San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – August 26, 2009 – ESPN
I won’t say that the Braves are dead, but they’re not at all well.
It started fine. Kawakami loaded the bases with none out in the first, but got out of it unscathed, then McCann hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Kawakami then looked great for the next four innings. But then came the sixth, the first of the worst four innings that the Braves have played this year. Considering the competition, probably the worst anyone has played. The Mets wouldn’t sign for those four innings, in which the Braves were outscored 12-1 and used five pitchers.
The game was tied at three by the time Bobby got Kawakami out of there. But O’Flaherty, who has been quite reliable, had nothing and got only one out while giving up three runs; Moylan had to finish the inning for him. The Braves got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Since the game was uncomfortably close, Bobby used Norton to pinch-hit with two on and two out, thereby guaranteeing they wouldn’t get a hit to close the gap further, then brought in Acosta to pitch the next two innings and give up four runs. Man, is he bad. Dan Kolb bad, Blaine Boyer after the injury bad. Logan pitched a catastrophic ninth, giving up three more runs. McCann, who deserves better than to play on this team, singled in a meaningless run in the ninth. He was 3-5.
Sad?! Stupid?! Whatever?!
Norton and Acosta need to go.
Chipper needs to rest.
Ugly 🙁
Is this Manfred Mann’s fault?
Most things are, when you think about it. Should I go back to original Dylan recordings?
Let’s just blame it on Jerry Springer.
#4
If you do, Mac, how about “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”?
Mac…we’re dead. Losing 2 to the Padres with the Phillies pending – it’s over.
Nope, not quit dead just yet but you might want get the shovels out. This team is on life support.
Bob Dylan, Cannibal Corpse, Hall & Oates, whatever it is—we need a video pick-me-up or some kind of full-on cleanse.
Headed to ATL in the morning. Gonna get to The Ted early, watch BP, have a walk about, drink some beers & enjoy a ballgame.
As disappointing as they were, the last 2 nights aren’t going to sully anything for me tomorrow.
Go Braves.
Two disappointing losses…but at least for the first time since 2005 the Braves have chance to make the playoffs. At this point, it is hard to see us winning either the Wild Card or the division, but I am grateful that it is at least possible.
Acosta cannot be as bad as Kolb…
@10 If Acosta was ever given the closer role, I am sure he will be as bad as Kolb. Just thank goodness that will never happen for the case of Acosta.
wow, it’s truning bad now. pretty poor result. acosta has no business on a major league roster! agree, not quite dead yet but they’ll need 8 out of the next ten including a Phillies sweep…
Well I reckon we’re not flatlining yet but it don’t look good. Hell of a time for the team to collectively suck outside of BMac.
When you can’t beat the dregs, you can’t get to the postseason. Nobody is good enough to dominate the good teams throughout a 162 game season. So, you have to beat the dregs.
#10, we were in with a chance in 2007 too. If we’d won 5 of the last 7 we’d have tied the Mets for 1st place.
McCann’s RBI single in the 9th wasn’t worthless – he is my fantasy league catcher.
With the Phillies and Marlins on the road in the next week, it could be over pretty soon. This is, I think, not unexpected that the Braves would hover on the fringes of the playoff race but not make it. They just aren’t good enough, especially with guys injured and Chipper struggling. But, to have two games in the last week where they gave up substantial leads to teams with no hitting (Mets, Padres) is frustrating. How do you give up an 8 run inning and a 6 run inning to double A lineups?
#14 is right on point. It’s as simple as that.
At the risk of sounding like Bobby Cox, it was amazing how lucky many of the hits were in the 6th innning. Everything was falling for the Padres. This could either be just a one game blip and we play well tonight or this type of loss (combined with Tuesday night’s loss) could hang over our head for the rest of the year. Hopefully it will be the former. Our playoff chances are definitely on life support, but at least the Rockies lost – I think that’s a good thing.
I still think the Braves are good enough for the playoffs. They just waited a month too late to start playing decent baseball.
Well the Braves took some gambles at the beginning of the season that didn’t pan out. By the time that the team had corrected its problems half the season was over and our main rival in the division got magma hot. In addition we really needed a win streak not just series wins to catch up. And it just didn’t happen. I know I am speaking in past tense but at this point thats how I feel.
The way the Rockies are playing, it’s starting to look like our only legitimate shot is to win the East. Although, unless we sweep the Phils this weekend, we’re all but done.
I feel sorry for Diaz and McCann. They really, really wanted to get to the postseason and you can really tell by how hard they played. Just too bad.
Ububba,
Have a good trip, man. I the Braves make it a great day for you.
Looks like Heyward may be done for the season
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/aug/27/braves-score-four-in-eighth-win-7-3/?sports
If the Braves finish with something like 85-90 wins, it’s still a good season. If that isn’t enough for a playoff spot, it’s due to Wren overreacting to last year’s starting pitching woes, not spending enough money to upgrade the offense during the offseason, bringing Bobby Cox back to mismanage the team, and relying on Francoeur, Schafer, Johnson, and Kotchman having big years. He’s since made some nice moves to correct those flaws, but by the time he moved the Braves had dug themselves a hole that it was almost impossible to climb out of. Better luck next year.
need a new wohlers/lightenberg!
#24, my heart skipped a beat but then I read the story. “Done for the season” means for the next two weeks. Then he’ll go play in the Arizona Fall League.
@26 I had the same reaction until I read the article.
@26
Yeah, either the Sorcercer’s Stone doesn’t quite understand the significance of his (over) statement, or he, she, or it likes to yank peoples’ chains.
If the Rockies don’t play .500 or worse the rest of the way, we pretty much have no chance to catch them at this point. Not with no head-to-head matchups remaining on the schedule. Strangely enough, our best chance for getting to the playoffs at this point is probably the division, as we have, I believe, six games left with the Phillies and seven with the Marlins. If we win the vast majority of those games (especially against the Phillies), we might have a shot. Those series are the only reason I can see why we shouldn’t be declared dead right now, though. It is a long shot, and it’s certainly not looking good. Unless we make up a game or two on the Rockies by the end of the weekend in the process, losing two-of-three in Philly would pretty much spell the end of the season.
Rare Centuple Play Ends Mets’ Season
The onion steals the punchline, yet again. Save some jokes for the rest of us, damn it!
“In a sudden end to a trying year, the Mets’ Jeff Francoeur lined into a rare centuple play against the Florida Marlins Wednesday, which by rule cut New York’s season short. “I hit it on the screws, but it just happened to be in a spot where they could turn a hundred,” said Francoeur, who watched helplessly as Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla tagged everyone in the Mets dugout before heading into the clubhouse and tagging both equipment manager Charlie Samuels and physical therapist John Zajac. “You take a risk by starting the runners but I didn’t think he’d have enough time to run up to the executive suite and get [Mets GM] Omar [Minaya] and [team owner] Fred [Wilpon]. I guess by the 80th out we’d all just given up.” This was the most outs recorded on a single play since the 2004 Montreal Expos were eradicated from the league after hitting into an ∞-play.”
😆 😆 😆
Mets, LOL
WRT Jurrjens’ platoon splits. The difference is all BABIP. Though he does tend to walk more left-handed batters. That sort of surprised me.
HAHA. I love dorky baseball jokes.
Yeah, it is time to look at 2010 and bid 2009 a fond farewell.
What about callups? It doesn’t appear there is anyone already on the 40 man (other than Hudson) that you would potentially learn a lot about that could help you make a decision. I guess Jo Jo Reyes might be worth a start or 2, but only to hope he gets lucky and you get something for him in trade (even less likelihood on Parr on the same thing). Maybe Todd Redmond would be worth looking at as also primarily trade bait (with Medlen cheap, Hanson spectaclar, Lowe unmoveable unless he goes out on waivers in the next day or 2, Vazquez so good and Hudson affordable if he looks healthy and Kenshin looking worth the forward money on his contract independent of his value in Commodore Perrying the Braves). You probably have to go to Diamond or Ortegano or somebody in that tier to have a starter in our system that might enter this rotation in the next 2 years. it might be worth a 40 man roster spot (certainly Norton’s is wasted) to let Kimbrel get looked at (and that might allow some let back on innings on our bullpen which is another reason to bring some pitchers up)
The outfielders are dreck (unless there is hope for Brandon Jones). We already have cheaply signed or arb controlled: McLouth, Church, Diaz, Heyward, and a possible Schafer retunr from injury. Plus, we sort of need to sign a bat in left if Heyward is right. So, again, unless we are hoping for a lightning strike that results in a trade possibility, there isn’t much reason to bring them in.
The infielders are basically Dreck. Management is convinced that Canizares doesn’t really have it. Conrad deserves a shot to make some money, if nothing else, just for helping wake up this bunch.
Thoughts?
It will require the Braves hitting AND pitching to be firing on all cylinders to have any kind of a shot at the postseason. Aside from the 15-6 stretch starting in late June, the Braves have not had any significant run where both of these things occurred (note we are only three games over .500 since then). Combined with the fact that we would also need either the Rockies or Phillies to play below .500, I think it’s time for a reprise of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”.
I think Lowe is absolutely movable to teams like the Red Sawx or Yankees for whom $16 million is nothing if the Braves don’t ask for much back in return.
With Heyward and Freeman hurt, really the only player other than Hudson who might be interesting to see called up after September 1 is Brandon Jones.
I don’t really care who gets called up, I’m just looking forward to September so Acosta and Norton will lose playing time. At least, I hope this is what happens, but you never know.
We need Kenny Powers.
Brad Penny releasd by the Red Sox. Maybe the Red Sox’s pitching coach doesn’t know how to handle National League pitchers. Or maybe Penny is just garbage now. Wonder where he will end up next?
sorry for the headline, didn’t mean to cause cardiac arrest
If you haven’t seen Kenny Powers’ Twitter Page, I recommend visiting it.
Game thread is up.