Month: April 2006

It was an awful week for the Braves, as they narrowly avoided being swept in consecutive series for the first time in over 20 years. The five-game losing streak to start the week was almost entirely a result of the offense, which managed just 10 runs in the 5 games. Looking at the WPA, the […]

The weekend rains in D.C. nicely coincided with my trip out of town, and I was actually able to see the only game they played while I was away from Searcy. The Braves only got in five games this week, but they went 3-2 and evened up their record at 9-9, three games behind the […]

I have two suggestions for Bobby Cox in addition to my points in yesterday’s post. 1. Don’t be stupid with the batting order. Even though studies have shown the impact of using the optimal batting order to be minimal (using something like descending OBP, when compared to a traditional one), you don’t want to be […]

It was another up-and-down week for the Braves, although it appeared to be ending on a high note. The bullpen blew today’s game, so the Braves fell to 3-3 at home, 6-7 overall. The Mets will be out of reach in first place in the NL East, with the Braves four games back in second. […]

I meant to post this yesterday, but homework tends not to conform to the Braves’ schedule. I’d like to weigh in on a couple of early-season debates. 1. Jeff Francoeur’s struggles at the plate, which date back to the end of last season, continue. Of course, his patience problems are nothing new. David O’Brien (and […]

The Braves went 3-4 in the first week of the season, disappointingly losing 3 of 4 in San Francisco to close out the West Coast trip. They’re now two games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East. Luckily for the Braves, every other NL East team besides the Mets is off to […]

Part of the thing that makes WPA so interesting is actually following it yourself during a game. Knowing that your team has a 20% chance of winning after giving up a few first-inning runs may make you feel like a pessimist, but it’s still pretty cool. I’ve added a list of links to the right, […]