ESPN – Tigers vs. Braves Box Score, June 23 2007 – MLB
Congratulations to Bobby Cox on tying the all-time ejections record. Maybe this will get the team fired up. Lord knows I’m out of ideas.
I would have gotten ejected in the second, when the home plate umpire called an obviously out runner safe for the game’s first run. Kyle Davies pitched pretty great baseball after getting out of a bases-loaded situation in that inning, allowing a solo homer in the fourth but just three hits overall. He just didn’t get any run support.
Chipper, who really shouldn’t be playing, hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to cut it to 2-1. But the Braves couldn’t get a hit to tie the game. Worst, probably, was in the eighth when Diaz (hitting for Harris, who’s now in the leadoff slot) led off with a double but Bobby left the bunt on with KJ with two strikes, and he took strike three. The Braves had five hits and three walks, and struck out thirteen times. Andruw, banished to the seventh slot with his now sub-Mendoza batting average, did walk twice but was typically hitless.
Skip said that Bobby laid into KJ in the dugout after the two-strike bunt, leaving one to assume it was KJ’s doing.
The Braves were 12 games over .500 after that second game against the Pirates in May, since that second game, the Braves 11 under .500, now only one game over .500. Sad.
This offense really sucks. No more Thorman or A. Jones…..please?
Why the heck was Kelly Johnson bunting anyways?
I’d like to point out that we scored a run, Bobby tied a record and Andruw made one out NOT to left field. There’s some upside, boys.
Hey, I have an idea… Pentleton delenda est. Hire Don Baylor to replace him. When the whole team can’t hit, the problem is obvious…
The “delenda est” thing is a little stale.
either way, Pentleton’s gotta go.
Normally, I would call for freeing someone but who? Stale or not, new poll.
Chipper and Smoltz are now basically arguing through the media about Chipper not being in the lineup every day. They need to get that worked out soon before it starts to cause even more problems for us.
Chipper should have never said what he did. A team slumping does not need that kind of crap too!
After this series the next 6 games are soooo big! Nationals and Marlins, we need to take 5 of 6 from those two to have any chance. After that we have LA and SD on road!
Smoltz shouldn’t have called Chipper out like that in the media in the first place. That kind of stuff needs to stay in the clubhouse, and I’d expect a veteran like Smoltz to know that.
I think the ‘fight’ is over anyway. Chipper’s playing, he knows why it’s important for him to play, and he contributed today. What more is there for either of them to say?
Think about it, Smoltz has been playing injured badly the past couple weeks and hasn’t said anything. Everytime something happens with Chipper it’s this big ordeal and possible 15 day DL, etc. You never once hear Smoltz say comments about himself being injured like you hear chipper say about himself.
Your right, Smoltz shouldn’t of said what he did and chipper shouldn’t have said what he did. This thing has potential to get back quick. Heres what DOB said on AJC.COM:
YOU MIGHT SAY CHIPPER IS P’d OFF. On how he took Smoltz’s comments last night, if he thought they were directed at him:
“I don’t know, you guys interviewed him last night. How’d ya’ll take it?” (every reporter sort of smiles, looks uncomfortable, etc)
“I’d be stupid if I didn’t take it the same way. So I’ll play the rest of the games this year and do what I can.
“But somebody I know better not miss a start.”
OUCH.
Then: “He made his point through the media, now I’m gonna make mine through the media. If he doesn’t want to hand it man-to-man, fine.”
Folks, we’ve got a situation.
Bobby needs to get involved & tell his bigshots to grow up, pull together & fight through the frustration—because that’s what this is about.
why aren’t they saying shit to andruw?
ububba, i agree 100%.
beedee, the argument isn’t about not playing good, it’s about not playing when your injured.
no, i get it.
it just seems that the suck argument would be for more fruitful.
It shows how much this team is discouraged when their stars go at each other through the media. Let’s all hope Smoltz and Chipper get this straightened out behind closed doors. It’s already ugly enough.
Change of subject but something I’m curious about. When exactly was Andruw’s last hit? I keep seeing how low his batting average has gotten, but nobody ever mentions he’s in and 0-for-something streak. I can’t remember the last time he got a hit.
Never mind. I just saw that his hitless streak is at 24 at-bats. Pathetic.
Where did those quotes in #14 come from?
Dan,
Ajc.com, under DOB blog. It’s not looking good! The thing is, as I said a couple days ago, Smoltz is hurt REALLY bad and i’d be shocked if he lasts the year! Theres only one way for this to end!
I have hope Smoltz can make it. The rest in-between starts can’t hurt. If Smoltz goes for a long pediod of time, it’s over.
Davies is the more immediate concern. If Smoltz is calling Chipper out, I’m sure he’s not about to miss time himself. Sorry, I’m not about to get riled up about Smoltz right now.
But what we don’t want is Smoltz making all of his starts when he could use a few days off just to prove a point to Chipper.
why worry about a pitcher who has been barely pitching well enough to stay with the club? fredo could take his place, neither can replace a hole left by smoltz.
i’m not saying i don’t care that kyle is hurt, i just don’t see that it will have as great as an effect as smoltz being out of the rotation.
DOB: “They don’t think Davies’ injury is serious, hoping it’s only a cramp. He said it felt fine after the game, after he got fluids, etc, so that’s why they think it’s not serious.
“Meanwhile, Chipper just threw a flaming bag of poop on Smoltz’s porch.”
Haw. I hope Davies has learned his lesson about fessing up concerning serious injuries. And I think Smoltz is not about to miss any starts right now, injury to Chipper or no…part of me kinda hopes this can go on for a little longer so we can get a few more bombs out of Chipper.
Here’s an idea: why don’t Chipper and Smoltzie turn their anger on .199 hitting, fellow veteran, Andruw Jones?
I think the Chipper-Smoltz fight stems from this team just being plain awful and it’s a shame. I do still love both guys.
Andruw, that’s where a lot of this blame should be.
Alex R., why would a teammate yell at a player who is trying his best? AJ isn’t going up to the plate not wanting to do good.
The reason behind the Chipper-Smoltz fight is very obvious. Many players have been playing hurt this year and it has effected their performance. Some people, including Smoltz just feel that he has taken some games off when he should have been out there.
Smoltz was frustrated b/c he got hit pretty hard in the 6th and his response is at least I was out their fighting.
I think the worst thing that could happen is to keep blaming people for the teams slide, it’s time they rally together and play like a TEAM!
Folks, this is what you call an unlucky year. Your stars are either hurt or their not producing. Your younger players are not taking the next step. The role players, Diaz and Harris excepted, are not performing well. This just sucks. And fortunately, many Braves fans don’t know what this is like, but I think we are about to relearn. For the last fifteen years or so, we have had teams that either were so good that they just simply outperformed other teams or we had teams that played over their heads and won that way. This is different. Personally, I hope that I’m wrong. But having watched teams lose a lot in the past, as I’ve been a Braves since the late 70s, I can say there are plenty of ways to lose. Among the most miserable is to have a team that has good players but that just doesn’t play well. This year, that’s the case at least offensively. On paper, after all, you’d have to figure that we would have a bunch more production from Frenchy, Andruw, and McCann. And with even modest production from Thorman and Johnson, this team ought to slug with the best of them. That just hasn’t been the case. And now they are squabbling. This is a year in year out phenomena for the Phillies and we are about to see it here. Uggghh.
Overreacting much? We’re still 3.5 back, still 4.5 off the wildcard, still 87 games left. Neither Smoltz nor Chipper are egomaniacs that will let the team fall apart. They’re just very competitive, very frustrated people. We all are. I’m not ready to write the story of this season, no more than I was in May.
I do hope this lights a fire under the team’s collective ass.
Jeff M.,
I started rooting for the Braves, at age 5, in 1980 and grew up going to Savannah Braves games seeing Murph, Horner, Benedict, Mahler, Hubbard, Rafy, etc. all come through. Seeing what happened with the Braves in the 80’s (from 84-90 in particular) will always be etched in my brain.
Believe me, many of us remember darker days.
I remember in 1988, the Braves lost their first 10 games. In one of those games, Ozzie Virgil almost got in a fight on the mound with his pitcher (I think it was Mahler). Those days were just hopeless, beyond anything we’re seeing now.
Tomorrow’s a new day. Let’s get an IL win & take on those nasty Nats.
Adam, I’m certainly not arguing that this season can’t be rescued, yet perhaps I am overreacting. And yes, I’m hoping that something will happen to make this team better. But, you have to admit, the fact that we are only a few games back speaks more of the current futility of the division than it does the promise of our own team. Plus, the Phillies are beginning to play well and the Mets, may a higher power strike them down, await the boost of a Hall of Fame pitcher. They are not likely to keep sucking as much as they have recently.
And Alex R., we have, along with quite a few others on this board, endured our own brand of purgatory in watching the Braves throughout the 80s. I’m not accusing you, or many others here, of not remembering–I’ve read enough here to know better. I am aware, however, that there are quite a few ardent fans here that are simply too young to remember those days–may they never come back to haunt us. But Alex, I have to say, you are a lucky fan despite the 80s. You’ve now had about 15 years of great play from the Braves and how many strong years in a row with the Spurs? About 9? (I’m with you there, too, as I have followed them since the Admiral’s rookie season).
Bobby needs to get involved & tell his bigshots to grow up, pull together & fight through the frustration—because that’s what this is about.
Amen.
I gotta admit—I’m pretty disheartened at this development. I expect more from these guys, and stuff like this doesn’t help when the team’s struggling so mightily.
Things are getting prett ugly!!! However, I don’t think this is the first time Chipper and Smoltz got into a verbal fight. I think those two will be fine.
I usually don’t blame things on Andruw, but he really has to shoulder the largest portion of the blame in the team’s struggle. Only if he plays up to his usual performance, the team will not struggle so bad.
So, what does the team need right now? A veteran bat either through Andruw’s recovery or trade, AND a veteran starting pitcher. This team is way too young to play consistently over a whole season. The team needs more veteran leadership.
Smoltz and Chipper will pave things over, or I’m Kim Il Sung. The problem is the O — Andruw and Frenchy in particular. A hallmark of a pro is ability to adjust, and neither of these whiffers is battling, in the AB sense. Let’s see them work the fricking pitcher, instead of getting worked, repeatedly.
DOB’s blog now contains this:
Smoltz called me about 10 minutes after I walked in my door, at 10:30 tonight. i added some comments from him to the story, a new version of which should be getting posted at any moment.
He’s adament and insists he didn’t aim his comments at Chipper Friday. (I’m just telling you what the man told me). He says this is a controversy now only because of what Chipper said today, not what John said Friday.
Here’s hoping they act like the veterans they are and talk this out tomorrow. They’re been friends too long, and way too important to the team, to let something this stupid cause a huge rift.
Come out tomorrow, the two of them together, and say “Hey, there’s a lot of frustration from losing and injuries, and we both said some things we regret or that were misintepreted, but we’re moving forward for the good of the team.”
Is that too hard? Does the Man in Black blog need to mediate this thing? Wow, what a mess. Makes me feel mature, by comparison.
I think the whole Chipper/Smoltz thing is much ado about nothing and was largely created by the media. We don’t know that Smoltz was talking about Chipper and nothing would have occurred if someone hadn’t brought it to Chipper’s attention. This is the least of the Braves’ problems.
My greatest hope for the Smoltz/Chipper thing blowing over is that everyone knows losing makes people tense. Both were blowing off steam, and both probably know they shouldn’t have gotten mad. Don’t forget, last year was the FIRST TIME IN CHIPPER’S LIFE that he didn’t make the playoffs: little league, high school, professional ball. It sucks to lose, and it really sucks to scuffle with seemingly no end in sight.
I love ’em both, and I hope they can patch it up over a steak dinner, make amends and go to war again tonight.