Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Box Score – September 09, 2011 – ESPN.
So now the most reliable part of the team is breaking down.
The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the first; it stayed that way until the ninth. Brian McCann doubled home Michael Bourn and Freddie Freeman hit a bloop double to score McCann in the top of the inning. In the bottom of the inning, what’s left of Rafael Furcal scored on a groundout.
Both teams had their chances to score; the Braves left eight on and the Cards eleven, and both teams hit into two double plays. Randall Delgado had some control issues but as happens sometimes he was hard to hit, allowing just three hits through five.
The bullpen lived dangerously all night, and it came back to beat them in the end. Peter Moylan pitched the sixth, and gave up two hits; likewise Arodys Vizcaino in the seventh and Jonny Venters in the eighth. Somehow they got away with it, and then the Braves got a run in the ninth when Michael Bourn tripled home pinch-runner Antoan Richardson.
But Craig Kimbrel finally faltered. He gave up a leadoff single, then got two outs, and then his control deserted him. He walked Furcal and then Scott Theriot to get to Albert Pujols. Pujols hit one down the line to right to score two; Theriot was out by a mile trying to score the winning run, sending the game to extras.
The amazing Scott Linebrink ended the game from there, loading the bases on two hits and an intentional walk, and then giving up a sac fly to end it. The only surprise is that he didn’t walk home the winning run.
Painful. 6.5 games up in the WC.
Hope we can hold on. Would love to see an offensive breakout for 7 or 8 games to take some pressure off of our pitching.
Hope this is just a speed bump for our pen, as we head into mid-September…and not a harbinger for things to come.
We have now played 50(!) one-run games this season. Amazing. Our bullpen has been absolutely amazing this year. Games like last night happen every once in a while. They hardly happened to the Braves at all this year. Now go back and win one tonight. We need an our offense to break out, as Tiger224 wrote.
To me, it just feels like there have been more than 24 extra-inning games.
Just a minor correction: it’s Ryan Theriot, not Scott Theriot.
They really need to start scoring more runs. I’d rather not limp embarassingly into the postseason.
Glad I went to bad after that first hit Linestink gave up. I knew how it was going to end, why bother?
Guys and gals, I think he’s still rusty…
Just a minor correction for Brian Jordan, it’s Ryan Theriot (Teri-o) not Ryan Theriot (The-riot). Idiot.
@5 – Come to think of it, I’ve never seen me and Linebrink in the same room.
Jordan actually said Theriot’s name like that? He’s dumber than I thought. I’ve started watching the games on mute, and certainly don’t watch any pre or post-game coverage.
Um, is everything going to stop going bad soon?
I’d like to see a (totally subjective, anecdotal, but somehow consensus-driven) list of MLB television announcing crews ranked from best to worst. I loathe the Carey and Simpson partnership, as well as most any other iteration of idiots the Braves put up there, but I have much more exposure to them than I do to others.* Does such a list exist?
I would think that generating such a list is a perfect interwebs activity.
*I could tolerate, though hardly cheer, a Simpson-Glavine duo.
I haven’t been subjected to Gant or Jordan, nor have I had too much exposure to Glavine, so I can’t comment on them.
However, I gotta say I really like Joe Simpson. I know a bunch of folks around here seem to let him under their skin but I can’t relate. He’s got a bizarre sense of humor that I like. If anything, repeated exposure to Chip Caray over the last few years has to have taken its toll on him.
As a regular Braves Radio listener, I am very satisfied with Don Sutton and Jim Powell. I also like Ben Ingram when he pinch hits for Powell. And I really look forward to the times the Lemmer is in the booth, for the “it’s so bad it’s good” quality he brings. Baseball broadcasts are part baseball/part entertainment. And Lemke entertains me.
Growing up with Skip, Pete and Ernie, I am very spoiled. Nothing is likely to ever be as good as them and I’m resigned to that.
As for other announcers, I’ve been living without cable or TV for the last six years, so I’m as rusty as Scotty Linestink. But here’s my shortlist of announcer analysis:
HATE
Tim McCarver
Ken Harrelson
Steve Stone
Buck Martinez
LIKE AND/OR LOVE
Vin Scully
Gary Thorne
Joe Garagiola
Dick Enberg
Sean McDonough
HATE TO LIKE
Bobby Valentine (boy do I hate to like this guy)
HATE TO HATE
Joe Morgan (Favorite player, horrible announcer)
USED TO LIKE BUT NOW AM ANNOYED BY
Jon Miller (probably a victim of the Simpson/Caray effect: good announcer undone by terrible partner)
Oregon State’s punter punted for -4 yards.
What will it take to make the Braves Scott Free?
I’ll second John @ 11, re: Joe Simpson. Joe’s not that bad. He’s not an Omega class talent, certainly. Probably would get wiped out on M-Day, but he’s not the worst of all possible options by far. I mean, he’s not Chip. Chip is worse than Scrappy-Doo.
Joe has been pulled down by Scrappy this season, because he’s best when he’s the voice of traditional thinking. Joe was at his absolute best when paired with Boog Sciambi, with Boog playing the role of play-by-play and stat-nerd, and Joe being the “former player analyst that brings some of the game’s grit to the broadcast.” The problem with Chip/Joe is that Chip is a terrible play-by-play guy, and he covers that by regurgitating conventional wisdom and cliche. That makes Joe’s more nuanced conventional analysis a little redundant. Replace Chip with a pxp guy that doesn’t have those weaknesses and Joe’s a good analyst for the regional networks.
Jordan and Gant are too stiff and uncomfortable on air. They can mask that in the studio set-pieces, somewhat, but not in the live telecasts.
I’m shocked Mark Lemke survived past childhood, because he can’t communicate even the most basic of ideas to another human being through vocalized speech.
What will it take to make the Braves Scott Free?
He’ll probably stick through the end of the year, although the only reason he’d make the playoffs roster is if Fredi determines for some strategic reason he needs to lose a game, Linebrink’s the obvious choice.
This is Emma’s appeal. I think I should reinstate him under a zero-tolerance policy.
I don’t.
@14 I’ll buy that.
@16 It’s your show. I’m a softie and generally find it productive to show forgiveness, if only because most people often do redeem themselves. But: a general rule is just that. Some cases are un-redeemable. I suspect this is one of them, though with a zero-tolerance policy there’s nothing really to lose by reinstatement.
16: Your show, your rules. I own and admin another popular message board and an unqualified “I’m sorry and won’t do it again” response from someone I’ve warned or banned goes a long way with me.
I’m shocked Mark Lemke survived past childhood, because he can’t communicate even the most basic of ideas to another human being through vocalized speech.
Mark Lemke may have been born with a baseball glove in his mouth, but he darn sure took that glove out of his mouth and did something productive with it! I’ll not hear such disrespect about the Lemmer!!!
I say let him back, but I’ve never been the target of any of his shenanigans.
Your call, Mac. Zero tolerance is really easy and quick to enforce.
I’ve never been a fan of letting the cheating, alcoholic, lying husband back in the house, even if he says he won’t do it again. People will always revert to their normal behavior; I say he breaks the zero tolerance within a day.
Your blog, Mac.
Any baseball broadcaster hate list is incomplete without Rich Waltz.
I say he breaks the zero tolerance within a day.
Contest, contest, contest!
/thunderdome
Auburn with the squeaker.
I didn’t think Auburn games could get more entertaining after Cam Newton left. I was wrong.
wow just wow. Wilson and his .276 OBP in the 2-hole. 1. Bourn CF, 2. Wilson SS, 3. McCann C, 4. Uggla 2B, 5. Diaz LF, 6. Freeman 1B, 7. Prado 3B, 8. Heyward RF, 9. Lowe P
Who should be batting second in that lineup?
Of special note is J-Hey in there against the lefty.
Batting Wilson in the 2-hole is either a message to Prado to get his act together or evidence that Fredi learned nothing from batting A-Gon in the 2-hole earlier this year.
Sam… I know you love Fredi, but please. Jack should hit 8th, maybe 9th. An ideal lineup, assuming Chipper is getting a day of rest, would be something like this:
1. Bourne
2. Freeman
3. McCann
4. Uggla
5. Diaz
6. Heyward
7. Prado
8. Wilson
9. Lowe
but NOOOOOOO, whenever Fredi gets confused he automatically reverts to putting the shortstop in the 2 hole.
@29
Not the player with the worst OBP that’s for sure.
@29 Seriously? No, nobody should treat that query seriously. Forget it.
Wilson’s got a .259/.284/.543 (OBP/SLG/OPS) line vs. lefties this year, and is probably inherently less talented than that. So, I’d take Prado’s .333/.357/.690 line vs. lefties, or McCann, or Uggla, or Diaz’s .357/.376/.733, or Freeman’s .311/.415/.726, or Heyward’s .264/.303/.576 line against lefties (which is somewhat surprisingly better than Wilson’s).
Not only does every batter that’s batting after Wilson much more talented than him, but is also having a better year against lefties than him. So, to answer your question, Sam, I’d take anybody in our lineup batting second over Wilson.
This Isiah Crowell kid is going to be great.
Hard to have 2 crazier games than what Auburn’s given us so far.
Wilson batting 2nd? It’s bunting time!
Go Dawgs.
Who should be batting second in that lineup?
I’d put Prado there unless, like I suggested earlier, there’s some sort of psy-ops campaign underfoot to get him to hit better. Otherwise, I’d put Freeman or Diaz there. I know those guys are lumbering loggerheads around the basepaths, but McCann and Uggla hitting behind them aren’t so fast anyway so you’ve gotta consign yourself to station-station anyway. Better that than Wilson, who won’t even be getting on base in order to clog them up.
I really think we need to pile on this act of Frediocy and Sam’s requisite apologetics, if only to guarantee Wilson will go 3 for 3 with a triple, 2 doubles, and 2 walks.
Just a quick word for the LOLMets trio of Cohen, Darling and Hernandez. I think they do a great job on the baseball stuff, and they’re reasonably amusing on the many occasions when the Mets have turned a baseball game into boredom. Their main failing is a propensity to tell anecdotes about the late-80’s Mets that Keith and Ron played for — anecdotes that get tiring. But when they’re doing baseball I think they’re quite good… and Cohen is so much better than Chip it’s really, really embarassing.
He doesn’t do it anymore, but Gary Cohen was one of the great baseball radio announcers. I also really like Howie Rose, who took over when Cohen went to Mets TV.
It’s just a couple of weeks of biased observations, but there seems to be even more helmets flying off player’s heads this season than last.
Who should be batting second in that lineup?
Well it stands to reason that since our offense is struggling, we ought to play for an early run and try to hang on for dear life, relying on our three key bullpen pitchers who really haven’t pitched all that much. And if the other team ties it somehow, we can go to
ProctorLinebrink.Lowe is gonna make the lineup moot, anyway. Nobody is hitting that well, and the pitching has been more iffy lately. So… yeah.
So here’s a potential poll, Mac. What’s Chip’s most annoying feature?
(a) His inability to tell the difference between a line drive and a fly ball.
(b) The phrase “our game.”
(c) His notion that baseball is mostly about speed.
(d) The fact that any time the potential tying or go ahead run comes to the plate he has to mention how the score would change if a homerun is hit — thereby undercutting the notion that the game has anything to do with speed.
(e) The fact that he thinks he’s funny
(f) The fact that his employment comes only from multigenerational nepotism, simultaneously undecutting meritocracy and Darwinism.
(g) A predisposition to see only success in new players coming up.
Those are my big ones. Any other thoughts?
(i) His offspring entering Braves broadcasting.
(h [since desert decided to skip it]) The fact that anytime an opposing runner reaches first with less than 2 out, he feels compelled to mention that a double play has been set up.
(j) His laugh.
(k) He says the word ‘club’ too much, when referring to teams/organizations. I don’t know, it bothers me.
(l) His use of the word ‘ironic’, which I do not ever recall him using correctly
(m) His puns
(n) The growl that’s part of his voice inflection while making nearly every call – whether pitch thrown or ball put in play.
If he had a mellifluous voice, like Ernie Johnson or Vin Scully (to name two greats), or was endearingly clumsy (like the Lemmer), most of A through I would be tenable.
But that growl. It’s so phony, so affected, it really takes me out of the game.
So I vote “N” !
Big D’s “J” kinda fits in with my “N.” Both of them are just lethal upon my ears. It’s hard for me to endure for very long.
(o): “line drive, base hit. Out there…”
I count (m) as a subset of (e) although his condescending and terrible imitations of his father and grandfather are even worse than his puns. And of course it feeds into (f) the fact that his father was fond of puns and was actually funny.
p: His inability to understand any statistics other than batting average, home runs, RBIs, and pitching W/L record. And his unwillingness to try.
braves14: you left off the three most important stats: steals, sacrifices, and “productive outs” (which isn’t even a stat)
Win please.
We have a crappy offense right now. Just good enough to put people on base, just lousy enough to leave them there.
Talk about a ‘Prado’.
Derek Lowe cannot be an Atlanta Brave next year.
I dont care if they pay him to stay away but Delgado, Minor, Teheran or medlen or anyone else can take his spot and be better or at least a work in progress.
Lowe is just awful in every way a pitcher can be awful.
Apparently that single by Heyward was actually a groundball towards Pujols that was an obvious error.
Didn’t see it, but Jim Powell was bewildered by the scoring decision.
Missed this. I knew EOF hit him in the head, but didn’t know Utley got a concussion:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6953162/chase-utley-philadelphia-phillies-cleared-exercise-concussion
Someone tell the Braves hitters that they do not have a plane to catch. Might as well take a pitch, stick around for awhile.
3 Pitches, 3 outs. Nice work boys
Hunker down!
A 4 pitch inning, congrats for making him throw that extra pitch.
Was it three? Thought it was 4.
Fucking Lame Cocks
Hard to imagine Richt surviving this mistake-fest. Too bad, too, because if the Dawgs were in any way disciplined they’d be a good team. Maybe he can stay on and help recruit.
No onside. Just kick it with the 3 TOs
Lowe blows. Braves are going to miss the playoffs
Looks like an onside
I think he’s doing this intentionally and it pisses me off
See ya Richt!
4 runs and a Molina steals a base. Talk about adding insult to injury.
This bLowes…
Kid can hit.
Go Cocks! That was too close.
3 Pitches, 3 outs. Nice work boys
It was 4 pitches, not 3. The Brave were 33% more patient than you described them to be, so you owe them an apology.
We need four runs to tie, so we decide to settle for 2… I’m sick of this settling
Nice to have that automatic out hitting 2nd
BMac!
Once again.. we need 2 runs to tie it… we score… ONE…. this is so stupid
I know the thinking is to let Lowe pitch 6-7 to “save the bullpen”, but doing that is probably going to result in him killing the comeback.
Lame Cocks
i shouldn’t have capitalized
@73 Yup, mea culpa. I constantly underestimate the Braves.
SCREW THE COCKS… it’s all about the HEELS!!!
Gotta give major props to DLowe…. bearing down and keeping the game close.. if only we could give him some run support
It’s the Braves. 3 runs is plenty of run support for them.
We’ve got 6 outs to save our season. I’m not optimistic
Nice work, A-Var!
Heyward has got to hit a home run here. If he wants to be on this team beyond this year, he needs to show it!
So…five game lead in loss column.
Season over. I’m fucking sick of this shit.
Recapped.