The ATL Thread - 7/18 - Is Owen the Answer?

Well, if that lineup can score 15 runs again, I feel good about his chances.

But I think we all know what's coming: MacKenzie Gore CYA performance.

Eli White has been solid while Charmin boy sits on his arse all season. I hope we keep him around..

quote:

---

Say something about Ronnie's chains next.

---

Nah, they ain't worth a shite either..

Nice catch by Eli there...

quote:

---

It’s happening….

---

Then Kindley happened

To be fair Lee has been excellent out side of 2 outings...unfortunately they have both been lately


Kindley not so much

Still wondering why Nimmo doesn’t sprint to the dugout after striking out.

quote:

---

Worst bullpen in the game.

---

Couple things that stand out about this game:

1) former LSU pitcher, whose college career was relatively disappointing due to injuries is already 30 years old. BUT, he has 36 appearances in ‘26, 19 saves, a 1.57 ERA, and an absurd .65 WHIP. In 46 innings, he’s only given up a ridiculous 19 hits and 11 walks. 47 Ks. And a 2.2 WAR in 46 innings. He had a career total of 1.9 coming into this season. Good for him.

2) Owen Murphy can’t be our 2nd starter coming out of the All-Star break when Sale didn’t pitch in the ASG and was ready to go Game 1 of the 2nd half. And he can’t not get out of the 3rd inning if he’s gonna do that.

3) D. Lee is one of the best relievers in the league, and he’s even more valuable as a lefty. Dylan Dodd is becoming another LHP pen piece that can be counted on.

4) Fuentes and Iggy are having really nice years. The bullpen is in very good shape and should only get better as guys come back from injury.

5) Even bad Ronnie completely changes the lineup with the way he extends it. Him getting back will make the lineup better than just his mere production simply because of what he’s capable of at any time. If we get “good” Ronnie or “really good Ronnie,” it will have a huge cumulative effect on the offense. Murphy coming back will help too.

6) I’ve been hearing AA is going to be more aggressive getting a bat than a starting pitcher. (But who?) That’s putting a lot of pressure on some pitchers coming off injury and returning to form, but it looks like the demand for TOR starters is goin to be sky high, and teams are gonna wind up giving away a ton for relatively mid starters. And the likely upcoming stoppage next year will play a significant role. The market is just unique this year with all the stuff going on, making it unpredictable.

This team could hit on some guys coming back better than expected from injury, some ‘21-like trades that produce better than expected, and Drake, Olsen, Ozzie, Harris, and hopefully Ronnie carrying the offense in the 2nd half and into the postseason and win the World Series.

Or they could fall flat on their faces and miss out on the playoffs altogether. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

To clarify, I don’t think AA is going to play it safe. He knows he has to go for it, and I think he will. The organization has done a really nice job refilling the farm, so he can make a couple of big trades, part with some highly rated prospects, and still not deplete it. (Oh, I just started paying attention to the trade market and predictions, but I’m seeing a little buzz on us and some SP from the Twins whose name escapes me. I think Skubal is going to be out of our price range.)

quote:

---

To clarify, I don’t think AA is going to play it safe. He knows he has to go for it, and I think he will.

---

He’s had chances to “go for it” each year , with the exception of last season, every year since ‘21. I don’t expect this year to be any different. He’s vastly overrated based on how lucky he got with the ‘21 pickups at the deadline.