The seesaw of anti-momentum continues. Elation followed by despair followed by elation followed by despair. Me? I’m just watching baseball games.
Tonight, Max had little problem with the top of the order, but the bottom of the order was an entirely different story: Pollock and Taylor especially, with honorable mention to the ghost of Albert Pujols. And when he was removed in the 5th with Pujols on, Taylor hit his second dinger, this time off Martin. Six runs in the first 5 innings will not get it done. Dylan Lee pitched two pretty good innings. I mean, sure, he gave up the third homer to Taylor, but that doesn’t really distinguish him, does it? Every Braves pitcher who faced Taylor gave up a homer. (There may those of you who note that the last Taylor at bat came against Jacob Webb, and Webb struck him out. My statement, however, is only an error if you regard Jacob Webb as a “pitcher.” The four meaningless runs he gave up in the 8th inning belie that characterization.)
The game started promisingly against Joe Kelly with an Albies single and a Freeman homer; Kelly departed with an injury and the other Dodger pitchers provided the insult: Phillips, Vesia, Graterol, Treinen, Knebel and Jansen collectively allowed one runner to reach scoring position.
One way to look at this series is that the only games that LA has won are their bullpen games: fortunately, there won’t be any more of those. In addition, if you’d been told before the series started that the Braves would be up 3-2 heading back to Atlanta, you’d have been happy, right? So Don’t Worry — Be Happy. Ian’s ready. There’s only one way for the seesaw to go after you hit the ground.
I said I’d be happy if the Braves won 1 of the 3 games in LA and they did that. However, IMO, game 6 is MUST win. We just can’t get into a situation like last year again. Young Ian and the bats need to stand up on Saturday. Really nice to have a rested bullpen too.
The best thing that happened tonight (other than Freddie’s homer) was Soler made a pinch-hit appearance. His timing may be a little off, but I feel a lot better about the roster with him in it.
I still maintain that Lee is a younger carbon copy of Will Smith. He looks good and then gives up a HR.
I didn’t much like what I saw in Soler’s AB. If he gets out of sync then he could go back to pre-trade Soler.
I just want them to do something that screams this is NOT last year. And I swear I’m going to go postal if I hear them talk any more about the Dodgers string of wins in elimination games.
Guys who need home cooking:
Dansby , OPS .484 (defense has held up)
TDA, OPS .533 (injury?)
Albies, OPS .609 ( slugging .324 , batting RH doesn’t seem to make a positive difference anymore).
Riley, OPS .807 (gone way down since game 2)
Let’s get our light/whistle/fitbit/signal game on, ASAP!
At least Matzek got a much needed day off.
If there was any doubt that Snit had packed it in, seeing Chris Martin come in, with a runner on base should have told you. I could homer off the guy!
Today’s game sucked. Let’s hope the plane trip and home cookin’ will have the “win” back in the Braves.
F the Dodgers, and Ron Darling, their biggest fan.
We’ll get them tomorrow. Go Braves!
You are such a good writer, Jonathan. Thank you.
Rest easy tonight, Braves. Even Miss Scarlett knows tomorrow is another day.
Embarrassment.
Last night’s loss was no more embarrassing for Atlanta than the previous night’s loss for the Dodgers. Game 7 is a must win for Atlanta, Game 6 and 7 are must win games for Los Angeles. Sorry to restate the obvious, but we still have the upper hand.
I’m confident that we’ll win the series, but, as has been the case with every game, I have no idea how it will play out. I hate the bullpen game, but what if we did it tomorrow night and saved Ian for the last game? It has worked every time for both teams.
I’m just not in a good place with this. I was at the last WS game in ATL, and I’ve my heart broken way too many times before and since. This just feels like a replay of last year. The Bellinger home run gave me the sense of dread with which I’ve become so familiar. I really hope it’s different this time.
They’ve got to beat us 2 times on the road against 2 of our best pitchers. That’s not an easy task.
Chris Taylor is someone that I’ve long wished the Braves had on this team.
https://twitter.com/eof34/status/1451476405791838217?s=21
#11
Ohhmmmm….
I was at both the last WS game in ATL & the last WS game the Braves played (Bronx)… Like many here, I’ve gone down with the ship with this franchise so many times, it’s almost silly. Dread is not a stranger. At some point, you must feel The Fear & just live in it. That’s what makes any triumph all the more rewarding.
But (in all seriousness) I gotta say… this team/situation really does feel different & I still believe they’ll win this series. Go Braves.
@10: well said.
I think what really adds to the Dread Deja Vu is that this series has so far played out in an eerily similar fashion to last year’s NLCS – the outcome of games 1 – 5 has been the same (W, W, L, W, L), even down to the Braves getting out to a 2 – 0 lead in Game 5 before the Dodgers came back and won that one.
The part of me that tries hard to be rational and level-headed says “2021 is not 2020”, and knows we’re still in a good spot heading back to ATL for Game 6 tomorrow. That said, my emotional state is strongly shaped by my lifelong history as a sports fan growing up in Georgia and the sense of DOOOOM is always lurking nearby whenever I’m watching the Braves or Dawgs.
There really is no such thing as momentum in baseball. At the very least, there certainly isn’t in this series. I’m trying hard to follow JonathanF’s lead and avoid too much elation and despair and just watch wonderful baseball games.
I like ububba’s take–all the falling just short, blown leads, frustrating failures, etc, will make the eventual triumph (whenever that is!) that much sweeter.
As for me, I’ve been to the mountaintop, and I’ve seen another championship coming. I may not get there with you, but when it comes everyone still here will rejoice.
I’m somewhere between sanguine and “don’t talk to me right now.” The best thing I found out in Atlanta news is that Mastodon’s new album is coming out a week from today!
Apropos of nothing, here’s Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, from an album by the band Old Nick which is entitled “The Night Of The Ambush And The Pillage By The Queen Ann Styl’d Furniture, Animated By One Of The Dozen Or So Spells That Thee Eastern Vampyre Has Studied (T.N.O.T.A.A.T.P.B.T.Q.A.S.F.A.B.O.O.T.D.O.S.S.T.T.E.V.H.S).”
Meh, a Game 7 loss feels like a fait accompli for this jaded Braves fan.
@10. Please don’t lump my words in with the words of the Negative Nancies around here. My use of the phrase “must win” was more in terms of the guys not getting in the same emotional space as last year. It was also more of a “rah rah – let’s do this” type of statement coming at 12:00am after a huge letdown.
I love this team. I watch every inning, including last night. I rarely whine about the players…..even Jacob Webb. I’m more likely to defend them. I grouch in the moment a lot about things. I definitely grouch about Kranitz. But I’m never negative about this team as a whole.
We are going to beat this bloated payroll of a franchise and go to the World Series. THIS year is different. Plaschke can go enjoy a shopping mall and Darling can cry in his beer. Let’s GO Braves!!!!!
If we are talking about non baseball things ……..I heard today that the Daredevil series is coming back for 3 more episodes. I never knew why Marvel pulled them all anyway. My favorite will always be the Punisher. Matt Murdock is a close 2nd though.
@21 This team won’t fold. They will win tomorrow night and end this right now. House money keeps rolling.
IMO the Braves will either win it in Game 6 or lose it in Game 7. I have zero faith that we’d win a game 7.
Sadly.
For me, I’m completely content where the Braves are right now. If they win, that would be fantastic. If they don’t, the last 1/3 of this season was a real treat and our GM should win exec of the year. I said it before and I meant it, but it was enough to win the division this year and the rest is gravy.
@25 I agree. It’s been a good year altogether considering we lost Acuna when we did.
@25 & 26: amen and amen. However this year Freddie flies his flag as the Braves win the last game they play in 2021.
@25 Totally agree, no one expected us to even beat the Brewers. If we lose I will be upset but I won’t be at all negative about the franchise. No woe is me doom and gloom.
Agree about AA.
btw, how is your little girl?
Thanks coop, as always.
CindyJ’s words above made me wince a bit. I should be clear that I agree with CindyJ entirely. When I criticize Jacob Webb in hyperbolic Internetese, everyone should understand that it comes from a place of: (a) envy; (b) love; and (c) desire to get a chuckle from coop.
I would further note that it even works sometime: Drew Smyly has been a much better pitcher ever since I said he was dead to me. Cause? Effect? Misuse of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle? Don’t care.
And yeah… this season has been a gift. But like eight-year-old me thinking “worst birthday ever,” there’s a shiny trophy I saw in a case which would look just perfect on the fireplace mantle in my head. Two trophies, actually. It would be a shame to be so close to the store and forget to go in… thereby disappointing a spoiled eight-year-old. But I already got a couple of gifts, so I can stand a little disappointment if I have to. But I don’t….
I gotta admit: while I’m eternally grateful for how the season has played out, with all things considered, to not make it into the World Series in 2020 and 2021 will be tough to swallow.
Only because we all know how tough it can be to get back into position to make it in and have a shot at winning it all.
But hey, it’s not supposed to be easy to make it all the way to the top of the mountain. Gotta earn it, right? 😉
Looking forward to our family’s first Braves playoff game together (in person) on Saturday. Pulling for the Red Sox vs the Stros. But man, sure would prefer that 5pm ET start, vs the 8pm ET start.
Go Braves!
I’m still pissed off about 1982. Why should this year be any different?
I’m still pissed off about the Star Wars prequels, but that ain’t gonna stop me from watching this team!
Here’s another song:
I can understand the sentiment that just getting to the NLCS this year was great and we should be happy with that, BUT once they got up 3-1 the calculus changed. At the start of the series I was gonna be happy with any outcome, but once you’re up 3-1 for the second year in a row another loss is just brutal. No sugarcoating that. Let’s pull them through and hope it never happens.
Curses aren’t real.
Past failures of “Atlanta sports” won’t affect the NLCS.
The numerous failures of Braves teams in October have caused some very real trauma for some fans.
All three of the above statements can be true at the same time.
We don’t know when we’ll get this close again. It could be two more decades. There’s no moral victory in reaching the same plateau we did last year. I want to win this thing, or as Queen Victoria put it, “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist.”
@cindyj
Her fever is back and she’s in a really bad mood.
@34, I agree. The core of this team is good and the future is bright but you don’t take being in these positions for granted. If you’re a game away from the pennant in back-to-back years and can’t seal it, yeah, there’s no moral victory there.
@34–Afghanis say hello to Queen Victoria.
So, on occasion this year, I have provided some musical/video accompliment to the need to say something
So here we are, for Game 6 and beyond (and yes, this is my personal equivalent of Phil Collins)
With due apoligies to Keane…
If only you don’t bend and break
I’ll meet you on the other side
I’ll meet you in the light
If only I don’t suffocate
I’ll meet you in the morning when I wake
@37,
Yep. When you trade for WAR, the Taliban and their ancestors have been good at that for a long time.
@35 awww…..poor baby. It’s so hard when the little ones feel so crappy.
Mike that isn’t showing up for me but maybe this will?
I know we should be grateful for the fantastic season we got to experience and the terrific run after Ronald wrecked his knee.
But I will be seriously PO’ed if Will Smith doesn’t get another win this series.
3-0. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!
Scherzer scratched for tomorrow.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-10-22/max-scherzer-will-not-start-dodgers-braves-game-6-mlb-playoffs
Crazy…..i would almost rather face Max than their bp. Their bp has been used a lot though
I wonder if the Dodgers are trying to scam the process. For example, use an opener and come back with Scherzer for as long as he can go. Still, the Dodgers’ best pitched games have been bullpen games. They may be trying to set that up again. The putative starters for the Dodgers – Scherzer, Buehler, Urias – have not been that good and their bullpen has been mostly lights out.
P.S. with all the bullpen usage, getting Price in would be a way to have a fresh pitcher going.
I don’t really think this is a scam. I don’t think Max would allow it.
I suspect they will try to do the same thing they did in Game 5.
Edit: I hadn’t thought about Price. When was the last time he pitched? He might be able to pitch 3 innings at most (like Smyly).
Astros showing how to take care of home field advantage. That’s one thing in our favor that they didn’t have last year.
Concerned about not knowing the pitching matchup tomorrow. If it is another bullpen-ish game, they shouldn’t be very tired. Very convenient for joe kelly to piss off and get them a fresh arm.
I think last year Chief predicted the Dodgers to win it in 5. It wasn’t a popular pick but I thought it was pretty realistic and I think I said so. The Dodgers were a much better team. This year I don’t see that and I don’t think Roberts has helped things by his bullpen usage. We could still lose this because LA didn’t win 106 regular season games by smoke and mirrors, but it won’t be because of some curse or jinx.
They just interviewed Carlos Correa and were talking to him about facing the Dodgers. Carlos had to say, “well both the Braves and Dodgers are tough opponents”. Good for him. As if that isn’t bad enough they said Tuesday nights game will be here or Los Angeles. I had to rewind to make sure I heard it right. I swear if the Braves lose they need to do an investigation to see if it’s fixed. This Fox crew sure seems positive the Dodgers are going to face the Astros.
@50 Given the injuries I think the Braves have a better team. I also think Snitker is a better mgr.
@51, it’s correct that the World Series opener will be either in Houston (if Atlanta wins) or Los Angeles (if Dodgers win). No conspiracy here.
@51, I didn’t see the interview, but it seems reasonable to ask Correa about the Dodgers since the Astros beat the Dodgers in the World Series a couple of years ago with the aid of trash cans and buzzers and whatnot. That would be a more interesting story for tv than anything involving the Braves, so I can see why they would play it up. I assume MLB would rather avoid reminding the public of the matter and especially that it didn’t punish any of the Astros players.
If you want conspiracy theories, mine is that Manfred doesn’t want to have to go to a game in Atlanta after taking the All-Star Game away.
Guys and gals, if I’m a bit out of touch these past few days, it’s with good reason. COVID has struck our home as my 3 y/o girl has it, and we’re fairly certain my wife has it now as well (going to get tested later today). My wife and I are both fully vaccinated so we’ll be fine, but wearing a dadgum mask inside your own home all day is freaking exhausting and it looks like a circus has taken over our living room. I’ve prayed to the baseball gods to give me this one thing and I think they answered with a yes.
If any of our writers had a piece to put up today, I’d be appreciative.
Go Braves!
Can you imagine a World Series between the notorious cheaters of Houston and the city of Atlanta where they took away the All Star Game just a short 4 months ago?? 2 franchises they (MLB) don’t really want the spotlight on haha.
Get well soon Ryan and Fam!!
Looks like they’re going with Buehler. And game time pushed back to 8pm edt.
@52 I figured it out after I posted but it was too late to edit. So sorry.
@54 Oh no. I hate that your wife has it now too. Prayers for you all.
The Braves are going to take this thing tonight!!!!!
I am of the same thought as Chief, the Braves either win tonight or the Dodgers win this year’s NLCS. I just can’t see the Braves winning game seven.
Best to you & your family, Ryan.
Go Braves — here’s to raising a victory glass tonight.
We are going to the World Series on Tuesday!!!
Thinking of you all, Ryan. Best wishes for a swift recovery for all of you.
Yes, Ryan, thinking of you and your family. I think the Braves are going to win this one for you!
Ryan, you are in my prayers. God bless.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Let’s hope a win tonight lifts up everyone here! Go Braves!!
Just home from a victory of my Yale Bulldogs over Mark DeRosa’s University of Pennsylvania. Just in time. Everyone get well quickly in the Cothran household, and Go Braves.
No corners any more, I want them painted black.
Yeah, baby!! Great start.
Let’s get some runs!!
Ozzie! All three balls have been hit hard against Buehler; if Freddie’s wasn’t hit right into the shift we would have scored.
Austin!!!
Austin!!
Outside of the DP, the 1st went well. Nice! Now 24 more outs.
Happy they managed to get back to back doubles after the DP. Hopefully a sign of things to come against Buehler.
Now do like the Astros and protect that lead!
Ian has the feel for his change up tonight, it looks like.
Hitting the ball hard but need more runs.
I need more patient at bats with a tired Buehler tonight. That half inning was not that.
EDIT – By the way, so far thus ump has been good and consistent.
Oh, Adam, you are not a center fielder.
I sure would like to have another run or two so we don’t have to sweat out every AB. Betts up with Pollack on 2nd is not a good situation even though Ian got out of it.
Ugh, stop going after the first pitch, guys.
C’mon Ozzie, get your XBH going tonight
Arghhh
Ugh, you’re killing me, Adam.
Beuhler’s off speed stuff ain’t great but he’s getting away with it because his fastball is. They’re guessing wrong. And yeah…Duvall…where’s that power from ALL YEAR?!
Duvall is having another brutal game.
Double play still in order.
Or not. How about a K? Get another.
Great job Ian!! Struck him out twice
I almost would have put Minter in.
Cody Bellinger, Braves killer.
Ugh. Good pitch, not hit well, but live by the shift and die by the shift.
I so want to break the no cursing rule so badly.
Thats twice this inning the stupid shifts have cost them.
WHERE WAS DANSBY!!
I loathe the shift.
Who ever keeps shifting out defense needs to be fired. It killed us on Thursday and it’s not like we learned anything. Two hits this inning because we played the dumb ass shift
F-ing shift!!!! That is an out for nearly every game I watched for 20 years. Dammit!
I was yelling, “yessss”…..only to yell “what”?!?! These Dodger hitters choke up and beat the shift just like Ozzie did the other day. I wish Freddie would do it sometimes.
I just don’t get it. Even the best hitters get out 7 out of 10 times with the defense positioned normally, and this has been true pretty much since the game was invented. Why in the world would shifting make sense to stop an event that happens, at best, 3 out of 10 times?
Great job Ian!!
D’Arnaud is slow as molasses.
d’Arn slow.
Whoooo! Ehire!
@94 – That was an out in 1908. In 1928. In 1939. In 1962. In 1976. In 1995. Even in 2008. Sure, pitchers are different and so are batters. But an out is an out. Take it! THAT was a run.
And I’m OK taking Anderson out here if we score. Patience!!!
EDDDDIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
EDDIE ROSARIO
EDDIE ROSARIO!!!! MVP of the series for sure.
MVP Rosario!
Edit: my apologies, he deserved his name in all caps.
And that was undermanaging by Roberts. He shouldn’t have left him in to face another lefty, in my opinion.
Aaaand…we did! Damn, Rosario has been a beast this postseason!
Eddie!!!
I just scared one of my cats half to death>
Somewhere Chip is lamenting that Anderson isn’t in line for the win.
Wow AJ… gutty 3-2 change up
Minter should go two.
Playoff Minter!!
Fantastic inning by AJ. I’d certainly send him back out to face Seager. But I’d love to get two full innings out of him
More Minter please. And double Matzek if necessary as well.
Caught, but that was the best swing Dans has taken all night. Good to see.
Was getting ready to say Dansby should take a couple of pitches from this guy and try to work the count.
Hope Minter comes back out too.
What a play!
That missed strike..
Ump was doing well until then. Good thing playoff Minter doesn’t give a damn.
And whoooo at that Freeman scoop!
3 out. Playoff Minter!
More runs, please
Everyday A.J. My man. What a job.
Minter!
9 outs!
Let Minter hit .. he is on his game ..we need outs ….
First time all night the ump called that low strike. Otherwise, he’s been great. But a walk ensues. So no harm unless that gets worse.
I would feel so much better if Riley could deliver again against Treinen….
They really have ro start their rallies before 2 outs.
Called out on not a strike. This ump is getting worse as he goes along. In all honesty, the last pitch to Albies should have been called strike 3.
Barksdale has been horrible tonight.
I’ve never trusted Barksdale since he turned on Stringer Bell.
Luke, could you please not?
@123 is an exceptional comment. 70-grade across the board.
Oh boy, Luke…
Here we go…
@122 – Yeah, no…he hasn’t. This has been the best ump behind the plate all postseason. That might say something about all of them, but yeah, no.
And why didn’t we go to Matzek this inning??
We are gonna regret not going Matzek aren’t we?
Luke Jackson against the Dodgers’ three hottest hitters seems … stupid?
Short leash hopefully. You still have Chavez as a righty.
Let’s get some outs, Luke…
pull him NOW!!!! Or after this hitter
Jesus F…
@132, they can’t , stupid new rule, 3 batters.
Three batter minimum
I feel sick.
Real smart decision bringing Luke in…
Luke has zero confidence and shouldn’t have been in. Chavez would have been a better option
Well… I’d like to say that I mentioned Matzek going two innings way beforehand…
Could any of you Luke Jackson defenders point out why he should not be held accountable this time?
If they lose, this is all on Snit. Not putting Matzek out there is just stupid.
Don’t do this.
@134 I know …..I corrected myself too late.
I had a bad feeling about using Luke ……was hoping for 2 innings of Matzek.
that was so lucky, so close. So obvious that Luke was a bad choice. I have to think it was why Snit went to him in the 7th instead of the 8th. The whole righty/righty thing is just no good when you have particular situations with super-hot hitters.
Cant believe Snitker put Luke in to face the exact same guys
I knew not being able to add runs was gonna come back on us. . Damnit …last year all.over again …why let him pitch to the 3rd batter its obvious he has lost it..
We need a barves baserunning moment in our favor.
Go away, ghost of Pujols, that’s one…
Biggest 2 hitters of the year right now.
What the heck do we do in the 8th regardless?
One more, Tyler…
We’re still winning you guys…
Took 4 strikes to get him
Bless you, Matzek.
Yesssssss!!!
TYLER NUTSACK
As long as we avoid Luke, I feel good about our chances!
Matzek…dude is unreal
Tyler you beautiful man.
@153 says it all.
If we win tonight, Rosario will get the MVP and he’s been amazing. However, Matzek may be even more deserving
147 — Got to send Matzek back out
Wow.
WOW…… just wow! They better damn well not pinch hit for him.
@157 I’d be good with co-mvps.
wow
Wow. Smith is the closer. But Matzek is the bullpen ace.
Let him pitch another.
@154 Pretty sure Luke can’t enter this game again, so we should be good on that front.
Oh, and I’m sorry for the crassness, but I’m pretty sure Matzek is nicknamed the death star, because his testicles are obviously death star sized (and possibly metallic).
Gotta pinch myself after that one…
Let’s put it away, fellas
Matzek is unreal!! Literally can not pitch any better.
Matzek saves the day. It really is just managerial malpractice to have started Jackson that inning.
As good a pitching sequence in a crucial situation as I ever remember.
So let’s do something here Duvall! Remember that HR swing? [EDIT – No, doesn’t.]
Maybe it was for the best. If the Braves get into the World Series, surely Snitker will now be a lot more hesitant to put Jackson in close games.
Tough to keep Duvall thus high in the lineup. He looks completely lost
Both duvall and joc seem to have lost it; maybe give soler a try in the WS.
@171 this is the Braves. Let’s not start counting our chickens
Matzek is coming back to pitch the 8th!
I want six up, six down.
Another bad call to finish off TDA. I have little doubt we will see a +.xx dodgers line on HP ump scorecards tomorrow. As has been the case every single game.
Why in the hell didn’t Dansby try to steal? Worst case, TdA leads off the next inning and best case, TdA knocks in a run. I just don’t get it.
@172 but you guys told me to stop being so negative! I have no other choice than to do that.
@176 I honestly think if he does, they IBB TDA and make Snitker take out Matzek. Which would be bad.
Unreal…
Let Matzek keep pitching until he gives up a baserunner. (Edit: In the 9th too. Do we really want the Will Smith experience?)
If I were LA, I would’ve thought about IBBing TdA to make the Braves pinch-hit, figuring they have a 70% chance of getting Soler out and getting Matzek out of the game.
I don’t know about you folks, but what about a 3rd inning for Matzek?
EDIT – 3 outs needed. Who do we trust more?
Almost there, folks!
My goodness, Matzek is just unbelievable.
Matzek and Rosario tonight.
Let the big dog eat.
They can make plans to build a statue of Matzek beside Rosario’s statue.
This may sound crazy, but leave Matzek in the 9th. I don’t care if he comes to bat. Pitch count is low, and he doesn’t have a 3 batter minimum, if you need to change him.
DEATHSTAR!
A little insurance would be nice.
@180 I was just thinking that but it’s not gonna happen. With the top of the lineup (including Soler), I’m hoping we score a run or two. Then I’d be more comfortable with Hancock.
I expect to see Soler pinch hit and then Bad Willie. But Matzek for a third inning would make him into a legend.
Soler!!!!!
Soler!
Yes! Man hadn’t played in days. Way to get after it!
Tack one on, boys…
EDIT: Great AB…
haha they were making fun of Plaschke.
Those jerks in Jansen’s motion sure look like balks to me.
Damn, thought Eddie got another one. That would’ve been the record for nlcs hits.
Productive out, at least.
C’mon Ozzie!
Ugh Ozzie
These guys have had traffic in every inning. And that’s two pinch doubles off the bench. This is one pesky, annoying, tough lineup.
What an awful at bat by Ozzie. Just terrible
Surprised they are pitching to Riley
A trip to the World Series is coming down to….GULP…..Will Smith!!
Let’s Gooooooo…..
3 outs…come on Will Smith. Time for redemption.
Come on, Fresh Prince.
3 outs. That’s it.
Just 2!
EDIT – Brian Anderson is desperate for a baserunner…
WILL!
1 more….
YES!!
OH MEIN GOTT! YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
DANSBY!
World Series!!!
WORLD SERIES BABY!!!!
DESTINY
National League pennant winning Atlanta Braves.
Win that last game, boys.
BRAVES WIN!!!!
Woooooooo baby!!!!!!
Tonight, Josephine. Tonight.
Y’ALL
I will say that I owe Will Smith and Fun Police an apology. Great job.
Eddie and Tyler gotta be co-MVPs.
Oh my god. It’s real.
Seeing Snitker coming out of the dugout like that about made me lose it
I think that poll has a definitive answer now.
And what did your victory dance look like?
Whewwwwwwwwww!
Y’all!
Man, that shopping mall was lit tonight.
Oh wow, it’s hard to put into words how I feel. So happy for Freddie and the boys. They’ve earned every bit of this.
Congratulations everyone. What a season.
Anderson didn’t get his baserunner and…we’re going to the World Series! F Yeah!!!
(Is it too soon to think about how we’ll do against the Astros? Lol.)
I did not want to see Pujols face Smith there, whew.
Braves have made a habit of losing at each step since they made it back to the playoffs. The 1 game playoff, then the division series, the nlcs last year. Break that friggin’ streak and go all the way on the first WS try!
Kids asleep, one with COVID. My celebration was of the silent jumping variety. What a season!!! Let’s go get that ring!
@219 Me too
Flags fly forever!
AA needs a bigger shirt. I think he got Ozzie’s by accident.
In AA I trust, I love Snit. I want to cry. Let’s go beat the cheaters.
“The Braves traded Pablo Sandoval for the eventual NLCS MVP.”
Lmaoooooo
@228 Hope your kid is okay, Ryan. Silent jumping is what I did as well with my wife asleep.
Things turned out perfect for me. I hope it’s Max on Tuesday, because my friend and I have G1 tickets in Houston.
For fear of the jinx, I never brought this up but a point possibly to be considered in the recap of this series – Trea Turner was a little silent, at least as much as he killed us as a Nat. Also…Scherzer not going tonight…does that effect his all-round consideration?
Braves’ last 2 NLCS MVPs:
2021 Eddie Rosario
1999 Eddie Perez
Snit won this series IMO.
Also…this is for Mac!
I love you all!
And bourbon!
What a wild ride.
So 4 tee shirts and 2 hats ordered, please make me spend more money!!!!
P.S. miss you Mac!
@238 I have never seen a series where one manager outmanaged the other on pushing the right buttons so clearly, and it was basically all pitching decisions. Dave Roberts did every bit of overmanaging he could, and Snit made sure the good pitchers got the most innings, but it wasn’t as simple as that sounds.
Here’s how impressive Matzek was: A.J. Minter pitched 6 scoreless innings in high-pressure situations, Will Smith pitched 4 scoreless innings with 2 wins and a save, and there’s absolutely no question who was the team’s best reliever.
This makes all of what we all do on here so sweet. All of the years of double and triple grybos, the terrible lineups, awful pitching staffs…wow. This place is such a treasure…the recappers, the regular posters, the different perspectives…. By far my favorite place on the web and I love that we get to share in this together . Go Braves!
I’m so happy for Snit and the guys right now. I hope all of those in any sort of funk shake it off. Win the last game. I love this team.
@233 Everyone keeps saying that but it’s not exactly true. Cleveland traded Rosario to Atlanta in a pure salary dump. Pablo was just part of the salary offset. Cleveland immediately released him. I can’t believe they didn’t even get a low level prospect added in to the deal. Terrible deal for them ……..awesome for us.
@245 – Thank you for reading what I don’t. And…that’s something. Am I wrong to want to tell the man to suck it? 😉
Nice to be nice after the fact, but I enjoyed every bit of beating LA and all of their defenders in the media (and he’s minor league compared to ESPN and TBS.)
Performances like Rosario and Matzek’s is what this franchise has missed in the playoffs over the last two decades: one or two guys who just put the team on their shoulders and carry them for a few weeks in October. Amazing.
To bring in Adrianza with two out in the fourth. Bold move by Snit. It decided the game (and Matzek did of course). Very happy for him.
Snit really did it. He has come such a long way since rising to this blog’s doghouse as the third base coach who kept sending runners to their doom (getting “Snitker’d” was the Glossary term). He pressed the right buttons, but he also kept putting his guys in a position to succeed. Will Smith got the last three outs in large part because Snitker stuck with him the last two months when no one else would have. But he also pulled his starter after just four innings. Loyalty is why he went to Luke Jackson in the seventh, but it didn’t prevent him from yanking him after the minimum three batters.
He’s a big part of why this team overachieved so much over the last two months.
This is why we care. I’ve trolled this place for damn near two decades, because it’s the best. Period. 4 more wins. LFG.
Houston’s going to have an interesting problem for their games in Atlanta when Yordan Alvarez is either benched or (more likely) replaces Brantley . By contrast, the Braves issue of how to squeeze four outfielders into three positions is solved when they play in Houston.
Silent living-room jumping it was for me, too. Just a fantastic moment to actually finish the Dodgers off. Eddie Rosario is clearly the MVP of this series, but Tyler Matzek had the best clutch pitching performance I’ve ever seen.
Remember back to Aug. 2 when this team was 3 games below .500? Amazing.
Just booked my flight to ATL… it’s a loooong time coming .
And yes, as always, here’s to Mac & what he started. Cheers, y’all…
Also, I whole-heartedly agree with Carl. Let’s ditch this one-step-at-a-time thing and just go win the damn World Series!
For the first time I got to celebrate a pennant with my kids. They had all heard about the glory days but never got to experience the feeling of going to the World Series during their lifetimes. This one was more special since we could share it together.
@250 Perfectly put, Alex.
Snitker said that if Matzek’s turn in the lineup had come up in the 7th, he would have sent him out to bat. I guess Soler was only out there to scare LA into pitching to TDA.
Good on him, I started mentally panicking when I saw Chavez warming to start the 8th. ( no offense to him).
To Mac!
And get well soon, Ryan C. and family!
Huge win. I really think the Dodgers we’re spent emotionally after getting past the Giants. Reminded me of how the Braves stumbled in ’93 to the Phillies after beating the Giants in that epic division race. Anyway, I just hope we don’t get any letdown after finally beating LA. Like Carl says, let’s not lose the series in our first attempt, but blow by Houston and win it all. Wow, what a series that was.
Great pitch calling there by TdA in the 7th with Matzek.
Over there, Plaschke is politely eating crow
Over here, I am ravenously crushing some Waffle House
Over there, Plaschke is magnanimously extending an olive branch
Over here, I’m throwing my hands in the air and waving ’em like I just don’t care
This is a HOF thread.
Our weekend recapper has left the building. Anyone have time to recap last night’s game? I would but it’s a full time job right now keeping the kids away from each other so the youngest doesn’t give COVID to the oldest.
Funny thing is I think back to our first of year predictions and it’s laughable how completely off most of us were. What’s even funnier is I don’t think we could ever be happier to be so wrong. This is one of the things that makes baseball fun. Well, not so much for the Mets.
Bless you, Ryan. I can put a quick recap together–should be short but hopefully sweet.
Ben Ingram’s final call:
Ryan, can I recap?
Any Braves Journaler going to game 4? I’ll be done with quarantine and don’t want to miss this opportunity! I only need 1 ticket!
Recapped, with gusto