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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Jonny Venters ‘injury’ and what that portends

By Alan Carpenter

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 14: Jonny Venters #48 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the New York Mets during the game at SunTrust Park on April 14, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 14: Jonny Venters #48 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the New York Mets during the game at SunTrust Park on April 14, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Ender Inciarte #11 of the Atlanta Braves talks to home plate umpire Mike Winters #33 after getting called out on strikes in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Ender Inciarte #11 of the Atlanta Braves talks to home plate umpire Mike Winters #33 after getting called out on strikes in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Not Stopping at the Mound

Brian Snitker isn’t settling for just better pitchers.  He’s also looking for better hitters.

The embarrassment of pitching riches does allow the Braves to swap in new arms with some regularity:  the ‘hot hand’, as it were, will get noticed quickly.

It’s a different calculus for the hitters, though:  the team’s depth here generally extends only as far as the major league team.

That said, some tinkering is happening with the starting lineup.

  • Games 1-4:  Ender Inciarte leads off
  • Game 5:  Ozzie Albies leads off (vs. Jon Lester)
  • Games 6-8:  Inciarte leads off
  • Games 9-10:  Albies
  • Game 11:  Inciarte
  • Game 12: Albies
  • Game 13:  Inciarte
  • Games 14-15:  Albies

In sum, Inciarte started off 7 of the first 8 games; Albies 5 of the most recent 7.

Moreover, while Inciarte has appearances in 14 of the 15 games, he appeared as a pinch-hitter once and failed to bat in another… his playing time (AB’s specifically) is being reduced a bit.

Why?  The answer is obvious:

  • Inciarte is hitting .167 with a .259 OBP;
  • Albies is hitting .328/.397.

Expect some continued match-up play here, but Albies will likely continue to get the majority of the lead-off assignments if he continues to rake like this.

There’s another trend going on, too.  Check Johan Camargo‘s game logs:

  • Mar 28- April 1:  4 total plate appearances  (4 team games)
  • April 3-April 14:  25 total plate appearances (11 team games)

In that latter set, Camargo has started 6 times; pinch-hit once.  He had no game starts until then.

Tinkers Tailored, Batter’s Eye

There is only so much tinkering that Brian Snitker can do with his offense… but he is doing that.  Dansby Swanson is being moved up, Inciarte is being moved down, Ozzie Albies has moved to the top, and Johan Camargo is not the Invisible Man.

So things are happening… and while all of this still represents Small Sample Sizes, it’s still a matter of note that Snitker is not waiting for things to get better on their own.

Any help from the farm?. dark. Next

Instead he is already acting… not allowing this club to fall behind.  So far, that strategy is working:  the Atlanta Braves have won 9 of their last 12 contests.

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