Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – Box Score – April 18, 2009 – ESPN
This is embarrassing.
Joseph Reyes was actually superb through five innings, giving up one run that was perhaps not entirely his fault (great plays would have kept the run from scoring, but unfortunately Anderson and Prado were involved). But the Braves couldn’t score. Anderson was partly to blame. Bobby hit him in the three spot for some ungodly reason, and he twice immediately hit into double plays after Infante (who had two of the Braves’ four hits) got on.
It’s not that Chipper and Escobar are out, though they are. The only guys who did anything were Kotchman (who had a two-out double — unfortunately, the man at first was McCann, or the Braves would have actually scored) and the guys who were in for the injured stars, Infante and Prado. It’s that McCann isn’t hitting the ball (though he’s working the count), KJ is in Bad KJ mode, Schafer is looking worthless, and Anderson sucks.
Anyway, in the sixth inning everything fell apart, Schafer fell down and misplayed a single into a triple, Reyes collapsed, and it was 5-0 after a three run homer by no-doubt future Hall of Famer Craig Monroe. Monroe hit another three-run homer in the next inning. Both were set up by Bobby’s stupid intentional walks.
There’s another game tomorrow, if you can call this baseball.
we’ll use the reality check thing again. Bad baseball or not, there are 151 games remaining. I am starting to think twice about how good that Chipper extension really is for us
Not that this will happen and not that it’s all his fault, but Bobby has to go. He is getting nothing out of this team–admittedly the talent level isn’t as high as it used to be–and his tactical and player evalutation skills have become pathetic. His big strength was always getting guys to play for him but clearly they aren’t doing that now. Firing Bobby wouldn’t fix the team but I think they need a new voice.
i shit you not, mccann is probably going to the dl (via bowman) on account of “blurred vision”. this is going to be a phenomenal start to the ’09 season.
i shit you not, mccann is probably going to the dl (via bowman) on account of “blurred vision”. this is going to be a phenomenal start to the ‘09 season.
Tomorrow’s lineup:
Johnson
Infante
Diaz
Francoeur
Prado
Kotchman
Ross
Schafer
Vasquez
Good times are here!
lol
This kinda stuff used to make my blood boil but I’ve just become so accustomed to loving a bad baseball team that it doesn’t bother me anymore.
man Id love to have Swisher somewhere on our team
@4
wrong… it gets better. Ross is going back to DL for rehab.
and another thing: at leat Adam Dunn hits 450ft bombs to make up for his defense.
So Sammons is the starter, and the backup is?
Cox has been a major problem with this team for years – like since 1992.
‘The team is great and we’re one or two players away,’ Braves Journal posters circa this offseason.
Wow just wow.
Why can most of you not see that this franchise is headed to hell in a handbasket? It’s terrible. Get Hanson et al. up and forget the rest of these losers.
Oh and a guy that hit in the .250s in AA wasn’t ready for the Major Leagues, Wren.
I mean come on.
Oh we don’t have anyone else? Yeah you’re right Frank, carry on.
Gotta agree with the Chief on post 11 — I (and many of us on here) thought Schafer needed some time in AAA.
Here’s to hoping they can get something going.
way too early to determine if schafer needed another year in the minors. you shouldnt be agreeing with chief on anything, unless its which cliff to jump off of.
I also agree: I was told by many folks here that I was overly negative for believing this team not nearly improved enough to be a solid winner. I’m happy Wren didn’t mortgage the future by trading any of the blue chippers away (or Escobar), but it’s just not realistic to think this is a contender. I don’t say that based on this week’s results; I say that based on the fact that the Braves never addressed the outfield (seriously), are depending on the healthy return of three recently injured relievers, and need both Chipper and McCann to stay healthy all the while having great years.
Hey, it could be worse. You could have a $200MM payroll and allow 14 runs in a half-inning.
ryan c,
Please tell me what I have been wrong about regarding the Braves the last two years? I’ll hang up and listen.
14 runs in an inning….only a matter of time till a comparable inning occurs thanks to the Braves bullpen.
We scored 7 runs in the last 45 innings, and the Indians do twice as much in ONE inning. That’s ridiculous!
your right chief. we suck. everyday. every year. every game. it just so happens that you only show up when we’re not doing so hot. i honestly would like to know what you plan to accomplish with your “we suck” posts? do you want everyone to shout out, “chief’s right, we do suck! YEAH, now i understand what he’s been saying this whole time.”
if you would provide some insight as to why you post the same thing over and over again rather than just posting the same thing over and over again, your posts might have some credibility. but they dont. you provide nothing except an empty prediction based on your exact same thought: we suck. it’s just annoying.
I didn’t think the Braves were as good as they looked in the first week. Now I just hope they aren’t as bad as they’ve looked this week.
What’s more surprising? The Yankees losing by 18 runs? Or Mark Teixeira hitting a homer in April?
ZING!
I haven’t been able to see a single pitch for the last 3 games. I can’t decide if the results mean I should start paying attention or if I should become an NBA fan.
So, we have been shutout now for 22 straight innings?
Not sure how losing McCann hurts us that much right now. I am glad we are not wasting Hanson’s service time or we didn’t waste trading chips for another bat. We are further away from contending than an Adam Dunn or Nick Swisher.
Did the Yankees build a bandbox? If you watch the video, the ball appears to fly out of that park. A lot of the homers the Indians hit looked like normal fly-balls off the bat that just carried and carried and carried.
Have you guys ever watched baseball before? Just wondering…
This is how seasons go… especially when you lose your best hitter for a short stretch of games, the bullpen is still in flux, and you’re grooming a rookie centerfielder.
I never thought we were the division favorite, but its too early to say we can’t contend. We’re still ahead of the Phillies for goodness sakes. (Tied in the terms of games, but ahead by percentages.)
If Lowe pitches like he did his first two games, Jurrjens pitches like he did last night, and Vazquez and Kawakami put up their usual performances we’ve got a rock solid rotation. Put Chipper back in the lineup, and the only major problem we’ve got is the inconsistent bullpen.
If some of these guys don’t turn it around soon we can always add another piece or two, but I think its too early to assume Gonzalez and Moylan won’t get it together.
@9: Are you really that dense? Seriously? The guy’s a Hall of Famer, and though I’ve had some issues with his use of the bullpen recently, and an occasional decision here or there, he’s still one of the best managers in the game. Nothing would be gained by firing him, though I’d agree that it might soon be time to transition him into a front office role.
Looks like I might have to stop following the Braves and start rescuing damsels in the awkwardly named online game Civony.
I think this team has enough pitching to contend…but not offense.
I don’t know if this has been discussed, but I heard Cox in the pregame talking about Boyer. It sounds like Cox doesn’t expect Boyer to stay with the Braves organization. I’ll be a little surprised if any team clears a roster spot for him and his 40 ERA. It sounds like he may get an outright release if he clears waivers. Any thoughts on this?
no reason not to send him down if no one claims him
13 — it’s not too early to tell if Schafer could have made good use of some time (I didn’t say the whole year, but half the season wouldn’t hurt) in AAA. He showed last year that he K’s a little too often and doesn’t hit lefties well. Was a good spring supposed to dispel that?
I like him and hope he does great. I’m not dogging on the kid. What I’m not sure about is whether it would have ticked him off since he was obviously the best CF the Braves had this spring.
Gadfly, are you aware that “he’s still one of the best managers in the game” and “it might soon be time to transition him into a front office role” are mutually exclusive?
Went to this Michael Jordan high-school all-star game at Madison Square Garden tonight.
Saw pretty much all the big hoops recruits, including this kid John Wall, an amazing point guard from Raleigh. He’s one of the few uncommitted guys. His youtube clips are sick. (http://tinyurl.com/cqfx97.)
He had a pretty ragged first-half, but in the second he definitely showed some scary talent. He’s a got a crossover dribble that’ll make a defender fall down. Great court vision and he’s got serious hops. His jumper looked a little questionable, but everything else was pretty great. The kind of passer who will hit a teammate in the head if he’s not paying attention.
Saw the Tech kid Derrick Favors. Looked alright. Can’t shoot—or, like most, he couldn’t tonight—but he’s got some moves around the basket & he’s gonna kill in transtition. Saw Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus. Had a slam or two, nothing much else. Couldn’t shoot either. He’s committed to Central Florida.
John Henson was the big UNC recruit. He’s 6-10 and frightfully thin, but he’s got really long arms and some good post moves. Nice lefthanded hook.
Two 2 Duke recruits, including this 6-10 kid named (I swear) Mason Plumlee. Comes right out of central casting. (He looks like an accountant.) He was pretty active. Good shot blocker. Good around the basket. The other was this kid with braces named Ryan Kelly. Didn’t really distinguish himself.
They had Funkmaster Flex spinning at halftime with a performance from Akon. People got their money’s worth & it damn-sure beat watching the Braves today.
Wow…Chipper hurt again. Pathetic Garrett Anderson batting 3rd. No team speed at all. Just a really bad, and BORING team. Bobby Cox should do the honarable a la John Madden.
Parish–don’t brag….
It is amazing how quickly the Braves have come back to reality.
Schafer should not have been promoted so rapidly–his performance has been entirely predictable–a great start and then the pitchers use a bit more care and now he can’t get a hit. Maybe he will turn it around, but I still think he would have been better off to have had a couple hundred at bats at AAA.
I wish we would DFA Anderson and call up Brandon Jones and Blanco; at least we would be giving a couple of relatively young players a chance to develop….
Boyer doesn’t have the ML service time to reject a minor league assignment. The Braves will send him to AAA if no team claims his contract.
@19, spot on. Still not sure if I should file him under nattering nabobs of negativity or enthusiastic imbeciles.
A Spiro Agnew quote!
Stephen – Was my bragging that I haven’t had to watch these last 3 losses? I won’t get (have) to watch tomorrow either.
What’s the word from the farm? I haven’t had internet access the last few days. Hanson is going tomorrow isn’t he?
BTW – Watching Star Wars on Spike. I love how Obi-wan Kenobi stumbling over a couple of rocks scares all the sand people away.
Easily startled? No kidding!
Parish–yes, these were three games to miss….
Hanson should be due to pitch again soon–but otherwise, the word from the farm has been uneven at best….
@31: They actually aren’t mutually exclusive, but I can see how you might read it as such.
Bobby still handles personnel about as good as anyone in baseball, but I’ve wondered if he has been able to adapt to the changing game as quickly as we might need. More importantly, I think free agents expect that he’s already got one foot out the door, and as much as the “I always wanted to play for Bobby” quote still gets said, it doesn’t carry the weight it once did.
Moving Bobby into a front office position would still allow him to have influence in managing personnel, while adding stability to the manager position, and bringing in some fresh ideas that might not be as stubborn. We’ve got the next generation poised to make their mark, and they might do better with a young manager who isn’t set in his ways.
well, we could be the Yankees, spend a Billion dollars on a stadium, a quarter billion on payroll, and let up 14 runs in an inning.
My friends hate the new stadium, said it is way to quiet inside because everyone is doing something other than watching the game.
10,000 less seats will also make it quiet, and Wang last 2 innings per game too.
@36 Call me anything you want except, wrong.
Your first statement at 10 is wrong. Just that same old strawman you keep trotting out.
No its not.. Those are “direct” quotes from many on this blog this offseason. It was as foolish then as it is now.
This 25 man roster is BEREFT of MLB talent at nearly every position except catcher. Lowe’s 36, Kawakami is 32. Pardon me if I don’t do cartwheels over 30+ year old pitchers that won’t be a part of the next decent Braves team.
Way too many AAAA players and not enough stars/power hitters.
ububba:
Henson is one of 5 recruits we have coming in (4 at the McDonald’s AA game). Henson is very thin…i’ve seen him play twice (can you believe he’s grown 7 inches in 2 years? seriously), but those Duke guys (the other is Ryan Kelly) are AWFULLY skinny and, well, not all that good.
fun that you got to go.
A quick google for “one or two players away” and Braves Journal gives links back to this thread and one from last august where post after post is everyone basically saying the team should play for 2010 and beyond, hoping the front office doesn’t think we are one or two players away from contending.
chris,
It was only one game, but Plumlee actually looked better than Henson. Much more physical, much better defender.
Henson has skills around the basket, seems like a better post-up guy. Decent medium-range shot, no 3-point range. But he doesn’t run the floor very well & he got pushed around a lot.
Plumlee, as goofy as he looks, got involved in almost every defensive sequence. Really challenges shots, blocked a handful, good instincts. A pretty typical Duke guy. He’ll certainly be the next “most hated” player in Durham.
ububba,
I think you’re basing your obsevations off of too small a sample. Plumlee’s going to have trouble scoring in college. Kelly needs to fill out, but he’s easily the better prospect between the two and is much more likely to be the hated one.
Also, I can’t take these all-star games that don’t feature the best scorer in the class very seriously.
As I mentioned before, it’s just one game, but Plumlee competed & the other guy didn’t.
And wait ’til you see this kid John Wall. He’s still uncommitted.
I’ve seen plenty of Wall. Awesome point guard. Like a bigger, badder Ty Lawson. Best scorer, though, is VU’s John Jenkins. Wait until you see him.