The Game

Last season, Reynaldo Lopez had an ERA under 2.00. After one pitch this season, his ERA sat at infinity, tied with Hector Neris for worst in the major leagues. By the end of the inning, he had cut it to 9.00. In the bottom of the 2nd he gave up a two out single to Martin Maldonado. There really is no excuse for giving up an RBI to Martin Maldonado. I mean, technically, Maldonado had 372 RBIs coming into this game, but I don’t think any of those were justified either. ERA stays at 9.00.

On the other side of the ball, Dylan Cease didn’t. Other than a Riley double, he struck out six and looked dominant on his first time through the lineup. But he wasn’t. He loaded the bases with two outs and Marcell Ozuna delivered the game-tying single. It didn’t last. Yet another two out single, this time from Xander Bogaerts, who is a much better hitter than Martin Maldonado, unknotted the game. ERA stays at 9.00.

In the 4th, Lopez finally had a clean inning. ERA drops to 6.75!

There are, I presume, all kinds of hitting coaches and players amenable to coaching and others who are not. If the first two games under new hitting coach Tim Hyers are any indication, Hyers is ging to make the Braves more patient and patience really helps get elite starters out of games. Cease gave up a homer to Jarred Kelenic to open the fifth and exited one batter later. Kelenic is still a bit of a mystery to me. He certainly looks like a ballplayer, but his performance rarely matches his aura. At the moment, he is platoon filler awaiting the return of Acuña and the next month is going to be critical in determining his future.

Lopez never had a 1-2-3 inning, but unlike Cease, he made it through the 5th with an ERA of 5.40, same as Chris Sale.

So, entering the 6th, we were confronted once again with a bullpen battle. Thursday we were killed in the bullpen portion of the game The Braves entered with the advantage of knowing that it would be highly unlikely for Hector Neris to make it into the game. Pierce Johnson retired the Padres on 7 pitches in the sixth.

So people got on Snit for not bringing Dylan Lee back out after a 10 pitch inning yesterday, leading to the Hector Neris Experience. Tonight Snit didn’t bring Johnson back either, electing to give Lee his second outing. And once again he threw an 11 pitch outing so he brought him back out in the 8th. For one pitch. To Cronenworth. Who deposited it in the seasts. As Jon S. said in the comments: “Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.” Pretty good Jon S. But around here I think you’re supposed to sy “DOOOOMED if you do. DOOOOOMED if you don’t.”

Statistical Oddity

In the top of the 7th, there was a play that I suspect was unique in MLB history. With a runner on second, Kelenic swung at strike 3 over his head, the ball caromed off the backstop down the first base line and Kelenic was retired on a Strikeout-Wild Pitch-1-3 putout. There have been (before tonight) 67 K13 putouts. So I looked it up. It happened once before: in the second game of the 1945 Negro League World Series between the Cleveland Buckeyes and the Homestead Grays.

Nick Allen

I guess I should comment on the new backup shortstop, Nick Allen. I doubt Orlando Arcia needed a rest yet, but Allen is from San Diego so this looks like the sort of thing Snitker does for a kid Nick Allen (who I keep wanting to call Adams for some reason) is actually the second major meaguer named Nick Allen, although the first one, who played from 1914-1920 was named Artemus and called Nick for some reason — maybe he had issues with a razor. Now comes the weird part: Artemus “Nick” Allen was a distant cousin of Daniel Boone, and the Braves’ Nick Allen is married to the daughter of former Brave Bret Boone who is herself also related to Daniel Boone.

Genealogiical considerations aside, what is it one looks for in a 25th player, which is what Allen is. Does it matter? I just can’t get myself to get worked up about it one way or the other. But then again, I am not related in any way to Daniel Boone.