Bold Predictions: Atlanta Braves Edition

With the trade deadline approaching and one of the Braves' starting pitchers sporting a 3-4 record and a 7.04 ERA, I can't help but be nervous. As of right now, the chances of this team acquiring a new arm are looking bleak, but then again, I don't have any inside sources down at the Ted.

I believe that this team has a chance to win the Series. That, however, is not the bold prediction. This dream can only happen if, 1. Jair Jurrjens stops throwing like Ray King, 2. They acquire a upper to mid level starter to replace JJ, or c. someone steps up in a big way to fill this gap in the rotation.

This is where the Bold Prediction comes into play. Write this down: Chris Medlen, who pitches instead of JJ on Tuesday, will pitch 5-6 innings giving up 1 run and earn the win and the starting position for the rest of the year. The prediction doesn't stop here. I predict that Medlen will be another "surprise" in the rotation a "Sheets-esque" addition and will win at least 6 games and push the team into the playoffs.

Medlen has pitched a total of four innings against the Marlins of Miami this season. Thats 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, .75 WHIP, and a 0 ERA
In July he has pitched 16.1 innings allowing 8 hits, 1 run, 4 walks and 13 strikeouts. That's a .55 ERA.

While Medlen has been a very valuable piece to the Braves' bullpen, he was most valuable coming in for 3 or 4 innings when the starter was struggling. It so happened that Jurrjens was often the one struggling, i.e. 6 runs on 9 hits in 2 1/3 innings against the Nats.

Unless Frank Wren gets a deal done in the next 12 hours, Chris Medlen will have to step up big if the Bravos want a chance greatness.

**Part of making Bold Predictions is the possibility that they fail miserably. Ergo I either look like a prophet/genius baseball fan or a rambling idiot who posts his uneducated opinions on the internet. For my sake, I hope Medlen deals, but if he doesn't, feel free to rub it in my face.

Sorry for the jab, Ray.

Let's hope facial expressions are where the similarities end.

Sincerely,
G$

Trade Deadline Ramblings, Ramblings and Ramblings (Part One)

As the July 31 Trade Deadline rapidly approaches, MLB contenders are facing a new issue: will the extra playoff spot in each league have an impact on the trade market? At first glance, some would assume that the market would heat up to unprecedented levels. More teams feel as if they have a chance to make the playoffs, so more teams will be trying to make deals, right?

But with the extra playoff spot, fewer teams are throwing in the towel and focusing on the future. Five days before the trade deadline, there are only three AL teams that I consider outside of striking distance for a wild card spot; those would be the Mariners, Royals and Twins.  

The NL list is a little longer, with the Astros and Marlins (so much for Marlinsanity....http://www.lobshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Marlinsanity-SI.jpg) already clearing out their rosters and the Cubs soon to join. Throw in the Rockies who are surely not willing to part with Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez or Todd Helton (I seriously doubt you can name any more Rockies off of the top of your head), the Padres (who have some tradable assets) and the Brewers and the supply of available players grows to a somewhat respectable crop.

Taking all of this information into account, it's clear that this year's trade market is most certainly more favorable for the sellers. Isn't it? There are more buyers competing for fewer pieces from a smaller number of sellers.

Not so fast my friend! With more teams in the race 100 games into the season, teams like the Athletics, Orioles or Rays may feel less of a need to add a piece. Plenty of teams may be thinking something along the lines of, "Heck, we've made it this far with our roster, why panic now?" Or, "Why jeopardize our franchise's long-term goal for a two-month rental?" Or maybe even, "What the $*#% are the Marlins doing?" Wait a second, every team is asking that last question.

But enough of this market analyzation; I'll sum it up by saying that sellers will probably have more patience because of the increased number of contenders (that is, excluding the Marlins) and that buyers may have to up their offers to move key players. The sellers have the advantage, but it may not be as large as you would think.

Hopefully I don't look like an idiot later today when I post part two of my Trade Deadline Ramblings, Ramblings and Ramblings, in which I will state my position on the Braves' current starting pitching predicament. Hopefully, all of the major rumors are still simply rumors. But if they are no longer simply rumors, prepare for trade analysis as well.

Until next time.......

My Ideas to End the Braves' Slump

In case you have been living a hectic life, celebrating the early days of summer or continuing your indifference toward baseball over the past eight days, you're quite lucky. You've missed eight consecutive Braves losses, a run differential of 46-21, and one hit by Brian McCann. You've also missed the slide from a 1.5-game cushion for first place in the NL East to a 4-game deficit and a share of last place in perhaps the toughest division in baseball.

I had yet to attend a game in this 2012 season, so my father and I decided to try our luck and hoped to end the team's (at the time) seven-game slide. Unfortunately, we didn't provide the boost that the Bravos needed. Hanson couldn't keep the Cardinals off of the bases and the chunky Lance Lynn (dubiously listed at 250 pounds) made quick work of the Atlanta order in four of his seven innings while munching on Twinkies in between batters.

I blame my father; as we walked out, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen an Atlanta team win in person. He believes it may have been Game 2 of the 2011 WNBA Eastern Conference Finals when the Atlanta Dream defeated the Indiana Fever (http://espn.go.com/wnba/recap?gameId=310925020). On an unrelated note, the Dream's Top Performer, Iziane Castro Marques, has never been photographed. 

So, without further ado, here's what the Braves should do to turn their luck around.

1. Brian McCann needs to change his walk-up song to any song that is not "All I Do is Win." Sure, the song was cool back in 2010 when it accompanied McCann to the plate for the Wild Card winning Braves. Now, Turner Field is the only place that dares to play this wretched DJ Khaled-produced garbage. Might as well have named the song "All I Do is Cringe," for obvious reasons.


To what should B-Mac change his walk-up song to? Anything is better, even Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" or One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." I could listen to those songs in 10-second spurts for the rest of my life.

2. Let Two-Bit win the Home Depot Tool Race just once!!! For 21 games, the hammer, saw and paintbrush have bullied the poor drill by pushing him from behind, checking him into openings in the fence and tackling him at the start (http://photos.braves.com/images/spacer.gif). Who knows? Maybe we are suffering from "The Curse of the Drillbino."


3. Call in Dr. Lou to give an inspirational pre-game speech to the players. Does he know as much about baseball as Chipper? No way. Fredi? I can't be certain. But we need to go to drastic measures and I'm not sure there is a more drastic measure than this.  Just be sure to equip all of the players with ponchos and goggles and cover the floor with a tarp to prevent massive flooding from his spit.

Hopefully, someone engages one, if not all, of these emergency action plans and helps our Braves out of their rut. Or maybe a starter could complete seven innings (hasn't happened in the last six games). Or maybe they could score more than four runs (hasn't happened in the last ten games). Those would work too.