The Game

The weather was an issue, as apparently it will be for the whole series, but there were no stoppages tonight.

A battle of rookies on the mound: Spencer Schwellenbach versus Landon Knack. Shabbos vs. Sharona, The Braves Got The Knack in the first when five of the first six hitters hit the ball hard, Unfortunately, it led to only one run. But he then led off the second with a walk to Orlando Arcia and a home run from Gio Urshela to make it 3-0. A scratch hit from Whit Merrifield and a homer from Jorge Soler made it 5-0. Knack was pulled after two innings pitched, darn it.

When I heard Mookie Betts was going to play short this season, I thought it was a ridiculous idea, and eventually the Dodgers saw I was right. Miguel Rojas not only replaced Mookie at short, but he has hit much better than anyone thought he would when they decided to embark on the Mooksperiment. Miguel hit a solo homer of Shabbos to pull it to 5-1.

Shabbos gave up another run in the fourth to make it 5-2. Visions of disaster are tamped down as the game progresses and Knack’s successor, Michael Grove did what almost every other pitcher has done against the Braves the last four months.

Snit pulled Shabbos after six (and 92 pitches) and decided to get three innings from the bullpen. Pierce Johnson has been polarizing this year here at Braves Journal. I’m still a Johnsonian, but he’s generally in an awkward position. As a seventh inning guy, he’s being called on when the starter leaves the team with a lead (although often a tenuous one) and he is being implicitly compared with the unknowable result the starter would have put up had he pitched an extra inning. When he does well, he’s given little credit and when he does poorly, well… he’s treated that way. He pitched well tonight.

Joe Jiménez pitched the eighth, quickly. Raisel Iglesias did his 9th thing, though he might not have pitched the 9th if Holmes could have warmed up in time.

The Braves stole a run in the 9th when Whit Merrifield goaded Brent Honeywell into a third disengagement, gaining second base and scoring on a Michael Harris II double. I’ve been predicting that move for two years now and it’s the first time I’ve seen it pulled off.

I’m told this Shohei Ohtani guy is pretty good at baseball. He was 0-4 in this game with two strikeouts. The only think I’ll say about that is that it doesn’t bode well for the next three days. As they used to say on Hill Street Blues: “Be careful out there.”

Obligatory Song Parody

Ooh, my little pitcher man, pitcher man
When you gonna get a guy out, Landona?
Ooh, you give up many runs, so many runs
Runs beyond a shadow of doubt, Landona

Never gonna stop, hibernate, keep the pressure up,
Keep on serving stuff we can hit, sip a victory cup
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Landona

Throw a little slider, huh, ah, will ya, huh?
Hang it tover the heart of the plate, Landona
Keeping it in the park hopes go dark
Pitches hit so hard seals your fate, Landona

Never gonna stop, hibernate, keep the pressure up,
Keep on serving stuff we can hit, sip a victory cup
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Sharona
M-m-m-my Sharona

When you gonna throw one fat, s-strikes my bat?
Is it just a matter of time, Landona?
Only pitching two, pitching two
Five runs is all we could do Landona

Never gonna stop, hibernate, keep the pressure up,
Keep on serving stuff we can hit, sip a victory cup
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my, my, my, I, yi, woo!

M-m-m-my Landona
M-m-m-my Landona
M-m-m-my Landona
M-m-m-my Landona

Mmh, ohh, my Landona
Mmh, ohh, my Landona
Mmh, ohh, my Landona

Oh, There’s A Pennant Race

The Mets beat up on the Phillies, 11-3.