Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Box Score, Turf Battles
(left) talks to Miami Marlins first baseman
Michael Morseduring the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Marlins defeated the Braves 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Wednesday Box Score: Marlins 6, Braves 2
Pitching has carried the Braves through its first week, and pitching is what got away from them over the past 2 days. Not just the starters, either: the bullpen’s once-solid exterior is showing a couple of cracks as well.
Still, it’s difficult to win when your offense consists of two solo homers and a single up the middle. Even the walks were down (2) while 7 strikeouts were recorded, which didn’t allow for much in the way of small ball… or large ball.
No matter: the Braves are still 6-3 and need to remember their fundamentals. After an off-day today, they will see how that philosophy plays in Canada.
Steven Souza Jr. misses a diving catch as rubber pellets from the new turf fly up. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Peter Power” width=”590″ height=”443″ />
Toronto Blue Jays’ new (slow) turf will ‘speed up,’ official says; MLB monitoring situation at Rogers Centre
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TORONTO – It may take a couple of months before the new Rogers Centre turf stops gobbling up infield grounders that normally would bounce through for base hits, an AstroTurf official says.
Give it time and more games, and the field will play faster, AstoTurf vice-president Kenny Gilman said in an interview. And the complicated process of removing the artificial grass between Blue Jays homestands might also help to make the field play faster, he said.
The removal machinery applies “extreme pressure” to the turf when it is rolled up, helping to stabilize the rubber pellets that form the infill and flatten the synthetic blades of grass, Gilman said. Over time, playing on it will do the same thing.
“I think both AstroTurf and the Blue Jays feel it’s a little slower than we thought it would play,” he said. “But it’s brand new and it will definitely speed up.”
Meanwhile, a source confirmed that Major League Baseball is “keeping an eye” on the way the new turf affects play. But the source stressed that MLB is not concerned at the moment and is monitoring the situation as it would any other design change that might impact play at any stadium.
…
More than irregular bounces, players, coaches and fans this week have seen that the new turf slows down batted balls after the first bounce, making it easier for infielders to collect grounders and forcing outfielders to charge base hits for fear that a speedy runner might turn a routine single into a double.
After a week on the road on natural grass, the Blue Jays are playing a four-game series against Tampa Bay. Players on both teams say the surface “plays slow” and the Rays have mentioned odd hops caused by uneven spots. The infill of black “crumb rubber” splashes noticeably when a batted ball hits the turf.
…But he stressed that the Rogers Centre is unique. Virtually all other synthetic baseball fields are permanent and last eight to 10 years, he said.
The Rogers Centre baseball turf is often removed to accommodate non-sports events. The field also must be converted for Toronto Argonauts football games. The Argos’ contract expires after the 2017 season, and the Jays hope to have a natural-grass baseball field installed by opening day 2018.
When the Blue Jays’ turf is removed, machinery grabs the strips of turf – they are 15 feet wide and roughly 100 feet long – and coils them into tight 7,000-pound rolls.
“It’s being rolled up under extreme pressure, so that will help to compact the infill and it’ll also help mat down the grass fibres that are standing up right now and which are contributing to the slow ball roll,” he said.
The entire playing field weighs just under half a million pounds, Gilman said.
…
[ Ed. note: Yes, this is where the Braves are heading: Toronto – the home of temporary artificial turf. Hopefully they will get into town soon enough to get a good look at this field, for (1) it’s not going to be the rocket-fast/concrete-bouncy surface of the past; and (2) it seems there are some issues that the fielders will have to keep in mind that could impact play. ]
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Minor League Updates
ROME BRAVES (A)
Rained out yesterday, the Braves are off to a slow 2-4 start. They begin a series at Augusta today, weather permitting.
The top-rated prospects on this club – Ozhaino Albies and Braxton Davidson – are both getting slow starts (.190, .143), but it’s still early since we’re still talking 21 and 14 ABs. Ozzy has stolen 3 bags, though been caught twice as well. Davidson leads the club in walks with 6.
Pitcher Max Povse is on fire: 0.90 ERA in 10 innings with 6 hits allowed, 3 walks and 9 Ks (one of those hits a homer for the only run he’s allowed). Zach Quintana, Alec Grosser, and Carlos Salazar are all pitching well early on (none with over 5 innings as yet), though several early walks have been yielded for Grosser and Quintana.
CAROLINA MUDCATS (HIGH-A)
The Mudcats ripped off 4 straight wins as part of a 4-2 start with a rainout included. Pitching has been excellent, as no more than 4 runs have been given up in any game so far.
Yean Carlos Gill, Lucas Sims, Steve Janas, and Mauricio Cabrera have all started well – only Sims walking anybody of this group (and he just 2 batters in six innings; 2 hits besides).
On the hitting side, 1B Jacob Schrader is on fire: .455 with 4 doubles in 3 games! There’s not a lot of hitting in that lineup, but there’s clearly some timely hitting, seeing as 4 members of the team have 3 RBI apiece… and most of them are hitting below .220.
MISSISSIPPI BRAVES (AA)
The M-Braves are 2-3, and are hoping to finish a suspended game at Jackson today before playing their regularly scheduled affair tonight.
RF David Rohm, C Chris O’Dowd, and SS Daniel Castro are all hitting above .380 so far; Rio Ruiz has cooled to .222, and Mallex Smith – while walking 3 times – is hitting roughly his weight at .188.
While the pitching has been solid through most of the organization, the Mississippi arms are having trouble getting on track. Even Tyrell Jenkins, listed with a 0.00 ERA thanks to errors, actually got shelled during his first outing. We’ll give them some slack, though: it’s still early.
GWINNETT BRAVES (AAA)
The 3-4 Braves host Charlotte tonight as part of a 5-game series that runs through Sunday.
Jose Peraza continues to struggle a bit out of the gate: .214 with 2 walks and 1 steal. Eury Perez has likewise returned to earth (.200), and Todd Cunningham may still be overcoming the disappointment of not making the major league roster (.160).
Perdro Ciriaco is just hitting: .296 so far.
The pitching has been pretty good: Manny Banuelos: 8.2 innings with a 2.08 ERA, but those pesky walks continue to plague him (6). Almost exactly the same for Michael Foltynewicz (2.08, 8.2, 6 walks, and 12 K’s vs. 10 for Manny). John COrnely, Chien-Ming Wang, David Carpenter II, Matt Wisler, Donnie Veal, and Williams Perez are all pitching well.
Meanwhile: Brady Feigl is hurt:
LHP Brady Feigl, who came out of nowhere to almost win a bullpen spot in spring training, had to leave his first game with Triple-A Gwinnett after feeling discomfort in his elbow while throwing a pitch on Friday. The Braves said Feigl will be re-evaluated after a few days of rest. Feigl, who pitched in Class A last year, gave up just one run and recorded seven strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings this spring.
Let’s hope it isn’t what we all fear.