ESPN – Cardinals vs. Braves Box Score, July 20 2007 – MLB
One of the problems with a guy who gets off to an unexpectedly good start is that when he starts to return to his own level, it takes a lot of time to realize that he’s not playing well. Take Willie Harris — please. Harris is still hitting .317, but he hit .391 in May, .355 in June. In July, he has turned into Willie Harris, hitting .143 with no extra-base hits. It’s a problem, especially since Bobby keeps hitting him leadoff. Harris, more than anyone, lost this game.
1. Tied at 1 in the seventh, Thorman (!) led off with a pinch single. Willie was to bunt him over, but failed and Thorman was forced at second.
2. Harris compounded his error by trying to steal, getting a terrible jump, and getting thrown out at second with the Braves’ second-best hitter at the plate and their best hitter on-deck.
3. After Soriano allowed a leadoff double to Pujols — which is going to happen — he allowed a single to Encarnacion. Harris attempted to throw out Pujols at the plate, but it really wasn’t a ball hit hard enough where a Willie Harris had any chance of throwing out a runner. The ball wound up at the backstop and Encarnacion at third, where he scored to make it 3-1.
4. At 4-1 in the ninth, the Braves got one run in and a runner on, but there were two outs. Harris popped up meekly to left to end it — with Renteria on deck and Chipper lurking.
So what I’m saying, I guess, is that he had a bad game.
Chuck James had a good one, making one mistake to Pujols for a solo homer, which is going to happen. He went seven, allowing six hits and striking out four, walking two. He threw 106 pitches and seemed to still have good stuff at the end. Soriano is not right, and probably needs time off, or time on the side with McDowell or someone more competent.
Chipper had two hits and an RBI, and Renteria had two hits. Harris did score the Braves’ first run — after reaching on a strikeout/wild pitch.
or time on the side with McDowell or someone more competent.
Priceless.
Andruw is the runner-up goat. Leaving 5 runners on in his first three ABs.
Maybe, I am not being fair to Soriano.
I have a bad feeling that Silly Willie won’t be dropped in the order anytime soon just because he’s fast.
I hope that I’m wrong.
We can’t look beyond what we have and that is a completely average team offering weeks of ups and downs. I’m tired of the grind.
A split is a sure-thing, thus we end up a homestand with a .500 mark. The chance to gain some ground with this opportunity (the homestand) has been all but eliminated.
It will be two more weeks before Bobby making another lineup move.
As for Soriano, I think the league has figured out he throws mostly fastball. I think he just needs to mix in his sliders more often to be good again.
One final comment, Chucky is great tonight and has been great in the last three starts. At least one of Kyle, Chucky, and Lerew plans out ok.
what scares me is a full season of Harris in center. Andruw is getting swing happy again, take a pitch. Bobby just because its the 8th inning doesnt require you to pitch Soriano.
If we can let Salty pinch hit drop a reliever and call up Pena, this is frustrating. Other than Salty or McCann, whoever isnt in the lineup, we have no bench power. Im now on the Escobar/prospect/prospect for Tex bandwagon
If we go for Teixeria, it would have to be under the assumption that we get him through 2008 (after a round of arbitration this offseason) and that’s it. He’ll be a Boras-represented free agent after that, meaning there’s no way he signs a multi-year contract with us this offseason.
He’s got real good numbers, which are mitigated somewhat by his home park. We could probably expect .280/.360/.530 production. Since that leaves no place for Salty, it would seem that the trade would have to be Salty-for-Tex straight up — we’d have a role for Escobar next year, so why would we make a trade that would jam us up even more than we already are?
And who, three or four years down the road, would lay claim to winning a Salty-for-Tex trade? I’d say the Rangers, and I’d give 3 to 1 odds. So I would pass.
Soriano’s been getting rocked lately. Problem is that Yates has too… and Wickman isn’t exactly lights out. At least Ledezma is back in the country now.
I was wondering when Willie was going to turn back into a pumpkin. I liked having Johnson lead off because he held a pretty good OBP through hot streaks and not-so-hot streaks because he can take a pitch or two. I sure was hoping to see Renteria come up in the 9th.
But Chucky sure has been doing well lately. There’s a really good positive to end on…
This is why I was speculating (read, hoping and willing) that we would trade Willie earlier in the year. His value was too high not to make a move with him. And I refuse to believe race played a role in keeping him. Maybe he can leg it out the rest of the year and get a decent return in an off-season trade to a non-contender. I love watching him play but he ain’t cutting it.
That said, I’m excited to see if Buddy can keep it going. He’ll be fun to watch, if nothing else.
/Go Braves.
p.s. Isn’t Rob Cope in China? Since someone was askin’…
Mets and Dodgers tied at 1 in the 6th
The Willie Harris thing was fun while it lasted, but he is still and always will be Willie Harris. Unfortunately, “Find another real outfielder” doesn’t seem real high on JS’s priority list these days. Not with the hole in the rotation, the vortex of dispair at firstbase, and the bullpen imploding.
Not that I’m down on the team or anything.
I’m not down on the team either but I guess I look at it as a missed opportunity.
For some reason, the Dodgers decide to bring in Roberto Hernandez of all people. He gives up 3 runs to blow the game in the 8th.
Hard to be optimistic. The Mets go on a tough west coast swing and we’re playing the Reds and Cardinals at home, and they’ve extended their lead.
Back up to 3.5 barring a ninth inning rally by the weak hitting Dodgers.
Just got back from watching the Richmond Braves play and I’m sorry to see that the Cards beat us. I really don’t like them, and I think that’s due mainly to really disliking LaRussa.
Anyway, Blaine Boyer started the Richmond game this evening and looked great early on (retired the first seven hitters). He struggled in the 4th (giving up three runs, although his defense didn’t exactly help him…here’s looking at you Martin Prado). Boyer righted himself but was taken out in the 6th after allowing back-to-back baserunners with two outs.
Meanwhile, the R-Braves scored single runs in innings 3-6 to make it 4-3, but saw the game become re-tied in the top of the seventh. It remained that way until Joey Devine gave up a run in the 9th (he looked great for the first couple of batters, but couldn’t close the inning out). In prehaps a bit of irony his teammates bailed him out by loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth (two hits and an error on the SS that should have been a double play but instead got no outs) before Brent Lillibridge hit a Grand Slam to end it.
It was a tale of middle infielders, with both Prado (4-for-4) and Lillibridge (4-for-5 with 5 RBIs) looking good on offense. However, Prado looked terrible on defense (make mistakes on several plays…I thought he was supposed to be good defensively?), while Lillibridge made a great catch that would easily been a #1 Web Gem.
Pete Orr led off and played center, while Bryan Pena played First.
Sorry this is so long, but I thought I’d give a first hand account of some prospects as I saw them.
The highlight of my night was getting both Boyer’s and Pena’s autographs after the game. Several players were standing around the player’s entrance signing autographs when Boyer walked out and nearly made it through without being stopped. I spotted him though and not only got an autograph but a picture with him too. While Pena was signing for me someone asked him when he thought he’d get back to Atlanta. He didn’t sound very happy when he answered, and said “I don’t know. Soon, I hope.”
I wish we’d call up Pena. He’s versatile and could outhit Woodward with both hands tied behind his back.
I really love Chris Woodward. I can’t say why, really. It’s just, he gives you so much off the bench.
July is all about optimism. Sure, the bugs are awful. But the post-all-star garden is bursting and life is in bloom. We’re still in the hunt, every day. Enjoy the games now, you’ll miss them in December.
urlhix,
Apparently, it’s the order of the day to expect the worst.
I’ve got a good comparison.
Bobby Cox is today’s version of Fred Haney. Haney kept Joe Adcock on the bench in favor of no-power and eventually terrible-hitting Frank Torre against righties.
That’s fine, it’s a normal reaction to losing four of five. Things will turn around and I suspect we will be in it until the end.
Apologies for my sunny disposition and all that but I’m willing to wait and see what JS has up his sleeve before I’m all doom and gloom. I remember the misery of this time last year and I’ll suggest that things are still on the upswing.
Oh, and Orr in center? Frightening.
I tend to look at things series by series, so in that respect, there is still plenty of chance to take this particular series 3-1. But not if Soriano can’t find himself again (or his arm falls off.)
I am much more forgiving of Bobby’s penchant for playing platoons, even if silly looking ones right now. It seems to have worked for him in the past. And I must admit (even if I do not like it) that the platooning of KJ and Escobar has at least produced good results at 2nd base.
All that said…last night’s loss sucked. No two ways about it.
Losing games where the starter pitched really well but the team doesn’t score runs just annoys me more than almost any other type of loss other than the closer blowing it in the ninth.
Being from Ohio and a Braves fan…
I’m still extremely bitter over the Reds series. We may look back at that in September with some dismay.
im in Ohio right now as well – stupid Reds and stupid Reds fans
Good News: 3 of the 4 games against SF are on TBS. ESPN may pick up the fourth (which is actually the 1st.)
Bad News: May have to see historic homer hit.
Talk about mixed emotions!
Let it go. It’s going to happen, geez.
Right, Sam, but what I think Kevin is saying is that if it happens to someone other than the Braves, he won’t be watching, which he’d prefer. Same here.
Well, I will be watching if I can. I decided that a while ago, and I’m sticking with it.
Good for you.
My reason is this: it seems to me that everyone I know is banking that Alex Rodriguez is going to break Bonds’s record that he sets. But, there is no gaurantee that that’s going to happen, so I’m going to watch history and appreciate it for what it is because it may not happen again for a long time.
Kyle B.,
I’m already looking back at that Reds series with some dismay.
I must say, though, that, all in all, I tend much more toward the urlhix vibe than some of the more negative ones. It could very well be that we tank and the Mets get hot, but as of this moment, I still don’t expect that to happen and I still like our chances in the NL.
The interleague part of the schedule really accounts for the difference in the standings, it seems to me.
Stu,
I’ve thought the same thing looking at that part of the standings. It’s not over. There’s still lots of work to be done on both the Mets and Braves.
Oddly enough, the Braves have the sixth best record in the NL but have winning records against all the teams in front of them. So, there are reasons for optimism in that regard. However, I tend to be of the “this is an average team that benefits from the NL” school. I see no signs that this team is more than a slightly above .500 team. At some point, you are what your record is and the Braves are going on 100 games. I don’t see a lot of difference between them and,say, the Phillies. Being in a weak league doesn’t make you a good team.And now the bullpen is struggling. Last night and Wednesday were the kind of games they lost consistently last year but were winning early in the year when the bullpen was better. I do, however, think this team is in a transitional phase and at least some of the problems stem from having basically a young team (with some obvious exceptions).
Being in a weak league doesn’t make you a good team.
I didn’t mean to imply that it does—I meant that we’re good enough to make the playoffs in this league, though.
Darn right we are. No one is running away with anything. It’s as if all the teams at the top all have some debilitating problems that keep them from pulling away.