ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Rockies at Braves – 08/18/2002

Another bad game, 6-3 Rockies. It was 2-2 going to the middle innings, both pitchers (Maddux for the Braves, Jason Jennings for the Rockies) walking a tightrope. The Braves really should have broken the game open in the second, but a Jennings more or less accidently caught a Chipper liner with the bases loaded and two outs, and the Braves would score only one more run. Larry Walker homered twice.

The game shows, I think, one of the points I like to make periodically; you can’t win with singles. Both teams had a lot of hits in the early innings; the Rockies had 11 off Maddux through five. But they had only two runs, because they had no extra-base hits and no walks. They only took control when they got some homers; they last four runs came via the longball.

Marcus Giles pinch-hit in the seventh and had a home run. I don’t know if he’ll get any more playing time… The Braves got six hits combined from Furcal and M. Franco in the 1-2 spots and a hit and two walks from Gary Sheffield, but nothing from the rest of the lineup. The Joneses were both 0-4, and Vinny was of course 0-3, though he was luckily hit by another pitch. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to hurt him… Steve Torrealba, who really does hit like a girl, started at catcher, because he’s not Javy Lopez and Maddux was pitching.

One more game with the Rockies, then a long road trip. The length is as yet undetermined because the strike date falls within it. I don’t think the players really will strike on August 30, but it’s possible.