ESPN.com – MLB – Box Score – Diamondbacks at Braves
The “You Have To Be Kidding Me” series continues, as the Braves keep finding ways to lose. As in, go down 8-0 and 10-2, rally back with a seven run seventh to cut it to 10-9, only to have your best reliever give up three runs in the ninth to put it away. I’m more discouraged than disgusted now. I’d really like to wake up from this.
Thomson was throwing meatballs. Just serving it over the plate. “Here, hit this!” you might have heard. Thomson at his best lacks an out pitch, and tonight he wasn’t at his best. I’m worried about him and he might be back in the pen should Chuck James become available.
So it’s 8-0. And then Wilson Betemit — who might actually be the team’s best player right now, him or Horacio, and how sad is that? — hit a two-run homer to cut it 8-2, only to see Vultureal come in and give up a two-run homer of his own.
Then the inning that must have had Diamondback fans think they were in Hell, as the Braves scored seven runs largely thanks to errors made by their usually sure-handed middle infielders turning possible double plays into everyone safe. LaRoche cleared a bases-loaded situation with a double, and Marcus hit a homer to make it 10-9. In the eighth, Chipper flew out on the first pitch after a walk with two on, two out, which is stupid and he should know better.
But Ken Ray couldn’t get it done. After allowing the first two runners to reach, he almost pitched out of it, but then allowed an embarrassing homer to Damion Easley (most embarrassing because Easley had already hit one against Thomson and one against Villareal) to make it 13-9 and kill any momentum. You have to think that the Braves had a chance to get at least one run off of Jorge Julio, considering he pitched in the afternoon game.
Betemit was awesome, 3-4 with a walk and his out was a fly ball near the warning track. He’s not going to replace LaRoche or any of the infielders, but can’t we at least think about an outfield corner? At least part of the time? Bobby swapped Andruw out of the game early again, but it didn’t hurt — LaRoche’s double came hitting for Villareal in that spot.
If the Braves are going to get anything out of this series, it’s up to Jorge Sosa. Sigh.
It is unbelievable to say this, but here are the Braves best players over the last several games.
Betemit
LaRoche
Ramirez
Sosa
Needless to say, that is not a good sign! Let’s just hope Sosa keeps it up tomorrow!
Nothing is working, the starting rotation is not deep enough, the offense is not deep enough without a hot McCann, and the bullpen obviously sucks. All these thanks to the great work by our GM this season. Sorry guys, I can’t stay up at night ’til 3 in the morning to keep watching the Braves “swings and misses”. It is just so discouraging.
Maybe you should just find another way to keep busy online man. Im not sure I could keep running this site with the way things have been going.
You shouldn’t forget Hudson…he’s pitching like…Hudson. And if LaRoche is one of our best players, I may just finally “end it” for myself. But yes…Horacio is now our best starter. Just horribly sad. And hy can’t we score 9 runs when Horacio pitches? I agree…Thomson needs to be yanked. he stinks.
That said, I have been out at the movies and dinner a lot this weekend, not watching much Baseball and I am relieved I havent. Good God…can someone explain how we gave up 3 home runs to DAMION EASLEY?????
3 HOME RUNS TO DAMION EASLEY?????
Is our pitching so bad that we have now turned a middling journeyman infielder into Albert Pujols? How does this happen.
I think I am at the point ready to say we just aren’t that good. And this is not going to change because JS and Cox appear in no rush to fix this sh–.
As to the point Mac made, my God yes we have to get Betemit into the lineup already. Enough is enough.
Anyway, I am tired and sad. The Spurs got bounced in the 2nd round, the Braves are pitching like crap, and Georgia still doesn’t know who their Quarterback is goin to be. Life is officially downtrodden right now for all my sports teams.
Why do you think I am at the movies so much?
I can’t wait until football season myself, and the Tide is likely to be back at the Independence Bowl level while the Falcons are looking at third place again. Sigh.
Richard Kovalcheck is headed to Vanderbilt and doesn’t have to sit out a year. So that’s good.
To be honest, I think we overachieved in a big way last year and we don’t have as good of a team this year – things could be catching up with us, but who knows. I do think that we need to make some trade moves, but unfortunately I don’t think we have much to offer.
As others have said, the only way we win is by putting it together. We either get shutout for several innings and only manage a run or two, or the other team gets off to a big lead and we fall just short in a comeback. Frustrasting!
i agree mac…we have to find a way to get betemit more at bats. what do you think we do in interleague play? will we dh chipper and leave betemit at 3rd or vice-versa. i have to say that i didnt like the fact that marcus came in as a ph, hit a monster hr, then didnt stay in the game. my guess is that was marcus’ decision.
at least we have 6 games in a row that we will probably get to see betemit bat(away interleage play june 23-28). jordan has become completely useless once again. has anyone else noticed how pathetic he looks at the plate? we have got to get betemit some snaps at 1st against right handers. being a career infielder, it is not possible he can look as bad as jordan over there. people have said that the organization does not like position swapping during the middle of the year, but betemit would probably be a better first baseman with one game under his belt than jordan would be with 300.
There is little doubt now that Wilson Betemit is too good for a part time roll. That homerun last night gave me chills, what an at-bat. 2-0 and 6 foul balls later, almost to the back of the bull pen. I will not pretend to know how we get him in the starting line-up permanantly, but what if it is with another team. What could we get for this guy right now? Just saying it makes me hate myself.
hopefully he will be starting for the braves next season so we can have some cheap stability at one of the corners. i say trade laroche in the off season, especially if he puts up decent numbers by season end (28-30 hr, 90-100 rbi). he could bring us some major bullpen help. our rotation looks pretty stable next season with hampton coming back, so it is very likely that next season’s problem will again be the pen. was giles’ contract extended through next year?
… and from last night’s game. I call it foul moon.
http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=43850868/a=8212409_8212409/PictureID=1294081230/t_=8212409
I think you might be too hopeful of getting Betemit in the lineup. My hunch says this will be Cox’s opportunity to get his veteran leader in the lineup without having to sacrifice D (LaRoche). So, I’m betting Jordan starts all of the games (or 5 of 6) at DH, while Betemit continues to be our first option off the bench…Sigh…
Ryan C.,
If LaRoache is hitting 28-30 HR’s with 90-100 RBI’s that is NOT SOMEONE YOU WANT TO TRADE….granted, Betemit might be a good player, but no one has ever thought he would put up those numbers. LaRoache has had some “bad”…haha…miscues in the field, but is a generally decent fielder and again, you just don’t dump those players to let an inexperienced player take over, especially with this putrid offense.
i would seriously doubt that jordan, who is batting in the low .200’s to dh over betemit. betemit will be in that lineup almost everyday in those 6 games.
Why is my gut instinct telling me that Cox and Schuerholz WANT to do something but CAN’T? I don’t think they’re this stupid.
Unbelievable. Can the players just go on strike or something so we can at least see some different pitchers get shelled on the Braves. If I have to see Reitsma give up one more bomb, I’m going to throw all of the tv’s out of the window. Seriously, when are they going to send this guy down? I’m sick of people saying that he’s such a nice guy and you have to feel for him. F that, this is the big leagues, you either get it done or you lose your job. Bring up the single A pitchers if you have to, just stop pitching this LOSER. However much of a bind management is in, they are going to really start losing fans if they don’t do something soon. Braves fans are used to winning. If they continue to send out these loser pitchers every day, people will definitely stop watching.