This is one we’ll remember if the season winds up close. It’s one thing to get beat by the Phillie first baseman when it’s Jim Thome. It’s another thing when it’s Tomas Freaking Perez and he’s hitting eighth. Perez drove in the tying run in the eighth with a double off of Reitsma and hit a solo homer off of Alfonseca to end the game. (In Base12’s defense, it would have been a double in most parks. I guess that’s not much of a defense.)
It would be easy to blame the bullpen for allowing an inherited run to score backed by the two of its own, and it certainly deserves its share. But don’t ignore the key role played by the hitters, who failed to get a single hit with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. The first Braves run came on a totally botched groundout in the second, which should have been a double play but Perez and Randy Wolf combined to make a two-base error. But the Braves couldn’t further capitalize on the second and third, nobody out situation, as DeRosa and LaRoche were both thrown out at the plate. LaRoche injured his shoulder on the play and may have a collarbone fracture; with Julio Franco out with a sore back Eddie Perez wound up playing first. He didn’t stink defensively but was 0-3. The other run was the work of DeWayne Wise, who came in after Chipper left the game after being hit by a pitch and hit a solo homer.
Hampton was solid; actually, like Jaret Wright he was excellent early but not as effective in the middle innings. He wound up with five strikeouts, three walks, seven hits, 110 pitches, 69 strikes — a fairly typical Good Hampton outing. The lone run he allowed was scored when Gryboski walked Pat Burrell with the bases loaded. I think Bobby waited too long to put Gryboski in, because Hampton was clearly struggling with his control and already over 100 pitches, but he’s the manager. But Gryboski simply doesn’t have the control to want him in the game with the bases loaded, plus Burrell has hammered him in the past.
Thomson-Padilla in a day game, Fox I suppose, tomorrow.
The Braves were definitely in post-season form tonight.
These Bravs find ways to lose I didn’t know existed. What in the world were DeRo and LaRoche thinking when they ran themselves out in the second inning? I knew instantly that the game was lost right there. Pathetic. And if you are the manager, why would you make Hampton bunt with runners an 2nd and 3rd with nobody out?? No chance for a double play with first base open, plus Hampton can hit. Even homeruns.
I’m a big Bobby bobo, but this is the second time this season that he has put Gryboski into the game with the bases juiced. I say, “First time: Shame on Kevin. Second time: Shame on Bobby.”
Alf gets the loss in a shaky outing after having been very good over the past month.
Bobby was asking for trouble leaving Base12 in. He should’ve put in Smoltz.
I will continue to say the Braves can not hit when they have RISP. We have got to be leading the league in LOB. I can not understand why up and down the line up we can get plenty of hitting as long as there is no chance of us scoring a run as a result of said hit. As soon as we have RISP though, the whole mentality of the team changes… we make base running errors, we flail at the plate, miss opportunities for walks, hit into doubleplays when a deep fly would score a run, etc. Someone (hello, Terry Pendelton?) needs to get into the player’s heads and figure out why they put their brains in neutral as soon as we have RISP.
FWIW, the team has a 776 OPS with RISP, vs. a 728 OPS overall, including a 691 OPS with nobody on (including a 297 OBP). IOW, getting men on to begin with has been a much bigger problem than then getting them in.