re: ATL Thread 8/31 | Braves (Strider) @ Dodgers (Frick) | 10:10 pm ET

Olsen hit that 390 off the nub.

He gets it a little cleaner by half an inch and its gone.

quote:

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Minter’s location has been really bad lately. He keeps missing middle/middle.

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Nothing directly related to what you posted here, but I think I remember my boy Jake from Locked on mentioning early in the season—maybe before the season—that Minter has unusual splits for a LH reliever. Not that left handers hit better against him than right handers, but the difference isn’t as wide as you’d expect from a high leverage LH reliever.

Which is one thing I think this team is missing that we’ve been so good overall that gets glossed over. But we really miss Tyler Matzek. He had a “dog” in him in October of ‘21 that none of our relievers have had since. From either side. I think he sold his soul/elbow for that ‘21 World Series, damn the consequences. frick ‘22. frick ‘23. frick any and every other seasons to come. All that matters is THIS pitch in THIS at bat in THIS game. Here’s 99 right up your arse. Can’t hit it? Sit the frick down. Who’s next?

And I’d almost guarantee that he’d do it again without hesitation, even knowing he’d have to have TJ.

(We couldn’t have won the ‘21 WS without Tyler, Smith, Jackson, and even Minter to a lesser extent. That pen was more valuable than our starters by far. And I think it was lead by Matzek and his willingness to drop his nuts to set the tone. Johnson just made a couple amazing pitches to get out of a nasty jam.

But does this year’s pen have “that dude?” Who is “that motherfricker?”
Maybe we don’t need one. More than one way to skin a cat. Maybe our motherfrickers are Strider and Fried and Charlie and our historically great offense.

But I’m really interested to see who comes out and how they handle the top of this Dodgers lineup down 1 in the bottom of the 9th.

Did he putch around Freeman to bring the potential winning run up? Kind of looked like it.

Double play please.

Those Dodger fans behind the plate going nuts on the 290 foot fly ball.

Hell yes. What a game.

frick yes!!!

Good lord this series is going to be stressful

It’s a win, phew.