26 Sep
Game Thread: Mets (ugh) at Braves, Sept. 26
Yeah, that’s just what I needed right now.
Anyway, this blog officially endorses the Minnesota Twins in the American League playoffs.
Braves News (Official)- Braves News (AJC)
- Atlanta Braves: Suspended games, white bears, Freddie Free
- Atlanta Braves: After perfect homestand, Braves aim for road improvement
- Atlanta Braves: Braves have become TJ-surgery regulars
- Atlanta Braves: J-Up's presence can cover deficiencies
- Atlanta Braves: All things considered, Braves pleased with position
The sad thing is that there was a time when this series–a late season match up with the Mets–might actually matter. Lets just hope that the Braves continue to amass more impressive individual performances–as it would be nice to remember something positive about 2006.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:27 pmProjected Lineup
Orr
September 26th, 2006 at 12:28 pmTony P Jr
Prado
Thorman
Langerhans
Pena
Frenchy (has to catch Cal’s record)
Ward
Smoltz (good luck getting to 15)
1914 Update:
Boston Braves 86-56 (MN 3)
NY Giants 78-65 (8.5 GB)
z-St. Louis Cardinals 77-68 (11.5)
z-Chicago Cubs 75-71 (13)
z-Philadelphia Phillies 72-74 (16)
z-Brooklyn Robins 70-75 (17.5)
z-Pittsburgh Pirates 63-80 (23.5)
z-Cincinnati Reds 57-89 (31)
Today’s Games:
Chicago 000 002 000 – 2 6 4 LP- Vaughn
Boston 000 400 02x – 6 9 0 WP- Tyler
Chicago 000 000 002 – 2 8 5 LP- Cheney
Boston 440 200 20x- 12 10 2 WP- Hess
I think the Braves would be about ready to kill Ernie Banks after their fourth doubleheader in four days. Not that they did poorly, as they’ve gone 6-1-1 and nearly salted away the pennant, but they’ve got to be dragging something fierce about now. Everyone else in the NL also played a doubleheader, as did most of the AL and FL.
The Athletics beat Cleveland in the AL’s only singleton while the Red Sox were swept at the Browns; the A’s magic number now is 4. The Chicago Whales now lead the Hoosiers by 1.5 games in the Federal League.
It’s official. The World Series will begin on October 9, at 2pm.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:29 pmGo Twins Go! I am pulling for the Astros in the NL
September 26th, 2006 at 12:38 pmi am trying to convince myself to watch today’s game because its the Mets, but I am struggling to find a reason to care…and I remember what happened last time we faced Perez.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:49 pmwhen was the last time there hasnt been a 20 game winner in MLB. It has to be before 2001
September 26th, 2006 at 1:11 pmVinny Castilla Day!
September 26th, 2006 at 1:17 pmgot it
The last time Major League Baseball went a complete season without a 20-game winner was 1995, when Greg Maddux (Atlanta Braves) and Mike Mussina (Baltimore Orioles) both fell one win short.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:18 pmcsg,
Well, 1995 wasn’t a complete season either. If I remember, Maddux was 19-2 & the Braves only played 144 games.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:19 pmStrike season, doesn’t count. The lowest win total by an NL wins leader in a non-strike year is (I think) 18, last by Sutcliffe in 1987. I think the AL has had years of 17.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:22 pminteresting
September 26th, 2006 at 1:22 pmI think Clemens followed his ridiculous ’86 season with another 20 effort in 1987.
That’s a helluva question, actually.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:28 pmAlright, I looked it up: It’s never happened.
Not once in the modern era where a full season was played (’81, ’94 & ’95 exempted) has MLB failed to produce a 20-game winner in an individual year.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:35 pmreally, how about that. Santana got rocked his last time out by the Red Sox. I dont know how many starts he has left.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:41 pmAgain, not counting strike seasons…
The last win leader who did not attain 20 victories was Albert Spalding. In 1871, he won 19.
In MLB history, the NL has only 3 years where nobody won 20 (1987, 1983 & 1931) and the AL has only 3 years where nobody won 20 (1982, 1960 & 1955).
When my team is sucking, my mind obviously wanders…
September 26th, 2006 at 1:44 pmcsg,
Nobody’s gonna win 20 this year. Both Wang & Santana are at 18 and neither will get 2 starts. In fact, I’d be surprised if either pitched much at all until Game 1 of the ALCS.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:45 pmWell Santana has two more starts and has to win both. He’ll have them against the Royals and the White Sox. Royals starting tonight
September 26th, 2006 at 1:46 pmHow about we send Pete Orr and Brian Jordan to the Twins for Santana?
September 26th, 2006 at 1:47 pmIf he pitches both he’ll be out for the 1st game for sure. probably wont get both, I guess
September 26th, 2006 at 1:47 pmConsidering that Spalding was pitching in the National Association and in a 30-game season — he pitched all but 18 2/3 innings for the Red Stockings that season (the manager did the rest) and had all but one decision — I think saying “it’s never happened” is pretty fair.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:48 pmStu, they asked for Pratt also. We said no
September 26th, 2006 at 1:48 pmMac,
Yeah, when discussing Spalding, the notion of “full season” is relative.
September 26th, 2006 at 2:00 pmSite note: If, as suggested in the last recap, I just make up recaps for the remaining games, I could actually be done talking about this season this afternoon. I’ll probably recap actual events anyway but I’ve already got all but one of the game threads written and scheduled (with appropriate videos selected) but I need one last video for the middle game of the Astros series. Suggestions?
September 26th, 2006 at 2:04 pmgotta love the Redskins
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/pgStory?contentId=5985336&pageNumber=23
September 26th, 2006 at 2:06 pmMaybe something from Armegeddon. It has outer space (“Astros”), and the film’s title reflects our feelings regarding the season.
September 26th, 2006 at 2:40 pmWould anyone be surprised to see this next year
Reyes
Crawford
Beltran
Delgado
Wright
Soriano
Green
Lo Duca
???
followed by Pedro, Glavine, Schmidt or Zito, Willis, ????
could be an interesting offseason for us, but could be more interesting for them
September 26th, 2006 at 2:48 pmthat could be why I’m all for a Salary “CAP”, say around 100-110 mil
September 26th, 2006 at 2:49 pmMac, try to find these part of “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” when he goes to the Alamo to find his bike and he calls home and all the people sing, “The Stars at Night are big and bright…Deep in the Heart of Texas!”
September 26th, 2006 at 2:52 pmany thoughts of how this guy, pulled off his stats for this year
60+ appearances – 0.91 ERA
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5847/career
September 26th, 2006 at 2:56 pmI refuse to endorse the twinkies over the Hrbek incident. He can burn in hell.
Go Tigers!
September 26th, 2006 at 3:02 pmAm I the only one hoping the Braves get a chance to knock the Astros out of playoff contention as payback for the division series losses of the last 2 years?
September 26th, 2006 at 3:04 pmI know a lot of people hate golf, but its a sad day.
Byron Nelson passed away.
http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/6004452
September 26th, 2006 at 3:05 pmdamn, i just now noticed that ron, that would be soooo sweet to give to astros the boot from the playoffs
and how the hell is reyes having such a good year, the 5-0/0.91 just doesnt look right when compared to his career stats, especially when i remember watching him a couple years ago with kc
September 26th, 2006 at 3:16 pmYes, that’s the theme of the first Astros post. I actually put some thought into that one and the last one instead of dashing them off.
As for Reyes, he’s cut his walk rate but mostly it’s just luck — 33 hits in 49 2/3 innings is unsustainable unless you’re Billy Wagner or someone like that and strike out 12 men per nine. It’s possible that Gardenhire has managed to get him to pitch almost exclusively against lefties and he’s been bailed out whenever he got into trouble.
September 26th, 2006 at 3:21 pmI dont know how Reyes did that, but if you’ve ever heard the term SELL HIGH….now is the time
September 26th, 2006 at 3:34 pmMac, How about a “King of the Hill” thread against the Astros?
September 26th, 2006 at 3:41 pmSome of it is being hit lucky, but he’s really having a legitimately good year. About half his innings have been against righties, and his K and BB rates are remarkably similar each way. Obviously hit-lucky gets him down to 0.91, but his hardballtimes FIP is 2.76, which is also a dramatic drop.
Part of it is his being used more against lefties (in other years, he logged a lot more innings against right than left), but the fact that his strikeouts and walks this year are pretty similar both ways implies that’s not the whole story. I have no idea what got his strikeout rate to jump up to awesome and his walk rate to plummet to adequate, but I don’t think his success is just luck with hits. But, yeah, his history implies “sell high”.
September 26th, 2006 at 3:43 pmMac,
Re: Houston
You could go for the “Urban Cowboy” theme–”Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places,” mechanical bull, John Travolta pretending to be from Texas & affecting one of the most bogus Southern accents in the history of Hollywood. And Debra (I’m Really from Cleveland) Winger wasn’t much better.
September 26th, 2006 at 3:56 pmWell Mac, I know it is Houston, but you could run the theme from Dallas
September 26th, 2006 at 4:15 pmMac, I’ve always been partial to “All my ex’s live in Texas”… even though it doesn’t reference Houston in particular. And there are some Ex-Braves on the Astros (at least one, Russ Springer, and probably others although I can’t recall them off hand).
September 26th, 2006 at 5:45 pmCongrats to Andruw on his 40th home run. I still think this is a player we should keep for the long term, as his bat is plenty good enough for a corner OF spot even if his defense does eventually warrant his moving out of center field.
September 26th, 2006 at 7:06 pmI’d suggest something from ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, or Willis Alan Ramsey; all Texas boys.
September 26th, 2006 at 7:28 pm@41
I agree, he should be a priority to keep. We don’t really need a left fielder that badly do we? Why can’t we give Kelly Johnson a chance to get the starting job.
September 26th, 2006 at 7:51 pmSam, I think they might see if KJ can handle second or third. If he can handle third, move Chipper to left and our offensive problems are solved, except for the stench coming from #7 in right field.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:10 pmChipper in left would be a disaster!
September 26th, 2006 at 8:13 pmSmoltz is ptiching great. Go for win 15!
September 26th, 2006 at 8:22 pmIf Bobby takes him out and puts in Yates, he should be FIRED!
Well….. at least suspended.
If he ever puts in Yates again,(or Ray for that matter) he should be suspended for the number of runs scored while they are pitching.
I’d like to see Smoltz get the shutout, but he’s at 115 pitches now, and there’s no point in ruining his arm in a meaningless game. Put in Moylan or someone.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:31 pmSmotlz got thru at least the 8th. Yea!
September 26th, 2006 at 8:37 pmNo Yates or Ray. Either Smoltz finishes or Wickman.
NO LEAD is safe with anyone else.
Oh nooooooooooo, Smoltz is out.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:41 pmIf Wickman isn’t brought in, what’s the over under on the number of runs the Mets will score? Five?
I know it’s only the 9th to pitch, but five runs sounds about right.
I come in, and there’s Torborg talking about Tommy Davis. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! Braves broadcasts should only mention the Dodgers when the Dodgers are relevant. Prick.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:43 pmOh, so NOW we can bea the Mets. I suppose if this game actually meant something, we wouldn’t be winning, though.
Great effort by Smoltz. Gotta love that guy.
I suppose Coors Field wasn’t the only reason for our offensive explosion. Eight runs off of the Mets is always fun, even if it is a meaningless game…
September 26th, 2006 at 8:45 pmYeah the Mets could care less, which makes me even madder!!!
September 26th, 2006 at 8:47 pmIf we win 20-0, I might feel ok.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:49 pmI only hate the Yankees more than the Mets
Let’s get it to double digits, guys. That would be fun.
September 26th, 2006 at 8:49 pmTwelve! Wow, I know the Mets don’t really care, but this has got to hurt. Let’s demoralize them as much as we can while we have the chance…
September 26th, 2006 at 8:51 pmalright 12! keep it going guys!
September 26th, 2006 at 8:52 pmYes yes yes yes demoralize them as much as possible
September 26th, 2006 at 8:52 pmAw, Andruw. You were supposed to play along with us…
September 26th, 2006 at 8:56 pmIt really destroys me that we let Sosa start (1-10?) and then get moved to the bullpen – coupled with JS not getting us a closer – really ruin our season. It burns me up that Bobby kept running a pitcher out there that could not win one game and that could not save a game. ( Ithink Sosa got his only win out of the bullpen because he BLEW the save)
September 26th, 2006 at 8:56 pmIf we had gotten Wickman and that beginning of the season like we half heartedly tried….
McBride huh
September 26th, 2006 at 8:59 pmHe might actually be able to pitch with absolutely zero pressure…maybe
First guy gets on…..
September 26th, 2006 at 9:00 pmsurprise surprise
If they scroe a run here, any demoralization that we might have accomplished goes right out of the window. Come on McCay!
September 26th, 2006 at 9:01 pmI know nobody cares about this game, but this bullpen really IRKS me to no end.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:01 pmYou probably don’t want to hear this, Doug, but McBride, disappointing as his season has been, is our second- or third-best reliever.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:02 pmI hate to say this, but are we going to lose this game?
September 26th, 2006 at 9:02 pmanother guy on
September 26th, 2006 at 9:05 pmsurprise surprise
McBride really sucks
except for Wickman the whole bullpen should be waived
this is the worst Braves pen I have ever seen
it’s incredible how bad they are
I know you are right Mac, which makes it even more maddening
September 26th, 2006 at 9:05 pmMcBride and Cormier, IMO, are the middle ground between the bullpen guys we keep (Villareal and Wickman) and those we dump (everyone else except for Reitsma, whose head we stick on a pike).
September 26th, 2006 at 9:08 pmalright! too bad we couldn’t have done that several months ago… shoot even a few weeks ago would’ve been nice! lol
anyways… I’m happy with the win!
September 26th, 2006 at 9:08 pmOk we can keep the Vulture too…. and Baez if he comes back,
September 26th, 2006 at 9:09 pmbut NO BODY else
We can keep McBride. He’ll be okay. I have more confidence in him than in most people.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:13 pmGet rid of McBride too. He seems to be only able to pitch when the pressure is off. What a loser!
September 26th, 2006 at 9:57 pm