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David Hale had the best start of his career, Andrelton Simmons, William Beckwith, and a host of Danville hitters extended their hitting streaks, Tyler Pastornicky made his AAA debut, and Chris Bullard had the best game of his short career.

Gwinnett Braves 5, Louisville Bats 7, 10 innings

Jose Constanza LF 2-5, RBI, .321 AVG
Matt Young CF 2-5, SB (12), .286 AVG
Stefan Gartrell RF 1-5, HR (21), RBI, E (2), .264 AVG
Mauro Gomez 1B 1-4, HR (16), RBI, .279 AVG
Brandon Hicks 3B 3-4, .271 AVG
Tyler Pastornicky SS 1-4, E (1), .250 AVG
Cristhian Martinez 5 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 11 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 2.86 ERA
Dustin Richardson 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.60 ERA
Tyler Pastornicky made his AAA debut, collecting a single in 4 at bats and committing a throwing error. Stefan Gartrell followed up his 2 homer day yesterday with another homer today. Mauro Gomez also homered, though this month has been rough for him, as he's hit just .214 with a .689 OPS. Jose Constanza had a pair of singles, extending his hitting streak to 5 games, and he's gone 7-19 in that span. Constanza's been a single machine this year, as 95 of his 100 hits on the year have been one-baggers. Cristhian Martinez had his first poor start for Gwinnett, allowing 11 hits over 5 innings. He'd only allowed 15 hits in his previous 3 starts.

Erik Cordier will start for Gwinnett Wednesday.

Mississippi Braves - Off

The team heads to Jacksonville tomorrow, where Randall Delgado will get the start.

Lynchburg Hillcats 0, Potomac Nationals 1

Andrelton Simmons SS 2-3, 3B, BB, SB (13), .306 AVG
Christian Bethancourt C 2-4, 2B, .242 AVG
David Hale 8 IP, 1 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 4.06 ERA
David Hale took the complete game loss, pitching his longest outing of his career, and the best outing of his career, allowing just 1 run over 8 innings, walking none and striking out 3. Hale has flourished since moving into the rotation, with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 22 innings over 4 starts. Andrelton Simmons reached base 3 times, extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and over that span he's hit .366 with a .908 OPS. He's really excelled in day games this year, hitting .432 with a .992 OPS. Christian Bethancourt had a 2 hit day, and he seems to be getting a handle on High A, hitting .320 with a .720 OPS in his last 7 games.

Zeke Spruill will pitch the series finale against the P-Nats.

Rome Braves - Off

Rome begins a homestand on Wednesday, with Willie Kempf set to take the mound against the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Danville Braves 10, Pulaski Mariners 2

Kyle Kubitza DH 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (5), .282 AVG
Brandon Drury 3B 2-5, 2 RBI, .356 AVG
William Beckwith 1B 1-5, 3 RBI, .314 AVG
Chase Larsson LF-CF 2-5, 2B, .233 AVG
Ryan Query C 2-5, 2B, RBI, .300 AVG
Kurt Fleming CF 2-3, 2B, SB (6), .227 AVG
JR Graham 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K, W (1), 1.50 ERA
Adam Holland 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
Dan Jurik 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 1.93 ERA
William Beckwith singled, extending his hitting streak to 7 games. He also drove in 3 runs, and he's driven in 12 in his last 4 games. Brandon Drury had a pair of singles, and he has his own 4 game hitting streak, going 9-20 with a double, a homer, and 6 RBI in that span. Kyle Kubitza also has a 4 game hitting streak, going 7-16 with 3 RBI and 6 walks in that span. Chase Larsson is getting it going a little bit, with his second straight 2 hit game, and he's 5-12 with 3 walks in his last 3 games. JR Graham's second start was even better than his first, as he allowed 2 run, only 1 earned, over 5.2 innings. For the year, the 21 year old, who was the Braves' 4 round pick this year, has a 1.50 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 18 innings. Dan Jurik has pitched for Danville, Rome, and Lynchburg this year, and he's done well for all of them, combining for a 3.27 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in 44 innings over 20 games.

GCL Braves 7, GCL Pirates 8

Aris Alcantra 1B-RF 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, SB (3), .256 AVG
Chris Bullard LF 3-4, 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI, BB, .304 AVG
Rafael Briceno 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 4.91 ERA
Brett Butts 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 5.40 ERA
Chris Bullard had the best day of his short career, hitting his first professional home run and driving in 4 runs. The 21 year old, who was the Braves' 34 round pick this year, has a .304 average and a .789 OPS in 69 at bats this season. Aris Alcantra rapped out a pair of doubles, and the 21 year old Dominican is hitting .316 with a .790 OPS in his last 10 games. Rafael Briceno had a nice start, allowing just 1 run over 5 innings, striking out 4. For the year, he has a 4.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP, which isn't that impressive, but his 9.5 K/9 rate this year is. Brett Butts took a big step in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, pitching on consecutive days for the first time.

DSL Braves 1, DSL Angels 2

Daniel Castro 2B 2-4, .219 AVG
Jose Peraza SS 2-4, SB (20), .262 AVG
Michael Flores 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K, 3.97 ERA
Abraham Espinosa 4 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 2.21 ERA
Michael Flores had his best start of the year, allowing just 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 8. For the year, the 18 year old Dominican is averaging 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Abraham Espinosa was solid in relief, allowing 1 run over 4 innings while striking out 5. The 18 year old Panamanian has a 2.21 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 40.2 innings this year. Jose Peraza stole his 20th base of the season, and extended his hitting streak to 4 games. The 17 year old Venezuelan is 7-17 during the modest streak.

Quote (Wydz @ Jul 20 2011 01:10am)

nice team today Ewok/Austin

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Okay, so all hitters live and die by the count. No one is going to be surprised when I tell them that the Braves' hitters do much better after reaching a 2-0 count than they do after reaching an 0-2 count. But perhaps these facts will surprise you:

The Braves have hit .306 / .526 / .589 in 580 PAs after getting to a 2-0 count this year. That 1.115 OPS is the best mark in MLB. The MLB averages after a 2-0 count are .285 / .506 / .473 (.979 OPS).
On the other hand, the Braves have hit only .132 / .163 / .180 in 686 PAs after getting to an 0-2 count. That .343 OPS is the worst in MLB. The MLB averages after an 0-2 count are .168 / .196 / .247 (.444 OPS).
When they get ahead in the count 2-0, the Braves have perhaps the best offense in baseball. When they get behind in the count 0-2, they have perhaps the worst offense in baseball. They're in the middle of the pack after a 1-1 count as well as when they put the ball in play on one of the first two pitches.

So it seems to be particularly important for Braves hitters to get ahead in the count, even more so than it is for other teams. Why is this? I have some theories, but they'll have to wait for another post.

So which Braves hitters have been best at getting to these advantageous 2-0 counts, and which have been worst at avoiding harmful 0-2 counts? The answer is after the jump.



The chart below shows the count breakdown for each of the Braves' 10 most-used hitters. It shows the number and percentage of 2-0 counts, the number and percentage of 0-2 counts, and the ratio of 2-0 counts to 0-2 counts. For this ratio, higher is better (more 2-0 counts). The league averages for are in the last row of the table.

Player PA 2-0% 2-0 PA 0-2% 0-2 PA 2-0 to 0-2 Ratio
Nate McLouth 283 21% 59 14% 40 1.48
Brian McCann 349 19% 67 14% 49 1.37
Chipper Jones 329 16% 53 13% 42 1.26
Eric Hinske 183 25% 45 21% 38 1.18
Jason Heyward 273 18% 49 16% 43 1.13
Freddie Freeman 375 16% 60 18% 68 0.88
Dan Uggla 397 15% 58 17% 69 0.84
Martin Prado 304 15% 46 20% 61 0.75
Jordan Schafer 210 13% 28 22% 47 0.60
Alex Gonzalez 376 11% 43 23% 86 0.50
MLB Averages
14%
19%
0.77
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/20/2011.
As you can see, many Braves players have done an excellent job of working the count to their favor, led by Nate McLouth, who has been much better than Braves fans have given him credit for. In fact, 7 of the 10 regulars have above average ratios, and Prado's ratio is just slightly below average. Even Dan Uggla, who has struggled mightily in other areas, has good marks here.

The players who are holding the Braves back with their poor approaches are pretty clear: Jordan Schafer and Alex Gonzalez. They are the only two to see fewer 2-0 counts than average and also have the two highest proportions of 0-2 counts. Gonzalez's 0.50 ratio is likely one of the lowest in baseball among regular players.

Gonzalez and Schafer also have particularly terrible numbers after reaching an 0-2 count: a .199 OPS for Sea Bass and a .236 OPS for Schafer. (Remember, the average OPS in that spot is .444.) These troubles may be just a small-sample-size fluke, but they have only aggravated the plate discipline problems.

Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward also have awful numbers in this split (.220 OPS for Chipper, .163 for Heyward), but at least they don't get into that situation nearly as often. Both of these guys also have excelled after getting ahead 2-0 (1.337 OPS for Chipper, 1.343 OPS for Heyward), something they do quite often.

I'd love to see the Braves bring in players with better plate discipline to take away some of Schafer's and Gonzalez's at-bats. I don't necessarily want to replace them altogether--both players have substantial defensive value--but it would be nice to at least have viable offensive alternatives. Right now, it is highly doubtful that their defensive prowess is making up for their offensive shortcomings.

Besides, I'm honestly just sick of watching terrible at-bats. I wish that Fredi and the rest of Braves management were sick of it, too.

Quote (Frazzles @ Jul 20 2011 10:32pm)

Why in the world would you walk Wigginton to get to Cargo? Who cares what the matchups are..

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Stefan Gartrell hit his 4th homer in 3 days, Myke Jones had a perfect day, Andrelton Simmons, Brandon Drury, and Jose peraza extended their hitting streaks, and Dimsther Delgado and Willie Kempf had oustanding starts.

Gwinnett Braves 6, Louisville Bats 9

Jose Constanza LF 1-3, RBI, BB, SB (22), .321 AVG
Tyler Pastornicky SS 2-5, RBI, E (2), .333 AVG
Stefan Gartrell RF 2-4, HR (22), 2 RBI, .268 AVG
Mauro Gomez 1B 1-4, HR (17), RBI, .278 AVG
Erik Cordier 3 IP, 8 R, 9 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 5.13 ERA
Jaye Chpman 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 2.25 ERA
Lots of sluggers hit homers in bunches, and Stefan Gartrell is no exception, hitting his 4th homer in the last 3 games. Over thos 3 games, he's 5-12 with 7 RBI. Mauro Gomez homered for the second straight day, and Jose Constanza extended his hitting streak to 6 games. Tyler Pastornicky had a pair of hits in his second AAA game, but he also made his second AAA error. Erik Cordier has had an up and down year, and after allowing just 2 runs over 12 innings in his last 2 starts, he allowed 8 runs in only 3 innings today. Walks have done him in this year, as he's averaging 5 per 9 innings and just 1.3 strikeouts per walk. Jaye Chapman closed out the game with 2 perfect innings, striking out 3, and he's had 5 straight scoreless appearances, covering 6 innings.

Mike Minor will face the Bats Thursday afternoon in the series finale.

Mississippi Braves 5, Jacksonville Suns 6

Myke Jones CF 2-2, 2B, 2 BB, .226 AVG
Wilie Cabrera 2B-RF 2-5, HR (4), 3 RBI, OF Assist, .274 AVG
Cory Harrilchak RF 1-3, RBI, BB, SB (9), .249 AVG
Randall Delgado 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 3.59 ERA
JJ Hoover 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.62 ERA
Myke Jones had a leadoff hitter's ideal day, reaching base all 4 times he came to the plate. Over his last 7 games, he's hitting .320 with a .393 OBP and a .953 OPS. A single extended Cory Harrilchak's hitting streak to 8 games, and he's gone 11-27 with 2 doubles and 9 RBI. Randall Delgado had a quality start, and over his last 3 starts he has a 3.18 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. JJ Hoover continues to find success out of the bullpen, with another scoreless inning. In 11 appearances out of the bullpen, he has a 1.46 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9.

Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Potomac Nationals 1

Andrelton Simmons SS 1-3, 2B, BB, .306 AVG
Phil Gosselin DH 1-3, HR (5), 3 RBI, .275 AVG
Dimasther Delgado 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, W (6), 4.09 ERA
Ryan Buchter 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K, SV (9), 2.95 ERA
The Hillcats only had 3 hits on the day, but they made the most of them, scoring 2 on Phil Gosselin's first inning homer and another on a Gosselin 6th inning sacrafice fly. It was good timing for a productive day for gosselin, as he was just 1-21 over his last 6 games, striking out 8 times. Andrelton Simmons extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double. Dimasther Delgado had an outstanding start, striking out 5 over 6 scoreless innings. In 28.2 innings in June and July, he has a 3.14 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

Rome Braves 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

Tony Mueller CF 2-3, RBI, BB, .293 AVG
Matt Lipka SS 2-4, .242 AVG
Edward Salcedo 1-5, 3 RBI, .275 AVG
Evan Gattis C 2-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, .293 AVG
Kyle Rose LF 2-4, .215 AVG
Willie Kempf 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 3.70 ERA
Edward Salcedo drove in 3 runs, 2 with a single and the third with a groundout. He leads the team in hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, and walks. Matt Lipka had a pair of hits for the third straight day, and over his last 7 games, he's 12-33 with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI. Tony Mueller is also streaking, with a walk and a pair of singles, extending his hitting streak to 6 games. During the streak he's gone 13-26 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Willie Kempf had his best start of the year, shutting out the Shorebirds over 7 innings.

Ryan Weber will face the Shorebirds on Thursday.

Danville Braves 3, Pulaski Mariners 5

Nick Ahmed SS 2-4, HR (3), RBI, E (2), .263 AVG
Brandon Drury DH 2-4, HR (4), RBI, SB (3), .361 AVG
Nick DeSantiago C 2-4, 2B, E (1), .237 AVG
Ernesto Silva 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 6.59 ERA
Brandon Drury extended his hitting streak to 5 games, and he's gone 11-24 with a double, 2 homers, and 7 RBI in that span. He's been on fire in July, hitting .408 with a 1.088 OPS. Nick Ahmed hit his 3rd homer of the season, and he's putting up decent numbers so far, with a .263 average and a .769 OPS through 99 at bats.

GCL Braves 7, GCL Blue Jays 6

Logan Robbins DH 2-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, .254 AVG
Aris Alcantara 1B 1-4, HR (2), RBI, .256 AVG
Felix Marte RF 2-4, HR (2), RBI, .235 AVG
Seth Moranda SS 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (1), E (2), .217 AVG
Brian Stamps CF 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, SB (3), OF Assist, .167 AVG
Jean Carlos Gil 3 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2.40 ERA
Seth Moranda was only 3-20 in his first 5 games as a professional, but the 18 year old had 2 hits in 3 at bats today, adding a walk for good measure. Aris Alcantara homered, continuing a hot streak that's seen him hit .316 with a .869 OPS over his last 10 games. Over his last 8 games, Logan Robbins has been very productive, with a .320 average, a .484 OBP, and a 1.044 OPS.

DSL Braves 10, DSL Blue Jays 4

Daniel Castro 2B 2-5, 2 RBI, E (6), .225 AVG
Jose Peraza SS 1-5, 3B, RBI, .260 AVG
Ibrahim McKenzie 1B 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB, E (7), .206 AVG
Carlos Sanchez C 2-5, .196 AVG
Ruben Rijkhof LF 1-2, 2 BB, .173 AVG
Elvin Garcia 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K, W (4), 2.37 ERA
Elvin Garcia picked up his 4th win of the year, allowing just 1 run over 7 innings while striking out 6. In 2 seasons in the DSL, the 21 year old Nicaraguan has a 9-3 record, a 1.80 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, 0.7 BB/9, and 7.6 K/BB. Jose Peraza tripled to extend his hitting streak to 5 games, and in that span he's gone 8-22 with a pair of RBI.