Kevin Frandsen is not a fan of “all the sabermetric-whatever-crap”

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Nationals utility man Kevin Frandsen has some strong opinions about Sabermetrics. Transcribing what was said at the end of his interview with 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday, Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post has the goods:

This came when Grant Paulsen asked how the Nats managed to drop three in Philadelphia and then go to Seattle and absolutely hammer Felix Hernandez. Is that just baseball, Paulsen asked?

“I am SO glad you said that, because it is true,” Frandsen said. “It’s baseball. It’s what the best part about it is. All the sabermetric-whatever-crap that you guys, [that] people talk about, you can throw that out the window, because it’s baseball. You get someone hot, you get someone not, whatever, it happens.

“Our team’s awesome,” Frandsen went on. “We grind it out. It says a lot about what we did, going to Philly, losing all three, going to Seattle, having a chance to lose four in a row, facing Felix and to do what we did against one of the best pitchers — if not THE best pitcher in the game. And it’s a testament to our team, just what we have going together, and how we play together. And we play for one goal, and that’s to win that day. Not win tomorrow; win today. And I feel like we’re doing that exceptionally well. So we’ve got to keep it going, and hopefully Nats fans are enjoying it.”

Frandsen’s anger about Sabermetrics may be a bit misplaced, though. Any Saberist worth his or her salt would say that their current slide is no more or less revealing of their talent than their 12-1 run between August 12-24. Predicting the sport on a game-to-game basis is a fool’s errand. Also, prior to their 10-game winning streak, the Nationals were 63-53 with a +79 run differential. There was a legitimate argument to be made that the Nationals were under-performing and still needed time to regress towards the mean (regress, in this instance, is a good thing).

For what it’s worth, the projections expect the Nationals to finish the season tied with the Orioles for the second-best record in baseball at 93-69, three games behind the Angels.

As for Frandsen, he has a .259/.303/.319 slash line with one home run and 14 RBI in 200 plate appearances this season. He will be eligible for arbitration for the third and final time after the season.

Braves option Michael Soroka to Triple-A Gwinnett after two starts in comeback bid

Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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ATLANTA – Atlanta right-hander Michael Soroka, who posted an 8.38 ERA in two starts in his comeback from two right Achilles tendon tears, was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The move came after Soroka allowed five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings in Atlanta’s 8-5 win at Arizona on Sunday. All of Soroka’s runs allowed came with two outs. After the game, he said: “That’s not quite me.”

Soroka, an All-Star as a rookie in 2019, was Atlanta’s opening day starter in 2020 before suffering his first Achilles tendon tear early in the season. He needed a follow-up procedure before suffering a second tear in 2021.

The Braves didn’t immediately announce who will replace Soroka in the rotation. An option could be rookie AJ Smith Shawver, who threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in his debut on Sunday.

The Braves on Monday also claimed infielder Lucas Williams off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and optioned Williams to Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Max Fried was transferred to the 60-day injured list.