GDT #31: 5/5/14 Cardinals vs Braves 7:10 PM

[Hulavol]

But Fredi usually uses him in those situations at home.

Not when we are losing, I don't believe....may need him in the 10th!

[Millwood1Hitter]

Shoulda been a walk...sigh

[bravesnumberone]

Need a bunt here.

GET IT THE **** DOWN

[NinersSBChamps]

Simba. Jordan going to bunt now.

[jsebe10]

Get the bunt down Jordan!!

[sturg33]

Don't agree with the bunt

[Millwood1Hitter]

LOL Bunt!

[Hawk]

that was a delicious bun(d)t

[NinersSBChamps]

Gorgeous bunt. Pena time, folks!

[bravesnumberone]

Regardless of what Pena does, this is where Heyward needs to become a leader.

[sturg33]

I say pinch hit with Uggla here. Can end it in one swing

[Millwood1Hitter]

Pena time, believe it!

[jpack1]

Be our hero Pena.

[Runnin]

What? How long have you been watching the Braves, dude?
Long enough to finally be sick of the chop. Although in this situation I'd be chopping too.

[NinersSBChamps]

Pena just missed that one.

[jpack1]

Dam u camera. I thought he got it.

[Millwood1Hitter]

That would have been a homer in a silo.

[sturg33]

This is why I don't agree with the bunt. Just giving away a precious out.

[Hawk]

Dam u camera. I thought he got it.

Same. For a fleeting moment.

[bravesnumberone]

Step up and be somebody Heyward.

[jsebe10]

Jason deserves the game winner here. Come on baby.

[Hawk]

Upton's gonna walk off.

[Millwood1Hitter]

Scared of Heyward!

[sturg33]

Dumb of the Cards to pitch around Heyward, if that is what theyre doing

[jpack1]

Heyward opened his stance.

[The Chosen One]

Yay. Heyward didn't pop up! Woo

[NinersSBChamps]

Okay so Justin did bring a bat with him this at bat.

[zitothebrave]

Good AB by J-Hey. Rock it out Justin let's win!

[Millwood1Hitter]

The league leader in SO's up to bat.

[TURBO]

Dumb of the Cards to pitch around Heyward, if that is what theyre doing

Why? Jason has looked much better, while J up has loooked bad.

[bravesnumberone]

Be somebody April.

[jpack1]

J Up just can't get on anything above he belt.

[The Chosen One]

Justin is just always late on those. Geez .

[jpack1]

Trouble now.

[Millwood1Hitter]

And it all comes down to this.

[The Chosen One]

:Sad:

[NinersSBChamps]

what a **** bag

[bravesnumberone]

More failure with the game on the line. No surprise.

[sturg33]

Now that AB was on Upton. Pathetic

[Hawk]

Welp. 7's a lucky number.

[Millwood1Hitter]

Say what? What an awful AB

[PurpleBrave]

What's it going to take to the bat off J Ups shoulder?

[CrimsonCowboy]

Swing the bat at least.

[jsebe10]

Now you have an argument Bravesmubr1

[UNCBlue012]

Why isn't justin swinging? Seriously. These pitches he's looking at aren't even close for the most part

[The Chosen One]

I would've preferred bossman in that situation!

[tomahawkchop10]

Sooo bad

[jpack1]

Bench J Up. He sucks again. Wow. How can you take strike 3 again. Again. You suck. Bench him Fredi. How many times are you gonna do that you idiot.

[NinersSBChamps]

Almost identical pitch he looked at in the 7th inning too.

[tvsportscaster]

That's twice on this homestand Justin has had a chance to tie the game with a hit, and he's taken a pitch and that was one right down the middle. 7 in a row, this team is too good for that.

[jsebe10]

What's it going to take to the bat off J Ups shoulder?

That's called letting your team down. He's got to be feeing sick.

[PurpleBrave]

A few sessions with our hitting coach should bust us right out of this slump! We'll get em tomorrow

[AerchAngel]

The Waterboy comment

Oh no we lose again!!

[Runnin]

My guess is he was guessing slider.

[jpack1]

The freaking Uptons are a curse. Can't believe how bad J Up can be at times. That is what 9ks in 3 games. Swing the ****ing bat loser.

[jsebe10]

Why isn't justin swinging? Seriously. These pitches he's looking at aren't even close for the most part

I'm honestly starting to believe he's point shaving. Lol. Maybe he's in a rut with some gamblers.

[CrimsonCowboy]

Thank goodness this is only early May. This happens four months from now.............................oh boy.

[bravesnumberone]

Now you have an argument Bravesmubr1

Once again, it's absolutely inexcusable. He's still one of those guys I have confidence in to come out and hit three homers tomorrow, but this team is a collective piece of crap right now.

[AerchAngel]

A few sessions with our hitting coach should bust us right out of this slump! We'll get em tomorrow

We have a hitting coach?

That is news to me. I hope his salary is minimum wage because that is all he should be earning.

[jsebe10]

Once again, it's absolutely inexcusable. He's still one of those guys I have confidence in to come out and hit three homers tomorrow, but this team is a collective piece of crap right now.

You are right. Lol. No other wAy around.

[jpack1]

Correcting myself to say that J Upton is a curse. Guy shows so. Uh talent but just wastes it time and time again. Would have liked to have BJ up there. At least he would have hacked. Probably hit it solid somewhere as he is our best hitter somehow over last week.

[CrimsonCowboy]

This team is too good to be hitting this poorly. I don't know what Greg Walker is doing, but it's not working.

[jpack1]

This has happened every postseason we have been a part of for 10 years now.

[MURF21]

Did Justin Upton ever play for the Chicago Blacksox?

[Millwood1Hitter]

Kirk Gibson and the Zona faithful we're right, JUp is not a winning baseball player, just does not do the little things that help win games.

He's über talented, and when he's in a groove he is awesome, but all too often he is one of the worst players in all of baseball.

[NinersSBChamps]

This team is too good to be hitting this poorly. I don't know what Greg Walker is doing, but it's not working.

Really? If they are as good as 90 percent of the people say they wouldn't be in this slide. I get it teams go through rough patches, but this is worse than a little skid. They looked better tonight than they lately so maybe that is a good sign?

[PurpleBrave]

Let's slap an April calendar in the clubhouse. Maybe put up a few Easter baskets with Cadbury eggs, play a few jokes on team mates and recycle some cans. Just pretend it's April every month and this team would win 130 games

[Millwood1Hitter]

The Uptons have to be 2 of the most overhyped players if this generation, so much talent, so little contribution to winning.

One should be hitting line drives all over the field like Sheffield and be a periennel MVP middle of the order hitter, while the other should be one of the best all around outfielders in the game like McCutchen.

[Millwood1Hitter]

Let's slap an April calendar in the clubhouse. Maybe put up a few Easter baskets with Cadbury eggs, play a few jokes on team mates and recycle some cans. Just pretend it's April every month and this team would win 130 games

No, just trade the Uptons for Kate

[Garmel]

As good of a night Pena had you can bet he's going back to the bench tomorrow. :icon_biggrin:

[NinersSBChamps]

The Uptons have to be 2 of the most overhyped players if this generation, so much talent, so little contribution to winning.

One should be hitting line drives all over the field like Sheffield and be a periennel MVP middle of the order hitter, while the other should be one of the best all around outfielders in the game like McCutchen.

As much as I dislike BJ he isn't the root of the problems right now. He's performing pretty bad like I knew he would. It's guys like CJ and Jason who are killing this team. Jason has swung it well the last week, but then then Freddie took a week off himself so it balanced out.

[nsacpi]

Tomorrow night I'd go with Pena at third and Pastornicky at second. Reward Pena for his good game by keeping him in the lineup.

[thewupk]

As much as I dislike BJ he isn't the root of the problems right now. He's performing pretty bad like I knew he would. It's guys like CJ and Jason who are killing this team. Jason has swung it well the last week, but then then Freddie took a week off himself so it balanced out.

You are right for the most part. Heyward has been hitting pretty well for the last 2 weeks plus. BJ has been doing well for almost 4 weeks now. It's one eye Freddie and Justin who aren't getting the big hits (especially Justin this week) now.

[NinersSBChamps]

You are right for the most part. Heyward has been hitting pretty well for the last 2 weeks plus. BJ has been doing well for almost 4 weeks now. It's one eye Freddie and Justin who aren't getting the big hits (especially Justin this week) now.

It's just frustrating because this lineup has talented hitters in it. They just can't seem to get it going at the same time. My expectations for the most part have been on par.

Below include Jason and CJ. Around what I expect include everyone else in the lineup. Simmons is hitting a tad better than I thought he would, but his on base is pretty poor thus far. Obviously my predictions/expectations aren't the standard.

[The Chosen One]

Tomorrow night I'd go with Pena at third and Pastornicky at second. Reward Pena for his good game by keeping him in the lineup.

Maybe Pena wants a contract extension like CJ too.

[nsacpi]

Pena is a good player. Just watch him with an open mind. He is a much better hitter than during his Yankees years. He can actually drive the ball for extra base hits now, which he didn't in his earlier years. He's worked very hard to get stronger.

[jpack1]

Pena should start everyday at either 2B or 3B, switching between the two based on matchups until he proves he can't handle it. He has been nothing but a good player since the Braves have had him.

[zitothebrave]

Pena should start everyday at either 2B or 3B, switching between the two based on matchups until he proves he can't handle it. He has been nothing but a good player since the Braves have had him.

Pena is a badplayer. But that said, Uggla has nothing in the tank and BABIP hasn't found his luck from last year yet. Until someone starts hitting (or they use their brain and bring of TLS) he should be out there every day because right now he's better than Johnson and Uggla because those 2 are bat first players who aren't hitting.

[nsacpi]

I don't expect Pena to continue to put up an OPS of over .800, but I am pretty comfortable projecting he'll be over .700 going forward. He's got some pop in his bat. 13 extra base hits in 142 plate appearances in the majors the past two years. La Stella has 2 extra base hits in 113 AAA plate appearances this year. Pena is also the better defender of the two.

It is kind of cool we've reached a point where maybe those two are our main options at second. I appreciated Uggla's grit and hustle, but it is time to move on. Let the Pena vs La Stella vs Pastornicky debate begin.

[weso1]

We went through similar stretches last season. Every year I'm surprised fans don't recognize that over the course of a full season there are going to be some pretty bad offensive slumps. You just have to suffer through them and hope you can win the close games. Unfortunately right now we're losing the close games.

The only real fix is to replace Uggla. I mean you could try to trade BJ Upton and Wood for a costly but more productive CF, but the likelihood of that is slim.

[Julio3000]

We went through similar stretches last season. Every year I'm surprised fans don't recognize that over the course of a full season there are going to be some pretty bad offensive slumps. You just have to suffer through them and hope you can win the close games. Unfortunately right now we're losing the close games.

The only real fix is to replace Uggla. I mean you could try to trade BJ Upton and Wood for a costly but more productive CF, but the likelihood of that is slim.

Yep.

[50PoundHead]

Pena is not an answer to any question worth asking, but he's a better option at 2B than Uggla and I wouldn't mind him spelling Johnson (that's J-O-H-N-S-O-N, Ramiro if Fredi quizzes you) periodically. He probably tops out at a reasonably good 200 AB utility guy, which is useful.

[zitothebrave]

I don't expect Pena to continue to put up an OPS of over .800, but I am pretty comfortable projecting he'll be over .700 going forward. He's got some pop in his bat. 13 extra base hits in 142 plate appearances in the majors the past two years. La Stella has 2 extra base hits in 113 AAA plate appearances this year. Pena is also the better defender of the two.

It is kind of cool we've reached a point where maybe those two are our main options at second. I appreciated Uggla's grit and hustle, but it is time to move on. Let the Pena vs La Stella vs Pastornicky debate begin.

Pena's power is almost certainly a giant mirage. He had one stop in the minors where he showed any significant amount of power, in 2011 he posted a .164 iso in AAA. His other minor league stops with at least 150 PA

2006 A+ .037
2007 AA .046
2008 AA .090
2009 AAA .096

If you drop Pena's iso from .250 to .100 his OPS is under .700.

Pena is a good bench player who can fill in in a pinch. Ride him while he's hot bench him when he's not.

TLS conversely in the minors of a signiificant sample posted isos of

2011 A .216
2012 A+ .158
2013 AA .131

If I had ot guess, TLS will hit for more power as his sample grows, Pena will hit for less.

To me the only debate involving TLS and Pena (Pastor sucks) is defense related.

[UNCBlue012]

I literally couldn't get upset last night after Justin struck out looking. I KNEW it was going to happen... it's just how he's been lately. I'm glad to see Jason and BJ hitting pretty well as of late, but we can't get 3-4 hitters swinging well at once and it's killing us. The offense has been a bit better when it comes to getting hits, but we aren't getting much with RISP.

I like that Fredi is trying new things with the lineup, but it's very frustrating. This feast or famine offense needs a consistent bat in it, as in Pastor (whom I personally trust) or LaStella. Someone HAS to try and cancel out all of these strikeout hitters with some good contact at-bats.

I think I actually propose: Heyward RF, LaStella 2B, Freeman 1B, JUP LF, BJ CF, CJoh 3B, Simba SS, Pitcher. I personally see that working as a solid lineup.

[nsacpi]

Pena's power is almost certainly a giant mirage. He had one stop in the minors where he showed any significant amount of power, in 2011 he posted a .164 iso in AAA. His other minor league stops with at least 150 PA

2006 A+ .037
2007 AA .046
2008 AA .090
2009 AAA .096

If you drop Pena's iso from .250 to .100 his OPS is under .700.

Pena is a good bench player who can fill in in a pinch. Ride him while he's hot bench him when he's not.

TLS conversely in the minors of a signiificant sample posted isos of

2011 A .216
2012 A+ .158
2013 AA .131

If I had ot guess, TLS will hit for more power as his sample grows, Pena will hit for less.

To me the only debate involving TLS and Pena (Pastor sucks) is defense related.

I understand the argument about Pena's past lack of power and the small sample the last two years of his increased power. I'm just saying in his case my eyes tell me that the small sample is not entirely misleading. The ball jumps off his bat.

What do you think of TLS loss of power as he's moved up each level. What kind of ISO would you expect from him at the ML level?

[Enscheff]

I understand the argument about Pena's past lack of power and the small sample the last two years of his increased power. I'm just saying in his case my eyes tell me that the small sample is not entirely misleading. The ball jumps off his bat.

What do you think of TLS loss of power as he's moved up each level. What kind of ISO would you expect from him at the ML level?

The ball looks like it jumps off his bat because you've seen him catch a few lucky HRs in the past 2 years. Take away a few lucky swings and he is the same light hitting utility guy he has always been. Just like when Bourn got into a few HRs early in his last season in Atlanta and everyone was saying silly things along the lines of, "now he finally found his power stroke and could be an MVP candidate". Spoiler: Bourn didn't hit another HR that year, and I called it while everyone was acting like excited school girls early in that season.

I would expect TLS to have an ISO just over .100 that might increase a bit over the years. The point is not that TLS is going to be Chase Utley. The point is that TLS won't be the worst player in the game like Uggla is, which is all we can really hope for at this point.

[Enscheff]

I literally couldn't get upset last night after Justin struck out looking. I KNEW it was going to happen... it's just how he's been lately. I'm glad to see Jason and BJ hitting pretty well as of late, but we can't get 3-4 hitters swinging well at once and it's killing us. The offense has been a bit better when it comes to getting hits, but we aren't getting much with RISP.

I like that Fredi is trying new things with the lineup, but it's very frustrating. This feast or famine offense needs a consistent bat in it, as in Pastor (whom I personally trust) or LaStella. Someone HAS to try and cancel out all of these strikeout hitters with some good contact at-bats.

I think I actually propose: Heyward RF, LaStella 2B, Freeman 1B, JUP LF, BJ CF, CJoh 3B, Simba SS, Pitcher. I personally see that working as a solid lineup.

First, you have no catcher. Second, there is no way Fredi is going to stack the 3 LHed hitters at the top of the lineup. The top 4 needs to be Heyward, Justin, Freeman and Gattis. Stick BJ 5th ahead of CJ and TLS so he can steal bases in front of a couple of singles hitters. Simmons 8th where his aggression might drive in a run before the pitcher hits.

[nsacpi]

So far La Stella's ISO in AAA is .029 in 117 PA's.

[50PoundHead]

The ball looks like it jumps off his bat because you've seen him catch a few lucky HRs in the past 2 years. Take away a few lucky swings and he is the same light hitting utility guy he has always been. Just like when Bourn got into a few HRs early in his last season in Atlanta and everyone was saying silly things along the lines of, "now he finally found his power stroke and could be an MVP candidate". Spoiler: Bourn didn't hit another HR that year, and I called it while everyone was acting like excited school girls early in that season.

I would expect TLS to have an ISO just over .100 that might increase a bit over the years. The point is not that TLS is going to be Chase Utley. The point is that TLS won't be the worst player in the game like Uggla is, which is all we can really hope for at this point.

Maybe. I don't know if I'd go much higher. He may be one of those guys whose isoOBP is higher than is isoSLG. At any rate, he'd likely be an improvement over Uggla. He could be Gregor Blanco with better contact skills.

[Enscheff]

So far La Stella's ISO in AAA is .029 in 117 PA's.

And Pena's is .180 in 34 MLB PAs. So what? Pena also has a career MLB OBP of .284 after posting a career MiLB OBP of .320. He is not a good hitter, period. I'm surprised you are letting a handful of fluke HRs cloud your judgment of a player so much.

[Enscheff]

Maybe. I don't know if I'd go much higher. He may be one of those guys whose isoOBP is higher than is isoSLG. At any rate, he'd likely be an improvement over Uggla. He could be Gregor Blanco with better contact skills.

That will probably be the case, but again, when you have the worst player in the game manning 2B, even "upgrading" to a player who is merely below average is a nice boost.

[50PoundHead]

That will probably be the case, but again, when you have the worst player in the game manning 2B, even "upgrading" to a player who is merely below average is a nice boost.

You don't have to convince me. There are probably 15 to 20 guys in AAA who would be an improvement over Uggla.

[zitothebrave]

I understand the argument about Pena's past lack of power and the small sample the last two years of his increased power. I'm just saying in his case my eyes tell me that the small sample is not entirely misleading. The ball jumps off his bat.

What do you think of TLS loss of power as he's moved up each level. What kind of ISO would you expect from him at the ML level?

TLS I think changed his approach because his K rate fell after his rookie year so I don't expect his power to be that high. I'd guess in the .100 to .150 range depending on how many doubles fall.

TLS has a small sample in AAA. IIRC he had a back or leg injury last year that hurt his power.

I see him in the majors being maybe Placido Polanco with more patience at his absolute worst.

[zitothebrave]

So far La Stella's ISO in AAA is .029 in 117 PA's.
TLS won't stay that low. He's hit 3 doubles in 100 PA his career average before this year is a double about every 6% of his ABs. And he's stayed at about a homer every 50-60 PA. And a handful of triples. too. He's got sick talent for contact and hits lots of liners. He's not gonna be an excellent hitter. Pena is not. Pena is terrible at hitting. But again, use him while he's hot. Kind of like Georgie or Schafer.

[BlackwaterPark]

I just stop watching when they suck like this, better on the stress levels :)

[50PoundHead]

TLS I think changed his approach because his K rate fell after his rookie year so I don't expect his power to be that high. I'd guess in the .100 to .150 range depending on how many doubles fall.

TLS has a small sample in AAA. IIRC he had a back or leg injury last year that hurt his power.

I see him in the majors being maybe Placido Polanco with more patience at his absolute worst.

Probably not a bad comp. Polanco had a couple of 12+ HR years in a hitter-friendly park and I doubt La Stella reaches that number, but if he hits enough doubles the isoSLG could hover around .100.

But I'm to the point where Uggla is, as Stuart Smalley's father (played by the extremely underrated Harris Yulin) said about Stuart in the cinema classic "Stuart Saves his Family," "a waste of space."

[gilesfan]

Zito, how many games have you watched La Stella play this year or last?

[zitothebrave]

Zito, how many games have you watched La Stella play this year or last?

In person? None, online. I've watched probably 25 or so games online. The internet is a wonderful tool. I've also watched highlight reels, BP reels, etc. I try to when I have time stay up on the minors

[UNCBlue012]

Good start Floyd!

[UNCBlue012]

They are playing freeman so well. He's demolished the ball and gotten little to show

[jpack1]

J Up can the low inside off speed stuff.

[sturg33]

TLS' career ISO is .154.