31 May
The Braves are 0-4 in extra innings game thread: Braves at Reds, May 31
Did you realize that? I guess it’s a subset of the one-run games. They’re the only team that’s played more than two extra-inning games without a win this year.
Maybe a movie will change our luck. It’s rated “R” (ooh, scary) so you may have to log into Hulu to watch.
Oh, and Fox? Still sucks.
“Obviously, you are not a golfer.” Ha!
May 31st, 2008 at 11:36 amI think Blanco should move to the top of the order. Now, I’m not usually for a lesser hitter at the top of the order, but hear me out.
I don’t think Blanco is optimal in the 7 hole. He doesn’t have a slugging percentage to speak of, and his main hitting skill is getting on base a lot by walking. So, in the 7 hole, he’s getting on base for the black holes at the bottom of the order. If Escobar or Johnson moved to the 7 spot in the order, I think that they would have a better chance of cleaning up what’s left on base of the batters before them than Blanco would. This might be a small part of the problem why we have so many people left on base.
May 31st, 2008 at 11:43 amYou’re out of your element Donny!
May 31st, 2008 at 11:47 amThat would extend the lineup which is an idea with merit. Currently we have five really fine hitters batting in a row and then four hitters that can’t really hurt you. This serves as a nice breather for the other teams pitcher. Putting Kelly seventh would allow us to extend some rallies that somehow get by Frenchy alive.
I’m not sure I’d do it because I would prefer that Kelly bat more the Gregor. Joe Simpson would have done it a month ago.
May 31st, 2008 at 11:54 am8-year-olds, dude
May 31st, 2008 at 12:08 pmI think Hibernation Mode is brought on by Frenchy most times….. his flailing and awful at-bats seem to bring the whole team down
May 31st, 2008 at 12:09 pmI think Kotsay kidnapped himself, and isn’t really on the DL.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:22 pmI commented on the last thread that in the month of May, Wonder Boy is “hitting” .229/.302/.343/.645
May 31st, 2008 at 12:32 pm“Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain.”
Interesting idea on Blanco. As long as he’s getting on base, I’m not going to go crazy about lack of power. The speed’s not a bad thing either.
Gonna go out on a limb here: We’ll score some runs tonight in that ballpark against Mr. Fogg, a guy who’s given up 25 ER in 25 IP. Makes for any easy-to-calculate ERA, doesn’t it?
May 31st, 2008 at 12:32 pmThe Braves’ Chipper Jones hasn’t made the National League All-Star team since 2001. He can’t help but point that out when he’s finally doing well in the voting, thanks to a majors-leading .420 batting average through the first two months. In the first totals released Wednesday, Jones was leading the voting at third base. He was ahead of the Mets’ David Wright, 420,664 to 321,091. “Honestly it’s a shame that I’ve got to go out and hit .400 for two months to make an All-Star team,” Jones said. “It’s kind of depressing to me because I’ve had — to me — what I think are some pretty good first halves, what I think is a pretty good career, and I haven’t made an All-Star team since ’01. … But I’ll take it. Got to make a splash to get people’s attention? Got to make a splash.”
May 31st, 2008 at 1:06 pmthat was from AJC
May 31st, 2008 at 1:06 pmA splash? More like a cannonball.
May 31st, 2008 at 1:37 pmOr a preacher’s seat.
May 31st, 2008 at 1:38 pmPlease don’t go there.
May 31st, 2008 at 1:42 pmYou know, dude, I myself dabbled in pacifism once…not in Nam, of course.
May 31st, 2008 at 1:46 pmNice Norton is playing LF again. Same lineup as yesterday. Why again not have Blanco bat lead off? Also Norton is a horrible outfielder.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pmI was going to say, oh my God, I didn’t know you could stream entire movies on Hulu — this is amazing! Then I saw that, in addition to Big Lebowski, one of the available movies is “Boat Trip.”
This is the equivalent of learning about a free all-you-can-eat buffet, in which one of the little heatwells has ribeye steaks, and then looking over to see and noticing that another one is filled with week-old dog crap. It sort of turns your stomach.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:46 pmmazzone in the booth for the day.
interesting.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:50 pmLeo is pretty painful to listen to so far.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:00 pm“You mean coitus?”
May 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pmThe way this road trip is going, we may have to go back to Phil Collins.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:12 pmit looks like jurrjens hit the 5th inning road block in the 1st….
May 31st, 2008 at 3:14 pmI had NO IDEA, Leo was SO annoying. Jesus!!! Shut up!
May 31st, 2008 at 3:17 pmEven though he may be annoying, he can’t be any worse than the Dodgers-Mets game I am being forced to watch.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:18 pmLooks like Jair is ready to go. Good job.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pmI like his pitching analysis so far, but that giggle of his makes me want to destroy my TV.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:28 pmThat’s what we got Norton for, right?
May 31st, 2008 at 3:31 pmWow….nice job Norton.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:31 pmOMG Norton
Nice suprise
May 31st, 2008 at 3:32 pmhe did JUST miss one yesterday I remember
May 31st, 2008 at 3:32 pmJair has nothing today.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:38 pmNot a lot of control so far from Jair…
May 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pmThanks Jeff for airmailing the cutoff guy and giving a free base to Bruce.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:42 pmJJ is bad today, need to go ahead and get him
May 31st, 2008 at 3:42 pmhe didnt airmail the cutoff, he thought he could get the runner at third
May 31st, 2008 at 3:43 pmYep. Bullpen time.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:45 pmIf I didn’t care so much about the Braves, this exhibition would be comical.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:45 pmCan we please stop throwing to third and giving them second base??? Chipper’s pissed about it, too.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:46 pmSo much for that 8 man bullpen.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:48 pmJJ hasnt come close to McCann’s setup position all day, Leo wont shut up about it either. Too bad Bobby has abused Bennett when he didnt have to this week because we could use about 3-4 good innings from someone today.
JJ has faced 17 batters in 2 innings and thrown 64 pitches. 6 hits and 5 bb’s so far
Hopefully Bobby will get Carlyle and Stckman into this game
May 31st, 2008 at 3:49 pmLeo sounds so crazy!
Has some nervous energy trip going on.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:49 pmYeah, Stu, Francoeur is on my ****list right now.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:50 pmToo bad we don’t have a guy like Carlyle in our 8-man bullpen.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:52 pmjust no DP’s guys
May 31st, 2008 at 3:53 pmhello !!!!!! new ballgame
May 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pmWelcome back, Tex!
May 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pmFortunately Fogg sucks
Please please take advantage.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pmLeo hit that one on the head
May 31st, 2008 at 3:55 pmboom
May 31st, 2008 at 3:55 pmJay Bruce looks like he can hit, but his defense looks bad. Two straight games he’s getting himself turned in some weird positions
May 31st, 2008 at 3:55 pmIt’s only a new ballgame if we don’t give these runs back in the bottom of the inning.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:56 pmI think I would go by Richard, or Rich, Pole if I were that pitching coach.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:57 pmStupid Franceour… the cant throw a strike for his life… and our stupid RF swings at the first pitch
May 31st, 2008 at 3:58 pmIf I’m Bobby, Carlyle starts the 3rd.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:59 pmI’d try to get one more from Jurrjens and then pinch-hit for him to start the 4th. He’d be yanked after the first baserunner, though.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:02 pmWell, he managed to get through the 3rd.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:07 pmyeah, Bobby has no faith in Stockman or Carlyle and both could give us some quality innings today
May 31st, 2008 at 4:09 pmJJ with a triple. let the man hit!!!!
May 31st, 2008 at 4:10 pmHa! Triple!
May 31st, 2008 at 4:11 pmHe seems strong mentally.
Remember against the Mets where he had that nightmare inning, walking in runs, not least of course because the umpire did a bad job, but he somehow managed to bounce back afterwards and pitched really well.
I think that was very telling. Maybe some of the same today?
May 31st, 2008 at 4:11 pmWell, now he’ll be totally useless on the mound. Carlyle had better be warming up.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:11 pmI’m getting a little sick of Yunel’s approach in the leadoff spot.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:12 pmSame
May 31st, 2008 at 4:13 pmJoe Simpson: “Ever since Yunel became a leadoff hitter, he’s become less patient.”
May 31st, 2008 at 4:13 pmThat was terrible by Yunel.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:14 pmBad AB by Teixeira. He took about 5 strikes, although only 3 were called. C’mon, BMac.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:21 pmNice of the Reds to gift Jurrjens with a 7 pitch inning.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:28 pmJJ is one tough SOB.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:30 pmJair is at 80 pitches thru 4. Looks like we might be able to get him into the 6th.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:33 pmHehe, what’s with Tommy’s bug-eye shades
May 31st, 2008 at 4:37 pmgreat AB by Gregor
May 31st, 2008 at 4:37 pmNorton shouldnt be in LF, he’s allowed runners to get to second on throws to third twice now
May 31st, 2008 at 4:50 pmWhat is Bobby waiting on??
May 31st, 2008 at 4:52 pmGeez. Escobar’s making some dumb plays lately.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:54 pmRemove starter, please. Attention Bobby.
our defense is crap right now
May 31st, 2008 at 4:54 pmWay too late to take JJ out. And what a bone-headed play by Yunel. Argh.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:55 pmTwo double play grounders that inning that were just out of reach. Shame. Jurrjens had really settled down there.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:55 pmOur defense in this series has been a disaster. What in the hell is Greg Norton doing? Even Little League teams know how to throw to the right goddam base!
May 31st, 2008 at 4:56 pmi think the grammar police should invade the booth and arrest leo.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:56 pmRing’s roster spot had better be safe. That was huge.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:57 pmDid he just say that he’s now stranded 22 consecutive inherited runners? That would make him the anti-Grybo.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:58 pmNice comeback by Ring there
May 31st, 2008 at 4:58 pmThis game doesn’t give me a winning feeling.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:07 pmNo close road games give me a winning feeling.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:09 pmRing is exquisite when he bails someone out, but excrement when he starts an inning.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:11 pmRing ‘em up.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:16 pmabsolutely superb outting by Ring.
Why are we afraid to let him pitch in blowouts again?
May 31st, 2008 at 5:18 pmYou mean Ring is actually capable of getting out righthanded hitters? That’s just ridiculous.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:18 pmBlanco looked very lazy getting to that and making kind of a show boating basket catch. I like seeing those made with a little more hustle and two hands
May 31st, 2008 at 5:18 pmRing is now 1/3 of an inning away from double digits.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:20 pmpaging lando…
May 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pmFrenchy.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pmFrenchy delivers.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pmI’m guessing Joe Simpson is in heat right now after that opposite-field HOUR from Francoeur.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pmStupid BlackBerry. HR.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:24 pmMets get 3 in the 8th to take a 3-2 lead over LA.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:29 pmFrenchy is off my s-list, for now.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:34 pmInstead of doing the logical thing and using Stockman, Bobby wants to make sure that Bennett’s arm falls off so that Boyer won’t be alone.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:36 pmlooks like Ring will be safe when Smoltz and Gonzo come back. Stockman and Carlyle are here for … we’ll no one knows why
May 31st, 2008 at 5:37 pmI’m not sure I want Stockman in this situation. He’s done nothing to make us trust him in a late-and-close situation.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:37 pmBobby’s trying to win the game & Phil Stockman has proven nothing at the major-league level.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:40 pmNone of these Fox people can pronounce “Jair Jurrjens.”
May 31st, 2008 at 5:40 pmAnd Bennett has pitched about 10 days in a row. He’s got to use someone else at some point.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:40 pmWhy did Bobby make the double switch there to bat Bennett 7th… is that just to put Anderson in as a defensive replacement for Norton?
May 31st, 2008 at 5:42 pmone run game
on the road
do we blow it in the eight or the ninth?
May 31st, 2008 at 5:46 pmWilly Ohman is liked, but he’s not well liked.
At least against righties.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:04 pmBy the way, here is the final score from the future (but I hope I’m wrong): 8-7 Reds.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:07 pm@106
you forgot Soriano re-injuring his elbow
May 31st, 2008 at 6:09 pmConcur with 106. Dunn gets on — perhaps via walk — and a homer ends it.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:11 pmSoriano isn’t right.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:12 pmwhy is soriano throwing under 90
May 31st, 2008 at 6:12 pmgameday had all those fastballs between 91 and 93. Different guns than fox?
May 31st, 2008 at 6:14 pmhis fastball is topping out at 88 .. this is not good
May 31st, 2008 at 6:14 pmAnybody warming up?
May 31st, 2008 at 6:15 pmFOX gun says he’s thrown mostly in the 88 and 89 range. he had a couple of 92s
May 31st, 2008 at 6:15 pmWow.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:16 pmwow …… WTF
May 31st, 2008 at 6:16 pmgdmf.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:17 pmFTT
F*** THIS TEAM
May 31st, 2008 at 6:17 pmVotto hit a pretty good pitch. That was scary.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:17 pmMan I hate being right sometimes…it must be a mental block that they can’t win a 1-run game…I’ll be totally shocked if they hold on for the win
May 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pmNeed a double play.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pmwhat happened? did we lose already? my gamecast hasnt updated
May 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pmwho’s left to ph for CIN?
May 31st, 2008 at 6:19 pmand now f*** this umpire
May 31st, 2008 at 6:19 pmTie game. Runner safe at home.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:19 pmBobby tossed.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:20 pmand there it is
May 31st, 2008 at 6:20 pmunbelievable
May 31st, 2008 at 6:21 pmThe Reds’ broadcasters are getting onto McCann for not blocking the plate. True?
May 31st, 2008 at 6:21 pmThe Braves continue to have bad luck. There is nothing…nothing you can do about that. As far as I’m concerned, they played that as best as you can.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:21 pmSoriano just needs to go ahead and give up another hit here rather than have them lose another game in extra innings.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:22 pmSoriano really should have spent more time on rehab.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:22 pmi dont care that our second best hitter didnt risk injury to save one run
May 31st, 2008 at 6:23 pm128, McCann was in pretty good position, but at some point, you have to field the ball, and that can give just enough of an opening … can’t blame anyone there.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:23 pmthe replay showed that Freel was halfway home on contact. Soriano barely even looked him back and Freel took off for home as soon as Soriano looked to throw to first.
Soriano’s fault .. I think? … I dunno. FTT.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:24 pmI could just cry watching this team. But instead I’ll drink. I’ve never been so glad to live within walking distance of several bars.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:24 pmsoriano is hitting the mid 90s now at least
May 31st, 2008 at 6:24 pmThis is what happens when you don’t have a closer.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:24 pmRidonculous
May 31st, 2008 at 6:24 pmAt least Soriano seemed to be getting loose on that last batter, hitting 95 and 96.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:26 pmI have never liked Ryan Freel. It’s only a matter of time until he lands himself on the DL again making some “aggressive” (bonehead) play.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:26 pmI was about to reach for a beer. Instead, I’ve put on a pot of coffee.
We may yet see the rest of our witness-protection-program bullpen.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:26 pmattaboy anderson!
May 31st, 2008 at 6:27 pmYeah that looked like dominant best which just makes the start of the inning even more frustrating.
Just please win this game ffs
May 31st, 2008 at 6:27 pmHairston and Bruce coming up, we need three runs now.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:27 pmStop this bunting $#!^. Now.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:28 pmthdfgjdfjdfjdfhjdf
May 31st, 2008 at 6:29 pmWe successfully bunt when we shouldn’t be doing it & we can’t get the bunt down when we should.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:30 pmIs there something wrong with the people in the Atlanta dugout that they keep sending guys out there to bunt? Honestly… what the hell? It strikes me as strange that people would go about trying to win by employing the strategies that most likely will lead to their losing.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:30 pmIt’s having too much faith in their pitchers to hold a one-run lead and generally thinking that it’s still 1985.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:32 pmMake ‘em pay Tex.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:32 pmTime for a Tex bomb—or a single.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:34 pmOr…. not.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:35 pmJust great pitching from Cordero there…
We should have won earlier.
Come on Acosta. Need another chance
May 31st, 2008 at 6:36 pmwas the soriano’s first game back from the DL?
May 31st, 2008 at 6:39 pmHurry back, Smoltzie. Please.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:40 pmHoly crap.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:40 pmIt doesn’t even really hurt anymore.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:40 pmBoy, this is getting old.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:40 pmWhat a bunch of losers.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmYou can grab that beer now, ububba.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmI just knew that would happen.
That kid is unreal.
What a moron Dusty is for only playing him now.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmwell that was consistent
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmwell, that wasn’t unexpected
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmAn Irish coffee, for sure.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pmI don’t care if it’s May 31. At 20 consecutive road one-run losses and 2-16 in all one-run games this season, it’s time to panic, because when a string continues this long, it is more than simply bad luck. Something is seriously wrong.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:42 pmThis is just getting ridiculous
May 31st, 2008 at 6:42 pmI’m not even going to claim credit for predicting the final score at post #106 when it was 7-6 Braves with our guys batting in the top of the 9th…it’s too easy with this team…they’ve established a pattern of suckitude in games like this that I haven’t seen in a long time.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:43 pmthe good news is that this road trip ends tomorrow.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:43 pmwhat a F**** joke
May 31st, 2008 at 6:44 pmI’m actually starting to lose interest in this team. Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s attitude, maybe it’s a combination of a lot of things, but in the end they have squandered great pitching through the first two months and phenomenal starts from Chipper and McCann to end up being mediocre once again. The problem is that the pitching will come back down to earth – like today, when Jurrjens got shelled – just as a Teixeira and Francoeur or whomever find a stride. It’s so… disappointing.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:44 pmWell, here’s to the regulation blowout win on getaway day.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:45 pmOnly in June 2006 have I felt more desperately frustrated watching this team in the last 18 years.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:45 pmmaybe soriano should consider going back to the DL. he should at least consider taking a shower since he just threw up all over himself on national TV.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:50 pmIt’s torture but it’s still much rather lose 1 run games than being blown out.
We’re in almost every game and that’s a positive.
It’s almost impossible that all these close games won’t swing our way at some point.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:50 pm0-5 in extra inning games too
May 31st, 2008 at 6:52 pmi dont care if all of our losses are by 1 run as long as we don’t blow the game in the 9th inning. it brings up horrible nightmires of Chris Reitsma. if you can’t come through in the clutch then you never going to make the playoffs, much less go deep into the playoffs
May 31st, 2008 at 6:55 pmMac can pretty much hit F6 on his keyboard for this recap.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:59 pmSoriano is not a closer, just like Escobar is not a lead off man. You would think that bobby cox would have learned his leason after the marcus giles project. I really just don’t understand why Escobar is batting in the leadoff spot. He was batting great in the second spot. He has completely changed his batting style just like Giles did when they tried it with him. You need a true leadoff man to bat leadoff and you need a real deal closer to close the game.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:02 pm168 — We’ve been waiting for these games to swing our way for two years now.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:05 pmIt’s time to come to terms with the fact that bobby is the problem. Until he is gone, this team is going to continue to lose these type of games.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pmAnd batting blanco in that spot would be a good idea if he could actually hit. I am shocked everytime that he makes contact with the ball. He really looks like he is going to swing himself into the first base bleachers. I am pretty sure his luck is up, and just like Bobby always does he will stick with him through the entire season.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pmC’mon, let’s not lose all sense of reality.
It sucks. It’s a bad streak. Gotta turn it around. It’s happened before, if I recall correctly, but in reverse.
Look at the Nats in ’05. They won a preposterous amount of low-run, one-run games in the first half of the season—they were in first place for a long time.
Come the second half, guess what happened? They lost almost every one-run game they were in.
Put the knives down & come down off the roof. This can’t last all season.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:15 pmWell in 2006 nobody thought that we would keep blowing games in the 8th and 9th ining but we did
May 31st, 2008 at 7:18 pmAnd it is Bobby fault to extent
May 31st, 2008 at 7:20 pmBehind door number 1: Bad Choice number 1
Behind door number 2: Bad Choice number 2
Behind door number 3: Bad Choice number 3
Does anybody know why we don’t have a top 30 pick this year?
May 31st, 2008 at 7:21 pmSince the start of the 2006 season, we are 35 games under .500 in one run games. We’re 39 games over .500 in all other contests.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:31 pmalmost half of those would be from this year
May 31st, 2008 at 7:34 pmRecap is up. It’s late because of Comcast; I had to drive down to the University to post it. It’s the game thread for tomorrow too.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:40 pmSteven, the Braves don’t have a first round pick because they signed Glavine, who was a type A free agent.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:41 pmwhat does that mean type A free agent
May 31st, 2008 at 7:46 pmI think it means that Glavine has a strong personality, a type “A” kind of guy…had we signed someone who was shy then we would be good to go
May 31st, 2008 at 8:04 pm