Game 81 Recap: Braves 3, Nationals 5
by gondeee on Jul 6, 2009 8:22 AM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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PrintJust when you think you're going good, you sweep the team at the top of the division, you're about to play three against the team at the bottom of the division, and wham! You lose two of three to the worst team in baseball. Such is this season for the Atlanta Braves.
Our ace worst starting pitcher, Derek Lowe, was on the mound, but not for long. He continues to struggle, and I feel bad for the announcers trying to be apologists for what is wrong with him. This time it was Joe Simpson saying he didn't think Lowe had his slider working today. Last time it was that he couldn't get his sinker to sink. Whatever.
The offense came on too little too late. Nate McLouth thumped a 2-out, 2-run homerun in the ninth, then Prado and Jones got on only to see Brian McCann ground out. Martin Prado went 4-for-4, with 2 doubles, as he and Matt Diaz (2-for-4) both stayed hot.
Tough game, made tougher by pinch-hitting Jeff Francoeur in a critical run-scoring situation in the seventh. The result? He swung at the first pitch and hit a weak fly ball, leaving 2 men on base.
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ugh.
This is why i held my excitement to minimal levels after the sweep of the Phillies. This bruise on my forehead will never go away if they don’t quit making me bang my head against the desk.
"Ohhhh Shit."-Bobby Cox, 3/28/09
ut hum 10-4,
perhaps you should step away from the computer…or sooner or later it will leave a mark.
"Well behaved women rarely make history" ~ Laurel Ulrich
As usual...
I missed all five of the recent wins and was all set to enjoy Hanson/Lowe dominate this weekend. Watched all of Saturday’s game (grrrrr) and couldn’t stomach anything past the 8th Sunday.
I sure wish I could sit down and watch a W from beginning to end.
And I have to say, the Braves made the Nats look like anything but the worst team in baseball. I was hoping their BP would implode just like Gonzo ours did Saturday but alas.
"The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw."
Let's face it this team is a below .500 team ...
with potential to play well against the best in MLB. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like the Braves will themselves to be right about .480-.490 record. They look at the standings and say, “hey, we can’t win these games because we might get above .500”.
Man, that optimism went down the drain really quick.
Baseball is a marathon, people. You’ll do much better by not getting too high on wins and too low on losses.
As I see it, we still need that full time bat in RF to replace Frenchy; nothing has changed. Diaz and Anderson work perfectly in a platoon, but I don’t think they will sustain their performances, especially against their respected handedness (Diaz vs. RH and Anderson vs. LH). We also need more players in the bullpen to step it up besides Gonzo and Soriano, who have been brilliant (Sat notwithstanding; I blame half that move on Bobby). Acosta, Medlen, Bennett, and especially Moylan need to step it up so Bobby can get confidence in them, and in turn, stop overusing our two end of the pen options.
Agree...
people need to chill. This is not football, folks.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Same as '06, '07, '08
It should be a Wiki….Braves: An inconsistent team that more-or-less plays to the level of their competition, but not well enough to succeed down the road.
We can hang with the Red Sox, sweep the Phillies, and then lose to the Nats. Nothing new here.
And WHY was FYF batting with 2 on, 2 out in the 7th? Did Bobby completely forget how this guy flails at anything he sees?
I wanted to vomit when he swung at the first pitch.
by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Jul 6, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know how Frenchy continues biting on the first pitch, but I guess it doesn’t matter which pitch he actually swings and hits. He has such a huge hole in his swing that if it had been the fourth pitch in the at bat and it was right down the middle the results would have been the same.
Frenchy up to bat in general makes me want to vomit now. How can this guy not fix his swing?
At this point, I would be begging Bobby to send me down to work on some new approaches. Does FYF not realize that he’ll be out of MLB for good if he doesn’t start performing?
I say..
…it’s all part of the plan. Bobby knew he would fail. He’s going soon and this helps.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Grassy Knoll at the Ted? :-)
I don’t see Bobby sabotaging a game, especially one that was so winnable, to make a point or to prove ineffectiveness in FYF…..after all, FYF will do that in most situations on his own.
More likely (IMHO) Bobby was trying to give the kid another chance…..I like Bobby, but the grandfatherly kindness bit is wearing thin when we’re not producing.
why did FYF pinch-hit ugh
by Heyward is the next crime dog on Jul 6, 2009 11:03 AM EDT reply actions
My theory to this is that Bobby wanted to give Frenchy a huge confidence boost. He was hoping Frenchy could come threw in a big spot and help the team, but of course Frenchy proves that he sucks at life. All hope is lost.
Baseball is my life
I understand Francouer is a big proponent of the first pitch fastball, but just about every coach from high school up tells you that in a big spot, force the pitcher to make a good pitch. You just have to make a productive out in that situation. Fouling out on the first pitch would get you benched in a high school game.
I wish we would just release him
by Heyward is the next crime dog on Jul 6, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
You are right...
He had been on the bench for two days. It was a big spot, Cox probably thought that if he came through that it would work wonders for him. He failed, as he has all year (and last). It is time to demote him. I would rather see conrad, blanco, or even KK pinch hit than FYF!!!
by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Jul 6, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
so predictable
I said on Friday’s confidence poll that I wanted to see what the Braves did on this road trip before I got all excited about their sweeping the Phillies. I hate being right.
Truth be known, we’ve played much better against tougher teams. It wouldn’t surpise me at all to go out and take two of three in Chicago.
The Phillies series was a nice pick-me-up. The frustration is the talent is there, but it seems as though one piece is missing before this team can really pick up a head of steam.
Francoeur's PH
We don’t get to see it very often because he’s usually starting….but Frenchy has to be the worst possible option to PH. Why would we put the least disciplined hitter up there?!? I was having a great day celebrating my mom’s birthday with the folks and when that happened I said "alright, I’m leaving, I’d rather go play my Wii than watch them lose miserably. Where can we get 8 other Prados?
Lowe
There’s a reason Lowe is not Sanata, Oswalt, Peavy, Beckett, etc. The guy has great stretches, but also marred with inconsistency.
The Braves are getting what they paid for. A good starting pitcher. History also shows that he’s at his best when it matters most, late in the season.
his current numbers make him look like a #3 starter we did not pay for a #3 starter we paid for a #1 starter he can be a #3 starter in the last year of his deal
by Heyward is the next crime dog on Jul 6, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I doubt ....
that the #1 starter designation was part of the contract.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
no but 15 million should get you that
by Heyward is the next crime dog on Jul 6, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I am ok with Lowe right now...
He is not a shutdown kind of pitcher. The first game of the season spoiled us! He is a quality guy. Eats some serious innings. And will get us through the season. We have the best rotation in the NL. The problem is still our offense. When we win 10-2 is makes me cringe. Can we save five of those runs for tomorrow’s game!!!
by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Jul 6, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I am ok with Lowe right now...
He is not a shutdown kind of pitcher. The first game of the season spoiled us! He is a quality guy. Eats some serious innings. And will get us through the season. We have the best rotation in the NL. The problem is still our offense. When we win 10-2 is makes me cringe. Can we save five of those runs for tomorrow’s game!!!
by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Jul 6, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree. Lowe is more of a #2/#3 that gives up 2-3 runs a game.
I think the problem people are having is that you usually expect an ace to only give up 1 run or maybe two and we have been getting those kind of results from pitchers not named Lowe and at his price tag people were expecting more. Hopefully if we are pushing for the play offs he will show his value and be shut down like he was last year.
by drumzalicious on Jul 6, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Off Topic
Smoltz is pitching tonight at 7. He’s 0-1 for the season. Tonight is his first night pitching at Fenway. Let’s see how he does.
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