212 thoughts on “Desperate times game thread: Sept 7, Braves at Pirates”

  1. 1. Infante 2B, 2. Heyward RF, 3. Prado 3B, 4. McCann C, 5. Lee 1B, 6. Cabrera LF, 7. Gonzalez SS, 8. Ankiel CF, 9. Hudson P

    Per DOB Twitter

  8. FREE MELKY CABRERA! GET YOUR FREE MELKY CABRERA! A REAL MAJOR LEAGUER! FREE MELKY CABRERA!

    ~vendor at the ted

  9. As expected (or, at least, as I expected), Kimbrel and Cristhian Martinez have been called up now that Gwinnett’s done for the year.

  10. @9 (or whoever),

    But why not Marek? His numbers look better than Kimbrel’s (lower walk rate). He is on the 40 man. He is probably better than either KK or Lowe in a 1 inning stint now. Why not?

  12. @10, I don’t know the reasoning. He wasn’t called up at any other point in the year, so I hadn’t really considered him. Maybe with such a deep bullpen now, they don’t see ever using him, so why spend the money?

    That’s just a guess. I really don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about him.

  16. I agree with his idea, but it wouldn’t open up the NL races, it would shut them down. Currently we have tight races for each spot apart from the NL Central.

    The reasoning should not be to create excitement, but to reward the teams that are able to win their division.

  18. We’re dooooooommmmmeeeeed. The only thing to do is to score a ton of runs!!!! Let’s do that tonight. Go Braves!!!!

  20. Increasing the number of playoff teams negates the reason for the 162 game schedule. It’s supposed to determine the best team by inspection. Rewarding more teams for not winning their division (I really don’t even like those, actually) begs the question of why so many games are played.

  24. The cat’s out of the bag in the WC world.

    The MLB season’s never going to be shorter & we’re not going to see byes in the post-season. Too much money’s at stake.

    Generally, I would be against allowing more teams into the post-season. But since there’s no turning back to pre-1969 MLB, I prefer this system.

    This approach does give the division winners an advantage. But to me, what’s more important is giving the 2 leagues’ top teams a real advantage, and that’s a real incentive to finish on top.

    Also, it puts the advancing WC team at an immediate disadvantage. It rewards the most successful & it penalizes the rest. To me, that makes the season more meaningful, not less meaningful.

    At this point, the 162-game season mostly means that every team can maximize revenues for its 81 home games. The 3-division/WC system thumbed its nose at the 6-month season long ago.

  28. Also, it puts the advancing WC team at an immediate disadvantage.

    If Tampa manages to overcome one of the twin empires to grab a playoff spot why do we need to put them at an immediate disadvantage? The $150 million in payroll isn’t enough?

  29. Apparently just the fact that James McDonald bats left handed is good enough for six shutout innings. Such is our aversion to port-siders.

  31. Why is McLouth starting against lefties, but not righties? He’s like our only shot at all at getting any offense out of center field.

  32. Tampa should win the division regardless of payroll. They did it in ’08. They still have a good chance to do it now.

    BTW, the Yanks were a WC team in ’07 & they missed the post-season in ’08.

  34. Why should they have to do that? They will have won more games than both the other division winners while playing a tougher schedule. They already lose home field for no good reason, why screw them even more? The divisions are just arbitrary constructs.

  35. You know, the Pirates had a really good trade deadline. They traded a bunch of crap — Octavio Dotel, Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby, etc. — and got some useful young pieces.

    And, of course, they have Pedro’s protection, so they’ll be WS contenders in no time.

  39. #33
    We should have balanced schedules and it’s not just about Tampa. Whether I like it or not, the divisions aren’t going away.

    Why should they have to win the division? Because that’s best way to get in the post-season. And if a club has the best league record, whether it’s Tampa, the Yankees or the Braves, they deserve to be rewarded, IMO.

  40. @36 My feed was stuttering when they showed the replay so I can’t be completely sure, but I thought so too.

  42. I agree about the balanced schedules. Partly because it’s more fair in a Wild Card world and partly because I’m sick of playing the Marlins and Nats so much.

  43. This team’s offense sucks enough right now without all the free outs on the bases they’re giving to the Pirates.

  52. That made no sense; Ankiel is more likely to make an out than Hudson.

    Edit: Dammit, Tim, you were supposed to make me look smart there.

  59. Ugh. So frustrating to watch the Braves when they get in an offensive funk. So far in September, 16 runs in 7 games (counting today). Scoring 2 runs a game will explain going 2 – 4 against the Mets, Marlins and Pirates.

    EDIT: And Prado doubles! Successful reverse jinx?

  75. Why the hell is Lee still batting fifth, even if he has to be in the lineup at all? He can’t hit. That’s blatantly obvious. So why put him in positions where his failure is so crushing?

  76. Well, Lee takes 2 nut high fastballs down the middle and then has to chase. I would say the double play was all too predictable, With a right hander on the mound why not Freeman or Hinske? Hell, Glaus could have done that.

  81. I’m seeing a 1-0 loss hereon an unearned run.

    God, we suck. Lee should be put out of his misery. I don’t care if he does sneak into Class A free agency status-get rid of him.

  84. We can win this thing as long as Hudson shuts the Pirates out for at least 9 innings. Of course we’ll also probably need about 3 or 4 scoreless innings from the bullpen. If we can do that, my money is on a bases loaded hit by pitch from the Pirates.

  87. OK, here comes the all too predictable ground ball through the legs of AGon, with McCutcheon scoring…

    3…

    2…

    1…

  88. Bobby has admitted that Lee is hurt, so why the hell is he in the lineup? I’m just sick over the way this entire organization is handling everything.

  89. Even if Troy was out there and was terrible, we could at least take solace in knowing he is a big reason we are in first place at this point.

  98. 94- Yeah, me too, or at least a competent 1B. Instead, the only question he’s answered is “How do we improve Troy’s self-esteem by making his Torgo act look good?”

  106. god, why has every trade the braves have made this year bit them in the ass? that was a horrible at bat from ankiel. i guess it’s time for another cap-tipping session.

  107. Lee’s been useless. During the Cubs series, their GM was telling our guys that Lee is a “Bobby Cox type of guy”. All I know is he hits like sh!t in a Braves uniform.

    Stu, you’re absolutely right. I thought Wren had miraculously found a way to get us a bat and I’m sure he did too. His defense is good but his bat just can’t find the ball.

  111. This month calls to mind the words of Pittsburgh native Dennis MIller, who as a young sports writer wrote that a struggling football team scored “about as often as Fred Rogers in a singles bar.”

  113. I would like to thank the Braves for keeping me interested until football season. I was looking forward to Heyward, Yunel, Freeman and Mccann next year, now I guess it’s just Heyward, Freeman, and McCann.

    Wainwright and Carpenter next series?

  116. “…over the head of Ankiel…”

    I am glad I’m not watching the game. I have a feeling I would have choked on my own screams.

    Please, just try Heyward in center. We have a month.

  119. We could have gotten a big bat with some of that “wonderful” pitching in the low minors. Pretty soon we will have like 9 “future studs” starting at AAA.

    Are we trying to win the Sally League title or the National League title? It is hard to tell sometimes.

  123. 115- The other problem is that it’s not like we’ve got any stud corner outfielders lying around either. Moving Heyward only moves the hole.

    Edit: Ballgame.

  126. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha….oh, man do we ever suck. One run against the Pirates in 16 innings?? We deserve to lose the division.

    I would rather watch “The Spice Girls” movie in infinite repeat than be forced to endure this pathetic display of alleged MLB any longer.

    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED.

  134. I wonder if this is how Dodger fans felt when the blew the division to the Braves back in the early 90’s?

  140. 94 & 106—Sorry, I was joking. I and others predicted exactly this. And I hate it, because I really like Derrek Lee.

  141. It doesn’t matter if the Braves make the postseason or not. They have zero starters who are reliable in the postseason. As good as Huddy has been, his late season meltdowns are part of who he is. I just hope Heyward can get to 20 or more HRs.

  142. Phillies are ahead, we’re down three to the Pirates, and Lincecum and Latos pitch tonight for the other contenders.

    Great day. Great day.

  145. Stretches of pathetic offense like this make me wonder about Terry. Not that hitting coaches can mean all THAT much, but they do count for something.

    All these hitters come to Atlanta and take a step backwards. Can we name one hitter who has come to the braves(from another team) and perfomed better? I don’t count LaRoche because of the short stay and his career streakiness and Prado and Infante seem to be just playing time issues.

  146. September. One game lead in the division. Worst team in the majors throwing out cruddy pitchers.

    Can’t win that, they don’t deserve the playoffs.

  149. @142 I couldn’t have said it better myself. What is the Braves record since the September call-ups? Let’s blame it on that.

  154. I’m going for a long walk. Several hours or so. Baseball hasn’t been the cause of one of those since our bullpen was melting down in Game 5 of the ’04 NLDS.

  160. They are in full crap on themselves mode right now. Can’t hit, can;t field and are now struggling a little on the mound. I would say the implosion has finally taken place

  162. What do you say? The team didn’t show up and they have everything to play for. Getting your asses handed to you by the worst team in the league as you fall out of first place SHOULD cause some alarm.

    The Bravos better wake up and smell the coffee… their season is circling the drain.

  163. With Chipper gone, who is the leader on this team? I sometimes think “leadership” on a baseball team is overvalued (I prefer Derek Jeter’s bat to his “intangibles”), but I think it is an interesting question. Does anyone know the team’s record since Chipper’s injury?

  164. 162- 16-13, including tonight. (13-5 at home, 3-8 on the road.)

    Edit: Ramirez fails to bring Morrison home. Two outs in the top of the 7th, still 5-4.

  165. Had the Braves played competent baseball on the road the last three weeks, we could be up by 4-5 games. The Phils have played pretty poorly, too. It’s a shame we didn’t really pad this thing going towards the end of September.

  166. 163 – that’s a better record without Chipper than I would have guessed. I guess when you play the Mets, that will happen. It does seem like the sky has fallen since he left, but maybe it coincides with Lee’s arrival instead of Chipper’s departure.

  169. Dear Atlanta Braves,
    What is your deal? Why must you fall apart at the time it matters most? I don’t get it. For the last few months you would find ways to win. Then, you go to Colorado and blow a 10-1 lead. Then there was the come back from six down against the Marlins, only to blow it. Then you start losing to the Pirates, who are the worst team ever. You can’t hit. You can’t field. It is like you have baseball bubonic plague. THE PIRATES SUCK! COME ON!
    Now the Phillies will replace us in first. The Vols are going to suck this year. I had high hopes for a playoff run, it being our HOF managers last season and all.
    Now look. We have six games left with the Phillies. We can right this ship. Do I need to come down there? What can I do? I can play first, but I’m only a little better than Derek Lee.
    THIS SUCKS! GET OFF YOUR ASS AND LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Sincerely,

    Billy Smith

  176. Sosa gives up a run (SF by Rollins), showing that he’s just as good as we remember. 6-4 Phils.

  177. On the damn “25 greatest moments” thing, it has the date of Andruw Jones’ career-high 51st homerun in a season as: September 24, 2001.

  178. Cloverfield is awesome and I love the shaky cam tbqh. It’s not supposed to be a traditional cinematic monster movie. I’m really looking forward to his new movie Super 8, which I heard is actually shot on Super 8 stock.

    Baseball related:

    I know optimists are generally the more well liked people in the world, but everybody who has been saying “Gosh you guys are so funny! We’re in first place in August!” has been delusional. They’ve been doing the equivalent of watching the Braves and going “LALALALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!” As much as I detest “the eyeball test”, anybody who’s really been watching this team the past few weeks could have seen that this team was playing like pure garbage. Like the team that lost 9 straight in April.

    So what’s next? “Hey it’s September and we’re tied for first!” as the Phillies roll on by and pull head in the final month of the season?

    “Hey there’s always all 19 of our pitching prospects in the minors! We may not hit worth a damn, but hot Jesus is it nice thinking about having all that talent crammed into a 5 man rotation at some undetermined point in the future!”

  179. I will be shocked to see this team playing in october, Pittsburgh has an historically poor run differential, and we are being manhandled by them. D Lee grounding into a double play with the bases loaded an one out? Glaus could have done that. Alex Gonzalez is just as much of a lolligagger as escobar was, doomed.

  184. I thought the trade for Lee was a good gamble, but he’s obviously damaged goods and not worth much this year. Let Freeman play. God knows it couldn’t hurt. Hell, let Glaus try third for a few games, too. Maybe he’ll get hot again.

    None of this is remotely close to happening in reality, of course. These Phillies fans I have to live around here in suburban Philthadelphia are going to be insufferable, especially when the Braves don’t even make the playoffs.

  185. Marlins tease us by getting within 7-6. Giants dismay us by jumping on the D-Backs 3-0 in the first inning.

  187. Hanley’s up with two on, two out in the eighth, down one run. Thanks to Morrison, first is not open. This is their best shot.

  188. No, the Padres losing ten straight was Wheels coming off. This…this is An Ominous Sound From the Transmission territory.

  192. Balk by Romero got the guy to third. A Wild Pitch by Madson got him home. Good work, Philly bullpen.

  193. Braves have to have three hits in an inning to score. They cant steal bases, only two guys can go 1st to third on any hit, they dont hit and run, hell they dont even sac bunt anymore…..I got nothing. I dont expect Bobby to say anything about the offense though

  194. Oh, and, apparently, he achieved second on an error. So he hits a single, then the Phillies move him around the bases all the way home. He didn’t even have to steal a base, and no one batted him in. Fantastic.

  198. Told you. And with that, I’ll retire back into obscurity for the night. What an awful start to September.

  202. Honestly, what was the point of the rain delay? As bad as the Pirates have been this season, there was no way they were blowing a 5-run lead to this crew of corpses.

  203. I can’t think of the last time a major leaguer took a pitch as fat as the one Lee stared at for strike three.

  204. You know someone should call the U.N. about Nate McLouth. He’s making $7 mil next season. Seven million dollars. Children in Uganda are being abducted and forced to become soldiers and kill their own families, and Nate McLouth is making seven million dollars to step up to a rubber plate and look like he’s trying real hard.

    I produce more for the Braves by watching them on TV and making it out to Turner Field a few times each season than Nate McLouth does, and he’s making seven million dollars in 6 months.

  207. So, for the moment, we’re the WC team.

    Rest of the season: 10 road games (1 Pit, 3 NYM, 3 Pha, 3 Was), 13 home games (4 Stl, 3 Was, 3 Fla, 3 Pha).

    I guess that’s good.

  208. Fittingly, it’s yet another ex-Brave, Wes Helms, who officially ends the Braves’ stay in first place by striking out. Phils 8-7.

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