ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Braves at Brewers – 08/05/2003
After several games of good work (and then going MIA for the Dodgers series) Darren Holmes gave up a 2-run homer in the seventh, turning a 3-2 lead to the 4-3 final score. Richie Sexson was the culprit, his second of the game. The Braves probably shouldn’t have won the game anyway, and were lucky to ever have the lead. But the bullpen continues to be a source of frustration.
Horacio Ramirez’s six innings, two runs allowed looks pretty good. He also had six strikeouts. But along the way, he walked four, allowed seven hits, including two solo homers, worked behind the hitters, and threw 117 pitches. So he’s still a work in progress. It was nice clutch pitching, but I don’t think it’s something you can rely upon, and one little flare could have changed the whole complexion of the game.
The hitters, meanwhile, looked like they left their regular bats in Atlanta and were working with table legs or logs or something. They garnered only six hits, just one for extra bases. They managed to put four of those hits, including the extra-base hit — a two-run triple by Fick — together in the sixth to score three runs. The rest of the night, they seemingly could hit nothing but weak grounders and popups. Other than Fick’s triple, the only hard-hit ball of the night was a drive to the wall by Vinny that the outfielder made a leaping catch of.
The Phillies won to pick up a game to 10 back. The Marlins also won, pulling to 12 back… The Braves hadn’t lost back-to-back games since June 30 and July 1 to those Marlins. Maddux tries to stop the bleeding tonight.
Check out Will Cunnane’s line at Richmond. 18 innings pitched, 19 strike outs, no runs. of course, he’ll probably be there for the rest of the year…
I think it’ll take mroe than 18 innings of AAA dominance for me to get past his miserable major league line
I usually “watch” the Braves with the sound down while I’m on the computer or reading or doing something else, but last night I was held hostage at my grandparents’ house and had to watch the game the old-fashioned way, on TV with the sound up (on the bright side, at least my grandparents are Braves fans).
Given these new viewing circumstances, what I noticed that I didn’t before was that Horacio Ramirez is an exceptionally SLOW worker. He almost put me to sleep three separate times. Anyone else notice this Trachselian characteristic?
As a Braves fan here in Milwaukee I was frustrated that the one Braves game I get to see live was ruined by Darren Holmes pitching. His one inning of work made me wonder why someone would call these guys “veterans”. First the walk to Jenkins, and then a three – one count to Sexson. I leaned over to my wife before the fifth pitch and said “watch Holmes will groove a 3-1 fastball down the middle and it will get hit out of the park”. Next pitch – home run. If I can call that, why can’t the “veteran”.