Category: The Battery

Better Late Than Never Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays Series Wrap

With the Braves’ second series finished… it’s time for a blog post wrapping up the series!

Game One: Mike Foltynewicz vs. Tyler Glasnow

This game was not Foltynewiz’s finest start. Arguably it could be his worst start in regular season play, which would exclude game five of the National League Division Series where he gave up SEVEN runs in the first inning- in which he only got one out. In this first game agasint the Rays , the Rays were on point offensively scoring a total of fourteen runs and four home runs, which ultimately helped win the game. Foltynewiz got DFA after this start.

Game two: Kylie Wright vs. Yonny Chirinos

The Rays came through in this game again winning 5-2, sweeping the Braves in a two-game split series in Tampa. The Rays’ bats continued to be alive in game two-of-two in the split park series, having a total of seven hits and winning the game. The Braves had six hits, but failed to score more than two runs.

Braves Home Opener: Braves vs. Tampa Bay: Mike Soroka vs Charlie Morton

The first game at home in Truist park, and the Braves put on a show for their cardboard cutout crowd. With a great pitching performance from Mike Soroka, he carried the win throwing 5.1 one innings, striking out 5, and only allowing two runs throughout his preformance on the mound. The Braves’ bats also came alive during this game with Freddie Freeman hitting his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to right center field. The Braves won this game 7-4, giving them a record of 3-3.

Game two of home opener: Braves vs. Tampa Bay: Max Fried vs Ryan Yarbrough

Let’s face it, Max Fried is getting GOOD. In this game he threw 6.2 innings, only giving up one run and striking out seven. Winning this game 2-1, the Braves bullpen is showing that they can preserve a lead to let them win.

Highlights of the series:

Dansby Swasnon has been on FIRE since the start of this season. If he can keep this up, the Braves will have an amazing chance at making a run for the postseason and an even better run to win the World Series.

Braves 2020 roster perdictions

With Major League Baseball finally starting back, I’m going to share my 2020 lineup, starting rotation, and bench for the Atlanta Braves.

LINEUP:

  1. Ronald Acuña Jr.-RF
  2. Ozzie Albies -2B
  3. Freddie Freeman -1B
  4. Marcell Ozuna- LF
  5. Dansby Swanson -SS
  6. Nick Markakis -DH
  7. Johan Camargo -3B
  8. Travis d’Arnaud -C
  9. Ender Inciarte -CF

With the Designated Hitter coming to the National League I think it gives more depth to the team’s lineup and gives veteran players a chance to play everyday without having to play defense. I think that the braves will play Ozuna in left field to start off the season, and if his offensive numbers aren’t very good they might place him in the roll as Designated Hitter and give someone like Nick Markakis or Adam Duvall a chance to play Left Field.

STARTING ROTATION:

  1. Mike Soroka
  2. Cole Hamels
  3. Max Fried
  4. Mike Foltynewicz
  5. Sean Newcomb

While Felix Hernandez showed great potential in the beginning of Spring Training before the baseball season was postponed, I still think that the Braves will go with Newcomb because he stepped up in his roll in the bullpen last season and improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio. I also believe that, given the time that it has taken baseball to come back, Cole Hamels’ shoulder will be fully healed and he will be ready to pitch for the Braves in 2020.

BENCH:

  1. Charlie Culberson
  2. Adam Duvall
  3. Austin Riley
  4. Adeiny Hechavarria

With the 2020, 60 game season staring off with a 30 man roster, I think the Braves will put Austin Riley on the bench. However, when the roster goes down to a 28 man roster I think he will not be on the bench after that. I definitely think that Hechavarria will be on the bench given his defensive abilities.

At the end of the day, even if my predictions aren’t correct, Braves baseball is back! Even though the games are fanless, and there is no high fiving, the most important thing to celebrate in the MLB is that there will be baseball!

Will There Be a 2020 Season

With COVID-19 still impacting the world, I thought I’d write about my thoughts on COVID-19’s impact to the game and my thoughts on if there will be a 2020 season.

Will There be a 2020 season?

Obviously the MLB organization is trying their best to make a 2020 season possible, even if that means fanless games in Arizona and Flordia. Honestly, if baseball does return it will probably be games in Arizona and Florida with a shortened season of 60-80 games and no fans. But, with no fans I begin to wonder if baseball returning has a purpose?

Obviously the players play the game of baseball because, one, its their job, and two, they love it. But without fans in the ballpark cheering them on and shouting their name every time they step up to the plate, they don’t have that extra determination; that extra push to keep them going through all nine-innings, to walk away with a win.

If I could, given the current circumstances, have decided what the 2020 season would look like and how it was played, I would have every team play 60-80 games and play only the teams in their division. The winners of each division would then have playoffs. It would be a short and “smaller” season, but it would still allow for the game to go on! I would also have fans at the games to give the players/teams motivation to win and play at their very best. But, in the end it’s not my opinion that counts… it’s the commisoner of baseball and the MLB team’s desicon.

But, even if they did let fans in the stadium, they wouldn’t allow everybody because they would all be too close to each other and everyone would be risking everybody else’s safety and health. It seems, possibly, that there really is no good solution for this year.

In the end, I hope that baseball will come back with fans able to go to the games and the season to be as long as possible. I miss my Braves! But right now, I don’t know how much hope I still have left as a fan who’s trying to be realistic about there being a 2020 season at all.

How COVID-19 is Impacting Me as a Fan

With baseball still delayed due to COVID-19, I thought I’d share my thoughts on the impact that the coronavirus is having on me baseball wise.

For Christmas of 2019, I got baseball tickets to go to TWO Atlanta Braves games for the month of April 2020. They were to the games on April 17 against the San Fransisco Giants and against the New York Mets on April 24. Those game were also bobblehead nights. They were for the Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr. Braves win air high-five.

I was SO excited to not only to be able to go to two Braves games for the the games to be bobblehead games for my favorite player Ozzie Albies (#1) and his best friend Ronald Acuña Jr.

When I first heard that the rest of Spring Training and the start of the 2020 season was going to be delayed I was DEVESTATED. After that it was the only thing I talked about for the next week. I kept thinking how unfair and wrong it was and how the MLB orginazation was overreacting. But as COVID-19 became more serious I began to realize that it was probably for the best (whether I wanted to admit it or not) that they delayed the start of the season till mid May-ish.

My reaction to fan-less games:

Honestly, I don’t like the idea at ALL. Personally I think it destroys the atmosphere of the game and doesn’t really give the players anything/anyone to play for. There’s no real excitement in the game without fans. There isn’t that electricity in the ballpark every time someone hits a homerun with the fans screaming at the top of their lungs jumping up and down with excitement. (Me!!)

Hopefully, within the next month everything will go back to normal and baseball will be back — with the stadium full of fans, and the Braves ranking first in the NL East!

Why baseball?

You can call me Birdie.:) I am 13 years old, and I love baseball! While most girls my age may be into shopping, texting, or getting their nails done — I’m watching re-runs of old games, listening to podcasts, and studying stats.

Baseball is exciting, and you never know what’s going to happen. I love keeping up with my favorite players (Go Ozzie! #1) and teams across both the National League and the American League.

This was my first baseball game!