Braves Journal

Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – May 15, 2012 – ESPN.

With this up-and-down offense, “up” is a lot more fun.

Brian McCann opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second, but it was the third that was the big inning. Jack Wilson actually singled, but Tim Hudson couldn’t get the bunt down and Wilson was out on a fielder’s choice. Then Michael Bourn, Martin Prado, and Chipper Jones all singled, followed by a sac fly from Dan Uggla. After a walk to McCann, Jason Heyward capped the scoring with a double to score Chipper. In the fourth, Prado singled in Bourn to make it 6-0.

That was plenty for Hudson, who had a shutout going through six before allowing two runs in the seventh. He allowed nine hits and struck out just three while walking two, so it wasn’t the most sparkling outing of his career. Kris Medlen allowed a couple of hits in the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel walked two in the ninth.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – May 14, 2012 – ESPN.

What is with this team? When was the last time they scored three or four runs? It seems like they either score lots or hardly any, and unfortunately last night was a hardly any game.

Randall Delgado did a fine job keeping the Braves in it, allowing only one “unearned” run in 6 2/3. It came in the fourth when Tyler Pastornicky threw away a potential double play ball with runners first and second, one out. In the fifth, Michael Bourn hit a one-out triple and came home on a Martin Prado sac fly that really wasn’t deep enough to score him but the catcher bobbled.

With two on and two out in the seventh, Fredi relieved Delgado with Chad Durbin, which, whatever, but it worked. But in the eighth, Jonny Venters imploded after an infield single, throwing a wild pitch then allowing two doubles to make it 3-1.

The Braves loaded the bases with two out in the eighth but couldn’t get a hit. In the ninth, Madd Diaz singled leading off but then the next three hitters struck out. The Braves out hit and out walked the Reds, but had only one extra-base hit while the Reds had four.

Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Box Score – May 13, 2012 – ESPN.

The offense continues to be impressive, the starting pitching continues to have trouble getting deep into games, and the Braves continue to win,

The Braves had chances to score in the first couple of innings but couldn’t capitalize. Tommy Hanson got in a second-and-third, none-out jam in the first but followed with three strikeouts to get out of it. With two out in the third, Martin Prado singled and Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla walked. Jason Heyward followed with a bases-clearing double for the lead.

It stayed that way for some time, until Hanson gave up a homer leading off the sixth, then two more singles leading to Chad Durbin in the game. He managed to get one out, then Eric O’Flaherty finished the inning.

The Braves got a more comfortable lead in the seventh. With two out, Prado singled in Tyler Pastornicky, then stole second. Freeman doubled in Prado, and Uggla doubled in Freeman to make it 6-1. In the eighth Michael Bourn singled in David Ross to make it 7-1.

With a big lead in the ninth, Fredi tried to get a second inning out of Cristhian Martinez, but he allowed a three-run homer with two out. Jonny Venters came in to get the last out.

Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Box Score – May 12, 2012 – ESPN.

Maybe it was just the conditions in Wrigley that slowed us down, because the Braves are right back in high-scoring mode. In the first, a pair of bases-loaded walks (one to Dan Uggla scoring Michael Bourn, one to Brian McCann scoring Martin Prado) accounted for the scoring. In the third, McCann singled in Uggla to make it 3-0.

Brandon Beachy, meanwhile, no-hit the Cards for three and shut them out through five. No problem there, except that he’d still not very efficient. With the bases loaded in the fifth, Tyler Pastornicky beat out an infield single to score Uggla, and Beachy singled to scoree McCann, making it 5-0.

The Cards finally got to Beachy, loading the bases with none out, but St. Louis only got one run, on a sac fly, before a double play. A rare Michael Bourn homer made it 6-1, but Kris Medlen, in his second inning of work, gave up a leadoff triple, the run scoring on a single, before getting a double play to end the threat. Bourn hit a two-out double to score Pastornicky, leading to the final score. Crristhian Martinez got two strikeouts in getting through the ninth.

Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Play By Play – May 11, 2012 – ESPN.

We’ve seen this before, haven’t we? Up and down games, lots of pitchers used, won with home run heroics well into extra play. Fortunately, it’s mostly been the Braves coming out of top, as it was last night.

The Braves set up Mike Minor with a bunch of runs last night, and it was 5-1 after three innings. In the first, Michael Bourn led off with a single, then Martin Prado hit a ground-rule double and Freddie Freeman walked to load the bases. They couldn’t get a hit but it didn’t matter so much as first Bourn and then Prado scored on passed balls. Chipper Jones actually walked to make it first-and-third, but there were no more passed balls to be found.

The Cardinals got a run back with a solo homer in the secon, then the Braves offense went back to work. Two more ground rule doubles, both with one out, one by Dan Uggla and one by Brian McCann, added one run. Chipper singled in McCann and then advanced on an error. With two out, Pastornicky hit — yes — a ground-rule double to make is 5-1.

Minor was cruising, until the fourth, when he allowed back-to-back solo homers, the first by Carlos Beltran, who was just getting started… I am basically Captain Hook, as I’ve mentioned. If you leave a starter in to get a win, he will usually blow the lead. As in this case. With two out in the fifth, Minor lost it. He gave up two singles (the first to Rafael Furcal), then a double to John Jay and finally a triple to Beltran to give the Cards a 6-5 lead. He finally went to the pen, in the person of Chad Durbin.

Cristhian Martinez took over from Durbin in the sixth and in the seventh Uggla hit a homer to tie it at six. Medlen pitched the seventh. In the eighth, the Braves loaded the bases in various ways but couldn’t get the scoring hit. (Eric Hinske, after striking out pinch-hitting argued with the umpire and was ejected, though he was leaving the game anyway.) Eventually, Heyward scored on a Freddie Freeman infield single.

The lead didn’t last long. With one out in the eighth, Beltran homered again, this time against Jonny Venters, to make it 7-7. It would stay that was for some time. Livan Hernandez came in to pitch starting the tenth, and was in trouble during both it and the eleventh. He got a double play to get out of bases-loaded in the tenth, and a popup with a two-out bases-loaded jam in the eleventh.

Chipper walked leading off the twelfth, and Jason Heyward followed with a home run. Craig Kimbrel allowed a leadoff single but followed by two strikeouts and a groundout for the save.

Actually, he’s a few months older, but we’re both 41. Bring back Herzog.

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs – Box Score – May 09, 2012 – ESPN.

Where’s this great offense people were talking about? We’re all the way back to the opening Mets series now. A fine outing by Tim Hudson was wasted.

The Braves were limited to four hits (and four walks). They had a couple of chances, but couldn’t take advantage. In the fifth, they had Heyward at second and David Ross at first with one out, but the inexplicable Jack Wilson fouled out and Hudson grounded out. In the sixth, they had Martin Prado at second with one out, and Prado at third and Dan Uggla at first with two out, but Chipper lined out.

In the seventh, the Cubs got a leadoff single followed by a bunt and a groundout. Hudson should have been out of it, but the hapless Wilson let the inning-ending groundout go off his glove for the game’s only run. They called it a hit. Kris Medlen got through the eighth with no problem.

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs – Box Score – May 08, 2012 – ESPN.

The Braves rebounded some, winning with what beat them the day before — a strong outing from the starter, good relief work, and a few late runs.

The Braves took the lead in the fifth, Jason Heyward tripling and ending a scoreless tie by coming in on Tyler Pastornicky sac fly. Meanwhile, through five Randall Delgado had given up only one hit.

That was too good to last. A leadoff single in the sixth gave way to a two-out double to tie it. Delgado was at 101 pitches and gave way to Eric O’Flaherty.

Kris Medlen relieved O’Flaherty in the seventh and retired three of three batters. Kerry Wood came in and the Braves teed off. Michael Bourn led off with a single, then Martin Prado walked. Prado was erased on a fielder’s choice for the first out, then Brian McCann walked to load the bases. Dan Uggla then singled to score two runs.

The Cubs got a couple of hits off of Jonny Venters in the eighth, but blew their chance with a failed bunt and a GIDP. Craig Kimbrel, typically, had two strikeouts and a popup to get through the ninth easily.

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs – Box Score – May 07, 2012 – ESPN.

So after all those runs at Beer Bandbox, the Braves go to Chewing Gum Microfield and are held to one run by a converted wide receiver and a bullpen that was falling apart. Nothing to be done about it, really.

It started out okay, as Jason Heyward hit a solo homer — it’s been awhile since he hit one out — in the second inning to give the Braves the lead. Tommy Hanson continues his transformation into Jair Jurrjens, pre-implosion, as he threw six innings, allowing two runs, but both on solo homers, and only struck out three while walking two. The homers came back-to-back in the fourth.

He got the loss because the offense didn’t show up, chalking just five hits and striking out eleven times, and the two struggling relievers, Eric O’Flaherty (6.55 ERA, one run allowed in the seventh) and Chad Durbin (8.25 ERA, two-run homer in the eighth) were Fredi’s choices to try abd stay in the game. (Fredi was actually ejected in the seventh, before Durbin entered, but it was his call, don’t worry.)

The Cubs’ leading hitter this year has been someone named “Bryan LaHair“. I have no memory of this person.