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Braves Regular Season
- Thread starter stinger78
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LargeFO
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Perhaps nobody. But, i guess as a fan, trying to shake it up somehow at least sends me the message that you’re not asleep at the wheel. We’ve just seemed to be on aloof auto-pilot this whole season.
stinger78
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This is my opinion as well. The injuries have taken their toll and those left over are having a collective slump season. You cannot win that way.Too many injuries, too many healthy guys having crapseasons, too many guys who should be in the minor leagues.
I also have another theory. The fire in the belly that characterized the Braves teams between 2018 and 2023 is gone. It appears that most of the core young players promoted during that span have grown rather complacent, the ones added did not experience what those young guys dug out of and don’t have that heart, and some key older players have just aged out.
Success and time eventually defeat even the best of teams. It may indeed be 2014 again. They’re still relatively young. Perhaps this season will serve as a catalyst and light the fire again for next season.
I mean, they're having an objectively terrible season but are still basically the #1 wildcard team. They're not playing well but the season is far from over.
This isn't some existential moment or turning point of anything. Even if they come back with the same ol' roster next year, they have an argument for being the most talented roster in baseball.
I'm not saying not to be pissed about how the season is going. Just saying this is probably just a blip of a season that could still rightfully be turned around.
Thwg777
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I’ll admit that probably sounds ranty… I feel like baseball season is becoming what an NBA game feels like - only Sept / Oct matter in MLB just like the 4th quarter matters in NBA.
I miss the days where just four teams make the post season. The season is incredibly long and we continue to shift to an era where nearly half the teams get an MLB post season participation trophy.
I’m obviously salty about how the 2023 playoffs turned out, but the Braves weren’t alone as 3 of the 4 top seeds fell in the divisional round. Time will tell if it’s a disadvantage to be good in the regular season.
Since there’s likely no going back to reducing post season sizing, hopefully the regular season shortens. It seems it’s too saturated and this could bring more relevance the regular season.
I miss the days where just four teams make the post season. The season is incredibly long and we continue to shift to an era where nearly half the teams get an MLB post season participation trophy.
I’m obviously salty about how the 2023 playoffs turned out, but the Braves weren’t alone as 3 of the 4 top seeds fell in the divisional round. Time will tell if it’s a disadvantage to be good in the regular season.
Since there’s likely no going back to reducing post season sizing, hopefully the regular season shortens. It seems it’s too saturated and this could bring more relevance the regular season.
I do find it funny how NFL and MLB fans used to scoff at how many NBA teams made the playoffs. But now both sports are falling all over themselves to do the same thing.
Agree the regular season has been cheapened. Oh well ...
stinger78
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Could be. We’ll have to wait and see.
Maybe it’s that they’re older and less enthusiastic in general, but I don’t see the fire in this bunch. They are also mostly 3-5 years into very large contracts and have growing families. They’re not the bunch of 22 year-old rookies playing for their first contract and championship that they were back in 2021.
The only fires I see are Sale and maybe Lopez. Harris, Acuna, and Albies are all injured. That’s the core of the Braves’ “fireplace.”
Techwood Relict
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It's been a little while....
stinger78
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WooHoo! Braves win behind a Schwellenbach, TX 4-0 goose egg!It's been a little while....
Spanked the Mets again, but on the negative side Lopez left the game after only three innings.
The dreaded forearm tightness.
stinger78
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They’re gripping the balls it too tightly. All that max velocity junk. Speed is not everything.The dreaded forearm tightness.
You'd think guys would learn by now. But I guess the money's too enticing. Teams don't incentivize tamping down the velocity in favor of more control. They seem to prefer just finding the next guy that can top 100. Cast the injured guy aside.
gtbeak
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Yeah, as one of the pitchers said in a recent interview, WTTE "I can back it off a little to save wear on my arm, but the result would be that I would be using my arm to swing a hammer and hang drywall, not throwing a baseball".
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... Ask Greg Maddox about that for those with any doubt about its veracity.
stinger78
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Maddux threw the ball hard to get the movement he needed, but it wasn’t max velocity every pitch.
Golden Tornadoes
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Lopez is also blowing past his previous IP from years past. Can't forget we stretched him out from a reliever to a starter. When I saw how many innings he had thrown during the All-Star break, I worried that might flame out during the second half.Spanked the Mets again, but on the negative side Lopez left the game after only three innings.
forensicbuzz
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If everyone could locate their pitches and have them move like Maddox, then 90/91 would probably be sufficient. Glavine did the same thing. They could muscle up to 92/93, but it tended to straighten out their pitch and made it more hittable.
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Me at work waiting on AA to trade for somebody.....
