GDT: Braves @ Phillies Game 3: No Mentum Like Momentum

CyYoung31 said:
So, Arcia admitted that he did say it, but that no one was meant to hear it as it was him joking around in the clubhouse.

Pretty douchey for Harper to take it so personal when Arcia wasn’t even really talking ****. Then again, the best competitors are usually douche bags.
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Well, this is Bryce Harper we’re taking about
 
Let's all be real here.

I'm still really confused about this. Out of all the things I can imagine grown male baseball players behind closed doors engaging in "locker room talk" joking about, "hahaha attaboy harper" because he overran the bases on the double play, might be the least offensive and tamest thing I could ever imagine being big deal bulletin board news material.

Like I was expecting he called Bryce a dumb mf'er in Spanish, or like idk. But simply bantering with "hahaha attaboy Harper" might be the dumbest and lamest thing I've seen the media blow up about. I saw the tweet about it yesterday and thought it was one of those FAX Sports fake tweets that are supposed to look real.
 
It is stupid to get worked up over something like that. Shows that even as great a player as he is, Bryce Harper is also among the most sensitive. And of course, the media blows it up, making a mountain out of a molehill. But what are you gonna do?
 
I personally don't think Harper got offended by it. I think he's using it as ammunition to fuel his teammates and the Philly fans.

Phillies are not as talented as we are, and Harper knows that. But getting them rallied around something so stupid, and Philly fans will rally around things even stupider, is smart of him. It's not like he wasn't going to mash our pitching without Arcia's comment. This just rallies the base around him.
 
The Chosen One said:
Let's all be real here.

I'm still really confused about this. Out of all the things I can imagine grown male baseball players behind closed doors engaging in "locker room talk" joking about, "hahaha attaboy harper" because he overran the bases on the double play, might be the least offensive and tamest thing I could ever imagine being big deal bulletin board news material.

Like I was expecting he called Bryce a dumb mf'er in Spanish, or like idk. But simply bantering with "hahaha attaboy Harper" might be the dumbest and lamest thing I've seen the media blow up about. I saw the tweet about it yesterday and thought it was one of those FAX Sports fake tweets that are supposed to look real.
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The national media is absolutely thirsty for pro-Phillies narratives. It’s bizarre and gross.
 
The Chosen One said:
axtually I just watched his presser.

the best part was after that.

a reporter asked him if he had thought about walking Harper.


Snit said he would have been fine if he was unintentionally walked. But he didn’t wanna put another runner on. He then said I **** you not “I was hoping we’d make a good pitch and he’d pop up or ground out” but he “just happened to hit a homer there”.

this isn’t Rojas or Stott we’re talking about here. This is one of the best and most disciplined hitters in all of baseball, and our manager was riding on the the hope that Harper would pop up or ground out. With two runners on.

he would have been fine if Elder was wild and walked him. He didn’t ask Krani or TDA to just tell him to pitch around Harper. What the hell is he even thinking.
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We have a low baseball IQ team, led by a low IQ manager. Just have to accept that.

The hitters are really talented physically. When they get their pitches, they put on fireworks like no team has before. But they have no plan at the plate beyond "see ball, hit ball" or "look first-pitch fastball out over the plate". They get outsmarted as much as overpowered.

Also, they don't seem to have the mental fortitude for playoff baseball. When I see Harper at the plate, I see a tiger ready to pounce. When I see Mat Olson, I see a deer in headlights...

And Snit...the words "anticipation" or "contingency" are apparently not part of his vocabulary. The team desperately needs some fresh air and new ideas. And PLEASE look outside of the organization.
 
The Chosen One said:
I personally don't think Harper got offended by it. I think he's using it as ammunition to fuel his teammates and the Philly fans.

Phillies are not as talented as we are, and Harper knows that. But getting them rallied around something so stupid, and Philly fans will rally around things even stupider, is smart of him. It's not like he wasn't going to mash our pitching without Arcia's comment. This just rallies the base around him.
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It's kind of demoralizing really. We see how fired up they got and responded with 6 HR against us including two by Harper. Would love to see the Braves come out fired up tonight and show some signs of life.
 
The Chosen One said:
I personally don't think Harper got offended by it. I think he's using it as ammunition to fuel his teammates and the Philly fans.

Phillies are not as talented as we are, and Harper knows that. But getting them rallied around something so stupid, and Philly fans will rally around things even stupider, is smart of him. It's not like he wasn't going to mash our pitching without Arcia's comment. This just rallies the base around him.
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I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying this right now. They are kicking our ass and it's not just small sample size, postseason randomness. They have an edge that we don't. Acuña and Strider have some flair, but that's about it. I need someone on this team to show me something - someone to be like, "You know what, mother****er, here's something for you to get upset about."
 
bravesnumberone said:
I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying this right now. They are kicking our ass and it's not just small sample size, postseason randomness. They have an edge that we don't. Acuña and Strider have some flair, but that's about it. I need someone on this team to show me something - someone to be like, "You know what, mother****er, here's something for you to get upset about."
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I mean, that's just not who this team is. They carried themselves like professionals all season long, go about their business, and win games. There is no evidence that the most fired up teams wins games in the playoffs.
 
It’s absolutely crazy to me how badly the Braves have struggled to hit this series. They’re collected 10 hits last night and still only scored two. The best offense maybe ever is absolutely ****ting the bed, and it has almost nothing to do with Phillies’ pitching (sorry, but it’s true). It’s something else.
 
The Chosen One said:
I personally don't think Harper got offended by it. I think he's using it as ammunition to fuel his teammates and the Philly fans.

Phillies are not as talented as we are, and Harper knows that. But getting them rallied around something so stupid, and Philly fans will rally around things even stupider, is smart of him. It's not like he wasn't going to mash our pitching without Arcia's comment. This just rallies the base around him.
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Exactly. It’s perfectly fair game to use it as motivating ammunition, and I totally expected him to. That’s what great competitors do, perceive anything as a slight to get fired up about.

But, what gets me is the stare down. That tells me he either actually took it personally, which is stupid, or he’s playing up to the media and fans which is lame as hell. Acting like Arcia actually did anything wrong is ****ty behavior.

But, if that’s what it takes for them to rally, it seems to have worked. He said his team mates came up to him before the game and asked him what he was going to do about it. I wish our guys would manufacture some fire like that. But, I think Snitker’s pitching decisions had as much to do with that than anything.
 
NYCBrave said:
I mean, that's just not who this team is. They carried themselves like professionals all season long, go about their business, and win games. There is no evidence that the most fired up teams wins games in the playoffs.
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You’re right on the last part, but let’s not act like the Braves are a bunch of stiffs all year. They rubbed a lot of uptight white dudes the wrong way with their antics along the way.
 
We knew yesterday we were probably going to get beat before the game ever started. These next 2 we have not only our 2 best SP going but 2 of the best in the whole sport. I hope Strider is on and locates well. Maybe our guys will take offense to Harper staring down Arcia last night and do something about it. I doubt it but Strider who seems to have the most fire about him should call a team meeting and get in some asses and ask who is going to give him some run support tonight.
 
It really isn't even about tact. It's about having living brain cells in this case. And it wasn't the only egregious decision.

1. Not having the bullpen going as soon as Castellanos hit one deep.
2. Not making the change.
3. Not at the very least sending Kranitz out to the mound before the Harper AB started.
4. Letting him get behind 2-0 and then not just putting him on base and rolling the dice with Bohm.
5. Leaving him in for two more batters.
6. Bringing in Tonkin.

And I'm sure I'm leaving out a couple more somewhere in there. You could even say that the bullpen should have gotten going before the inning started and Hand should have been in to face Schwarber.

Nothing we can do about it now. Just hope for Strider to do his thing and the offense to show life. But based on how the whole thing went down last night, it's hard not to imagine the same thing will happen if its gets sideways on Strider in the third or fourth tonight.
 
Hudson2 said:
We knew yesterday we were probably going to get beat before the game ever started. These next 2 we have not only our 2 best SP going but 2 of the best in the whole sport. I hope Strider is on and locates well. Maybe our guys will take offense to Harper staring down Arcia last night and do something about it. I doubt it but Strider who seems to have the most fire about him should call a team meeting and get in some asses and ask who is going to give him some run support tonight.
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Yes, and for the second year in a row, not winning Game 1 is going to cost us the season. One of the most favorable pitching matchups ever at our home stadium on a Saturday night and we couldn't do the job. We are just incredibly fortunate that one Zach Wheeler slider didn't spin much, that Austin Riley is strong enough to get a pop-up over the wall, and that Michael Harris is a great defensive CF.
 
bravesnumberone said:
Yes, and for the second year in a row, not winning Game 1 is going to cost us the season. One of the most favorable pitching matchups ever at our home stadium on a Saturday night and we couldn't do the job. We are just incredibly fortunate that one Zach Wheeler slider didn't spin much, that Austin Riley is strong enough to get a pop-up over the wall, and that Michael Harris is a great defensive CF.
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Really feels like the writing was on the wall for this series once Morton went down with injury, and then Fried had to come back and pitch rusty after weeks of not starting. And of course the game 1 which was potentially a must win, our hitters had to show up after a 5 day break.
 
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