The Braves are 0-4 in extra innings game thread: Braves at Reds, May 31

Did you realize that? I guess it’s a subset of the one-run games. They’re the only team that’s played more than two extra-inning games without a win this year.

Maybe a movie will change our luck. It’s rated “R” (ooh, scary) so you may have to log into Hulu to watch.

Oh, and Fox? Still sucks.

193 thoughts on “The Braves are 0-4 in extra innings game thread: Braves at Reds, May 31”

  2. I think Blanco should move to the top of the order. Now, I’m not usually for a lesser hitter at the top of the order, but hear me out.

    I don’t think Blanco is optimal in the 7 hole. He doesn’t have a slugging percentage to speak of, and his main hitting skill is getting on base a lot by walking. So, in the 7 hole, he’s getting on base for the black holes at the bottom of the order. If Escobar or Johnson moved to the 7 spot in the order, I think that they would have a better chance of cleaning up what’s left on base of the batters before them than Blanco would. This might be a small part of the problem why we have so many people left on base.

  4. That would extend the lineup which is an idea with merit. Currently we have five really fine hitters batting in a row and then four hitters that can’t really hurt you. This serves as a nice breather for the other teams pitcher. Putting Kelly seventh would allow us to extend some rallies that somehow get by Frenchy alive.

    I’m not sure I’d do it because I would prefer that Kelly bat more the Gregor. Joe Simpson would have done it a month ago.

  8. I commented on the last thread that in the month of May, Wonder Boy is “hitting” .229/.302/.343/.645

  9. “Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain.”

    Interesting idea on Blanco. As long as he’s getting on base, I’m not going to go crazy about lack of power. The speed’s not a bad thing either.

    Gonna go out on a limb here: We’ll score some runs tonight in that ballpark against Mr. Fogg, a guy who’s given up 25 ER in 25 IP. Makes for any easy-to-calculate ERA, doesn’t it?

  10. The Braves’ Chipper Jones hasn’t made the National League All-Star team since 2001. He can’t help but point that out when he’s finally doing well in the voting, thanks to a majors-leading .420 batting average through the first two months. In the first totals released Wednesday, Jones was leading the voting at third base. He was ahead of the Mets’ David Wright, 420,664 to 321,091. “Honestly it’s a shame that I’ve got to go out and hit .400 for two months to make an All-Star team,” Jones said. “It’s kind of depressing to me because I’ve had — to me — what I think are some pretty good first halves, what I think is a pretty good career, and I haven’t made an All-Star team since ’01. … But I’ll take it. Got to make a splash to get people’s attention? Got to make a splash.”

  16. Nice Norton is playing LF again. Same lineup as yesterday. Why again not have Blanco bat lead off? Also Norton is a horrible outfielder.

  17. I was going to say, oh my God, I didn’t know you could stream entire movies on Hulu — this is amazing! Then I saw that, in addition to Big Lebowski, one of the available movies is “Boat Trip.”

    This is the equivalent of learning about a free all-you-can-eat buffet, in which one of the little heatwells has ribeye steaks, and then looking over to see and noticing that another one is filled with week-old dog crap. It sort of turns your stomach.

  21. The way this road trip is going, we may have to go back to Phil Collins.

  24. Even though he may be annoying, he can’t be any worse than the Dodgers-Mets game I am being forced to watch.

  26. I like his pitching analysis so far, but that giggle of his makes me want to destroy my TV.

  33. Thanks Jeff for airmailing the cutoff guy and giving a free base to Bruce.

  37. If I didn’t care so much about the Braves, this exhibition would be comical.

  38. Can we please stop throwing to third and giving them second base??? Chipper’s pissed about it, too.

  40. JJ hasnt come close to McCann’s setup position all day, Leo wont shut up about it either. Too bad Bobby has abused Bennett when he didnt have to this week because we could use about 3-4 good innings from someone today.

    JJ has faced 17 batters in 2 innings and thrown 64 pitches. 6 hits and 5 bb’s so far

    Hopefully Bobby will get Carlyle and Stckman into this game

  50. Jay Bruce looks like he can hit, but his defense looks bad. Two straight games he’s getting himself turned in some weird positions

  51. It’s only a new ballgame if we don’t give these runs back in the bottom of the inning.

  53. Stupid Franceour… the cant throw a strike for his life… and our stupid RF swings at the first pitch

  55. I’d try to get one more from Jurrjens and then pinch-hit for him to start the 4th. He’d be yanked after the first baserunner, though.

  57. yeah, Bobby has no faith in Stockman or Carlyle and both could give us some quality innings today

  60. He seems strong mentally.

    Remember against the Mets where he had that nightmare inning, walking in runs, not least of course because the umpire did a bad job, but he somehow managed to bounce back afterwards and pitched really well.

    I think that was very telling. Maybe some of the same today?

  61. Well, now he’ll be totally useless on the mound. Carlyle had better be warming up.

  66. Bad AB by Teixeira. He took about 5 strikes, although only 3 were called. C’mon, BMac.

  72. Norton shouldnt be in LF, he’s allowed runners to get to second on throws to third twice now

  74. Geez. Escobar’s making some dumb plays lately.
    Remove starter, please. Attention Bobby.

  77. Two double play grounders that inning that were just out of reach. Shame. Jurrjens had really settled down there.

  78. Our defense in this series has been a disaster. What in the hell is Greg Norton doing? Even Little League teams know how to throw to the right goddam base!

  81. Did he just say that he’s now stranded 22 consecutive inherited runners? That would make him the anti-Grybo.

  85. Ring is exquisite when he bails someone out, but excrement when he starts an inning.

  87. absolutely superb outting by Ring.

    Why are we afraid to let him pitch in blowouts again?

  88. You mean Ring is actually capable of getting out righthanded hitters? That’s just ridiculous.

  89. Blanco looked very lazy getting to that and making kind of a show boating basket catch. I like seeing those made with a little more hustle and two hands

  94. I’m guessing Joe Simpson is in heat right now after that opposite-field HOUR from Francoeur.

  98. Instead of doing the logical thing and using Stockman, Bobby wants to make sure that Bennett’s arm falls off so that Boyer won’t be alone.

  99. looks like Ring will be safe when Smoltz and Gonzo come back. Stockman and Carlyle are here for … we’ll no one knows why

  100. I’m not sure I want Stockman in this situation. He’s done nothing to make us trust him in a late-and-close situation.

  103. And Bennett has pitched about 10 days in a row. He’s got to use someone else at some point.

  104. Why did Bobby make the double switch there to bat Bennett 7th… is that just to put Anderson in as a defensive replacement for Norton?

  107. By the way, here is the final score from the future (but I hope I’m wrong): 8-7 Reds.

  109. Concur with 106. Dunn gets on — perhaps via walk — and a homer ends it.

  112. gameday had all those fastballs between 91 and 93. Different guns than fox?

  121. Man I hate being right sometimes…it must be a mental block that they can’t win a 1-run game…I’ll be totally shocked if they hold on for the win

  130. The Reds’ broadcasters are getting onto McCann for not blocking the plate. True?

  131. The Braves continue to have bad luck. There is nothing…nothing you can do about that. As far as I’m concerned, they played that as best as you can.

  132. Soriano just needs to go ahead and give up another hit here rather than have them lose another game in extra innings.

  135. 128, McCann was in pretty good position, but at some point, you have to field the ball, and that can give just enough of an opening … can’t blame anyone there.

  136. the replay showed that Freel was halfway home on contact. Soriano barely even looked him back and Freel took off for home as soon as Soriano looked to throw to first.

    Soriano’s fault .. I think? … I dunno. FTT.

  137. I could just cry watching this team. But instead I’ll drink. I’ve never been so glad to live within walking distance of several bars.

  141. At least Soriano seemed to be getting loose on that last batter, hitting 95 and 96.

  142. I have never liked Ryan Freel. It’s only a matter of time until he lands himself on the DL again making some “aggressive” (bonehead) play.

  143. I was about to reach for a beer. Instead, I’ve put on a pot of coffee.

    We may yet see the rest of our witness-protection-program bullpen.

  145. Yeah that looked like dominant best which just makes the start of the inning even more frustrating.

    Just please win this game ffs

  150. Is there something wrong with the people in the Atlanta dugout that they keep sending guys out there to bunt? Honestly… what the hell? It strikes me as strange that people would go about trying to win by employing the strategies that most likely will lead to their losing.

  151. It’s having too much faith in their pitchers to hold a one-run lead and generally thinking that it’s still 1985.

  155. Just great pitching from Cordero there…

    We should have won earlier.

    Come on Acosta. Need another chance

  163. I just knew that would happen.

    That kid is unreal.

    What a moron Dusty is for only playing him now.

  167. I don’t care if it’s May 31. At 20 consecutive road one-run losses and 2-16 in all one-run games this season, it’s time to panic, because when a string continues this long, it is more than simply bad luck. Something is seriously wrong.

  169. I’m not even going to claim credit for predicting the final score at post #106 when it was 7-6 Braves with our guys batting in the top of the 9th…it’s too easy with this team…they’ve established a pattern of suckitude in games like this that I haven’t seen in a long time.

  172. I’m actually starting to lose interest in this team. Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s attitude, maybe it’s a combination of a lot of things, but in the end they have squandered great pitching through the first two months and phenomenal starts from Chipper and McCann to end up being mediocre once again. The problem is that the pitching will come back down to earth – like today, when Jurrjens got shelled – just as a Teixeira and Francoeur or whomever find a stride. It’s so… disappointing.

  174. Only in June 2006 have I felt more desperately frustrated watching this team in the last 18 years.

  175. maybe soriano should consider going back to the DL. he should at least consider taking a shower since he just threw up all over himself on national TV.

  176. It’s torture but it’s still much rather lose 1 run games than being blown out.

    We’re in almost every game and that’s a positive.

    It’s almost impossible that all these close games won’t swing our way at some point.

  178. i dont care if all of our losses are by 1 run as long as we don’t blow the game in the 9th inning. it brings up horrible nightmires of Chris Reitsma. if you can’t come through in the clutch then you never going to make the playoffs, much less go deep into the playoffs

  180. Soriano is not a closer, just like Escobar is not a lead off man. You would think that bobby cox would have learned his leason after the marcus giles project. I really just don’t understand why Escobar is batting in the leadoff spot. He was batting great in the second spot. He has completely changed his batting style just like Giles did when they tried it with him. You need a true leadoff man to bat leadoff and you need a real deal closer to close the game.

  181. 168 — We’ve been waiting for these games to swing our way for two years now.

  182. It’s time to come to terms with the fact that bobby is the problem. Until he is gone, this team is going to continue to lose these type of games.

  183. And batting blanco in that spot would be a good idea if he could actually hit. I am shocked everytime that he makes contact with the ball. He really looks like he is going to swing himself into the first base bleachers. I am pretty sure his luck is up, and just like Bobby always does he will stick with him through the entire season.

  184. C’mon, let’s not lose all sense of reality.

    It sucks. It’s a bad streak. Gotta turn it around. It’s happened before, if I recall correctly, but in reverse.

    Look at the Nats in ’05. They won a preposterous amount of low-run, one-run games in the first half of the season—they were in first place for a long time.

    Come the second half, guess what happened? They lost almost every one-run game they were in.

    Put the knives down & come down off the roof. This can’t last all season.

  185. Well in 2006 nobody thought that we would keep blowing games in the 8th and 9th ining but we did

  186. And it is Bobby fault to extent
    Behind door number 1: Bad Choice number 1
    Behind door number 2: Bad Choice number 2
    Behind door number 3: Bad Choice number 3

  188. Since the start of the 2006 season, we are 35 games under .500 in one run games. We’re 39 games over .500 in all other contests.

  190. Recap is up. It’s late because of Comcast; I had to drive down to the University to post it. It’s the game thread for tomorrow too.

  193. I think it means that Glavine has a strong personality, a type “A” kind of guy…had we signed someone who was shy then we would be good to go :)

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