Florida Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – September 29, 2009 – ESPN
Ooh, that’s one for the Miserable Braves Loss Type-Index. It’s the old Rally to Tie the Game Only to Immediately Allow Them To Retake the Lead. Sucks, really. Good thing I didn’t have any hope!
Tim Hudson didn’t really have it tonight, allowing four runs in five innings of work. He was really lucky that was all it was; he allowed seven hits, including a homer, and also walked three. He’s been better than we could have expected coming off of ligament replacement surgery, but his ERA is over four now. But he got out of it without a loss.
The Braves trailed 4-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, after Kawakami got through the top of the inning. With one out, Diaz hit a three-run homer to tie the game. If momentum really meant anything in baseball, you’d think that sort of thing would have crippled the Marlins, but they came right off the mat. Kawakami gave up a leadoff double, then after a bunt and an intentional walk allowed a sac fly single to give the Marlins a 5-4 lead.
The Braves had their chances to get back in it. With two out in the seventh, McCann walked and ACHE singled him to third, but Yunel grounded out on the first pitch, to the pitcher. Infante singled with two out in the eighth, but McLouth struck out, and Prado singled leading off the ninth but Chipper grounded into a double play.
The game winning run was scored on a solid single to LF, not a sac fly. The “double” to lead off the inning should be noted as a “Garret Anderson double.” Gorecki gets to the bat all on the fly.
Also, if you see a replay of Cameron Maybin’s 2-run shot to left center, the guy in the front row wearing the dark blue Georgia Tech long sleeve tee – that’s me.
I blame Coach.
In the words of my good pal Gandalf, “there never was much hope.” Still one could dream up a nice LOTR analogy where this is our darkest hour and an improbable triumph occurs.
Yes, I have been drinking, thank you.
So what, we’re hoping someone bites off Brad Hawpe’s finger?
Are we seriously still blaming things on ACHE? I don’t think he would be getting away with letting a routine fly become a double on so many occasions this year if it were actually happening. Someone would have called his ass out.
This is Glenn Beck’s fault.
It’s not over yet!!!
5 and 0 and we will go…
5-2 Colorado. Ugh.
I think the reason nobody calls him out is they know how slow the guy is and figure it can’t be helped. I understand that but I’ve seen some pretty lazy play out of him, particularly not backing up ground balls hit to the left side.
Well it looks as if The Rockies will win, slashing their # to 2. That means are season will probably be over by Thursday night. Maybe even tomorrow.
We have a chance to win 90 games this season. We had gone into playoff with worse record than that! Proud of the guys for this late run. Too bad it’s too late.
Jason Kendall hit a 3-run homer for the Brewers in the 9th inning. It’s 5-5.
Brewers tie it up in the 9th
Okay, if the Brewers win after Jason Kendall hits a game-tying, ninth-inning homer, I’ll admit that there might be something to this “team of destiny” thing. But I still have no hope.
No hope is the way to go. Why just the other day a young chap came up to me and asked me for some life advice and I said “Junior, I got two words for you, No Hope.”
I may have to confess a glimmer of hope if the Brewers win. However, if they lose, two identical miserable loss type indexes in the same day is too much to handle.
What if the Rockies win in a game started by Jason Marquis and finished by Matt Belisle?
Iannetta, of all people, ends it.
Walkoff homer Ianetta
… and Chris Iannetta homers in the bottom of the 11th. Colorado 7-5.
Sigh.
I hate the Rockies…
No more comments about Hope for now…
Weathers had Iannetta struck out, then he hit a HR.
He went around on that 2-2 pitch.
Rocks win. Drat.
C’est la vie. Next year we’ll hopefully beat the Reds and Padres.
The fat lady is singing her heart out:
Mac,
You sound too morose. Especially for a gut that is sick and will be cured but needs a great attitude for that to happen.
Take some prozac.
We knew the Braves could only afford 1 possibly 2 losses. Now that they’ve gotten the loss out of the way, it’s time to win the rest or go home. Does anybody still want to pick up Huddy’s option and trade Vasquez?
Dang it. The Marlins. The damn Marlins. I swear.
No Hope. At all.
Can’t have Huddy and Lowe on the same team – same pitcher with same strengths and same weaknesses costing $30 million or so.
Shall we raise a toast to Matt Diaz? Thought we were golden when he tied it up.
Darn. Darn. Darn.
*sigh* I started feeling ill before the game started (actually ill, sinus and fever ill). Though I had some hope when Matty D hit the 3-run jack, when we gave back up the lead I turned off the TV and went to bed. I figured I’d rather be happily surprised in the AM if we won, than go to bed miserable because I knew we had lost.
It was utterly depressing to read through last night’s game thread just now—particularly the part where Diaz homered—while knowing how it would end.
People have rightly said that one of the basic reasons we’re forced into a do or die situation is because we took so long to fix our outfield. The sad thing is that we shouldn’t have needed Church to do it. Outside of not being Francoeur, Church has done very little to help the club.
If Cox would have been like a normal manager and either benched Jeffy or sent him to AAA, Diaz could have been helping the team (and Francoeur not hurting the team) for at least 1 more month – we would be in a lot better shape now.
The Freedom of No Hope:
No need to look at scores of other teams’ games. You have no control over them, unless you believe that winning your game might cause them discomfort.
Instead, you concentrate on doing things that win this game today. No need to worry about tomorrow’s game, or the next one, because you can’t win those until that day comes. You can’t change the outcome of yesterday’s game, either.
Liberating.
Sorry, too much caffine!
29, with Cox returning next season you can bet the bank that both Hudson and Vazquez will be back. They’re gonna have to trade Kawakami because it’s what Cox will demand.
Which leads into the next problem. The payroll.
Adam LaRoche is going to cost somewhere around 10 to 12 million per season based on comparable 1st basemen like Youkilis (9.125 million), Konerko (12 million) and Carlos Pena (10.1 million)
Soriano should garner somewhere between 8 to 10 million.
Chipper, Lowe, Hudson, Vazquez, McLouth, McCann, Infante and Ross are tying up 65.3 million. Add approximately 18 to 20 million for LaRoche and Soriano which bumps it up to 83.3/ 85.3 million.
Kawakami and his 6.667 million still needs to be traded. I’m not even factoring in Mike Gonzalez, Garret Anderson, Ryan Church, Greg Norton or Kelly Johnson, as most if not all of these guys will not be back.
Matt Diaz is arbitration eligible (1.2375 million for 2009), and there are 14 or 15 other roster slots making the league minimum or slightly better. so add at least another 10 to 11 million bringing the sum total roughly somewhere between 93 million to 96 million in payroll.
The 2009 payroll is 96.7 million right now and Frank Wren has already said next season’s will be comparable.
Besides LaRoche and Soriano another big time free agent is already out of the question as the Braves won’t have the extra money to spend.
I know what most will think. Trade another pitcher. Folks, that just ain’t gonna happen, not over Cox’s dead rotting carcass. Either the payroll goes up or this team is gonna get a lot younger next year.
Try to get to 91 wins. See where it gets us.
Three losses from Colorado? Not impossible.
Unless the trainers and coaches for the Braves see something seriously wrong with Hudson, his option is a bargain.
Vazquez is a bargain.
We should be able to move one of our pitchers. Hudson’s 10-and-5, and he likes it here, so I doubt he’ll be gone. Vazquez should get us a lot, as he’s a great deal. We would probably have to send some cash with Lowe. I’m not sure about KK. He might be the most reasonable one to trade.
well said-
“This team has done about the best it could do. Of course we can find several games that could have gone the other way. I suspect most teams can, even the Rockies.
So a salute to Bobby and the guys. You’ve done yourselves proud and given us a lot of joy. Next year will be better still. And it’s disappointing, sure, that more people don’t share our interest and passion for the team. It’d be a hell of a lot more fun to have 1991-’93 at the ballpark again.
We decided last night that being a hard core Bravos fan, who attends games as something more than an excuse to do the wave, is like being a foreign film or conceptual art buff. We love it. If not many others do, so be it. That won’t stop us.”
I believe that the Braves can win the next five, but I don’t believe the Rockies will lose three of five. Where does that put me on the hope spectrum?
I think the Braves will win the next 5. I also think the Rox will lose 1 of the next 2 to the Brewers and lose 2 out of 3 in LA.
There will be a one game playoff in Atlanta Monday night. Bank on it!!!!!
Odds are heavily against the Braves after last night, but I’ll continue to have a little hope until they are officially eliminated. If only the Braves had had Laroche and McLouth all year plus Diaz in RF and Prado at 2B and Hanson in the rotation…. I am mostly confident Wren will bring back the same team or an even better one next year and that a division title will be the result.
Cox left 30 or so runs on the table.
IF Diaz plays for ACHE against lefties, OPS goes up 200 points in one line up spot. If he plays right instead of Francoeur against righties, OPS goes up 100 points. That is for almost half the season.
If somebody other than Norton (almost anybody else we had) is pinch hitting before Norton, then that is probably at least 10 runs there.
If the good bullpen arms had always been rested in blowouts unless the next day or previous day was an off day, then that probably picks up 2 games.
It will be hard to cheer with Cox coming back. This team can’t blow 4 to 6 games on foolishness and sentimentality. We don’t have the people or payroll.
Balk Calls Now Required to Be Called Via Art of Interpretive
“They’re gonna have to trade Kawakami because it’s what Cox will demand.”
You know this how?
“Adam LaRoche is going to cost somewhere around 10 to 12 million per season based on comparable 1st basemen like Youkilis (9.125 million), Konerko (12 million) and Carlos Pena (10.1 million)”
Did you pay attention to the free agent market last year at all? Dunn barely got 10M and I think most people consider him significantly better than Laroche.
The expectation I saw for LaRoche is $25M for 3 years. We’ll only want to sign him for two… not sure how much of a “short contract” premium we’ll pay.
I think the more likely scenario than trading KK (who we’re very unlikely to trade because of the japanese market factor… and that he was pretty good, especially for the $$, once he got past April) is we try to trade Lowe for a prospect (my guess would be 3rd base one) and eat a few bucks of his salary.
There’s no reason not to go a third year on LaRoche. Freddie Freeman has yet to hit at AA. You don’t hamstring the big league club for a guy that hasn’t hit at AA.
My offseason predictions:
1. LaRoche: re-signed. 3/25 sounds about right.
2. Lowe + $$ traded for relief pitching.
3. Hudson option declined.
4. Hudson signed for about 3/30.
5. KJ: nontendered.
6. Church: retained.
7. ACHE, Soriano, Gonzo: all gone.
That should leave enough money to go after a big bat, but I have no idea who to pursue. I’m guessing Bay and Holliday will be resigned by their current teams. So I guess a trade will be in order.
I wonder who will be available?
Roster expectations and thoughts (non SP division)
We offer arb to Gonzo (coming off 2.8 he won’t get more than 5 and he is worth that). He declines.
We do not offer Soriano arb (he is at 8 million and would possibly get 8 in arb and Bobby has possibly destroyed his arm).
We trade KJ for “something” (but not much) just before time to offer arb. If not MAYBE we offer arb, but we don’t keep him. Either he is traded before spring training is over or released.
Church is a “toughie”. To me, if you don’t expect Heyward to start on Opening Day, then Church is very valuable. He is passable in center. He can “semi platoon” with Diaz in either right (Heyward will be in right when he comes up) or left. My guess is they offer arb and try to trade him during spring training.
Isn’t Infante a FA? That is tough. Somebody could offer him 5 million a year for 3 years to take over shortstop (he is way better than what the Royals have and he would have the “ExBrave” factor going for him). That is way too steep for a utility guy (unless a better hitter like DeRosa) and certainly too steep for the Braves. They probably offer arb to hedge their bets.
Otherwise, the back end of the bullpen may be gone. Should have Gonzo (if he accepts arb) Moylan, O’Flaherty, Logan, Medlen. And if Soriano declines, we might pick up somebody FA. Then hope Campillo comes back and Kimbrel is close to ready and you are o.k. there.
I think they make a deal for LaRoche at 25 over 3 or so because the market is weak and everybody else has seen his up and down play. The only risk is that IF Freeman is going to be a Major League 1B, he will be ready by the 3rd year, for sure. But one year on a pretty good 1B should be a moveable contract.
Infante is a FA? For some reason, I though he had one more year on his contract. Hmm, in that case he is probably a goner.
I see no reason not to retain Church. He’s a good 4th OF.
Jason C @46 on “the bat”,
This is a big problem. You either have to get a 1B better than LaRoche and forget about him (and there aren’t any, really) or you have to get an outfielder. And any outfielder messes up what you do with Heyward and whether you retain Diaz and Church.
I DON’T think Holliday stays with St. Louis. I really don’t believe they will put the money on the table. I am really still scared about his Coors Field stuff. You basically have 60 days of “Non Coors Related Masher Status.” That is awfully little evidence to justify a guarantee for 5 years and 60 plus (I don’t think he gets much above that).
Holliday is primed to be way overpaid in two years. If the market for him is reasonable, take a shot. But if he’s in the 5/60 range pass and call Bobby Abreu.
Just-What-We-Needed Dept.
The Yankee Bowl?
In 2010, Yankee Stadium will host a bowl game the week between Xmas & NYE. Big 12’s #7 team vs Big East’s #4.
Why don’t they just call it the Freeze-Your-Ass-Off Bowl?
The quotes from the press conference sound like an SNL skit.
http://tinyurl.com/yb3d2nb
50,
I don’t think it’s an efficient allocation of resources to sign Bobby Abreu. Holliday makes sense because he fixes the Braves’ biggest systematic weakness–right-handed power. But Abreu is no sure thing, and do we really need another aging, left-handed hitting, left fielder with not a lot of power and bad defense?
Infante is signed through next season, with a club option for 2011.
Holliday is a good fit for a couple of years, but if he’s demanding 5/60 you pass and find the next best option, even if it is another aging stop gap LHB. Or you see what Schafer can do with the healed wrist. Dumping that sort of money into Holliday after his stint in Oakland is just a bad idea.
Abreu can catch & field, as long as he doesn’t think he’s near the RF wall.
I don’t see Holliday as an option for us. If the Mets are going to spend—and there’s a lotta debate about that right now—I kinda expect them to overpay for him.
54,
My point is sort of, if you can’t do Holliday, you might as well go with what you’ve got. You can field a competent outfield picking from Schafer, McLouth, Diaz, Heyward, and Church.
@56
I don’t necessarily disagree, but I wouldn’t be aghast if they brought in Abreu either. It all depends on Heyward and Schafer and how they hit in spring training. The important thing is to not get locked into a big contract with Holliday. That guy has the opportunity to make Derek Lowe’s deal look like a bargain.
New thread/poll.