Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals – Box Score – April 03, 2011 – ESPN.
The game was actually a lot closer than the final score. It was 1-1 after 1 and stayed that way until the fifth, with the Braves only going out to a big lead against the dregs of the Nats’ pen late.
The Braves took the lead in the top of the first thanks largely to some very sloppy Nats defense, with McLouth just beating out a throw to avoid a double play (and maybe should have been called out) then going to second on another double-play ball, hit by Chipper, that the second baseman bobbled and got only one out on, then coming home on a flare single by McCann. The Nats tied it up with two hits and a walk against Tim Hudson in the bottom of the inning.
They couldn’t do much of anything against Hudson after that, as he allowed only a single in the second and no more baserunners in five innings after that, while striking out five. The Braves couldn’t do much against Jordan Zimmermann either, until the fifth, when Alex Gonzalez tripled (it should have been a double, but the Nats outfield screwed up) and scored on a Freddie Freeman groundout, and Hudson walked and scored on a Prado double followed by an error on the relay.
In the seventh, against the bullpen, the Braves got some breathing room with a two-out rally, Prado doubling, McLouth and Chipper walking, and McCann singling on a ground-ball just left of second base against the Stupidshift. The Braves then sent eleven batters to the plate, getting six runs, in the eighth. The key to the inning was a TAKE THE OUT STUPID play at the beginning, when Heyward, after singling to lead off, was running on a 3-2 count to AAG and was standing on second base when the third baseman tried to force him; the idiot umpire called Heyward out but the other idiot umpire at third base reversed the call and the blowout was on.
Fredi, for some reason, had Venters pitch the eighth with a ten-run lead. Yep, that’s going to continue. Scott Linebrink pitched the ninth. Nobody in the organization already could have handled that job, good thing we traded for him.
Am watching extra innings between Royals and Angels. That short left-hander the braves got off Toronto in the deal for Escobar, Collins, is pitching. 1) he is really much smaller than the other players. 2) he can really throw.
Its like watching Spud Webb jam.
Hey, 2-1 on the road. I’ll take it.
Matt Young made his major league debut, running for Chipper in the interminable eighth, and scored his first big-league run. After the inning, Young moved to left and Martin moved to third. So, clearly, Martin is still viewed as the 3B of the future.
Also, thanks for the tip, Nevin. Collins is awesome to watch. He has 5 K through three scoreless innings. He could seriously be a big league closer. Good changeup, good breaking ball, good fastball, and all he does is throw strikes.
I’ve been watching Collins too. He looks like he has pretty good stuff… weird to see someone that short hitting the low to mid 90’s on the radar gun.
Kind of funny that his number is 55, being that 5’5″ is probably his true height.
Good thing we gave him up for the right to upgrade from Chavez to Farnsworth and downgrade from Blanco to Ankiel.
might have just been me, but the play with heyward at second was made awefully close by his unwillingness to slide. i was plenty happy with the out call as long as he was able to walk away from the collision, which looked in doubt for a moment.
yeah, the ump should have gotten teh call right the first time, but there was no reason for the play to be as close as it was had heyward slid.
@ 6,
He shouldn’t slide in that situation. 99% of that time, that throw goes to first. He should go into the bag upright so that if the first baseman fails to catch the ball, or if the ball is overthrown, he can go to third.
My high school team is obviously not the major leagues, but we were taught only to slide if that throw was coming into second. Zimmermann should not have send that throw to second.
#Braves’ Martin Prado: “I was going after it….I want everybody here to give everything, and people can see that. People can see our effort every single day.”
Really, there is nothing to complain about here. 11-2 guys.
Why is Zimmermann the third guy in their rotation?
Also, Werth is pretty good. I think the Phillies might miss him this year.
@7, i hear you, but the play zimmerman made would have been enough to get heyward had the second baseman been ready for it, ergo, heyward should have slid. i would suggest that the odds of making an out at second would be greater than an easy groundball being thrown away at first at this level.
not that your teaching is incorrect, but it kind of gets me when players have a chance to take a borderline play and make it an easy play for the ump rather than being upset when the ump blows a bang-bang play. again, not that this is what was going to happen here, but that is my big rant to the little league’ers i help out with. stop blaming others for something you should have taken care of. speaking of being off base, I feel myself straying so I’ll shut it down now. cheers.
@9
I agree 100%
Oh, guess who’s back, back again?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/04/braves-re-sign-scott-proctor.html
Just got back from taking the kid to watch UGA v. MSU baseball. Georgia won 4-1.
Foley Field is nicer than I thought it would be. Dimensions are odd – 314 down the RF line and 350 (yes, fifty) down the LF line.
There’s a stand of leyland cyprus(es? – spike, I need help here) in left field probably 40′ high. One of the UGAs hit one over those trees to give them the lead.
College baseball is cool. (Though I did notice that the talent level in the stands was lower than I had remembered on previous trips to Athens. That rising GPA requirement is having some very negative unintended consequences.)
Them damn Yankees cheatin’ agin?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-yankees-handsignals
Having a 200 million dollar payroll… now THAT’s cheating. Imagine what would happen if the Yankees had the Braves’ scouting department.
What does everyone think of Jiggleman as a nickname for Jim Riggleman?
Only 7 hits on Google for ‘Jiggleman Riggleman’ (oddly, two came from the same Nats/Braves game last year, only one of which I was responsible for, with the other at some random Nats “fan”site). So we’d definitely be getting in front of this one.
Freeman saw 26 pitches in 4 ABs, drawing two walks. I really like him already.
Two rookies in a row with 90 walk seasons?
If OBP is truly the uberstat, I like the direction we’re headed.
Question: does OBP win championships?
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I’m late with this, but congrats to Bama for a strong run. Tide better do what they can to hold on to Anthony Grant (the founding architect of VCU’s success) because if I’m looking for a coach, I’m heading to Tuscaloosa with a Brink’s truck.
Game thread.