoes. If I were BC, I wouldn’t get too stressed out over trying to make a .500 team into something they ain’t going to be.
For example,
It will take an off season of cheerful study and practice for Frenchy to be any use to the Braves this year. So what? We wait to 2009. No problem. There is always another game. And there is always another season. Just ask the Cub fans if you don’t believe me.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 am
I made some comments tonight.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 am
Edo , I don’t normally condone criticism of other bloggers, but man, you are either incredibly ignorant, too young or just refusing to believe the obvious.
Bobby Cox is the most OVERRATED manager in major league history and I’ll tell you why.
No other manager has won fewer and lost more World Series contests than Bobby Cox in the 105 history of the series.(one win, four losses).
No other manager has lost more post season games than Bobby Cox (66 games).
Cox actually lost back to back WS in 1991/1992.
He took fifteen teams to the post season and came away with one single championship.
The man is a one trick pony, period. He rode the arms of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine to fourteen division titles and without that trio of Hall of Famers, Cox has finally been exposed as an average manager.
I’m not even going to get into the job he did as a the Braves GM, that is a nightmare you really don’t want to know about.
The true legacy of Bobby Cox is, he won it all once and cost this great Braves franchise somewhere between four and six more World Championships.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 am
One thing is for certain, if any one team is willing to cough up at least two top flight prospects for Mark Teixeira, the mas is as good as gone.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:11 am
One thing is for certain, if any one team is willing to cough up at least two top flight prospects for Mark Teixeira, the man is as good as gone.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 am
Coach,
and Will,
I realize that criticism of the manager, the umps, and the players if they don’t live up to our expectations is part of the game. I haven’t ever been to a game in Philly or NYC for example, where the fans have a reputation for being critical and demanding are just as loyal, etc. as anyone else, and that is how they express their loyalty to the team. So Coach I realize that you care about the team, and the strength of your emotional attachment is measured in part by your criticism of Mr. Cox.
I do appreciate you at least have reasons. And I realize Mr. Cox doesn’t need me to defend him from his critics. So, we just have different opinions. I am grateful that the Braves won one more World Series than before I came along. I’m too young to remember the last Atlanta franchise to achieve a recognized championship in a mass market US sport.
For me, Bobby has already proved himself in ‘95. I don’t ask for more. I used to be just as emotional as anyone here over the team’s failures before ‘95. When they won it all, I was and still am fairly content no matter what happens.
For me, Bobby not retiring yet is just like seeing a part of the US WS championship team memories every day.
The same reason for having Tommy Glavine back. Shoot I would even wish for Sid Bream and the rest of the guys to come out of retirement.
As I see it, supporting a team is supporting a relationship with individuals that call themselves a member of a certain team. Just like in a marriage.
I didn’t expect my wife, once we got married to call herself Mrs. Thomas Asada-Grant. (there you know my real name). She is an individual, and we are partners raising our family together. So I feel the same way about members of the team. New guys who come onto the team I will try my best to appreciate as individuals and hope they can achieve whatever they can…So, I can’t criticize Escobar because he isn’t B. Jones, for example. I just hope Frenchy can set a goal of hitting above .250 but whatever happens is what he deserves. Same for Tex, I would trade Tex in a minute for a reasonable return, but in the meantime I am rooting for him to just keep his average above .270 as a reasonable standard for the clean up batter. All these individuals, they may not be as good as others out there, and then the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
So for the team this year, if they can’t beat the number one team, they don’t deserve to be #1. However I am satisfied with a #2 or #3 or…….I am beginning to wonder if we can finish the year above .500? That we can just make it till the end of the year above .500 seems a worthy goal at this point to root for.
Coach you and I just have different needs for feeling successful.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 am
Coach, those are quite the numbers you’ve got there on Cox. Did it occur to you that he’s got more losses in the postseason and in the World Series because he’s taken his team to those levels more often than most other coaches? You gotta get your team there to get any wins or losses under your belt.
Cox has brought up a myriad of minor league guys to shake things up and replace guys on the DL, he’s played around with the batting order, he’s played around with the starting rotation. What more do you want the guy to do? Is the rash of guys on the DL his fault? Nope. Is it is his fault that Frenchy has forgotten how to hit? Nope. There’s been some bad luck as far as the DL and Frenchy is messed up in the head right now. Those are things that will work themselves out. Will be able to contend for division? Maybe not, but I don’t think you can pin that all on Bobby Cox.
And brining up his days as GM doesn’t really add to your argument. That was a completely different job and it just wasn’t his thing.
Here’s some good stats on Cox:
He’s won Manager of the Year four times: 1985, 1991, 2004 and 2005.
He’s the only manager to have won Manager of the Year in consecutive years.
He’s been named Manager of the Year eight times by The Sporting News: 1985, 1991, 1993,1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
He holds the record for most wins as a Braves manager.
He’s the fourth-winningest manager in major league history.
His winning percentage is fourteenth all-time at .561.
His post-season win percentage with the Braves is .508. For comparison purposes, Joe Torre’s is .603. Bobby has 14 division titles to Joe’s 11, although Joe does have 4 WS titles. Let’s also keep in mind that Joe’s team was quite often stacked with the game’s best players along with the highest payroll.
How you can say that Bobby Cox is a bad manager is beyond me. No team is going to win every year forever. I think Bobby’s done about the best he can do with what he’s had this year.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
We Stink !!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
We will do good to get back to .500 !!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
I’m somewhere in between the two of you. As you know, I’ve been criticizing Bobby’s in-game management pretty harshly all year. I think his best years are firmly behind him. Even at his peak, he obviously wasn’t a great postseason manager — the same traits that made him arguably the greatest regular-season manager ever hamstrung him in must-win games.
Coach, losses aren’t a great way of measuring how good or bad someone is. Have you ever taken a look at the leaders in career losses? The first seven are in the Hall of Fame: Cy Young, Pud Galvin, Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton. The point is, if you’ve played enough games to lose that many, you must have been pretty good to deserve to keep your job. And, of course, many of the leaders in career losses are similarly among the leaders in career wins, just as Bobby is.
The Braves probably don’t have it this year. That much is, unfortunately, pretty clear. Our right fielder has been hitting like a pitcher, and he’s one of our few players who hasn’t spent significant time on the DL. Our situational hitting — or, hitting in high-leverage situations, to use a more sabermetric term — is in the toilet, and we can’t hit left-handers to save our life. Not to put too fine a point on it, we’re not a very good team. And everyone shares that responsibility. (Well, everyone but Chipper Jones.) Bobby, the manager, obviously shares that responsibility. But it’s not his alone.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 am
I agree with you Alex. I am a big supporter of Bobby Cox and will be forever, but its clear that this year he hasn’t been at his best. His in game and bullpen management have been terrible, and his treatment of Jeff Francouer is no longer acceptable. Bobby is the ultimate baseball guy- someone who loves the game and knows it very well. His relationship with his players and his skillful decisionmaking has made him one of the greatest managers of all time. But there comes a point when a manager has to be willing to step out of his comfort zone to spark his team. So far this year Bobby hasn’t found a way to do that.
As you said, this is not a very good team. I think we all realize that now. The pitching has been miraculously good, but that can’t last forever. And the hitting is terrible. Injuries or no injuries our offense lacks speed, lacks discipline, and most notably lacks the ability to perform in the clutch. I know many of you think that clutch hitting is random and eventually works itself out (probably the same people who have been saying all year that our run differential is more predictive than our record). Clutch hitting is not random, at least not entirely, and this team clearly doesn’t have it. The Phillies amp themselves up for big NL East games, much like the Braves of past would do. This year we shy away from big games, and our anemic offense finds improbable ways to not score runs (thank you jeff- 2 for 20 with the bases loaded- francouer).
I swear I have heard Chipper and McCann say at least 50 times this year that “we need to start winning some of these games”. Sadly, they are the only two who are doing anything to make it happen. We lost some fire when Smoltz went down and we haven’t found anyone since who can rile up this team and force a winning streak out of them. As it looks like it won’t come this year, it is sadly time to start worrying about next season. Maybe that means selling off some assets at the deadline, or maybe it means doing nothing. Maybe it means giving Terry Pendleton a shot at managing next year…
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Kristi and all of us like Coach,
If you want to convince me Bobby Cox has rocks for brains, you got to start like Kristi does and present the positive side first then I WOULD BE MUCH MORE inclined to listen to your rant. You can put your criticisms within that context and talk about his present patterns of behavior that is, if you really want to convince someone….
Or it may be just letting off stress?
We all know Bobby has warts, big ones. Bigger than Joe’s maybe, or someone else out there, or someone who is on the way “there” (or here??)
It is possible that the next manager will lead the basic stuff of the team of this year to a WS title. It is possible that another manager could make Frenchy bat .300.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. but how likely is it?
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
The majority of what I said about Bobby Cox was positive. He is a brilliant manager, there’s no question of that, I just think his managing style is not working on this particular group of guys.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Bobby Cox was quite possibly the best regular season manager in MLB history. He isn’t any longer. I’ve always said, at least once I realized it around 1996, just what Alex said. The qualities that make Cox a great and I do mean great, regular season manager severly hurt him in the post season. It is time for him to move on however.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
I’m an eternal optimist, so you’ll always see me highlighting the postives. That being said, I like the way Alex put things in perspective. Cox has historically been a great manager but he’s obviously not at the peak of his career. Do I think he’s the sole reason we’re not playing .500 ball or leading the division? Absolutely not.
A also agree with Brent that Bobby has made a mistake by not sitting Frenchy for a game or two or three. Frenchy is the hometown boy we all want to see do well (although I will admit that I’m a much bigger McCann fan), but that doesn’t mean you leave him in no matter what. I’m all for leaving guys in when they’re in a slump and letting them work it out, but Frenchy has had that time. At some point you’ve got to sit him and try another approach. That time is most definitely now.
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