Eh, that's basically what Jonathan Papelbon did. And he was right.Originally Posted by BRule
Eh, that's basically what Jonathan Papelbon did. And he was right.
Bryce isn't necessarily wrong, but he mentions us and our 9 games. Right now that 9 games wouldn't even do it, and the Nats haven't played that well against us this year. In fact, they looked literally shocked that we handed it to them.
He needs to be focused on the game being played on the current day. The Tigers just whooped up on them pretty good, perhaps those games should matter as much.
Even if the Nats win 6 of them (which is a stretch) that isn't going to get them that close. We are crushing them.
Natural Immunity Croc
Yeah, that's pretty much it. You wouldn't want him to express any other sentiment, but those guys have more to worry about than beating the Braves straight up.
Objectivity aside, I'm glad we're in his head.
Mrs. Meta (08-01-2013)
All we really have to do is not get swept. That would put us at 3-6, so the fat lady is gargling.
Mrs. Meta (08-01-2013)
LOL @ Bryce Harper
Shut up. Your overrated team is 11 games back and the Braves are actually just now getting back to playing great baseball. Is anything wrong with these comments? No, but he should just shut up and play.
Thats the thing...outside of the first 13 games of the year this is the only time the Braves have actually played good baseball. Pitching/Offense/Defense all working at the same time. Its just incredible to watch. Heyward/Upton at the top of the lineup is really working. Hopefully BJ doesn't make us go limp or else Alex is going to have to step up.
Natural Immunity Croc
One side of me says im worried that when BJ gets back, we will slump again. The other side says BJ Upton is a frigging good ball player and hasnt shown it yet and oh how good we would be if he turned his season around.
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 2h The Atlanta Braves' magic number for clinching the NL East is now down to 44. And it's Aug. 1.
I'd rather not put stress on Heyward in CF. Plus, the outfield defense gets much better with Upton in CF and Heyward in RF. I think BJ will hit again and then our bench gets stronger with Gattis there. Its a good situation. BJ just needs to hit.
Natural Immunity Croc
The team has played .500ish ball for most of the year but they did go 15-4 in late May/early June. They took 6 of 7 in late June too. The Braves longest losing streak is 4. So while they haven't always played great and have had long strethes of .500 ball they haven't had any extended losing streaks. And that's the important thing. The Nats have had several including the big one to start the 2nd half. The Phillies just came off of losing 8 in a row. Thus we have an 11 game lead. Winning record every month so far. Keep this up and we very well may have the top spot in the NL this year. Something we defininately need to gun for as I don't want to face the Dodgers in a 5 game series. They would be the toughest match up imo in the first round.
Yeah, essentially in baseball if you have 1 hot month, you can play .500 ball the rest of the way and win the division. You just have to avoid long losing streaks.
Look at Rays and Dodgers, 1 hot month and in first place.
Dodgers are the best team in baseball. I hope we get the Pirates in the first round. I don't want part of the Cards still even after our sweep. Let the Cards/Dodgers beat eachother up.
Natural Immunity Croc
If you really think that is true, consider these numbers. Teams play 162 games per season, I have always analysed a season based on 27 game blocks, because each one of them represents 1/6 of the season, they are each roughly one month's worth of games, and 27 games will pretty much balance things out like home/road splits and extreme hot/cold streaks which can bias a smaller sample.
That said, let's look at the 2013 Braves in 27 game blocks, since we just finished the fourth such block last night.
17-10 (102 win pace)
15-12 (90 win pace)
15-12 (90 win pace)
16-11 (96 win pace)
If you want to break it down into 54 game blocks it's:
32-22 (96 win pace)
31-23 (93 win pace)
IMHO, just pretty darn consistent, contrary to the popular opinions here and elsewhere.
Fair enough...I guess some of us see the talent on the roster and always want more but I guess overall the team has played well.
Natural Immunity Croc
I wish I could bet money with you that the Dodger don't win the world series. Oh man, I wish.
Dodgers have a lot of talent but I don't know if they are the best team in baseball though. The hottest for sure. Let them peak early.
When does being the best team in baseball have anything to do with winning a world series? Nobody has a top 3 in the starting rotation like they do. Their bullpen is filthy and they have stud offensive players all over.
Why aren't they the best team in baseball?
Natural Immunity Croc
We are percentage points behind the #2 record in the NL and just swept the team with (at the time) best record in the NL. Yes, this team is playing extremely well.
Braves finally caught the Cards last night for the top offense in the league. We are now tied with them with a team WRC+ of 106. The Braves 8.0 UZR is sixth in the league (Thanks to Simmons and Heyward mainly). The Braves starters FIP is 6th in the league (5th in ERA if you prefer that). The Braves pen is 1st FIP and ERA as well. The team isn't very good at base running this year but that's the least important facet of the game.
So yeah, the Braves are either at the top in categories or above average. We are a great team. 3rd best run differential in baseball.
Last edited by thewupk; 08-01-2013 at 09:23 AM.
Maybe I'm a bit greedy but I feel like the team should be better than they have been. There is just so much damn talent on this roster.
Natural Immunity Croc
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