Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals – Box Score – September 26, 2010 – ESPN.
Kyle Farnsworth strangles the season! Again! On in relief to start the seventh inning after the Braves had tied it at 2, Farnsworthless got the first two, then walked Willie Harris, let him steal second, got ahead 0-2 on the legendary Danny Espinosa then threw him four straight balls. Bobby then came in with Jonny Venters, whom I am not going to abuse because Bobby has that covered. Venters walked Nyjer Morgan, then fell behind Ian Desmond, then gave up a two-run single to give the Nats the 4-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The OBPs of the players the Braves walked to commit hara-kiri: .291, .302, .320.
While Brandon Beachy allowed a run in the first and another in the season, and was throwing a ton of pitches in the process, the Braves were doing their best to not score any runs. With two on in the first, Brian McCann lined into an inning-ending double play. After Beachy’s first career hit with one out in the third, Omar Infante tried to ground into a double play but wound up reaching on a fielder’s choice out at second, but he was stranded. Freddie Freeman tried to ground into one in the fourth, but reached on an error, getting McCann to third with one out, but Alex Gonzalez, who looked particularly hapless today, popped up and Melky Cabrera lined out.
The guy acquired with the season-killer was the offense today. Rick Ankiel hit a solo homer leading off the fifth to cut it to 2-1. After AAG grounded into, yes, an inning-ending double play with two on in the sixth, Melky actually doubled to lead off the seventh, then came home on Ankiel’s double. But — typically — Ankiel was still at second at the end of the inning, setting the stage for Farnsworthless. The Braves went extremely meekly in the last two innings.
Again- Giving this team to give a sh*t about beating the Nationals should be Job #1 for next year’s manager.
Not much to say here… the Braves’ every action screams “I WANNA GO HOME!”
Giants lead 3-0; Cain has a no-hitter through five. It was a perfect game until Tulo reached on an error to lead off the 5th.
Couldn’t Kyle at least have waited until game 4 of the NLDS this time?
Maybe Frank Wren should have traded for Livan. The Braves could have used him in September and not having to face him would have also increased their win total.
What’s going on? Are the Braves suffering from separation anxiety?
This team is tired. Let them be.
The Braves play the same amount of games as everyone else. Them being tired isn’t really a valid excuse.
Omar and Prado probably have a legitimate excuse for being tired, probably McCann as well. And certainly Venters and Moylan.
#6 yes but other managers give their injured or tired stars days off to recuperate while Bobby runs them into the ground.
I’m sure they are all tired, Win some loose some, as long as we play .500 + here on out, we should be ok, if not, its gonna be a long offseason….oh, and for godsake, no Joe Torre in the dugout next season, or Fergosi for that matter. I’d be happier with Fredi, or, if I reall had my wish, Ozzie Guillen.
Break out the greenies.
Tough to take, but a 10-14 September is offering the kind of meaningful baseball I didn’t have in mind.
This is an indictment of Wren and the entire organization. The Braves like to think of themselves as still an elite organization but what is elite about it?
This team has had the same problems all year and could do nothing about them. Instead of getting better like other teams they got worse.
And really they had one decent road trip all year. That’s not the mark of a top team. They don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
Wow, we’ve moved into the ‘blame the manager’ drumbeat. How ridiculous. The lineups we are throwing out there these days are crap. There is no reason to expect to win any of these games.
Lack of quality players will be the primary reason this team is watching in October.
Of course, the rot spreads into the owner’s box as well- remember that this team ws bought by Liberty Media in search of a tax writeoff.
Frankly, it’s incredible that we care, given that almost no one else associated with this team gives a damn.
Jay Payton singles to break up the Cain no-hitter. Everybody who knew that Payton was still in MLB, raise your hand.
@11
This team has only had these problems since the second half when everybody stopped being patient. Of course with guys like Gonzalez and Ankiel, what could you expect?
Well Bobby is the one trotting the Farnz out there. He sat our hottest hitter for a Rookie who hasn’t hit the ball well at all.
Im not sure he is all the problem, but he is’t helping
There’s enough blame to go around but I place most of it at Wren’s feet. We desperately needed a right handed bat yet we sit back and let Burrell and Ludwick go elsewhere. I question his creativity as a GM.
Trading Escobar for AAG was the worst personnel move of the year.
17, based on which facts?
Yunel since the trade: .288/.343/.377 with an .720 OBP.
AAG since the trade: .260/.314/.421 with an .736 OBP.
And given his history, I doubt that Yunel would have done for the Braves what he did for Toronto.
No, what really doomed the Braves were the performances by McLouth in the first half and Glaus in the second half plus the injuries to Medlen and Chipper.
And given his history, I doubt that Yunel would have done for the Braves what he did for Toronto.
Yeah, good point. Yunel was never any good here. Except for the times he was really good.
Horrible trade that set the tone for the increasingly horrible second half.
Edit: Although that trade for me has made this collapse much easier to bear. If your GM is that stupid you probably don’t deserve to win anyway. His other acquisitions are just icing on the incompetence cake.
Even if Escobar was a cancer to the point that he had to be moved, you didn’t have to trade him for a bum like Alex Gonzalez.
@20 – we has a winnar. I don’t especially blame Wren – he may well be working under financial constraints that limit things, but Lee, Ankiel, Farnsworth, and Gonzalez as your mid season acquisitions are nothing more than wishcasting. When the magic pixie dust wore off of Glaus and Hinske, there was no capability to replace their numbers,
Sex?
Padres are going to lose, so the Braves will be 1/2 game behind them.
Another problem is the farm system. One reason we accepted stumblebums like AAG and Ankiel is that the farm has no one even vaguely resembling a prospect at their positions- or any other, really, except, pitchers.
Freeman? Heyward?
24- Heyward started the season in the majors, so he’s not a “prospect” anymore. And Freeman can’t play anything but 1B.
Oh, you mean just SS & CF. Yeah, that Jordan Shafer seemed to be a well-hyped mirage.
I didn’t realize that Escobar was traded straight up for A-Gon and that Escobar has completely outplayed A-Gon since the trade.
Mycal Jones, a SS, is probably the best hitting prospect the Braves have above low-A, but that’s as much of an indictment of the system right now as anything.
I am entering a depression I may never recover from. I don’t think this team makes the playoffs at this point.
4-2…we can do it.
Don’t be so dramatic, Bethany. It’s just a game.
🙂
I still remember our last playoff oust. That hurt a lot worse than this.
Since the Giants and Padres play each other the final three games of the season, one of them is going to lose at least two more games. The Braves have their Wild Card chances completely in their own hands. A 4-2 homestand–very doable–would probably be enough. Five wins makes it an almost lock. We’re not doomed at all!
Except that right now, we suck.
You know, if there really were such a thing as a GoldenEye, we could wipe out the results of this season.
You know it’s bad when you’re looking at the Cubs and Dbacks and saying “you know what, Zambrano, Dempster and Wells and Dan Hudson and Barry Enright might be good enough to get some wins this week”.
@29, There were way more depressing years than this one. I can’t imagine being a Braves fan in the 80s.
The year that hurt the most for me was 1993. To lose to the Phillies after such an inspiring pennant race broke my 9-year-old heart.
Go fishing for the weekend and come back to much of the same.
I keep asking myself, if this team is going to keep playing like this, do I really wanna watch them in the playoffs?
The answer is yes. call me masochistic but I’ll take the 4-5 games we’re in if the bravos make it.
1983. The Braves were 6 1/2 up in August when Horner got hurt and finished three back.
Its like the Braves, Padres and Giants all think they can make it in regardless of how many more games they lose the rest of the season. You know, like they all believe they will make it based on chance.
Go Braves! Cmon, baby!
That year had its upsides, as far as I’m concerned. Me being born, for instance.
EDIT: John Sickels has another All Questions Answered thread.
For my money here’s the five worse seasons in my life to be a Braves fan.
#5——1977—-We lose 16 or 17 in a row, Ted Turner manages a game, our infield is made up of Willie Montanez, Rod Gilbreath, Pat Rockett, and Junior Moore.
#4——1988—–Dale Murphy starts to suck, Ken Oberkfell is STILL on the team. We lose 106 games! BUT, Smoltz and Glavine debut.
#3——1981—–STRIKE YEAR!—–Team is major disappointment after promising second half of 1980. Have to watch Braves use Ed Miller as lead-off hitter and CF for first two months—-PAINFUL.
#2——1975——67-95. WE TRADE HENRY AARON! Buss Capra and Gary Gentry both one time promising pitchers are done. Our two best players Darrell Evans and Dusty Baker will be gone by June of next year, we get nothing substantial in return. Attendance—534,672. Luminaries on roster include, Ray Sadecki, Blue Moon Odom, Jamie Easterly, and Sugar Bear Blanks. NO SUPERSTATION yet.
Somehow, Niekro doesn’t suck.
#1——1985———EDDIE HAAS, do I have to say anything more? Okay, how about it’s the year we acquire Ken Oberkfell! Murphy hits .300 37 hrs 111 rbis—-should have received votes not only for MVP, but for Nobel Peace Prize.
Yes, Bethany, there were worse years, but hey don’t anyone tell me it’s just a game.
BTW, 1985 is the year we got Bruce Sutter. My one-man campaign to keep him out of the Hall-of-Fame quickly starts, alas they vote him in anyway. It pains me to think that Sutter is in the HOF and Murphy isn’t.
Exactly how DID Sutter make it in over someone like Lee Smith or John Franco or a lot of other relievers who had better careers? (keeping the comparison to relievers)
I guess he’s viewed as a bit of a pioneer. When the game changed in the mid-’70s, he was one of the first big closers (and a guy who wasn’t necessarily relegated to one inning). He was the first big split-finger guy. Won a Cy Young. Won a World Series.
The team is in a collective slump in a completely worst possible time. It’s as simple as that. The fact that the team can go through such a deep slumps twice in one season and still be in the race is quite amazing.
I hope the Braves either win 5 of 6 and make the playoffs with some momentum or lose 5 of 6 and finish 3 or 4 games out. The worst thing would be to finish 1 game back and have to spend the offseason thinking of what ifs. Or maybe the worst thing would be to finish tied and lose the one game playoff. Have they done the coin flips yet?
EDIT: well the Google informs me there are no coin flips anymore and instead head to head record and other tiebreakers are used. The Braves would host vs the Padres and Giants. I guess that’s good news.
I wish we could play the Mets again.
Those years in the 70s and 80s were bad, but I was able to pretty much ignore the Braves then so it wasn’t nearly as bad as this year. 1983 was bad (except for AAR being born–god, I hate you for saying that), but, during the really down years, I had a lot of other things going on and barely knew what was happening to the Braves.
As much hate as he seems to get here, Bruce Sutter was pretty damn good during his heyday. He was pretty much unhittable for a few years (although Ryne Sandburg did take him deep twice in a famous game in 1984).
One of the things the Braves lack, I think, is something the dominant Braves had (other than better players generally). Those teams often slumped but they the kind of dominant pitchers that could go out an beat a team 2-1 when necessary. The Phillies have that now–they have won a bunch of low-scoring games. This team doesn’t really have that; they generally lose when they don’t score at least four runs. I always wondered during the 90s how the Braves would have done if their pitching staff had been just good rather than otherwordly and now I think I know.
I don’t think that this team has quit or doesn’t care as some imply. They just are tired and not good enough. People are blaming the Escobar trade for the problems, seemingly under the logic that B followed A, therefore A must have caused B. While AAG doesn’t walk much (or at all), it’s not as if Yunel was some OBP machine. I think Chipper’s injury had a lot more to do with it than the trade. First, he was just starting to hit, but, second, even when he was struggling, pitchers still saw him as a force and he remained an OBP machine. Third, with Chipper out, they had to play Infante every day and, while he has done a great job generally, it took away from their depth. With no real major league calber infielders in the system, Bobby had no alternatives (although you could argue the point, I guess) to playing the regulars every day. In retrospect, I think the Braves really were doomed when Chipper went out.
There is no doubt the Braves hitters have started swinging at everything. I was at the game Friday night sitting pretty close and they were swinging at balls that bounced two feet in front of the plate (probably an exaggeration). Even McCann had terrible at bats. And, let’s face it, the Braves have had some terrible luck, like McCann’s line drive double play in the first yesterday. If that’s another foot higher, the Braves might have had a big innning. I don’t think you can blame this simply on Alex Gonzalez being in the line up.
In September…
Infante .644 OPS
Heyward .837 OPS
Prado .614 OPS
McCann .658 OPS
Lee .847 OPS
McLouth .914 OPS
Gonzalez .673 OPS
Diaz .679 OPS / Cabrera .519 OPS
It’s hard to score runs when 3 of the first 4 hitters in your line up are hitting like Jeff Francoeur for the month.
Marc Schneider, voice of reason
I was going to say “Smitty, voice of reason.” because I really wish we COULD play the Mets again (especially over the Nats).
its even harder to score when you bench one of your best hitters for the month in your final road game too
I agree with BFedRec, Smitty has the best idea on here, play the Mets all the time. Ironically (and sadly) the Mets managed to beat the Phillies twice.
“Those teams often slumped but they the kind of dominant pitchers that could go out an beat a team 2-1 when necessary.” – Mark
I think Lowe, Huddy, and Hanson could do the same right now if it wasnt for our awful defense. We are making 2 errors per game it seems.
has Freeman always tried to lift the ball as much as he is right now?
For those outside Braves Country, Braves/Marlins are regional game on MLB Network tonight.
@csg:
Have you seen Hudson lately?
I don’t think Freeman is an upgrade over Glaus right now. the “Offical” website has Minor going tomorrow, not sure I would do that.
I would go:
M-Hanson
T-Hudson
W-Lowe
T-Off
F-JJ (if he can go)Bump up Hanson
S-Hanson (Hudson)
S-Hudson (Lowe)
yes Ive seen Hudson, but I also saw what he did for his 1st 20 starts
Hudson is our “Ace” and I think you have to give him as many starts as possible as soon as possible from here on out.
I would rather have Hudson out there over Minor.
@49, yeah, I could have gone all year without hearing that from Alex. That was my senior year at Auburn. You forgot to mention the Len Barker trade aiding in making that season an even bigger disaster. I think we are still paying that guy.
So, what’s the lineup look like for next year?
I think the Lisp would go before Minor would at this point, Braves are still hoping that JJ can go tomorrow.
When MLB showed the Braves-Phillie games last week, they used the Phillies network. These guys were really annoying, condescending homers. But, if the alternative was Chip Carey, maybe it was better. What a choice.
I was watching the “30 for 30” Steinbrenner documentary, and at one stage there was a shot of George, Bud, and Chip all together at once. Real meeting of the giants, there.
Randy, I agree. Folks who have been following the Braves since the 90’s don’t know what suckage is.
Len Barker. The name still makes me cringe.
@11 I see the same people that were singing Frank Wren’s praises a couple of weeks ago are blaming him for the collapse now. Profits or not, individual owner or corporate owner a budget is a budget. The man is doing what he can with what he has period.
But is he doing what a better GM could do with what he has question mark Is he doing what a worse GM would do with what he has question mark These are the questions to be asked period
Of the 3 teams still hunting for a playoff spot (ATL/SF/SD) we are both the most likely to win the WC (52-54% ish) and least likely to make the post season (SF = 81%, SD = 64%)… and in the last 7 days we’ve dropped almost 35% in our chances for the post season… grumble grumble grumble…
Post season is a coin-flip at this point… *sigh*
I’m not sure I’m depressed yet… but this IS depressing to watch (up until we win and then it will be exciting)
Johnny, The sound of or the name of Len Barker typed, literally makes me shake. I always flash on two scenes. The image of Brett Butler leaving Atlanta (WTBS actually paid homage to him-the last game of the season, when it was obvious he was TPTBNL) and that horrible, horrible Sunday game in LA in late Sept. when Barker blew a big lead, and single-handily lost us the pennant.
While 1983 ranks as a huge disappointment, at least we were really really good. Probably better than when we won in ’82, so I couldn’t list it among the worst years. Let me tell you ’75 and ’85 were horrible years to be Braves’ fans. When someone would ask me, “Who’s your favorite team?” I would gulp, shake my head, and say, “The Braves.” Eddie Haas, Ken Oberkfell, and Bruce Sutter makes ’85 really bad, but man, that ’75 team, was horrible.
Mike @ #44—-I remember the rise (everyone remembers the fall) of Bruce Sutter quite well. Sutter was indeed an outstanding reliever for the Cubs in the late ’70s. Every Saturday on the game of the week (which is where most people got there national baseball) Garagiola would say how great Sutter was. He looked spectacular in an All-Star game in 78 or 79, then got traded to a very very good Cardinals team, where Herzog gave him the ball late, and made him into a big name.
Am I prejudiced against Sutter? Damn right I am. He was good, but not great. To me everyday ballplayers such as Murphy, are much much more valuable than a reliever. Sutter was no better than Gossage, Eckersley, or Quisenberry to name a few, he just came along at a good time for him. He won ONE CY YOUNG award, and finished as high as fifth for MVP. Murphy won two MVP’s and was generally considered the best player in baseball from ’82 to ’85. The problem with HOF voting, which we have talked about here endlessly is the overall career numbers idea. I followed baseball religiously during the 80’s at no time was Lee Smith, Dan Quisenberry, or Bruce Sutter considered to be the player that Dale Murphy was.
Off my soapbox for today, Go Braves!
#70 – I still think of the line up had the trade not been made. Butler CF, Horner 1b, Jacoby 3b, Murph Rf. Nice core group of players. Of course that fantasy team would have had to average 2 touchdowns a game to win but still …..
I’m late on this one, but it’s pretty fair to be critical of the Braves (as an organization) for leaning so heavily upon injured players. Prado is absolutely hurt, and since nobody–from the manager to the medical staff to the GM–was willing to keep him out of the lineup for longer, he’s hurting the team right now. Jurrjens has also hurt the team and now, more importantly, cannot help the team when it matters most. And we saw how bad Heyward was while playing hurt in June. 9 times out of 10, it’s really, really stupid to try and “tough it out,” and this organization unfortunately fosters–even sanctions–that kind of behavior.
Jason Heyward hasnt crossed home plate since Sept 17th
can someone remind me why bob horner’s career in the majors was cut short? i know he went to japan to play ball, but why? was it just injuries or was there more to it?
#74 that’s what happens when you get on base in front of Prado and McCann who are in deep slumps.
#75 IIRC he went to Japan because he didn’t get the contract he wanted. He could NEVER stay healthy. I think it was an arm injury that robbed him of his best asset, which was his power. Started his career right out of college.
Horner hit a HR off Bert Blyleven in his very first game, too.
Injuries, yes. He went down all the time.
But when he was right, he had this amazing, short power stroke & when he was in the lineup with Murphy (usually hitting behind him), the Braves were really formidable.
Does anyone know what happens if we finish in a three-way-tie with the Padres and Giants for the WC? Not a completely unlikely scenario.
In the right column of the bravesjournal page, I can see a strange lenghthy pitcture of Bobby with a chicken on his hat. Bug or feature?
@79
I think the team with the best record head to head with SF and SD wins the West and we play the other team for the WC.
I believe WTBS made a video with Brett Butler sung by the police. Every breath you take. Highlights of his Braves career.
Ok here we go, I found all the tie breaker rules at
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100923&content_id=14991826&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
Tiebreaker scenarios
If two teams are tied atop the division and both are assured of making the postseason, head-to-head record would be used to determine which team is the division champ and which falls to the Wild Card.
If two teams are tied atop the division and share the Wild Card lead with another club, the ties will be broken in the following fashion:
• The teams tied atop the division will play, with the winner taking the division.
• The losing team will then play the remaining Wild Card contender, with the winner making the playoffs.
If three clubs are tied atop a division or Wild Card standings, each club would be designated in one of three slots, “A,” “B,” or “C.” Clubs get to choose their designation based on head-to-head records. Tiebreaking games would then proceed like this:
• Club A hosts Club B on Monday, Oct. 4
• The winner of the first game hosts Club C on Oct. 5, with the winner declared champion.
Braves: would host the Giants (4-3) or the Padres (4-2) but would go on the road if it’s the Rockies (2-4).
@83, So a team could choose to be C? I’m confused…
I put the chicken picture there. It should be square, though.
Horner had injuries, he had bad conditioning, and his motor was about the same strength as those in those little toy cars you’d roll backwards a few times then let go and they’d slam into the wall. I don’t know for certain, but I’d bet he was on something, too, which led to or exacerbated the latter two problems.
I want to see us get into the playoffs ….. I think. Anything can happen blah blah blah but man, it will be hard to watch us get swept.
edit: Horner was so dang white. His blond hair and blue eyes made him look like an albino. Of course his peeked complexion could have come from some hard living too. Dude could swing a bat though.
the two teams tied for the division lead would need to play to determine the divisional winner. The loser would play the Braves for the wild card
Nothing will ever be as heartbreaking as 1982, the first year I watched the Braves. That first playoff game, when Niekro was so dominant, only to watch the game be rained out just 1/2 inning from being official? And then to watch I-280 get shelled the next day? I mean seriously, the first playoff game I ever watch gets rained out?!?
The 75 Braves were so bad that I made a project of them.
For a few winters, I’d take the APBA computer game and try to pick any 5 players from the ’75 American League to substitute for players on that poor team. Then try to manage them to a ’75 pennant (vs. Dodgers, Big Red Machine, et all)
Couldn’t do it. Too many holes.
@67,
I didn’t mean to put all the blame on Wren. I agree that he is constrained by an ownership that really doesn’t care if the team wins, although I think they want it to be competitive. But the fact is, the organization as a whole cannot be considered “elite” after missing the playoffs for four (possibly five) years. People want to blame Bobby Cox for this or that move, but he can only put out the players he has. Other teams brought in players that helped, such as Aubrey Huff with the Giants. The players the Braves brought in didn’t help that much (although they did have their moments)and, in the case of Farnsworth, were out-and-out disasters.
@11 I see the same people that were singing Frank Wren’s praises a couple of weeks ago are blaming him for the collapse now. Profits or not, individual owner or corporate owner a budget is a budget. The man is doing what he can with what he has period.
Somehow I don’t think ‘budget’ is going to fly if we lose the last playoff spot to the Padres.
infante
heyward
prado
bmac
lee
mclouth
aag
ankiel
hanson
Our playoffs begin today.
i am of the opinion that wren did what he could. at the times of the trades, every move is justifiable.
1. escobar was being a jerkoff. the team’s strength was obp and the team’s weakness was power. aag seemed like a logical choice. he had the power we needed and could be placed in the back of the lineup where his lack of obp wouldnt be that much of a problem.
2. mclouth was tanking and the rh bullpen options were getting hammered. ankiel and farnsworth would come cheap and were both performing well at the time of the trade.
3. the defense and offense of troy glaus was beyond atrocious for well over a month and he looked to be a “Mummy”. lee was coming off a few hot weeks and had a phenomenol 2009.
as of right now, one could say that one trade worked out, one trade broke even, and one trade was a bust. the kicker is that wren traded nothing of too much worth and isnt paying any significant money to any of these 4 players. so, all in all, we’re no worse or no better than what we were before.
I’m excited about tonight.
Marc, I think I’m going to call you “He Hate Me” for now.
Who had a better career, Brett Butler or Kenny Lofton?
I think I remember when we had Murphy, Horner and Griffey, Sr. in the lineup at the same time.
If we’d had any pitching …
@97 kenny lofton…better sb% and power. everything else is comparable. one could argue that kenny was the best leadoff hitter for a decade:
92-01: .379 obp 477 steals (121cs) .807ops 104 runs/year
#96 – what position can u play? someone needs to look/feel excited out there
Lofton is a fascinating guy to me; he was one of those “prototypical leadoff hitter” types that doesn’t exist any more, but like Otis Nixon he could steal 30 bases when he was 40, and like Rickey Henderson he could post an OBP above .360 when he was 40… and, according to Sean Smith, he actually has 0.2 more career WAR than Tim Raines. He is, I think, a borderline Hall of Famer who will never get his due.
Butler got on base
More, in a tougher hitting
Context. That is big.
I would guess that it
Comes down to defense, which I
Can’t really compare.
Griffey once hit 3 HRs in a game for Atlanta & we lost.
Horner once hit 4 HRs in a game for Atlanta & we lost.
The WAR difference (which I had trouble believing, but I looked it up and that’s what BR says) is probably because of position; Lofton was a centerfielder most of his career, Raines a leftfielder. There’s no doubt that Raines was a far superior offensive player, an OBP 13 points higher, an SLG 2 points higher, in a much lower run context (Raines’ OPS+ is 123, Lofton’s 107). Raines was an 85 percent basestealer, Lofton 80 percent.
aag seemed like a logical choice. he had the power we needed and could be placed in the back of the lineup where his lack of obp wouldnt be that much of a problem.
See this is the thing. New Guy has over 5000 PAs worth of .249/.295/.403 and is somehow considered by my team’s GM as the answer to any relevant question. That is profoundly depressing. That he was apparently seen as the answer to our RH power problem based on an April that screams fluke…that’s like ‘maybe I should find a different sport to follow’ level depression.
The thing about Lofton is that he could never stay anywhere very long. For whatever reason, he was always signing short-term deals and getting traded. Really good player to have on your team but for whatever reason, no one kept him too long.
It all goes back to that font of all horror, the Stilladouche trade. If the Braves had Andrus, they could have plugged him in and traded Yunel for an outfielder — actually, they probably would have before the season.
I agree Lofton. I think Butler was a better Brave, though
Still think we could have lived with Infante at SS and traded Yunel for an outfielder who would deserve to start every day.
Shoulda, coulda …
I think Lofton’s problem was he was a complete ass. (e.g., the Bonilla cardgame)
found this as being hilarious/depressing, per ajc
– Diory Hernandez, who was mentioned by Braves officials as a reason they didn’t feel compelled to get another infielder after Chipper’s injury, has one hit and one RBI in 18 at-bats since the All-Star break. Not a big deal, just mentioning it because his name was brought up when we asked about the Braves not feeling obligated to get another infielder.
#109 – we couldve lived with Omar at SS if Chipper was still playing, but we would now be playing Prado, Omar, and Brooks on an everyday basis. We should have just kept Yunel
I don’t know how you folks do this all summer. Because this sucks.
It’s great here.
It definitely does all go back to the [expletive deleted] trade. But Andrus was a lottery ticket, not remotely a sure thing. I’m not convinced he was, at that age, much likelier to succeed than Salcedo is now.
He’d been a highly-
Rated prospect already
For a couple years.
ASG or no, Andrus still isn’t really worth anything as a hitter, but he’s a first-class glove.
I live right on the beach where it rarely breaks 75 and never breaks 80. Today, 94. All the sea breeze in the world won’t help you when it’s 94.
“Marc, I think I’m going to call you “He Hate Me” for now.”
Huh?
At the time of the Tex trade, Andrus was 18 and had made it to High-A; right now, Salcedo’s 18 and is at A. Andrus’s prospect status at that point in his career was mostly based on his age and the fact that he’d been a highly sought-after international free agent. Andrus had been in the minors longer, but he didn’t have any kind of track record you’d hang your hat on — then as now, he was chiefly noteworthy for being incredibly young and being unable to hit.
EDIT: He Hate Me
Of course, as bad of a hitter as Elvis is, he’s nothing like as bad as Diory of a Wimpy Batter.
No, seriously,
He was much more highly thought
Of than Salcedo.
@Robert
You kind of get used to it. I will say that I’m looking forward to fall with great anticipation.
I’ve got Hank Aaron seats tonight (section 102)! Got them off of StubHub for $18/ticket – these will be my best seats ever, so I’m praying for good weather. I’ve never been close enough to see a Bobby nose-pick in person, so I thought I’d better jump at one of the last chances ever. I hope I don’t embarrass myself in front of the sophisticated/disinterested corporate seat holders.
Stu, I know, I know. I’m just trying to cope.
Also, have you thought
about changing up? Haikus
haven’t worked, I think.
This wasn’t a luck
Thing. It was a me-coping
Thing. Just ’til Sunday.
1. escobar was being a jerkoff. the team’s strength was obp and the team’s weakness was power. aag seemed like a logical choice. he had the power we needed and could be placed in the back of the lineup where his lack of obp wouldnt be that much of a problem.
2. mclouth was tanking and the rh bullpen options were getting hammered. ankiel and farnsworth would come cheap and were both performing well at the time of the trade.
3. the defense and offense of troy glaus was beyond atrocious for well over a month and he looked to be a “Mummy”. lee was coming off a few hot weeks and had a phenomenol 2009.
1. already covered, but anyone who thought of Gonzalez as a “power” guy was/is seriously deluded – the guy who has never posted a full season over 100 OPS+.
2. Ankiel had a hot July. 32 lousy PA’s. He sucked before, he sucked after. Again, if that blinded the Braves to his value, shame on them. Farnsworth was doing pretty good, but again, he had sucked pretty hard in recent years, and buying into his June/July numbers as his true talent level was optimistic at best.
3. Lee had an epidural the day before the trade. I’d be willing to grant that he was a better lottery ticket than the other guys, but still just that.
Bottom line – Budgetary issues or no, Wren failed to pick up a reliably above average player for the stretch drive. May not be his fault, but you get no credit for getting guys who were far more likely to be the stiffs they are than superstars. I like Wren, and think he does well. But why not pay the extra in terms of talent for Ludwick or whoever if you are going to go for it this year? The moves were sort of by the book fig leaves, not real attempts to make the team better, IMHO.
Fair enough. As the
moon calls the tide, my hope ebbs
and flows. ‘Til Sunday.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, Spike — AAG, Ankiel, and Derrek Lee don’t really represent “improvements” in any honest sense of the word — but Ludwick has been hideous in San Diego, and obviously Manny has been awful in Chicago. Mac’s suggestion — that we dump Yunel for a pitcher or an outfielder and just give Infante the SS job — might have worked if Chipper hadn’t gotten hurt, but as it is, we’re thin in the infield AND in the outfield. Wren’s band-aids were awfully thin gruel, but I’m not sure which imports would truly have been appreciably better.
Well, that sort of begs the question then, doesn’t it? Why bother?
If we’re going to
Miss the playoffs, I’d rather
We kept R. Lopez.
but Ludwick has been hideous in San Diego,
25 games in Petco with a .241 BaBIP will do that to you.
@126
1. point taken. i didnt like the trade, however the trade, imo, is still justifiable and they’ve basically been equal in offensive and defensive productivity.
2. ludwick has a .663 ops since joining san diego. just like us, they gave up nothing and got nothing.
3. aside from lee, what other rh power hitting first baseman could the braves have acquired?
the braves were strapped for cash and didnt want to give anything of real value in return. they probably got the best they could considering most teams dont want to deal with a team that wont cough up some money or a decent prospect or 2.
Jurrjens will get an MRI if his anti-inflammatories don’t stop the swelling of his knee. Of course, they already know what’s wrong with him — he has a torn meniscus. As I’ve said before, the “M” stands for “magnetic”, not “magical”, but tell the Braves that.
i think we should dump aag in the offseason, give infante the job, and sign someone like renteria to be the super utility infielder.
hell, aag might actually bring something of value back from one of these teams desperately seeking a shortstop.
alex gonzalez, jair jurrjens, and randall delgado for mat gamel and ryan braun
get it done, wren.
I think we need an big bat in the outfield and that has to be off season priority one.
Of course, there are six games to play, we have all winter to talk roster moves.
I hope we can delay that talk until sometime in early November.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Braves slide is bad
I believe the thing to do
Is blame Texiera
#135
I can’t rosterbate now either, and it has nothing to do with 13 years of Catholic school.
We got what we got & let’s see if we can get it done.
As I said, the moves weren’t bad so much as uninspired and destined for mediocrity from the git-go (Lee somewhat excepted, a long shot but he did have a recent rtack record). If you can’t get better, what’s the point of these moves?
The point of the moves
Was exchanging our garbage
For other refuse.
Lineup: Omar Hey-
Ward Prado McCann Lee Louth
AAG Ankiel Hanson
The disgusting thing is we gave the Royals what appears to be a legitimate talent in Tim Collins.
Nothing can ruin
A stretch-drive pennant push quite
Like Chip F. Caray.
Stu just remember
October comes with Timmy
McCarver and Buck
#117 – try coming to Destin or Gulf Shores when its 102-105 with no breeze. 94 with a gulf breeze is relaxing
They gonna get this one in?
Yeah. rain’s about done.
The Marlins lineup is begging for us to beat them.
Game at 8:15 Eastern
Is the 1995 World Series really bigger than Hank Aaron’s home run?
For the franchise, yes. For pretty much every other category you can think of, no.
Im not sure it is.
I do love Sandy Alomar’s reaction when Justice hits that home run
I think the World Series is bigger, but I also think that the moment we win another one, that one World Series is no longer quite as big, and nor is the new one, and Aaron jumps back over both of them.
Joe just said that Hanson became a Major League Starter in his last outing. Whatever that means.
Maybe we have two Tommy Hansons
I wish.
95 was bigger for the ATL franchise.
ububba…rosterbate? That’s awesome! 😀
I’m not giving up hope for the WC. Not yet. Once in the playoffs? That starts to change things. Let’s get there first.
Omar doesn’t have much range. Let’s move him to shortstop!
Glad to see McCann not throw the ball into center
That looked like croquet.
Dammit DLee.
Thanks, Derrek. We were in danger of actually scoring before you swung at ball four.
That was freaking awful. Who would swing at that pitch?
George Blanda died today. He was one of my favorite players as a kid.
Looks like Hanson showed up tonight, though that’s nothing new.
Ugh, so close.
Maybe we’ll get him the 2nd time around.
Yeah, and maybe AAG will suddenly turn into Cal Ripken Jr. in his prime, but I’m not betting on it.
Is Eric Hinske dead?
Another pathetic offensive display in progress.
I could have gone without seeing that Logan Morrison beaning again.
That was a helluva catch.
Haha Chip was very calm when Prado made his play, but he absolutely flips the hell out on Infante’s.
Braves highlight reel play.
BMAC
B-MAC! Now can the season stay saved?
We have hit ball hard all night
Okay Tommy, there’s your lead.
CyborgHanson48
RUN.SIMULATION(“BLOOD ON FINGER.EXE”) TO EMULATE STATUS:”GRITTINESS” OF CLUTCHTIME PERFORMER SCHILLING CURT
Someone in the stands calling for the ball to screw up the Marlins: Epic Win.
I like the steal be McLouth
How did McOut not get a double out of that bloop hit!?!?! Definitely my least favorite Brave ever.
FuWren, You must be too young to remember Ken Oberkfell.
Or Omar Moreno, Ed Miller, Pat Rockett,Ozzie Virgil, Jody Davis.
Or Keith Lockhart, Dan Kolb, or Jeff Francoeur.
Or, for that matter, Jesse Chavez and Scott Proctor.
Good job Omar
I am still less than enthralled by Infante’s bunting.
Get on any way you can
I like Bobby being aggressive
We have to win this, the Marlins act like they can’t wait til the season’s over.
Those of you arguing about injured players doing no good, your point was just proven.
So is it Glaus or Conrad in at third?
Folk Hero time
3B must be tough on the obliques. At least for Braves players.
While it isn’t good news, Chip, it certainly isn’t bad news.
They should all be on the Brian Jordan stretching program.
I just opened up mlb.tv to see bobby helping prado off the field. what on earth just happened?!??!
So Prado’s injuries have become so obvious that he can’t fake it anymore. Why can’t players ask out before things get to this point?
He might miss a few games. Let’s go Brooksie!
Maybe he wanted to play.
That didn’t miss by much.
Nice catch
Smitty, he hurt the team by continuing to play. We’ve got a guy who is responsible for putting the best possible team on the field- I believe he’s called a “manager.” Fifty percent of Prado is not as good as 80-100 percent of Conrad.
More to the point, Prado should pay attention to what happened when he played hurt in September- he didn’t produce and the Braves didn’t win (of course, there were other reasons for this). Surely he realizes that won’t help his cause at contract time or help the team get to the playoffs.
I was just on the phone with a friend and the game was on in background.
Her: Who’s that yelling?
Me: Chip Caray
Her: Did something big just happen?
Me: Nope
Not helping the team going 1 for 2 with the defensive play of the game. Loser.
I’ll say it again — Prado is a Pete Rose type, and one of the characteristics of that type of player is that you have to drag them kicking and screaming from the lineup. And it is the manager’s job to do that.
There is another third baseman on this team who has been accused of coming out of the line up too often
Smitty, 255/ 298/ 316 does not help you win games, and that was Prado’s September line going into tonight. Basically, he’s been Belliard with a few extra singles and without the glove.
Who are we going to trot out there? Folk Hero?
Prado should still be better defensively at third than Conrad. I think he and Conrad are probably a wash right now. Maybe if it’s something that could have gotten better for the last few games with rest, then it would have made more sense to make the switch a while back, but I don’t think it’s an obvious move, with the caveat of knowing nothing about Prado’s injuries.
It’s him, Torgo, or Diory, so Conrad it is.
Ill take 85% Prado over those guys. none of us have any idea about Prado’s injuries.
Good catch Lee
It’s not 85% of Prado or Conrad, it’s Conrad for a couple of days and then a nearly-100% Prado, or 85% of Prado slowly deteriorating. It’s just like resting any player in any sport.
I bet Torgo will get a start or two before the end of the week.
That’ll be fun to watch.
Tommy Hanson: Gamer.
Let’s get some runs!
Is Prado’s lower-body injury (which I’ve never seen detailed) something that would go away in a couple days, though? Or does he pretty much need the offseason?
It seemed like he came back a little early from the finger, so that one is probably here to stay until ST 2011.
Good job, Tommy. The eight people actually at the game salute you.
@217, Seriously, it’s depressing.
Hey, stop talking to yourself.
LOL at the announcers continuing to twist the knife with the Marlins not recognizing Bobby.
214- The Braves lineup: Gamy.
Well, they should. Marlins, no class.
I think the biggest problem with Martin in the last month is he’s not a three hitter, and he’s tried to do too much. I know Bobby doesn’t want to put extra pressure on Jason, but they should have him and Martin flipped.
Phillies win the East for the fourth consecutive year.
Jason isn’t hitting much better than Prado
Heyward in September: 291/ 430/ 407. I’d like to see more power, but that’s certainly better than Martin.
We’re losing this one, aren’t we?
And there goes the lead. Hanson could only walk the tightrope so long.
Wes Helms. It makes too much sense.
That effing sucks.
Hanson can’t make one run stand up. What a bum.
Alright, dodged that wave of cruel irony.
“Listen to the ovation for Tommy Hanson”
rofl
Can we chalk up the loss now, or do we have to wait? Honestly, if the other teams’ announcers know Venters is gassed, why doesn’t Cox?
Strike f’n Three.
Strike f’n Four.
Let’s win this damn thing.
Tommy Hanson just doesn’t know how to win. Maybe Russ Ortiz can give him some pointers.
Jim Powell just said that Jurrjens had fluid discovered around his tendon today.
Damn you Chip. I’m in the other room and hear, “HIGH FLY BALL…” get all excited only to come rushing in to see an out not even make the warning track.
And Heyward comes up lame.
COME ON BROOKS.
YES!!!!!
FOLK
Folk-hero sets the table.
His year is just silly. It feels like a really high percentage of his hits are “clutch” hits.
Now let’s bring the folk hero in!
More than half his hits are for extra bases.
I really hope Lee gets a hit here.
How many more pitches right down the middle does Lee need?
Screw you, Lee.
I miss resilience.
None. None more pitches. He’d foul off or swing through at least 20 more.
Well, at least we’ve got McLouth, Gonzalez, and Ankiel coming up. That should be enjoyable.
249—-And the horse he rode in on.
This is why I couldn’t complain about Freeman playing yesterday- he’s not really any worse than Lee.
I hate this team right now.
Lee battled but he just doesn’t have the bat speed anymore.
Wow Lee, wow.
Gotta get Bonifacio, if he reaches, he scores IMO. Pretty much what Joe said, except his OBP sucks, so he isn’t the ideal guy. Just that it could go horribly wrong.
@248, If there were seven strikes and a 80 mph limit on fastballs, Lee would be the best hitter in the league.
Thank goodness, flirting with disaster.
Here is what we need:
McLouth to get hit, AAG to get hit, Rick to get hit, then Melky to pop one up to short and the short stop drop it and kick it into the dugout.
Braves win.
At least Wagner still remembers how to play. Let’s end this.
Time to win this thing.
Let Wagner hit for himself.
Um, we’re looking at Louth, AAG, and Ankiel. I don’t think runs are too likely.
Surely time for the Marlins killer to hit.
Oh Nick, you and your logic. If we did that, we’d win, and what fun would that be?
@260, Hilarious.
Freeman isnt worse than Lee?
Freeman – .100/.100/.250
Lee – .280/.371/.421
LOL, creative outs in this inning.
AAG always has good reactions after he hopelessly fails. Kind of the anti-Druw.
GO BRAVES, COME ON!!!!
Come on Omar. Or a wild pitch.
did chip just call that a bloop hit???
I can understand why AAG would be wondering what the hell the 2B was doing there. Though apparently he had good reason.
Walk is as good as a hit now. Unfortunately he quit throwing everything outside the zone.
ankiel should steal home
i’ve had a really bad day heyward. i need this.
Freaking hell, Jason.
Such a tease.
Heyward’s worst at bat of the season
Well damn.
@274, Heyward swung at two balls
hindsight’s a bitch, but i sure do wish heyward would think about swinging at the first pitch from time to time.
Marlins will score two here
Conrad and Hinske looked better in their at bats than most of the lineup has for weeks.
Yeah, first pitch strike hurt though, and the book dictates taking a pitch after a four pitch walk. The second pitch was a ball, but pretty nasty.
nick, I just mentioned the same thing
When I have my stroke soon, I hope I forget this season
So, can anybody
Confirm whether Heyward hurt
Himself in the eighth?
#287 – nice
I really dont like Moylan vs LH
my god nate, the ball is in your glove you moron
McLouth can’t play left for whatever reason.
There are no words.
Wow, just wow. I think these guys have tee times next Monday
oh dear lord.
I hope we have a real outfield next year.
just walk Stanton edit: or dont
we had better not lose this game because of that blunder by our so called left fielder
Good play by Moylan.
That did inspire me to look in my hand for that sandwich I was searching for. Was right there. All along. Thanks Nate!
Bring on a lefty.
I don’t like intentionally walking the backup catcher who is hitless this year.
Total hits by Chris Hatcher in his career: zero. So why is he being intentionally walked?
Nate shouldve been able to catch that fly ball, he over runs a lot in LF. Then for some reason he gets up looking for the ball and didnt even realize he had it until it fell out. He’s spinning in circles looking for it
#301 – because Peter cant get LH’rs out
SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bobby thought it was Mickey Hatcher. Solid veteran presence.
check this out, worse than I thought. Peter vs LH
13IP 15H .300BAA .493 OBP 2.63WHIP 20BB 3K
awful
We need the Sasquatch from the Jack Link commercials. That who I want to play left field
For a fast guy, McLouth doesn’t have great range.
When he was in Pittsburgh Nyjer Morgan used to look ridiculous of balls hit down the left field line because he was shading over towards center so much to cover McLouth.
Every pitch feels like the season now.
Conrad, take him over the wall. It’s not like the rest of these guys will be helpful.
Can McCann win it all by himself?
@311
McCHannson
When Lee gets to the plate, the Marlins should put it on a tee and sit down.
A walk to McCann means he comes out of the game
My god, we suck.
Golden Sombrero time.
tomorrow night, the local pbs station is airing the ken burns documentary ‘baseball’ that picks up where the last one left off, with Bream and co. I think I might just tape that and watch it till the bad taste of this season is gone.
Sounds good
McCann swung at ball four. Twice. Will Lee swing at more or the same number?
GET OUT…. SHOOT.
Great call by Chip
dangit I hate chip
I hate Chip.
I have to go to bed. Morning recap.
Chip did it to me again…
Couldn’t you just strike out next time? Thanks.
Such teases.
HIGH FLY BALL…DID HE GET ENOUGH OF IT….YE…no
Shut the hell up, Chip. You are the worst.
If Bobby goes with Farnsworth I may lose it
@330
Bobby has to get to bed. Big day at the park tomorrow, they are going to give him his 4th humidor.
I can’t decide which is worse, the Braves’ offense or Mike Bobo’s.
Peter for a 2nd inning
@332
Both are predictable
There is no hope. Our offense is completely hopeless.
Is Glaus not on the team?
great play Petey
We need to give Boscan a shot. First AB magic is probably a better play than anything our guys are doing now.
Here come Dunn to walk some guys
Logan Morrison
vs RH = .265/.373/.437
vs LH – .359/.481/.500
and Dunn just carved him up with fastballs
Logan Morrison looked terrible
We win it here
It would appear Simpson is as frustrated as all of us. That wasn’t very subtle at all, heh.
We only have Kimbrel left in the pen now. Plus a load of guys I don’t trust that much.
338- Our remaining benchies: Boscan, Melky, Diaz, Freeman, Torgo, Ross. Diaz and Ross apparently are in Cox’ doghouse for not sucking enough.
EOF is still down there
Why take 3-1?
apparently that magnetic necklace doesnt help mclouth’s ability to judge fly balls in left field.
Steal second
There we go, Nate.
Nate nice AB…lets make that walk hurt
shut up chip
@348
Uh, how do you think it ended up in his glove? Worth every penny.
Great bunt
best executed sac bunt of the year. great job, alex.
Why not pinch-hit for Ankiel with almost everyone still on the bench?
352- Only if he was paid to take it off of someone’s hands.
god, i want freddie freeman to win this game so frickin’ bad.
Bobby Cox needs to pull a George Stallings and freeze during our rallies. Worked once.
Let’s go, Freeman!!!!
nice job Rick
Braves have to score here
Id hit Glaus here
freddie, i can feel deep down in my hammy loins that you are going to win us this game.
OH MY GOD COME ON BRAVES.
just a fly ball now
Wild pitch takes the double play out of order.
Just hit it hard
Just get it into the outfield, Freddie…!
Good pitch
Bad call.
That’s not his fault. That was not a strike. Good eye.
that wasnt close to being a strike
Honestly, does anyone on this team even WANT to win? They’re so scared that they don’t even try to do anything positive anymore.
Umpire has called the outside corner all night I think.
bullshit strike.
Are we afraid of swinging?
If we don’t swing, this guy will walk us in
OMAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO OMAR!!!!
yesssss
OMAR!
Yeaaahhhh
yes.
finally.
After only twelve chances, the Braves finally forget how to fail.
You know, I was kind of hoping for a walk, bunt, walk, wild pitch, strikeout, wild pitch inning for the win.
“Listen closely to the crowd. Can you hear it?”
Thank goodness. I was literally sweating in the middle of an air conditioned room. It kind of freaked me out.
Lets see if this gives us some moe!
nice win
cmon Cubs
Gives Chip an excuse to tell us to root for the Cubs.
Oh, Chip. “Everybody root for the Cubbies tonight!” You know he loves when he can say that.
Most of these guys aren’t very cute, Smitty… oh, you meant momentum.
But, to be fair…
Go Cubs!
LAD is about to all but eliminate COL
Go Braves and go Cubs!
DeWitt singles to drive in Soriano. 1-0 Cubs.
Cubbies up 1-0
DeWitt!
Cubbies!
Nate sounds like a tool
400th
It’s the necklace you’re hearing.
Amazing, we won. How did that happen?
Cubs game on WGN, so anyone with cable can watch it. Good stuff.
Thanks, JoeyT.
Our hopes are with the Cubs. Ugh
Zambrano’s up, though, so this could work.
Well, I guess Dusty “Why use my bullpen” baker is managing the Cubs again.
C’mon, Big Z. Gotta have it here.
Edit: That’s what I’m talking about.
WOW, the Padres are the west coast Braves
The Padres are taking lessons from the Braves about swinging at bad pitches on hitters’ counts.
The Cub announcers are worse than Chip
Marlon Byrd has been a hell of a pick up for the Cubs
Well, Adrian Gonzalez is out of the way. Hope that’ll hold ’em.
Padres go down in order in the 8th
Conrad at 3rd? Glaus?
mlbbowman
Bobby said Prado will be out for “a while.” Brooks Conrad will likely see most of the time at 3B.
If things get bad, I can see us trotting Glaus out there
DeWitt!
It probably will depend on who’s pitching against us. Against righties, we’ll almost certainly see Conrad. Against lefties, I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see Glaus get a start or two at third here. He didn’t exactly have the greatest range, obviously, but he was far from a total embarrassment at third in Gwinnett. And Conrad hasn’t exactly been great defensively there, either.
@412, Ludwick’s still coming. I know the last couple of months haven’t been kind to him, but he’s still somewhat dangerous.
David O’Brien
September 28th, 2010
12:16 am
Expect to see Conrad at 3B for Braves at least for rest of Marlins series, possibly rest of regular season. Prado said he hurt it making the diving stop in 4th, then landed on same spot making another diving play in 5th. When he batted, he said he heard a pop.
so lineup tomorrow?
Infante
Conrad
Heyward
Bmac
Lee
McLouth/Hinske
AAG
Ankiel
Huddy
So is this our order?
Infante
Heyward
Lee
McCann
AAG
McClouth
Melky
Brooks
3-1. You know what they say about 3-1 counts…
That’s right, where on earth is Troy?
I agree csg, I think Hinske needs a start
422 — That’s pretty close to what I’d hope for, though I’d bat Conrad 6th or 7th.
LOL @ the Cubs announcers complaining about the Padres honoring their 1984 NL pennant team every time the Cubs come to town. Hopefully they send Leon Durham a fruit basket every year on the anniversary.
Alright, Marmol. Let’s do this thing.
Right now, I’m really glad the Cubs have one of the best closers in baseball.
Yes
Ludwick down
Ludwick Ks. 1 out.
Rookie Mike Baxter (1-7 career) swings and misses. Two down.
2 outs
Marmol is nasty 2 down
Two away. That was freaking nasty, by the way.
He’s too good. I’m glad he’s not on a good team.
Marmol hasn’t had a ball in play in three outings
Torrealba beats out a high hopper.
Torrealba reaches on an infield single.
Crap. Man on. A double is very doable in this ballpark, as well.
Should have let the short stop have that one
The announcers are noting that may be the first time they’ve seen a helpful slide into first base.
Edit: Now (PR) Cabrera steals second. 1-2 to Headley.
Pinch-runner stole second
They say the ball hit the batter. bad call
BS, Blue.
The umpires are not helping, as usual
I’m gonna blow a gasket if the Cubs choke.
Now the bases are loaded
Marmol loses the lesser Gwynn. Bases loaded.
bases loaded
Two outs, no one on and the Cubs load the bases.
This would be pretty annoying.
Marmol is the reincarnation of Mitch Williams.
-strikeout
-strikeout
-Cubs 2B intercepts a near sure out
-questionable hit batsman call
-now tired, he issues a walk, loading the bases
This sucks.
Marmol can’t throw a strike
Cubs win – ballgame
Cubs win!
CUBS WIN CUBS WIN CUBS WIN
Can o’ corn. Never in serious doubt.
Cubs win!
Good job, Marmol. Way to overcome.
Back on top of the WC.
“My kind of town, Chicago is…”
Marmol trying to give us a heart attack hung a curve ball that Hundley must have hit off the trade mark. Fly ball caught in deep left. We’re back in the wild card lead!
Swagger!
We may yet stumble into the playoffs…..
And the likelihood of a hilarious Rockies-Padres NLCS is now remote.
I’ve wanted to see that series badly since PETCO’s first year. It would be all
1-0
2-1
7-9
11-15
1-0
6-7
1-0
@466 Yes, stumble is definitely the right word.
Guess who the potential winning run was in the Padres game? Luis Durango. With he and Wes Helms failing to further torment Braves Journal, we dodged some serious bullets tonight.
Don’t think it happens, just informational, but with the Padres and Giants facing each other for the last three, four wins will put us in as the WC, no playoff needed. If I’m doing it right.
EDIT: except if the Padres finish 5-1, taking 2 of 3 from the Giants, who finish 4-2. Then it’s a three way tie. All other scenarios give us the WC, if I’m doing it right this time.
@469 Four wins? That sounds impossible seeing the form of our offense right now!!!
Chipper, Medlen, Saito, Jurrjens & now Prado. Jeez…
Well, here’s hoping the Brooks Conrads & Mike Dunns of the world can carry us into the middle of next week.
Plus, there’s the matter of both Hudson & Lowe on 3-days’ rest Tuesday & Wednesday.
Well, Prado and Jurrjens weren’t showing much lately anyway. Prado’s .255/.298/.316 line in September certainly was contributing to the collapse. Same with Jurrjen’s 6.32 ERA in September.
Point is, this team is breaking down like an ’89 Yugo.
@471 THe chance with Huddy isn’t good as he is already hitting the wall. I like Lowe’s chance better…wait, did I just say that?
This team has 88 wins. I believe we had won the division with lesser wins before.
@474:
Yeah, but the Phillies sucked back then.
Here’s to Huddy getting through 3 or 4 without too much damage and then go with the bullpen (minus The Professor, please).
In Brooks we trust, from now on.
Remember,Brooks can:
1)Slam a revolving door
2)Keep his eyes open when he sneezes
3)Make onions cry
Go Braves!
Win our next two, Padres lose their next two. We should be fine
Tommy Hanson (10-11) is the only Braves pitcher in Atlanta era (since 1966) to make at least 30 starts w/ an ERA under 3.50 and losing record
Was thrilled to see the Cubs won last night.
We are going to get dominated tonight. Huddy better have gas left in the tank.
dooooomed
Recap is up.
Thank god the Padres are even more inept offensively than the Braves.
How can the Braves win with this lineup? Can you imagine if they got into the World Series and trotted out this lineup? It would make the 1988 Dodgers look like Murderers Row.
At least now that the Rockies are fading, I can root against ANYONE
I have an idea for a promotion for next season. The Delta Bermuda Triangle Inning. They can award miles for runners stranded (especially in scoring position) and for getting them erased via double play, caught stealing, and Snitkeration.
On second thought, that would probably bankrupt the airline.