Atlanta Braves vs. Florida Marlins – Box Score – May 06, 2009 – ESPN
They tried to blow it. They led 8-3 after the top of the third, and had (obviously) chased the opposing starter. And yet, they very easily could have lost, due to bad defense, an off night by Derek Lowe, and (always) Hibernation Mode. After Chipper drove in two with a bases-loaded two-out single in the third, the Braves got four walks and no hits, and struck out eight times, only three of them by Jordan “Wind Machine” Schafer. Most of the time when they did get the bat on the ball, they just grounded out to second. Here, the Braves finally win a game, and I start out complaining. Blame it on a team that is perfectly capable of losing a game when they score eight runs.
They got a run in the first on a groundout by cleanup hitter extraordinaire Garret Anderson. Lowe, however, gave up a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to Jorge Cantu, who played the part of Commando Cody Ross tonight. The Braves struck back with four in the bottom of the inning, with the big plays being yet another screwup fielding a sac bunt and not getting the sure out at first and a single up the middle by C.H.E.G. Anderson. In the third, the Braves loaded the bases and the Marlins went to fugitive pitcher Dan Meyer to relieve the faceless guy they had start the game. Meyer gave up hits to Infante (scoring one) and Chipper (scoring two); after that, as indicated above, the Braves did not get another hit.
Cantu doubled in a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-4, another in the fifth to make it 8-5, and then came home on another double to make it 8-6. So much for Lowe. Carlyle started the sixth, and gave up two hits to begin it, but got out of it. Moylan needed only seven pitches to get through the seventh, Soriano gave up a leadoff single in the eighth but struck out two in the process of getting out of that, and Gonzalez had no problems in the ninth, striking out the last two batters of the game.
So, a win at last. The problems still remain; the Braves don’t keep applying pressure once they get a lead, they don’t have any significant power (not only no homers, but only one extra-base hit, a double by Chipper), nobody respects the cleanup hitters (Chipper was walked intentionally once, and semi-intentionally before Anderson’s single), Schafer is striking out nearly every time he comes to the plate, and Moylan, Soriano, and Gonzalez are all pitching a whole lot, including in almost every win, rare as those are.
I was studying for finals so could only check the gamecast. The first half of the game looked sketchy, but it was nice to see at least SOME offense.
I’ve gotten lost on the McCann news. Will he be in the lineup Friday?
Kyle – McCann is playing for Gwinnett tomorrow. I don’t know if he’ll be right for Friday.
So, how long do we let Schafer flail like this? He looks totally overmatched at the plate and he’s really hurting the team – last I checked, he was 2-22 with RISP. Infante has started like 15 games out there in his career. Maybe we could play him in CF until Schafer heals/gets his swing back?
Mac,
Bonafacio’s error on the bunt was not from trying to get the lead runner. He was trying to take the easy out (Lowe) at first; he just dropped the ball.
They could have played Jones in center, but not now, not with Anderson’s valuable presence on the roster.
OK, then, Stu. I was going by the game log, which mentioned that the runner was safe at third, indicating that someone screwed up.
Thanks Weldon.
Cool. Maybe we should stick with the Cannibal Corpse for a little while.
If not, you could always try this one.
Can Brandon Jones play center? I guess he’d be about as good as Infante. That would be something to think about if there is roster move with Schafer.
This game proves that our team is full of AAAA hitters.
Brandon Jones can’t play center…well, you can play him there, but I think Infante is a better centerfielder than Brandon.
Anderson looks like a statue in LF, but that double by Cantu was not a routine play. The bigger issue there is Lowe hung a slider to Cantu in a spot where he should have pitched around him, especially considering he was 6/7 lifetime against him and Cantu had already hit 2 balls hard earlier in the game.
I give Schafer 4 more games to turn it around, or he’ll be in Gwinnett. The poor kid is missing fastballs right down the pipe.
Resolved: Brandon Jones = Michael Tucker.
At least we didn’t give up Jermaine Dye to get him
the braves bench Johnson… Like I’ve been saying in countless posts because he’s terrible. And it seems like they took my advice and started infante. As long as infante is starting over johnson, our chance of scoring runs increases. And please please, give schafer a day or two off. He really looks like a clown at the plate
Jon, if Infante is starting at second base, who would play center while Schafer sits? Diaz? Sammons?
garret ran past the fly ball, it shouldve been caught. Lowe couldve made a better pitch sure, but a Anderson looked like Canseco out there.
Jon, Infante has started at second in all but one of the last five or six games.
Put Prado at second and Infante in center
Anderson looked hapless on a difficult play, but you can’t assume that play is made. Cantu hit a laser out there and the play would have been challenging for a good fielder.
If Kelly sits tomorrow, he’s under the doghouse.
Stu… just be thankful he is starting and johnson is on the bench. With infante in the lineup (at this point in time) the offense is better. I don’t want to here about “past” stats.
At this junction in the season Infante is a better player than Johnson end of story
I would be happy to learn that Brandon Jones could be as good as Michael Tucker. He should have a chance to play and develop, but there is no guarantee that he is as good as Tucker….
Maybe he’s a poor man’s Tucker. But like Tucker, he’s a guy who doesn’t have one outstanding ability and is sort of a mismatch for any outfield position — runs too well for left, doesn’t throw well enough for right, and isn’t quite good enough for center. And like Tucker, he might hit well enough to hold down left field anyway, but he might not.
Story is over folks. Sorry.
Ethan said it right… Infante in Center and prado at second. Maybe they shouldn’t have traded Josh Anderson? I still think Schafer should have started the season in AAA and Josh Anderson should have started in CF. But that’s in hindsight, Schafer did have a great spring so who knew?
Medlen was lights out tonight: 7 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 10 strikeouts and one walk. Amazingly enough, Hanson actually has the second best numbers at Gwinnett County….
Jon K–I totally agree: the Braves should have started Schafer at Gwinnett County. Even though Blanco has not played well, I still believe that he should have been our starting CF. I just hope that Schafer’s development has not been screwed up by Wren’s inability to understand what spring training performances actually mean….
I realize this is two threads late, but since a commenter “Tony” made the claim that “Larusa schools bobby [sic]” based solely on the fact that Tony has one more WS win than Bobby, I had to at least check up some more facts.
First off, win percentage:
Tony: .535, including .506 with Chicago, .542 with Oakland, and .543 with St. Louis.
Bobby: .556, including a .452 in his first stint with Atlanta, .549 in Toronto, and a .578 clip in his second stint with the Braves.
Division Titles: Tony 12, Bobby 15
I have plenty of respect for Tony LaRussa, and the game has probably moved past Bobby a bit in the last few years, but NOBODY “schools” Bobby Cox. At least nobody not named McGraw or McCarthy.
Our family is taking in our first AAA Braves game tomorrow in Gwinett County. It is my father-in-law’s birthday. We couldn’t have picked better timing…as we hope to catch McCann in action.
Mac – great write up. Sure the Braves scored 8 runs, but against who???? And I thought surely the Fish would burn us again.
Let’s win this series and we’ll all feel a lot better…to some degree.
Hey, AAA Braves games air all the time on Peachtree TV and SportsSouth.
Mac,
One of my favorite posts that you used to do on the site were the Keltner Lists. I was wondering if you had any plans of doing any more?
I’d be curious to see how some of the recently retired players (Larkin, Kent, L. Walker) came out.
good way to start the road trip. Id start Infante in CF and Johnson at 2nd. However this would be my lineup until Mac comes back.
Infante
Escobar
Chipper
Francoeur
Kotchman
KJ
Anderson/Diaz
Ross
Someone on the AJC blog’s handle is “Jordan K’fer”. I found that hilarious.
I hate rushing prospects. I just don’t understand why Wren had to rush Schafer when he has Anderson available. It took away all our fun with Ganderson and Janderson.
He’s fallen off a cliff, hasn’t he? Just last week, he had over an .800 OPS and people were comparing him to Sizemore.
I was going to do one this offseason but, well… It just wasn’t a good time is all. I will probably do one this offseason. I’ve always done Braves, though there’s no rule saying it has to be that way.
everyone here thought Schafer shouldve won the job from what he did in ST, including me. 5-7 days ago most people here wanted him in the leadoff spot. The kid will be fine. He might strike out 250 times, but he still even with this stretch has an OBP over .360. He’s streaky and learning
It is unbelievable how badly our outfielders are doing in the minors. Brandon Jones is about all we have in AAA. Most people don’t think Gorkys Hernandez is ready, but he’s the only outfielder in AA/AAA that even resembles a prospect. Matt Young has the 3rd highest OPS for any outfielder in AA or AAA and it’s a whopping .679 – his avg is .217 and he has one homer. The strange thing is that we haven’t been trading outfielders lately (like we have pitchers, catchers and 2nd basemen/ shortstops). At least we have a few guys like Heyward and Cody Johnson in A ball that will get a shot in a few years, but for now, we’re in trouble if we get more than one injury/need for demotion.
And what happened to the Brandon Jones that slugged over .500 in Mississippi in 07? His power disappeared.
You know, Cheg Anderson sounds just about exactly right for him.
Yeah, that’s a point. Hope you’ve been feeling better too.
I’ve just been curious how the players from the “‘roid era” will do. I mean I was looking at the MVP votes from the 90’s at work the other day and in ’99, Brian Giles put up a 1.032 OPS with 39 HR, 115 RBI, a .315 AVG and it was good for a 19th place finish.
That probably would have won in the AL last year.
Not insinuating anything about Brian Giles,(who I believe has been criminally underrated throughout his career) but I wonder how a lot of those numbers will be reconciled at the end of the day.
Ah,but are they silenced?
JUST TO STAKE MY CLAIM:
I believe I was the first one to make the remark, “Jordan K’fer.”
Hey, a win.
Was at Yankee Stadium, saw the 8-3 Atlanta score & asked my friends, “How in the world did the Braves score 8 runs?” I guess Garret Anderson finally got unleashed…
Saw the Yanks take a real bizarro loss. Down 3-0 in the 9th with 2 outs and the bases loaded in the pouring rain, Mark Teixeira—who was 0 for his last 18 with any runners on base—hits a bases-clearing double to tie it.
Then we get a rain delay.
Tampa later wins it on a Carlos Pena HR in the 11th. A classic come-all-the-way-back-only-to-blow-it loss.
Still lotsa empty seats in the expensive sections, packed in the uppers. Gotta admit that I love seeing that.
braves14, just because he is the next Sizemore doesn’t mean he is ready to be one now.
What’s the deal with Rajon Rondo? He is becoming a triple-doubles machine…
“I’m just happy to be out there playing,” said Anderson, who has only 33 at-bats. “I haven’t played that many games this year, and it’s going to take some time to get into shape. I know I’m going to get hits; that’s something I’ve never worried about.”
Then why on earth you did not go for a rehab assignment?
And on that note, new poll.
Money quote from Lowe:
“This is an offensive victory.”
*Snort*
I know Santana is a Met, but geez…he is amazing.
I don’t even know if he’s the next Sizemore, kc. But since we traded Janderson, and Blanco is struggling at Gwinnett, Schafer is the only realistic everyday option.
I am sure Schafer will be fine, but he needs to be on DL if he is hurt. Call up Blanco, he can’t be worse than Schafer right now.
Will Santana ever be to the Mets what Maddux was to the Braves?
Obviously, the Mets have a lot to accomplish to make up ground. But an interesting comparison, given how good Santana has been.
Maddux will always be one of my favorite Braves players of all time. Man, I miss those days: Run out Maddux in game 1, followed by Glavine, Smoltzie, etc.
We didn’t know how good we had it.
Well, bravos won one last night. I am on my ‘braves sanity sabatical’. I must admit, I feel better. I did not watch or listen to one pitch, just saw the score and highlights.
You know it is a long year when polls like the new one that is up are valid questions.