Rather than being the star of this series, Stephen Strasburg was pretty much just a sideshow. Sure, he pitched well, but he was overshadowed by Tim Hudson's dominant performance and Jair Jurrjens' excellent return to the rotation. Heck, Strasburg did not even put up the best pitching line on his own team, as Craig Stammen out-did him with a solid performance in game 2. In a series of good pitching performances, Strasburg was only 4th-best.
By the way, those of you who voted for "4+ runs" in the series-opening poll guessed correctly, as the Braves did indeed score four runs off of the phenom (though only three were earned, and two scored after he left the game).
It wasn't the most exciting series, but it was yet another series win for the Braves. They have now won or tied 15 of their last 16 series. Next up are the Marlins, followed by a crucial 6-game road trip against the Phillies and the Mets to finish up the first half. Win all 3 of those series, and we'll be sitting pretty in the division at the break.
Here are the links to the Talking Chop recaps of each game, along with links to each game's FanGraphs page:
Monday: Braves win 5-0 (TC Recap / FanGraphs Page)
Tuesday: Nationals win 7-2 (TC Recap / FanGraphs Page)
Wednesday: Braves win 4-1 (TC Recap / FanGraphs Page)
Series Awards after the jump.
Braves' Pitching MVP
Tim Hudson-- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 KK, 13/16 ground balls (81%), 0.420 WPA (by far the highest of the series)
Braves' Hitting MVPs
Martin Prado-- 3/10, BB, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SF, K, 0.170 WPA
Brian McCann-- 3/11, HBP, 2B, R, RBI, K, 0.054 WPA
Gregor Blanco-- 5/10, 3 R, RBI, K, GIDP, CS, Error, 0.004 WPA
Jair Jurrjens-- 1/2, RBI, K, 0.104 WPA
(Yeah, it was a pretty mild series for the Braves from a hitting perspective...)
Braves' Clutch Play
Prado tripling in the first run of game 2 (0.134 WPA)
Nationals' Pitching MVP
Craig Stammen-- 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 13/21 ground balls (62%), 0.166 WPA
Nationals' Hitting MVPs
Ryan Zimmerman-- 2/12, BB, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K, GIDP, 0.203 WPA (one huge hit goes a long way)
Nyjer Morgan-- 3/12, BB, R, RBI, SB, 3 K, 0.052 WPA
(If you're wondering about Alberto Gonzalez, he did have 5 hits, but he also had a slightly negative WPA.)
Nationals' Clutch Play
Zimmerman hitting a 2-run, tie-breaking double in game 2 (0.248 WPA)
Braves' Pitching LVP
Derek Lowe -- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB (1 IBB), 5 K, 12/19 ground balls (63%), -0.266 WPA
Braves' Hitting LVPs
Melky Cabrera-- 2/10, HBP, BB, 2 2B, R, RBI, 0 K, -0.190 WPA (he did OK overall but sucked in key situations)
Troy Glaus-- 0/10, 2 BB, ROE, R, 2 K, GIDP, 0.001 WPA (this should be lower; he got credit for +0.106 for the ROE)
Braves' Unclutch Play
Melky grounding out with the bases loaded in game 2 (-0.106 WPA)
Nationals' Pitching LVP
J.D. Martin-- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 4/19 ground balls (21%), -0.131 WPA (though he didn't pitch all that badly)
Nationals' Hitting LVPs
Ivan Rodriguez-- 3/12, BB, CS, K, GIDP, -0.199 WPA
Roger Bernadina-- 3/10, 2 BB, 2B, R, SB, 3 K, -0.157 WPA (surprising, huh?)
Adam Dunn-- 3/13, 2B, 5 K, -0.062 WPA
Nationals' Unclutch Play
Pudge grounding into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs in game 3 (-0.148 WPA)
0 recs | 37 comments
Great win but I would have preferred the sweep. Glad we took the sting out of Strasburg…me likey!
Dave_D - July 1, 2010
So happy that we got JJ and Matty back! :)
MBL1 - July 1, 2010 via mobile
I love it when a plan comes together.
UMDBHIK - July 1, 2010
Darn right
TonyAlmeyda - July 1, 2010
Troy Glaus has really cooled down, I guess May is officially over…
McLouth Maniac - July 1, 2010
He'll
be back. Remember April? Maybe this swoon only occurs in even months.
frozendesert - July 2, 2010
I'll admit
i was worried JJ was not quite ready…. boy did he prove me wrong.
Keep up the good work boys… this next couple weeks are all NL East all the time… lets create a nice cushion between us and the rest of those chumps
ChitownBravos - July 1, 2010
It's
like we just traded for Cliff Lee! Now’s let’s compound that effect by actually trading for Cliff Lee!
frozendesert - July 2, 2010
I am shock that Lowe is the series LVP!
/sarcasm
romone_braves91 - July 1, 2010
I’m still worried about JJ. Watching his starts in AAA on CSS, he hit a wall every game at about 60 pitches, lots of hits, walks and baserunners. The same thing happened yesterday. Maybe it’s just conditioning, but it sure has happened 3 games in a row. I hope JJ can return to the last 2 years level of play, but I’m not convinced yesterdays win is the start of that.
bighop - July 1, 2010
He wasn't really stretched out going into yesterday.
His previous warm up game in AAA he had something like 81 pitches on the day. That was the area he started to noticably struggle in the game. It will take a few more starts before he is fully back and in the groove.
Pavy848 - July 1, 2010
Really not trying to be mean or anything...
but do you ever not worry about something? Would it have been better if he had pitched poorly yesterday? What would he have had to do for you to have some optimism — throw a no-hitter? I’m just sort of baffled by an attitude like this.
sddbaker - July 1, 2010
there’s still reason to be concerned about JJ until he gets a couple more starts. He was struggling even before the injury. That said, he should turn it around, we need him to.
I’m more worried about the outfield without Heyward.
Broccoman - July 1, 2010
He had one bad start
Braves24 - July 1, 2010
The only thing I am worried about is frank wren screwing up this awesome team by trading prospects or a proven player for a rental.
telemakhos - July 1, 2010
I’m not nearly as worried about JJ as you are about “gritty” or “perky” or whatever your word of the day is. I’ve watched him get into trouble in the middle innings in AAA and in his 1st game back. I have tons of optimism, but not blind optimism. Truth is, he did better than I expected, his fastball was good, though elevated too often it seemed, he rarely threw his changeup, so I can’t comment on that. He looked happy, and I was glad to see him get the win. And thanks for “not trying to be mean” as you call me out on a legitimate observation.
bighop - July 1, 2010
Touchy, aren't we?
And please explain what you are talking about with the gritty/perky comment. If you want to.
My point is, you were worried because he didn’t pitch all that well in his rehab starts. Fine, I can see that, although he was probably working more on his mechanics than trying to get people out, plus as he said himself, he didn’t have much familiarity with the minor league batters, nor any video, like he did with the Nationals batters. Anyway, I could still see why some would be worried with his less than stellar performance. However, he comes out and pitches not just well, but really well. Buster Olney had this to say in his blog today:
Yet, you say you are still worried about him, because he “hit a wall after about 60 pitches”. My point is, cut the guy a little slack. I mean, it’s fine if you want to worry, I’m just pointing out that your worry is unwarranted. Sure, I don’t have to let you know I think it seems whiny, but, what the heck, it’s the internet, and you can’t beat me up.sddbaker - July 1, 2010
I’m sorry you felt I was being whiney, I was trying to be enlightening. I didn’t know how many people saw the AAA games that I had seen. In one of them, he had a no hitter for nearly 4 innings and gave up 4 runs in 5 innings. He hit a wall. I felt like the same thing happened yesterday. He was flat awesome for about 60 pitches, then gave up some baserunners late in the 4th inning and loaded the bases with no outs in the 5th. Like I stated in my 1st “whiney” post, maybe it is just conditioning, he has been out for 2 months you know. Frankly, I think you are making too big a deal about my worrying. When I posted that, it was refering to his season as a whole, JJ was winless in I think 5 starts, and I had noticed a troubling trend. JJ has been awesome early in his starts lately, no doubt about it.
The “gritty, perky” comment was just me being a smartass, you attacked another of my posts last week, and closed it out by posting something like can’t we refrain from using words like gritty to describe players. I thought it was a stupid thing to post, and was just being a smartass.
I’m way far away from being a baseball genius, but I saw something I thought others might have missed. I posted it and it upset you. Seems like it won’t be the last time.
bighop - July 1, 2010
Sddbaker and bighop…Round 2…FIGHT!!!
MBL1 - July 1, 2010 via mobile
Nah, if it was a fight, I’d be banned already. I write the mean stuff to get it out of my system, then edit it to be decent. And I understand where sddbaker is coming from. My response could easily be called “whiney”, but it was more smartass, as I noted. What I need to understand is that sddbaker is a sabermetrics fan, what she needs to understand is that I’m an oldtimer and use my eyes to make judgements. Oil and water don’t mix. She’s being a pushy broad, and I’m being an ignorant ass, it’s not a fight.
bighop - July 1, 2010
whoa!
Pushy broad? Well, I guess I’ve been called worse. ;-)
And I’m not upset; it takes a LOT to get me upset….
sddbaker - July 2, 2010
This conversation has been very entertaining coming off an off-day.
If it makes you feel any better bighop, I definitely agree with your 60 pitch wall hypothesis, and it makes complete sense if you consider the limited work he has been able to get in leading up to the season and in the first couple months of the season due to different injuries. I am confident it’s just an endurance thing, and we should expect him to be the same old ace in a few more starts. That being said, JJ has never really been a pitcher who can consistently pitch into the 7th or 8th innings.
It’s funny to see the new school stats lover and old school follow your gut fan duke it out. I think sabermetrics have made a huge improvement in rating player performances, but you need to actually watch him play to get the true picture. After all, stats can be misleading:
“There are three types of untruths. Lies, damn lies, and statistics.”
pancanbra - July 2, 2010
Glad to have helped get you through the off day!
bighop - July 2, 2010
Well gee...
I tried to hold off, but my hand has been forced.
sddbaker - July 1, 2010
I wish we would send Lowe to the BP instead of KK.
justincredubil02 - July 1, 2010
Me too.
I’m glad at least one other person feels that way.
Jacob Peterson - July 1, 2010
I said it last year too. Lowe is easily our worst SP. He belongs in the pen, contract be damned.
justincredubil02 - July 2, 2010
HE WINS PLAIN AND SIMPLE KK SUCKS BECUASE HE DOESNT WIN
10-4 - July 2, 2010
Touche’
justincredubil02 - July 2, 2010
Touche’
justincredubil02 - July 2, 2010
touche’
bpk228480 - July 2, 2010
dammit
justincredubil02 - July 2, 2010
Touche’
Scott Coleman - July 2, 2010
He's definitely
The most inconsistent starter, which is really nerve fraying.
Sam Jethroe - July 2, 2010
I would prefer he not pitch with a Braves uniform on period. Unfortunately, I’m hallucinating more than normal if I think there’s even a remote chance of that happening with his contract.
UMDBHIK - July 2, 2010
mets and phillies lose!!!
Brave Neander - July 1, 2010 via mobile
Great start to July
bighop - July 1, 2010
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