Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals – Box Score – September 24, 2010 – ESPN.
Such a bad team right now. They were barely in it. The Nats had three runs off of Tim Hudson — courtesy of a pair of Adam Dunn homers — before the Braves had a hit. Omar Infante cut it to 3-1 with a solo homer in the fifth, but Hudson imploded in the sixth, allowing three runs — two of them scoring on a Dunn single off of Mike Dunn.
So it’s 6-1, then 7-1 when Willie Harris scored on an inside-the-park-homer because Nate McLouth apparently had been drinking heavily before the game and wasn’t aware of his surroundings. They got a couple back in the eighth, but ehh, and then Billy Wagner walked the first guy he faced and then threw a bunt attempt into right field for a three-base error. This team has nothing going for it right now. The only positive is that nobody in the entire league except the Phillies is really playing well.
I’d write more but I don’t feel like it. Sickening.
I would almost make a wager at this point that the Phillies won’t lose another game this season and the Braves won’t win another game this season…
@1, I’ll take that wager. $500.
Yeah, that’s silly. Surely the Phillies will lose at least one when they quit playing their regulars.
Yeah, but they won’t stop playing their regulars until they’re playing us at the end of the season.
Giants win 2-1. Remind me, is that considered good or bad?
Not too upset about missing this one.
I did a quick overview of our stats with and without Nate. the numbers might be off by a few games, but I was curious to see what our winning percentage is with and without him, because I’m convinced he has cursed the team.
WITH NATE
43 wins
39 losses
82 games
.524 winning percentage
WITHOUT NATE
43 wins
28 losses
71 games
.605 winning percentage
Now it seems clear to me what the problem is. Someone kidnap Nate, stat.
I’m thinking the Phils will probably be resting some guys in the fourth-to-last game as well. That’s the one I’ve got my eye on.
Clearly all this team has ever needed was more Melky. Can he play center and left at the same time? Probably about as well as he could play either, actually.
This team was well-positioned and only had to avoid collapsing in the final month to get into the playoffs. Pathetic.
What a way to send Cox out.
We need a Padres loss tonight, otherwise, we fall out of the Wild Card lead. This is depressing.
I was wondering if Jose Bautista was the Pirates scrub that Bowman mentioned the Braves’ scouts targeting a few years back, but it was Jose Castillo. Praise withheld.
Beachy starting on Sunday, probably Minor on Monday
Bobby has got to be pretty pissed with JJ at this point.
Bartender, make mine a double.
14, couldn’t agree more ububba. Padres up 4 to 3 over the Reds in the bottom of the seventh now.
Padres 4, Reds 3, bottom 7. There goes the wild card.
Aroldis Chapman just blew a 101 MPH fastball by Adrian Gonzalez. Yikes.
EDIT: and 102 MPH has it 0-2. My goodness.
EDIT: third one at 103 MPH !!! Holy shit that was crazy.
So the last eight games of the season will likely include one appearance by a fading Hudson and potentially two each from Beachy and a dead-armed Minor.
I’d rather have a game where a bunch of guys go short stretches. Start with Martinez for 2-3 innings. Minor for one, if he can give that much. Dunn for one, etc. Something bold, something creative.
Forget the double. Leave the bottle, barkeep.
Too bad Chapman was used one batter too late. Nice pitching management, Dusty.
I’m pretty pissed with JJ tbqh. If the Braves really aren’t going to be serious players in the FA market then they have to trade young pitching if they want to improve the offense in any appreciable manner. JJ was the pitcher that made the most sense to trade both return wise and cost wise and he’s totally tanking his value right now.
Could things possibly go any worse this last month?
Hannigan reaches with an infield single to lead off the 9th. Bloomquist pinch-runs for him. Votto to the plate.
Votto Ks. One out, Phillips up. Come on Reds.
Phillips flies out. 2 out. Orlando Cabrera up. Not looking good.
Cabrera grounds out. Padres take the Wild Card lead, Braves a half game out.
Tell me about it. Was at the game tonight. Sick of seeing us lose to the Nats on ugly ball.
Looking back, the most exciting part of the game may have been the bottom of the 2nd when Morse was called safe on the infield single to first when I “saw” Huddy clearly cover 1st for the out.
Bobby trotted out and for a minute I thought I might see his last career ejection 🙂
Be there again tomorrow…cmon D Lowe…
Miguel Tejada has been a great pickup for the Pads. By the way, Chapman threw 25 pitches, none of which were clocked lower than 100. That’s just batshit crazy.
“I’d write more but I don’t feel like it. Sickening.”
I concur.
6 straight losses to end last season. 4 straight losses and counting at a crucial point in September this season. Good thing we have a HOF manager. I can only imagine how bad it would be without Bobby.
Is Fredi any good at resting injured players?
Cox, Braves’ pennant chase focus of TWIB
Was at last night’s game, and going again today. The guys were never even close to being in it last night. Huddy’s offspeed stuff was flat and in the hitting zone all night. Everyone else looked like the last day off was a month ago instead of the prior day. Frankly, Prado’s body language worries me most. He was visibly stomping about all night — it gave me the sense that he fears the worst is happening and there’s not much anyone can do about it.
jeff I noticed the saem about Prado. No excitement on the faces of any of these guys. They should be enjoying it, hell they look they are drowning in fear almost
Infante
Heyward
Prado
Bmac
Lee
McLouth
AAG
Melky
Lowe
I think the Phillies starting to go on that tear really broke the spirits of the Braves players. I think they all were convinced they were going to be fine coming into the month, the the Phillies were suddenly all over them, and by then it was too late, and now they are distraught. For all that we’ve bragged on this team’s resiliency, it is not showing now.
The team is hurt, scuffling, and gassed, and the best the manager can come up with is to swap Diaz for Melky. The only reason there is any hope left is because San Diego has played just about as badly as Atlanta this month.
Lowe, of all pitchers, will get the Braves into winning mode today!
There is nothing wrong with this team except not having enough good players. Look at this lineup. B!!???ut at least Liberty Media is happy.
Liberty Media’s idea of reinvestment in the team is designing an alternate blue jersey for road trips.
Unless the Braves make an unlikely splash in the offseason, can you imagine how bad attendance is going to be next year?
Some guys could kick a ball farther than Melky threw that one.
The only time Melky surprises me is when he succeeds. I expect comic, abject failure.
I have a feeling we’ll still be watching Melky on ESPN next year. In the hot dog eating competition.
It’s actually kind of bizarre. Francoeur was awful in a remarkably ordinary way. He just didn’t get on base, or move all that well. But with Melky I get nervous every time the ball is hit near him. He makes absurdly bad throws, he takes noticeably terrible jumps, he just looks awkward out there. He’s visibly bad at baseball in a way in which I have never seen a major leaguer be.
Lowe pitched better than his pitch count indicates.
Playoffs or no playoffs this has been a great season. This team of resilient over achievers has been fun to watch. I hope we make the post season but I’ll be as fond of this team as I have for any I’ve watched over the years.
I do wish the organization would spend more money. Its sad that we cannot field more than one above average outfielder for crying out loud.
However it does suck that everyone all at once has seemed to hit the wall when a couple of wins will get us to the playoffs.
Which goes further: A ball Melky hits with a bat or a ball he throws? Discuss.
Honestly, if the Yankees hadn’t been the team to sign Melky, he’d probably be out of baseball at year’s end. But as it is, that “aura and mystique” will get him several more chances. I hope none of them are in Atlanta.
43, I disagree. This year’s Braves team has been pretty dull. No power, no speed, horrific defense. Granted, there has been some exciting victories and the team has overachieved. But, what does that say about next year? With very few exceptions (maybe two), how many of the position players would you miss if they were gone next year? There’s hope because the pitching looks pretty good for the future, but if the lineup doesn’t improve a whole lot, it’ll just be another season of frustration.
46- It’s not just that it’s dull in those ways, but it’s been intentionally made even duller as the season has gone on. The Braves need to sign some guys with speed and athleticism- even if they’re bench players, someone who can handle CF or be a convincing stolen-base threat would give this team weapons it hasn’t had in many years.
Edit: Derek’s figured it out; if you want a job done right, and you can’t kill Melky, do it yourself.
Rob, I would not be able to guess which would go farther, however throwing does equate to the better velocity. If he could just throw the ball when up to the plate, he might be able to throw a ball between first and second for a hit,he certainly can’t hit the ball between first and second.
Fangraphs has this pitch distribution for Lowe:
FB 65%, SL 14%, CT 4%, CH 16%.
Last year he threw 4% CH.
Is it just me… or are they confususing some SL – CT with the CH. He seems to be throwing that Slider a lot more, with better results, i don’t know, he looks like a different pitcher.
Edit And he is even hitting… Let’s go!!
Cue double play in 3… 2… 1…
Ian Desmond is awful in the field
The Nats are trying to outsuck us. Not on my watch.
Derek Lowe has 4 doubles this month…its gotta be better than half our regulars
the braves are scared of this opportunity
Nats do suck
The Nats forgot about our secret weapon: Snitker.
Even when we score a run, it’s accompanied by something dumb.
A lead-off double by your pitcher, a pop-up to short that isn’t caught, an infield single with a ball thrown away, and we can only score one run? The Rockies would have put up a 6-spot with that scenario.
Wow. Can’t blame Snitker for that one.
Sntiker’s idiocy costs us even more than the runners thrown out; I’m sure he’s part of the reason that the Braves have gotten downright terrified of taking extra bases.
That was on Jason, my mistake.
Dammit, Derek, stop nibbling. Gods, this team is panicked about making little mistakes- making big ones inevitable.
Louthed.
One run, unearned. Making another Nats scrub look like Walter Freaking Johnson.
Alex Gonzalez thinks every pitch should be pulled and hit 500 feet
Chip is extremely dumb.
3 hits and one was really an error…pathetic
They look like little leaguers.
good grief…..error by Lee and then Nate cant catch a liner
hit nate in the worst spot – his glove
FU Louth. And FU Joe Simpson for being such an apologist. GAH. Knuckled my ass. AND FU CHIP!!!!!!!
I’d like to say this has been a fun season, but this September collapse is overwriting my memories of the good times. Honestly, why is this team totally falling to pieces under pressure?
Lowe picking up his team in every aspect…nice outing Derek
Lowe got five outs that inning.
Shame this is probably Lowe’s last inning, with his pitch count at 103.
yeah all the errors/bad defense has cost him about 15-20 pitches
how about a run or two?
hey a run
There you go!!!
Someone didn’t fail!
As bad as we’ve been lately, we still haven’t played as badly as the Nationals do all the time.
That got out in a hurry.
hey AAG!
Boom!
Please tell me we’ve shed the suck demons.
@83, Is Melky out if the game?
C’mon Melky, it’s the redemption inning. You can do it.
Edit: Or fail.
88 mph fastballs a foot outside. Not a promising start for Moylan.
Man Forrest Gump is such a great movie. It’s on TBS right now. Wait the Braves are playing baseball?
Forrest Gump.. Braves in September..
One of my favorite movies that makes me cry everytime.. 25 guys that make me want to cry on the inside..
Tom Hanks > Melky Cabrera
I’d like to see us pile on. Just for fun.
Is it just me or does the Derrek Lee grand slam call by Chip in the FS South ads sound different than the actual call he made? Wasn’t that the one where he nearly broke the microphone because he was screaming like an eight year old?
Fourth quarter, UAB 23, Tennessee 23. Hee.
Why is Venters pitching now? Does Cox have a bet with someone that he can rip off Venters’ arm by season’s end?
I came home from my weekend errands to see this. More please.
It’s crazy, but I feel more confident with Lowe on the mound this month than pretty much anyone else in our starting rotation.
UT 0-11 on 3rd down conversions
nevermind, they just got on hell of a spot
I’m thinking we got to hand it to Derek Lowe. While seemingly everybody else on the team (maybe not Lee and Heyward?) seems to be losing their mojo in September, Lowe skips one measly start and suddenly he looks better than he has yet in a Braves uniform.
I mean, he throws shutouts AND starts the offense. Is it heresy to think we could maybe be OK in a playoff series with Lowe, Hanson and Hudson?
TDC
What a play.
94- Agreed. Lowe has given it all he has in his last couple of starts.
Venters is gassed, Bobby. Get him out of there.
Jonny Venters is pretty good at this pitching thing.
97- True. But he’d be better now if he hadn’t been overworked.
Let’s hope we haven’t given up on the whole “resilience” thing.
Not referring to this game of course, just the braves in general. Sure seems like it the past few games.
Who let the Braves on the Alabama team?
Braves are playing UAB
If there is a third world war, Joe will blame it on afternoon shadows in the ballpark.
As with Tennessee today, an effort that still counts in the win column despite the low schedule strength.
All right. Go Reds and Rockies!
Recapped.