June 25, 2007
Splitting the Braves
The Day by Day Database provides a breakdown of the Braves by situation during their five game slump. Some things to note:
- The Braves are 0 for 23 with one walk with runners in scoring position. The 95% confidence interval for a team with a .262 batting average is 2 to 10 hits. The probability of 0 hits is .0009. It's tough to get significant data with a sample size that small, but the Braves managed the feat.
- The 95% confidence interval for 153 at bats ranges from 30 to 51 hits. The Braves collected 23. This is another reason to think this just isn't bad luck, but something fundamentally wrong with the team.
- The team is batting .195 when not striking out. The balls they put in play are very easy to field.
- Number one hitters own a .400 OBA. No other batting lineup slot is at .300 or above.
- The Braves hit lefties and righties equally poorly, with a .212 OBA against each.
Looking at the individual players, Chipper Jones is obviously missed. But have you ever seen so many hitters go into a slump at once? McCann is 0 for 14. Andruw Jones went 1 for 12. Even Chipper, who accounted for the only run, is just 3 for 13.
I'm not sure how Bobby Cox can fix this. You can't bench the whole team. Do you send McCann, Francouer and Thorman back to the minors just to send a message? With the way Andruw Jones is hitting, he's not exactly trade bait at the moment. Maybe the can get better against Washington, but at least they were able to average four runs a game against the Tigers.