Braves fans: Chipper starts both games of the doubleheader today.

[mstatefan88]

I'm not ok with that. I know it's early and Chipper has been swinging the bat very well so far, but you sit him down this second game in my opinion. He is the key to this season, and I don't think having him play 3rd both games is something Fredi should let him do. Put Prado at 3rd, and let Matt Young start in LF and have Hinske at 1st. I just don't think it's worth risking Chipper's health this early in the season. I would think he gets the day off tomorrow, but I have concerns about an often injured 39 year old coming off a major injury playing 18 innings in one day this early in the season.

 

[boomboommsu]

...and they might be planning on sitting him tomorrow for a Sunday day game.

he's also hitting at his best right now, and he LOVES playing the Mets. i would guess they left that decision up to Chipper, in keeping with their boneheaded management of injuries (see Schafer, Heyward, etc.). and i would hope McCann is sitting that game (i'm still watching the first on the DVR), and he may not have wanted to sit them both at the same time. ok, none of those seem like good enough reasons do they?

Fredi "Johnny Manager" probably just didn't want to have to bat Heyward 3rd, in keeping with his stubborness.

 

[MStateFan22]

He's probably more likely to pull a groin or oblique than hurt his knee again. He's been playing pretty safe on 3B. Hasn't gone after anything not really hit right at him.

 

[mstatefan88]

I would have staggered both McCann and Chipper.Chipperplays game 1 and McCann sits, and McCann plays game 2 while Chipper sits.

I don't understand why Fredi's being so stubborn about battingUggla andHeyward anywhere other than 5th and 6th. I understand his reasoning, but Hinske batting 4th in game 2 with Uggla and Heyward batting 5th and 6th? I don't like that.Bat Uggla 4th, Heyward 5th, Gonzo 6th, and Hinske 7th.You keep thealternating lefty righty while also putting a legit power hitter in the 4 hole. Hinske is no 4 hole hitter.

Hopefully this lineup will still work, but I'm still nota fan of Chipper playing both games today. I would rather him play one today, the one tomorrow, and sit the 1st game of the Dodgers series after the long plane ride out there.

 

[boomboommsu]

Kimbrel 9th, Venters 8th, O'Flaherty/Moylan 7th, Sherill/Linebrink 6th, with no regard to who's coming up or the game situation. they lost a game the other day because he brought in Linebrink in the 6th (after letting Sherrill pitch to 3 righties, a fireable offense by itself). the problem being Linebrink is a fly-ball pitcher, while Moylan is a ground-ball pitcher, and it was a clear ground-ball situation. one pitch, grand slam. manager fail.

 

[mstatefan88]

I figured lefty heavy lineup we see Venters, righty heavy lineup we see Kimbrel. But it looks like Kimbrel is going to be the man. They both have great stuff, and I don't have a problem with Kimbrel being the closer full time. And letting Sherril pitch to 3 righties with Venters and O'Flaherty in the bullpen is ridiculous.Fredi hasn't really used the bullpen as effectively as I think he could have.

The good thing is we probably have the best bullpen in the NL and that's going to make up for some bad decisions. I'm hoping Fredi gets into a groove using the bullpen, because Bobby was the master of situational bullpen use. I didn't always like him usingtwo guys from the bullpen fortwo batters, but he alwaysbrought in the guythat was going to give himself the bestshotto get out of a jam. Didn't work every time, but it did most of the time, and I got used to that with Bobby. I like Fredi, but it's going to takesome time adjusting to his way of doing things. Bobby was open for change if he thought it would help the team. Fredi seems like a my way or the highway kind of guy, and I'm not a real big fan of that. Still think Fredi was the right hire though.

 

[boomboommsu]

having Venters and Kimbrel will save Fredi Gonzolez from screwing up a lot of games. either of them can pitch to lefties or righties, you can't screw up the 8th and 9th for Atlanta. that said, there will be a lot of situations where Venters should come into jams in the 7th, pitching into the 8th (he gets out of innings with remarkably few pitches), but he won't because that's too radical a thought for Fredi.

Bobby was TERRIBLE at managing the bullpen. case in point, NLDS game 3. Kimbrel yanked in favor of an average lefty, because to Bobby a lefty should always face a lefty, even when the righty is freaking amazing, the lefty isnt, and the batter hits lefties better than righties. that one megaoveremphasis by Bobby negated alot of his positives as a manager. that said, he was great at recongnizing young talent and utilizing it (in the bullpen if not the bench), case in point Venters and Kimbrel. Fredi still has Stephen Marek in the minors.