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vs. |
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0-3 (Tie-5th place, NL Central)
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2-1 (Tie-2nd place, NL East)
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GAME 1: April 4, 2011 @ 1:10 p.m. CDT
(TV: FS-Wisconsin; Radio: 620 WTMJ)
GAME 2: April 5, 2011 @ 7:10 p.m. CDT
(TV: WMLW; Radio: 620 WTMJ)
GAME 3: April 6, 2011 @ 7:10 p.m. CDT
(TV: FS-Wisconsin; Radio: 620 WTMJ)
GAME 4: April 7, 2011 @ 12:40 p.m. CDT
(TV: None; Radio: 620 WTMJ)
Miller Park Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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SBN Coverage: Braves vs Brewers coverage
A View from the Other Dugout: Talking Chop
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| Game 1 |
Chris Narveson (0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. |
Brandon Beachy (0-0, 0.00)
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vs. Braves
|
(0-0, 0.00)
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vs. Brewers
|
(0-0, 0.00)
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| Game 2 |
Yovani Gallardo (0-0, 3.00)
|
vs. |
Derek Lowe (1-0, 0.00)
|
vs. Braves
|
(0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. Brewers
|
(0-0, 0.00)
|
| Game 3 |
TBA (0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. |
Mike Minor (0-0, 0.00)
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vs. Braves
|
(0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. Brewers
|
(0-0, 0.00) |
| Game 4 |
Shaun Marcum (0-1, 5.79)
|
vs. |
TBA (0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. Braves
|
(0-0, 0.00)
|
vs. Brewers
|
(0-0, 0.00)
|
Over the weekend I had a chance to trade a few emails with Scott Coleman (mvhsbball) of Talking Chop. Here's what he had to say about the Braves and this week's series:
KL: The Braves looked like a pretty decent bet to make the playoffs even before Chase Utley's injury hit the Phillies. Now, how close are they to being the NL's best team?
SC: If the Braves are able to stay healthy, I really do believe they're the NL's best team. That's a big "IF" though. Chipper Jones has averaged just 119 games a year since 2005, and he's not getting any younger. Martin Prado and Jason Heyward were both bothered by nagging injuries all last season and they're no lock to make it through the entire season. And while our pitching staff appears to be healthy, you just never know these days with the high injury rate to pitchers.
That being said, this club doesn't really have a glaring weakness outside of being a little iffy defensively in the infield. If we're able to stay healthy, I think we make the playoffs once again in 2011.
Follow the jump for more!
KL: What can you tell me about Brandon Beachy?
SC: Brandon Beachy, 24, is one of those guys you just have to root for. A Braves scout was at one of his games in 2000 and wasn't even there to see Beachy pitch. After watching him throw just a few innings, the scout went up to Brandon after the game. When he found out he wasn't signed, he made a phone call and offered him a contract on the spot.
He had an incredible year last season in Double and Triple-A and he even made a few starts for Atlanta during the playoff run. Most figured Mike Minor (who is starting in place of Jair Jurrjens in Wednesday's game) would win the 5th spot in the rotation this Spring, but it was Beachy who beat him out and claimed the spot.
He's armed with a solid fastball that sits in the 89-93 range and features an above-average curveball. He also used a changeup but it's not nearly as good or as polished as the other two pitches.
KL: Chipper Jones got his 18th major league season off to a nice start, going 4-for-9 in his first two games. How important is he to the success of this team, and how long can he continue to be a productive major leaguer?
SC: Chipper Jones staying healthy and productive is crucial to the team if we hope to be playing in October. To give you an idea of how important he is, we were 5 games ahead of the Phillies in August when he went down with a torn ACL last year. We finished the season 6 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. While only one man can do so much, it was pretty obvious how much we missed Chipper's leadership and ability in those final two months.
He's said he wants to play through his current contract (which runs through 2012 with an option for 2013) and I've learned to never doubt Chipper Jones. In all honesty, I think he'll play until his body shuts down on him. The man loves the game and it's tough to imagine the Braves without Chipper Jones at 3rd base.
KL: Brian McCann is entering his seventh major league season, and he's a career .289/.360/.489 hitter as a catcher. Is he baseball's most underrated player?
SC: He's certainly up there. One of the main reasons McCann is so underrated is he's always been overshadowed by someone else, whether it was right or not. When he came up in '05, it was still the Andruw and Chipper Jones show. Once Andruw left and Chipper started getting hurt, Jeff Francoeur (barf.) was taking over the world one crappy at-bat at a time. And now that he's coming into his prime, he's being overshadowed by Jason Heyward and the newly acquired Dan Uggla.
BMac does all of the little things that don't show up in the box score; he does a great job handling a pitching staff, has improved tremendously behind the plate, and always does what's required of him in a certain situation at the plate. Whether it's getting down a surprise bunt to beat a shift, moving the runner over into scoring position, or hitting a deep fly ball to score the runner at 3rd, Brian McCann does it just about every single time.
KL: Let's say, for reasons unknown, the Braves decided to switch back to one of their previous names. Which of these names would you most like to resurrect: Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers or Bees?
SC: That's a great question and I'd go with the Beaneaters. For one, I'd love to have a Beaneaters shirt and jersey to wear around town. I'd also like to see a team's reaction when they realized they had just lost to a bunch of beaneaters. I know I'd be pretty upset.
Thanks again to Scott for taking the time. You can see more of his work at
Talking Chop.
