Game chat: Braves, Phillies play the second in ATL

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[The Perils of Thinking]

WP: My track record on getting him to listen me doesn't bode well for Nix...

[BAP from the tarmac at Atlanta Airport]

I mean, I wanna see Kratz in the lineup. But that wasn't the scenario I had in mind.

[curt]

I don't imagine Fontenot will be wasting many more ABs in AAA before he takes over at 2B.

[The Perils of Thinking]

*listen TO me

[curt]

Wonder if Doc remembers how to pitch with a nice lead.

[Fatalotti]

I said it before, and I maintain. Nix may not be a starting LF, because of his complete inability to hit LHP, but he absolutely brings value a team if used correctly, since he can hit RHP with power. He may never post a great OBP, but when he gets hits, a good amount go for extra bases. And he play a good LF.

Even with Mayberry struggling early this season, that's why I was so perplexed that Manuel decided that he would use Pierre against RHP instead of Nix, who was the clear choice.

[BAP from the tarmac at Atlanta Airport]

Someone really needs to talk to Galvis about not trying to hit a 3-run homer on every swing.

[curt]

Yes, he remembers.

[Iceman]

Hahahaha. Halladay just humiliated Pastornicky.

[bay_area_phan]

I keep changing my handle back to the usual one, and Beerleaguer keeps changing it back. Let's see if this works.

[Willard Preacher]

Sooner or later, a sub-Mendoza rally killer, with a low OBP to boot will have to be addressed...

[Lets eat]

Doc just struck out Pastrami er--- Pastornicky who did his 'Freddy Galvis swing out of the strike zone" impression.

[KoolEarl]

Okay peons, is the season still over and the Phils window shut? Most of you people make me want to puke.

[bay_area_phan]

Galvis entered the game with an OPS that was .22 points lower than Mini-Mart's, and it has gone down further. I don't care if he's the best defensive player in the history of baseball. No lineup can tolerate that -- especially since he's not even playing a premier defensive position.

[GBrettfan]

I don't think Polanco's dead yet. I had feared he was, but I was wrong. Good to see him hitting like he has been.

So, BAP, if Galvis' OPS is lower than MiniMart's, does that mean we should hope for MM's return to bump Galvis from the lineup? And into AAA, perhaps?

[The Perils of Thinking]

Polanco up to .278... like to see him keep it up for at least a couple of weeks...

[The Perils of Thinking]

Nice... drain that bullpen.

[NEPP]

Vic and Polly warming up is a good sign for our chances.

[Fatalotti]

GBrett, while Galvis's OPS may be lower than Mini-Mart's, his defense is vastly better. That being said, BAP is right.

I said it earlier this season, a player posting a ~.500 OPS better play supernatural defense to justify that kind of hitting. He'd have to stand right in front of the batter and then catch the ball right off the bat. That kind of hitting is nearly impossible to tolerate, especially on a team starved for on-base ability and power.

[NEPP]

3.2 IP for Hanson...ouch.

[NEPP]

Galvis has done about what we expected going into the season...and the team has survived. Hopefully they call up Fontenot until Utley is ready.

It was probably a great learning experience for Freddy if nothing else...and he got some nice suits out of it.

[GTown_Dave]

GBrettfan: No. Because Martinez's OPS still won't be high enough to make a difference, & his defense is an abomination. Thanks to a complete lack of planning on the part of r00b, 2B will remain an offensive black hole until Utley (or a player not currently on the roster) appears & begins to produce.

[johnnysanz3]

Some reverting to norms be happenin' up in her'

[bay_area_phan]

GBrett: I'd rather have Galvis. For one thing, the difference in defense is vast. For another, I think Galvis will ultimately hit better than Mini-Mart. Fontenot, however, is probably a better option than either one of them.

[GBrettfan]

Oh, I know Galvis' defense is better than MM's. It makes him fun to watch. And I liked rooting for the kid. But after his spate of hitting, he's cooled off considerably. And he was brought up earlier than intended due to Utley's injury, so it would make more sense for him to go to AAA.

It's just not easy to get excited about MM.

[NEPP]

Harper just missed a HR...by maybe 6 inches.

[MG]

Polanco with the Lazarus rise in his AVG this the past week.

[GTown_Dave]

b_a_p: I'm not sure we'll ever see Fontenot. r00b's comments on the guy have been far from complimentary. I believe he was acquired as a emergency measure should there be a rash of INF injuries. But now that he's on the road back to health, we're gonna get Martinezed. It's inevitable.

[gobaystars!]

Did his bat miss the ball by 6 inches or did the ball miss clearing the fence by 6 inches?

[Fatalotti]

But now that he's on the road back to health, we're gonna get Martinezed. It's inevitable.

Posted by: GTown_Dave | Wednesday, May 02, 2012 at 08:26 PM

You say these things, seemingly unaware of how much they hurt me and, presumably, everyone.

[GBrettfan]

David Hale ‏ @DavidHaleTNJ
RT @KevinMcAlpin: For his career, when given a 4 run lead, Roy Halladay is 107-0.

[GTown_Dave]

Halladay's career record w/ a 4 Run Lead is 107-0? So why don't they just call it now?

[SLO Phan]

Martinez has been dead to me since he went on the DL. I forgot about him and I am hoping the FO forgot about him too.

[nonamePHame]

i really don't want to jinx it....but 13-12 sounds really good through 25 games, given all of the injuries.

[NEPP]

Yeah because bringing up Mini Mart over Fontenot makes so much sense...right?

Still, I fullye expect that to happen.

On Harper, it was off the top of the wall basically.

[GTown_Dave]

Fatalotti: Trust me, it hurts me as much as anyone. Maybe even more.

[GBrettfan]

Another tweet - this one not impressive, but wryly amusing.

David Hale ‏ @DavidHaleTNJ
Big deal, Ryan Howard gets that & he's not even playing
RT @Buster_ESPN: Painting "The Scream" sells for $120 mill.

[bay_area_phan]

GTown: Well, Fontenot WAS terrible last year so RAJ's comments were accurate. However, he hit .284 with a .734 OPS the previous year and has decent career numbers. I can't fathom how anyone would think that Mini-Mart is a better option.

[NEPP]

Mini Mart was is a young up and coming prospect who Rube smartly nabbed in the Rule 5 draft.

How can he not be the better option?

[gobaystars!]

Look at all those .300 avgs in the lineup. Feels good.

[Fatalotti]

Did Wiggy's hit streak end?

[GTown_Dave]

b_a_p: Agreed. But I'm not the one who picked Martinez, kept him on the roster all last season & then proceeded to re-sign the guy despite his doing everything poorly. r00b is.

[bay_area_phan]

I thought "The Scream" was safely back in a Scandinavian museum after being stolen a few years ago.

[The Perils of Thinking]

Yes, but his OB streak is still kicking...

[Lets eat]

Nepp... Hope it's not against the Phils

[GTown_Dave]

Sheer speed.

[The Perils of Thinking]

CHOO!

[Fatalotti]

Give Wiggy the night off. He's gassed after that "trot" around the bases.

[Iceman]

Extra base hits! Two of them! In one game!

[NEPP]

Ty looks a little tired.

[Phlipper (Flipping through cable chanels from my Barcalounger, milk stout in hand, atop the Benny Frank)]

"Polanco up to .278... like to see him keep it up for at least a couple of weeks...
"

Sorry, but that is absolutely impossible. There have been thread after thread at BLer this season proclaiming with absolute certainty that Polly is washed up and useless. Injuries and small samples size were systematically disproven over and over again.

It is absolutely impossible for Polly to continue to hit above .217 - the fact that his average now with more ABs (and thus being more predictive for what will happen going forward) is higher is also not possible. We have temporarily slipped into an alternate universe and will soon return to the real world where Polly cannot possibly be anything other than completely washed up.

The BLers have spoken and it cannot be undone.

[The Perils of Thinking]

Braves announcers:

"Wiggington will head off to get some oxygen after that run."

"That was a long sprint for Shrek!"

[GTown_Dave]

Freddy doesn't like all of this Martinez talk.

[Iceman]

It's contagious!

[Mick O]

No lineup can tolerate Freddy Galvis!!

[GBrettfan]

Freddy with a double? I still want to keep him.

I'm unused to this offense. So glad we're beating the Braves for the 2nd game in a row! Feels good!

[donc]

Wiggy impressively multitasking. He not only scored a run there, he also delivered the refrigerator that the Braves ordered for the visitors clubhouse.

[Fatalotti]

Galvis heard us talking about the imminent return of Mini-Mart. For the sake of us fans...no, for the sake of baseball itself, and maybe all of physical reality, he hit that double, just to ward off the possibility of Mini-Mart returning to the team.

[The Perils of Thinking]

Phlipper, it's one thing when you do the schtick when Jack or G'Town is pissing all over someone unnecessarily, but why drive it into the ground on every innocuous post?

[nonamePHame]

OK. I am 100% confident the phillies will go to sleep over .500 tonight. Going for the sweep tmr!

[bay_area_phan]

Philipper: Perhaps you might wait until his OPS is above .600 before you gloat.

Galvis! (that ought to put him back above Mini-Mart)

[GTown_Dave]

GBrettFan: word. No matter what the season or situation, beating Atlanta always seems to feel pretty damn good.

[Lets eat]

Tbag is on top of game

[gobaystars!]

Doesn't that 6th run activate some kind of Jimmy John's promo for tomorrow?

[NEPP]

Galvis has 5 doubles in 75 ABs this year.
Mini Mart had 5 doubles in 209 ABs last year.

[gobaystars!]

or papa john's or some other food that I don't eat.

[donc]

TBag may lack ability but he sure is stupid.

[Phlipper (Flipping through cable chanels from my Barcalounger, milk stout in hand, atop the Benny Frank)]

BTW - I would also like to point out two more things that seem to be true but have been proven by BLer geniuses to be impossible.

First of all, the recent offensive improvement by the Phils is absolutely impossible. We were told over and over at BLer that the horrible start was not just a matter of sample size, but certain reflection of an absolute fact.

Secondly, it may seem like the Phils are about to win two games straight against the Braves, but that is not possible. The Phils performed badly against weaker teams, and we were told by Blers that that wasn't possibly just a product of small sample size or the result of a temporary slump. We were told in absolute terms that if the Phils couldn't beat bad teams, they would get crushed by teams like the Braves.

Brace yourselves. We will soon be returned from this alternate universe, and you will see that in the real world, the Phils cannot beat the Braves and Polly is actually still hitting .217.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

[Fatalotti]

I love when people chide you for placing emphasis on a small sample size (how 3 years of an OPS+ of 90, and 3 years in a row of having nagging injures is a small sample size is beyond me.)

But then to hear the same posters chirp after said player has a good week (literally 6 games ago, Polly had a .196 BA) is just dumbfounding.

I guess ridiculously small sample size is more important than 3 year trend.

[gobaystars!]

Doc! Get it together!

[Jack]

Sorry, I've been too busy watching the Nats game while wearing my Hanley Ramirez Marlins jersey. How are the Braves doing?!?!? Are they beating that worthless scrub Roy Halladay?

[GTown_Dave]

TPoT: It should be noted that my pissing, while freq. more necessary than you might realize, is also most often mercifully brief. I leave the sneeringly self-congratulatory multiple paragraph essays to other posters.

donc: Post of the Thread.

[Iceman]

The only question is whether Doc will get the double play here and concede the run, or get a pop up/K and the double play in the next AB to exit the inning unscathed.

[GBrettfan]

Did LA just say that was only Doc's 50th pitch?

Of course, the Braves are hitting him this inning.

But happily, we have 6 R on the board.

And then there's that wonderful 107-0 stat when spotted 4 runs.

[gobaystars!]

Everyone makes the same sample size arguments and everyone uses statistics how ever they please. The only real division among posters is the optimists v the pessimists.

[Iceman]

Well, there's the pop up.

[Fatalotti]

Iceman, I'm liking your latter option more and more now.

[The Perils of Thinking]

G'Town: In addition to brevity, you're also funny, which everyone appreciates whether you have a point or not - in stark contrast to the essay writers.

[Phlipper (Flipping through cable chanels from my Barcalounger, milk stout in hand, atop the Benny Frank)]

Fata - you really don't get it, do you?

Polly's current BA is the product of the entire year's sample size.

Which is a larger sample size than the one you were using to base your hand-wringing and whining earlier in the year.

Thus - his current BA is more predictive.

But don't let that get in the way of your constant bellyaching. Nothing else ever does.

[Iceman]

Ehh crap. Bourn is a friggin' pest.

[Jack]

Hey, anytime you can say "I told you so" with a hitter sporting a .637 OPS, you just have to do it.

[GTown_Dave]

C'mon, Roy. Don't mess around w/ the coolest stat I've seen all week. Just toss a double play ball & get some Gatorade.

[Iceman]

Unreal. Freaking swinging bunt.

Don't let this get stupid Doc.

[GBrettfan]

Polly did the best he could with that.

[donc]

I agree with Perils. Eventually I will hang myself after one of GTown's posts. But I will be laughing heartily when I upset the chair.

[Fatalotti]

Phlipper, 3 year OPS+ of 90.

That's the basis of my prediction.

Continually declinging SLG and ISO over the last 5 years.

It's alright, there's probably some post hoc rationalization that explains all that away, and the Polly of 2005-2008 will show up again, and sustain over the entire season.

Look, we all get it. Nothing phases you. You never worry about the team, or any aspect of it. I do hope you know it's fine to be a fan in a different way than you are.

[bay_area_phan]

Well, this sucks.

[NEPP]

Come on damnit.

[gobaystars!]

Polanco looked cooked on that play. He should join Thome on the DL/retired list.

[The Perils of Thinking]

donc: New Post of the Thread.

[Phlipper (Flipping through cable chanels from my Barcalounger, milk stout in hand, atop the Benny Frank)]

Is it too late to withdraw that comment about being able to beat the Braves?

[Lets eat]

5 hits..

That Tomahawk chop is old and racist!

[Fatalotti]

Jack, I just have to remember, so long as Galvis is in the lineup, we have a chance to win every game. The guy just gets really, really, really valuable hits, however infrequent those hits may be.

[NEPP]

Okay...1 out to go.

[Lets eat]

Hope we can get past Ugg...

[The Perils of Thinking]

Who's angrier right now - Freeman or Halladay?

[Lets eat]

My bad mccan

[Iceman]

I will not breathe until this McCann AB is over.

[Fatalotti]

Doc is always the angriest guy on the field when he's pitching. Even in the middle of a perfect game, there were probably a couple called balls that probably had him fuming.

[Jack]

Fata: He got his 6th RBI tonight. 6! I haven't done the math, but I think he's at least close to Hack Wilson's pace the year he drove in 190. Can someone confirm that?