Show #141: Winning Ways in Braves Opening Series

post from Atlanta Baseball Talk on 03 April 2011 11:44:57 PM. © Atlanta Baseball Talk

Looking back on the Nats series. McLouth bats second. And Good and Bad Signs in the first three games.[...]

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Dodgers rally, take 3 of 4 from Giants (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 03 April 2011 11:22:26 PM. © MLB News Blog

Marcus Thames tripled in the go-ahead run during a four-run seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 7-5 Sunday night, taking three of four from the defending World Series champions. The Dodgers scored all four runs off reliever Dan Runzler (0-1). Pinch-hitter Aaron Miles followed Thames’ clutch hit with a [...]

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Phillies dang.

post from Disastros on 03 April 2011 11:02:17 PM. © Disastros

Some small thoughts from this losing series… 1- Well, we were swept in the opening series last year. As everyone knows, this is a (only) second half team. 2 – Wandy: He should have been the opening day starter. Yes, I know his Spring Training performance was horrible and that most people feel he underperformed [...]

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Fish Wrap: Marlins 2, Mets 9

post from Fish Stripes on 03 April 2011 11:01:57 PM. © Fish Stripes

That's pretty much how we feel too, Javy. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell)

So here's the sitch: Twice I have carefully constructed a recap of today's Marlins/Mets series finale, and twice SB Nation has decided to delete it from existence as soon as I hit "publish."

Let's just face it, the universe either a) wants me to throw my laptop or myself off the balcony, or b) does not want you to have to relive the carnage that was today's series loss.

I'm going with b).

Anyway, aside from Brian Sanchez's 4 solid innings in relief, do we really want to reminisce about this afternoon's crapfest? Do we really want to regurgitate Javier Vazquez's 7-run 2 1/3 innings? Bonifacio and Hanley--oh, and Randy Choate--airmailing throws for errors? The Fish stinking it up (to the tune of 3-for-14) with runners in scoring position?

I'll go out on a limb and say no, probably not. But if you're a glutton for punishment and really do wish to relive the low-lights, I've got two words for you:

BOX SCORE.

The Fish have dropped their first series of 2011. Hopefully they just needed to get it out of their system.

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Braves vs. Nationals Series Recap

post from Talking Chop on 03 April 2011 11:01:57 PM. © Talking Chop

Our new 2nd baseman looked good in the field this weekend.

It was a successful first series of the year for the Braves. Here was the good, bad, and ugly from the first weekend:

The Good:

Alex Gonzalez, Jason Heyward, and Chipper Jones - Each of these guys posted an OPS above 1.000 and each put together great at-bats all series long. We expected it from Jason Heyward, but if Chipper and Gonzo can stay healthy and continue their strong start to the season, the Braves could score a ton of runs this year.

Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe - Their combined line from the series? 12.2 IP, 6H, 1ER, 3BB, 11K. That'll work boys. Keep it up.

Welcome to Atlanta, Mr. Uggla - His first hit in an Atlanta Braves uniform was a home run, and he played solid defense all weekend in unfavorable conditions. It'll be really fun to watch him hit in the middle of our lineup for the next few years.

The bullpen - They gave up two runs on Saturday and Jonny Venters gave up a meaningless run in Sunday's game, but outside of that, the 'pen was phenomenal. Craig Kimbrel looked great in his first closing opportunity on Thursday and assuming they can stay healthy, the bullpen should be a huge strength for the Braves once again in 2011.

The Bad:

Tommy Hanson - He had to deal with multiple weather delays which likely threw him off of his normal routine, but Tommy was awful on Saturday. He couldn't locate his fastball if his life depended on it and his slider continually hung up in the zone. No reason to be concerned, but he'll need to have a much better start in Milwaukee.

Nate McLouth's defense - He misread a blooper in center field which allow Jayson Werth to turn a single into a double and he had a hard hit line drive bounce off his glove and roll all the way to the center field wall. It's one thing if he isn't hitting at the plate, but we cannot afford mistakes like that in the field.

The Ugly:

Opening Weekend Weather in Washington D.C. - I propose a new rule to Major League Baseball: Opening Weekend cannot be played anywhere north of St. Louis. The weather sucked in Washington D.C., and we can only hope the schedulers won't make the Braves go through that again in the next few years.

MASN Announcers - For those of you who got the SportsSouth feed, be thankful that you did. Bob Carpenter was in mid-season form with his ridiculous homerism and as tough as it may be to believe that Rob Dibble's replacement could be any worse than his predecessor, it's true. F.P. Santangelo makes your head hurt and made blatantly obvious and wrong statements all series long. Ugh.

Next Up:

The Braves will travel to Milwaukee to face the 0-3 Milwaukee Brewers. It'll be a 4-game series that'll kick off tomorrow afternoon.

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What a Weekend & Happy for the Home Opener...

post from Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond on 03 April 2011 11:01:47 PM. © Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond

So far, so good for the Orioles!'

James already gave his thoughts on Britton?s first major league win and what the Birds did today.

Buck-Ball has been riding high with timely hitting, pitching and defense, so let?s hope the Orioles continue this for the next six months or so.

I?ll say, I?m glad the Orioles didn?t repeat their performance during their Opening Series last year. As I see it right now, this is an improved team and certainly one that doesn?t resemble anything we?ve seen recently.

We are probably not going to see the Orioles go 162-0 or win the division; however, we all can dream, right? The team is playing so well.

As long as they don't suck again.

Although the offense can be a tad better, the Orioles are getting key hits in the clutch and men on base when needed. Wieters has been impressive and so far is looking like he is primed for a big year, plus looks even more confident than ever.

It?s only been three games, but the starting pitching has been amazing and between Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton, they?ve only given up a run.

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Calif. leaders condemn baseball violence (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 03 April 2011 10:56:26 PM. © MLB News Blog

Mayors and other leaders from Los Angeles and San Francisco on Sunday condemned violence among sports fans in the wake of an opening-day beating at Dodger Stadium that left a Giants fan in a medically induced coma. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, police chiefs and officials from both cities [...]

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Orioles Sweep Rays!

post from Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond on 03 April 2011 10:01:42 PM. © Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond

Baltimore rejoices in an opening series that is pretty much the exact opposite of last year.

Zach Britton started today and pitched six innings, striking out six and allowing only one earned one. Britton earned the win as the Orioles busted out late again taking advantage of the Rays' bullpen to win the game 5-1.

A couple thoughts:

Wieters has had an amazing opening weekend. he has caught well, called a tremendous game, played his position well and today he had a multi-hit game scoring a run and knocking in the Orioles first run on an RBI single.

Adam Jones got his first two hits today and a stolen base.

The defense continued to shine today save for a botched grounder to Reynolds in the ninth everyone was on point.

I am telling you all this right now, at the end of the year we will look back at the JJ Hardy deal and begin making plans to erect a statue of Andy MacPhail downtown. The fact we got him for so little is quite amazing to me.

Tampa without Longoria, who landed on the 15-day DL last night, the Tampa offense looks very very weak. Manny and Damon are not the threats they were last decade and there is not a single power threat on that team outside of Zobrist. Their bench was played a lot today, and it looks weak.

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Your 2011 Los Angeles Mets Of Anaheim: Royals 12,
Angels 9

post from 6-4-2 ? an Angels/Dodgers double play blog on 03 April 2011 09:03:39 PM. © 6-4-2 ? an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

I have a number of comments to make on this wretched game, but unfortunately none of them are truly original. jjackflash's comment at Halos Heaven goes into the core of the inept thinking that assembled this team:

I?m kinda surprised that they are carrying three catchers and only eleven pitchers to start the year. I know there are a couple of off days, but starters aren?t ready to go deep into ballgames at this point. I was sure Matt Palmer would be in the bullpen mix, especially considering that Kazmir will be starting on Sunday. They?re going to go deep into the bullpen.
... Let?s assume that Kazmir has thrown 100 pitches by the 4th inning on Sunday (or is otherwise just stinking up the joint), and because of limited pitch counts on the other guys, the Soth has already used everyone in the bullpen at some point in the first three games of the season. It would be nice to have Palmer around to give you two or three innings at that point.

It's hard to disagree with that assessment, but what's worse is looking at Scott Kazmir and thinking he's still a major league pitcher. He only lasted an inning and two thirds before the bullpen had to come rescue him. He's done as a starter, and very possibly as a pitcher. Pinning the blame on Kevin Jepsen — and I do think that's deserved, to a limited extent — is only a starting point, because it fails to examine a front office that has dramatically overpaid for players like Fernando Rodney (who blew the save), and actively traded for one of the worst contracts in the majors in Vernon Wells. If, as has been suggested, Mike Scioscia is calling all the shots and Tony Reagins is merely a figurehead placeholder, the Angels' transformation into the Mets of the AL West is squarely on his shoulders.

The Royals are an improved team, but not that much improved.

ESPN Box

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Giants, Dodgers owners condemn fan beating

Have you seen these douches? If so, call LAPD.San Francisco Giants managing partner Bill Neukom and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt issued a joint statement through the two clubs on Sunday, condemning an assault in the Dodger Stadium parking lot following Thursday's season opener between the teams.

"This attack is unconscionable behavior that will not be tolerated in either of our ballparks or in either of our cities,'' the statement read. "Once apprehended, the attackers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Public safety is the top priority for all of us and even one act of random violence is unacceptable.

"Baseball is a family sport that has unified our country after times of crisis and tragedy. This senseless act of violence has no place in our society and certainly not in our national pastime. The Giants-Dodgers rivalry is one of the most storied in all of sports, dating back to when the teams played across town in New York City before their moves to California. This is a great rivalry between teams competing on the field of play. That's where it must stay."

The savage beating by two men outside Dodger Stadium left a Giants fan in a medically-induced coma. The 42-year-old paramedic from Santa Cruz in critical but stable condition.

Police have not released his name, but friends and family told his hometown paper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, that his name was Bryan Stow, a married father of two who works for a San Jose ambulance company.

"We call on our respective citizens to stand together in honor of that rivalry as you have done throughout the years," the statement read. "Root hard for your teams, and do so with civility and common decency. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim Bryan Stow and his family."

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Francisco mayor Edwin M. Lee, San Francisco interim police chief Jeff Godown, and Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck were also part of the group that issued the statement.

Southern California ballparks have seen violence in recent years. In April 2009, a man stabbed his friend in the Dodger Stadium parking lot after the team's home opener. Arthur Alvarez said he acted in self-defense and was acquitted by a jury.

Two months later at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, an off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who assaulted him in the parking lot after a game.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.