Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies – Box Score – August 25, 2010 – ESPN.
So, that’s how you blow a 10-1 lead. Nice to know. I hate Denver.
The Braves got all their runs in the first three innings, three in the first, four in the second, and three in the third. Jason Heyward got the game going with a triple, and Omar Infante capped it with a two-run homer to make it 10-1 at the time. Hibernation Mode ensued, but it was 10-1, no problems, right?
I hate Denver. The Rockies cut it to 10-2 with a sac fly in the fourth, then a two-run triple followed by an Alex Gonzalez error in the fifth, and suddenly it’s 10-5. Offense still not woken up. Jair Jurrjens got only one out in the sixth, and the Rockies got three more runs, cutting it to 10-8.
Jonny Venters pitched a good seventh, then Bobby sent him out to pitch the eighth, which was probably a good idea but didn’t work. Venters got a strikeout, then walked the next man. A single made it first-and-second, and then he got what should have been a double play, but Infante threw badly and they got only one out. Walk, single, tie game, and Bobby brings in Farnsworth and you can imagine how much help he is and two more runs have been charged to Venters and it’s 12-10. The Braves went meekly in the ninth, as they had pretty much from the third on, and we’re relying on the Astros again. I hate Denver.
The one time in his life he should have been able to complete a game and doesn’t even go 6? This is all on JJ.
It is probably a good idea to look ahead.
I personally expected the Phillies to be in first place after this road trip, which will obviously not be the case, so all things considered, not much has happened.
This game sure feels like 1000 losses, but in reality it is only one.
You’ve gotta be kidding me. It was 10-2 when I went to the gym.
Well,Cincinnati blew a big lead to the braves and recovered. We will see just how resilient this team is now. Please God don’t let the F**g Rockies make the playoffs.
Why do the Braves have so many pitchers who throw 95+ yet are scared to throw in the strike zone and instead walk hitters on breaking balls? If Jeff Francoeur walked as much as Braves relievers do, he’d be a hall of famer.
This one is on Bobby. He mismanaged the game terribly. Shouldn’t have called off the dogs so early. Terrible bullpen managing.
Wow. I got back in the car to go back in to work when it was 10-2. Not too good.
First things first, Farnsworth needs to be cut.
And now for something completely different: let’s talk roster moves…
@5:
I dare say we would have lost anyway, but that Venters walk to Iannetta still has me bitter. Dude sucks and you’re being dimpled-cheeks cutsey with it. Throw him the old #1 and be done with it for #$%@’s sake.
@8
This would be the worst time to panic
I’m not really a dog or a cat person. Kind of apathetic. If one is there I’ll pet it, but I wouldn’t say one is better than the other.
@10, yes, there will be plenty of time for that later.
Heh. And Derrek Lee thought those Cubs shenanigans were behind him.
Wow, when you check in on how the Braves are doing early and don’t do it again until late in the game, this team gives you a lot of surprises. Most of the time this year, it’s been a good surprise, but not today . . .
I believe it was Ububba who said a couple of days ago, “I just hope we don’t get swept.” Spoken like the prophet that he is.
Yeah, it may only count for one loss in the standings, but the Braves just gave the best September team in the Majors hope that this September will be no different from the last two, instead of coming in, yanking out their hearts and showing them to Colorado.
And with Lee continuing to make me miss early august Glaus, this team has convinced me that we’re one Phils hot streak away from being out of the playoffs.
Am I overreacting to this loss? Probably, but I am convinced the Braves are
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
And though I’m still repeating myself, Rick- Call time. Walk around the box for a while. Kick some dirt, spit, grab your crotch. You sit there like a good boy and wait to get mowed down…and you will.
Obligatory FanGraphs…
On cats and dogs:
Cats are obviously better because there is no (good) band named the Stray Dogs.
On this game:
How does this even ****ing happen. Just quit playing, Braves. You guys are terrible and will never sniff the playoffs for 20 years. And that’s if you’re lucky. Is it too late to sell the team through waivers? Can we draft some of those guys from the LLWS?
Holy crapped pants Batman.
I’m no Farnsworth fan but it’s hard to see how he could make such a huge change from decent/good in KC to miserable in Atlanta. His KC era and whip were about 2.9 and 1.1 and his Atl era and whip are 9+ and 1.8.
Moylan blows too–his last month has a 2.7K/9 and a 0.43K/BB. He’s nontender material–g’day mate.
Jair was just awful. I can’t say that enough.
And, with the off day tomorrow, this is going to be painful for a while.
Go…JA Happ? FML.
Watched a little at work and figured 10-1 was sufficient. I was embarrassed when I checked the score when I got home.
I said it when we traded for the Farns, the guy just can’t stand pressure. Put him in a situation like Kansas City and he’s a pretty good reliever, put him on a contender and he blows.
The only thing that could make today better would be if someone hits the ball back up the middle to Halladay for a potential DP and Halladay strains his pitching arm on the throw to Utley who has his ankle broken when the guy sliding into 2B tries to break up the play.
Then on the way back to the dugout, Victorino falls down the stairs and breaks his wrist and is relegated to bench duty for the rest of his life. That way we only have to see that stupid double-flap helmet once a game instead of 4-5 times.
We don’t have a reliable right-handed reliever right now.
Also, today was not a good day to be following Troy Renck on Twitter.
Yes, this loss is entirely on Jair.
Jair was absolutely terrible. Wren needs to find a reliable righthanded RP before next Wednesday. Say goodbye to Farns and Peter and damn….the Rockies didn’t even need Ubaldo to sweep the Braves. Expect Halladay to go 18innings.
Son. Of. A. Bitch. – that is all.
The two runs Saito allowed yesterday were the second and third he’s allowed in the second half. I’d say he’s been pretty reliable.
28—Well, I’m not sure I’d call someone who can’t pitch on consecutive days reliable, but that point is well taken.
Well Mac…it can’t hurt to have more than one can it?
Well, Mr. Happ has a no-hitter through four innings with a 1-0 lead. Go ‘Stros!
Scratch that. Werth just homered.
Lol….Kevin u had my hopes up for a minute.
I find it hard to blame pitchers’ bad performance when it comes with the fact that they were pitching in Denver. The entire game changes at that place.
I would prefer to blame the whole thing on Denver. Freaking hate that place.
Tony–you can get ’em back up (at least temporarily). Bourn hit a homer. It’s now 2-1, ‘Stros. A Houston win would sure take some sting off of today’s loss.
A lotta blame to go around today, but gotta move on & keep playing.
Just looked at Venters’ walk to Iannetta that started the trouble in the 8th on Gameday. That has three of the balls being inside the strike zone and the fourth a borderline call.
Because the Baseball Gods are determined to make this the worst day in Stu’s life, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the White Sox are close to a deal for Manny.
Really, the only positive to this story is my hope that Stu will be comically despondent when he reads this.
@10
I mean, with a blade or something. That’s not panic, that’s rational.
@37 We all know the Braves would never pick up Manny even if he plays for free.
It’s probably my fault. I called this to my wife when we were up 10-1. This one had the trappings of a turtle vs. hare game
Would Manny really have already passed through all the NL and AL teams up to the White Sox by now? Wouldn’t there be some kind of news about Manny clearing the NL or something if that happened already?
I just read the article as saying that the Dodgers and White Sox are preparing for a trade, just in case he gets that far. Not that he’s already made it or cleared completely and the White Sox are now about to acquire him.
so, glaus has another homer today…and another error. meanwhile, freeman has a double, a walk, 2 runs, and an rbi with no errors. i’ll take option 2.
Houston carefully navigates through the bottom of the seventh in Philly. Francisco picked off third to end the threat. Houston up 3-2 going to the eighth.
I’m scared to bring up Freeman because I think this team will break him.
Brandon Lyon chops up the meat of the order. Easy inning. On to the ninth.
If the Astros could just hold on, I would be willing to kiss Brett Myers on the mouth.
it sucks, end of the day – still in 1st place. This one is to blame on everyone. Awful pitching and poor defense again. Plus I hate that park. Cmon Houston
@46 May be too early for that!!! You would have a lot of people to kiss in September I imagine.
Utley, Werth, and Sweeney due up in the 9th.
Utley Ks.
And Werth!
Chase Utley strikes out. One away in the bottom of the ninth. That brings Werth up, with Mike Sweeney (!) on deck.
Ryan Howard’s on deck to pinch hit for Sweeney.
Werth swings through three straight pitches. Two outs, Ryan Howard to the plate.
Mike Sweeney is still around?
Howard just singled to left past the third baseman — the man CAN hit to the off-field, Stupid Shift notwithstanding — so there’s a slow man on first. Rookie Domonic Brown to the plate.
@54 He has been hiding in Seattle.
Howard singles through the shift to left.
Go ‘Stros! Phillies lose as Brown Ks.
look at it this way…we played a good team on the road and the Phils played a terrible team at home. We played awful and are still 2.5 up after the series
and I made fun of the Lyon signing this offseason
Brown strikes out. Ballgame. 3-2 Astros.
The Phillies and Astros trade sweeps, and the Braves are still 2.5 games up.
Thank God.
HAHA! This is awesome.
Brandon Lyon for MVP of the day!
I would like to thank the Houston Astros for suddenly and shockingly discovering how to play baseball.
It really sucked to lose today, but as bad as this series was, Phillies phans must be going nuts. They had a golden opportunity and dropped three to the ‘Stros.
The Phillies really need us to start playing better baseball.
I’m confused as to how we’re going to work out our wins and losses when we’re head to head, though.
I would expect a Braves-Phillies series right now to end something like the series finale of the Sopranos.
I can’t believe some of you guys that left when it was 10-2 are complaining. I wish I had left then.
Wow….the stros stepped up. Impressive.
Well, the Colorado sweep is bad, but was not out of the realm of possibility going into Monday’s game. The phils losing 3 to Houston however? Eeesh….
The Phillies suck.
Getting swept AT HOME being all the more galling.
Let go home and right the ship. Thank god no more trip away from the east coast. How many more times do we have to play the Marlins and the Mets? I am so sick of seeing them.
I wish we had the Mets before the Marlins. The Marlins scare the shit out of me.
Anyone the Braves play on the road scares me.
@73 Yes, that’s part of the reason why I don’t want to see them.
@71 One more game between the Astros and the Phillies tomorrow!
But Ross is gone, right? We’ve got this in the bag 😛
Does anyone believe in baseball karma? As in, this is payback for what we did to Cincy in May?
72- We have nine games left with the Fishies (6 home, 3 road) and seven with the Mess (4 home, 3 road).
Note for the delusional: The Rockies are 10 games out of the west and 4 games out of the WC (with three teams ahead of them.)
They aren’t making the playoffs.
Saito is a reliable reliever…..every other day. Farnsworth is awful, and it was probably not a good idea to have Moylan pitch in 80+ games in each of his first two years back from Tommy John Surgery.
I have said it alot, the braves are at their best when Moylan is that middle innings stopper, and he has not been that since before the break and this team has played inconsistent baseball.
This team just gives away too many bases via mistakes and/or walks. You can’t do that.
We are getting zero production from LF and CF save a couple of miraculous swings from Ankiel. I have almost talked myself into liking the idea of Glaus at 3b and Infante in LF. Hell, the IF defense can’t be any worse.
This will be the week we all look back on and laugh if the Braves hold on or cry if they lose out.
Hopefully this is the low point.
I refuse to laugh at the Phillies.
well, hang on: Charlie Manuel did say he’d never seen someone “throwed” out of a game before. Again, until i’m proven wrong, I’ll continue to believe Charlie Manuel is one of the luckiest-yet-dumb-SOBs ever to win a World Series.
It isn’t all on JJ, by any means, but is there any question…that when you have a 9-run lead, you might lose focus? No excuses, but JJ was not dialed in…no where close.
Stat-freaks! Make me feel better! Any trends we need to be scared of? As to how we’ve been playing over the last month…vs over the year?
Braves should’ve lost the series vs the lowly Cubs…and we just got swept by an unlikely playoff squad (despite the Coors Field seemingly hex).
It is great to be a fan of a late-inning club. But here’s a thought: a club that keeps telling themselves: “it’ll be okay; we’ll get them in the 8th or 9th”.
No wonder why we get hit by Hibernation Mode.
Keep the fucking petal to the metal, boys. You haven’t won shit yet.
I must be in a glass-is-half-full mood.
You know that the Braves pitching will recover. And I feel like this might represent some of our bats waking up. Heyward seems to have turned a page and if this means McCann and Lee are coming around, we should be in for better days.
Colorado is Bizarro World. Now that the Phillies have lost, I’m completely willing to forget this whole Rockies series. This game is Jurrjens’s fault, but I’m pretty sure that once the team comes down from the moon and plays in America again, he’ll be fine.
The offense is more worrisome, because they seem able to score at the beginning of the game or the end of the game — but not both. Still, the starting pitching, offense, and bullpen have all been reasonably solid.
The only truly, deeply, frighteningly worrisome thing about this team is their recent propensity to kick the ball all over the field. To me it looks like more of a snakebit thing than anything else, the kind of late-summer swoon we’ve seen them go through a thousand times before. It’s not like they’re screwing up tough plays. They’re making Little League blunders, like the 2006 Tigers in the World Series. I have to tell myself it’s just mental and physical exhaustion.
But if we keep making an error a game for the next month and a half — we’ve committed 27 errors in 23 games this month — we won’t deserve the playoffs. Bobby’s always been a master of knowing when to crack the whip and when to let the players play, and I just hope that he can figure out a way to get them to stop kicking the ball and start making all the routine plays again. We’re one of the most balanced teams in the league, top to bottom, and if we stop killing ourselves we’re not easy to beat. But if we keep giving teams 5 outs an inning, we’ll keep losing.
Thanks, Astros.
Can you take all 4?
@83 Sorry AAR, you are wrong. They were in Mars.
The one thing I am very disappointed is that the Padres are running too far away.
Nate McLouth is down to .224/331/374 at Gwinnett. Doesn’t look like he’s going to help us out down the stretch, either, unless it’s as a pinchrunner/defensive replacement in September.
The Giants moved into a tie with Philadelphia for the Wild Card lead. We would have a 2.5 game lead in that race over those teams and 3.5 over the Cardinals.
I’m not going to let ‘.286 road OBP’ Carlos Gonzalez give me any lost sleep.
The number of times Carlos Gonzalez severely hurt us on pitches outside of the strike zone was absolutely absurd.
AAR @83
If the Braves keep kicking the ball around like they have been we wont make the playoffs at all.
It is unreal and awesome that we can be swept in a series and retain almost our entire lead.
Go Astros!!!
I absolutely LOVED these two quotes from Braves last night:
JJ: ““It’s not the stadium, it’s not nothing. We’re all big leaguers. We need to make an adjustment and try to make quality pitches. I didn’t. I didn’t do my thing and we lost. And that’s it.”
Jonny Venters: “I felt good, just pitched like s—.”
I don’t like to see my team lose, or my guys have a bad outing… but owning up to & acknowledging it is a good sign they can learn from it (and that they’re not whiny little snots).
I can’t believe that Houston has won the first three games in Philly. How lucky can the Braves get? I’m sure there are some choice comments on the Phillies blogs. But the Astros have been playing good ball for a while and I think it’s actually pretty impressive that the Braves won the series there. And, this is baseball, guys, this is why there is no such thing as a sure thing.
The defense is a real problem, though, and there really isn’t much I can see they can do about it.
I’m convinced that these kinds of losses don’t bother good teams. The fact is, the Braves have won a number of games they probably should have lost (e.g, the Cincinnati game) and now they have lost a game they should have won. So, maybe it all evens up.
@91,
The comments from the players reflect Bobby Cox’s approach to the game. He demands accountability from the players. We make fun of his mistakes using the bullpen and bunting too much, but he is a master of managing men–and, IMO, that’s more important in the long run than any specific tactical in-game decisions. His players are professional and don’t make excuses. Bobby drives me nuts with some of his comments and so forth, but I think this may be his best managerial performance ever. This is a moderately talented team with poor defense, little power, and no speed, that is leading the two-time NL champions in late August.
2010 South Carolina Gamecocks « SEC Previews.
Farnsworth, McLouth, Kawakami, Glaus, Lee, Ankiel…has there ever been a more fucking useless waste of roster space and money on one team?
@93 I also liked seeing that, for the most part, the quotes from players tend toward building up/defending each other… while owning up to their own mistakes.
Prado: ““Our pitching, they were throwing nasty pitches up there, and they were taking and having great at-bats. They battled.”
I can’t recall every game quote page… but my impression has been that as a team they’ve done a decent job of maintaining team optimism while still acknowledging their own screw-ups.
No CF help coming from McLouth apparently… but it sounds like Glaus may be finding his bat again a little in AAA.
Bobby drives me nuts with some of his comments and so forth, but I think this may be his best managerial performance ever. This is a moderately talented team with poor defense, little power, and no speed, that is leading the two-time NL champions in late August.
Agreed. I think he’s pretty clearly the Manager of the Year.
@95 Matt… yes…. his name was Mike Hampton
It was a surprising, unexpected and painful loss to the Rockies that started our spiral last year.
The same thing will happen now. The pixie dust is gone.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@96 – Let’s hope Glaus finding his bat in AAA is more successful than Jeffy finding his bat a few years ago when he went down for 3 days.
@99,
The pixie dust was around as recently as Friday, when the Braves combined three walks and a double by Rick Ankier to win the game. I don’t think it’s going away that quickly. And, the fact the Phillies have lost three straight to the Astros–with Hamels and Halladay pitching–suggests that this may be one of those years. By all rights, the Phillies should have passed the Braves a week ago.
Obviously, I’m not normally an optimist and there is room for pessimism. But one game, I think, isn’t going to turn the season around, no matter how painful. If anything does, it will be the weaknesses on the team. The last time the Braves blew a 9-run lead was 1992–that year turned out ok.
We have the second-best run differential in the league. There’s been no pixie dust. We’re actually this good.
I don’t think anyone should get too pumped up or too depressed after a series at Coors Field. As I heard on the radio broadcast, Arena Baseball at Coors field is just a different game.
#95 – you must have forgotten this bunch…..Ledezma, Carlyle, Jo Jo, Francoeur, Corky, Redman, Wickman, Villareal, Yates, Ring, Wilson, Woodward, Thorman, Pena
from our 2007 roster
btw, Manny is asking for a 1yr extension on any deal or he wont waive his NTC. It woulve been nice
Hope you guys are right. I just go down our roster and the Phillies roster and (with the exception of McCann) don’t see an advantage.
Certainly Omar and Marteen are hitting, but our collective defense is scary. And our outfield? Please.
I’ve had a lost weekend before, but this is ridiculous.
107—Prado>Polanco. Also, the back of our rotation is much better. Also, our bench and bullpen are much better. Also, we have a 2.5-game lead.
And a home record that you have to think is for real at this point. Cox drives me mad, but the one thing he does very well, and one thing I have sort of learned from him, wrt to fandom , is just stay calm. A single win isn’t going to determine the outcome of the season nor a single loss. Right now, I’d still rather have our hand than the Phils.
The Phillies have the superior front-line talent, but we have the best 25-man roster in the NL. Unlike say, basketball, that really counts for something.
@105 – I’ve been pretty critical of Cox and thought he should retire a few years ago. However, after re-considering the 2007 and 2008 rosters, it’s pretty surprising that we did as well as we did.
If Georgia wins today, they go to the US Championship in the LLWS.
Im kinda hoping that Glaus can play a decent 3B (I dont see how really). Get Prado back to second and put Infante in LF.
I also think that, as good as the Phillies are on paper, they have a significant vulnerability to left-handed pitching (as do the Braves, of course). Howard just can’t hit even mediocre lefties who have any ability to pitch down and away; Sean Burnett of the Nats gave him fits over the weekend. Having Venters and Wagner could be a big advantage.
I think that, from now on, the Braves should have Mike Minor throw batting practice.
AAR,
How about Tom Glavine?
Ooh, good idea. Remember that scene in Mr. Baseball when Tom Selleck realizes that, for the life of him, he can’t hit a shuuto (Japanese screwball), and so he asks a friend to throw him shuuto after shuuto until he finally learns how to hit it?
That’s what the Braves should do with lefties. They should just face lefty after lefty in practice until finally they figure out how to hit southpaws.
That’s what Joey Votto did:
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/news/story?id=5493762
2-0 Houston after 1.5 innings. Go Wandy!
The Phillies losing last night did a lot to ease my worries about this team. But the Braves can’t count on them to keep falling on their faces.
I got the car!!!!!!! It’s beautiful and rides great and goes so very very fast. Now I just need a Braves decal to put on the back window and it’ll be perfect!
Go Columbus Little League!
And go Houston Astros! (‘Stros up 2-0 early on Philly)
@117, You are on to something. With a day off after a crushing defeat, I think I know exactly what we need.
3-0 Astros, on a Carlos Lee HR. Edit: Sorry, Spike.
@123: You mean 3-0 Houston. Sweep those GDMF’ers!
Erm, doesn’t Lee play for Houston?
Nationals’ team doctor didn’t like what he saw on the Strasburg forearm MRI. He’ll undergo a more extensive MRI.
@123 – you just scared me, that’s all.
Two points.
1. In yesterday’s game, at 10-1 in the 4th, Alex Gonzalez was on 1st and Helton didn’t hold him on. He was hoping that professional courtesy would prevent Gonzalez from running with such a big lead, and it evidently did. Hopefully now we’ll realise professional courtesy is for games when we’re not in a playoff race.
2. We have to claim Manny Ramirez. By all accounts, the Dodgers aren’t looking to just dump his salary, which means there’s a good chance he may not be traded. The key is the Dodgers upcoming schedule and the fact they play the Phillies next week. We should do everything we can to either acquire him or ensure he stays on the Dodgers, hence we have to claim him either way.
Brilliant idea, spike. That is exactly what we need.
Wandy Rodriguez just hit an RBI double. 4-0 Astros.
@128
I have always been of the mind set, “I’ll stop trying to score, if you’ll stop trying to score”
4-0.
I still think the ‘Stros are likely to lose this one.
Wandy with a no-hitter through four. 4-0.
Wow… more in the “quotes I like to hear” department…
McLouth: “This has been by far the toughest point in my career,” McLouth said. “But you can go one of two ways, you can feel sorry for yourself and shut it down or you can come down here and iron things out and keep working with a good attitude, and I feel like that’s what I’m doing.…It’s just a tough time. I haven’t let it affect who I am and the way I play the game. I know I can still play. I know I can still hit. And that’s why I was glad I was given this opportunity to come down here and rediscover it.”
Wait… you’re not supposed to whine and feel sorry for yourself when you get sent down to the minors cause you’re sucking? Why didn’t anybody tell Frenchy that?!!?
Now you’ve done it, Kevin. Don’t you know that you can’t jinx someone that way and expect to get away with it?
Sweet jinx Kevin.
Nice to know that other teams can blunder on the basepaths, too.
The Phillies got Snitkered. Jason Werth got held at third after a double, and then got thrown out at the plate on the next play, a line drive to Hunter Pence.
Still 4-0 Stros.
After such a crushing loss, I’m pleased to see so many of us keeping it in perspective. I was expecting: DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
I too was expecting our usual off day hackle raising. Still, the Ides have come but have not passed, Caesar.
Been watching the Phils game on my coworker’s MLB.tv. I’m liking the results so far.
Sometimes a loss is so ridiculous that it doesn’t mean anything; just like a major leaguer dropping a pop up doesn’t mean he can’t catch pop ups. It just happens every so often.
This is turning into a bizarro race, where neither the Braves or Phillies seem to want to win. Look out for the Marlins!
99-I remember that loss at COL-last game before the All-Star Break and Acosta blew a 4-run lead late. But as I recall, we were pretty outstanding after the break so you can hardly say that loss started the spiral.
Look we have 11 series left, 6 at home and 5 on the road. The road series are FLA, PIT, NYM, PHI and WAS. If we go 7-8 on the road and 14-6 at home that’s 94 wins and should be enough.
4-1 Houston after six.
Looking back at the last week, who could have imagined the Braves going 2-4 on their road trip and still possibly picking up a 1/2 game on the Phillies, who were at home with the Nationals and Astros?
At worst the Braves will only lose a 1/2 game during this stretch if the Phillies come back this afternoon (from down 4-1 in the 6th), which is still pretty remarkable. This also coincides with the Phillies getting their star players back this week.
The Carlos Gonzalez catch was the #2 play on top-10 plays. The #1 was something like this.
Michael Bourn just stole second, and then scored on a grounder to third. Goodness, he’s fast.
5-0 Astros.
He’s really fast AAR if he took away the one Phils run when he scored.
After seven full, 5-1 Astros.
Oh, um, right.
Just three more outs and we actually gain a half a game. 5-1 Houston in the ninth.
Fucking Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooomed.
(Just needed to get that out of my system).
I still stand by my position that we have had just about the most worthless group of players/money pits in a long, long time.
Yes, I do remember 2007 with JoJo and the rest, but these guys (Ankiel, Farnsworth, Glaus, McLouth, etc.) just seem to have brought it to a whole new level. Just seems like too many “Mendoza Line” players this year.
That said, I still believe we will win the division, but yesterday’s loss was just God-awful bad.
Down to the final out, but is it slipping away from the Astros?
It’s over! Thank you, Houston.
3 game lead.
STROS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTG Houston.
I said last night that if the Astros could hold on, I’d be willing to kiss Brett Myers on the mouth. You know what? I would.
Nothing eases the pain of a sweep like gaining a half a game in the standings.
It’s nice that the Phillies are playing badly right now, I wish the Braves weren’t doing the same.
If we get into the playoffs, we should vote a playoff share to the Astros!!
Wow! Three straight losses and we gain a game in the loss column, WTF!
Yeah, 2 out of 3 in COL would have been a backbreaker.
I wonder if Houston is going to be the Padres of 2011. They are playing pretty well.
On Bourn’s speed,
He also stole second after being picked off, and it wasn’t even close.
And he got on base on an infield hit.
If Bourn has a little more power, he would be really really scary
From today’s KLawChat:
Magic Number at 33.
Fast guys.
It’s nice to have them on your team.
I ordered a pack of caffeinated gum from a vendor on the internet. It came with two pieces missing so I contacted customer service and they’re sending me a replacement: overnight. For a pack of gum.
😀
I’ve never heard of caffeinated gum.
I know it’s illogical, but a 3-game lead looks so much better to me than a 2.5-game lead.
Back on my soap box:
Can anyone say what we’ve done in CF is an upgrade over Gregor Blanco?
I know he wasn’t Mickey Mantle, but he gave us a dimension we don’t have anywhere else.
I just don’t think Bobby knew how to use him to our best advantage.
Sigh.
I’ve HEARD of caffeinated gum, and HAD it… and Thinkgeek now has Caffeinated Stay Pufft Marshmallows!
I’ve never heard of it, but am relatively certain that sdp shouldn’t be allowed to purchase it.
Possibly bogus speculation, according to some guy on Kevin Goldstein’s comment thread: Will Carroll may be out at Baseball Prospectus, possibly after having been fired.
@167 – Still a douche.
So how unlikely was the Astros’ sweep the Phillies? It had about a 1% chance of happening.
Sometimes miracles DO happen!
@176
I guess MLB Network will have a new employee soon.
@176
Some of those commenters need to get a hold of themselves. Goldstein said they’d comment as soon as possible, which implies there’s some legal/contractual wrangling going on. But that’s “not good enough” to the “paying subscribers” who have an immediate “right to know”. Good grief.
Well, I was at that debacle yesterday, and even up 10-1, I was nervous. The ball was just flying all over the place, causing outfielders on both teams to take bad routes on balls that carried way further than they had any right to. I saw a game here in April that was 6-0 D’backs, then 11-6 Rockies, and ended 12-11 D’backs. So at least that knife cuts both ways, I guess.
@172 It’s so logical that I can’t agree with you more.
Thanks Astros!!!
@175: It almost immediately gave me an eyebrow twitch.
I want to tongue kiss the Astros right now.
It almost immediately gave me an eyebrow twitch.
Well hello, ladies!
@185: Haha. It’s kinda annoying.
Epic Phail.
my 2011 roster wishlist has freeman, matt young, and canizares on it. they’re raking at gwinnett and all deserve the opportunity. matt and freddie both have obp’s of .380 and canizares has one of over .400.
good lord. someone get this kid up to the show. freeman is 3-3 1hr (his 18th) with 3 rbi. his ops was .900 before the game tonight. i know we got lee, but any chance in hell he gets a callup?
Honestly, if Lee doesn’t start performing then the Braves have to call up Freeman imo. I’d start his arb clock now if he helped us get to/win the WS. What does everybody remember about 1995? Winning the WS, or how bright the future looked for the Braves farm system?
The day without baseball has been remarkably assuaged by a Phillies loss and a Sherlock Holmes rerun on PBS. Damn, that’s some good TV right there.
Pujols looked like he just snapped his ankle and is staying in the game. The Cards don’t really have a choice.
For tonight, go Nats.
Think Freddie’s seeing the ball well in Gwinnett?
5-5 1hr 4rbi .324avg
i have to admit that i’m intrigued by wilkin ramirez. i dont know if he’ll ever be a big leaguer, but he seems like the kind of guy who became stale in an organization after getting a taste in the bigs, finding a bit of success, only to be sent down again.
since being acquired by the braves, his walk rate has increased, his k rate has decreased, and his power has increased. with his high k rate, there’s probably not anything there but i’m intrigued, nonetheless.
Glaus had another 2-5 game with 2 doubles also
Troy finally confirms my point as to why it has always been a bad idea to move Chipper to first base.
“At third base, basically, the only time you’re really moving is on a groundball to you,” Glaus said. “At first base, you’re moving on a groundball to anybody and pickoffs.”
#190, if the plan is for Freeman to start Opening Day 2011, then there is no point waiting. His arb clock will essentially be the same, but he’ll have a month’s extra stats to go to hearings with.
spike and I think Moriarty is really LaRussa.
Love Basil Rathbone in the role. Love the PBS series and thought Downey, Jr. did a great job with his interpretation.
————
Eight days until our off days are consumed by college football. Great time of the year.
I don’t think there is any doubt Freeman is a september call up. Five more days and then you can watch him sit on the bench.
I am going to make sure all my yard work/summer projects get wrapped up this weekend. Football is in the air!
I think we should start the day off right with a shot of the new Braves mobile!
http://heckhouse.com/challenger.jpg
Free Feeeman!
I skipped making my daily caffeine dose (4-5 shots of espresso + 2 Tbsp of “sugar in the raw” + dash of cocoa powder + 1/4 cup of 1/2 & 1/2) this morning before heading to work and now everything seems REALLY slow… how do other people DO this?!?!
I don’t think the Braves are going to call up a 20 year old rookie to be the everyday first baseman in the last month of a pennant race, especially after just making a trade for Derrek Lee.
Let’s not give up on Lee, yet. He’s only had 27 plate appearances.
Nice car!
Okay, let’s win one for once.
Freddie Freeman was totally not ready for AAA.
Whenever I feel bad about the Braves, I go to Mets Blog. It’s always good for a laugh. You almost have to feel sorry for them. They have pretty much all turned on Frenchy.
@200 – I like the car, but the shot does not show off the paint job (IMO); this the one with the “Braves colors”, no?
http://heckhouse.com/challenger2.jpg
http://heckhouse.com/challenger3.jpg
These shots show the red accent better. The blue is bright, more like the older Braves blue.
Just need a magnet decal of the braves tomahawk on your doors and you’ll be all set.
Nice ride. Now let’s go win some against the Fish to celebrate!
nice ride Bethany
Anyone know a source for 2010 major league equivalencies?
Thanks guys.
I am of the opinion that without Ross, the Marlins have no shot against us.
Well, Dawg fans, there goes your Friday….
http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2010/08/27/washaun-ealey-arrested/
Olympic Troy!
I’m not a Dodge fan in general, but I really like the aesthetics of the Challenger. Good lookin’ car you have there, Bethany.
@212 Well, at least he went all out. Hit and run AND driving with a suspended license.
@214 Thanks, c.shorter!
I really, really like Mark Richt. A lot.
At the same time, why the heck do so many of his guys get in trouble? IMO, he’s got a little too much Bobby Bowden in him. Forgiveness and second chances are wonderful, but they don’t always mean guys should keep getting to play football…
Bethany, that is awesome.
@212, Kids make mistakes and certainly non-athlete students do stupid things, but it’s harder and harder for me to stomach big-time college sports.
Strasburg’s got a torn ligament and will need TJ surgery, all right.
Bummer.
That’s a shame. How are they Nationals going to get people to show up to their games now?
Some of the comments on the Washington Post about Strasburg are beyond idiotic. One guy says Strasburg is a “pansy” and it was all about the money. Yes, I’m sure once Strasburg got the money, he and Boras decided it would be pretty funny if he tore a tendon in his arm and couldn’t pitch for a year.
Maybe it’s time for someone to talk to Mike Marshall, jerk or not, about all these pitching injuries.
Wow. That is a complete shame. It’s far less of a deal now, but still.
I’m pretty sure Strasburg loses a ton of money here. I think the nats can take him off the ML DL in the offseason, which means he hits all of his paydays a year later.
Nats are winners, as they won’t contend next year, but might in six. Contending teams that miss him this year and any NL East team shooting for the WC next year are mild winners.
The rest of baseball loses. This isn’t really good for anyone but the Nats.
The fact that Athens has the most alcohol-serving establishments per square mile in the country doesn’t help matters. People tend to get in trouble in direct correlation with the amount of opportunity for trouble.
Boy, that StrasburgMania was brief, wasn’t it? Hope he comes back OK.
#205
What’s better than the Mets blog? NYC’s WFAN radio, Met misery 24/7.
We’re facing the same thing with Medlen. Under three years in the bigs, probably out for all of next season. Medlen isn’t the big name draw that Strasburg is, but he’s still pretty good.
Nats fans, we feel your pain. As we watch playoff games this year, we’ll be thinking about our shared misery. That or the playoff game we’re watching.
okay Manny isnt asking for an extension now. GET IT DONE, WREN!
TINSTAAPP.
I don’t think Strasburg will lose a nickel. He’s got a contract in place for 11/12, and they can’t send him down on the DL (100 percent sure), so it all counts as service time (95 percent sure).
09:$0.4M (pro-rated), 10:$2M, 11:$2.5M, 12:$3M
/edit – I am unsure about the offseason part – are you?
You can place a claim on Manny until noon today, right?
If that’s the case, then I hereby place a claim on Manny.
Heyman said we should know if anyone placed a claim by 12:30 CT, so I’m guessing noon is the deadline.
@229, I am not at all sure. It might be simpler than that. From various excerpts of rules I find via google, a player might need 60 days of service in a given season for his DL time to count as service time.
Bits and pieces, though, are without context. That might just be to count a year as an option year or something else not having to do with service time as it pertains to arbitration, free agency, etc.
The current CBA has been in place since 2007. There’s probably some example out there of a player who wasn’t a Super Two, had an option year left, and missed a whole season. If we knew when he hit arbitration, the question could be answered.
Serious question: Why hasn’t Rob Dibble been fired for his comments about Strasburg? Now that it’s proven to be a serious injury, I would think there’s no reason not to fire him. Aside from the completely inappropriate comment, it’s not like he’s even any good at his job.
I missed it…what did Dibble say? Did he call Strasburg a wimp?
I knew the Strasburg hype was too much. What a disaster for Nats fan and the franchise. And Bryce is only on 17, so it will be at least two more years before they see him. It’s amazing as hard as he threw, Nolan Ryan never had any major arm injuries. What was his secret???
You guys thought Yunel’s frosted tips were bad?
http://outofbounds.nbcsports.com/hanleyramirezhair.jpg
I call that look the Sassy Grandma.
236— http://www.sbnation.com/2010/8/27/1653875/stephen-strasburg-torn-ligament-rob-dibble-comments-hes-an-ass
Dibble: Epic fail.
@229, I thought of an example, and I’m pretty sure you’re right. Now I think Strasburg still collects service time, and this injury helps no one.
The example is Josh Johnson. He was eligible for arbitration w/out Super Two in 2009. If a 60 day rule was in place, he wouldn’t have collected but a few days in 2007. If the assign-in-offseason rule was in place, he wouldn’t have collected time in the beginning of 2008.
Medlen matches this pretty well. Strasburg has even more rights because of his contract. Using Johnson as a model, both will probably get a year of service time next year.
so that kid Freeman is good, huh?
Dibble… wow. Also, he’s a couple years YOUNGER than Jamie Moyer.
Oh, and not sure I ever knew about this Dibble tidbit found on his wikipedia page:
“Dibble often was known for his temper. After a game in April 1991, he threw a baseball 400 feet into the center-field bleachers seats at Cincinnati, and struck a pregnant woman.”
CLASSY!
Dibble was also a member of the 9pitch/3K club (which is a strange thing to base a club around I think)… Something only 41 other guys have done (Pedro & Randy Johnson both did it… but then again so did Buddy Carlyle)
Stu, since you handled the Manny Ramirez waiver claim, I’ll be happy to take charge of firing Rob Dibble.
Sassy Grandma….that’s awesome.
Strasburg injury….not so awesome. That guy was/is so talented and fun to watch. Created excitement. I hope he comes back OK.
Dr. Andrews, do your thing!
@244,
It was after he blew a game to us, I think.
I was there to see Pedro do it (3k/9 pitch) at Fenway against Seattle. One of the coolest things I’ve seen at a game.
Waiver claim period just ended. Now we’re just waiting for the media to tell us for sure that Manny will not be on our team.
From SI.com
Teams have just less than two days to deliberate — unless a player is placed on waivers on Thursday or Friday. Officially, the claim period is 47 hours, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern on the day a player is placed on waivers and ending at 1 p.m. two days later.
The one exception is that, though baseball games are played seven days a week, waiver claims take a weekend hiatus. If a player is placed on waivers on Thursday, the deadline is Monday at 1 p.m.; similarly, a player waived on Friday can be claimed until Tuesday at 1 p.m., as outlined in Rule 10(c)(3)(A).
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/joe_lemire/08/25/waiver.wire/index.html
I feel bad for Strasburg, but I totally predicted TJ the moment he got pulled from the game… http://bravesjournal.us/?p=6017 see comment 10.
Dr. Ben Casey?
Dr. James Andrews, what a career.
Comment’s like Dibble’s are par for the course when it comes to former players in the booth. You know, the whole “We walked uphill both ways in the snow everyday without shoes” thing.
3 games of Arena Baseball™, an off day, then PURE EVIL® comes to town. Perfect week.
It took 16 minutes from the end of the waiver period for just the report that he’s been claimed. Man, news is so fast these days.
The 9p/3k club is neat, but Buddy Carlyle also did it, so that takes some luster off.
Dibble’s a moron, pure and simple. He may not come back from his “sabbatical.” Ray Knight isn’t great, but he is a sight less stupid than Dibble. I agree with Bethany; the longer time a guy is from his playing days, the better/tougher he was when he played.
I don’t think Strasburg was overhyped. He was as good as advertised. Nothing unusual about young pitchers hurting their elbows. The worse part (for me) is that I was at the game against the Braves Strasburg was supposed to pitch but got scratched at the last minute.
Is anyone else worried about Hanson?
I thought it was pure evil in Florida, PW? Not Atlanta.
Is anyone else worried about Hanson?
Not worried about Hanson any more than I am every other pitcher. He’ll probably get hurt at some point, because most pitchers do.
259—Nope, it’s a home series.
HE’S BEEN CLAIMED BY MULTIPLE TEAMS. AND THEY’RE NOT NOT SAYING IT’S THE BRAVES! YAY
That means we’re not necessarily not getting him! Whoo hoo!!
I am not commenting on the political stances of anyone or anything, but it seems remarkably stupid for a baseball player and manager to publicly announce they are attending a fairly polarizing rally.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_75ec5a21-1978-5ba0-a71b-d99c6109ad8e.html
““I made it clear when we were approached: I said, ‘If it’s political, I wouldn’t even approach Albert with it.’ I don’t want to be there if it’s political,” La Russa said.
How could anyone be this colossally disingenous or stupid? The flak that these two are going to take for choosing sides is going to be intense and long lasting. And in the middle of a pennant race, to boot. Just unbelievable.
Kris Medlen- Road to Recovery.
263—The flak they’ll take from whom? They’re big-time stars in a … Midwestern town. Pujols, in particular, is already incredibly public about his faith, and I don’t think anyone would be surprised about him choosing this side, even if that is what he’s doing. As for LaRussa, I’m not sure how the internet snark — and the majority of such snark comes from non-Beck & Palin-ites — against him could get much more heated.
I’m a little surprised, but I don’t think it affects anything.
264—His trainer’s name is Lloyd, and I’m certainly picturing Ari’s former assistant.
@263 – I can’t comment w/o breaking Mac’s no politics rule. So I won’t (except for this non-sequitur)
@264 – did you see in the comments – David Eckstein posted. I don’t know what that makes me so happy, but it does. Though as I look at it closer, I guess it may not be the real D. E.
@263, if you don’t think this is going to come up repeatedly and often at press conferences, in the blogosphere, and in the clubhouse you are deluded. Given the stances taken on some issues, I could certainly see some portion of his teammates completely supporting and another set completely opposing the agenda, and Frick and Frack here setting off a clubhouse dustup. It’s just a dumbass thing to insert yourself into, and again in the middle of a pennant race. Shouldn’t these guys be more , you know, into baseball at the moment?
266—I think — I hope! — that the real David Eckstein wouldn’t sign his name with “MVP” in the middle.
267—If you say so. I’ll believe it has an effect on anything when I see it.
@266: Fake David Eckstein.
@268 – that is why I thought it was awesome – if the real David Eckstein signed his name with “MVP”. Like Rickey Henderson referring to himself in 3rd person, or many of the other quirks that people have; I just thought that would would have been too funny if he really did refer to himself that way.
@269 – Should have known it was good good to be true 🙂
He (fake D.E.) did have a good article that he linked to in the comments, regarding how good Kris Medlen is/has been
@268, read the comments section, if you dare, and also note that it has already been shared on Facebook 500 times. It is most definitely on – they are officially proxys now and are being treated as such.
If we are the only NL team to claim Manny, it’s us or no one, right?
Speaking of athletes making outside appearances, Top Chef is in DC this season and this week was the ballpark food challenge, which was at Nationals Park prior to a Nats/Braves game. Padma announced that three members of the Nationals would be among the diners, and I thought, well, I know who one of them is going to be. Turned out it was Dunn, Lannan, and Capps. After they finished, someone asked Dunn which dish he tried. “I ate one of each,” he said as he walked away, and then they cut to him hitting a home run off Hudson. Damn you, Donkey!
271—Yeah, I just don’t buy that that reaction means anything. Certainly not to Pujols or LaRussa. The leftist baseball bloggers wanting this to become a story just don’t have that much influence, IMO, although I’ve surely been wrong before.
273—My wife and I are big Top Chef fans. I thoroughly enjoyed the baseball guests. Certainly more than I’ve enjoyed some of the other DC guests this season. At least the players didn’t try to pretend that they were real food critics. 🙂
Yeah, I don’t think being political has much to do with baseball performance. The individuals involved might lose or gain some fans, but I don’t see any evidence that stuff like this has ever affected performance on the field.
If people want to be political in their off time, I’m fine with it. I mean, it’s America.
The LaRussa quote is kind of sleazy, though. “If this obviously political event is political, then I will not bring it up with an employee whom I know is like-minded on the matter. Never ever. But we’re totally going.”
It’s not about left or right, and I am sure Mac would consider this right on the border, if not over , so I’ll stop -but it’s just stunning that you would risk it at all. What can possibly be gained from this that is worth the potential distraction to the team? It just seems so selfish on their part.
FWIW,
ben (Montreal)
Keith, Have your changed your mind on the Yunel Escobar trade yet ? Also who mans 1B/3B for the Jays next year ?
Klaw (2:47 PM)
Escobar’s last 104 PA (arbitrary endpoints): .237/.307/.315. Not calling that definitive – just wondering why I would have changed my mind. Lind is the big variable on the corners – if he plays 1b it simplifies their offseason substantially.
Re LaRussa: The disingenousness is just breathtaking. Like Jonathan, I will refrain from other comments. I don’t see how it affects the Cardinals more than his previous comments on the Arizona law did. And, if Pujols is willing to be seen there, that’s going to take a lot of heat off LaRussa in the clubhouse. I doubt that the subject will come up much in press conference and the blogosphere is irrelevant. He’s ok as long as he wins. But I do wonder if he is getting reading to retire.
277—Maybe they’re as deluded as I am, and they don’t think it’s going to provide a distraction to the team. So, maybe “stupid,” but I think “selfish” is a stretch.
Anyway, from the if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em department –
Ghost Hunter Hit, Killed By Train
@274
Nice for you to get to ogle Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons and not get in trouble for it!
@278, risking the goodwill and focus of the team to promote an individual political agenda is the very soul of selfishness, IMHO. I would resent the distraction if it were a Communist rally. and it’s not their off time – it’s in the middle of the gdmf season
@276, you’re assuming that the distraction to the team would at all affect performance.
If they have a belief set and want to use their visibility to promote their agenda, and they don’t think it will influence team performance, then more power to them. As long as he doesn’t start benching players because they promote causes he doesn’t support, I’m even okay with LaRussa going.
He should own up to it, though. I don’t get the lie part.
Can I get a “who cares”?
Will the real David Eckstein please stand up?
Oh, you are…
282—Yeah, we just see this very differently. I don’t see it as a bigger deal than the animal rights events LaRussa and Cox attend even — gasp! — during the season. These guys have lives and passions outside of baseball, and they probably assume that the grown men with whom they work understand that and can keep it in proper perspective. And they don’t care that Gleeman and Calcaterra won’t.
For the record, I wouldn’t be caught dead at any sort of rally with Beck and Palin.
Padma Lakshmi…rawr – who’s sari now, baby!
@283, it’s an interesting discussion to have, especially since Braves players in the past have been vocal about controversial issues. In fact, it’s good to bring it up when it’s players on a different team. People are less likely to get all internet crazy.
I don’t see it as a bigger deal than the animal rights events LaRussa and Cox attend even — gasp! — during the season.
A rally on the steps on the Lincoln Monument featuring Beck and Palin to specifically take issue with civil rights law as it exists in this country is exactly the same as a “Don’t test shampoo on puppies” rally. Got it.
Insofar as it has absolutely nothing to do with baseball — as I said, keeping this in proper perspective — you have it exactly right.
EDIT: Also, LaRussa and Pujols are All-Stars; you are not. Argument over.
Believe & support whatever you want, Tony, but bullshit detectors are clanging overdrive with that comment.
Of course, he may have just figured out that a good chunk of the population will believe just about anything it’s told.
The rest of us are actually trying to pay attention.
@287
That’s fine — one “who cares” is really all I need.
Argument over indeed. I’ll stop.
@288, what’s the difference? I am asking honestly. I don’t really understand the difference.
Edit: Oh, if people are going internet crazy, then discussion over. (Arguing is so passé.)
Jason Stark effectively ruins my life by confirming that the White Sox won the waiver claim on Manny. I mean, what’s the point, now?
@293, I am stopping.
@279,
Spike, post of the day!
That means that Manny passed through all of the NL teams before getting claimed, doesn’t it?
Yep.
Jason Stark effectively ruins my life by confirming that the White Sox won the waiver claim on Manny. I mean, what’s the point, now?
This is the point:
Kris Medlen is the point, Stu. Kris Medlen is your reason to keep living.
I guess I won’t weigh in on the thing with Tony La Russa, except to say this: the guy’s still a jerk.
Don’t teams have until Monday to make claim?
NOBODY comments on @284?
New thread.