Post by Commissioner Erick on Dec 7, 2022 19:05:06 GMT -5
Atlanta Braves (42-42) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (39-44)
ATL: Jim Morgan (5-7, 3.84)
PIT: Sergio Navarro (6-4, 4.49)
Braves 3 Key Stats
3.8: Jim Morgan’s combined WAR: Morgan has had a special year. He’s been solid as a starter, with a 5-7 record and a 3.84 ERA. He’s also hitting .325 with 17 doubles and 16 homers, turning into a two-way monster. Morgan has played professionally since 2025, but this is his first year putting everything together. He was solid as a two-way player last year, and has improved as both a hitter and pitcher this year. Now 26, Morgan is just entering his prime, a scary thought for the rest of the league.
68: Erik Benoit’s RBIs: Basket Case Benoit is also having a career year. He’s always been a good hitter, but this year’s he’s turned into a star. He’s batting .313 with 26 doubles and 19 homers, both of which should eclipse his career highs of 34 doubles and 21 long balls. The slugging takes him from a solid First Baseman, to a crazy-good hitter.
69: Errors by Atlanta. The Braves have been a rough fielding team, as Tony Ryan has 16 errors at Second Base and Jim Morgan pitching in with 14. Ground balls have been a real adventure with Ronny Mauricio on the shelf. Atlanta hasn’t compensated with range, as the club is just ninth in Zone Rating. IF Pittsburgh can hit the ball hard on the ground, they may find themselves with some hits.
Pirates 3 Key Stats
2.0: Brian Radcliff’s WAR. Radcliff has had an excellent rookie year. He has a .267 average, 19 doubles, 13 homers, and 52 RBIs. He’s been an adequate fielder at Third Base, and has clubbed lefties for a .584 slugging percentage. He’s facing a righty today though, where he has only a .741 OPS though. He’s even worse against righties at home, where he has a .697 OPS. He’ll have to be better to provide offense against Morgan and the Braves.
113: Sergio Navarro’s strikeouts: Navarro has some terrific stats. He’s hitting 113 strikeouts in 100.1 innings, which is seventh in K/9. He’s also allowed only five homers this year, a fantastic number. His OPS against at home is .564 thanks to a .271 slugging against. However, despite those numbers, Navarro has a 4.49 ERA. He’s been wild with 52 walks, and has allowed a .301 average with men in scoring position. If he can avoid the walks, he’ll have a shot for win number seven today.
.715: Wyatt Cross’s OPS: Cross had an .854 OPS last year as the NL Catcher Platinum Stick winner. Two years ago he was terrible, with a .631 OPS with Houston. This year, he’s somewhere in the middle with a .715 OPS. He’s done a good job framing and is on pace for 39 doubles, giving him a solid 1.9 WAR. He’ll likely come close to last year’s 4.2 WAR at this pace, despite roughly 150 points of OPS less than last year.
Questions for the GMs:
For Rick Brehm, with the trade deadline coming up, are there any moves you’re exploring to try to win the division?
Joerlin de los Santos has played 51 games at Shortstop this year. What have you thought about his defensive performance?
You have a tired team. Will you give folks the day off today or push forward with an off day Thursday and the All-Star break following?
For Mike McAvoy, you opted against acquiring a Third Baseman this year, going with rookie Brian Radcliff instead. How has he looked to you?
Sergio Navarro’s had a bit of a strange year with some excellent stats and some poor ones in other areas. Do you still feel he’s the top-tier ace to lead you to the playoffs in the near future?
Wyatt Cross has played great defense, but hasn’t hit like he did last year. However, he’s still be a decent offensive player compared to two years ago. How satisfied are you what he’s provided you this year?
TRIVIA: Who is the only Pirates Third Baseman to hit 20 or more home runs in a season?
ATL: Jim Morgan (5-7, 3.84)
PIT: Sergio Navarro (6-4, 4.49)
Braves 3 Key Stats
3.8: Jim Morgan’s combined WAR: Morgan has had a special year. He’s been solid as a starter, with a 5-7 record and a 3.84 ERA. He’s also hitting .325 with 17 doubles and 16 homers, turning into a two-way monster. Morgan has played professionally since 2025, but this is his first year putting everything together. He was solid as a two-way player last year, and has improved as both a hitter and pitcher this year. Now 26, Morgan is just entering his prime, a scary thought for the rest of the league.
68: Erik Benoit’s RBIs: Basket Case Benoit is also having a career year. He’s always been a good hitter, but this year’s he’s turned into a star. He’s batting .313 with 26 doubles and 19 homers, both of which should eclipse his career highs of 34 doubles and 21 long balls. The slugging takes him from a solid First Baseman, to a crazy-good hitter.
69: Errors by Atlanta. The Braves have been a rough fielding team, as Tony Ryan has 16 errors at Second Base and Jim Morgan pitching in with 14. Ground balls have been a real adventure with Ronny Mauricio on the shelf. Atlanta hasn’t compensated with range, as the club is just ninth in Zone Rating. IF Pittsburgh can hit the ball hard on the ground, they may find themselves with some hits.
Pirates 3 Key Stats
2.0: Brian Radcliff’s WAR. Radcliff has had an excellent rookie year. He has a .267 average, 19 doubles, 13 homers, and 52 RBIs. He’s been an adequate fielder at Third Base, and has clubbed lefties for a .584 slugging percentage. He’s facing a righty today though, where he has only a .741 OPS though. He’s even worse against righties at home, where he has a .697 OPS. He’ll have to be better to provide offense against Morgan and the Braves.
113: Sergio Navarro’s strikeouts: Navarro has some terrific stats. He’s hitting 113 strikeouts in 100.1 innings, which is seventh in K/9. He’s also allowed only five homers this year, a fantastic number. His OPS against at home is .564 thanks to a .271 slugging against. However, despite those numbers, Navarro has a 4.49 ERA. He’s been wild with 52 walks, and has allowed a .301 average with men in scoring position. If he can avoid the walks, he’ll have a shot for win number seven today.
.715: Wyatt Cross’s OPS: Cross had an .854 OPS last year as the NL Catcher Platinum Stick winner. Two years ago he was terrible, with a .631 OPS with Houston. This year, he’s somewhere in the middle with a .715 OPS. He’s done a good job framing and is on pace for 39 doubles, giving him a solid 1.9 WAR. He’ll likely come close to last year’s 4.2 WAR at this pace, despite roughly 150 points of OPS less than last year.
Questions for the GMs:
For Rick Brehm, with the trade deadline coming up, are there any moves you’re exploring to try to win the division?
Joerlin de los Santos has played 51 games at Shortstop this year. What have you thought about his defensive performance?
You have a tired team. Will you give folks the day off today or push forward with an off day Thursday and the All-Star break following?
For Mike McAvoy, you opted against acquiring a Third Baseman this year, going with rookie Brian Radcliff instead. How has he looked to you?
Sergio Navarro’s had a bit of a strange year with some excellent stats and some poor ones in other areas. Do you still feel he’s the top-tier ace to lead you to the playoffs in the near future?
Wyatt Cross has played great defense, but hasn’t hit like he did last year. However, he’s still be a decent offensive player compared to two years ago. How satisfied are you what he’s provided you this year?
TRIVIA: Who is the only Pirates Third Baseman to hit 20 or more home runs in a season?
