ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Braves at Brewers – 08/07/2003
I thoroughly jinxed Vinny (who batted just twice more, and went 0-2) and Hampton (the ex-Personal Catcher Eddie Perez singled in the fifth), but a good result anyway. Hampton wound up throwing 105 pitches — 79 strikes — in a five-hit complete game. He also struck out four and walked only one. The lone run came in the seventh, when the Brewers had three of their hits. Hampton also had a two-RBI double that finished the Braves’ scoring for the day.
Vinny drove in the Braves’ first three runs, two on the triple in the second, the other on a solo homer in the fourth. In a team effort, every Brave reached base, the bottom of the order doing the most damage. After loading the bases and not scoring in the third, the Braves loaded them again in the fifth, and this time wound up with a four-run inning that pretty much ended the game.
The Phillies are tied with the Rockies after six… The Braves now visit St. Louis for three. It’s a huge series for the reeling Cardinals, who have fallen to third in the Central and fifth in the wild card. Unfortunately for the Cards, their starting pitchers in the first two games are Jeff Fassero (1-5, 5.74) and Garrett Stephenson (5-11, 4.56). No predictions here except that lots of runs will be scored. The Braves swept the Cards in Atlanta in April.
I’m wondering if any of you had the distinct displeasure of experiencing the rancid Daren Sutton on the Milwaukee telecasts this week? He’s the worst I’ve seen on the Extra Innings package this year, and that’s saying a lot given the competition. The old school righteously indignant rant against Gary Sheffield for failing to run toward 1st after a swinging strike 3 passed ball (completely sensible in a 10-0 game when, by the time he realized the ball got away, he would only be risking his hamstrings and the Braves’ post-season chances) was priceless.
And it only got worse when noted “blue collar player” (aka white guy) Geoff Jenkins crashed into the wall an inning or so later to rob Andruw. I’ll paraphrase: “For those of you who have been watching, I think you know who I’m talking about here” as the director obligingly featured a close up of Sheffield “when I say THAT’S the way the Game is Supposed To Be Played!!!” He and someone named Bill Schroeder (who apparently Played The Game, I’m guessing The Way It Was Supposed To Be Played) went on for 10 minutes about the Modern Player, high salaries, the poor forgotten fans, blah, blah, blah. And Jenkins then left the game injured, again in a 10-0 game.
More gems: Schoeder said the Brewers had improved in those all-important “fundamentals” by “100%” over last year’s team. This said about a team that has not improved at all in wins and losses, and which DURING THE GAME HE WAS WATCHING ran into outs on the bases down by five-plus runs THREE TIMES!!!
And lastly, Daren promulgating the Chipper Historically Has No Power From The Right Side myth. Yes, it’s true this year due to the wrist problem, but for the last 3 full seasons, his SLG% is 120 points higher, and his HR/AB ratio is 1 every 14 (vs 1 every 18 lefty). Good Daren, once you see the counting stats without even considering the obvious context (lots more RHPs than LHPs), feel free to make a specious argument every time the guy bats. Don’t bother having your staff do 3 minutes of research on the Internet to see if it’s true.
Hard to believe, but we apparently have the better Sutton.
I didn’t, but he sounds terrible. Of course, what’s he supposed to say about the home team? “The Brewers got pounded again, 7-1, and were never seriously in the game. They fall to 45-69, 16 games back of first and six back of fifth. They are increasingly likely to finish last for the second consecutive year.”
Plus Sheffield is Public Enemy Number One in Milwaukee. He could cure cancer and they’d criticize him for taking so long.
Bill Schroeder. Lousy player, catcher, .281 career OBP. Better than Joe Simpson, though.
I’m sure that had Sheffield run hard to 1B, he’d have been lambasted for “showing up” the opposing team by doing that when up by such a huge lead.
You guys are ridiculous. Watch the game and don’t worry about the commentators. The Brewers have some of the best announcers in this world. Sounds like a bitter Braves fan to me! That is frustrated because they can’t be as good as they used to be!