I can’t believe I have to ask
I have seen a fair amount of baseball. I understand some of it. Some parts, like how exactly anyone can hit a curveball with a round bat, completely eludes me. So I don’t understand everything. But I understand how long a Major League Baseball regular season lasts. It’s one hundred and sixty-two games. It’s basically six games a week for six months. Six games a week.
One. TICK-tock. Two. TICK-tock. Three. TICK-tock. Off day. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Four. TICK-tock. Five. TICK-tock. Six. And. So. On. For six months.
Six months is enough time for players to dominate and fade out of the public eye and vice versa. It’s enough time for hitters to mash 35+ home runs in the first half of the season and never find their stroke again. It’s long enough for pitchers to writhe in mediocrity and dominate the second half and vice versa. Three months is long enough for Jeff Francoeur to mash a slew of homers and throw out several runners from right field, and for pitchers to figure out he had trouble with the slider and managers to figure out he had an arm.
On July 6, 1991, John Smoltz had a record of 2-11, a 5.16 ERA after getting pasted by the Dodgers. He would go 12-2 afterward with a 2.68 ERA and 3.10 FIP, clinch the division with a complete game, pitch a shutout to win the NLCS, and have a 1.55 postseason ERA. The Braves were 9.5 games back of the Dodgers that year and won the division anyway. If you need a more recent example, think Spencer Schwellenbach last year. The inverse could be Bryce Elder in 2023.
In an internet-driven, immediate-gratification world, a 6-13 record is the worst thing ever. It doesn’t make me blink. The Braves have a playoff roster right now. They need to enhance the outfield and bullpen in the summer months, but they’re fine. My concern is how they are being utilized right now. Allowing Bryce Elder and Enyel De Los Santos to pitch to 29 batters is no way to win a ballgame. Neither is taking Alex Verdugo, fresh off a 0.6 WAR season and having no contract on Opening Day, and putting him atop the lineup. I don’t think they can survive this new hitting approach either. But they still managed to survive with all this last night. So that might not continue, but the Braves have the horses.
If you still think the Braves will lose 100 games, find a gaming outlet that will allow me to take that bet straight up with you. I don’t gamble, that’s only you donating to my kid’s college fund. If you don’t want to pump the brakes, that’s on you. I’m willing to let the season run, however.
Daily Notes
Record: 6-13
Yesterday’s wOBA and xwOBA: .301 / .350 (Season rank: 21st | 14th)
Yesterday’s wOBA and xwOBA allowed: .272 / .306 (Season rank: 22nd | 24th)
Yesterday’s homers: 1
Yesterday’s homers allowed: 1
Record when out-xwOBAing: 4-5 (League: 220-74)
Record when out-xwOBAed: 2-8 (League: 74-220)
Record when out-wOBAing: 6-2 (League: 253-42)
Record when out-wOBAed: 0-11 (League: 42-253)
Record when outhomering: 3-2 (League: 160-43)
Record when outhomered: 0-7 (League: 43-160)