Well, here we are. Do or die. Win or go home. I landed in Atlanta earlier today, and I am not going home a loser. Of course, I don’t have much control over the proceedings.
What do you think we’ll see? Sean Newcomb probably pitches at least the first couple innings, but who knows from there. But it doesn’t matter who pitches if the Braves don’t score some runs. Even if you include the 10-run outburst on September 28th, we have averaged 2.6 runs per game in the last 10 games, including the postseason.
Randomly, I saw Joe Torre in the airport. Not sure why Torre would be in Atlanta right now.
Hopefully to manage.
Scoring would help.
The Battery is rocking. Maybe it’ll translate to Atlanta Braves players hitting the ball hard and over the wall system.
I’m also at the game, Rob. Surely they won’t let us both down.
Torre is there to oversee the traditional hosing of the Braves by the umpires in the playoffs, of course.
Mr. Floyd, if I’m not mistaken, it’s about 95% Braves fans. What do you think?
You’re probably right about that percentage, but it’s still too much dodger blue to suit me.
My number 1 goal is for the Braves to score at least 1 run. If we do that we should have a chance to win, unlike the 1st 2 games. It would be sad for us to go the whole series without scoring a run.
Way to work the count and get him to throw a lot of pitches..,. 5 stinking pitches. Nice job Ender and Freddie
Hmmmm…5 pitch first inning for LA….but hey, at least we aren’t trailing at the end of the 1st.
Right. 0-0 after one. It’s already a win. LOL
2 innings = 2 GIDPs. Newk is doing his thing.
Someone must have forgotten to share the game plan with Markakis.
So all season long games at SunTrust had the great near dead center camera angle. But now for some reason FS1 is using a left-center view like it’s last decade. What gives? Did they install their own camera platform for the postseason?
THE BRAVES SCORE and score first!!!! Acuna up and bases loaded.
Buehler’s pitching like a Brave.
That was a clear ball.
LOL WE DID IT
LOL…of course that’s the way the scoreless streak breaks!
@13 MLB.com rated the STP camera angle as the best in baseball. Too bad FS1 is not taking advantage of it.
Go, Braves!
That’s right: make him throw you a strike. Keep sitting on him!
Of course we get our first run of the series on a bases-loaded 4-pitch walk to the worst hitting pitcher in baseball. Ha, why not.
Edit: runs 2, 3, 4, and 5 in a much more conventional, and exciting manner! Ronald!!
ACUNA MATATA. FIRST CAREER SLAM!!! Yee-haw!!!
OMG, you had to know it was coming after that bad strike call. My first thought was if Buehler actually throws a strike, Acuna’s gonna mash it.
You might say that the Newk walk made it possible but actually, it was the Bellinger misplay that left 1B open for them to walk Culby. We win with defense and pitching……… and the occasional grand slam.
Acuña!
I don’t care what happens from this point on, I’m just so happy that our Braves showed their true selves again!
I am so happy.
What a wonderful phrase.
It’s almost as though they should be more patient at the plate as a rule or something.
That GS made me cry
Go Braves!
holy dogfarts. that was majestic.
Looking forward to a full year of Acuna in 2019. I hope Ozzie can make his adjustments in the off season.
I haven’t clapped that hard since Clemson beat Alabama.
Is there any chance we could get Fried to start Game 4????
This umpire is proving to be terrible so far.
@30, I wish. It’ll never happen.
May need Max tonight
Great move, Snit.
OK, Gaus in. Let’s see if Roberts starts pinch hitting. If not, Gaus has an advantage with a RH lineup.
Muncy in OD. That will burn the first righty. Gaus better not walk him to get to Muncy. That would be bad.
Damn,
Ugh….
I’ve seen this movie before.
Just can’t get a shutdown inning.
@37 Way too many times . And here comes Machado as the tying run
Even 5-0 the Braves pitchers won’t throw strikes.
Gausman has no control whatsoever. Not sure this was a super great idea.
Anyone warming up?
Call a different pitch!
Right back to the fastball….yeesh, our pitch-calling is bad.
Do not throw a fastball on this payoff pitch!
EDIT: Thank you! The second we stop banging our head against a wall repeatedly we get out of the inning…imagine that.
Oh my…huge K!
It’s been pointed out by many others. But Smoltz is the best color man in the business and is just so easy to listen to.
If Gaus doesn’t get it together then we need to go to Fried before Muncy’s next AB. Hopefully, Roberts will PH for all the RH and then Fried will have the advantage. And then Venters then Minter.
I’d like a few more runs first.
We give Gausman one batter in the fourth and if he’s doing the same thing with the fastball, we need to pull him right then…forget getting back around to Muncy.
“Braves pitchers have issued 15 walks in 19 innings in the series including 4 tonight through 3 innings.”
At least Newk had a solid two innings. I’m betting that he was never going to last past the first time through the order because he pitched a couple of days ago.
Alright, he can stay for now.
Why is it all our 8-10 pitch ABs turn into outs and everyone else’s turn into walks or hits?
That’s what happens when you can’t locate the fastball
Well, only got one pinch hitter. Roberts smart. Couldn’t bait him too much. Glad to see Fried. Really need this and two more from him. If so, we can go to the 8th and 9th with Minter and Viz.
That was predictable.
Fried really seems composed.
Crap!
Have been a lifelong Braves fan, I know the outcome of this game.
Great pitch selection… unreal How bad that was. Suzuki might as well of stood on a chair for as high as he wanted the one fastball he called.
It’s not our series.
He fucking hung it. Needed another high FB. Why in the hell did Zuk stand up? Bad targets from the catchers.
Muncy has just killed us all year. Just walk the fucker.
Fried has got to stop throwing that curve high.
How can we give up this many home runs? Are all our guys tipping pitches?
@56 I don’t think that was so predictable. I think Suzuki messed up the target on one pitch and the call on the next pitch.
‘Home runs win playoff games.’
Our pitchers have zero command. None. Zilch. Plus, I’ve had about enough of these Braves catchers. I’m done with Flozuki.
OK, that was the first mistake I think Snit’s made tonight. He should have left Fried in instead of pinch hitting Flaherty.
I can’t be mad. That’s the right matchup for once, just bad execution made worse by Suzuki. Acuna has showed his stuff. I can’t complain.
@63, I meant the Chris Taylor homer.
The trash-talking to the Dodger fans in our section has been on point, and now here we are.
@64 Flowers as true backup with a real catcher acquisition should be in the cards.
I haven’t seen Dansby in the dugout the entire series.
@69
That needs to happen, along with one other thing that I’ll still wait until we’re eliminated before saying.
Is it too late to add Rick Ankiel to the postseason roster? We could use a PH.
Everybody seems to agree, it’s hard to figure what Suzuki is doing with his target-setting.
I hope Touki can provide the lift we need. We need to have some pitcher that can throw a clean inning or two. Buehler has sure stepped up.
We’re in about as much trouble as you can be in in a game that’s tied.
@64 Realmuto; whatever the cost.
Dansby was just behind Folty in the dugout.
Still with the first-pitch balls. Throw a strike! I know it’s scary, but not nearly as scary as the inevitable 3-1 pitch if you don’t.
Ha, suck it Fatt Blemp.
We pinch-hit Ryan Flaherty.
They pinch-hit Yasiel Puig.
@80 Their pinch hitters today – Muncey & Puig – would bat cleanup for this Braves lineup.
I mean, this is do-or-die for an entire season, and we’ve got Touki Toussaint on the mound. What do you want?
Toussaint comes through!
#77
Thanks, Adam R. I thought maybe Dansby had been abducted by aliens or something.
My nerves are shot!
Freddie!
Finally. A Freddie sighting!!!! Woo hoo!!
I feel like Freddie might’ve gotten what he was looking for from former teammate Alex Wood there.
What an agonizingly great game.
@87 You’re telling me. Voice gone. I’m very proud of the fans. This is electric.
It’s probably not a good sign when Muncy is so sure he’s gonna get a first-pitch ball that he drops the bat off his shoulder as the pitch is thrown as if it were a 3-0 pitch.
It’s crazy to have made it this far with guys who surfaced on this team in August.
One inning down. Dare we put A.J. Minter into this spin cycle?
Why would you not run here?
Surprisingly passive there.
According to Smoltz, we’re pitching another hitter wrong here.
Minter….
No one is giving a hearty high five to Sobotka. Best inning of the night for Braves pitchers.
We are gonna give the ball to Vizcaino. I don’t have enough borboun.
@97
There someone you would rather give the ball to right now that’s currently on our roster?
I trust Minter more, and that’s not sayin much.
Every time they show Snitker in the dugout he is chewing his nails.
Markakis and Camargo both hit liners right at Turner.
Well, buckle up.
Does Viz have a changeup?
Awesome play by Kakes to hold him to a single.
It’s never easy. Even if the Braves hold the lead and win, this inning is going to be agonizing.
Insane how we just cannot throw strikes consistently. It’s got to be addressed by the organization in the off season for this staff to progress. The talent is there.
Brutal.
Please put us out of our misery.
Oh, the bullpen is just now getting up they say.
The organization has focused on power pitchers like most other organizations. Generally inexperienced power pitchers struggle to throw strikes consistently. Experienced guys like Vizcaino who can’t throw strikes are painful to watch.
I don’t think I’ve lived that particularly good of a life, but I still don’t think I deserve this.
You just have to laugh.
Need a ground ball for a double play.
Viz is going with the gas.
How about Vizcaíno’s rallying there?
VIZ!!!! Wow. Whew……
Never a moment’s doubt!
That was actually pretty freaking clutch there…
EXHALE
Even death row inmates get a last meal.
I need some sleep…..
Gotta be Teheran tomorrow. Buckle up.
Boys…Woooooooo!!!!
Folty to start tomorrow.
YES! …what a game. phew!
i wonder if I can get some sleep now.. it’s 5:50 in the morning where i am.
Not sure if I can take another game like that. For some reason I have some confidence in Teheran. Our strategy has been to throw all the power pitchers on our roster except when we started Sanchez. It’s not saying a lot but he was our most effective starter. If he has control, Teheran’s low 90s fastball may be all we need.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m32n2z341A1ro931b.gif
If I had ten bucks for every 1-0, 2-1 count tonight, I’d be eating a damn good steak for dinner tomorrow night.
I don’t think I unclenched the entire game.
This is what playoff is all about baby!! It’s not a game for the weak minds. Imagine what we went through in the 90s.
That was excruciating.
I don’t know how people cheer in the 9th inning of games like that. All I can do is stare nervously at the proceedings.
We walked 9, committed an error, and only had 4 hits. LOLWUT.
Sleepy pleasing thoughts from an old man in the country. In no particular order.
John Smoltz…head and shoulders above the rest. Brilliant.
The crowd…wonderful all night long…and how many season tickets we will have sold from this.
Freddie…he admitted he knew what was coming. I had lost faith, he had lost his pop. Sorry!
We walked 9. Felt like twenty.
Suzuki…bitch all you like, critique his deficiencies, his defense was stellar all night. In the 9th he was magnificent.
Rob…was hoping you’d be coming home with the Acuna ball for the office. How near to you? Was it humid for Newk?
To Touki the laurels.
I still get mad with Acuna when he completes an AB with no XBH.
Ozzie very nearly produced one of his old style HR’s to RCF. Encouraging.
Totally memorable evening. For the ages.
Recapped.
Blazon, no, not humid at all. Quite nice considering the Tampa area is still in the mid-to-high 90’s.
The Acuna blast landed a few seats to the left but 20 rows ahead. So I wasn’t particularly close, sadly. Not nearly as close as Jonathan Hyde was to Hinske’s blast in 2010.