Walk-Off Win: Troy Glaus Is For Real

Written by Jonathan on June 19, 2010 – 11:56 pm

Before I start, I’ll admit that I was one of those people that was calling for the head of Troy Glaus when April ended.  I’ve made my apologies about that and everyone else should do the same.  Go ahead.  Admit it.  I won’t judge you.  You probably talked bad about Glaus six weeks ago as well.

Anyhow, Glaus’s walk-off homer to beat the Royals continues an impressive two months of play.  Since May 1st, Glaus has 46 RBI, placing him atop that category in the NL.  The next closest?  37 for David Wright.  All of this after having only 9 RBI in the entire month of April.  With his 55 total RBI now however, Glaus finds himself leading the NL in RBI and only a couple shy of leading MLB as a whole.

So yes, we all wanted rid of Glaus after he batted .194 in the month of April, but he has really come on to prove his worth.  His average is now up to .281 and continues to rise.  If he continues at the pace he’s going (including the 12 homers he’s hit since May 1st) we’ll be more than happy to have him around.

On a random sidenote, tonight’s walk-off win was the 13th final at-bat victory for a Braves player on the season (7 are walk-offs as indicated by the asterisks) and in case you’re keeping track, the tally is as follows:

  1. Jason Heyward x3 (4/18*, 5/19*, 5/30)
  2. Brooks Conrad x2 (5/20*, 6/12)
  3. Chipper Jones (4/7)
  4. Nate McLouth (4/20*)
  5. Matt Diaz (5/5)
  6. Martin Prado (5/14*)
  7. Melky Cabrera (5/18*)
  8. Omar Infante (6/2)
  9. Brian McCann (6/10) – 4 runs total scored in the inning; McCann had the go-ahead hit.
  10. Troy Glaus (6/19*)

I like that the Braves are scoring runs late in the game, but I’d be a lot happier if we’d start plating more of the runners that we get on base in the earlier innings.


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Escobar, Braves Walk Off

Written by Colin on June 3, 2008 – 12:07 am

Yunel Escobar picked the right time to swing at a 3-0 pitch. With 13 career plate appearances and 13 career walks on a 3-0 count, Yunel Escobar stood at the plate in the bottom of the 10th in a tie game tonight with a 3-0 count and jacked the ball deep to center. As the Marlins center fielder slammed into the wall, Escobar’s ball bounced off the top of the wall before clearing it. The Braves won 7-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, Jeff Francoeur scooted home on a wild pitch to tie the game 5-5, saving John Smoltz from getting the loss in his first appearance since coming back from the disabled list. A couple of misplayed balls by Omar Infante (including a crucial ball that just bounced off his glove) not just cost the Braves the lead but put the Marlins ahead 5-4. Smoltz gave up a couple hits but was hitting 95 with his fastball and around 85 with his change. His arm slot is interesting to watch.

Mark Teixeira and Jeff Francoeur both added solo shots and Jo-Jo Reyes pitched into the 7th inning for his second straight start.  The game saw several lead changes early, with the Marlins holding close early.  Escobar had played hero earlier in the night too with a clutch single in the eighth to give the Braves a 4-3 lead with two outs.

Great to see the Braves back at home and winning close games.  We need these if we’re going to be horrible on the road.  More baseball tomorrow night from the Ted.

Tidbits for conversation:

  • Why is Greg Norton starting in left field?
  • Do you think Smoltzie’s issues tonight were a sign of more to come, or an abnormality?

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Posted in Game Analysis | 12 Comments »

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