708 thoughts on “A rule the Braves may not have been aware of”

  1. Prepare to be angry: Melky is batting 5th.

    #Brave lineup 1. Infante 3B, 2. Heywrd RF, 3. Lee 1B, 4. McCann C, 5. Cabrera LF, 6. Conrad 2B, 7. Gnzlez SS, 8. Ankiel CF, 9. Hanson

  2. If the Braves win tonight, I’ll actually feel pretty good about this series.

    Of course, they’ll probably score zero runs. The AAA Braves’ offense might be a better bet at this point.

  3. The Braves showed in September that without Chipper and Prado they are quite capable of losing at home, so even if they win today, I’ll still be highly skeptical of their chances at taking the series.

    I hope at some point Vasquez gives up a homer that keeps the Yankees from reaching the World Series. That would at least partly compensate us for having to spend an entire year watching Bobby run out Melky to start.

  4. My oh my….why can’t Bobby split up the futility in the bttm of the order? Bat Melky, Conrad or Ankiel 2nd to bunt…at this point they are all the same.

  5. ya know what we’re going to see tonight? jason heyward square to bunt. and do you know what i’m going to do? vomit.

  6. I’m hoping for some Melktober magic, but I’m not expecting the Braves to score any runs this series. It’s a distinct possibility and I’m trying to not get my hopes up.

  7. 17- “Melktober magic” reminds me of the Joker from The Dark Knight, and will probably be about as good for our sanity. “Watch me make this offense disappear!”

  8. I’m not even going to bother with being frustrated at this line-up anymore. It’s not like Bobby could do that much better with the current roster. No, it’s time to just sit back, and take in Melktober.

  9. “It’s not like Bobby could do that much better with the current roster.” – John

    I kind of disagree

    Infante
    Heyward
    Lee
    Bmac
    Glaus
    Hinske
    AAG
    McLouth

    is an immediate improvement offensively…we are going to piss away the game in the field either way so at least give us a fighting chance offensively

  10. I really don’t get why we haven’t started Glaus or Hinske during this stretch of extremely poor hitting, either. They will at least provide some power, perhaps force pitchers into making some decisions, etc. It certainly couldn’t hurt. I don’t think Hinske is any worse defensively in left than Diaz, Cabrera or McLouth, nor do I think Glaus is any worse at third than Conrad or Infante.

  11. Hinske must be hurt or something that limits him to pinch hitting duties. He hasn’t played the field since Sept 7.

  12. 25—I think Cox just doesn’t trust him out there, which would be more understandable if we didn’t see Cox run Melky out there in center.

  13. Soapbox: Why did Baker double switch, if he wasn’t going to send Ondrusek back out anyway? Just pinch hit for Ondrusek.

    By not double switching, you have the flexibility to send up an infielder instead of locking yourself in with Heisey, you also don’t announce to Manuel in advance who is batting in the 9 spot so it’s not as easy for him to set up his bullpen, you also even have the option to leave Ondrusek in to bunt if the leadoff guy gets on. And you can still bat Heisey if that’s the best move a the time.

    Now the lefty Nix is out, who undoubtedly would have faced Madsen or Lidge. And now you will have to pinch hit for what should have been your 5 hitter. And all because he didn’t want to burn a pitcher he didn’t even end up sending back to the mound.

    Really, why does anyone double switch any more with 7 man bullpens?

  14. The Reds have borrowed our gloves in the bottom of the 7th. (Aroldis Chapman’s fastball has been “off”- that is, 99-101 mph.)

  15. Just going to say that. The Reds have played far worse I think. You don’t expect Infante and Conrad to make a ton of plays, but you do expect Rolen and Phillips to, and you expect Bruce to catch a routine fly ball. Epic meltdown in the 7th.

  16. Why does every team in the National League play like they have money on the Phillies? This one has been nothing they’ve done.

    Utley may have in fact been out at both second and third base, lucky team.

  17. And I’m still not convinced he was safe at second. And he may not have touched third base before scoring.

  18. Good point, I wasn’t sure it touched him either. Philadelphia gets rewarded for lying and bad baserunning, what else is new? Don’t think the rules have applied to them since the ASB, and it’s foolish to stand in their way at this point.

  19. Why wouldn’t every home playoff team wave those stupid white hankies while their team is hitting and hope the other team’s outfielders would lose one ?

    I happen to think that the umpiring is usually atrocious, people just complain about it more when it happens to their team in the playoffs, like us last night.

  20. On Utley’s HBP, I don’t think the pitch came within 3 inches of him. And, has been mentioned before, he was out at 2nd. And he missed third, but that’s not on the umps unless the Reds appeal, which they didn’t. Quite the trifecta!

  21. Yeah, on the HBP, it looked like the hand that *might* have gotten hit (the right one) was not the one he was holding with a grimace at first base.

  22. Melk-tober will be splash down number 56! IT will be a cannon ball and will kill those people in boats.

    Im pumped!

  23. Melky hitting fifth is equivalent to Charlie Liebrandt facing Kirby Puckett. I won’t miss Bobby.

  24. MELKTOBER BEGINS the same way melktember, melch, melpril, and all of the other melkmonths of the frickin’ baseball season.

    SHITTY!

  25. Alex, to be fair, hitting anyone fifth not already listed 1-4 would be similar.

    I was thinking about how abysmal our lineup is, and it struck me that the injuries to Chipper and Prado have really just masked/exacerbated our inabilities to fix the holes at CF, LF, and (lesser extent) SS.

  26. Statue.

    csg, Yunel was the hole at SS. AAG hasn’t been as bad of a replacement as Ankiel, perhaps, but I wouldn’t call his performance for the Braves a particular strength of ours.

  27. 85- Only six as a Brave (and Yunel hit four in Toronto). With a glove of stone and no plate discipline, AAG has not been any kind of upgrade.

  28. Brian J, but AAG displays his petulance and disappointment in a way that is much more palatable to the team than Yunel. The value is immeasurable.

  29. Sorry, csg. But there are still people here who post that with all sincerity.

    Hanson’s doing the right thing by simply trying to take the Giants down himself. Just assume that our IF has money on San Francisco, Tommy.

  30. I still remember DOB talking about it going down as one of the best Braves trades ever…another reason I hate that place

    well this game is over

  31. Man I wondered would Hanson be as good as Lowe was last night….question answered. A stupid 95mph fastball…lol

  32. #90

    Yes, filthy…I feel dirty now after that 3 run homer. And Dick Stockton just basically buries us and seems to already be previewing Giants-Phillies. Asshole. Go watch “Matlock”, old codger.

  33. #104

    To add insult to injury, the Giants will give Bobby a going away present before the game starts on Sunday.

  34. Thank you, AAG, for demonstrating the difference between a Major League shortstop and… you.

  35. The good news: lot of baseball left. The bad? The Braves offense is horrible at baseball.

  36. Ok, Bobby ejected. Hey, replacement manager…will you please take Melky out of the 5th spot? Thanks a bunch.

  37. The Giants’ three runs in the first inning: more than the Braves will score the entire series?

  38. Yeah, he was off the bag. I have learned to believe the opposite of AAG, but he may have had a case. Of course, if he was running 100%, he wouldn’t have been able to see Huff’s foot.

  39. Same umpire as the ridiculous stolen base call last night. AAG should have been safe because he owes us way more than that.

  40. @132

    And O’Flaherty, back in Atlanta.

    Just thinking about instant replay, doubt you could have overturned, because Huff could have scraped the bag or something. .01% chance, but I bet it would have stood up.

  41. After seeing like 5 times, I think Huff was off barely. It’s hardly conclusive with the luxury of a replay, so it’s not nearly as bad a call as last night’s.

  42. Things to look forward to post Pat Burrell’s home run:

    -Bobby’s last emotional last game.
    -Melky being arrested for armed robery of a little debbie’s delevery truck in the offseason.
    -Wren finding a real left fielder.
    -Fredie Freeman’s home run in his first at-bat on opening day.
    – Remembering what it feels like to have a 100 rbi player who is not Frenchy.
    -Kimbrel or Venters leading the league in saves.
    -A promising Falcon’s season
    -Another Alabama National Championship
    -A medicore Hawks’ season
    -Watching LaBron and D-Wade fail.
    -Chipper announcing his retirement in Febuary, so he doesn’t get humilated trying to come back.
    -Instant Replay in baseball (it will happen).
    -Another Miley Cyrus movie.

  43. Hey. Melky didn’t ACTUALLY fall down trying to make a routine play. He just ALMOST fell down.

  44. Apparantly bad defense in LF is more palatable when you can’t hit either. God the Braves should have given their spot to the Padres and their fans.

  45. i’m ready for this season to be over. i just pray that the braves trade aag for something.

  46. These guys umpire games for a living. They are supposed to be the “best of the best” We constantly hear how hard their jobs are and how they train and put on clinics. How they usually get the call right.

    They get the easy ones right, but I think they miss a lot of “tough” ones they would get right if they would get in better position. I don’t want to ever hear umpires whine again.

  47. By my unofficial calculations, Melky and AAG have already cost us at least 8 runs in this game.

    Melky made a routine play. Cain wasn’t exactly running the bases cautiously there.

  48. Our ineptitude has become comical. We have a fat kid in the outfield. This means we are going to come back and win the big game. I hate that it took me this long to see its inevitability.

  49. So Melky has an Angel? Maybe that’s why he stumbled, the Angel was loading him up for a super spin throw to nail Ross at second, but Melky screwed it up. Typical.

  50. How the hell did we make the playoffs, again?

    Ohhh, classy Giant fans again chanting “Posey’s better”. I don’t even think Phillies fans would act like this.

  51. I never understood the confidence in Tommy Hanson. It feels like he has these dud games every other time he pitches.

  52. Those are the same fans who pulled for Barry Bonds when the whole world knew he was a douche.

  53. Anybody think bobby getting tossed is a good thing?
    these unintentional intentional walks have been killing us for the big inning for 3 weeks
    hanson wussed out on posey AB – go after him dude – as a man – dont you want to challenge a rook. He pitched to posey like he was barry bonds.

  54. Cain will get the corners. These umps know the Braves are not going to score, why waste everyone’s time.

  55. Can’t even get any hope. Come on, at least get two runners on so I can be delusional that they’ll have a multi-run inning.

  56. Well, as our genial host has said, “If we had hope, we’d really be screwed.”

    And if we had middle infielders, we’d only have two or three holes to fill.

  57. @174 I’m joining you. Honestly, it is amazing that this collection of misfits made the playoffs. Tell me who, other than Heyward and McCann, are premier players in the major leagues right now. None.

  58. What’s harder to overcome a four runner deficit or a four major league hitter deficit?

  59. It’s not about lacking premier players so much as it is having, at any given time, upwards of four exceptionally bad players in the lineup. The Giants don’t have very many “premier” hitters, but they have solid major leaguers up and down the lineup.

  60. Lee has had a pretty good September, also. Unfortunately, McCann, Heyward, and Infante are all slumping now, which leaves Lee, who isn’t exactly hot either. Therefore, we won’t score again in 2010.

  61. Reds have us beat, IMO. Of course, it’s like Sheets vs. Randy Johnson against us that one year.

  62. @ 201
    The two worst lineups ever seen in postseason play are tonights braves lineup and last nights braves lineup.

  63. There’s a report floating around twitter that Cain is a belly-itcher and may be merely posing as a pitcher. That may prove to be his undoing.

  64. At what point do we all start rooting against the Braves scoring runs? A three game shutout over a playoff series would be historical.

  65. 209- Not quite. The Dodgers were shut out in the last three games of the 1965 World Series. It’s the failure to ever score a run that would be the Braves’ skid mark on history.

    Lee’s on second! Yay! Or is that, Boo!

  66. I might rather have the Nats or Fish field players with our pitching staff than these misfits coached by Terry P

    Does anything think the Marlins would not have scored at this point?

  67. This has got to be one of the worst showings for a team in the playoffs in history.

    That’s because it’s one of the worst playoff teams in history. Seriously.

    This stings, but I’m still thankful that we’re relevant again. There’s quite a bit to build on, here.

  68. OMGOMGOMG

    Bring in a reliever? The Giants should think about cutting Cain after he let our team score.

  69. Do Dick Stockton and Chip share a brain? Makes sense with TBS wanting to scale back the baseball operations.

    Melky isn’t the tying run Dick. Not really ever, but especially not down three with one baserunner.

  70. Yes.

    It’s kind of funny that a player as mediocre as Conrad has captured so many hearts and minds.

    Melky-Conrad-Gonzalez is such an awful trifecta that it’s almost comical. That is, it’d be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

  71. and back to staring at balls down the middle and swinging at balls out of the zone. boy does our 5-8 hitters suck something fierce.

  72. @241, I wonder. Do they trade Infante while his stock is high or dump AAG and give SS to Omar?

  73. I’m really not that stressed. My expectations were so low coming in. This is not the lineup that got us to the post season.

    Nice play Conrad.

  74. and we get a prime example of why Melky should never be playing in this game….

    Lee and Bmac both put up good ab’s and we score. They are holding Bmac and Melky gets a 2-0 count. The right side is completely open for him to try and turn on a pitch. He is late and hits a lazy fly to LF….go eat another cheeseburger

    also, Im sick of AAG’s act. After every popup, K, weak grounder…he’s slinging a bat or helmet. Someone needs to remind him that he sucks

  75. I would hope that if it came down to Omar or Agony, they’d pick Omar. All that is assuming Chipper plays next year.

  76. I missed the McCann RBI single. Seems like TP hasn’t thoroughly corrupted him yet. *Rolls eyes*

    And with that single NLDS run, my highest expectations for Braves 2010 baseball have now been met.

  77. AAG’s stock is not high. He has a .250avg .294OBP and the .676slg% in Atl is what everyone will expect from him

  78. Not sure how this is TP’s fault. This is a AAA line up. We lost our two best hitters. Chill.

  79. 252- That still leaves five guys who would have started in the good old days of May, June, and July. That shouldn’t leave a lineup that scores .5 run per game.

  80. Not counting pitchers, how many of the playoff roster do we want to see on the opening day roster next season?

  81. if Wren wants to get back to what made this team successful, he’d cut AAG, Melky, Farnsworth, and Rick Ankiel before the plane gets back in Atl

  82. Maybe he’ll cut them on the flight home. But we’ll give them parachutes first. Well, except maybe Melky- his bloblike form shouldn’t incur any damage when he hits the ground.

  83. CSG…to follow-up on Agony, every time he Ks or pops up he slings the bat as if he just missed the pitch. C’mon Agony, you are not fooling anyone. We know you are horrible.

  84. @261

    I think it’s about a 10,000% increase since we got AAG and Ankiel (and Lee, but he’s somewhat useful when not swinging at face-high pitches). Conrad playing every day just adds that much more.

  85. Take a walk Heyward, the way he is swinging he is not going to hit the lefty. Dammit, I knew it would be Lopez.

  86. another strikeout looking….Heyward is either just worn out from the length of this season or he’s in an awful slump

  87. Too close to take, probably a tad low though. That was an OK AB for me, that guy is death to lefties. Not gonna do much unless he makes a huge mistake.

  88. It’s not too close to take if it should have been called ball 4. Heyward did his job.

    278—We did we benefit from a called strike, thrown under-handed, that never got as high as the strike zone?

  89. Me neither, but I can’t stop watching it. “Hi, my name is Brian, and I have a problem…”

  90. It’s a bummer that more than 40 Million of next years payroll are going to be tied up into a pair of pitchers and a pair of position players that will combine, at best, give us league average production.

  91. ive never seen a player be so late on so many pitches

    pay attention, Wilson throws fastballs….one after another

  92. freddie would have been nice in that situation, but i guess it’s necessary to have the lisp or diory…sigh.

  93. The inning ends with the bat on Diaz’s shoulder….

    Still, hard to imagine that we got three runs….

  94. Let’s just hope we don’t bring Farnsworth in, under any circumstances… I’d be more comfortable with Melky pitching

  95. Before it gets lost in the shuffle, I just wanna say — though I didn’t agree with the attempt — that was one helluva bunt by Brooks Conrad.

  96. i’m almost finished with my first beer and i just want to say how much i love all of you guys…

  97. They’re pitching Heyward way in or on the outside corner. Be nice if he were willing to drive that outside pitch the other way, like he was doing in April and May.

  98. I really dont see how Wilson is so effective. He leaves a lot of pitches up in the zone….it works for him somehow

  99. Lee has made a lot of fine scoops tonight to keep our infield from looking like its usual awful self.

  100. Craig Kimbrell = Bowel Locker

    D. Lee has great hands at 1B. If he is cheap, he would not be a bad keeper to help ease Freeman into the big leagues next year.

    The Home Plate umpire is awful

  101. Farnsworth better punch in the face whoever hits the homerun off of him. I want him all in on this one.

  102. I know it’s a dumb idea, but my inner seven year-old wants Kimbrel out there for a third inning. That was awesome.

  103. That is gone, it went at least 400 feet to the alley. He didn’t miss it, SF just commissioned a ballpark that demands years of meticulous roiding to hit one out to that part.

  104. If we get beat with Wagner on the mound: so be it. If we get beat after Wagner goes an inning or two: so be it. But, if we get beat with Farnsworth or Martinez on the mound, and Wagner still on the bench, I am going to be pissed!

  105. At least if we bring Farnsworth in, the loss will be unsurprising and therefore less painful. If Wagner blows it…

  106. Glaus can apparently play third in the highest of leverage, but not at the start of the game.

    Smart move by Renteria. Ugh.

  107. I don’t think we have a third baseman who makes that play, though. It was pretty perfect.

    And we’re done. Hate it for Wagner that he goes out like that.

  108. Maybe next year we won’t rely so much on old guys. Remember all the question marks coming into the season? Chipper, Glaus, Saito, Wagner… yeah.

  109. My goodness….

    Next year looks bright with Kimbrel, Venters, Dunn, O’Fla, and co.

    At least we know what is coming….

  110. HAHAHAHA Don just said “And that will bring Kyle Farnsworth in, and THAT is horrible new for the braves.”

  111. our injuries this year…Heyward, Prado, Chipper, Wagner, Jurrjens, Glaus, Saito, Medlen, EOF, then you add in all the AB’s given to AAG, Melky, Ankiel, and Mclouth…yeah we shouldnt be here

  112. I met Kyle’s brother when he was deployed to Kuwait in 2005-2006. He said that he and Kyle were going to use the MLB money Kyle had saved to open up a gym one day. How I wish that he had decided to do that before now…or in 2005, for that matter…

  113. Same combination as last night- managerial brain fart + bad call + bad player plays badly = loss.

  114. hit batsman and a walk – pretty sure the lisp couldve done that Kyle

    how does it end? walk, k, homer?

  115. Well, that was unexpected–the good pitching, not the throw. Glaus is the only 3B on the roster. Watch and learn, boys, watch and learn.

  116. well, on the upside, we may have finally found a 3rd baseman. hopefully its not too late

  117. Holy shit is right. 1 out, bases loaded, Kyle Farnsworth vs. Buster Posey…and we escaped. Suck it, “Prison Break”.

  118. Stephen, Wags is done. just accept it and move on, it will be easier that way.

  119. I love how low our standards for third base are.

    He successfully completed a throw to second — he is our best third baseman.

  120. Kyle knew it wouldn’t have been right to lose it with Billy’s runner. He’ll lose it next inning with his own.

  121. Troy has a gold glove in his collection. He is in good shape if it is hit right to him.

    Now here comes the hard part, scoring a run.

  122. i’m out of beer…except for one. it’s in a box and it cost 12 dollars for a pint. should i open it?

  123. Wow… pulled that out of the ass

    Hey “Stephen in the UAE”, where in the UAE are you? I live in Dubai… who knew there was another Braves fanatic out here. These late games are sweet because I can actually watch them.

  124. 566 – not screwing up a play is a plus for this team, still cant believe he didnt go home

    I guess even Troy didnt want to see Kyle face another batter

  125. HOLY MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  126. Big night for our midseason trade acquisitions…Gonzalez, Lee, Ankiel (even Farnsworth is lined up for the W)

  127. Hot damn. Slick Rick comes through.

    To be the man, you got to be the man. Whooooooooooooooooo.

    Late game gonna make my morning totally unproductive…but hell, I love our chances if we can hold on.

    Billy Wags…gosh, I hope you can make it back.

  128. If we somehow survive tonight, wow. Wagner injury sucks but Venters and Kimbrel are sick so back end of our ‘pen for Sunday is still really good.

  129. zero chance Farnsworth holds this lead, zero, none…no chance at all. We might as well just walk off the field now. Zero chance….Kyle sucks and will not hold this lead. Even with only 2 outs left, he will not hold this lead. Zero chance

  130. Agreed. No good can come from Ishikawa pinch-hitting. None at all.

    Edit: And Ross always kills us.

  131. Farns sucks and will not get this last out, he sucks. He cant get Cody Ross out…Braves will lose and Kyle will always suck and not be welcomed back in ATL. Kyle sucks and should become a bat boy

  132. zero chance, no…nada…no chance. Even with an 0-2 count. Kyle sucks and the braves will lose the series in 3 games

  133. I havent moved from my position on the couch in 3 hrs and Ive burned over 1000 calories, easily…

  134. YES! WE WIN
    You’ve got to say that was huge. Coming back from 4 runs, bad players not sucking for once, winning an AWAY GAME IN EXTRA INNINGS……

  135. And that’s why we watch baseball folks. I can’t believe it all happened. I forgive everybody for everything, that includes you Alex Gonzalez, you Rick Ankiel, and you one Kyle Farnsworth.

  136. I feel like it merits the descriptor, epic chain of events that got us that win.

    Melky infield hit (tough error call), AAG double, Wagner gets hurt, Troy comes in and turns a crazy double play, Ankiel hits one into McCovey Cove, and Farnsworth coaxes three flyouts. That’s stupid.

  137. This game went exactly like I thought it would, Troy Glaus making the Defensive play of the year for the braves, then Rick Ankiel Homering in the 11th and Kyle Farnsworth getting the win.

    I’m sure that is exactly how we all drew that one up.

    If you had that trifecta, then you should go play the lottery.

    Holy sh*t cluster balls, was that fun, I think it was, but I flipped over my coffee table and got in a fight with my wife over that but the Braves won.

    It was sooooooo worth it

  138. The Braves dun gone and dun the “do ron ron”!!

    Now pray for the Wag and hope we don’t sag!! (pass the corn please.)

  139. how about that…Golden Boy with the bases loaded and a decent fly ball will win it…instead Glaus turns a sweet DP and Ricky hits one a freakin mile

  140. This has got to be one of the greatest wins in recent team history. When the last ball was caught I was stunnedd.

    Don’t anyone ever say this team doesn’t try. This is the guttiest team I’ve ever seen._____

  141. I feel vindicated. First Braves road games I ever went to were in San Fran, the weekend Bonds hit those two walkoffs right before his dad died.

    Tonight that felt so good to see that ball land in the cove and it be the braves hitting it.

    Soooooooo goooood

  142. If you replace Wagner, I think he is ineligible for the NLCS also (may not be a factor depending on the injury). I think I heard the announcers in the Rays game say that for Rocco Baldelli, who was replaced by Willy Aybar.

  143. Why do we do this to ourselves? I’ve never met anyone associated with the Braves and never will. I haven’t lived in Atlanta in over two decades. And here I am, I can’t sleep, and I’ve been torturing myself for the last few hours. Why?

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