Exhibition game, really. The Braves sent out a lineup without Drew, either Jones, Estrada, or Giles — though Drew did pinch-hit, and Giles pinch-hit and stayed in the game. They still scored six runs off of Maddux in six innings, driving his season ERA over four.
He got the win anyway, because Byrd had nothing, allowing nine runs in four innings, with three homers and nine hits. After this, I wonder if the Braves would consider leaving him off the postseason roster in favor of a pure reliever… Capellan allowed a run in two innings, and Colon two hits but no runs in two innings. The Braves obviously weren’t going to use anyone they planned on using in postseason.
Charles Thomas hit a pair of homers off Maddux; a three-run shot in the second and a solo job in the sixth. LaRoche (pinch-hitting) hit a solo homer in the seventh, Wise a solo homer (off of Kent Mercker) in the eighth. Julio had two hits (finishing the season with 99) and Marrero had three.
The Astros are three outs away from clinching the wildcard; the Braves would play them on Tuesday in what certainly will be a day game because the Braves-Astros series are always day games. Chipper will play; Thomson is still questionable though he says he’s okay. I’ll try to do a preview tomorrow.
Mac, this is a nice blog and I enjoy reading it, but you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to pitchers. From day 1 of spring training on, you’ve been slandering Alfonseca, who only turned out to be our best setup man, and Wright who only turned out to be our best starter. Now you’ve found two new guys in Reitsma and Byrd, who, according to you, “will never pitch an inning for the Braves”. Please, stop insulting people who are giving their best just because they happen to fail sometimes. I would love to see Reitsma, whose “name you are no longer going to mention”, carry the pen in the playoffs, just like he did for most of the regular season.
“to fail sometimes”
If by that you mean a month and a half, then you’ve got a point. The unmentionable one (C.R.)has been utterly pathetic since about August 1 and I think Bobby has been hoping he’ll work himself out of the slump, but it ain’t working. Sometimes, Frank, you gotta call em like you see em, and C.R. blows.
Mac, I think game 1 may be scheduled for a 4pm ET start on Wednesday. Which means I’ll be just coming off my lunch break here on the West coast, where we are constantly screwed by the east coast programming bias.
Hey, I change from day to day. I really didn’t think that Byrd would pitch for the Braves, what with the three or four different times that he was supposedly almost ready only to have a setback. Once the guy’s missed one entire season and then a second spring training, what am I supposed to think? I’ve been pretty fair to him since he actually started pitching.
Reitsma has carried the bullpen? Have you ever actually seen him pitch? There’s no reason that a reliever, except maybe one of those one-out guys, should ever have an ERA over four. He started the season well but has been pretty terrible in the second half. And I’ve consistently praised Alfonseca for pitching well. As for Wright, I didn’t think he’d pitch well as a starter, but nobody but Bobby and Leo thought he would. I thought the Braves needed him in the pen. I was wrong, and I’ve admitted it.
I agree with Frank that Reetsma, along with Smoltz, has been the Braves’ best reliever in the first half. And I agree with you guys that he completely lost it last two months, but there is no reason to believe he can’t pitch anymore. Bobby is going to use him wisely (rarely, that is) in the playoffs. As for Wright, that’s probably the reason Bobby and Leo are where they are and we are where we are. Maybe we all should have shown some confidence not only in Wright, but in Bobby’s and Leo’s judgement. And one last thing: How can you say that you consistently praised someone you keep calling “Base12”? 🙂
Speaking of the playoffs: I hate to face the Astros in a five game series with their 1-2 punch of Clemens and Oswalt and remembering what the Cubs 1-2 punch of Wood and Prior did to us last year. Clemens was actually scheduled to pitch today but a last-minute scratch with flu-like sympthoms. Well, that flu turned into gold for the Astros, who can now start the Rocket in Game 1 on Wednesday. Go Jaret.
Well, I’ve praised his pitching. But the guy really does have twelve fingers. Say “Antonio Alfonseca”, I think “twelve fingers”. I mean, his friends call him El Pulpo.