Game 1 Recap: Braves 4, Phillies 1
by gondeee on Apr 5, 2009 10:48 PM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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PrintDerek Lowe began his career with the Atlanta Braves by proving that he is indeed an ace on the mound. Lowe held the defending World Series Champion Phillies scoreless through 8 innings of 2-hit ball. He had the slider working, getting 13 ground outs against 7 fly balls and 4 strikeouts. Lowe was in total command on the mound, as the Phillies batters looked completely fooled.
The Braves got off to a good start in the batters box with a mammoth 2-out, 2-run homerun from Brian McCann in the first inning. Jeff Francoeur opened up the second inning with laser-shot homerun on the first pitch. But the real offensive star of the night for Atlanta was the rookie Jordan Schafer. The new Braves center fielder became the first Braves rookie to hit a homerun in his first major league at-bat since Jermaine Dye in 1996. Schafer followed that up with a single in his second at-bat, and was intentionally walked in his third plate appearance, before striking out against the Phillies closer in his final plate appearance. Overall it was a great debut for the young rookie who we expect so much out of this year.
While the Braves were able to put 4 runs and 8 hits on the board, they did strike out 10 times, and only collected an intentional walk. They used an aggressive approach at the plate, which served them well with the early homeruns, but failed them when they got several runners on base in the middle innings.
Closer Mike Gonzalez in a non-save situation made the ninth inning interesting by allowing 2 hits and a walk before striking out Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez to end the game. He did spoil the shutout by allowing one run. It seemed like an odd move to bring in the lefty closer to face three right-handers to lead off the inning. It would have made more sense to put Soriano in that position, reserving Gonzalez for the lefties in the middle of the order.
But a win's a win. Off-day on Monday, and then Jair Jurrjens takes the mound on Tuesday.
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I just wanna point out...
A shame that nobody picked LoganSchafer to click tonight.
by !Vive la Francoeur! on Apr 5, 2009 11:01 PM EDT reply actions
Logan Shaver.
"The mystic chords of fandom, stretching from every trade and signing to every active account and guest all over this broadband, will yet swell the chorus of union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature". ~ Abraham Lincoln-ish
"The tree of victory must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of quarterbacks and coaches". ~ Thomas Jefferson-ish
Absurd. He said it over and over. Even at one point got it right then immediately reverted back to saying “Logan”.
"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism,
but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism,
until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism." --Nikita Khrushchev
by jeg on Apr 6, 2009 8:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I will point out that there is a Logan Schafer who’s an OF in Milwakee’s system. It doesn’t make Joe Morgan any less of a moron, but at least he’s not a figment of his deranged mind.
"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com
yeah, i posted it in the thread last night, but that thing was moving so fast it probably got lost in the shuffle, or nobody cared. He’s with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Class A team. But i could see how you could could mix his name up with someone whose actually in the major leagues….
"Ohhhh shit"-Bobby Cox
I wonder
if the aggressive approach was just for tonight, being all jacked up to be playing the WS champion Phils, or if this will be a recurrent happening. It worked to pwn Myers and get him all shook up, but if we were up against Hamels, I don’t know well it will work.
"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"
I know. To me, the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. If the Braves would have had a few more timely hits, they could have scored at least 6 or 7.
by dunnytwogloves on Apr 6, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I heard a clip from McCann this morning on radio, and he said that their gameplan was to be aggressive early against Myers, thinking once he gets settled in he is pretty good. Well, that pretty much was true to form, and it worked. But yeah, i was especially not thrilled when Esco led off with a double, and Chipper, Heap, and G. Anderson couldn’t even move him to third.
"Ohhhh shit"-Bobby Cox
my favorite part of the evening...
was when the jackass ESPN announcer was talking about how the Braves didn’t hit many HRs last year and that they wouldn’t be able to rely on the long ball to win games for them. 6 batters later the Braves had put 3 of ‘em over the fence. ESPN game announcers are the most generic, don’t know shit, shit talkers around.
Great game. I am a little surprised that Jair will be starting game two instead of Vasquez but I guess he earned it with the way he pitched last year in Atlanta.
Yeah...
I thought for sure Vazquez would be the #2 starter, but I guess that distinction only matters in the first series or so. That said, I think it’ll give teams fits to have to face his power stuff followed by Kawakami’s more finesse approach.
"The mystic chords of fandom, stretching from every trade and signing to every active account and guest all over this broadband, will yet swell the chorus of union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature". ~ Abraham Lincoln-ish
"The tree of victory must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of quarterbacks and coaches". ~ Thomas Jefferson-ish
MLB.TV
Can someone please fill me in on the MLB.TV online package please? I’m in Kansas City and the Braves are almost never on tv here so I am thinking about purchasing the online MLB.TV package. Are the games shown full screen or do i have to look at a tiny broadcast? Is the premium package that much better than the regular package? I have a 720P HD monitor but are there enough HD games available to justify the extra expense? Is the the picture quality for the regular package pretty good? I would appreciate any answers you guys can give me. My wife will hate on me for spending the extra $ but I can’t stand another season without seeing my Braves on a nightly basis.
I have never had it
but I bought it for the first month only this year. If you want you can buy the first month for 20 bucks and see if you like it or not
Directv and
Comcast also offer packages that allow you to see out of town games
"I know what I'm having 'em put on my tombstone: 'I have nothing more to say'"
-Ted Turner
Supposedly all the games are offered in HD this year…the only games you WON’T get are nationally televised stuff (FOX, ESPN, TBS), and since you’re in KC, Royals games. They’re doing a deal of $110 for the year in the premium feed (which I recommend) or 20 bucks a month (which I did). This year, they’re using a flash player. I’ve only watched one inning on it, but it seems pretty nice so far
SWAGGA LIKE...Jordan!?
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club
I was feeling a W all day
Props to Chip, Frenchy, Mac, and Yunel (if it hadn’t been for that dumbass fan, Yunel would have gone deep as well).
And those all-blue batting helmets complimented the navy-away uni’s very well. Those are pimp. Can’t wait for Tuesday and Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!
The Bravos are back!!
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 8:51 AM EDT reply actions
yeah defininitely
loved the new helmets, couldnt get over it
by McGriff the Crime Dog on Apr 6, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Fantastic
Lowe was simply dominant. Maddux-like.
Looks like Logan Shaver is the real deal, too. And there’s hope for FYF!
"The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw."
Very nice start to the season
Its nice to be excited about the Braves again. Here’s to hoping it lasts!!
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Like many others, I ran the gauntlet of emotions for this game, from the highs of the early homers to the ucler-inducing bottom of the ninth. I just finished reading the massive game thread (almost 1200 posts? Good Lord!) and I know many of you felt the same way. It would have been devastating to lose that game, and it always feels good to start with a win.
Most importantly: baseball is BACK, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
"People need help, and you know how to help them."
What was Lowe’s pitch count? Any reason he couldn’t have pitched a complete game? I’m a little disappointed Bobby didn’t keep him in there.
Plus Gonzo needs "real time".....ummmm.....simulation.
He doesn’t get enough ‘hardcore’ playing time in spring training. He wanted the 9th. And he got it back, and pwned as usual.
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
he never does, and I was surprised he let him get 97 pitches to be honest. I think he just realized that he was too good to pull.
"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"
by jug on Apr 6, 2009 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions
BRAVES WIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go guys. Now if we can only win with JJ Tuesday.
robert warren
Great win but ...
Great win and am excited for this team but does anyone else feel that Kelly looks uncomfortable (again) leading off. Kelly is a great hitter but not a lead off guy. I realize that Bobby wanted Schafer to relax and not feel the pressure but we need Johnson to be a run producer. Maybe we will see Jordan as he gets more comfortable with his new situation.
I know that it can only be Johnson, Escobar or Schafer leading off but Johnson needs to move down in the lineup.
by Fortune favors the brave(s) on Apr 6, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions
Kelly goes through spells
I really don’t think he cares where he hits
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Joe and Boog asked him about it during one of the games in Florida, and he was like “i don’t care where i hit”, then they asked about leadoff, and he kinda shrugged like it was his least favorite spot. I’m sure his real least favorite spot is on the bench against lefties.
"Ohhhh shit"-Bobby Cox
Apart from the entire Braves club being underrated in the eyes of the media this year...
Kelly is one of those guys that flies under the radar. He doesn’t have dreadlocks. He isn’t outspoken. He’s not an attention hog. And these are all qualities that Braves players have. It may take a few games, but when Kelly gets hot, forget about it…..Just put him in the line-up somewhere.
And if he goes through one of his cold spells, which will happen……………Prado. I really think this team is going to click this year. And next year as well. Basically, I’m very excited.
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
good point! but shrugging says a lot. Hope he can adjust because I think he is a great ball player.
by Fortune favors the brave(s) on Apr 6, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
was it just me?
or did you guys think, “here we go again” after the first 2 batters. Kelly Johnson pops out and Yunel grounds out. But then, Chipper showed off why he is the best hitter ever and slapped a single to left. And then, McCann unloads on Brett Myers! I jumped out of my seat and started running around my house. Yesterday was a good day.
Last year, we lose 1-0 to the Nats on opening night and it became the theme of the season, losing 1 run games and the bullpen blowing it.
This year, I’d like to believe the same thing will happen after last nights game. Although it wasn’t pretty after the first couple innings, at the end of the day, the Braves took an early lead and shut the door on the opponent.
Joined the Draft Percy Harvin Bandwagon!
really? this would be more fun if i knew what creeped you out
looks like the Japanese version btw
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
glorious…nursing a hangover with some pizza
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Very nice, watching the Mets Muts??
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
Just watched Wright get thrown out at home. It’s so awesome watching real meaningful baseball again.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
yes sir, flipping to the Rangers/Indians game during the commercials.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
You have the package through your cable company?
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
indeed…so worth it for someone not living in atl
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Good man. Looks like Milwood has been solid, his pitch count is kind of high, but solid-none-the-less. The new look of Gameday on mlb.com is nice. Still has the good old, “in play, out(s).”
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
haha, the most viewed phrase of most of my work days
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Especially when FYF came up last season with men on base.
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
Manny Acosta vs. Marlins
in play, run(s)
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Are you off work today too??
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
If I'm posting
I’m usually at work. I loathe computers when i’m not forced to be in front of one. That’s why I hardly post during non-work hours in the off-season.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
That was impressive. I wonder how many will be put up during game 2.
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
I'm a little sad.
I spent all last night driving from Austin, TX to Norman, OK.
Caught the last inning of the game, but it just wasn’t the same without the open thread.
Anyone know what that one new comment on the Game Thread is? I’m not opening that behemoth again.
"Ohhhh shit"-Bobby Cox
ok just watched the game on tivo
and Gonzalez freakin scares me!! It was NOT a pretty 9th… he better find his control fast
lol
He found it right there at the end. He needed some more work. Gonzo is never “on” in spring training. I wasn’t that worried. He finished it solid.
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Anybody watching the Dbacks game...
Jeez!
best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)
No
but I say Felipe Lopez had 2 HRs. I drafted him as one of my last picks because I needed a guy that can fill in multiple positions. Since B.J. Upton is on the bench, Felipe got the nod. I might have to leave him in. Granted, it was in Colorado against Aaron Cook, but hey…
"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"
by jug on Apr 6, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
*saw…
"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"
by jug on Apr 6, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I drafted Tony Clark in MLB 2K8 and he was a lock for pinch hit HRs all the time. I’ve been quite fond of him since.
With those who don't give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I know.
With those who don't give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 6, 2009 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
The Orioles are pwning the Yanks on espn. Go O's!!!!!!
I might watch the Cubs/Astros game tonite, too. Just to have a look.
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 6, 2009 6:30 PM EDT reply actions
For Justin...
AD: 2/4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI
GA: 1/4
With those who don't give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them.
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