Note: The auto-tagger isn't working right now. Hopefully it will soon and I'll be able to tag all of the players.
The story of this series is without question Mike Minor making his debut with the big ball club. I'm sure we all wish the circumstances for his debt were different, but he's up now and hopefully, he is up to stay. The Braves beat up a fellow playoff contender in the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, winning three out of four. Although the team has had troubles on the road, you have to assume an away series against the Astros is a good way to solve their road problems.
Pitching Matchups:
Monday, 8:05 EST: Mike Minor (3.44 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 3.17 K/BB in MiLB) vs. Bud Norris (4-7, 5.65 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 2.28 K/BB)
Minor has been great this season in the minors and looks to transition that success into the majors. Jacob wrote a very good article on what to expect from Minor this season, and he really couldn't get introduced into the majors in a better way. The Astros have a putrid offense, so I expect Minor to pitch relatively well tonight. Norris actually hasn't been too bad this year, despite the high ERA. He strikes out more than a batter per inning but he also walks over four batters per nine. If the Braves stay patient like they usually do, they should be able to get enough base runners on to score some runs on Bud.
Tuesday, 8:05 EST: Jair Jurrjens (4-4, 4.48 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.92 K/BB) vs. J.A. Happ (2-1, 4.03 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 0.84 K/BB)
The Braves face a familiar foe in J.A. Happ on Tuesday night. Happ was moved to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal. He has had a good start and a bad start since then, throwing six scoreless innings in his first start followed by a one inning, seven runs allowed performance in his latest outing. He has had some success in his career against the Braves, posting a 2.23 ERA in five starts, but he also has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of just 18-12 against them. Jair battled through his last start, allowing just two runs over six innings despite starting off poorly. This is probably the most evenly matched game of the series.
Wednesday, 2:05 EST: Tommy Hanson (8-8, 3.69 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 3.25 K/BB) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (9-11, 4.34 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 2.32 K/BB)
The curse of Kenshin Kawakami has now hit Tommy Hanson, but I don't see that trend continuing in his next start, even though the Braves are opposing a decent lefty. Hanson's season has been absolutely phenomenal but the Braves haven't been able to score for him lately or play defense. I expect him to dominate the Astro's lineup though, hopefully leading to a victory for him and the team. Rodriguez is a pretty solid, veteran left-handed starter, and that is a combination that usually gives the Braves a bit of trouble (see Moyer, Jamie).
The Astro Lineup:
The Astros don't have much offensively after trading Lance Berkman to the Yankees. Their best hitter right now is probably Chris Johnson, with Hunter Pence being the most dangerous bat overall. Johnson and Jason Michaels are the only hitters with a wOBA over .340 and only Jeff Keppinger and and Pence are in the .330-.340 range. The Braves shouldn't have much trouble pitching to this offense.
The Astro Bullpen:
Brandon Lyon, Matt Lindstrom, and Wilton Lopez have all been good relievers this season. All three have ERA's and FIP's in the low 3's, so getting ahead on the starters would be ideal. All three are righties though, so they don't quite have the flexibility that the Braves 'pen has with the dominant lefties and righties. The back end of their bullpen is definitely their biggest strength, although they are relatively under-the-radar relievers.
0 recs | 50 comments
I still can't quite shake the 2005 NLDS off my mind, every time the Braves plays the Astros
Time to snap the road series losing streak
LEastCoastBears - August 9, 2010
Where's Chris f'ing Burke at these days?
I’m down for a TC fight club. I still can’t believe we lost to that guy.
Scott Coleman - August 9, 2010 via mobile
I can’t believe we signed him to a minor league contract last year. We wouldn’t hire Jim Leyritz as an advance scout, would we? Or Kent Hrbek as a janitor?
Weldon - August 9, 2010
If the Braves needed to learn how to execute WWE-style wrasslin moves, or needed to learn how to catch some walleyes, Kent would be your guy.
Oh, yeah. Did I mention he’s a complete douchebag?
UMDBHIK - August 9, 2010
Oh, and Mike Minor:
20Ks, baby.
Scott Coleman - August 9, 2010 via mobile
'The Astros have a putrid offense'
…..but they have averaged over 5 runs a game since the break, for some reason. This worries me…..
Undocorkscrew - August 9, 2010
Giants offense since the break has been stellar as well, but they didn’t do much against the Braves pitchers.
BenDuronio - August 9, 2010
Oh please
They played the Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Cardinals, and Brewers again. A team of Talking Chopers could score 5 runs a game against that.
Scott Coleman - August 9, 2010 via mobile
Yeah.....I'm not implying it's a good offense.....
…..just keeping my expectations low, considering…….well, you know……..a guy with under a year of professional baseball under his belt is making his MLB debut today. And I’m factoring the Braves lack of runs against such powerhouse pitchers as Livan Hernandez, Arroyo, and Miguel Bautista recently…..
Undocorkscrew - August 9, 2010
risp hits will come
VivaLosBravos - August 9, 2010
We should totally do this...
You in? I’m in!
Jman781 - August 9, 2010
The Astros have faced only division opponents since the Break until now. Of them, only the Cardinals have a real dominant pitching staff. Their record at home isn’t that stellar, either. I wouldn’t be worried.
TonyAlmeyda - August 9, 2010
I actually said that today....
Norris’s BAA with RISP is something like .375 or something in a relatively large enough sample size to conclude that he completely folds under pressure.
Undocorkscrew - August 9, 2010
that’s ridiculous
VivaLosBravos - August 9, 2010
easy there
one the #6 org in baseball
VivaLosBravos - August 9, 2010
sorry
don’t know how that wound up here
VivaLosBravos - August 9, 2010
HEYWARD HR TODAY
It’s gonna happen. I’m using all my john smoltz psychic skills.
RufRider - August 9, 2010
I’m calling on this too. The guy is overdue.
Sparhawk - August 9, 2010
Short porch in left.....
…..it would be a good time for him to break the drought. Really hope he can lay off the low, outside off-speed stuff this series and drive the ball the other way like we all know he can.
Undocorkscrew - August 9, 2010
called it
RufRider - August 9, 2010
Hopefully, we will start calling him by the name “Mike Major” after tonight.
GouldisGold - August 9, 2010
nice…tacky yet i laughed anways
Swo12bv - August 9, 2010
I’m very excited about tonight’s game. A lefty starter! After having had put up with JOJO, this should be a real treat tonight.
Sparhawk - August 9, 2010
It is on the road...
but with their offense, and us seemingly putting the better P on there every day (at least every day besides today), I’m really hoping for a sweep. Getting a sweep in Houston would be a huge lift before a day off and the incoming homestand with LA and Washington.
Mr. Sanchez - August 9, 2010
I say we take 2 of 3
Sweeps are difficult enough at home, no matter who we play…
Jman781 - August 9, 2010
Need to finish my thought..
Post fail! Thus sweeps are harder on the road, even if facing team like the Stros.
Jman781 - August 9, 2010
Disagree
Looking at both the pitching match-ups, and the offensive comparisons, there is no reason we should not sweep this series. This is an offense and rotation that has been depleted. And although Happ has had some success against us in the past, their offense still need to score runs. Our team ERA is 1.78 in the past 8 games. I will say, that if we do not sweep the series, I will be thoroughly disappointed.
KJDH2154 - August 9, 2010
The Mariners fired their manager today
but i think it was their GM Jack Z. plan for pitching and defense that failed miserablely
bravesforever16 - August 9, 2010
It wasn't his plan that failed, exactly.
I think a lot of his individual moves were good (except re-signing Griffey), even if they didn’t all work out this year (like Figgins). The big problem with the Mariners is that they had sky-high expectations with a not-ready-to-contend team. If the expectations had been in line with their actual talent levels, I think Wakamatsu still has a job.
Jacob Peterson - August 9, 2010
Yeah I don't know why they would fire him
I guess they just wanted someone to blame their troubles on. I think want happened to Griffey and the fight with Figgins probably didn’t help.
bravesforever16 - August 9, 2010
True
Their situation reminds me a lot of the Marlins’ with Fredi Gonzalez. I don’t think either manager did anything wrong, but with a dysfunctional clubhouse and high expectations, they are easy targets.
Jacob Peterson - August 9, 2010
easy there
on the #6 org in baseball
VivaLosBravos - August 9, 2010
The Astros are hot, and we're playing in Houston
so this isn’t as easy a series as it appears at first glance. Still, you’d think we should be able to win 2/3 without too much trouble as long as Minor doesn’t crap the bed in his first start.
Jacob Peterson - August 9, 2010
Any series with DLowe is one I think we can win.
BullManUGA - August 9, 2010
I have to disagree. The Astros have lost four in a row after winning seven in a row, and only two of those seven were against the Cardinals. I don’t think their offense will pose much of a threat to this pitching staff; they have the lowest home BA of any NL team (.251). I think a sweep is a realistic possibility.
TonyAlmeyda - August 9, 2010
I'm excited to see Minor pitch tonight!
I feel we can win this series. I’m not going to go as far as to say a sweep is in the bag. It seems we often play down to the level of the team we are playing, and play better against good teams that challenge us. I hope they prove me wrong, and get out of town with a sweep, but a series win would be fine to me.
Go Braves!
HEYJUDE - August 9, 2010
I know we are past the Giants, but those guys at McCC do NOT mess around. 907 comments in a post-game thread. Jeez.
BullManUGA - August 9, 2010
they
comment quite a lot
MBL1 - August 9, 2010 via mobile
and I thought we comment a lot.
Kobe:The Legend - August 9, 2010
Shows we need to be stepping up our game. I consider this a personal challenge.
UMDBHIK - August 9, 2010
i agree
they are questioning our manhood
kbertling353 - August 9, 2010
hipsters in teh coffee shops
kbertling353 - August 9, 2010
Does Minor have an official Nickname?
I recommend Fort Minor.
frozendesert - August 9, 2010
Major Minor and Snagglepuss...
BullManUGA - August 9, 2010
So who's Snagglepuss?
Pavy848 - August 9, 2010
glen hubbard?
don’t know why but it was the first name to come to mind
Xshare - August 9, 2010
Mickey Minor
adc62 - August 9, 2010
If he ends up dominating...
then I say we stay modest and call him our Minor Threat.
vooodooo - August 9, 2010
bloopers
doesnt matter wheather a blooper or a HR beats you. only thing that happened last night was that the braves got DUSTED. poor team performance. other than the job minor did – no positives whatsoever. the AAA astros beat the veterans. the young ones have something to prove and they did last night. veterans – take note
llabyug - August 10, 2010 via mobile
There’s still two more games left in this series, Astros fan.
Or are you just bitter that we swept you earlier in the season, to a tune of 21-4??
-C
cthabeerman - August 10, 2010
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