THE Rowland's Office

If Rowland was #Braves GM …

The Braves are not going to sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Nor should they. Liberty is always going to be cheap, and spending one-fifth of the payroll on one player would be foolish. Signed Craig Kimbrel — who appears to be in decline but is likely to grab a bigger deal than the 3-year, $52 million contract (which has a vesting option that could add another year and $14 million) the Rockies…

#Braves must rely on the future, now

Brian Snitker’s bullpen management has been an issue all year. To be fair, he’s had little to work with, and it’s only gotten worse. But there’s some untested arms that have shined in the smallest of sample sizes, and the Braves skipper would do well to cast his lot with the likes of Sobotka, Fried, Newcomb and Toussaint as the bridge to Vizcaino and Minter. Brach and JV should figure in the mix,…

Late season ‘crowds’ at Mallpark show how #Braves erred in leaving ATL

The biggest game in five years — the cherry on top of one of the most interesting teams the Braves have fielded since moving from Milwaukee — didn’t sell out. Attendance was announced Saturday at 35, 616, well below capacity. For the year, The Mallpark attracted just over 2.5 million paying customers, about 600 more per game than in 2017 and a tick below 2013 at Turner Field, the last time the…

If #Braves miss playoffs, blame the weather (and interleague play)

Of the contenders in both leagues, only the Diamondbacks have a tougher remaining schedule than the Braves.

Only the Yankees, Brewers and Indians have an easier schedule than the Phils, Jeff Passan concludes.

This it’s likely the better team will not win the NL East.

Consider: The Phils play 24 of their last 38 games against teams currently under .500. The Braves play 26 of their final 39 against…

#Braves should get Real at trade deadline

My proposal:

Austin Riley, Cristian Pache, Ian Anderson and Kolby Allard 

to Marlins for …

J.T Realmuto and Kyle Barraclough

It’s a lot to give up, but I have reservations about each of the Braves prospects.

Allard doesn’t miss enough bats; his K/9 has decreased each year;

Pache, while developing more power, as predicted, has drawn only 14 walks in 83 games;

Anderson, with 102 Ks in 82 IP at…

#Braves must fix ‘pen now to avoid road trip from Hell

In 1982, the surprising Braves embarked on an 11-game West Coast road trip with a 62-43 record and a 5-1/2 game lead in the NL West. They returned to Atlanta a game and a half behind the Dodgers, having lost 10 of 11 during their visit to Cali due largely to an ineffective bullpen.

In the first game, at Chavez Ravine, Gene Garber coughed up a 2-1 lead in the 9th, his sixth blown save of the year.…

The fretful #Braves fan

I’m an optimist when things are going well, a pessimist when things aren’t. Guess how I’m feeling today?

*We should’ve seen Ozzie’s slump coming, and the peripherals are even more troubling. His OBP is down .50 points from last year. He’s striking out more, walking less. All those home runs seem to have taken him off course. A day off wouldn’t be a bad idea.

*The Braves have the second-best OBP…

Snitker’s abysmal weekend portends #Braves backslide

With the Braves bullpen, there’s little margin for error. And that margin keeps getting thinner. A.J. Minter, who many thought would be the closer by now, has been horrible in May, allowing 18 hits in 9 IP. Right-handed hitters have an .848 OPS vs Minter, who now sports an unsightly 1.754 WHIP. Remember, he never pitched on consecutive days before this season. He’s pitched on back-to-back days…

Wrong about Frank Wren, right about Liberty

We will not be nattering nabobs of negativism about these Braves. They are for real, they are exciting (thank you, Frank Wren, who signed Albies and Acuna) but they are paper thin, with almost no MLB-ready depth and a shaky bullpen in desperate need of a stud. And the rotation remains iffy — as rapidly as Soroka has advanced, Luiz Gohara has taken a big step back, with an 8.03 ERA in four starts…

Rowland bids adieu to the #Braves … sort of

The Office lasted 11 years, which was how long Rowland lasted in the majors. So it’s a fitting conclusion, though we’re not yet ready to call it quits. Maybe this will be our only post of the year. Certainly, my passion for the not-so-local anymore nine has waned, for a variety of reasons. I hate the Mallpark. I hate the game-day experience. I hate Mark Owens screaming at me. I hate the…

Some ideas on what the Braves should do this offseason, in order of priority. Dump Fat Gimp. I suspect a team like the Royals would take him if the Braves paid most of his salary. If not, release the guy. I’d rather pay him not to be on the team than put up with another year of atrocious defense, undisciplined hitting and minimal effort. It shouldn’t be either/or regarding Kemp and Markakis. Kemp…

#Braves seem determined to make uninspired hire

At a time when the game is skewing young, the Braves keep looking to the past. The fact that Jim Hendry is a candidate for GM or president of baseball ops or whatever says it all. The other four retreads contending for the job don’t inspire much confidence, either, with one possible exception. Hendry, 62, is the former Cubs GM who had some success but also some spectacular failures. He spent $255…

Maddux and Glavine in the Fall Classic

If Clayton Kershaw struggles at any time in the World Series you’re likely to hear how much Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine struggled in the postseason, even if it’s not true. While it’s true that neither was as dominant as they were in the regular season, they were still solid. Maddux had a 3.27 ERA in 198 IP with a 1.242 WHIP. In five World Series starts he compiled a 2.09 ERA. Glavine was even…

The week in #Braves stupidity

I guess the Braves way means making sacrificial lambs out of respected coaches and fan favorites. Here’s hoping TP and Eddie hook on with a real franchise, not the rudderless mall anchor the Braves have become. Does anyone think TP wouldn’t have been a better manager than Fredi or Snitker? Hey, Mike Maddux, widely regarded as one of the premier pitching coaches in the majors, is suddenly…

Maybe it’s best if Hart stays

The narrative, which rings true, though may not be, holds that Dayton Moore would come to the Braves if guaranteed total control over the franchise. That can’t happen as long as John Hart remains president of baseball operations. Hart plans on staying, unless JS, the man who brought him here, is able to force him out, opening positions for Moore, his former protege, and paving the way for his…