Boston Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – June 26, 2009 – ESPN
I’m starting to think that Jeff Bennett had the right idea. If I punched a wall and broke my hand, I wouldn’t be able to type, and so would have an excuse to not watch this team. Poor Jair Jurrjens made one real mistake, a solo homer by Ortiz that opened the scoring in the fifth, after the Braves’ “offense” had blown several chances. He allowed three more runs in eight innings of work, but little about them was his fault; most of it was a patchwork defense with Prado and Hernandez playing the middle infield and waiving at ground balls, and the usual effort — that is, none I can see — from ACHE. Throw in a couple of random balks — if that isn’t redundant, nearly all balks are randomly called by the umpires as far as I can tell, with the odd exception of a pitcher who falls down or drops the ball or something like that — and he never had a chance.
In addition to Escobar, out with the hip injury, and KJ, out with generalized failure, McCann didn’t start due to dizziness, though he did hit a pinch-double in the ninth, after all had been decided. Ross scored the Braves’ only run with a solo homer in the ninth. The Braves actually outhit the Red Sox 8-7, but couldn’t get any hits with runners in scoring position, and got no help from the Random Balk Generators.
McLouth hurt himself running out a ground ball in the eighth, and now he’ll probably miss time. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Blanco will get hot and the Braves will ditch Francoeur, who sucks, or ACHE, who doesn’t play defense, when McLouth comes back. But I doubt it. Oh, and Chipper needs to sit for a day, because he’s clearly lagging, but we don’t even have enough players to do that.
Pathetic team.
This is the first time in my life I am looking forward to the end of baseball season. The only thing left is to root against the Red Sox and the Yankees.
I didn’t see the game, so I want to be clear that this is a serious question and not sarcasm- wouldn’t one balk be random, but two on the same pitcher perhaps indicative that he truly is doing something wrong, or at least that the Red Sox scouts believed he was doing something illegal and perhaps tipped off the umps to be alert for it?
Well its clear to me that we are more than just one or two players away. Hopefully its clear to Frank Wren too. As we get closer to the trade deadline and people start asking he needs to make sure that Soriano and Gonzales are up for sale and not Vazquez, Kawakami and Medlen.
#3 I don’t believe it was ever stated that they weren’t technically balks, just that they won’t be called the majority of the time.
And that GA play just makes me sick, he stood there with his hands on his hips basically saying “I don’t give a damn about playing defense”. Escobar makes some boneheaded plays out there, but it’s mental lapses and not lack of effort. GA is just plain lazy and that play was embarrassing. If Escobar can be pulled to make an example surely Anderson should have been yanked there.
I don’t know what a balk is, the pitchers don’t know, and I don’t think that the umpires know either. As I’ve stated before, the rule has over the years come completely loose from the original concept — you aren’t supposed to fake out the runner.
Just got back from the game, and boy are my lungs tired from booing down “let’s go Red Sox” chants and screaming at Garret Anderson. I repeat my point from the other day — the man has made a science of expending as little effort as possible, which makes him not just useless, but actively harmful, whenever something unexpected happens in his vicinity.
He shall henceforth be known to me as Dunbar. One stale cookie to the first person to get the reference.
Are you saying he’s like furniture? He certainly looked like it on that ball that got through Chipper and Diory.
Sorry, not correct! But not bad, either.
Incidentally, the groundball singles that got past Hernandez and Prado were sharply hit — I was surprised either one of them got as close to the ball as they did.
Because he favors the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, friend to Wilbur and Orville Wright?
Hmmm…nope. Garret hath no use for things which fly, nor for those who would bear them aloft….
I still think we should call him Sid. Cause hes a sloth.
Leaving with a joke:
Q: Why did the Braves put Jeff Bennett on the DL instead of releasing him?
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A: They didn’t want to show him the door.
Sell, sell, sell. Frank Wren, don’t be a little girly man. This team sucks. Blow it up.
New cartoon coming tomorrow.
Can Ross play first? Sadly, he’s our best hitting option if he can. Bobby’s not creative enough to do it, though.
Got to be Dunbar from Catch-22, the man who cultivated boredom in the thought that it helped him live longer…
Just got back from float trip and catching up…”sigh”
This team…they make it tough
This is the worst offense I have seen from a Braves team since 1990. Bar none.
Our Braves are 10-13 since Nate McLouth joined the team. His presence has made ZERO impact on the team and it’s not McLouth’s fault.
With 89 games left, our Bravos are DOA.
@3 I watched the game and I have watched baseball for more than 20 years, I think randomness is the best word to describe what happened to JJ tonight. It’s as if the “Random Balk Generators” (another classic from Mac) want to make sure the Red Sox scoring more runs.
“KJ, out with generalized failure…” I just love it Mac. Thanks for writing these. Your game recap is probably the only positive coming out of tinight’s game.
@19 It means the team’s record would be even wrose if not for Nate.
Btw, this team has an amazing consistent ability to put two runners on base and not scoring any runs. Is that randomness as well?
its hard to even care anymore
Too hard for me. Injuries, losses – 2008 all over again.
I found myself WANTING Francoeur to strike out with two on and nobody out, because otherwise he would have GIDP. Surprisingly, he did me the favour.
All NL East teams got their butts kicked last night. What does that say about our division…
At this point, I read the game stories to see how Bobby will spin the team’s suckiness. You have to give him credit; it’s not easy to bullshit every night. I just wonder if he isn’t getting discouraged and thinking there are better ways, at 68, to spend his time.
When your backup catcher has hit more homeruns (for the braves) than any of your OFs, things are going to suck.
Ross has been the best value signing of the Wren tenure. That tells you how bad it has been.
This team sucks, is immature in spots, too fragile in spots, and two old in spots.
This is just a bad, bad, bad team.
Again, I am disappointed that the Phils lost.
The illusion that we are contenders persists.
This team has one glaring hole – RF. I just don’t understand why this hasn’t been fixed for two years counting. In 20 years of baseball experience, I have never seen one single player killing a whole team like Jeffy does.
Also, we don’t have enough power. Adam Dunn would have done wonders to this team. Everything else is great (pitching, C, 3B, CF) or at least decent (LF, 1B, SS, bench), IMHO. Yes, Yunel has less than one tenth of Maddux’s brain, as someone here noticed a while ago, and yes, we have our health issues, and yes, 2B could be much better. But other teams have their weaknesses as well, especially those in our division. I still believe this team SHOULD win more often than lose. That’s what’s driving me nuts – this constant underachieving.
And still, we’re only 4 games back. Wren, get us one f**ing rightfielder and we’ll be fine. I really believe getting rid of Jeffy alone could spark something similar to 1991.
Let me get this straight. Our catcher is too dizzy to play. Our second baseball hasn’t gotten a hit in three weeks, our shortstop is hurt, our third baseman needs to sit, our centerfielder pulled a hamstring, our left fielder is 82 years old, our rightfielder if Jeff Francoeur. That leaves our pitcher and first baseman to generate our “offense.” Good luck with that.
Can McCann play 1st base, as clearly evident by this week…the heat in Atlanta got to him. Particularly on the defensive side.
Yunel is the best all-around talent on the team, so I can deal with his lapses. At least he cares.
Chipper is the leader of the team…too bad he can’t lead. His defense has been horrid and he’s slumping. Maybe he should have gotten some pointers Jeter, who is a real team leader.
I agree with Tom. Francouer has set the Braves back at least five years. He just doesn’t have it.
KJ will be benced soon.
One stale cookie to the dead “hitting savant”.
Alternatively, he’s done and he makes you want to go get drunk.
So the highest OPS on our team is…..
Dave Ross at .969 (just ahead of McCann at .962)
I think we are two players away – the problem is that those two players are Ty Cobb and Willie Mays…
Also, why has Francouer played in 6 more games than any other hitter?
Bob, I think we need more than that, Babe and Hank should do it.
@23
This year’s NL East is the NL west of 2008.
it’s not easy to bullshit every night.
Actually, of all the things the Braves do on a nightly basis, I’d say this is by far the easiest.
Game thread time.
You’re right on the balk rule, Mac. It’s no longer about the original goal, but whatever odd technicalities were originally designed to reach that end, but have themselves also been morphed into something else.
Nowadays it’s just a big game of chicken, but one that only the pitcher can lose by technical knockout. If he flinches first, it’s a free base for the runner!