Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – July 3, 2012 – ESPN.
I don’t know who was playing yesterday. At first, I’m pretty sure that the Braves were on the field, because they gave up 3 unearned runs in the 3rd after Dan Uggla tossed a grounder to Martin Prado in left field and Jair Jurrjens had to be lifted after 5 barely-effective innings, giving up 9 hits and getting just 2 strikeouts.
After Jurrjens limped through the top of the fifth, it was 3-1, and it was pretty clear that we were going to lose — just read yesterday’s game thread after the Uggla error. Honestly, I’m not sure what happened after that. Kris Medlen came in and pitched three perfect innings of relief. Not much surprise there; he’s too good for the pen.
But then the bottom of the fifth happened. I’m not sure what to believe. I think it was body snatchers, or possibly pod people. Brian McCann singled and Andrelton Simmons reached on what GameDay called an infield hit but was really an infield brain fart by second baseman Darwin Barney, who looked to second before realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to get McCann, then threw late to first base. (Take the out, stupid.) Then Eric Hinske pinch hit for Jurrjens, who didn’t have much left in the tank anyway.
And then… Hinske walked.
After that, the floodgates opened. Michael Bourn hit a 3-run triple, Prado drove him home with a sac fly, and Heyward followed with a solo shot before the Cubs could get out of the inning. The Braves had batted around, so the exact same lineup came up in the sixth. And the Cubs forgot how to find the strike zone. Rafael Dolis got a groundout but walked the bases loaded, and so the Cubs brought in our old friend Jairo Asencio, The Artist Formerly Known As Luis Valdez. He walked in a run, gave up a three-run double to Chipper Jones, and walked the bases loaded again.
Then the Braves finally re-emerged in their own uniforms, as Brian McCann ended the inning and stranded three men by popping out to left after hitting a few grand slam-distance foul balls.
Despite our four famous pitching prospects entering the season, this is an offense-first ballclub with weak and unreliable pitching. The Braves are going to need a lot more blowouts. Here’s hoping the aliens steal their bodies a few more times this week.
Thanks, AAR
Sheets starts for Mississippi tonight.
What’s the expectation with Sheets?
Absolute awesomeness.
Sheets will save the Braves with a miracle come back making everyone forget about Minor… or not.
Anything less than a World Series victory would be a disappointment.
Sheets = 2012 NL Comeback Player of the Year and World Series MVP.
realistically I’m hoping Sheets is a better 4th starter than Minor or Delgado.
1 Greinke 2 Hanson 3 Hudson 4 Sheets 5 Delgado is my pipedream.
Maybe one blazing half-season is all that Sheets has left—but I’ll damn-sure take it.
Happy 4th, y’all!
Happy 4th!
Marlins just acquired Carlos Lee.
Glad we dodged that bullet.
In hospital with pneumonia. Have recovered a lor
Good to hear you are ok Mac. Prayers still sent your way.
You’re always in our thoughts and prayers, Mac. Get well soon. We need you.
Get well soon, Mac!
Hope you’re doing better soon, Mac. We continue to pray for you.
Good to hear you’re on the way to getting better, Mac. Just keep on getting better every day.
What game was Freeman watching there?
Get well soon, Mac.
Get bent, Randall.
Nobody else notice Freeman was an absolute statute on that slow grounder three feet to his right?
Getting real tired of the giant sinkhole at the back-end of the rotation (Delgado and Minor.)
Maybe Ben Sheets will help. And maybe I’ll sprout wings, fly to Turner Field, and start tomorrow.
Hang in Mac. Good to hear from you.
Well, that was painfully predictable.
Freddie, Freddie, Freddie.
The absolute most Braves inning possible. Three singles, no runs.
But its just as well, because Delgado’s about to give up a three-spot here, and the two runs we should have scored would just have gotten our hopes up.
I hate Freeman… Fredi too for hitting him in front of Uggla with a lefty on the mound.
Freddie’ll be okay, but he does aggravate at times.
Buster Olney wrote yesterday that a Delgado for Greinke trade “makes complete sense”.
i happen to like Delgado and think he has a good chance to be a solid pitcher, but i’ve gotta think it’d take more than that.
30 — Yeah probably, though he does only have just about half a season left on his contract.
I like Delgado also and would much rather swap Minor plus than Randall.
Half year rentals do not cost that much. Think Tex-Kotchman.
Years of control have a lot of value.
I love how the mic caught the Braves’ announcers at the end of the second – “That was the most ungraceful catch I’ve ever…” just before cutting away.
It’s hard not to like McCann. He seems like an excellent guy.
If Greinke can’t be signed long-term by the Braves, then a trade would be a bad decision. Atlanta’s trades for one season players–Drew, Tex come to mind–have won championships, just not for the Braves.
Our thoughts are with you, Mac.
Please, Wren, pay the man.
PRADO!
It’ll look like a line drive in the box score, Nitram.
If Bourn had a just a little larger frame we’d be in first by a mile, but guys, HE CAN’T CARRY EVERYONE ON HIS SHOULDERS!
Sheets gives up back-to-back triples to start things off in Mississippi. I don’t know about you, but I doubt that’s a good sign.
Well, heck. Go get ’em again, boys.
I think Freeman needs a few days off. He looks pretty bad. Upper cutting pitches at his shoulders.
Do we lead the world in GIDP?
Surprisingly, the Braves were only 11th in the NL in GIDP coming into today. But it’s all about timing!
It would be nice to score on a regular basis. Our feast or famine offense has got to suck if you’re not the pitcher invited to the feast.
Bourn is just killing time here, waiting to be called up to a better league.
Pay him, please.
That was a fine double play.
Delgado made it through six. Get him some runs, boys.
One of these days Freddie is going to snap in halves doing that.
In the short ribs. Ouch.
I like those throws from the outfield a lot more when Heyward makes them.
Thought we were in business there.
Chipper, run, don’t look.
Don’t let him go too long, Fredi. He’s pitched well.
Love ya, Chipper, but guys that slow shouldn’t make turns that wide.
Well, here comes Venters; remember when we looked forward to him with anticipation instead of dread?
Yay Venters!
/FU
I hate being right.
Great, can we DL this Venters guy?
Poor Randall and poor Jonny.
But nothing’s wrong with Venters, right, Frediot?
Venters… Now more worthless then Durbin
son of a bitch. poor venters. im surprised his arm just doesnt just fly off when he throws
Durbin has been unacountably good. Too late, but good.
God help Atlanta,
Team that I love!
We’ve got Chipper, and Kimbrel,
And a manager we execrate!
We’re five hunderd,
Cause he’s blundered
We won’t un-
Til he’s gone…
God help Atlanta,
Fredi, go home…
God help Atlanta,
Frediiiii, goooooo HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!
6.08 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, .393 OBP against since May 1.
I’m sick of watching Venters pitch us out of chances to win.
I don’t want to see Jonny Venters until he throws three straight scoreless innings in Gwinnett.
This loss isn’t attrbutable to starting pitching but rather to an inept offense and horrible relief pitching plus a pinch of poor pitcher management by Fredi.
Good night.
Sell.
@69 mig possible
@72 start with McCann
Can we make a trade with Gwinnett?
Ugh.. Not possible… Stupid iPhone
Freeman… Another fine af bat
How can Venters be out of options? This should be his third option year
I blame the offense as much as anything for the problems. Someone said this is an offense-first team. If so,we really have a problem here. The inability to score early (or, in many cases, late as well) puts too much pressure on a pitching staff that isn’t that good. If they would get a few runs early, maybe guys like Delgado could relax. I don’t think the offense is very good despite the good WARs for some of the players. The middle of the order has become a black hole. I frankly don’t see how trading for a half year of Greinke makes much sense unless McCann and Uggla start hitting. Any lefthander, no matter how bad, causes the Braves to start tipping their caps.
Freeman has been beyond awful against LHP this year.
What am I bid for an all-star second baseman?
Seriously…screw some baseball right now.
The Braves have now lost 23 of 38. Great job guys.
now 6 back also.
If this team falls out, I’d fire the manager, I’d move Hanson,O’Flaherty, Durbin and probably Ross at the deadline. In the offseason I’d move McCann, Uggla if anybody would take him, and think hard about Prado. I’d non-tender Jurrjens, let Diaz and Hinske walk.
I’d plug all the prospects we got in right away, treat ’13 like ’89 and hope Teheran, Delgado, Vizcaino and whomever else we got in those deals become Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz and Avery and try to win a WS before Heyward and Freeman are FA eligible, maybe start a new run.
But that won’t happen. We’ll plug along as an 88 win team and hope everything breaks right some year.
@82, That’s u-g-l-y you ain’t got no alibi territory. You ugly.
@84 – you’ve got my vote for our new GM
I mean, who do they think they’re kidding, talking about trading for Greinke? The Brewers are no further back than we are, and they’re going in the opposite direction.
If the team plays well after the break, sure, go get somebody, roll the dice that we get hot in September. But if they play like this for two more weeks… You gotta start fielding offers, because we’re not one player away.
Sheets today: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
I’m actually kind of encouraged by that.
Recapped. Ugh.