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Talking Chop

Spring Training Open Thread: Yankees at Braves

Ken Kawakami takes the mound against the Yanks today at Disney. We'll have to see if the Yanks bring all their big bats. If they do, this could be a good test for our new Japanese hurler.

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Lineups

Braves:
Josh Anderson CF
Yunel Esocbar SS
Kelly Johnson 2B
Casey Kotchman 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Jason Heyward LF
Omar Infante 3B
David Ross C
Kenshin Kawakami P

Yankees:
Johnny Damon LF
Brett Gardner CF
Xavier Nady RF
Juan Miranda 1B
Angel Berroa 2B
Jose Molina C
Kevin Russo 3B
Ramiro Pena SS
Ian Kennedy P

It looks like the Bronx bombers brought their b-squad.

Maybe even the C-squad.

Maybe even the D-squad.

Anyone else think Heyward should be batting in front of FYF?

But he breaks up the lefties!

Actually...

… they’ll be pitching around Heyward to get to Francoeur thus giving Francoeur a better round of pitches to select from. Or, so Bobby and Chino think.

No radio feed on MLB.com again???

yeah, looks like we won’t get audio back until saturday.

“over two hundred spring training games.” what a ripoff…

yeah, what a bunch of BS

I’m pretty ill about no audio for this game.

Kawakami, three-up, three-down.

Two flyouts and a groundout

Did we actually sign Garret Anderson?

Or was that more media jumping the gun?

Garrett Anderson

He has been signed for over a week now but I believe that Josh Anderson is the starting CF in this game.

Yea I keep hearing sometime this week he will be playing but have yet to see him. they keep getting my hopes up with the live box scores cause they say G. Anderson when is J. Anderson really playing

There is speculation he will be in the lineup tomorrow against the Venezuela WBC team.

I hope not. i still wanna see a line up like

1. Schafer CF
2. Someone Right Handed
3. Heyward LF
4. Freeman 1B
5. FYF
etc. . .

Anderson double, Yunel moveover to 3rd, Kelly walk, Kotchman 2RBI double down the line. Followed by FYF popup to 2nd on first pitch. 2-0 Braves.

damnit FYF…

Looks like he got yanked. .091 BA, studly. Chipper was right, he’ll be batting clean up for sure.

Chipper was right

he’ll be batting cleaning up the dugout for sure.

Fix’d

In AAA, hopefully
Hanson or J.J.

So i want you guys’ opinion. If hanson keeps pitching like he has especially yesterday and J.J. keeps not pitching like he did last year do you think that would get Hanson the nod right out of ST or do you think they would give J.J. more time

Unless JJ is hurt and I missed it

There’s no way he doesn’t start the season with the big league club.

You’re talking about Jair Jurrjens? Being out of the rotation? Because of how he’s pitching in Spring Training? …?

Dude…you need to relax man.

5 Innings

Does not a sample size make

Should probably just trade Jurrjens

For a nice veteran player who knows how to win, like Julio Lugo or maybe even Gary Matthews Jr. I’m tired of charity cases like Jurrjens holding back our future stars.

Here here!

We need a proven vet like David Eckstein who can help the team by being short and having a dirty uniform.

don't forget...

running into walls for no real reason…

This is hilarious……

http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/blog/2007/05/aaron_rowand_ju.html

Heyward replaces Francouer in RF. I hope its punishment for swinging at the first pitch.

I agree. He has to learn to take a few pitches and exercise some patience.

Apparently he has a golf outing with Smoltz and Tiger

According to DOB’s Blog

Good to see he has his priorities straight.

Please tell me you’re joking.

I would like to say that it is a joke but unfortunately I read that in DOB’s blog as well.

This so soon after I read the Q&A with Bobby Cox on the Braves homepage where Bobby doesn’t seem to thrilled with Francoeur’s “progress”. What a loser.

I checked the article...

and Bobby actually said:

It’s going to take him time, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him so far. It looks like he’s moving in the right direction.

Moving in the right direction is not exactly a vote of confidence in my opinion. When Bobby Cox, the eternal optimist, can only say “moving in the right direction”, I don’t get a sense that Francoeur will be worth the millions he’s getting paid this year.

This.

If Bobby Cox doesn’t show confidence in you, then who can?

That's what Carol Rogers said the reason for him leaving the game was

She’s doing the updates in DOB’s blog. I thought it must be a joke, but it seems not. BJones took over in LF.

It would be humorous

If Bjönes and Heyward blew the game open while playing the corner positions, to where Bobby would think “hmm,” and give it a whirl tomorrow with both starting in left and right, and then Bobby would “hmm” again, and then put Francoeur back in to right, with Heyward in left, and both of them put up goose eggs, and Bobby goes “hmm,” and then the next day goes back to Bjönes and Heyward and they both tear it up, and Bobby finally goes “ahhhh.”

Francoeur starts the year back in Mississippi, and Bjönes and Heyward are your starting corners. With Schzafferr in CF, because he too is ready.

This wouldn't break my heart at all

I’m pulling for Schafer to win the CF job, but I don’t want to lose J. Anderson. How do we fix this situation, or are we just destined to have Anderson in CF?

I was just being facetious

I’d be willing to put money on that our starting outfield will be:
LF: G. Anderson
CF: J. Anderson
RF: J. Francoeur

It would take one hell of a remaining Grapefruit League for Schafer to make the organization begin the service clock when they don’t have to.

I thought you were, but it was wishful thinking. I wouldn’t expect to sign G. Anderson to that contract and have him sit on the bench. Not to mention Frenchy’s millions.

After he led the team in wins last year how can you make a solid case for sending him to AAA to start the season?

The fact that so far he isnt pitching like he did last year. it was just a question of opinion. as in if jj keeps pitching rather bad and hanson rather good which would you like to see in the rotation kinda thing but nm didnt think it would be such a big deal

Agreed

Jair can join Chipper in AAA, who’s also not off to a great start so far.

Who’s throwing for the Yanks?

Kawakami, inning #2: 1 walk, then retires the side.

I like him already

Even if this is the B,C or D-squad for the YANK-ees.

Sorry for this question but...

Is it Josh or Garret playing today?

It's Josh

Would Garret be playing CF and batting lead-off?

Why not. It's Spring Training.

CR reports Kawakami pitches 3 scoreless innings, gets out of jam after 2 walks. Apparently he was working on the curveball today.

Josh Anderson makes a nice catch at the wall

Sammons in at Catcher, guns down a runner trying to steal

The Yanks appear to be triple-happy

Damon off Redmond, Nady off Medlen.

In other games

It appears that our very own Baby Jesus, Brian McCann led the charge to overtake the Toronto Blue Jays in another tune-up game before the WBC.

A double, followed by a Granderson walk, led to both of them coming home on a Jimmy Rollins double, to tie up and then take the lead.

That “batting-stance guy” did a great impression of McCann.

Does Chipper chew tobaccy? What is that in his cheek when he bats from the RH side?

He does sometimes...

although he tries to go with bubble gum most of the time. Apparently he has tried to quit, especially as his mom hates him doing it, but he can’t quite give it up.

My dad (who has Directv, while i have DiSH and no MLB network) saw that guy on a while back and said he did a dead on Klesko impression, right down to the bat flip.

Aaaaaannnd...

J.J. Putz blow the save and gives up a walk-off hit of of some kind. Blue Jays beat Team USA which is what I hope not a pre-cursor for things to come on Saturday. Team Canada got throttled by the Phillies, though.

I hope Mr. Putz blows a lot of saves in the upcoming season.

And I thought Putz was the more reliable closer. I know it’s early and all, but I’m hoping that he puts these kind of repeat performances against the Braves during the season.

That...

has to thrill the Mets fans, after the blown save extravaganza they experienced last season. Poor Mets fans… I hate it for them. tee-hee

Braves Win

Atlanta, 3
New York, 2

Notables:

Kawakami, 3.0IP, 0H, 3BB, 2K
Boyer with a scoreless inning of work.
Heyward goes 1-3.

Atlanta, 3
New York, 2

This always looks good.

Gees 3 walks in 7 innings seems out of character for him so I hope it was just an off day.

great game today
i just got back from the game it was great
weather perfect was perfect
KK (Kawakami) was great, nothing too spectacular but he got the job done
Heyward played the whole game and its good for him getting experience
Boyer was also very good this game
Frenchy had one AB then left the game, i dont know if anything was wrong or what, but hope not.
Also prospect Reid Goreki has been great the past two games, yesterday he hit a SHOT to RF and today he hit a great double, even dived for a catch today
he’s been putting up some good games might be worth a look
*i dont think Shafer was in the game today
Freeman had the day off also

I’m trying not to hate you.

I was there also..

I agree pretty much with what you said but wanted to add some of my own:

KK pitched well to contact and no one really hit anything hard off of him at all
Boyer gave up 2 rockets, both which were caught….he throws real hard but it looked real straight from where i was sitting
Frenchy – 1 inning, 1 AB, 1 pitch….ugh…some guys near me commented that at least he didnt K…to which i replied he doesnt see enough pitches to strike out
J Anderson – I just dont see how he cant make the team
Medlen has a real wicked off speed breaking pitch…that triple he gave up was kinda cheap in my book because it was lifted down the line where alot of Braves were running their sprints and it kinda dropped in and started a Chiinese fire drill
F Bueno was just that…bueno…good quick inning

Question: who has a fastball with less movement…Boyer or Resop?

The one playing in Japan.

I don’t know about that. Apparently his fastball moved all the way from Georgia to the other side of the Pacific.

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