ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Braves at Diamondbacks – 05/02/2003

Now the games are getting really weird. John Smoltz blew his first save since August 6, but the Braves won anyway when Rafael Furcal hit a
“414”-foot homer (it was at least thirty feet longer) and got an insurance run on a bases-loaded throwing error.

Furcal and Chipper were the primary offense for the Braves, each with three hits. The entire offense, in fact, was basically the first four hitters, who scored all four runs and had all three RBI. Fick was 0-3 with a walk before leaving for defense, Javy 0-5, Bragg (playing for the absent Gary Sheffield, who had a family emergency) 0-4 with a walk, Mark DeRosa (starting for Vinny) 0-4. It probably doesn’t mean anything, but I figured I should point that out.

The Braves got a good outing out of Horacio Ramirez, even if he didn’t get the win. He allowed seven hits, but mostly scattered them over six innings, giving up only one run on a solo homer. Ray King and Roberto Hernandez set up Smoltz.

Time to play “What is Bobby Thinking?”! Jung Bong picked up his third win, pitching two innings in relief. Bong has pitched 14 2/3 innings this year, giving up two runs on ten hits and two walks. Because of this, he only gets to pitch once a week. His last outing was in mopup duty against Milwaukee April 25. Before that, it was semi-mopup duty against the Phillies April 19. Darren Holmes, who can’t get anyone out, pitched three times between Bobby breaking out the Bong.

Sorry for the late post, real life intrudes…