Mets (Scott) vs Braves (Elder): 08/10/26, 7:15 PM

[Brock Beauchamp]

The Mets visit the Braves as Scott takes on Elder at Truist Park.

[Brock Beauchamp]

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Nate Lavender	0	15	0	0	0	15
Kodai Senga	0	14	0	0	0	14
Jefry Yan	22	0	15	0	0	37
Jack Weisenburger	0	0	0	0	29	29
Devin Williams	0	0	21	0	0	21
Dedniel Núñez	20	0	14	0	0	34
Daniel Duarte	14	0	18	0	0	32
Chayce McDermott	39	0	0	0	0	39

[Frayed Knot]

Little side note on the Braves:

Since September 1st, 2010 the Braves have played 2,473 games* and two people have been their starting 1B-man in 93.2% of them (2,304). As you might have guessed, 9/1/10 is the day of FFF's ML debut**, he was 11 days shy of turning 21. Now Frederick did get his days off, particularly early on, and appeared often as a PH only that September. He also was the starting 3rd baseman 16 times in his career and had his share of missed time due to injuries (118 games played in '15, 117 games played in '17, etc.). So all of the missed 1B games are his since his direct replacement, Matt Olson, quite famously has a consecutive games played streak which started before he ever got to Atlanta and continues to date. Tonight will be his 767th consecutive game as a Brave, all of them starts at 1B (played a few innings in RF).

It would be tough, particularly in today's game, to find two guys covering that high a percentage of starts at one position with no gap in between them. And it would be especially tough to top their combined  (just w/Atlanta) 451 HRs and 645 doubles. Olson is 32 (turns 33 in March) and is signed through 2029 with a team option for 2030 so the legacy of this tandem has a ways to go yet.

 

* actually, I calculated this a couple days ago and I'm not going to do it again ... and, besides, it changes the math just a minuscule amount and the point not at all 

** Against the Mets!!! He went 0/3 with a GiDP and was PH'd for late in the game. Braves won 4 - 1. Not a single other person who played in that game is still active although it was Craig Kimbrel's rookie season so he pitched both that year and this one just not in that game.  One from that game is in the HoF (Billy Wagner, Chipper was injured and didn't play), one has managed (David Ross), and at least one is deceased (Pedro Feliciano). The pitching matchup was Mike Pelfrey vs Tommy Hanson

 

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't know if it would approach the Freeman/Olson thing, but the first combo I thought of was Brooks Robinson and Doug DeCinces at third base for the Orioles.

[Frayed Knot]

Good duo. But DeCinces played parts of nine seasons with the O's five of which overlapped with Brooks so he played other positions in addition to 3B and did so occasionally even after Brooks retired. He also didn't play the same string of complete/near-complete seasons. Brooks was maybe the closest thing to Gehrig/Ripken as a one-man crew for one team/one spot* averaging 156 games/year for 16 straight seasons (1960 - 1975) before finishing with 77 and 44 GP in his last two years.

 

The big difference with Freeman/Olson over just about any other duo one could come up with is that FF appeared in 92% of all ATL games from his call-up to his departure, almost of them at 1B, and Olson has appeared in 100% of games in his Braves tenure and 100% of them at 1B. And also that one directly replaced the other with no gaps and no overlaps.

 

* credited with 25 G at 2B and 5 at SS, probably most of which were partial games

[Edgy MD]

Red-jot Jorge Polanco back in your Mets lineup.

Slinger

Christian Scott RHP 3-3, 3.15 ERA, 92 SO

Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing (L) CF
2. Francisco Lindor (S) SS
3. Bo Bichette (R) 3B
4. Carson Benge (L) RF
5. Jared Young (L) 1B
6. Marcus Semien (R) 2B
7. Brett Baty (L) LF
8. Jorge Polanco (S) DH
9. Francisco Alvarez (R) C

Twirler

Bryce Elder RHP 8-6, 3.69 ERA, 104 SO

Lineup

1. Drake Baldwin (L) DH
2. Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF
3. Matt Olson (L) 1B
4. Michael Harris II (L) CF
5. Ozzie Albies (S) 2B
6. Mauricio Dubón (R) LF
7. Austin Riley (R) 3B
8. Jim Jarvis (L) SS
9. Sean Murphy (R) C

[Edgy MD]

1 hour ago, Frayed Knot said:

It would be tough, particularly in today's game, to find two guys covering that high a percentage of starts at one position with no gap in between them.

 

My first instinct would be very different from "today's game," and that would be Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, but then I remembered neither played in 1945 and 1946 because old Bill and young Yogi were fighting Hitler.

Also, catchers don't play every day, and Dickey was kind of a platooner the first half of his career, and Yogi playing a lot of outfield the second half of his.  

Carl Yastrzemski took over for Ted Williams pretty directly, creating an uninterrupted line of succession in left field, but Carl kind of drifted to other positions too from time to time.

[The Hot Corner]

Well, it's almost like cheating, but Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Bordick manned virtually all of the innings at shortstop for the Orioles between 1983 through Bordick's trade to the Mets in 2000.  

[Frayed Knot]

We may want to split this discussion off. I wasn't intending on it being a challenge to top the Freeman/Olson pairing but that's what it's become (and that's fine) but it probably shouldn't be taking up IGT space.

[MFS62]

(I remembered these guys, then had to look up the numbers)

Roy Campanella 1948-1957 for Brooklyn, 1374 games as catcher, and 48 at other positions ( inlcuding 2 as a pitcher)

John Roseboro 1957-1967 when the team moved to L.A. 1476 games as a catcher and only 18 games at other positions.

Maybe not equal, but darn close.

 

OE: Sorry. Missed FK's post.

Later

[metirish]

Comical stuff with the Ewing ball that got "stuck" under the outfield wall , five minutes review and he is awarded 2nd , as noted by the booth he really should have kept running 

[metirish]

Bo brings Ewing home ,1-0 Mets 

[metirish]

Baty with a grand slam 

[Fman99]

Seawolf said I should come back because the Mets are good now.  And it's 5-0.

He's smart, been on Jeopardy! you know 

[Edgy MD]

Brett Baty, the walking, talking reason that Morabito, Mauricio or Clifford aren't on the roster.

[Edgy MD]

If the pitch still goes into the catcher's mitt, the ball didn't hit you enough for you to deserve first base.

[Frayed Knot]

Alvarez had two early chances to challenge a pitch earlier in the inning but wisely didn't as both were borderline at best. He saved his challenge for the perfect spot and got the reversal which may have kept Scott in the game.

Maybe Francisco is starting to get this challenge thing.

[Frayed Knot]

11 minutes ago, Edgy MD said:

If the pitch still goes into the catcher's mitt, the ball didn't hit you enough for you to deserve first base.

It was ball four anyway.

[Edgy MD]

Let's chase this guy NOW!!!!

[Edgy MD]

7 minutes ago, Frayed Knot said:

It was ball four anyway.

May it be scored as a walk.

[Edgy MD]

Lindor just gave us an idea of the loft that rode underneath a Kingman homer. 

Or, since it went to right, a Strawberry homer.

[Lefty Specialist]

Seven runs will not be enough to win this game.

[Edgy MD]

Scott leaving too much over the ploot.

[Frayed Knot]

Nothing to worry doubt, just Matt Olson as the tying run.

[Edgy MD]

Didn't we get enough "Take Me Home, Country Roads" singalongs in the last series?

[Gwreck]

1 hour ago, Edgy MD said:

Brett Baty, the walking, talking reason that Morabito, Mauricio or Clifford aren't on the roster.

Baty isn’t their competition for a roster spot.  Pache and Arias are.

[Frayed Knot]

Quote

Didn't we get enough "Take Me Home, Country Roads" singalongs in the last series

And during the World Cup

[Edgy MD]

"Speaking of golfers who play baseball, Jeff McNeil got his 1,000th hit last night."

That's a professional transition by Gary right there.

[Edgy MD]

2 minutes ago, Gwreck said:

Baty isn’t their competition for a roster spot.  Pache and Arias are.

He's one of the guys that would keep them out of the lineup if they were on the team.

[Edgy MD]

Alvarez did not even get into the picture running to first on that GiDP.