ESPN – Marlins vs. Braves – Box Score – August 26, 2008
Man, that has to suck for the Marlins. This is the sort of game we lose.
The Braves took a 3-0 lead in the first, but Jair Jurrjens, who really needs to be shut down, had nothing at all. He gave up a two-run homer to Commando Cody in the second, and left after giving up four runs in the third. It stayed 6-3 for awhile, then Sammons singled in Francoeur (who had a good game, two hits and a walk) to cut the lead to two. Unfortunately, Tavarez came in and gave up a two-run homer.
In the eighth, the Braves loaded the bases with none out, but Sammons and McCann (pinch-hitting) couldn’t get anyone in. Blanco and Escobar, however, drew walks to make it 8-6. Ohman (who really, really, should have been traded) gave up a run in the top of the ninth, making it 9-6.
Then the bottom of the inning. Infante singled, and Marvelous Martin doubled him in. Francoeur came through with a single to cut it to 9-8. KJ singled, and went to second on the throw to get the winning run to scoring position. Sammons popped up. Mark Kotsay hasn’t been traded yet, and pinch-hit, getting intentionally walked. Blanco grounded out, but beat the relay to tie the game and extend the inning. Escobar (who had previously walked three times) had his first hit, singling in the winning run. Weird. Ohman got the decision.
Isn’t that our first multi-run comeback in the 9th all year? After 131 games, it’s about time, but waaaay too late.
Maybe we’ll shut Jurrjens down now, since it’ll be September 1 before his spot in the rotation comes up again. Then, theoretically, we can call up minor leaguers to play out the string.
On the other hand, since we’ve already called up nonentities like DeSalvo and Bueno, who’s left to call up?
From what DOB is saying, the trade was not that close, but they didn’t want to risk injury on a wet track.
DOB made this comment on his blog:
…after the season the Braves have had, and third consecutive missed playoffs, I don’t think there are any certainties on the coaching staff. If McDowell wants to be back, he’ll be back, but other than him, I wouldn’t feel certain about any of them.
Hubbard’s like our own personal second baseman coach, though. We have no hope if we trade KJ and play Prado at second if Hubbard is gone.
Gordon Edes says Kotsay traded for a minor-league pitcher.
Hunter Jones?
Is it Hunter Jones? Looks like a pitcher of about Marek’s value–not that I was expecting much more….
I guess Daniel Bard’s a bit too much to hope for, huh?
FWIW, Blanco never had to beat the DP relay because Hanley Ramirez never made one. He bobbled the throw & took a bite out of the ball.
Hanley can hit, but, like the rest of the Fish, he’s a lousy fielder. Tonight, it cost them the game. He turns that DP & they win.
Small Thrill: Mets blow 7-0 lead, lose to Phils in extras, fall back out of first place.
Jones would be a pretty good haul for 1 month of Kotsay. He keeps the ball in the park (1 HR allowed per 15 IP pitched), walks a bit over 2 per 9 IP, and strikes out 9 per 9 IP. Lots to like there. He’s currently in AAA so he’s not too far away from ML. Maybe I’m missing something in taking a quick look at his stats but I didn’t expect Kotsay could be this valuable.
@9–I’d call that a big thrill. At least by the standards of this miserable season.
Frank,
After a Met game like that, the big thrill always comes the next day when you get to listen to “Met Rehab” on WFAN radio here.
The sky will be falling and somebody must pay. People will be losing their minds—for about 10 hours until the next game.
Of course, with the Yankee season now on life support (they lost to the Sawx tonight), it could be “Pinstripe Rehab” as well.
I was just taking a wild guess, Frank — I suspect you’re right that Kotsay won’t bring that much.
Wait wait wait — we won?
I mean, I’m really pleased, just incredibly confused. I figured there was no way in hell we were winning and so I mentally wrote it off. I’m still trying to remember what to call the emotion I’m feeling right now. I believe it’s called… happiness?
Oh, hell, that ain’t gonna last long. I guess I’m gonna have to complain anyway. (Feel free to call me on my relentless negativity.) I mean, honestly, couldn’t we have gotten a few of these back when Hudson was healthy and Tex was still in uniform?
James Parr has done quite well since a promotion to Richmond. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a cup of coffee by taking Jurrjens’ place in the rotation.
Again, if we shut Jurrjens down now at pretty much the exact point where he stopped last year in the minors, the exact same thing will happen to him next year when we might need him in September. I think we’ve gotta keep running him out there within reason. Plus, this is really the first adversity he’s faced this year. Let’s see if he can work through it.
Great win tonight. I didn’t know we had that in us. Hopefully it’ll start a little mini-run of some sort, at least to make this team watchable for the rest of this year.
Kotsay to Boston.
Stu–Wasn’t there an Ohman for Bard rumor which surfaced in late July?
Where’s Smitty’s barber when you need him?
I have to admit I am a little worried about Jurrjens. I hope he really is as good as we think he is. Or has the league already started to catch up to him?
From the game thread, didn’t JJJ issue three consecutive bases loaded walks against the Mets when he pissed off the ump?
just in case you guys might have forgotten who we gave up for kotsay. this, to me, has been our worst trade thus far. joey devine, if healthy, will be something special. i bet he gets closer opportunities next year. kotsay, was valuable, but a 1 year rental in a very forgettable season. sigh….
http://tinyurl.com/6q96q5
@22,
And, it is time that our trading of players and signing of free agents and playing time decisions stopped being driven by whether Bobby Cox likes them. Devine would not have been considered so expendable if not for Cox.
But further, Kotsay exceeded expectations on every front except possibly injury, where he had a few extended “outs”, but about right considering his injuries. But, he still added very little over what Blanco, Josh Anderson, and a healthy Diaz could have brought to the outfield.
We basically gave up 5 or so cost controlled years on Devine to pay 2.5 million to an outfielder who was avaiable 3/4 of the time at 100 OPS points over his possible replacement?
Neyer had a great blog on this sort of thing yesterday on the Mike Lamb gets axed by Twins thing and then another on what the Marlins need to do on their arb eligible guys. Same issue s with Kotsay. Why pay a “proven (but flawed)veteran” for slightly above mediocre production if you can cobble together mediocre production so easily and cheaply.
The sad thing about Devine is not only the trade, but how poorly he was used last year. Stockman seems to be experiencing a similar fate.
Very good points Cliff. In the Braves defense, however, they expected to contend and didn’t like the idea of having untried centerfielders. A lot of things look worse in view of the lousy season. But, generally, I agree that the Braves have been making way too many short-run moves with the idea that they are just one player away. Now, I hope some realism is setting in.
And, yes, while I don’t “blame” Cox for the debacle, it is time for him to go.
And, it is time that our trading of players and signing of free agents and playing time decisions stopped being driven by whether Bobby Cox likes them. Devine would not have been considered so expendable if not for Cox.
Seriously.
Cox’s favoritism is very palpable. It is easy to surmise which non-star players Cox likes (Escobar, Infante, Francoeur, Prado) and who Cox does not like and would rather not play (Devine, Kelly Johnson, Phil Stockman, etc.)
It was obvious from the way Joey Devine was jerked around last year that Cox was never going to let him pitch full innings in close games ever again. Even if Devine was still here and healthy, he’d likely be in the minors or sitting in the bullpen with 25 apparences and 11 and 2/3rds innings pitched.
What kind of math do they teach in the NY public schools?
From Mets Blog:
“I’m done and gone for the next 3 weeks-I won’t miss the agony everybody on this board will be going through the next 9 crucial games where the Mets if they’re lucky go 3 and 4”
Still seems no final/official word on the Kotsay trade. I thought whoever gets him has an option for next year (not that it was a cheap option, but an option at any rate) and it wasn’t a pure 1 month rental.
This is the last year of Kotsay’s deal. There’s no option. That’s why there’s been all the talk around here about what the Braves should do (negotiate an extension now; offer arbitration and pay a lot of money; don’t offer arbitration and risk him finding another team; etc.) if they wanted Kotsay in 2009.
According to Cot’s there is no option.
i turned off the tv in disgust last night after Jacobs’ homer. just found out about the rally a feww minutes ago. i love surprises like that.
Ahhh, I was probably thinking of the arbitration eligibility… was thinking he’d be too old to still be arb eligible for some reason.
This Jones kid looks good!
Wow, this Kotsay trade says to me that we don’t even care about competing in 2009.
I really don’t understand how anyone can defend this.
Kotsay isn’t an All Star but he’s about the only competent outfielder we had in the worst outfield of all time. This also only further emboldens Francoeur to stay a Brave and suck worse.
Alex, Kotsay is going to be a free agent, and due to the arbitration rules the Braves would have little chance to sign him.
I’d love to see “Simple Jack” Wren put an outfield together this Fall. Should be entertaining.
Sorry, I don’t agree Mac.
With Hampton, Andruw, Smoltz and Teixeira among the contracts that are now gone, we have a lot of $ to spend.
Supposedly.
Kotsay made $7 million this year, and everybody gets a raise in arbitration. He would not get nearly as much on the open market. The only team that doesn’t have a real shot at him is the team that holds his rights.
Alex R, I disagree. Kotsay will get a multiyear offer from someone this fall. We wouldnt offer arb to him because he isnt worth $8mil. One of Blanco/Anderson/or Schafer will give us close to the same production as Kotsay for a fraction of the cost. It’ll also take away the injury risk and reduced range of Kotsay. He wasnt going to take a back up role, I dont blame him for that, but he needs to be traded
Alex,
As Mac alludes to, it’s actually easier for the Braves to sign him for 2009 once he’s on another team, since no team in baseball would offer him arbitration. (And if you control his rights and don’t offer arbitration, you can’t negotiate with him until the season starts.) They’re getting something for him instead of nothing, and they’re making it possible to sign him next year if they want to—there’s no way you can be against this deal.
My fear is the 2009 outfield will be Anderson, Blanco and Francoeur as the everyday starters.
That would probably be even more punchless than this season’s Atlanta Braves’ outfield.
I think that fear is unfounded, Dan. Now, it’s entirely possible that two of those three will be starters, but I think LF will be either Brandon Jones or a free agent we sign.
I also think it’s very possible that Schafer is our starting CF on Opening Day, 2009.
Too bad money doesn’t mean anything to Boston. I’m sure the prospect could have been upgraded a little had we paid the remaining balance.
http://tinyurl.com/67t22w
Rosenthal says its done
Mac is right in that practically speaking almost no one (maybe in fact NO ONE) gets a lower salary. But I am pretty sure that there is another rule (emerged into my conciousness with maybe Paul Byrd and / or John Thomson)that, when offering arb, a team cannot offer less than 80% of the current salary (which for Kotsay is 7 million, the total salary, not the 2.5 the Braves are paying which would be an offer at 5.6 mill). And, the players association would chew on Kotsay if he took 3 (and if he IS a full time player, he is worth more than that).
In the “looking up old Braves” vein, I just saw that Kevin Millwood has pitched two complete 1 run games in a row for Texas… even if his overall numbers aren’t that hot this year.
Do we get to keep Kotsay’s wife?
FOX SPORTS STORE
Majestic Atlanta Braves #7 Jeff Francoeur White Replica Baseball Jersey
$99.95
With player: $19.95
Braves get Luis Sumoza.
Profile
Stats
From ESPN.com:
ESPN.com’s Keith Law reports the player going back to Atlanta in exchange for Kotsay is 19-year-old outfielder Luis Sumoza
http://tinyurl.com/646f69
The Red Sox’s website also identifies Luis Sumoza as the player coming to Atlanta. While he will be of no immediate impact in Atlanta (it looks like he will head to Rome) he should have a high ceiling:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Luis%20Sumoza&pos=LF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=467144
Nice pickup…certainly better than I had expected….
Sumzoa kid looks like he has some serious potential. I like the deal too.
Reaction/game thread is up.