ESPN.com – MLB – Box Score – Orioles at Braves
Miserable Braves Loss Type 4.2(b), “Starting Pitcher Is No Good And Doesn’t Even Pitch Five, Team Can’t Get Hit To Come All The Way Back.†That’s the first repeat I’ve had since I started keeping track.
Hudson had his fourth straight bad outing, his second straight miserable one. He didn’t even get out of the third this time before giving up six runs. A DIPSomaniac could make the argument that he was somewhat unlucky in that of his eleven hits allowed, ten were singles and the other a double, but considering that he actually got lucky on a couple of baserunners (Roberts overran the bag trying to get a triple leading off the game, and Patterson, one of eight consecutive Orioles to reach base in the second, foolishly tried to get to third on a single in front of Andruw, things could have been worse. Though they were plenty bad enough. I believe that the Orioles hit .647 against Hudson today, and that’s not simply luck.
The bullpen actually pitched okay, but for the atrocious Cormier (the Alabama university system should probably issue a formal apology for tonight’s game) who allowed a run in two innings of work. Yates continued his recent good work. Reitsma pitched, got in one scoreless inning, then left with two out and two on in the seventh with what appeared to be a nerve problem. I am guessing that he will head back to the DL tomorrow and to Birmingham on Monday — Wednesday if the clinic’s taking a four-day weekend.
The Braves rallied for three runs in the fourth, but Thorman was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a single to end the inning. Then in the fifth, they had two on with nobody out, Ortiz got Francoeur to fly out, then the Orioles came with a LOOGY. Bobby inexplicably let LaRoche hit for himself, he promptly lined out, then Thorman struck out to end the threat. Cormier’s run came in the next inning. Thorman later flew out with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh, and Giles and Renteria both hit into double plays to kill possible rallies. Chipper hit a meaningless solo homer leading off the ninth, as it seems he has several times this year.
Hopefully Javy Lopez will start at catcher tomorrow for the Orioles. He deserves that at least. Though with the HEAT that may not be such a reward.
I’ll give Cormier more credit for the inning in which he gave up a run than the scoreless inning. Mora got a bloop single, then Tejada singled him to third, then he scored on a DP grounder. That was actually a better inning than the fifth, when he walked the pitcher on 4 pitches w/ two out, then gave up a single, then got a called third strike on a pitch that nearly bounced.
My point? I don’t really have one, other than to note the vagaries of a game that we don’t play very well.
Cormier has been pretty terrible all year, but I wasn’t too upset by his outing tonight. He did allow a single to Tejada that put runners on first and third with no outs, but besides that he looked pretty good. The hit he gave up to Mora leading off the inning had some bad backspin on it. It looked like it just sat up in the air before finally dropping and just happened to be hit in the right spot. Of course, I could have done without the extra run scoring, but it wasn’t the problem tonight. Hudson and the lack of clutch hitting was the Braves downfall. It seems like when one thing starts behaving (bullpen), something else starts acting up (starting pitching).
This in the Braves MLB website (and I haven’t seen it mentioned here):
“Just when Brian McCann’s sprained left ankle was nearing full health, he tweaked it again on Wednesday morning while going down the stairs of the club’s New York City hotel.”
As much as I think he deserves to be on the All-Start team, I’m really hoping he doesn’t make it. Three days to rest that ankle wouldn’t hurt (actually, it would probably help) heading into the second half.
Didn’t watch the game tonight (thanks, regional blackout of TBS with no game on CSN or MASN), but it doesn’t sound like I missed much. What are we going to do about Hudson? We owe him a LOT of money over the next few years, and if this is what we’re going to get, I’d like him traded by the deadline. He has not even remotely been worth that contract so far.
I have been wondering about McCann’s ankle. He has been running like Barbaro lately. When is it ever going to heal? And Brian, why didn’t you use the elevator? That’s what it’s there for!
From the AJC:
“It’s black and blue, but it’s fine,” said McCann, assured it was a different area of the ankle and not as serious as the strained ligaments he sustained May 20. “This is the type of injury you tape up and play with. I’m good to catch and throw, and do everything basically. I just can’t … well, I couldn’t run before anyway, so it’s not a big deal.”
At least he’s honest… By the way, since he is my adoptive player I decided it was my duty to lecture him about the effectiveness of elevators. He took the lecture pretty well, grinned when I asked him to please use them in the future, then agreed to do so. Now, we just need to worry about the dugout steps…
After reading the comments and Mac’s threads, I wouldn’t be shedding any tears at this point if we traded him; based on pure statistical output, he’s the most overpaid guy on the team.
As a die hard Georgia Bulldog, I take no pleasure in the utter failure of this Auburn Tiger, but we are paying him way, way too much $.
Consider me the driver of the trade Hudson bandwagon. Unfortunately, it won’t happen because Braves brass seems to always evaluate players based on what they did years ago which is why they are always signing washed up has beens such as Jordan and Remlinger. JS and co. are still thinking Hudson is the great pitcher he was 5 years ago with Oakland. But he’s not and he’s rapidly getting worse. There is no better time to trade him then now. In the offseason or next year, teams will have realized he is in decline and won’t want to take on his salary. Get prospects for him while you can.
This also means our hopes of competing next year are done. So it’s time to blow up the team and start over with young talent. Trade Hudson. Trade Smoltz. I don’t have any confidence his arm will hold up for 2 more seasons anyway. Trade Chipper. He could still have value as a DH in the AL for a few more seasons. Trade Giles and Laroche even though you won’t get much for them. Trade Andruw. He will be signing with one of the teams that doesn’t have a $80 million payroll limit after next season anyway. Trade Diaz. One outfielder who never walks is enough. Trade Thompson. Release Sosa. Release Pratt. Start rebuilding with the philosophy that worked in the early ’90s: pitching and defense. And this time around spend some damn money on getting a quality bullpen and keeping it.
Francoeur’s OPS has dropped to .698.
As Mac has pointed out frequently over the past several weeks, when we have a ground ball pitcher on the mound with the current defense we have manning the field behind them, bad stuff is bound to happen.
I was at the game last night and I am beginning to think Edgar Renteria has got something wrong with him. Every time there was a stoppage in play he was stretching and twisting his side like he was having problems with his oblique muscles. He was even mesing with it when he was a base runner. I think at least two and possibly three of the balls hit on his side last night should have been fielded or at least knocked down. At one point he didn’t even move; he just watched the ball go by. At least Marcus was trying to get to the balls. Edgar didn’t dive for a ball at all last night. I blame some of Hudson’s problems last night on the defense.
Speaking of Brian Jordon, he made SI’s list of 15 Greatest College Athletes.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49766
TBS’s Department Of Humor Analysis Fails To Find Humor In Braves Games
Right now, Hudson isn’t worth much. You can’t trade a guy no one wants. JS can’t just go out and force other teams to make trades with him.