Braves Fall One Run Short Yet Again, Lose 5-4
by moorebraves on May 31, 2011 11:21 PM EDT
in Braves Game Recaps
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The Braves showed some life late in Tuesday night's matchup against the Padres, but it wasn't enough to overcome a poor outing from Cory Gearrin. Minor pitched six so-so innings, but exited in the seventh after walking pinch hitter Eric Patterson to lead off the seventh with the game tied up at two apiece. Gearrin came in and gave up four singles to the offensive murderer's row of Denorfia, Headley, Ludwick, and Cantu that resulted in three runs and a lead that the Padres wouldn't relinquish.
The San Diego bullpen showed that they aren't invincible tonight, but with a three run lead, the Padres offense had provided enough of a cushion to earn the W against the Braves. Chipper tried his best to get the Braves back into the game with RBI singles in the seventh and ninth to score Diory Hernandez and Jordan Schafer. McCann followed with a pop out that ultimately gave Heath Bell the save and the Padres a second consecutive series win over NL East opponents.
Freddie had a big night, going 3-4 with 2 RBI; his only out coming off of a smoked liner to Forsythe at second. Both Gonzalez and Schafer ended hitting streaks of six and five games, though Schafer drew a big walk in the ninth and scored the Braves' fourth run. A positive note to take from tonight's game is that Dan Uggla managed not to do anything terrible. He came in to pinch run for Chipper after Jones's ninth inning RBI single. Chipper was moving pretty gingerly all night. This was first noticeable in the bottom half of the first when he pulled up holding his groin after moving slowly from first to third on a Heap double. Let's hope this isn't a major issue.
Aside from the corner infield, the Braves were just 4 for 28 tonight. Latos threw just 62 strikes in 106 pitches but earned the win, going 6 and giving up 2 earned runs, 5 hits, and 4 walks. Minor's walk in the seventh resulted in the loss, as he had a line of 8 hits, 3 walks, and 3 ER in 6+ innings.
Tomorrow is the beginning of a new month...
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christ...
if we could only make some sort of hybrid our pitching staff with the rockies ability to put up 6+ runs a game, we would be unstoppable. it always seems like our offense is so… sleepy all the time. 4 runs is not supposed to be a lot… but to us our pitching has to be phenomenal every single night in order to give us a chance to win. it really is frustrating, we can’t depend on McCann and Freeman to carry this team offensively
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while." - Dave Cameron
i believe
todays score proves you wrong.
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while." - Dave Cameron
This offense blows
Harder than my ex girlfriend
"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann
by HansonManCrush on May 31, 2011 11:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
if thats the case
hows she your ex?
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while." - Dave Cameron
They should remind Fredi that he's manager.
I mean every night, preferably several times. It seems like his attention wanders and he keeps sitting there gaping vacantly when it’s time to do thing. Y’know, minor stuff…like get pitchers up in the pen or take them out when they’re clearly ineffective.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
He has stated that he has trouble remembering what happens in games…
God I wish I were making that up.
Bobby Cox was sharp as a tack. He would recap the entire game.
by BeatTehMets on Jun 1, 2011 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
pretty sure
he was responding to a nit-picky question and then proceeded to recap the game perfectly anyway.
THIS IS BRAVES COUNTRY.
Because he's an inattentive dumbass?
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
by Sam Jethroe on May 31, 2011 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
FG didn’t start Sherill soon enough. Gearrin needs to know he’s coming out after that first meeting at the mound. Pitch around the batter. Have the catcher call timeout. All to get the reliever warmed up. In short, inattentive dumbass. Also when Venters calls to the dugout and asks to be put in, just do it. Don’t hang up.
Not only that...
I really hate the way he sent Minor back out there then pulled him the minute he put the go ahead run on. He should have let Chad start the inning. That’s not a second guess, it’s how I felt at the time.
Cox did that for a few years (and it always rankled me) but he eventually seemed to arrive at the idea that it wasn’t fair to leave a younger starter who had thrown a solid game out there to put himself in a position to lose.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
17-11
i think
"My everything, or nothing. My everything, or nothing. WE gonna fight, til we can't fight no more. We gonna lie down, and bleed a while. Gonna get up, and fight again." -Tashard Choice
by SouthernPanther on Jun 1, 2011 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions
thanks
if your right
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while." - Dave Cameron
I believe
That is still one of the better records in the NL for May. Could be wrong though.
by dragonhawk26 on Jun 1, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Two months in now..
The Braves are averaging less than 4 runs a game. A team with 5 “all star” position players, and a top 3 pitching staff. Our record of 30-26 projects us to finish up 87-75.. Is that the team we thought we’d have? I certainly didn’t. I’m pretty dissappointed in what we’ve out of this ball club so far.
9 series losses to 10 series wins thus far.
Hate to say it, folks, but we’ve played very mediocre baseball. Unless something changes here soon, this isn’t a playoff team.
by murph35 on Jun 1, 2011 12:26 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I couldn't care less about projections
The Braves are clearly under-performing on offense. We’ve been saying for a while that it can’t be this bad, but I’m still optimistic that they’ll get going at a better rate.
by Undocorkscrew on Jun 1, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions
hahaha thats funny. In the last five games they have scored 2 or less runs 3 times and thats signs of life? Ok, so maybe they are starting to hit the ball harder, be it right at people and the law of averages says they will eventually start falling in for hits. But watching them ground in to outs and DP’s with men on base so much of the season to this point is taking a toll on me. Even when they hit the ball hard for an out, I wanna choke a b*&tch. Clearly things have to get better and they most likely will, but the Larry, Uggla and JHey have to start doing something. I know JHey is on the bench, but I think he could probably hit bombz from there if he wanted to.
4>2
I was making reference to the runs we scored last night. We scored more than two runs which was an improvement. I was trying to point out something positive. I’m honored you found my comment amusing. My day is complete now:)
Twitter:Hey_Jude18
I can’t believe Larry Parrish still has a job. Will they really let him butcher the whole year? We were so wrong about Terry.
Not all of us were blaming him last year.
I wasn’t and I wasn’t alone in that. He (or Eddie Perez) should’ve been made Manager and the other guy retained as Bench Coach. This team needs a more energetic and (yes) aggressive attitude. Not flailing at every pitch like we have been, but definitely approaching the game with more fire and passion than we have.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
Yes and no
Pendleton and Perez weren’t the answers, someone with no braves affiliation should have been looked at. But the Braves do need an injection of energy and a sense of urgency. They are entirely too complacent as a team.
by murph35 on Jun 1, 2011 1:13 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
And it goes without saying that Freddi Gonzalez is absolutely terrible. Surely I’m not alone on that, right?
Absolutely terrible? No. Bad? Sometimes. It’s only fair to give a guy a year, and look at his body of work. If he gets better, he shall be forgiven.
He's got plenty of room for improvement.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
I worry more about his baseball philosophy than x amount of decisions. That’s why I’m not waiting to see a fuller body of work. I feel like I’ve seen the way he thinks he should manage (and in fact it seems that he has been painfully aware of the fact that he is managing the Atlanta Braves) and I feel that I have learned all I need about how he thinks the game should be played. I don’t think we should waste outs the way he has, I disagree with a lot of the way he has used the bullpen (and moreover, I disagree with some of how our bullpen looks period) and I disagree with what he has shown to be the way he believes the game should be played and the time as Florida manager did little to dissuade me.
And if we want to talk about body of work, the time he has spent managing the Braves (in terms of decision making etc) looks a lot like the time he spent as Florida manager.
People said the same thing about Bobby for 20 years…
Name a head coach that is loved by the fanbase, and you’ll name a coach that’s recently won a title. It’s really as simple as that.
Tom Osborne had the second highest winning percentage amongst modern-era coaches and people were calling for his head before he finally won a national championship after 21 years of 9-win or better seasons.
What we’re experiencing now is what I call the Frank Solich effect, though I’m sure there are better names for it…five of six years following Osborne, he also had nine win seasons. Didn’t stop him from losing his job after winning nine in the sixth season as a coach.
People are never happy with coaches. I heard Jayhawk fans call for Self’s head after they lost this season. The Nuggets fans want to get rid of Karl, despite the fact that he’s like sixth all-time in wins, and Jim Tracy is on the hot seat any time the Rockies lose more than two straight. No coach is loved until he wins it all.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jun 1, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Bobby had his faults but so far Fredi has taken a playoff team and dragged it back to .500. He was a .500 manager at Florida and he had plenty of talent there regardless of payroll. He has never shown the ability to be a capable manager. We should continue to be skeptical of Fredi.
The Frank Solich theory
You positied that one on me last year when I said I couldn’t wait for Bobby to retire. I’m still of the opinion that Cox was a less than stellar game manager and I don’t especially miss him but Gonzalez has turned out to have none of Cox’s positive aspects (running a smooth ship, sticking up for his players) and all of his worst ones (bullpen mismanagement, strategic cluelessness), plus a few new ones of his own (lethargy, stubbriness, a “don’t look at me for help” ethos towards his players)
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
Maybe I’m missing something, but can you give any examples of how the ship hasn’t been smooth and how he’s not stuck up for his players??
I’ve yet to hear any players complain or heard Fredi throw anyone under the bus…
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
He threw Freeman under the bus a few weeks ago.
The test of a smooth ship is over the long haul. He’s doing it better right now than, say, Terry Collins, but I have serious doubts he can keep it up over a long period of time.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
No absolutely terrible about covers it for Fredo. He doesn’t know his team evidenced by the incredibly bad base running with slow personnel. He constantly wastes outs and prevents the big inning from hardly ever happening. He basically punts away games in the 7th inning using his weakest relieves. He has been clueless as a manager.
Sarcasm aside, who was it that said “we should expect to take 2 out of 3 from the Padres.” That’s who we should really direct our vitriol towards.
Why??
Both games were 1-run contests. Both were winnable. The statement itself is fine…the games just didn’t go our way.
I guess there’s always someone to blame in today’s society.
I’m going to blame your for not cheering loud enough. I did not audibly hear you once during either game, so it must be your fault.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
Well...
At least Freddie Freeman is hitting really well…
Other than that, I just can’t wait for Heyward to get back. This team is seriously lacking in punch right now.
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. - Muhammad Ali
How do I feel? Like f**king sucess - Jordan Schafer
I just can’t wait for Heyward to get back.
I feel exactly the same way. If I had to bet, I’d say he’s poised for a breakout.
"Part of me wants to give him this huge hug, and part of me wants to kick him in the groin because he made it look so easy." - David Ross, commenting on McCann's two homer game.
OT: Best game of all time
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Seriously, dunno if y’all have played it lately but I am playing it on an emulator. And even with the emulation and shitty keyboard controls (though you can plug in an x-box controller, which I just started doing) its the best game ever. EVER!
Life isn't all about getting drunk and eating chicken fingers
Come on boys…damn…
Don't let the green grass fool you.
oh really?
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while." - Dave Cameron
No, we haven't lost 8 in a row yet but....
….at this rate, we finish in 3rd. We’re not playing good enough to beat the Fish or the Phillies.
I did a facepalm when we traded Infante for Uggla, and I’m doing one right now. The magic that was present for so much of 2009, 2010 is seemingly gone. Say what you want about Infante, the guy was anything but overrated. He and Prado were our offense for stretches, last year.
Collectively, our plate discipline is non-existant. It’s like nobody wants to take a walk, anymore. You could argue that this was one of our strengths last year. Now, we swing at whatever, whether it’s in the dirt, or we get under one, for the now-patented pop-up.
Hopefully it clicks, but at this point, I’m not sure where the offense is going to come from. We have too many semi-automatic outs.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 8:31 AM EDT reply actions
Actually, we probably are playing good enough to beat the Phillies, since apparently we can do that when no one else tends to. As for the Marlins, probably depends on how they’re playing. If they’re hot coming in, we take 2 of 3. If they’re on a 10-game winning streak, we probably sweep them. If they’ve lost 7 of 8 or recently got the team bus decimated by a meteor, we’re getting perfecto’d in all three games.
by Ivan the Great on Jun 1, 2011 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, the Phillies are going to sweep the Pads and Nats. And then they may lose 2/3 to us, but that’s still winning 7/10. While we might go 4/10 in that same stretch. Maybe 5/10.
We were extremely lucky that they lost to the Nats last night. I don’t think they lose to them very often.
Could the Phillies lose 4 in a row while we win 4 in a row? Sure. They haven’t been as good as advertised, but neither have we. Unless Uggla has an unbelievvably hot June/July…. it’s too big of a gap for us to overcome.
Solid defense and no timely hitting will find you on the losing end of many, many 1-run games.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions
I said the same thing about Infante and got thrashed for it. Oh, he had an above average year, was the response. Or just maybe he had a breakout year and might have continued it in Atlanta. I agree with plate discipline also, too many times has a pitcher not been throwing strikes and walks a Brave, then the next guy comes up and swings at the first pitch, not tolerable.
It’s easy for me to sit here and bitch after the fact, of course, but I never liked the deal to begin with.
That (extra) hole in the line-up is killing us softly.
Honestly, had their not been several, key injuries to our players late in the season last year, we could have won the whole thing. The Infante/Uggla trade would have been very tempting, but I never would have signed off on it.
Infante was integral to us reaching the playoffs last year.
Is the season over? No. Do we still have a chance? Sure. But, more that one guy is going to have to get hot, and fast. While we’re still in it.
AGon looks lost at the plate.
Hinske returned to earth, and now looks lost.
Schafer’s luck on the bases can only last so long.
Uggla…..yeah.
My fear is that Chipper is going to burn himself out trying to over-compensate. Then, we’re really REALLY screwed.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Bollocks...
Your hindsight is 20/20 sir. If you would have had to put your job, your life savings, your “anything” on the line for a choice between Omar Infante and Dan Uggla and you picked Uggla back in November…or even now…you are nuts.
And before you come back with the “well how is Uggla looking now?” argument…we’re thru only 2 months. The dude hasn’t forgot to hit…he will improve. Infante showed himself worthy of being an everyday starter…but he was at the peak of his value.
Infante is sucking wind himself, if you haven’t noticed…
Some say Uggla may have been at his peak value last year. Doubt it, just as I doubt Infante was at his. It’s quite possible Infante may have continued playing well in Atl, and the trade may have negatively impacted him. It is hindsight and as fans, we have the beauty of using it. Uggla may hit .350 the rest of the season (though I doubt it), but if he finishes the season around his career .260 average, he will have indeed hit around .350 the rest of the way, and all will be right in Braves Country. In order to do that, he needs to stop swinging so damn hard at everything and go with the pitch. BTW, I think you meant “if you picked Infante, you are nuts”.
True, but I’ll still take .250 over .178. Just saying.
Breaking up Prado and Infante was a bad idea, regardless of “business” or whatever.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
That's fine...
I’ll take the guy who OPSd at .800+ the past 5 years and killed us within the division…
Gotta agree w/TBuzz
The Braves had been looking for a big bat for some time & Uggla certainly fit the description. He practically fell in our lap & if I would’ve been in Wren’s shoes I would’ve certainly made the deal. In hindsight I guess the question should have been asked & investigated as to why a division rival would trade one of their hottest bats. Did the Marlins have some idea that Dan was going to fall off a cliff? Hopefully Dan’s woes are all a bad dream and he returns to the hitting monster we know he can be.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby
but I never liked the deal to begin with.
Your statement today.
Great deal, but too bad we had to give up Omar.
Your statement in the Braves Offense Gets a Whole Lot Uggla.
Someone’s lying…and not a good fan.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jun 1, 2011 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
lol, mine too
that “Great deal” was considering he was going to hit at least .250
-J
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Looks like someone’s not a lazy journalist.
by Ivan the Great on Jun 1, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Also, I don’t get Fredi’s use of substitutes on off-days.
You want to sit Uggla? That’s fine, I don’t think anyone will disagree with that move right now. But, why not slide Prado to second and put Mather in left? Mather is batting .300+, granted in a SSS, and was hitting pretty well before Fredi banished him to the bench for some reason. Conrad is batting even worse than Uggla, and his real (only?) value comes from being a power threat late in the game off the bench. I mean maybe Fredi thinks that he’s getting another lefty bat in there against Latos that way, but Mather’s average is like 2-3 times higher than Conrad’s…
The goal should always be to replace guys that are out of the lineup with the best hitters available, provided it doesn’t bork the defense.
by Ivan the Great on Jun 1, 2011 9:15 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I agree. Save Conrad for late innings. That’s the only time he gets hits, anyways.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions
What I don't get
is why Uggla wasn’t starting today. It seems Latos is the kind of pitcher Dan hits well, plus Latos was really relying on his off-speed breaking stuff to set up his fastball today. What does Dan hit well? Off-speed breaking stuff. His career avg against Latos is only .222, though, he hits Heath Bell extremely well (.571).
There are pitchers that Uggla hits well, other than Braves pitchers?
I kid. Sort of. Augh.
by Ivan the Great on Jun 1, 2011 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
April and May are now behind us…right?
.
.
IF any of the Mods read the recaps:
It would be nice if, once the game threads exceed 1200 comments or so, we could get a 2nd one.
The threads tend to slow down once they are that active.
It seems like we rarely have a Mod active on the site during the games.
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
Typically if I'm at a computer during a game
And see that a thread is 850+ is when I make an overflow happen. I don’t do it during innings, and typically aim to break one in, in between frames. Simply put, if no courtesy overflows happen, I’m not at a computer. I can’t speak for everyone else, however.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
And we appreciate it Roy when you do :-)
My comment wasn’t a “complaint” as much as it was a FYI post for any of the Mods that may read the recap.
I’m not sure who has the OT making privileges and who doesn’t.
"In the happy moments, praise God. In the difficult moments, seek God. In the quiet moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God." - Robert A. Wood
Give Chopper OT making privileges. She would be grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat =)
I don’t think she’s ever missed a GT.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jun 1, 2011 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
So others know:
I’m not sure who has the OT making privileges and who doesn’t.
I realize you know that I don’t have the tools needed to make an overflow thread appropriately, just wanted others to know this also.
However, if I am in the OT, and people start making comments about the thread being very slow, I will text or e-mail someone that does.
I agree with Chief Noc-A-Homa, you would be a good one to be given the tools needed :)
Twitter:Hey_Jude18
So Dan Uggla figured out the secret to getting on base: pinch run for people who can hit.
:) I kid.
Chicks dig the long ball.
DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?
by kimrob1 on Jun 1, 2011 11:41 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
you kid
and yet your words profess Wisdom…..
the exponent in the equation is a matter of preference and "fit" it can vary depending on what the user believes to yield the curve that best predicts a team’s ability to win games.
by Ivan the Great on May 20, 2011 12:31 PM VET
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