ESPN.com – MLB – Box Score – Braves at Padres
Um… I’m going to miss some things here, so bear with me. The Braves did something I wonder if anyone has ever done before. They blew leads for the cycle, losing leads of four, three, two, and one run — and won the game.
They led 4-0 after the first as Marcus walked, Renteria doubled him home, and then Chipper and Andruw hit back-to-back homers. But Hudson had nothing, and it was 5-5 after his second homer allowed to Adrian Gonzalez in the third, and Hudson was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the next inning.
The Braves got two runs in that inning, on a two-run homer by LaRoche, and Chipper made it 8-5 on his second homer, this in the fifth. Villareal was on track for another win, but Kevin Barry couldn’t do anything in the sixth, allowing three runs in 2/3 of an inning on a Piazza homer, and it was 8-8. The Padres made it 9-8 with a run off of Paronto in the seventh, the Braves couldn’t get a hit to tie it in the eighth, and then the real fun began.
In an eerie copy of the All-Star Game, Hoffman gave up a single (which should have been an error) then walked a man, and with two out Andruw hit a two-run double to make it 10-9. McCann hit a double off the next reliever (scored a single because he only reached first) off the wall to score him.
Ray had pitched the eighth, but he’d been hit for, so Bobby came with Sosa, who is very very bad. He did get to the potential last out of the game with a two-run lead, runner on second, only to allow a single and a double to tie it. The Braves took the lead again in the tenth, on a solo homer by LaRoche, but Bobby for some reason left Sosa in the game. (Skip was unable to understand that Sosa was the pitcher of record now and unable to blow a second save. Oh, Skip.) Inevitably, he blew the lead again after allowing back-to-back singles to lead off the inning then getting a double play to score the tying run.
So the Braves came back out for the eleventh, and after Chipper flew out Andruw walked. McCann singled him to third. The Padres tried to turn a double play on Francoeur’s grounder but threw it away, and it was 13-12. LaRoche followed with a two-run double. Yates, the last man in the pen (the Padres had already used a starter) walked one but got a save.
LaRoche had a huge game, 4-6 with two homers and a double, five RBI. Andruw was 3-5, Chipper 3-6, each with three RBI, everyone had a hit but Langerhans (who walked twice). Good relievers were Villareal, McBride (only 1/3 of an inning), Ray, Yates. Bad were Barry, Paronto, and Sosa. 469 pitches were thrown in the game, 258 by the Padres. Everyone is hoping tonight’s starters (Smoltz and Park) go a long way.
Not mentioned here is the fact that Andruw Jones and Josh Barfield were each down to their final strike with two out in the ninth before each rallied for an RBI-hit to extend the game.
I’ve never seen that in a game – two teams come back from their last strike in the 9th to send it to extras.
when was the last time the braves had 4-30 +hr players in the same year. with laroche getting hot with the long ball, francoeur steadily climbing, and chipper finding his much needed power, it might happen. that would be neat.
All the LaRoche bashers need to give the kid some love. He ahs played well of late and saved our asses last night
@ ryan c
The last time the Braves had 4 30+ HR players was 1998:
Andres Galarraga (44)
Javy Lopez (34)
Chipper Jones (34)
Andruw Jones (31)
At a rate of a homer every 3 to 4 games, Chipper, Frenchy and Roachy could pull it off. We all know Andruw is going to get to at least 30 homers.
I couldn’t stand to watch the Braves pitching last night. I had to have Smitty watch for me.
Man… that was a long game… I was mentally exhausted! I checked in on the comments and then turned off my computer with 2 outs in the 9th… you know apparently 1 more out was too much to ask for! I went back into the den to lay down to see the rest of the game and …I hadn’t really planned to have to sit there for another hour or so!
Glad we got the win though…
Wow, I gave up all hope in the 8th so this was a very pleasant surprise.
Y’know, it’s sad how Sosa was my great hope for the bullpen. I mean, it seems like he has such potential and yet manages to fail so spectacularly . . . Maybe that’s just the story of the Braves this year.
Well, I hope Smoltz brings his A game tonight.
After a game like that, it’s destined that tonight will be 2-1. Of course, that would mean Smoltz goes the whole way – because the pen won’t do it. Oh, the bullpen. All this after a favorable report in the AJC and an asinine statement by JS about maintaining the status quo.
It says in the boxscore on the Braves website that Barry was given a blown save, but he pitched in the 6th inning. How is that possible?
I can’t believe that I watched the whole thing. Huddy sucks right now. I sure hope he finds out what the hell is wrong. Sosa is a mess. He does have good stuff but that doesn’t do any good if he can’t find the strike zone.
Skip had the line of the night last night when he said that the Braves Club House collection now included a hangman’s noose.
Well we can score runs I just wish we could prevent some.
Barry was given a blown save because he came in with the lead and blew it. That’s how blown saves work; they are not at all dependent on the ninth inning.
Mac, thanks for taking care of my impersonator.
Mike..
during the game Skip also said that it was a blown save for Barry…eventhough it was in the 6th inning. I asked myself the same question at the time…
Yeah, sorry about that Flournoy. His first post (you know who he is) was badly typed as usual but not in trollish. I have to watch it pretty carefully from now on, I guess. He’s a sociopath.
All I can say for anybody that missed the game last night is that I’m glad that I started drinking in the 7th inning or I may have called and ordered the noose from the Clubhouse Collection.
On a side note, Jenny , did you have any luck coming up with another IP address to watch the Fox games today ??
This is hilarious. I hate people.
If Laroche played defense like he had a care in the world, he’d be much more well liked. As is, he’s just an average MLB 1st baseman hitting wise, and lackadaisical on defense to the extreme.
I know that its not just a ninth inning thing, but I thought the max number of innings for a save was three.
Well, we are on a 3 game winning streak and we haven’t won four straight since May 15-18. We haven’t won 5 straight all year, hopefully Smoltzie can keep it going tonight….
There is no maximum inning limit for a save. The minimum inning limit for a save with more than a three run lead, however, is three.
From the official rules of baseball:
WINNING AND LOSING PITCHER
10.19
(c)When the starting pitcher cannot be credited with the victory because of the provisions of 10.19(a) or (b) [ie, when the starter did not complete five innings of a regular-length game] and more than one relief pitcher is used, the victory shall be awarded on the following basis:
(1) When, during the tenure of the starting pitcher, the winning team assumes the lead and maintains it to the finish of the game, credit the victory to the relief pitcher judged by the scorer to have been the most effective;
This means that Villareal wasn’t necessarily going to get the win, but 2 innings of scoreless ball is generally considered effective.
SAVES FOR RELIEF PITCHERS
10.20
Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following conditions:
(1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and
(2) He is not the winning pitcher; and
(3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions:
(a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning; or
(b) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batsmen he faces); or
(c) He pitches effectively for at least three innings. No more than one save may be credited in each game.
So Barry was in a save situation (up by three, not the winning pitcher, potential to finish the game) and lost the lead.
Part 3b came into play against Cincinnati, when Sosa came in with a 7-2 lead and the bases loaded in the 9th, so the tying run was on deck. Of course, he blew it.
I suppose that a reliever could be credited with a save of more than four innings, but under the current rules that would require the starter to be knocked out very early, another pitcher come in and pitch while the team took the lead, then a third pitcher come in and pitch the rest of the game. Realistically, the longest save you’d ever see would be four innings, and almost never more than three.
When saves were figured retroactively for the encyclopedias, some pitchers were credited with very long saves, saves they wouldn’t be credited with under the current rules.
1914 Update:
NY Giants 44-31 (–)
Chicago Cubs 43-37 (3.5 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals 42-39 (5)
Cincinnati Reds 39-40 (7)
Philadelphia Phillies 36-38 (7.5)
Pittsburgh Pirates 34-38 (8.5)
Brooklyn Robins 33-38 (9)
Boston Braves 33-43 (11.5)
Today’s game: Another loss at St. Louis, 5-3.
Back in the day, the Braves didn’t really have a “bullpen” as such. Twelve men pitched for the Braves in 1914; all started at least one game and nine made at least one relief appearance. The Braves pitched 104 complete games, by far the most in the NL. Of their league-low six saves (retroactively awarded), two each went to two of the main starting pitchers, Bill James and Lefty Tyler.
Nomar just got hit again. 8th time this year.(What do you know it was a Cardinal that did it.)
Braves: For the first time in more than a decade, the Braves figure to be sellers in July. That doesn’t mean they will, as key targets like Smoltz have no-trade clauses. Also, the Braves are not shopping the veteran right-hander. Atlanta has been seeking a right-handed-hitting first baseman, but it may wait until the offseason to address that need.
(From MLB.com)
Just wanted to give Brian J kudos for doing the 1914 retrospective — it’s a fun read. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sansho. Nice to be appreciated.
The idea was floating around for a while in the “good old days” of the late ’90s to make Maddux and Glavine relievers on their days off, as a way of exploiting the extra throwing they did under Mazzone’s training program. Cox actually did this to some extent in some of the playoffs.
Of course then we usually had good-to-excellent bullpens, and now we don’t have any starters (excpet maybe Chuck James) that we can trust to get anyone out for an inning.
I still miss Leo.
no way should giles’s hit have been ruled an error, especially after the precedent set on both of francoeur’s hits.
JoeyT – Between that story and the one where TO claims his own autobiography misquoted him, I’d say that sports reporting has officially affiliated itself with The Onion.
guys, i am getting married in 3 hours. going to costa rica for the honeymoon. i will be out of commission for a while. my wife to be says, “no braves on our honeymoon” so i will have to make do. hopefully when i come back the mets have lost 7 straight and we have won 7 straight. go bravos.
“LaRoche had a huge game, 4-6 with two homers and a double, five RBI.”
Somewhere Lando and the “Free Thorman” movement weep.
congrats ryan, glad to have another guy in the club.
You know, some people just don’t understand. The “pro-family” group in that ESPN article opposed the sale of the Braves to Liberty Media because Liberty owns a service that provides movies in hotel rooms, including porn. The pro-family people said they opposed the deal because, “This is baseball and apple pie and America.”
But what’s more American than pornography? Also, if you look at porn and baseball closely, you’ll notice a number of similarities: disproportionately male audiences, the greatest majority is produced in America–specifically Van Nuys, California, the birthplace of Don Dreisdale, and if he’s not American then I’ll eat my hat–and, well, the fact that both sports consists of muscular men swinging huge “sticks” and grunting.
And our wives seem to distrust both of them. Ryan C, my heart goes out to you: you’re affirming your commitment to a woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, and all of a sudden she tells you no baseball? I think the point is clear.
On the other hand, I really really really don’t want Liberty Media to buy the team, so I’m happy to encourage any and all spurious arguments that might prevent that from happening. Bring it on, tinfoil hatters!
JoeyT, why is that ridiculous?
Why stop at Liberty Media, Larry Flynt might give us a bigger payroll! Let’s sell to him!
Let’s not start, okay?
Mac, I happen to be a supporter of James Dobson, and I agree with his position on this, obviously. JoeyT saying that it was ridiculous has no place on this board. Isn’t that what War Liberal is for?
At the end of the day, Liberty Media is going to probably reduce payroll and run Atlanta into the ground. If it takes something like their position as basically a porn-dealer to raise opposition to their intent to buy the Braves. Sort of pragmatic, sure, but anything to keep another corporate ownership out of Atlanta should be supported by Braves fans.