Show #196: A Week of Good Signs for the Braves

post from Atlanta Baseball Talk on 12 August 2012 11:25:14 PM. © Atlanta Baseball Talk

The pitching, offense and defense all start clicking. Credit to Frank Wren and the six man rotation debate.[...]

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http://www.atlantabaseballtalk.com/show-196-a-week-of-good-signs-for-the-braves/

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Game 114: Mets 6, Braves 5

post from Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club on 12 August 2012 11:14:28 PM. © Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club

Source: FanGraphs Game MVP: Jon Niese, 70 game score Least Valuable Met: Bullpen Most Valuable Brave: Martin Prado, .121 Least Valuable Brave: Jason Heyward, -.262 Big plays: 1st – (ATL) Chipper Jones grounded into an inning-ending double play with a runner on third, -.114 1st – (NYM) David Wright RBI double for a 1-0 Mets [...]

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BBDP August 12th: Zee hits his 18th, Whitley goes
four scoreless

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 12 August 2012 10:49:48 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

[...]

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goes-four-scoreless/

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Pence Lifts Giants Over Rockies

post from The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website on 12 August 2012 10:01:12 PM. © The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website

Giants fans had been waiting patiently for Hunter Pence to make his impact in the lineup and the right fielder delivered big on Sunday.

Before I get to the game-winning shot though, I wanted to point out the outstanding defense he's brought to right field. AT&T Park has the most tricky right-side outfield to play in all of baseball, and Hunter's picked it up seamlessly. He saved another potential game changing hit on a diving catch in the gap Sunday, then came up with his own later in the game. Pence blasted off for the first time in a Giants uni and cashed out in his most crucial at bat since coming to San Francisco last month. In a 6-6 ballgame with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, Hunter connected off Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt for a decisive 3-run jack that gave the Giants the lead and the victory. I noticed Betancourt throwing a lot of fastballs to Posey, and Buster just missed one before Pence came up. Then Betancourt tried to do the same thing with Hunter Pence and Pence made him pay. This one had to feel good for number 8 after slow offensive start he's gotten off to with his new team.

Pence has gotten some big hits here and there and was managing to drive in runs, but that first big fly is the hit he was looking for to remove the monkey off his back and settle in. You could just see it in his body language running the bases. This one should propel him out of the rut he's been in since long before arriving in San Francisco.

It was certainly good to see the Giants break out the offense on Sunday after an atrocious showing Saturday, and that's something they will have to keep up in this upcoming series. Next up, the Giants host the NL East-leading Washington Nationals and they have some payback they owe Washington for that ugly 3-game set they played in DC before the All-Star break. Washington has their three best arms lined up to face the Giants (Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburgh), so they'll need all the offense they can get, and some. Someone I'll be watching closely in that regard is Brandon Belt, who's getting hot at the right time. A lot of what Belt's done recently has been a bit overlooked because of Buster Posey's scorching run, but the kid has really picked it up over the last couple of weeks. I mentioned a few posts back how he looks like he's playing with more confidence and it seems like it's growing by the day. Belt's 4-hit day Sunday raised his average up to .260, a 23 point hike over his last 10 games. I'd like to see more long balls, but they'll come if he keeps this up.

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http://giantsbaseballblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/pence-lifts-giants-over-rockies.ht
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Yankees release Russell Branyan

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 12 August 2012 09:58:18 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

[...]

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Pence Lifts Giants over Rockies

post from The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website on 12 August 2012 09:01:12 PM. © The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website

Giants fans had been waiting patiently for Hunter Pence to make his impact in the lineup and the right fielder delivered big on Sunday.

Before I get to the game-winning shot though, I wanted to point out the outstanding defense he's brought to right field. AT&T Park has the most tricky right-side outfield to play in all of baseball, and Hunter's picked it up seamlessly. He saved another potential game changing hit on a diving catch in the gap Sunday, then came up with his own later in the game. Pence blasted off for the first time in a Giants uni and cashed out in his most crucial at bat since coming to San Francisco last month. In a 6-6 ballgame with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, Hunter connected off Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt for a decisive 3-run jack that gave the Giants the lead and the victory. I noticed Betancourt throwing a lot of fastballs to Posey, and Buster just missed one before Pence came up. Then Betancourt tried to do the same thing with Hunter Pence and Pence made him pay. This one had to feel good for number 8 after slow offensive start he's gotten off to with his new team.

Pence has gotten some big hits here and there and was managing to drive in runs, but that first big fly is the hit he was looking for to remove the monkey off his back and settle in. You could just see it in his body language running the bases. This one should propel him out of the rut he's been in since long before arriving in San Francisco.

It was certainly good to see the Giants break out the offense on Sunday after an atrocious showing Saturday, and that's something they will have to keep up in this upcoming series. Next up, the Giants host the NL East-leading Washington Nationals and they have some payback they owe Washington for that ugly 3-game set they played in DC before the All-Star break. Washington has their three best arms lined up to face the Giants (Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburgh), so they'll need all the offense they can get, and some. Someone I'll be watching closely in that regard is Brandon Belt, who's getting hot at the right time. A lot of what Belt's done recently has been a bit overlooked because of Buster Posey's scorching run, but the kid has really picked it up over the last couple of weeks. I mentioned a few posts back how he looks like he's playing with more confidence and it seems like it's growing by the day. Belt's 4-hit day Sunday raised his average up to .260, a 23 point hike over his last 10 games. I'd like to see more long balls, but they'll come if he keeps this up.

Read The Full Article:
http://giantsbaseballblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/pence-lifts-giants-over-rockies.ht
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Giants 9, Rockies 6: Hunter Pence Makes Rafael
Betancourt Relive Bad Memories at AT&T Park

post from Purple Row on 12 August 2012 09:01:12 PM. © Purple Row

These three guys absolutely killed the Rockies today.

The Rockies have played this game before. Yep...against the same team, in the same ballpark, with the same pitcher on the mound in a similar high-leverage situation.

The only difference is the hitter and the state of the Rockies' season. Three years ago, the Giants tied the Rockies in the NL Wildcard standings after Rafael Betancourt allowed a grand slam to Edgar Renteria, turning a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 deficit. The Giants were elated, although that would fade a few weeks later as the Rockies ultimately beat them out for a spot in the postseason. The Giants would tattle on the Rockies over the humidor shenanigans a little over a year later, turning the tables on the Rockies fortunes forever.

At least, that's the way it seems like things have played out, as the Rox haven't been the same team, nor had that same swagger, since. Today was no different in the end, although the guys in purple pinstripes did a good job of fighting back from an early deficit to take a two-run lead late in the game. Unfortunately, Betancourt found himself on the AT&T Park mound with the bases loaded again, and the results were just as disastrous. However, this time five runs crossed the plate, coming from a Melky Cabrera infield single, a sac fly by Buster Posey, and a three-run homer off the bat of Hunter Pence. Although Pence is a very unfortunate-looking human being, he is an unbelievable fastball hitter, and with Betancourt becoming predictable, Pence pounced all over him.

The game ended as it began for the Rox, as they found themselves in a 3-0 hole after the first inning behind bad defense and shaky pitching form Alex White. The trouble started with a leadoff double by Angel Pagan, then the Rox failed to tag out Pagan between third and home after he got himself into a pickle on a Marco Scutaro comebacker. What's worse, they allowed Scutaro to reach second base, and both runners scored on Melky Cabrera's base hit a batter later. White would allow one more run before finally getting out of the inning after throwing 36 pitches.

The Rockies admirably climbed back into the game, as back-to-back third inning doubles by Eric Young Jr. and Josh Rutledge cut the deficit to one. The Rox tied the game on a sac fly from White, and after finding themselves down a run again, they put three more on the board via a DJ LeMahieu RBI double, a Carlos Torres (!) RBI single, and a Jordan Pacheco sac fly. The Rox had a chance to put more runs on the board in the top of the eighth, but they were unable to come through. That, of course, set the stage for the shitshow in the bottom half of the inning.

Matt Belisle, noticeably worn down after throwing 764 and a third innings so far this season, struggled to start the inning and ultimately loaded the bases. Of course, the predicament didn't come without a trademark Rockies defensive gaffe, as Carlos Gonzalez lost Brandon Crawford's pop-up in the sun. A Hector Sanchez ground-rule double and an Angel Pagan walk later, the events described above began to unfold.

The lesson to be learned here is that, no matter what the circumstances surrounding the Rockies are - whether they're in a pennant race or they're 30 games below .500 - they will inevitably lose almost every time in San Francisco, and the losses will almost always happen in TESS-inducing fashion. I expected it, and so should you.

41 - 71

Games Back: 20.5

Streak: Lost 2

Games Left: 50

The usual stuff is after the jump.

Source: FanGraphs

Roll Call: ES46NE10, SDcat09, Roxman4ever, coffeeis4closersonly, Sjamb, RockyMountainWay91, Nephelimdream, free7694, Nick95, WanderingRoxFan, jrockies, Oldfoagie, Chrysicat, holly96, knoepke84, Junction Rox, butterfly, papality, Muzia, DomP, Northsider1964, Bryan Kilpatrick
Total Users: 22
Total Posts: 1902
Total Threads: 1

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2012/8/12/3238489/San-Francisco-Giants-Colorado-Rockies-
Hunter-Pence-HR-Rafael-Betancourt-ATT-Park

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Here’s my State of Mind Today

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers on 12 August 2012 08:01:37 PM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

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http://www.ladodgertalk.com/2012/08/heres-my-state-of-mind-today/

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Open Thread 8/12: Braves at Mets

First pitch of tonight's series finale is set for 8:00 PM ET. Atlanta sends Ben Sheets to the mound against Jon Niese as the Braves attempt to finish off the sweep of New York. Braves lineup:

A win tonight would give the Braves their eighth series sweep of the season and their second over the Mets (July 13-15 at Atlanta). The last time the Braves earned a sweep at Citi Field was September 17-19, 2010.

Sheets' last appearance in Flushing was on May 12, 2008, when he posted a 5-3 victory while pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers.

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http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/8/12/3238433/open-thread-8-12-braves-at-mets

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LIVE: TCB Podcast Episode 53 - Moving And
Grooving

TCB Podcast Logo

Podcast Start Time 7:05 p.m. CT

Hosts: Tim De Block, David Coleman, Sean Feist and Brooks Parker

Houston Astros Topics:

How to properly pronounce Mike Elias
J.D. Martinez and Matt Downs optioned; Fernando Martinez and Tyler Greene added to the team
All the promotions that happened this past week and the future in the Minor Leagues
TCB Boiling Pot
Listener questions

This week we kicked off a new edition of the TCB podcast, Astros Afterburners. The goal of this podcast is to react and analyze some of the significant things happening within the Astros organization.

Astros Afterburner podcasts from this week:

August 9, 2012 - Brandon Barnes, Tyler Greene and George Springer

August 11, 2012 - Mike Elias named Director of Amateur Scouting, replacing Bobby Heck and

The archived show can be found at: http://www.mixlr.com/crawfishboxes/showreel

Intro music by Alan Read.

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If you have any comments or questions in regards to the podcast you can email the show at SBN.crawfishboxes@gmail.com. If you have a question please be sure to include your name and where you're from. Also big thanks to those of you that have rated us on iTunes we really appreciate the feedback.

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