There's a lot thrown around these days about which teams and players certain deities prefer over others, and I just want to say that the Braves losing 8-1 to the Mets, then turning around, regaining Drake Baldwin and getting to play the San Francisco Giants right on the heels of their 'half the pitching staff think standing up to Pride Night is akin to casting out Satan' run...that's cosmic retribution. You have the story of good men getting back up after a stunning loss and going to take down the true evil, the evil of intolerance, and that's something right out of a Sunday reading, isn't it?
[I don't like saying stuff like this on the blog, but Landen Roupp and company are going right on my boycott list, along with the Rays who sat out Pride Night years ago and Blake Treinen. I can't believe I'm saying this, but these guys should be more like Josh Hader.]
Anyway, the Braves. Just when you think you've figured them out you get better. Alright, Strider's hurt, they're getting to Elder, well...alright, Hurston Waldrep's back this week probably, Martin Perez is surprisingly awesome, and they still have to face Chris Sale. There's a 35 and a 37 year old on this team who can throw better than most of the 28-year-olds the Giants have. And plus, here's Drake Baldwin again, continuing his plate vendetta from the first month and a half of the season.
The Braves are this good because they've laid the groundwork by placing all these people who can play well around their team, and they all are! They brought Matt Olson in to be a positive successor to Freddie Freeman, and he's been somehow better in points, with 20 homers and 51 RBIs already. Ozzie Albies has struggled the last couple years but he's back in full force now, hitting .279 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs, some of his most pivotal offense work in a while. Michael Harris II's also a .300 hitter now, he's got 14 homers and 41 RBIs, numbers he's only hinted at before. Mauricio Dubon and Dominic Smith have become excellent everyday players after being mostly bench guys for years. Even Jorge Mateo's having a comeback year as a bench piece, with 7 steals already. Losing Acuna is a rough development, but this team's been through that before. And gaining back Baldwin now is a really good thing. Because with this team, Baldwin was harder to replace than Acuna. A few weeks without Ronnie and they can throw Eli White back there, or Mateo even, and they'll be fine. A month or so without Drake and they were STRUGGLING. Sandy Leon had to be the main guy. Austin Wynns got thrown in there. It'd have been nice if Sean Murphy was around but I guess he's not that guy anymore.
Even without Acuna, the Braves' offense remains one of the best in baseball, and so many of these guys can catch you off guard and do something incredible. And on top of that the bullpen's damn near untouchable and Sale's having another Cy Young caliber season. Even after a rough weekend, the Braves are still the best in the biz, and with Baldwin back they're even better. Cannot be disputed.
Coming Tomorrow- The Rays gave up on him, he made them regret it in a different market. As is becoming the norm these days..
No comments:
Post a Comment