The 2018 Atlanta Braves: 68 Regular Season Games Remaining
Since my July 2 post on how well the Atlanta Braves were performing in 2018 the team went a dismal 3-7 against three very good teams: the Yankees, the Brewers, and the Diamondbacks. The 3-0 loss last Saturday was one I got to see in person. It was my first trip to SunTrust Park and I really enjoyed the atmosphere there. The word "intimate" is sometimes used for big stadiums, which is silly. There is nothing intimate about being somewhere watching the same event with 40,000 other people. But I do like the new park. It is well designed, with a classic baseball aesthetic to it.
I attended the game with a former employer who has season tickets in the Delta Sky360 Club section. Jennifer and Avery went as well. The four of us arrived at the game early to enjoy the first-class amenities that the Sky360 Club offers. The club parking is directly beside the stadium. It is a short walk into the facility and the air-conditioned confines of the club, where you can partake all the beer, hot dogs, wine, and assorted gourmet-class buffet food items you can eat. A very nice way to enjoy pregame festivities.
We were meeting Avery at the stadium. She was running slightly late but it was no big deal. I had time to check out "the Battery," a plaza of high-rise hotels, shops, restaurants, and other commercial developments that were constructed as part of the park's total complex. It seemed strange. Here we were more than an hour before game time and the space was packed with people. I am used to most fans arriving late to a game but, apparently, it is more fashionable to come early since there is so much outside the stadium to enjoy.
Then it struck me. Normally stadiums are built away from the city or constructed snugly around existing commercial buildings. But in this case the entire commercial complex was constructed along with the stadium. I never gave this much thought previously, but seeing it all in person gave me a vague, surreal feeling, as if I were standing in some large movie stage set. None of this existed two years ago. It was all built together as a collective sports, business, and entertainment constellation.
My daughter came walking up in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the crowd. As I observed her smiling face approaching us, it seemed that she was an actress and the many hundreds of other people scurrying about were extras. The moment slowed down in my head. I introduced my former boss to her. I was working for him until just before she was born, so this was the first time they met each other.
We walked around the Battery for a bit just to check things out. Avery was already familiar with it since she attended a couple of games last season and also occasionally visits some of the sports bars outside the ballpark. Then the four of us entered the promised land. Sky360 is a level of entertainment that I have never experienced at a baseball game before. The club was absolutely packed but we managed to situate four chairs around a small table.
As longtime readers know, having a few beers and eating a couple of hot dogs is on my yearly checklist to validate my existence. This did not disappoint although, once again, it seemed surreal to be at a ballgame and enjoy the dogs in this air-conditioned comfort. I went through one of the two buffet lines after that and had a sampling of everything from chicken wings to mussels to asparagus to zucchini. It was all delicious, as I polished off three cold Blue Moon's on draft before the game started. I like to get a nice beer buzz before the game begins and let the buzz subside as the game plays out.
Our seats were fantastic, cushy leather and very comfortable but a tad hot in the heat and humidity of a summer afternoon. Fortunately there were thunderstorms nearby that, while they did not affect the game, kept the sun hidden for the most part and offered a cool breeze off and on. The four seats were located down the third base line, slightly toward home plate, affording a great view of inside the Braves dugout as well as of the game itself - which was BORING.
I have watched and listened to thousands of baseball games throughout my life. I have seen a lot of wins and a lot of losses. The outcome of any game I see live usually does not bother me one way or the other. But the Braves looked so tired last Saturday. They managed a mere 5 hits, one for extra bases (the only Brave to reach as far as second base the whole game), with a lone walk against 11 strikeouts. Pitiful.
I was excited to watch the Sean Newcomb pitch. He is one of the more promising young pitchers in our organization. But he walked the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up a run on a soft single. It could have been worse I suppose, but opening any game with three walks is a real yawner. There were a few defensive plays that were worthy of applause but that was about it for the Braves that game. Arizona pitcher Zack Greinke was the game's biggest highlight for me. I love watching good pitching and Greinke was in command of all his stuff. Not exactly the way a Braves fan wants any game to stand out, but that was about all this one offered in terms of player performance.
Fortunately, one of the great things about baseball (as opposed to football or basketball, for example) is that it is conducive to conversation throughout the game, no matter what the score is. My former employer and I caught up with each other, discussing everything from baseball to politics to recent personal life experiences. He got into a lengthy conversation about scuba diving (complete with shark photos on his android phone) with Jennifer and Avery. That part of the afternoon was nice. My eyes spent a lot of time just roaming around the stadium, getting familiar with the location of the scoreboards and various other information displays about the game. There was a lot of crowd watching too. It wasn't the best game, but the experience itself was noteworthy. I've never been treated with such royalty at a sporting event before.
It was great to see Freddie Freeman (who received more votes than any other NL player) and Nick Markakis start in their respective positions during this week's All-Star game. Ozzie Albies and Mike Foltynewicsz were there as well, the later gave a good accounting of himself in his single frame of pitching. The Braves have not had four members on an All-Star team since 2003 and all four deserved it. Let's hope that this break resets everyone on the team and they can come out kicking butt the way they did earlier in the season.
The Braves start post-All-Star play in DC against the Nats tonight. They have played pretty well against the teams in their division so far this season, which still gives them a good chance of winning the NL East. But they are going to have to cut down on their strikeouts, start driving the ball like they did in April and May, and their pitchers, especially the middle relievers, are going to have to step it up.
Despite their recent slump, the Braves are still in a strong position at this stage on the season. They are in second place, tied in the loss column with first-place Philadelphia but with one fewer win (so a half-game out of first). As a team, they have fallen to 5th in batting average overall, whereas they were leading in that category well into June. They have dropped to 8th in runs scored. Not a good trend. The pitching has been in the middle of the pack all season. Currently, they are ranked a mediocre 10th in ERA, 13th in quality starts, but 5th in opposing batting average (which means they are walking too many batters given the number of earned runs scored against them). Their fielding has been decent. They have not beaten themselves with errors thus far, a positive stat.
It is interesting to note that the 2018 has not very "streaky" thus far for the Braves. They have had two 4-game winning streaks and one 4-game losing streak. Otherwise they have won a couple and lost a couple, here and there winning a bit more than losing. If that overall trend continues and they can put together an extended winning streak of 6 or 8 games then they should be able to cruise to the division title. That is certainly within the realm of possibility. And there's no better time to play that type of baseball than in August and September, getting hot late in the season.
The Braves still have 68 games to play in the regular season. If the team gets its collective act together this will continue to be a fun season. If they keep losing momentum, however, it will be a long, dreadfully slow finish (I've seen plenty of those before). I'm optimistic, however. This team has a lot of young talent at the major league level. They are packed with potential talent throughout their minor league system, which is one of baseball's best. It's not exactly time for the "baby Braves" to grow up (that might not happen until next season), but if these young players maintain the fire in their belly and improve their consistency to go along with their potential talent then 2018 can still have a satisfying finish to it. Play ball!
I attended the game with a former employer who has season tickets in the Delta Sky360 Club section. Jennifer and Avery went as well. The four of us arrived at the game early to enjoy the first-class amenities that the Sky360 Club offers. The club parking is directly beside the stadium. It is a short walk into the facility and the air-conditioned confines of the club, where you can partake all the beer, hot dogs, wine, and assorted gourmet-class buffet food items you can eat. A very nice way to enjoy pregame festivities.
We were meeting Avery at the stadium. She was running slightly late but it was no big deal. I had time to check out "the Battery," a plaza of high-rise hotels, shops, restaurants, and other commercial developments that were constructed as part of the park's total complex. It seemed strange. Here we were more than an hour before game time and the space was packed with people. I am used to most fans arriving late to a game but, apparently, it is more fashionable to come early since there is so much outside the stadium to enjoy.
Then it struck me. Normally stadiums are built away from the city or constructed snugly around existing commercial buildings. But in this case the entire commercial complex was constructed along with the stadium. I never gave this much thought previously, but seeing it all in person gave me a vague, surreal feeling, as if I were standing in some large movie stage set. None of this existed two years ago. It was all built together as a collective sports, business, and entertainment constellation.
My daughter came walking up in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the crowd. As I observed her smiling face approaching us, it seemed that she was an actress and the many hundreds of other people scurrying about were extras. The moment slowed down in my head. I introduced my former boss to her. I was working for him until just before she was born, so this was the first time they met each other.
We walked around the Battery for a bit just to check things out. Avery was already familiar with it since she attended a couple of games last season and also occasionally visits some of the sports bars outside the ballpark. Then the four of us entered the promised land. Sky360 is a level of entertainment that I have never experienced at a baseball game before. The club was absolutely packed but we managed to situate four chairs around a small table.
As longtime readers know, having a few beers and eating a couple of hot dogs is on my yearly checklist to validate my existence. This did not disappoint although, once again, it seemed surreal to be at a ballgame and enjoy the dogs in this air-conditioned comfort. I went through one of the two buffet lines after that and had a sampling of everything from chicken wings to mussels to asparagus to zucchini. It was all delicious, as I polished off three cold Blue Moon's on draft before the game started. I like to get a nice beer buzz before the game begins and let the buzz subside as the game plays out.
Our seats were fantastic, cushy leather and very comfortable but a tad hot in the heat and humidity of a summer afternoon. Fortunately there were thunderstorms nearby that, while they did not affect the game, kept the sun hidden for the most part and offered a cool breeze off and on. The four seats were located down the third base line, slightly toward home plate, affording a great view of inside the Braves dugout as well as of the game itself - which was BORING.
I have watched and listened to thousands of baseball games throughout my life. I have seen a lot of wins and a lot of losses. The outcome of any game I see live usually does not bother me one way or the other. But the Braves looked so tired last Saturday. They managed a mere 5 hits, one for extra bases (the only Brave to reach as far as second base the whole game), with a lone walk against 11 strikeouts. Pitiful.
I was excited to watch the Sean Newcomb pitch. He is one of the more promising young pitchers in our organization. But he walked the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up a run on a soft single. It could have been worse I suppose, but opening any game with three walks is a real yawner. There were a few defensive plays that were worthy of applause but that was about it for the Braves that game. Arizona pitcher Zack Greinke was the game's biggest highlight for me. I love watching good pitching and Greinke was in command of all his stuff. Not exactly the way a Braves fan wants any game to stand out, but that was about all this one offered in terms of player performance.
Fortunately, one of the great things about baseball (as opposed to football or basketball, for example) is that it is conducive to conversation throughout the game, no matter what the score is. My former employer and I caught up with each other, discussing everything from baseball to politics to recent personal life experiences. He got into a lengthy conversation about scuba diving (complete with shark photos on his android phone) with Jennifer and Avery. That part of the afternoon was nice. My eyes spent a lot of time just roaming around the stadium, getting familiar with the location of the scoreboards and various other information displays about the game. There was a lot of crowd watching too. It wasn't the best game, but the experience itself was noteworthy. I've never been treated with such royalty at a sporting event before.
It was great to see Freddie Freeman (who received more votes than any other NL player) and Nick Markakis start in their respective positions during this week's All-Star game. Ozzie Albies and Mike Foltynewicsz were there as well, the later gave a good accounting of himself in his single frame of pitching. The Braves have not had four members on an All-Star team since 2003 and all four deserved it. Let's hope that this break resets everyone on the team and they can come out kicking butt the way they did earlier in the season.
The Braves start post-All-Star play in DC against the Nats tonight. They have played pretty well against the teams in their division so far this season, which still gives them a good chance of winning the NL East. But they are going to have to cut down on their strikeouts, start driving the ball like they did in April and May, and their pitchers, especially the middle relievers, are going to have to step it up.
Despite their recent slump, the Braves are still in a strong position at this stage on the season. They are in second place, tied in the loss column with first-place Philadelphia but with one fewer win (so a half-game out of first). As a team, they have fallen to 5th in batting average overall, whereas they were leading in that category well into June. They have dropped to 8th in runs scored. Not a good trend. The pitching has been in the middle of the pack all season. Currently, they are ranked a mediocre 10th in ERA, 13th in quality starts, but 5th in opposing batting average (which means they are walking too many batters given the number of earned runs scored against them). Their fielding has been decent. They have not beaten themselves with errors thus far, a positive stat.
It is interesting to note that the 2018 has not very "streaky" thus far for the Braves. They have had two 4-game winning streaks and one 4-game losing streak. Otherwise they have won a couple and lost a couple, here and there winning a bit more than losing. If that overall trend continues and they can put together an extended winning streak of 6 or 8 games then they should be able to cruise to the division title. That is certainly within the realm of possibility. And there's no better time to play that type of baseball than in August and September, getting hot late in the season.
The Braves still have 68 games to play in the regular season. If the team gets its collective act together this will continue to be a fun season. If they keep losing momentum, however, it will be a long, dreadfully slow finish (I've seen plenty of those before). I'm optimistic, however. This team has a lot of young talent at the major league level. They are packed with potential talent throughout their minor league system, which is one of baseball's best. It's not exactly time for the "baby Braves" to grow up (that might not happen until next season), but if these young players maintain the fire in their belly and improve their consistency to go along with their potential talent then 2018 can still have a satisfying finish to it. Play ball!
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