Loading ...
Braves Rally, Can’t Beat ‘Stros
Written by Colin on March 19, 2008 – 11:55 pmJo-Jo Reyes started for the Braves today hoping to overcome some recent struggles. Unfortunately for Reyes and the Braves, he pitched four innings and gave up five runs, six hits, and walked four. The Braves scored five runs in the 8th, thanks to two errors by the Astros, but gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth to seal the loss.
Rafael Soriano, a more key part of the pitching staff than Reyes, gave up two runs in the sixth inning on a two run homer. We’ll hope he can pull his stuff together as the preseason wraps up here soon – we need him to be lights out in the bullpen to have a strong relief staff.
Offensively, Gregor Blanco went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Yunel Escobar went 1-3 with a run scored as his preseason batting average is now at .462. Anderson, Diaz, and Schafer also added an RBI. Schafer came in as a pinch runner, scored two runs, and went 1-1. Diaz was 1-1 as well, continuing his strong preseason. A five run eighth tied the Braves for the lead, but Buddy Carlyle got the loss after hitting a batter and facing five batters in the bottom of the eighth.
Whether or not Reyes remains with the team through the second round of cuts (planned for Friday) is yet to be seen. I’d guess he gets cut as he’s going to start the season at AAA Richmond.
Next up, Tim Hudson gets the start tomorrow night against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers at 7:05pm.
Tags: Buddy Carlyle, Gregor Blanco, Jo-Jo Reyes, Matt Diaz, Preseason, Rafael Soriano
Posted in Game Analysis | 12 Comments »
By Jonathan on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Oh Jo-Jo, I think it’s about time to pack the bags and get ready to head to Richmond. I believe that’s 11 runs and 11 walks in 10 innings of preseason work now. To me, that’s just not going to cut it in Atlanta right now and he really needs to work on his pitching before being ready to the majors. Especially focusing on getting ahead of batters in the count.
Blanco continues to impress me and I think we’ll see him with a chance to earn a spot on the roster. He’s been brewing around in the minors for the past couple of seasons now and I think it’s about time for him to have the chance to prove himself.
I still maintain that Buddy Carlyle didn’t deserve the loss for tonight’s game. I think this one should retroactively be awarded to Jo-Jo.
By Colin on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
You won’t find much love for Jo-Jo from me either. He’s got raw talent but it isn’t honed to the point where he can pitch consistently at a big league level.
That said, he can pitch consistently – he consistently gives up runs. He can’t pitch WELL consistently.
By JB in ATL on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Even the runs and dingers I could endure more easily in Spring Training work if it weren’t for the walks.
For me, walks are the biggest indicator a pitcher has something not working for him. I lot of runs, and homers, can accrue from “mistakes” or being too aggressive, but 11 walks in 10 innings is enough to make me believe Jo-Jo’s will be in Richmond in April.
I’m really interested in seeing how Jair pitches in his next start now.
JB in ATL
http://bravesblog.net
By Smitty on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
Jo-Jo, in the immortal words of George Burns, “Say goodnight, Gracie.”
And it seems like Blanco has been the most pleasant surprise of spring training. That, and the fact Hampton hasn’t shattered his jaw by brushing his teeth or wound up on the DL by eating ice cream.
Smitty
By Jonathan on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I agree. At this point, I think it’s Jair’s spot to lose for the bottom of the rotation. It’s inevitable that injury will strike the rotation this season (let’s hope not too often) so I look to Jurrjens to help provide the depth we need to make it through the season.
By Rue Grant on Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I believe that one, Rue Grant, mentioned in JANUARY that she’d rather not see JoJo pitch ever again. That statement still stands. i’m not surprised, i’m not impressed, and if you want to do the “over-rated” chant, please, let’s commence.
By Jonathan on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Oh Jo-Jo, I think it's about time to pack the bags and get ready to head to Richmond. I believe that's 11 runs and 11 walks in 10 innings of preseason work now. To me, that's just not going to cut it in Atlanta right now and he really needs to work on his pitching before being ready to the majors. Especially focusing on getting ahead of batters in the count.
Blanco continues to impress me and I think we'll see him with a chance to earn a spot on the roster. He's been brewing around in the minors for the past couple of seasons now and I think it's about time for him to have the chance to prove himself.
I still maintain that Buddy Carlyle didn't deserve the loss for tonight's game. I think this one should retroactively be awarded to Jo-Jo.
By Colin on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
You won't find much love for Jo-Jo from me either. He's got raw talent but it isn't honed to the point where he can pitch consistently at a big league level.
That said, he can pitch consistently – he consistently gives up runs. He can't pitch WELL consistently.
By JB in ATL on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Even the runs and dingers I could endure more easily in Spring Training work if it weren't for the walks.
For me, walks are the biggest indicator a pitcher has something not working for him. I lot of runs, and homers, can accrue from "mistakes" or being too aggressive, but 11 walks in 10 innings is enough to make me believe Jo-Jo's will be in Richmond in April.
I'm really interested in seeing how Jair pitches in his next start now.
JB in ATL
http://bravesblog.net
By Smitty on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Jo-Jo, in the immortal words of George Burns, "Say goodnight, Gracie."
And it seems like Blanco has been the most pleasant surprise of spring training. That, and the fact Hampton hasn't shattered his jaw by brushing his teeth or wound up on the DL by eating ice cream.
Smitty
By Jonathan on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I agree. At this point, I think it's Jair's spot to lose for the bottom of the rotation. It's inevitable that injury will strike the rotation this season (let's hope not too often) so I look to Jurrjens to help provide the depth we need to make it through the season.
By Rue Grant on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I believe that one, Rue Grant, mentioned in JANUARY that she'd rather not see JoJo pitch ever again. That statement still stands. i'm not surprised, i'm not impressed, and if you want to do the "over-rated" chant, please, let's commence.