Last Chance At The Casino
So Monday afternoon was the last chance at the casino. Surviving that, tonight, Day 3, is our next last chance. Whatever happens tonight, we’ll have survived longer than Houston, as Josh Hader makes another eighth inning error to send Detroit to the next round. Meanwhile in Baltimore we have outlived the Orioles who fall to KC (remember them? we beat them two out of three last weekend.).
This of course could be Max Fried’s last outing as an Atlanta Brave. Whether it is or not, we were lucky to be able to watch him pitch for the right team as long as he did. Viva Varsity.
In an acknowledgement of where his swing seems to be now, Sean Murphy has been pushed down to 8th in the lineup. I might have swapped Laureano and Soler, but I’m not being paid to figure these things out.
We’ve put the whole bankroll on the Pass Line. Coming out….
“This low-down bitchin’ got my poor feet a-itchin’…”
First 45-RPM single I ever bought… good luck, I hope.
As Nick Cave might say, “The time is nigh…”
There’s your run, Max. Make it stand.
Really good at bats by Ozzie and Ozuna to move Harris up and in.
Here’s to peak optimism.
And then those two hits to start the game and the optimism is shot. It just wasn’t our year.
You give up too easily.
Bases loaded & they haven’t hit the ball out of the infield yet…
EDIT: Nice comeback, Max.
Max Fried pulling his best Matzek impression.
Liberty Media, give Max all your money.
Max has nerves of steel.
Man he looked safe to me in real-time. ESPN doing another bang-up job of cutting to commercial before any good replay angle was shown. Sheesh they are awful.
To Eduardo Perez’s point… if running past the bag to allow the run to score becomes a thing, people will just stop making the short throw and go to first, which is probably what should have been done there in any case.
Higashioka has Eddie Rosario and Mark Lemke’s pixie dust.
Jesus, how many infield hits are they going to get?
Enough to load the bases for a salami
Fried is gonna get hit tonight. His stuff just isn’t dominant. Middle-middle fastballs with no pop. Big slow curve that somebody will eventually sit on. He really needs more variety as he ages. I’d like to get a chance to face him in the playoffs next year.
WTF with the infield hits?!
Ok, well that’s not an infield hit. That’s…probably gonna do it, sadly.
Well it’s been fun guys. Here’s to a better 2025
Is it really a crapshoot if you lose in the first series almost every time? I think it’s just mostly crap.
This is just a miserable franchise in October.
Gotta go get ’em, Braves…
Arcia is so bad. Got to find an upgrade this offseason.
See ya next year, guys and gals
It’s early. Four runs in six innings. Let’s gooooo
I really love your positivity and optimism. Wish we had more of that around here! Thank you.
I’m with you. No expectations, but hey it could happen.
I just don’t see the point of hating on them. Especially when they’re this good. (Padres are good too. really good)
The two biggest needs this offseason will be to find a starting pitcher to replace Fried. Maybe 2 starting pitchers if they want to go with a 6 man rotation on a regular basis. And upgrading the shortstop position. But the nucleus appears pretty strong for 2025
C Murphy/TDA with Baldwin waiting in the wings
1b Olson
2b Ozzie (maybe could use as a trade chip…he is in decline but still has a friendly contract)
3b Riley
SS Offseason aquisition
LF Soler
CF Harris
RF Acuña
DH Ozuna
Bench
4th OF Kelenic — Will spell the surgically repaired Acuña and the defensively challenged Soler a lot, can play center if needed
C Murphy/TDA
Utility: Arcia
Utility or defensive OF replacement: Random guy
Starting pitchers
1. Sale
2. López
3. Schwelly
4. Strider
5. Offseason acquisition
6. Offseason acquisition
7. Holmes/ Elder/Ian Anderson/AJSS for depth
Bullpen
Iglesias
Jiménez
Johnson
Lee
Bummer
Holmes
Rest filled with randoms and in house guys
As many have said, this is ONE of our worst Braves teams to make the playoffs in modern memory. Strike one.
And then as we open the wild card series, we lose our ace. Strike two (at least).
When we needed our Max the Most, he gives us 2 innings in the quick elimination game. Infield hits aside, that’s still strike three.
Even if the Braves pull out a miracle tonight (I’m watching to the end; how ’bout you?) – we gotta go with a rook or try to hit snake eyes with ol’ Charlie Brown in the unlikeliest of game threes. On the road. With a putrid offense to back them up.
As Luke Jackson once taught us (uh, not THAT Luke Jackson, but Cool Hand Luke): “Sometimes nothing can be a really cool hand.” Sometimes…but not in October.
Of course we’re still watching. There’s just nothing good to say. I’d like to get a chance to hit off Fried in the playoffs next year. And I’d like to leave a few players and coaches in San Diego. This offseason is gonna be interesting . AA has a lot of work to do.
Dylan Lee seems like one of our best relievers. I wonder why Snit & Company don’t see it that way.
Jorge!
Well, there’s one…
Three to go! Totally doable.
I think Karl Ravech has a crush on Jorge Soler.
For all you haters out there, may you be cursed by the memories of Dan Uggla, Chris Johnson, Mark Redman, Rico Brogna, Aaron Blair, Jo-Jo Reyes, Casey Kotchman, Dan Kolb, John Thomson and Hector Oliveira.
Like all of those guys more than Arcia. I like BJ Upton more than Arcia.
That’s a good list. But ya gotta add Charlie Liebrandt to it.
And in more modern history: Reggie Sanders, who stunk it up in 2000, including the playoffs, after being traded from these same Padres.
I liked Charlie. (how can you not like a guy named Charlie?) But Reggie Sanders was a disappointment. Especially because he cost us Klesko. I have similar feelings about Kenny Lofton.
Hey Matt, if you’re ever gonna take a lefty deep, now’s the time…
Well we’ve certainly had chances in these two games. I’ve forgotten what a clutch hit looks like. Goal for next inning is to clear Arcia so we can start the 8th with the top of the order.
Why did we keep Daysbeast in AAA all year? Seems like we might could’ve used him to find one more win in the regular season.
So Luke Jackson could get a few more appearances?
They get to hang another little metal flag up beyond the outfield stands, but aside from that, this was a season on which the book should be closed in a hurry. Hopefully close the book on Kevin Seitzer’s employment with the team, too.
One to go!!!
Michael diggity Harris!
Money Mike…
Let’s break their hearts now.
Ok, I can BELIEVE for just one more inning. Why not.
Gonna live and die with the midseason pickups. Doesn’t get more 2021 than this.
Gio Urshela three-run dong coming up
Looking like Curt Flood out there…
EDIT: Alright, y’all… that’s that, a very strange season.
Padres are good. Shockingly athletic.
And thus ends optimism. What a joy this team was. Incredible that they even got this far.
Now to prepare for winter…
Thanks everyone for being here to chat with. Talk soon.
I’ll give them credit for making it interesting. Money Mike and Soler weren’t enough to do it by themselves. Kinda rooting for a Mets/Phillies series so one toxic fanbase gets beat by another. See y’all next season. Hope Snit enjoys retirement.
Recapped.