ESPN.com – MLB – Box Score – Marlins at Braves
John “I Have To Do Everything Around Here” Smoltz rebounded from his problems in his last two starts (the short start in his last outing might have helped) and went eight innings; Wickman nailed it down. Smoltz allowed eight hits and one run, struck out eight and walked three. In the fifth, the Marlins took a 1-0 lead on an infield single by Cabrera.
In the sixth, Marcus and Renteria singled, and Andruw hit a grounder that the Marlins botched, allowing Marcus to score and tie up the game. Marcus then doubled in Langerhans, the LF of the Day, with two out in the seventh to take the lead. Wickman was 1-2-3 in the ninth.
The Braves had eight hits, oddly two each by four different players. Also, three of the players were the 1-2-3 hitters Giles, Renteria, and LaRoche, and you’d think they’d have put it together for more than two runs, but nope. 3B of the Day Aybar had the other two.
I was at the Alabama game: Recap Here. Mike Shula is going to be a piñata for the next several days, I’m afraid.
Bobby’s lineups are ALMOST starting to look coherent now.
Aybar has no business leading off, less so even then Giles. I still think that they should at least have tried to flip flop Edgah and Giles, but it’s too late in the season for that. I’m tempted to put McCann at 3 and Laroche at 5, but with Brian’s speed that could be a rally-killer. At least a clear order is starting to emerge.
Also, I’m really excited about a full season from Adam “Oh hay guys I decided I didn’t want to suck anymore” LaRoche. He’s putting up Chipper-in-his-prime-like-numbers since the ASB, so ideally that will lock up the corners for a couple more years at least.
How about Smoltz shooting the bird to umpire? That was the highlight of the year. Or maybe it was to Schuerholz in the booth…..
Words are that “RHP Danys Baez doesn’t know if he can pitch again this season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last month.”
Perhaps the Braves can get a cheap one-year deal with Baez for next season, and the Braves will have a Baez-Wickman combo for the late innings next year. What do you guys think? Do you want Baez back?
Baez ain’t going to get nearly what he did this year, so if you can get him without hurting the chances of re-singing Wickman (remember the budget), go for it. Unless you think Tyler Yates is eighth inning material…..
Yates?! Yeah right. It would be great next year if Boyer can come back healthy…
…and please, I don’t want to see Reitsma coming back, even if that means he may find success with the other teams. I have seen enough of him.
Finally, no more Brian Jordan…please…please…please…
For the bullpen, Wickman is priority one. Priority two is getting a real 8th inning/ middle reliever, which Baez isn’t. Number three is keeping Villareal as swingman. Number four is selling Moylan, Ray, Franklin, and Paronto to Japan or Korea or Abu Dhabi.
Baez is worth keeping only at or very near the mnimum, and on a very short leash.
What upset Smoltz?
That’s what I meant. The Braves should sign Baez, again only after they get Wickman, as a set-up man. No one of the team can currently do; and that means Yates, McBride, Paronto and people likely back next year like Boyer and Foster.
I think Schuerholz will bring Reitsma back. Brian Jordan I’m not sure of, but I really fear it’s possible.
“What upset Smoltz?”
I guess some calls the home plate umpire made in the inning he gave up that only run. With two outs and one run in, Smoltz got a come backer and immediately stomped his feet in anger before throwing to first to end the inning, and when walking off you could see Smoltz yelling at the umpire and then flipping him off. I don’t know which call in that inning got to Smoltz (it wasn’t the inning where Smoltz was angry at the second base umpire.)
And I agree, only get Baez AFTER Wickman and only at a reasonable price. No five million contract like he has now.
It would be good to get Baez and Wickman back; my gut tells me that we will get one of them.
Otherwise, I expect the Braves to pick up another set-up man in a trade or from funds made available from trading. That said, if we could keep these guys (KC–Boyer would be great, but I fear that he is another McGlinchey) and get help from below (Startup, Devine or even Schneider) then we have the makings of a good bullpen. It is probably not a bad thing if Yates or Paronto or McBride are the worst pitchers in the pen, but I would not want to rely on them in late innings should the Braves find themselves back in a Division or even WC race next season.
Also, SEC recap here if anyone cares. Poor LSU. Stupid Fulmer.
And Steve Spurious and his Gamecrooks almost blow a 17-point lead. Against Wofford. It’s a new era for South Carolina- higher-profile failure.
“Number three is keeping Villareal as swingman. Number four is selling Moylan, Ray, Franklin, and Paronto to Japan or Korea or Abu Dhabi.”
Parontos actually been really solid and Ray was good enough for awhile to desrve a second chance and his stuff merits another too…a 91-93 FB and a good change is nice
Actually Moylan might be better suited to the Australian teams which occasionally toured Singapore. Not quite the Persian Gulf….
I agree about Ray–he needs rest more than Smoltz as his era after the All Star break (8.46)was worthy of the Reitsmasphere…
I was very surprised and please at how long and effectively Smoltz went. That’s great news although all those side arm pitches have me worried he’s hiding a shoulder problem.
I’ve given up on expecting logic from Bobby’s lineup. Bobby fills out his lineup based on a combination of the “book,” lefty-righty, and apparently Tarot cards. I’d probably bat McCann 3rd, Laroche 4th, and Andruw 5th right now. For leadoff, there really isn’t a great candidate, but why not Renteria? Or Diaz?
Aybar got thrown out trying to take 3rd on an infield grounder. That guy needs a serious refresher course in baserunning. He is the worst baserunner I’ve ever seen and seems to have 0 power. Bad, bad trade.
Ron–I agree. The Braves need to plan for the future and we lost Betemit for Aybar. The Dodgers traded Aybar for a reason….
Smoltz was actually yelling and gesturing up at the booth to the official scorer. In that inning, he was charged with an earned run when Renteria obviously made an error that led to the run. Smoltzie did mix it up with just about every official in the course of eight innings, though. Watching the Marlins home broadcast, I could hear him yell “God dang it!” at various times in the evening.
The Dodgers traded Aybar for a reason.
Maybe for the same reason the Braves traded Betemit? They wanted a different player and had to give up something of value to get one?
Why is the default assumption around here that JS is the one making the mistake? I don’t get it.
I am optimistic about Joey DeVine next year. His post DL numbers, especially k’s, have been great.
Forget the 7 runs in no innings here to start the season; something was wrong. How about 6 K’s in 3 innings, since.
Maybe his head isn’t ready for the 9th inning yet; his arm is ready for the 7th.
I love the site.. been reading it all season. Does anyone know of a similar Falcons blog?
“Why is the default assumption around here that JS is the one making the mistake? I don’t get it.”
Because Betemit is a better player no matter how you look at it?…stats, scouting, highlights, anything
Exactly.