Andy G.
08-08-2010, 03:28 AM
How do you think the Braves will finish in the standings? Before voting (if you didn't already), here's just a few things to consider.
As of this moment, the Braves are a half game behind the Padres for the best record in the National League. We have a two game lead over the Phillies in the East, and we are a half a game better than the current Wild Card Leader. That team happens to be San Francisco. We will finish our four game series with them today. This could turn out to be a big game if we were to lose our lead to the Phillies. The Reds lead the Central. They have the same record as the Wild Card leading Giants, and the Cardinals are a game and half behind them.
The Braves have evolved over the course of the past few months. From being one of the worst teams in baseball, then posting the best record for a stretch spanning about two months of the season, and now they are a team with a somewhat new identity.
The pitching staff has finally become what we envisioned it being at the beginning of the year. Much has been made about Tommy Hanson's sophomore slump, but this guy is doing his best to end that talk all together.
Hanson has allowed more than two earned runs just once in his past seven starts, and that was when he surrendered three earned runs to the Brewers on July 16th. Actually, in seventeen of the twenty-three starts he's made this year, he has given up two earned runs or less. His ERA for the season is 3.69, down from his season-high 4.50 at the end of June. His WHIP is good at 1.28. He's striking batters out at an excellent rate (his K/9 is 8.73), and his FIP is very good at 3.13 (this is "Fielding Independent Pitching", an interesting statistic that gives a number that represents what his ERA should look like based only on the things that the pitcher can control, essentially taking defense and luck out of the equation).
Hanson has two starts this year where he threw a total of five innings and allowed 17 earned runs. I don't have to show you what his stats would look like without those starts for you to know this averages on the season are drastically skewed by those outings. For the most part, Hanson has been really good this year, and the results have been excellent as of late.
As for the rotation as a whole, we are very fortunate to have a top three as talented as Hudson, Jurrjens, Hanson. Not that I'm crying over lack of respect, but this is the most underrated trio of starting pitchers in major league baseball in my opinion. With a healthy Jurrjens and a more consistent Hanson, the Braves' Starters ERA has improved to 3.75, which is fourth in the National League. The pitching staff as a whole ranks fourth in ERA as well. The bullpen, which has been the biggest key to our success alongside the improved plate discipline by our hitters, has a 3.10 ERA, which is second in the NL.
Our offense, which is obviously not on par with our pitching staff, rank seventh in the National League in runs scored. Though we are tied for first in the league with a .341 OBP, we are tenth in SLG at .399.
I would, however, like to direct your attention to our most accomplished hitter. Chipper Jones, despite my predictions that he would post a .900 OPS on the season, has been little more than a solid contributor with the bat this year. He hasn't been a cornerstone type hitter, but he has done his part, though his responsibility is obviously to do more than that.
With that said, in twenty-one games since the All Star Break, Chipper has posted an OPS of .890. He has three homeruns and two doubles in his past six games. His batting average since the break is .290.
The other guy that is finally hitting like we all know he is capable of hitting is Brian McCann. In July, McCann posted a .942 OPS. Since the All Star break, his OPS is .940. He's hit five homeruns since the All Star break.
As we come down the stretch, trying to nail down a playoff spot whether it be as Division Champions or Wild Card Winners, we will probably need these two guys to continue their recent success. Troy Glaus might catch fire again, just as he did in May, but then again he might not. The good thing is that our pitching staff, which has become stronger with the addition of Kyle Farnsworth and will get another boost when Eric O'Flaherty is recovered, will keep us in the game and give our offense a chance to win it.
The better thing is that we are in first place. We don't need any help, as of right now, to get that playoff spot. The Braves have the depth in the lineup and the pitching staff to continue winning. I personally believe that the recent slump that we've endured is just that, a slump. I like the way our team is put together, and I believe we have enough talent to stand up against the Phillies as they attempt to take over first place down the stretch.
As of this moment, the Braves are a half game behind the Padres for the best record in the National League. We have a two game lead over the Phillies in the East, and we are a half a game better than the current Wild Card Leader. That team happens to be San Francisco. We will finish our four game series with them today. This could turn out to be a big game if we were to lose our lead to the Phillies. The Reds lead the Central. They have the same record as the Wild Card leading Giants, and the Cardinals are a game and half behind them.
The Braves have evolved over the course of the past few months. From being one of the worst teams in baseball, then posting the best record for a stretch spanning about two months of the season, and now they are a team with a somewhat new identity.
The pitching staff has finally become what we envisioned it being at the beginning of the year. Much has been made about Tommy Hanson's sophomore slump, but this guy is doing his best to end that talk all together.
Hanson has allowed more than two earned runs just once in his past seven starts, and that was when he surrendered three earned runs to the Brewers on July 16th. Actually, in seventeen of the twenty-three starts he's made this year, he has given up two earned runs or less. His ERA for the season is 3.69, down from his season-high 4.50 at the end of June. His WHIP is good at 1.28. He's striking batters out at an excellent rate (his K/9 is 8.73), and his FIP is very good at 3.13 (this is "Fielding Independent Pitching", an interesting statistic that gives a number that represents what his ERA should look like based only on the things that the pitcher can control, essentially taking defense and luck out of the equation).
Hanson has two starts this year where he threw a total of five innings and allowed 17 earned runs. I don't have to show you what his stats would look like without those starts for you to know this averages on the season are drastically skewed by those outings. For the most part, Hanson has been really good this year, and the results have been excellent as of late.
As for the rotation as a whole, we are very fortunate to have a top three as talented as Hudson, Jurrjens, Hanson. Not that I'm crying over lack of respect, but this is the most underrated trio of starting pitchers in major league baseball in my opinion. With a healthy Jurrjens and a more consistent Hanson, the Braves' Starters ERA has improved to 3.75, which is fourth in the National League. The pitching staff as a whole ranks fourth in ERA as well. The bullpen, which has been the biggest key to our success alongside the improved plate discipline by our hitters, has a 3.10 ERA, which is second in the NL.
Our offense, which is obviously not on par with our pitching staff, rank seventh in the National League in runs scored. Though we are tied for first in the league with a .341 OBP, we are tenth in SLG at .399.
I would, however, like to direct your attention to our most accomplished hitter. Chipper Jones, despite my predictions that he would post a .900 OPS on the season, has been little more than a solid contributor with the bat this year. He hasn't been a cornerstone type hitter, but he has done his part, though his responsibility is obviously to do more than that.
With that said, in twenty-one games since the All Star Break, Chipper has posted an OPS of .890. He has three homeruns and two doubles in his past six games. His batting average since the break is .290.
The other guy that is finally hitting like we all know he is capable of hitting is Brian McCann. In July, McCann posted a .942 OPS. Since the All Star break, his OPS is .940. He's hit five homeruns since the All Star break.
As we come down the stretch, trying to nail down a playoff spot whether it be as Division Champions or Wild Card Winners, we will probably need these two guys to continue their recent success. Troy Glaus might catch fire again, just as he did in May, but then again he might not. The good thing is that our pitching staff, which has become stronger with the addition of Kyle Farnsworth and will get another boost when Eric O'Flaherty is recovered, will keep us in the game and give our offense a chance to win it.
The better thing is that we are in first place. We don't need any help, as of right now, to get that playoff spot. The Braves have the depth in the lineup and the pitching staff to continue winning. I personally believe that the recent slump that we've endured is just that, a slump. I like the way our team is put together, and I believe we have enough talent to stand up against the Phillies as they attempt to take over first place down the stretch.