Wow.
Lot’s of action all over the diamond last night, so let’s get to it.
I swear, lately it seems every time I turn on a Braves game, the first thing I see is Trea Turner
somewhere in scoring position. That’s getting old, especially when we’re playing Milwaukee…I think
it’s time for us to admit that he might be the second coming of The Dark Lord Himself – Chase Utley.
I’m going to put him on the Braves Journal Glossary Watch. Anyway, to the game.
DarkLord2, Electric Bugaloo led off with a double off Julio Teheran, who was returning from the DL
after recovering from a lat strain. Ben Revere sacrificed him to third and Bryce Harper scored him
with a ground out. 1-0.
In the third, the Braves conspired to pull off one of the prettiest decoy plays you’ll see. With one
out, DL2 singled (again), and Ben Revere flied to Matt Kemp. However, Gordon Beckham and Chase
d’Arnaud ran to cover second as if it was a ground ball DP, and Ender Inciarte charged a non-
exsistent single to center. Turner was so confused he started back toward forst, then switched back
to briefly head to second before finding the ball. He hustled back to first and was initially called safe,
but that call was overturned as replay showed him to be out by inches. If he had not been SO
confused by THREE different Braves pulling off TWO different dekes, he would’ve been safe.
Tanner Roark faced the minimum through five innings, helped by two, yes two, strike
em out, throw’em out double plays, with Tyler Flowers and Chase d’Arnaud standing like statues at
the plate as a borderline pitch was called strike three. The last DP was just a standard garden
variety 6-4-3.
And, on the night Andruw Jones was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, Revere and Nick
Markakis were inspired to make home run saving catches on consecutive outs. Revere’s was
spectacular, as he robbed Freddie Freeman to end the bottom of the 4th, making a full speed,
parallel to the fence, leaping, sprawling grab to bring back a potential tying run. Neck’s was a little
more pedestrian, as he drifted back to the fence and took away a homer from Clint Robinson to
start the fifth.
Julio cou…wait a minute. Let’s go back to the Revere catch. Chip actually said that the catch might
have been the best he’s ever seen. That is blasphemous coming from a man who called three years
of Andrelton Simmons playing shortstop. But, it was Simba-esque. Here, judge for yourself.
[link=http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v26305439/phicin-revere-stretches-out-to-make-
phenomenal-grab]The Midnight Catch of Ben Revere[/link]
Anyway – Julio seemed to have been deflated by Revere’s Highway Robbery, and after Nick’s saving
catch, he walked Danny Espinosa, who stole second, and went to third on DL2’s infield single.
Revere drove Espinosa in with a single to right, and Turner scored when Harper blooped on off
Dansby Swanson’s glove. 3-0 Nats.
In the top of the sixth, Madison Younginer came in to throw gas on the fire. Anthony Rendon
singled, Robinson walked, and Espinosa’s grounder to Lt. Dans was called an infield hit, and
Robinson advanced to third when Dansby threw the ball past Freeman. After a Roark sacrifice
moving Espinosa to 2nd, Robinson scored on DL2’s grounder. 5-0 Nats.
Atlanta finally got off the mat with two out in the sixth. Jace Peterson walked after pinch hitting for
Younginer, and scored when Ender Inciarte homered. 5-2 Nats.
The Braves clawed closer in the 7th, when markakis hit a home run to right, his second dinger in the
last three games. 5-3, Nats. Unfortunately, the Braves gave it back in the next half inning, as Clint
Robinson scored on Beckham’s two out throwing error. 6-3.
But, the Braves rallied, with the Nats providing some sloppy defense of their own. Swanson led off
with a double off Matt Belisle, follwed by Jace reaching on Espinosa’s boot. Inciarte grounded to
Robinson at first, with Jace forced at second, Dansby scoring to make it 6-4. Jeff Francoeur then
follwed with a grounder to Anthony Rendon, who threw the ball into right field. Freddie then doubled
to left center on the first pitch to score Ender and Frenchy, and just like that it was tied, with
Freeman on second and one out. Kemp, however, popped out, and after Markakis was intentionally
walked, Tyler Flowers flied to right.
Jim Johnson came in to pitch the 9th, and after giving up a 1 out single to Wilson Ramos, and a
dribbler to third where Beckham’s only play was to first, Clint Robinson completed the quietest 2-3,
2 BB, game winning RBI night you will ever see. Mark Melancon came in to pitch the 9th, and gave
up a Dansby infield hit with one out, but nothing else.
Great recap. Deke was fantastic.
As was the Indians’ inside the parker.
It’s the summer of Nick.
Does he make it to September 1st?
@1 The inside the park HR that allowed the Indians to defeat the Blue Jays really shouldn’t have happened – it was a flyball to deep right field that the RF jumped for and missed; the ball bounced hard off the wall towards center, but the CF had been a complete bystander to that point and was in no position to back up the play. By the time the camera settles in on a Jays outfielder trying to corral the baseball, it appears the CF tried to field the ball but fell over and is facing the wrong direction; he spins and makes an awkward relay throw back to the infield but too late! the batter scores relatively easily.
Who was that CF, you might ask? Why, everyone’s favorite power/speed threat, Melvin Upton! Feel free to click on this link to read a Blue Jays fan complain bitterly about BJ in a manner that feels awfully familiar. Ahhh, schadenfreude! It is nice, in this season of awful Braves baseball, to enjoy the luxury of being smug about some *other* team suffering through the Full Melvin Experience.
It was a total SNAMU. Situation Normal: All Mudged Up.
My mama always said never date a man with a face tattoo and never willfully acquire BJ Upton.
Those Jays fans keep track of the number of comments in game threads by commenter. Let’s never do that.
Great recap. Again. Thanks, SP.
Loved the recap. Thank you, seat painter.
We’re already at 2pm and no one’s covered it:
We won’t be competitive until 2021.
If competitiveness is the only relevant measure of braves enjoyment, then everyone should be on the edge of their seat for Atlanta’s pursuit of next year’s top draft pick. We’re building a nice little lead now but there’s still six weeks left in the season and anything can happen.
@11, watch us blow it with another late season collapse. Then again, these aren’t Frediot’s Barves anymore, so we might be equal to the task.
Slick fielding shortstop we got there.
Tyler! Chase can scoot.
Freaking rookie pitchers. Get a bunt down. Pitchers should be hitting in the minors.
Adonis ain’t all glove.
What a good inning! I thought Freddie had blooped that one over the infield.
Wrong base, Matty.
This inning, not so good. I’ve got to go borrow a dog to walk.
We may not be “good”, but I know one thing
Dansby’s hair > Turner’s hair
I think our starting pitching may be a problem.
I like Tyrell, but he’s…. I dunno. Long way to go.
He looked awful in the first inning. I take it nothing has changed?
At least I have chicken.
Tyrell has good velocity, mediocre stuff, and horrible location. If the location improves, I like his chances to be a Christhian Martinez. I am starting to strongly doubt he can be Jair Jurrjens.
Didn’t we have Ryan Butcher at some point? Apparently he’s been good for SD this year
Yeah, and Donnie Veal.
recapped…