Game 31 Recap: Braves 4, Phillies 2
by gondeee on May 10, 2009 3:42 PM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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PrintI'm gonna say it. I hope I don't jinx the team, but I think things are starting to turn around. No cooincidence that we got Brian McCann back, but some other guys are starting to get it going here in May.
Kenshin Kawakami had his best start of the year, even though he continued to struggle with the walks. It was great to see him muscle his way out of some jams with some key strikeouts.
Casey Kotchman had some big hits and drove in 3 of the 4 runs on the day. He's been terrific lately and is a big part of the team's turnaround.
Bobby used Mike Gonzalez to get the Phillies middle-of-the-order-lefties out in the eighth and Rafael Soriano to get the save in the ninth -- way to go with the matchups.
These last few wins have been good wins, not cheap ones, but hard earned wins. That's two series wins in a row and that's all I ask -- win every series. We'll have our work cut out for us in New York tomorrow.
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I agree that the team seems to be coming together
But what sucks is that the offense has to go up against the best pitcher in baseball tomorrow. I read somewhere that Kelly, Matt and Chipper have been the toughest on Santana in the past (somewhere in the .460 range I read), but I can’t say I feel totally confident in the Braves chances of winning. Then throw in the fact that Lowe has pitched more like a #3 than the ace we signed him to be, it could be an ugly game for Brave’s fans to watch.
Lets hope that I’m wrong though.
btw did I say what a good series win this was? =)
how has Lowe pitched like a #3???
he has had 2 games with rain delays.
His GB/FB ratio is awesome.
He is what we thought he was.
Penis
by justincredubil02 on May 10, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
But when compared to how JJ and Javy have pitched so far, I think he’s been the team’s 3rd best starter to this point.
Lowe has been much better than javy and jj.
Derek Lowe – 4-1, 3.98 ERA, 2 HR, 17 BB, 33 Ks, 1.271 WHIP, 108 ERA+
JV – 2-3, 4.19 ERA, 4 HR, 11 BB, 50 Ks, 1.267 WHIP, 102 ERA+
JJ – 3-2, 2.01 ERA, 3 HR, 16 BB, 20 Ks, 1.190 WHIP, 213 ERA+
At first glance, it looks like JJ is the better of the 3, but when you look closer, you see his ERA is a little misleading based on his other stats. He has a far inferior BB:K ratio and his ERA+ is much much higher than JV or D Lowe.
Lowe has the best numbers across the board. Take away JV’s “WTF was THAT inning?” and he is the best. But, the reality is that JV does have those innings.
But, this is like debating who’s richer, Bill Gates or Ted Turner – in the end it doesnt matter because they are all freaking awesome.
Penis
by justincredubil02 on May 10, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
They are who we thought they were, and we let em off the hook.
If Dunn walks 30 fewer times, he'll drive in 15 more runs. This is thanks to the scientifically proven formula: RBI = (this is nonsense) (I made it all up).
Here's a stat: Wins as manager: Dusty Baker, 1,162; Bill James, 0.
Right up the ass, Victorino
And no, I haven’t forgotten about you, J Roll. You totally sucked, too.
lol, Now that’s what I call a ‘W’
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews ~ RIP Roi
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on May 10, 2009 3:57 PM EDT reply actions
KJ is hitting .429 against Johan in 14 PA …
Odd that Bobby benches him because he thinks Kelly can’t hit LHP?
KJ is hitting.429 against Johan in 14 PA…
Odd that Bobby benches him because he thinks Kelly can’t hit LHP?
Yeah, but Kelly hits .019 against most other pitchers in baseball so far this season.
AB: Jordan Schafer
Pitching: ANY pitcher in MLB
Pitch Summary:
1. FB (89mph): Swinging Strike
2. FB (91mph): Swinging Strike
3. FB (90mph): Swinging Strike
JORDAN SCHAFER STRIKES OUT SWINGING.
by Scott Coleman on May 11, 2009 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Actually...
I heard Bobby admit on the radio the other day that Kelly hits lefties really well. There must be some other reason…
"If I had a little humility, I would be perfect" - Ted Turner
Team’s looked good. The bullpen that everyone was moaning about after one week has turned into a very sharp looking unit.
The Phillies, with their bats, are going to be tough to beat in that ball park. However, I think they have some major issues with their rotation. The Braves left a lot of runs out there today.
Might take a lump tomorrow night. The prospect of facing Santana, Putz, and Rodriguez is a bit unnerving. Hopefully we can get runs early and force someone not named Carlos Beltran to beat us.
Sweet
Hope springs eternal. The Braves have been frustrating to say the least. Taking the series @ the beginning of the season & today, both in Philadelphia, is priceless. Rollins choking & spanking Lidge is a beautiful thing to see.Encouraged to see the run production creeping up. Even in their recent losses. It’s better than only getting one or two runs a game. I’m pumped. If the Braves can overcome Santana tomorrow night, that type of momentum may take them a long way.
Sucks that once McCann gets back into the lineup, Chipper appears to be headed for some time off. Should have been expected I guess.
Great management by Cox today. Bullpen was sharp. I was very happy to see Kotchman and Norton play big roles on Mother’s Day.
I’ll be the first to admit FUGA has been playing more like TUGA (“Thank you Garrett Anderson”)
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."
by Bravely going forward on May 10, 2009 8:29 PM EDT reply actions
Time for we as fans to take a step back and quit riding these guys so much. Anderson has been an all-star calibre player his whole career. It isn’t as though he forgot how to play the game.
Today’s lineup was a good thing to watch. I just wish we had a right handed bat in there somewhere.
We left 12 men on base. How is that a good thing to watch? It was goddamn painful.
"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?"
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club. PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!
(We really didn’t deserve to win. I remember thinking that. But we pulled it off at the last minute. Literally. Ken K almost got into a huge jam. But hey, we actually came thru. Maybe this could start something….)
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews ~ RIP Roi
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on May 10, 2009 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Time for we as fans to take a step back and quit riding these guys so much. Anderson has been an all-star calibre player his whole career. It isn’t as though he forgot how to play the game.
Yeah, he played well today…but his last 5 games coming into today he’s only 7 for 43 with 4 walks and a .405 OPS. Not good at all. He does have a .179 BABIP, so hopefully better things are on the horizon.
by Smoltz's Beard on May 10, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Anderson has been an all-star calibre player his whole career. It isn’t as though he forgot how to play the game.
Really? He’s had 3 or 4 good seasons in his career, otherwise he’s pretty much been an average player (considering his position) for the bulk of his career. And he’s been a below average player in 3 or his last 4 seasons and he isn’t getting any younger.
If there was ever a time to first pitch swing...
It is tomorrow versus Santana. I remember when we beat him last year, Chipper said that getting that first pitch fastball against Santana is crucial. Chipper said that this method was so effective because getting deep in counts with Johan doesn’t end well for pretty much anyone (Just ask his 50+ strike out victims)." So my advice to the braves is to swing away and look for a pitch to hit because you won’t be getting many from Santana.
SubParr
might be just me but 1st time in a long time that ive seen the braves looking like they have unity out there….playing as a team….it was awesome….i love how kotchman threw his pink bat down at the ground after he popped up with a RISP….not because he popped up but because he showed emotion….something to rally behind….
good for you fkn victorino, and fkn jro….
'09 NL East: 1.Braves 2.Phils 3.Mets 4.Marlins 5. Nats
by lemke2blauser2bream on May 10, 2009 10:32 PM EDT reply actions
Kenshin
He is known as pitcher with good location and less walks with my Dragons, he might be still struggling with slippy MLB baseball….
by dragonsfanatic on May 10, 2009 10:35 PM EDT reply actions
That has been mentioned before.
And I think you might be right. Has anyone else noticed how much he paces around the mound after almost every pitch, constantly rubbing the ball down.?
But when compared to how JJ and Javy have pitched so far, I think he’s been the team’s 3rd best starter to this point.
schedule blessings
We have the obvious crucial series with the Mutts tomorrow, and we really need to win it like we pulled of in Philly. But the look ahead is a bunch of teams that “on paper” our Bravos should be able to beat. Arizona, Colorado, Toronto (ok they are good), SF should be a hard series, and AZ again. If we can pull out wins in all of these series’, with maybe the exception of Toronto, we could be in serious good shape by the start of June.
Here’s to our pitchers pulling together and becoming a TEAM!!!
all of this sounds promising and all...
but what if Chipper is hurt yet again and has to go to the DL? THen what? This lineup NEEDS everyone in it to have a chance, along with contributions from the bench. If we keep losing one guy at a time all year and never get the whole team together, this could look alot like 2007 (we FINALLY got everyone healthy and were playing good baseball after we got Tex, but Renteria and McCann both got hurt within a week and we sucked the last 2 months.)
AB: Jordan Schafer
Pitching: ANY pitcher in MLB
Pitch Summary:
1. FB (89mph): Swinging Strike
2. FB (91mph): Swinging Strike
3. FB (90mph): Swinging Strike
JORDAN SCHAFER STRIKES OUT SWINGING.
Chipper
Hasn’t been doing anything lately. In his last 10 games, he’s 7 for 34 (Mendoza line!), with two XBH — 1 a meaningless solo shot in a game we were down big in, and the other a double. 3 RBI’s in that span, one of which was himself via the HR. GA, who everyone hates, had more production than that last weekend. Oh, and now his elbow is “jacked up”. In his defense, his OBP is basically the same (.420-ish), which could indicate pitching around him or just taking a walk, since he knows he can’t hit for power, at all.
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