New Call-Up/Double-A update

To replace the promoted Martin Prado this weekend, Richmond received second baseman J.C. Holt from Mississippi. Holt, 24, appears to feature the same skills Prado has – solid, low-powered bat and good speed. Holt was hitting a scalding .377 at Miss. with seven steals in 19 games, but he had just three extra-base hits (all doubles) and two RBI (!).

Last year, in Single-A, Holt hit .266 with 25 extra-base hits (23 doubles) and 32 RBI with 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts. Don’t expect any homers over the black wall in center from this guy, but he should swipe some bases and serve as an effective table-setter for Escobar, Koonce, etc.

At Mississippi, Holt played in the same lineup as well-regarded prospects Brent Lillibridge (shortstop), Brandon Jones (outfield) and Van Pope (third base). Jones’ performance thus far has largely been encouraging, but Lillibridge and Van Pope have scuffled.

Jones is hitting .285 with eight homers and 31 RBI, though he has an alarming strikeout-to-walk ratio of 41-16.

Lillibridge has hit a solid .281 with 11 steals, but he has just 12 extra base hits (8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR) in 43 games and 11 errors in the field. He had 87 walks last year and posted an excellent .419 on-base percentage. This year, he has just 17 walks (against a whopping 53 strikeouts – a huge number for a non-power hitter) and his OBA is .360.

Pope is in a waking nightmare, hitting a miniscule .148 with one homer and 13 RBI. This is a stunning development for a player who was ranked the No. 4 prospect in the Atlanta organization before the season by Scout.com. Last year, Pope hit .263 with 15 homers and 74 RBI.

Fulton County Yeller

I caught the last few innings of the Braves-Mets game last night on TBS and enjoyed watching Kyle Davies, who’s spent some developmental time in Richmond, work NY pretty well.  One of my favorite things happened in the telecast: one of the TV camera microphones was clearly picking up the commentary and cheers of some random Braves fan, somewhere at Turner Field.  I always love it when this happens, not only for the potential for bad language or funny sarcastic yells, but also to hear how some dude likes to cheer.  This guy, and I’ve got to say it sounded like he was sitting in Skip Caray’s lap, had a pretty standard repertoire of cheers that he kept positive and focused on the Braves.  There was a lot of, “C’mon Andruw!!  C’mon now!”  C’mon’s distant cousin, the “Let’s go….let’s go now, Willie” also made its fair share of appearances.  This guy kept it clean, which is somewhat disappointing since he was so audible.           

My all time favorite microphone moment was one that unfortunately cannot be substantiated, but I still chuckle to myself when I think of it.  It probably doesn’t translate well to the written blog, but I’ll still try.  It harkens back a few years when I was watching the Green Bay Packers play.  I don’t remember who they were playing, but it’s not important.  Fox was broadcasting and after one of the plays, in a pause between the play-by-play and the color, some guy, who sounded unbelievably drunk, belted out a taunt to another fan that was way louder than John or Pat.  The guy’s voice wobbled between high pitched screaming and more forceful throaty garble….”Hey Miiiiiichael…..HEY MICHAEL……I’m still heeeere!…..I’M STILL HERE YOU MOTHER*****!!!”  Who was Michael?  What was the friction between the two?  Lord only knows.  Madden, probably unaware of one of the louder obscenities to air on Fox, went into his spiel none the wiser.  Since it was Fox, I wasn’t surprised, but there was no doubt that some younger Packers fans across the country learned a new term that day.  Again, it really doesn’t translate to writing well, but if you imagine some big fat drunk guy spilling beer all over himself, then it helps.

Swept: 27-15

Ooof. Swept in four games by Scranton at home. Hopefully, not a complete momentum killer. Losing with Carlyle, the Braves’ steadiest pitcher so far, on Monday was a particular punch in the gut.

Sunday’s Debacle

I went to the debacle that doubled as a baseball game on Sunday to watch the Braves get absolutely drubbed by the S-W-B Yankees.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  That about sums up the Braves performance.  It was “one of those days” for the RBraves that ideally happens on the road and not in front of the largest home crowd of the season.  The Yanks were slapping the ball all over the place.  Richmond’s defense was uninspiring, and I swear the umps favored S-W-B on EVERY single close call.  On the whole, nothing went right.  Again, to sum up the game, it was a beautiful day to be outside.

27-13

Another two-game losing streak and this one an ugly one with losses of 5-4 and 13-4 against Scranton over the weekend, fattening that IL-best ERA a bit and revealing some previously unseen vulnerability in the pitching staff.

It’ll be interesting to see how Richmond weathers some recent player promotions to Atlanta. Willie Harris and Martin Prado were two of Richmond’s most productive offensive players in the early going, sparking the lineup with consistent hitting and aggressive baserunning. Both are now helping the A-Braves. Of course, when the pitching allows 33 hits over a two-game stretch, as it did this weekend, the lineup may be a bit beside the point.

Richmond did get an obvious boost with the addition of Graham Koonce, who has five homers in nine games since being traded here from the Kansas City organization. You’ve got to wonder about the luck of a guy like Koonce, who has 200+ minor league home runs and was the 2003 Pacific Coast League MVP, yet has appeared in just six big-league games. Seems the guy would have earned a more extended shot on the big stage than that.

Braves Win…..Braves Win

We caught the second game of last night’s doubleheader, and it was a good time.  Particularly when the Braves took both games.  Pitching in relief, Manny Acosta got the W for the first one.  Brand new Atlanta Brave Rheal Cormier, currently in Richmond working on his game for a week or so before he gets called up, got the victory in the 2^nd one, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2 in two innings of middle relief.  Blaine Boyer gave the fans a bit of a scare in the top of the 7^th when he tossed 2 wild pitches practically in succession to advance some scumbag Red Wing from 1^st to 3^rd base.  (Actually that scumbag was ex-Godwin standout Matt Moses, but we’re not interested in him)  Thankfully, Boyer held on to capture the save, and our record improved to 26-11. 

Onto more pressing matters: beer sales at the Diamond…or I guess, lack thereof.  The people at the concession stand were more than pleased to tell me that beer sales ended at 9.  I guess this is the Diamond’s doubleheader rule.  And a stinky rule it is.  Three of the guys I was with bailed early after they found out there was no more beer.  They were planning on leaving early, anyway; however, the lack of libations certainly was the catalyst.  The game ended a bit after 10:30.  That’s a decent amount of time to be at the park brewless.  No real biggie, and I can understand a lot of these concession people are volunteers who probably are none too pleased for doubleheaders, but quitting sales an hour and a half before the final swing sort of sucks.  At least that’s what we thought. 

While we’re on the subject, has anyone ever bought a Bud or Bud Light at the Diamond that was born on the day you bought it?  I didn’t hear the stadium announcer say it last night, but in several other games, the announcer comes over the speaker and advertises Budweiser for sale that was bottled in Williamsburg that day, or at least the day before.  It always catches my ear when I hear it, and I’ve never found one of these phantom beers.  And I’ve tried.  Many times.  They probably make that announcement strictly for dunces like me who immediately go on the hunt.  Crafty.  Very crafty.

Liberty Media & Richmond

“I really think we are likely to be in the background . . . focused on letting the great team that has operated the Braves continue what they do. We are a company that has had a history of letting good managers perform and letting them have a high degree of autonomy, and I think the Braves will be no different.”  –Liberty Media Corp President and CEO Greg Maffei. 

That’s been one of the themes of the newly finished deal between Time Warner and Liberty.  Liberty is going to leave the baseball to the Braves and hopefully see a return on their investment.  Liberty will only likely own the Braves for the next 4 ½ years.  Simply stated, they bought Time Warner to take advantage of tax incentives, as opposed to a desire to actively manage an organization as deep as the Braves, and Liberty likely will sell the Braves after those tax benefits are fully realized.  Liberty now owns the clubs in Atlanta, Richmond, Mississippi, Rome and Danville.  It’s safe to say that leaving the current Braves organizational and managerial structure in place is the most prudent means to that strong bottom line (certainly if the Liberty board sells the Braves after the allotted 4 years). 

This is terrific news for Richmond.  As of now nothing about the teams will change.  (This is all assuming that “Wild Man” Wilder doesn’t muck things up by opening his mouth to say anything other than, “Liberty Media Corp will be a wonderful partner for the Braves. I look forward to seeing the Braves play in Richmond for a long time.”  Attention press folks for Doug, you can use that quote if you’d like.  Please?)  With some luck, Liberty has been aware of its AAA club’s need for a new ballpark and will be supportive and financially proactive.

Too Good

Yeah, the Bravos are owners of a two-game losing streak, having dropped back-to-back 3-1 decisions to Durham and Rochester, but it’s understandable. Richmond has just run into two outrageously talented pitchers.

Durham’s Andy Sonnanstine and Rochester’s Kevin Slowey, both 23-year-old righthanders, might not last in Triple-A much longer if they keep cutting through minor leaguers as though they were little leaguers. Sonnanstine and Slowey are easily the most dominant starters in the IL this year, and Richmond had to face them in consecutive games.

Sonnanstine, the Devil Rays’ organization’s minor league pitcher of the year in both 2005 and 2006, is 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and a 57-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52.2 IP. Slowey has been even better, compiling a 4-2 record with a tiny 1.46 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP and a 44-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio (!!) in 49.1 IP. Just tip the cap and get ready for the next game. Fortunately, Richmond tries to snap the streak tonight against Rochester with its own ace on the mound. Buddy Carlyle, who is 5-1, 2.37 ERA, gets the start for the R-Braves.

The Rhyme and Reason

The RTD takes a step back and examines why the R-Braves have started so fast this spring – particularly in light of the struggles of the past decade — and gives a nod to unselfish veterans, talented rookies and teamwork. That’s always what managers and players on winning teams claim. But, let’s be honest: chemistry, shmemistry. Here, in two words, is the secret to Richmond’s success: Good pitching.

 

Richmond leads the IL with a ridiculous 2.74 ERA. Next best is Indianapolis, which is way back at 3.30.  They can’t help but win.

 

24-9

The Braves worked over the Bulls again on Sunday, almost recording another shutout until Durham squeaked out a chintzy run in the bottom of the 9^th.  But the Bulls ultimately fell 8 short.  Carlos Mendez stroked 2 homers as Atlanta regular Mark Redman got the W.  This was the 3^rd straight victory in as many days over Durham.  The Braves will go for the sweep on Monday.