Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – September 03, 2011 – ESPN.
I hate the Dodgers so much.
In regulation, each team got one run on a solo homer in the second, the Braves’ by Dan Uggla. The Braves offense was undone by a combination of just not hitting and hitting into double plays when you do get a guy on base. After three double plays in the middle innings last night, we saw three in the first few innings tonight. That’s not going to get it done.
Mike Minor pitched okay, though he was probably fortunate not to give up more than the one run. He struck out seven and walked just two, but gave up six hits. He was held to just six innings, so Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel pitched their assigned innings. Venters got into a little trouble but struck out his way out of it.
But in the tenth, Fredi went with Anthony Varvaro, because that’s what the voices in his head said to do. True to form, Varvaro gave up a double to start the inning, a few batters later a sac fly gave the Dodgers the lead, and the Braves went meekly in the bottom of the inning. We’re probably getting swept by the freaking Dodgers.
I hate them so much.
I mean, we had lots of chances to get the “big hit,” and failed. But you can’t always get a hit. As they say, a Hall-of-Famer only gets a hit 30% of the time.
You need to bunt, and you need to get runners in from third with 1 out. The success rate of those two has to be 60%.
We couldn’t do either. The Dodgers did both.
Way to do the SEC proud, Georgia.
I don’t hate the Dodgers–they’re too pathetic right now to hate. The Braves are playing poorly and they have themselves to blame.
The offense is starting to look like it did in the bygone days of April and May, when nobody could hit. Now, Heyward has morphed into a useless, impatient hitter, losing whatever virtues he still managed to possess when struggling earlier this summer. Prado isn’t getting on base or hitting for power. McCann has looked awful, with one game’s notable exception, since returning from injury. And both Freeman and Constanza have cooled off considerably. Aside from Uggla, and the occasional nice game by Bourn, there isn’t much here right now.
I hope this gets turned around by the playoffs. The Brewers are good.
3: Hey, you gotta give Chipper some props. Since Aug. 8 he’s batting .359/.417/.688 with 6 homers.
4 – Yeah, true. I somehow (!) forgot about Chipper – heh. In any event, I’m probably just overreacting to a bad stretch of 8 games, dating back to the Cubs series. The Braves are 3-5 in their last 8 games, and it just feels worse than it is because the Phillies never seem to lose. A 27-19 record since the break, considering the injuries, isn’t too bad.
#2 – There’s a decent chance that Boise State is pretty darn good at the game of football.
The Braves need to rub on some Auburn Tigers for their good luck…a couple of rubs should get us into the NLCS.
I just got dumped by the girl I moved away from New York with to start a new life in Miami. Not only is a 2.5 year relationship over, we have to pay out the ass to break our lease. I have no idea if I can afford to live here by myself.
How was your fuckin night?
Really sorry to hear it Rob. Nothing to really say that means anything. Just that it gets better.
We should consider resting the big three bullpen arms.
Anyway I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that we are going to miss the playoffs. The Cardinals are just too hot right now and we need to win and we aren’t. Even worse, they get to play us soon and try to beat us head to head
Oh shit rob, I’m so sorry.
Thanks.
Emma shut the fuck up.
The AJC has a great blog, Emma. You’ll love it over there.
Rob – Really sorry to hear that.
On your second question, how much cheaper can NYC be compared to Miami.
“We should consider resting the big three bullpen arms.”
Isn’t that what lost Friday’s game? That sound you hear is the Cardinals slightly closing in…
Rob, really sorry to hear that, too.
@18, I had roommates and loans through school for the majority of my time in New York. Right now I’m doing contract work which pays well enough but probably won’t be substantial enough to sign a new lease. Everything is up in the air, the relationship included. Though the issues stemmed from her, the break up is mutual so it’s probably not fair to say I was dumped even though it sure as hell feels that way.
Rob, that sucks buddy. However, in the end it will be the best thing that ever happened to you.
This too shall pass.
rob, my heart goes out to you my man. i’ve been in your boat. it ended up working out for me. i hope it does for you as well.
adam wainwright is said to have a hammer curve but he aint got shit on life.
Rob,
Ryan c is right. This is going to be one of those sucky life lessons that makes you a better person, or something.
i thought this was supposed to be a baseball site
If that’s your strict view of things then I am confident we’ll hear no more of your musings about how hot Emma Stone is. Thanks for your cooperation!
Rob, that’s a real kick in the teeth, man. If this is the first such breakup in your life, it’s gonna sting for a while, ain’t no lying about that. There are a lot of pretty women in Miami, though!
Hey, we have a lineup:
1. Bourn CF
2. Prado 1B
3. Diaz RF
4. Uggla 2B
5. Ross C
6. Gonzalez SS
7. Wilson 3B
8. Constanza LF
9. Delgado P
Anyone see this lineup coming? This looks like a “get some work in for our guys so they’re ready for the playoffs” lineup rather than a “win so we can make it to the playoffs” lineup.
We’re facing the contending NL Cy Young candidate with this lineup? Is Fredi serious???
Fredi: “I don’t want to win.”
1. Bourn CF, 2. Prado 1B, 3. Diaz Rf, 4.Uggla 2B, 5. Ross C, 6. Gonzalez SS, 7. Wilson 3B, 8. Constanza LF, 9. Delgado P
Fredi: “I don’t want to win.”
You gotta tip your hat to him as an innovator: He’s bringing the prevent defense to baseball offense.
P.S. The Cardinals are now closer to us than we are to the Phillies.
@Rob
I suggest plenty of Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Mr. Walker’s Amber Restorative.
That’s just me though.
I just finished watching the Fantastic Mr. Fox. I thought the throwback animation was awesome and it made me chuckle. Recommended to anyone caught in this rain.
I suggest plenty of Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Mr. Walker’s Amber Restorative.
That’s just me though.
Yeah, my first massively heartbreaking breakup included one of my best pals coming over to just sit and listen to Springsteen with a huge bottle of vodka. It didn’t help but it didn’t hurt, either.
A B.B. King song I’d recommend for perspective is “How Blue Can You Get” from Live at Cook County Jail. If you’ve been serving up ten dollar dinners and your girl is calling them a snack, it’s not something you’re gonna miss when it’s gone.
So sorry, Rob. Wish I could buy you a beer.
Mac, if at any point you decide that votes matter, I vote to ban Emma.
Thankfully (?) this isn’t my first major breakup. This would actually be my fourth major relationship and my second live-in girlfriend breakup. Right now my living situation is more of a downer than the relationship, which went into a tailspin when she started law school, despite my efforts.
Thanks for the music suggestions. I’ve been in an electrofunk phase lately and really digging this group called Wallpaper.
Sorry Rob. I wish I could drive down to Miami and buy you Stu’s beer. I’d only be a five hour drive. I should man up.
But you have a good name, and you’re a stud. She’ll come around.
I also extend a vote to the banning of Emma Stone. He really gives a stone-cold fox a bad name.
@33
When my wife started law school, the school held a meeting for the students and their spouses/partners. They informed us that 2/3 of the relationships that are in this room will not make it through the next 3 years, and then proceeded to give us advice on how to stay together. The advice was good but the meeting itself was a bit of a debbie-downer.
@35, I’ve read and heard countless stories like that. It really sucks, but if you can’t make it through law school without destroying your relationship, how would you handle other problems in life? Maybe every relationship should be made to go through law school for a year to see how things hold up.
Rob, I’m so sorry. That is as shitty a thing as anyone should ever have to go through. It happened to a buddy of mine a few years ago who moved to SF to live with his college girlfriend and they broke up not long after he got off the plane. Plus side: he was in an awesome city and had a good couple years before moving back east.
By the way, not sure how you feel about incredibly profane Russian ska bands, but the best is called Leningrad. You don’t have to understand the lyrics — pretty much every other word is “fuck” or one of its variants. Here’s an album they did covering songs by the bizarre British cabaret band The Tiger Lillies.
I’m with Stu: beers are on me next time you’re in Boston. And I vote to ban Emma, too.
@36- That’s about what I meant last night when I said “Nothing to say that really means anything.” I thought to say “If it’s happening now, it would have happened a year from now anyway. And it’s better now than then.” But, in my experience, that’s been “2 weeks later” advice, not “first-night” advice; didn’t think you’d want to hear it.
EDIT: Regarding Emma, I’m in, too. I’d say it’d be pretty unanimous. But it just ain’t Mac’s style.
Personally, I listen to a lot of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings when I’m depressed.
My first year of marriage was also my first year of law school — good test!
Rob Cope, if I paypal you some beer money, will you man up and drive to Miami?
It’s funny. Whenever I’ve been broken up with, I listen to The Smoking Popes. The guy is just so pathetic, it makes you feel embarrassed to be sad.
The Smiths/Morrissey kinda work the same way.
Stu, Vandy’s own Antoan Richardson was purchased and called up by the Braves. I have no idea why, though that .431 (!) minor league OBP is impressive.
Antoan! That’s actually someone who was in school when I was. He was always fast…
Sorry to hear, Rob. Smitty says it right. Sucks right now, I know, but something good will come out of this even if you don’t see it right now.
Go Braves and Go Rob!
Is anybody as worried as I am that Braves will miss playoffs?
I predict this nonsensically wacky lineup will score 15 runs in a romp that will completely demolish Clayton Kershaw’s chance at winning the Cy Young – but only if we keep bitching about it! That’s just the way the laws of physics work in the baseball universe.
I haven’t seen nearly enough angst-filled muttering about Fredi’s lineup, certainly not enough to draw Sam out of his cave.
Emma, that’s going too far. Last warning, and apologize.
I’m sorry
Is anybody as worried as I am that Braves will miss playoffs?
I doubt I’m as worried as you are, but I am certainly less confident today than I was yesterday.
@49, Wanna make it up to me?
That is one… strange lineup tonight. I don’t even wanna think about what Fredi comes up with tomorrow’s doubleheader lineups.
At least he found a way to keep Constanza in there.
The Braves are no more likely to miss the playoffs than they are to win the NL East.
The Braves are no more likely to miss the playoffs than they are to win the NL East.
…but you’re saying there’s a chance!
So, how soon will we see Richardson, Constanza, and Bourn all in the lineup together?
I don’t understand why Uggla is in this line-up. Shouldn’t Hinske be at 1B and Prado at 2B? My theory: Uggla’s not fun to party with, so the other guys made him the designated driver for whatever bacchanalian orgy they all attended last night.
Jose Constanza, birthday: 9/1/83, career minor league line: .290/.364/.356
Antoan Richardson, birthday: 10/8/83, career minor league line: .278/.397/.347
Thank goodness, we finally found someone with less power than Georgie!
The Braves are 96.5 percent likely to make the playoffs, according to coolstandings.com. I am, therefore, 96.5 percent certain that we’ll make the playoffs.
@51 no
@59 that site fails to account for the fact that the Cards can’t lose right now
Oh great, return of the Sunday lineup. Why does Fredi only copy Cox’ bad traits?
@30 I also wholeheartedly recommend The Fantastic Mr. Fox.
@61
go grow a beard.
Good chance we see Moylan tonight
Using the Baseball Prospectus odds http://www.baseballprospectus.com/odds/ the Braves dropped from 99.4 to 98.7 percent. That extra .7 percent went to the Brewers (up .3 percent) the Cardinals (up .1 percent) the Dodgers (up .1 percent) and the Diamondbacks (up .1 percent). (There’s rounding.) By contrast, the Giant’s loss yesterday cost them almost 11 percent. I’m not at all worried… yet.
@58–actually Richardson’s iso-power is .003 higher than Constanza’s
whos the skinny black guy next to brian jordan
Personally I find ILES immensely amusing in a morbid “how socially ignorant can one person be” sort of way.
But I guess that hinges on whether you think he’s doing it intentionally or not.
He’s the new guy. Hickman took a job in New Orleans.
Matt must have missed Fredi’s memo.
With that hit, my expectations for today have been surpassed.
Well good….Diaz ended the potential perfect game already..I was kind of concerned with the JV line up on the field today
@69- He’s obviously doing it intentionally.
It’s pretty impressive, actually. He’s a troll. But he’s inept at it. But his trolling-ineptitude makes him that much more annoying than a standard troll.
He’s like, a meta-troll.
I applaud AAG for the ten-pitch at bat, even though it ended with a strikeout. We’ve gotta make Kershaw work hard to have a chance today.
Is there a way on Baseball-Reference to find out the cumulative batting average the opposing pitchers have put up against our team, and how that ranks in the league?
We have to give up more hits to the opposing pitcher than anybody.
Ballgame? (Man, I don’t like thinking that, but honestly.)
JJ, it’s not perfect, but you can find some useful information through the Batting Order Position tool. The Braves have allowed a 170/ 219/ 227 line to opposing players batting 9th in the first six innings, and that group is mostly starting pitchers (and provides most of their at bats).
why the hell were we pitching to Kemp there? We’re going to miss the playoffs
Yeah. That’s your ballgame.
Ballgame. With first base open. If Fredi isn’t the dumbest person alive, then who is?
Our first time getting swept is going to be against the freaking Dodgers.
Looking at the schedule, we’ll be lucky if we hold onto the lead for two more weeks. Damn
Glavine really makes some weird comments. Kershaw knows how to win this year and hats off to Fredi for letting Delgado make the HR pitch to Kemp. Really?!
By comparison, the Dodgers allowed a 184/ 241/ 254 line to #9 hitters in the first six innings, and the Phillies allow a 171/ 213/ 218 line. The Braves don’t seem to do too badly against opposing pitchers.
I think we’ve seen enough of George.
Cost us a run. Ridiculous.
Making things happen! I tell you what, it really felt like he scored instead of getting picked off, though.
@86
He’s living up to his nickname. Maybe he ought to try doing the opposite of his instinct.
What are the odds we fire Fredi if we miss the playoffs
Didn’t the Mets’ collapse in ’07 start kind of like this? (Yes, I”m getting nervous.)
@91: Except that Glavine was present for both, no.
Oh, and we both had a Delgado.
Why is this spring training game being held so late in the year, and could we please cut to the other split-squad game?
Amidst the ruin of the rest of our lineup, it’s gratifying to see Matt Diaz continuing to do his job.
Time for Ross to hit a HR
not
Just looked at Kershaw’s pitch count. 34 strikes and 6 balls. Now consider that the one chink in his armor, the only one, is supposed to have been control. Not anymore…
Have fun NL.
@97… yes, but it’s easy to hit strikes against this lineup.
The other chink in his armor is that he’s left-handed and came up at age 20, which means that he’ll probably have a year-ending injury at some point in the next five years.
100—Well, if it must happen, let’s hope it’s in today’s fifth inning.
Emma, are you aware that this site records your IP address?
Ugh. This is frustrating. The first time in two weeks I can watch a game on mlb.tv and first this $hitty lineup and now the game was pretty much over after 3.
I don’t think Emma is aware of many things.
Fredi closes the barn door after the horse escapes.
@102 what do you mean?
On the bright side Delgado has pitched well.
On the negative side, he made a careless pitch to Kemp
I think shut up with the pr0n talk is what he means. Amirite?
p.s. So sorry to hear about your troubles, Rob.
The Cardinals lost the other day. Obviuously they can lose. Also, all we have to do is take one-of-three from them next week and they’re pretty much boned as far as the wild card goes. Of course, I don’t even know why I’m arguing with you. You’re just stirring things up. You don’t actually think we’re gonna miss the playoffs. It would be impossible for a logical person to actually think we’re gonna miss the playoffs.
Umm, how do you figure? We are likely going to lose all 3 to Philly and at least 1 of 2 to the Mets
‘Dores.
Well there’s one cool thing to happen in this game.
Kershaw is leaving these fastballs over the plate. I could hit them, why can’t our Major Leaguers
We have to let Moylan pitch here
109- Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs! You kiddin’ me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game- another game!
No, we don’t. Moylan pitched yesterday in Gwinnett and it’s already been said he will only pitch in an emergency.
Delgado knew he had to throw a shutout today to have a chance. Instead, he showed foolish pride trying to get Kemp out instead of letting him take a walk
@116 I have to leave soon. I want to see Moylan. So we had to use him then.
Looking at the schedule, we’ll be lucky if we hold onto the lead for two more weeks.
I’ve said this for weeks. We have 6 more with the Phils and 3 more with the Cards. If we somehow manage to go 4-5 over those 9 games, we’re in good shape. If not, things could get very ugly very fast.
Now you’re just assuming things that fit into your narrative are “likely.” It’s likely that we lose two in Philly, perhaps. I don’t think it’s particularly likely we get swept. And even if we do, following the same logic would mean that we sweep the Mets doubleheader and take two-of-three from St. Louis. This is a bump in the road, not proof that this team has secretly sucked all year.
and how are we going to manage to go 4-5 in that stretch. We have to face Lee, Worley and Oswalt with Lowe, Hudson, and Beachy. Realistically we don’t have a prayer of winning any of those games.
okay i will. can you delete your last post tho
I deleted my last post. In return, I would like you to leave Braves Journal.
You can’t delete it from my memory. Perhaps I could be persuaded to forget though.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
They keep showing the Kemp homer. Where was Ross setting up on that pitch? He sure didn’t give a good frame to throw to.
When I look at the Braves’ lineup, it’s like Fredi says “Here’s the broom. I give you a sweep.”.
I know this sounds weird, but Wilson looked incredibly smooth in fielding that ball and throwing it away.
Why can’t we just get along?
Mac’s Top 10:
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Boise
5. Stanford
6. Wisconsin
7. FSU
8. Arkansas
9. Oklahoma St.
10. South Carolina
I appreciate the support guys. At the very least, I have some new music to investigate.
AAR with the shakedown. Badass.
121- You think the Gamecocks are deserving of the top 10 after giving up 37 points to East Carolina?
123- Sometimes a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.
I was impressed with their offense, and what the hell.
NIce one Christhian!
Rob,
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope things start getting better for you. If there’s something (anything?) that I’ve learned in life, it’s that each and every event has a reason for it’s occurrence; and, there’s almost always a positive that comes from each negative. If you’re ever in Provo, I’ve got a couple of Mountain Dews waiting for you.
Late to the party here with respect to the troubles Rob just had. Sorry about that, man. Hope everything goes right for you from here on out.
Someone likened this place to a bar the other day, and that seems about right. It’s mainly a place for sports but it’s still a good place to vent frustrations and look for advice. Our own support group, so to speak.
Sorry…. from a couple of days back,
I know that the ‘I know X person’s personality’ card is overplayed and is rarely ever correct, but here it goes: A couple of my best friends since freshman year are on the team, and are both generally extremely positive guys. They really seem to believe that there is a psychological problem with Heaps (not medically, but socially). There have been legitimate concerns about his work ethic over the offseason, and he’s apparently missed quite a few practices for a starting QB and team leader. Riley Nelson was briefly slated to be the starting QB this year. He’s definitely got the tools, but additional concerns about his relationship with his girlfriend (another no-no here in Mormontown) are really getting the rest of the team worried. Regarding Ole Miss, I just have a lot of respect for SEC football. And quite frankly, we didn’t have too much business winning that game; one fumble recovery made the difference. Heaps will be a great QB if he ever gets his head straight. I’m not so sure that’s going to ever happen.
Again, take everything that I say with a tub of salt, but I believe it.
I did not expect Jack Wilson to get a hit there. Kershaw had been making him look like Michael Jordan in Double-A.
Pressure on the defense!
130,
I never thought Kershaw could be this good. He’s going to have a legitimate argument for best pitcher in baseball as soon as next year. That fastball does not look like it’s 94.
Hey, when did Raw Dog start wearing batting gloves?
desert, sorry if this is a dumb question, but are all players on BYU’s varsity teams Mormon? If not, what’s the approximate proportion?
FOLK HERO!!!!!!
Seems like a spot for chipper
Never mind
Folk Hero scores Pressure on the Defense! Sweet!!!
OK, so his speed did create some runs, there.
Folk Hero is Folk Heroic!
oh man Kershaw looks like he’s about to cry.
Unbelievable!
133,
Not a dumb question at all. Definitely not all. Depending on sport, I would say any where from 70% to 90%, with football probably at 85%. But with each sport, there’s different culture. There isn’t a player on the Lacrosse team that hasn’t gotten drunk, but our major programs do a pretty good job about either not doing it or hiding it well.
Holy crap.
Folk hero!!!!!!
Brooks Conrad. Man, what a great story. I don’t know how he keeps coming through in huge spots, but I sure am glad we have him.
I love him, too, but he BABIP’d the crap out of that one.
Well ain’t that a bitch!
I’d rather be BABIP’y than good.
David Ross has been a barrel of suck, this inning.
Ross…come on man
Ross is not having a good day.
Wow, Ross is having a terrible inning. He’s singlehandedly given the Dodgers a great chance to score here.
EDIT – Yes! Weird play, but I’ll take it. Not sure why Miles thought that was a foul ball, it was right at the third baseman.
Whew.
Well ain’t that somethin’ !
Do we have any catchers in this system who are actually good defensively?
Eric Flaherty is so good, he got TWO double plays in that inning.
Brian, I’m assuming that J.C. Boscan is good defensively, because he can’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Anyway, he’s on the team now that it’s September.
Bethancourt is supposed to have an unreal throwing arm, but he’s years and years and years away.
Chip has apparently forgotten that it doesn’t matter that Miles never moved because his run wouldn’t have counted anyway.
“MILES NEVER MOVED FROM THIRD BASE!”
Unfortunately, Joe is equally worked-up about it.
Damn, O’Flaherty. What a season HE’S having.
Kershaw: 115 pitches, 84 strikes. Man.
As always McCann comes in on his “day off.” Mac, weren’t you keeping a running count of how often this happens once? What are we up to now, 99% of the time?
Not that I am really complaining- it would be nice to win this one and if possible, before it goes to extra innings…
Actually, not that many; B-R says this is the 8th time this year that McCann’s come in after the game started (always in the 7th inning or later).
Pennant races: Phillies tied, Cardinals tied, Braves tied. Fun.
Man, AAG is so frustrating. In his AB in the 1st inning and the one that just ended the 8th inning, he swung at ball four at least twice in each AB. He’s a guess hitter, but instead of guessing a certain pitch and swinging if he gets it, he decides before the pitch is thrown that he’s going to swing, regardless of pitch type or location. It’s really not a good plan.
@161- How dare you refute my basically irrelevant point with actual facts?
(Hopefully that came across in a joking manner.)
164- That’s alright; I thought it was more than that too.
And that’s eleventy-one strikeouts for Kimbrel this year.
So it seems that Antoan Richardson is only the 6th player in MLB to hail from the Bahamas, and the first to make his debut since the 1973 bow of Wenty Ford for the Atlanta Braves. This Sabr bio on Wenty is a great read:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=2731&pid=4592
Georgie will not be denied!
Jim Powell: “And world class speed is at first base with one out!” I love ya, Jim – and your hyperbole!
NOOOOOO!
I just hate Chip…he is such an idiot
Chip Caray is terrible. And why wasn’t Constanza tagging?
Crap sauce. Alright just finish it before extras, Martin. Please
Chip, just shut up.
How much would you pay to be able to punch Chip Caray in the face?
Zip it, Chip.
YES!!!!!!!!!!! BRAVES WIN!
NITRAM!
Easy peasy
Woo hoo!
That was about to be one evil damned inning.
Whee!!!
YES!
This win was so unlikely.
So what was Chip yammering on about?
Kharma changed when Emma Stone left. Thanks AAR!
Recapped.
Listening to the end of the game on the radio was great. Made me feel like I was 10 years old again.
//oh and re: the earlier discussion, I remember quite clearly when I had suffered the worst heartbreak of my natural life I gave my rooommate my Ray Charles CDs and told him not to let me have them for a year.
“Drown In My Own Tears” is just the greatest most misery inducing reacord of all times.
I heartily encourage everyone here to listen to this, with one exception.