June 2011
What to do with McLouth
Nate McLouth was eligible to come off the D.L. a week ago, and will soon begin rehab starts. What most Braves fans are wondering is how Fredi Gonzalez will handle the McLouth-Schafer situation. Looking at the surface it doesn’t seem to be a debate. After all McLouth leads Schafer in a lot of statistical categories including AVG, OBP, and SLG. However, the reality of the situation is much deeper.
Since his call-up Schafer has been a hit with most fans, who like myself, never gave up on him after the potential he showed during his 2009 campaign. He was shown some of the flashes of the lead off hitter that this team has needed since Furcal departed. He has 165 less at-bats than most of the starters, but his seven stolen bases leads the team (Heyward is second with three). It’s more than that for Schafer though. During a pregame radio interview Eric Hinske raved about Schafer’s ability to throw off pitcher’s timing by causing havoc on the base paths. He went as far as saying that Schafer is responsible for the current winning streak the Braves are on. Other players agree and cite his great defense as another factor in his game.
In contrast Nate McLouth has become less than a fan favorite among Braves fans. While his .238 batting average this season has been a huge improvement over last season’s .190, fans are less than thrilled with his ability to hit in the clutch and his tendency to not coming up firing when a ball is hit his way in the field. While I have noticed that McLouth has seemed to have more fun this season, there are still sometimes when I see him and it seems like he would rather be anywhere else.
When Nate does come back there may be a chance for an outfield that consists of both him and Schafer. That is until Martin Prado and/or Jason Heyward return. Then, there will have to be an odd man out and I can assure you that it won’t be Prado or Heyward.
How About Something Positive?
I have an admission to make: I have become a huge twitter junkie (@jakesbravesblog). I have found a close knit group of people who share my love with Braves baseball. Even though I have only met a few of them face to face I feel that I know them personally. To be honest though, getting on twitter lately has been somewhat depressing. People are taking sides in the Chipper-Heyward debate. David O’Brien tweets daily reminders on how bad Uggla has been. Others choose to complain about attendance.
I know what some of you are thinking: “What have the Braves done lately for us to be positive about?” Well I’m glad you asked. Below are three things positive going on with the Braves right now designed to help you relax and step back from the ledge.
Pitching: Remember when some experts predicted the Phillies to have the best pitching staff of all time? Well, we’re in June and they don’t even have the best pitching staff in their division. It truly is unbelievable to think that even with the career season Cole Hamels is having that his 2.83 ERA is higher than two other Braves starters. What Jair Jurrjens has done this year in Atlanta is nothing short of spectacular. His 1.75 ERA trails only Josh Johnson for best in the majors and right handed batters are hitting .215 against JJ. Hanson has certainly found his groove allowing no more than two earned runs in his last three starts. Hudson and Lowe have both been inconsistent, but have shown flashes of brilliance at times this season. Hudson had a one-hitter against the Brewers, and Lowe had a near no-no against the Phillies. But the rotation is only part of the story. My favorite part of this season has been watching Jonny Venters pitch. The guy has been nothing short of phenomenal! I could go all day into his numbers, but here’s some of my favorites: a minuscule .049 ERA including ZERO ERA at home. He’s allowed just 17 hits in 36.2 IP. Long story short: Everyday Jonny is filthy! I didn’t particular love watching the Braves win with only two hits last night, but a win is a win. The pitching staff has kept this team in games this season and that’s something to be happy about.
Brian McCann: Mac has had a normal Brian McCann season this first half. You know, he’s hitting .302 and driving in runs left and right. Same ol same ol. I think Brian has been so good for so long that we get used to how good he is and don’t appreciate it enough. Brian is finally getting the recognition he deserves as it looks as though he’ll finally get to start this year’s All-Star Game.
Three Games Back: Would I rather be up three games in the East? Of course! However, when you consider what this team has been through this season it feels good to know that we’re still in the hunt. Put it this way: had I told you before the season began that on June 8 Uggla would be well under the mendoza line, Heyward would’ve spent the last two weeks on the DL and Lowe would have an ERA over four. You probably would’ve predicted that there would be more than three games between the mighty Phillies and the Braves. Uggla isn’t going to slump forever, Heyward will come back eventually and this club’s brighter days are still ahead of them. The Phillies’ offensive woes have proved that they aren’t immune to losing games too.
I hope this helped. I’ve noticed in the blogger community and even in the professional sports writting community that it seems hip to write more negative things, but I don’t mind not being hip. I watch the Braves because I am a fan and I want to see them do well. If I wanted to focus on what this club can’t do I would probably quit watching.
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