Let’s get them again. Game is also on ESPN tonight, and possibly the Weather Channel.
UPDATE: Or, sorry, it’s the alternate game on ESPN, so you might get it on the East Coast.
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There’s a rumor that Comedy Central may also pick up the game if there’s a rain delay.
Okay, pop quiz — who are the only two Braves represented by Scott Boras?
Thirty seconds…
I think thirty seconds is up, but….
Andruw Jones I already knew. I cheated and found out that the other was our old pal Danny Kolb. So, really, it’s all Boras’s fault, huh?
Incidentally, did you know that the Braves have scored only nine fewer runs this season than the Phillies? That’s absolutely astounding to me, considering how frustrating the offense was at the beginning of the year…
The Marlins’ announcers just spat out an intersting stat:
The only team in the division against which (against whom?) the Braves have a losing record is the Natspos [3-6]
I swear to God, Estrada’s so slow that the shortstop could run the relay to first.
Oh yeh Beej!
Does anyone else feel Brian Jordan is worth being the 4th outfielder? Everyone makes fun of his worthlessness throughout the season, but his BA is up to .244 plus his clubhouse leadership…
Danny Kolb AND Scott Boras??? Ahhhh… a match made in HELL.
Dangit, Kyle! Quit walking people.
Two outs into the thrity and thrifty Kyle’s thrown 56 pitches already. Frustrating.
Again.
I would hit for Davies now.
I hate Fox Sports South. Their announcers are so bad that I finally brought a radio into my living room to listen to Braves Radio with the FSS broadcast.
The problem is, they’re out of sync. Specifically, I hear the result of a pitch about two seconds before it’s shown on TV. Apparently, FSS delays the broadcast at least two seconds more than the Braves Radio Network, making it infeasible to watch and listen to the game from two different sources.
Pisses me off.
I think we were all underestimating how bad Furcal’s shoulder was. And I agree with TomL about Jordan … as long as he hits ONLY against lefties.
Scratch that. I heard the HR off KJ’s bat FOUR seconds before it showed up on screen.
GO KELLY!
Fox is afraid that Janet Jackson is going to run on the field and show the world her ta-tas again.
That was a blast. Leiter got him a couple of times, but the kid learns fast.
That really is a beautiful swing. I think Kelly will make at least one All-Star team before he hangs up his spikes — he can really hit.
Wow, I didn’t realize this.
“John Smoltz, who will start on Friday, needs seven more strikeouts to pass Warren Spahn and move into second place on the franchise’s all-time list.”
That’s impressive.
Who is first? Knucksie?
i believe it is rick mahler who has the all time franchise record
Yes. He’s a long way away.
Braves pitching leaders.
It’s Neikro by a pretty good margin with 2912 to Spahn’s 2493. Smoltz has a ways to go, but if he finishes that contract…
Well, geez, Niekro pitched 1800 more innings than Smoltz. 1800!
Well, maybe closer to 1700. Sue me.
I can’t believe he pitched out of it. Two men at the corners with Delgado up and ZERO outs, and Davies walks away sitting three down in a row.
Nice. I know he gave up that run, but nice.
It’s great. But, again, done after five innings.
Yeah, considering the situation, Davies did a great job minimizing the damage.
Time to DFA Kolb and call up Marte.
I believe that was the first DP Gryboski’s gotten this year.
Sorry, the second.
The first must’ve been within the last few days.
SO how serious do you think Furcal’s knee injury is? IIRC, Jamal Anderson walked off the field after he tore his ACL…
Sorry guys, no longer watching the game. What happened to Furcal?
Furcal made an amazing play up the middle, with a 360 degree spin, and short hopped the throw to Julio, who couldn’t hang onto it.
And the next camera shot was Furcal writhing in pain on the ground, holding his knee. But he didn’t leave the game, so he may be all right. We’ll see if he’s out there for the bottom of the 7th.
He made a fairly spectacular play in reaching the ball, hit up the middle, and spun 360 before botching the throw to first and hitting the grass. The throw bounced and wasn’t dug out, so the runner made it safe. Furcal didn’t bounce; he lay flat for several minutes and the trainer came out to examine his knee. He was not a very happy-looking shortstop for a few minutes, but he stayed in the game.
Bah! Beat me!!
Furcal’s still out there.
That was huge getting rid of the speedsters before Cabrera and Delgado come up. Yay boyer
Pure genius. Your shortstop is having trouble walking and you use his backup as a pinch hitter. This is not the way I wanted to find out if LaRoche could play the outfield.
oh, whew. Looks like Orr’s in the game now. Never mind.
MLB.com reports that Betemit is switching to SS, and Orr is at 3b.
Sometimes you have to wonder what the old man is thinking. I have been wondering all the time since 1991…
Betemit’s throw was a bit high, but overall he looked OK there. He can handle SS, if not at the defensive level we’ve been used to lately.
Well, few have Furcal’s arm. I’m a wee little bit too young to have seen Shawon Dunston’s arm, but if Furcal’s is comparable to only one guy in the past 20 years or so, then it’s gotta be something ridiculously good. How good is his range compared to other shortstops?
laroche sure did look like a little whiny girl when he didnt run after that strikeout. why would he not even give an attempt in that situation?
According to the Pinto chart from last year, Furcal wasn’t so hot going to his right, but he looked pretty good going towards second.
Of course, this year he’s playing much better.
Reitsma needs to get his stuff together right now.
I think Reitsma’s starting to fray. It may be time for Bobby to think about a new closer du jour.
Furcal would have made that play.
Have I mentioned lately that I hate the shift?
I don’t think so, Joey. Not from the second base side.
Furcal and a bum knee definately would not have gotten to that
And the idiots on FSN keep acting like Lenny Harris is actually a good hitter. “Greatest pinch hitter ever” is not an indicator of quality, guys.
Ok, just thought we have solved the starting rotation issue temporary, the old closer problem comes back again…
Reitsma has to be the only guy within the organization that could possibly handle closing, what now?
At least he didn’t lose it.
He got four ground balls, guys. It’s not his fault that Julio botched one and the shift turned a game-ending DP into a single. The only hard-hit balls were the last two outs.
Wow, you guys have a short leash with Reitsma. He’s only been our most consistent reliever so far this season. I know he wore down last year, but that was around August or September. It’s not like he pitches winter ball like crazy horses like Vincente Padilla.
This is totally off topic, but I never realized how great a player Craig Biggio was until I started looking at his stats. I remember people bashing him because he couldn’t hack it in center, but he did it to accomodate Jeff Kent. What’s the difference between him and Chipper moving to left for Vinny?
How about Vasquez? He was the closer in Richmond. Besides, I don’t belive that there’s such a thing as having to be able to handle closing. Just think about who the Braves have used in the past 14 years:
Lightenberg
Rocker
Pena
Berenger
Reitsma
And the list goes on. Kolb isn’t a bad closer, he’s a bad pitcher right now.
Nats game has started back up – Pittsburgh has scored two to take the lead into the fourth.
So who do we send out in the bottom of the 10th?
I like Reitsma, but he’s been giving up a lot of hits lately and not striking out as many guys. Or at least that’s what it seems like. It may just be my impression.
I’d like to see him get a bit more rest before the All-Star break, which would require Bobby to let someone else close some games. Not all of them, just some of them.
Let’s hope we don’t have to use McCann or our defense could get interesting.
Yes, but if McCann comes in, Smoltz comes in with him, right?
Mac, good to hear those are only routine groundballs. I am not watching the game, so thanks for the update!
I guess we deserved that
Game over – Dan Kolb’s in.
Well, this game’s over.
Here we go…. throwing it away right here.
Can’t believe it, the old man brings in KolBB!!!!!
Guess it’s getting a little late – past Bobby’s and Leo’s bedtime.
LOOK AT BIG DAN KOLB GO!!
WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH DAN KOLB?
They’re bringing Kolb in for the bottom of the order. I guess they expect this game to go a while, and they want to save Vazquez for the tough outs.
That’s my guess, at least.
I just don’t know what to believe any more. My entire belief system has just been shattered. Mighty Danny has struck out (two batters)
How hard is KolBB throwing? I always wonder if KolBB would get better result if he is throwing at around 91-92 rather than 94-95…
Kolb is probably going up to every player in the dugout right now: “Hey, didcha see that? 1-2-3! Like it wasn’t nothing! Wow! I really felt good . . . relaxed. Yessir gentleman, Dan Kolb is BACK!”
“Sit down and shut up, Kolb.”
Well, at least maybe we’ll get a new blog update. He went on strike today, ya know.
Well, he’s got another chance to blow it.
Isn’t it not even fair to keep Kolb in for the top of the order? Kolb doesn’t even have a chance the poor guy.
There he is….Kolb returns and the potentially winning run is on.
Kolb is a proven closer – he’s supposed to thrive in this situation.
The old man is really testing his luck…
He’s closing the game out – thats for sure. He’s just going to end the game with the Marlins wnngn instead of the team whose uniform he wears.
Maybe we can DL Kolb with a leg injury?
I missed something… what was the conference at the mound all about?
KOlb was hit in the back of the leg by the shattered remnants of a bat.
When Kolb intentionally walks someone, it might be a good idea to bring in the outfielders to back up the catcher.
Who are you guys rooting for again?
And that’s the end of the bench. I guess Smoltz is the next pinch hitter.
I think we should pinch hit HR!
Riedling sucks, we should hit him.
Smoltz, Ramirez, Sosa… it could be worse.
They have to save Sosa to be an extra infielder.
Scoring on a grounder to 2nd with the infield in?
Lo Duca = Lo IQ
GO VAZQUEZ!
Well, it appears that the home plate umpire is ready to leave for the night.
And he didn’t seem to mind taking Vasquez’s shoulder with him. You see that crap way too often.
why would we use mccann without leaving him in the game? now what if estrada goes down?
Oh, look, Andruw hit another homer.
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate him.
Oh, no, wait I LOVE him. He’s dreamy.
Oh, God, don’t use Bernero.
ryanc, if we’d put McCann in, and he got hurt, we’d be in the same spot.
I’m watching on MLB.tv so I’m delayed from everyone in the civilized world… but that was a bomb. Why was Rathbun waiting to call it a homer? It was obviously way gone.
i am saying why bring him in at all? he should be the absolute last reserve. just in case this thing keeps going and johnny needs a break.
Anybody but Estrada scores there. Have I mentioned how slow he is?
McCann was the last man off the bench.
They trust Bernero so little, they’re letting Vazquez hit with the bases loaded in the top of the 13th.
And a single tear rolls down Adam’s cheek.
Kyle, glad to hear there is another fan watching the game on MLB.TV. Are you tired of those Fox Sports announcers?
Woah. They’re bringing in Bernero? Now? In the middle of an at bat?
This game is getting surreal. Oh, and Smoltz would have to pitch in an emergency now.
Since the shift worked so well last time, lets do it again.
That was really scary.
I’m getting Rathbun and Paciorek right now, actually. I think because the game isn’t on ESPN for me because of the Orioles. The last few nights I’ve hated them (the Marlins Fox Sports announcers) though.
CRAP!
What a horrible, horrible ending.
We need pen help bada. i say send marte to Houston for Lidge.
Bernero’s inabilty to throw strikes cost that game – if he doesn’t go 3-2 on Encarcion, Andruw nails Castillo at the plate.
Why didn’t Estrada come up with the ball? Aside from the fact that he’s a terrible defensive catcher, I mean.
What a waste. I didn’t realize Bernero was that bad. I thought it was just me.
you can’t blame anyone but johnny estrada for that loss. If he wasn’t so scared of getting hit he may have actually caught and tagged the runner
bernero has officially moved past kolb as “the most hated brave”. that had to be the last draw for him.
Uh, let’s not overreact, there, Smitty. We don’t need to send Marte anywhere, certainly not for a reliever.
Brayan Pena would be more appropriate, although he certainly wouldn’t bring Lidge.
So frustrating. This is at least the second time this season that Cox has let a reliever bat with the bases juiced and two outs in extra innings, basically conceding the inning after scoring the go-ahead run.
Sure, in this situation, it looks like the position players were all used, but why not let Smoltz bat and try to drive a stake through the other team’s heart?
I may be just looking for positives, but Andruw’s and Langerhans’ throws to the plates were absolutely p-rods. Like J Leeds said, if Bernero could throw strikes and Estrada could catch balls, we would have won. But, no game comes down to two plays. We had our chances.
Can’t blame Estrada, we are not the one who got hit by Erstad…
We need pen help bada. i say send marte to Houston for Lidge.
Not to be snarky, but the last time we traded a prospect for a proven bullpen guy, it didn’t turn out so hot. This isn’t being fair to Lidge, who is fantastic, but it’s still a dumb idea to trade good position-player prospects for bullpen help. The best Braves bullpen of recent memory was 2002 with Chris Hammond, Remlinger, and assorted other guys from the scrap heap. I still believe we can find a useful enough guy for the pen from some other, less costly source.
Why not send Marte? We have WB and Chipper isn’t movig to first. Lidge is cheap and he will be here for a while. If we had a closer we could waltz to the Serise. Instead, we have woken up the Marlins now, and I bet they go on a run. WE have to make a move and our weak spot is at the end of the bll pen. I don’t think Marte is going to be the next Eddie Mathews.
The thing is, the longer a game goes, the larger the advantage to the home team. (Or so it seems to me.) You’ll run low on players, and whoever gets the last chance can win.
If we’re at home, the game ends with Andruw’s HR. Or, even assuming that Florida scored a couple of runs in the inning, you don;t let Vasquez hit with the bases loaded because you KNOW you need the runs.
Shoot, Jay Powell before Tommy John surgery could do better than half of these “pitchers”.
Marte might be in the starting lineup tomorrow.
As an addendum to my last comment, the Phillies recently traded a good position player (Placido Polanco) for bullpen help (Ugueth Urbina). Urbina was on fire, with an ERA around 2.00. He has given up 5 homers in 7.1 innings for the Phils with an ERA over 11, and the Phillies are 8-10 since. Polanco has hit .391/.437/.500 with the Tigers.
And Jay Powell may be in the bullpen. I’m expecting Vasquez to get sent down. Bobby was not happy.
Smitty, who says Chipper isn’t moving to first? And if not him, then I can guarantee you that Marte would be happy to play first.
Color me still unconvinced that Betemit will continue to put up a .950 OPS in the majors. Marte is a top-5 position player prospect; he could bring much more in a trade than a mere reliever, no matter how good.