Open Thread and NAHWAL: Braves at Reds (8/23)

Today's Starting Pitchers

Buddy Carlyle Braves vs.  Elizardo Ramirez Reds 7-5 W-L 0-1 4.66 ERA 3.86 55 SO 2 22 BB 1 13 HR 1 vs. Reds -- vs. Braves

Game Time: 7:10 on

Well. At least we're not the Orioles?

It's starting to feel like 2006, and here's a good indicator: Chipper and company have retired from doing postseason probability quotes. Who got stuck with the job when we began falling out of the races last year? The same guy who did them all last night:

"There's no more 'we'll get 'em tomorrow,' " said Brian McCann, who homered early but was left on deck to end the game as Mark Teixeira struck out on a questionable pitch. "That's out of the window. We have to start playing better. That's the bottom line. If we want to get to the postseason where everybody wants to be, we're going to have to start playing better baseball."

Sound familiar? Poor Heap was captain of the "we have to start" press in the dark days around this time last year (okay, maybe a month earlier; I think we were pretty much dead in the water this time last year). Losing Rent again on the first pitch was just demoralizing, and then . . . well, I don't even have a clear memory of the rest of the game. Heap homered, made an error, Andruw homered, Cormier actually looked good, and then suddenly it was the ninth inning and Teixeira was having a well-earned fit. The umpires better not risk pulling any of that crap with him in the game tonight - remember the Alamo, ya bastards.